Beverage dispensing system and beverage dispensing management device

Abstract

To provide a bottle-keep service with the providing price for each beverage providing facility being taken into consideration.SOLUTION: A beverage providing system that provides a beverage purchased by a user in the unit of a bottle to the user through a beverage providing device 50 includes the beverage providing device 50 and a managing server (a managing device) 10. The beverage providing device includes: a beverage providing unit that provides the beverage; and a notifying unit that notifies the managing device of information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage providing unit. The managing server 10 includes: a purchased bottle information retaining unit 23 that retains information relating to the price of the beverage per unit amount when the bottle is purchased which is purchased by the user, and information relating to the remaining amount; a facility information retaining unit 22 that retains facility information containing information relating to the provided price of the beverage per unit amount for each beverage providing facility; and an updating unit that updates information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottle retained in the purchased bottle information retaining unit on the basis of information relating to the beverage provided to the user and of the pieces of information described above.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a beverage providing system.

Background Art

[0002] For example, bottle keeping is known as a service provided at restaurants and the like that provide alcoholic beverages. As a method of utilizing bottle keeping, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for utilizing the bottle keeping service for food and beverages other than alcoholic beverages provided in bottles. Further, Patent Document 1 also discloses consuming keep target food and beverages at a plurality of stores.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, even for the same beverage, the offering price may vary depending on the store. The same applies to beverages purchased in bottles, and the offering price may vary depending on the store. However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, the fact that the offering price for each store may be different is not considered, so there is room for improvement in the operation of keep target items between stores with different price ranges.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a technology capable of providing a bottle keeping service in consideration of the offering price for each beverage providing facility.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, a beverage supply system according to one form of the present disclosure is a beverage supply system that provides beverages purchased by a user in bottle units to a user via a beverage supply device installed in a beverage supply facility, comprising: a beverage supply device and a management device for managing the beverage supply status of the beverage supply device, wherein the beverage supply device comprises: a beverage supply unit that provides beverages corresponding to bottles purchased by the user based on a request from the user; and a notification unit that notifies the management device of information relating to the beverages provided to the user by the beverage supply unit, and the management device for bottles purchased by the user The system includes: a purchased bottle information holding unit that holds purchased bottle information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles; a facility information holding unit that holds facility information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at each beverage supply facility; and an update unit that updates the information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit based on information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage supply unit, information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase and information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at each beverage supply facility.

[0007] According to the beverage supply system described above, users can receive beverages corresponding to their purchased bottles using beverage supply devices installed at beverage supply facilities. Meanwhile, the management device updates information on the remaining amount of purchased bottles, which is stored in the purchased bottle information storage unit, based on information about the beverages provided to the user by the beverage supply unit, information about the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase, and information about the price of the beverage per unit volume for each beverage supply facility, which is stored in the facility information storage unit. In this way, the beverage supply system updates information on the remaining amount of purchased bottles, taking into account the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase and the price of the beverage per unit volume at the beverage supply facility. Therefore, even if the price of the beverage at the beverage supply facility differs from the price at the time of purchase, the remaining amount is properly managed. Accordingly, according to the beverage supply system described above, it is possible to provide a bottle-keeping service that takes into account the price of the beverage at each beverage supply facility.

[0008] The present invention further includes a user terminal possessed by the user, the user terminal having a request unit that requests the beverage dispenser to provide a beverage corresponding to a bottle purchased by the user, and the beverage dispenser's beverage dispenser may provide the beverage based on the request for the beverage from the user terminal.

[0009] With the above configuration, users can request beverages from the beverage dispenser using their user terminal. Therefore, beverage facilities can more easily provide users with beverages in bottles they have already purchased.

[0010] The management device further includes a user terminal owned by the user, and when the management device detects that the user has visited a specific beverage supply facility, it includes a remaining amount information creation unit that creates information relating to the remaining amount of beverage corresponding to the purchased bottles that the user can consume at the facility visited by the user, based on the purchased bottle information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit and the information held in the facility information holding unit, and a remaining amount information transmission unit that transmits the information created by the remaining amount information creation unit to the user terminal, and the user terminal may also include a notification unit that notifies the user that the user has visited a specific beverage supply facility, and a display unit that displays information relating to the remaining amount of beverage corresponding to the purchased bottles that the user can consume at the specific beverage supply facility, based on the information transmitted from the remaining amount information transmission unit.

[0011] With the above configuration, when a user visits a specific beverage facility, the user terminal detects this and notifies the management device. Meanwhile, the management device creates information about the remaining amount of beverage in the purchased bottle that the user can consume at the beverage facility visited by the user, and sends this information to the user terminal. The user terminal then displays the information sent from the management device. As a result, the user can understand the amount of beverage that can be consumed at the beverage facility they visited. Therefore, the user can use the bottle-keeping service while considering the beverage prices at each beverage facility, thus increasing convenience for the user.

[0012] The management device may further include a visit history information holding unit that holds visit history information relating to beverage facilities visited by the user, and a public relations information processing unit that transmits public relations information to a specific user extracted based on the visit history information held in the visit history information holding unit.

[0013] With the above configuration, it becomes possible to provide public relations information based on the user's visit history to beverage facilities. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to provide public relations information related to a specific beverage facility to more appropriate users, thus enabling the provision of public relations information with greater accuracy.

[0014] The management device may further include a purchase history information holding unit that holds purchase history information relating to the history of bottle purchases for each user, and a preferential information processing unit that transmits preferential information to a specific user extracted based on the purchase history information held in the purchase history information holding unit.

[0015] With the above configuration, it becomes possible to provide preferential information based on the user's bottle purchase history. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to provide more useful information to users who purchase a large volume of bottles, and thus preferential information can be provided with greater accuracy based on the user's bottle purchase history.

[0016] The beverage dispensing device may also have a beverage placement section to which a packaged beverage filled in a paper carton can be attached, and a nozzle attached to the beverage placement section that can dispense the beverage from the packaged beverage into a container.

[0017] Conventional beverage dispensers typically either have the beverage container built into the device itself, or they require the attachment of bottled beverages. The former often poses a challenge in terms of cleaning when changing the type of beverage, while the latter is prone to breakage, leaving room for improvement in handling. In contrast, the configuration described above, which allows for the direct attachment of packaged beverages filled in paper cartons, improves the handling of packaged beverages and simplifies device cleaning. Furthermore, it enables the provision of bottle-keeping services with a more environmentally friendly design compared to glass or plastic bottles.

[0018] A beverage supply system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a beverage supply system that provides beverages purchased by a user in bottle units to a user via a beverage supply device installed in a beverage supply facility, comprising: a beverage supply device; and a management device for managing the beverage supply status in the beverage supply device, wherein the beverage supply device comprises: a notification unit for notifying the management device of information relating to the beverages provided to the user; the management device comprises: a purchased bottle information holding unit for holding purchased bottle information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles for the bottles purchased by the user; a facility information holding unit for holding facility information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage supply facility; and an update unit for updating information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit, based on information relating to the beverages provided to the user, information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase, and information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage supply facility.

[0019] According to the beverage supply system described above, users can receive beverages corresponding to their purchased bottles using beverage dispensers installed at beverage supply facilities. Meanwhile, the management device updates information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles, which is stored in the purchased bottle information storage unit, based on information about the beverages provided to the user, information about the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase, and information about the price of the beverage per unit volume at each beverage supply facility, which is stored in the facility information storage unit. In this way, the beverage supply system updates information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles, taking into account the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase and the price of the beverage per unit volume at the beverage supply facility. Therefore, even if the price of the beverage at the beverage supply facility differs from the price at the time of purchase, the remaining amount is properly managed. Consequently, the beverage supply system described above makes it possible to provide a bottle-keeping service that takes into account the price of the beverage at each beverage supply facility.

[0020] Here, the beverage dispensing device may have a beverage dispensing unit that provides a beverage corresponding to a bottle purchased by the user based on a request from the user, and the notification unit may be configured to notify the management device of information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage dispensing unit.

[0021] In this case, the beverage dispensing unit of the beverage dispenser can provide beverages corresponding to purchased bottles based on user requests. Furthermore, when the beverage dispensing unit provides beverages to the user, information regarding the beverages provided to the user is notified to the management unit, allowing the dispenser to appropriately notify the management unit of beverage dispensing information.

[0022] A beverage supply management device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a beverage supply management device that manages the supply status of beverages purchased by a user in bottle units via a beverage supply device installed in a beverage supply facility, wherein the management device may include: a purchased bottle information holding unit that holds purchased bottle information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles for the bottles purchased by the user; a facility information holding unit that holds facility information including information relating to the supply price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage supply facility; and an update unit that updates the information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit based on information relating to the beverage provided to the user notified by the beverage supply device, information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase and information relating to the supply price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage supply facility.

[0023] Furthermore, a beverage dispensing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is installed in a beverage dispensing facility and provides to a user a beverage purchased in bottle units, and the beverage dispensing device may include a beverage dispensing unit that provides a beverage corresponding to a bottle purchased by the user based on a request from the user, and a notification unit that notifies a management device of information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage dispensing unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present disclosure, a technology capable of providing a bottle keeping service in consideration of the offering price for each beverage offering facility is provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a beverage offering system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a functional configuration of the beverage offering system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a functional configuration of a beverage offering facility in the beverage offering system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information held in the user information holding unit. [Figure 5] FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b) are diagrams showing an example of information held in the facility information holding unit. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of information held in the publicity information holding unit 2. [Figure 8] FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b) are schematic diagrams for explaining a beverage offering device. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of information held in the beverage information holding unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the hardware configurations of a management server, a facility management terminal, a beverage offering device, and a user terminal. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure in the beverage offering system. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure in the beverage offering system. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram for explaining a processing procedure in the beverage offering system.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] The embodiments for implementing this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements will be denoted by the same reference numeral, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0027] [Overview of the Beverage Serving System] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a beverage supply system according to one embodiment. The beverage supply system 1 is a system that allows users of this system to purchase beverages in bottles in advance, similar to the so-called bottle-keeping system performed in restaurants. Furthermore, with the beverage supply system 1, users can purchase beverages corresponding to their purchased bottles at any facility that participates in this system and provides beverages corresponding to the bottles they have purchased. In addition, the beverage supply system 1 can individually set the price offered to users depending on the facility they visit, taking into account that beverage prices differ from facility to facility.

[0028] In the following embodiments, it is assumed that a "bottle-keeping service" is in place, and that users purchase beverages in "bottle" units. Bottle keeping is a well-known style of serving alcoholic beverages in restaurants. Specifically, bottle keeping involves purchasing beverages in bottle units in advance, and then consuming the purchased bottles when visiting a restaurant that serves beverages. In this embodiment, "bottle" refers to the unit of beverage that the user purchases in advance. The unit of "bottle" can be set according to the type of beverage and is not particularly limited, but it can generally be set to be larger than the amount of beverage served at a restaurant. Therefore, if a user purchases a beverage in "bottle" units, the user can drink the beverage in that bottle multiple times (glasses).

[0029] Figure 1 shows the beverage supply system 1, which consists of a management server 10 (management device, beverage supply management device), two beverage supply facilities 30, which consist of stores A and B, and a user terminal 70.

[0030] The management server 10 has the function of managing beverage purchases by users in bottle units. The management server 10 is connected to the beverage supply facility 30 and the user terminal 70 so as to be able to communicate with each other.Therefore, various information is obtained by sending and receiving information between the management server 10, the beverage supply facility 30 and the user terminal 70.When a user who possesses a user terminal 70 visits the beverage supply facility 30, the management server 10 sends information about the purchased bottles to the user terminal 70 and displays it on the user terminal 70, thereby providing the user with information about the purchased bottles.

[0031] Meanwhile, the beverage service facility 30 is equipped with beverage dispensers 50 for dispensing beverages purchased in bottle units. The beverage dispensers 50 are connected to user terminals 70 held by users, enabling communication. When a user enters a purchase instruction on the user terminal 70, the user terminal 70 transmits the purchase instruction to the beverage dispensers 50. Upon receiving the purchase instruction, the beverage dispensers 50 can dispense a predetermined amount of beverage based on the instruction. By attaching a paper carton beverage M, which contains the beverage, to the beverage dispensers 50, the beverage can be dispensed into containers G such as beer mugs or glass cups. The beverage dispensers 50 identify the type of beverage they are dispensing and notify the management server 10, as well as transmit information related to beverage provision based on instructions from the user terminals 70 to the management server 10. Therefore, the management server 10 is able to understand how the beverage dispensers 50 installed in the beverage service facility 30 are operating.

[0032] In addition to the beverage dispensing device 50, the beverage dispensing facility 30 may be equipped with a facility management terminal 40 for transmitting information to the management server 10 (see Figure 2). The facility management terminal 40 has the function of notifying the management server 10 of information when a user purchases beverages in bottle units, and is also used to notify user terminals 70 of public relations information (campaign announcements, etc.) via the management server 10. This will be discussed later.

[0033] The user terminal 70 is a terminal device carried by the user, such as a smartphone or tablet. The user can use the user terminal 70 to check the purchase history of bottles, the consumption status of beverages in the bottles, etc., and can also instruct the beverage dispensing device 50 to prepare a specified beverage.

[0034] Figure 1 illustrates a scenario where a user with a user terminal 70 visits both store A and store B. Stores A and B offer different beverages, and the price of the same beverage (here, "Beverage 1") differs between them. This is because the bottle price varies from store to store (facility). When the user visits store A, the user terminal 70 displays the amount of beverage the user can consume (e.g., "3 remaining") based on the price at store A. If store A also offers beverage 2, the amount of beverage 2 the user can consume (e.g., "1 remaining") is also displayed. On the other hand, when the user visits user terminal 70, the user terminal 70 displays the amount of beverage the user can consume (e.g., "4 remaining" for beverage 1, "2 remaining" for beverage 2), based on the beverages and prices offered at store B. This is achieved by the management server 10 managing this information regarding the beverage availability at each store A and B, and providing appropriate information according to the store visited by the user terminal 70. In the following embodiment, a beverage supply system 1 capable of realizing the above-described service will be explained.

[0035] [Beverage serving system] The components of the beverage supply system 1 will be further explained with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the management server 10 and user terminal 70, which are included in the beverage supply system 1, along with the beverage supply facility 30 (facility management terminal 40, beverage supply device 50). Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the functional configuration of the facility management terminal 40 and beverage supply device 50 in the beverage supply facility 30.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the management server 10 is composed of a user information acquisition unit 11, a facility information acquisition unit 12, a purchased bottle information processing unit 13 (update unit), a public relations information processing unit 14 (public relations information processing unit, special offer information processing unit), a visitor information acquisition unit 15, a provision information preparation unit 16 (remaining amount information creation unit), and an information transmission unit 17 (remaining amount information transmission unit). The management server 10 is also composed of a database including a user information storage unit 21 (visit history information storage unit, purchase history information storage unit), a facility information storage unit 22, a purchased bottle information storage unit 23, and a public relations information storage unit 24.

[0037] The user information acquisition unit 11 has the function of acquiring information for each user through communication with the user terminal 70. In the beverage supply system 1, users who use the system are managed individually, and information is sent individually to the user terminal 70 for each user. Therefore, the management server 10 acquires information related to each user. The user information acquisition unit 11 may also have the function of performing user registration processing in the system. The information acquired by the user information acquisition unit 11 is stored in the user information storage unit 21.

[0038] Figure 4 shows an example of information (user information) held in the user information holding unit 21. In Figure 4, the user's name, contact information (email address), user registration date, bottle purchase history (purchase history information), visited facilities (facility ID) (visit history information), and the main facilities (facility ID) that the user primarily visits are associated with the user identification information (user ID). When a user is first registered, their name, contact information, registration date, etc. are obtained. Furthermore, when the user purchases a bottle or visits a beverage supply facility 30, information such as the bottle purchase history, visited stores (store ID), and main stores (store ID) is updated. In addition to information that identifies the visited stores, the number of visits may also be recorded as visit history information. In addition to the information shown in Figure 4, location information related to the user, such as the user's address and the user's workplace address, may also be held as user information.

[0039] The facility information acquisition unit 12 has the function of acquiring information for each facility through communication with the beverage supply facilities 30. The beverage supply system 1 may manage the beverages that can be provided for each beverage supply facility. In addition, information related to the beverage supply devices 50 managed at the beverage supply facilities 30 is also managed by the beverage supply system 1. Therefore, the management server 10 acquires information related to each facility. The facility information acquisition unit 12 may also have the function of performing registration processing for the beverage supply facilities 30 in the system. The information acquired by the facility information acquisition unit 12 is stored in the facility information storage unit 22.

[0040] Examples of information (facility information) held in the facility information holding unit 22 are shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Figure 5(a) shows information relating to the beverage serving facility 30 itself, and Figure 5(b) shows information relating to the beverage serving device 50 installed in the facility.

[0041] As shown in Figure 5(a), information relating to the beverage supply facility 30 itself includes facility name, address, applicable price list, incentives, etc., associated with facility identification information (facility ID). Of these, the applicable price list is information that specifies the fees (bottle price and beverage supply price) that apply when a bottle is purchased or consumed at the facility. The bottle price and beverage supply price may be determined individually for each facility, or they may be set from several predetermined price lists, as shown in the example in Figure 5(a). Incentives are information that specifies the compensation paid to the facility when a user purchases or consumes a bottle at the facility. Specifically, for example, incentives (a percentage of the price returned) may be set for when a bottle is purchased and when the beverage is consumed from the bottle.

[0042] As shown in Figure 5(b), the information related to the beverage dispensing device 50 is associated with information that identifies the device (device ID), the facility ID of the installation facility, the beverage provided (the beverage offered by the device), the remaining amount, and the date the beverage was installed. Of these, the remaining amount of beverage refers to the amount of beverage remaining in the beverage bottle attached to the beverage dispensing device 50. The beverage dispensing device 50 will be described later, but the beverage bottle is prepared in a paper carton of a predetermined size. By attaching this paper carton to the beverage dispensing device 50, the beverage inside the paper carton becomes available for dispensing. The remaining amount is information indicating the amount of beverage in the paper carton attached to the beverage dispensing device 50. The date the beverage was installed is the date the paper carton currently attached to the beverage dispensing device 50 was installed.

[0043] The purchased bottle information processing unit 13 has the function of acquiring and managing information about bottles purchased by the user. Furthermore, the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 also has the function of acquiring and managing the consumption status of beverages related to bottles purchased by the user, as well as the remaining amount. The information acquired by the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 is stored in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23.

[0044] Figure 6 shows an example of the information (purchased bottle information) stored in the purchased bottle information storage unit 23. As shown in Figure 6, the information related to the purchased bottle is associated with bottle identification information (bottle ID), and includes the type of beverage, user (user ID), purchase price, unit price per ml of beverage (unit price per ml), remaining amount, and purchase date. Of these, the user is information that identifies the user who is allowed to consume the bottle. This information assumes the possibility of consumption by multiple users, not just the user who purchased the bottle. The user may be changed from the purchasing user. The unit price per ml is calculated based on the purchase price at the time the bottle was purchased. The information regarding the unit price per ml of beverage is used when consuming the beverage in the purchased bottle. The remaining amount is information that indicates the amount of beverage before consumption. The remaining amount may also be expressed as a balance indicating the amount of money corresponding to the amount of beverage. The purchase date may be used, for example, when setting an expiration date for the purchased bottle.

[0045] The public relations information processing unit 14 primarily has the function of acquiring public relations information that beverage facilities 30 wish to provide to users from beverage facilities 30 and other sources, and transmitting it to specific users. The information acquired by the public relations information processing unit 14 is stored in the public relations information storage unit 24.

[0046] Figure 7 shows an example of information related to public relations (public relations information) held in the public relations information holding unit 24. As shown in Figure 7, the information related to public relations is associated with information that identifies the public relations data (public relations data ID), and the registrant of the data (facility ID, etc.), the recipient, the timing of transmission, the content of transmission, etc. Of these, the recipient is information that identifies the user to whom the public relations data will be sent, and is set based on information held in the management server 10. As an example, the recipient may be identified based on the facilities the user has visited, the type of beverage the user has purchased in a bottle, etc. The timing of transmission is the timing at which the public relations data is sent to the recipient. The content of transmission is the content of the public relations that is actually sent to the user terminal 70. Various types of public relations content can be sent from the management server 10 to the user terminal 70, such as campaign announcements, new facility opening announcements, and facility closure information. Furthermore, as a type of public relations information, as indicated in the information with public relations ID P003, it may include preferential information offered to users whose bottle usage history (purchase history) meets predetermined conditions. For example, it may include various types of preferential information such as preferential information on new products and purchase information at preferential prices. The public relations information holding unit 24 has the function of comprehensively managing this information.

[0047] The visitor information acquisition unit 15 acquires information relating to a user's visit to a specific facility. For example, the user terminal 70 may operate the user terminal 70 and perform an action that identifies that the user has visited a specific beverage service facility 30 (for example, by reading a code set for each facility, or by performing a check-in action within the application on the user terminal 70), thereby notifying the management server 10 that the user is staying at the facility. Alternatively, the application on the user terminal 70 may acquire the location information of the user terminal 70 (for example, location information including latitude and longitude from GPS), and using the location information of a specific facility (for example, latitude and longitude corresponding to the facility's location information), compare the latitude and longitude corresponding to the facility's location information with the latitude and longitude corresponding to the user terminal 70's location information to detect that the user terminal 70 has stopped by the facility. When the application detects that the user terminal 70 has moved to a specific facility, the user terminal 70 may notify the management server 10 of this information. It should also be noted that the facility may be aware that a user possessing the user terminal 70 has visited a specific facility. For example, the facility could read a code or other information set for each user terminal 70 to determine when the owner of the user terminal 70 has arrived at the facility and notify the management server 10.

[0048] The Information Provision Preparation Unit 16 has the function of preparing information to be provided to the user terminal 70 based on information that identifies a user possessing the user terminal 70 has visited a specific facility. The information to be provided to the user terminal 70 may, for example, be information that identifies the beverages the user can drink at the facility and the quantity thereof. This information is prepared by combining information related to the user's purchased bottles and information about the beverages provided at the facility the user visited. Furthermore, when the user consumes the beverage from the purchased bottle at the beverage provision facility 30, and the management server 10 becomes aware of this information, the Information Provision Preparation Unit 16 prepares information to be sent to the user terminal 70 in order to change the information displayed on the user terminal 70. Details of the processing in the Information Provision Preparation Unit 16 will be described later.

[0049] The information transmission unit 17 has the function of transmitting the information prepared in the information provision preparation unit 16 to the user terminal 70.

[0050] In the example shown in Figure 2, the management server 10 does not have a function related to the exchange of money with the beverage supply facility 30, but the management server 10 may further have a function to manage the exchange of money that arises in connection with the user's purchase of bottles and the user's consumption of the bottled beverages. Furthermore, if the user can purchase bottles directly by operating the user terminal 70 without going through a specific beverage supply facility 30, the management server 10 may also have a function related to the payment processing that arises in connection with the user's purchase of bottles.

[0051] Next, the user terminal 70 will be described. As mentioned above, the user terminal 70 is a terminal used by the user, and it is capable of outputting (for example, displaying) information to the user, as well as having the function of notifying the management server 10 of information entered by the user.

[0052] The user terminal 70 has a communication unit 71 (notification unit) and an application 72 (request unit, display unit). The communication unit 71 has the function of sending and receiving information between the management server 10 and the beverage dispensing device 50 of the beverage dispensing facility 30. The application 72 is software for using the services provided by the beverage dispensing system 1 on the user terminal 70. By using the application 72, the user can refer to various information provided by the beverage dispensing system 1 and give instructions regarding the use of the beverage dispensing facility 30. The application 72 may be software specifically designed for using the services provided by the beverage dispensing system 1. Also, if the user can use the services provided by the beverage dispensing system 1 via, for example, a web browser, the application 72 may be a web browser or the like. Thus, the application 72 has the function of a display unit that presents information obtained from the management server 10 to the user.

[0053] Next, with reference to Figure 3, the facility management terminal 40 and beverage dispensing device 50 installed in the beverage dispensing facility 30 will be described.

[0054] The facility management terminal 40 is comprised of, for example, a tablet terminal and is operated by beverage providers at the beverage service facility 30. The facility management terminal 40 is comprised of, for example, a transmission information creation unit 41 and a transmission unit 42.

[0055] The information creation unit 41 has the function of creating information to be sent to the management server 10. The information to be sent to the management server 10 includes information about the beverage supply facility 30, information about bottles purchased by users at the facility, and public relations data to be sent to users.

[0056] The transmission unit 42 has the function of transmitting the information created in the transmission information creation unit 41 to the management server 10.

[0057] The beverage dispensing device 50 is capable of attaching paper carton beverages and dispensing a predetermined amount of beverage based on instructions from the user terminal 70. Figures 8(a) and 8(b) schematically show an example of the beverage dispensing device 50. The beverage dispensing device 50 includes a main body 60, a beverage placement section 61, a dispensing nozzle 63, a water tank 64, an ice tank 65, a touch panel 66, and a transmitting / receiving unit 67.

[0058] The main body 60 is a rectangular prism-shaped housing. The upper part of the main body 60 is provided with a beverage installation section 61, which is an opening into which a paper carton beverage can be attached. The paper carton beverage M is attached to the beverage dispensing device 50, for example, with the spout facing downwards (see Figure 1). As shown in Figure 8(b), to facilitate the installation of the paper carton beverage M into the beverage installation section 61, the beverage installation section 61 may have an opening / closing section 62 that can be opened and closed while forming one of the walls of the opening. In the example shown in Figure 8(b), the opening / closing section 62 can be switched between an open state and a closed state by rotating around a horizontally extending pivot shaft attached below the beverage installation section 61. The beverage dispensing device 50 may be able to accommodate one paper carton beverage M, or it may be able to accommodate two or more paper carton beverages M. The arrangement of the beverage installation section 61 and other components may be changed according to the number of paper carton beverages M to be attached.

[0059] The main body 60 is equipped with a dispensing nozzle 63 that dispenses a predetermined amount of beverage from the paper carton based on instructions from the user terminal 70. The amount dispensed from the dispensing nozzle 63 can be adjusted by an internal quantitative dispensing mechanism or the like. A mounting platform 63a for placing the container may be provided below the dispensing nozzle 63.

[0060] Below the main body 60 are a water tank 64 and an ice tank 65. The water tank 64 is a tank for storing drinking water, for example, to adjust the concentration of the beverage dispensed into the container. The water tank 64 may be equipped with a discharge nozzle (not shown). The ice tank 65 is a tank for storing ice, for example, to be put into the container. The ice tank 65 may be equipped with an openable and closable window, allowing the ice inside to be removed by opening the window.

[0061] Furthermore, the main unit 60 may be provided with a touch panel 66 and a transmitting / receiving unit 67. The touch panel 66 may be used, for example, to set the operation of the beverage dispensing device 50. Also, for example, if the device is set up so that the user can directly operate the beverage dispensing device 50 to dispense beverages, the touch panel 66 may be used to receive user input and dispense beverages. Furthermore, when the beverage dispensing device 50 dispenses beverages, the touch panel 66 may have functions such as displaying the types of beverages that can be dispensed and displaying the content of the received instructions. The transmitting / receiving unit 67 has a function for sending and receiving information with the user terminal 70, for example, by short-range wireless communication.

[0062] Next, with reference to Figure 3, we will explain the functional configuration of the beverage dispensing device 50, which dispenses beverages from paper cartons based on instructions from the user terminal 70 as described above, and notifies the management server 10 that a predetermined amount of beverage has been consumed from the user's purchased bottle.

[0063] As shown in Figure 3, the beverage dispensing device 50 is composed of a beverage identification unit 51, a dispensing request acquisition unit 52, a beverage dispensing unit 53, a dispensing result notification unit 54, and a beverage information holding unit 55.

[0064] The beverage identification unit 51 has the function of identifying the beverage placed in the beverage dispenser 61. If the packaging design, identification code, etc. differ depending on the type of beverage, the beverage identification unit 51 can use these to identify which beverage has been placed in the beverage dispenser 61. For example, the beverage identification unit 51 may be configured to read the identification code displayed in a predetermined location on the beverage packaging and identify the type of beverage placed in its device based on the reading result. The identification result from the beverage identification unit 51 may also be notified to the management server 10. With such a configuration, the management server 10 can also know which beverages are available for each beverage dispensing device 50.

[0065] The beverage request acquisition unit 52 has the function of acquiring beverage provision requests transmitted from the user terminal 70.

[0066] The beverage supply unit 53 instructs each part of the beverage supply device 50 to execute processing to supply a beverage based on the beverage supply request from the user terminal 70 acquired by the supply request acquisition unit 52. The beverage supply unit 53 may also control the touch panel 66 to display information related to the beverage on the touch panel 66 as needed. The beverage supply unit 53 may also instruct the beverage supply operation based on the information held in the beverage information holding unit 55.

[0067] The provision result notification unit 54 notifies the management server 10 that it has provided a beverage based on a request from the user terminal 70. By transmitting information regarding beverage provision from the beverage dispensing device 50 to the management server 10, the management server 10 can update information such as the amount of beverage consumed and remaining in the bottle purchased by the user, and the remaining amount of beverage installed in the beverage dispensing device 50.

[0068] The beverage information storage unit 55 has the function of storing information about beverages handled by the beverage dispensing device 50. Figure 9 shows an example of the information stored in the beverage information storage unit 55. In the example shown in Figure 9, information used to identify the beverage pack (identification information), remarks, etc. are associated with each type of beverage. In the example shown in Figure 9, the beverage dispensing device 50 identifies the type of packaged beverage by reading the identification code of the packaged beverage. In this case, the identification code set for each type of beverage is stored as identification information. If identification is made by the image on the packaged beverage, information that identifies the characteristics of the image (color, design, etc.) may also be stored as identification information. In addition, information that should be noted regarding the beverage may be stored as remarks. For example, if the amount of a particular beverage (in this case, beverage 1) provided in the container is different from other beverages, information that identifies the amount provided per serving may be stored as remarks. Also, for beverages that require temperature control, information related to the temperature to be adjusted may be stored. In this way, the beverage information storage unit 55 may store various types of information that differ depending on the type of beverage.

[0069] [Hardware configuration of management server, facility management terminal, beverage dispensing equipment, and user terminal] Figure 10 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer 110 used in a management server 10, a facility management terminal 40, a beverage dispensing device 50, and a user terminal 70. For example, the computer 110 has a control circuit 100. In one example, the control circuit 100 has one or more processors 101, a memory 102, storage 103, a communication port 104, and an input / output port 105. The processor 101 executes the operating system and application programs. The storage 103 consists of a storage medium such as a hard disk, non-volatile semiconductor memory, or a removable medium (e.g., magnetic disk, optical disk, etc.) and stores the operating system and application programs. The memory 102 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage 103 or the results of calculations performed by the processor 101. The processor 101 functions as an individual functional module by executing programs in cooperation with the memory 102. The communication port 104 communicates data with other devices via a communication network NW according to commands from the processor 101. The input / output port 105 performs electrical signal input and output to and from input / output devices (user interfaces) such as keyboards, mice, monitors, and touch panels, in accordance with commands from the processor 101.

[0070] The storage device 103 stores a program 120 that causes the computer 110 to function as one of the aforementioned devices, such as the management server 10. The processor 101 executes this program 120, thereby realizing each functional module of the aforementioned devices, such as the management server 10. The program 120 may be provided permanently recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or semiconductor memory. Alternatively, the program 120 may be provided via a communication network as a data signal superimposed on a carrier wave.

[0071] The above-mentioned devices, such as the management server 10, may be composed of one or more computers 110. In particular, it is assumed that the management server 10 may be composed of multiple computers 110. When the management server 10 etc. is composed of multiple computers 110, the multiple computers 110 may be distributed, and they may be connected to each other via a communication network NW. In this way, when the management server 10 etc. uses multiple computers 110, these computers 110 are connected to each other via a communication network NW, thereby logically forming one management server 10 etc. The computers 110 that function as the management server 10 etc. are not limited. For example, the management server 10 etc. may be composed of a large computer 110, or it may be composed of a small computer 110 such as a personal computer.

[0072] The program for causing the computer 110 to function as a management server 10 includes, for example, a function to store purchased bottle information, which includes information relating to the price per unit of beverage at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles, for bottles purchased by the user; a function to store facility information, which includes information relating to the price per unit of beverage provided at each beverage provision facility; and a function to update the information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles, which is stored in the purchased bottle information storage unit, based on the amount of beverage provided at the beverage provision facility, the information relating to the price per unit of beverage at the time of purchase, and the information relating to the price per unit of beverage provided.

[0073] [How the beverage dispensing system works] Next, with reference to Figures 11 to 13, the operation method, including the beverage dispensing method, of the beverage dispensing system 1 will be described.

[0074] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the procedures for preparing users and beverage service facilities. Regarding user registration, first, the user operates the user terminal 70 to start the user registration process (step S01). As an example, the user uses the application 72 related to the beverage service system 1 to input the information necessary for user registration. The information entered by the user is transmitted from the user terminal 70 to the management server 10 and acquired by the user information acquisition unit 11 of the management server 10. Furthermore, authentication processing necessary for user registration is performed between the user terminal 70 and the user information acquisition unit 11 of the management server 10 (step S02). As a result, the management server 10 updates the information held in the user information retention unit 21 after the user registration is completed (step S03). As a result of user registration, the user is assigned a user ID.

[0075] Almost the same process is followed for the registration of the beverage supply facility 30. First, the beverage supply facility 30 operates the facility management terminal 40 to start the facility registration process (step S04). The information created in the transmission information creation unit 41 of the facility management terminal 40 is transmitted from the transmission unit 42 of the facility management terminal 40 to the management server 10 and acquired by the facility information acquisition unit 12 of the management server 10 (step S05). Furthermore, if a beverage is placed in the beverage supply device 50 installed in the beverage supply facility 30 (step S06), information related to the beverage identified in the beverage identification unit 51 of the beverage supply device 50 is transmitted from the beverage supply device 50 to the management server 10 (step S07). Based on this information, the facility information acquisition unit 12 of the management server 10 updates the information held in the facility information holding unit 22 (step S08). As a result of the registration of the beverage supply facility 30, a facility ID is assigned to the beverage supply facility and a device ID is assigned to the beverage supply device 50. Furthermore, the management server 10 stores information indicating which beverage dispensing device 50 is located in which beverage dispensing facility 30, as well as information regarding the beverages that can be provided by each beverage dispensing device 50.

[0076] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure when a user purchases a bottle at a beverage facility 30. First, when a user purchases a new bottle at the beverage facility 30, processing related to the bottle purchase takes place between the user and the beverage facility 30 (step S11). Once the user has completed the bottle purchase, information for registering the purchased bottle is prepared in the transmission information creation unit 41 of the facility management terminal 40 (step S12), and transmitted from the transmission unit 42 of the facility management terminal 40 to the management server 10 (step S13). When the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 of the management server 10 receives the information transmitted from the facility management terminal 40, it creates purchased bottle information based on that information and updates the information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23 (step S14). Furthermore, the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 calculates the incentive that the user should pay to the beverage facility 30 from which the bottle was purchased (step S15), and processes the granting of the incentive with the beverage facility 30 (step S16). The processing related to the provision of incentives (S15, 16) is performed only if necessary, and the provision of incentives to the beverage supply facility 30 where the user purchased the bottle may be carried out by a separate flow from this flow.

[0077] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for a user to visit a specific beverage facility 30 and consume a beverage. In this embodiment, the case where the facility being visited is identified using the location information of the user terminal 70 is described. The user visits the beverage facility 30 with the user terminal 70 (step S21). At this time, the visit information acquisition unit 15 of the management server 10 acquires the location information of the user terminal 70 (step S22) and identifies the facility the user is visiting (step S23). Once the facility the user is visiting is identified, that information is acquired as visit information by the visit information acquisition unit 15 of the management server 10. Next, the information provision preparation unit 16 of the management server 10 identifies information related to the bottle purchased by the user from the information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23 (step S24). Specifically, it identifies the bottles among the bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23 for which the user ID of the user is registered as the user. Then, the information preparation unit 16 combines this information with the information about the facilities the user has visited, which is held in the facility information holding unit 22, to create information to be provided to the user (step S25).

[0078] The information provided to the user includes information identifying which beverages in the bottles the user has purchased are available (that the user can drink) at the facility they have visited, and information identifying how much of the available beverages the user is able to consume.

[0079] Identifying which beverages related to bottles purchased by a user are available at a visited facility can be done by comparing information about the bottles purchased by the user with the beverages currently being offered by the beverage dispenser 50 at the visited facility. In other words, beverages that the user has purchased and that are installed in the beverage dispenser 50 at the visited facility are the beverages that the user can drink at that facility.

[0080] On the other hand, information that identifies how much of the available beverage a user can consume is determined by the remaining amount (or balance) in the purchased bottle of a particular beverage and the price at the beverage facility 30 visited. To illustrate with the example shown in Figure 6, suppose a bottle with bottle ID "B0001" was purchased for 4000 yen (2.22 yen / ml) and has 900ml remaining. In this case, it can also be said that the remaining balance of the unconsumed beverage relative to the user's purchase price of the bottle is 2000 yen. Therefore, if the user drinks one 90ml serving of this beverage at the store where they purchased the bottle, it will cost 200 yen per serving.

[0081] On the other hand, let's assume that at the beverage facility 30 visited by the user, the same type of beverage is offered in 90ml units for 300 yen. At this facility, the price per ml is 3.33 yen / ml. In this case, if the user were to consume 900ml at this facility, they would have consumed 3000 yen worth of beverage at this facility's price, thus consuming the amount exceeding their remaining balance. Therefore, we focus on the fact that the price per ml is set differently at each facility and recalculate the amount of beverage the user can consume. The price per ml at the visited facility is 3 / 2 times higher than the price per ml at the facility where the user purchased the beverage (2.22 yen / ml). If we set the amount of beverage that can be consumed corresponding to the remaining amount at the visited facility to 600ml (2 / 3 times the original purchase price of 900ml), it corresponds to the remaining 2000 yen worth of beverage that was not consumed. Therefore, in beverage facility 30 where the price of one 90ml serving is set at 300 yen, the remaining amount (consumable amount) of the bottle identified by bottle ID "B0001" is set to 600ml based on the price at which the facility provides the beverage.

[0082] In this way, the information preparation unit 16 of the management server 10 calculates the conditions for when the user consumes the purchased bottle at the facility they visited (such as the remaining amount and number of servings that serve as the basis for when the user consumes the beverage at that facility), based on the price at which the user purchased the bottle and the price offered at the facility the user visited.

[0083] In the example above, the calculation was based on the price per ml of the beverage. However, the information preparation unit 16 may calculate the number of cups the user can consume at the visited facility based, for example, on the remaining amount in the purchased bottle and the price per cup at the visited facility. In either case, the information preparation unit 16 calculates information corresponding to the amount the user can consume at the visited facility based on the price at which the user purchased the bottle and the price offered at the visited facility. The price offered at the visited facility may be identified, for example, by the "appropriate price list" included in the information shown in Figure 5(a). In addition, information indicating the price per ml or the price per cup for each beverage may be separately maintained as facility-related information.

[0084] By performing the above processing, the information preparation unit 16 prepares the information to be sent to the user terminal 70. The prepared information is sent from the management server 10 to the user terminal 70 by the information transmission unit 17 (step S26). When the above information is sent to the user terminal 70, the information is notified to the user by displaying it on the application 72, etc. (step S27). Based on the information displayed on the user terminal 70, the user identifies the beverage to order and performs the ordering action (step S28). The ordering action is the action of sending a request for beverage provision from the user terminal 70 to the beverage provision device 50. In other words, information related to the order is sent from the user terminal 70 to the beverage provision device 50 of the beverage provision facility 30 (step S29). Since the information sent from a specific user terminal 70 that requests beverage provision includes the user ID, the beverage provision device 50 can determine which user requested the beverage. Here, it is assumed that an order for one drink is placed.

[0085] In the beverage dispensing device 50, when the request acquisition unit 52 acquires a request for a beverage transmitted from the user terminal 70, it prepares the beverage based on the request and provides it to the user (step S30). Specifically, the beverage dispensing unit 53 controls each part of the beverage dispensing device 50 to dispense one serving of beverage into a container. As a result, the user can obtain the beverage they ordered.

[0086] Meanwhile, in the beverage dispensing device 50, the dispensing result notification unit 54 notifies the management server 10 of the user ID of the user who was provided with the beverage and the amount provided (e.g., number of cups or quantity) (step S31). This information is acquired by the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 of the management server 10, and the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 updates the information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23 (step S32). As described above, when the user terminal 70 visits a facility, it consumes the beverage in the purchased bottle based on the price offered at that facility. Therefore, when updating the information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23 based on the notification from the beverage dispensing device 50, the information regarding the remaining amount of beverage is updated to indicate that the amount of beverage consumed corresponds to the price purchased by the user. For example, as explained in the example above, if the price per ml at a facility visited is 3 / 2 times the price per ml at the facility where the user purchased the beverage, and the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 obtains information that the user consumed 90 ml of beverage at the visited facility, the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 calculates that the user consumed 3 / 2 times the amount of 90 ml, i.e., 135 ml, by converting it to the price per ml purchased by the user, and updates the information in the purchased bottle information holding unit 23 to subtract 135 ml from the remaining amount of the bottle. This makes it possible to manage the remaining amount of beverage considering both the price the user paid for the bottle and the price at which the beverage was provided at the visited facility.

[0087] Furthermore, the purchased bottle information processing unit 13 calculates and grants an incentive to be paid by the user to the beverage supply facility 30 where the beverage was ordered (step S33). The process related to granting the incentive (S33) is performed as needed and may be performed by a separate flow from this flow.

[0088] [Effect] According to the beverage supply system 1 described above, users can receive beverages corresponding to bottles they have purchased by using the beverage supply device 50 installed in the beverage supply facility 30. Meanwhile, the management server 10 updates the information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles, which is stored in the purchased bottle information storage unit 23, based on information regarding beverages provided to users by the beverage supply unit 53 of the beverage supply facility 30, information regarding the price of beverages per unit volume at the time of purchase, and information regarding the price of beverages per unit volume for each beverage supply facility 30, which is stored in the facility information storage unit 22. In this way, the beverage supply system 1 updates the information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles by considering the price of beverages per unit volume at the time of bottle purchase and the price of beverages per unit volume at the beverage supply facility 30. Therefore, even if the price of beverages at the beverage supply facility 30 differs from the price of beverages at the time of purchase, the remaining amount is properly managed. Accordingly, according to the beverage supply system 1 described above, it is possible to provide a bottle-keeping service that takes into account the price of beverages at each beverage supply facility 30.

[0089] Previously, methods for users who frequent multiple establishments to utilize bottle-keeping services had been considered. However, the previously considered methods involved users purchasing multiple bottles of the target beverage in advance and managing their consumption, making them impractical when prices differed from establishment to establishment. In contrast, the method described above solves this problem because the remaining amount in the bottle is updated based on the different prices at each establishment.

[0090] Furthermore, the user terminal 70 is capable of requesting the beverage dispenser 50 to provide the beverage corresponding to the bottle the user has already purchased, and the beverage dispenser 50 provides the beverage based on the request from the user terminal 70. With this configuration, the user can request the provision of a beverage using the user terminal 70, making it easier for the user to receive the beverage corresponding to the bottle they have already purchased.

[0091] Furthermore, when the management server 10 detects that a user has visited a specific beverage facility 30 based on a notification from the user terminal 70, it may create information regarding the remaining amount of beverage corresponding to the purchased bottle that the user can consume at the facility visited by the user, and transmit this information to the user terminal 70. On the other hand, the user terminal 70 may display information regarding the remaining amount of beverage corresponding to the purchased bottle that the user can consume at the specific beverage facility 30 based on the information transmitted from the management server 10. With this configuration, the user can understand the amount of beverage that can be consumed at the beverage facility 30 that they have visited. Therefore, the user can use the bottle-keeping service while considering the beverage prices at each beverage facility 30, thus increasing convenience for the user.

[0092] The management server 10 may maintain visit history information, which is information related to the beverage facilities 30 visited by the user, and may send public relations information to specific users extracted based on this information. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to provide public relations information based on the user's visit history to beverage facilities 30. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to provide public relations information related to a specific beverage facility 30 to a more appropriate user, thereby enabling the provision of public relations information with greater accuracy.

[0093] Furthermore, the management server 10 may maintain purchase history information, which is information related to the bottle purchase history for each user, and send preferential information to specific users extracted based on this information. With such a configuration, it becomes possible to provide preferential information based on the user's bottle purchase history. Therefore, for example, it becomes possible to provide more useful information to users who purchase a large amount of bottles, and thus preferential information can be provided with greater accuracy based on the user's bottle purchase history.

[0094] The beverage dispensing device 50 used in the beverage dispensing system 1 described above may have a beverage mounting section 61 to which a packaged beverage filled in a paper carton can be attached, and a discharge nozzle 63 that can dispense the beverage from the packaged beverage attached to the beverage mounting section 61 into a container. Conventional beverage dispensing devices often had either the container for the beverage itself built into the device, or bottled beverages that were attached. Of these, the former tended to require complicated cleaning when changing the type of alcoholic beverage, and the latter was prone to breakage, leaving room for improvement in handling. In contrast, by adopting a configuration that allows packaged beverages filled in a paper carton to be attached as is, the handling of packaged beverages is improved, and cleaning of the device becomes easier. Furthermore, it becomes possible to provide bottle-keeping services with specifications that are more environmentally friendly compared to glass bottles or plastic bottles.

[0095] [Differentiation]

[0096] The foregoing disclosure is not necessarily limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from its essence.

[0097] For example, the above embodiment assumes that the beverage supply system 1 has a user terminal 70, but the system can be applied even if the user terminal 70 does not exist. In other words, even if the beverage supply system 1 does not include a user terminal 70, the management server 10 can still manage the remaining amount based on the supply price for each facility, based on the beverage supply record of the beverage supply device 50.

[0098] However, by including the user terminal 70 in the beverage supply system 1 and configuring it to provide various information to the user terminal 70 as described above, user convenience can be enhanced.

[0099] Furthermore, the beverage dispensing device 50 is not limited to a configuration that operates based on instructions from the user terminal 70, but may also operate based on instructions via, for example, the touch panel 66.

[0100] Furthermore, the beverage dispensing device 50 may not have a beverage dispensing unit 53. In the above embodiment, the case was described in which the beverage dispensing unit 53 of the beverage dispensing device 50 processes a beverage dispensing request from a user terminal 70, acquired by the beverage dispensing request acquisition unit 52, to provide beverages to each part of the beverage dispensing device 50. In contrast, the beverage dispensing device 50 may be a device specialized in managing the provision of beverages to users at the beverage dispensing facility 30. Even in this case, when a beverage corresponding to a purchased bottle at the beverage dispensing facility 30 is provided to the user, information such as the amount provided is notified to the management server 10, making it possible to provide a bottle-keeping service that takes into account the price of each beverage dispensing facility 30, similar to the beverage dispensing system 1 described in the above embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0101] 1...Beverage supply system, 10...Management server (management device, beverage supply management device), 11...User information acquisition unit, 12...Facility information acquisition unit, 13...Purchased bottle information processing unit (update unit), 14...Public relations information processing unit (public relations information processing unit, special offer information processing unit), 15...Visitor information acquisition unit, 16...Provided information preparation unit (remaining amount information creation unit), 17...Information transmission unit (remaining amount information transmission unit), 21...User information retention unit (visit history information retention unit, purchase history information retention unit), 22...Facility information retention unit, 23...Purchased bottle information retention unit, 24... Public relations information storage unit, 30... Beverage serving facility, 40... Facility management terminal, 41... Transmission information creation unit, 42... Transmission unit, 50... Beverage serving device, 51... Beverage identification unit, 52... Service request acquisition unit, 53... Beverage serving unit, 54... Service result notification unit, 55... Beverage information storage unit, 61... Beverage installation unit, 62... Opening / closing unit, 63... Discharge nozzle, 63a... Mounting platform, 64... Water tank, 65... Ice tank, 66... ​​Touch panel, 67... Transmit / receive unit, 70... User terminal, 71... Communication unit (notification unit), 72... Application (request unit, display unit).

Claims

1. A beverage dispensing system that provides beverages purchased by users in bottle units to users via beverage dispensing equipment installed in beverage dispensing facilities, The beverage dispensing device and the management device for managing the beverage dispensing status in the beverage dispensing device are provided. The beverage dispensing device is A beverage dispensing unit provides a beverage corresponding to a bottle purchased by the user based on the user's request, The system includes a notification unit that notifies the management device of information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage supply unit, The aforementioned control device is A purchased bottle information holding unit holds purchased bottle information for bottles purchased by the user, including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles. A facility information holding unit that holds facility information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage providing facility, An update unit updates information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit, based on information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage supply unit, information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase, and information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at each beverage supply facility. A beverage serving system having the following features.

2. The user terminal owned by the aforementioned user is further included, The user terminal has a request unit that requests the beverage dispenser to provide the beverage corresponding to the bottle the user has purchased, The beverage dispensing system according to claim 1, wherein the beverage dispensing unit of the beverage dispensing device provides the beverage based on a request for the provision of the beverage from the user terminal.

3. The user terminal owned by the aforementioned user is further included, The aforementioned control device is When the user detects that the user has visited a specific beverage supply facility, the user terminal is provided with information relating to the remaining amount of beverage corresponding to the purchased bottles that the user can consume at the facility visited by the user, based on the purchased bottle information held in the purchased bottle information holding unit and the information held in the facility information holding unit. A remaining capacity information transmission unit transmits the information created by the remaining capacity information creation unit to the user terminal. It has, The aforementioned user terminal is A notification unit that notifies the user that the user has visited a specific beverage service facility, A display unit that displays information relating to the remaining amount of beverage corresponding to the purchased bottle that the user can consume at a specific beverage dispensing facility, based on the information transmitted from the remaining amount information transmission unit, A beverage serving system according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. The aforementioned control device is A visit history information storage unit that stores visit history information, which is information relating to beverage facilities visited by the aforementioned user, A public relations information processing unit that transmits public relations information to a specific user extracted based on the visit history information held in the visit history information holding unit, A beverage serving system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising the above.

5. The aforementioned control device is Each of the aforementioned users has a purchase history information holding unit that holds purchase history information, which is information relating to the history of bottle purchases. A special offer information processing unit that transmits special offer information to a specific user extracted based on the purchase history information held in the purchase history information holding unit, A beverage serving system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising the above.

6. The beverage dispensing device is A beverage holder section capable of attaching a beverage in a paper carton, A nozzle attached to the beverage dispenser is capable of dispensing the beverage from the packaged beverage into a container, A beverage serving system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising:

7. A beverage dispensing system that provides beverages purchased by users in bottle units to users via beverage dispensing equipment installed in beverage dispensing facilities, The beverage dispensing device and the management device for managing the beverage dispensing status in the beverage dispensing device are provided. The beverage dispensing device is It has a notification unit that notifies the management device of information relating to the beverage provided to the user, The aforementioned control device is A purchased bottle information holding unit holds purchased bottle information for bottles purchased by the user, including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles. A facility information holding unit that holds facility information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage providing facility, An update unit updates information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit, based on information relating to the beverage provided to the user, information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase, and information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity at each beverage supply facility. A beverage serving system having the following features.

8. The beverage dispensing device has a beverage dispensing unit that provides a beverage corresponding to a bottle purchased by the user, based on a request from the user. The beverage supply system according to claim 7, wherein the notification unit notifies the management device of information relating to the beverage provided to the user by the beverage supply unit.

9. A beverage supply management device that manages the supply status of beverages purchased by users in bottle units via beverage dispensing equipment installed in a beverage service facility, The aforementioned control device is A purchased bottle information holding unit holds purchased bottle information for bottles purchased by the user, including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit volume at the time of purchase and information relating to the remaining amount of the purchased bottles. A facility information holding unit that holds facility information including information relating to the price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage providing facility, A beverage supply management device having an update unit that updates information regarding the remaining amount of purchased bottles held in the purchased bottle information holding unit, based on information regarding the beverage provided to the user notified by the beverage supply device, information regarding the price of the beverage per unit quantity at the time of purchase, and information regarding the supply price of the beverage per unit quantity for each beverage supply facility.

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