Information processing device and computer program

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a more effective mechanism for preventing a specific customer from purchasing a large quantity of a product. [Solution] An information processing device according to the present invention transmits first biological information for a first customer to a server, receives, from the server, first customer information for the first customer as identified on the basis of second biological information retrieved from biological information stored by the server using the first biological information, acquires product-specifying information that specifies a product that the first customer wants to purchase, and, when the product specified by the product-specifying information is a prescribed product, determines whether a total purchase number for the prescribed product that is based on an intended purchase number and a past purchase number for the first customer that is based on the first customer information exceeds a predetermined upper limit number and transmits purchase information about the product to be purchased by the first customer that is based on the determination results to the server.

Description

Information processing device and computer program

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device and a computer program.

[0002] In the past, there have been cases where limited quantities of products were manufactured and sold to a limited number of people who wanted to buy them, but in recent years, there have been cases where such limited products have been purchased in large quantities by specific customers.

[0003] In response to this, it is possible to prevent large-scale purchases by specific customers by adopting a registration system in which in-store sales are limited to customers who have registered in advance (see Patent Document 1). However, in this case, there is a problem that well-intentioned visitors, such as tourists from overseas, who are unable to register in advance, are unable to make purchases even if they stop by the store. In addition, there is still a possibility that the problem of large-scale purchases by specific customers may occur if the same specific customer fraudulently registers multiple times in advance.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-187596

[0005] Therefore, there is a need to provide a more effective mechanism for preventing a particular customer from purchasing a large amount of merchandise.

[0006] The present invention provides, for example, an information processing device comprising a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a customer, an information acquisition means for acquiring information identifying a product, a communication means for communicating with an external server, and a processing means, wherein the communication means transmits the first biometric information of a first customer acquired by the biometric information acquisition means to the server, the communication means receives from the server first customer information of the first customer identified based on second biometric information searched from the biometric information held by the server using the first biometric information, the information acquisition means acquires product identification information for identifying a product that the first customer wishes to purchase, and when the product identified by the product identification information is a specified product, the processing means determines whether a cumulative purchase count based on the planned purchase quantity of the specified product and the first customer's past purchase count based on the first customer's first customer information exceeds a predetermined upper limit, and the communication means transmits purchase information regarding the products purchased by the first customer based on the determination result of the processing means to the server.

[0007] The present invention is, for example, a server that communicates with the above-mentioned information processing device, and includes: a storage means that registers customer biometric information in association with customer information including a purchase history regarding products purchased by the customer; a processing means that, when first biometric information acquired about a first customer is received from the information processing device, searches the storage means for second biometric information associated with the first biometric information and identifies the first customer information associated with the second biometric information in the storage means; and a communication means that transmits the first customer information identified by the processing means to the information processing device, and when the communication means receives purchase information regarding products purchased by the first customer, the customer information in the storage means is updated based on the received purchase information.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a more effective mechanism for preventing a particular customer from purchasing a large quantity of merchandise.

[0009] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of the system 100. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of each device. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data configuration of each data table held in the database 326. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of exemplary processing performed in the system 100. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a purchase screen update processing. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a biometric information acquisition screen. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a purchase screen. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of a purchase screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing yet another example of a purchase screen. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a history display screen.

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as claimed, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a system 100 according to this embodiment. The system 100 is configured by interconnecting an authentication terminal 110, a barcode reader 120, a cash register terminal 130, and a server 140 via a network 150.

[0012] In this embodiment, the authentication terminal 110, barcode reader 120, and cash register terminal are installed in a store selling products and are connected to an externally installed server 140 via a network. In the store, the authentication terminal 110, barcode reader 120, and cash register terminal 130 are installed near the cash register counter (cash register). In addition, the store has a plurality of products that customers can purchase. There are at least two types of products: one is a type of product that customers can purchase an unlimited number of; and the other is a type of product for which a maximum number of purchases per customer is set (hereinafter, such products will be referred to as "specific products"). In this embodiment, a system will be described that enables approval / denial of sales of such specific products for which a maximum number of purchases is set.

[0013] The following is a brief description of the processing flow in system 100. A customer who visits a store selects a product from the shelves and lines up at the cash register. If the customer has previously registered as a member and is carrying a membership card, the membership number on the membership card is read by barcode reader 120, and biometric information is acquired by authentication terminal 110. On the other hand, if the customer has not previously registered as a member and does not have a membership card, only biometric information is acquired. Once the biometric information is acquired, authentication terminal 110 transmits it to server 140, which then identifies the biometric information with the highest degree of match from among the registered biometric information and transmits the customer information associated with that biometric information to authentication terminal 110. Based on the customer information, the authentication terminal can check the customer's past purchase history and determine whether to approve the sale of the specific product the customer wishes to purchase. The components of system 100 are described in detail below.

[0014] The authentication terminal 110 is an information processing device that acquires biometric information of a customer who wishes to purchase a product and provides information on whether or not to approve the purchase of the product through communication with the server 140. The authentication terminal 110 can be configured as, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The authentication terminal 110 also has a built-in camera that can capture a facial image of the customer. In this embodiment, a case is described in which a facial image is captured by the authentication terminal 110 as biometric information, but biometric information is not limited to this and may be acquired by other methods. In this case, the authentication terminal 110 may be configured to include an acquisition device for acquiring biometric information other than a facial image, or the acquisition device may be externally attached.

[0015] The barcode reader 120 reads the barcode on the membership card held by the customer who wishes to purchase, obtains the membership number information, and transmits it to the authentication terminal 110. It also reads the barcode of a product and transmits the product information to the authentication terminal 110. The information may also be transmitted from the barcode reader 120 to the cash register terminal 130, or may be transmitted from the authentication terminal 110 to the cash register terminal 130. The barcode reader 120 may communicate with the authentication terminal 110 and the cash register terminal 130 via short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth connection), or may be connected via a wire. In this embodiment, an example is described in which an operator such as a store clerk reads the membership number on the membership card using the barcode reader 120, but the customer may also hold their membership card over a stationary barcode reader to read the membership number.

[0016] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case where the barcode reader 120 is used will be described, but any other device that can acquire information for identifying a customer or a product can also be used.

[0017] The cashier terminal 130 is a terminal device for processing product purchases. It may be connected to the authentication terminal 110 via the network 150 or short-range wireless communication. Alternatively, the authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 may communicate with each other via a wired connection.

[0018] The server 140 is an information processing device that manages customer information acquired by the authentication terminal 110. The network 150 is a communication network for interconnecting the nodes of the authentication terminal 110, the cashier terminal 130, and the server 140, and may include the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, a WAN, a mobile communication network (a mobile phone communication network), and the like.

[0019] Although the authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 are described as separate entities in FIG. 1, they may be configured as an integrated unit.

[0020] <Configuration of Information Processing Device> Next, an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device that constitutes a system corresponding to this embodiment will be described. The configuration shown in Fig. 2 shows a typical hardware configuration of each device, described as an information processing device, that constitutes the system 100, such as the authentication terminal 110 and the server 140, and some of the hardware configuration may not be essential depending on the type of device. Note that the barcode reader 120 and the cash register terminal 130 may also be configured in a similar manner.

[0021] 2, a CPU 201 executes application programs, an operating system (OS), control programs, etc. stored in a ROM 203 and an internal storage device 204 (to be described later), and controls temporary storage of information, files, etc. required for program execution in a RAM 202. Note that the processes described below are also realized by the CPU 201 functioning as a control unit or a processing unit by executing corresponding processing programs.

[0022] The RAM 202 temporarily stores various data and functions as the main memory, work area, etc. of the CPU 201. The ROM 203 internally stores various programs such as basic I / O programs, font data used during processing, template data, and other various data. The internal storage device 204 uses an HD (hard disk) that functions as a large-capacity memory. The internal storage device 204 stores application programs, an OS, control programs, related programs, various control data, etc. Note that a non-volatile storage device such as flash (registered trademark) memory may be used instead of a hard disk.

[0023] The input unit 205 corresponds to a keyboard, a pointing device (such as a mouse), a touch panel, etc. Using the input unit 205, a user can input commands to the information processing device to control the device, etc. The output unit 206 is configured to include a display that outputs video, a speaker that outputs audio, and, in the case of the cash register terminal 130, a printing unit that prints out receipts, etc.

[0024] A communication interface (I / F) 207 performs data communication with external devices via the network 150 in accordance with various communication protocols. The authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 communicate with the barcode reader 120 via the communication interface 207 and receive barcode information from the barcode reader 120. An external storage device 208 is configured as a database and stores data tables required for processing executed in the information processing device.

[0025] In the authentication terminal 110, the information acquisition unit 209 may be a photographing device (camera) for capturing a facial image of the intended purchaser. Alternatively, the information acquisition unit 209 may be an acquisition device (an imaging device such as a camera, a microphone, a sensor, etc.) for capturing any biometric information of the intended purchaser other than a facial image. Examples of biometric information that can be captured include fingerprints, palm vein patterns, irises, voice, and voiceprint information. The information acquisition unit 209 may be built into the information processing device or may be externally attached. In addition, the barcode reader 120 may have a line sensor for reading barcodes as the information acquisition unit 209.

[0026] Furthermore, in the cash register terminal 130, the information acquisition unit 209 can function as a card reader for acquiring, for example, credit card information. The information acquisition unit 209 may be configured to acquire credit card information from an IC chip of a credit card by short-range wireless communication, or may be configured to acquire credit card information from a magnetic stripe of a credit card.

[0027] 3A, an example of the functional configuration of the authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 will be described. The authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 can be configured to include, for example, a control unit 301, a communication unit 302, a processing unit 303, an operation unit 304, and a display unit 305.

[0028] The control unit 301 controls the overall operation of each terminal. The CPU 201 in Fig. 2 can function as the control unit 301 by executing a program stored in the internal storage device 204 or the like. The communication unit 302 communicates with each device via the network 150. The CPU 201 can function as the communication unit 302 by controlling the communication interface 207. The communication unit 302 includes a network communication unit for communicating via the network 150 and a short-range wireless communication unit for communicating with the barcode reader 120.

[0029] The processing unit 303 has the function of executing predetermined processes performed in each terminal. For example, in the authentication terminal 110, it executes the purchase screen update process described below. The CPU 201 in Fig. 2 can function as the processing unit 303 by executing a program stored in the internal storage device 204 or the like.

[0030] The operation unit 304 is an operation unit that allows a terminal user (e.g., an operator of the authentication terminal 110 or the cash register terminal 130) to input operations to the terminal, and includes a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc. If the authentication terminal 110 is configured as a tablet terminal, the touch panel serves as the operation unit. The input unit 205 in FIG. 2 can function as the operation unit 304. The display unit 305 is a display that displays predetermined data handled in the terminal device. The output unit 206 in FIG. 2 functions as the display unit 305.

[0031] 3B, an example of the functional configuration of the barcode reader 120 will be described. The barcode reader 120 can be configured to include, for example, a control unit 311, a communication unit 312, an operation unit 313, and a sensor 314.

[0032] The control unit 311 controls the overall operation of the barcode reader 120. The CPU 201 in Fig. 2 can function as the control unit 311 by executing a program stored in the internal storage device 204 or the like. Alternatively, the operation of the barcode reader 120 may be controlled by a dedicated control processor. The communication unit 312 communicates with the authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 in accordance with a short-range wireless communication method such as Bluetooth. In the example of Fig. 2, the CPU 201 or the dedicated processor (not shown) can function as the communication unit 312 by controlling the communication interface 207.

[0033] The operation unit 313 is an operation unit that allows a user of the barcode reader 120 (for example, an operator of the authentication terminal 110 or the cash register terminal 130) to read a barcode, and includes buttons, switches, etc. The configuration of the operation unit 313 may be omitted. The input unit 205 in FIG. 2 can function as the operation unit 313.

[0034] The sensor 314 is, for example, a sensor for reading a barcode (for example, a line sensor or an area sensor), and corresponds to the information acquisition unit 209 in Fig. 2. The barcode to be read may be a two-dimensional barcode or a three-dimensional barcode.

[0035] 3C , an example of the functional configuration of the server 140 will be described. The server 140 can be configured to include, for example, a control unit 321, a communication unit 322, a processing unit 323, an operation unit 324, a display unit 325, and a database 326.

[0036] The control unit 321 controls the overall operation of the server 140. The CPU 201 in Fig. 2 can function as the control unit 321 by executing a program stored in the internal storage device 204 or the like. The communication unit 322 communicates with the authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 via the network 150. The CPU 201 can function as the communication unit 322 by controlling the communication interface 207.

[0037] The processing unit 323 has a function of executing predetermined determination processing and the like performed in the server 140. The CPU 201 in Fig. 2 can function as the processing unit 323 by executing a program stored in the internal storage device 204 or the like.

[0038] The operation unit 324 is an operation unit that allows a user of the server 140 (for example, an operator of the server 140) to input operations to the server 140, and includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc. The input unit 205 in FIG. 2 can function as the operation unit 324. The display unit 325 is a display that displays predetermined data handled by the server 140. The output unit 206 in FIG. 2 functions as the display unit 325. The database 326 is a database that stores and manages various data used by the processing unit 323, biometric information of the intended purchaser, etc., and the external storage device 208 in FIG. 2 functions as the database 326.

[0039] <Data Tables> Next, the configuration of the data tables registered in the database 326 of the server 140 will be described.

[0040] 4A is a customer data table for managing customer information. In the customer data table 400, for example, a customer number 401, a number of times of use 402, a date and time of the previous use, a purchase history 404, and biometric information 405 are registered as customer information.

[0041] The customer number 401 is registered with either a membership number read from a membership card held by the customer or a temporary membership number. A temporary membership number is information assigned to customers who have not registered as members, such as Japanese customers visiting a store or foreign tourists visiting Japan, to identify the customer. It is desirable that the temporary membership number does not overlap with the regular membership number, and is in a form that can be distinguished from the regular membership number. For example, the last two or first two digits can be a specific code or value, or the number of digits can be different from the membership number.

[0042] Furthermore, the number of times the customer has used the store to purchase products is registered in the number of uses 402. In other words, the number of times a product has been purchased at the store is registered. The date and time of last use 403 is the date and time of the last product purchase at the store. The purchase history is registered with historical information of past purchases of specific products by the customer, details of which are shown in FIG. 4B. The biometric information 405 is registered with biometric information acquired about the customer. The biometric information 405 is registered with all biometric information acquired when the customer visits the store. For example, the facial image itself captured by the authentication terminal 110 may be registered in the biometric information 405, or features extracted from the facial image may be registered, or both may be registered.

[0043] 4A shows an example in which five items are registered in one data table, but the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a biometric information data table may be prepared separately from the customer data table 400, and each piece of biometric information may be registered in the biometric information data table in association with a customer number.

[0044] 4B shows an example of a purchase history data table 410 that manages information on the product purchase history for each customer. In the purchase history data table 410, information such as a customer number 411, a product 412, and a purchase quantity 413 is registered as purchase history information. The purchase history information may also include information on the date and time of purchase.

[0045] The customer number 411 is registered with information about the customer number corresponding to the customer number 401 in the customer data table 400. The product information for specific products for which a purchase limit is set is registered in the product 412. Here, product names such as product 1 and product 2 are registered. The purchase limit for each product is shown in FIG. 4(C). The total number of products purchased by the customer in the past is registered in the purchase quantity 413 for each product.

[0046] 4C shows an example of a specific product data table 420 that manages information about specific products for which a purchase limit is set. In the specific product data table 420, for example, a product 421 and a purchase limit quantity 422 are registered.

[0047] Product information for specific products for which a purchase limit is set is registered in product 421. To set a purchase limit, the maximum number of specific products that can be purchased per person is registered. In this example, only one product 1 can be purchased, but up to three products 4 can be purchased.

[0048] <Processing Flow in System 100> Next, the processing flow in this system will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The flowchart in Fig. 5 is realized by the control units of the authentication terminal 110, barcode reader 120, and server 140 controlling the operation of each block.

[0049] First, in S501, the operator of the authentication terminal 110 uses the barcode reader 120 to check the membership card of the customer who wishes to purchase the product and read the barcode on the membership card. In this embodiment, the operator requests that the customer who is a member present their membership card, and identifies the member information from the barcode on the membership card. In S502, the barcode reader 120 transmits the read barcode information to the authentication terminal 110 via the communication unit 312.

[0050] When the authentication terminal 110 receives barcode information from the barcode reader 120 via the communication unit 302, the control unit 301 displays a biometric information acquisition screen as shown in Fig. 6A on the display unit 305 of the terminal 110 and acquires the biometric information of the customer. In this embodiment, the authentication terminal 110 may be a terminal that can be carried by an operator, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, and the operator may take a facial image of the customer.

[0051] FIG. 6A shows an example of a screen for acquiring a facial image as biometric information. The biometric information acquisition screen 600 includes a marker 601 indicating the position of the subject's face, and a membership number display area 602 displaying the membership number acquired by the barcode reader 120 if the customer is a registered member. In FIG. 3, the face of the customer 603 to be photographed is located within the range designated by the marker 601. The biometric information acquisition screen 600 also displays a capture button 604 and a send button 605, and the operator can capture a facial image by operating the capture button 604. If biometric information is acquired by capturing a facial image in S504, the authentication terminal 110 subsequently associates the captured facial image with the membership number in response to operation of the send button 605, and transmits the associated image to the server 140 via the communication unit 302 in S505.

[0052] Here, as shown in FIG. 6(B), it is conceivable that multiple subjects 611 and 612 may be captured in the image. In this case, it is possible to accept the selection of customers to be registered after capturing the image. For example, numbers or the like may be displayed above each subject, and the operator may select a customer to be registered by tapping on any of the numbers. In FIG. 6(B), the number "1" is displayed on subject 611, and the number "2" is displayed on subject 612. The operator can select the subject to be registered by tapping on any of the numbers. Once a subject is selected, only the selected subject can be extracted and used as biometric information.

[0053] When the server 140 receives the biometric information from the authentication terminal 110, the processing unit 323 compares the received biometric information with the biometric information registered in the database 326 in S506 to identify the biometric information with the highest degree of match. The comparison of biometric information may be performed not only using the received biometric information itself, such as an image or voice, but also by comparing feature quantities extracted from the received biometric information. Feature quantities include, for example, coordinate information, vector information, edge information, frequency information, etc., and known biometric information-related technologies can be used. Furthermore, the identification of the biometric information may be performed by searching for biometric information associated with the transmitted membership number, but may also be performed based solely on the similarity of the biometric information, without being limited to the membership number. In this embodiment, the system design does not require membership registration, so even for customers who do not have a membership number, the purchase history of that customer can be extracted based on the similarity of their biometric information.

[0054] If the biometric information with the highest degree of match has been identified in S506, then in S507 the processing unit 323 retrieves the customer information associated with that biometric information from the customer data table 400 registered in the database 326. In S508, if the customer information includes a membership number, the processing unit 323 determines whether the membership number included in the biometric information transmitted in S505 matches the customer number 401 included in the customer information. If they match, then in S509 the server 140 transmits the customer information to the authentication terminal 110 via the communication unit 322. On the other hand, if in S508 the membership number included in the biometric information transmitted in S505 does not match the customer number 401 included in the customer information, then the processing unit 323 returns to S506, identifies the biometric information with the next highest degree of match, and repeats the above-described process.

[0055] Note that the process of S508 may be optional, and if the biometric information determined to have the highest degree of match can be identified, the customer information corresponding to that biometric information may be transmitted. Furthermore, if the biometric information transmitted in S505 does not include a membership number, the process of S508 may be skipped. Furthermore, even if the biometric information has the highest degree of match, if the calculated degree of match is below a predetermined threshold in S506, the biometric information need not be identified. In this case, the customer is likely to be a new customer, and in this case, the customer information is not registered in the database 326. Therefore, in S509, a notification is sent that no matching customer information exists.

[0056] When the customer information is transmitted in S509, the customer information may include the customer number 401, the number of uses 402, the date and time of the previous use 403, and the purchase history 404. It is also assumed that the specific product data table 420 has been transmitted in advance to the authentication terminal 110. At this time, the control unit 321 updates the customer data table 400 by adding the biometric information transmitted in S505 to the biometric information 405.

[0057] When the customer information is transmitted in S509, the control unit 301 of the authentication terminal 110 displays a purchase screen for the product that the customer intends to purchase on the display unit 305 based on the customer information received in S510. Examples of the purchase screen are shown in Figures 7A to 7C. Of these, Figure 7A shows the initial display state of the purchase screen.

[0058] Screen 700 in FIG. 7A includes customer information such as visit count 701, last visit date 702, and membership number 703. Other information, such as the customer's name, may also be included. The lower portion of screen 700 includes an area 704 indicating the number of rejected and accepted items among the desired purchases, a checkout button 705 selected to proceed to checkout, and a cancel button 706 to cancel the purchase. The visit count 701, last visit date 702, and membership number 703 can display the customer number 401, number of uses 402, and last use date and time 403 received as customer information. In this case, the customer number 401 may not be displayed if the customer is a non-member, indicating that the customer is a non-member. Additionally, a history button 707 is displayed at the top of screen 700. Operating this button displays the customer's past purchase history on the screen.

[0059] Fig. 8 shows an example of the history display screen. The history screen displays biometric information 801 previously acquired for a customer identified by a membership number, and detailed information 802 about purchased items. By operating the back button 803, the user can return to the purchase screen shown in Fig. 7A or the like.

[0060] When the purchase screen 700 is displayed, in S511 the operator sequentially reads the barcodes of the products the customer wishes to purchase using the barcode reader 120. In S512, the barcode information (product identification information) read by the barcode reader 120 is sequentially transmitted to the authentication terminal 110 via the communication unit 312, and in S513, the control unit 301 of the authentication terminal 110 performs processing to update the purchase screen 700. The processing from S511 to S513 is executed as many times as the number of products desired to be purchased, and the purchase screen 700 is updated each time.

[0061] After the purchase screen update process is performed in S513, the authentication terminal 110 accepts an operation from the operator via the operation unit 304 in S514, and transmits purchase information to the server 140 via the communication unit 302 in accordance with the accepted operation in S515. On the server 140 side, the control unit 321 updates the database 326 with the received purchase information in S516. Specifically, the customer data table 400 and the purchase history data table 410 are updated.

[0062] The purchase information can also be sent to the cashier terminal 130 in S515. If the authentication terminal 110 and the cashier terminal 130 are a common terminal, the transaction can proceed directly to the transaction process.

[0063] Next, the flow of the purchase screen update process will be described with reference to Figure 5B. In Figure 5B, first, in S531, the processing unit 303 identifies the desired product based on the barcode information. The authentication terminal 110 stores a table of product information associated with the barcode information in the internal storage device 204, and the processing unit 303 can identify the product by referring to this table.

[0064] In the next step S532, the processing unit 303 determines whether the desired product is a specific product registered in the specific product data table 420. If it is not a specific product, the process proceeds to step S535. Since there is no limit to the number of purchases of the product, the processing unit 303 determines OK in step S535 regardless of the desired number of purchases. Note that if the product is not a specific product, it may be determined to be ineligible.

[0065] On the other hand, if the desired product is a specific product registered in the specific product data table 420, the processing unit 303 calculates the cumulative purchase quantity in S533 by adding the number of purchases of the product to date (number of past purchases) and the planned number of purchases this time, based on the information in the purchase history 404 received as customer information. The planned number of purchases this time may be updated as needed in accordance with the reception of the barcode information in S512. It is also updated when the planned number of purchases is changed in response to an operation by the operator. Once the cumulative purchase quantity is calculated, the processing unit 303 determines in S534 whether the cumulative purchase quantity exceeds the upper limit of the number of purchases for the product. If the cumulative purchase quantity exceeds the upper limit, the processing proceeds to S536, where an NG determination is made. On the other hand, if the cumulative purchase quantity does not exceed the upper limit, the processing proceeds to S535, where an OK determination is made. Thereafter, the processing proceeds to S537, where the purchase screen is updated to include other information.

[0066] FIG. 7B is a diagram showing an example of the purchase screen 700 after updating, in which information about product 1 and product 2 has been added to the purchase screen 710.

[0067] Information about product 1 has been added to area 711, and the desired quantity for the first purchase is one, and the ratio of the maximum purchase quantity to the number of purchases, including this purchase, is one to one, so the purchase is possible. As a result of the purchase screen update process, an OK mark (approval decision mark) 712 indicating an OK decision is displayed.

[0068] Area 713 contains additional information about product 2, indicating that the desired number of units for the initial purchase is two, and the ratio of the maximum purchase quantity to the purchase quantity, including the current purchase, is 2:1. Since the purchase quantity exceeds the maximum purchase quantity, the purchase is impossible. As a result of the purchase screen update process, an NG mark (rejection indicator) 714 indicating an NG judgment is displayed. Here, a product cancellation mark 715 is also displayed. For example, this product cancellation mark 715 may be displayed for the number of units exceeding the maximum limit, and by tapping one product cancellation mark 715, the purchase of one unit of the product can be canceled. In this case, since the ratio is 1:1, the judgment is OK, and the NG mark 714 is replaced with an OK mark 712.

[0069] Alternatively, the operator may be allowed to directly change the value of the desired purchase quantity. In this case, by changing the desired purchase quantity from two to one, the ratio becomes one to one, and the result is an OK judgment. In this case, the product cancellation mark 715 can be operated when accepting cancellation of the purchase of the product itself. Therefore, when the product cancellation mark 715 is operated, the desired purchase quantity of two is canceled, and the area 713 is removed from the purchase screen 710.

[0070] In area 704 of purchase screen 710, one unit of product 2 that exceeds the upper limit is counted as NG and displayed as one item. Also, one unit of product 1 and one unit of product 2 that matches the upper limit are counted as OK, for a total of two units, and displayed as two items.

[0071] FIG. 7C is a diagram showing another example of the purchase screen 700 after updating, in which information about product A and product 3 has been added to the purchase screen 720.

[0072] In area 721, information about product A has been added, and the desired number of units for the first purchase is five, but since product A has no upper limit on the number of units that can be purchased, it is displayed as "Not Eligible" and can be purchased. As a result of the purchase screen update process, an OK mark 712 indicating an OK judgment is displayed.

[0073] Here, for products for which no purchase limit is set, the product details may be displayed without showing the product details, or the display may be omitted altogether. Also, the "not applicable" message may be displayed only when the purchaser wishes to purchase only "not applicable" products, and if even one specific product is included, the display may be omitted entirely, including the "not applicable" message.

[0074] Information about product 3 has been added to area 723, showing that the desired purchase quantity for the second purchase is one, and the ratio of the purchase quantity including this purchase to the maximum purchase quantity is 2:2, which matches the maximum purchase quantity, so the purchase is possible. As a result of the purchase screen update process, an OK mark 712 indicating an OK judgment is displayed. Area 704 of purchase screen 720 shows that there are no NG products and two OK products.

[0075] In this embodiment, it is desirable to operate the checkout button 705 after the number of NG items has been reduced to zero. In this case, for example, the checkout button 705 can be grayed out to stop accepting operations until the number of NG items has been reduced to zero, and once the number of NG items has been reduced to zero, the checkout button 705 can be ungrayed out and operations can be permitted. On the other hand, the checkout button 705 may be made operable without reducing the number of NG items to zero. In this case, the operator at the cash register terminal 130 will process the checkout only for items within the upper limit. When updating the database in S516, the purchase history is updated within the purchase limit for the specific item.

[0076] In this embodiment, the customer's membership number and product information are read from a barcode and used, but the embodiment is not limited to this and other methods of obtaining the information may be used. For example, if an RFID tag or IC chip is embedded, the information may be obtained from the RFID tag or IC chip.

[0077] According to the above embodiment, since the biometric information of a customer and the purchase history of the customer are associated and managed in advance, it is possible to take into consideration the past purchase history based on the biometric information of a customer who wishes to purchase a specific product, and it is possible to immediately detect purchases of a specific product that exceed the upper limit in the store. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the purchase history can be managed regardless of whether the customer has registered as a member in advance, so there is no need to refuse purchases from unregistered customers.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the authentication terminal 110 and the cash register terminal 130 are described as separate devices, but by integrating them, it becomes possible to refer to the purchase history when making a payment at the cash register, thereby reducing the burden on store staff and customers.

[0079] The above processes (e.g., the processes shown in Figures 5A and 5B) can be executed by a computer by storing a corresponding computer program in a predetermined storage medium and reading (installing or copying) the program stored in the storage medium into the computer. Such computer programs and storage media are naturally included in the scope of the invention.

[0080] Summary of the Embodiments The above-described embodiments disclose at least the following information processing device and computer program.

[0081] (1) An information processing device comprising: a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a customer; an information acquisition means for acquiring information identifying a product; a communication means for communicating with an external server; and a processing means, wherein the communication means transmits the first biometric information of a first customer acquired by the biometric information acquisition means to the server; the communication means receives from the server first customer information of the first customer identified based on second biometric information searched from the biometric information held by the server using the first biometric information; the information acquisition means acquires product identification information for identifying a product that the first customer wishes to purchase; when the product identified by the product identification information is a predetermined product, the processing means determines whether a cumulative purchase count based on the planned purchase quantity of the predetermined product and the first customer's past purchase count based on the first customer's first customer information exceeds a predetermined upper limit; and the communication means transmits purchase information regarding the products purchased by the first customer based on the determination result of the processing means to the server. (2) The information processing device according to (1), wherein the server manages biometric information of a customer in association with customer information including a purchase history of products purchased by the customer, the second biometric information being biometric information most highly related to the first biometric information, and the communication means receives the customer information managed in association with the second biometric information as the first customer information. (3) The information processing device according to (2), wherein the second biometric information is biometric information having a similarity to the first biometric information equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. (4) The information processing device according to (2) or (3), wherein the information acquisition means is further configured to acquire identification information assigned to the customer, and the communication means transmits first identification information assigned to the first customer acquired by the information acquisition means to the server together with the first biometric information, the customer information including identification information for identifying the corresponding customer, and the second biometric information is biometric information associated with customer information including identification information matching the first identification information.(5) The information processing device according to (4), wherein the information acquisition means is configured to acquire barcode information read by a barcode reader, the identification information is membership number information read by the barcode reader from the barcode on a membership card held by the customer, and the product specification information is product-related information read by the barcode reader from the barcode attached to the product. (6) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (5), further comprising display means for displaying a first screen related to products that the first customer plans to purchase based on the first customer information received from the server and the determination result by the processing means, wherein the processing means makes a rejection determination if it determines that the cumulative purchase quantity will exceed the upper limit, and makes an approval determination if it determines that the cumulative purchase quantity will not exceed the upper limit, and wherein the first screen displays the number of the planned purchases that exceeds the upper limit as a rejection determination number, and displays the number that does not exceed the upper limit as an approval determination number. (7) The information processing device according to (6), wherein the first screen includes a rejection determination indicator that is displayed in association with the corresponding product when the rejection determination is made, and an approval determination indicator that is displayed in association with the corresponding product when the approval determination is made. (8) The information processing device according to (6) or (7), further including operation acceptance means that accepts an operation, wherein the operation acceptance means accepts an operation for making the cumulative purchase count equal to the upper limit when the cumulative purchase count exceeds the upper limit. (9) The information processing device according to (8), wherein the transmission of the purchase information to the server is performed in response to an operation on the operation acceptance means, wherein if the rejected product is included on the first screen, acceptance of an instruction to send the purchase information by the operation acceptance means is stopped, and if the rejected product is no longer included on the first screen, acceptance of an instruction to send the purchase information by the operation acceptance means is permitted. (10) The information processing device according to any one of (6) to (9), wherein the predetermined product is a product for which an upper limit is set for the cumulative purchase count, and the upper limit is set for each product. (11) The information processing device according to any one of (6) to (10), wherein the first screen does not include information about products that do not correspond to the predetermined products.(12) The information processing device according to any one of (6) to (10), wherein the first screen includes a display indicating that the products desired to be purchased by the customer are ineligible products when none of the products correspond to the specified products. (13) The information processing device according to any one of (1) to (12), wherein the first biometric information is at least one of facial image information of the first customer, fingerprint information of the first customer, palm vein pattern information of the first customer, iris information of the first customer, and voiceprint information of the first customer. (14) The information processing device according to (13), wherein when the facial image information includes a plurality of subjects, facial image information of any one selected subject is used as the first biometric information. (15) A server that communicates with the information processing device described in any one of (1) to (14), comprising: a storage means that registers biometric information of a customer in association with customer information including a purchase history of products purchased by the customer; a processing means that, when first biometric information acquired about a first customer is received from the information processing device, searches the storage means for second biometric information associated with the first biometric information and identifies the first customer information associated with the second biometric information in the storage means; and a communication means that transmits the first customer information identified by the processing means to the information processing device, wherein when the communication means receives purchase information about products purchased by the first customer, the customer information in the storage means is updated based on the received purchase information. (16) The server described in (15), wherein the purchase history of the customer information includes a purchase history of products for which a cumulative purchase limit is set. (17) The server described in (15) or (16), wherein the second biometric information is biometric information whose similarity to the first biometric information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. (18) The server according to any one of (15) to (17), wherein, when first identification information that identifies the first customer is received together with the first biometric information, the processing means sets the second biometric information to biometric information that includes identification information that matches the first identification information in associated customer information. (19) A computer program for causing a computer to function as each means of the information processing device according to any one of (1) to (14).(20) A computer program for causing a computer to function as each means of the server according to any one of (15) to (18).

[0082] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising: a biometric information acquisition means for acquiring biometric information of a customer; an information acquisition means for acquiring information identifying a product; a communication means for communicating with an external server; and a processing means, wherein the communication means transmits to the server the first biometric information of a first customer acquired by the biometric information acquisition means; the communication means receives from the server first customer information of the first customer identified based on second biometric information searched for from the biometric information held by the server using the first biometric information; the information acquisition means acquires product identification information for identifying a product desired to be purchased by the first customer; when the product identified by the product identification information is a specified product, the processing means determines whether a cumulative purchase count based on the planned purchase count of the specified product and the first customer's past purchase count based on the first customer's information on the first customer information exceeds a predetermined upper limit; and the communication means transmits purchase information regarding the purchased products of the first customer based on the determination result of the processing means to the server.

2. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the server manages a customer's biometric information in association with customer information including a purchase history regarding products purchased by the customer, the second biometric information is the biometric information that is most highly correlated with the first biometric information, and the communication means receives the customer information managed in association with the second biometric information as the first customer information.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the second biometric information is biometric information whose similarity to the first biometric information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

4. An information processing device as described in claim 2, wherein the information acquisition means is further configured to acquire identification information assigned to a customer, the communication means transmits the first identification information assigned to the first customer acquired by the information acquisition means together with the first biometric information to the server, the customer information includes identification information for identifying the corresponding customer, and the second biometric information is biometric information associated with customer information including identification information matching the first identification information.

5. An information processing device as described in claim 4, wherein the information acquisition means is configured to acquire barcode information read by a barcode reader, the identification information is membership number information read by the barcode reader from the barcode on a membership card held by the customer, and the product identification information is information about the product read by the barcode reader from a barcode affixed to the product.

6. An information processing device as described in claim 1, further comprising a display means for displaying a first screen regarding products that the first customer plans to purchase based on the first customer information received from the server and the judgment result by the processing means, wherein the processing means makes a rejection judgment when it judges that the cumulative purchase number will exceed the upper limit number, and makes an approval judgment when it judges that the cumulative purchase number will not exceed the upper limit number, and wherein the first screen displays the number of the planned purchases that exceeds the upper limit number as a rejection judgment number, and displays the number that does not exceed the upper limit number as an approval judgment number.

7. An information processing device as described in claim 6, wherein the first screen includes a rejection judgment indicator that is displayed in association with the corresponding product when the rejection judgment is made, and an approval judgment indicator that is displayed in association with the corresponding product when the approval judgment is made.

8. An information processing device as described in claim 6, further comprising an operation receiving means for receiving an operation, said operation receiving means receiving an operation for making said cumulative purchase number equal to said upper limit number when said cumulative purchase number exceeds said upper limit number.

9. An information processing device as described in claim 8, wherein the transmission of the purchase information to the server is performed in response to an operation on the operation receiving means, and when the product determined to be rejected is included on the first screen, the reception of an instruction to transmit the purchase information by the operation receiving means is stopped, and when the product determined to be rejected is no longer included on the first screen, the reception of an instruction to transmit the purchase information by the operation receiving means is permitted.

10. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined product is a product for which an upper limit is set for the cumulative purchase quantity, and the upper limit is set for each product.

11. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the first screen does not include information about products that do not correspond to the specified product.

12. An information processing device as described in claim 6, wherein the first screen includes a display indicating that the products desired to be purchased by the customer are not eligible products when all of the products do not fall under the specified products.

13. An information processing device as described in claim 1, wherein the first biometric information is at least one of facial image information of the first customer, fingerprint information of the first customer, palm vein pattern information of the first customer, iris information of the first customer, and voiceprint information of the first customer.

14. The information processing device according to claim 13, wherein, when the face image information includes a plurality of subjects, face image information of any one selected subject is used as the first biometric information.

15. A server that communicates with the information processing device described in claim 1, comprising: a storage means for registering a customer's biometric information in association with customer information including a purchase history regarding products purchased by the customer; a processing means for, when first biometric information acquired about a first customer is received from the information processing device, searching in the storage means for second biometric information associated with the first biometric information and identifying first customer information in the storage means associated with the second biometric information; and a communication means for transmitting the first customer information identified by the processing means to the information processing device; and when the communication means receives purchase information regarding products purchased by the first customer, the customer information in the storage means is updated based on the received purchase information.

16. The server according to claim 15, wherein the purchase history of the customer information includes a purchase history of a product for which a maximum cumulative purchase number is set.

17. The server according to claim 15, wherein the second biometric information is biometric information whose similarity to the first biometric information is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

18. A server as described in claim 15, wherein when first identification information that identifies the first customer is received together with the first biometric information, the processing means treats the second biometric information as biometric information that includes identification information matching the first identification information in associated customer information.

19. A computer program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of an information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

20. A computer program for causing a computer to function as each of the means of the server according to any one of claims 15 to 18.

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