Electronic receipt system, device, method and program

Abstract

To provide an electronic receipt system, device, method and program that can easily select a print target from a transaction for which an electronic receipt has already been output and print a paper receipt. [Solution] An electronic receipt system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a server 300 that records electronic receipts, which are electronic data including details of a transaction; a mobile terminal 200 that accepts a selection of the electronic receipt to be printed and acquires selection information related to the selection; and a printing terminal 100 that receives the selection information from the mobile terminal, acquires data from the server based on the selection information to be used for printing the electronic receipt to be printed, and prints a paper receipt, which is a printed matter including details of the transaction, based on the data.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a system, an apparatus, a method, and a program for outputting a paper receipt related to an electronic receipt. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, systems have been developed that output electronic receipts (hereinafter referred to as electronic receipts) instead of or in addition to paper receipts (hereinafter referred to as paper receipts) when purchasing goods (including services). Electronic receipts have the advantage that they do not require paper resources and can be easily managed and tallied. Such systems output at least one of an electronic receipt and a paper receipt according to the customer's request at the time of payment.

[0003] Even if a customer requests an electronic receipt at the time of payment, there are cases where the customer requires a paper receipt later. In the system described in Patent Document 1, when a customer requires a paper receipt for a transaction for which an electronic receipt has already been output, the POS terminal reads identification information from the customer's mobile terminal. The POS terminal then displays a transaction history on the screen based on the read identification information, and accepts the customer's selection using the touch panel. The POS terminal then prints a paper receipt for the transaction selected by the customer. With this configuration, the system described in Patent Document 1 can print a paper receipt for a transaction for which an electronic receipt has already been output. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-175212 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the system described in Patent Document 1, the customer must find the transaction for which a paper receipt needs to be printed on the screen of the POS terminal, which takes time for the customer to select, and this causes a problem of hindering other customers who want to use the POS terminal for their checkout. In particular, when a customer's transaction history includes many transactions, it is not easy to find the transaction to be printed on the screen of the POS terminal in a short time.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an electronic receipt system, device, method, and program that makes it possible to easily select printing targets from transactions for which electronic receipts have already been output, and print paper receipts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A first aspect of the present invention is an electronic receipt system comprising: a storage means for storing transaction data for an electronic receipt including transaction-related information regarding at least one of a store name, a product name, a price, a tax amount, and a total amount; a selection means for selecting a plurality of the transaction data to be printed; a generation means for generating an identifier associated with each of the selected plurality of transaction data; an output means for outputting the identifier to a mobile terminal to print the contents of the selected transaction data; and a printing means for printing the contents of the selected transaction data based on the identifier, wherein the printing means does not print if the total amount of any of the selected plurality of transaction data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is a method comprising the steps of: storing transaction data for an electronic receipt including transaction-related information regarding at least one of the store name, product name, price, tax amount, and total amount; selecting a plurality of the transaction data to be printed; generating an identifier associated with the selected plurality of the transaction data; outputting the identifier to a mobile terminal to print the contents of the selected transaction data; and printing the contents of the selected transaction data based on the identifier, wherein in the printing step, printing is not performed if the total amount of the transaction for any of the selected plurality of the transaction data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute the steps of storing transaction data for an electronic receipt including transaction-related information regarding at least one of the store name, product name, price, tax amount, and total amount, selecting a plurality of the transaction data to be printed, generating an identifier associated with the selected plurality of the transaction data, outputting the identifier to a mobile terminal to print the contents of the selected transaction data, and printing the contents of the selected transaction data based on the identifier, and is characterized in that in the printing step, printing is not performed if the total amount of the transaction for any of the selected plurality of the transaction data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, an electronic receipt to be printed can be easily selected and printed as a paper receipt. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic receipt system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of a printing terminal according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing terminal and a mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an electronic receipt management server and a POS terminal according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing data exchanged for printing a paper receipt in the electronic receipt system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view of an exemplary electronic receipt. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a front view of a print object selection screen for selecting a print object. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a front view of a selection information display screen that displays selection information of a print target. [Figure 9] 13 is a front view of a message screen that notifies a customer that a paper receipt will not be printed. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary table contained in a selections database that records selections. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a receipt printing process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram of a receipt printing process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing terminal according to a first embodiment. [Figure 14] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a mobile terminal according to a first embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 is a schematic diagram showing data exchanged for printing a paper receipt in an electronic receipt system according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a receipt printing process according to a second embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of a receipt printing process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a front view of an input screen that accepts selected information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the drawings described below, parts having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof may be omitted.

[0013] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic receipt system 10 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the electronic receipt system 10 is configured as a part of a POS (Point Of Sale) system (point of sale information management system). The electronic receipt system 10 includes a printing terminal 100 that prints paper receipts, a mobile terminal 200 that displays electronic receipts, an electronic receipt management server 300 that manages electronic receipts, and a POS terminal 400 that reads product information and performs accounting. The printing terminal 100, the mobile terminal 200, the electronic receipt management server 300, and the POS terminal 400 are connected by wired or wireless connection via a network 500 such as the Internet. The electronic receipt system 10 may include other devices such as servers and terminals.

[0014] The printing terminal 100 is a terminal that has the function of printing a paper receipt based on the contents of an electronic receipt obtained from the electronic receipt management server 300. In this specification, a paper receipt refers to a printed matter that includes the contents of a transaction, including transaction details and receipts. The printing terminal 100 may be an independent terminal installed in a store, or may be integrated with another terminal such as a POS terminal 400. Alternatively, the printing terminal 100 may be a computer installed in a customer's home.

[0015] The mobile terminal 200 is a terminal carried by a customer and has a function of displaying an electronic receipt obtained from the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt management server 300 is a server that creates and records an electronic receipt based on product information transmitted from the POS terminal 400. The POS terminal 400 is a terminal that is installed in a store and reads product information and handles transactions.

[0016] 2 is a front view of the printing terminal 100 according to this embodiment. The printing terminal 100 includes a display 150 that displays information to the customer, an identifier reading unit 160 as an acquisition unit that acquires a selection identifier that is selection information presented by the mobile terminal 200, and a printer 170 as a printing unit that prints paper receipts.

[0017] The customer selects the electronic receipt (i.e., the transaction) to be printed on the mobile terminal 200, and causes a selection identifier (also called a selection ID) associated with the selection to be displayed on the mobile terminal 200 as selection information related to the selection. The customer then causes the identifier reading unit 160 of the printing terminal 100 to read the selection identifier. The printing terminal 100 uses the printer 170 to print a paper receipt for the selected transaction based on the read selection identifier. The receipt printing process will be described in detail below.

[0018] 3 is a schematic diagram of the printing terminal 100 and mobile terminal 200 according to this embodiment. In addition to the above-mentioned display 150, identifier reading unit 160, and printer 170, the printing terminal 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a memory 120, a storage device 130, a communication interface 140, and a non-contact IC (Integrated Circuit) communication unit 180. The printing terminal 100 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, and may further include an input device, a speaker, etc.

[0019] The communication interface 140 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be capable of performing at least one of the communication methods of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 140 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, and the like required for the communication method. The communication interface 140 is connected to the network 500 using the communication method in accordance with a signal from the CPU 110, and performs communication.

[0020] The storage device 130 stores programs executed by the printing terminal 100, data resulting from processing by the programs, etc. The storage device 130 includes a read-only ROM (Read Only Memory), a readable and writable hard disk drive, or a flash memory, etc. The storage device 130 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 120 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 110 and data read from the storage device 130.

[0021] The CPU 110 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 120, reads out a program recorded in the storage device 130, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 110 also records data of the processing results in the storage device 130, and transmits the data of the processing results to the outside via the communication interface 140.

[0022] Display 150 is a display unit that displays information to store clerks or customers. Any display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display or a liquid crystal display may be used as display 150. Display 150 displays predetermined information such as product names and total prices in accordance with signals from CPU 110.

[0023] The identifier reading unit 160 is a reading unit that reads the selection identifier displayed as an image on the mobile terminal 200, and includes any imaging device such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) camera. In this embodiment, the selection identifier does not directly represent the selection (the transaction selected to be printed), but is an identifier associated with the selection registered in the electronic receipt management server 300. In this embodiment, the selection identifier is represented using a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark). The selection identifier is not limited to a two-dimensional code, and may be represented using images such as other symbols, characters, or a combination thereof.

[0024] Printer 170 prints paper receipts, coupons, etc. in accordance with signals from CPU 110. Printer 170 may be any printing device, such as a thermal printer, inkjet printer, or laser printer.

[0025] The non-contact IC communication unit 180 is a communication unit for communicating with the mobile terminal 200. In this embodiment, the non-contact IC communication unit 180 is configured to communicate using NFC, and includes an antenna for sending and receiving signals and power, and an electric circuit for controlling the communication. The communication method implemented by the non-contact IC communication unit 180 may be any method that allows communication between the printing terminal 100 and the mobile terminal 200. For example, instead of contactless IC communication, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

[0026] The mobile terminal 200 includes a CPU 210, a memory 220, a storage device 230, and a mobile communication unit 240. The mobile terminal 200 further includes a display 250, an input device 260, and a non-contact IC communication unit 270. The mobile terminal 200 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 3, and may further include a microphone, a speaker, and the like.

[0027] The mobile communication unit 240 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be able to execute mobile communication. The mobile communication unit 240 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, and the like required for mobile communication. The mobile communication unit 240 is connected to the network 500 using mobile communication in accordance with a signal from the CPU 210, and performs communication. The mobile terminal 200 may be connected to the network 500 and perform communication by any wireless communication such as a wireless LAN instead of or in addition to the mobile communication.

[0028] Storage device 230 stores programs executed by mobile terminal 200, data resulting from processing by the programs, etc. Storage device 230 includes a read-only ROM, a readable / writable hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc. Storage device 230 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. Memory 220 includes a RAM or the like that temporarily stores data being processed by CPU 210 and data read from storage device 230.

[0029] The CPU 210 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 220, reads out a program recorded in the storage device 230, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 210 also records data of the processing result in the storage device 230, and transmits the data of the processing result to the outside via the mobile communication unit 240.

[0030] Display 250 is a display unit that displays information to a user (customer). Any display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (ElectroLuminescence) display may be used as display 250. Display 250 is configured as a touch panel and functions not only as a display unit but also as an input unit. Display 250 displays predetermined information such as an electronic receipt according to a signal from CPU 210. Input device 260 includes buttons, a touch panel, etc., and accepts input from a user and transmits the input content to CPU 210 as a signal.

[0031] The non-contact IC communication unit 270 is a communication unit for communicating with the printing terminal 100. The non-contact IC communication unit 270 is configured to be able to execute the same communication method as the non-contact IC communication unit 180 of the printing terminal 100.

[0032] Fig. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the electronic receipt management server 300 and the POS terminal 400 according to the present embodiment. The electronic receipt management server 300 includes a CPU 310, a memory 320, a storage device 330, and a communication interface 340. The electronic receipt management server 300 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 4 and may further include a display, an input device, etc. The electronic receipt management server 300 may be an independent server, or may be configured integrally with another server such as a POS server.

[0033] The communication interface 340 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be capable of performing at least one of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 340 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, and the like required for the communication method. The communication interface 340 is connected to the network 500 using the communication method in accordance with a signal from the CPU 310, and performs communication.

[0034] The storage device 330 stores programs executed by the electronic receipt management server 300, data resulting from processing by the programs, etc. The storage device 330 includes a read-only ROM, a read / write hard disk drive, or a flash memory, etc. The storage device 330 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 320 includes a RAM, etc., which temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 310 and data read from the storage device 330.

[0035] The CPU 310 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 320, reads out a program recorded in the storage device 330, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 310 also records data of the processing result in the storage device 330, and transmits the data of the processing result to the outside via the communication interface 340.

[0036] The POS terminal 400 comprises a CPU 410, a memory 420, a storage device 430, and a communication interface 440. The POS terminal 400 further comprises a display 450, an input device 460, a product information reading unit 470, and a printer 480. The POS terminal 400 is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 4, and may further comprise a deposit / withdrawal device for depositing and withdrawing money during a transaction.

[0037] The communication interface 440 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be capable of performing at least one of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 440 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, and the like required for the communication method. The communication interface 440 is connected to the network 500 using the communication method in accordance with a signal from the CPU 410, and performs communication.

[0038] The storage device 430 stores the programs executed by the POS terminal 400, data resulting from processing by the programs, etc. The storage device 430 includes a read-only ROM, a readable / writable hard disk drive, a flash memory, etc. The storage device 430 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 420 includes a RAM, etc., which temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 410 and data read from the storage device 430.

[0039] The CPU 410 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 420, reads out a program recorded in the storage device 430, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 410 also records data of the processing result in the storage device 430, and transmits the data of the processing result to the outside via the communication interface 440.

[0040] Display 450 is a display unit that displays information to store clerks or customers. Any display device such as a CRT display or LCD display may be used as display 450. Display 450 displays predetermined information such as product names and total amounts in accordance with signals from CPU 410. Input device 460 includes a keyboard for instructing totals and deposits / withdrawals, accepts input from store clerks, and transmits the input contents as signals to CPU 410.

[0041] The product information reading unit 470 is a reading unit that reads product information, and includes any imaging device such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. In this embodiment, the product information includes a product identifier (e.g., a JAN code) and is represented using a barcode. The product information reading unit 470 may be provided as a terminal separate from the POS terminal 400. In that case, the separate terminal reads the product information using the product information reading unit 470, and transmits the product information to the POS terminal 400.

[0042] Printer 480 prints paper receipts, invoices, coupons, etc. in accordance with signals from CPU 410. Printer 480 may be any printing device such as a thermal printer, inkjet printer, or laser printer.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing data exchanged for printing a paper receipt in the electronic receipt system 10 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the direction of data exchange is indicated by an arrow along with the data exchanged. First, the mobile terminal 200 accepts a selection of transactions to be printed from a user (customer) and transmits data including the selection (e.g., a list of receipt IDs of the selected transactions) to the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt management server 300 records the selection received from the mobile terminal 200 in the storage device 330 and transmits data including a selection identifier associated with the selection to the mobile terminal 200. In other words, the selection identifier is a second identifier for uniquely identifying a list of first identifiers (receipt IDs) of the transactions selected to be printed.

[0044] Next, when printing a paper receipt, the mobile terminal 200 presents the selection identifier received from the electronic receipt management server 300 to the printing terminal 100 as selection information. The printing terminal 100 transmits data including the selection identifier read from the mobile terminal 200 to the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt management server 300 reads the selection from the storage device 330 based on the selection identifier received from the printing terminal 100, and further reads electronic receipt data from the storage device 330 based on the selection. The electronic receipt management server 300 then extracts data required for printing a paper receipt from the electronic receipt data, and transmits it to the printing terminal 100 as print data.

[0045] In this embodiment, a selection content identifier associated with the selection content is exchanged between the printing terminal 100 and the mobile terminal 200 as selection information related to the selection of the electronic receipt (transaction) to be printed. This configuration makes it possible to reduce the data volume compared to exchanging the selection content itself. Therefore, the selection content can be exchanged using an information exchange method for low data volume such as a barcode or two-dimensional code. As the selection information, information that directly indicates the selection content (for example, a list of receipt IDs) as in the second embodiment described below may be used instead of a selection content identifier that indirectly indicates the selection content.

[0046] 6 is a front view of an exemplary electronic receipt A output by the electronic receipt system 10 according to the present embodiment. The electronic receipt A is displayed on the display 250 of the mobile terminal 200. Information displayed on the electronic receipt A is recorded in the storage device 330 of the electronic receipt management server 300. Each electronic receipt A is associated with an identifier of the electronic receipt (also called a receipt ID). The electronic receipt management server 300 receives the identifier of the electronic receipt from the mobile terminal 200, reads out information included in the electronic receipt A from the storage device 330 based on the identifier, and transmits the information to the mobile terminal 200.

[0047] The electronic receipt A displays a receipt ID, which is an identifier of the electronic receipt, and whether or not a paper receipt has already been printed. The electronic receipt A also includes any type of information related to the transaction, such as the store name, product name, price, tax amount, total amount, etc. The type of information included in the electronic receipt A may be selected by the user. In this case, the electronic receipt management server 300 receives data indicating the type of information desired by the user from the mobile terminal 200, and transmits data including the type of information required for displaying the electronic receipt A to the mobile terminal 200.

[0048] FIG. 7 is a front view of the print target selection screen B for selecting the print target. The print target selection screen B is displayed on the display 250 of the mobile terminal 200. The print target selection screen B is activated when the user performs a predetermined operation on the mobile terminal 200. The print target selection screen B includes a transaction summary B1 indicating an overview of the transaction, a check box B2, a confirm button B3, and a reset button B4. When the user presses the transaction summary B1, the electronic receipt A is displayed. When the user presses the check box B2, the check box B2 alternates between ON and OFF. The user checks the details of each transaction and makes a selection by turning ON the check box B2 for the transaction for which a paper receipt is to be printed. After completing the selection, the user presses the confirm button B3 to transition to the selection information display screen C of FIG. 8. When the user presses the reset button B4, all the check boxes B2 are reset to OFF.

[0049] 8 is a front view of the selected information display screen C that displays the identifier of the selected content to be printed. The selected information display screen C is displayed on the display 250 of the mobile terminal 200. The selected information display screen C includes a two-dimensional code C1, which is an image representing the selected content identifier, and a back button C2. Furthermore, the selected information display screen C displays the selected content identifier represented by the two-dimensional code C1 as a character string.

[0050] As described above, the selection content identifier does not directly represent the selection content, but is an identifier associated with the selection content registered in the electronic receipt management server 300. Specifically, when the Confirm button B3 on the print target selection screen B is pressed, the mobile terminal 200 transmits the transaction selected as the print target on the print target selection screen B (i.e., the selection content) to the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt management server 300 registers the received selection content together with the selection content identifier associated with the selection content. Then, the electronic receipt management server 300 transmits the selection content identifier to the mobile terminal 200. The mobile terminal 200 converts the received selection content identifier into a two-dimensional code C1 and displays it on the selection information display screen C. In other words, the display 250 functions as a presentation unit that passes the selection information to the printing terminal 100. When the user presses the Back button C2, the screen transitions to the print target selection screen B in FIG. 7.

[0051] When the user has the identifier reading unit 160 of the printing terminal 100 read the two-dimensional code C1 displayed on the display 250 of the mobile terminal 200, this constitutes a request for printing to the printing terminal 100. The printing terminal 100 acquires a selection identifier from the read two-dimensional code C1, transmits the selection identifier to the electronic receipt management server 300, and receives print data from the electronic receipt management server 300. In other words, the identifier reading unit 160 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires the selection information presented by the mobile terminal 200. For each transaction included in the received print data, if the total amount of the products (including services) in one transaction is less than a predetermined value, the printing terminal 100 prints a paper receipt using the printer 170. On the other hand, for each transaction included in the received print data, if the total amount of one transaction is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the printing terminal 100 does not print a paper receipt, but instead uses the display 150 to display a message informing the user that a paper receipt will not be printed.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a front view of a message screen F that notifies a customer that a paper receipt will not be printed. The message screen F is displayed on the display 150 of the printing terminal 100. The message screen F includes a message that notifies a customer that a paper receipt will not be printed. For example, for transactions with a total amount of more than a certain amount (e.g., 50,000 yen), a revenue stamp must be affixed to the paper receipt. In such cases, it is more convenient not to print the paper receipt at the printing terminal 100, but to print it at a counter where a store clerk is present. Therefore, if the total amount of the transactions to be printed is more than a certain amount, the printing terminal 100 will not print a paper receipt, and will display a notification message to guide the customer to the counter where a store clerk is present. The notification that a paper receipt will not be printed is not limited to a displayed message, and may be given by any notification method such as audio output or lighting of a lamp.

[0053] 10(a) and 10(b) are diagrams showing exemplary tables included in a selection content database that records selection content in this embodiment. The selection content database is recorded in the storage device 330 of the electronic receipt management server 300. FIG. 10(a) shows a selection content table D that records a selection ID and a receipt ID in association with each other. The selection content table D includes a selection ID column D1 and a receipt ID column D2. The selection ID column D1 records a selection ID as an identifier (selection content identifier) ​​of a transaction selected to be printed. A character string or a numerical value of a predetermined length may be used as the selection ID. The receipt ID column D2 records a receipt ID as an identifier of the transaction. The receipt ID is uniquely associated with an electronic receipt. A character string or a numerical value of a predetermined length may be used as the receipt ID.

[0054] In the selection content table D, a selection ID column D1 and a receipt ID column D2 are recorded in association with each other. Therefore, if a specified selection ID is registered in the selection content table D, one or more receipt IDs can be obtained based on that selection ID. Also, if a specified selection ID is not registered in the selection content table D, it is possible to obtain that a receipt ID cannot be obtained based on that selection ID, i.e., that the transaction to be printed has not been selected. When transactions to be printed are selected on the mobile terminal 200 and sent to the electronic receipt management server 300, a selection ID is assigned to each selection and recorded in the selection ID column D1, and further, a receipt ID included in the selection is recorded in the receipt ID column D2.

[0055] FIG. 10(b) shows the printing status table E, which records whether or not each electronic receipt has been printed. The printing status table E includes a receipt ID column E1 and a printing status column E2. The receipt ID column E1 records the same receipt ID as the receipt ID column D2 in the selection content table D. The printing status column E2 records "printed" for receipt IDs that have already been printed, and "not yet" for other receipt IDs. The printing status column E2 is associated with the receipt ID column E1 as a key and records the printing status. Therefore, the printing status value can be uniquely obtained from the printing status table E based on the specified receipt ID. When printing is performed on the printing terminal 100, the printing status column E2 is updated to "printed" for the receipt ID being printed.

[0056] 10(a) and 10(b) show exemplary table configurations, but the selection content database is not limited to this table configuration. For example, the tables in FIG. 10(a) and FIG. 10(b) may be combined and recorded as one table. The selection content database may also be configured as a part of another database (for example, a database that records electronic receipts).

[0057] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the receipt printing process according to this embodiment. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram of the receipt printing process according to this embodiment. The electronic receipt output process is performed in cooperation with the printing terminal 100, the mobile terminal 200, and the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt output process is started, for example, when the customer performs a start operation on the mobile terminal 200.

[0058] First, the mobile terminal 200 transmits a request for a list of electronic receipts to the electronic receipt management server 300 (Step S11). The request for the list of electronic receipts includes a user identifier (e.g., email address, membership number, etc.) that indicates a user (customer) of the mobile terminal 200. The electronic receipt management server 300 reads out data of a list of electronic receipts associated with the user identifier received from the mobile terminal 200 from the storage device 330, and transmits the data to the mobile terminal 200 (Step S12). The data of the list of electronic receipts includes information (e.g., date and time, store name, total amount, etc.) that is displayed on the print target selection screen B in FIG. 7.

[0059] Next, the mobile terminal 200 displays the print target selection screen B on the display 250 based on the list of electronic receipts received from the electronic receipt management server 300, and accepts the selection of the print target by the user (step S13). When the user presses the Confirm button B3 on the print target selection screen B with one or more electronic receipts selected, the mobile terminal 200 transmits the list of electronic receipts (i.e., receipt IDs) selected as the print target to the electronic receipt management server 300 as data of the selection contents (step S14). The electronic receipt management server 300 assigns a selection ID as a selection content identifier to the selection contents received from the mobile terminal 200, associates the selection ID with the selection contents, and registers them in the selection contents table D in the storage device 330. Specifically, the electronic receipt management server 300 inserts a row in the selection contents table D, in which the selection ID column D1 is the selection ID and the receipt ID column D2 is the receipt ID included in the selection contents. The selection ID may be a newly generated one, or may be reused. Then, the electronic receipt management server 300 transmits the selection ID as the selection content identifier to the mobile terminal 200 (step S15).

[0060] Next, the mobile terminal 200 presents the selection ID to the printing terminal 100 and requests printing (step S16). Specifically, the mobile terminal 200 generates an image of a two-dimensional code C1 representing the selection identifier received from the electronic receipt management server 300, and displays a selection information display screen C including the image of the two-dimensional code C1 on the display 250. The user makes a print request to the printing terminal 100 by having the identifier reading unit 160 of the printing terminal 100 read the two-dimensional code C1, and passes the selection identifier to the printing terminal 100.

[0061] Next, the printing terminal 100 requests print data from the electronic receipt management server 300 (step S17). The request for print data includes the selection identifier read from the mobile terminal 200. The electronic receipt management server 300 reads the selection associated with the selection identifier received from the printing terminal 100 from the storage device 330, and further reads electronic receipt data associated with the selection (i.e., the list of receipt IDs selected to be printed) from the storage device 330 (step S18). The electronic receipt management server 300 then extracts data necessary for printing a paper receipt from the electronic receipt data related to the list of receipt IDs, and transmits this data to the printing terminal 100 as print data. The print data includes information to be displayed on the paper receipt (e.g., date and time, store name, product name, price, tax amount, etc.).

[0062] The printing terminal 100 prints a paper receipt (step S20) if the total amount of the products included in one transaction in the print data received from the electronic receipt management server 300 is less than a predetermined amount (e.g., 50,000 yen) (YES in step S19). On the other hand, if the total amount for one transaction is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount (NO in step S19), the printing terminal 100 does not print a paper receipt and displays a message screen F on the display 150 (step S21).

[0063] If printing of paper receipts in step S20 or display of messages in step S21 has not been completed for all receipt IDs included in the print data (NO in step S22), steps S19 to S21 are repeated for the next receipt ID.

[0064] When printing of paper receipts in step S20 or display of messages in step S21 is completed for all receipt IDs included in the print data (YES in step S22), the printing terminal 100 sends the print results (i.e., a list of printed receipt IDs) to the electronic receipt management server 300 (step S23). The electronic receipt management server 300 then updates the print status table E in the storage device 330 based on the print results received from the printing terminal 100. Specifically, the electronic receipt management server 300 sets "Done" in the print status column E2 for rows in the print status table E where the receipt ID included in the print results is set in the receipt ID column E1.

[0065] In this embodiment, the paper receipt is printed in step S20 regardless of whether the transaction (i.e., receipt ID) for which the paper receipt is being printed has already been printed, but if the receipt ID has already been printed (i.e., the printing status table E is referenced at the time of printing, and "Completed" is set in the printing status field E2), the paper receipt printing in step S20 may be skipped. In this case, the display 150 of the printing terminal 100 may display a message indicating that the receipt has already been printed.

[0066] The CPU 110 of the printing terminal 100, the CPU 210 of the mobile terminal 200, and the CPU 310 of the electronic receipt management server 300 are the subjects of each step included in the process shown in Fig. 11. That is, the CPU 110, the CPU 210, and the CPU 310 respectively read out programs for executing the process shown in Fig. 11 from the storage device 130, the storage device 230, and the storage device 330, and execute the programs to control each unit, thereby executing the process shown in Fig. 11.

[0067] The electronic receipt system 10 according to this embodiment allows a paper receipt to be printed by selecting the electronic receipt to be printed in advance on the mobile terminal 200 and simply presenting the mobile terminal 200 to the printing terminal 100. Therefore, there is no need to select the item to be printed in front of the printing terminal as in the system described in Patent Document 1, and a paper receipt can be easily printed from the electronic receipt to be printed, thereby shortening the time the printing terminal is occupied.

[0068] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the portable terminal 200 passes an identifier of the selected content, rather than the selected content itself, to the printing terminal 100, a small amount of data is exchanged between the portable terminal 200 and the printing terminal 100. Therefore, the selected information can be passed from the portable terminal 200 to the printing terminal 100 by a simple method such as reading a two-dimensional code.

[0069] In this embodiment, the selection identifier is displayed on the mobile terminal 200, but the selection identifier may be passed to the printing terminal 100 by an identifier such as a barcode or two-dimensional code printed on a membership card separate from the mobile terminal 200. In this case, in the electronic receipt management server 300, the identifier of the membership card is previously associated with the user information of the mobile terminal 200, and the user information of the mobile terminal 200 is associated with the selection. The printing terminal 100 reads the identifier of the membership card presented by the customer and transmits the identifier of the membership card to the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt management server 300 acquires the user information of the mobile terminal 200 associated with the identifier of the membership card received from the printing terminal 100, and further reads out the selection associated with the user information. In this way, the electronic receipt management server 300 can acquire the selection of the mobile terminal 200 based on the identifier of the membership card.

[0070] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of the printing terminal 100. Fig. 13 shows an example of the configuration for the printing terminal 100 to function as a device that prints a paper receipt based on selection information related to the selection of an electronic receipt. The printing terminal 100 includes an identifier reading unit 160 as an acquisition unit that acquires selection information related to the selection of an electronic receipt, which is electronic data including the details of the transaction to be printed, a communication interface 140 as a communication unit that acquires data used for printing the print target based on the selection information from a server that records electronic receipts, and a printer 170 as a printing unit that prints a paper receipt, which is a printed matter including the details of the transaction, based on the data.

[0071] Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the mobile terminal 200. Fig. 14 shows an example of a configuration in which the mobile terminal 200 functions as a device that accepts and presents selection information related to the selection of an electronic receipt. The mobile terminal 200 includes a display 250 as an input unit that accepts the selection of an electronic receipt to be printed and as a presentation unit that passes the selection in the input unit to the server as selection information. The presentation unit may be configured to pass the selection in the input unit to the printing terminal instead of the server. A non-contact IC communication unit 270 may be used as the presentation unit instead of the display 250.

[0072] Second embodiment In the first embodiment, a selection content identifier associated with the selection content, rather than the selection content itself, is passed as selection information from the mobile terminal 200 to the printing terminal 100. In contrast, in this embodiment, the selection content itself is passed as selection information from the mobile terminal 200 to the printing terminal 100. This embodiment uses the same electronic receipt system 10 as the first embodiment. The following describes the differences from the first embodiment.

[0073] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing data exchanged for printing a paper receipt in the electronic receipt system 10 according to this embodiment. In FIG. 15, the direction of data exchange is indicated by an arrow along with the data exchanged. First, the mobile terminal 200 accepts a selection of transactions to be printed from the user (customer) and transmits data including the selection (e.g., a list of receipt IDs for the selected transactions) to the printing terminal 100. The printing terminal 100 receives the selection received from the mobile terminal 200 and transmits data including the selection to the electronic receipt management server 300. The electronic receipt management server 300 reads out electronic receipt data from the storage device 330 based on the selection received from the printing terminal 100. The electronic receipt management server 300 then extracts data required for printing a paper receipt from the electronic receipt data and transmits the data to the printing terminal 100 as print data.

[0074] In this embodiment, the selection contents as selection information are transmitted and received using NFC, which is contactless IC communication, between the contactless IC communication unit 180 of the printing terminal 100 and the contactless IC communication unit 270 of the mobile terminal 200. That is, the contactless IC communication unit 180 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires the selection information presented by the mobile terminal 200. The contactless IC communication unit 270 functions as a presentation unit that passes the selection information to the printing terminal 100. Instead of contactless IC communication, the selection contents may be transmitted and received using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0075] Fig. 16 is a flowchart of the receipt printing process according to this embodiment. Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram of the receipt printing process according to this embodiment. Steps S11 to S13 are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0076] After the transactions to be printed are selected on the mobile terminal 200 in step S13, the mobile terminal 200 presents the selection to the printing terminal 100 and requests printing (step S24). Specifically, the mobile terminal 200 transmits a list of electronic receipts (i.e., receipt IDs) selected as the items to be printed on the print item selection screen B as data of the selection to the printing terminal 100 using the contactless IC communication unit 270. The printing terminal 100 receives the data of the selection from the mobile terminal 200 using the contactless IC communication unit 180.

[0077] Next, the printing terminal 100 requests print data from the electronic receipt management server 300 (step S25). The request for print data includes the selection received from the mobile terminal 200. The electronic receipt management server 300 reads out the electronic receipt data associated with the selection received from the printing terminal 100 (i.e., the list of receipt IDs selected to be printed) from the storage device 330 (step S26). The electronic receipt management server 300 then extracts data necessary for printing a paper receipt from the electronic receipt data related to the list of receipt IDs, and transmits this data to the printing terminal 100 as print data. Thereafter, steps S19 to S23 similar to those in the first embodiment are performed.

[0078] The electronic receipt system 10 according to this embodiment can directly pass the selection contents from the mobile terminal 200 to the printing terminal 100. Also, like the first embodiment, this embodiment can easily print a paper receipt from the electronic receipt to be printed, shortening the occupancy time of the printing terminal.

[0079] (Third embodiment) In the first embodiment, the printing terminal 100 acquires the selection information using a two-dimensional code, and in the second embodiment, the printing terminal 100 acquires the selection information using contactless IC communication. In contrast, in this embodiment, the printing terminal 100 acquires the selection information by accepting an input by a customer on the printing terminal 100. This embodiment uses the same electronic receipt system 10 as in the first embodiment. The following describes the differences from the first embodiment.

[0080] 18 is a front view of the input screen G that accepts selected information. The input screen G is displayed on the display 150 of the printing terminal 100. The input screen G includes a message G1 that prompts the customer to input a selected ID, and a selected ID field G2. In this embodiment, the display 150 is configured as a touch panel that is an input unit, and accepts input by the customer into the selected ID field G2 via a software keyboard G3 that is displayed on the input screen G. Alternatively, a hardware keyboard may be provided in the printing terminal 100, and input by the customer may be accepted via the hardware keyboard.

[0081] For example, the customer refers to the selection ID displayed on the selection information display screen C in Fig. 8, uses the software keyboard G3 to input the selection ID into the selection ID field G2, and then presses the confirm button. The printing terminal 100 acquires the selection ID entered into the selection ID field G2 as an identifier of the selection content. That is, in this embodiment, the display 150 functions as an acquisition unit that acquires the selection information. After acquiring the selection ID, the printing terminal 100 requests print data from the electronic receipt management server 300 in the same way as in the first embodiment, and prints a paper receipt using the received print data.

[0082] In the electronic receipt system 10 according to this embodiment, the customer manually inputs the selection information, so the printing terminal 100 can obtain the selection information without having a camera for capturing an image of the two-dimensional code or a contactless IC communication unit. Also, in this embodiment, like the first embodiment, a paper receipt can be easily printed from the electronic receipt to be printed, and the occupancy time of the printing terminal can be shortened.

[0083] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0084] The scope of each embodiment also includes a processing method in which a program that operates the configuration of each embodiment to realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments (for example, a program that causes the printing terminal 100, the mobile terminal 200, and the electronic receipt management server 300 to execute the processes shown in FIGS. 11 and 14) is recorded on a recording medium, the program recorded on the recording medium is read as code, and the program is executed in a receiving station, which is a computer. In other words, a computer-readable recording medium is also included in the scope of each embodiment. Furthermore, not only a recording medium on which the above-mentioned computer program is recorded, but also the computer program itself is included in each embodiment.

[0085] Examples of the recording medium that can be used include a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile memory card, and a ROM. In addition, the scope of each embodiment is not limited to a program recorded on the recording medium that executes processing by itself, but also includes a program that executes processing by operating on an OS in cooperation with other software and functions of an extension board.

[0086] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0087] (Appendix 1) A server that records electronic receipts, which are electronic data including transaction details; a mobile terminal that receives a selection of the electronic receipt to be printed and acquires selection information related to the selection; a printing terminal that receives the selection information from the mobile terminal, obtains data used for printing the print target from the server based on the selection information, and prints a paper receipt, which is a printed matter including details of the transaction, based on the data; An electronic receipt system comprising:

[0088] (Appendix 2) The selection information is an identifier associated with the selection content of the electronic receipt, The server records the selection and the identifier; 2. The electronic receipt system according to claim 1, wherein the printing terminal obtains the data from the server by transmitting the identifier received from the mobile terminal to the server.

[0089] (Appendix 3) The selection information is a selection content of the electronic receipt, 2. The electronic receipt system according to claim 1, wherein the printing terminal acquires the data from the server by transmitting the selection received from the mobile terminal to the server.

[0090] (Appendix 4) the mobile terminal displays an image showing the selection information on a screen; The electronic receipt system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the printing terminal reads the image from the mobile terminal and acquires the selection information based on the image.

[0091] (Appendix 5) The electronic receipt system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the printing terminal issues a predetermined notification without printing the paper receipt if the total price of the products included in the electronic receipt to be printed is equal to or exceeds a predetermined price.

[0092] (Appendix 6) a reading unit that receives selection information related to a selection made on a mobile terminal that has selected an electronic receipt, which is electronic data including details of a transaction, as a print target; a communication unit that acquires data used for printing the print target based on the selection information from a server that records the electronic receipt; a printing unit that prints a paper receipt, which is a printed matter including details of the transaction, based on the data; An apparatus comprising:

[0093] (Appendix 7) An electronic receipt system including a server that records electronic receipts, which are electronic data including transaction details, and a printing terminal that acquires selection information related to the selection of the electronic receipt to be printed, acquires data used for printing the electronic receipt from the server based on the selection information, and prints a paper receipt, which is a printed matter including the transaction details, based on the data, an input unit that accepts a selection of the electronic receipt to be printed; a presentation unit that transmits the selection to the server or the printing terminal as the selection information; An apparatus comprising:

[0094] (Appendix 8) receiving selection information from a mobile terminal that has selected an electronic receipt, which is electronic data including details of a transaction, as a printing target; obtaining data to be used for printing the print target based on the selection information from a server that records the electronic receipt; printing a paper receipt including details of the transaction based on the data; 23. A method comprising:

[0095] (Appendix 9) On the computer, receiving selection information from a mobile terminal that has selected an electronic receipt, which is electronic data including details of a transaction, as a printing target; obtaining data to be used for printing the print target based on the selection information from a server that records the electronic receipt; printing a paper receipt including details of the transaction based on the data; A program characterized by executing the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0096] 10 Electronic receipt system 100 Printing terminals 160 Identifier reader 170 Printer 200 Mobile Devices 300 Electronic receipt management server 400 POS terminals

Claims

1. An electronic receipt system including at least one mobile terminal, a server device, and a printing terminal, The electronic receipt system includes: A storage means for storing transaction data of an electronic receipt including transaction-related information on at least one of a store name, a product name, a price, a tax amount, and a total amount; A selection means for selecting a plurality of pieces of transaction data to be printed; a generating means for generating respective identifiers associated with a selected number of said transaction data; an output means for outputting the identifier to the mobile terminal for printing the contents of the selected transaction data; a printing means for printing the contents of the selected transaction data based on the identifier; Equipped with said printing means, when a total amount of any of the selected plurality of said transaction data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, does not print said transaction data whose total amount is equal to or greater than said predetermined value; An electronic receipt system, wherein the mobile terminal has the selection means, the server device has the storage means, the generation means, and the output means, and the printing terminal has the printing means.

2. 2. The electronic receipt system according to claim 1, wherein the printing means prints when a total amount of any of the selected transactions among the plurality of transaction data is less than a predetermined value.

3. A method in at least one of a mobile terminal, a server device and a printing terminal, comprising: The method comprises: storing transaction data of an electronic receipt including transaction-related information related to at least one of a store name, a product name, a price, a tax amount, and a total amount; selecting a plurality of said transaction data to be printed; generating an identifier associated with a selected number of said transaction data; outputting said identifier to said mobile terminal for printing the selected content of said transaction data; printing selected content of the transaction data based on the identifier; Equipped with In the printing step, if the total amount of any of the selected plurality of transaction data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the transaction data whose total amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value is not printed; The method, characterized in that the mobile terminal performs the selecting step, the server device performs the storing step, the generating step, and the outputting step, and the printing terminal performs the printing step.

4. A program for at least one mobile terminal, a server device, and a printing terminal, comprising: The program is On the computer, storing transaction data of an electronic receipt including transaction-related information related to at least one of a store name, a product name, a price, a tax amount, and a total amount; selecting a plurality of said transaction data to be printed; generating an identifier associated with a selected number of said transaction data; outputting said identifier to said mobile terminal for printing the selected content of said transaction data; printing selected content of the transaction data based on the identifier; Run the command, In the printing step, if the total amount of any of the selected plurality of transaction data is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the transaction data whose total amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined value is not printed; The program, wherein the portable terminal executes the selecting step, the server device executes the storing step, the generating step, and the outputting step, and the printing terminal executes the printing step.

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