Sales support device, sales support method, and sales support program

Abstract

To provide a method for supporting sales in a hospital store according to characteristics of hospital workers and patients using the hospital store.SOLUTION: A sales support apparatus for a hospital store is provided with determination means for determining whether the attribute of a user is a hospital worker or a patient, product extraction means for extracting products that the user can purchase in accordance with the attribute of the user determined by the determination means, order acceptance means for accepting an order for the product to be purchased by the user from among the extracted products, and delivery management means for determining a delivery destination of the product to be purchased by the user in accordance with the attribute of the user determined by the determination means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for supporting sales at hospital stores. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a sales support system consisting of a terminal device that transmits product purchase orders from patients and a server device that accepts product purchase orders. The sales support system in Patent Document 1 identifies the patient operating the terminal device and restricts the patient from purchasing contraindicated items.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes an in-hospital service system in which a patient's bedside terminal device connects to a server to purchase products. The in-hospital service system in Patent Document 2 enables appropriate health management based on the patient's medical information and product nutritional information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-113654 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-141375 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, hospital stores are sometimes used not only by patients but also by hospital staff.

[0006] An example of an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a method for supporting sales at a hospital kiosk in accordance with the characteristics of each of the hospital staff and patients who use the kiosk. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A sales support device in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a determination means for determining whether a user's attribute is a hospital employee or a patient, a product extraction means for extracting products that the user can purchase according to the user's attribute determined by the determination means, an order acceptance means for accepting an order for the user to purchase from among the extracted products, and a delivery management means for determining a delivery destination for the user's purchased products according to the user's attribute determined by the determination means.

[0008] A sales support method in one aspect of the present disclosure determines whether a user's attribute is a hospital employee or a patient, extracts products that the user can purchase based on the determined user's attribute, accepts an order for a product purchased by the user from among the extracted products, and determines a delivery address for the purchased product of the user based on the determined user's attribute.

[0009] A sales support program in one aspect of the present disclosure causes a computer to perform the following processes: determining whether a user's attribute is a hospital employee or a patient; extracting products that the user can purchase based on the determined user's attribute; accepting an order for a product purchased by the user from among the extracted products; and determining a delivery address for the purchased product of the user based on the determined user's attribute. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] One example of the effect of the present disclosure is that it can support sales at hospital stores in accordance with the characteristics of the hospital staff and patients who use the stores. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sales support device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a display example in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the sales support device in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sales support device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a display example in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the sales support device in the second embodiment. [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration in which a sales support device according to the present disclosure is realized by a computer device and its peripheral devices. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In the following embodiments, a hospital kiosk is a store that sells goods within a hospital or on the hospital grounds. In the following embodiments, a patient may also include visitors such as the patient's family. A hospital employee is someone who works at a hospital. A hospital employee may include medical professionals and non-medical staff such as security guards and cleaners who work at the hospital. Medical professionals include, for example, doctors, dentists, midwives, nurses, pharmacists, clinical laboratory technicians, radiologists, and physical therapists. A user is someone who uses a hospital kiosk. A user includes patients and hospital employees. Although a user may include users other than patients or hospital employees, the following embodiments primarily target patients and hospital employees as users.

[0014] Furthermore, the product support device described below may be realized as a server or a cloud service. Alternatively, the product support device may be realized as a terminal device. The product support device may be realized by distributing each component of the product support device to a server and a terminal device. Furthermore, the terminal device may be a terminal device owned by the user or a terminal device installed in a hospital. The terminal device installed in a hospital may be a terminal device installed in a hospital bed, a patient room, a rest room, a delivery locker (described later), or the like.

[0015] [First embodiment] 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a sales support device 100 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the sales support device 100 includes a determination unit 101, a product extraction unit 102, an order reception unit 103, and a delivery management unit 104.

[0016] Next, the configuration of the sales support device 100 in the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0017] 1, a determination unit 101 is an example of a determination means for determining whether a user has an attribute of a hospital worker or a patient. The user has an attribute of a hospital worker or a patient.

[0018] In a first example of a method for determining a user's attribute, the determination unit 101 determines whether the user is a hospital staff member or a patient based on the user's identification information. The user's identification information is information that individually identifies the user.

[0019] The terminal device has a display unit (not shown) that displays an input screen and an operation unit for inputting identification information. The terminal device accepts input of the user's identification information by a user. When the terminal device is connected to the sales support device 100, the terminal device transmits the user's identification information to the sales support device 100. As a result, the sales support device 100 receives the identification information from the terminal device and inputs the identification information to the determination unit 101. On the other hand, when the terminal device is the sales support device 100, the determination unit 101 accepts the identification information input by operation by the user.

[0020] FIG. 2 is an example of an input screen for user identification information displayed on a terminal device. In FIG. 2, the user identification information is the user's name. The user identification information may be, for example, a name, a date of birth, an email address, a telephone number, a number assigned to identify a patient or a hospital staff member, or an arbitrarily set character string. Furthermore, if the user is an inpatient, the user identification information may be information identifying a room or a room and a bed. The user identification information may also be a combination of multiple of these. Furthermore, for example, the user identification information may be the user's biometric authentication information. The biometric authentication information may be an image used for biometric authentication or information extracted from the image and necessary for an authentication unit (not shown) to perform biometric authentication.

[0021] First, in an example of a method for determining user attributes, the determination unit 101 determines attributes stored in association with the user's identification information as the user's attributes. The user's identification information and attributes are stored in a storage unit (not shown). The user's identification information and attributes may be registered in the storage unit (not shown) through a registration operation by the user or hospital staff. Alternatively, the determination unit 101 may determine the user's attributes associated with the user's identification information by searching a hospital database. If a patient database and a hospital employee database are available, the determination unit 101 may determine the user's attributes based on which database contains the user's identification information. The patient database and the hospital employee database may be provided within the sales support device 100. Alternatively, the patient database and the hospital employee database may be provided externally to the sales support device 100 and communicably connected thereto. Specifically, the patient database stores patient information for each patient. The hospital employee database stores information related to each hospital employee. When the determination unit 101 detects the user's identification information from the patient database, it determines that the user's attribute is a patient. Also, when the determination unit 101 detects the user's identification information from the hospital staff database, it determines that the user's attribute is a hospital staff.

[0022] In another example of a method for determining a user's attribute, the determination unit 101 selects whether the user is a hospital employee or a patient based on the user's operation on the terminal device. FIG. 3 shows an example of a user's attribute selection screen displayed on the terminal device. The terminal device accepts the user's selection of either a hospital employee or a patient. The determination unit 101 determines the attribute selected by the selection operation as the user's attribute. In a second example of a method for determining a user's attribute, after the user selects an attribute, an acquisition unit (not shown) acquires the user's identification information. For example, when the determination unit 101 determines that the user's attribute is a patient, the acquisition unit acquires the user's identification information from a patient database. When the determination unit 101 determines that the user's attribute is a hospital employee, the acquisition unit acquires the user's identification information from a hospital employee database. The user's identification information and the method for acquiring the user's identification information are not limited. The acquisition unit may be included in the determination unit 101 or the product extraction unit 102 (described later). In a second embodiment described later, an example will be described in which an acquisition unit that acquires user identification information is included in the product extraction unit 102.

[0023] In yet another example of a method for determining a user's attributes, when a user uses a built-in terminal, the determination unit 101 determines the user's attributes based on the identification information or connection information of the terminal device. The built-in terminal devices used by the user are classified into terminal devices used by patients and terminal devices used by hospital staff. Specifically, the determination unit 101 can determine whether the user's attribute is a patient or a hospital staff member based on the identification information or connection information of the terminal device. For example, the determination unit 101 determines the user's attribute by referring to a database in which the identification information or connection information of the terminal device is associated with the installation location or the target user. For example, the terminal used by the patient is a terminal device installed at the patient's bedside. Furthermore, for example, the terminal used by the hospital staff is a terminal device installed in a delivery box, which will be described later.

[0024] The method for determining the user's attribute is not limited to these. The determination unit 101 may determine whether the user's attribute is a hospital worker or a patient based on information that can represent the user's attribute.

[0025] The product extraction unit 102 is an example of a product extraction means that extracts products that can be purchased by a user according to the user's attributes determined by the determination means. The product extraction unit 102 displays the extracted products on the display unit of the terminal device. The user selects a product to order from the products that can be purchased based on the display on the display unit of the terminal device. There are no limitations on the process of displaying the extracted products on the terminal device and the process of having the user select a product to purchase from the extracted products on the terminal device. These processes may be executed by the product extraction unit 102 or the order receiving unit 103 described below.

[0026] Next, extraction of purchasable products according to the determination result of the user's attributes will be described.

[0027] First, when the user attribute is determined to be a patient, the product extraction unit 102 extracts products that the user can purchase based on the patient information. For example, the patient information is stored in association with the user's identification information. The patient information is information for restricting product purchases by patients for the purpose of managing the patient's health. The patient information includes at least one of allergies, medications, and dietary restrictions. The medication information is information indicating the type of medication the patient is taking, a medication history indicating the type of medication the patient has taken, or information indicating contraindications due to the medication the patient is taking or the medication history. Note that the patient information may include other information. The product extraction unit 102 may also extract products that can be purchased based on patient information other than allergies, medications, and dietary restrictions.

[0028] The product extraction unit 102 may also extract products that the user can purchase in response to changes in patient information. The patient information may be changed, for example, by a doctor. The patient information changed by the doctor may always be reflected in the patient information accessible to the product extraction unit 102. For example, when there is a change in patient information, the product extraction unit 102 identifies products that the patient cannot purchase. The product extraction unit 102 extracts products that the patient user can purchase from a product information database sold at the hospital store, excluding products that cannot be purchased based on the patient information. Alternatively, the product extraction unit 102 may associate purchase restriction information with products that cannot be purchased based on the patient information from the product information database sold at the hospital store. In this case, the product extraction unit 102 displays the products that cannot be purchased and the products that can be purchased associated with the purchase restriction information on the display unit of the terminal device. The purchase restriction information is, for example, information that prevents the user from selecting a product with a purchase restriction. Alternatively, the purchase restriction information is information that displays a warning indicating that purchase is restricted when a user selects a product with a purchase restriction.

[0029] When unpurchasable products associated with purchase restriction information are displayed, the unpurchasable products may be displayed to be distinguished from purchasable products. For example, the unpurchasable products may be displayed with a background or text color that is different from that of purchasable products. FIG. 4 shows a display example in which unpurchasable products are restricted from purchase and are displayed to be distinguished. In the display example of FIG. 4, orange juice with a purchase restriction is displayed in gray. Alternatively, the fact that it is a purchase restriction may be displayed using text or symbols. Furthermore, in the display example of FIG. 4, the orange juice with a purchase restriction may be set so that it cannot be selected by the user.

[0030] The product extraction unit 102 may also limit the purchase amount of a product based on patient information. The product extraction unit 102 associates purchase limit information with a product for which the purchase amount is limited based on patient information, among products extracted from a product information database sold at the hospital kiosk. For example, the product extraction unit 102 associates purchase limit information that prevents the order from proceeding if a user enters an order that exceeds the purchase limit during order reception processing by the order reception unit 103, which will be described later. Alternatively, the product extraction unit 102 may associate purchase limit information that displays a warning indicating that the purchase amount has exceeded the purchase limit if a user enters an order that exceeds the purchase limit. Purchase limit information is not limited to this. For example, FIG. 5 shows an example of a display when the purchase amount of a product is limited. In the display example of FIG. 5, the available purchase amount is displayed for coffee, for which the purchase amount is limited. In this way, the product extraction unit 102 may associate information that displays the limited purchase amount on the display of the terminal device with a product for which the purchase amount is limited,

[0031] The product information database includes the names and prices of products sold at the hospital. If the product is a food product, the product information database also includes information indicating ingredients and allergens. The product information database may be provided inside the sales support device 100. Alternatively, the product information database may be provided externally to the sales support device 100 in a communicable manner. The product information database only needs to be readable by the product extraction unit 102.

[0032] Second, if the user's attribute is determined to be a hospital employee, the product extraction unit 102 extracts purchasable products based on the work information or purchase history of the hospital employee. The purchase history may be data stored in the purchase history storage unit 206 in the second embodiment, which will be described later.

[0033] First, the work information is information including the work location or rest location of the hospital employee. The work location or rest location is information used by the delivery management unit 104 to determine the delivery destination. The work information may also include the work schedule of the hospital employee. The work schedule is the work day and work hours. The work hours may be information indicating the work style, such as day shift or night shift. The work hours may include the arrival time, break time, departure time, and a predetermined work schedule. The work hours may also include the actual arrival time, break time, and departure time. The work schedule is the schedule for the hours during which the employee is working. The work schedule includes, for example, times for surgery, meetings, and patient care. In addition to these, the work schedule may also indicate times when the employee is less likely to receive the product.

[0034] For example, based on the work information, if the user arrives at work when the hospital store is closed, the product extraction unit 102 extracts the product placed in the delivery box as a purchasable product. Details of the delivery box will be described later. The product placed in the delivery box may be a product extracted by the product extraction unit 102 that has a high probability of being purchased. Alternatively, the product placed in the delivery box may be a product extracted by the product extraction unit 102 that is close to its expiration date or best-before date. Furthermore, the product placed in the delivery box may be a product selected by a hospital store clerk. The product extracted or selected in this manner is placed in the delivery box before the hospital store closes. The product placed in the delivery box is registered in a product information database. Then, if the user arrives at work when the hospital store is closed, the product extraction unit 102 extracts the product placed in the delivery box as a purchasable product.

[0035] Even when the hospital store is open, the product extraction unit 102 may extract products that have been placed in the delivery box in advance as recommended products. This allows the user to order a recommended product and receive it immediately during their limited break time. The recommended product may be displayed on the display unit of the terminal device as shown in the display example of FIG. 6. In this case, it is also advisable to indicate that the product is recommended or that the user can receive it immediately.

[0036] Furthermore, if the user's attribute is determined to be a hospital employee, the product extraction unit 102 may extract all products in stock as available for purchase. Even if the user comes to work when the hospital store is closed based on the work information, the product extraction unit 102 may extract all products in stock as available for purchase if the user accesses the sales support device 100 when the hospital store is open. This allows the user to order products in advance. Furthermore, the user can receive products that have been delivered in advance even after the store is closed.

[0037] The product extraction unit 102 may also extract recommended products or products with a high purchase probability based on purchase history. The purchase history may be at least one of the user's purchase history, the entire purchase history for the same time period, or the entire purchase history for the last specified number of days. The recommended products may be displayed on the display unit of the terminal device as shown in the display example of FIG. 6.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, the product extraction unit 102 may extract recommended products or products with a high likelihood of purchase based on a purchase history including work information. For example, when the product extraction unit 102 extracts recommended products after a night shift, the product extraction unit 102 may extract recommended products based on the purchase history of the user, hospital workers with similar purchasing tendencies to the user, or all hospital workers after the night shift. In this way, the product extraction unit 102 may extract recommended products using work information such as before a night shift, after a night shift, a break during a daytime shift, or long consecutive shifts, and the purchase history for those cases.

[0039] The order receiving unit 103 is an example of an order receiving means that receives an order for a product to be purchased by a user from among the extracted products. The order receiving unit 103 receives an order input by a user on a terminal device. Upon receiving the order, a process for delivering the purchased product may be initiated. Furthermore, in cases where a patient pays for the ordered product in addition to the payment of hospitalization or medical expenses, or where a hospital employee has the payment deducted from their salary, the order receiving unit 103 may associate the amount to be paid by the user with the user's identification information.

[0040] The delivery management unit 104 is an example of a delivery management means that determines the delivery destination of the purchased product of the user in accordance with the attribute of the user determined by the determination means.

[0041] If the user's attribute is determined to be a hospital employee, the delivery management unit 104 determines that the delivery destination of the purchased item is a delivery locker corresponding to the workplace of the hospital employee who ordered the purchased item. A delivery locker is a storage unit used for delivering items. For example, a delivery person delivers the item to the delivery locker and then locks the delivery locker. The user then unlocks the delivery locker to receive the delivered item. The delivery locker's key may be mechanical or electronic. Alternatively, the user may be able to unlock the delivery locker using facial recognition using a camera that is connectably installed on or near the delivery locker. The delivery locker may be installed, for example, in a hospital employee's changing room, break room, backyard, or other location. By using delivery lockers to sell products at the hospital store, a hospital employee can receive the product at a time that suits them, even if they have an urgent job to do.

[0042] Alternatively, if the user's attribute is determined to be a hospital employee, the delivery management unit 104 may determine that the delivery destination of the purchased items is the workplace or rest area of ​​the hospital employee who ordered the purchased items.

[0043] Furthermore, if the user's attribute is determined to be a patient, the delivery management unit 104 determines that the delivery destination of the purchased product is the location of the patient who ordered the purchased product. The patient's location may be, for example, the patient's bed. Alternatively, the patient's location may be determined in real time using a surveillance camera or a beacon that communicates with a terminal device carried by the patient.

[0044] The delivery management unit 104 may display the delivery destinations according to these user attributes on the display unit of the terminal device as part of the options for the user to select a delivery destination.

[0045] The delivery management unit 104 may also determine a delivery time for the items purchased by the user according to the user's attributes determined by the determination means. Determining the delivery time may include determining options for the user to select a delivery time according to the user's attributes. In this case, the delivery management unit 104 may display the delivery time according to the user's attributes on the display unit of the terminal device as part of the options for the user to select a delivery time.

[0046] For example, if the user's attribute is determined to be a hospital employee, the delivery management unit 104 may determine the delivery time according to the working hours of the hospital employee who purchased the product. For example, the delivery management unit 104 determines the break time as the delivery time by referring to the working hours, including break times, of the hospital employee. If the product is to be delivered to a delivery box, the purchased product only needs to be delivered by the user's break time. For example, the delivery management unit 104 generates delivery instructions so that the product is delivered by the user's break time. The delivery instructions are instructions for the delivery person who will make the delivery. The delivery instructions may be sent to a terminal device at the hospital store or a terminal device carried by the delivery person who will make the delivery. Furthermore, if the delivery is made by a delivery robot, the delivery instructions may be sent to the delivery robot or a device that controls the delivery robot.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a display example of a delivery confirmation screen displayed on the display unit of a terminal device when a scheduled break time is set as delivery time. The delivery confirmation screen is a screen on which a user can confirm information related to delivery. After the order receiving unit 103 receives an order, the delivery management unit 104 may display a confirmation screen for the delivery time and delivery destination determined by the delivery management unit 104 on the display unit of the terminal device, as in the display example of FIG. 7. Furthermore, as in the example of FIG. 7, the delivery confirmation screen may include an operation button for accepting changes to the determined delivery time and delivery destination. Changes to the delivery time and delivery destination may be made by the user selecting an option based on the work information described above.

[0048] Furthermore, for example, the delivery management unit 104 may refer to the working hours, including the working schedule of the user who is a hospital employee, to determine the delivery time as a time that avoids the working schedule. Furthermore, the delivery management unit 104 may display the time that avoids the working schedule as part of the delivery time options on the display unit of the terminal device.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, if the user's attribute is determined to be a patient, the delivery management unit 104 may determine the delivery time based on the patient's schedule. The patient's schedule may include, for example, scheduled times for medical examinations, tests, surgery, rehabilitation, etc. The patient's schedule may also include, for example, times for dietary or activity restrictions for tests. The patient's schedule may also be set based on the patient's convenience, such as visitors or outings, in addition to treatment-related schedules. The patient's schedule may be stored in a storage unit (not shown) in association with the patient's identification information. The patient's schedule may also be acquired from the patient's medical record, hospital facility reservations, etc. Here, hospital facilities include testing equipment or examination rooms, rehabilitation rooms, operating rooms, etc. In other words, the patient's schedule may identify times when the patient is unable to receive the product. The delivery management unit 104 determines the delivery time to avoid such times during the patient's schedule.

[0050] If there are multiple available delivery times that avoid the patient's schedule, the delivery management unit 104 may, for example, determine the earliest delivery time. After the delivery time is determined, the delivery management unit 104 may display a confirmation screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, on the display unit of the terminal device. The confirmation screen in FIG. 8 includes the patient's name, purchased items, total amount, delivery destination, and delivery time. In this case, the confirmation screen may include a change delivery information button to change the delivery destination or delivery time, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0051] Furthermore, even if it is determined based on the patient's schedule that the patient will not be in the hospital room, if the patient specifies otherwise or if the hospital room the patient is using is a private room, it may be possible to select a time when the patient will not be in the room as the delivery time.

[0052] FIG. 9 is a display example in which, when there are multiple available delivery times, options for desired delivery times that avoid the patient's schedule are displayed. In this way, it is highly likely that the product cannot be received during rehabilitation or medical examination times. For this reason, rehabilitation or medical examination times should be displayed separately from times when there are no schedules so that they cannot be selected. For example, times when there is a schedule and it is highly likely that the product cannot be received may be displayed in a different color from other times. For example, as in the display example of FIG. 9, rehabilitation or medical examination times may be displayed with a gray background. Furthermore, in the display example of FIG. 9, time periods when there is a schedule may be set so that the user cannot select them.

[0053] In addition, for patients waiting for a medical examination, test, or the like, the delivery management unit 104 may determine the delivery time according to the number of people waiting before the patient. For example, the delivery management unit 104 may recognize the number of people waiting before the patient from an image captured by a camera in the hospital's waiting room. The delivery management unit 104 may then set the delivery time so that a delivery person or a hospital store clerk begins preparing for delivery when the number of people waiting before the patient reaches a predetermined number. The predetermined number may be set using the time required for the test, etc. per patient, the time it takes for the patient to return to their hospital room after the test, and the time required for delivery so that the product is delivered at an appropriate time. An example of the appropriate time is when the patient returns to their hospital room.

[0054] The operation of the sales support device 100 configured as above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0055] 10 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the sales support device 100 in the first embodiment. Note that the processing according to this flowchart may be executed based on program control by a processor.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 10, first, the determination unit 101 determines whether the attribute of the user is a hospital employee or a patient (step S101).

[0057] Next, the product extraction unit 102 extracts purchasable products according to the determined user attributes (step S102). If the user identification information has not been acquired in step S101, the product extraction unit 102 may acquire the user identification information for product extraction.

[0058] Next, the order receiving unit 103 receives an order for a product to be purchased by the user from among the extracted products (step S103).

[0059] Then, the delivery management unit 104 determines a delivery destination for the purchased product according to the determined attributes of the user (step S104). The delivery management unit 104 may also determine a delivery time.

[0060] This completes the series of operations of the sales support device 100.

[0061] The sales support device in the above-described embodiment includes a determination unit, a product extraction unit, an order receiving unit, and a delivery management unit. The determination unit determines whether a user's attribute is a hospital worker or a patient. The product extraction unit extracts products that the user can purchase based on the determined user's attribute. The order receiving unit receives an order for a product purchased by the user from among the extracted products. The delivery management unit determines a delivery destination for the product purchased by the user based on the determined user's attribute.

[0062] As a result, the sales support device in this embodiment can support sales in accordance with the characteristics of the hospital staff and patients who use the hospital store.

[0063] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Below, the description of the second embodiment will be omitted to the extent that it does not become unclear.

[0064] 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sales support device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition to the configuration of the first embodiment, the sales support device 200 of the second embodiment includes a payment unit 205 and a purchase history storage unit 206.

[0065] The payment unit 205 makes a payment for the purchased items accepted by the order acceptance unit 103. The payment unit 205 may perform facial authentication to make a payment using payment information associated with the user's identification information. For example, the payment unit 205 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 12 that prompts the user to operate the camera of the terminal device for facial authentication. The payment unit 205 then confirms the payment for the purchased items by authenticating the user using the captured facial image. The payment information is, for example, information on a registered credit card, electronic money, or code payment. By making a payment without using cash, the user who is a patient does not need to take out or put back in a wallet stored in a safe when using the hospital store. Furthermore, by making a payment without using cash, the user who is a hospital employee does not need to carry a wallet or go to retrieve a wallet when using the hospital store.

[0066] The purchase history storage unit 206 stores the purchase history of each user. The purchase history storage unit 206 may be realized as a configuration having a function of storing the purchase history in a storage unit of an external device communicably connected to the sales support device 200. By storing the purchase history, for example, the product extraction unit 102 can extract recommended products described in the first embodiment in a way that better suits the user's preferences.

[0067] The purchase history storage unit 206 may store the purchase history of a patient in association with the patient's medical record. For example, the purchase history storage unit 206 may write the purchase history in the patient's electronic medical record in the electronic medical record database. Alternatively, the purchase history storage unit 206 may write reference information such as a uniform resource locator (URL) for referencing the purchase history from the electronic medical record database. When the purchase history is updated, the purchase history storage unit 206 may display in the electronic medical record that the purchase history has been updated. Associating the purchase history with the electronic medical record allows doctors to obtain information related to the patient's health management.

[0068] Furthermore, the purchase history storage unit 206 may associate the purchase history with the electronic medical record when instructed by the patient or doctor. Furthermore, the purchase history storage unit 206 may associate the purchase history with the electronic medical record according to the patient's medical department or disease name.

[0069] The operation of the sales support device 200 configured as above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0070] Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the sales support device 200 in the second embodiment. In the flowchart of Fig. 13, the operation of the flowchart using Fig. 10 in the first embodiment included in the second embodiment will be described in the case where an acquisition unit included in the product extraction unit 102 acquires user identification information. Note that the processing according to this flowchart may be executed based on program control by a processor.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 13, first, the determination unit 101 determines whether the user's attribute is a patient or a hospital employee (step S201).

[0072] First, a case where the user attribute is determined to be a patient in step S201 will be described.

[0073] In step S201, if it is determined that the user attribute is a patient, and further, if the determination unit 101 has not acquired the user identification information, the product extraction unit 102 acquires patient information (step S202).

[0074] Next, the product extraction unit 102 extracts purchasable products based on the patient information (step S203).

[0075] Then, the order receiving unit 103 receives an order for a product to be purchased by the user from among the products extracted in step S203 (step S204).

[0076] Next, the delivery management unit 104 determines the delivery time based on the patient information (step S205).

[0077] Next, the delivery management unit 104 determines the delivery destination based on the patient information (step S206).

[0078] Next, the settlement unit 205 settles the payment for the purchased product by the user (step S207).

[0079] The purchase history storage unit 206 then stores the purchase history and associates the purchase history with the user's medical record (step S208).

[0080] This completes the series of operations performed by the sales support device 200 for the patient.

[0081] Next, a case where it is determined in step S201 that the user's attribute is a hospital employee will be described.

[0082] In step S201, if the user's attribute is determined to be a hospital employee, and if the determination unit 101 has not acquired the user's identification information, the product extraction unit 102 acquires the work information of the hospital employee (step S211).

[0083] Next, the product extraction unit 102 extracts purchasable products based on the work information of the hospital staff (step S212).

[0084] Then, the order receiving unit 103 receives an order for a product to be purchased by the user from among the products extracted in step S212 (step S213).

[0085] Next, the delivery management unit 104 determines the delivery time based on the work information of the hospital staff (step S214).

[0086] Next, the delivery management unit 104 determines the delivery destination based on the work information of the hospital staff (step S215).

[0087] Next, the delivery management unit 104 sets the delivery box at the delivery destination so that the user can unlock it (step S216).

[0088] Next, the settlement unit 205 settles the payment for the purchased product by the user (step S217).

[0089] Then, the purchase history storage unit 206 stores the purchase history (step S218).

[0090] This completes the series of operations of the sales support device 200. Note that this flowchart is an example of the operation of the sales support device 200, and the steps may be executed in a different order, or some steps may be executed in parallel. For example, step S205 and step S206 may be executed simultaneously.

[0091] The sales support device 200 in the above-described embodiment includes a determination unit, a product extraction unit, an order reception unit, a delivery management unit, a payment unit, and a purchase history storage unit. The determination unit determines whether the user's attribute is a hospital employee or a patient. The product extraction unit extracts products that the user can purchase according to the determined user's attribute. The order reception unit receives an order for a product purchased by the user from among the extracted products. The delivery management unit determines a delivery destination for the purchased product of the user according to the determined user's attribute. The payment unit performs payment for the purchased product. The purchase history storage unit stores the purchase history. If the user's attribute is a patient, the purchase history storage unit may associate the user's purchase history with the patient's electronic medical record.

[0092] As a result, the sales support device in this embodiment can support sales in accordance with the characteristics of the hospital staff and patients who use the hospital store.

[0093] [Hardware configuration] Some or all of the components of each device or system in each embodiment of the present disclosure described above are realized by any combination of an information processing device 1000 and a program, for example, as shown in Fig. 14. The information processing device 1000 includes, as an example, the following configuration.

[0094] ·CPU(Central Processing Unit)1001 ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 ·RAM(Random Access Memory)1003 Program 1004 loaded into RAM13 A storage device 1005 for storing the program 14 A drive device 1007 that reads and writes from and to the recording medium 1006 A communication I / F 1008 that connects to a communication network 1009 Input / output I / F 1010 for inputting and outputting data Bus 1011 connecting each component Note that I / F is an abbreviation for Interface.

[0095] Each component of each device or system in each embodiment is realized by CPU 1001 acquiring and executing a program that realizes the function of that component. The program that realizes the function of each component of each device is stored in storage device 1005 or RAM 1003 in advance, for example, and is read by CPU 1001 as needed. Note that program 1004 may be supplied to CPU 1001 via a communication network, or may be stored in recording medium 1006 in advance, and drive device 1007 may read the program and supply it to CPU 1001.

[0096] There are various variations in the method of realizing each device. For example, each device or system may be realized by any combination of a separate information processing device 1000 and a program for each component. Furthermore, multiple components included in each device may be realized by any combination of a single information processing device 1000 and a program.

[0097] Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device or system may be realized by general-purpose or dedicated circuits including a processor, etc., or a combination of these. These may be configured by a single chip, or by multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the above-mentioned circuits, etc., and a program.

[0098] When some or all of the components of each device or system are realized by multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc., the multiple information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be centrally or decentralized. For example, the information processing devices, circuits, etc. may be realized as a client-server system, a cloud computing system, or the like, in which they are connected via a communication network.

[0099] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

[0100] For example, the sales support device may be modified so that the payment unit 205 or the purchase history storage unit 206 is included in the sales support device 100 of the first embodiment.

[0101] Furthermore, although the operations are described in a sequential order in the form of a flowchart, the order of description does not limit the order in which the operations are performed. Therefore, when implementing each embodiment, the order of the operations may be changed as long as it does not affect the content. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 100 Sales support equipment 101 Judgment section 102 Product extraction section 103 Order Reception Department 104 Delivery Management Department 200 Sales support equipment 205 Payment Department 206 Purchase history memory section 1000 Information Processing Device 1001 CPU 1002 ROM 1003 RAM 1004 Program 1005 Storage device 1006 Recording media 1007 Drive device 1008 Communication I / F 1009 Communication Network 1010 Input / Output Interface 1011 Bus

Claims

1. A determination means for determining whether the user's attribute is a hospital employee or a patient; a product extraction means for extracting products that can be purchased by the user according to the user attributes determined by the determination means; order receiving means for receiving an order for a purchase product from the user among the extracted products; a delivery management means for determining a delivery destination of the purchased product of the user in accordance with the attribute of the user determined by the determination means; A sales support device for a hospital shop.

2. When the attribute of the user is determined to be the hospital employee, the delivery management means determines the delivery destination of the purchased item to be a delivery box corresponding to the workplace of the hospital employee who ordered the purchased item, and when the attribute of the user is determined to be a patient, the delivery destination of the purchased item to be the location of the patient who ordered the purchased item. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 1.

3. When the determination means determines that the user's attribute is the hospital employee, the delivery management means sets the delivery box to which the purchased item is delivered to be unlocked by face authentication of the hospital employee who purchased the item. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 2.

4. When the determining means determines that the user's attribute is the hospital worker, the product extracting means extracts the product placed in the delivery box as a recommended product.

4. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The location of the patient is the patient's bed 5. A sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 2.

6. When the determining means determines that the user's attribute is a hospital employee, the product extracting means extracts purchasable products based on the work information or purchase history of the hospital employee.

6. A sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 1.

7. When the determining means determines that the user's attribute is the patient, the product extracting means extracts products that the user can purchase based on patient information of the patient, which includes at least one of allergies, medications, and dietary restrictions.

7. A sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 1.

8. When the determining means determines that the user's attribute is the patient, the product extracting means extracts products that the user can purchase in accordance with changes in the patient information. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 7.

9. The delivery management means determines a delivery time according to the attributes of the user.

9. A sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 1.

10. When the determining means determines that the attribute of the user is the hospital employee, the delivery management means determines a delivery time according to the working hours of the hospital employee who purchased the product. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 9.

11. When the determining means determines that the user's attribute is the patient, the delivery management means determines a delivery time according to the patient's schedule. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to claim 9 or 10.

12. The system further comprises a purchase history storage means for storing the purchase history of the user, The purchase history storage means stores the purchase history of the patient in association with the medical record. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The system further includes a payment unit that performs payment for the purchased product accepted by the order acceptance unit based on the face authentication of the user. The sales support device for a hospital shop according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The computer determining whether the user is a hospital worker or a patient; extracting products that can be purchased by the user according to the determined attributes of the user; Accepting an order for a product to be purchased by the user from among the extracted products; A delivery destination of the purchased product of the user is determined according to the determined attribute of the user. How to support sales at hospital stores.

15. A process of determining whether the user's attribute is a hospital worker or a patient; extracting products that can be purchased by the user according to the determined attributes of the user; A process of accepting an order for a purchase product from the user among the extracted products; A process of determining a delivery destination of the purchased product of the user according to the determined attributes of the user; A sales support program for hospital stores that runs on a computer.

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