Commercial Transaction Management System

Abstract

We will disclose a technology that enables highly accurate inventory counts by holding inventory numbers for a short period of time. [Solution] The system includes an inventory start declaration unit 222 that performs an inventory start declaration process when a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory, and which declares the start of the inventory and suspends the update of the inventory count 121 of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management unit 221; and an inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223 that issues an inventory entry sheet that associates the expected inventory count, which is the expected inventory count of the corresponding product based on the inventory count 121 managed by the inventory management unit 221, with the actual inventory count, which is the actual inventory count of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory, for the product name of the product belonging to the second range when a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , , , , ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a commercial transaction management system.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of an inventory management device. This inventory management device includes a pre-inventory check process and an inventory check result registration unit. The pre-inventory check process generates inventory check information in which the accounting year and month, book inventory quantity, actual shelf quantity, difference quantity, inventory check status, and execution date and time specified for each product are associated. The inventory check result registration unit registers an inventory check result in which the difference quantity for each product is calculated based on the book inventory quantity for each product and the actual shelf quantity for each product in the inventory check information. Further, after generating the inventory check information, the pre-inventory check process unit can update the inventory check information based on the inventory information updated according to the generated sales and inventory receipts and payments, and when the inventory check information is updated, the inventory check result registration unit re-registers an inventory check result in which the difference quantity for each product is recalculated based on the book inventory quantity for each product and the actual shelf quantity for each product in the updated inventory check information. Thus, the inventory management device described in Patent Document 1 can perform an inventory check operation without stopping daily operations.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, while the inventory management device described in Patent Document 1 allows inventory counting to be performed without interrupting daily operations, the accuracy of the inventory count decreases because inventory fluctuates during the counting process. On the other hand, for products with large inventory discrepancies, it is necessary to accurately determine the number of discrepancies by performing an accurate inventory count in order to identify the cause of the error. To perform an accurate inventory count, it is necessary to temporarily suspend the receiving, shipping, and movement of goods and postpone updating the inventory count, but there is also a desire to minimize the time during which inventory count updates are postponed due to the inventory count.

[0005] This disclosure is made in view of the above circumstances and aims to provide a commercial transaction management system, a commercial transaction management method, and a program for the commercial transaction management system that enable highly accurate inventory counting with short-term inventory retention. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One of the disclosures is a commercial transaction management system that manages the transactions of goods, Each product has a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of that product, An inventory management unit manages the inventory quantity for each product using the information stored in the aforementioned storage unit, When a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, an inventory start declaration unit executes an inventory start declaration process, which declares the start of the inventory count and suspends the updating of the inventory count of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management unit. When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, an inventory entry form issuing unit issues an inventory entry form that associates the product name of a product belonging to the second range with the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed by the inventory management unit, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory count. It is equipped with.

[0007] One of the methods disclosed herein is a commercial transaction management method that uses a commercial transaction management system that manages transactions of goods, and which has a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of each product. An inventory management process that uses the information stored in the memory unit to manage the inventory quantity for each product, When a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, an inventory start declaration process is performed to declare the start of the inventory count and suspend the updating of the inventory count of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management process, When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, an inventory entry form is issued that associates the product names of the products belonging to the second range with the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed in the inventory management process, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory count. Includes.

[0008] One of the disclosures is a program for a commercial transaction management system, which is used in a commercial transaction management system that manages transactions of goods and has a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of each product. An inventory management step involves using the information stored in the aforementioned memory unit to manage the inventory quantity for each product, When a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, an inventory start declaration step is performed, which executes an inventory start declaration process that declares the start of the inventory count and suspends the updating of the inventory count of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management step, When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, an inventory entry form is issued that associates the product names of products belonging to the second range with fields for recording the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed in the inventory management step, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory count. Includes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The commercial transaction management system, commercial transaction management method, and program for the commercial transaction management system described herein have the effect of enabling highly accurate inventory counts with only a short period of time to hold inventory numbers. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram illustrating the business model of a business that uses the commercial transaction management system of one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram of the commercial transaction management system used by the system users. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the commercial transaction management system from a functional perspective. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) is a schematic diagram of the inventory start instruction screen used to instruct the execution of the inventory start process in the product management system, and Figure 4(b) is a schematic diagram of the inventory entry sheet issuance instruction screen used to instruct the issuance of an inventory entry sheet in the product management system. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the contents of an inventory sheet issued by the inventory sheet issuing unit of the commercial transaction management system. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the workflow of the commercial transaction management system when business operator W conducts an inventory count. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Each of the following [1] to [7] is an example of the technology included in this disclosure.

[0012] [1] A commercial transaction management system for managing the transactions of goods, Each product has a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of that product, An inventory management unit manages the inventory quantity for each product using the information stored in the aforementioned storage unit, When a first instruction designating a first range is given as the scope of inventory taking, a physical inventory start declaration is made, and a physical inventory start declaration processing unit that executes physical inventory start declaration processing to suspend the update of the inventory quantity of the products belonging to the first range by the inventory management unit; When a second instruction designating a second range belonging to the first range is given, for the product names of the products belonging to the second range, an assumed inventory quantity which is the corresponding product's inventory quantity assumed based on the inventory quantity managed by the inventory management unit, and an entry column for entering the actual inventory quantity which is the corresponding product's inventory quantity actually existing as a result of the physical inventory, and a physical inventory entry form issuing unit that issues a physical inventory entry form associating the two; A business transaction management system comprising:

[0013] According to the commercial transaction management system described in [1] above, information regarding the inventory quantity of each product is stored in the memory unit, and the inventory management unit manages the inventory quantity for each product using the information stored in the memory unit. On the other hand, when a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, the inventory start declaration process is executed by the inventory start declaration unit, which declares the start of the inventory count, and the inventory management unit suspends updating the inventory quantity of products belonging to the first range. This ensures that the inventory quantity of products subject to inventory counting does not fluctuate. When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, the inventory entry issuance unit issues an inventory entry sheet that associates the product name of the product belonging to the second range with a field for recording the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed by the inventory management unit, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was found to exist as a result of the inventory count. This allows the inventory counting work to be completed in a short time by conducting an inventory count of the products belonging to the second range according to the inventory entry sheet and recording the actual inventory quantity of the product in question in the inventory entry sheet. Furthermore, by declaring the start of inventory counting, the inventory levels of the products being counted can be kept constant during the inventory process, thereby improving the accuracy of the inventory count. At the same time, the inventory counting process can be completed in a short time, preventing situations where product inventory counts cannot be updated for extended periods. Therefore, a highly accurate inventory count can be conducted with only a short period of inventory retention.

[0014] Furthermore, the second range may be any range belonging to the first range, and the second range and the first range may be the same range. Also, the first instruction may also serve as the second instruction. In this case, based on the first instruction, an inventory commencement declaration is made by the inventory commencement declaration process executed by the inventory commencement declaration unit, and after the inventory management unit suspends updating the inventory count of products belonging to the first range, an inventory entry sheet for the products belonging to the first range is issued by the inventory entry issuance unit.

[0015] [2] For the products belonging to the second range where inventory taking is carried out according to the inventory taking entry form issued by the inventory taking entry form issuing department, an inventory difference number registering department that registers the difference number between the assumed inventory number of the product presented in the inventory taking entry form issued by the inventory taking entry form issuing department and the actual inventory number of the product which is the result of the inventory taking, An inventory number updating department that updates the inventory number of the product managed by the inventory management department based on the difference number of the product registered by the inventory difference number registering department, The commercial transaction management system according to [1], comprising.

[0016] According to the commercial transaction management system of [2] above, in addition to the effects achieved by the commercial transaction management system of [1], the following effects are achieved. That is, for the products belonging to the second range where inventory taking is carried out according to the inventory taking entry form issued by the inventory taking entry form issuing department, the difference number between the assumed inventory number of the product presented in the inventory taking entry form issued by the inventory taking entry form issuing department and the actual inventory number of that product which is the result of the inventory taking is registered by the inventory number registering department. Then, based on the registered difference number of the product, the inventory number of that product managed by the inventory management department is updated by the inventory number updating department. In this way, as a result of the inventory taking, the inventory number of the product is updated using the difference number between the assumed inventory number and the actual inventory number. Therefore, even if there is an event such that the inventory number fluctuates after the inventory taking operation, the result of the inventory taking can be accurately reflected in the inventory number.

[0017] ​​​​​​​​​​​According to the commercial transaction management system described in [3] above, in addition to the effects of the commercial transaction management system described in [2], the following effects are achieved. Specifically, when the third instruction is given, the suspension of updating the inventory quantity of goods performed by the inventory start declaration unit is released by the inventory quantity update release unit. After the suspension of updating the inventory quantity of goods is released by the inventory quantity update release unit, the inventory difference registration unit is configured to register the difference between the assumed inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity of the goods that have been inventoryed. As a result, after the inventory work is completed, the updating of the inventory quantity of goods can be quickly resumed by giving the third instruction. After the updating of the inventory quantity of goods is resumed, it is possible to take time to register the difference between the assumed inventory quantity and the actual inventory quantity of the goods that have been inventoryed. Furthermore, even if the difference is registered after the updating of the inventory quantity of goods has been resumed, the inventory results can be accurately reflected in the inventory quantity by updating the inventory quantity that changes with the resumption of inventory quantity updates using the registered difference. Therefore, the suspension of inventory quantity can be completed in the shortest possible time, while an accurate inventory can be performed.

[0019] [4] The first range and the second range are, The system is configured to allow specifying blocks that are defined by subdividing the warehouse where the goods are stored, and / or locations that are defined by further subdividing those blocks. A commercial transaction management system as described in any of [1] to [3].

[0020] According to the commercial transaction management system described in [4] above, in addition to the effects of any of the commercial transaction management systems described in [1] to [3], the following effects are achieved: Specifically, for a first range that specifies a block set by subdividing the warehouse where goods are stored, and / or a location set by further subdividing the said block, the inventory count update for goods belonging to that first range is withheld by the inventory start declaration unit, so that the goods for which the inventory count update is withheld can be limited to a portion. Therefore, the impact of conducting an inventory count on the arrival and shipment of goods can be minimized. Furthermore, for a second range that belongs to such a first range, an inventory entry sheet for goods belonging to that second range is issued by the inventory entry issuance unit, so that inventory is performed only on goods belonging to the second range according to that inventory entry sheet. Therefore, the time required for inventory work can be kept to a very short time. Consequently, a highly accurate inventory can be performed in a shorter time while minimizing the impact of conducting an inventory count on the arrival and shipment of goods.

[0021] [5] The first instruction is configured to allow specifying monthly inventory counts and inventory counts that are performed at any time, regardless of the month. A commercial transaction management system as described in any of [1] through [4].

[0022] According to the commercial transaction management system described in [5] above, in addition to the effects of any of the commercial transaction management systems described in [1] to [4], the following effects are achieved: Inventory commencement declarations based on the first instruction are designated not only for monthly inventory counts but also for inventory counts conducted at any time, regardless of the month. This allows for the identification of discrepancies in inventory counts for products that are likely to have large discrepancies, by conducting inventory counts at any time, without having to wait for the monthly inventory count to be performed, and the cause of those discrepancies can be confirmed early. Furthermore, by conducting inventory counts sequentially at any time while changing the first scope, it is possible to accommodate cycle inventory. In other words, if an inventory count is performed once a month for a single warehouse, and that warehouse contains a large number of products, the time required for the inventory count will be long, and consequently, the delay in updating the product inventory count will also be long. In contrast, by conducting inventory counts sequentially at any time while changing the first scope, each inventory count can be completed in a short time, and the delay in updating the product inventory count can be released in a short time. Then, over a predetermined period (for example, one month), an accurate inventory count of the entire warehouse can be completed.

[0023] [6] A commercial transaction management method using a commercial transaction management system that manages transactions of goods, the system having a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of each product, An inventory management process that uses the information stored in the memory unit to manage the inventory quantity for each product, When a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, an inventory start declaration process is performed to declare the start of the inventory count and suspend the updating of the inventory count of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management process, When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, an inventory entry form is issued that associates the product names of the products belonging to the second range with the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed in the inventory management process, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory count. A commercial transaction management method that includes this.

[0024] The commercial transaction management method described in [6] above has the same effect as the commercial transaction management system described in [1] above.

[0025] [7] A program used in a commercial transaction management system that manages transactions of goods, which has a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of each product, An inventory management step involves using the information stored in the aforementioned memory unit to manage the inventory quantity for each product, When a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, an inventory start declaration step is performed, which executes an inventory start declaration process that declares the start of the inventory count and suspends the updating of the inventory count of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management step, When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, an inventory entry form is issued that associates the product names of products belonging to the second range with fields for recording the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed in the inventory management step, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory count. A program for commercial transaction management systems, including the following:

[0026] According to the program for the commercial transaction management system described in [7] above, when used in a commercial transaction management system, it produces the same effect as the commercial transaction management system described in [1] above.

[0027] 1.Basic configuration Figure 1 shows a simplified business model of a business that uses the commercial transaction management system 11 (Figure 2) of one embodiment of the present invention. In the example in Figure 1, the business that uses the commercial transaction management system 11 (Figure 2) is referred to as the "system user." Furthermore, Figure 1 shows the supplier business M and the customer business R as trading partners of the system user W.

[0028] In the following, system user W will also be referred to simply as business W. Supplier M will also be referred to simply as business M, and customer R will also be referred to simply as business R.

[0029] System user W is a business that uses the commercial transaction management system 11 and is an intermediate distributor that purchases goods from suppliers and sells them to customers. In the example in Figure 1, business W is a wholesaler. Business W purchases goods from business M by placing orders with business M. Business W receives orders from business R and delivers (sells) goods to business R. In the example in Figure 1, business W is a business that has a headquarters and multiple locations other than the headquarters (for example, stores and logistics centers).

[0030] Supplier M is a business that is a supplier from which business W, a wholesaler or similar business, purchases goods. Business M can be any business that can supply goods to business W, and may be, for example, a manufacturing business that produces goods, a production business that produces goods, or a wholesale business that operates upstream in the distribution chain.

[0031] The customer business R is a business that is designated as a customer for business W to sell its goods. Business R is a retailer that operates retail businesses such as supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores, and home improvement stores. The retail business may be a retail business that targets general consumers, a retail business that targets businesses, or a retail business that targets both. In addition, business R may be a wholesale business that operates downstream in the distribution chain.

[0032] Figure 2 conceptually illustrates a commercial transaction management system 11 used by business operator W. The commercial transaction management system 11 may be installed by a business operator other than business operator W, or it may be installed by business operator W. The commercial transaction management system 11 comprises at least a control unit for information processing, a storage unit for storing information, and a communication unit for communicating with external devices located outside the commercial transaction management system 11. Various system configurations can be adopted for the commercial transaction management system 11. In the example in Figure 2, a management device 20 and a server 12 for storing various data constitute part or all of the commercial transaction management system 11. The commercial transaction management system 11 may, for example, be provided to wholesalers, etc., via the internet as a cloud-type system.

[0033] The management device 20 includes a storage unit 21, a control unit 22, a display unit 23, an operation unit 24, a communication unit 25, and the like. The control unit 22 is configured to include an information processing device (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) capable of performing various calculations and information processing. The management device 20 can perform various information processing by having the control unit 22 execute programs stored in the storage unit 21. In this case, the control unit 22 of the management device 20 constitutes the control unit of the commercial transaction management system 11. The commercial transaction management system 11 allows for writing data from the management device 20 to the server 12 and reading data from the server 12 by the management device 20. The storage unit 21 is configured to include an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or other known storage means. The storage unit constituting the commercial transaction management system 11 may be configured by the storage unit 21 of the management device 20, by the server 12, or by both. In particular, since the amount of data related to orders placed with business operator M and orders from business operator R increases with the volume of transactions, the commercial transaction management system 11 may store this information on the server 12. Of course, the commercial transaction management system 11 may also store this information on the storage unit 21 of the management device 20. Furthermore, regarding various master information that is a prerequisite for transactions (for example, basic information on the products handled, basic information on trading partners, delivery route setting information, information on storage locations (warehouses, etc.) owned by business operator W, etc.) and information on product inventory, the commercial transaction management system 11 may store this information on either the storage unit 21 of the management device 20 or the server 12, depending on the performance, specifications, or configuration of the system.

[0034] The system configuration of the commercial transaction management system 11 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 2, and is sufficient as long as it includes memory functions, information processing functions, control functions, input / output functions, and communication functions. That is, as long as it includes a memory unit 21, a control unit 22, a display unit 23, an operation unit 24, a communication unit 25, etc., it may be changed to a configuration different from that shown in Figure 2, and some configuration may be added in addition to the configuration shown in Figure 2. The commercial transaction management system 11 may be implemented by a single device or by multiple devices. For example, the management device 20 and the server 12 may be made up of separate devices or be implemented by the same device. The management device 20 may be implemented by a single device or by multiple devices. The server 12 may also be implemented by a single device or by multiple devices.

[0035] The management device 20 is configured to communicate with the information processing terminal 30, and can, for example, send information to the information processing terminal 30 and receive information from the information processing terminal 30.

[0036] The information processing terminal 30 is an information processing device used by the wholesaler W. The information processing terminal 30 may be implemented by a single device or by multiple devices. In the representative example described below, the information processing terminal 30 comprises a storage unit 31, a control unit 32, a display unit 33, an operation unit 34, and a communication unit 35, and is configured as an information processing terminal such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, or smartphone. The storage unit 31 is, for example, a storage device such as an HDD, SSD, or other known storage means. The control unit 32 is configured to include an information processing device (e.g., a CPU) capable of performing various calculations and information processing. The display unit 33 is, for example, a display device such as a display capable of displaying images. The operation unit 34 is, for example, an operation device such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel. The communication unit 35 is, for example, a communication device for communicating with the commercial transaction management system 11 or other external devices. The information processing terminal 30 and the commercial transaction management system 11 may communicate with each other using wired communication or using wireless communication. Various known communication methods can be used for communication between the information processing terminal 30 and the commercial transaction management system 11. For example, the information processing terminal 30 may be able to access the internet and communicate with the commercial transaction management system 11 via the internet.

[0037] 2. Integration of the commercial transaction management system 11 and the information processing terminal 30. The information processing terminal 30 is equipped with software (browser, dedicated application program, etc.) for using the commercial transaction management system 11, and various processes can be executed between the information processing terminal 30 and the commercial transaction management system 11 through the operation of this software. For example, when the information processing terminal 30 is running the above software, identification information (e.g., an ID) indicating that the user is related to business operator W is input to the information processing terminal 30, and this identification information is provided from the information processing terminal 30 to the commercial transaction management system 11, so the commercial transaction management system 11 recognizes that the information processing terminal 30, which is the device that transmitted the identification information (the access source device), is the device of business operator W corresponding to the identification information. With this recognition, various information processing (for example, the commercial transaction management system 11 displays an image on the display device of the information processing terminal 30, the information processing terminal 30 transmits information to the commercial transaction management system 11, or the commercial transaction management system 11 transmits information to the information processing terminal 30) can be performed between the commercial transaction management system 11 and the information processing terminal 30. Furthermore, the method by which the commercial transaction management system 11 identifies the information processing terminal 30 as a device belonging to business operator W may be other than this method.

[0038] In a typical example, a browser installed on the information processing terminal 30 is used as software for using the commercial transaction management system 11 on the information processing terminal 30. When the browser is running on the information processing terminal 30, an address for accessing the commercial transaction management system 11 is specified in the browser, enabling the information processing terminal 30 to communicate with the commercial transaction management system 11. For example, the commercial transaction management system 11 has one or more user IDs registered that are associated with business operator W as identification information indicating that the user is related to business operator W. When such a registered user ID is specified by the information processing terminal 30 and transmitted from the information processing terminal 30 to the commercial transaction management system 11, the commercial transaction management system 11 can determine that the information processing terminal 30 is a device of business operator W (specifically, a device handled by a person authorized by business operator W to use the user ID), and that the information processing terminal 30 is a device handled by the user identified by the user ID.

[0039] 3. Detailed Configuration of the Commercial Transaction Management System 11 Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the commercial transaction management system 11 from a functional standpoint. The detailed configuration of the commercial transaction management system 11 will be explained with reference to Figure 3.

[0040] 3.1. Server 12 (Storage Unit) As shown in Figure 3, the server 12, which functions as a memory unit for the commercial transaction management system 11, stores at least the inventory count 121. The inventory count 121 may also be stored in the memory unit 21 of the management device 20 instead of the server 12, or in any memory unit that constitutes the memory unit of the commercial transaction management system 11, rather than the server 12 or the memory unit 21.

[0041] 3.1.1. Quantity in stock 121 Inventory Quantity 121 is information indicating the inventory quantity of each product handled by business operator W at each of the one or more storage locations (e.g., warehouses) owned by business operator W. This inventory quantity 121 is referenced at least when allocating goods in response to shipping instructions and represents the actual inventory quantity that is expected to be present in the storage location at the present time.

[0042] Note that the inventory count 121 does not necessarily have to represent the inventory count itself, but may be information necessary to derive the inventory count. For example, the inventory count 121 may include information representing the previous month's inventory count, which is the inventory count for the previous month determined by the monthly inventory count, and information representing the impact numbers related to events that affect the inventory count, such as incoming shipments 81, outgoing shipments 82, and transfers 83 (Figure 6) that have occurred since the monthly processing of the previous month up to the present, as well as the number of incoming shipments, outgoing shipments, transfers, corrections, and adjustments for those events. In this case, the number of inventory items that may currently exist in the storage location is calculated by adding or subtracting the impact numbers (incoming shipments, outgoing shipments, transfers, corrections, adjustments, etc.) for events that have occurred since the monthly processing of the previous month, according to the events. In this case, the information on the number of affected items may be obtained by using the corresponding documents (e.g., inbound documents, outbound documents, transfer documents, correction documents, etc.) as one of the inventory quantities 121, or by duplicating the necessary information (date of occurrence of the event, number of affected items, etc.) from these documents and saving it as inventory quantity 121. Furthermore, if an inventory adjustment is made based on an inventory count, the difference number 84 (Figure 6) registered by the inventory difference number registration unit 225, described later, may be stored as the adjustment number in inventory quantity 121.

[0043] 3.2. Control Unit 22 of Management Device 20 (Control Unit) The control unit 22 of the management device 20, which functions as the control unit of the commercial transaction management system 11, executes a program stored in the storage unit 21 to configure at least the inventory management unit 221, the inventory start declaration unit 222, the inventory entry sheet issuance unit 223, the inventory quantity update cancellation unit 224, the inventory difference registration unit 225, and the inventory quantity update unit 226. Note that some or all of the inventory management unit 221, the inventory start declaration unit 222, the inventory entry sheet issuance unit 223, the inventory quantity update cancellation unit 224, the inventory difference registration unit 225, and the inventory quantity update unit 226 do not necessarily have to be configured by the control unit 22 of the management device 20, but may be implemented by components of the control unit of the commercial transaction management system 11.

[0044] 3.2.1. Inventory Management Department 221 The inventory management unit 221 uses information indicating the inventory count 121 stored in the server 12 to manage the inventory count for each product stored in each storage location (e.g., a warehouse) owned by the business operator W. For example, the inventory management unit 221 reads the actual inventory count of a product in a specified storage location from the inventory count 121 based on a program and hands it over to a predetermined process (e.g., inventory allocation based on instructions for shipment 82 (Figure 6)), or outputs it to the display unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (e.g., the display unit 23 of the management device 20) or the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30, etc.

[0045] The inventory management unit 221 updates the inventory quantity 121 when an event occurs that causes a change in the inventory of a particular product in a particular storage location. For example, if there is an incoming shipment 81 (Figure 6) of a particular product to a particular storage location, the unit adds the quantity of the incoming shipment 81 to the inventory quantity 121 of that product in that storage location. On the other hand, if there is an instruction to ship 82 (Figure 6) a particular product in a particular storage location, the inventory management unit 221 subtracts the quantity allocated for the shipment 82 from the inventory quantity 121 of that product in the storage location to which the shipment 82 instruction was given.

[0046] Furthermore, the addition or subtraction (increase / decrease processing) of the inventory quantity 121 by the inventory management unit 221 is not limited to this. For example, when one product is moved 83 (Figure 6) from one storage location to another, the inventory management unit 221 performs an addition or subtraction (increase / decrease processing) of the inventory quantity 121. Specifically, when one product is moved 83 from one storage location to another, the inventory management unit 221 subtracts the moved quantity from the inventory quantity 121 of the product at the first storage location, and adds the moved quantity to the inventory quantity 121 of the product at the second storage location.

[0047] Furthermore, when shipping a product stored in a particular storage location (at the time of shipment confirmation), if the quantity of the product actually delivered (also called the "confirmed shipment quantity") differs from the allocated shipment quantity, the shipment quantity is corrected at the time of sales entry. When the shipment quantity is corrected at the time of sales entry, the inventory management unit 221 adds the difference (correction amount) to the inventory quantity of the product in that storage location (121) if the confirmed shipment quantity is less than the allocated shipment quantity. Conversely, when the shipment quantity is corrected at the time of sales entry, the inventory management unit 221 subtracts the difference (correction amount) to the inventory quantity of the product in that storage location (121) if the confirmed shipment quantity is greater than the allocated shipment quantity.

[0048] Furthermore, when an inventory count is performed for a single product stored in a single storage location, if there is a difference between the assumed inventory quantity of that product (64, indicated by the inventory quantity of 121 immediately before the start of the inventory count, as shown in Figure 6) and the actual inventory quantity of that product (65, as shown in Figure 6), the inventory management unit 221 reflects the difference of 84 (= assumed inventory quantity 64 - actual inventory quantity 65) to the inventory quantity 121 using the inventory quantity update unit 226, which will be described later (Figure 6). In other words, the inventory management unit 221 subtracts the difference of 84 from the inventory quantity 121. That is, if the assumed inventory quantity 64 is greater than the actual inventory quantity 65, the inventory quantity 121 is reduced by the absolute value of the difference of 84, and if the assumed inventory quantity 64 is less than the actual inventory quantity 65, the inventory quantity 121 is increased by the absolute value of the difference of 84, thereby bringing the inventory quantity 121 to match the actual inventory quantity 65. Details of the procedures involved in this inventory count will be described later.

[0049] In addition, the inventory management unit 221 updates the inventory quantity 121 based on the nature of any event that affects the inventory quantity 121. Specifically, if one item enters a storage location, the inventory management unit 221 adds the quantity that entered to the inventory quantity 121. Conversely, if one item leaves a storage location, the inventory management unit 221 subtracts the quantity that left from the inventory quantity 121.

[0050] As explained in "3.1.1. Inventory Quantity 121", when the information necessary to derive the inventory quantity (information indicating the previous month's inventory quantity and information on events that have occurred since the monthly processing of the previous month) is stored as inventory quantity 121, the inventory management unit 221 stores this information as inventory quantity 121, or, when this information is shown on a document (receiving document, shipping document, etc.), links that document to inventory quantity 121. Then, for a single product in a single storage location, the inventory management unit 221 calculates the actual inventory quantity of that product in a single storage location by adding or subtracting the number of events that have occurred since the monthly processing of the previous month from the previous month's inventory quantity included in inventory quantity 121, according to the content of the event, and hands it over to a predetermined process or outputs it to various display units, etc.

[0051] 3.2.2. Inventory Commencement Declaration Section 222 The inventory commencement declaration unit 222 executes an inventory commencement declaration process when a predetermined instruction (first instruction) specifying a first range as the scope of inventory is given to the commercial transaction management system 11, which declares the commencement of inventory and suspends the updating of inventory quantities 121 by the inventory management unit 221 for products belonging to the first range.

[0052] Here, Figure 4(a) schematically shows the inventory start instruction screen 40 for instructing the execution of the inventory start process. This inventory start instruction screen 40 is displayed when a person in charge of business W instructs the display of the inventory start instruction screen 40 from the operation unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20) or the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30. If the instruction is made from the operation unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20), the inventory start instruction screen 40 is displayed on the display unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the display unit 23 of the management device 20). If the instruction is made from the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30, the inventory start instruction screen 40 is displayed on the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30.

[0053] The inventory start instruction screen 40 displays the inventory category specification area 41, the warehouse specification area 42, the inventory range specification area 43, the block specification area 44, the location specification area 45, and the execute button 46.

[0054] The inventory classification area 41 is the area where the classification of the inventory to be performed is specified. The person in charge of business W who displays the inventory start instruction screen 40 can specify the inventory classification in the inventory classification area 41, and the commercial transaction management system 11 starts executing the inventory according to the inventory classification specified here. The inventory classifications that can be specified in the inventory classification area 41 are "monthly" and "as needed".

[0055] "Monthly" is the option selected when conducting monthly inventory counts. When "Monthly" is selected, the commercial transaction management system 11 executes the processes required for the monthly inventory count. For example, it determines the current month's inventory quantity 121 and saves the determined current month's inventory quantity 121 to the storage unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the storage unit 21 of the management device 20) or to the server 12. This allows the current month's inventory quantity 121, which is necessary for accounting processing, to be output to, for example, an external accounting system.

[0056] On the other hand, "as needed" is the option selected when inventory counts are to be conducted as needed, regardless of the monthly schedule. When "as needed" is selected, the commercial transaction management system 11 performs the following processing, excluding the processing required for the monthly inventory count: deriving the difference of 84 (Figure 6) between the assumed inventory quantity 64, indicated by the inventory quantity 121, and the actual inventory quantity 65 found in the storage location; and reflecting this difference of 84 in the inventory quantity 121. This allows for the early identification of the difference of 84 (Figure 6) for products where the inventory quantity 121 is likely to be large, without waiting for the monthly inventory count to be performed, and the cause of the difference to be confirmed.

[0057] Furthermore, as will be described later, the commercial transaction management system 11 can specify a block, which is a subdivided storage location (warehouse), and / or a location, which is a further subdivided block, as the first range, and perform inventory within that first range. By performing inventory sequentially as needed while changing the first range, it can also handle cyclical inventory. That is, if inventory is performed once a month for a single storage location (warehouse), the time required for inventory will be long if the storage location (warehouse) contains a large number of goods. During the inventory work, the commercial transaction management system 11 suspends updating the inventory count 121 of goods belonging to the first range in order to improve the accuracy of the inventory, so the suspension of updating the inventory count 121 of goods will also be long, affecting normal operations (receiving 81, shipping 82, moving 83, etc. (Figure 6)). In contrast, by performing inventory sequentially as needed while changing the first range, each inventory work can be completed in a short time, and the suspension of updating the inventory count 121 of goods can also be released in a short time. Then, by conducting inventory over a predetermined period (for example, one month), while changing the designated first scope for a single storage location (warehouse), it is possible to complete inventory across the entire warehouse within that predetermined period (for example, one month). Therefore, inventory of individual products can be completed in a short time while maintaining accuracy for the entire storage location (warehouse).

[0058] Furthermore, the commercial transaction management system 11 can perform inventory counts as needed, and for products where the results of these inventory counts are reflected in the inventory count 121, it is possible to replace the monthly inventory count by storing the inventory count 121 at the end of the month, which reflects the results of the inventory counts as needed, as the inventory count 121 for that product for the current month.

[0059] The warehouse designation area 42, inventory designation area 43, block designation area 44, and location designation area 45 are areas for designating the first range as the scope for which inventory will be conducted. The person in charge of business W who displays the inventory start instruction screen 40 specifies information to identify the first range in the warehouse designation area 42, inventory designation area 43, block designation area 44, and location designation area 45.

[0060] The warehouse designation area 42 is the area for specifying the storage location (warehouse) where inventory will be taken. By entering warehouse identification information (in the example of Figure 4(a)) that is uniquely assigned to the storage location (warehouse), the storage location (warehouse) to be included in the inventory to be taken (in the example of Figure 4(a)) is specified.

[0061] The inventory range specification area 43 is the area that specifies whether the first range should be specified by a block that is a subdivision of the storage location (warehouse) specified in the warehouse specification area 42, or by a location that is a further subdivision of that block. A block is a roughly partitioned area for each storage location (warehouse). A location is a finely partitioned area for each block. Blocks and locations are pre-set by the business operator W for each storage location and registered in the warehouse master, etc. When a block is specified by the inventory range specification area 43, the block specified in the block specification area 44 is specified as the first range. Also, when a location is specified by the inventory range specification area 43, the location specified in the location specification area 45 of the block specified in the block specification area 44 is specified as the first range.

[0062] The block designation area 44 specifies one piece of identification information (in the example shown in Figure 4(a)) attached to the block to be designated as the first range. For example, in the example shown in Figure 4(a), if a block is designated by the inventory designation range designation area 43, the block "A01" designated in the block designation area 44 will be designated as the first range. Note that when a block is designated by the inventory designation range designation area 43, the block designation area 44 may be set to specify a range of consecutive blocks. This allows a range of consecutive blocks to be designated as the first range. Also, as shown in Figure 4(a), the block designation area 44 may be provided with a checkbox for checking "Block not set". If the person in charge of business W who is displaying the inventory start instruction screen 40 checks this "Block not set" checkbox, the entire storage location (warehouse) specified in the warehouse designation area 42 may be designated as the first range.

[0063] The location specification area 45 specifies the identification information attached to the locations of the blocks specified in the block specification area 44, which are designated as the first range. The location specification area 45 may specify the identification information of a single location, or it may specify a range of identification information for consecutive locations. For example, in Figure 4(a), the range 10001 to 11999 is specified in the location specification area 45, thereby specifying consecutive locations identified by the identification information included in the range 10001 to 11999. Also, as shown in Figure 4(a), the location specification area 45 may also be provided with a checkbox for checking "Location not set". If the person in charge of business operator W who displayed the inventory start instruction screen 40 checks this "Location not set" checkbox, the entire block specified in the block specification area 44 may be designated as the first range.

[0064] The execute button 46 is a button for issuing a predetermined instruction (first instruction) to the commercial transaction management system 11. The execute button 46 is operated by a person in charge of business W who has displayed the inventory start instruction screen 40 when starting an inventory based on the inventory category specified in the inventory category specification area 41 and the first range specified in the warehouse specification area 42, inventory specification range specification area 43, block specification area 44, and location specification area 45. If the inventory start instruction screen 40 is displayed on the display unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the display unit 23 of the management device 20), this operation is performed by the operation unit 24 of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20). If the inventory start instruction screen 40 is displayed on the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30, this operation is performed by the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30.

[0065] When the execution button 46 is operated and a predetermined instruction (first instruction) is given to the commercial transaction management system 11, the inventory start declaration unit 222 executes the inventory start declaration process based on the inventory classification and first range specified in the predetermined instruction (first instruction). In the inventory start declaration process, an inventory start declaration is made, and the update of the inventory quantity 121 of the products belonging to the first range by the inventory management unit 221 is suspended. This allows normal operations that affect the inventory quantity 121, such as receiving 81, shipping 82, and moving 83 (Figure 6) of products belonging to the first range, to be temporarily suspended, thereby maintaining the inventory quantity 121 of the products subject to inventory count without fluctuations and improving the accuracy of the inventory count.

[0066] Here, the first range is defined as a block created by subdividing the storage location (warehouse) where the goods are stored, and / or a location created by further subdividing that block. The inventory count 121 of the goods belonging to this first range is withheld by the inventory start declaration unit 222. This allows the goods for which the inventory count 121 update is withheld to be limited to a portion of the warehouse. Therefore, a highly accurate inventory can be conducted in a shorter time while minimizing the impact on goods receiving 81, shipping 82, and moving 83.

[0067] 3.2.3. Inventory Record Issuance Department 223 Returning to Figure 3, let's continue the explanation. After the inventory start declaration process is executed by the inventory start declaration unit 222, the inventory start instruction screen 40 specifies a second range belonging to the first range specified in a predetermined instruction (first instruction), and when the predetermined instruction (second instruction) is given, the inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223 displays the names of the products to be inventoryed and issues an inventory entry sheet 60 (Figure 5) for recording the inventory results for those products.

[0068] Here, Figure 4(b) schematically shows the inventory entry form issuance instruction screen 50 for instructing the issuance of the inventory entry form 60. This inventory entry form issuance instruction screen 50 is displayed when a person in charge of business W instructs the display of the inventory entry form issuance instruction screen 50 from the operation unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20) or the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30. If the instruction is made from the operation unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20), the inventory entry form issuance instruction screen 50 is displayed on the display unit 23 of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the display unit 23 of the management device 20). If the instruction is made from the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30, the inventory entry form issuance instruction screen 50 is displayed on the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30.

[0069] The input form issuance instruction screen 50 displays the warehouse designation area 51, the inventory designation range designation area 52, the block designation area 53, the location designation area 54, and the issuance button 55. The warehouse designation area 51, the inventory designation range designation area 52, the block designation area 53, and the location designation area 54 are areas for specifying a second range as the target range for issuing the inventory input form 60. That is, the person in charge at business operator W who displays the input form issuance instruction screen 50 specifies information to identify the second range for the warehouse designation area 51, the inventory designation range designation area 52, the block designation area 53, and the location designation area 54. The meaning of the warehouse designation area 51, the inventory designation range designation area 52, the block designation area 53, and the location designation area 54, and how to specify the range for each are the same as the warehouse designation area 42, the inventory designation range designation area 43, the block designation area 44, and the location designation area 45 on the inventory start instruction screen 40, so an explanation is omitted here.

[0070] Furthermore, the second range that can be specified on the inventory sheet issuance instruction screen 50 must be a range belonging to the first range. That is, if a second range that is not included in the first range is specified, the operation of the issuance button 55 will not be accepted. In this case, a warning message indicating that the second range does not belong to the first range may also be displayed. This is because, in order to perform an inventory count according to the inventory sheet 60 with high accuracy, an inventory start declaration must be made for the inventory target products indicated in the inventory sheet 60, and the update of the inventory quantity 121 of those products by the inventory management unit 221 must be suspended. On the other hand, the second range only needs to belong to the first range, and may be the same range as the first range. Therefore, when the instruction screen 50 for issuing the entry form is displayed based on instructions from the person in charge of business operator W, the warehouse designation area 51, inventory designation range designation area 52, block designation area 53, and location designation area 54 may be displayed with the storage location (warehouse) identification information, designation category information (block or location), block identification information, and location identification information specified in the warehouse designation area 42, inventory designation range designation area 43, block designation area 44, and location designation area 45 of the inventory start instruction screen 40 already entered. The person in charge of business operator W can use this pre-entered information as is to operate the issue button 55 and designate the first range as the second range.

[0071] The issue button 55 is a button for issuing a predetermined instruction (second instruction) to the commercial transaction management system 11. The issue button 55 is operated by a person in charge of business W who has displayed the inventory sheet issuance instruction screen 50 when issuing an inventory sheet 60 for goods belonging to the second range specified in the warehouse designation area 51, inventory designation range designation area 52, block designation area 53, and location designation area 54. If the inventory sheet issuance instruction screen 50 is displayed on the display unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the display unit 23 of the management device 20), this operation is performed by the operation unit 24 of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20). If the inventory sheet issuance instruction screen 50 is displayed on the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30, this operation is performed by the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30.

[0072] When the issue button 55 is operated and a predetermined instruction (second instruction) is given to the commercial transaction management system 11, the inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223 issues an inventory entry sheet 60 for the goods belonging to the second range specified by the predetermined instruction (second instruction).

[0073] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the contents of this inventory sheet 60. The inventory sheet 60 shown in Figure 5 is output separately for each location included in the second scope. By issuing separate inventory sheets 60 for each location, the commercial transaction management system 11 can perform inventory counts simultaneously at each location, allowing the inventory work to be completed in a short time. Alternatively, the inventory sheet 60 may be issued as a single document containing all goods belonging to the second scope.

[0074] The inventory sheet 60 consists of an inventory location display area 61 that identifies the location (location) where the inventory should be conducted using the inventory sheet 60, within the second range specified in the second instruction, and an inventory result entry area 62 for recording the inventory results for each item located at the location indicated in the inventory location display area 61. The inventory location display area 61 consists of a warehouse column, a block column, and a location column, and the location (location) where the inventory should be conducted using the inventory sheet 60 is identified by the information written in each column. For example, the inventory sheet 60 shown in Figure 5 clearly indicates through the inventory location display area 61 that it is for location "10001" set in block "A01" of warehouse "A Distribution Center". The inventory person in charge at business operator W goes to the location indicated in the inventory location display area 61 and conducts the inventory.

[0075] The inventory result entry area 62 is an area that displays, in association with the product name 63 of a product located at the location indicated in the inventory location display area 61, the expected inventory quantity 64 of that product, which is based on the inventory quantity 121 managed by the inventory management unit 221, and the actual inventory quantity 65 of that product, which is the actual inventory quantity of that product that was present as a result of the inventory count.

[0076] The inventory manager of business operator W can complete the inventory work in a short time by going to the location indicated in the inventory location display area 61 based on the inventory entry sheet 60, taking inventory of the products indicated by the product names 63 according to the entries in the inventory result entry area 62, and recording the actual number of items in stock 65 of those items in the entry field provided in the inventory result entry area 62 corresponding to the product names 63 of those items.

[0077] For example, an inventory manager at business W, upon receiving the inventory sheet 60 shown in Figure 5, goes to location "10001" in block "A01" of "Distribution Center A" according to the inventory location display area 61. The inventory manager then conducts an inventory count for the products "A Food Cup Noodles Salt," "A Food Cup Noodles Soy Sauce," and "A Food Cup Noodles Miso," each of which has a product name 63 written in the inventory result entry area 62. The inventory manager then records the actual stock quantity 65 of "A Food Cup Noodles Salt" as the result of the inventory count for the product "A Food Cup Noodles Salt" in the entry field provided in correspondence with the product name "A Food Cup Noodles Salt" (provided in the row where the product name "A Food Cup Noodles Salt" is written). Furthermore, the inventory manager shall, as a result of the inventory count of product "A Food Cup Noodles Soy Sauce," enter the actual number of "A Food Cup Noodles Soy Sauce" units, which is 65, into the entry field provided corresponding to the product name "A Food Cup Noodles Soy Sauce" (located in the row where the product name "A Food Cup Noodles Soy Sauce" is listed). Similarly, as a result of the inventory count of product "A Food Cup Noodles Miso," enter the actual number of "A Food Cup Noodles Miso" units, which is 65, into the entry field provided corresponding to the product name "A Food Cup Noodles Miso" (located in the row where the product name "A Food Cup Noodles Miso" is listed).

[0078] Then, the inventory manager of business operator W compares the estimated inventory quantity 64, which was pre-filled when the inventory sheet 60 was issued, with the actual inventory quantity 65, which was entered in the inventory result entry field 62, for each product whose product name 63 is listed in the inventory result entry area 62 of the inventory entry sheet 60. For products where there is a difference between the estimated inventory quantity 64 and the actual inventory quantity 65, the cause of the difference is confirmed and identified, and the inventory work at the location indicated in the inventory location display area 61, based on the inventory entry sheet 60, is completed.

[0079] The inventory sheet 60 issued by the inventory sheet issuing unit 223 may be provided printed by a printer (not shown), or as a data file for printing or spreadsheet software. Alternatively, the inventory sheet 60 may be provided displayed on the display unit 33 of an information processing terminal 30 (e.g., a tablet terminal or handheld terminal) used by the inventory person in charge of inventory at business operator W.

[0080] Furthermore, the inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223 may issue an inventory entry sheet 60 for the first range specified in the first instruction that triggers the inventory start declaration process, immediately after the inventory start declaration process is executed by the inventory start declaration unit 222. In other words, the first instruction may also serve as the second instruction. In this case, based on the first instruction, the inventory start declaration is made by the inventory start declaration process executed by the inventory start declaration unit 222, and after the inventory management unit 221 has suspended updating the inventory count 121 of the goods belonging to the first range, the inventory entry sheet 60 for the goods belonging to that first range is issued by the inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223.

[0081] 3.2.4.Inventory update cancellation section 224 The inventory count update release unit 224 releases the hold on updating the inventory count 121 of the goods, which was made by the inventory start declaration unit 222, when a predetermined instruction (third instruction) is made to the commercial transaction management system 11. When the inventory person in charge of business operator W has completed the inventory count for all goods belonging to the second range (or the first range for which an inventory declaration was made by the inventory start declaration unit 222) issued by the inventory entry sheet issuance unit 223, the inventory person makes a predetermined instruction (third instruction) to the commercial transaction management system 11. The commercial transaction management system 11 may also be configured to receive inventory completion notifications from the inventory person in charge of each location included in the second range (or the first range) indicating that the inventory count for the goods belonging to that location has been completed. The commercial transaction management system 11 may also be configured to determine that a predetermined instruction (third instruction) has been made to the commercial transaction management system 11 when it receives such inventory completion notifications from all locations included in the second range (or the first range).

[0082] When the inventory count of goods belonging to the second range (or first range) is completed and a third instruction is issued to the commercial transaction management system 11, the inventory count start declaration unit 222 has suspended the update of the inventory count 121 of the goods in order to perform the inventory count with high accuracy. This suspension is then released by the inventory count release unit 224, allowing the update of the inventory count 121 of the goods to be resumed quickly. As a result, normal operations that could not be performed during the inventory count (receiving 81, shipping 82, moving 83 (Figure 6), etc.) can be resumed in a short period of time.

[0083] 3.2.5. Inventory Discrepancy Registration Section 225 The inventory discrepancy registration unit 225 registers a discrepancy 84 (Figure 6) for each item belonging to the second range, which has been inventoryed according to the inventory sheet 60 issued by the inventory sheet issuing unit 223. This discrepancy is calculated by subtracting the actual inventory quantity 65 of the item, which is the result of the inventory count, from the assumed inventory quantity 64 of the item presented in the inventory sheet 60 issued by the inventory sheet issuing unit 223. This registration may also be performed by the inventory manager of business operator W inputting the discrepancy 84 for each item, which they have calculated themselves based on the assumed inventory quantity 64 stated when the inventory sheet 60 was issued and the actual inventory quantity 65 entered in the inventory sheet 60 by the inventory manager, into the commercial transaction management system 11. Alternatively, this registration may be performed by the inventory manager of business operator W inputting the actual inventory quantity 65 entered in the inventory sheet 60 into the commercial transaction management system 11, thereby calculating the discrepancy 84 for each item in the commercial transaction management system 11.

[0084] Here, the registration of the difference 84 between the assumed inventory quantity 64 and the actual inventory quantity 65 of the inventory counted product by the inventory difference registration unit 225 is configured to be performed even after the suspension of updating the inventory quantity 121 of the product by the inventory quantity update release unit 224 is released. This allows the suspension of inventory quantity 121 for inventory counting to be completed in the shortest possible time, and after resuming the updating of inventory quantity 121 of the product, the registration of the difference 84 between the assumed inventory quantity 64 and the actual inventory quantity 65 of the inventory counted product can be performed over time.

[0085] 3.2.6.Inventory update section 226 The inventory update unit 226 updates the inventory quantity 121 of each product managed by the inventory management unit 221 based on the difference number 84 (Figure 6) for each product registered by the inventory difference registration unit 225. For example, if the inventory quantity 121 is information that represents the actual inventory quantity itself, the inventory update unit 226 updates the inventory quantity 121 by having the inventory management unit 221 subtract the difference number 84 from the inventory quantity 121. That is, if the assumed inventory quantity 64 is greater than the actual inventory quantity 65, the inventory quantity 121 is reduced by the absolute value of the difference number 84, and if the assumed inventory quantity 64 is less than the actual inventory quantity 65, the inventory quantity 121 is increased by the absolute value of the difference number 84 to match the actual inventory quantity 65. On the other hand, if the inventory count is set to 121 and the information necessary to derive the inventory count (information indicating the previous month's inventory count and information on events that have occurred since the monthly processing of the previous month) is stored, the inventory count update unit 226 associates the date on which the inventory count was performed with each inventory difference count 84 registered by the inventory difference count registration unit 225, and then stores this as adjustment quantity information for each product in the inventory count 121 of the corresponding product in the inventory management unit 221. This allows the inventory count update unit 226 to reflect the inventory count results in the inventory count 121 of the products on which the inventory count was performed.

[0086] Then, the inventory update unit 226 updates the inventory quantity 121 of the product using the difference number 84, which is obtained by subtracting the actual inventory quantity 65 (the result of the inventory count) from the expected inventory quantity 64. Therefore, even if there are events that cause the inventory quantity 121 to fluctuate after the inventory counting work, the results of the inventory count can be reflected in the inventory quantity 121 with high accuracy. In particular, the commercial transaction management system 11 is configured so that the inventory difference number registration unit 225 can register the difference number 84 between the expected inventory quantity 64 and the actual inventory quantity 65 of the product that has been inventoryed, even after the inventory update release unit 224 has released the hold on updating the inventory quantity 121 of the product. Therefore, the inventory update unit 226 also updates the inventory quantity 121 after the hold on updating the inventory quantity 121 has been released. As a result, when the inventory quantity 121 update resumes, the registered difference number 84 is used to update the inventory quantity 121, which fluctuates due to product arrivals 81, shipments 82, movements 83, etc., thereby accurately reflecting the results of the inventory count in the inventory quantity 121. Therefore, it is possible to complete the holding of 121 items in inventory as quickly as possible while conducting a highly accurate inventory count.

[0087] 4. Operation of the commercial transaction management system 11 Figure 6 shows the operation flow of the commercial transaction management system 11 when business operator W conducts an inventory count.

[0088] When business operator W conducts an inventory count, it first enters the phase of the inventory start declaration 71. In this phase, the person in charge of business operator W first instructs the commercial transaction management system 11 to display the inventory start instruction screen 40 by operating the operation unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20) or the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30. Based on this instruction, the commercial transaction management system 11 displays the inventory start instruction screen 40, as shown in Figure 4(a), on the display unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the display unit 23 of the management device 20) or the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30.

[0089] When a representative of business operator W requests the inventory start instruction screen 40, they specify the inventory type (monthly or on an ad-hoc basis) in the inventory type specification area 41, specify the first range in the warehouse specification area 42, inventory range specification area 43, block specification area 44, and location specification area 45, and then operate the execute button 46, the first instruction is sent to the commercial transaction management system 11. Based on this first instruction, the commercial transaction management system 11 executes the inventory start declaration process using the inventory start declaration unit 222.

[0090] In this inventory start declaration process, after declaring the start of inventory, the inventory management unit 221 suspends updating the inventory quantity 121 for products belonging to the first scope. That is, normal operations that affect the inventory quantity 121, such as receiving 81, shipping 82, and moving 83 of products belonging to the first scope, are temporarily suspended to maintain the inventory quantity 121 of the products subject to inventory counting without fluctuation. This allows inventory counting to be performed while minimizing the impact on receiving 81, shipping 82, and moving 83 of products, thereby improving the accuracy of the inventory count. The inventory quantity 121 of each product whose update is suspended is treated in subsequent processing as the expected inventory quantity 64 of each product that was anticipated immediately before the start of inventory counting.

[0091] Based on the fact that a representative of business operator W has issued a first instruction to the commercial transaction management system 11 by operating the execution button 46 on the inventory start instruction screen 40, the inventory start declaration process is executed, and then the representative of business operator W instructs the commercial transaction management system 11 to display the entry form issuance instruction screen 50 by operating the operation unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the operation unit 24 of the management device 20) or the operation unit 34 of the information processing terminal 30. Based on this instruction, the commercial transaction management system 11 displays the entry form issuance instruction screen 50, as shown in Figure 4(b), on the display unit of the commercial transaction management system 11 (for example, the display unit 23 of the management device 20) or the display unit 33 of the information processing terminal 30.

[0092] When a representative of business operator W requests the issuance of the entry form from the warehouse designation area 51, inventory designation area 52, block designation area 53, and location designation area 54, and then operates the issue button 55, a second instruction is sent to the commercial transaction management system 11. Based on this second instruction, the commercial transaction management system 11 issues an inventory entry form 60 as shown in Figure 5 using the inventory entry form issuance unit 223. The inventory person in charge of business operator W then proceeds to the inventory execution phrase 72, in which they perform the inventory work based on the issued inventory entry form 60.

[0093] In other words, the inventory manager of business operator W goes to the location indicated in the inventory location display area 61 based on the inventory entry sheet 60, takes inventory of the product indicated by the product name 63 according to the entry in the inventory result entry area 62, and enters the actual number of items in stock 65 of the product in the entry field provided in the inventory result entry area 62 corresponding to the product name 63 of the product, thereby completing the inventory work in a short time. Furthermore, the inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223 issues separate inventory entry sheets 60 for each location. This allows inventory to be performed simultaneously at each location using each inventory entry sheet 60, enabling the inventory work to be completed in a short time.

[0094] Once the inventory person of business operator W has completed the inventory count for all goods belonging to the second range (or the first range for which an inventory declaration was made by the inventory start declaration unit 222) issued by the inventory entry sheet issuing unit 223, the inventory count update release unit 73 enters the inventory count update release phase and issues a predetermined instruction (third instruction) to the commercial transaction management system 11. When the third instruction is issued, the commercial transaction management system 11 releases the inventory count update release unit 224, which had suspended the update of the goods inventory count 121 by the inventory start declaration unit 222 in order to perform the inventory work with high accuracy. As a result, the update of the goods inventory count 121 is promptly resumed after the completion of the inventory work, and normal operations that could not be performed during the inventory work, such as receiving 81, shipping 82, and moving 83, can be resumed in a short period of time. Therefore, the commercial transaction management system 11 can update the inventory count 121 in accordance with receiving 81, shipping 82, moving 83, etc.

[0095] After resuming the update of the inventory count of 121 items, the process enters the inventory discrepancy registration phase 74. In this phase, the inventory manager of business operator W calculates the discrepancy of 84 for each item by subtracting the actual inventory count 65 recorded on the inventory sheet 60 by the inventory manager from the expected inventory count 64 recorded on the inventory sheet 60 when it was issued, and inputs the calculated discrepancy of 84 for each item into the commercial transaction management system 11. As a result, the commercial transaction management system 11 registers the discrepancy of 84 for each item, linked to the date and time the inventory was taken, by storing it in the server 12 (or storage unit 21) using the inventory discrepancy registration unit 225. Alternatively, in this phase, the inventory manager of business operator W may input the actual inventory count 65 recorded on the inventory sheet 60 into the commercial transaction management system 11, and the inventory discrepancy of 84 for each item may be calculated by the inventory discrepancy registration unit 225 of the commercial transaction management system 11. The commercial transaction management system 11 may also register the difference count 84 for each product calculated by the inventory difference count registration unit 225 by associating it with the date and time the inventory count was performed and storing it in the server 12 (or storage unit 21).

[0096] Then, after the inventory discrepancy registration phase 74, the system enters the inventory update phase 75. In this phase, the inventory update unit 226 updates the inventory quantity 121 of each product managed by the inventory management unit 221, based on the discrepancy 84 of each product registered by the inventory discrepancy registration unit 225. That is, if the inventory quantity 121 is information that represents the actual inventory quantity itself, the inventory update unit 226 updates the inventory quantity 121 by having the inventory management unit 221 subtract the discrepancy 84 from the inventory quantity 121. Also, if the inventory quantity 121 stores information necessary to derive the inventory quantity (information indicating the inventory quantity of the previous month and information on events that have occurred since the monthly processing of the previous month), the inventory update unit 226 associates the date on which the inventory count was performed with the discrepancy 84 of each product registered by the inventory discrepancy registration unit 225, and then has the inventory management unit 221 store this as adjustment quantity information for each product in the corresponding inventory quantity 121. As a result, the inventory count update unit 226 reflects the inventory count 121 of the products for which the inventory count was performed.

[0097] The commercial transaction management system 11 operates as described above, producing the following effects. Specifically, the inventory declaration by the inventory start declaration unit 222 ensures that the inventory quantity 121 of goods belonging to the first range subject to inventory remains constant during the inventory work, thereby improving the accuracy of the inventory. On the other hand, by conducting an inventory of goods in the second range belonging to the first range according to the inventory entry sheet 60, and recording the resulting actual inventory quantity 65 of those goods in the inventory entry sheet 60, the inventory work can be completed in a short time. Therefore, while suppressing situations where the inventory quantity 121 of goods cannot be updated for a long period of time, a highly accurate inventory can be conducted with a short retention of the inventory quantity 121.

[0098] Furthermore, the commercial transaction management system 11 updates the inventory count 121 using the difference 84 between the expected inventory count 64 and the actual inventory count 65, as a result of the inventory count. Therefore, even if there are events that cause the inventory count 121 to change after the inventory counting process, the results of the inventory count can be reflected in the inventory count 121 with high accuracy.

[0099] Furthermore, after the inventory count is completed, a third instruction is given, which allows the inventory count release unit 224 to quickly resume updating the inventory count 121 of the products. After resuming the updating of the inventory count 121 of the products, the difference 84 between the assumed inventory count 64 and the actual inventory count 65 of the products that were inventoryed can be registered over time. Moreover, even if the difference 84 is registered after resuming the updating of the inventory count 121 of the products, the inventory count 121, which changes with the resumption of the updating of the inventory count 121, can be updated using the registered difference 84, thereby accurately reflecting the results of the inventory count in the inventory count 121. Therefore, the holding of the inventory count 121 can be completed in the shortest possible time while conducting an accurate inventory count.

[0100] 5. Other Embodiments Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, it is easy to infer that the present invention is not limited in any way to the above embodiments, and that various improvements and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, each embodiment, including the modifications described below, may be constructed by modifying the embodiment by adding or replacing some or more parts of the configuration of another embodiment with that embodiment. Furthermore, the numerical values ​​given in the above embodiments are merely examples, and it is naturally possible to use other numerical values.

[0101] In the above embodiment, the commercial transaction management system 11 was described as being primarily used by wholesalers W, but the present invention is applicable to commercial transaction management systems used by businesses that receive orders for goods from their customers and ship them. For example, the present invention may be applied to a commercial transaction management system used by a business M that can provide goods to business W based on orders from business W, specifically a manufacturing business that manufactures and ships goods based on orders from business W, or a production business that produces and ships goods based on orders from business W.

[0102] Furthermore, the present invention may be applied to a commercial transaction management system used by retailers such as supermarkets, convenience stores, drugstores, and home centers that purchase goods from business operators W and sell them to customers. In this case, the retail operator may be a retailer targeting general consumers, a retailer targeting businesses, or a retailer targeting both. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0103] 11: Commercial Transaction Management System 12: Server 20: Management device 21: Storage section 22: Control Unit 23:Display section 24:Operation unit 30: Information processing terminal 33: Display section 34:Operation unit 40: Inventory count start instruction screen 41: Inventory classification area 42: Warehouse designated area 43: Inventory specified range / area 44: Block designation area 45: Location-specified area 46: Execute button 50: Screen for issuing entry form 51: Warehouse designated area 52: Inventory specified range / area 53: Block designation area 54: Location-specified area 55: Issue button 60: Inventory Entry Sheet 61: Inventory location display area 62: Inventory Result Entry Area 63:Product name 64: Estimated inventory quantity 65: Actual stock quantity 84: Number of differences 121: Quantity in stock 221: Inventory Management Department 222: Inventory Count Commencement Declaration Department 223: Inventory Record Issuance Department 224:Inventory update cancellation section 225: Inventory Discrepancy Registration Department 226:Inventory update department

Claims

1. A commercial transaction management system that manages the trading of goods, Each product has a memory unit that stores information about the inventory quantity of that product, An inventory management unit manages the inventory quantity for each product using the information stored in the aforementioned storage unit, When a first instruction is given specifying a first range as the scope of the inventory count, an inventory start declaration unit executes an inventory start declaration process, which declares the start of the inventory count and suspends the updating of the inventory count of products belonging to the first range by the inventory management unit. When a second instruction is given specifying a second range belonging to the first range, an inventory entry form issuing unit issues an inventory entry form that associates the product name of a product belonging to the second range with the expected inventory quantity, which is the expected inventory quantity of the corresponding product based on the inventory quantity managed by the inventory management unit, and the actual inventory quantity, which is the actual inventory quantity of the corresponding product that was present as a result of the inventory count. A commercial transaction management system equipped with the following features.

2. For goods belonging to the second range, in which inventory was taken in accordance with the inventory sheet issued by the inventory sheet issuing unit, an inventory difference registration unit registers the difference between the estimated inventory quantity of the goods presented in the inventory sheet issued by the inventory sheet issuing unit and the actual inventory quantity of the goods as a result of the inventory; An inventory quantity update unit updates the inventory quantity of the product managed by the inventory management unit based on the inventory difference quantity registered by the inventory difference quantity registration unit for the product, A commercial transaction management system according to claim 1, comprising:

3. When a third instruction is given, the system includes an inventory quantity update release unit that releases the hold on updating the inventory quantity of goods performed by the inventory start declaration unit, The aforementioned inventory discrepancy registration unit is: Even after the inventory update release unit has released the hold on updating the inventory quantity of a product, the system is configured to allow registration of the difference in quantity for the product. The commercial transaction management system according to claim 2.

4. The first range and the second range are, The system is configured to allow specifying blocks that are defined by subdividing the warehouse where the goods are stored, and / or locations that are defined by further subdividing those blocks. A commercial transaction management system according to claim 1.

5. The first instruction is configured to allow specifying whether an inventory count is conducted monthly or at any time, regardless of the monthly schedule. A commercial transaction management system according to claim 1.

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