Weighing device and computer program

Abstract

To integrate result data by multiple weighing devices having different unit price settings while relating them in one accounting unit.SOLUTION: A weighing device 2 includes: a mounting part for mounting articles to be weighed; a weighing part 21 for measuring mass of articles mounted to the mounting part; an accounting identification information acquisition part 22 for acquiring accounting identification information for identifying one accounting; and outputting means for outputting accounting identification information, article specification information capable of specifying articles, and weight obtained by subtracted from the total mass of articles mounted in the mounting part as purchased weight of articles while relating them under conditions that purchase weight is weighed by the weighing part 21 and weight on the mounting part is stable, and then accounting identification information is acquired by the accounting identification information acquisition part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a weighing device and a weighing and selling system for selling goods by weight.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, bulk sales have been conducted for prepared foods and the like. In bulk sales, for example, the same unit price goods are packed in a predetermined container, and the total amount is calculated according to the unit price from the weight obtained by deducting the weight of the container, and a label is issued.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In such bulk sales, for example, when purchasing goods with different unit prices, it is possible to settle accounts together by issuing labels issued by weighing devices with respective unit price settings. However, it is inconvenient because labels have to be issued each time, and there is a problem that if one is confused in the operation of each weighing device, one cannot purchase an appropriate amount while being concerned about the next customer or the like.

[0005] Therefore, one object of the present invention is to associate and aggregate weighing information in a plurality of weighing devices with different unit price settings in one accounting unit.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the weighing device according to the present invention comprises: a placement section for placing an item to be weighed; a weighing means for measuring the mass of the item placed on the placement section; an accounting identification information acquisition means for acquiring accounting identification information to identify a single account; and an output means that, provided that the purchase weight has been weighed by the weighing means and the weight on the placement section has stabilized, and the accounting identification information has been acquired by the acquisition means, outputs the accounting identification information, item identification information that can identify the item, and the weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the item from the total mass of the item placed on the placement section as the purchase weight of the item. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing an overview of the device configuration of a weighing and selling system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 3] This is an external perspective view showing the weighing device according to Example 1. [Figure 4] This is a plan view showing the display and operation section of the weighing device according to Example 1. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of data stored in the item information storage unit in the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of data stored in the weighing information storage unit in the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 8] This is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow performed by the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 9] This is a processing flow diagram showing the flow of processing performed by the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on an information processing terminal according to Example 1. [Figure 11]This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on an information processing terminal according to Example 1. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on an information processing terminal according to Example 1. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of an accounting slip issued in the weighing and selling system according to Example 1. [Figure 14] This is a block diagram showing the software configuration of a weighing and selling system according to a modified example of Example 1. [Figure 15] This is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow performed by the weighing and selling system according to a modified example of Example 1. [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on an information processing terminal according to Example 2. [Figure 17] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on an information processing terminal according to Example 2. [Figure 18] This is a block diagram showing the software configuration of the weighing and selling system according to Example 3. [Figure 19] This is a processing flow diagram showing the flow of processing performed by the weighing and selling system according to Example 3. [Figure 20] This is an external perspective view showing the weighing unit that constitutes the weighing and dispensing system according to Example 4. [Figure 21] This is an external perspective view showing the weighing device that constitutes the weighing unit according to Example 4. [Figure 22] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the internal structure of the weighing device that constitutes the weighing unit according to Example 4. [Figure 23] This diagram illustrates the process of providing goods to a customer using a weighing unit according to Example 4, showing (a) the state in which goods are being supplied from the goods supply device to the weighing device, (b) the state in which goods have been supplied to the weighing device, and (c) the state in which goods are being provided to the customer from the weighing device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] ● Overview of the weighing and selling system 1 Hereinafter, a weighing device and a weighing and selling system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The weighing and selling system 1 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a device for weighing and selling articles according to a customer's operation. In the present embodiment, the article is a weighed and sold product provided to the customer at the store, and more specifically, it is a food product such as prepared food (cooked food) or dried fruits. However, as long as the article is suitable for weighing and selling, it is not limited to these articles, and it may be a liquid such as a beverage. Note that the weighing and selling system 1 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the case of providing such a food product as an article to the customer, and can also be used when the store side receives the supply of a predetermined amount of articles.

[0009] The weighing and selling system 1 is composed of a plurality of weighing devices 2, an information processing terminal 3, a store controller 4, and a POS terminal 5. The weighing device 2 is a device for providing an arbitrary amount of articles to the customer, and holds the articles in a predetermined container 20. This weighing device 2 is prepared for each type of article provided in the store, and one article is provided to the customer by one weighing device 2. Note that the functions and structures of each weighing device 2 are the same. The information processing terminal 3 acquires the weighing information of the articles from each weighing device 2, and issues an accounting slip for executing accounting at the POS terminal 5 for the articles provided to the customer by each of the weighing devices 2. The store controller 4 is a device superior to each terminal and device, controls the entire weighing and selling system 1, and stores and manages various files.

[0010] POS terminal 5 is a terminal that processes accounting for goods provided to customers. It registers goods and performs accounting for registered goods. Various types of POS terminals can be used as POS terminal 5, including fully self-service POS terminals where customers register and pay for goods themselves, and semi-self-service POS terminals where store staff register goods using a registration machine and customers pay using a payment machine. It is equipped with the functional parts of known POS terminals. Specifically, it includes a display and operation unit for displaying and operating various information, a reading unit for reading various codes and acquiring information, a payment unit that supports various payment media and cash payments, and a communication unit that enables data communication with the store controller 4, etc. One example of accounting processing using the POS terminal 5 is based on accounting slips issued by the information processing terminal 3. Another example of accounting processing is based on information aggregated from each weighing device 2 and registered in the store controller 4.

[0011] In this weighing and selling system 1, items sold in a single transaction are associated with predetermined accounting identification information, and accounting processing for the items sold in that transaction is performed based on said predetermined accounting identification information. In other words, the customer receives the specified item they wish to purchase from a weighing device 2 that provides the specified item, and performs an operation to associate the received specified item with accounting identification information. The customer performs this operation for each weighing device 2 that contains the item they wish to purchase.

[0012] The accounting identification information used to identify a single transaction is not particularly limited as long as it is unique to each transaction. This may include store membership codes or other information unrelated to shopping. It may also be issued to the customer each time they use the weighing and selling system 1.

[0013] This accounting identification information may be stored in an accounting storage medium M. The accounting storage medium M is, for example, a card or a mobile terminal, and the accounting identification information is appropriately coded into a barcode or two-dimensional code and printed or displayed. Furthermore, the card used as the accounting storage medium M may be dedicated to in-store shopping or the weighing and selling system 1, or it may be an IC card or credit card that enables payment using various electronic money, such as a transportation IC card, or other types of electronic money. When such a card is used, unique identification information such as the user ID or card identification number recorded on the IC card can be used as accounting identification information, and in the case of a credit card, the credit card number can be used as accounting identification information. IC cards and credit cards that enable payment using electronic money can also be used when making payments with a POS terminal 5, which is convenient. However, when using unique identification information recorded on various cards as accounting identification information, it is preferable that it is recorded in a way that prevents alteration. Alternatively, accounting identification information may be stored in an RFID tag, and the RFID tag may be attached to a scoop or tongs used to scoop items from the container 20, or to a tray on which the items are placed. This eliminates the need to prepare a separate accounting storage medium M, such as a card, or to carry it with you during weighing operations, when using a scoop, tongs, or tray for each customer, making it more convenient.

[0014] With this configuration, the weighing device 2 acquires accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M, thereby associating the accounting identification information with information about the goods provided to the customer. The accounting for the goods provided to the customer is then performed based on the information about the goods associated with the accounting identification information. [Examples]

[0015] Figure 2 shows the hardware configuration of the weighing and selling system 1A according to Embodiment 1, and Figure 3 shows an example of the external configuration of a more specifically realized weighing device 2.

[0016] ● Hardware configuration of weighing device 2 As shown in Figure 2, the weighing device 2 is equipped with a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) for performing information processing, and storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), and is connected to the weighing unit 21, accounting identification information acquisition unit 22, display / operation unit 23, and communication unit 24 via an interface circuit.

[0017] The weighing unit 21 measures the mass of an item. As shown in Figure 3, the weighing unit 21 is equipped with a mounting section 21a on which the item is placed. This mounting section 21a is a weighing pan, and the item is usually placed in a container 20 and then placed on the mounting section 21a. The weighing unit 21 measures the mass of the item, including the container 20, placed on the mounting section 21a. The customer can scoop out the desired amount of the item contained in the container 20 using a shovel or the like.

[0018] In this embodiment, the weighing unit 21 is composed of a weight detection unit 211 and an AD converter 212, and measures the mass of the item on the mounting unit 21a using a load cell weight detection method. The weight detection unit 211 is implemented by a load cell, and the AD converter 212 converts the analog signal input from the weight detection unit 211 into a digital signal. In the conversion to a digital signal, a range in which the weight value can be appropriately acquired is set, and the zero point and the maximum weighing value are recorded. The value converted to digital data is displayed as weight (weighed value) on the display / operation unit 23. Furthermore, information regarding the total mass of the items on the mounting section 21a after the items have been removed is recorded, and in subsequent operations, this total mass is considered to be the total mass before the items were removed.

[0019] The accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is a functional unit for acquiring accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M. This accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is implemented according to the manner in which the accounting identification information is stored or held in the accounting storage medium M. For example, if the accounting storage medium M is a card and the accounting identification information is encoded and printed as a barcode or two-dimensional code, the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is implemented by a barcode reader or a code-readable CCD camera. If the accounting identification information is stored in an RFID tag, the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is implemented by a tag reader. If the accounting identification information is stored in an NFC-enabled mobile terminal, the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is implemented by an NFC reader. Although the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is not shown in Figures 1 and 3, the weighing device 2 may have a code reader at a predetermined location on the display / operation unit 23, or a separate CCD camera or barcode reader may be connected to it.

[0020] The display and operation unit 23 displays various information and accepts operations. The display and operation unit 23 can be implemented, for example, by a display unit such as an LCD panel and an operation unit such as a mechanical key, or by a touch panel display that integrates the display unit and the operation unit. As shown in Figure 4, for example, the display and operation unit 23 includes a purchase weight display area 23-1, a total mass display area 23-2, a unit price display area 23-3, and a sales price display area 23-4 that displays the sales price of the item according to its weight, as areas for displaying information about the item being weighed by the weighing unit 21. In this embodiment, it also includes a status display area 23-5 for displaying the status of the weighing operation, operation buttons 23-6 for accepting predetermined operations, and an indicator 23-7.

[0021] The purchase weight of an item displayed in the purchase weight display area 23-1 is the weight of the item scooped from the container 20 placed on the placement section 21a, and is the weight of the item to be sold to the customer. This purchase weight of the item is the weight subtracted from the total mass, and is the difference between the most recent total mass and the total mass after the weight change has been detected. The total mass of the article displayed in the total mass display area 23-2 is the measured value of the article on the placement area 21a as measured by the weighing unit 21, and may include the mass of the container 20 if the article is contained in a container 20. The unit price of the item displayed in the unit price display area 23-3 is based on data stored in the unit price information storage unit 2B, which will be described later. However, it may also be obtained from the information processing terminal 3 and displayed. The sales price displayed in the sales price display area 23-4 is calculated by the calculation processing unit 202, described later, based on the purchase weight and unit price of the goods. However, in other embodiments, the sales price may be calculated by the information processing terminal 3.

[0022] The status display area 23-5 displays icons indicating the status based on the weight change of the item. Icons include, for example, those showing the state in which the item is being scooped and the state in which the item has been scooped, and are displayed according to whether the weight is fluctuating and whether the weight has stabilized after fluctuating, respectively. Additionally, an icon indicating the completion of an operation may be displayed when an operation button is pressed, or the absence of an icon may indicate that the device is in standby mode. Operation buttons 23-6 are buttons used to confirm or select various operations. Indicator 23-7 can be appropriately equipped to display various information, for example, indicators that indicate a zero reset has been performed, that maintenance mode has ended, or that the weight is set to 0g in maintenance mode. Furthermore, the reading unit constituting the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 may be provided at a predetermined position on the display / operation unit 23, and a mark indicating the position for holding the accounting storage medium M may be provided at that predetermined position. Such a mark may be provided, for example, at the position of operation button 23-6, or in place of operation button 23-6.

[0023] Thus, the weighing device 2 displays the purchase weight, total mass, unit price, and selling price of the goods, allowing customers to scoop up the goods from the weighing device 2 while being aware of this information.

[0024] The communication unit 24 is implemented by one or more communication means that enable connection with each terminal or device. For example, interconnection with the information processing terminal 3 is achieved by a wired or wireless LAN. Furthermore, if the communication unit 24 is implemented via a wired LAN, the power supply for the weighing device 2 may be secured by PoE (Power over Ethernet) power supply from the information processing terminal 3 connected to an external power supply. However, this does not prevent the weighing device 2 from being directly connected to an external power supply or powered by an internal battery.

[0025] In addition, the weighing device 2 may also be equipped with notification features such as a speaker or indicator lamp. For example, when an item is being scooped from the weighing device 2 by the customer, the notification unit can emit sound or light to notify the customer when the weight of the item scooped from the weighing device 2 approaches a predetermined weight. In this case, the sound or light may change in nature as the weight of the item approaches the predetermined weight. Alternatively, the customer's desired amount may be set as the predetermined weight, and voice messages such as "Almost at the predetermined weight" or "Please scoop little by little" may be issued. The specified weight can be set, for example, using a keypad on the weighing device 2. Specifically, when a number is entered using the keypad while the weight is not being detected, the display / operation unit 23 that displays the weight will change its display mode from that of the detected value, such as flashing the number, and when the provision of the goods begins, the display will switch to the actual weight. In addition, when purchasing goods by specifying the goods and weight at the information processing terminal 3, the same notification can be achieved on the information processing terminal 3 side by sending weight data from the weighing device 2 to the information processing terminal 3. Furthermore, similar to the case of a specified weight, it is also possible to specify a selling price and provide notifications or information according to that selling price. If both a specified weight and a specified selling price are to be set, it is advisable to provide an operator that allows the user to select between the specified weight and the specified selling price.

[0026] ● Software configuration of weighing device 2 As shown in Figure 5, the weighing device 2 includes, as software resources, an identification information storage unit 2A, a unit price information storage unit 2B, a detection processing unit 201, a calculation processing unit 202, an initialization processing unit 203, a unit price acquisition processing unit 204, a display control unit 205, and a communication processing unit 206.

[0027] The identification information storage unit 2A stores item identification information that can identify an item placed on the placement section 21a of the weighing device 2. This item identification information is an example of item identification information that can identify an item from among multiple items. In this embodiment, the item identification information that constitutes the item identification information is unique to each item and is composed of, for example, a PLU code. This item identification information is provided from the weighing device 2 to the information processing terminal 3, thereby enabling the information processing terminal 3 to identify an item weighed by a predetermined weighing device 2.

[0028] Furthermore, the item identification information may consist of unique device identification information for each weighing device 2. Since the device identification information also uniquely identifies a given weighing device 2 from among multiple weighing devices 2, if predetermined items are placed on each weighing device 2, the items for each weighing device 2 can be identified by the device identification information. In this case, the device identification information only needs to be information that can identify a predetermined weighing device 2. For example, it can be composed of converter identification information held by the AD converter 212 that can identify the AD converter 212. Furthermore, the device identification information may be set using a DIP switch or the like provided separately on the weighing device 2. Furthermore, the identification information storage unit 2A may include a relay located on the network between the weighing device 2 and the information processing terminal 3, and the relay may transmit device identification information to the information processing terminal 3.

[0029] The unit price information storage unit 2B is a storage unit that stores unit price information of items placed on the weighing device 2. The weighing device 2 can refer to this unit price information to calculate the selling price corresponding to the purchase weight of the weighed items.

[0030] The detection processing unit 201 detects changes in the weight or stability of the weight of the item on the mounting unit 21a. After the weighing device 2 detects a change in the weight of an item on the weighing device 2 using the detection processing unit 201, it detects that the weight has stabilized and, after acquiring accounting identification information using the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22, transmits the item identification information of the scooped-up item, the purchase weight, and the accounting identification information to the information processing terminal 3.

[0031] The calculation processing unit 202 scoops up the weight from the weighing unit 21 and calculates the selling price based on the purchase weight of the goods provided to the customer. In this embodiment, the total mass after one transaction is completed is retained, and this total mass becomes the first weighed value relating to the weighing result of the item before the customer scoops the item from the placement unit 21a in the next transaction. When the customer scoops the item, the calculation processing unit 202 subtracts the second weighed value relating to the weighing result of the item after it has been scooped from the first weighed value to calculate the third weighed value. The first weighed value and the second weighed value are the weight values ​​of the item before and after it is provided to the customer, and the third weighed value, which is the difference between these two, can be considered as the purchase weight of the item provided to the customer.

[0032] The calculation processing unit 202 refers to the unit price information stored in the unit price information storage unit 2B and calculates the selling price of the item by multiplying the unit price of the item by the purchase weight. Alternatively, the selling price of the item can be calculated according to the first weighing value and the second weighing value described above, and the difference between these two prices can be used as the selling price of the item. Since the difference between the weight of the item before and after delivery is used as the purchase weight, there is no need for tare operations, reducing the burden on the customer. As a result, the time required to deliver items to customers is shortened, and waiting times are less likely to occur. In addition, the reduced operational burden reduces weighing errors caused by the operation.

[0033] The initialization processing unit 203 performs a process to initialize the purchase weight, based on the weight of the item placed on the mounting unit 21a, to an initial value, according to a predetermined timing or operation. In one example of the initialization process performed by the initialization processing unit 203, when the detection processing unit 201 detects that the total mass of the items on the placement unit 21a has increased, the purchase weight of the items is initialized to its initial value (0g). In this embodiment, the purchase weight is calculated by subtracting the weight from the total mass of the items on the placement unit 21a. However, if items are replaced, replenished, or items that have been scooped up are returned, the weight will increase from the most recent measurement. Therefore, by initializing the purchase weight of the items in accordance with the increase in the total mass of the items, the subsequent accounting processing can be made more appropriate. In this embodiment, the purchase weight is calculated by subtracting the total mass of the items on the mounting section 21a. Since the purchase weight becomes negative as the total mass increases, the purchase weight of the items may be reset when it is detected that the purchase weight has become negative.

[0034] Furthermore, when an item is replaced, if the item is temporarily removed from the mounting section 21a and then a zero reset operation is performed, the system may be initialized to automatically set the first purchase weight after the zero reset to 0g when it detects, by weight change, that the item has been placed back on the mounting section 21a.

[0035] If the weight of an item increases, the purchase weight will become a negative value. In this case, it is advisable to display a message such as "ERROR" on the display to indicate that it is not the purchase weight. Alternatively, in other examples, the display could be hidden (blank) or "0 yen" could be displayed.

[0036] Furthermore, the initialization process, which uses the purchase weight of the items as the initial value, can also be performed in response to a request from the information processing terminal 3. Additionally, to prevent situations where a store employee forgets to perform a zero reset after replenishing items, the system may be automatically initialized after a predetermined time. Furthermore, in conjunction with the execution of processing by the initialization processing unit 203, the unit price acquisition processing unit 204, described later, may be used to acquire unit price information for the goods.

[0037] The unit price acquisition processing unit 204 acquires unit price information from a terminal or device that holds the unit price information of an item, such as an information processing terminal 3 or a store controller 4, at a predetermined timing. The acquisition of unit price information is performed, for example, by sending a request to the information processing terminal 3 or the like to acquire the unit price information of the item identified by the item identification information, along with the item identification information stored in the identification information storage unit 2A. Once the unit price information is received, it is registered in the unit price information storage unit 2B.

[0038] The unit price acquisition process may be executed, for example, when the purchase weight is initialized in accordance with an increase in the total mass of the items on the placement unit 21a, when the weighing weight is reset to zero, or when the power is turned on. Alternatively, when a change in weight is detected in a case where the weighing device 2 does not hold information related to the unit price of the items, the weighing device 2 may request the information processing terminal 3 to acquire information related to the unit price of the items along with the item identification information.

[0039] Furthermore, the information processing terminal 3 may transmit unit price information to the weighing device 2 when a request to transmit unit price information specifying the weighing device 2 is received on the maintenance screen of the information processing terminal 3, or when the unit price information stored in the item information storage unit 3A is changed.

[0040] Furthermore, the system may determine whether the unit price information stored in the unit price information storage unit 2B of the weighing device 2 is the same as the unit price information stored in the item information storage unit 3A of the information processing terminal 3. If they are different, the information processing terminal 3 may notify the user that there is a problem with registering the unit price information, either through a sign light or other means provided separately. In this case, the information processing terminal 3 may display a confirmation screen as a pop-up or full-screen overlay, asking whether or not to send the unit price information of the item to the weighing device 2, or it may move the user to a settings screen (data update screen) to allow the administrator or other person to update the unit price information.

[0041] Furthermore, when the weighing and selling system 1 is started, the weighing device 2 may query the information processing terminal 3, and the information processing terminal 3 may transmit information regarding the unit price of the goods provided by each weighing device 2 to each weighing device 2. In addition, not limited to when the weighing and selling system 1 is started, item identification information may be specified through a maintenance screen or operation from the weighing device 2, and the information processing terminal 3 may transmit the unit price of the goods corresponding to said item identification information to the designated weighing device 2.

[0042] The display control unit 205 controls the display and operation unit 23 to display various information on the display and operation unit 23. In this embodiment, the information to be displayed on the display and operation unit 23 includes, as described above, the total mass of the items, the purchase weight of the items, the unit price, and the selling price.

[0043] The communication processing unit 206 is a functional unit that performs data transmission and reception with the information processing terminal 3 and the higher-level store controller 4, etc., via the communication unit 24, and realizes data communication in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. The weighing device 2, via its communication processing unit 206, can output or transmit information to the information processing terminal 3 regarding the purchase weight of the goods provided to the customer as a result of weighing by the weighing unit 21. In this case, the weighing device 2 can output to the information processing terminal 3 an item identification information registered in the identification information storage unit 2A, the purchase weight of the goods as a result of weighing by the weighing unit 21, and accounting identification information, all in association. The timing at which the weighing device 2 outputs item identification information, the purchase weight of the item, and accounting identification information to the information processing terminal 3 can be, for example, the timing at which the purchase weight is measured in the weighing unit 21, the detection processing unit 201 detects that the weight of the item on the placement unit 21a is stable, and the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 acquires the accounting identification information.

[0044] ● Hardware configuration of information processing terminal 3 The information processing terminal 3 is a device that performs input and output of predetermined information and issues accounting slips for goods provided to customers from the weighing device 2. The information processing terminal 3 obtains information about the goods provided to customers from the weighing device 2 and issues accounting slips printed with information for selling the goods provided to the customer accordingly.

[0045] As shown in Figure 2, the information processing terminal 3 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and other computing devices for performing information processing, as well as storage devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory). It is connected to the accounting identification information acquisition unit 31, the display and operation unit 32, and the communication unit 33 via an interface circuit. Furthermore, an issuing unit 34 for issuing accounting slips is connected via a dedicated cable. However, in other examples, the issuing unit 34 may be integrated with other hardware.

[0046] The accounting identification information acquisition unit 31, like the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 provided in the weighing device 2, is a functional unit for acquiring accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M, and is implemented by a barcode reader, a code-readable CCD camera, a tag reader, an NFC reader, etc., depending on the manner in which the accounting identification information is stored or held in the accounting storage medium M. Although the accounting identification information acquisition unit 31 is not shown in Figure 1, the information processing terminal 3 may have the accounting identification information acquisition unit 31 installed or connected to it at an appropriate location. When reading accounting identification information from an accounting storage medium M held over a predetermined location on the display / operation unit 32 of the information processing terminal 3, it is advisable to install the accounting identification information acquisition unit 31 corresponding to that predetermined location and to mark or display a mark at that location to guide the user to hold the accounting storage medium M over it.

[0047] The display and operation unit 32 is implemented by a touch panel display or the like, and displays various information to the customer, such as the weighing results and sales prices of items associated with accounting identification information, and in this respect constitutes a display unit. The display and operation unit 32 can also receive various operations from the customer, and in this respect constitutes an operation unit.

[0048] The communication unit 33 is implemented by one or more communication means that enable connection with each terminal or device. Interconnection with the weighing device 2 is implemented, for example, by a wired or wireless LAN.

[0049] The issuing unit 34 prints the print information generated by the information processing unit 303 (described later) onto a predetermined medium to produce an accounting slip, and then discharges the accounting slip from the issuing slot 34a shown in Figure 1. The accounting slip may be a paper receipt, or it may be a label that can be attached to a container or other item holding the goods.

[0050] In addition, the information processing terminal 3 may also be equipped with a scanner unit, an audio output unit, a tag reading unit, etc., depending on the sales method of the goods and other appropriate specifications.

[0051] The scanner unit is a functional unit that optically reads various types of information, and reads one-dimensional or two-dimensional codes that encode predetermined information. This allows, for example, item identification information or accounting information that can identify items to be encoded into a two-dimensional code, and then the information can be retrieved by reading the encoded information.

[0052] The audio output unit outputs predetermined information via sound. This allows for the output of, for example, voice guidance, error sounds, or operation sounds.

[0053] The tag reader unit reads and writes information to contactless IC tags. An example of a contactless IC tag is an RFID (radio frequency identifier) ​​tag, and the tag reader unit reads and writes information to the contactless IC tag using short-range wireless communication such as electromagnetic fields or radio waves. For example, information relating to the weight of the container holding the goods, or container identification information that identifies the container, can be written to a contactless ID tag, and a label incorporating the contactless ID can be attached to the container. Then, the tag reader can read the information relating to the weight of the container holding the goods scooped by the customer from the weighing device 2, or the container identification information that identifies the container, and obtain the information necessary for accounting for the container.

[0054] ● Software configuration of information processing terminal 3 As shown in Figure 5, the information processing terminal 3 is equipped with software resources including an item information storage unit 3A, a weighing information storage unit 3B, a calculation processing unit 301, a display control unit 302, an information processing unit 303, and a communication processing unit 304. Furthermore, the communication processing unit 304 establishes communication with the issuance processing unit 305.

[0055] The item information storage unit 3A is a storage unit that stores basic information about the items to be weighed in the weighing device 2, such as the name of the item and its unit price. The data items stored in this item information storage unit 3A include, for example, item identification information, item name, weighing category, unit price, and unit weight, as shown in Figure 6. Furthermore, the information stored in the item information storage unit 3A may be received from the store controller 4 or a cloud server located outside the store.

[0056] Here, the measurement classification refers to a classification related to measurement. Weighing category "0" corresponds to the "variable weight" category. Variable weight is a sales method in which the selling price is determined based on a predetermined unit price per unit weight (in this embodiment, "100g") and the weight (weighed value) of the product being sold. For items in weighing category "0 (variable weight)", the weight of the product being sold is required when determining the selling price.

[0057] When the weighing category is "0 (variable weight)", the unit price column stores the unit price per unit weight, and the unit weight column stores the unit weight. For example, in the case of an item with item identification information "SH001" (item name "AAA"), it is stored that the unit price per 100g is 250 yen. Therefore, for an item with item name "AAA", if the weighed value is 50g, the selling price will be 125 yen, and if the weighed value is 200g, the selling price will be 500 yen.

[0058] Measurement category "1" corresponds to the measurement category "fixed weight". Fixed weight is a sales method in which the selling price is determined based on a predetermined unit price per unit quantity (in this embodiment, "1 piece") and the sales quantity converted from the unit weight. Furthermore, for items classified as weighing category "1 (fixed weight)," weighing the items is necessary because the quantity of the item is calculated or estimated from its unit weight (weight of one unit) and weighed value, and the selling price is determined from the calculated or estimated quantity of the item and the unit price per unit quantity. Furthermore, weight errors in individual items can be corrected using the accuracy correction function provided in counting scales, etc.

[0059] When the weighing category is "1 (fixed weight)," the unit price column stores the unit price per unit weight (i.e., quantity "1"), and the unit weight column stores the unit weight corresponding to quantity "1." For example, in the case of product "SH103" (product name "ABC"), it is stored that the unit price per item (weight 80g) is 90. Therefore, for example, if the weighing value of product "ABC" is around 85g, the selling price will be 90 yen for one item, and if the weighing value is around 150g, the selling price will be 180 yen for two items.

[0060] The weighing information storage unit 3B is a storage unit that stores information output from the weighing device 2. As shown in Figure 7, the weighing information storage unit 3B stores at least the accounting identification information, item identification information, and purchase weight information associated with each other as weighing information for the items provided to the customer by the weighing device 2. The calculation processing unit 301 can calculate the sales price based on the items associated with predetermined accounting identification information and their purchase weight by referring to the weighing information stored in the weighing information storage unit 3B. In addition, the weighing information storage unit 3B can also store other information necessary for accounting, such as information related to the containers provided to the customer. Furthermore, the unit price of the goods and the sales price based on the purchase weight may be registered. This sales price may be calculated by the calculation processing unit 202 of the weighing device 2, or by the calculation processing unit 301 of the information processing terminal 3.

[0061] The calculation processing unit 301 performs a process to calculate a predetermined value based on various numerical data. The calculation processing unit 301, for example, refers to the item information storage unit 3A and the weighing information storage unit 3B and calculates the sales price of the goods provided to the customer based on the purchase weight and unit price of the goods, according to predetermined accounting identification information. If a paid container is provided to the customer when the goods are provided, the purchase cost of the container can also be added to the calculation of the total sales price. Furthermore, since the selling price of the goods based on the purchase weight is also calculated by weighing device 2, the calculated price of the goods calculated by weighing device 2 may be used when calculating the final selling price of the goods.

[0062] Furthermore, the calculation processing unit 301 can calculate the total sales price by summing the sales prices of multiple items when there are multiple items provided to a customer, that is, when there are multiple items associated with predetermined accounting identification information.

[0063] The display control unit 302 causes the display and operation unit 32 to display various types of information. The information to be displayed includes information stored in the item information storage unit 3A, such as the name and unit price of the item; information stored in the weighing information storage unit 3B, such as the sales weight; and information such as the sales price of the item calculated by the calculation processing unit 301. In addition, the display control unit 302 also displays on the display and operation unit 32 information that has been appropriately processed and edited from this information and configured as selectable information, as well as an operator that accepts the completion of item registration and accepts a request to issue an accounting slip.

[0064] The information processing unit 303 generates print information related to the content to be printed on the accounting slip. The print information generated at this time includes, at a minimum, information related to the sales price of an item calculated by the calculation processing unit 301 for an item associated with predetermined accounting identification information, as well as information such as the name of the item stored in the item information storage unit 3A, and information related to the weighing result of the item by the weighing device 2, and other information necessary for accounting of the item. The print information generated by the information processing unit 303 is output to the publishing processing unit 305. Furthermore, printed information, or accounting information contained within such printed information, can be encoded into one-dimensional or two-dimensional symbol codes.

[0065] The communication processing unit 304 performs data transmission and reception with the issuing processing unit 305, and data transmission and reception with the weighing device 2, in accordance with a predetermined communication protocol. The information processing terminal 3, via the communication processing unit 304, can receive information related to the purchase weight of the goods along with item identification information from the weighing device 2, and can also output print information to the issuance processing unit 305. Furthermore, the communication processing unit 304 may also perform data transmission and reception with a higher-level store controller 4, etc., via wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network), Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc. It may also perform data transmission and reception with an external server via a network such as the Internet.

[0066] The issuing processing unit 305 controls the issuing unit 34 to print the print information generated by the information processing unit 303 onto a predetermined medium, thereby issuing accounting slips.

[0067] In addition to these functional units, the information processing terminal 3 also includes configuration files related to the GUI layout and other settings for the display and operation unit 32.

[0068] Furthermore, the software resources of the information processing terminal 3 described above can be distributed or consolidated onto any of the hardware resources through appropriate design, and the hardware resources can also be configured as a physically integrated device or as separate devices.

[0069] ●Processing flow The following describes the process performed when goods are provided to a customer in the weighing and selling system 1A according to this embodiment. Furthermore, before using the weighing and selling system 1A, the store sets the item identification information and unit price information for each weighing device 2 that will be provided to the customer by the weighing device 2.

[0070] Figure 8 shows the processing flow from when the weighing device 2 provides the goods to the customer until that information is output to the information processing terminal 3. Furthermore, the store shall, as appropriate, provide tools for scooping items, such as trays, tongs, and spoons, as well as a payment storage medium M, when providing goods. Payment identification information may be stored in tags attached to these tools, or encoded into a symbol code and affixed to these tools. If a customer uses a card or other item they possess as the payment storage medium M, the customer does not need to use the payment storage medium M provided by the store.

[0071] The customer scoops the desired item from the weighing device 2 using a shovel or the like (S101). At this time, the detection processing unit 201 detects the change in weight of the item on the placement section 21a of the weighing device 2 (S102).

[0072] After the customer scoops the item from the weighing device 2, the detection processing unit 201 detects that the weight of the item placed in the weighing device 2 has stabilized (S103). If the customer has not yet taken the desired amount of goods (S104), they scoop up more goods.

[0073] In parallel with the detection processing unit 201's process for detecting weight changes and weight stabilization, the calculation processing unit 202 constantly calculates the purchase weight of the item according to the weight change, and this purchase weight is displayed on the display / operation unit 23 (S105). The calculation processing unit 202 also calculates the sales price according to the purchase weight based on the item's unit price information, and this sales price, corresponding to the measured value, is also displayed on the display / operation unit 23 (S106). In addition, the display / operation unit 23 also displays the total mass of the item on the placement unit 21a and the unit price of the item, as measured by the weighing unit 21.

[0074] Once the customer has taken the desired amount of goods, the weighing device 2 will retrieve accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M (S107). When the weighing device 2 acquires accounting identification information using the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22, it associates the item identification information, purchase weight, and accounting identification information and outputs (transmits) it to the information processing terminal 3 (S108). The customer performs the same operation on the weighing device 2 containing each desired item, and once the operation is completed for all desired items, the operation on the weighing device 2 is finished (S109).

[0075] When the information processing terminal 3 receives item identification information, purchase weight, and accounting identification information from the weighing device 2, it associates these with each other and registers them in the weighing information storage unit 3B (S110). If there is already information associated with the same accounting identification information, the information processing terminal 3 associates the newly received item identification information and purchase weight with that same accounting identification information and registers them.

[0076] Furthermore, when the weighing device 2 acquires accounting identification information and outputs the item identification information, purchase weight, and accounting identification information to the information processing terminal 3, the initialization processing unit 203 initializes the sales weight. As a result, the display and operation unit 23 returns to its original state (standby screen) and waits to accept the next transaction.

[0077] Next, Figure 9 shows the processing flow when a customer who has finished operating the weighing device 2 receives an accounting slip from the information processing terminal 3. When the information processing terminal 3 obtains accounting identification information from the customer using the accounting identification information acquisition unit 31 (S201), it refers to the item information storage unit 3A and the weighing information storage unit 3B, and the calculation processing unit 301 calculates the sales price of the item associated with the accounting identification information according to its sales weight (S202). That is, for each item, the sales price is calculated by multiplying the unit price by the sales weight, and the individual sales prices of all items are added together. Furthermore, if a container is purchased, the cost of the container is added, and consumption tax, etc., are also calculated to determine the final sales price. The selling price for each item and the final selling price may be calculated in advance by the calculation processing unit 301 before acquiring the accounting identification information.

[0078] Once the sales price is calculated, the display control unit 302 displays the voucher issuance screen on the display and operation unit 32 (S203). The voucher issuance screen displays an operator for accepting the operation to issue an accounting voucher, and the customer requests the issuance of an accounting voucher using this operator (S204).

[0079] The information processing terminal 3, in response to a customer request for the issuance of an accounting slip, generates print information related to the content to be printed on the accounting slip using the information processing unit 303 (S205). Furthermore, the issuance processing unit 305 issues the accounting slip based on the generated print information using the issuance unit 34 (S206). Regardless of this embodiment, accounting vouchers can also be issued upon acquisition of accounting identification information without the need for operation via an operator.

[0080] Customers who receive an accounting slip undergo accounting processing based on the said accounting slip at POS terminal 5, thereby completing the purchase of goods.

[0081] In this embodiment, the weighing device 2 performs the following processing: After the detection processing unit 201 detects a change in the weight of the item on the weighing device 2, it detects that the weight has stabilized and the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 has acquired accounting identification information. Based on this, the item identification information of the item, the purchase weight, and the accounting identification information are associated and output to the information processing terminal 3. However, after acquiring the accounting identification information, the information may be output to the information processing terminal 3 in response to the pressing of the operation completion button. In this case, even after acquiring the accounting identification information, the customer can add items to purchase until the operation completion button is pressed, and the purchase weight of the items will be updated when more items are scooped up.

[0082] Furthermore, to prevent users from forgetting to take their accounting slips, a sensor may be installed on the information processing terminal 3 to prevent this and to notify the user if a slip is forgotten. Furthermore, depending on the specifications or operation of the POS terminal 5, accounting for goods using accounting slips can be performed by a store employee after receiving the accounting slip from the customer, or by the customer themselves.

[0083] Furthermore, if the customer attempts to have the weighing device 2 acquire accounting identification information while the detected weight of the items in the weighing device 2 is unstable, or if an increase in the total mass of the items is detected during the weighing process, the device may detect this as fraudulent operation and output an alert.

[0084] ●Examples of screens and accounting slips In this embodiment, an example of the screen displayed on the information processing terminal 3 and its transitions is shown in Figures 10 to 12. Figure 10 shows the standby screen of the information processing terminal 3. Note that in this example screen shown in Figure 10, it is assumed that an IC card equipped with an IC tag is used as the accounting storage medium M, and accounting identification information is stored in the IC tag. Alternatively, a card identification number may be used to identify the card according to the standard. The standby screen displays the message "Please touch your card" as a request for accounting identification information. The same screen also displays the touch area G11 of the IC card, which is the accounting storage medium M. The touch area G11 is equipped with an accounting identification information acquisition unit 31, and when the IC card is touched, the accounting identification information acquisition unit 31 communicates with the IC card and acquires the accounting identification information.

[0085] Figure 11 shows the confirmation screen displayed when the information processing terminal 3 acquires accounting identification information. The confirmation screen includes a weighing information display area G12 that displays information about items associated with the accounting identification information obtained from the customer. The weighing information display area G12 displays information for each item that the customer has picked up and that is associated with the accounting identification information, including the name of the item, unit price, sales weight, and sales price. It also displays the number of items and the total sales price for each item. This information is extracted from the item information storage unit 3A and the weighing information storage unit 3B based on the accounting identification information, or calculated by the calculation processing unit 301 from the extracted information (sales price and total). Additionally, a control button G13 for requesting the issuance of accounting slips is provided at the bottom of the screen. After the customer has checked the information in the weighing information display area G12, if there are no problems with the contents, they can press this control button G13 to receive the accounting slip.

[0086] Furthermore, regarding the display of items in the weighing information display area G12, after issuing an accounting slip, an image of the item may be displayed for each item, or a color reminiscent of each item may be displayed as the background color, so that the accounting slip can be attached to the correct item. In addition, the items may be sorted in the order in which the item identification information was output. Furthermore, in the example shown in Figure 11, pressing the operator G13 issues accounting slips for multiple items at once. However, regardless of this, an operator may be provided to request the issuance of accounting slips for each item, allowing for the issuance of accounting slips for each item.

[0087] In Figure 11, when the operator G13 is pressed, the issuance processing unit 305 causes the issuance unit 34 to issue an accounting slip. Figure 12 shows an example of the screen displayed when an accounting slip is issued in this way, and a message prompting the customer to accept the accounting slip and proceed to payment is displayed. When a customer receives an accounting slip dispensed from the issuing slot 34a, the screen of the information processing terminal 3, which detected this, returns to the standby screen.

[0088] Figure 13 shows an example of an accounting slip issued by the information processing terminal 3. In each example, the name of the item, unit price, sales weight, and selling price are displayed for each item purchased by the customer. In Figure 13(a), information on all items purchased by the customer is encoded into a barcode and printed. The POS terminal 5 can read this barcode to obtain information on all items purchased by the customer at once. In Figure 13(b), information for each item purchased by the customer is encoded into a barcode and printed. The POS terminal 5 reads the barcode for each item and retrieves the item's information. In this example, since a barcode is generated for each item, it is easy to remove items from the checkout process (return process). In Figure 13(c), the information is encoded and printed as a two-dimensional code instead of the barcode in the example in Figure 13(a). With a two-dimensional code, information for each item can be encoded together, and after acquiring information for all items at the POS terminal 5, corrections and cancellations can be performed on the POS terminal 5 for each item.

[0089] In addition, an accounting voucher combining the accounting voucher shown in Figure 13(a) and the accounting voucher shown in Figure 13(b) may be issued. In this case, the portion of the accounting voucher shown in Figure 13(a) may be used for accounting, and the portion of the accounting voucher shown in Figure 13(b) may be used for processing returns for each item.

[0090] According to the weighing and selling system 1A of this embodiment, weighing information from multiple weighing devices 2 with different unit price settings can be aggregated and associated with predetermined accounting identification information. As a result, accounting slips can be issued for each transaction, reducing the time required for each customer to shop and streamlining store operations. Furthermore, the operation to issue accounting slips is simple, so customers do not have to worry about operating each weighing device 2 or being considerate of the next customer and not being able to purchase the appropriate amount. In addition, accounting operations at the POS terminal 5 are also simple, as it only requires acquiring information based on a single accounting slip. Furthermore, with the weighing and selling system 1A, multiple customers can perform weighing operations simultaneously without having to wait for one customer to receive an accounting slip.

[0091] Furthermore, during weighing operations with weighing device 2, if items are spilled or items are scooped but the transaction is canceled, the purchase weight will remain displayed until the operation is complete, preventing the next customer from operating the device. Therefore, it would be beneficial to allow the operation to be completed using a store employee code in such cases. This would exclude such errors from the accounting process, and the weighing records associated with the store employee code could also be used for waste management (yield management), making management more convenient. Furthermore, if a customer requests a cancellation after the weighing process is complete, the POS terminal 5 can process and manage the return of the items (total quantity) and weight (mass) as declared by the customer to the staff.

[0092] In this embodiment, the purchase weight is measured in the weighing unit 21, and after the detection processing unit 201 detects that the weight of the item on the placement unit 21a has stabilized, the accounting identification information is acquired by the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22. This triggers the output of item identification information, the sales weight of the item, and the accounting identification information from the weighing device 2 to the information processing terminal 3. However, the output may also be performed after confirmation of completion of the operation, such as by pressing an operation completion button displayed on the display / operation unit 23.

[0093] ● Variations of the process for identifying items As mentioned above, the device identification information of weighing device 2 can also be used as item identification information that can identify an item. Figure 14 shows, as an example, the functional configuration of the weighing and selling system 1A when the store controller 4 is equipped with a function to identify items using device identification information.

[0094] The store controller 4 includes an item information storage unit 4A configured similarly to the item information storage unit 3A described above, as well as a setting information storage unit 4B and an identification processing unit 401 as functional units for identifying items. It also includes a communication processing unit 402 for sending and receiving data with the weighing device 2 and the information processing terminal 3.

[0095] The setting information storage unit 4B stores setting information that associates device identification information that can identify the weighing device 2 with item identification information of the item provided by the weighing device 2. As described above, the device identification information that can identify the weighing device 2 can also be replaced with converter identification information that can identify the AD converter 212 provided in the weighing device 2, in which case the converter identification information is associated with the item identification information.

[0096] The identification processing unit 401 identifies the item identification information associated with the predetermined device identification information by referring to the setting information storage unit 4B based on the predetermined device identification information.

[0097] Figure 15 shows an example of the processing flow performed by the store controller 4 and the information processing terminal 3. When the information processing terminal 3 obtains weighing information of the goods from the weighing device 2, including device identification information, purchase weight, and accounting identification information (S211), it sends a request to the store controller 4 to identify the goods along with the device identification information (S212).

[0098] The store controller 4, using the identification processing unit 401, identifies an item associated with the device identification information by referring to the setting information storage unit 4C (S213), and then transmits the item identification information of the identified item to the information processing terminal 3 (S214). As a result, the information processing terminal 3, having identified the item, registers the item identification information, the purchase weight of the item, and the accounting identification information of the identified item in the weighing information storage unit 3B (S215).

[0099] Subsequently, when the information processing terminal 3 obtains accounting identification information for accounting operations (S216), it sends a request to the store controller 4 to obtain information about the item along with the item identification information associated with the accounting identification information (S217). When the store controller 4 sends the information about the item in response (S218), the information processing terminal 3 executes the accounting process through the processes described above from S202 onwards (see Figure 9).

[0100] Thus, even when using the device identification information of weighing device 2 as item identification information that can identify an item, the item can be uniquely identified. It should be noted that this functional configuration is merely an example. By equipping the information processing terminal 3 or an external cloud server with a functional unit for identifying items based on device identification information, the information processing terminal 3 or the external cloud server can perform the item identification process. Furthermore, by equipping the store controller 4 with a functional unit equivalent to the weighing information storage unit 3B, and having the store controller 4 acquire weighing information of items from the weighing device 2, the store controller 4 can also transmit the weighing information of items to the information processing terminal 3 in response to a request from the information processing terminal 3. This configuration, in which item identification information is composed of device identification information, can be similarly applied to other embodiments described later. [Examples]

[0101] Unlike Example 1, the weighing and selling system according to Example 2 (hereinafter, the weighing and selling system according to this example may be referred to as "Weighing and Selling System 1B") enables accounting processing by the POS terminal 5 by displaying information for accounting processing on the information processing terminal 3 in a referable format, without requiring the information processing terminal 3 to issue accounting slips.

[0102] The weighing and selling system 1B, like the weighing and selling system 1, consists of a weighing device 2, an information processing terminal 3, a store controller 4, and a POS terminal 5. However, in Embodiment 1, considering the convenience and flow of customers who weigh items using the weighing device 2, it was preferable for the information processing terminal 3, which issues accounting slips, to be installed near the weighing device 2. In this embodiment, however, when accounting is processed by the POS terminal 5, the information processing terminal 3 is displayed on the information processing terminal 3 for reference as described above, so it is preferable for the information processing terminal 3 to be installed near the POS terminal 5.

[0103] In this embodiment, for example, when a store clerk operates the POS terminal 5, the customer, after completing the weighing operation with the weighing device 2, hands the accounting storage medium M to the store clerk and requests payment. When the store clerk receives the accounting storage medium M from the customer, the store clerk has the information processing terminal 3 obtain accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M and output a screen for accounting processing on the display and operation unit 32 of the information processing terminal 3.

[0104] Figure 16 shows an example of an output screen for such accounting information. The screen includes a weighing information display area G21 that displays information about items associated with accounting identification information obtained from the customer. Similar to the weighing information display area G12 in Example 1, the weighing information display area G21 displays information for each item picked up by the customer that is associated with the accounting identification information, such as the name of the item, unit price, sales weight, and sales price.

[0105] On the other hand, in this embodiment, an operator G22 is provided for deleting each item from the accounting process. When this operator G22 is pressed, the item is deleted and removed from the accounting process. In this case, the barcode displayed in the code display area G23 is updated in accordance with the deletion of the item. Furthermore, the deletion process for each item may be restricted to store employees only. Alternatively, after pressing the G22 operator, a modal window may be displayed to confirm the deletion operation, and the deletion process may be executed after receiving a renewed deletion request. Alternatively, instead of displaying the G22 operator, the system may accept item-specific selections and accept cancellation operations.

[0106] At the bottom of the screen is a code display area G23 that displays accounting symbol codes for acquiring the information displayed on the screen; in this example, a barcode is displayed. When the barcode displayed in the code display area G23 is read by a handheld scanner or barcode reader equipped with the POS terminal 5, the POS terminal 5 can acquire the coded information of the items. The information of the items acquired at this time includes at least the information necessary for final accounting, such as the total sales price of the items to be purchased.

[0107] At the bottom of the screen is an operator G24, which is used to temporarily cancel the operation if there is a request to increase the quantity of goods or to purchase additional items. When operator G24 is pressed, the operation is temporarily canceled, and the customer operates the weighing device 2 to add goods, etc.

[0108] Figure 17 shows another example of the output screen for accounting information displayed on the display and operation unit 32 of the information processing terminal 3. In this example, unlike the example in Figure 16, the code display area G26, which displays the accounting symbol code for obtaining information about items, displays a two-dimensional code. With a two-dimensional code, information for each item can be coded together, and after obtaining information for all items at the POS terminal 5, corrections and cancellations can be performed on the POS terminal 5 for each item. Therefore, in this example in Figure 17, the weighing information display area G25, which corresponds to the weighing information display area G21 in the example in Figure 16, does not have an operator equivalent to the operator G22 for deleting items from the accounting items. However, this does not negate the possibility of providing an operator equivalent to the operator G22 in the example in Figure 17.

[0109] According to the weighing and selling system 1B of this embodiment, since no accounting slips are issued, it is possible to go paperless. In addition, since the operation of issuing accounting slips is unnecessary, the burden on customers can be reduced. Furthermore, even if the POS terminal 5 is operating on a different system, sales registration and return (cancellation) processing can be carried out smoothly in the weighing and selling system 1B. [Examples]

[0110] As shown in Figure 18, the weighing and selling system 1C according to Example 3 lacks the information processing terminal 3 of Example 1, and enables accounting processing by the POS terminal 5 through data exchange between the weighing device 2, store controller 6, and POS terminal 5, which are configured to communicate with each other.

[0111] The store controller 6 according to this embodiment includes at least an item information storage unit 6A, a weighing information storage unit 6B, a calculation processing unit 601, and a communication processing unit 604 that perform the same functions as the item information storage unit 3A, weighing information storage unit 3B, calculation processing unit 301, and communication processing unit 304, respectively, that are provided in the information processing terminal 3 according to Embodiment 1, and executes a portion of the processing performed by the information processing terminal 3. That is, it receives item identification information, the sales weight of the item, and accounting identification information from the weighing device 2 after the weighing operation of the item has finished, stores this information in association with it, and supplies this information to the POS terminal 5 in response to a request from the POS terminal 5.

[0112] The operations and processes performed in the weighing device 2 in this embodiment are the same as in Embodiment 1. However, as described above, when the weighing device 2 receives accounting identification information from a customer who has finished weighing the goods, it outputs the item identification information, the sales weight of the goods, and the accounting identification information to the store controller 6.

[0113] Figure 19 shows the processing flow executed by the POS terminal 5 in the weighing and selling system 1C according to this embodiment. The POS terminal 5 acquires accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M using a function unit for acquiring accounting identification information, such as a barcode reader or tag reader (S301). Then, it requests the store controller 4 to acquire information stored in the weighing information storage unit 6B, such as the sales price of the item associated with the accounting identification information, and obtains it (S302). As a result, POS terminal 5 adds the sales price of the goods to the accounting process, performs the accounting process together with other registered goods, and completes the settlement (S303).

[0114] Alternatively, the store controller 6 may calculate the sales price based on the sales weight and unit price of the items, and the POS terminal 5 may obtain the calculated sales price of the items and add it to the total amount subject to accounting.

[0115] In other embodiments, the functions and processes performed by the store controller 6 in this embodiment can be assigned to the POS terminal 5, in which case the processing is completed by the weighing device 2 and the POS terminal 5.

[0116] The weighing and selling system 1C according to this embodiment also allows a series of operations and processes to be completed solely through data exchange, without issuing accounting slips, thus enabling a paperless system. Furthermore, since the weighing information from the weighing device 2 is aggregated and managed by the store controller 4, even after accounting processing, it is possible to view a receipt image showing the purchase date and expiration date of the goods from a dedicated app. Specifically, by setting the member ID used as accounting identification information in the dedicated app function, data can be linked and viewed easily. It is also possible to link with commonly available household budgeting apps. [Examples]

[0117] The weighing and selling system according to Example 4 (hereinafter, the weighing and selling system according to this example may be referred to as "Weighing and Selling System 1D") is a system equipped with a weighing unit U shown in Figure 20, instead of the weighing device 2 of Example 1. The weighing and selling system 1D according to this example is configured in the same way as Example 1 and includes an information processing terminal 3, a store controller 4, and a POS terminal 5.

[0118] The weighing unit U consists of an item supply device 7 that provides a customer with any quantity of goods, and a weighing device 8 provided for each item supply device 7 for measuring the mass of any quantity of goods supplied from the item supply device 7. The weight of the goods supplied from the item supply device 7 to the weighing device 8 is measured as the sales weight.

[0119] ●Goods supply device 7 As shown in Figure 20, the article supply device 7 consists of a storage section 71 located above, a supply section 72 located below the storage section 71, an operating section 73 for supplying articles, and a supply port 74 for supplying articles to the weighing device 8. The storage unit 71 and the supply unit 72 are connected, and the items in the storage unit 71 are supplied from the supply unit 72 to the weighing device 8 via the supply port 74.

[0120] The storage unit 71 and the supply unit 72 may be integrally configured, or they may be detachably configured by a predetermined mounting mechanism. If they are detachably configured, the goods supply device 7 can be replenished by replacing the storage unit 71 in which the goods are stored. In addition, the expiration date of the goods may be managed in accordance with the replacement of the storage unit 71. In this case, for example, information such as the best-before / use-by date, best-before / use-by period, date, and replenishment amount is entered into the information processing terminal 3. The entered information may be printed on a label and attached to the storage unit 71 or to a management slip.

[0121] The storage section 71 is a part for storing articles and is a hollow container. The storage unit 71 can store a certain amount of goods inside, and the goods are discharged to the supply unit 72 through an opening provided at the bottom.

[0122] The supply unit 72 supplies the amount of goods corresponding to the customer's operation to the weighing device 8. The supply unit 72 is provided with a receiving port that communicates with an opening located below the storage unit 71 and a storage unit for storing articles. Below the supply unit 72 is a supply port 74 for supplying articles to the weighing device 8. The supply port 74a located below the supply port 74 opens and closes in response to operation by the operating unit 73.

[0123] The operating section 73 is the part that operates the opening and closing mechanism of the supply port 74a provided in the supply port section 74, and is operated by the customer. This operating section 73 is, for example, an externally exposed lever, and when the lever is operated, the supply port 74a is opened, and the items in the storage section are supplied from the supply port section 74 to the weighing device 8.

[0124] The supply port 74 is located below the supply unit 72 and is positioned towards the front side of the article supply device 7. This supply port 74 is directed towards the receiving-side opening 82a of the guide body 82 of the weighing device 8, and articles are fed from the supply port 74a through the receiving-side opening 82a into the guide body 82. Furthermore, the supply port 74 is shaped to narrow towards the weighing device 8 from the article supply device 7, so that articles are supplied to the weighing device 8 via the guide body 82 without any leakage.

[0125] ● Hardware configuration of weighing device 8 The weighing device 8 is a device that temporarily stores and weighs the items supplied from the item supply device 7, and is located below the item supply device 7.

[0126] The weighing device 8 has the same functional parts as the weighing unit 21, accounting identification information acquisition unit 22, display / operation unit 23, and communication unit 24 in Embodiment 1, but in a more concrete form it is realized as a device with the mechanism shown in Figure 21, and comprises a main body 81, guide body 82, display / operation unit 83, operation unit 84, and support unit 85. Although the functional unit corresponding to the accounting identification information acquisition unit 22 is not shown in the figure, similar to Embodiment 1, it is implemented by a barcode reader, a code-readable CCD camera, or a tag reader, depending on the manner in which the accounting identification information is stored or held in the accounting storage medium M, and is provided or connected to a predetermined position on the display / operation unit 83.

[0127] The main body 81 is a housing that is roughly rectangular in shape, and a guide body 82, a display / operation unit 83, an operation unit 84, and a support unit 85 are provided at predetermined locations. The main body 81 has hollow sections that open at the top and bottom, and a guide body 82, which will be described later, is fitted into the hollow section through the opening 81a on the top side that communicates with the hollow section. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 22, which illustrates the internal structure of the weighing device 8, a pair of lids 841 and 842 are provided on the bottom side of the weighing device 8, which open and close in response to the operation of the control unit 84, which will be described later. The opening on the bottom side constitutes a serving port 81b that opens and closes with the pair of lids 841 and 842, and through this serving port 81b, the items contained inside the weighing device 8 can be discharged to the outside and provided to the customer.

[0128] Here, the upper opening 81a is formed along the length of the main body 81, extending from the front side of the main body 81 through the central part to the rear. Furthermore, the openable and closable supply opening 81b has a narrower opening width than the opening 81a and is located on the front side of the main body 81, at least on the front side of the support portion 85.

[0129] The guide body 82 is a funnel-shaped component that is fitted into the hollow part through the opening 81a of the main body 81, and also serves as a tare container. As shown in Figure 22, the guide body 82 is provided with an engaging projection 821 on its side, which detachably engages with an engaging recess 871a provided in the weighing section 87 of the main body 81. This allows the weighing section 87 to measure the mass of the item contained within the guide body 82. Furthermore, by releasing the engagement between the engaging projection 821 and the engaging recess 871a, the guide body 82 can be removed or replaced as needed for cleaning or other purposes.

[0130] Furthermore, the guide body 82 is equipped with a receiving opening 82a and a discharge opening 82b on its upper and lower surfaces. When an item supplied from the item supply device 7 is received through the receiving opening 82a, the guide body 82 houses the item inside when the lids 841 and 842 are closed. When the lids 841 and 842 are opened, the item is discharged from the discharge opening 82b through the supply opening 81b to the outside of the weighing device 8, thereby allowing the item to be provided to the customer. The opening width of the receiving-side opening 82a is relatively wider than that of the discharge-side opening 82b, and is also wider than that of the supply port 74a of the article supply device 7. Furthermore, the guide body 82 is attached to the main body 81 such that the lower part of the discharge-side opening 82b fits inside the housing of the main body 81. As a result, the guide body 82 receives articles supplied from the article supply device 7 without any leakage.

[0131] The display and operation unit 83 is implemented using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays the sales weight of the item, the unit price of the item, and the sales price of the item according to the sales weight, which have been weighed by the weighing unit 87 described later. This display and operation unit 83 is composed of three vertically arranged display and operation units 83-1, 83-2, and 83-3. In this embodiment, display and operation unit 83-1 displays the sales weight of the goods supplied from the goods supply device 7 to the weighing device 8, display and operation unit 83-2 displays the unit price of the goods, and display and operation unit 83-3 displays the sales price. In the example in Figure 21, the unit price of the goods displayed in display and operation unit 83-2 is the price per 100g, but the unit weight is not particularly limited and can be the price per 50g, etc.

[0132] In this way, the weighing device 8 displays the sales weight, unit price, and sales price of the goods. As a result, customers can operate the goods supply device 7 to supply goods to the weighing device 8 while being aware of this information, and stop supplying goods once they have confirmed that the desired amount of goods has been reached in the weighing device 8.

[0133] The operating section 84 is the part that operates the opening and closing mechanism for opening and closing the serving opening 81b. In this embodiment, the operating section 84 is realized by a lever that can be operated from the front side, and the opening and closing mechanism is realized by a pair of covers 841 and 842 that open and close the serving opening 81b by the operating section 84. Gear parts 84a, 841a, and 842a are provided at one end of the operating section 84 and the covers 841 and 842, respectively, and the gear parts 84a and 841a, and the gear parts 841a and 842a mesh with each other. When the operating section 84 is raised upward, the pair of covers 841 and 842 are in contact with each other and close the serving opening 81b, and when the operating section 84 is pushed downward, the meshing gear parts 84a, 841a, and 842a move in conjunction to separate the covers 841 and 842 and open the serving opening 81b. When the dispensing port 81b is opened, the items inside the guide body 82 are discharged from the dispensing port 81b through the discharge-side opening 82b, thereby providing the items to the customer.

[0134] Normally, the lids 841 and 842 are lowered by their own weight, closing the dispensing opening 81b, and the operating part 84 is raised accordingly. In this regard, a biasing means such as a spring may be provided separately to the operating part 84 to bias it upward, so that when it is not being pushed down, it will be reliably raised upward and the dispensing opening 81b will be closed. When the dispensing opening 81b is closed, the discharge of items from the guide body 82 is restricted, and the items remain contained within the guide body 82.

[0135] The opening and closing mechanism operated by the operating unit 84 to open and close the serving opening 81b is not limited to the configuration described above. For example, a shutter-like shielding plate may slide to open and close the serving opening 81b, or a lid-like shielding plate that covers the serving opening 81b may fit into and detach from the serving opening 81b to open and close the serving opening 81b. Furthermore, the opening and closing mechanism may open and close the supply port 81b by electrical control.

[0136] The support parts 85 are legs that support the weighing device 8 on the shelf, and four of them are provided on the bottom surface of the main body 81. Each of the four support sections 85 is equipped with an independent height adjustment mechanism, and by adjusting the height of each support section 85 as appropriate, the main body 81 can be supported horizontally on the shelf. Such a height adjustment mechanism can be realized, for example, by a disc-shaped base with a female thread in the center and a rod-shaped shaft with a male thread that screws into the female thread of the disc-shaped base. By placing the disc-shaped base on a shelf and screwing the rod-shaped shaft into the female thread to an appropriate depth, the height of each support part 85 can be adjusted.

[0137] Referring to Figure 23, the process by which the customer operates the weighing unit U to receive the goods will be explained. When a customer receives goods from the weighing unit U, they select the goods supply device 7 containing the desired goods and place a container such as a cup, bag, or bottle below the supply opening 81b located on the bottom of the weighing device 8. Then, as shown in Figure 23(a), the customer operates the control unit 73 to open the supply opening 74a of the goods supply device 7. In response, the goods stored in the storage section 71 of the goods supply device 7 are supplied into the guide body 82 of the weighing device 8.

[0138] Once the desired amount of goods has been loaded into the weighing device 8, the customer operates the control unit 73 to close the supply port 74a, as shown in Figure 23(b). Furthermore, even while goods are being fed from the goods supply device 7 to the weighing device 8, the display and operation unit 83 displays the sales weight, unit price, and sales price of the goods fed into the weighing device 8, allowing the customer to operate the operation unit 73 while keeping track of the amount of goods being supplied to the weighing device 8.

[0139] Once the customer has received the desired amount of goods from the weighing device 8, they operate the control panel 84 of the weighing device 8 to open the dispensing port 81b, as shown in Figure 23(c), and discharge the goods contained in the weighing device 8 into the container 80. Through the above process, the goods are provided to the customer by the weighing unit U under the customer's operation.

[0140] ● Software configuration of weighing device 8 Similar to the weighing device 2 in Embodiment 1, the weighing device 8 includes functional units corresponding to an identification information storage unit 2A, a unit price information storage unit 2B, a detection processing unit 201, a calculation processing unit 202, an initialization processing unit 203, a unit price acquisition processing unit 204, a display control unit 205, and a communication processing unit 206 as software resources.

[0141] On the other hand, in Example 1, the difference in the amount of goods scooped out by the customer in container 20 was calculated as the sales weight. However, in this example, the weight of the goods supplied from the goods supply device 7 to the weighing device 8 is used as the sales weight, and the sales price of the goods is calculated by multiplying this sales weight by the unit price.

[0142] The operations and processes from weighing the goods to accounting in this embodiment are as follows. Specifically, the customer first selects the item supply device 7 containing the desired item and operates the control unit 73 to supply the item from the item supply device 7 to the weighing device 8. The weighing device 8 then detects the change in weight and subsequently detects that the weight of the item has stabilized. At this stage, the weighing device 8 obtains accounting identification information from the accounting storage medium M and outputs the item identification information, purchase weight, and accounting identification information in association to the information processing terminal 3.

[0143] For example, the goods supplied from the goods supply device 7 to the weighing device 8 may be provided to the customer by the customer operating the operation unit 84 after the information is output to the information processing terminal 3. In another example, even if the goods supplied to the weighing device 8 are provided to the customer by the operation unit 84 after the weight has stabilized, the weight at the time of stabilization may be retained as the sales weight until the information is output to the information processing terminal 3, and the system may be configured to output the information to the information processing terminal 3 in response to the acquisition of accounting identification information.

[0144] Furthermore, after the customer operates the control unit 73, the weighing device 8 may be automatically reset to zero when the item identification information, the sales weight of the item, and the accounting identification information are output to the information processing terminal 3 and the control unit 73 returns to its original state. At this time, if the weight of the item remaining in the weighing device 8 exceeds a specified value, an error may be reported. This allows the customer to be alerted and ensures that the customer receives all of the item without leaving any amount behind.

[0145] Furthermore, the weighing and selling system 1D may also detect if the operating unit 84 of the weighing device 8 is operated while the detected weight of the item in the weighing device 8 is not stable, and output an alert if this is considered an unauthorized operation.

[0146] Operations and processing performed on the information processing terminal 3, POS terminal 5, etc., after the weighing device 8 outputs the weighing information of the items to the information processing terminal 3 can be carried out in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment 1 or embodiment 2. In addition, as in embodiment 3 above, it is also possible to configure the system to output the weighing information of the items from the weighing device 8 to the store controller 6.

[0147] According to the weighing and selling system 1D of this embodiment, even by having the weighing device 8 weigh only the desired sales weight of goods, weighing information from multiple weighing devices 2 with different unit price settings can be aggregated and associated with predetermined accounting identification information.

[0148] In the weighing and selling system 1 according to this embodiment, when a paid container is provided to the customer, the information processing terminal 3 is equipped with a container information storage unit necessary for selling the container to the customer. The data items stored in the container information storage unit include, for example, container identification information, container weight information, and container price information. The container identification information is information that can identify a container, and for example, it is information that can identify each of the following: My Container (a container brought by the customer), Store Container S (an S-sized container provided by the store), Store Container M (an M-sized container provided by the store), and Store Container L (an L-sized container provided by the store). This information about the containers allows the price corresponding to the container to be included in the sales price when providing containers to customers. Furthermore, when containers are provided to customers, the selection of the container can be made, for example, on the information processing terminal 3 or POS terminal 5 after the customer has completed the weighing operation.

[0149] Furthermore, if a dedicated application program stored on a customer terminal, such as a smartphone, allows the customer to perform the entire process from item registration to accounting, it is also possible to connect the information processing terminal 3 and the customer terminal via short-range communication to transmit accounting information. For example, the short-range communication connection is performed by symbolizing connection information with one-time information added and displaying it on the display / operation unit 32 of the information processing terminal 3, and then authenticating by photographing the symbol code with the camera on the customer terminal.

[0150] Furthermore, in the above embodiments 1 to 4, each functional unit can be combined as appropriate within the limits of not creating inconsistencies, or each functional unit can be provided in terminals or devices different from those in these embodiments. In addition, the order of processing performed by each functional unit can also be changed within the limits of not creating inconsistencies.

[0151] ●Summary of Embodiments This invention relates to a weighing device and a weighing and selling system for selling goods by weight.

[0152] Traditionally, prepared foods and similar items have been sold in bulk. In bulk sales, for example, products of the same unit price are packed into a designated container, the total amount is calculated based on the weight of the container after tare weight is deducted, and a label is issued (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2013-108817).

[0153] In bulk sales like this, for example, when purchasing items with different unit prices, customers can pay for them all at once by issuing labels from weighing machines with different unit price settings. However, this is inconvenient because labels must be issued each time, and if a customer is unsure how to operate each weighing machine, they may not be able to purchase the correct amount out of consideration for the next customer.

[0154] Therefore, one of the objectives of the present invention is to aggregate and link weighing information from multiple weighing devices with different unit price settings on a per-account basis.

[0155] To achieve the above objective, a weighing device according to one aspect of the present invention comprises: a placement section for placing an item to be weighed; a weighing means for measuring the mass of the item placed on the placement section; an accounting identification information acquisition means for acquiring accounting identification information to identify an account; and an output means that, provided that the purchase weight has been weighed by the weighing means and the weight on the placement section has stabilized, and the accounting identification information has been acquired by the acquisition means, outputs the accounting identification information, item identification information that can identify the item, and the weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the item from the total mass of the item placed on the placement section as the purchase weight of the item.

[0156] The system may further include an initialization processing means that resets the purchase weight to its initial value when the total mass of the articles on the mounting section increases.

[0157] The system may further include a unit price acquisition processing means for acquiring unit price information of the said item from a device that holds unit price information of the said item.

[0158] A weighing and selling system according to another aspect of the present invention is a system comprising: a plurality of weighing devices that determine the purchase weight as the weight of an item subtracted from the total mass; and a predetermined terminal that acquires weighing information from the weighing devices, wherein each weighing device comprises: a placement section for placing the item; weighing means for measuring the mass of the item placed on the placement section; a first accounting identification information acquisition means for acquiring accounting identification information for identifying a single account; and output means for outputting the accounting identification information, device identification information for identifying the weighing device, and the purchase weight in association with each other to the predetermined terminal, and the predetermined terminal comprises: a identification processing means for identifying an item from the device identification information; a second accounting identification information acquisition means for acquiring the accounting identification information; and a display means for displaying information about the item associated with the accounting identification information.

[0159] The aforementioned terminal may be configured to display an operator on the display means for individually deleting item information associated with the accounting identification information from the accounting target.

[0160] The predetermined terminal may be configured to display the accounting symbol code of the item associated with the accounting identification information on the display means.

[0161] Furthermore, the computer program that causes the weighing device and the weighing and selling system to perform predetermined processes can be provided by downloading it via a network such as the Internet, or by recording it on various computer-readable recording media such as CD-ROMs.

[0162] According to the weighing device and weighing sales system of this embodiment described above, weighing information from multiple weighing devices with different unit price settings can be linked and aggregated on a per-transaction basis. As a result, customers can perform operations such as weighing goods with simple operations without being rushed, and the operational efficiency of the store can also be improved.

[0163] <Note> A system comprising a plurality of weighing devices that determine the purchase weight of an item after subtracting it from the total mass, and a predetermined terminal that acquires weighing information from the weighing devices, wherein each weighing device comprises a placement section for placing the item, weighing means for measuring the mass of the item placed on the placement section, a first accounting identification information acquisition means for acquiring accounting identification information for identifying an account, and output means for outputting the accounting identification information, device identification information for identifying the weighing device, and the purchase weight in association with each other to the predetermined terminal, wherein the predetermined terminal comprises a specific processing means for identifying an item associated with the device identification information by executing its own function or processing by another device, a second accounting identification information acquisition means for acquiring the accounting identification information, and a display means for acquiring information about an item associated with the accounting identification information from another terminal and displaying information about an item associated with the accounting identification information. In this example, the designated terminal is, for example, information processing terminal 3, while the other terminals are, for example, store controller 4 or cloud server. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0164] 1 (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D): Weighing and dispensing system 2:Measuring device 21:Measuring part 21a: Mounting section 211: Weight detection unit 212: AD converter 22: Accounting Identification Information Acquisition Unit 23:Display / operation section 24: Communications Department 2A:Identification information storage unit 2B: Unit price information storage unit 201: Detection Processing Unit 202: Calculation Processing Unit 203: Initialization Processing Unit 204: Unit price acquisition processing unit 205: Display Control Unit 206: Communication Processing Unit 3: Information processing terminal 31: Accounting Identification Information Acquisition Unit 32:Display / operation section 33: Communications Department 34: Publishing Department 3A: Article information storage section 3B:Weighing information storage section 301: Calculation Processing Unit 302: Display Control Unit 303: Information Processing Department 304: Communication Processing Unit 305: Issuance Processing Unit 4: Store Controller 5: POS terminal 6: Store Controller 6A: Article information storage section 6B:Weighing information storage section 601: Calculation Processing Unit 604: Communication Processing Unit 7: Goods supply device 8:Measuring device M: Accounting storage medium U: Weighing unit

Claims

1. A mounting section on which the items to be weighed are placed, A weighing means for measuring the mass of an article placed on the aforementioned mounting section, means for obtaining accounting identification information to identify a single accounting account, On the condition that the purchase weight has been measured by the weighing means and the weight on the aforementioned placement unit has stabilized, and that the accounting identification information has been acquired by the accounting identification information acquisition means, an output means outputs the accounting identification information, item identification information that can identify the item, and the weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the item from the total mass of the item placed on the aforementioned placement unit as the purchase weight of the item, in association with each other. The system includes an initialization processing means that, when an item on the mounting section is replaced, accepts a zero reset operation, and when an increase in total mass is detected due to the item being placed on the mounting section again, automatically sets the first purchase weight after the zero reset, to the initial value of 0g, to which the accounting identification information is not associated. Weighing device.

2. The system further comprises a unit price acquisition processing means for acquiring unit price information of the said item from a device that holds unit price information of the said item, The weighing device according to claim 1.

3. A computer having a mounting section on which to place items to be weighed, A weighing process for measuring the mass of an item placed on the aforementioned mounting section, A process for obtaining accounting identification information to identify a single accounting account, In the weighing process, after the purchase weight has been weighed and the weight on the aforementioned placement unit has stabilized, and provided that the accounting identification information has been acquired by the accounting identification information acquisition process, an output process is performed to output the accounting identification information, item identification information that can identify the item, and the weight obtained by subtracting the weight of the item from the total mass of the item placed on the aforementioned placement unit as the purchase weight of the item, in association with each other. When an item on the aforementioned mounting section is replaced, a zero reset operation is accepted, and if an increase in total mass is detected due to the item being placed on the aforementioned mounting section again, an initialization process is performed to automatically set the first purchase weight after the zero reset, to the initial value of 0g, to which the accounting identification information is not associated. Computer program.

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