Oral care behavior habit formation support system, habit formation support method, control program, and storage medium having the control program stored thereon

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an oral care behavior habit formation support system capable of promoting the habit formation of oral care that uses products in appropriate conditions, supporting the maintenance of oral health, and contributing to the reduction of medical expenses for the country. [Solution] Provided is an oral care behavior habit formation support system comprising: a usage start date storage processing unit 10a that stores the dates of purchase or opening of oral care products; and an implementation information acquisition unit 10b that acquires and stores information about the implementation of oral care behaviors. The continuity of the implementation of the oral care behaviors is determined on the basis of the information about the implementation of the oral care behaviors and the usage start dates, and the higher the continuity, the more beneficial points are awarded.

Description

Oral care behavior habit formation support system, habit formation support method, control program, and storage medium storing the control program

[0001] The present invention relates to a habit formation support system that supports the formation of oral care behavior habits.

[0002] Oral care, such as tooth brushing, interdental care, mouth rinsing, and improving chewing dexterity, is an effective means of preventing oral frailty and other oral dysfunctions that are likely to occur in the future. Promoting oral care will help maintain a healthy mouth that allows people to eat anything delicious, and it will also be effective for the country in reducing medical expenses. For example, technologies to assist with tooth brushing include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 listed below.

[0003] While regular, daily oral care is desirable as a preventative action, it is not easy for users who are not used to it to make it a habit. While tooth brushing is a common oral care habit that is typically established from childhood, it is difficult to say that other oral care practices are established from childhood. Until now, no technology has existed to support the establishment of such oral care habits. In addition to establishing oral care habits, it is also important to use oral care products in the proper condition. There are many cases where oral care products are used beyond the appropriate usage period, which can lead to inadequate care.

[0004] Furthermore, oral care products such as toothbrushes and interdental cleaning tools tend to have bristles that spread and bacteria that grow over time, reducing the efficiency and performance (e.g., cleaning ability) of oral care tasks (e.g., cleaning in the case of toothbrushes). Therefore, manufacturers typically specify a recommended usage period at the time of design. Toothpaste and mouthwash also specify the appropriate amount to use per use, and similarly, the appropriate usage period and number of times they can be used can be determined. Such usage periods can be displayed, for example, on the back of the product packaging, to inform users when they purchase.

[0005] However, users are rarely aware of the appropriate usage period, and even if they are aware of it at first, they often miss the replacement date and use it beyond the appropriate usage period. Therefore, for users who usually only care for their teeth for the same amount of time every day, care tends to be insufficient. From the perspective of oral care product manufacturers, they hope that users will correctly evaluate the original performance of their products and become repeat customers and even loyal users, but there has been a problem in that users are not correctly evaluating them.

[0006] It has also been proposed to set an expiration date for ink cartridges and deodorant cartridges, and to notify the user when the expiration date has passed by displaying the expiration date on the display of the main body (see, for example, Patent Documents 3 and 4). However, while it may be possible to display a similar display on oral care products such as some replaceable electric toothbrushes, most products do not have a similar main body, making this unlikely to be realized.

[0007] Japanese Patent No. 4543663 WO2016 / 104442 JP 2001-282060 A JP 2005-309707 A

[0008] In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a system for supporting the establishment of oral care habits that promotes the establishment of oral care habits using products in proper condition, supports the maintenance of oral health, and contributes to a reduction in medical expenses for the country.Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a system that makes users who have purchased oral care products aware of the expected usage period and encourages them to replace or buy new products when that period has expired, thereby expecting an increase in sales volume and preventing the continued use of products that have become less efficient or have less performance than their usage limit, thereby maintaining the efficiency and quality of users' daily oral care work at a good level.

[0009] In light of this current situation, the inventor conducted extensive research and discovered that the more continuity in oral care behavior from the time of purchasing or opening a new oral care product, the higher the beneficial points awarded, which would encourage users to make oral care a habit and replace their products at the appropriate time, thereby supporting the maintenance of oral health in users and leading to the completion of the present invention.

[0010] That is, the present invention encompasses the following inventions: (1) An information processing system for supporting oral care behavior habituation, comprising: a use start date storage unit that receives input of information that an oral care product has been purchased or opened and stores the date the oral care product was purchased or opened, an implementation information acquisition unit that acquires information about the implementation of oral care behavior using the oral care product, an implementation information storage unit that stores the information about the implementation of the oral care behavior acquired by the implementation information acquisition unit, and a beneficial point assignment unit that determines the continuity of the implementation of the oral care behavior from the start date of use based on the information about the implementation of the oral care behavior stored in the implementation information storage unit and the start date of use stored in the start date of use storage unit, and assigns more beneficial points the higher the continuity.

[0011] (2) A system for supporting the formation of oral care behavior habits as described in (1), which includes a planned period memory unit that stores a predetermined period set as the planned period for using an oral care product, and the beneficial point granting unit determines whether it is appropriate to replace the oral care product based on the start date of use and the planned period for use stored in the planned period memory unit, and if the oral care product continues to be used after the replacement period has passed, grants fewer beneficial points than if it is not.

[0012] (3) The oral care behavior habit formation support system described in (2), wherein the beneficial point allocating unit comprehensively judges the continuity of the oral care behavior from the start date of the previous use to the start date of the new oral care product and the adequacy of the replacement timing when the oral care behavior is newly started, and the more continuity and the more appropriate the replacement timing, the higher the beneficial points are awarded.

[0013] (4) The oral care behavior habit formation support system according to (2), wherein the predetermined period is a period set as a planned usage period for each product category to which the oral care product belongs.

[0014] (5) A system for supporting the formation of oral care behavior habits, as described in any one of (1) to (4), including a planned quantity memory unit that stores a predetermined number set as the planned number of oral care products to be used within a certain period of time, and the beneficial point awarding unit awards fewer beneficial points the fewer the number of products used within the certain period in the past is compared to the predetermined number in the planned quantity memory unit.

[0015] (6) An information processing method for supporting the habituation of oral care behavior, comprising: receiving input of information regarding the purchase or opening of an oral care product; storing the date of purchase or opening of the oral care product in a usage start date memory unit; acquiring information regarding the implementation of oral care behavior using the oral care product; storing the acquired information regarding the implementation of oral care behavior in an implementation information memory unit; determining the continuity of the implementation of the oral care behavior from the start date of use based on the information regarding the implementation of oral care behavior stored in the implementation information memory unit and the start date of use stored in the start date of use memory unit; and awarding more beneficial points the higher the continuity.

[0016] (7) A method for supporting the habituation of oral care behaviors described in (6), which stores a predetermined period set as the planned period for use of an oral care product in a planned period memory unit, determines whether it is appropriate to replace the oral care product based on the start date of use and the planned period for use stored in the planned period memory unit, and awards fewer beneficial points if the oral care product continues to be used after the replacement period has passed than if it is not.

[0017] (8) A method for supporting the formation of oral care behavior habits as described in (7), in which, when the oral care product is newly started to be used, the continuity of the oral care behavior from the start date of the previous use to the start date of the new use and the appropriateness of the replacement timing are comprehensively assessed, and the higher the continuity and the better the replacement timing, the higher the beneficial points are awarded.

[0018] (9) A control program for causing a computer to function as an information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5), comprising a processing unit for storing the start date of use in a start date of use memory unit, the implementation information acquisition unit, a processing unit for storing the implementation information in an implementation information memory unit, and the beneficial point granting unit.

[0019] (10) A storage medium that stores a control program for causing a computer to function as an information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5), the storage medium storing a control program for causing a computer to function as a processing unit that stores the start date of use in a start date of use memory unit, the implementation information acquisition unit, a processing unit that stores the implementation information in an implementation information memory unit, and the beneficial point granting unit.

[0020] (11) A system for promoting the replacement of oral care products using an information processing system, characterized in that it comprises: a planned period memory unit that stores a predetermined period set as the planned usage period of the oral care product; a replacement date memory unit that receives input of information that the oral care product has been replaced or opened and stores the information as the replacement date of the oral care product; and a beneficial point awarding unit that receives information that the oral care product has been replaced or opened and awards beneficial points that decrease as the period from the previous replacement date to the current replacement date deviates from the predetermined period.

[0021] (12) An oral care product replacement promotion system as described in (11), comprising: a scheduled replacement date setting unit that, upon receiving information that an oral care product has been replaced or opened, sets a scheduled replacement date based on the current replacement date and a predetermined period stored in the scheduled period storage unit; and a scheduled replacement date storage unit that stores the scheduled replacement date set by the scheduled replacement date setting unit; and the beneficial points awarding unit compares the scheduled replacement date stored in the scheduled replacement date storage unit with the current replacement date, and awards fewer beneficial points the later the current replacement date is from the scheduled replacement date.

[0022] (13) The oral care product replacement promotion system according to (11), wherein the predetermined period is a period set as a planned usage period for each product category to which the oral care product belongs.

[0023] (14) An information processing system for promoting the replacement of oral care products, comprising: a planned quantity memory unit for storing a predetermined number set as the planned number of oral care products to be used within a certain period of time; a replacement date memory unit for receiving input of information that an oral care product has been replaced or opened and storing this as the replacement date for the oral care product; and a beneficial point awarding unit for receiving information that an oral care product has been replaced or opened and awarding beneficial points that decrease as the number of units used within the certain period in the past is less than the predetermined number.

[0024] (15) A method for promoting the replacement of oral care products using an information processing system, characterized in that the information processing device stores a predetermined period set as the planned usage period of the oral care product in a planned period memory unit, receives input of information that the oral care product has been replaced or opened, stores this information in a replacement date memory unit as the replacement date of the oral care product, and performs processing to award beneficial points that decrease the longer the period from the previous replacement date to the current replacement date deviates from the predetermined period.

[0025] (16) A method for promoting replacement of oral care products as described in (15), which, upon receiving information that an oral care product has been replaced or opened, sets a scheduled replacement date based on the current replacement date and a predetermined period stored in the scheduled period storage unit, and stores the replacement date in the scheduled replacement date storage unit; compares the scheduled replacement date stored in the scheduled replacement date storage unit with the current replacement date; and awards beneficial points that decrease the further the current replacement date is from the scheduled replacement date.

[0026] (17) A control program for causing a computer to function as an information processing system described in any one of (11) to (13), the control program causing a computer to function as a processing unit that stores the specified period in a scheduled period memory unit, a processing unit that stores the exchange date in an exchange date memory unit, and the beneficial point granting unit.

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to promote the habit of using products in proper condition for oral care, thereby supporting the maintenance of oral health in users and reducing national medical expenses. Furthermore, it is possible to promote replacement or exchange of oral care products when the expected period of use has passed, which is expected to increase sales and maintain the efficiency and quality of users' daily oral care routines.

[0028] A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a habit formation support system (information processing system) according to a representative embodiment of the present invention. A flow diagram showing a processing procedure by the information processing system. A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an embodiment of a replacement promotion system. A block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a modified example of the replacement promotion system. A flow diagram showing a processing procedure by the replacement promotion system.

[0029] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] As shown in Figure 1, the oral care behavior habit formation support system 1 in this embodiment is composed of one or more information processing devices equipped with a processing device 10, a memory means 11, and a communication control unit 12, and the higher the continuity in performing oral care behavior from the time of purchasing or opening a new oral care product, the higher the beneficial points awarded, thereby encouraging oral care to become a habit and replacing the product at the appropriate time, and supporting the maintenance of oral health.

[0031] Specifically, the habit formation support system 1 is a computer device that includes a processing device 10 as its core, a storage device 11, a communication control unit 12, and an input device 13 such as a keyboard. Such an information processing device is a dedicated / general-purpose computer, such as a server computer, installed in a company that manufactures / sells oral care products or a company that outsources business, and is configured to be communicatively connected to a user's terminal 2, such as a smartphone or personal computer, via an information and communication network N, such as the Internet, via the communication control unit 12.

[0032] The processing device 10 is mainly composed of a CPU such as a microprocessor, and has a storage unit consisting of RAM and ROM (not shown) in which programs defining the procedures of various processing operations and processing data are stored. The storage means 11 consists of a memory, a hard disk, or other storage media inside or outside the information processing device. Some or all of the contents of the storage unit may be stored in the memory, hard disk, or the like of another computer connected to the information processing system 1 for communication.

[0033] Functionally, the processing device 10 comprises a usage start date memory processing unit 10a that receives input of information regarding the purchase or opening of an oral care product and processes the date of purchase or opening of the oral care product in a usage start date memory unit 11b, an implementation information acquisition unit 10b that acquires information about the performance of oral care behavior using the oral care product and stores it in an implementation information memory unit 11c, and a beneficial point awarding unit 10c that determines the continuity of the performance of oral care behavior based on the information about the performance of oral care behavior stored in the implementation information memory unit 11c and the start date of use stored in the usage start date memory unit 11b, and awards more beneficial points the higher the continuity, and these processing functions are realized by the above-mentioned program.

[0034] The storage unit 11 includes a planned period storage unit 11a that stores a predetermined period set as the planned use period of the oral care product, a usage start date storage unit 11b that stores the date the user purchased or opened the oral care product, an implementation information storage unit 11c that stores information on the user's oral care behavior, and a beneficial point storage unit 11d that stores information on beneficial points held by the user. Benefit points can be used in a variety of ways that are beneficial to the user. Examples of beneficial points include points that can be exchanged for products, services, or various coupons when a certain number of points are consumed, points that can be used to receive discounts equal to the number of points consumed at the time of purchase, and points that can be used to rank users based on their accumulated points and receive further discounts or services according to their rank. However, the "benefit points" of the present invention are not limited to those that provide some kind of benefit or convenience to the user. Instead of points, coupons that can be used to receive discounts may be given, or points and coupons may be used together, or the user may be allowed to choose which to receive. In one embodiment, when a coupon is presented for a specific product, for example, a product that a manufacturer wishes to promote, the discount amount may be set to be greater than the discount that can be obtained by awarding points.

[0035] The "predetermined period" set as the planned period of use of the oral care product is preferably set for each product category to which the oral care product belongs by the system administrator using the input means 13, or by the user inputting the planned period into the terminal 2 connected to and communicating with the system 1. The "predetermined period" for each product category is generally set by manufacturers, etc. for each type of oral care product as an appropriate period of use that will allow the product to provide sufficient care while taking into account the frequency of daily use, so it is preferable to set this appropriate period of use, but other periods may also be used.

[0036] Furthermore, even for oral care products in the same product category, different periods can be set depending on the characteristics of the product. For example, in the case of toothbrushes / interdental brushes, the planned usage period can be changed depending on the bristle material, hardness, size, etc. Furthermore, when using an electric toothbrush equipped with various sensors such as a pressure sensor, or a device attached to a manual toothbrush, or when the user's brushing characteristics are input by some means, the planned usage period can be adjusted depending on the user's brushing pressure and speed.

[0037] When input by the user, the user may determine and set the planned use period according to their own pace. The user may also be prompted to input information about their oral care habits. For example, the user may be prompted to input the number of times per day they brush their teeth, the frequency of use of interdental care tools, liquid preparations, tongue care tools, and other care tools. In this case, since some users use different care products for multiple care actions in a single day, the user may be prompted to input the frequency of use for each oral care product. Based on the user's oral care habit information thus input, the system can determine and input an appropriate planned use period ("predetermined period"). The "predetermined period" thus set is linked to the individual identification information of the set oral care product and stored and managed in the planned period storage unit 11a.

[0038] Information on replacement or opening of an oral care product is input from a user terminal 2 by a user who has purchased the oral care product. For example, the user inputs a product recognition code (e.g., a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) code (an internationally standardized code containing product and business information) or a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code (a Japanese standardized code containing product and business information)) printed on the package of the oral care product they purchased and the date of first use into a predetermined input field on an application installed on the user's terminal 2, such as a smartphone, or on a website connected to the computer terminal 2. Input to the terminal 2 can be done manually or by capturing a photo with a camera and attaching the image. Furthermore, if the oral care product has a product recognition function using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), data related to the product information on the RF tag of the product can be received by the terminal 2 and input together with the date of first use.

[0039] In addition to the oral care product packaging, it is also preferable for the user to input information written on the receipt issued by the store at the time of purchase. By inputting the information written on the receipt in this way, it becomes easier to input more detailed information such as the product identification code (GTIN code, JAN code, etc.), product name, quantity, etc. The user may also scan the receipt with the camera of the terminal 2 such as a smartphone and input the information. A configuration may also be made in which, by linking with an app or the like, the purchase history recorded and managed on the store's server computer or the like is input.

[0040] In this way, the date of purchase or the date of input may be used as the "use start date," but in many cases, multiple oral care products of the same type are purchased at once, including those for future use. In such cases, the purchase date can be used as the "use start date" for the first product, and the dates input upon opening the product can be used as the "use start dates" for the remaining products. It is also preferable that the use start date storage processing unit 10a, in addition to storing the use start date, calculates the recommended time for replacing the oral care product (recommended replacement time) based on the information in the scheduled period storage unit 11a and notifies the user's terminal 2.

[0041] Specific methods for the implementation information acquisition unit 10b to acquire information on the implementation of oral care behavior include receiving information from a sensor device provided in an oral care product with a data communication function used by the user, receiving information from a sensor device installed in the user's home that detects the use of an oral care product, acquiring information from an oral care support app or website used by the user when performing oral care behavior, etc. In this way, oral care (oral function, oral cleaning) behavior is measured using sensors, audio input, and video input, and the behavior is acquired.

[0042] An example of a sensor device provided in an oral care product is a so-called smart toothbrush, which is an electric or manual toothbrush with a data communication function that has a built-in or retrofitted sensor device that detects cleaning operations. Other widely applicable sensor devices for oral care products include a wide range of other well-known sensor devices. Examples of sensors used to detect movement in a smart toothbrush include an acceleration sensor, a motion sensor, a magnetic sensor, a brush pressure sensor, a weight sensor (load cell, piezoelectric element, capacitance), a camera, and voice recognition. These sensors can detect the number and pattern of daily tooth brushing, start and end times, toothbrush movements (speed, pitch, stroke, posture, and other movements), and pressure applied to the brush, and transmit this information to a habit formation support system (information processing system) 1 via a terminal 2 or the like.

[0043] Examples of sensor devices that detect the use of oral care products include devices that are installed in toothbrush stands or storage areas for toothpaste, mouth rinse, etc. and that can detect the time and amount of use by changes in weight, smart mirrors with cameras installed in the mirror area of ​​bathroom sinks that can analyze images captured by an imaging sensor and detect the use of oral care products, devices installed in bathroom sink drains that detect the passage (use) of oral care pastes or liquids by detecting the color of the pigments contained therein, and other known sensor devices. The use information detected by these sensor devices is transmitted to the habit formation support system (information processing system) 1 via terminal 2, etc.

[0044] Furthermore, information from apps and websites that support oral care used by users when engaging in oral care activities can be applied to training audio data, training start and end times, and other well-known oral care-related services from the "Oral Health Check App" and "Mainichi Patakara" apps (https: / / jp.sunstar.com / oral-frail / ) provided by the present applicant. Information from these apps and websites is transmitted to the habituation support system (information processing system) 1 via an information and communication network N such as the Internet.

[0045] The above information is automatically acquired by a sensor device or the like, but it may also be acquired as a self-reported information acquisition in which the user manually records and transmits the use of care products such as interdental care products on the terminal 2. The oral care behavior implementation information acquired in this way can be effectively used to monitor new products, as it allows observation of the usage status of oral care products from their new state.

[0046] The beneficial point allocating unit 10c can calculate how many days an oral care product has been used since the last start date of use from the information on the start date of use in the start date memory unit 11b, and based on this calculation result and the planned use period stored in the planned period memory unit 11a, judge whether it is appropriate to replace the oral care product, and if use has continued beyond the replacement period, it is preferable to award fewer beneficial points than if not.

[0047] That is, when a new use of an oral care product is started, the beneficial point allocating unit 10c judges the continuity of the oral care behavior from the start date of the previous use to the start date of the new use based on the implementation information of the implementation information storage unit 11c, and comprehensively judges the continuity and the appropriateness of the replacement timing, and the higher the continuity and the better the replacement timing, the higher the beneficial points are awarded. For example, with regard to tooth brushing behavior, if a toothbrush is used at least once a day for 30 days or more continuously from the start of use, it is preferable to calculate a predetermined number of points as meeting the continuity standard, and if the same toothbrush is continued to be used without purchasing a new one even after the replacement period has passed, the calculated points are reduced.

[0048] To further increase motivation to continue, it is also preferable to provide a processing unit that allows the user to set a new habit goal, and that visualizes the progress by marking the achievement date on a calendar based on the information in the implementation information storage unit 11c. In this case, the beneficial point allocating unit 10c may award more points when a preset habit goal is achieved than if the same conditions were met without setting a goal. This can increase motivation to continue.

[0049] In a further aspect, the beneficial point allocating unit 10c, for example, when setting a new habit-forming goal as described above, allows the user to bet points currently held by the user, and if the goal is achieved, awards the betted points multiplied by a multiplier corresponding to the difficulty of the goal. However, if the goal is not achieved, the points may be deducted and returned, or the betted points may be forfeited. The point multiplier may be set as appropriate. For example, a higher multiplier may be awarded for continuing to use a liquid preparation or an interdental cleaning tool than for continuing to brush teeth using a toothbrush and dentifrice. As an example of multiplier setting, a higher multiplier may be awarded for products with lower usage rates in each age group, based on the usage rate of each oral care product by age group.

[0050] It is also preferable that the beneficial point allocating unit 10c allocates predetermined points when predetermined requirements regarding continuity set for an individual or a team unit such as a family are met. It is also preferable that the beneficial point allocating unit 10c further allocates beneficial points that can be used to purchase other types of oral care products that are desirable to be used in combination with the oral care product that has been continued to be used.

[0051] The basic processing procedure in the above-described representative embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0052] First, for various oral care products, a planned usage period is set via the input means 13 or the like (S101). This may be input by the user who purchased the product via the user's terminal 2. The set planned usage period (predetermined period) is stored in the planned period storage unit 11a (S102).

[0053] Next, information indicating that the oral care product has been purchased or opened is input from the user's terminal 2 (S103), and the start of use date storage processing unit 10a stores this information as the "start of use date" in the start of use date storage unit 11b (S104).

[0054] After the start date of use, the implementation information acquisition unit 10b acquires information on the implementation of oral care behavior using the oral care product through the user's terminal (S105), and stores it in the implementation information storage unit 11c (S106).

[0055] Then, the beneficial point assigning unit 10c determines the continuity of the oral care behavior based on the information on the implementation of the oral care behavior stored in the implementation information memory unit 11c and the start date of use stored in the start date of use memory unit 11b, and the higher the continuity, the more beneficial points are assigned (S107) and stored in the beneficial point memory unit 11d (S108).

[0056] In this case, the beneficial point allocating unit 10c determines whether the oral care product is due for replacement based on the start date of use and the planned use period stored in the planned period storage unit, and if the oral care product continues to be used after the replacement period has passed, the beneficial points are reduced compared to when the oral care product is not used. It is preferable that information on the awarded beneficial points is also notified to the user's terminal 2.

[0057] Next, an example of an embodiment of a replacement promotion system 3 that is preferably incorporated into or combined with the habit formation support system 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0058] As shown in Figure 3, the replacement promotion system 3 is composed of one or more information processing devices equipped with a processing device 30, a memory means 31, and a communication control unit 32, and by awarding higher beneficial points to users who replace oral care products within the planned usage period, it makes users aware of the planned usage period and encourages them to replace their oral care products at the appropriate time.

[0059] Examples of beneficial points include points that can be redeemed for products, services, or various coupons by consuming a certain number of points, points that can be used to receive discounts equal to the number of points consumed when making a purchase, and points that rank users based on their accumulated points and provide further discounts or services according to their rank. However, "beneficial points" are not limited to these, as long as they provide some kind of benefit or convenience to the user. Instead of points, coupons that can be used to receive discounts may be given, or points and coupons may be used together, or the user may be allowed to choose which to receive. In one aspect, when offering a coupon for a specific product, such as a product that a manufacturer wants to promote, the discount amount may be set to be greater than the discount that can be obtained by awarding points.

[0060] Specifically, the replacement promotion system 3 is a computer device that includes a processing device 30 as its core, a storage device 31, a communication control unit 32, and an input device 33 such as a keyboard. Such an information processing device is a dedicated or general-purpose computer, such as a server computer, installed in a company that manufactures and sells oral care products or a company that outsources business, and is configured to be communicatively connected to a user's terminal 2, such as a smartphone or personal computer, via an information and communication network N, such as the Internet, via the communication control unit 32.

[0061] The processing device 30 is mainly composed of a CPU such as a microprocessor, and has a storage unit consisting of RAM and ROM (not shown) in which programs defining the procedures of various processing operations and processing data are stored. The storage means 31 consists of a memory or a hard disk inside or outside the information processing device. Some or all of the contents of the storage unit may be stored in the memory or hard disk of another computer connected to the information processing system 3 for communication.

[0062] Functionally, the processing device 30 comprises a replacement date memory processing unit 30a that receives input of information regarding replacement or opening of an oral care product and stores the information in the replacement date memory unit 31b as the replacement date for the oral care product; a scheduled replacement date setting unit 30b that sets the scheduled replacement date based on the current replacement date and a specified period stored in the scheduled period memory unit 31a; and a beneficial point awarding unit 30c that awards beneficial points that decrease the longer the period from the previous replacement date to the current replacement date deviates from the specified period, and these processing functions are realized by the above-mentioned program.

[0063] The storage means 31 includes a planned period storage unit 31a that stores a predetermined period set as the planned usage period of the oral care product, a replacement date storage unit 31b that stores the "replacement date" when the user replaces or opens the oral care product, a planned replacement date storage unit 31c that stores the planned replacement date set by the planned replacement date setting unit 30b, and a beneficial point storage unit 31d that stores information on beneficial points held by the user. The beneficial points can be used in various ways that are beneficial to the user. For example, beneficial points that can be used for product purchases or discounts are preferable.

[0064] The "predetermined period" set as the planned period of use of the oral care product is preferably set for each product category to which the oral care product belongs by the system administrator using the input means 33, or by the user inputting the planned period into the terminal 2 connected to and communicating with the system 3. The "predetermined period" for each product category is generally set by the manufacturer or the like for each type of oral care product as an appropriate period of use that will allow the product to provide sufficient care, taking into account the frequency of daily use, so it is preferable to set this appropriate period of use, but other periods may also be used.

[0065] Furthermore, different periods can be set for oral care products in the same product category depending on the product's characteristics. For example, for toothbrushes / interdental brushes, the expected usage period can be changed depending on the bristle material, hardness, size, etc. Furthermore, if an electric toothbrush or a device attached to a manual toothbrush is used that is equipped with various sensors such as a pressure sensor, or if the user's brushing characteristics are input by some means, the expected usage period can be adjusted according to the user's brushing pressure and speed.

[0066] When the user inputs the planned use period, the user may determine and set it at their own pace. The user may also be prompted to input information about their oral care habits. For example, the user may be prompted to input the number of times per day they brush their teeth, the frequency of use of interdental care tools, liquid preparations, tongue care tools, and other care tools. In this case, since some users may use different care products for multiple care actions in a single day, the user may be prompted to input the frequency of use for each oral care product. Based on the user's oral care habit information thus input, the system can determine and input an appropriate planned use period ("predetermined period"). The "predetermined period" thus set is linked to the individual identification information of the set oral care product and stored and managed in the planned period storage unit 31a.

[0067] The replacement or opening information that constitutes the "replacement date" of an oral care product is input from a user terminal 2 by a user who has purchased the oral care product. For example, the user inputs a product recognition code (e.g., a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) code (an internationally standardized code consisting of product and business information) or a JAN (Japanese Article Number) code (a Japanese standardized code consisting of product and business information)) printed on the package of the oral care product they purchased and the date of first use into a predetermined input field in an application installed on the user's terminal 2, such as a smartphone, or in a website connected to the computer terminal 2. The input to the terminal 2 may be done manually or by capturing an image with a camera and attaching the image.

[0068] Here, it is conceivable that after purchasing an oral care product, a user may falsely declare that they have started using it before opening it and then leave it unopened. Therefore, it is preferable to write the necessary information to be entered, such as a product recognition code, in an invisible position on the package or container before opening it, or to stamp it on a part of the oral care product itself that is also invisible before opening, so that the user must open it to enter the information. Another preferable example is to attach a photograph of the opened oral care product with a camera so that the fact that it has been opened can be confirmed.

[0069] In addition to the oral care product packaging, it is also preferable for the user to input information written on the receipt issued by the store at the time of purchase. By inputting the information written on the receipt in this way, it becomes easier to input more detailed information such as the product identification code (GTIN code, JAN code, etc.), product name, quantity, etc. The user may also scan the receipt with the camera of the terminal 2 such as a smartphone and input the information. A configuration may also be made in which, by linking with an app or the like, the purchase history recorded and managed on the store's server computer or the like is input.

[0070] In this way, the date of replacement purchase or the input date may be set as the "replacement date," but in many cases, multiple oral care products of the same type are purchased together, including those for future use. In such cases, the "replacement date" for the first product can be the date of the replacement purchase, and the "replacement date" for the remaining products can be the date input when opening the package. Furthermore, when multiple products are purchased together in this way, it is preferable that the "replacement date" be set for the first product, and the scheduled replacement date set by the scheduled replacement date setting unit 30b be a date calculated based on the "predetermined period" set as the total period of use of the multiple products.

[0071] In this embodiment, the scheduled replacement date is set by the scheduled replacement date setting unit 30b, and the beneficial points allocating unit 30c compares and determines the current replacement date with the scheduled replacement date, but the present invention is not limited to this example, and it is of course also possible to calculate the current usage period from the current replacement date and the previous replacement date, and compare and determine this with the above-mentioned "predetermined period."

[0072] In this embodiment, the beneficial point allocating unit 30c compares the scheduled replacement date with the current replacement date, and the later the current replacement date is from the scheduled replacement date, i.e., the longer the period from the previous replacement date to the current replacement date is, the fewer beneficial points are allocated. For example, if the oral care product is a toothbrush and the "predetermined period" is set to "30 days," if the current replacement date is 30 days after the previous replacement date, 100 beneficial points are allocated. If the replacement date is 31 days later, i.e., one day later, 90 points are allocated, which is a 10-point decrease. If the replacement date is 32 days later, i.e., two days later, 80 points are allocated, which is a 20-point decrease. Thereafter, the further the delay, the greater the point decrease.

[0073] Furthermore, even if the current replacement date is earlier than the scheduled replacement date, it is preferable to award fewer beneficial points. That is, if the period between the previous replacement date and the current replacement date is shorter than the predetermined period, the number of beneficial points awarded will be reduced, just as if the period is longer. Replacing a toothbrush too soon may mean that the toothbrush filaments have opened or the toothpaste has run out, and the manufacturer's recommended usage (brushing pressure, speed) and amount may not be followed (which may result in the expected efficiency and performance not being achieved). Furthermore, replacing a toothbrush too early increases waste, which is not good for the global environment.

[0074] As a result, whether the period between the last replacement date and the current replacement date is long or short, the number of beneficial points decreases the further the period of use from the specified period. For example, in the toothbrush example above, if the replacement date is 29 days later, i.e., one day earlier than the replacement date, the number of beneficial points will be reduced by 10 points to 90 points. If the replacement date is 28 days later, i.e., two days earlier, the number of beneficial points will be reduced by 20 points to 80 points. The earlier the replacement date is, the greater the point reduction will be. The degree of point reduction may be proportional or exponential. It may also be reduced every few days. However, this is not limited to reducing beneficial points regardless of whether the period is long or short from the specified period, and includes reducing beneficial points only if the period is long or short.

[0075] When information on the replacement or opening of an oral care product is input, if information on the new purchase of another type of oral care product is also input, the beneficial point assigning unit 30c preferably assigns a preset number of beneficial points to the new purchase at that stage to increase the user's incentive for the new purchase. For example, if the new simultaneous purchase is of one type of oral care product, 10 beneficial points are assigned, if two types are purchased, 50 points, and if three types are purchased, 100 points are assigned, thereby encouraging new purchases. Even if the purchase is not simultaneous, if the purchase is of a type of product new to the user, it is preferable to assign points in the same way.

[0076] For such newly purchased oral care products, a "predetermined period" may already be set as a planned usage period separate from that of the replacement oral care product and stored and managed in the planned period storage unit 31a. If a "predetermined period" has not been set, it is set and stored and managed at this timing. Subsequently, when the oral care product is replaced or exchanged, beneficial points are similarly awarded by the beneficial point awarding unit 30c. Furthermore, to provide an incentive for continued use of the new type of product, weighting may be applied so that the longer the period of use, the more points are awarded.

[0077] Furthermore, it is preferable to award higher points when a user purchases a new type of product if the user has switched from a product from another manufacturer to a product from this specific manufacturer. For example, if the user's past receipt information or purchase information held by the mail-order company can be obtained through app integration, points can be increased when the user purchases a product from the same manufacturer as the product from another manufacturer that the user previously used. In order to prevent points from being increased due to intentional switching, it is preferable to set the degree of increase lower than the degree of point increase due to continued use of both products.

[0078] In addition, in the case of a family where multiple users live together, the representative user often purchases daily necessities such as oral care products in bulk for the other users, and in the case of oral care products made of compositions such as pastes or liquids, one product may be shared by multiple users (such as family members living together).

[0079] Therefore, when information regarding the replacement or opening of multiple oral care products is input, it is preferable to input information such as whether the products are to be used by the same user, as in the bulk purchase described above, or whether they were purchased in bulk on behalf of multiple people, and if so, the number of users, and when information regarding the replacement or opening of a single oral care product is input, it is preferable to input information such as whether the product is to be shared by multiple users, and if so, the number of users, from terminal 2.

[0080] When multiple products are purchased on behalf of a user, the details of which of the purchased products are intended for which user are entered through terminal 2. This allows the user to determine which of the multiple purchased products is to be exchanged, and the next scheduled exchange date, etc. can be set for each user as described above. Alternatively, multiple users can be grouped together, and the scheduled exchange period, scheduled exchange date, etc. can be managed on a group-by-group basis, with beneficial points awarded on a group-by-group basis.

[0081] To ensure the reliability of information about bulk purchases or sharing for multiple users, i.e., to prevent false declarations, it is also preferable to require the user who made the purchase to enter a code known only to the other users in the group who are making the bulk purchase or sharing, such as an authentication code sent to the user's terminal 2. To prevent one user from using multiple terminals 2 to pretend to be multiple users, it is also preferable to perform phone number authentication.

[0082] In the above embodiment, a predetermined period is set as the planned usage period, and the number of beneficial points to be awarded is determined by comparing this period with the actual usage period until replacement.However, as another preferred embodiment, instead of the planned period memory unit 31a, a planned number memory unit 31a' is provided that stores a predetermined number set as the planned number of items to be used within a certain period, as shown in Figure 4, and upon receiving information that an oral care product has been replaced or opened, the beneficial point awarding unit 30c awards fewer beneficial points the fewer the number of items used within the above-mentioned past certain period is compared to the predetermined number.

[0083] In the embodiment according to this modification, the setting of a scheduled replacement date by the scheduled replacement date setting unit 30b and the storage unit 31c for the scheduled replacement date are not required. For example, the scheduled number of toothbrushes to be used for a certain period of time, "one year," can be set to 12, and each time a replacement or exchange is made, the number of toothbrushes used in the past year is calculated from the replacement history stored in the replacement date storage unit 31b, and the following beneficial points are awarded: 100 points if the number is 12 or more, 80 points if it is 6 to 11, 30 points if it is 3 to 5, and 10 points if it is 1 to 2.

[0084] Hereinafter, the basic processing procedure in the embodiment of the replacement promotion system 3 described above will be described with reference to FIG.

[0085] First, for various oral care products, a planned usage period is set via the input means 33 or the like (S201). This may be input by the user who purchased the product via the user's terminal 2. The set planned usage period (predetermined period) is stored in the planned period storage unit 31a (S202).

[0086] Next, upon receiving input from the user's terminal 2 of information that the oral care product has been replaced or opened (S203), the replacement date memory processing unit 30a stores this as the "replacement date" in the replacement date memory unit 31b (S204), and the scheduled replacement date setting unit 30b sets a scheduled replacement date based on the current replacement date and the specified period stored in the scheduled period memory unit 31a (S205), and stores this in the scheduled replacement date memory unit 31c (S206).

[0087] Furthermore, the beneficial point allocating unit 30c compares the current exchange date with the previously set scheduled exchange date stored in the scheduled exchange date storage unit 31c, and allocates fewer beneficial points the later the current exchange date is from the scheduled exchange date (S207), and stores the beneficial points in the beneficial point storage unit 31d (S208).It is also preferable to notify the user's terminal 2.

[0088] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, instead of configuring the processing device using software processing by a computer, it is preferable to configure part or all of it using hardware processing circuits. In this case, an artificial intelligence processing circuit can be used as the machine learning mechanism, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be embodied in various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention.

[0089] 1 Habit formation support system (information processing system) 2 User terminal 3 Replacement promotion system (information processing system) 10 Processing device 10 Beneficial point granting unit 10a Use start date storage processing unit 10b Implementation information acquisition unit 10c Beneficial point granting unit 11 Storage means 11a Planned period storage unit 11b Use start date storage unit 11c Implementation information storage unit 11d Beneficial point storage unit 12 Communication control unit 13 Input means 30 Processing device 30a Exchange date storage processing unit 30b Planned exchange date setting unit 30c Beneficial point granting unit 31 Storage means 31a Planned period storage unit 31a' Planned number storage unit 31b Exchange date storage unit 31c Planned exchange date storage unit 31d Beneficial point storage unit 32 Communication control unit 33 Input means N Information communication network

Claims

An information processing system for supporting oral care behavior habituation, a usage start date storage unit that receives input of information indicating that an oral care product has been purchased or opened and stores the date of purchase or opening of the oral care product; an implementation information acquisition unit that acquires information on the implementation of oral care behavior using the oral care product; an implementation information storage unit that stores information about the implementation of oral care behavior acquired by the implementation information acquisition unit; and a beneficial point allocating unit that determines the continuity of the oral care behavior from the start date of use based on the information on the oral care behavior stored in the implementation information storage unit and the start date of use stored in the start date storage unit, and allocates more beneficial points as the continuity increases. A system to support the development of oral care habits. 　 a planned period storage unit for storing a predetermined period set as a planned period for using the oral care product; The beneficial point allocating unit determines whether the oral care product is due for replacement based on the start date of use and the planned use period stored in the planned period storage unit, and if the oral care product is continued to be used beyond the replacement period, allocates fewer beneficial points than if the oral care product is not used beyond the replacement period. The oral care behavior habit formation support system according to claim 1. 　 The beneficial point allocating unit When starting to use the oral care product for the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the continuity of the oral care behavior from the start date of the previous use to the start date of the new use, and the adequacy of the replacement timing; The higher the continuity and the better the replacement time, the higher the beneficial points will be awarded.

3. The oral care behavior habit formation support system according to claim 2.

3. The oral care behavior habit formation support system according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined period is a period set as a planned use period for each product category to which the oral care product belongs. 　 a planned number storage unit for storing a predetermined number of oral care products set as a planned number of oral care products to be used within a certain period of time; 2. The oral care behavior habit formation support system according to claim 1, wherein the beneficial point allocating unit allocates fewer beneficial points the fewer the number of uses within the given period in the past is compared to the predetermined number in the planned number memory unit. 　 An information processing method for supporting oral care behavior habituation, comprising: receiving input of information indicating that the oral care product has been purchased or opened, storing the date of purchase or opening of the oral care product in a usage start date storage unit; Acquire information on the implementation of oral care behavior using the oral care product; The acquired information on the implementation of oral care behavior is stored in an implementation information storage unit; determining whether the oral care behavior has been performed continuously since the start date of use based on the information on the oral care behavior performed stored in the performance information storage unit and the start date of use stored in the start date of use storage unit; The higher the continuity, the more beneficial points are awarded. Methods for supporting oral care habits. 　 A predetermined period set as a planned period of use of the oral care product is stored in a planned period storage unit, determining whether or not it is appropriate to replace the oral care product based on the start date of use and the planned period of use stored in the planned period storage unit; If you continue to use the product after the replacement period has passed, you will be awarded fewer beneficial points than if you did not. The method for supporting oral care behavior habituation according to claim 6. 　 When starting to use the oral care product for the first time, a comprehensive assessment of the continuity of the oral care behavior from the start date of the previous use to the start date of the new use, and the adequacy of the replacement timing; The higher the continuity and the better the replacement time, the higher the beneficial points will be awarded. The method for supporting oral care behavior habituation according to claim 7. 　 A control program for causing a computer to function as the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A processing unit that stores the start date of use in a start date of use memory unit, the implementation information acquisition unit, a processing unit that stores the implementation information in an implementation information memory unit, and a control program that causes a computer to function as the beneficial point granting unit. 　 A storage medium for storing a control program for causing a computer to function as the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A processing unit that stores the start date of use in a start date of use memory unit, the implementation information acquisition unit, a processing unit that stores the implementation information in an implementation information memory unit, and a storage medium that stores a control program for causing a computer to function as the beneficial point granting unit.

Images