System Linkage Method and Apparatus

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a mechanism that allows a user to shop easily by linking the data on a shopping list that the user constructs by means of a user system with a shop system or an EC site corresponding to a shop. Provided is a linking method between the user system corresponding to the user and the shop system or an EC site-side system corresponding to the shop, wherein a user owned shopping list is collated with a product to be purchased by the user from the shop or the EC site, and the collated product is paid for.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system cooperation method and apparatus, and particularly to a system cooperation method and apparatus between a user system and a store system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a system that determines a menu to be proposed to a user based on inventory information regarding the inventory of foodstuffs and special sale information regarding special sale foodstuffs that can be purchased at low prices.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a mechanism that enables a user to easily shop by linking data of a shopping list constructed by the user in a user system with a store system corresponding to a store or an e-commerce site (EC site).

[0005] The cooperation method in the present disclosure is a cooperation method between a user system corresponding to a user and a store system corresponding to a store or an e-commerce site side system, and collates products that the user purchases at a store or an e-commerce site with respect to a shopping list owned by the user, and settles the collated products.

[0006] The cooperation method in the present disclosure collates products that the user purchases at a store or an EC site with respect to a shopping list owned by the user, and enables the user to purchase products corresponding to the shopping list that the user had in advance.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0008] (Findings etc. that are the basis of the present disclosure) When the inventors arrived at the idea of the present disclosure, a system for creating a menu proposed to the user based on inventory information regarding food ingredients in stock and special sale information regarding special sale food ingredients that can be purchased at low cost was known. In this way, by utilizing the user's information in the store's system or by utilizing the store's information in the user's system (for example, a menu creation system), the convenience of the user can be improved. However, there is room for improvement in how to utilize the store's information in the user's system or how to utilize the user's information in the store's system, and the inventors have arrived at the subject matter of the present disclosure. The present disclosure provides a new method of cooperation for a user system corresponding to a user and a store system corresponding to a store.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, a more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, a detailed description of well-known matters or a redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. Note that the attached drawings and the following description are provided for those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims thereby.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) [System Configuration] The overall configuration of the system according to Embodiment 1 for implementing the cooperation method of the present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the system according to Embodiment 1. The system of the present embodiment is composed of a user terminal 100, a user system 110, a store terminal 128, and a store system 120, and each can communicate via a network 140.

[0011] The user terminal 100 is a terminal owned by the user, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. A user application 101 is installed on the user terminal 100. By cooperating with the user system 110, the user application 101 provides services such as a menu creation function, an inventory list function, and a shopping list function to the user, which will be described later.

[0012] Next, the functional blocks of the user system 110 will be described. The user system 110 is a system constructed by a company that manufactures and sells home appliances (such as a microwave oven, a refrigerator, a rice cooker, and an IH (induction heating) cooking heater). The user system 110 provides the user application 101 to the user, and the user can use services such as a menu creation function, an inventory list function, and a shopping list function by installing this user application 101 on his / her own user terminal 100. Note that the user system 110 here does not necessarily need to have a configuration for controlling home appliances.

[0013] The user system 110 includes, as functional blocks, a menu creation unit 111, an equipment control unit 112, an inventory list management unit 113, a shopping list management unit 114, a name management unit 115, a user information management unit 116, and a communication control unit 117.

[0014] The menu creation unit 111 stores recipe information and creates a menu for a predetermined period (e.g., one week) according to the user's instructions. The user can view recipe information via the user application 101 of the user terminal 100 or utilize the menu creation function provided by the menu creation unit 111.

[0015] The equipment control unit 112 controls the home appliances owned by the user via the network 140. Specifically, it sends instructions input by the user (e.g., changes in set values) via the user application 101 to the home appliances, or sends information necessary for cooking (e.g., wattage and heating time) to the microwave oven.

[0016] The inventory list management unit 113 stores the inventory list registered by the user via the user application 101. The inventory list is a list for managing the remaining quantity and expiration date of food ingredients and daily necessities owned by the user. The user can register new inventory information in the inventory list in the following three ways via the user application 101, and can also check and edit the information in the inventory list. (Method 1) The user selects a desired product from the pre-prepared food ingredients and daily necessities. The product selected by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 2) The user manually enters the name of the product. The product entered by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 3) Barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) are added to food ingredients and daily necessities. By the user reading these codes using the camera function of the user terminal 100, the user application 101 acquires information on the products corresponding to the codes read, and this information is registered in the inventory list. Additionally, an image recognition function may be installed to recognize images of the food ingredients and daily necessities themselves photographed by the camera function to acquire product information. Here, the products may be those unrelated to the products to be purchased at the store described later.

[0017] The shopping list management unit 114 stores the shopping list registered by the user via the user application 101. The shopping list is a list for managing food ingredients and daily necessities that the user intends to purchase at the store. The user goes shopping at the store while viewing the shopping list via the user application 101. The user can register new product information in the shopping list in the following three ways via the user application 101, and can also check and edit the information in the shopping list. (Method 1) The user selects the dishes to be registered in the shopping list from the recipes created by the recipe creation unit 111. The food ingredients required for the dishes selected by the user are registered in the shopping list. By registering the food ingredients required for the dishes in the shopping list, the user can prevent forgetting to buy the food ingredients required for the dishes. (Method 2) The user selects the products to be registered in the shopping list from the inventory list managed by the inventory list management unit 113. The products selected by the user are registered in the shopping list. By registering the products with low remaining quantities among the products registered in the inventory list in the shopping list, the user can prevent running out of stock. (Method 3) The user manually enters the name of the product. The product entered by the user is registered in the shopping list.

[0018] In addition, when the product to be registered in the shopping list is a common processed food and is registered as common product information such as a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code (a common product identification number representing "which product of which operator") in the world, the code information is included and registered in the shopping list.

[0019] The name management unit 115 manages the correspondence relationship between the names of products managed by the user system 110 and the names of products managed by the store system 120. For example, even if the user system 110 manages simply by the name "tomato", the store system 120 may manage by distinguishing many types of tomatoes. The name management unit 115 manages by associating the name "tomato" managed by the user system 110 with the names of multiple types of tomatoes managed by the store system 120.

[0020] The user information management unit 116 stores the personal information of users who have registered accounts in the user system 110. Personal information is, for example, name, gender, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, login ID and password for logging in to the user system 110.

[0021] The communication control unit 117 controls the communication between the user system 110 and the outside.

[0022] The functional blocks of the user system 110 described above are realized by a processor of a server or a computer reading and executing a control program stored in a memory provided in the server or the computer. Note that the realization method of the functional blocks of the user system 110 is not limited to this, and each functional block may be realized by a single server or computer, and the user system 110 may be realized by multiple servers or computers cooperating with each other.

[0023] Next, the functional blocks of the store terminal 128 and the store system 120 will be described. The store terminal 128 is a terminal owned by the store side, such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user can shop in the store while looking at the store terminal 128, for example, by attaching it to a shopping basket owned by the store side. A store application 127 is installed on the store terminal 128. By cooperating with the store system 120, the store application 127 provides services such as a product management function, a sales management function, and a shopping list function to the user, which will be described later.

[0024] The store system 120 is a system constructed by a company (such as a supermarket) that sells foodstuffs and daily necessities. In addition to shopping at actual stores, this company provides users with an online shopping service by the store system 120, namely, a so-called EC (electronic commerce) site. The shopping service using the EC site will be described in detail in Embodiment 2.

[0025] The store system 120 includes, as functional blocks, a product management unit 121, a sales management unit 122, a shopping list management unit 126, a settlement processing unit 123, a user information management unit 124, and a communication control unit 125.

[0026] The product management unit 121 stores product information of products such as foodstuffs and daily necessities handled by the store system 120. The product information is, for example, a product ID, a product name, an expiration date, and a price.

[0027] The sales management unit 122 stores information related to sales at actual stores and the EC site. When a user purchases on the EC site, it is possible to manage which user purchased what. Also, in the case of a purchase at an actual store, by associating with a member ID (an identification code of a user who has registered an account as a member on the EC site provided by the store system 120) at the time of settlement, it is possible to manage which user purchased what.

[0028] The settlement processing unit 123 has a function of processing settlements for automatic cash registers that settle register data based on the shopping list management unit 126 at an actual store and for settlements on an EC site.

[0029] The shopping list management unit 126 browses the data of the shopping list management unit 114 in the user system 110 or is linked with the shopping list management unit 114 at the store. At the store application 127, the user can check the shopping list management unit 126 in the store system 120 that is data-linked or browsed with the shopping list management unit 114 in the user system 110 through the store terminal 128 via the network 140.

[0030] As a method of linking the shopping list management unit 114 with the store system 120, the shopping list management unit 114 is linked to the store terminal 128 by reading a QR code (registered trademark) attached to or displayed on the display screen of the store terminal 128 (a terminal assumed to be used by an unspecified large number of people using the store).

[0031] Alternatively, the login ID of the user system 110 is input into the store terminal 128. Alternatively, it is also possible to link the member ID of the store system 120 described later and the login ID of the user system 110 through single sign-on.

[0032] The shopping list management unit 126 collates the shopping list registered in advance with the user via the store application 127 and the products actually purchased at the store.

[0033] Note that if the shopping list in the shopping list management unit 126 is a list grouped by product groups for shopping (for example, meat, processed foods, vegetables, etc.), it is easier for the user to collate the shopping list with the products actually purchased.

[0034] The user can match the shopping list registered in advance with the user and the products actually purchased in the store through the store application 127 in the following three ways, and can also confirm whether the products the user intended to purchase in the shopping list have been purchased without error. (Method 1) The user selects a desired product from the pre-prepared food ingredients and daily necessities. The product selected by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 2) The user manually enters the name of the product. The product entered by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 3) Barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) are added to food ingredients and daily necessities. By the user using the camera function of the store terminal 128 to read these codes, the store application 127 obtains the information of the product corresponding to the code read, and this information is matched with the shopping list registered in advance with the user. In addition, an image recognition function may be installed to recognize the images of the food ingredients and daily necessities themselves taken by the camera function to obtain product information.

[0035] In particular, by the above (Method 3), it is possible to confirm whether the products the user intended to purchase in the shopping list have been purchased without error.

[0036] When the user is making a purchase, if the store terminal 128 is set in the shopping basket that can be freely used in the store and the change is monitored by the camera function of the store terminal 128, if the product is directly put into the shopping basket without reading the code by the store application 127, an alert for forgetting to read can be issued from the store terminal 128 to prevent purchase mistakes. It can also prevent shoplifting in the store.

[0037] Also, when returning a product to the product shelf, if the product is put into the shopping basket and returned to the product shelf without removing the check that has already been verified against the shopping list on the screen of the store terminal 128, an alert is issued from the store terminal 128 to prevent forgetting to buy and to check the products that are no longer needed on the spot and then return the products to the product shelf.

[0038] Also, when a weight sensor or the like is attached to the shopping basket, it may be interlocked with these weight changes. Further, before the settlement process in the settlement processing unit 123, if the total weight of the shopping basket does not match the total weight estimated from the product data (weight) of the products placed in the shopping basket, the user is prompted to confirm the consistency between the items checked in the shopping basket and the actual products in the shopping basket, so that overpayment or unpaid products can be managed so as not to occur.

[0039] Note that the weight of an individual product is referred to from a product database linked to a JAN code, a two-dimensional barcode, or the like.

[0040] The user information management unit 124 stores the personal information of users who have registered accounts in the store system 120. Personal information includes, for example, name, gender, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, and the member ID and password for logging in to the EC site provided by the store system 120.

[0041] The communication control unit 125 controls the communication between the store system 120 and the outside.

[0042] The functional blocks of the store system 120 described above are realized by a processor of a server or a computer reading and executing a control program stored in a memory provided in the server or the computer. Note that the method for realizing the functional blocks of the store system 120 is not limited to this, and each functional block may be realized by a single server or computer, and the store system 120 may be realized by a plurality of servers or computers cooperating with each other.

[0043] Note that the settlement processing unit 123 may recognize data of products scheduled for purchase in the shopping list management unit 126 that is encoded with a barcode or a two-dimensional code.

[0044] In addition, since the database of products purchased in the shopping list management unit 126 and settled in the settlement processing unit 123 is linked to the sales management unit 122, the purchased product information (information such as the purchase date, price, and manufacturing date) may be reflected in the inventory list management unit 113. Also, information such as favorable purchase information of products from the store side may be sent from the store system 120 to the user application 101. This will be described in detail in Embodiment 2. The content of Embodiment 2 may be adopted in the same manner as in Embodiment 1.

[0045] In addition, the image recognition may have a function of reading changes in the products in the shopping basket and prompting a scan by sound or the like when the products in the shopping basket increase without barcode scanning.

[0046] In addition, when the products in the shopping basket decrease, it may be determined that the products are substantially returned to the product shelf, and an operation of removing the check that has been verified with the shopping list may be prompted by sound or display.

[0047] In addition, there may be a function in the store system 120 to create a store-exclusive menu or search for cooking recipes, and products necessary for the user to shop may be added in the shopping list management unit 126.

[0048] (Embodiment 2) [System Configuration] The overall configuration when using the EC site side system will be described with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the system of Embodiment 2 for implementing the cooperation method of the present disclosure. The system of the present embodiment is composed of a user terminal 100, a user system 110, and a store system 120, and each can communicate via a network 140. Since the user terminal 100 directly accesses the EC site side system, unlike Embodiment 1, the store terminal 128 does not exist here.

[0049] The configurations of the user terminal 100, the user application 101, and the user system 110 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0050] Next, the functional blocks of the EC site side system 130 will be described. The user terminal 100 can access the EC site side system after receiving some kind of authentication. The user application 101 provides services such as a product management function, a sales management function, and a shopping list function to the user by collaborating with the EC site side system 130.

[0051] The EC site side system 130 is a system constructed by a company (such as a supermarket) that sells foodstuffs and daily necessities. In addition to shopping at actual stores, this company provides users with an online shopping service through the store system 120, that is, a so-called EC (electronic commerce) site. Of course, an actual store does not have to exist here.

[0052] The EC site side system 130 includes, as functional blocks, a product management department 131, a sales management department 132, a shopping list management department 136, a settlement processing department 133, a user information management department 134, and a communication control department 135.

[0053] The product management department 131 stores product information of products such as foodstuffs and daily necessities handled by the EC site side system 130. The product information is, for example, a product ID, a product name, an expiration date, and a price.

[0054] The shopping list management department 136 compares the data of the shopping list management department 114 in the user system 110 with the product information of the product management department 131, and those with matching product information codes are listed as shopping targets in the shopping list management department 136.

[0055] The sales management department 132 stores information related to sales at actual stores and on the EC site.

[0056] When a user makes a purchase on an EC site, it is possible to manage which user purchased what. Also, in the case of a purchase at an actual store, by associating with the member ID at the time of payment, it is possible to manage which user purchased what.

[0057] The payment processing unit 133 processes the payment on the EC site for the products whose purchase has been confirmed by the shopping list management unit 136.

[0058] The user information management unit 134 stores the personal information of the users who have registered an account in the EC site side system 130. Personal information includes, for example, name, gender, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, member ID and password for logging in to the EC site provided by the EC site side system 130.

[0059] The communication control unit 135 controls the communication between the EC site side system 130 and the outside.

[0060] The functional blocks of the EC site side system 130 described above are realized by a server or a computer's processor reading and executing a control program stored in the memory provided by the server or the computer. Note that the realization method of the functional blocks of the EC site side system 130 is not limited to this, and each functional block may be realized by a single server or computer, and the EC site side system 130 may be realized by a plurality of servers or computers cooperating with each other.

[0061] Also, the user can compare the shopping list in the shopping list management unit 136 on the EC site with the database of the product management unit 131. For products whose product codes are registered in the shopping list in advance, the user posts them to the shopping list management unit 136 together with information such as the amount. For products whose product codes are not registered in the shopping list in advance, by comparing with the search keywords of the database of the product management unit 131 on the EC site, the user can select at least something close to the corresponding product.

[0062] In addition, for the products purchased by the shopping list management unit 136, after the settlement by the settlement processing unit 133, the purchased product data is transmitted through the network 140 to the inventory list management unit 113 in the user system 110, enabling data sharing between the EC site system 130 and the user system 110. This makes it easier to manage the inventory of the purchased products and also facilitates the re-purchase of products with codes.

[0063] [Purchase of products on the EC site] In this embodiment, by providing the shopping list managed by the user system 110 to the EC site system 130, the convenience when the user purchases products on the EC site of the EC site system 130 is improved. Regarding this, the processes executed by each of the user application 101 of the user terminal 100, the user system 110, and the EC site system 130 will be described.

[0064] First, with reference to FIG. 3, the process executed by the user application 101 will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the user application 101 of the second embodiment. In step 201, the user application 101 displays the shopping list. The shopping list is displayed based on the information stored in the shopping list management unit 114 of the user system 110.

[0065] Next, in step 202, the user application 101 determines whether to purchase on the EC site. On the screen displayed in step 201, a button labeled "Purchase on the EC site" is shown. When the user touches this button, the user application 101 determines that the purchase will be made on the EC site, and the process proceeds to step 203.

[0066] When the user touches the button "Purchase on the EC site" on the screen displayed in step 201, the user application 101 requests the EC site login screen from the EC site system 130. Then in step 203, the user application 101 displays the login screen for logging in to the EC site provided by the EC site system 130. This login screen is the screen provided from the EC site system 130 to the user application 101.

[0067] Next, in step 204, the user application 101 determines whether the login to the EC site is successful. On the login screen displayed in step 203, the user needs to enter the member ID and password for logging in to the EC site. When the user enters the member ID and password and the login to the EC site is successful, the process proceeds to step 205.

[0068] When the login to the EC site is successful, the user application 101 instructs the user system 110 to send the shopping list information to the EC site system 130. When the shopping list information is sent from the user system 110 to the EC site system 130, the price required for purchase is calculated in the EC site system 130, and the calculated price is sent from the EC site system 130 to the user application 101. In step 205, the user application 101 displays the price calculated by the EC site system 130.

[0069] Next, in step 206, the user application 101 determines whether to make a payment. On the screen displayed in step 205, there is a button "Make a payment". When the user touches this button, the user application 101 determines to make a payment, and the process proceeds to step 207.

[0070] Next, in step 207, the user application 101 displays a payment screen. The payment screen displayed in step 207 is, for example, a screen for inputting information on a credit card to be used for payment, and is a screen provided by the EC site system 130. When the user inputs the necessary information on the payment screen, the payment is completed, and the goods purchased on the EC site are delivered to the user's home from the EC site system 130 at a later date.

[0071] Next, the processing executed by the user system 110 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the user system 110 according to Embodiment 2. In step 301, the shopping list management unit 114 determines whether to transmit the information on the shopping list to the EC site system 130. When the user application 101 successfully logs in to the EC site, the user application 101 instructs the user system 110 to transmit the information on the shopping list to the EC site system 130. When the user system 110 receives this instruction, the shopping list management unit 114 determines to transmit the information on the shopping list to the EC site system 130, and the processing proceeds to step 302.

[0072] Next, in step 302, the shopping list management unit 114 transmits the information on the shopping list to the EC site system 130. The processing in step 302 will be described in detail. The name management unit 115 converts the information managed in the shopping list into information that can be interpreted by the EC site system 130. For example, assume that for the product name "apple" in the user system 110, the corresponding relationship "apple A, apple B, apple C" is managed in the EC site system 130, and "3 apples" is managed in the shopping list. At this time, the name management unit 115 converts the information "3 apples" in the shopping list into the information "a total of 3 from apple A, apple B, and apple C". The shopping list management unit 114 transmits the converted information "a total of 3 from apple A, apple B, and apple C" to the EC site system 130 as the information on the shopping list.

[0073] Next, the processing executed by the EC site system 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the EC site system 130 according to Embodiment 2. In step 401, the user information management unit 124 determines whether it has received a request for the login screen of the EC site from the user application 101. When the user information management unit 124 receives a request for the login screen of the EC site from the user application 101, the process proceeds to step 402. Then, in step 402, the user information management unit 124 provides the login screen of the EC site to the user application 101.

[0074] Next, in step 403, the user information management unit 124 determines whether to permit login to the EC site. If the member ID and password entered by the user on the login screen are a legitimate combination, the user information management unit 124 determines in step 403 to permit login to the EC site, and the process proceeds to step 404. By the user information management unit 124 permitting login to the EC site, login to the EC site is successful in the user application 101.

[0075] Next, in step 404, the payment processing unit 123 determines whether it has received the information of the shopping list from the user system 110. When the payment processing unit 123 receives the information of the shopping list from the user system 110, the process proceeds to step 405.

[0076] Next, in step 405, the payment processing unit 123 calculates the price required for the purchase based on the information of the shopping list, and presents the calculated price to the user application 101. For example, when the information of the shopping list is "a total of 3 from among apple A, apple B, and apple C", how to calculate the price for any combination can be determined as appropriate. It is also possible to select the combination that results in the lowest price, or to select the combination taking into account the expiration date.

[0077] As described above, according to this embodiment, by transmitting the information of the shopping list managed by the user system 110 to the EC site system 130, the products registered in the shopping list can be purchased on the EC site. Since the user does not need to select products on the EC site while viewing the shopping list, convenience is improved.

[0078] Also, even if the name of the product managed by the user system 110 is different from the name of the product managed by the EC site system 130, the name management unit 115 can identify the correspondence relationship of the products. Thereby, the cooperation between the user system 110 and the EC site system 130 can be made smoother.

[0079] [Registration of Purchase Data in the Inventory List Management Unit 113] Next, the process of registering the purchase data indicating the products purchased on the EC site of the store system 120 in the inventory list management unit 113 of the user system 110 will be described. Hereinafter, it will be described on the premise that the user purchases products such as food ingredients and daily necessities on the EC site, and the information of the purchased products (product name, quantity purchased, price, etc.) is linked to the user's member ID and stored in the sales management unit 122.

[0080] First, with reference to FIG. 6, the process executed by the user application 101 of the user terminal 100 will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the user application 101 of the second embodiment. In step 501, the user application 101 displays the inventory list. The inventory list is displayed based on the information stored in the inventory list management unit 113 of the user system 110.

[0081] Next, in step 502, the user application 101 determines whether to reflect the purchase data in the inventory list management unit 113. On the screen displayed in step 501, there is a button labeled "Reflect purchase data in the inventory list". When the user touches this button, the user application 101 determines that the purchase data should be reflected in the inventory list management unit 113, and the process proceeds to step 503.

[0082] When the user touches the button labeled "Reflect purchase data in the inventory list" on the screen displayed in step 501, the user application 101 requests an authentication screen from the store system 120. Then, in step 503, the user application 101 displays the authentication screen. This authentication screen is provided from the store system 120 to the user application 101, and the user inputs the member ID and password for logging in to the e-commerce site.

[0083] Next, in step 504, the user application 101 determines whether an access token has been issued from the e-commerce site side system 130. When the user inputs the member ID and password on the authentication screen and the authentication based on this information is completed in the e-commerce site side system 130, an access token is issued from the e-commerce site side system 130 to the user application 101. When the access token is issued from the e-commerce site side system 130 to the user application 101, the process proceeds to step 505.

[0084] Next, in step 505, the user application 101 requests the e-commerce site side system 130 to send the purchase data to the user system 110. This request is appended with the access token issued from the store system 120 and the login ID for the user to log in to the user system 110.

[0085] Next, the processing executed by the EC site system 130 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the store system 120 according to Embodiment 2. In step 601, the user information management unit 124 determines whether it has received a request for an authentication screen from the user application 101. If the request for the authentication screen is received from the user application 101, the process proceeds to step 602. Then, in step 602, the user information management unit 124 provides the authentication screen to the user application 101.

[0086] Next, in step 603, the user information management unit 124 determines whether to issue an access token to the user application 101. If the member ID and password entered by the user on the authentication screen are a legitimate combination, the user information management unit 124 determines that an access token will be issued to the user application 101, and the process proceeds to step 604. Then, in step 604, the user information management unit 124 issues an access token to the user application 101. The user information management unit 124 stores the access token issued in step 604 in association with the member ID. The access token is composed of an arbitrary character string.

[0087] Next, in step 605, the sales management unit 122 determines whether it has been requested to transmit purchase data to the user system 110. When the sales management unit 122 receives the request described in step 505 of FIG. 5 from the user application 101, the sales management unit 122 inquires of the user information management unit 124 whether the access token attached to the received request is a legitimate access token. If the access token attached to the request received by the sales management unit 122 is a legitimate access token, the sales management unit 122 determines that it has been requested to transmit purchase data to the user system 110, and the process proceeds to step 606.

[0088] Next, in step 606, the sales management department 122 transmits the purchase data to the user system 110. Since an access token is added to the request received in step 605 and the user information management department 124 stores the correspondence between the issued access token and the member ID, the sales management department 122 can identify which member ID's purchase data should be transmitted to the user system 110. The sales management department 122 transmits the purchase data of the identified member ID to the user system 110. Note that the login ID added to the request received in step 605 is added to the purchase data transmitted in step 606.

[0089] Next, with reference to FIG. 8, the processing executed by the user system 110 will be described. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing executed by the user system 110 according to Embodiment 2. In step 701, the inventory list management department 113 determines whether it has received purchase data from the store system 120. When the purchase data is received from the EC site side system 130, the process proceeds to step 702.

[0090] Next, in step 702, the inventory list management department 113 stores the received purchase data. Since a login ID is added to the purchase data received in step 701, the inventory list management department 113 can identify which user the received purchase data should be associated with and stored for. Note that since the product name of the purchase data received in step 701 is the name managed by the EC site side system 130, the name management department 115 converts it to the name managed by the user system 110, and then the inventory list management department 113 stores the purchase data.

[0091] As described above, according to the present embodiment, a request can be made from the user terminal 100 to the store system 120 to transmit the purchase data to the user system 110. Since the user system 110 stores the received purchase data in the inventory list management department 113, it is not necessary for the user to manually register the information of the products purchased on the EC site in the inventory list, improving the convenience for the user.

[0092] In addition, the purchase data transmission request sent by the user terminal 100 to the store system 120 has user identification information (login ID) in the user system 110 added thereto. Then, since the store system 120 adds this user identification information and transmits the purchase data to the user system 110, the user system 110 can easily identify which user the received purchase data should be associated with and stored for.

[0093] Also, even if the name of the product managed by the user system 110 is different from the name of the product managed by the EC site system 130, the name management unit 115 can identify the correspondence relationship of the products. Thereby, the cooperation between the user system 110 and the EC site system 130 can be carried out more smoothly.

[0094] (Embodiment 3) [System Configuration] Using FIG. 9, the overall configuration of a modification when using the store system 120 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the configuration of the system of Embodiment 3 for implementing the cooperation method of the present disclosure. The system of the present embodiment is composed of a user terminal 100, a user system 110, and a store system 120, and each can communicate via a network 140. Since the user terminal 100 will access the store system 120, here, unlike Embodiment 1, the store terminal 128 does not exist, and the store application 127 is incorporated into the user terminal 100.

[0095] The configurations of the user terminal 100, the user application 101, and the user system 110 are the same as those in Embodiment 1.

[0096] Next, the functional blocks of the store system 120 will be described. The user can proceed with shopping in the store while looking at the user terminal 100. The store application 127 is installed in the user terminal 100. By cooperating with the store system 120, the store application 127 provides services such as a product management function, a sales management function, and a shopping list function to the user.

[0097] The store system 120 is a system constructed by a company (such as a supermarket) that sells food ingredients and daily necessities. In addition to shopping at actual stores, this company provides users with an online shopping service via the store system 120, namely a so-called EC (electronic commerce) site. The shopping service using the EC site has already been described in Embodiment 2.

[0098] As functional blocks, the store system 120 includes a product management unit 121, a sales management unit 122, a shopping list management unit 126, a settlement processing unit 123, a user information management unit 124, and a communication control unit 125.

[0099] The product management unit 121 stores product information of products such as food ingredients and daily necessities handled by the store system 120. The product information is, for example, a product ID, a product name, an expiration date, and a price.

[0100] The sales management unit 122 stores information related to sales at actual stores and on the EC site. When a user makes a purchase on the EC site, it is possible to manage which user purchased what. Also, in the case of a purchase at an actual store, by associating with the member ID at the time of settlement, it is possible to manage which user purchased what.

[0101] The settlement processing unit 123 has a function of processing the settlement at a self-checkout that settles the register data based on the shopping list management unit 126 at an actual store or the settlement on the EC site.

[0102] The shopping list management unit 126 browses the data of the shopping list management unit 114 in the user system 110 or is linked with the shopping list management unit 114. It is possible to check the shopping list management unit 126 in the store system 120 where the user is performing data linkage or browsing through the user terminal 100 via the store application 127 and the network 140 with the shopping list management unit 114 in the user system 110.

[0103] The shopping list management unit 126 collates the shopping list pre-registered for the user via the store application 127 with the products actually purchased at the store. The user can collate the shopping list pre-registered for the user with the products actually purchased at the store in the following three ways via the store application 127, and can also confirm whether the products the user intended to purchase in the shopping list in advance have been purchased without mistake. (Method 1) The user selects a desired product from among the pre-prepared food ingredients and daily necessities. The product selected by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 2) The user manually enters the name of the product. The product entered by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 3) Barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) are attached to food ingredients and daily necessities. By the user reading these codes using the camera function of the user terminal 100, the store application 127 acquires information on the product corresponding to the code read, and this information is collated with the shopping list pre-registered for the user. Additionally, an image recognition function may be installed to recognize an image of the food ingredients and daily necessities themselves photographed by the camera function to acquire product information.

[0104] In particular, by the above (Method 3), it is possible to confirm whether the products the user intended to purchase in the shopping list in advance have been purchased without mistake.

[0105] The user information management unit 124 and the communication control unit 125 are the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0106] The functional blocks of the above-described store system 120 are realized by a processor of a server or a computer reading and executing a control program stored in a memory provided in the server or the computer. Note that the method of realizing the functional blocks of the store system 120 is not limited to this, and each functional block may be realized by a single server or computer, and the store system 120 may be realized by a plurality of servers or computers cooperating with each other.

[0107] In addition, for users who enter the store while also owning the user terminal 100, it is actually confirmed that the user terminal 100 is present inside the store, that is, the user is present inside the store, through reading a dedicated two-dimensional barcode attached to the store entrance or the like, the position information of the user terminal 100, or receiving beacon information from the store. As a result, highly secure cooperation between the database (such as POS (Point Of Sales) data) of the merchandise management department 121 of the store system 120 and the shopping list management department 114 is permitted.

[0108] It may also be possible, for example, that when the user enters the store, access to the store system 120 is permitted through the intranet inside the store.

[0109] When the user application 101 and the store application 127 perform data communication, and a code such as a barcode of a product in the store is read by a camera or the like of the user terminal 100, it is possible to easily check whether the products on the shopping list created in advance by the shopping list management department 114 are actually purchased by the shopping list management department 126.

[0110] When the code matches what is registered in the shopping list of the shopping list management department 114, a check is automatically entered in the shopping list of the shopping list management department 126, or by deleting it from the target of the shopping list of the shopping list management department 126, it is confirmed that the product has been placed in the shopping basket inside the store. After the product placed in the shopping basket is settled by the settlement processing department 123, the purchased product data is transmitted to the inventory list management department 113 of the user system 110 through the network 140, and data sharing is performed between the store system 120 and the user system 110. Thereby, it becomes possible to easily manage the purchased inventory, and it also becomes easier for the user to repurchase products with barcodes.

[0111] In addition, the amount of the checked products and the weight of the products are calculated based on the product data of the product management unit 121, and it is possible to confirm the agreement and disagreement of the purchase amount of the checked products and the agreement and disagreement with the weight sensors and the like provided in the shopping basket in the store.

[0112] In addition, when the user views seasonal ingredients and the like in the store and considers purchasing unplanned ingredients, the user can also add the necessary ingredients to the shopping list of the shopping list management unit 126 by reading the barcode or image recognition of the ingredients with the camera of the user terminal 100.

[0113] Note that the settlement processing unit 123 may recognize the data of the products planned for purchase in the shopping list management unit 126 that are encoded with barcodes or two-dimensional barcodes.

[0114] Alternatively, the settlement processing unit 123 may recognize the data of the products planned for purchase in the shopping list management unit 126 that are displayed on the display unit of the user terminal 100 and are encoded with barcodes or two-dimensional barcodes. By reading the barcode or the like, data is linked with the settlement processing unit 123 to perform the purchase settlement of the products.

[0115] In addition, since the database of the products purchased in the shopping list management unit 126 and settled in the settlement processing unit 123 is linked with the sales management unit 122, the purchased product information (information such as the purchase date, price, manufacturing date, expiration date, and purchase store) may be reflected in the inventory list management unit 113, or the information on the good deals of the products from the store side may be sent from the store system 120 to the user application 101. This is described in detail in Embodiment 2. The content of Embodiment 2 may be similarly adopted in Embodiment 3.

[0116] The reflection of the purchased product information (information such as the purchase date, price, manufacturing date, expiration date, and purchase store) in the inventory list management unit 113 may be made possible by the network 140 even when the user goes outside the store.

[0117] In addition, by using the purchased product information (information such as the purchase date, price, manufacturing date, expiration date, and purchase store) as an electronic receipt, it can be used as evidence when dealing with product quality problems, and return processing and the like can also be facilitated (it becomes possible to have a specification as a substitute for a receipt).

[0118] (Embodiment 4) [System Configuration] Using FIG. 10, the overall configuration of a further modification when using the store system 120 will be described. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of the system of Embodiment 4 for implementing the cooperation method of the present disclosure. The system of the present embodiment is composed of a user terminal 100, a user system 110, and a store system 120, and each can communicate via a network 140. Since access is made from the user terminal 100 to the store system 120, here, unlike Embodiment 1, the store terminal 128 does not exist, and the store application 127 is incorporated in the user terminal 100.

[0119] The configurations of the user terminal 100, the user application 101, and the user system 110 are the same as those in Embodiment 1.

[0120] The user can proceed with shopping in the store while looking at the user terminal 100. The store application 127 is installed on the user terminal 100. By cooperating with the store system 120, the store application 127 provides services such as a product management function, a sales management function, and a shopping list function to the user.

[0121] There are a plurality of store systems 120 (two in this example), showing an example in a supermarket where there are a number of chain stores. The store system 120 is a system constructed by a company (for example, a supermarket) that sells foodstuffs and daily necessities. In addition to shopping at actual stores, this company provides users with an online shopping service using the store system 120, a so-called EC (electronic commerce) site. The shopping service using the EC site has already been described in Embodiment 2.

[0122] Each store system 120 includes, as functional blocks, a product management unit 121, a sales management unit 122, a shopping list management unit 126, a settlement processing unit 123, a user information management unit 124, and a communication control unit 125.

[0123] The product management unit 121 stores product information of products such as food ingredients and daily necessities handled by the store system 120. The product information is, for example, a product ID, a product name, an expiration date, and a price.

[0124] The sales management unit 122 stores information related to sales in the actual store and on the EC site. When a user purchases on the EC site, it is possible to manage which user purchased what. Also, in the case of a purchase in the actual store, it is possible to manage which user purchased what by associating with the member ID at the time of settlement.

[0125] The settlement processing unit 123 processes the register data of the actual store and the settlement on the EC site.

[0126] The shopping list management unit 126 browses the data of the shopping list management unit 114 in the user system 110 or is linked with the shopping list management unit 114. It is possible to check the shopping list management unit 126 in the store system 120 where the user is performing data linkage or browsing through the user terminal 100 via the store application 127 and through the network 140 with the shopping list management unit 114 in the user system 110.

[0127] The shopping list management unit 126 collates the shopping list registered in advance for the user with the products actually purchased at the store via the store application 127. The user can collate the shopping list registered in advance for the user with the products actually purchased at the store in the following three ways via the store application 127, and can also confirm whether the products the user intended to purchase in the shopping list in advance have been purchased without error. (Method 1) The user selects a desired product from the pre-prepared food ingredients and daily necessities. The product selected by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 2) The user manually enters the name of the product. The product entered by the user is registered in the inventory list. (Method 3) Barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks) are attached to food ingredients and daily necessities. By using the camera function of the user terminal 100 to read these codes, the store application 127 obtains the information of the product corresponding to the read code, and this information is compared with the shopping list previously registered by the user. In addition, an image recognition function may be installed to recognize the image of the food ingredients and daily necessities themselves photographed by the camera function to obtain the product information.

[0128] In particular, by the above (Method 3), it is possible to confirm whether the product that the user intends to purchase in the shopping list in advance can be surely purchased.

[0129] The user information management unit 124 and the communication control unit 125 are the same as those in Embodiment 1.

[0130] The functional blocks of the above-described store system 120 are realized by a processor of a server or a computer reading and executing a control program stored in a memory provided in the server or the computer. Note that the method of realizing the functional blocks of the store system 120 is not limited to this, and each functional block may be realized by a single server or computer, and the store system 120 may be realized by a plurality of servers or computers cooperating with each other.

[0131] When the user enters the same series of stores or (or enters a supermarket, convenience store, etc.), by adopting a configuration that can be linked with the product data for each store and the POS data on the common store system 120, it is possible to provide a unified service to the user including the user's inventory information and the like.

[0132] For example, since products purchased at another affiliated store (already reflected in the inventory list management unit 113) can be handled with the same product code, it becomes easy to determine whether they are the same product on the shopping list of the shopping list management unit 126, and duplicate purchases and forgotten purchases can be prevented.

[0133] Also, if the product information purchased by a certain user is shared among stores, the user can also smoothly receive services at stores in the same series as the store where the purchase was made.

[0134] For example, a user who has purchased a product at a certain store can easily perform return processing to the store by presenting the purchase data in the inventory list management unit 113 at another affiliated store at the destination.

[0135] Also, even if the user enters a store of a different series, the inventory management by the inventory list management unit 113 becomes easy by the user system 110 side cooperating with the data of products associated with general-purpose JAN codes and the like used in distribution.

Industrial Applicability

[0136] The present disclosure can be applied to various user systems and store systems.

Explanation of Signs

[0137] 100 User terminal 101 User application 110 User system 111 Menu creation unit 112 Equipment control unit 113 Inventory list management unit 114, 126, 136 Shopping list management unit 115 Name management unit 116 User information management unit 117 Communication control unit 120 Store system 121, 131 Product management unit 122, 132 Sales management unit 123, 133 Settlement Processing Unit 124, 134 User Information Management Unit 125, 135 Communication Control Unit 127 Store Application 128 Store Terminal 130 EC Site-side System 140 Network

Claims

1. A method for linking a user system corresponding to a user with a store system corresponding to a store or an EC site system which is an e-commerce site, comprising: recognizing an image of food ingredients by an image recognition function of a camera to obtain information on the food ingredients, and creating an inventory list based on the information on the food ingredients; associating and managing, on the user system side, the name of a certain food ingredient managed on the user system side with the names of a plurality of food ingredients which are the same as the certain food ingredient purchased on the store system side or the EC site side but have different names; creating a first shopping list based on the inventory list owned by the user, and specifying and collating the correspondence between the first shopping list and the products purchased by the user on the store system or the EC site; settling the collated products, and configuring the system to enable the user to select whether to reflect the purchase data of the products purchased by the user in the inventory list.

2. The user system includes a first shopping list management unit, and registering in advance the shopping list owned by the user in the first shopping list management unit. The system linking method according to Claim 1.

3. The store system and the EC site system include a second shopping list management unit and a settlement processing unit, the collation is performed by the second shopping list management unit of the store system or the EC site system, and the settlement is performed by the settlement processing unit of the store system or the EC site system. The system linking method according to Claim 1.

4. The user system further includes a menu creation unit, a device control unit, an inventory list management unit, a name management unit, a first user information management unit, and a first communication control unit, and the store system and the EC site system further include a product management unit, a sales management unit, a settlement processing unit, a second user information management unit, and a second communication control unit. The system linking method according to Claim 1.

5. A linking system between a user system corresponding to a user and a store system corresponding to a store or an EC site system which is an e-commerce site, comprising: recognizing an image of food ingredients by an image recognition function of a camera to obtain information on the food ingredients, and creating an inventory list based on the information on the food ingredients; The name of a certain food material managed on the user system side is associated and managed on the user system side with the names of a plurality of food materials that are the same as the certain food material purchased on the store system or the EC site side but have different names. A first shopping list is created based on the inventory list owned by the user, and the correspondence between the first shopping list and the products purchased by the user on the store system or the EC site is specified and verified. The verified products are settled, and the user is configured to be able to select whether to reflect the purchase data of the products purchased by the user in the inventory list. A system cooperation device characterized by this.

6. The user system includes a first shopping list management unit. The shopping list owned by the user is registered in advance in the first shopping list management unit. The system cooperation device according to claim 5.

7. The store system and the EC site side system include a second shopping list management unit and a settlement processing unit. The verification is performed by the second shopping list management unit of the store system or the EC site side system. The settlement is performed by the settlement processing unit of the store system or the EC site side system. The system cooperation device according to claim 5.

8. The user system further includes a recipe creation unit, a device control unit, an inventory list management unit, a name management unit, a first user information management unit, and a first communication control unit. The store system and the EC site side system further include a product management unit, a sales management unit, a settlement processing unit, a second user information management unit, and a second communication control unit. The system cooperation device according to claim 5.

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