Information processing device, information processing method, and recording medium

Abstract

This information processing device comprises a list creation unit and a determination unit. The list creation unit creates a product list. This product list includes product identification information of at least one product which a customer desires to purchase. The determination unit determines whether or not a product to be confirmed is included in the product list, by using product-to-be-confirmed information capable of specifying the product to be confirmed. The product to be confirmed is a product for which it is to be confirmed, at the time of settlement, whether or not the product is registered on the product list. The determination unit outputs prescribed information if the product to be confirmed is included in the product list.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and recording medium

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium.

[0002] In recent years, when a customer purchases a product at a store, the customer may register the product. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a customer registers a product using a mobile terminal.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-107122

[0004] Customers are often unfamiliar with registering products, which can lead to customers forgetting to register some products.

[0005] The information processing device of the present disclosure comprises: a list creation means for creating a product list including product identification information of at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase; and a determination means for determining whether or not a product to be confirmed is included in the product list using confirmation target information that can identify a product to be confirmed as being registered in the product list at the time of checkout, and for outputting predetermined information if the product list includes the product to be confirmed.

[0006] The information processing method disclosed herein is an information processing method in which at least one computer creates a product list including product identification information for at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase, determines whether the product to be confirmed is included in the product list using confirmation target information that can identify a confirmation target product, which is a product that should be confirmed at the time of checkout to see if it is registered in the product list, and outputs specified information if the product to be confirmed is included in the product list.

[0007] The recording medium in the present disclosure is a recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program having at least one computer have: a list creation means for creating a product list including product identification information of at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase; and a determination means for determining whether or not a product to be confirmed is included in the product list using confirmation target information that can identify a product to be confirmed as being registered in the product list at the time of checkout, and for outputting predetermined information if the product list includes the product to be confirmed.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the possibility that a customer will forget to register some products can be reduced.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example operation of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example usage environment of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example hardware configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example operation of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first example of information output in step S30. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second example of information output in step S30. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a third example of information output in step S30. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure.

[0010] Hereinafter, in this disclosure, the drawings relate to one or more embodiments. In addition, in all drawings, similar components are given similar reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 10 includes a list creation unit 110 and a determination unit 120.

[0012] The list creation unit 110 creates a product list, which includes product identification information of at least one product that the customer wishes to purchase.

[0013] The determination unit 120 determines whether the product list includes a product to be confirmed using confirmation target information that can identify the product to be confirmed. The product to be confirmed is a product that should be confirmed at the time of checkout to see whether it is registered in the product list. The determination unit 120 then outputs predetermined information when the product list includes the product to be confirmed. An example of the confirmation target information is, but is not limited to, a list of product identification information for the product to be confirmed.

[0014] 2 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the information processing device 10. First, the list creation unit 110 creates a product list (step S10). As one example, a customer has a reading device read the product identification information of a product they wish to purchase. As another example, the customer has a reading device capture an image of the product they wish to purchase. The determination unit 120 generates a product list using the reading result or image capture result of this reading device. In other words, the product list is a list of products whose product identification information has been read by the reading device or products whose images have been captured by the reading device, and indicates the products that the customer wishes to purchase. For example, the product list includes a list of product identification information for products that the customer wishes to purchase.

[0015] Next, the determination unit 120 acquires the confirmation target information and uses the confirmation target information to determine whether the confirmation target product is included in the product list (step S20). The confirmation target information may be stored in the information processing device 10 or in a device different from the information processing device 10.

[0016] Next, if the product list includes the product to be checked (step S20: Yes), the determination unit 120 outputs predetermined information (step S30). The destination of this information may be, for example, a device operated by a store clerk or a device operated by a customer.

[0017] According to the information processing device 10, the determination unit 120 outputs predetermined information when a product to be checked is included in the product list. Therefore, for example, at least one of the store clerk and the customer can recognize that the product to be checked has not been registered by confirming that the predetermined information has not been output. Therefore, at least one of the store clerk and the customer can recognize that the product to be checked is in a container such as a cart or shopping basket and that the predetermined information has not been output, and can recognize that the customer has forgotten to register the product to be checked.

[0018] A detailed example of the information processing device 10 will be described below.

[0019] The information processing device 10 is used together with, for example, a reading device 20, a store clerk device 30, and a payment device 40 as shown in Fig. 3. The information processing device 10 may be part of a POS system. The information processing device 10 may be provided for each store, or may be a cloud server.

[0020] The reading device 20 reads the product identification information attached to the product. This reading is performed to process the payment for the purchased product. An example of the product identification information read by the reading device 20 is code information attached to the packaging of the product. This code information may be a barcode or a two-dimensional code. An example of the reading device 20 is a portable communication device such as a smartphone, which moves with the customer. As an example, the reading device 20 is attached to a container, such as a cart or shopping basket, into which the customer places the product before payment in the store. The reading device 20 may also be a portable communication terminal brought into the store by the customer.

[0021] The reading device 20 may include an imaging device that captures images of merchandise. In this case, the reading device 20 identifies the merchandise by processing the image captured by the imaging device, and obtains the merchandise identification information of the merchandise from a storage means, for example, a merchandise master. This storage means, for example, stores, for each of a plurality of merchandise items, the appearance features of the merchandise and the merchandise identification information in association with each other. In this example, the imaging device of the reading device 20 and the device that performs image processing may be physically separate devices. In this case, the imaging device may be a portable device, and the device that performs image processing may be a stationary device, for example, an in-store server or a cloud server. Note that the imaging device may perform at least a part of the image processing.

[0022] The reading device 20 may have a display, and the reading device 20 displays information related to the reading of the product on the display.

[0023] The clerk device 30 is a device that outputs information for the clerk and has a display. The predetermined information output by the information processing device 10 is displayed on this display. The clerk device 30 may be a device that is operated by the clerk. The clerk device 30 is used, for example, to notify the clerk of a customer who needs support.

[0024] The settlement device 40 acquires the product list generated by the information processing device 10 and performs settlement processing using the product list. For example, the settlement device 40 is a device operated by a customer. For example, the settlement device 40 is a POS terminal that acquires the prices corresponding to the product identification information included in the product list from the product master and calculates the total of these prices as the settlement amount. The settlement device 40 then performs settlement processing for this settlement amount.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 4, the reading device 20 may also function as a settlement device. In this case, the reading device 20 has a settlement unit 22. The processing performed by the settlement unit 22 is similar to the processing performed by the settlement device 40 shown in Fig. 3. In the example shown in Fig. 4, an example of the reading device 20 is a fully self-service POS terminal.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 5, the information processing device 10 can use the confirmation target information stored in the target storage unit 130. The selection of the confirmation target product and its registration in the target storage unit 130 are performed, for example, by a store clerk. The target storage unit 130 may be a product master or a database different from the product master. The target storage unit 130 may be provided within the information processing device 10 or may be provided outside the target storage unit 130.

[0027] The confirmation target information includes information that can identify the confirmation target product, such as product identification information of the confirmation target product. The confirmation target product is, for example, a product that can be easily visually confirmed by a store clerk. Examples of confirmation target products are products that are equal to or exceed a certain weight or size, or products with distinctive appearances. Specific examples of confirmation target products include, but are not limited to, rice, boxes of beverages, and toilet paper.

[0028] The product to be checked may be a product that a customer is likely to forget to register. An example of such a product is fresh food that does not have a code, but is not limited to this. The product to be checked may be identified, for example, by tallying up the products that a store clerk has pointed out to customers that they have forgotten to register.

[0029] The product to be checked may also be a candy toy product, because a companion who likes candy toy products, such as a child, may put a candy toy product in the container without the customer's consent.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 6, the information processing apparatus 10 has, as its hardware configuration, for example, a bus 1010, a processor 1020, a memory 1030, a storage device 1040, an input / output interface 1050, and a network interface 1060.

[0031] The bus 1010 is a data transmission path for transmitting and receiving data among the processor 1020, memory 1030, storage device 1040, input / output interface 1050, and network interface 1060. However, the method of connecting the processor 1020 and the like to each other is not limited to bus connection.

[0032] The processor 1020 is implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like.

[0033] The memory 1030 is a main storage device realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0034] The storage device 1040 is an auxiliary storage device realized by removable media such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), or a memory card, or a read-only memory (ROM), and has a recording medium. The recording medium of the storage device 1040 stores program modules that realize each function of the information processing device 10 (e.g., the list creation unit 110 and the determination unit 120). The processor 1020 loads each of these program modules into the memory 1030 and executes them, thereby realizing each function corresponding to the program module. The storage device 1040 also functions as the target storage unit 130.

[0035] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 10 to various input / output devices. For example, the information processing device 10 may communicate with at least one of the reading device 20 and the store clerk device 30 via the input / output interface 1050.

[0036] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the information processing device 10 to a network. This network may be, for example, a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN). The network interface 1060 may connect to the network wirelessly or by wire. The information processing device 10 may communicate with at least one of the reading device 20 and the clerk device 30 via the network interface 1060.

[0037] The information processing device 10 may be realized by a plurality of devices each having the configuration shown in FIG.

[0038] Next, a detailed example of the operation of the information processing device 10 will be described. When a customer enters a store, the customer registers customer identification information, such as a membership number, a facial image, or fingerprint information, in the reading device 20. The reading device 20 transmits the registered customer identification information to the information processing device 10 together with the device identification information of the reading device 20. This allows the information processing device 10 to manage a product list by linking it to the device identification information and the customer identification information.

[0039] Thereafter, the information processing device 10 operates as shown in FIG. 7 , for example. First, the reading device 20 repeatedly reads the product identification information. As described above, the reading device 20 may read the product identification information by reading a code or by using an image showing the product's appearance. If the reading device 20 is attached to a container such as a cart or shopping basket, the customer causes the reading device 20 to read the product identification information of the product every time the customer places a product in the container. If the reading device 20 is a fully self-service POS terminal, the customer removes a product from a container such as a cart or shopping basket and causes the reading device 20 to read the product identification information of the product.

[0040] The list creation unit 110 of the information processing device 10 acquires the commodity identification information every time the reading device 20 reads the commodity identification information (step S12) and updates the commodity list (step S14).

[0041] When the reading of the product identification information by the reading device 20 is completed (Step S16: Yes), the determination unit 120 checks whether the product to be checked is included in the product list (Step S20). An example of a trigger for completing the reading of the product identification information is when the customer inputs an instruction to proceed to the checkout process, for example, when the customer selects the checkout button displayed on the screen of the reading device 20.

[0042] If the product list includes the product to be checked (Step S20: Yes), the determination unit 120 outputs predetermined information (Step S30). This information may be output to a device operated by a store clerk or a device operated by a customer. After that, necessary processing, such as additional registration of the product, is performed, and then payment processing is performed based on the product list.

[0043] An example of the predetermined information output in step S30 will be described below.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a first example of information output in step S30. This example shows a screen displayed, for example, by the store clerk device 30. In the example shown in this figure, the store clerk device 30 displays the information output in step S30. For example, the store clerk device 30 displays the product list 32, and also displays auxiliary confirmation information 34 when at least the product list 32 does not include the product to be confirmed. The auxiliary confirmation information 34 is information for allowing the store clerk to confirm the product list. In other words, the determination unit 120 of the information processing device 10 outputs the auxiliary confirmation information 34 when at least the product list 32 does not include the product to be confirmed. Note that the determination unit 120 may also output the auxiliary confirmation information 34 when the product list 32 includes the product to be confirmed.

[0045] An example of the confirmation assistance information 34 is information, such as text, that prompts the store clerk to visually check whether or not the item to be checked is present in a container such as a cart, etc. This can prevent the store clerk from forgetting to check the item list.

[0046] The product list 32 shown in this figure does not include the product to be checked. Therefore, the product list 32 lists the products from top to bottom in the order in which the product identification information was read, for example.

[0047] In the example shown in the figure, at least a portion of the "predetermined information" is a "product list including the product to be checked." On the other hand, the product list 32 shown in the figure does not include the product to be checked. Therefore, by checking the product list 32 displayed on the store clerk device 30, the store clerk can recognize that the product to be checked is not included in the products registered by the customer.

[0048] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second example of information output in step S30. This example also shows a screen displayed, for example, by the store clerk device 30. In the example shown in this figure, the product list 32 includes a product to be checked. When creating the product list to be output, the determination unit 120 of the information processing device 10 arranges the products so that the product to be checked is at the top. In other words, the information output in step S30 includes a product list 32 in which the products are arranged so that the product to be checked is at the top. This allows the store clerk to easily recognize whether or not the product to be checked is present in the product list. Therefore, by confirming that the product to be checked is present in a container such as a cart or shopping basket and that the product to be checked is not at the top of the product list, the store clerk can recognize that the customer has forgotten to register the product to be checked. In the example shown in this figure, the "predetermined information" includes a "product list in which the product to be checked is located above other products."

[0049] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a third example of information output in step S30. This example also shows a screen displayed, for example, by the store clerk device 30. In the example shown in this figure, the product list 32 includes the product to be checked, and the product to be checked is distinguishable from other products. One example of a distinguishable manner is highlighting. More specifically, in the product list 32, the text indicating the product to be checked may be bold, or at least one of the color, size, and font of the text may be different from the text indicating other products. For example, the text indicating the product to be checked may be a color other than black, such as red or blue, while the text indicating other products may be black. Furthermore, the background of the text indicating the product to be checked may be different from the background of the text indicating other products. In the example shown in this figure, the "predetermined information" includes a "product list in which the product to be checked is distinguishable from other products."

[0050] 10 , the determination unit 120 arranges the products so that the product to be checked is at the top when creating the output product list 32. However, when creating the product list, the determination unit 120 may arrange the products in the order in which the products were registered.

[0051] In this example, the store clerk can easily recognize whether or not the product to be checked is present in the product list. Therefore, by confirming that the product to be checked is present in the cart or shopping basket and that the specified information has not been output, the store clerk can recognize that the customer has forgotten to register the product to be checked.

[0052] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a fourth example of information output in step S30. In this example, the judgment unit 120 includes information 36 about the items to be checked in the item list 32. One example of this information 36 is the quantity of each item to be checked, but it may also be a description of the item to be checked. The information 36 may also include at least one of a mark and text indicating that the item is a item to be checked. This mark and text may be displayed together with the quantity, or may be displayed without the quantity being displayed. In this example, the "predetermined information" includes the items to be checked and their quantities in the item list.

[0053] According to this example, the store clerk can easily recognize whether or not the product to be checked is present in the product list. Therefore, by confirming that the product to be checked is present in a container such as a cart or shopping basket and that the specified information has not been output, the store clerk can recognize that the customer has forgotten to register the product to be checked.

[0054] Furthermore, if the confirmation assistance information 34 includes the quantity of each item to be confirmed, the store clerk can easily check whether the quantity of items to be confirmed in a container such as a cart or shopping basket matches the quantity of each item to be confirmed registered in the product list 32. This makes it easy to recognize that the customer has forgotten to register an item to be confirmed.

[0055] 8 to 11 may be displayed on the reading device 20. Alternatively, the screens shown in FIGS. 8 to 11 may be displayed on the checkout device 40. In this case, the customer can recognize that they have forgotten to register the product to be checked by confirming that the product to be checked is in a container such as a cart or shopping basket and that the specified information has not been output.

[0056] The information processing device 10 may include an update unit 140, as shown in FIG. 12 . The update unit 140 generates and updates confirmation target information using product master information. The information generated and updated by the update unit 140 is stored in the target storage unit 130. As an example, the product master information stores detailed information for each of multiple products, and is used when performing checkout processing based on a product list. The update unit 140 generates and updates the confirmation target information by selecting products whose detailed information meets predetermined conditions as confirmation target products. In this way, the effort required to update the confirmation target information is reduced.

[0057] In the example shown in this figure, the product master information is stored in the product master storage unit 150. An example of detailed information included in the product master information is at least one of weight, size, and an image or feature quantity of the appearance that indicates the appearance. As one example, the update unit 140 selects as a product to be checked products whose weight or size is at least equal to a standard value. As another example, the update unit 140 selects as a product to be checked products whose image or feature quantity that indicates the appearance satisfies a standard. In the latter example, the criterion for selecting as a product to be checked is determined based on "the product has a distinctive appearance that makes it easy for a store clerk to visually check the product."

[0058] The update unit 140 may operate periodically, or may operate every time the product master data storage unit 150 is updated.

[0059] As described above, according to the information processing device 10, the determination unit 120 outputs predetermined information when a product to be checked is included in the product list. Therefore, at least one of the store clerk and the customer can recognize that the customer has forgotten to register the product to be checked by confirming that the product to be checked is in a container such as a cart or shopping basket and that the predetermined information has not been output.

[0060] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present disclosure within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, each embodiment can be combined with other embodiments as appropriate.

[0061] In addition, although the flowcharts used in the above description show a sequence of steps (processes), the order of steps executed in each embodiment is not limited to the sequence shown in the flowcharts. In each embodiment, the order of steps shown in the diagrams can be changed as long as it does not cause any problems in terms of the content.

[0062] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as in the following supplementary notes, but are not limited to them. Supplementary Note 1. An information processing device comprising: a list creation means for creating a product list including product identification information for at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase; and a determination means for determining whether a product to be confirmed is included in the product list using confirmation target information that can identify a confirmation target product, which is a product that should be confirmed at the time of checkout to determine whether the product is registered in the product list, and outputting predetermined information if the confirmation target product is included in the product list. Supplementary Note 2. The information processing device described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the predetermined information includes the product list in which the confirmation target product is positioned above the other products. Supplementary Note 3. The information processing device described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the predetermined information includes the product list in which the confirmation target product is distinguishable from the other products. Supplementary Note 4. The information processing device described in any one of Supplements 1 to 3, wherein the determination means, at least if the confirmation target product is not included in the product list, outputs confirmation assistance information to have a store clerk at a store selling the product confirm the product list. Supplementary Note 5. An information processing device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined information includes information related to the confirmation target products.Supplementary Note 6. An information processing device according to Supplementary Note 5, wherein the information related to the confirmation target products includes the quantity of each confirmation target product.Supplementary Note 7. An information processing device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 6, comprising an update means for generating and updating the confirmation target information by using product master information storing detailed information of each of the multiple products, and selecting products whose detailed information meets predetermined conditions as the confirmation target products.Supplementary Note 8. An information processing device according to Supplementary Note 7, wherein the predetermined conditions relate to weight or size.Supplementary Note 9. An information processing device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 8, wherein the product identification information used by the list creation means is based on the result of reading a code attached to the product and the result of analyzing a photographed image of the product.Supplementary Note 10. An information processing method in which at least one computer creates a product list including product identification information for at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase, determines whether the product list includes a confirmation target product that is a product that should be confirmed at the time of checkout to see if it is registered on the product list, using confirmation target information that can identify the confirmation target product, which is a product that should be confirmed at the time of checkout to see if it is registered on the product list, and outputs predetermined information if the product list includes the confirmation target product. Supplementary Note 11. A recording medium having a program recorded on it, the program causing at least one computer to have: list creation means that creates a product list including product identification information for at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase, and determination means that uses confirmation target information that can identify the confirmation target product, which is a product that should be confirmed at the time of checkout to see if it is registered on the product list, to determine whether the confirmation target product is included in the product list, and outputs predetermined information if the confirmation target product is included in the product list.

[0063] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 9 that are dependent on Supplementary Note 1 above may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 10 and 11 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 9. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Notes 1, 10, and 11, some or all of the configurations described as Supplements may be made dependent on various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, within the scope of each of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0064] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Information processing device 20 Reading device 30 Store clerk device 40 Checkout device 110 List creation unit 120 Determination unit 130 Object storage unit 140 Update unit 150 Product master storage unit

Claims

1. A list creation means for creating a product list including product identification information of at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase, and using confirmation target information capable of identifying a confirmation target product, which is a product to be confirmed whether it is registered in the product list at the time of settlement, to determine whether the confirmation target product is included in the product list, and a determination means for outputting predetermined information when the confirmation target product is included in the product list. An information processing apparatus comprising the above.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information includes the product list in which the confirmation target product is located above other products.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined information includes the product list in which the confirmation target product is in a distinguishable manner from other products.

4. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the determination means outputs confirmation assistance information for causing a store clerk of a store selling the product to check the product list, at least when the confirmation target product is not included in the product list.

5. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the predetermined information includes information regarding the confirmation target product.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information regarding the confirmation target product includes the quantity for each confirmation target product.

7. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an update means for generating and updating the confirmation target information by selecting, as the confirmation target product, a product that satisfies a predetermined condition using product master information storing detailed information for each of the plurality of products.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined condition relates to weight or size.

9. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the product identification information used by the list creation means is based on the result of reading a code attached to the product and the result of analyzing an image of the product.

10. An information processing method, wherein at least one computer creates a product list including product identification information of at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase, determines whether a target product to be confirmed, which can be identified by confirmation target information indicating a product to be confirmed at the time of settlement as to whether it is registered in the product list, is included in the product list, and outputs predetermined information when the target product to be confirmed is included in the product list.

11. A recording medium having a program recorded thereon, wherein the program causes at least one computer to have a list creation means for creating a product list including product identification information of at least one product that a customer wishes to purchase, and a determination means for determining whether a target product to be confirmed, which can be identified by confirmation target information indicating a product to be confirmed at the time of settlement as to whether it is registered in the product list, is included in the product list, and outputting predetermined information when the target product to be confirmed is included in the product list.

Images