Food product sales system

Abstract

To reduce food loss through sales promotion of food products.SOLUTION: A food product sales system 1 for selling food products A-C is provided, the system being configured to check best-before date information 4Ac-4Cc and then output a prompt with advertisement information and recipe information about the food products in stock to a purchaser terminal 3A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a food product sales system, and more particularly to a food product sales system that can reduce food waste. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, consumers have focused on the safety of products, especially food, and when choosing a product, they have become interested in the product itself and the ingredients of the product.

[0003] Therefore, product providers provide their products by listing information about the products they offer, such as the ingredients and origin of the raw materials used in the products, and the date of manufacture, on labels affixed to the product packaging or by recording it on an IC tag.

[0004] However, simply providing written or recorded information attached to products makes it easy to tamper with or falsify that information, and in fact, falsification and falsification of information has been practiced in some cases. This has led to low consumer trust and made it difficult for consumers to select products with confidence.

[0005] Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has proposed a technology in which food is provided by attaching a sample of raw material powder made from powdered ingredients, rather than simply attaching written or recorded information to the food (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-5656 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] By the way, while making food quality visible will allow consumers to choose food with confidence, it is difficult to directly link this to reducing food waste, which has become a problem in recent years.

[0008] The present invention was devised in light of the above points, and aims to provide a food product sales system that can reduce food waste. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the food product sales system of the present invention defines a predetermined deadline as any one of a best-before date, a shipping date, or a date when a predetermined number of days remain until the expiration date, and is a food product sales system for selling predetermined foods, and comprises: a food information recording means for recording food information including information on the predetermined deadline of the food, information on a purchaser of the food, and information on a quantity of the food held by the purchaser; a food information writing means for decrementing the information on the quantity held recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the terminal of the purchaser that is recorded in the food information recording means; and, on the condition that the food information writing means has decremented the information on the quantity held, The system includes a point awarding means for awarding points to the purchaser who made the request; an instruction information creation means for checking the food information recorded in the food information recording means and creating instruction information to input to a predetermined recipe information generation means, the instruction information being used by the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using a first food, which is one of the foods, and an expired food that has passed the predetermined expiration date; and an output means for outputting advertising information for the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to a terminal of a specific purchaser recorded in the food information recording means as a purchaser of the first food, and who owns less than a predetermined number of the first food recorded in the food information recording means.

[0010] The food product sales system of the present invention defines a predetermined deadline as any one of a best-before date, a shipping date, or a date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number of days, and is a food product sales system for selling predetermined foods, and includes: a food information recording means for recording food information including information on the number of items in stock of the food, information on the predetermined deadline of the food, information on a purchaser of the food, and information on a holding number which is the quantity of the food held by the purchaser; a food information writing means for deducting the information on the holding number recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from a terminal of the purchaser recorded in the food information recording means; a point granting means for granting points to the purchaser who made the request on the condition that the food information writing means has deducted the information on the holding number; and a system for checking the food information recorded in the food information recording means, The system includes an instruction information creation means that, when there is no stock of expired food that has passed the specified expiration date, creates instruction information to be input to a specified recipe information generation means, causing the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using a first food, which is one of the foods, and the food that is in stock; and, when there is stock of the expired food, creates instruction information to be input to a specified recipe information generation means, causing the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using the first food and the expired food; and an output means that outputs advertising information for the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to a terminal of a specific purchaser, among those recorded in the food information recording means as purchasers of the first food, who owns less than a specified number of the first food recorded in the food information recording means.

[0011] Here, the output means outputs advertising information for the first food to the terminal of a specific purchaser who is recorded in the food information recording means as a purchaser of the first food (one of the foods sold by the food product sales system) and who owns less than a predetermined number of the first food as recorded in the food information recording means, which is expected to lead to the purchase of the ``first food.''

[0012] Furthermore, specific purchasers who own the "first food" (especially specific purchasers who own a large number of "first food" items) are considered unlikely to purchase additional "first food" items, so the ease with which the "first food" items sell will differ depending on the number of "first food" items owned. Therefore, rather than outputting advertising information to all specific purchasers, the advertising information is output only to specific purchasers whose ownership of the "first food item" is below a predetermined number (for example, zero ownership), thereby making it possible to output highly efficient advertising information that is closely related to the saleability of the "first food item" (sales of the "first food item").

[0013] Incidentally, the "information on the number of items held" recorded in the food information recording means needs to reflect the amount of food used (amount consumed) by the purchaser, and accurate information will not be recorded without the purchaser's cooperation (in the sense of having the purchaser input information). Furthermore, if the "information on the number of items held" is not accurate, the advertising information output by the output means will not be fully effective (for example, there will be cases where advertising information is not output even though the first food item is not held). Therefore, a point awarding means is adopted to award points to purchasers who request to reduce the information on the number of items held (i.e., contributors who cooperate in reflecting the amount of food consumed in the "information on the number of items held"), thereby increasing the incentive for purchasers to register (correct) the "information on the number of items held."

[0014] Furthermore, by including information about the purchaser's terminal (output destination information) in the "food purchaser information" recorded in the food information recording means, the output destination (output destination of advertising information) by the output means can be identified based on the information recorded in the food information recording means.

[0015] Furthermore, if the output means outputs instruction information for generating "recipe information using 'first food' and '(in-stock) expired food'" together with advertising information for the "first food," it is expected that this will lead to the purchase of not only the "first food," but also the "expired food."

[0016] Furthermore, when there are no expired foods in stock (in other words, when there are no expired foods to sell), outputting instruction information for generating "recipe information using the 'first food' and the 'foods in stock'" along with advertising information for the "first food" can be expected to lead to the purchase of the "foods in stock."

[0017] "Food in stock" here necessarily means "food that is not expired," given that there is no expired food in stock.

[0018] Furthermore, since "foods that are not expired (including food type 1)" may become "expired foods" at any time in the future, it is also important to stimulate consumer purchasing desire for "foods that are not expired" in order to reduce food waste.

[0019] In addition, if the instruction information creation means uses the food product sales system to create instruction information for generating "recipe information using the first food and the second food" in response to a request from the terminal of a consumer who has purchased the first food and the second food, which is one of the expired foods, and the output means outputs such instruction information to the consumer's terminal, the consumer will be able to obtain the instruction information for generating recipe information for the purchased food even after purchase, which is expected to increase the consumer's incentive to purchase "expired foods."

[0020] Incidentally, "food" here includes both "primary products" and "secondary products," and naturally includes food and drink intended for nutrient intake or enjoyment (animal foods, plant foods, processed foods, frozen foods, luxury foods, seasoning ingredients, health foods, supplements, beverages, processed ingredients, etc.), as well as pharmaceuticals and quasi-drugs. For example, herbal medicines are included. It also includes feed, aquaculture feed, dog food, and other products intended for fish and animals.

[0021] Furthermore, "primary products" here refer to unprocessed fresh foods, animal foods, and plant foods themselves, such as vegetables such as radishes and cabbage, or raw meat such as chicken and beef. Other examples include fruits, beans, shellfish, and fish.

[0022] Furthermore, "secondary products" here refer to products made from unprocessed fresh foods, unprocessed animal foods, or unprocessed plant foods, such as mochi (rice cakes), buns, pickles, stir-fried vegetables, steaks, hamburgers, ramen, bento boxes, bread, milk, cheese, beer, wine, sake, whiskey, frozen foods, canned goods, bottled tea and juice, coffee, and soft drinks.

[0023] Furthermore, "secondary products" here not only include secondary products processed using primary products as raw materials, but also include secondary products processed using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet) made by purchasing seasoned eggs as raw materials and baking them. Furthermore, "secondary products" here also include secondary products purchased using secondary products as raw materials. For example, it includes boxed lunches filled with purchased tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet).

[0024] Furthermore, the "first food" may be singular or plural, and the "second food" may be singular or plural.

[0025] Also, the "best before date" here means "the date by which the product can be eaten deliciously without any change in quality," and does not mean that the product becomes inedible immediately after the best before date.

[0026] Also, the "expiration date" here means "the date by which it can be safely eaten," meaning that it is no longer edible after the expiration date.

[0027] Furthermore, the "shipping deadline" here means the "deadline by which wholesalers and manufacturers can deliver to retailers," and if the shipping deadline is exceeded, commercial practices mean that the product will be returned by the retailer to the wholesaler or manufacturer. In commercial practice, the "shipping by date" is often set to "one-third of the food's best-before date" (for example, if the food has a best-before date six months from the date of manufacture, the shipping by date is two months from the date of manufacture), but the "shipping by date" here can also be "one-quarter of the food's best-before date." It can also be "two months before the food's best-before date" or "one year before the food's expiration date."

[0028] Furthermore, "points" here refers to points that can be exchanged for prizes or merchandise, discounted, or used as part of the cost of future purchases, and is intended to include both points that can be redeemed for cash and points that cannot be redeemed for cash. [Effects of the Invention]

[0029] The food product sales system of the present invention reduces food waste by reducing unsold food. It is possible to achieve a reduction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an example of a configuration example of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a food information recording means 4A. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a food information recording means 4B. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram for explaining a food information recording means 4C. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0031] Hereinafter, a mode for carrying out the invention (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment") will be described. Here, in this embodiment, the explanation will be given based on April 21, 2022. Therefore, if the expiration date is before April 20, 2022, the expiration date has passed, and if the expiration date is after April 21, 2022, the expiration date has not yet arrived. The explanation will be given in the following order. 1. First embodiment 2. Variations

[0032] <1. First embodiment> [Configuration of the present invention] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a food product sales system to which the present invention is applied, and is an example of a system configuration for providing (selling) food A, food B, and food C. In the following, the food sold in the food product sales system shown in FIG. 1 (that is, at least one of food A, food B, and food C) will be referred to as a "food product."

[0033] Here, food A is food produced by producer A, has a best-before date of May 31, 2022, a use-by date of September 30, 2022, and a list price of 1,000 yen. In addition, food B is a food produced by producer B, has a best-before date of October 31, 2022, a best-by date of January 31, 2023, and a list price of 1,200 yen. Furthermore, food C is a food produced by producer A, has a best-before date of April 20, 2022, a use-by date of August 20, 2022, and a list price of 1,000 yen.

[0034] In addition, the food product sales system 1 shown in Figure 1 is configured to be able to exchange various information via the Internet 2 with a purchaser terminal 3A used by consumers (purchasers) who have purchased food products, and a consumer terminal 3B used by consumers (prospective purchasers) who wish to purchase food products.

[0035] The food product sales system 1 also has food information recording means 4A, 4B, 4C, a food information confirmation means 5, a prompt creation means 6 (an example of an instruction information creation means), an information output means 7, a food information writing means 10, a point awarding means 11, and a point recording means 12. Then, various information described below is recorded in food information recording means 4A, 4B, and 4C by food information writing means 10, and points awarded by point awarding means 11 are recorded in point recording means 12.

[0036] Here, the food information recording means 4A is configured to be able to record (in other words, configured to be able to be written by the food information writing means 10) at least information 4Aa on the name of food A (an example of a food product), information 4Ab on the stock quantity of food A, information 4Ac on the expiration date of food A, information 4Ad on the expiration date of food A, information 4Ae on the price (list price) of food A, information 4Af on the purchaser of food A, information 4Ag on the number of pieces of food A held by the purchaser who purchased food A (in other words, the number of pieces of food A that the purchaser has purchased but not yet consumed), and information 4Ah on the producer of food A.

[0037] That is, as shown in Figure 2, the following information is recorded for food A: control number (No), name, best-before date, expiry date, price, purchaser, producer, and status. The information on "control number," "name," "best before date," "use by date," "price," and "producer" is recorded before food A is sold. On the other hand, when food product sales system 1 provides (sells) food A, the "purchaser" records the purchaser's information. Also, when food A is provided (sold), "status" is recorded as "in possession." Thereafter, when food A is used (consumed), the "status" is corrected (recorded) to "used" in response to a request from the purchaser terminal 3A (transmission of information that food A has been used) by the purchaser himself / herself.

[0038] In Figure 2, food A is assigned a management number such as "A-1" to "A-10," and the following information is recorded: name "Food A," best-before date "2022 / 5 / 31," use-by date "2022 / 9 / 30," price "1,000 yen," and producer "Producer A." Furthermore, information such as "Purchaser A" as the purchaser of food A with management numbers "A-1" and "A-2," "Purchaser B" as the purchaser of food A with management numbers "A-3," and "Purchaser C" as the purchaser of food A with management numbers "A-4" and "A-5" is recorded. In addition, information such as "used" is recorded for food A with management numbers "A-1" and "A-3," and "in possession" is recorded for food A with management numbers "A-2," "A-4," and "A-5" (meaning that food A with management number "A-1" was recorded as "used" by purchaser A via purchaser terminal 3A, and food A with management number "A-3" was recorded as "used" by purchaser B via purchaser terminal 3A).

[0039] Although Figure 2 does not specify the inventory quantity of food A as a number, this means that food A for which no purchaser information is recorded (food A with management numbers "A-6" to "A-10") has not yet been sold, and the inventory quantity is "5." Also, in Figure 2, the number of items held for food A is not specified as a number, but since this corresponds to the quantity of food A whose status is "in possession," the numbers are "Number held by purchaser A: 1," "Number held by purchaser B: 0," and "Number held by purchaser C: 2."

[0040] In addition, the food information recording means 4B is configured to be able to record (in other words, to be able to be written by the food information writing means 10) at least information 4Ba on the name of food B (an example of a food product), information 4Bb on the stock quantity of food B, information 4Bc on the expiration date of food B, information 4Bd on the expiration date of food B, information 4Be on the price (list price) of food B, information 4Bf on the purchaser of food B, information 4Bg on the number of food B owned by the purchaser who purchased food B (in other words, the number of food B that the purchaser has purchased but not yet consumed), and information 4Bh on the producer of food B.

[0041] That is, as shown in Figure 3, the following information is recorded for food B: control number (No), name, best-before date, expiry date, price, purchaser, producer, and status. The information on "control number," "name," "best before date," "use by date," "price," and "producer" is recorded before food B is sold. On the other hand, when food product sales system 1 provides (sells) food B, the "purchaser" records the purchaser's information. Also, when food B is provided (sold), "status" is recorded as "in possession." Thereafter, when food B is used (consumed), the "status" is corrected (recorded) to "used" in response to a request from the purchaser terminal 3A (transmission of information that food B has been used) by the purchaser himself.

[0042] In Figure 3, food B is assigned a management number such as "B-1" to "B-10," and the following information is recorded: name "Food B," best-before date "2022 / 10 / 31," use-by date "2023 / 1 / 31," price "1,200 yen," and producer "Producer B." Furthermore, information such as "Purchaser A" is recorded as the purchaser of food B assigned control number "B-1," "Purchaser B" as the purchaser of food B assigned control numbers "B-2" and "B-3," and "Purchaser D" as the purchaser of food B assigned control numbers "B-4" and "B-5" is recorded. In addition, information such as "used" is recorded for food B with management numbers "B-1," "B-2," and "B-3," and "in possession" is recorded for food B with management numbers "B-4" and "B-5" (in other words, this means that food B with management number "B-1" was recorded as "used" by purchaser A via purchaser terminal 3A, and food B with management numbers "B-2" and "B-3" was recorded as "used" by purchaser B via purchaser terminal 3A).

[0043] Although Figure 3 does not specify the inventory quantity of food B as a number, this means that food B for which no purchaser information is recorded (food B with management numbers "B-6" to "B-10") has not yet been sold, and the inventory quantity is "5." Also, in Figure 3, the number of items held for food B is not specified as a number, but since this corresponds to the quantity of food B whose status is "held," the numbers are "Number held by buyer A: 0," "Number held by buyer B: 0," and "Number held by buyer D: 2."

[0044] Furthermore, the food information recording means 4C is configured to be able to record (in other words, configured to be able to be written by the food information writing means 10) at least information 4Ca on the name of food C (an example of a food product), information 4Cb on the stock quantity of food C, information 4Cc on the expiration date of food C, information 4Cd on the expiration date of food C, information 4Ce on the price (list price) of food C, information 4Cf on the purchaser of food C, information 4Cg on the number of food C owned by the purchaser who purchased food C (in other words, the number of food C that the purchaser has purchased but not yet consumed), and information 4Ch on the producer of food C.

[0045] That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the information recorded for food C includes the control number (No.), name, best-before date, expiry date, price, purchaser, producer, and status. The information on "control number," "name," "best before date," "use by date," "price," and "producer" is recorded before the sale of food C. On the other hand, when food product sales system 1 provides (sells) food C, the "purchaser" records the purchaser's information. Also, when food C is provided (sold), "status" is recorded as "in possession." Thereafter, when food C is used (consumed), the "status" is corrected (recorded) as "used" in response to a request from the purchaser terminal 3A by the purchaser himself (transmission of information that food C has been used).

[0046] In Figure 4, food C is assigned a management number such as "C-1" to "C-10," and the following information is recorded: name "Food C," best-before date "2022 / 4 / 20," use-by date "2022 / 8 / 20," price "1,000 yen," and producer "Producer A." Furthermore, information such as "Purchaser C" as the purchaser of food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2" and "Purchaser D" as the purchaser of food C with management number "C-3" is recorded. In addition, information such as "used" is recorded as the status of food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2," and "in possession" is recorded as the status of food C with management number "C-3" (i.e., this means that purchaser C recorded "used" as the status of food C with management numbers "C-1" and "C-2" via purchaser terminal 3A).

[0047] Although Figure 4 does not specify the inventory quantity of food C as a number, this means that food C for which no purchaser information is recorded (food C with management numbers "C-4" to "C-10") has not yet been sold, and the inventory quantity is "7." Also, in Figure 4, the number of items held for food C is not specified as a number, but since this corresponds to the quantity of food C whose status is "held," the numbers are "Number held by purchaser C: 0" and "Number held by purchaser D: 1."

[0048] The point giving means 11 is linked to the food information writing means 10, and gives points to a purchaser who changes the "status" of food A to food C from "held" to "used" via the purchaser terminal 3A. The points given by the point giving means 11 are recorded in the point recording means 12.

[0049] Specifically, points will be awarded to purchaser A who corrects food A with control number "A-1" to "used," and to purchaser B who corrects food A with control number "A-3" to "used." In addition, points will be awarded to purchaser A, who corrected food B with control number "B-1" to "used," and to purchaser B, who corrected food B with control numbers "B-2" and "B-3" to "used." Furthermore, points are awarded to purchaser C who corrects food C, which has control numbers "C-1" and "C-2," to "used."

[0050] The food information confirmation means 5, the prompt creation means 6, and the information output means 7 are configured to cooperate with each other to output various types of information.

[0051] Here, the prompt creation means 6 is configured to be able to create "prompts" for generating recipe information for food products (food products A to C) sold by the food product sales system 1 using a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI).

[0052] Then, by inputting the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 16 as input information into a general-purpose generative AI (generation AI), recipe information for the food products (foods A to C) sold by the food product sales system 1 can be obtained as an output result of the generation AI.

[0053] In the following, 1. When a consumer requests information on the selling price of a food product 2. When a purchaser of a food product requests information about the expiration date or best before date 3. When printing advertising information to purchasers of food products We will explain about this.

[0054] [1. When a consumer requests information about the selling price of a food product] When a consumer (here, consumer includes a purchaser who has purchased a food product in the past) requests information on the selling price of a food product, the food information confirmation means 5 confirms the inventory quantity recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C). In addition, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of the food product based on the price information (4Ae, 4Be, 4Ce) and expiration date information (4Ac, 4Bc, 4Cc) recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C).

[0055] Specifically, when information is received from the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A) indicating a desire to "print the selling price of food A," the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the inventory quantity information 4Ab of food A to confirm the inventory quantity. In addition to the "information 4Ab on the stock quantity of food A," the food information confirmation means 5 also confirms the "information 4Ad on the expiration date of food A." If the expiration date 4Ad of food A has passed, it is determined that food A is out of stock.

[0056] Furthermore, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of the food A according to the "number of days elapsed since the expiration date information 4Ac of the food A" and the "price (regular price) information 4Ae of the food A."

[0057] For example, if the expiration date has not passed, the price is 1,000 yen (regular price), if it is one day past the expiration date, the price is 200 yen (80% off the regular price), if it is two days past the expiration date, the price is 100 yen (90% off the regular price), if it is three days past the expiration date, the price is 50 yen (95% off the regular price), and if it is four days or more past the expiration date, the price is 10 yen (99% off the regular price).

[0058] Note that the "number of days elapsed since the expiration date information 4Ac of food A" is calculated based on the date on which the consumer requested the information (in other words, based on the date on which the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price), and is calculated by comparing it with the expiration date information 4Ac of food A. In the case of this embodiment, the base date is April 21, 2022, and since the expiration date for food A has not yet passed, the price of food A will be calculated as "1,000 yen."

[0059] Similarly, when information is received from the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A) indicating a request to "print the selling price of food B," the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the inventory quantity information 4Bb of food B to confirm the inventory quantity. In addition to the "information 4Bb on the stock quantity of food B," the food information confirmation means 5 also confirms the "information 4Bd on the expiration date of food B." If the expiration date 4Bd of food B has passed, it is determined that food B is out of stock.

[0060] Furthermore, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of food B according to "the number of days elapsed since the expiration date information 4Bc of food B" and "price (list price) information 4Be of food B."

[0061] For example, if the expiration date has not passed, the price is 1,200 yen (regular price), if it is one day past the expiration date, the price is 240 yen (80% off the regular price), if it is two days past the expiration date, the price is 120 yen (90% off the regular price), if it is three days past the expiration date, the price is 60 yen (95% off the regular price), and if it is four days or more past the expiration date, the price is 12 yen (99% off the regular price).

[0062] Note that the "number of days elapsed since the expiration date information 4Bc of food B" is calculated based on the date on which the consumer requested the information (in other words, based on the date on which the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price), and is compared with the expiration date information 4Bc of food B. In the case of this embodiment, the base date is April 21, 2022, and since the expiration date for food B has not yet passed, the price of food B will be calculated as "1,200 yen."

[0063] Similarly, when information is received from the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A) indicating a desire to "print the selling price of food C," the food information confirmation means 5 accesses the stock quantity information 4Cb of food C to confirm the stock quantity. In addition to the "information 4Cb on the stock quantity of food C," the food information confirmation means 5 also confirms the "information 4Cd on the expiration date of food C." If the expiration date 4Cd of food C has passed, it is determined that food C is out of stock.

[0064] Furthermore, the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price of the food C according to the "number of days elapsed since the expiration date information 4Cc of the food C" and the "price (list price) information 4Ce of the food C."

[0065] For example, if the expiration date has not passed, the price is 1,000 yen (regular price), if it is one day past the expiration date, the price is 200 yen (80% off the regular price), if it is two days past the expiration date, the price is 100 yen (90% off the regular price), if it is three days past the expiration date, the price is 50 yen (95% off the regular price), and if it is four days or more past the expiration date, the price is 10 yen (99% off the regular price).

[0066] The "number of days elapsed since the expiration date information 4Cc of food C" is calculated based on the date on which the consumer requested the information (in other words, based on the date on which the food information confirmation means 5 calculates the price) and by comparing it with the expiration date information 4Cc of food C. In the case of this embodiment, based on April 21, 2022, food C is considered to have "one day elapsed since the expiration date," and the price of food C is calculated to be "200 yen."

[0067] Thereafter, the information output means 7 outputs the price of the food product calculated by the food information confirmation means 5 to the consumer terminal 3B (or the purchaser terminal 3A). If the food product is out of stock, the information output means 7 outputs "the food product is out of stock" instead of "the price of the food product".

[0068] Here, in this embodiment, the explanation is based on April 21, 2022. That is, the explanation is given by taking as an example a case where information on foods whose expiration dates have not yet arrived is recorded in food information recording means 4A and 4B, and information on foods whose expiration dates have passed is recorded in food information recording means 4C. However, whether the expiration date has arrived (whether the expiration date has passed) depends on the reference date for judgment, so whether the food recorded in the food information recording means is a food that has passed its expiration date will be determined taking into consideration the reference date for judgment.

[0069] Specifically, if a food with a best-before date of August 31, 2022 is called Food X, and a food with a best-before date of April 20, 2022 is called Food Y, then (1) before April 20, 2022, both Food X and Food Y fall under the category of "foods whose best-before date has not yet arrived," (2) between April 21, 2022 and August 31, 2022, Food X falls under the category of "foods whose best-before date has not yet arrived" and Food Y falls under the category of "foods whose best-before date has passed," and (3) after September 1, 2022, both Food X and Food Y fall under the category of "foods whose best-before date has passed."

[0070] Therefore, even if the information recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C) does not change (specifically, if the expiration date information for food A, food B, and food C does not change), the calculation results by the food information confirmation means 5 will differ depending on the judgment reference dates (1), (2), and (3), and the information output by the information output means 7 will change.

[0071] [2. When a purchaser of a food product requests information about the expiration date or best-before date] [2-1. Best before date] When a purchaser of a food product requests information on the expiration date of the purchased product, the food information confirmation means 5 confirms the expiration date information (4Ac, 4Bc, 4Cc) recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C).

[0072] Specifically, when information is received from purchaser A via purchaser terminal 3A requesting "output of the expiration date of a food product," food information confirmation means 5 accesses "food product purchaser information (4Af-4Cf)" and "status of foods A-C" to confirm that purchaser A owns food A with management number "A-2." It then accesses information 4Ac on the expiration date of food A to confirm the expiration date.

[0073] In addition, when information is received from purchaser B via purchaser terminal 3A requesting that the expiration date of a food product be printed, food information confirmation means 5 accesses the "information of food product purchasers (4Af to 4Cf)" and the "status of foods A to C" and confirms that purchaser B does not own any of the foods.

[0074] Furthermore, when information is received from purchaser C via purchaser terminal 3A requesting "output of the expiration date of the food product," food information confirmation means 5 accesses "food product purchaser information (4Af-4Cf)" and "status of foods A-C" to confirm that purchaser C owns food A with management numbers "A-4" and "A-5." It then accesses information 4Ac on the expiration date of food A to confirm the expiration date.

[0075] Furthermore, when information is received from purchaser D via purchaser terminal 3A requesting "output of food product expiration dates," food information confirmation means 5 accesses "food product purchaser information (4Af-4Cf)" and "status of foods A-C" to confirm that purchaser D owns food B with control numbers "B-4" and "B-5," and food C with control number "C-3." It then accesses information 4Bc about the expiration date of food B and information 4Cc about the expiration date of food C to confirm the expiration dates.

[0076] Thereafter, the information output means 7 outputs the expiration date of the food product confirmed by the food information confirmation means 5 to the purchaser terminal 3A. In addition, if the purchaser who requests the "output of the expiration date of the food product" does not own the food product, the information output means 7 outputs "the fact that the food product is not in possession of the food product" instead of the "expiration date of the food product."

[0077] [2-2. Use-by date] When a purchaser of a food product requests information on the expiration date of the purchased product, the process is the same as [2-1. In the case of expiration date], except that the food information confirmation means 5 confirms the expiration date information (4Ad, 4Bd, 4Cd) instead of the best-before date information (4Ac, 4Bc, 4Cc).

[0078] [3. When printing advertising information to food product purchasers] The food information confirmation means 5 periodically (for example, once a day, once every two days, etc.) checks the expiration date information (4Ac to 4Cc) and inventory status recorded in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C).

[0079] Specifically, the food information confirmation means 5 periodically accesses the "purchaser" in the food information recording means 4 (4A to 4C) and checks the expiration date information (4Ac to 4Cc) if there is any unsold food (food for which purchaser information is not recorded). For example, for food A, the control numbers "A-6" to "A-10" are unsold, so the expiration date information 4Ac is checked. Furthermore, for example, for food B, "B-6" to "B-10" have not yet been sold, so the expiration date information 4Bc is checked. Furthermore, for example, for food C, "C-4" to "C-10" are not yet sold, so the expiration date information 4Cc is checked.

[0080] Then, if the food information confirmation means 5 finds that the number of days until the expiration date of an unsold food item is less than a specified number of days (for example, less than 40 days), the information output means 7 outputs "advertising information" and a "prompt" to the purchaser terminal 3A. The "advertising information" and "prompt" are output to purchasers who have purchased food in the past but no longer own the food (it has already been used).

[0081] The following description will be given using an example in which the information on foods A to C on "April 22, 2022" and "September 22, 2022" is as shown in Figures 2 to 4.

[0082] [3-1. In the case of April 22, 2022] On April 22, 2022, the number of days remaining until the expiration date of Food A will be 39 days (less than 40 days), so "advertising information for Food A" will be output to Purchaser B.

[0083] Here, food A corresponds to the "first food," purchasers A to C correspond to the "specific purchasers," and purchaser B corresponds to the "specific purchaser who owns less than a specified number of the first food." Note that purchaser A owns food A with control number "A-2", purchaser C owns food A with control numbers "A-4" and "A-5", and purchaser D has never purchased food A in the past, so they will be excluded from the output.

[0084] Also, the "prompt" created by the prompt creating means 6 is output to purchaser B together with the "advertising information for food A."

[0085] Here, taking April 22, 2022 as the base date, Food B has not passed its best-before date, but Food C has passed its best-before date (however, its use-by date has not passed). Therefore, in order to promote sales of Food C, a prompt is output to Purchaser B to generate "recipe information using 'Food A (the food for which advertising information is to be output)' and 'Food C (the food whose best-before date has passed)'." If food C is out of stock as of April 22, 2022, a prompt will be displayed to generate "recipe information using food A and food B."

[0086] The prompt can be input to the generation AI 8, and recipe information can be obtained as an output result of the generation AI 8.

[0087] [3-2. September 22, 2022] On September 22, 2022, the number of days remaining until the expiration date of Food B will be 39 days (less than 40 days), so "advertising information for Food B" will be output to Purchaser A and Purchaser B.

[0088] Here, food B corresponds to the "first food," purchasers A, B, and D correspond to "specific purchasers," and purchasers A and B correspond to "specific purchasers who own less than a specified number of the first food." Furthermore, since purchaser C has not purchased food B in the past, and purchaser D owns food B with the control numbers "B-4" and "B-5," they are excluded from the output.

[0089] Also, the "prompt" created by the prompt creating means 6 is output to purchaser A and purchaser B together with the "advertising information for food B."

[0090] Here, if we use September 22, 2022 as the base date, food C will have passed its expiration date and cannot be sold, so a prompt will be output to purchasers A and B to generate "recipe information using food A and food B."

[0091] The prompt can be input to the generation AI 8, and recipe information can be obtained as an output result of the generation AI 8.

[0092] [effect] In the food product sales system 1 to which the present invention is applied as described above, when the number of days remaining until the expiration date of a food product becomes short, advertising information is output to purchasers who have previously purchased the product but do not own it, thereby preventing unsold food products and, as a result, reducing food waste.

[0093] Furthermore, by awarding points, purchasers are given a greater incentive to record the number of items they own in the food information recording means 4, which is expected to lead to more efficient advertising.

[0094] Furthermore, by outputting the "prompt" together with the "advertising information", sales promotion of foods A to C can be further achieved.

[0095] In addition, if there is stock of food that has passed its expiration date, a prompt to generate recipe information using the expired food can be preferentially output, thereby promoting sales of expired food and further reducing food waste.

[0096] <2. Modifications> [Variation 1] In the first embodiment described above, an example is given in which a prompt for generating recipe information using food that has passed its expiration date is output preferentially based on the expiration date, but it is also possible to output a prompt for generating recipe information using food that has passed its shipping deadline or reference date based on the shipping deadline or reference date. The "reference date" here means the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number (for example, 30 days).

[0097] [Variation 2] In the above-described first embodiment, the case where the information output means 7 outputs a "prompt" has been described as an example, but "recipe information" may also be provided together with such a "prompt." Specifically, the "prompt" created by the prompt creation means 6 may be input into the generation AI 8, and "recipe information" may be obtained as the output result of the generation AI 8. The information output means 7 may then output the "prompt" and "recipe information" to the purchaser terminal 3A. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 1. Food product sales system 2. Internet 3A Buyer terminal 3B Consumer terminal 4A Food Information Recording Method 4B Food information recording means 4C Food Information Recording Method 5. Food information verification methods 6. Prompt Creation Methods 7. Information output means 8 Generation AI 10 Food information entry means 11. Points awarding method 12. Point Recording Method

Claims

1. The predetermined deadline is defined as either the expiration date, the shipping date, or the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number of days. A food product vending system for selling predetermined food products, comprising: a food information recording means for recording food information including information on the expiration date of the food, information on the purchaser of the food, and information on the number of the food items held by the purchaser; a food information writing means for decrementing the information on the number of items held recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the purchaser's terminal recorded in the food information recording means; a point granting means for granting points to the purchaser who made the request on condition that the food information writing means has reduced the information on the number of items held; an instruction information creation means for creating instruction information to be input to a predetermined recipe information creation means by checking the food information recorded in the food information recording means, the instruction information being used by the recipe information creation means to create recipe information using a first food, which is one of the foods, and an expired food that has passed the predetermined expiration date; and an output means for outputting advertising information about the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to a terminal of a specific purchaser who is recorded in the food information recording means as a purchaser of the first food and who owns less than a predetermined number of the first food. Food product sales system.

2. The output means Recipe information generated by inputting the instruction information to the recipe information generating means is output together with the advertisement information and the instruction information. The food product sales system of claim 1.

3. The predetermined deadline is defined as either the expiration date, the shipping date, or the date when the number of days remaining until the expiration date is a predetermined number of days. A food product vending system for selling predetermined food products, comprising: a food information recording means for recording food information including information on the number of the food items in stock, information on the expiration date of the food items, information on the purchaser of the food items, and information on the number of the food items held by the purchaser; a food information writing means for decrementing the information on the number of items held recorded in the food information recording means in response to a request from the purchaser's terminal recorded in the food information recording means; a point granting means for granting points to the purchaser who made the request on condition that the food information writing means has reduced the information on the number of items held; an instruction information creation means for checking the food information recorded in the food information recording means, and creating instruction information to input to a predetermined recipe information generation means when there is no expired food in stock that has passed the predetermined expiration date, the instruction information being used by the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using a first food that is one of the foods and the food that is in stock; and an instruction information creation means for creating instruction information to input to a predetermined recipe information generation means when there is expired food in stock, the instruction information being used by the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using the first food and the expired food; and an output means for outputting advertising information about the first food and the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means to a terminal of a specific purchaser who is recorded in the food information recording means as a purchaser of the first food and who owns less than a predetermined number of the first food. Food product sales system.

4. The output means Recipe information generated by inputting the instruction information to the recipe information generating means is output together with the advertisement information and the instruction information. The food product sales system according to claim 3.

5. the instruction information creation means creates instruction information for the recipe information generation means to generate recipe information using the first food and the second food, in response to a request from a terminal of a consumer who has purchased the first food and the second food, which is one of the expired foods, using the food product sales system; The output means outputs the instruction information created by the instruction information creation means. A food product sales system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4.

6. The recipe information generating means is a general-purpose generative AI. A food product sales system according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4.

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