Product and Information Provision System

Abstract

To provide a commodity and an information service system that reduce the disposal amount of various commodities.SOLUTION: In a commodity comprising a second commodity that is a specified commodity and identification information displayed on the second commodity, if one of a sell-by date, or a shipment deadline, or the remaining number of days until the expiration date reaches a specified number of days is defined as a prescribed deadline, the second commodity is provided together with the first commodity and has a remaining number of days until the specified deadline that is less than the specified number of days, and the identification information is accessible via a website containing information on candidate commodities that could be the first commodity.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a product and information providing system. Specifically, it relates to a product and information providing system capable of reducing the amount of various products to be discarded.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the safety of products, mainly food, has attracted the attention of consumers. When consumers select products, they have come to show interest even in aspects such as what the products themselves and the raw materials of the products are.

[0003] Therefore, product providers provide products by describing information such as the components, origin, manufacturing date, etc. of the products and the raw materials of the products on labels attached to the product packaging or recording them on IC tags.

[0004] However, simply attaching information described or recorded to products for provision makes it easy to tamper with or forge such information, and there is in fact a situation where information is being tampered with or forged, resulting in low credibility among consumers and making it difficult for consumers to safely select products.

[0005] Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a technique of providing food by attaching a sample of raw material powder obtained by powdering the raw materials of the food to the food instead of simply attaching information described or recorded to the food (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the technology of Patent Document 1 described above, the "visualization" of food quality is realized, enabling consumers to safely select food, but it is difficult to directly reduce "food loss", which has been regarded as a problem in recent years. Moreover, the demand for waste reduction is not limited to food.

[0008] The present invention was devised in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a product and an information providing system capable of reducing the amount of waste.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the product of the present invention is a product including a second product that is a predetermined product and identification information displayed on the second product, and when any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining number of days until the consumption date reaches a predetermined number of days is defined as a predetermined period, the second product is provided together with the first product, and the number of days until the predetermined period arrives is less than the predetermined number of days, and the identification information is accessible to a website on which information on candidate products that can be the first product is described.

[0010] Further, the product of the present invention is a product including a second product that is a predetermined product and identification information displayed on the second product, and the second product is a product provided together with the first product, and any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining number of days until the consumption date reaches a predetermined number of days is defined as a predetermined period. When the number of days until the predetermined period arrives for the second product is not less than the predetermined number of days, the identification information can access a website on which information on one or more first candidate products, which are products that can be the first product, is described. When the number of days until the predetermined period arrives for the second product is less than the predetermined number of days, the identification information can access a website on which information on one or more second candidate products, which are products different from the first candidate products and can be the first product, is described.

[0011] Furthermore, the product of the present invention is a product comprising a second product which is a predetermined product and identification information displayed on the second product, wherein the second product is a product provided together with a first product, and defines any one of a best-before date, a shipping deadline, or a remaining number of days until a consumption deadline reaches a predetermined number of days as a predetermined deadline. When the number of days until the predetermined deadline of the second product does not fall below the predetermined number of days, the identification information can access a website on which information of one or more first candidate products, which can be the first food product, is described as information of candidate products that can be the first product. When the number of days until the predetermined deadline of the second product falls below the predetermined number of days, the identification information can access a website on which information of the first candidate products and information of one or more second candidate products, which are different from the first candidate products and are products, is described as information of candidate products that can be the first product.

[0012] Also, the product of the present invention is a product comprising a second product which is a predetermined product and identification information displayed on the second product, wherein the second product is provided together with the first product and does not satisfy a predetermined standard, and the identification information can access a website on which information of candidate products that can be the first product is described.

[0013] Here, since the second product is a product provided together with the first product, consumers will obtain both the first product and the second product, and a reduction in the inventory of the products can be expected. That is, a consumer who wants to obtain (purchase) the second product will also obtain the first product in order to obtain the second product. Even when the first product has concerns about remaining inventory for various reasons on its own, it can be expected that by providing it together with the second product, it will be more acceptable to consumers.

[0014] In addition, for "non-expired products (e.g., foods whose expiration dates have not passed)" at any timing, since they may become "expired products (e.g., foods whose expiration dates have passed)" in the future, it is also important to arouse consumers' purchasing desire for "non-expired products" in order to reduce the waste volume of various products.

[0015] Also, candidate products that can be the first product can be made known to consumers by the identification information that enables access to the website on which information about the candidate products is described.

[0016] Here, when the second product is a product whose number of days until a predetermined period (the "expiration date" or the "shipment date" or the "period until the consumption date reaches a predetermined number of days") arrives is less than a predetermined number of days, the second product may be provided at a low price (sold at a discount). Similarly, when the second product is a product that does not meet a predetermined standard (a substandard product), the second product may also be provided at a low price (sold at a discount). Therefore, by providing the first product together with the second product to consumers who want to obtain (purchase) the inexpensive second product, it can be expected that the first product will be more easily accepted by consumers.

[0017] Also, when the identification information enables access to the website on which information about the first candidate product is described when "the number of days until the second product reaches the predetermined period is not less than the predetermined number of days", and enables access to the website on which information about the second candidate product is described when "the number of days until the second product reaches the predetermined period is less than the predetermined number of days", the candidate products notified to consumers can be made different according to whether "the number of days until the second product reaches the predetermined period is less than the predetermined number of days or not". By making the "second candidate product" a more attractive product lineup for consumers compared to the "first candidate product", it can be expected that even when the number of days until the specified deadline for the second product is less than the specified number of days, the second product will be more easily accepted by consumers.

[0018] Similarly, when the identification information indicates that the number of days until the specified deadline for the second product is not less than the specified number of days, access to the website where the information of the first candidate product is described is possible. When the number of days until the specified deadline for the second product is less than the specified number of days, and access to the website where the information of the first candidate product and the information of the second candidate product are described is also possible, the candidate products notified to consumers can be varied according to whether the number of days until the specified deadline for the second product is less than the specified number of days. By making the "second candidate product" a more attractive product lineup for consumers compared to the "first candidate product", it can be expected that even when the number of days until the specified deadline for the second product is less than the specified number of days, the second product will be more easily accepted by consumers.

[0019] Also, in order to achieve the above object, an information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system for providing information on candidate products that can be the first product provided together with the second product, the information recording means for recording information including information on a predetermined period, which is any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining days until the consumption date of the product reaches a predetermined number of days, and upon receiving from the consumer's terminal a request to output the information on the candidate product, the information on the predetermined period recorded in the product information recording means is confirmed, and when the number of days until the predetermined period arrives for the second product is not less than the predetermined number of days, one or more first candidate products are selected as the candidate product, and when the number of days until the predetermined period arrives for the second product is less than the predetermined number of days, one or more second candidate products, which are different from the first candidate products, are selected as the candidate product, and an output means for outputting the information on the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means to the consumer's terminal.

[0020] Furthermore, an information providing system of the present invention is an information providing system for providing information on candidate products that can be the first product provided together with the second product, the information recording means for recording information including information on a predetermined period, which is any one of the expiration date, the shipping date, or the remaining days until the consumption date of the product reaches a predetermined number of days, and upon receiving from the consumer's terminal a request to output the information on the candidate product, the information on the predetermined period recorded in the product information recording means is confirmed, and when the number of days until the predetermined period arrives for the second product is not less than the predetermined number of days, one or more first candidate products are selected as the candidate product, and when the number of days until the predetermined period arrives for the second product is less than the predetermined number of days, the first candidate product and one or more second candidate products, which are different from the first candidate products, are selected as the candidate product, and an output means for outputting the information on the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means to the consumer's terminal.

[0021] Here, when the candidate product selection means selects the first candidate product as the candidate product if "the number of days until the expiration of the second product does not fall below a predetermined number of days", and selects the second candidate product as the candidate product if "the number of days until the expiration of the second product falls below a predetermined number of days", the candidate product to be selected can be varied according to whether "the number of days until the expiration of the second product falls below a predetermined number of days". And considering that the output means outputs the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means, by making the "second candidate product" a more attractive product lineup for consumers compared to the "first candidate product", it can be expected that the second product will be more easily accepted by consumers even when "the number of days until the expiration of the second product falls below a predetermined number of days".

[0022] Similarly, when the candidate product selection means selects the first candidate product as the candidate product if "the number of days until the expiration of the second product does not fall below a predetermined number of days", and selects the first candidate product and the second candidate product as the candidate products if "the number of days until the expiration of the second product falls below a predetermined number of days", the candidate product to be selected can be varied according to whether "the number of days until the expiration of the second product falls below a predetermined number of days". And considering that the output means outputs the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means, by making the "second candidate product" a more attractive product lineup for consumers compared to the "first candidate product", it can be expected that the second product will be more easily accepted by consumers even when "the number of days until the expiration of the second product falls below a predetermined number of days".

[0023] In addition, by the output means outputting the information of the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means to the consumer's terminal, the consumer can be informed of the candidate product, and it can be expected to lead to the offer (sale) of the candidate product.

[0024] Furthermore, when the candidate product selection means identifies the second product based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal by reading the identification information displayed on the second product, and selects a candidate product that can be the first product provided together with the identified second product, even if the consumer does not identify the "second product", the "second product" can be identified just by reading the identification information.

[0025] By the way, the "product" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products". Also, the "product" here may be singular or plural.

[0026] Furthermore, the "product" here includes "food", including both "food (primary product)" and "food (secondary product)". That is, it is intended to include not only foods and beverages (fresh foods, animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, favorite foods, seasonings, health foods, supplements, beverages, processing materials, etc.) for the purpose of nutrient intake and taste, but also pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs. For example, traditional Chinese medicines are also included. Also, it is intended to include feeds, aquaculture feeds, dog foods, etc. for fish and animals.

[0027] Note that the "food (primary product)" here refers to fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves before processing. For example, vegetables such as daikon radish and cabbage, or raw meat such as chicken and beef themselves are applicable. Also, for example, fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish are also applicable.

[0028] Also, the "food (secondary product)" here refers to products obtained by processing unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, and unprocessed plant foods, such as mochi, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steak, hamburger, ramen, bento, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen foods, canned foods, bottled tea, juice, coffee, soft drinks, etc.

[0029] Furthermore, the "secondary products" here not only include secondary products processed from primary products as raw materials, but also include secondary products processed from secondary products as raw materials. For example, it also includes tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette) manufactured by purchasing seasoned eggs as raw materials and baking them. Furthermore, the "secondary products" here also include secondary products purchased with secondary products as raw materials. For example, it also includes a bento (Japanese lunch box) filled with the purchased tamagoyaki by purchasing tamagoyaki as raw materials.

[0030] In addition, the "provided together" here includes not only the case of selling the first product and the second product in a physical store, but also the case of selling the first product and the second product through Internet sales or mail order sales and providing the first product and the second product by means of home delivery or the like.

[0031] Also, regarding "provided together", the "first product" may be singular or plural, and the "second product" may also be singular or plural. That is, "provided together" means any of the following combinations: (1) a combination of "a single first product" and "a single second product", (2) a combination of "a single first product" and "a plurality of second products", (3) a combination of "a plurality of first products" and "a single second product", and (4) a combination of "a plurality of first products" and "a plurality of second products".

[0032] In addition, the combination of the "first product" and the "second product" here may be any of the following: (1) the same product, (2) products of the same kind, and (3) different products.

[0033] Note that the "products of the same kind" means a relationship where the products can be regarded as the same as products. For example, between a cream bun and a jam bun, although they have something in common in terms of being a pastry bun, since the types of pastry buns are different, they are not products of the same kind. Note that even between cream buns, if the colors of the cream are different, they are not products of the same kind. That is, a difference in the appearance color is not a product of the same kind. Also, red wine and white wine, even if they are produced by the same farming method and on the same farm, do not have a relationship where they can be regarded as the same as products, so they cannot be said to be of the same kind.

[0034] Also, the "Best Before Date" here means the "date until which the product can be eaten deliciously without its quality changing", and even if the Best Before Date has passed, it does not mean that the product immediately becomes inedible.

[0035] Also, the "Expiry Date" here means the "date until which the product can be eaten safely", and if the Expiry Date has passed, it means that the product becomes inedible.

[0036] Furthermore, the "Shipping Deadline" here means the "date until which wholesalers or manufacturers can deliver products to retailers", and if the Shipping Deadline has passed, it means that, according to business practices, the products will be returned from retailers to wholesalers or manufacturers. Note that, according to business practices, the "Shipping Deadline" is often set as "1 / 3 of the Best Before Date of food" (for example, if the Best Before Date of a food product is 6 months from the manufacturing date, the Shipping Deadline is 2 months from the manufacturing date), but the "Shipping Deadline" here can also be "1 / 4 of the Best Before Date of food". Furthermore, it can also be "2 months before the Best Before Date of food" or "1 year before the Expiry Date of food".

Advantages of the Invention

[0037] In the product and information providing system of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the amount of waste of various products.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0038]

Figure 1

Figure 2(a)

Figure 2(b)

Figure 2(c)

Figure 3

Figure 4

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0039] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") will be described. Here, in this embodiment, based on the time point of April 21, 2022, in other words, when the expiration date is before April 20, 2022, the expiration date has passed, and when the expiration date is after April 21, 2022, the expiration date has not arrived, the explanation will be given. The explanation will be carried out in the following order. 1. First Embodiment 2. Second Embodiment 3. Modification Example

[0040] <1. First Embodiment> [Explanation of Configuration] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a food product which is an example of a product to which the present invention is applied. The food product A shown here is composed of food 1. Specifically, the food product A packs food 1B with vinyl 2, and a seal 3 is attached to the vinyl 2.

[0041] Here, food 1B is food that is not traded (sold) as a single unit and is food provided (sold) together with food 1A. That is, a consumer who wishes to obtain (purchase) food 1B needs to also obtain (purchase) food 1A.

[0042] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, on the seal 3, identification information 4 (for example, a two-dimensional barcode, etc.) that can access the information of food 1A is displayed. A URL is recorded in the identification information 4 (two-dimensional barcode, etc.) here. By reading the identification information 4 with a consumer terminal such as a smartphone, it is possible to access the website on which "information of food 1A" is described through the Internet.

[0043] Specifically, when the consumer terminal reads the identification information 4 displayed on the seal 3, a website on which information about the food 1A is described, as shown in FIG. 2, is displayed on the consumer terminal.

[0044] Note that the "information about the food 1A" described on the website strictly means information on candidates for foods that can be purchased as "food 1A" together with "food 1B" by the consumer's selection. That is, it means foods that can become "food 1A" (foods that are candidates for food 1A) when selected by the consumer.

[0045] Here, when the expiration date of the food 1B is on or after April 21, 2022 (that is, when the expiration date of the food 1B has not arrived), on the website accessed via the identification information 4, as "information about the food 1A", "information about the food aaa" and "information about the food bbb" are described (see FIG. 2(a)).

[0046] Note that as "information about the food aaa", information on the expiration date of the food aaa (specifically, a display of "Expiration date: May 20, 2022"), information on the shelf life of the food aaa (specifically, a display of "Shelf life: August 20, 2022"), and the price of the food aaa (specifically, a display of "Price: 1,500 yen") are described.

[0047] Also, as "information about the food bbb", information on the expiration date of the food bbb (specifically, a display of "Expiration date: May 19, 2022"), information on the shelf life of the food bbb (specifically, a display of "Shelf life: August 19, 2022"), and the price of the food bbb (specifically, a display of "Price: 800 yen") are described.

[0048] Also, when the expiration date of the food 1B is before April 20, 2022 (that is, when the expiration date of the food 1B has passed), on the website accessed via the identification information 4, as "information about the food 1A", "information about the food eee" and "information about the food fff" are described (see FIG. 2(b)).

[0049] In addition, as the "information of Food eee", information on the expiration date of Food eee (specifically, the display "Expiration Date: August 20, 2022"), information on the best-before date of Food eee (specifically, the display "Best - before Date: November 20, 2022"), and the price of Food eee (specifically, the display "Price: 1,000 yen") are described.

[0050] Also, as the "information of Food fff", information on the expiration date of Food fff (specifically, the display "Expiration Date: September 19, 2022"), information on the best - before date of Food fff (specifically, the display "Best - before Date: December 19, 2022"), and the price of Food fff (specifically, the display "Price: 1,200 yen") are described.

[0051] [Effect] In an example of a food product to which the above - described present invention is applied, since both Food 1B and Food 1A are provided, in other words, since Food 1B is provided (sold) only together with Food 1A, when providing Food 1B, not only Food 1B but also inevitably Food 1A will be provided. In this way, it is possible to provide Food 1A to consumers together with Food 1B, and by suppressing the disposal of Food 1A, it is possible to achieve a reduction in food loss.

[0052] Also, in an example of a food product to which the present invention is applied, the "information of Food 1A" is different depending on whether the expiration date of Food 1B has passed. When "Food eee" or "Food fff" is a popular product, even if the expiration date of Food 1B has passed, it is possible to expect acquisition (purchase) by consumers who want to obtain (purchase) "Food eee" or "Food fff".

[0053] <2. Second Embodiment> FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration example of a food information providing system, which is an example of an information providing system to which the present invention is applied. It should be noted that it is a system for providing (selling) the food product A shown in FIG. 1.

[0054] The food information providing system 11 shown in FIG. 3 is configured to be able to exchange various information with a consumer terminal 13 used by a person who wishes to purchase a food product (consumer) via the Internet 12.

[0055] Further, the food information providing system 11 includes a food information recording means 14, an inventory information confirmation means 15, a candidate food selection means 16, and an information output means 17.

[0056] Here, the food information recording means 14 is an example of a "product information recording means", and is configured to be able to record "information on food 1B", "information on food aaa", "information on food bbb", "information on food ccc", "information on food ddd", "information on food eee", and "information on food fff". Note that from past sales records and the like, it is known that "food ddd", "food eee", and "food fff" are popular products among consumers.

[0057] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, for food 1B as "management number 1", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "1B" as the name, "April 25, 2022" as the expiration date, "July 25, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "1000 yen" as the list price, and "30" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales and purchases of food 1B.

[0058] Also, for food aaa as "management number 2", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "aaa" as the name, "May 20, 2022" as the expiration date, "August 20, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "1500 yen" as the list price, and "100" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales and purchases of food aaa.

[0059] Furthermore, for food bbb as "management number 3", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "bbb" as the name, "May 19, 2022" as the expiration date, "August 19, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "800 yen" as the list price, and "20" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales or purchases of Food bbb.

[0060] Also, for Food ccc under "Management Number 4", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "ccc" as the name, "June 10, 2022" as the expiration date, "September 10, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "700 yen" as the list price, and "0" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales or purchases of Food ccc.

[0061] Also, for Food ddd under "Management Number 5", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "ddd" as the name, "July 10, 2022" as the expiration date, "October 10, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "500 yen" as the list price, and "0" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales or purchases of Food ddd.

[0062] Also, for Food eee under "Management Number 6", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "eee" as the name, "August 20, 2022" as the expiration date, "November 20, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "1000 yen" as the list price, and "20" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales or purchases of Food eee.

[0063] Also, for Food fff under "Management Number 7", its expiration date, consumption deadline, list price, and inventory quantity are recorded. Specifically, information such as "fff" as the name, "September 19, 2022" as the expiration date, "December 19, 2022" as the consumption deadline, "1,200 yen" as the list price, and "50" as the inventory quantity is recorded. Note that the inventory quantity increases or decreases depending on the sales and purchases of food fff.

[0064] In addition, the inventory information confirmation means 15 is configured to be able to confirm the inventory quantity recorded in the food information recording means 14 when a consumer requests information on food 1A (specifically, when the identification information 4 shown in FIG. 1 is read). Specifically, when the identification information 4 is read by the consumer terminal 13 and information indicating a desire to output information on food 1A is received from the consumer terminal 13, the inventory quantity information of foods aaa to fff is accessed to confirm the inventory quantity.

[0065] In addition to "the inventory quantity information of foods aaa to fff", the inventory information confirmation means 15 also confirms "the expiration date information of foods aaa to fff". And if the expiration date has passed, it is determined that there is no stock of that food.

[0066] In this embodiment, it is found through the confirmation by the inventory information confirmation means 15 that there is stock of "food aaa", "food bbb", "food eee", and "food fff". Also, through the confirmation by the inventory information confirmation means 15, it is found that the expiration date has not passed for any of the foods from food aaa to food fff.

[0067] In addition, when the expiration date of food 1B has not arrived, the candidate food selection means 16 selects "food aaa", "food bbb", and "food ccc" as foods that can become food 1A (candidate foods). On the other hand, when the expiration date of food 1B has passed, "food ddd", "food eee", and "food fff" are selected as foods that can become food 1A (candidate foods).

[0068] In this embodiment, since the expiration date of Food 1B has not arrived, the candidate food selection means 16 selects, as candidate foods, the foods in stock (Food aaa and Food bbb) among "Food aaa", "Food bbb", and "Food ccc".

[0069] Note that since the expiration date of Food 1B will pass on April 26, 2022, five days later, the candidate food selection means 16 selects, as candidate foods, the foods in stock (if the stock situation shown in Fig. 4 also applies five days later, "Food eee" and "Food fff") among "Food ddd", "Food eee", and "Food fff".

[0070] Also, the information output means 17 is configured to be able to output information to the consumer terminal 13 based on the selection result of the candidate food selection means 16. Specifically, the information output means 17 in this embodiment outputs information as shown in Fig. 2(a).

[0071] [Effect] In the food information providing system 11 to which the above-described present invention is applied, when a consumer requests information on Food 1A, by outputting information on candidate foods, promotion of the sale of Food 1A is realized, and reduction of food loss can be realized by suppressing the disposal of Food 1A.

[0072] Also, in the food information providing system 11 to which the present invention is applied, when Food 1B has passed its expiration date, by selecting popular products "Food eee" and "Food fff" as candidate foods, promotion of the sale of Food 1B is realized, and reduction of food loss can be realized by suppressing the disposal of Food 1B, which is food past its expiration date.

[0073] <3. Modification Example> [Modification Example 1] In the above-described first embodiment, when the food 1B has passed its expiration date, the case where "information on food eee" and "information on food fff" are described instead of "information on food aaa" and "information on food bbb" is taken as an example for explanation. However, it is sufficient if consumers can be made to think that they want to obtain (purchase) food 1A. As shown in Fig. 2(c), in addition to "information on food aaa" and "information on food bbb", "information on food eee" and "information on food fff" may also be described.

[0074] [Modification Example 2] In the above-described second embodiment, when the food 1B has passed its expiration date, the case where "food eee" and "food fff" are selected instead of "food aaa" and "food bbb" is taken as an example for explanation. However, it is sufficient if consumers can be made to think that they want to obtain (purchase) food 1A. In addition to "food aaa" and "food bbb", "food eee" and "food fff" may also be selected.

[0075] [Modification Example 3] In the above-described first and second embodiments, attention is paid to the "expiration date", and the case where popular foods ("food eee", "food fff") are used as candidate foods when "the food 1B has passed its expiration date" (that is, the remaining number of days until the expiration date arrives is 0 days) is taken as an example for explanation. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be based on "almost expired" (for example, 10 days remaining until expiration), or attention may be paid to the "shipment date", and it may be based on the "shipment date" or "almost expired shipment date" (for example, 7 days remaining until the shipment date expires), or attention may be paid to the "consumption date", and it may be based on "almost expired consumption date" (for example, 14 days remaining until the consumption date).

[0076] [Modification Example 4] In the above-described first and second embodiments, the case where the handled goods are "food" is taken as an example for explanation. However, the handled goods do not necessarily have to be "food", and they may be "other than food".

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0077] 1 Food 2 Vinyl 3 Seal 4 Identification Information (Two-Dimensional Barcode) 11 Food Information Provision System 12 Internet 13 Consumer Terminal 14 Food Information Recording Means 15 Stock Information Confirmation Means 16 Candidate Food Selection Means 17 Information Output Means

Claims

An information providing system for providing information on candidate products that can be a first product to be provided together with a second product, comprising: information on a predetermined deadline, which is any one of the expiration date, the shipping deadline, or the remaining days until the consumption deadline of the second product reaches a predetermined number of days; information on a first candidate product that is one or more products; information on a second candidate product that is one or more products, different from the first candidate product, and more popular than the first candidate product; product information recording means for recording information including the above; Candidate product selection means for checking the information on the predetermined deadline recorded in the product information recording means on the condition that a request for output of the information on the candidate product is received from the consumer's terminal, and selecting the first candidate product as the candidate product if the number of days until the predetermined deadline arrives for the second product is not less than the predetermined number of days, and selecting the second candidate product as the candidate product if the number of days until the predetermined deadline arrives for the second product is less than the predetermined number of days; Output means for outputting the information on the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means to the consumer's terminal, comprising: The candidate product selection means: identifies the second product based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal by reading the identification information displayed on the second product at the consumer's terminal, and selects the candidate product that can be the first product to be provided together with the identified second product; Information providing system. An information providing system for providing information on candidate products that can be a first product to be provided together with a second product, comprising: information on a predetermined deadline, which is any one of the expiration date, the shipping deadline, or the remaining days until the consumption deadline of the second product reaches a predetermined number of days; information on a first candidate product that is one or more products; information on a second candidate product that is one or more products, different from the first candidate product, and more popular than the first candidate product; product information recording means for recording information including the above; Candidate product selection means for checking the information of the predetermined period recorded in the product information recording means on the condition that it has received a request to output information on the candidate product from the consumer's terminal, and selecting the first candidate product as the candidate product if the number of days until the arrival of the predetermined period for the second product is not less than a predetermined number of days, and selecting the first candidate product and the second candidate product as the candidate products if the number of days until the arrival of the predetermined period for the second product is less than the predetermined number of days. Output means for outputting the information on the candidate product selected by the candidate product selection means to the consumer's terminal. The candidate product selection means Identifies the second product based on the information transmitted from the consumer's terminal by reading the identification information displayed on the second product with the consumer's terminal, and selects the candidate product that can be the first product provided together with the identified second product. Information providing system.

3. The product information recording means Records information on the stock quantity of the first candidate product and information on the stock quantity of the second candidate product. The candidate product selection means Selects the first candidate product with stock and the second candidate product with stock. The information providing system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The product information recording means Records information on the expiration date of the first candidate product and information on the expiration date of the second candidate product. Determines that the first candidate product whose expiration date has passed is out of stock. Determines that the second candidate product whose expiration date has passed is out of stock. The information providing system according to claim 3.

5. The first product and the second product are foods. The information providing system according to claim 1 or claim 2.

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