Information generation device, information generation method, and recording medium

Abstract

This information generation device comprises a first acquisition unit, a second acquisition unit, a generation unit, and a transmission unit. The first acquisition unit acquires, from a communication device used by a store clerk of a store and capable of voice input, device position information indicating the position of the communication device in the store, and first voice information including an utterance capable of specifying a product desired by a customer of the store. The second acquisition unit specifies the product by processing the first voice information, and acquires product position information indicating the position of the product in the store. The generation unit uses the device position information, layout information indicating a layout in the store, and the product position information to generate guidance information including a first text for explaining a route from the position of the communication device to the position of the product. The transmission unit transmits the guidance information to the communication device.

Description

Information generating device, information generating method, and recording medium

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

[0002] In recent years, various devices have been developed to assist store staff. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a product guidance device that guides a customer to the location where the product the customer desires is located. This product guidance device first acquires current location information of the customer within the store and acquires one or more pieces of product location information from a product location information storage unit. The product guidance device then uses the aisle information, current location information, and product location information to derive purchase route information for purchasing the product, and outputs guidance information that guides the customer to the location where the product is located using this purchase route information.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-230236

[0004] A store clerk may need to confirm the location of a product within the store and the route to that product. One example of this is when a customer asks for the route to a desired product. Because store clerks often perform a variety of tasks, it is desirable to reduce the burden on the clerk when determining the location and route.

[0005] An information generating device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a first acquisition means for acquiring, from a communication device used by a store staff member and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances capable of identifying a product desired by a customer of the store; a second acquisition means for processing the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; a generation means for generating guidance information including first text explaining a route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product using the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information; and a transmission means for transmitting the guidance information to the communication device.

[0006] An information generation method in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a computer: acquiring, from a communication device used by a store staff member and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances capable of identifying a product desired by a customer of the store; identifying the product by processing the first voice information and acquiring product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; using the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information, generating guidance information including first text explaining a route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product; and transmitting the guidance information to the communication device.

[0007] A recording medium according to one aspect of the present disclosure has recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to have: a first acquisition means that acquires, from a communication device used by a store clerk and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances that can identify a product desired by a customer of the store; a second acquisition means that processes the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; a generation means that uses the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information to generate guidance information including first text that explains the route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product; and a transmission means that transmits the guidance information to the communication device.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the burden on a store clerk can be reduced when the store clerk checks the location of a product in a store and the route to that product.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a usage environment of an information generating device according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of a functional configuration of an information generating device. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a hardware configuration of an information generating device. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by an information generating device. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of guidance information generated by an information generating device. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a guidance image generated by an information generating device. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by an information generating device. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a functional configuration of an information generating device.

[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] The information generating device 10 generates information to be provided to store staff working in a store, and is used together with at least one, and preferably a plurality of, communication devices 20, as shown in FIG.

[0012] The communication device 20 is used by a store clerk. The communication device 20 is a portable communication device and has at least an audio input unit and an audio output unit. An example of the audio input unit is a microphone and its control unit, and an example of the audio output unit is a speaker, earphones, or headphones and their control unit. The communication device 20 may be a device worn by the store clerk, such as a headphone-type device. The communication device 20 may also have a display. In this case, the communication device 20 may be a smartphone or a tablet-type communication device.

[0013] The communication device 20 also generates device location information indicating the location of the communication device 20 within the store. If a beacon is installed within the store, the communication device 20 may generate the device location information using information received from the beacon. The communication device 20 may also generate the device location information using GPS.

[0014] A sales clerk in a store performs various tasks. While performing these tasks, the clerk may sometimes want information or advice. In this case, the clerk speaks an utterance indicating the content of an inquiry as a voice input to the communication device 20. The communication device 20 then transmits first voice information generated by the voice input to the information generating device 10 together with device location information indicating the location of the communication device 20. The information generating device 10 uses the first voice information to generate information to be provided to the clerk and transmits this information to the communication device 20. This information includes first text or voice information obtained by converting the first text into voice. The communication device 20 then outputs the information received from the information generating device 10 so that the clerk can recognize it. This allows the clerk to easily recognize information indicating an answer to the inquiry.

[0015] An example of an inquiry is the location of a product within a store. For example, when a customer asks a store clerk about the location of a product the customer desires, the store clerk makes an utterance to inquire about the location of the product as input to the communication device 20. The information generating device 10 then generates information indicating a route to the location of the product and transmits it to the communication device 20. The communication device 20 outputs this information. The store clerk can understand the route to the product by recognizing the information output by the communication device 20. The store clerk then explains the route to the customer.

[0016] 2 , the information generating device 10 has a first acquiring unit 110, a second acquiring unit 120, a generating unit 130, and a transmitting unit 140, and can use a storage unit 30. The storage unit 30 may be a part of the information generating device 10, or may be an external device to the information generating device 10.

[0017] The storage unit 30 stores various types of store-related information, such as layout information indicating the layout of the store and product information regarding products sold in the store.

[0018] The layout information is, for example, a store map that shows the layout of the sales floor. This layout includes, for example, the identification information, shape, position, and number of shelves of each of a plurality of product shelves.

[0019] The product information includes product identification information such as the product name, product category, and JAN code, as well as price, and also includes product position information indicating the display position of the product. The product position information includes information that can identify the position of the product shelf on which the product is displayed and information that can identify the product's position on that shelf. One example of information that can identify the product's position is product shelf identification information. One example of information that can identify the product's position on a shelf is information that indicates which shelf level from the top (or bottom) the product is located on, and may further include information that indicates the product's position on that shelf (for example, on the left side, near the center, or on the right side).

[0020] The product information may further include inventory information regarding product inventory. The inventory information includes the current number of items in stock. The inventory information may also include information regarding the timing of arrival of the product. This information is information indicating the timing of arrival, such as information indicating the next arrival date. This information may further include the quantity of items in stock.

[0021] The first acquisition unit 110 acquires device location information and first voice information from the communication device 20. The device location information indicates the location of the communication device 20. The first voice information includes an utterance that can identify the target product. The utterance is made by a store clerk. An example of the target product is a product that the customer desires.

[0022] However, the first voice information may further include the customer's speech. In this case, the information generating device 10 may further use information indicating the customer's speech in the following process, or may exclude the customer's speech. Whether the speech is that of a store clerk or a customer can be identified, for example, by registering the voiceprint of the store clerk and using this voiceprint. This identification process and the process of removing the customer's speech are performed, for example, by the first acquisition unit 110.

[0023] The second acquisition unit 120 processes the first speech information to identify a target product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store. For example, the second acquisition unit 120 processes the first speech information to convert the speech into text and generate a fourth text. The second acquisition unit 120 then processes the fourth text to identify the target product. For example, the second acquisition unit 120 identifies a noun that is estimated to be the product name from the fourth text, and identifies the product whose product name most closely matches this noun as the target product.

[0024] The second acquisition unit 120 may identify a product by inputting at least one of the first speech information and the fourth text into a machine learning model. An example of the machine learning model is, but is not limited to, LLM (Large Language Models). The machine learning model outputs, for example, a product name. In the example shown in the figure, the second acquisition unit 120 has this machine learning model.

[0025] The second acquisition unit 120 then reads out information indicating the identified display position of the product from the storage unit 30 as product position information.

[0026] The generation unit 130 generates guidance information using the device location information acquired by the information generation device 10, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and product location information acquired by the second acquisition unit 120.

[0027] For example, the generation unit 130 acquires layout information from the storage unit 30. The guidance information includes first text for explaining a route from the location of the communication device 20 to the location of the product. The generation unit 130 then inputs, for example, device location information, layout information, and product location information into a machine learning model and generates the first text using information output from this machine learning model. This machine learning model has been trained to output information indicating a route from the location of the device to the location of the product when the device location information, layout information, and product location information are input. In the example shown in the figure, the generation unit 130 has this machine learning model.

[0028] An example of the machine learning model is a generative artificial intelligence (Generative Artificial Intelligence) model such as LLM. When the machine learning model is an LLM, the generation unit 130 generates the second text output from the LLM or a third text obtained by processing the second text as the first text.

[0029] The generation unit 130 may input at least one of the first speech information and a fourth text obtained by converting the first speech information into text to the generative machine learning model. In this case, the information generated by the machine learning model may include product information other than the product location information and information that can identify the tone of the salesperson. Therefore, the machine learning model can output even more appropriate information.

[0030] The generation unit 130 may also generate the first text using product information related to the product. The generation unit 130 reads this product information, for example, from the storage unit 30. The read product information includes, for example, at least one of price and inventory information. The generation unit 130 then generates the first text using this product information. As an example, the generation unit 130 generates the first text so that this product information is included. If the generation unit 130 uses a generative machine learning model, the generation unit 130 can easily include the product information in the first text.

[0031] For example, if the product information includes inventory information, the first text will include this inventory information, and the guidance information will also include this inventory information. Therefore, the store clerk can easily grasp the inventory of the product and inform the customer.

[0032] If the inventory information indicates that the product is out of stock, the generation unit 130 includes information about the expected arrival date of the product in the inventory information as part of the product information. In this way, the first text includes information about the product being out of stock and the arrival date of the product (e.g., the next expected arrival date), so the guidance information also includes this information. Therefore, the store clerk can inform the customer that the product is out of stock and also inform the customer of the arrival date of the product.

[0033] Furthermore, the product location information stored in the storage unit 30 includes information that can identify the location of the product shelf on which the product is displayed and information that can identify the position of the product on this product shelf. Therefore, by using this product location information, the generation unit 130 can include, in the first text, text that indicates the location of the product shelf on which the product is displayed and text that indicates the position of the product on the product shelf. In this way, the store clerk can grasp the detailed location of the product.

[0034] The transmitting unit 140 transmits the guidance information to the communication device 20. Here, the transmitting unit 140 may transmit the first text as text data to the communication device 20, or may convert the first text into voice to generate second voice information, and include this second voice information in the guidance information to be transmitted to the communication device 20.

[0035] The communication device 20 then outputs the guidance information. Preferably, the communication device 20 outputs the first text by voice. If the communication device 20 has a display, the communication device 20 may display the first text on the display. In this case, the communication device 20 may also output the first text by voice, or may not output the first text by voice.

[0036] 2, the second acquisition unit 120 and the generation unit 130 of the information generation device 10 have machine learning models. However, the information generation device 10 may be configured to use an information processing device 40, as shown in Fig. 3. The information processing device 40 has at least one of the machine learning model used by the second acquisition unit 120 and the machine learning model used by the generation unit 130.

[0037] When the information processing device 40 has a machine learning model used by the second acquisition unit 120, the second acquisition unit 120 transmits information to be input to this machine learning model to the information processing device 40. The information processing device 40 then inputs this information to the machine learning model and transmits information output by this machine learning model to the second acquisition unit 120.

[0038] Furthermore, when the information processing device 40 has a machine learning model to be used by the generation unit 130, the generation unit 130 transmits information to be input to this machine learning model to the information processing device 40. The information processing device 40 then inputs this information to the machine learning model and transmits information output by this machine learning model to the generation unit 130.

[0039] The information generating device 10 has, as a hardware configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a bus 1010, a processor 1020, a memory 1030, a storage device 1040, an input / output interface 1050, and a network interface 1060.

[0040] 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.

[0041] The processor 1020 is implemented by a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or the like.

[0042] The memory 1030 is a main storage device realized by a RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like.

[0043] 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), 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 generating device 10 (e.g., the first acquisition unit 110, the second acquisition unit 120, the generation unit 130, the transmission unit 140, and the service information identification unit 150 described later). 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. Note that the storage device 1040 may also function as the memory unit 30.

[0044] The input / output interface 1050 is an interface for connecting the information generating device 10 to various input / output devices.

[0045] The network interface 1060 is an interface for connecting the information generating device 10 to a network. This network is, 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 generating device 10 may communicate with the communication device 20 and an information processing device 40 (described later) via the network interface 1060.

[0046] The information generating device 10 operates, for example, as shown in Fig. 5. When a store clerk provides voice input to the communication device 20, the communication device 20 generates first voice information. The communication device 20 then transmits the device location information and the first voice information to the information generating device 10. The first acquisition unit 110 of the information generating device 10 acquires the device location information and the first voice information (step S10).

[0047] The second acquisition unit 120 of the information generating device 10 identifies a product using the first voice information (step S20) and acquires product position information of the identified product from the storage unit 30 (step S30). Next, the storage unit 30 of the information generating device 10 generates guidance information using the device position information, product position information, and store layout information (step S40) and transmits the guidance information to the communication device 20 (step S50).

[0048] In this way, the store clerk can easily grasp the location of the product in the store and the route to that location by using the information generating device 10. Furthermore, since the information generating device 10 uses the first voice information as input, the burden on the store clerk is small.

[0049] 6, for example, the information generating device 10 includes, as the first text, information indicating which direction to go from the store clerk's current location and where to turn. Furthermore, the information generating device 10 also includes, in the first text, information indicating the location of the desired product on which shelf. Therefore, the store clerk can grasp the location of the desired product and the route to get there using only the first text, and can explain the location to a customer, for example.

[0050] Furthermore, if the communication device 20 has a display, the generation unit 130 may use the layout information to generate a guide image showing the layout and route within the store, as shown in FIG. 7 . An example of this guide image is an image in which the route is superimposed on a store map, but is not limited to this. In this case, the generation unit 130 transmits the guide image to the communication device 20 as part of the guide information. The communication device 20 outputs the first text and displays the guide image on the display. In this case, both the guide image and the first text may be displayed on the display, or the guide image may be displayed on the display and the first text may be output audibly. In this way, the store clerk can visually grasp the location of the desired product and the route to get there.

[0051] When identifying a product (step S20 in FIG. 5), the second obtaining unit 120 may narrow down candidate products using the device location information and search for the product preferentially from among the narrowed down candidate products.

[0052] In this case, the second acquisition unit 120 operates as shown in FIG. 8, for example.

[0053] In the example shown in FIG. 8 , the second acquisition unit 120 first processes the first speech information to generate fourth text (step S22). Then, the second acquisition unit 120 narrows down the candidate products using the device location information and the information stored in the storage unit 30 (step S24). For example, the second acquisition unit 120 identifies products located a predetermined distance from the location indicated by the device location information and sets the identified products as candidate products. As another example, the second acquisition unit 120 sets products belonging to the same category as the identified products as candidate products. Furthermore, for example, if the layout information stored in the storage unit 30 indicates that a store is divided into multiple areas and stores information indicating which category of products each area corresponds to, the second acquisition unit 120 identifies the category corresponding to the area including the device location information and sets products belonging to this category as candidate products.

[0054] The second acquiring unit 120 then identifies a noun that is estimated to be a product name from the fourth text, and identifies the product among the candidate products that has the highest degree of match between the noun and the product name as the target product. At this time, if there is no product among the candidate products that has a degree of match equal to or greater than the reference value, the second acquiring unit 120 performs the same process on products other than the candidate product (step S26).

[0055] In this way, the second obtaining unit 120 can efficiently identify the product.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 9, the information generating device 10 may further include a service information specifying unit 150 .

[0057] The service information identification unit 150 identifies service information to be communicated to the customer and generates a fifth text indicating the service information. An example of the service information is campaign information being run at the store or another store. In this case, the fifth text indicates the details of the campaign.

[0058] The communication device 20 can also transmit customer attribute information to the information generating device 10. This attribute information includes, for example, at least one of age group, gender, and preferences, and is acquired by the communication device 20 through an input operation by a store clerk. This input operation may be voice input. If the communication device 20 has a touch panel, this input operation may be performed on the touch panel. In this case, the service information identifying unit 150 may select service information using the attribute information.

[0059] The transmitting unit 140 then transmits the additional information including the fifth text to the communication device 20. The additional information may include third audio information obtained by audibly converting the fifth text into audio instead of or together with the fifth text. The communication device 20 outputs the additional information. The output mode is the same as the output mode of the guidance information described above.

[0060] In this way, the store clerk can provide the customer with information other than the location of the product and the route to get there, which makes it easier for the store clerk to continue a conversation with the customer and, as a result, can extract various information from the customer.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as, but are not limited to, the following supplementary notes: 1. An information generation device comprising: a first acquisition means for acquiring, from a communication device used by a store clerk and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances capable of identifying a product desired by a customer of the store; a second acquisition means for processing the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; a generation means for generating guidance information including first text explaining a route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product, using the device location information, layout information indicating a layout within the store, and the product location information; and a transmission means for transmitting the guidance information to the communication device. 2. In the information generation device described in above 1, the generation means inputs the device location information, the layout information, and the product location information into a machine learning model, and generates the first text using information output from the machine learning model. 3. The information generating device described in claim 2, wherein the machine learning model is LLM (Large Language Models), and the generating means generates the first text from a second text output from the LLM or a third text obtained by processing the second text. 4. The information generating device described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the generating means further inputs at least one of the first speech information and a fourth text obtained by converting the first speech information into text, to the machine learning model. 5. The information generating device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the generating means further generates the first text using product information about the product. 6. The information generating device described in claim 5, wherein the product information includes inventory information about the product's inventory. 7. The information generating device described in claim 6, wherein, when the product is out of stock, the generating means uses information about the expected arrival time of the product as part of the product information.8. The information generating device according to any one of claims 6 or 7 above, wherein the first text includes at least a part of the inventory information. 9. The information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 above, wherein the communication device is capable of outputting audio, and the transmission means transmits second audio information, which is audio of the first text, to the communication device as at least a part of the guidance information. 10. The information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 above, wherein the communication device is capable of displaying images, and the generation means generates a guidance image indicating the layout and the route, and the transmission means transmits the guidance image to the communication device as a part of the guidance information. 11. The information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 above, comprising a service information specifying means for specifying service information to be conveyed to the customer and generating fifth text indicating the service information, and the transmission means further transmits additional information including the fifth text to the communication device. 12. 12. The information generation device described in any one of items 1 to 11 above, wherein the product location information includes information that can identify the location of a product shelf on which the product is displayed and information that can identify the position of the product on the product shelf, and the first text includes text that indicates the location of the product shelf on which the product is displayed and text that indicates the position of the product on the product shelf. 13. The information generation device described in any one of items 1 to 12 above, wherein the second acquisition means uses the device location information to narrow down candidate products that are candidates for the product, and searches for the product preferentially from the candidate products.14. An information generation method in which a computer acquires, from a communication device used by a store clerk and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances capable of identifying a product desired by a customer of the store, processes the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store, uses the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information to generate guidance information including first text for explaining a route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product, and transmits the guidance information to the communication device. A recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to have: a first acquisition means that acquires, from a communication device used by a store staff member and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances that can identify a product desired by a customer of the store; a second acquisition means that processes the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; a generation means that uses the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information to generate guidance information including first text for explaining a route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product; and a transmission means that transmits the guidance information to the communication device.

[0064] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Supplementary Notes 2 to 13, which are dependent on Supplementary Note 1, may also be dependent on Supplementary Notes 14 and 15 in the same dependent relationship as Supplementary Notes 2 to 13. Furthermore, not limited to Supplementary Notes 1, 14, and 15, 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.

[0065] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Information generating device 20 Communication device 30 Storage unit 40 Information processing device 110 First acquisition unit 120 Second acquisition unit 130 Generation unit 140 Transmission unit 150 Service information identification unit

Claims

1. An information generation device comprising: a first acquisition means for acquiring, from a communication device used by a store staff member and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances capable of identifying a product desired by a customer of the store; a second acquisition means for processing the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product within the store; a generation means for generating guidance information including first text explaining a route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product, using the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information; and a transmission means for transmitting the guidance information to the communication device.

2. An information generating device according to claim 1, wherein the generating means inputs the device location information, the layout information, and the product location information into a machine learning model, and generates the first text using information output from the machine learning model.

3. An information generation device according to claim 2, wherein the machine learning model is an LLM (Large Language Model), and the generation means converts a second text output from the LLM or a third text obtained by processing the second text into the first text.

4. An information generating device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the generating means further inputs at least one of the first speech information and a fourth text obtained by converting the first speech information into text into the machine learning model.

5. An information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the generating means further generates the first text using product information relating to the product.

6. An information generating device according to claim 5, wherein the product information includes inventory information relating to the inventory of the product.

7. An information generating device according to claim 6, wherein, when the product is out of stock, the generating means uses information relating to the expected arrival time of the product as part of the product information.

8. An information generating device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first text includes at least a part of the inventory information.

9. An information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the communication device is capable of outputting audio, and the transmitting means transmits second audio information, which is the audio version of the first text, to the communication device as at least part of the guidance information.

10. An information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the communication device is capable of displaying images, the generating means generates a guide image showing the layout and the route, and the transmitting means transmits the guide image to the communication device as part of the guide information.

11. An information generation device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a service information identification means for identifying service information to be communicated to the customer and generating fifth text indicating the service information, and wherein the transmission means further transmits additional information including the fifth text to the communication device.

12. An information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the product location information includes information that can identify the location of the product shelf on which the product is displayed and information that can identify the location of the product on the product shelf, and the first text includes text that indicates the location of the product shelf on which the product is displayed and text that indicates the location of the product on the product shelf.

13. An information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the second obtaining means uses the device location information to narrow down candidate products that are candidates for the product, and searches for the product by giving priority to the candidate products.

14. An information generation method in which a computer acquires, from a communication device used by a store clerk and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances capable of identifying a product desired by a customer of the store; identifies the product by processing the first voice information and acquires product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; uses the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information to generate guidance information including first text for explaining the route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product; and transmits the guidance information to the communication device.

15. A recording medium having recorded thereon a program that causes a computer to have: a first acquisition means that acquires, from a communication device used by a store clerk and capable of voice input, device location information indicating the location of the communication device within the store and first voice information including utterances that can identify a product desired by a customer of the store; a second acquisition means that processes the first voice information to identify the product and acquire product location information indicating the location of the product in the store; a generation means that uses the device location information, layout information indicating the layout of the store, and the product location information to generate guidance information including first text for explaining the route from the location of the communication device to the location of the product; and a transmission means that transmits the guidance information to the communication device.

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