Information processing device, information processing method, and storage device

Abstract

To correctly relate a delivered item and a storage device storing the item to each other.SOLUTION: An information processing device 1 includes: a storage information acquisition unit 131 for acquiring stored item information showing at least one item stored in storage means and storage means identification information for identifying the storage means storing the item; an order specification unit 132 for specifying an order of the item stored in the storage means on the basis of the item shown by the stored item information; and a relating unit 133 for storing the order identification information for the order specified by the order specification unit 132 and the storage means identification information in relation to each other in a storage unit 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] There is known a storage apparatus for storing products that could not be delivered (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the prior art, when storing products, a delivery person registers a storage apparatus for storing the ordered products, but there has been a case where the delivery person accidentally registers the storage apparatus.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to be able to associate a delivered product and a storage apparatus in which the product is stored without registration by a delivery person.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In an information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage information acquisition unit that acquires storage product information indicating one or more products stored in a storage unit and storage unit identification information for identifying the storage unit in which the product is stored; an order specification unit that specifies an order corresponding to the product stored in the storage unit based on the product indicated by the storage product information; and an association unit that associates order identification information corresponding to the order specified by the order specification unit and the storage unit identification information and stores the associated information in a storage unit.

[0007] The system further includes a storage unit that stores order information associating order identification information for identifying an order received from a user, one or more ordered products, and delivery person identification information indicating a delivery person who delivers the one or more ordered products. The system further includes a delivery person information acquisition unit that acquires delivery person identification information for identifying a delivery person who has stored the products in the storage means. The order identification unit may identify the order identification information of the order corresponding to the product indicated in the stored product information and the delivery person identification information in the order information.

[0008] The system further comprises an imaging data acquisition unit that acquires image data of products stored in the storage means, and a generation unit that generates stored product information based on the image data, wherein the order identification unit may identify order identification information in the order information stored in the storage unit that (1) includes one or more products indicated by the stored product information, and (2) matches the delivery person identification information acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit.

[0009] The order identification unit further comprises a feature acquisition unit that acquires feature information indicating image features extracted from image data of products stored in the storage means, and a generation unit that generates stored product information based on the image features indicated by the feature information, wherein the order identification unit may identify order identification information in the order information stored in the storage unit that (1) includes one or more products indicated by the stored product information, and (2) matches the delivery person identification information acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit.

[0010] If the order identification unit cannot uniquely identify the order identification information based on one or more products indicated by the stored product information and the delivery person identification information acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit, the system may further include a notification unit that notifies the delivery person indicated by the delivery person identification information of predetermined information.

[0011] The device further includes a receiving unit that accepts orders including goods and a delivery address indicating the destination to which the goods will be delivered, a delivery person determination unit that determines a delivery person to deliver the accepted order, and a storage unit that stores order information relating order identification information, the goods and delivery address accepted by the receiving unit, and delivery person identification information indicating the delivery person determined by the delivery person determination unit, wherein the order identification unit may identify order identification information in the order information stored in the storage unit that (1) includes one or more goods indicated by the stored goods information, and (2) matches the delivery person identification information acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit.

[0012] The storage unit stores the order information further associated with a completed flag indicating whether or not delivery has been completed, and the delivery person determination unit may determine a delivery person different from the delivery person indicated by the delivery person identification information associated with an undelivered order that includes the same or similar goods as the goods included in the order received by the receiving unit, as the delivery person to deliver the received order.

[0013] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing method which includes the steps of: having a computer perform the following steps to obtain stored product information indicating one or more products stored in a storage means, and storage means identification information identifying the storage means in which the products are stored; identifying an order corresponding to a product stored in the storage means based on the product indicated by the stored product information; and storing in a storage unit an order identification information corresponding to the order identified in the step of identifying the order, and the storage means identification information in association with each other.

[0014] A storage device according to a third aspect of the present invention includes: a storage means for storing goods; a generation unit that recognizes one or more goods stored in the storage means and generates stored goods information indicating the one or more goods stored in the storage means; an order identification unit that identifies an order corresponding to a goods stored in the storage means based on the goods indicated by the stored goods information; and an association unit that associates order identification information corresponding to the order identified by the order identification unit with storage means identification information indicating the storage means in which the goods are stored, and stores these in a storage unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, there is an effect that the delivered goods and the storage device in which the goods are stored can be correctly associated with each other.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0016] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining an outline of an information processing system S according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a diagram for explaining an outline of processing in the information processing system S according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus 1. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of order information stored in a storage unit 12. [Figure 5] It is a diagram for explaining a process in which an order specifying unit 132 specifies an order. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of product information stored in a storage unit 12. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing a flow of processing in the information processing apparatus 1. [Figure 8] It is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing apparatus 1A according to a modification example. [Figure 9] It is a block diagram showing a configuration of a storage device 2A according to a second embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] <First Embodiment> [Outline of Information Processing System S] FIGS. 1 and 2 are diagrams for explaining an outline of an information processing system S according to an embodiment. The information processing system S is a system for providing a service that receives a purchase of goods from a user U and delivers the goods received from the user U to a predetermined location. The information processing system S includes an information processing apparatus 1, a plurality of storage devices 2, and a plurality of information terminals 3.

[0018] The information processing device 1 receives an application for the delivery of goods from the user U and assigns a delivery person D who purchases and delivers the ordered goods. Further, the information processing device 1 is a device that identifies an order corresponding to the goods stored in the storage device 2 based on the information acquired from the storage device 2 and notifies the user U of the storage device 2 in which the ordered goods are stored. The information processing device 1 is, for example, a server.

[0019] The storage device 2 is a device for storing the delivered goods. The storage device 2 is, as an example, a home delivery locker. The storage device 2 has one or more lockable storage areas (hereinafter also referred to as storage means). Each storage area is managed by a storage means ID (Identification) (also referred to as "storage means identification information"). Each storage device 2 has a delivery person recognition means, a storage means, and a detection means. The delivery person recognition means recognizes the delivery person D who stores goods in the storage device 2. The delivery person recognition means is, for example, an IC card reader for reading the delivery person ID from an IC card held by the delivery person D. The storage means is an area for storing goods. The storage means has a detection means for detecting the goods stored in the storage area. The detection means is, for example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) reader. The detection means may be an imaging device. The storage device 2 transmits the information generated by the detection means to the information processing device 1. Note that the delivery person recognition means may recognize the delivery person D by reading a QR code indicating the delivery person ID presented by the delivery person, or may recognize the delivery person D by acquiring an access key transmitted to the information terminal 3D used by the delivery person.

[0020] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system S has a plurality of storage devices 2 installed at various locations. The delivery person D stores the goods in the storage device 2 close to the delivery location desired by the user U.

[0021] Information terminal 3 is a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer used by user U or delivery person D. User U's information terminal 3U transmits the ordered goods and the desired pickup location to the information processing device 1, and receives information from the information processing device 1 regarding the storage device 2 where the goods are stored. Delivery person D's information terminal 3D receives delivery instructions from the information processing device 1.

[0022] This section describes the services provided by the information processing system S. In Figure 1, solid lines represent the flow of information, and dashed lines represent the movement of people and objects. User U operates the information terminal 3U to request delivery of goods. Upon receiving the operation from User U, the information terminal 3U transmits the request for delivery of goods to the information processing device 1 ((1) in Figure 1). The request for delivery of goods includes information indicating the goods to be purchased, as well as the desired delivery location (hereinafter referred to as the desired delivery location) and time (hereinafter referred to as the desired delivery time).

[0023] The information processing device 1 determines a delivery person D to deliver the goods based on the received application (Figure 1, (2)). The information processing device 1 may further determine a storage device 2 to deliver the goods based on the desired delivery location and time. The information processing device 1 transmits a delivery instruction to the information terminal 3D of the determined delivery person D (Figure 1, (3)). The delivery instruction includes the goods to be purchased, the desired delivery location, and the desired delivery time. The delivery instruction may also include information indicating the storage device 2 determined by the information processing device 1.

[0024] Delivery person D purchases the instructed goods (Figure 1(a)), delivers the purchased goods to storage device 2, and stores the goods in storage device 2 (Figure 1(b)). Storage device 2 detects the goods stored in storage device 2 and generates stored goods information. For example, storage device 2 uses an RFID reader to read an RFID tag attached to the goods that contains information identifying the goods (e.g., a goods ID), and generates stored goods information. Storage device 2 transmits the generated stored goods information and a storage means ID indicating the storage means in which the goods are stored to information processing device 1 (Figure 1(4)).

[0025] The information processing device 1 identifies the received orders based on the acquired stored product information (Figure 1, (5)). Specifically, the information processing device 1 identifies the orders that contain a combination of products included in the acquired stored product information. The information processing device 1 may also acquire the delivery person ID acquired by the storage device 2 and identify the orders based on the stored product information and the delivery person ID.

[0026] The information processing device 1 stores the identified order and the acquired storage device ID in association, and notifies the user U's information terminal 3U, which ordered the stored product, of the storage device ID in which the product is stored (Figure 1, (6)). With the information processing system S configured in this way, the delivered product and the storage device 2 in which the product is stored can be correctly associated.

[0027] In the example described above, the storage device 2 identifies the stored items and transmits the information to the information processing device 1. However, the method of identifying items is not limited to this. For example, the storage device 2 may capture images of the stored items and transmit the generated image data to the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 may then identify the items that appear as subjects in the acquired image data through image analysis. This example will be explained using Figure 2.

[0028] The information processing device 1 acquires the storage means ID and image data (Figure 2, (1)). The image data is generated when the imaging means installed in the storage device 2 captures images of the stored products. Based on the acquired image data, the information processing device 1 identifies the products stored in the storage means through known image analysis processing (Figure 2, (2)).

[0029] The information processing device 1 identifies an order based on the identified product (Figure 2, (3)). The information processing device 1 associates the identified order with a storage means ID indicating the storage means in which the product is stored (Figure 2, (4)). The information processing device 1 notifies the user U's information terminal 3, who ordered the product, of the storage means ID indicating the storage means in which the ordered product is stored (Figure 2, (5)).

[0030] In the above explanation, delivery person D purchased the instructed goods and delivered them to storage device 2 as an example. However, delivery person D may also retrieve the instructed goods from the goods stocked in a warehouse or similar and deliver them to storage device 2.

[0031] [Configuration of Information Processing Device 1] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 includes a storage information acquisition unit 131, an order identification unit 132, an association unit 133, a delivery person information acquisition unit 134, an image data acquisition unit 135, a generation unit 136, a reception unit 137, a delivery person determination unit 138, and a notification unit 139.

[0032] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for sending and receiving data with other devices via a network. The storage unit 12 is a storage medium including ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), SSD (Solid State Drive), hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 12 pre-stores programs to be executed by the control unit 13.

[0033] The memory unit 12 stores order information that associates order identification information (also called "order ID") for identifying an order received from user U, one or more ordered products, and a delivery person ID indicating the delivery person D who will deliver the one or more ordered products. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the order information stored in the memory unit 12. The order information includes "received order information" and "delivery information". "Received order information" is information that indicates the order details entered by the customer when ordering the products. "Delivery information" is information that indicates the status of delivery.

[0034] The "Received Order Information" includes the "Order ID," "Customer ID," multiple "Items" (Item 1 and Item 2), "Desired Pickup Location," and "Scheduled Pickup Time." The "Order ID" is an ID that identifies the order. The "Customer ID" is an ID that identifies the user U who placed the order. "Items" indicate the items that were received. Each "Item" has an "Item ID" and a "Quantity." An "Item" may contain information for multiple items. The "Desired Pickup Location" indicates the location where the user U who placed the order wishes to receive the items. The "Scheduled Pickup Time" indicates the time when the user U who placed the order wishes to receive the items.

[0035] "Delivery Information" includes "Delivery Person ID," "Product Acquisition Flag," "Storage Method ID," and "Delivery Completion Flag." "Delivery Person ID" is the ID of the delivery person D responsible for delivering the order. "Product Acquisition Flag" indicates whether the purchase or acquisition of the ordered product has been completed. "Storage Method ID" is the ID of the storage method in which the product was stored. "Delivery Completion Flag" indicates whether the delivery has been completed.

[0036] The control unit 13 is a processor, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). By executing a program stored in the storage unit 12, the control unit 13 functions as a storage information acquisition unit 131, an order identification unit 132, an association unit 133, a delivery person information acquisition unit 134, an image data acquisition unit 135, a generation unit 136, a reception unit 137, a delivery person determination unit 138, and a notification unit 139.

[0037] The storage information acquisition unit 131 acquires stored product information indicating one or more products stored in the storage means, and a storage means ID that identifies the storage means in which the products are stored. The stored product information includes the product IDs of one or more stored products. The storage information acquisition unit 131 acquires the storage means ID from the storage device 2. As will be described later, the storage information acquisition unit 131 may also acquire stored product information generated by the generation unit 136 based on image data acquired from the storage device 2.

[0038] The process by which the order identification unit 132 identifies an order will be explained using Figure 5. The order identification unit 132 identifies an order corresponding to a product stored in the storage means based on the product indicated by the stored product information. Based on the product indicated by the stored product information D1, the order identification unit 132 searches the order information T stored in the storage unit 12 and identifies an order that includes the product indicated by the stored product information D1. In the example shown in Figure 5(a), the order with "Order ID" "O001" is identified from the order information T as an order that includes products "G001" and "G002".

[0039] The association unit 133 associates the order ID corresponding to the order identified by the order identification unit 132 with the storage means ID and stores them in the storage unit 12. As an example, in the order information shown in Figure 4, the storage means ID acquired by the storage information acquisition unit 131 is stored in the "storage means ID" of the information having the "order ID" corresponding to the order identified by the order identification unit 132.

[0040] The notification unit 139 notifies the information terminal 3 of user U, who placed the order using the order ID identified by the order identification unit 132, that the goods ordered by user U have been stored in the storage means indicated by the storage means ID acquired by the storage information acquisition unit 131.

[0041] With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, it is possible to correctly associate the delivered goods with the storage device 2 in which the goods are stored.

[0042] When the same product is delivered at the same time, it may not be possible to uniquely identify an order based on the stored product information. Therefore, the information processing device 1 may be configured to further identify orders based on the information of delivery person D. With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, even when the same product is delivered at the same time, it is possible to identify the delivered order based on delivery person D.

[0043] The delivery person information acquisition unit 134 acquires a delivery person ID to identify delivery person D who has stored the goods in the storage means. For example, the storage device 2 authenticates delivery person D who stores the goods in the storage device 2, and acquires the delivery person ID during the authentication process of delivery person D. For example, the storage device 2 reads the information stored on the ID card owned by delivery person D, transmits the delivery person ID read from the ID card to the information processing device 1, and the delivery person information acquisition unit 134 acquires it.

[0044] The order identification unit 132 identifies the order ID of the order that corresponds to the product indicated in the stored product information and the delivery person ID in the order information. In the example shown in Figure 5(b), the information processing device 1 has obtained "G002" as the stored product information D2 and "D002" as the delivery person ID (D3). In the order information, orders containing product ID "G002" correspond to order IDs "O001" and "O003". Of these, the order identification unit 132 identifies order ID "O003" as the order that further matches the delivery person ID "D002" and corresponds to the obtained stored product information and delivery person ID.

[0045] With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, it is possible to identify the delivered order even when the same product is delivered at the same time. As a result, it becomes possible to deliver orders containing the same product at the same time, improving convenience for user U.

[0046] The order identification unit 132 may exclude products corresponding to delivered orders from the search target. Delivered orders are those for which the "delivery completion flag" in the order information shown in Figure 4 is set to "completed". The order identification unit 132 may also limit the search target to orders for which the purchase or acquisition of goods has been completed. Orders for which the purchase or acquisition of goods has been completed are those for which the "product acquisition flag" in the order information shown in Figure 4 is set to "completed". With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, it becomes possible to identify the order to be delivered even if the same product has been delivered in the past or if the same product is scheduled to be delivered in another order.

[0047] [Identification based on image data] The information processing device 1 may be configured to acquire image data of products stored in the storage device 2, identify the products based on the acquired image data, and identify the orders.

[0048] The imaging data acquisition unit 135 acquires image data of products stored in the storage means. Specifically, the storage device 2 is equipped with imaging means for imaging products stored in the storage device 2. The storage device 2 then images the stored products and generates image data. The storage device 2 transmits the generated image data to the information processing device 1, and the imaging data acquisition unit 135 acquires it.

[0049] The generation unit 136 generates stored product information based on image data. The generation unit 136 uses known image recognition technology to perform image recognition on the image data acquired by the imaging data acquisition unit 135 and identifies the products included as subjects in the image data. The generation unit 136 generates stored product information indicating the identified products and outputs it to the storage information acquisition unit 131.

[0050] The order identification unit 132 identifies an order ID in the order information stored in the storage unit 12 that (1) includes one or more products indicated by the stored product information, and (2) matches the delivery person ID acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit 134.

[0051] With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, it becomes possible to identify products based on acquired image data, and to identify products and associate delivered orders with the storage means in which the products are stored, without requiring measures such as attaching RFID tags to the products.

[0052] Incidentally, when generating stored product information based on image data, the stored product information may not include all of the products stored in storage device 2, for example, if the image data is not captured in a way that captures all of the products stored in storage device 2. As a result, it may not be possible to uniquely identify an order based on the stored product information. In such cases, the information processing device 1 may be configured to store the products in the storage device so that they can be identified, and to notify delivery person D that the order could not be identified so that the identification process can be redone.

[0053] If the order identification unit 132 cannot uniquely identify an order ID based on one or more items indicated by the stored product information and the delivery person ID acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit 134, it notifies the delivery person D indicated by the delivery person ID of predetermined information. For example, if the order identification unit 132 searches the order information stored in the storage unit 12 based on one or more items indicated by the stored product information and the delivery person ID, and extracts two or more orders corresponding to the stored product information and the delivery person ID, it notifies the information terminal 3 of the delivery person D indicated by the delivery person ID of predetermined information. The predetermined information is, for example, a message indicating that the product could not be uniquely identified and instructing the delivery person to try storing the product again.

[0054] With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, if an order cannot be uniquely identified based on the stored product information, the delivery person D can be notified of this and instructed to re-store the product so that the product is visible in the image data.

[0055] [Decision made by delivery person D] By assigning the most suitable delivery person D when an order is received, the service can be provided smoothly. In this case, the storage unit 12 stores delivery person status information indicating whether or not each of the one or more delivery people D is available for delivery. The delivery person status information may also be associated with the location of delivery person D and the order ID of the order assigned to delivery person D.

[0056] The reception unit 137 accepts orders that include the product and the delivery address indicating the destination where the product will be delivered. The reception unit 137 displays a screen for accepting product orders on the user U's information terminal 3. User U enters information such as the product to be ordered, the desired delivery location, and the desired delivery time on the displayed screen, and performs an operation to send the entered information. When the operation to send information is performed on the information terminal 3, the information terminal 3 sends the entered information to the information processing device 1, and the reception unit 137 receives it.

[0057] The delivery person determination unit 138 determines which delivery person D will deliver the received order. Based on the delivery person status information, the delivery person determination unit 138 determines which delivery person D is capable of delivering the order from among one or more delivery person D. For example, based on the location information of one or more delivery person D, the delivery person determination unit 138 determines which delivery person D is closest to the desired delivery location from among the available delivery person D to deliver the received order. The delivery person determination unit 138 associates the order ID of the received order with the determined delivery person D and stores it in the order information of the storage unit 12. The delivery person determination unit 138 may also associate the delivery person D with the order ID of the order assigned to delivery person D and store it in the delivery person status information.

[0058] However, when the same delivery person D delivers identical or similar products, it may not be possible to uniquely identify the order. Therefore, the information processing device 1 may be configured to assign deliveries to different delivery persons D when delivering identical or similar products.

[0059] A method for determining identical or similar products will be explained. Figures 6(a) and (b) show an example of the data structure of product information stored in the storage unit 12. Product information indicates identical or similar products. In Figure 6(a), "product ID" and "similar product ID" are associated. "Similar product ID" indicates the "product ID" of one or more products similar to the product indicated by "product ID".

[0060] The product information shown in Figure 6(b) is used to determine whether products are similar based on the group to which they belong. A product group is information that indicates a group of products, such as similar products or a group of products to which the probability of identifying the product using known image recognition processing is below a predetermined probability. In the product information shown in Figure 6(b), the "target product" and the "similar product group" are associated. The "target product" includes the "product ID" and the "product group". The "product ID" is the product ID of that product, and the "product group" indicates the group to which that product belongs. The similar product group is information that indicates one or more product groups that are similar to the product or product group in question.

[0061] The delivery person determination unit 138 determines a delivery person different from the delivery person indicated by the delivery person ID associated with an undelivered order that contains the same or similar products as the products included in the order received by the reception unit 137, to be the delivery person to deliver the received order. Specifically, first, the delivery person determination unit 138 identifies products similar to the products included in the received order or products belonging to a group of similar products (hereinafter referred to as "similar products") by referring to the product information shown in Figure 6(a) or (b). Then, it refers to the delivery person status information to identify available delivery persons. Referring to the order information, it identifies the products to be delivered in the uncompleted, assigned order for each of the identified available delivery persons D. Then, from among the identified available delivery persons D, it identifies a delivery person whose products to be delivered in the uncompleted, assigned order do not include similar products, and determines that delivery person D will deliver the received order.

[0062] With the information processing device 1 configured in this way, the problem of not being able to uniquely identify an order due to the inability to identify the product through image recognition can be suppressed.

[0063] [Processing flow in information processing device 1] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in the information processing device 1. The flowchart in Figure 7 starts from the point when the information processing device 1 acquires information about the stored goods from the storage device 2.

[0064] The storage information acquisition unit 131 acquires stored product information (S01). The storage information acquisition unit 131 may acquire stored product information generated by the storage device 2, or it may acquire stored product information generated by the generation unit 136 based on image data acquired from the storage device 2.

[0065] The storage information acquisition unit 131 acquires the storage means ID from the storage device 2 (S02). The delivery person information acquisition unit 134 acquires the delivery person ID (S03). The order identification unit 132 identifies the order based on the product indicated by the stored product information and the acquired delivery person ID (S04).

[0066] The order identification unit 132 determines whether or not it was possible to uniquely identify the order (S05). If the order was uniquely identified (YES in S05), the association unit 133 associates the storage means ID and the order ID and stores them in the order information stored in the storage unit 12 (S06). The notification unit 139 notifies the user U who ordered the product of the storage means ID (S07).

[0067] If the order cannot be uniquely identified (NO in S05), the information processing device 1 notifies delivery person D that the order cannot be uniquely identified (S08), and terminates processing.

[0068] [Effects of Information Processing Device 1] As explained above, the configuration of the information processing device 1 prevents incorrect information from being registered as the storage location of the goods, and allows for the correct association between the delivered goods and the storage device 2 in which the goods are stored.

[0069] <Variation> In the example above, we described an example of identifying products based on stored product information or image data obtained from the storage device 2. However, the information processing device 1 may be configured to identify products based on feature quantities obtained by analyzing image data instead of image data. This configuration eliminates the need to send and receive image data over a network, thereby reducing the amount of data used in communication between the information processing device 1 and the storage device 2. In the following, the same reference numerals are used for content that has already been explained, and further explanations are omitted.

[0070] Figure 8 shows the configuration of the modified information processing device 1A. The information processing device 1A further includes a feature acquisition unit 140.

[0071] The feature acquisition unit 140 acquires feature information indicating the features of an image extracted from image data of products stored in the storage means. Specifically, the storage device 2 has a feature extraction unit that extracts features from image data. The imaging unit of the storage device 2 generates image data of the stored products, and the feature extraction unit extracts the features of the image from the generated image data using known image recognition processing. The storage device 2 transmits the extracted image features to the information processing device 1, and the feature acquisition unit 140 acquires them.

[0072] The generation unit 136 generates stored product information that recognizes products stored in the storage means based on the image features indicated by the feature information. Based on the acquired features, the generation unit 136 identifies the stored products using known image recognition processing and generates stored product information.

[0073] In the modified information processing device 1A, there is no need to send or receive image data via a network, which simplifies the processing in the information processing device 1A.

[0074] <Second Embodiment> In the example above, we described an example where the order identification process is performed in the information processing device 1, but it may also be configured so that the process is performed in the storage device 2. Figure 9 shows the configuration of the storage device 2A in this case.

[0075] The storage device 2A includes a storage means 21, a communication unit 22, a product detection means 23, a delivery person recognition means 24, a memory unit 25, and a control unit 26. The control unit 26 includes a generation unit 261, an order identification unit 262, and an association unit 263.

[0076] The storage means 21 is a lockable storage area for storing goods. The communication unit 22 is a communication interface for sending and receiving data with other devices via a network.

[0077] The product detection means 23 detects products stored in the storage means. The product detection means 23 is, for example, an RFID reader or an imaging device. The delivery person recognition means 24 is, for example, an IC card reader for obtaining the delivery person ID stored on an IC card held by the delivery person D. The delivery person recognition means 24 may also be a QR code reader for reading a QR code indicating the delivery person ID presented by the delivery person D, or an input device for obtaining an access key transmitted to the information terminal 3D used by the delivery person D.

[0078] The memory unit 25 is a storage medium including ROM, RAM, SSD, hard disk drive, etc. The memory unit 25 pre-stores programs to be executed by the control unit 26. The control unit 26 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU. By executing the programs stored in the memory unit 25, the control unit 26 functions as a generation unit 261, an order identification unit 262, and an association unit 263.

[0079] The generation unit 261 recognizes one or more items stored in the storage means and generates stored item information indicating one or more items stored in the storage means. The generation unit 261 generates stored item information based on the information detected by the item detection means 23. If the item detection means 23 is an RFID reader, the generation unit 261 generates stored item information based on the item information acquired by the item detection means 23. If the item detection means 23 is an imaging device, the generation unit 261 generates stored item information by performing image analysis on the image data generated by the item detection means 23.

[0080] The order identification unit 262 and the association unit 263 perform processing corresponding to the order identification unit 132 and the association unit 133 according to the first embodiment. The order identification unit 262 identifies the order corresponding to the product stored in the storage means based on the product indicated by the recognition result information. As an example, the order identification unit 262 may identify the order by querying the information processing device 1 for order information corresponding to the stored product information.

[0081] The association unit 263 associates the order ID corresponding to the order identified by the order identification unit 262 with the storage means ID indicating the storage means in which the goods are stored, and stores them in the storage unit 25. The association unit 263 may also associate the order ID and the storage means ID and transmit them to the information processing device 1.

[0082] This configuration of the storage device 2A has the effect of enabling the correct correspondence between delivered goods and the storage device in which the goods are stored, and also makes it possible to easily configure the information processing device 1.

[0083] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0084] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1. Information Processing Device 2 Storage device 3. Information terminals 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Storage information acquisition department 132 Order Identification Department 133 Association section 134 Delivery person information acquisition department 135 Imaging data acquisition unit 136 Generation part 137 Reception Department 138 Delivery Person Determination Department 139 Notification Department 140 Feature Acquisition Unit 21 Storage means 22 Communications Department 23. Product detection means 24 Delivery person recognition means 25 Memory section 26 Control Unit 261 Generation part 262 Order Identification Department 263 Association Section

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores order information relating order identification information for identifying an order received from a user, one or more ordered products, and delivery person identification information indicating a delivery person who delivers the one or more ordered products, A storage information acquisition unit acquires storage product information indicating one or more products stored in a storage means, and storage means identification information identifying the storage means in which the products are stored. A delivery person information acquisition unit acquires delivery person identification information from a storage device having the storage means for identifying the delivery person who stored the goods in the storage means, An order identification unit identifies the order identification information of an order corresponding to a product stored in the storage means in the order information, based on the product indicated in the stored product information and the delivery person identification information obtained from the storage device. An association unit that associates the order identification information identified by the order identification unit with the storage means identification information and stores it in the storage unit, An information processing device having

2. An imaging data acquisition unit acquires image data of products stored in the aforementioned storage means, A generation unit that generates the stored product information based on the image data, It further possesses, The order identification unit, in the order information stored in the storage unit, (1) Includes one or more products as indicated in the stored product information, (2) The delivery person identification information obtained by the delivery person information acquisition unit matches the delivery person identification information, Identify order identification information that indicates an order. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. A feature acquisition unit that acquires feature information indicating the feature quantities of an image extracted from image data of products stored in the aforementioned storage means, A generation unit that generates the stored product information based on the image features indicated by the feature information, It further possesses, The order identification unit, in the order information stored in the storage unit, (1) Includes one or more products as indicated in the stored product information, (2) The delivery person identification information obtained by the delivery person information acquisition unit matches the delivery person identification information, Identify order identification information that indicates an order. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. If the order identification unit cannot uniquely identify the order identification information based on one or more products indicated by the stored product information and the delivery person identification information acquired by the delivery person information acquisition unit, a notification unit notifies the delivery person indicated by the delivery person identification information of predetermined information. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising:

5. The system further includes a reception section that accepts orders including the product and the shipping address indicating the destination to which the product will be delivered. A delivery person selection unit that determines the delivery person to deliver the received order, A storage unit that stores order information relating order identification information, the goods and delivery destination received by the receiving unit, and delivery person identification information indicating the delivery person determined by the delivery person determination unit, It further possesses, The order identification unit, in the order information stored in the storage unit, (1) Includes one or more products as indicated in the stored product information, (2) The delivery person identification information obtained by the delivery person information acquisition unit matches the delivery person identification information, Identify order identification information that indicates an order. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The storage unit stores the order information, further associated with a completed flag indicating whether or not delivery has been completed. The delivery person determination unit determines a delivery person different from the delivery person indicated by the delivery person identification information associated with an undelivered order that includes the same or similar products as the products included in the order received by the reception unit, as the delivery person to deliver the received order. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. To have the computer execute it, A step of reading order information from a storage unit, which associates order identification information for identifying an order received from a user, one or more ordered products, and delivery person identification information indicating the delivery person who will deliver the one or more ordered products; A step of obtaining storage product information indicating one or more products stored in a storage means, and storage means identification information that identifies the storage means in which the products are stored, A step of obtaining delivery person identification information from a storage device having the storage means for identifying the delivery person who stored the goods in the storage means, A step of identifying the order identification information of the order corresponding to the product stored in the storage means in the order information, based on the product indicated in the stored product information and the delivery person identification information obtained from the storage device, The steps include: storing in the storage unit the order identification information identified in the step of identifying the order identification information and the storage means identification information in association with each other; An information processing method having

8. Storage methods for storing goods, A delivery person recognition means for acquiring delivery person identification information to identify the delivery person who stored the goods in the storage means, A generation unit that recognizes one or more products stored in the storage means and generates stored product information indicating one or more products stored in the storage means, (1) Order information that associates order identification information for identifying an order received from a user, one or more ordered products, and delivery person identification information indicating a delivery person to deliver the one or more ordered products; (2) Products indicated by the stored product information; and (3) Delivery person identification information acquired by the delivery person recognition means, an order identification unit that identifies the order identification information of an order corresponding to a product stored in the storage means in the order information; An association unit stores in a storage unit the order identification information identified by the order identification unit and storage means identification information indicating the storage means in which the goods are stored, in association with each other. A storage device having the following features.

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