Information processing system

Abstract

To provide an information processing system, an information processing method, a program, and a method for manufacturing indexed products that can promote recycling of recyclable objects.SOLUTION: An information processing system comprises a control unit. The control unit receives user identification information identifying a user who has purchased a product containing a recyclable object to which an index is given including ease-of-recycling information indicating the degree of ease-of-recycling of the recyclable object, and the ease-of-recycling information contained in the index, determines a reward to be given to the user according to the degree of ease-of-recycling indicated by the received ease-of-recycling information, and stores the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system related to recycling, an information processing method, a program, and a method for manufacturing an indexed product.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses that, in the collection of sorted waste such as waste paper and containers, a large incentive is given to provide sorted waste by issuing a predetermined number of points to a user based on the weight or number of sorted waste.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, Patent Document 1 does not disclose anything about the ease of recycling of sorted waste.

[0005] The problem of the present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, a program, and a method for manufacturing an indexed product that can promote the recycling of recyclable objects.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a control unit. The control unit receives user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the ease of recycling of the recyclable object is attached, and the recyclability information included in the index, Determine the reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and store the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information.

[0007] An information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is Receive user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the recyclable object is attached, and the recyclability information included in the index, Determine the reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and store the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information It is an information processing method executed by an information processing system.

[0008] A program according to an aspect of the present invention is A step of receiving user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the recyclable object is attached, and the recyclability information included in the index, A step of determining the reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and storing the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information It is a program that causes an information processing system to execute.

[0009] A method for manufacturing an indexed product according to an aspect of the present invention is Store product identification information for identifying a product in association with the color information of the recyclable object of the product, At the time of manufacturing the product, acquire the color information corresponding to the product identification information of the product, Attach an index indicating the acquired color information to the product in a state where the color information can be read.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, recycling can be promoted.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <Overview of the Information Processing System> The information processing system of the present invention is a system that promotes the recycling of recyclable objects. In the information processing system of the present invention, for a user who purchases a product including a recyclable object, a reward for the purchase and / or recovery of the recyclable object is given by putting the recyclable object into a recycling collection device after using the product. The reward is determined according to the recyclability of the recyclable object, and the reward is determined so that it becomes higher as the recyclability of the recyclable object is higher.

[0014] With such a configuration, for the user, obtaining the reward serves as an incentive to actively select a product including a recyclable object at the time of product purchase, and serves as an incentive to actively put the recyclable object into a recycling collection device at the time of collection (when the recyclable object is put into the recycling collection device). In addition, in the present invention, since a reward according to the recyclability of the recyclable object is given, obtaining a higher reward serves as an incentive to select a product including a recyclable object with higher recyclability. As a result, recycling is promoted, and the amount of recycling of the materials of the recyclable object can be increased.

[0015] <Overall Configuration of the Information Processing System> As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 100 includes a recycling promotion service providing server 1 as an information processing device, a plurality of user terminals 4, a manufacturer server 3, and a collection device 7. There may be one or more of the collection device 7 and the manufacturer server 3, and each is shown as one in FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 described later.

[0016] Here, a container made of resin will be described as an example of the object to be recycled. As shown in FIG. 1, the product 6 (6A to 6C...) to be recycled has a container 60 as the object to be recycled and an index 61 including recycling ease information indicating the recycling ease of the container 60. Details of the product 6 will be described later.

[0017] [Manufacturer Server] The manufacturer server 3 is a web server (information processing device) operated by the manufacturer that manufactures and sells the product 6. The manufacturer server 3 is connected to the user terminals 4 (4A to 4C...) of a plurality of users A to C... via the Internet 50. Further, the manufacturer server 3 is connected to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 via the Internet 50.

[0018] The manufacturer server 3 provides information related to recycling for users. Specifically, it provides information on the product 6 to be recycled, reward information for the collection of the container 60 after the purchase and / or use of the product 6 including the container 60, procedure information for obtaining the reward, and the like.

[0019] The manufacturer server 3 operates a membership site. The manufacturer server 3 issues user identification information (hereinafter referred to as user ID) to users so that rewards for the collection of the container 60 after the purchase and / or use of the product 6 can be given to the users. The user ID is issued to the user when the user applies for membership registration from the above membership site at the user terminal 4. Further, the manufacturer server 3 performs reward determination processing (more specifically, purchase-time reward determination processing). Details of the manufacturer server 3 will be described later.

[0020] Here, as the reward given to the user, "points" that can be used for product purchase and the like will be taken as an example. The higher the numerical value of the points, the higher the reward. Note that the reward is not limited to points and may be electronic money, discount coupons, product exchange coupons, or the like. The points can be used for the next purchase of the product 6 and the like.

[0021] [Recycling Promotion Service Providing Server] The recycling promotion service providing server 1 is a web server (information processing device) operated by a recycler that recycles the container 60. The recycling promotion service providing server 1 provides a service that promotes recycling by giving rewards to users who contribute to recycling. The reward is determined according to the ease of recycling. Note that the operation of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 may be performed by a recycling promotion service provider different from the recycler, which will be described later as a modification example.

[0022] The recycling promotion service providing server 1 is connected to a plurality of user terminals 4 (4A to 4C...) of users A to C... via the Internet 50. Further, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 is connected to the manufacturer server 3 via the Internet 50.

[0023] The recycling promotion service providing server 1 performs reward determination processing (more specifically, reward determination processing at the time of collection), reward giving confirmation processing, DB management processing, etc. related to the recycling promotion service. Details will be described later.

[0024] [User Terminal] The user terminal 4 (4A, 4B...) held by a user who has purchased the product 6 is a portable information processing terminal capable of communication. The user terminal is a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), etc., and supports a communication function for controlling network communication, etc. Details will be described later.

[0025] [Collection Device] The collection device 7 is installed, for example, in commercial facilities or local government facilities. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, after use, the product 6 purchased by the user has the label 62 (62A, 62B, 62C), the nozzle 63, and the cap 64 (64B, 64C) removed, and is put into the collection device 7 in the state of the container 60 (60A, 60B, 60C).

[0026] The recycling device 7 accommodates or discharges the container 60 input by the user. The recycling device 7 sorts the input container 60 based on the recyclability information indicating the ease of recycling included in the index 61 assigned to the container 60. In the present embodiment, the color of the container 60 is used as an index of the ease of recycling. The recycling device 7 discharges the containers 60 that are not targets for recycling among the input containers 60, and sorts and accommodates the containers 60 that are targets for recycling by color.

[0027] The containers 60 sorted by color by the recycling device 7 are collected by the local government, recyclers, etc. in the sorted state and transported to recyclers. The recycler recycles the transported containers 60.

[0028] [Others] In this specification, "recycling" refers to making a used container (recycling target) 60 applicable to the manufacture of other products, etc. anew. Specifically, in the case of the container 60 containing the resin of the present embodiment, "recycling" refers to a series of steps until the recycled used container 60 is crushed, washed, dehydrated, made into flakes, then the flakes are melted, made into a uniform quality, and pelletized to produce pellets. The pellets can be used as raw materials for manufacturing new containers, etc.

[0029] In this specification, "ease of recycling" is comprehensively judged including the cost required for recycling, the ease of recycling, the recycling rate, the versatility of the raw material (pellets) after recycling, etc. The recycling rate is obtained, for example, by dividing the amount of recycled resources by the amount of waste generated in terms of weight. Here, the amount of recycled resources is the amount of pellets, and the amount of waste generated is the amount of used containers before recycling. Note that due to technological advancements, etc., the evaluation of recycling cost, ease of recycling, recycling rate, versatility of raw materials, etc. may change, and the "ease of recycling" may change.

[0030] In this specification, the "manufacturer" refers to a person who manufactures product 6 and sells it directly or indirectly to users. The sale may be conducted in a physical store or online. Indirect sale refers to a state where an intermediary exists between the manufacturer and the user. The intermediary is typically a physical store such as a drugstore or supermarket, or an online store.

[0031] In this specification, the "recycler" refers to a person who recycles used containers (objects to be recycled) 60. The recycler may perform all of a series of processes from collecting the used containers 60 until pelletizing them, or multiple recyclers may share the series of processes.

[0032] <Product> Product 6 purchased by the user will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Products 6 made using resin containers 60 include, in addition to hand sanitizer 6A, dishwashing detergent 6B, and laundry detergent 6C, various products such as shampoo, conditioner, fabric softener, hand soap, body soap, etc. In these products, the container 60 protects the liquid contained inside and ensures the quality of the liquid. The resin material, color, etc. used for the container 60 can be selected according to the type of liquid to be contained, the required strength, the content of product information to be conveyed, etc. Therefore, the ease of recycling of the container 60 varies depending on the color of the container 60 and the material used for the container 60.

[0033] As specific examples of products including objects to be recycled, hand sanitizer 6A, dishwashing detergent 6B, and laundry detergent 6C will be taken as examples for explanation (see FIG. 1). In cases where there is no particular need to distinguish as 6A, 6B, 6C, etc., it is referred to as product 6, and the same applies to the container 60, index 61, label 62, nozzle 63, and cap 64 that constitute the product 6. Product 6 (6A to 6C...) has a container 60 (60A to 60C...) that houses the contents of the product, an index 61 (61A to 61C...), a label 62 (62A to 62C...), and a nozzle 63 or cap 64 (64B, 64C...). The container 60 is an object to be recycled. The index 61 contains recycling ease information indicating the ease of recycling of the container 60.

[0034] [Index] Index 61 is assigned to any part of product 6. Typically, Index 61 is assigned to label 62 or container 60 which is the object to be recycled. In this embodiment, an example where Index 61 is assigned to container 60 is given.

[0035] Index 61 is readably assigned to product 6 by the manufacturer during the manufacture of product 6. By reading the index, the recyclability information of container 60 can be obtained, and container 60 can be sorted according to the recyclability. In this embodiment, using the color information of container 60, the containers 60 to be recycled are sorted into three categories: "uncolored", "white", and "other colors" as indicators of recyclability. "Uncolored" has the highest recyclability, "white" has the next highest recyclability, and "other colors" has the lowest recyclability.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, Index 61 includes one or more pieces of information selected from the color information of container 60 and the material information of container 60 as recyclability information. In this embodiment, an example including color information and material information as recyclability information is given, and an example where the recyclability of container 60 is determined using color information and material information is given.

[0037] The above color information may include one or more pieces of information selected from the transparency information of container 60 and the lightness and chromaticity information of container 60. In this embodiment, examples using transparency information, and lightness and chromaticity information as color information are given. Note that, as color information, a combination of hue, value, and chroma may be used, or indicators such as ASTM E313, Berger, Stensby, Taube, Hunter, Ganz & Grieser, ISO whiteness, and APHA may be used.

[0038] The above transparency information used the Haze value. Using a haze meter (HM-150 type, manufactured by Murakami Color Research Laboratory), the Haze value was measured and used as an index of transparency. A lower numerical value indicates higher transparency.

[0039] For the above lightness and chromaticity information, the L * a * b * color space (CIE1976 (L * a * b * )) was used for the L * value, a * value, and b * value. The L * a * b * values in the color space, the L * value, a * value, and b * values can be measured by a color difference system. For example, using a handy type spectrophotometric color difference meter NF333 (trade name) of Nippon Denshoku Industries Co., Ltd., the reflected light of the container can be measured and obtained under the measurement conditions of light source C and a viewing angle of 2°. At this time, it is preferable to measure using a white plate with an L * value of 95 or more as the background plate. The L * value indicates lightness. The a * value and the b * value indicate chromaticity (indicating chroma and hue).

[0040] The above material information may include one or more pieces of information selected from the resin type information of the container 60, the additive information added to the container 60, the colorant (dye, pigment) information used for coloring the container 60, and the ink component information used for printing the label. As the above ink components, in addition to commonly used inks, biomass inks and the like can be mentioned. Examples of the biomass ink include inks obtained from biological resources such as cotton, pulp, rice bran, vegetable oil, and angiosperm seeds, such as inks derived from soybean oil. In this embodiment, an example of using the resin type information as the material information is given.

[0041] Index 61 may include, in addition to, or instead of, color information and material information used for determining recyclability as recyclability ease information, "indicator information". "Indicator information" is a determination result determined based on a predetermined indicator information determination method described later using the color information and material information of the container 60. Specifically, the "indicator information" is any one of "not subject to collection", "uncolored", "white", and "other colors". The "not subject to collection" indicator information among these indicator information may not be included in Index 61. In the present embodiment, an example in which Index 61 includes three indicator information of "uncolored", "white", and "other colors" will be described.

[0042] As Index 61, a readable one such as a QR code (registered trademark), a barcode, or a product code capable of identifying a manufacturer and a product can be used. The application of Index 61 to the product 6 can be performed by a known method such as printing or laser engraving, as long as the index is configured to be readable. In the present embodiment, an example of using a QR code as Index 61 will be given.

[0043] The QR code or barcode is formed by converting a character string of recyclability ease information indicating recyclability ease, such as color information, material information, and indicator information, into the QR code or barcode. By reading the QR code or barcode in which the recyclability ease information is directly indicated, the recyclability ease information can be obtained.

[0044] In addition, the recyclability ease information may be indirectly included in Index 61. For example, the recyclability ease information may be indirectly indicated in the product code as an index. Here, the product code is a code obtained by coding the product name using numbers and characters for identifying the product, and the recyclability ease information is not directly indicated in the product code. When using the product code as an index, the product code (product identification information) and the recyclability information of the container 60 of the product 6 to which the product code is assigned are stored in advance in association with each other. By referring to the stored information, the recyclability information associated with the product code that matches the read product code can be obtained. In this way, the recyclability information may be indirectly included in the index 61.

[0045] Also, measurement values such as the Haze value, L * value, a * value, and b * value, etc., or notations of the type of material such as "bottle: PE" (PE indicates polyethylene), etc., the color information and material information may be expressed in characters and numerical values and indicated on the product 6 as the index 61. Then, based on the index information determination method described later, the index information may be determined using the color information and material information indicated on the product 6 obtained by reading the index 61. In such a form, even when the index information determination method, in other words, the method for determining the recyclability changes due to technological progress, etc., there is no need to newly change the index 61.

[0046] In the present invention, "reading" the index includes, in addition to the form in which a QR code or barcode is converted into a character string and output as a character string by a reading device (reading unit) such as a QR code reader or barcode reader, the form in which an image of the index is captured by an imaging unit, and it is sufficient that the index image is in a "readable state" by a reading unit such as a QR code reader or barcode reader. In the present invention, the "index information" includes the form in which the index is converted into a character string or the like by a reading device or the form of an index image. The "index information" includes the recyclability information included in the index 61.

[0047] The index 61 may include, as other information than the recyclability information, weight information indicating the weight of the container 60 and / or a manufacturer ID (manufacturer identification information). Further, the index 61 may include information such as the name of the manufacturer of the product 6 and the name of the product 6 (product name).

[0048] Give specific examples of the color information and material information of the container 60 for each product 6. The container 60A of the hand sanitizer 6A has a transparency (Haze value) of 25, and L * a * b * L value in the color system * value is 10, a * value is 0.5, b * value is 0.8. The resin material constituting the container 60A is polyethylene. The container 60B of the dishwashing detergent 6B has a transparency (Haze value) of 90, and L * a * b * L value in the color system * value is 98, a * value is 0.2, b * value is 0.5. The resin material constituting the container 60B is polyethylene. The container 60C of the laundry detergent 6C has a transparency (Haze value) of 5, and L * a * b * L value in the color system * value is 20, a * value is 10, b * value is 20. The resin material constituting the container 60C is polyethylene.

[0049] Using the color information and material information of the container 60, it is possible to determine which of "not a recycling target", "uncolored", "white", and "other colors" each container 60 is according to the index information determination method described later. Then, "uncolored", "white", and "other colors" can be used as indicators of recyclability.

[0050] [An example of the index information determination method] The determination of index information (which can also be said to be the determination of recyclability) using the material information and color information of the container 60 can be performed using the recyclability information (material information and color information) of the container 60. Hereinafter, it will be described with reference to FIG. 7. The index information determination method shown in FIG. 7 may be executed by the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 or may be executed by the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3. Further, in the present embodiment, an example is given in which the index information preliminarily determined by the index information determination method is included in the index 61, but the index information may not be included. In this case, it is sufficient that the index 61 includes the color information and material information necessary for executing the index information determination method.

[0051] The index information determination method will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, first, based on the material information of the container 60, it is determined whether the container 60 is made of polyethylene (ST31). If it is determined that it is not polyethylene (NO for ST31), the container 60 is determined to be "not a collection target" (ST35).

[0052] On the other hand, if it is determined that it is polyethylene (YES for ST31), based on the color information of the container 60, it is determined whether the transparency (Haze value) of the container 60 is 30 or more (ST32).

[0053] If it is determined that the transparency (Haze value) is 30 or more (YES for ST32), based on the color information of the container 60, L * a * b * the lightness L in the L*a*b* color system * value is determined whether it is 90 or more (ST33). L * If it is determined that the value is 90 or more (YES for ST33), the container 60 is determined to be "white" (S34). On the other hand, if the L * value is determined to be less than 90 (NO for ST33), the container 60 is determined to be "other color" (S39).

[0054] If it is determined that the transparency (Haze value) is less than 30 (NO for ST32), based on the color information included in the container 60, the chromaticity a *Value and chromaticity b * The value satisfies -15 < a * The value < 15 and / or -15 < b * It is determined whether the value < 15 (ST36). -15 < a * The value < 15 and / or -15 < b * When it is determined that the value < 15 (YES for ST36), the container 60 is determined to be "uncolored" (S38). On the other hand, -15 < a * The value < 15 and / or -15 < b * When it is determined that the value is not < 15 (NO for ST36), the container 60 is determined to be "other color" (S37). Note that the determination value of the Haze value is preferably 30, more preferably 25, and even more preferably 20, and a * The lower limit value for the determination of the value of a is preferably -15, more preferably -10, and even more preferably -5, and a * The upper limit value for the determination of the value of a is preferably 15, more preferably 10, and even more preferably 5, and b * The lower limit value for the determination of the value of b is preferably -15, more preferably -10, and even more preferably -5, and b * The upper limit value for the determination of the value is preferably 15, more preferably 10, and even more preferably 5.

[0055] Based on the index information determination method shown in FIG. 7, the container 60A of the above-mentioned hand disinfectant 6A is classified as "uncolored", the container 60B of the above-mentioned dishwashing detergent 6B is classified as "white", and the above-mentioned laundry detergent 6C is classified as "other color".

[0056] In addition, in the present embodiment, containers made of resin materials other than polyethylene are excluded from the recycling target, but it is not limited thereto. For example, after classifying the containers into three types of "polyethylene", "mixture of polyethylene and polypropylene", and "polyethylene terephthalate" using resin material information, in each of the three groups classified by material, the containers may be further classified by color using color information, and each may be configured to be recycled.

[0057] [Label] On the label 62, product information such as the product name, the use and type of the liquid contained in the container 60 is indicated by printing, laser engraving, or the like. Further, an index 61 may be indicated on the label 62 by in-sal, laser engraving, or the like.

[0058] The label 62 is attached to the container 60. Here, "attachment" includes a form in which the seal-like label 62 is attached to the container 60, a form in which a strip-shaped label is wound around the entire container 60 and attached to the container 60 with an adhesive (wrap-around label), a form in which a cylindrical film label is attached to the container 60 and shrunk and adhered by applying heat (shrink label), and the like. From the viewpoint of enhancing the recyclability of the container 60, when the label 62 is removed from the container 60, it is preferable that the label 62 and the adhesive that adheres the label 62 to the container 60 do not remain on the container 60 in terms of form and material.

[0059] <Hardware Configuration of Recycling Promotion Service Providing Server> As shown in FIG. 3, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output interface 15, and a bus 14 that connects these to each other.

[0060] The CPU 11 appropriately accesses the RAM 13 or the like as necessary, performs various arithmetic processes, and comprehensively controls the entire blocks of the recycling promotion service provision. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory in which firmware such as an OS, programs, and various parameters to be executed by the CPU 11 are fixedly stored. The RAM 13 is used as a working area of the CPU 11 and temporarily holds the OS, various applications being executed, and various data being processed.

[0061] Connected to the input / output interface 15 are a display unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and the like.

[0062] The display unit 16 is a display device using, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OELD (Organic Electro Luminescence Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like.

[0063] The operation reception unit 17 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or other input devices. When the operation reception unit 17 is a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 16.

[0064] The storage unit 18 is a non-volatile memory such as, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory (SSD; Solid State Drive), or other solid-state memories. The above OS, various applications, and various data are stored in the storage unit 18.

[0065] The communication unit 19 is, for example, various modules for wireless communication such as an NIC (Network Interface Card) for Ethernet or a wireless LAN, and is responsible for communication processing between the user terminal 4 and the manufacturer server 3.

[0066] Although not shown, the basic hardware configurations of the user terminal 4 and the manufacturer server 3 are also substantially the same as the hardware configuration of the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0067] <Functional Configuration of Information Processing System> As shown in FIG. 4, the information processing system 100 includes a recycling promotion service providing server 1, a plurality of user terminals 4, a manufacturer server 3, and a collection device 7. Note that the same components as those in the above hardware configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals and will be described.

[0068] In the information processing system 100 of the present embodiment, for one product 6 purchased by a certain user, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 receives information in which the information of the index 61 (index information) assigned to the product 6 and the user ID are associated with each other twice, at the time of purchase and at the time of collection. The information in which the index information and the user ID are associated with each other, which the recycling promotion service providing server 1 receives at the time of purchase, is referred to as "purchase time information" as the first information. The information in which the index information and the user ID are associated with each other, which the recycling promotion service providing server 1 receives at the time of collection, is referred to as "collection time information" as the second information. The purchase time information and the collection time information are stored in the user information DB 251 by the DB management unit 23 described later. The purchase time information can also be said to be the purchase history information of the user, and the collection time information can also be said to be the collection history information of the user.

[0069] [User terminal] As shown in FIG. 4, the user terminal 4 includes a communication unit 40, an operation reception unit 41, an output unit 42, and an imaging unit 43. The communication unit 40 communicates with the manufacturer server 3 and the recycling promotion service providing server 1. The operation reception unit 41 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or other input devices. When the operation reception unit 41 is a touch panel, the touch panel can be integrated with the display unit 420. The output unit 42 may include, in addition to the display unit 420 that displays images, an audio presentation unit such as a speaker. The display unit 420 is a display device using an LCD, an OELD, or the like. The imaging unit 43 includes a lens system configured by an imaging lens, a zoom lens, etc., and a solid-state imaging device array such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor array or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor array that photoelectrically converts the imaging light obtained by the lens system to generate an imaging signal.

[0070] [Manufacturer server] As shown in FIG. 4, the manufacturer server 3 includes a communication unit 30 and a control unit 31.

[0071] (Communication Unit) The communication unit 30 communicates with the user terminal 4 and the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0072] (Control Unit) The control unit 31 includes a user ID assigning unit 32 and a reward determining unit 33.

[0073] ((User ID Assigning Unit)) Based on a registration application from the user terminal 4 received via the communication unit 30, the user ID assigning unit 32 issues a user ID (user identification information) to the user. The user ID is transmitted to the user terminal 4. Also, the user information including the user ID is transmitted to the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0074] ((Reward Determining Unit)) The reward determining unit 33 determines the reward to the user for the purchase of the product 6 to be recycled according to the recyclability of the container 60. The reward determining unit 33 may determine the reward (number of points) by referring to the recyclability information DB 250 described later, or may determine the reward (number of points) by referring to a DB separate from the recyclability information DB 250. Here, an example is given in which the manufacturer server 3 determines the reward for the purchase, but the reward determining unit 21 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 described later may be made to perform the determination.

[0075] As an example, when the recyclability information included in the index information transmitted from the user terminal 4 is "uncolored" with reference to the recyclability information DB 250, the reward determination unit 33 determines the reward at the time of purchase to be 10 points. When the recyclability information is "white", the reward determination unit 33 determines the reward at the time of purchase to be 5 points. When the recyclability information is "other colors", the reward determination unit 33 determines the reward at the time of purchase to be 1 point. The reward information at the time of purchase is transmitted to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 and stored in the user information DB 251 in association with the user ID. The reward information includes the reward content (number of points) and the status of the reward (temporarily granted or confirmed grant). The reward content is the number of points in this embodiment. The status of the reward is either "temporarily granted" or "confirmed grant". In the status of temporarily granted, the user cannot obtain the reward, and when it becomes the status of "confirmed grant", the user can obtain the reward. The reward at the time of purchase has a status of "temporarily granted" until it is confirmed to be granted.

[0076] [Recycling Promotion Service Providing Server] As shown in FIG. 4, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 includes a communication unit 19, a control unit 20, and a storage unit 18. The operation of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 is executed by the cooperation of hardware such as a CPU and a communication unit and software stored in the storage unit.

[0077] (Communication Unit) The communication unit 19 is configured to be communicable with the user terminal 4 and the manufacturer server 3.

[0078] (Storage Unit) The storage unit 18 includes a database (DB) unit 25 and a program storage unit 26.

[0079] ((Each Database Configuration of the Recycling Promotion Service Providing Server)) The DB unit 25 includes a recyclability information DB 250, a user information DB 251, a product information DB 252, and a manufacturer information DB 253. The information in each DB is stored by the DB management unit 23 described later and can be updated. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the DB unit 25 is stored by the storage unit of the recycling promotion service providing server 1, but all or part of each DB may be stored by a storage device or server externally connected to the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0080] The recyclability information DB 250 stores, in association with each of the index information on recyclability, namely, "uncolored", "white", and "other colors", reward information (more specifically, reward details). Specifically, the recyclability information DB 250 stores the association between "uncolored" and reward information of 10 points, between "white" and reward information of 5 points, and between "other colors" and reward information of 1 point. The numerical value of the reward points may be fixed or configured to be variable.

[0081] Furthermore, the recyclability information DB 250 may store, in association with each index information, the color condition information and material condition information of the container 60 necessary for determining the index information. For example, for the index information of "uncolored", color condition information that does not satisfy the condition that the Haze value representing transparency is less than 30 and the chromaticity a value in the L*a*b* color system is -15 or more and 15 or less and the chromaticity b value is -15 or more and 15 or less, and material condition information of polyethylene may be associated. Also, for the index information of "white", color condition information that the Haze value representing transparency is 30 or more and the lightness L value in the L*a*b* color system is 90 or more and material condition information of polyethylene may be associated. Also, for the index of "other colors", color condition information that the Haze value representing transparency is 30 or more and the chromaticity a value in the L*a*b* color system is -15 or more and 15 or less and the chromaticity b value is -15 or more and 15 or less, and material condition information of polyethylene may be associated. * a * b * Chromaticity a in the L*a*b* color system * value is -15 or more and 15 or less and chromaticity b * value is -15 or more and 15 or less and color condition information that does not satisfy the condition, and material condition information of polyethylene may be associated. Also, for the index information of "white", color condition information that the Haze value representing transparency is 30 or more and the lightness L * a * b * Lightness L in the L*a*b* color system * value is 90 or more and color condition information, and material condition information of polyethylene may be associated. Also, for the index of "other colors", color condition information that the Haze value representing transparency is 30 or more and the chromaticity a * a * b* Luminance L in the color system * The value is less than 90, or the Haze value representing transparency is less than 30 and L * a * b * Chroma a in the color system * The value is between -15 and 15 inclusive for b * Color condition information that the value is between -15 and 15 inclusive may be associated with material condition information of polyethylene.

[0082] The user information DB 251 stores the attribute information of users who purchased product 6 for each user. As user attribute information, general information such as name, user ID (user identification information) for identifying the user, age (age group), occupation, address (residential area), gender, contact information such as email address, etc. is included. The user ID is issued by the manufacturer server 3 to the user terminal 4 based on a registration application from the user terminal 4. The user ID may function as account information for using the recycling promotion service.

[0083] Furthermore, the user information DB 251 stores reward information associated with the user ID. In this embodiment, the reward information includes reward information at the time of purchase and reward information at the time of collection. Also, the user information DB 251 stores purchase time information (first information) and collection time information (second information).

[0084] The user information of users registered as members from the membership site operated by the manufacturer server 3 and stored in the user information DB 251 may be configured to be viewable by the manufacturer who operates the manufacturer server 3. Thereby, the manufacturer can confirm the user information centrally managed by the recycling promotion service providing server 1. From the information in the user information DB 251, information such as which products are particularly purchased in which regions can be obtained, for example. The manufacturer can adjust the flow rate and supply and demand of the products to be manufactured using this information, and more efficient recycling becomes possible without wasting resources.

[0085] The product information DB252 stores the attribute information of product 6 for each product 6. The attribute information of product 6 includes the manufacturer name of the manufacturer that manufactures and provides the product 6, the manufacturer ID (manufacturer identification information) for identifying the manufacturer, the product name, the usage information of the liquid contained in container 60 (information on usage such as laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, finger disinfectant, hand soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc.), the type of liquid, the information of index 61 such as the QR code, barcode or product code assigned to the product 6 (index information), the index information (information on "uncolored", "white", "other colors"), and the weight information of the container, etc. This information is provided by the manufacturer. Note that the index information may be determined by the manufacturer server 3 based on the index information determination method shown in FIG. 7 determined in advance, or the recycling promotion service providing server 1 may determine it using the color information and material information included in the index 61 provided by the manufacturer server 3.

[0086] The manufacturer information DB253 stores the attribute information of the manufacturer for each manufacturer. The attribute information of the manufacturer includes general information such as the manufacturer name, the manufacturer ID (manufacturer identification information) for identifying the manufacturer, the address (the area where the product factory is located), and the contact information. The manufacturer ID is assigned by the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0087] ((Program storage unit)) The program storage unit 26 stores programs for executing the reward determination process, the reward granting determination process, and the DB management process performed in the information processing system 100.

[0088] For example, the program storage unit 26 stores a program that causes the information processing system 100 to execute the above reward determination process. The reward determination process includes a step of receiving a user ID (user identification information) that identifies a user who has purchased a product with an index including recyclability information, and the recyclability information included in the index, and a step of determining a reward to be given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and storing the determined reward information in association with the received user ID.

[0089] (Control unit) The control unit 20 performs a reward determination process (specifically, a reward determination process at the time of collection), a reward granting confirmation process, a database (DB) management process, etc. The control unit 20 includes a reward determination unit 21, a reward granting confirmation unit 22, and a DB management unit 23. The control unit 20 realizes the reward determination unit 21, the reward granting confirmation unit 22, and the DB management unit 23 by the CPU 11 loading and executing the program stored in the program storage unit 26 into the RAM 13.

[0090] ((DB management unit)) The DB management unit 23 executes a DB management process for managing storage in each DB.

[0091] The DB management unit 23 receives user information from the manufacturer server 3 via the communication unit 19 and stores the user information in the user information DB 251. The user information includes a user ID.

[0092] The DB management unit 23 receives purchase information (first information) from the manufacturer server 3 and stores it in the user information DB 251 in association with the user ID stored in advance. In the present embodiment, the index information included in the purchase information is acquired by the user terminal 4. Further, the DB management unit 23 receives information on the reward temporarily granted by the manufacturer server 3 to the user for the purchase of the product 6, and stores the reward information in association with the user ID in the user information DB 251. The status of the reward for the purchase remains "temporarily granted" until the granting is confirmed by the reward granting confirmation unit 22.

[0093] The DB management unit 23 receives the collection-time information (second information) from the user terminal 4, associates it with the user ID stored in advance, and stores it in the user information DB 251. In the present embodiment, the index information included in the collection-time information is read and acquired by the collection device 7. Then, the index information (index image) acquired by the collection device 7 is displayed on the display unit 70, and the user terminal 4 acquires the index image by imaging the index image of the display unit 70 with the imaging unit 43 of the user terminal 4. After that, the collection-time information in which the index image and the user ID are associated is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1. Also, the DB management unit 23 associates the reward information (reward information) for the collection determined by the reward determination unit 21 using the index information included in the collection-time information with the user ID and stores it in the user information DB 251. The status of the reward for the collection remains "temporarily granted" until the granting is confirmed by the reward granting confirmation unit 22.

[0094] When it is determined by the reward granting confirmation unit 22 that the DB management unit 23 grants the rewards temporarily granted by the reward determination unit 33 and the reward determination unit 21 of the manufacturer server 3 to the user, the DB management unit 23 changes the status of the reward from "temporarily granted" to "granted confirmed", associates the reward information with the user ID, and stores it in the user information DB 251.

[0095] When the DB management unit 23 changes the reward content, the color information conditions, material information conditions, etc. of the container used to determine the reward (in other words, to determine the index information), the DB management unit 23 updates the information stored in the recyclability information DB 250. When the DB management unit 23 newly adds the product 6 to be recycled to the product information DB 252 or deletes the product 6 that was the recycling target from the product information DB 252, the DB management unit 23 updates the information stored in the product information DB 252. When the DB management department 23 adds a new manufacturer to the new manufacturer information DB 253 or deletes a manufacturer from the manufacturer information DB 253, it updates the information stored in the manufacturer information DB 253 upon application from the manufacturer server 3.

[0096] ((Reward Determination Department)) The reward determination department 21 executes a reward determination process for determining the reward to the user for the collection of the container 60 according to the recyclability of the container 60. The reward determination department 21 refers to the recyclability information DB 250 based on the recyclability information included in the information (index information) of the index 61 of the collected container 60 included in the collection time information received via the communication unit 19, and determines the reward for the collection of the container 60.

[0097] In this embodiment, the rewards include the reward given to the user for purchase and the reward given to the user for collection. The reward given for purchase is the reward given to the user for purchasing the recyclable product 6. The reward given for collection is the reward given to the user for contributing to the collection of the container (recycling target) 60 by putting the container 60 into the collection device 7, that is, for the collection of the container 60.

[0098] In this embodiment, an example is given where the reward given for purchase is determined by the manufacturer server 3 and the reward given for collection is determined by the recycling promotion service providing server 1, but it is not limited to this. For example, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 may determine the rewards given for each of purchase and collection, or may determine only the reward given for purchase. Also, the manufacturer server 3 may determine the rewards given for each of purchase and collection, or may determine only the reward given for collection. That is, the reward determination department 21 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1A and the reward determination department 33 of the manufacturer server 3 may each execute a reward determination process for determining the reward to the user for the purchase and / or collection of the container 60 according to the recyclability of the container 60.

[0099] Also, in this embodiment, an example is given in which rewards are given for both purchase and collection, that is, rewards are given twice. However, the reward given for the purchase and collection of one product 6 may be given only once.

[0100] Also, when a reward is given for purchase, the reward given to the user at the time of purchase is in a provisional status. It is preferable that when the collection of the container (input to the collection device) is confirmed, the status of the reward is changed from "provisionally given" to "confirmed for giving", so that more reliable collection of the container 60 becomes possible. When the status of the reward becomes "confirmed", the user can obtain the reward.

[0101] The reward determination unit 21 refers to the recyclability information DB 250 and determines the reward at the time of collection to be 10 points when the recyclability information included in the index information is "uncolored". The reward determination unit 21 determines the reward at the time of collection to be 5 points when the recyclability information is "white". The reward determination unit 21 determines the reward at the time of collection to be 1 point when the recyclability information is "other color". The determined reward information is stored in the user information DB 251 in association with the index information of each product for each user (user ID). In this way, the reward determination unit 21 determines the reward so that the higher the recyclability, the higher the reward for the user. The determined reward information at the time of purchase is stored in the user information DB 251 by the DB management unit 23 in association with the user ID. The status of the reward at this time is "provisionally given".

[0102] ((Reward giving confirmation unit)) The reward giving confirmation unit 22 executes a reward giving confirmation process for confirming that the rewards determined by the reward determination unit 21 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 and the reward determination unit 33 of the manufacturer server 3 are given to the user.

[0103] Specifically, when the reward granting determination unit 22 receives the information at the time of collection via the communication unit 19, it refers to the user information DB 251 and determines whether there is purchase information that matches the received information at the time of collection. If it is determined that there is matching purchase information, the reward granting determination unit 22 determines the granting of a reward to the user. When the reward is determined, the status of the reward is changed from "temporarily granted" to "granted and determined" by the DB management unit 23. The reward information is associated with the user ID by the DB management unit 23 and stored in the user information DB 251.

[0104] On the other hand, if the reward granting determination unit 22 determines that there is no matching purchase information, it suspends the determination of granting a reward to the user. The status of the reward remains "temporarily granted", and the user information DB 251 is not updated.

[0105] In this way, by ensuring a one-to-one correspondence and match between the purchase information and the collection information, the granting of rewards can be determined, thereby preventing fraud. That is, if, hypothetically, the index 61 is read multiple times with a single container 60 in an attempt to obtain duplicate rewards, the granting of the reward is determined for the first time because the purchase information and the collection information match one-to-one. However, for the second and subsequent times, there will be no purchase information that matches the collection information, so the reward will not be granted for the second and subsequent times, preventing fraud.

[0106] [Collection Device] In the collection device 7, the container 60 is sorted according to the recyclability by reading the index 61. The collection device 7 includes a display unit 70, a reading unit 71, and a control unit 72. The collection device 7 also includes a discharge unit that discharges "non-recyclable" containers and a plurality of storage chambers that respectively store the containers 60 classified into "uncolored", "white", and "other colors". By determining "non-recyclable", even if a user accidentally inserts a container 60 that is not a recyclable item into the collection device 7, the container 60 will be discharged, ensuring that only containers 60 that meet the specified conditions (material conditions and color conditions) can be collected.

[0107] (Display unit) The display unit 70 is a display device using, for example, an LCD, an OELD, a CRT, or the like. The display content of the display unit 70 is controlled by the control unit 72. Information related to the insertion of the container 60 into the collection device 7 is displayed on the display unit 70. For example, an image of the index 61 read by the collection device 7 is displayed on the display unit 70. Further, information such as the collection procedure may be displayed on the display unit 70.

[0108] (Reading unit) The reading unit 71 reads the index 61 attached to the container 60 inserted into the collection device 7. The reading unit 71 includes illumination and an imaging element such as a CCD. By irradiating the index 61 with illumination light and capturing the reflected light with the imaging element, the index 61 can be read. For example, the reading unit 71 can read index information such as "uncolored", "white", or "other color" included in the index 61. Here, an example using the CCD method for reading the index 61 is given, but a known method such as a laser method may be applied.

[0109] The index information read by the reading unit 71, specifically, the image of the index 61 is displayed on the display unit 70. The index image displayed on the display unit 70 has its image acquired by the imaging unit 43 of the user terminal 4, and the collection time information in which the index image is associated with the user ID is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0110] (Control unit) The control unit 72 controls each block in a series of processes performed by the collection device 7 from the insertion of the container 60 into the collection device 7 to the discharge of the container 60 or the display of the image of the index 61. Specifically, the control unit 72 performs sorting processing of the inserted container 60 and display control processing of the image to be displayed on the display unit 70 on the display unit 70.

[0111] Based on the reading result of the index 61 by the reading unit 71, the control unit 73 determines whether the inserted container 60 is any one of "not subject to collection", "uncolored", "white", and "other colors".

[0112] When the index 61 does not contain any index information of "uncolored", "white", or "other colors", the control unit 73 determines that the container 60 with the index 61 is "not subject to collection", and discharges the container 60 from the collection device 7. Further, the control unit 73 displays information indicating a collection instruction for the discharged container, which is a container not subject to collection, on the display unit 70. According to the display on the display unit 70, the discharged container can be collected by the user.

[0113] When the index 61 contains the index information of "uncolored", the control unit 73 stores the container 60 with the index 61 in the storage chamber for uncolored containers. When the index 61 contains the index information of "white", the control unit 73 stores the container 60 with the index 61 in the storage chamber for white containers. When the index 61 contains the index information of "other colors", the control unit 73 stores the container 60 with the index 61 in the storage chamber for other colored containers.

[0114] Furthermore, the control unit 73 displays an image of the index 61 of the inserted container 60 on the display unit 70. The information displayed on the display unit 70 here is referred to as collection completion information.

[0115] The collection completion information may include information that enables each piece of collection completion information to be identifiable, such that, in addition to the image of index 61, one piece of collection completion information is issued corresponding to the collection of one container 60. Examples of such information include a collection device ID (collection identification information) for identifying the collection device 7 that collected the container 60 and collection date and time information indicating the collection date and time. By including such information in the collection completion information, it becomes possible to ascertain that the container 60 has been reliably collected by the collection device 7, and fraudulent acts such as obtaining rewards through duplicate collections using one container 60 are prevented. Even if collection time information is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 a plurality of times using one piece of collection completion information, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 determines the reward based on the collection time information of the first collection, but for the determination of the reward based on the collection time information of the second and subsequent collections, since the recycling promotion service providing server 1 has already received similar collection completion information, the determination of the reward is suspended. Thereby, fraudulent acts can be prevented.

[0116] <Information Processing Method> The flow of information processing related to recycling promotion in the information processing system 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. In FIGS. 5 and 6, "ST" means "step".

[0117] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the processing flow in the information processing system 100 is roughly divided into registration processing, purchase processing, in-collection-device processing, and collection processing. Among these, the registration processing, purchase processing, and collection processing include processing executed by the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1. Hereinafter, each processing will be described according to the flows of FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0118] [Registration Processing] In the registration processing, based on a registration application from the user terminal 4 of a user who uses the recycling promotion service, a user ID is issued to the user terminal 4. The user information including the user ID is transmitted to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 and stored in the user information DB 251. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5.

[0119] The user terminal 4 makes a membership registration application from the membership site operated by the manufacturer (ST1). The membership registration application is made by inputting general information such as, for example, the user's name, age (age group), occupation, address (residential area), gender, contact information such as an email address, and the like.

[0120] Based on the registration application from the user terminal 4, the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3 issues a user ID to the user and transmits it to the user terminal 4 (ST2). Further, the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3 transmits user information including the user's attribute information provided by the user and the user ID assigned to the user by the manufacturer server 3 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 (ST3). Next, the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 stores the received user information in the user information DB 251 (ST4).

[0121] [Processing at the time of purchase] At the time of purchase, purchase information (first information) is transmitted to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 and stored in the user information DB 251. This will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 5.

[0122] The user terminal 4 accesses the login screen of the membership site operated by the manufacturer, and by inputting the user ID into the login screen, a login request is made from the user terminal 4 to the manufacturer server 3, and the user ID is transmitted (ST5).

[0123] When the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3 performs and clears the authentication operation using the user ID, the user terminal 4 is approved for login and browsing of the membership site is permitted (ST6). On the display unit 420 of the user terminal 4, as a procedure for obtaining rewards through the recycling promotion service, a membership site is displayed that includes information requesting the presentation of the image information (index information) of the index 61 attached to the product 6 and the image information of the receipt copied when the product 6 was purchased. In accordance with the presentation, the user uses the imaging unit 43 of the user terminal 4 to acquire the image information of the index 61 and the image information of the receipt (ST7).

[0124] Next, the image information (index information) of the index 61 and the image information of the receipt are transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the manufacturer server 3 by an operation of the user in accordance with the reward acquisition procedure presented on the membership site (ST8). In this way, by transmitting the image information of the receipt together with the image information of the index 61, fraudulent acts such as obtaining rewards by purchasing the same product 6 repeatedly are prevented.

[0125] Next, the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3 determines the reward for purchasing the product 6 targeted for recycling based on the received image information of the index 61 and the image information of the receipt, and the reward is temporarily granted (ST9). By using the image information of the index 61 (here, the image information of the QR code), the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3 converts the index 61 (QR code (registered trademark)) into a character string, thereby obtaining index information such as "uncolored", "white", "other colors", and the reward can be determined using the index information.

[0126] In the determination of the reward at the time of the above purchase, for example, when purchasing a product 6 equipped with a container 60 including index information of "uncolored", 10 points are temporarily assigned by the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3. When purchasing a product 6 equipped with a container 60 including index information of "white", 5 points are temporarily assigned. When purchasing a product 6 equipped with a container 60 including index information of "other colors", 1 point is temporarily assigned. Here, an example where the image information (index information) of the index 61 is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the manufacturer server 3 has been given. However, using a QR code reader application pre-installed in the user terminal 4, the information obtained by converting the QR code into a character string at the user terminal 4 may be transmitted to the manufacturer server 3.

[0127] Next, the control unit 31 of the manufacturer server 3 transmits the purchase information (first information) in which the user ID and the index information are associated with each other, and the determined reward information, to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 (ST10). The reward information includes the reward content (number of points) and information on the reward status of "temporarily assigned".

[0128] Next, the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 stores the purchase information received from the manufacturer server 3 in the user information DB 251, and further stores the reward information received from the manufacturer server 3 in association with the user ID in the user information DB 251 (ST11).

[0129] [Processing inside the collection device] Regarding the processing (operation example of the collection device) performed in the collection device 7 when the container is inserted into the collection device, the control unit 72 of the collection device 7 will be mainly described according to the flow of FIG. 6.

[0130] When the container 60 is inserted into the collection device 7, the control unit 73 reads the index 61 of the container 60 with the reading unit 71 (ST12). By adopting such a configuration that the index 61 is read inside the collection device 7, the container 60 can be surely collected, and fraud such as the index 61 being read multiple times by one container 60 during collection and obtaining rewards repeatedly is prevented.

[0131] Based on the reading result of the index 61, the control unit 73 classifies the input container 60 into one of "not subject to collection", "uncolored", "white", and "other colors" (ST13).

[0132] Specifically, when the read index 61 does not contain any index information of "uncolored", "white", or "other colors", the control unit 73 determines that the container 60 to which the index 61 is assigned is "not subject to collection", discharges it from the collection device 7, and displays the instruction information for collecting the discharged container on the display unit 70 (ST14). When the index information of "uncolored" is included in the index 61, the control unit 72 determines that the container 60 to which the index 61 is assigned is "uncolored", stores the container 60 in the uncolored storage chamber, and displays the index information (image of the index 61) on the display unit 70 (ST15). When the index information of "white" is included in the index 61, the control unit 73 determines that the container 60 to which the index 61 is assigned is "white", stores it in the white storage chamber, and displays the index information (image of the index 61) on the display unit 70 (ST15). When the index information of "other colors" is included in the index 61, the control unit 73 determines that the container 60 to which the index 61 is assigned is "other colors", stores it in the other colors storage chamber, and displays the index information (image of the index 61) on the display unit 70 (ST15).

[0133] Note that the index information displayed on the display unit 70 is captured by the imaging unit 43 of the user terminal 4 as described in the processing at the time of collection, which will be described later. The collection time information in which the captured image is associated with the user ID is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1.

[0134] Here, an example is given where the user terminal 4 transmits the information at the time of collection to the recycling promotion service providing server 1, but it is not limited to this. For example, the collection device 7 may have a communication unit capable of communicating with the recycling promotion service providing server 1, and the information at the time of collection may be transmitted from the collection device 7 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1. For example, the collection device 7 has an input operation unit, and when a user ID is input by a user's input operation from the input operation unit, the control unit 72 of the collection device 7 acquires the user ID. Then, the control unit 72 may transmit the information at the time of collection in which the index information of the container read by the reading unit 71 is associated with the user ID to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 via the communication unit. In this case, it is not necessary to use the user terminal 4 to transmit the information at the time of collection to the recycling promotion service providing server 1, the transmission operation by the user can be omitted, and the operations related to the recycling promotion service performed by the user can be simplified. As a result, the use of the recycling promotion service by the user can be further promoted, and thus recycling can be promoted.

[0135] Also, when the collection device 7 has a communication unit capable of communicating with the recycling promotion service providing server 1, the index image acquired by the collection device 7 is transmitted to the recycling promotion service providing server 1, and the recycling promotion service providing server 1 uses the received index image to acquire the recycling ease information. Based on this, it is determined whether the input container 60 is "not subject to collection", "uncolored", "white", or "other colors", and the determination result may be transmitted to the collection device 7. Then, in the collection device 7, the received determination result may be used to separate the container 60 and store or discharge it into each storage chamber in the collection device 7.

[0136] [Processing at the time of collection] At the time of collection, collection-time information (second information) is transmitted by the user terminal 4 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1. At the recycling promotion service providing server 1, a reward determination process is performed to determine the content of the reward to be given to the user based on the collection-time information. Further, a reward granting determination process is performed to determine whether or not to grant a reward using the purchase-time information and the collection-time information. The purchase-time information, the collection-time information, and the reward information are associated with the user ID and stored in the user information DB 251. Hereinafter, it will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6.

[0137] An image of the index 61 (index image) displayed on the display unit 70 of the collection device 7 in the above ST14 is acquired by the imaging unit 43 of the user terminal 4 (ST20).

[0138] Next, collection-time information in which the index image acquired by the user terminal 4 and the user ID are associated is transmitted from the user terminal 4 to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 (ST21).

[0139] Using the recyclability information included in the index information included in the received collection-time information, the recyclability information DB 250 is referred to by the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1, and the reward to be given to the user (here, the reward for collection) is determined (ST22). The determined reward information is stored in the user information DB 251 in association with the user ID (ST23). The reward information includes the reward content (number of points) and information on the reward status of "temporarily granted".

[0140] In the determination of the reward at the time of collection, for example, 10 points are temporarily granted for the collection of the product 6 provided with the container 60 including the index information of "uncolored" by the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1. 5 points are temporarily granted for the collection of the product 6 provided with the container 60 including the index information of "white". 1 point is temporarily granted for the collection of the product 6 provided with the container 60 including the index information of "other colors". As a result, when the rewards provisionally given at the time of purchase and the rewards provisionally given at the time of collection are combined, 20 points are provisionally given for the container 60 classified as "uncolored", 10 points are provisionally given for the container 60 classified as "white", and 2 points are provisionally given for the container 60 classified as "other colors".

[0141] Next, the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 refers to the user information DB 251, and determines whether or not the received collection information (second information) matches the purchase information (first information) stored in the user information DB 251 (ST24). In other words, the control unit 20 determines whether or not information that matches the received collection information is stored in the user information DB 251.

[0142] Next, when the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 determines that the collection information and the purchase information match, the reward provision to the user is finalized (ST25), and the status of the reward is changed from "provisionally given" to "given and finalized". On the other hand, when there is no purchase information that matches the collection information in the user information DB 251 and the reward provision determination unit 22 determines that the collection information and the purchase information do not match, the determination of the reward provision to the user is postponed. The status of the reward remains "provisionally given", and the user information DB 251 is not updated. Note that even if there is no purchase information, if the user ID is already registered, only the reward for collection may be provided.

[0143] The reward information whose status has been changed is stored in the user information DB 251 in association with the user ID by the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 (ST26). Next, the reward is officially provided from the recycling promotion service providing server 1 to the user terminal 4 (ST27).

[0144] As described above, in the present invention, the reward given to the user related to recycling is determined according to the recyclability of the object to be recycled. Specifically, the higher the recyclability, the higher the reward given. With such a configuration, at the time of purchasing a product, the user's awareness of recycling can be enhanced so that the product including the recyclable object is actively selected, and further, the product including the recyclable object with a higher recyclability is actively selected. And at the time of container collection, the user's awareness of recycling can be enhanced so that it is actively put into the collection device. As a result, more recyclable objects with higher recyclability can be collected, the amount of resin recycled can be expanded, and recycling is promoted.

[0145] In this embodiment, an example in which the reading of the index 61 at the time of collection is performed in the collection device 7 has been given, but the reading of the index 61 may be performed outside the collection device 7. For example, the reading of the index 61 outside the collection device 7 can be performed by the user terminal 4 or a reading device installed outside the collection device 7. In this case, it is also conceivable to obtain the reward at the time of collection repeatedly with one container 60. However, as in the above-described embodiment, by making the purchase-time information and the collection-time information correspond one-to-one and match, and determining the granting of the reward, fraud can be prevented. That is, even if an attempt is made to read the index 61 a plurality of times with one container 60 and obtain the reward repeatedly, the granting of the reward is determined by the fact that the purchase-time information and the collection-time information correspond one-to-one and match for the first time. However, for the second and subsequent times, there is no purchase-time information that matches the collection-time information, and since the determination of the granting of the reward is not performed for the second and subsequent times, the reward is not granted, and fraud is prevented.

[0146] As described above, the information processing system 100 of this embodiment has a configuration for preventing fraud such as obtaining the reward repeatedly. Thereby, a reward commensurate with the user's recycling contribution degree can be correctly given to the user.

[0147] <Manufacturing method of indexed product> Next, a method for manufacturing the product 6 with the index 61 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. Specifically, the application of the index 61 to the product 6 will be explained. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the index 61 is applied to the container 60 itself, which is the object to be recycled, but the index 61 may be applied to the label 62 attached to the container 60. Also, here, an example of applying the index by laser engraving is given, but it is not limited to this, and for example, printing may be used.

[0148] The application of the index 61 to the container 60 by laser engraving is performed using the laser processing apparatus 9 shown in FIG. 10. The laser processing apparatus 9 includes a laser oscillator 90, a laser beam scanning unit 91, and a control unit 92 that controls these. The control unit 92 includes a storage unit 94 that stores control programs and data, and a control unit 93 that controls the operation of the laser processing apparatus 9 according to the program.

[0149] The storage unit 94 stores, as the above data, product identification information for identifying the product 6 and color information of the container (recycling target) 60 of the product 6 in association with each other. The color information indicates the ease of recycling.

[0150] The application of the index 61 to the container 60 by laser engraving will be described according to the flow shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 11, during the manufacture of the product 6, specifically, during the laser engraving of the index on the container 60, the control unit 93 acquires the color information corresponding to the product identification information of the product 6 stored in the storage unit 94 (ST40). Next, the control unit 93 controls the laser oscillator 90 and the laser beam scanning unit 91, and the index 61 indicating the acquired color information is applied to the container 60 by laser engraving in a state where the color information can be read (ST41). Thereby, an indexed product 6 including color information indicating the ease of recycling can be obtained.

[0151] <Modification Example> The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0152] [Modification Example 1] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which a reward corresponding to the recyclability of the container is given to a user who contributes to promoting recycling. However, in addition to the recyclability, the reward given to the user may be determined taking into account the weight information of the containers that the user has put into the collection device. For example, 10 points may be given for every 10 g of a "non-colored" container, 5 points for every 10 g of a "white" container, and 1 point for every 10 g of a "container of other colors", and the content of the reward may be determined according to the weight of the 60 collected containers.

[0153] [Modification Example 2] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the index 61 is given to the container 60 has been described. However, as shown in FIGS. 8(A) and (B), the index 61 may be given to the label 62.

[0154] In the recovery device 7 of the above-described embodiment, since the index 61 is read within the recovery device 7, the container 60 needs to be inserted into the recovery device 7 with the index 61 attached. In the recovery of the container 60 using such a recovery device 7, when the index 61 is given to the label 62, the container 60 with the label 62 attached is inserted into the recovery device 7. At this time, the label 62 is preferably made of the same resin material as the container 60 or a resin material that can be easily separated from the resin material constituting the container 60 in the recycling process. For example, the container 60 may be made of polyethylene and the label 62 may be made of polystyrene. Since polyethylene and polystyrene have different specific gravities, polyethylene and polystyrene can be easily separated by specific gravity separation. Specifically, since polyethylene floats in water and polystyrene sinks in water, both can be separated by putting the pulverized mixture of the container 60 and the label 62 into water during the recycling process. Incidentally, from the viewpoint of recyclability, since a specific gravity separation step (in other words, a foreign matter removal step) is required, the recyclability of a container that requires a specific gravity separation step is lower than that of a container without a label that does not require a specific gravity separation step. However, even if such a foreign matter removal step is required, the ease of the foreign matter removal step differs depending on the material used for the label, and consequently the recyclability of the container also differs.

[0155] Incidentally, when a form is adopted in which the index 61 is read outside the recovery device, after the index 61 is read, the label 62 may be removed from the container 60 by the user and then inserted into the recovery device, and any desired resin material can be used for the label 62.

[0156] [Modification Example 2] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which the index is composed of a QR code, a barcode, a product code, a character string of specific color information or material information, etc., but it is not limited to these. For example, it may be composed of an IC tag. In this case, when adopting a form in which the index is read outside the collection device, after the index 61 is read and the IC tag is removed by the user, the container may be put into the collection device. Further, when adopting a form in which the index is read in the collection device 7, the collection device may be configured so that the IC tag is removed in the collection device.

[0157] [Modification Example 3] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which a reward is given to a user who contributes to recycling promotion. In addition to this, it may be configured to give a reward to the manufacturer who manufactures the product 6. For example, by including, in the index 61, in addition to the recyclability information, weight information indicating the weight of the container and a manufacturer ID (manufacturer identification information), it is possible to configure to give a reward to the manufacturer who manufactures the product 6.

[0158] The reward for the manufacturer may be determined based on the recyclability and the weight of the container 60 of the product 6 manufactured by the manufacturer sorted according to the recyclability brought into the recycling company. For example, as a reward given to the manufacturer, 10 points may be given for 1 kg of an "uncolored" container, 5 points may be given for 1 kg of a "white" container, and 1 point may be given for 1 kg of a container of "other colors", etc., and the reward can be determined. The reward points may be used when the manufacturer purchases the recycled pellets from the recycling company. Further, the reward may be a discount at the time of purchasing the pellets.

[0159] In this way, the contribution of the manufacturer to recycling may be evaluated based on the weight of the collected containers, and the reward for the manufacturer may be determined. As a result, the awareness of the manufacturer regarding recycling can be further enhanced, the production of products including recyclable recyclable objects can be promoted, and further, the production of products including recyclable objects with higher recyclability can be promoted. Consequently, more recyclable objects with higher recyclability can be collected, the amount of resin recycled can be increased, and recycling can be promoted.

[0160] Here, the recycling company is paid the recycling processing cost by the manufacturer. When the recycling company collectively recycles the containers 60 of the products 6 manufactured and sold by a plurality of manufacturers respectively, the weight of the containers 60 actually used for recycling may be calculated for each manufacturer, and the recycling processing cost borne by each manufacturer may be determined according to the calculation result.

[0161] [Modification Example 4] In the above-described embodiment, an example where the recycling company operates the recycling promotion service providing server has been given, but it may be operated by a recycling promotion service provider different from the recycling company. Hereinafter, it will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In FIG. 9, the same reference numerals may be given to the components already described and the description may be omitted. Here, the description will be centered on the differences from the information processing system 100 shown in FIG. 4.

[0162] As shown in FIG. 9, the information processing system 100A includes a recycling promotion service providing server 1A as an information processing device, a plurality of user terminals 4 (4A, 4B...), a plurality of manufacturer servers 3 (3A, 3B...), a plurality of recycling companies 8 (8A, 8B...), and a plurality of collection devices 7 (7A, 7B...).

[0163] The recycling promotion service providing server 1A includes a communication unit 19, a control unit 20, and a storage unit 18A. The communication unit 19 is configured to be communicable with the user terminal 4, the manufacturer server 3, and the recycler 8. The storage unit 18A includes a DB unit 25 and a program storage unit 26. The DB unit 25A includes a recyclability information DB 250, a user information DB 251, a product information DB 252, a manufacturer information DB 253, a recycler information DB 254, and a collection device DB 255. The information in each DB can be updated by the DB management unit 23.

[0164] The recycler information DB 254 stores the attribute information of recyclers for each recycler. The attribute information of recyclers includes information such as company name, recycler ID (recycler identification information) for identifying the recycler, address (area where the recycling processing plant exists), types of recyclable objects that can be recycled, recycling processing capacity (amount that can be recycled), contact information, and the like. The types of recyclable objects that can be recycled are indicated by the index information determined by the above index information determination method using the recyclability information included in the index of the container. Specifically, they are "uncolored", "white", and "other colors". The recycler ID is assigned in advance by the recycling promotion service providing server 1A.

[0165] The collection device DB 255 stores the attribute information of the collection device DB for each collection device 7. The attribute information of the collection device includes the installation location of the collection device, the collection device ID (collection device identification information) for identifying the collection device, the allowable collection capacity, the current collection amount, and the like.

[0166] Each collection device 7 may be assigned a collection device ID. As described above, in addition to the index information, the collection completion information displayed on the display unit 70 of the collection device 7 may further include a collection device ID for identifying the collection device 7, and the index information may include container weight information. By configuring in this way, the control unit 20 of the recycling promotion service providing server 1 can use the collection completion information and refer to the collection device DB255 to obtain information on the installation location of the collection device 7. Then, the control unit 20 calculates the current collection amount of the collection device 7 using the installation location information and container weight information of these collection devices 7, and stores the calculation result in the collection device DB255 in association with the collection device ID. That is, it becomes possible to grasp how much amount of containers has been collected by which collection device 7. The control unit 20 may determine the timing of transporting the containers 60 collected by the collection device 7 to the recycling merchant from the current collection amount of each collection device 7. Thereby, more efficient collection of the containers 60 becomes possible. In addition, the control unit 20 may determine the timing of transporting the containers 60 collected by the collection device 7 to the recycling merchant using, in addition to the current collection amount, information on the allowable collection amount. Thereby, the occurrence of a situation where the collection device 7 cannot receive the containers 60 exceeding the allowable collection amount is suppressed, and the user can always promptly input the containers 60 into the collection device 7. As a result, it becomes difficult for the user to feel the stress that the containers 60 cannot be promptly input into the collection device 7, the user's awareness of recycling is maintained at a high level, it becomes easy to maintain the continuation of recycling, and as a result, recycling is further promoted.

[0167] Furthermore, the control unit 20 may refer to the recycling merchant information DB254 to determine to which recycling merchant the containers 60 collected by the collection device 7 are to be transported. Specifically, the control unit 20 may comprehensively judge including the type of recyclable object that can be recycled, the recycling processing capacity (the amount that can be recycled), the distance between the collection device 7 and the recycling processing plant, etc., and determine to which recycling merchant to transport. Thereby, more efficient recycling of the containers 60 becomes possible, and recycling is further promoted.

[0168] Furthermore, the configuration described in this modified example is also applicable to the above-described information processing system 100.

[0169] [Modified Example 5] In the above-described embodiment, as the recyclability information included in the index 61, the color information and material information of the container 60 are given as examples, but it is not limited thereto. For example, the index 61 may include peelability information indicating the ease of peeling the label 62 from the container 60 as recyclability information. The ease of peeling the label refers to whether it is easy to cleanly remove the label 62 from the container 60. When removing the label 62 from the container 60, if the adhesive used for the label 62 or a part of the label is likely to remain on the container 60, it can be said that it is difficult to peel, and if it can be removed cleanly without remaining, it can be said that it is easy to peel. For example, if the container 60 is collected and recycled with the adhesive used for the label 62 or a part of the label remaining on the container 60, a step of removing foreign substances such as the label is required. Therefore, the container 60 with a part of the label remaining has a lower recyclability compared to the container 60 from which the label 62 has been cleanly peeled off. On the other hand, when the label 62 can be cleanly removed from the container 60, the recyclability of the container 60 is high and the reward is also high.

[0170] [Modified Example 6] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the reward determination process is executed by the recycling promotion service providing server 1 and the manufacturer server 3 is given, but it may be executed by one server. Also, in the above-described embodiment, only one recycling promotion service providing server 1 is shown, but the processes executed by the server 1 may be distributed and executed by a plurality of servers. For example, the reward determination process and the reward granting confirmation process, and the DB management process may be executed by separate servers.

[0171] [Modified Example 7] In the above-described embodiment, a product using a container made of a resin material as a product to be recycled was taken as an example. The product to be recycled is preferably a product using a recyclable object (container) made of a resin material, but is not limited thereto. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a product using a bottle container as a recyclable object.

[0172] In the case of recycling a bottle, an index including index information such as "brown", "colorless", "other colors", which are indicators of the ease of recycling, and color information for determining these index information, is readably attached to the bottle as information on the ease of recycling.

[0173] In the recycling of bottles, for example, "colorless bottles" are recycled as raw materials for recycled bottles or as sheet glass, "brown bottles" are mainly reused as returnable bottles, and "bottles of other colors" such as green, black, and blue can be mainly recycled as materials for construction materials or civil engineering materials for roads. "Brown bottles" that can be reused only through the washing process have the highest ease of recycling. Colorless bottles and bottles of other colors can be recycled into new glass bottles or other products by finely crushing them into cullets, melting them at high heat, and shaping them into the desired form. The cullets of colorless transparent bottles can be recycled into colorless products or colored products, and have high versatility. Therefore, "colorless bottles" have the second highest ease of recycling after "brown bottles", and "bottles of other colors" have a low ease of recycling. And a reward may be given to the user who provides the bottle for recycling according to the ease of recycling, and recycling is promoted in the same manner as the container made of the resin material described above.

[0174] [Modification Example 8] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which the recycling target (container 60) is conveyed from the collection device 7 to the recycler while maintaining the shape of the container, but the present invention is not limited to this. A part of a series of steps related to recycling may be configured to be performed by the collection device 7. For example, the collection device 7 may be configured such that the container 60 is crushed by the collection device 7. In this case, the recycling target in a crushed state can be conveyed to the recycler. By crushing, the overall volume of the recycling target can be reduced, the collection amount by the collection device 7 can be increased, it becomes easier to convey, and more efficient collection of the container 60 becomes possible, thereby promoting recycling more.

[0175] [Modification Example 9] In the above-described embodiment, an example was given in which a reward is given to the user via the user terminal 4, but a physical IC card may be used and the content of the reward may be rewritten with the IC card. The IC card may be issued by the manufacturer, or an existing transportation system IC card or the like may be used. The reward written on the IC card can be used for purchasing the product 6 or the like.

[0176] An example of reward acquisition using an IC card is given. A reader / writer is provided in the collection device. The IC card is provided with an IC chip and an antenna capable of performing non-contact communication within a narrow range of about 10 cm with the reader / writer. In addition, a user ID of the user who holds the IC card is assigned to the IC card. A communication unit capable of communicating with a recycling promotion service providing server is provided in the collection device. When the IC card is held over the reader / writer of the collection device, the collection device acquires the user ID. Further, a container 60 is inserted into the collection device, and information on the index 61 assigned to the container 60 is read by the reading unit of the collection device. The user ID and the index information acquired by the collection device are transmitted to the recycling promotion service providing server 1 via the communication unit of the collection device. The recycling promotion service providing server 1 performs the processes of ST22 to ST26 shown in FIG. 6 using the received information. When the granting of the reward is determined, the recycling promotion service providing server 1 transmits the determined reward information to the collection device 7. The status of the reward in the reward information transmitted here is "confirmed grant". In the collection device, using the reader / writer, the information of the IC card held over the reader / writer is rewritten based on the received reward information, that is, the determined reward content is written into the IC card. Note that the function of the IC card may be provided in the user terminal 4.

[0177] [Modification Example 10] In the above-described embodiment, both the determination of the reward for purchase and the determination of the reward for collection were determined according to the recyclability. However, it is sufficient that a reward according to the recyclability is determined at the time of determining at least one of the rewards. For example, regarding the reward for purchase, the manufacturer may arbitrarily set it regardless of the recyclability, and may determine the reward with the same reward content in any of "uncolored", "white", and "other colors".

[0178] [Others] Among the inventions described in the claims of the present application, the invention described as "information processing method" is such that each step thereof is automatically performed by at least one device such as a computer through information processing by software, and is not performed by a human using a device such as a computer. That is, the said "information processing method" is an information processing method by computer software, and is not a method of a human operating a computing tool called a computer.

Explanation of Signs

[0179] 6…Product 60…Container (Object to be recycled) 61…Index 19…Communication unit 20…Control unit 100, 100A…Information processing system

Claims

1. User identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the object to be recycled, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the object to be recycled is assigned, and the recyclability information included in the index are received, A reward to be given to the user is determined according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and the determined reward information is stored in association with the received user identification information Control unit comprising The index includes, as the recyclability information, one or more pieces of information selected from the color information of the object to be recycled and the material information of the object to be recycled, The object to be recycled is composed of a resin, The material information includes one or more pieces of information selected from the type information of the resin of the object to be recycled, additive information, colorant information, and ink component information used for printing a label attached to the object to be recycled, Information processing system.

2. User identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the object to be recycled, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the object to be recycled is assigned, and the recyclability information included in the index are received, A reward to be given to the user is determined according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and the determined reward information is stored in association with the received user identification information comprising a control unit, The index includes, as the recyclability information, peelability information of a label attached to the object to be recycled, Information processing system.

3. User identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the recyclable object is assigned, and the recyclability information included in the index are received. A control unit is provided that determines a reward to be given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and stores the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information. The control unit Receives and stores the user identification information issued by the manufacturer server of the manufacturer selling the product to the user terminal based on a registration application from the user terminal of the user from the manufacturer server. Receives and stores first information in which the recyclability information included in the index acquired by the user terminal at the time of purchase of the product and the user identification information are associated, from the manufacturer server. An information processing system.

4. The index includes, as the recyclability information, one or more pieces of information selected from the color information of the recyclable object and the material information of the recyclable object. The information processing system according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The color information includes one or more pieces of information selected from the transparency information of the recyclable object, and the brightness and chromaticity information of the recyclable object. The information processing system according to claim 1.

6. The recyclable object is configured to include a resin. The material information includes one or more pieces of information selected from the type information of the resin of the recyclable object, additive information, colorant information, and ink component information used for printing the label attached to the recyclable object. The information processing system according to claim 4.

7. The index includes, as the recyclability information, the ease-of-peeling information of the label attached to the object to be recycled. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 3.

8. The reward is given for the purchase and / or collection of the object to be recycled by the user. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The control unit receives and stores the user identification information issued to the user terminal by the manufacturer server that manufactures and sells the product based on a registration application from the user terminal. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The control unit receives and stores, from the manufacturer server, first information in which the recyclability information included in the index acquired by the user terminal at the time of purchase of the product is associated with the user identification information. The information processing system according to claim 9.

11. The control unit receives, from the manufacturer server, reward information indicating the reward given to the user by the manufacturer server at the time of purchase of the product, and stores it in association with the first information. The information processing system according to claim 10.

12. The control unit receives, from the user terminal, second information in which the recyclability information included in the index acquired at the time of collection of the object to be recycled is associated with the user identification information, determines whether or not the first information and the second information match, and if it is determined that they match, determines the granting of the reward to the user for the purchase of the product and / or the collection of the object to be recycled. The information processing system according to claim 10.

13. The index includes information indicating the weight of the object to be recycled. The control unit determines a reward given to the user according to the recyclability and the weight. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

14. The index includes manufacturer identification information for identifying the manufacturer of the product. The control unit determines a reward given to the manufacturer according to the recyclability. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

15. The index includes information indicating the weight of the object to be recycled. The control unit determines a reward given to the manufacturer according to the recyclability and the weight. The information processing system according to claim 14.

16. The index includes manufacturer identification information for identifying the manufacturer of the product and information indicating the weight of the object to be recycled. The control unit determines the consideration paid by the manufacturer to a recycler who recycles the object to be recycled according to the recyclability and the weight. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2.

17. Receiving user identification information for identifying a user who purchased a product including the object to be recycled, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the object to be recycled is assigned, and the recyclability information included in the index, Determining a reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and storing the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information. An information processing method executed by an information processing system, The index includes, as the recyclability information, one or more pieces of information selected from the color information of the object to be recycled and the material information of the object to be recycled. The object to be recycled is configured to include a resin. The material information includes one or more pieces of information selected from the type information of the resin of the object to be recycled, additive information, colorant information, and ink component information used for printing the label attached to the object to be recycled. Information processing method.

18. A step of receiving user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the object to be recycled, which is provided with an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the object to be recycled, and the recyclability information included in the index. A step of determining a reward to be given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and storing the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information. A program for causing an information processing system to execute: The index includes, as the recyclability information, one or more pieces of information selected from the color information of the object to be recycled and the material information of the object to be recycled. The object to be recycled is configured to include a resin. The material information includes one or more pieces of information selected from the type information of the resin of the object to be recycled, additive information, colorant information, and ink component information used for printing the label attached to the object to be recycled. Program.

19. Receiving user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the object to be recycled, which is provided with an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the object to be recycled, and the recyclability information included in the index. Determine the reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and store the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information An information processing method executed by an information processing system, The index includes, as the recyclability information, the peelability information of the label attached to the recyclable object Information processing method.

20. Receiving user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the recyclable object is attached, and the recyclability information included in the index; Determining a reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and storing the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information A program for causing an information processing system to execute, The index includes, as the recyclability information, the peelability information of the label attached to the recyclable object Program.

21. Receiving user identification information for identifying a user who has purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the recyclable object is attached, and the recyclability information included in the index, Determining a reward given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, storing the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information, Receiving and storing, from the manufacturer server, the user identification information issued to the user terminal by the manufacturer server of the manufacturer that sells the product based on a registration application from the user terminal of the user Receiving and storing, from the manufacturer server, first information in which the recyclability information included in the index acquired by the user terminal at the time of purchase of the product is associated with the user identification information An information processing method executed by an information processing system.

22. Receiving user identification information for identifying a user who purchased a product including the recyclable object, to which an index including recyclability information indicating the recyclability of the recyclable object is assigned, and the recyclability information included in the index Determining a reward to be given to the user according to the recyclability indicated by the received recyclability information, and storing the determined reward information in association with the received user identification information Receiving and storing, from the manufacturer server, the user identification information issued by the manufacturer server of the manufacturer selling the product to the user terminal based on a registration application from the user terminal Receiving and storing, from the manufacturer server, first information in which the recyclability information included in the index acquired by the user terminal at the time of purchase of the product is associated with the user identification information A program for causing an information processing system to execute.

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