Information providing device, information providing method, and recording medium

Abstract

This information providing device comprises: an acquisition means for acquiring product information of purchased products; a calculation means for calculating the total amount of each nutrient in the purchased products on the basis of nutrition information associated with the product information; a determination means for determining a recommended amount of each nutrient on the basis of the meal status of a meal corresponding to the purchased products; and an output means for outputting the total amount and the recommended amount of each nutrient.

Description

Information Providing Device, Information Providing Method, and Recording Medium

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

[0002] There is a technology that supports a user's nutrition management by providing information on the nutritional content of a product to be purchased to a user who purchases a product that is food.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for identifying the nutritional components of a product purchased by a customer, comparing the total of the nutritional components identified within one commercial transaction with a reference value related to the nutritional components, and printing the identified deficient nutrients on a receipt to notify the customer.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-039746

[0005] By the way, users who purchase food may have different circumstances related to their diet, such as not only age and build but also family composition, the number of days and times of meals with the food purchased at one time. Therefore, when providing information for nutritional management support to a user, appropriate information may not be provided using a single standard.

[0006] An example of the object of the present disclosure is to provide a technology for providing more appropriate information related to nutritional management to a user.

[0007] An information providing device in one aspect of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires product information of a purchased product, a calculation unit that calculates the total nutritional content of the purchased product based on nutritional information associated with the product information, a determination unit that determines a recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product, and an output unit that outputs the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0008] An information providing method in one aspect of the present disclosure includes acquiring product information of a purchased product, calculating the total nutritional content of the purchased product based on nutritional information associated with the product information, determining a recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product, and outputting the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0009] A program in one aspect of this disclosure causes a computer to perform the following processes: acquire product information of purchased products, calculate the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information, determine the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products, and output the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0010] Each program may be stored on a non-temporary storage medium that is readable by the computer.

[0011] One example of the benefits of this disclosure is that it can provide users with more appropriate information on nutritional management.

[0012] This figure shows the configuration of an information provision system including an information provision device. This block diagram shows an example of the functional configuration of the information provision device. This figure shows an example of an output screen. This flowchart shows an example of the operation of the information provision device. This block diagram shows another example of the functional configuration of the information provision device. This figure shows an example of a reception screen. This block diagram shows another example of the functional configuration of the information provision device. This figure shows an example of an output screen. This block diagram shows another example of the functional configuration of the information provision device. This flowchart shows another example of the operation of the information provision device. This figure shows the hardware configuration for implementing the information provision device in this disclosure using a computer and its peripheral devices.

[0013] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of an information provision system including the information provision device 100 of the present disclosure. The information provision system includes the information provision device 100, a terminal device, and a database. The information provision system is a system that provides information for nutritional management related to products purchased by a user. The information provision system provides information, for example, through a terminal device used to register purchased products, or through applications or websites that support the user's nutritional management or health management including nutritional management. In this disclosure, a user is assumed to be a user who purchases products, or a user who inputs information about purchased products into a terminal device.

[0015] The information providing device 100 is a device that provides information for nutritional management related to the products purchased by the user. The information providing device 100 may be implemented, for example, by a server or a cloud computing system.

[0016] In Figure 1, the information provision device 100 is connected to the terminal device and the database in a way that allows communication between them.

[0017] The terminal device is a device that displays the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content output by the information provision device 100 so that the user can check them. The terminal device also transmits product information of purchased items to the information provision device 100. The terminal device may be implemented as, for example, a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, or POS (Point of Sale) device.

[0018] The terminal device that outputs the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content for the user to check, and the terminal device that transmits product information of purchased items to the information provision device 100, may be the same terminal device or may be different terminal devices.

[0019] The database is a database that links product information with nutritional information about the product. Product information is information about the product. For example, product information may include product identification information to identify the product, or the product name. Nutritional information is information that indicates the nutritional content of the product. The types of nutrients may be one or more, and are not particularly limited. For example, the nutrients may be the amount of protein, the amount of fat, and the amount of carbohydrates.

[0020] Note that the configuration of the information provision system is not limited to the example shown in Figure 1. For example, the information provision device 100 may be included in the terminal device. Also, for example, the database may be included in the information provision device 100.

[0021] Next, the configuration of the information providing device 100 in the embodiment will be described.

[0022] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information providing device 100. Referring to Figure 2, the information providing device 100 comprises an acquisition unit 101, a calculation unit 102, a determination unit 103, and an output unit 104.

[0023] Next, the configuration of the information providing device 100 in the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0024] The acquisition unit 101 is an example of an acquisition means for acquiring product information of purchased products. Purchased products may be products that the user intends to purchase, or products that the user has already purchased. Product information is information that indicates the purchased product, such as product identification information. The acquisition unit 101 acquires product information of purchased products from the terminal device.

[0025] For example, a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet used by a user to register purchased items in a store reads product identification information from a barcode attached to the product. The acquisition unit 101 then acquires the product identification information from the terminal device as product information for the purchased item.

[0026] For example, a terminal device used by the user may take a photograph of the purchased items or receipt. The acquisition unit 101 then acquires product information identified from the images of the purchased items or receipt. The method for identifying product information from images of purchased items or receipt is not particularly limited and may use known technologies such as object recognition technology or optical character recognition technology. Furthermore, the device that identifies product information from images of purchased items or receipt may be the information providing device 100, the terminal device, or another device connected to the information providing device 100 or the terminal device for communication.

[0027] The acquisition unit 101 may acquire product information for each purchased item one by one, or it may acquire multiple items at once.

[0028] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire nutritional information of the purchased product as product information. In this case, for example, the terminal device may identify the nutritional information of the purchased product. For example, the terminal device may identify the nutritional information by referring to a database from the product information. Alternatively, for example, the terminal device may identify the nutritional information from the nutritional information of the purchased product displayed in an image of the purchased product, using known optical character recognition technology or the like.

[0029] Furthermore, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire user identification information. User identification information may include, for example, the store where a product is purchased or member identification information in an application that supports health management. For example, the acquisition unit 101 may acquire member identification information of a user who is logged in to the terminal device from the terminal device.

[0030] The calculation unit 102 is an example of a calculation means that calculates the total nutritional content of a purchased product based on nutritional information associated with the product information of the purchased product. For example, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total nutritional content for each type of nutrient.

[0031] For example, the calculation unit 102 identifies the nutritional information of the purchased product by referring to a database using the product information of the purchased product. Then, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total nutritional amount by adding the nutritional amounts corresponding to the quantity of the purchased product. Note that the method of calculating the total nutritional amount is not limited to this example.

[0032] The calculation unit 102 may calculate the total nutritional content of some of the purchased items. In other words, some of the purchased items may be excluded from the calculation of total nutritional content. In this case, the items that are included in the calculation of total nutritional content, and the items that are not included in the calculation, may be indicated in the product information by assigning a flag or the like, or they may be determined according to the category of the product indicated in the product information.

[0033] For example, the calculation unit 102 may calculate the total nutritional value of purchased items other than those used in meals over a long period, such as seasonings. This is because, when managing nutrition for meals ranging from one to several days, it is assumed that not all of the seasonings and other items used in meals over a long period will be used in the meals.

[0034] In this case, the calculation unit 102 may also estimate the products that will be used in meals over a long period of time based on the user's purchase history, the frequency of purchase of the products, the expiration date of the products, the quantity of the products, etc. For example, products with a long expiration date, low purchase frequency, and a large quantity of products are expected to be used in meals over a long period of time.

[0035] The determination unit 103 is an example of a determination means that determines the recommended amount of nutrients based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product. The recommended amount of nutrients is the amount of nutrients that are recommended to be purchased and consumed. The recommended amount of nutrients may be expressed as a numerical value or as a numerical range.

[0036] Here, "meal situation" refers to the meal situation corresponding to the purchased product. For example, meal situation may include the number of meals purchased or the physical information of the person eating. Alternatively, meal situation can be described as a condition that influences the recommended nutritional intake. In this disclosure, "person eating" is assumed to be a person who uses the purchased product to make a meal. There may be one person eating or multiple people eating. For example, the person eating may be the user, or the user and their family.

[0037] The eating situation refers to, for example, the number of meals in which the purchased products are consumed. The more meals there are, the higher the recommended nutrient intake. For example, the determination unit 103 determines the recommended nutrient intake by multiplying the number of meals by the recommended nutrient intake per meal.

[0038] Furthermore, for example, the meal situation refers to the number of meals in which the purchased product is consumed and the number of people eating. In this case, the number of meals is calculated, for example, by multiplying the number of meals by the number of people eating. The determination unit 103 may determine the recommended nutritional amount as described above based on the number of meals and the number of people eating. Note that the number of days of meals may be used instead of the number of meals as the meal situation.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, dietary habits are physical information of the person eating. Here, physical information is the information that influences the recommended amount of nutrients for the person eating.

[0040] For example, physical information is the person's activity level. Activity level is information related to the amount of nutrients consumed. Activity level can be, for example, calories burned or steps taken. In this case, the determination unit 103 may determine a higher recommended nutrient amount the higher the activity level. For example, the determination unit 103 may determine the recommended nutrient amount by multiplying the activity level by the amount of nutrients recommended to be consumed for that activity level. Also, for example, the activity level may be divided into multiple stages. In this case, the determination unit 103 may determine a predetermined amount of nutrients according to the stage of the activity level as the recommended nutrient amount. Also, for example, the activity level may be estimated from the schedule information of the person eating. For example, if the schedule information includes sports activities, the activity level may be estimated to be high, but the method of estimating the activity level based on the schedule information is not limited to this example, and any known method may be used.

[0041] It is assumed that the activity level refers to the activity level during the period for which the recommended nutritional intake for the purchased product is calculated. The period for which the recommended nutritional intake for the purchased product is calculated may be specified, for example, according to the number of meals, or according to the frequency of purchasing the product at the store. For example, if the number of meals corresponding to the purchased product is six, the period for calculating the recommended nutritional intake is two days. In this case, the determination unit 103 may use the activity level for two days to determine the recommended nutritional intake for two days. Alternatively, for example, if the frequency of purchase at the store is once every three days, the period for calculating the recommended nutritional intake is three days. In this case, the determination unit 103 may use the activity level for three days to determine the recommended nutritional intake for three days.

[0042] Furthermore, for example, physical information may include attributes such as a person's build, gender, and age. Build, for example, includes height, weight, and muscle mass. Since the amount of nutrients consumed, such as basal metabolism, and activity levels are expected to differ depending on a person's build, gender, age, and other attributes, the amount of nutrients that should be consumed may differ. In this case, the determination unit 103 may determine the recommended amount of nutrients based on pre-set nutrient amounts according to the person's build, gender, age, and other attributes.

[0043] Also, for example, the physical information may include information regarding the physical condition of the person having a meal. For example, the information regarding the physical condition of the person having a meal is vital data. Here, the vital data is body temperature, respiratory rate, blood oxygen concentration, pulse, blood pressure, and the like. For example, when the vital data deviates from the normal range, the determination unit 103 may assume that the physical condition of the person having a meal is poor, and determine the recommended nutrient amount based on the preset nutrient amount to be ingested when the physical condition is poor.

[0044] Also, the meal situation may include, for example, the time zone when the meal is taken. Since it is assumed that the subsequent activity level differs depending on the time zone, it is considered that the recommended nutrient amount differs. In this case, for example, when the time zone when the meal is taken is a time zone close to bedtime such as at night, the determination unit 103 may determine a smaller recommended nutrient amount.

[0045] Although a plurality of examples of the meal situation have been described, the information used for determining the recommended nutrient amount as the meal situation may be one or a combination of a plurality. For example, as the meal situation, the number of meals and the number of people for each attribute of the person having a meal may be used for determining the recommended nutrient amount.

[0046] Also, the method for specifying the meal situation is not particularly limited. For example, the meal situation may be specified based on information registered in advance by the user using the user's identification information. In this case, the meal situations registered in advance may be a plurality of patterns of meal situations such as for each day of the week or for each time zone. Also, for example, the meal situation may be specified based on information input by the user in the terminal device. The case where the user inputs the meal situation in the terminal device will be described later in the modification example. Also, for example, the meal situation may be estimated based on information associated with the user's identification information or information input by the user in the terminal device. The estimation of the meal situation will be described later in the second embodiment.

[0047] The output unit 104 is an example of output means for outputting the total nutritional value and the recommended nutritional value of purchased products. For example, the output unit 104 outputs the total nutritional value and the recommended nutritional value to a terminal device used by the user for registering purchased products, or a terminal device possessed by the user, etc.

[0048] The output mode of the output unit 104 is not particularly limited. For example, the output unit 104 may output the total nutritional value of the purchased products and the recommended nutritional value in a comparable manner. For example, the output unit 104 may output the total nutritional value of the purchased products and the recommended nutritional value in the same graph.

[0049] Also, the output unit 104 may emphasize and display the types of nutrients for which the total nutritional value is insufficient or excessive compared to the recommended nutritional value.

[0050] Also, the output unit 104 may further output the dietary situation used for determining the recommended nutritional value. Also, in this case, the output unit 104 may output the dietary situation used for determining the recommended nutritional value in a modifiable manner. When the dietary situation is changed, the determination unit 103 re-determines the recommended nutritional value based on the changed dietary situation, and the output unit 104 may output the re-determined recommended nutritional value.

[0051] Also, the output unit 104 may further output information indicating products excluded from the target of calculating the total nutritional value. The output mode of the information indicating products excluded from the target of calculating the total nutritional value is not particularly limited.

[0052] In addition, when the output unit 104 outputs to the terminal device used for registering purchased products, it may output the total nutritional value and the recommended nutritional value together with a display area indicating the registered purchased products.

[0053] Figure 3 shows an example of the output screen for total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content output by the output unit 104. In Figure 3, the output screen displays the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content along with a display area showing the purchased items and information related to product registration, including the total amount of the purchased items. In Figure 3, the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content for nutrients A to E are shown on the same radar chart by solid and dashed lines, respectively. Note that the output screen for total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content output by the output unit 104 is not limited to the example in Figure 3.

[0054] The operation of the information providing device 100, configured as described above, will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0055] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires product information of the purchased product (step S101). Note that the process in step S101 may be performed sequentially.

[0056] Next, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total nutritional content of the purchased product based on the nutritional information associated with the product information acquired in step S101 (step S102). Note that the processing in step S102 may be performed sequentially following the processing in step S101, or it may be performed when a request is made from the terminal device used by the user to output the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content, or at predetermined time intervals.

[0057] Next, the determination unit 103 determines the recommended nutritional amount based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product (step S103). Note that the timing of the process in step S103 is not limited to after step S102. For example, the process in step S103 may be performed in advance before the process in step S101, or it may be performed after the process in step S101, before or simultaneously with step S102.

[0058] Then, the output unit 104 outputs the total nutritional amount and the recommended nutritional amount (step S104).

[0059] With this, the information providing device 100 completes its series of operations.

[0060] The information providing device in the above-described embodiment comprises an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The acquisition unit acquires product information of the purchased product. The calculation unit calculates the total nutritional content of the purchased product based on the nutritional information associated with the product information. The determination unit determines the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product. The output unit then outputs the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0061] The information-providing device in this embodiment outputs the total nutritional content of purchased products along with recommended nutritional content based on the user's eating habits. As a result, the information-providing device in this embodiment can provide users with more appropriate information regarding nutritional management.

[0062] [Modification 1 of the First Embodiment] Next, Modification 1 of the First Embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To the extent that the description of this modification does not become unclear, explanations that overlap with the above description will be omitted.

[0063] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information provision device. In Figure 5, the information provision device 100A includes a reception unit 105 in addition to the configuration of the information provision device 100.

[0064] The reception unit 105 is an example of a reception means for receiving input of meal status. For example, the reception unit 105 receives input of meal status from the user by displaying a reception screen for receiving meal status input on the terminal device. The reception unit 105 then receives the meal status entered by the user on the reception screen displayed on the terminal device.

[0065] In addition to inputting meal status, the reception unit 105 may also receive instructions to use meal status previously registered in association with the user's identification information, or instructions to estimate the meal status. If the reception unit 105 receives an instruction to use meal status previously registered in association with the user's identification information, for example, the determination unit 103 may identify the meal status using the user's identification information. The case where the reception unit 105 receives an instruction to estimate the meal status will be described later in the second embodiment.

[0066] Figure 6 shows an example of a reception screen for receiving input on meal status. In Figure 6, the reception screen includes input fields for the number of days of meals and the number of people for each attribute of the person eating, as part of the meal status. In Figure 6, the input fields for the number of people for each attribute of the person eating are provided for males aged 13 and over, females aged 13 and over, 6 to 12 years old, and 1 to 5 years old. Also in Figure 6, the reception screen includes operation buttons for receiving instructions to use meal status that has been registered in advance and associated with the user's identification information, and instructions to estimate the meal status, without inputting the meal status. For example, if the instruction to use meal status that has been registered in advance and associated with the user's identification information is selected on the reception screen in Figure 6, the reception screen may transition to a reception screen for inputting the user's identification information. Also, for example, if the instruction to estimate the meal status is selected on the reception screen in Figure 6, the reception screen may output the estimated meal status, transition to a screen that outputs the total nutritional intake and recommended nutritional intake, or transition to a screen for inputting product information of purchased items. Note that the screen for receiving information about your eating habits and the information used to calculate recommended nutritional intake are not limited to the example shown in Figure 6.

[0067] The information provider 100A can provide more accurate nutritional management information by allowing users to input their eating habits on the reception screen. Furthermore, by allowing users to select on the reception screen whether to use eating habits that have been pre-registered and associated with the user's identification information, or to estimate their eating habits, the information provider 100A can provide nutritional management information more easily to the user.

[0068] [Modification 2 of the First Embodiment] Next, Modification 2 of the First Embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To the extent that the description of this modification does not become unclear, explanations that overlap with the above description will be omitted.

[0069] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information providing device. In Figure 7, the information providing device 100B includes a generation unit 106 in addition to the configuration of the information providing device 100.

[0070] The generation unit 106 is an example of a generation means that generates recommended information related to nutritional management based on the total nutrient amount and the recommended nutrient amount. In the information providing device 100B, the output unit 104 further outputs the recommended information generated by the generation unit 106.

[0071] For example, the recommendation information is information that shows the difference between the total amount of nutrients and the recommended amount of nutrients. The information showing the difference between the total amount of nutrients and the recommended amount of nutrients may be information that shows the difference in the amount of nutrients, or information that shows the amount of nutrients for which there is a difference. Also, for example, if the total amount of nutrients is insufficient compared to the recommended amount of nutrients, the recommendation information may include information such as a message recommending the purchase of products that supplement the deficient nutrients. Also, for example, if the total amount of nutrients exceeds the recommended amount of nutrients, the recommendation information may include information such as a message recommending attention to the timing of consuming the excess nutrients. In this case, the generation unit 106 generates recommendation information showing the difference between the total amount of nutrients and the recommended amount of nutrients by calculating the difference between the total amount of nutrients and the recommended amount of nutrients.

[0072] Furthermore, for example, the recommendation information is information that recommends the purchase of products that supplement nutrients whose total nutritional content is insufficient compared to the recommended nutritional intake. That is, the generation unit 106 generates recommendation information that recommends products that supplement nutrients whose total nutritional content is insufficient compared to the recommended nutritional intake. In this case, the recommendation information includes, for example, the type of nutrient whose total nutritional content is insufficient compared to the recommended nutritional intake, the amount of that nutrient that is insufficient, and information indicating products that contain that amount of nutrient. The generation unit 106 identifies, for example, the type of nutrient whose total nutritional content is insufficient compared to the recommended nutritional intake and the amount of that nutrient that is insufficient by comparing the recommended nutritional intake and the total nutritional intake. Then, the generation unit 106 generates the recommendation information by extracting product information of products that contain the amount of that nutrient that is insufficient from a database or the like in which product information and nutritional information are stored in association. Here, products that contain the amount of that nutrient that is insufficient are products that contain at least that amount of nutrient, and may be one or more. Furthermore, a product containing the amount of nutrients that make up the deficiency in the nutrient in question may be a product with a lower price or a smaller quantity among several products that contain at least the amount of nutrients that make up the deficiency in the nutrient in question. In addition, a product containing the amount of nutrients that make up the deficiency in the nutrient in question may be a product among several products that contain at least the amount of nutrients that make up the deficiency in the nutrient in question, such as a product in which the sum of nutrients does not result in an excess of other nutrients, or a product in which the sum of nutrients results in a small excess of other nutrients. Moreover, a product that supplements nutrients whose total nutritional content is insufficient compared to the recommended nutritional content is a product that supplements at least the amount of nutrients whose total nutritional content is insufficient compared to the recommended nutritional content, and there are no particular limitations on other conditions.

[0073] Furthermore, for example, the recommendation information is information that recommends the timing of meals for purchased products that contain nutrients whose total nutritional content exceeds the recommended nutritional content. That is, the generation unit 106 generates recommendation information that recommends the timing of meals for purchased products that contain nutrients whose total nutritional content exceeds the recommended nutritional content. In this case, the recommendation information includes, for example, the type of nutrient whose total nutritional content exceeds the recommended nutritional content, the amount of the nutrient that is exceeded, information indicating the product among the purchased products that contains the amount of the nutrient that is exceeded, and information indicating the recommended timing of meals. For example, the generation unit 106 identifies the type of nutrient whose total nutritional content exceeds the recommended nutritional content and the amount of the nutrient that is exceeded by comparing the recommended nutritional content with the total nutritional content. Then, the generation unit 106 extracts purchased products that contain the amount of the nutrient that is exceeded based on the nutritional information of the purchased products associated with the product information of the purchased products, and generates recommendation information by identifying the timing at which meals of the extracted purchased products will not exceed the recommended nutritional content. The timing at which meals of the extracted purchased products will not exceed the recommended nutritional content is, for example, the period for which the recommended nutritional content is determined. Furthermore, for example, the timing at which consuming the selected purchased items does not exceed the recommended nutrient intake is when activity levels are high after the meal. This timing could be, for example, in the morning or at lunchtime, or before a period of high activity based on schedule information. In this way, by recommending meal timings when the total nutrient intake exceeds the recommended amount, it is possible to provide more appropriate nutritional management information while suppressing the decrease in sales for the store.

[0074] Furthermore, if there are multiple nutrients where the total nutrient amount is either insufficient or in excess of the recommended amount, recommendation information may be generated for some or all of these nutrients. For example, recommendation information may be generated for the nutrient with the largest deviation from the recommended amount in the total nutrient amount.

[0075] Furthermore, the generation unit 106 may generate additional information regarding the nutritional management of the purchased product. In this case as well, the output unit 104 of the information providing device 100B may output the additional information generated by the generation unit 106.

[0076] Additional information regarding the nutritional management of purchased products could include, for example, alert information.

[0077] For example, alert information is information that alerts the user to purchased products that do not go well together. Purchased products that do not go well together may be, for example, combinations of purchased products, or purchased products that do not go well together with medications taken by the person eating the meal, or with food remaining at the user's home. The method for identifying medications taken by the person eating the meal or food remaining at the user's home is not particularly limited and may be entered by the user, or identified or estimated using known technology. In this case, the alert information includes, for example, information such as purchased products that do not go well together, health problems that may arise from the combination, and recommended intervals for consumption. The generation unit 106 identifies purchased products that do not go well together by, for example, referring to a database in which product information of purchased products and information on food combinations are stored in association. The generation unit 106 then generates alert information by extracting information on health problems and recommended intervals for consumption related to purchased products that do not go well together. Here, poor food combinations include, for example, ingredients in one purchased product that inhibit the absorption of nutrients in another purchased product, or the possibility of causing health problems by consuming multiple purchased products at the same time. The criteria for determining a poor food combination may be based on general nutritional knowledge, or they may be customized according to the individual's constitution and health condition, which are pre-associated with the user's identification information. Furthermore, the alert information may include information suggesting alternative products that would improve the food combination.

[0078] Furthermore, for example, the alert information is alert information that alerts the user about purchased products that are inappropriate for consumption based on the physical information of the person eating. In this case, the generation unit 106 generates the alert information by referring to information that associates physical information with products that are inappropriate for consumption, and identifying purchased products that are inappropriate for consumption based on the physical information of the person eating. Here, the physical information of the person eating includes, for example, illnesses, medical history, allergies, and pregnancy. For example, if the physical information of the person eating indicates a shellfish allergy, the generation unit 106 generates alert information that alerts the user about purchased products containing shrimp, etc.

[0079] Figure 8 shows an example of the output screen for total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content output by the output unit 104 of the information providing device 100B. In Figure 8, the output screen displays the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content along with information related to product registration, including a display area showing the purchased products and the total amount of the purchased products. In Figure 8, the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content of nutrients A to E are shown on the same radar chart by solid and dashed lines, respectively. In Figure 8, the nutritional content of nutrient C, which has the largest deviation from the recommended nutritional content, is highlighted with a star. Furthermore, in Figure 8, the output screen includes a message indicating a deficiency in nutrient C, and a message recommending product AAA to supplement the deficiency of nutrient C. Note that the output screen for total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content output by the output unit 104, as well as the recommendation information, are not limited to the example in Figure 8.

[0080] The information providing device 100B can provide more information on nutritional management tailored to the user's eating habits.

[0081] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. To the extent that the description of this embodiment does not become unclear, explanations that overlap with the above description will be omitted.

[0082] Figure 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information providing device. In Figure 9, the information providing device 200 includes an estimation unit 207 in addition to the configuration of the information providing device 100.

[0083] The estimation unit 207 is an example of an estimation means for estimating a user's eating habits based on at least one of the user's purchase history and product information. The estimation unit 207 may perform the estimation of eating habits when it receives an instruction to do so from the user via a terminal device, or it may perform the estimation of eating habits in response to the acquisition of product information.

[0084] For example, the estimation unit 207 estimates the period over which the purchased items are consumed as part of the meal situation, based on the shopping frequency identified from the purchase history. For example, if the shopping frequency is once every three days, the estimation unit 207 may estimate that the period over which the purchased items are consumed is three days.

[0085] Furthermore, for example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the number of meals and the number of people eating as part of the eating situation, based on the shopping frequency and quantity identified from the purchase history. For example, if the shopping frequency is once every three days and the quantity purchased is enough for 18 meals, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the number of meals and the number of people purchased to be 6 and 3, or 9 and 2.

[0086] Furthermore, for example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the meal situation based on the category to which the purchased product belongs or the category of the store that sells the purchased product. This is because the type of meal a user buys may differ depending on the category to which the purchased product belongs or the store that sells the purchased product.

[0087] For example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the duration and number of meals to be eaten depending on the category to which the purchased items belong. For example, if the category to which the purchased items belong is one that is eaten within a short period of time, such as within a day, such as prepared foods or bento boxes, the estimation unit 207 estimates that the number of meals to be eaten is one, as the meal situation corresponding to the purchased items in that category. Furthermore, if the category to which the purchased items belong is one that requires cooking, such as vegetables, meat, or fish, the estimation unit 207 further estimates the number of days, number of meals, and number of people to be eaten, based on the shopping frequency and the amount of purchased items, as the meal situation corresponding to the purchased items in that category.

[0088] Furthermore, for example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the duration and frequency of meals depending on the category of the store selling the purchased items. For example, if the category of the store selling the purchased items is a convenience store, the estimation unit 207 may estimate that the meal corresponding to the purchased items is a single meal immediately after purchase. This is because, in convenience stores, it is assumed that purchases are made for a single meal based on the expiration date, price, and sales format. Also, for example, if the category of the store selling the purchased items is a supermarket, the estimation unit 207 further estimates the number of days, number of meals, and number of people based on the frequency of shopping and the quantity of purchased items.

[0089] Furthermore, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the eating status of meals corresponding to purchased items, depending on the day of the week and time of day the purchased items are purchased. For example, the estimation unit 207 estimates the eating status using a trained model that has learned the relationship between past purchased items, the stores that sell the purchased items and the date and time of purchase, and the eating status of meals corresponding to the purchased items. The above information used for training may be information of the user who purchases the purchased items, or it may be information of a person other than the user. Also, the eating status used for training may be the eating status entered by the person who purchased the purchased items. This makes it possible to estimate the eating status according to the day of the week and time of day when a user shops regularly.

[0090] Although several examples of the estimation of eating habits by the estimation unit 207 have been described, these examples may be combined as appropriate.

[0091] Furthermore, the output unit 104 of the information providing device 200 may output the estimated dietary situation used to determine the recommended nutritional situation, along with the total nutritional situation and the recommended nutritional situation. In this case, the output unit 104 may also output the dietary situation used to determine the recommended nutritional situation in a changeable manner. If the dietary situation is changed, the determination unit 103 may re-determine the recommended nutritional situation based on the changed dietary situation, and the output unit 104 may output the re-determined recommended nutritional situation. By allowing the user to change the estimated dietary situation, more appropriate nutritional management information can be provided to the user, and it is thought that the amount of input the user needs to provide about their dietary situation will decrease, making it easier for the user to obtain information about nutritional management.

[0092] The operation of the information providing device 200 configured as described above will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 10.

[0093] First, the acquisition unit 101 acquires product information of the purchased product (step S201). Note that the process in step S201 may be performed sequentially.

[0094] Next, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total nutritional content of the purchased product based on the nutritional information associated with the product information acquired in step S201 (step S202). Note that the processing in step S202 may be performed sequentially following the processing in step S201, or it may be performed when a request is made from the terminal device used by the user to output the total nutritional content and recommended nutritional content, or at predetermined time intervals.

[0095] Next, the estimation unit 207 estimates the user's eating habits based on at least one of the user's purchase history and product information (step S203). Note that the timing of the process in step S203 is not limited to after step S202. For example, the process in step S203 may be performed before the process in step S201, or it may be performed after the process in step S201, before or simultaneously with step S202.

[0096] Next, the determination unit 103 determines the recommended nutritional amount based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product (step S204). The timing of the process in step S204 is not particularly limited and may be performed after step S202. For example, the process in step S204 may be performed in advance before the process in step S201, or it may be performed after the process in step S201, before or simultaneously with step S202.

[0097] Then, the output unit 104 outputs the total nutritional amount and the recommended nutritional amount (step S205).

[0098] With this, the information providing device 200 completes its series of operations.

[0099] The information providing device in the above-described embodiment comprises an acquisition unit, a calculation unit, a determination unit, an output unit, and an estimation unit. The acquisition unit acquires product information of the purchased product. The calculation unit calculates the total nutritional content of the purchased product based on the nutritional information associated with the product information. The determination unit determines the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meal corresponding to the purchased product. The output unit then outputs the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content. The estimation unit estimates the dietary situation used to determine the recommended nutritional content based on at least one of the user's purchase history and product information.

[0100] The information-providing device in this embodiment outputs the total nutritional content of purchased products along with recommended nutritional content based on the user's eating habits. As a result, the information-providing device in this embodiment can provide users with more appropriate information regarding nutritional management.

[0101] Furthermore, the information provision device in this embodiment estimates the user's eating habits. As a result, the information provision device in this embodiment can provide the user with more appropriate nutritional management information while reducing the effort required for the user to input or pre-register their eating habits.

[0102] [Modified Version of the Second Embodiment] Next, a modified version of the second embodiment will be described. To the extent that the description of this modified version does not become unclear, explanations that overlap with the above description will be omitted.

[0103] In the modified version of the second embodiment, the information providing device 200 differs from the second embodiment in that it estimates the remaining amount of purchased products already purchased at the user's home, etc., and outputs information regarding nutritional management that takes into account the remaining amount of purchased products.

[0104] The estimation unit 207 further estimates the remaining quantity of the purchased products based on the purchase history. Here, the purchased products whose remaining quantity is estimated are those purchased in commercial transactions prior to the commercial transactions of the purchased products that are the subject of the calculation of the total nutritional content in the second embodiment, etc.

[0105] For example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the remaining quantity of purchased items based on the purchase frequency of each item based on the purchase history. For example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the average consumption period for each category or type of purchased item based on the purchase history. Then, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the remaining quantity of purchased items based on the average consumption period and the purchase history.

[0106] Furthermore, for example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate the remaining quantity of purchased products based on the expiration dates of purchased products based on the purchase history. For example, the estimation unit 207 may estimate that the purchased products were consumed by the expiration date if the average consumption period of the purchased products does not elapse by the expiration date.

[0107] The remaining quantity of purchased items may be acquired by the acquisition unit 101, for example, from the user's terminal device. The remaining quantity of purchased items may be entered for each purchased item in the terminal device, or it may be estimated based on an image of the remaining quantity of the purchased items. Known image recognition technology may be used to estimate the remaining quantity based on an image of the remaining quantity of purchased items, and the main entity performing the estimation may be a device provided inside or outside the information providing device 200 or the terminal device.

[0108] One example of processing using the remaining amount of purchased products is to add the total nutritional value of the purchased products and the nutritional value of the remaining amount of the purchased products. In this case, the calculation unit 102 calculates the total nutritional value of the purchased products and the remaining amount of the purchased products. The method for calculating the total nutritional value may be the same as in the first embodiment. The nutritional value of the remaining amount of purchased products may be calculated by multiplying the nutritional information associated with the product information by the remaining amount, using the product information of the purchased products that have remaining quantity.

[0109] Another example of processing using the remaining amount of purchased products is to subtract the amount of nutrients from the remaining amount of purchased products from the recommended amount of nutrients. In this case, the determination unit 103 determines the recommended amount of nutrients by subtracting the amount of nutrients from the remaining amount of purchased products from the recommended amount of nutrients determined in the same way as in the first embodiment.

[0110] According to this modified version, by considering the remaining amount of purchased products when managing nutrition, it is possible to provide more appropriate nutritional management information. This is because the remaining amount of purchased products is expected to be used in meals along with the products the user is purchasing this time.

[0111] [Hardware Configuration] Some or all of the components of each apparatus or system in each embodiment and modification of the present disclosure described above are realized by any combination of an information processing device 1000 and a program, for example, as shown in Figure 11. The information processing device 1000 includes, as an example, the following configuration.

[0112] - CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1001 - ROM (Read Only Memory) 1002 - RAM (Random Access Memory) 1003 - Program 1004 loaded into RAM 1003 - Storage device 1005 that stores the program 1004 - Drive device 1007 that reads and writes to the recording medium 1006 - Communication I / F 1008 that connects to the communication network 1009 - Input / Output I / F 1010 that performs data input and output - Bus 1011 that connects each component Note that I / F is an abbreviation for Interface.

[0113] Each component of each device or system in each embodiment and modification is realized by the CPU 1001 acquiring and executing a program that realizes its function. The program that realizes the function of each component of each device is, for example, stored in advance in the storage device 1005 or RAM 1003 and read by the CPU 1001 as needed. The program 1004 may be supplied to the CPU 1001 via a communication network, or it may be stored in advance in the recording medium 1006 and read by the drive device 1007 and supplied to the CPU 1001.

[0114] There are various variations in how each device is implemented. For example, each device or system may be implemented by any combination of a separate information processing device 1000 and a program for each component. Alternatively, the multiple components of each device may be implemented by any combination of a single information processing device 1000 and a program.

[0115] Furthermore, some or all of the components of each device or system are realized by general-purpose or dedicated circuits, including processors, or combinations thereof. Examples of circuits include CPUs, GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), and AI (Artificial Intelligence) processing LSIs (Large Scale Integration). These may consist of a single chip or multiple chips connected via a bus. Some or all of the components of each device may be realized by a combination of the aforementioned circuits and programs.

[0116] When some or all of the components of each device or system are implemented by multiple information processing devices or circuits, these multiple information processing devices or circuits may be centrally located or distributed. For example, the information processing devices or circuits may be implemented in a form in which each is connected via a communication network, such as a client-server system or a cloud computing system.

[0117] While the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the embodiments and modifications described herein, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described herein. Various modifications to the structure and details of the present disclosure are possible, which can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0118] For example, the information providing device 200 may be modified to include at least one of the receiving unit 105 and the generating unit 106. Also, a modification of the second embodiment may be applied to the first embodiment.

[0119] Furthermore, although multiple operations are described sequentially in flowchart format, the order in which they are described does not limit the order in which the operations are performed. Therefore, when implementing each embodiment and modification, the order of the multiple operations may be changed to the extent that it does not impair the content.

[0120] Some or all of the above embodiments and modifications may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

[0121] [Note 1] An information providing device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring product information of purchased products; a calculation means for calculating the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information; a determination means for determining the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products; and an output means for outputting the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0122] [Note 2] The information provision device described in Note 1 includes the number of meals and the number of people eating the meals.

[0123] [Note 3] The aforementioned number of people is the number of people for each attribute, as described in Note 2 regarding the information providing device.

[0124] [Note 4] The information provision device described in any of Notes 1 to 3, which includes the physical information of the person eating the meal.

[0125] [Note 5] The information providing device according to Note 4, wherein the physical information includes the activity level of the person, and the determination means determines a larger recommended nutrient amount the greater the activity level.

[0126] [Note 6] The information providing device according to any one of Notes 1 to 5, wherein the meal situation includes the time period during which the meal is eaten, and the determination means determines the recommended amount of nutrients for each time period.

[0127] [Appendix 7] An information providing device according to any one of Appendix 1 to 6, further comprising a receiving means for receiving input of the meal status.

[0128] [Appendix 8] An information providing device according to any one of Appendix 1 to 6, further comprising estimation means for estimating the eating situation based on at least one of the purchase history of the user who purchases the purchased product and the product information.

[0129] [Note 9] The information providing device described in Note 8, wherein the estimation means estimates the number of meals and the number of people in the meals based on the shopping frequency estimated from the purchase history.

[0130] [Note 10] The information providing device according to Note 8 or 9, wherein the estimation means estimates the eating situation based on the category to which the purchased product belongs or the category of the store that sells the purchased product.

[0131] [Note 11] The output means is an information providing device according to any one of Notes 8 to 10, which outputs the estimated meal status in a modifiable manner.

[0132] [Note 12] The information providing device according to any one of Notes 8 to 11, wherein the estimation means further estimates the remaining amount of the product estimated from the purchase history, and the calculation means calculates the total nutritional value of the purchased product and the remaining amount.

[0133] [Appendix 13] The information providing device according to any one of Appendix 1 to 12, further comprising a generation means for generating recommended information related to nutritional management based on the total nutritional amount and the recommended nutritional amount, wherein the output means further outputs the recommended information.

[0134] [Note 14] The generating means is an information providing device as described in Note 13, which generates the recommended information showing the difference between the total nutritional amount and the recommended nutritional amount.

[0135] [Note 15] The information providing device according to Note 13 or 14, wherein the generating means generates the recommendation information recommending products that supplement the nutrients for which the total nutrient amount is insufficient compared to the recommended nutrient amount.

[0136] [Note 16] The information providing device according to any one of Notes 13 to 15, wherein the generating means generates recommendation information that recommends the timing of meals for the purchased product containing nutrients whose total nutritional content exceeds the recommended nutritional content.

[0137] [Note 17] The information providing device according to any one of Notes 13 to 16, wherein the generating means further generates alert information that alerts the purchased product to be incompatible with other foods based on the product information, and the output means further outputs the alert information.

[0138] [Note 18] The information providing device according to any one of Notes 1 to 17, wherein the output means outputs the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content along with a display area indicating the purchased product registered as the product to be purchased.

[0139] [Note 19] An information provision method that obtains product information of purchased products, calculates the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information, determines the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products, and outputs the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0140] [Note 20] A recording medium that stores a program that causes a computer to perform the following processes: acquire product information of purchased products; calculate the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information; determine the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products; and output the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

[0141] Furthermore, some or all of the configurations described in Appendices 2 to 18, which are subordinate to Appendice 1 (information providing device) above, may also be subordinate to Appendice 19 (information providing method) and Appendice 20 (recording medium) in the same way as Appendices 2 to 18. Moreover, not limited to Appendices 1, 19, and 20, some or all of the configurations described as appendices may also be subordinate to various hardware, software, various recording means for recording software, or systems, without departing from the above-described embodiments and modifications.

[0142] 100 Information Providing Device 101 Acquisition Unit 102 Calculation Unit 103 Determination Unit 104 Output Unit 100A Information Providing Device 105 Reception Unit 100B Information Providing Device 106 Generation Unit 200 Information Providing Device 207 Estimation Unit 1000 Information Processing Device 1001 CPU 1002 ROM 1003 RAM 1004 Program 1005 Storage Device 1006 Recording Medium 1007 Drive Device 1008 Communication I / F 1009 Communication Network 1010 Input / Output I / F 1011 Bus

Claims

1. An information providing device comprising: an acquisition means for acquiring product information of purchased products; a calculation means for calculating the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information; a determination means for determining the recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products; and an output means for outputting the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

2. The information providing device according to claim 1, wherein the meal status includes the number of meals and the number of people eating the meals.

3. The information providing device according to claim 2, wherein the number of people is the number of people for each attribute.

4. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the meal situation includes physical information of the person eating.

5. The information providing device according to claim 4, wherein the physical information includes the activity level of the person, and the determination means determines a larger recommended nutrient amount the greater the activity level.

6. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the meal situation includes the time period during which the meal is eaten, and the determination means determines the recommended amount of nutrients for each time period.

7. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a receiving means for receiving input of the meal status.

8. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising estimation means for estimating the eating situation based on at least one of the purchase history of a user who purchases the purchased product and the product information.

9. The information providing device according to claim 8, wherein the estimation means estimates the number of meals and the number of people in the meals based on the shopping frequency estimated from the purchase history.

10. The information providing device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the estimation means estimates the eating situation based on the category to which the purchased product belongs or the category of the store that sells the purchased product.

11. The information providing device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the output means outputs the estimated meal status in a modifiable manner.

12. The information providing device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the estimation means further estimates the remaining amount of the product estimated from the purchase history, and the calculation means calculates the total nutritional value of the purchased product and the remaining amount.

13. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a generation means for generating recommended information related to nutritional management based on the total nutritional amount and the recommended nutritional amount, wherein the output means further outputs the recommended information.

14. The information providing device according to claim 13, wherein the generating means generates the recommended information showing the difference between the total nutrient amount and the recommended nutrient amount.

15. The information providing device according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the generating means generates recommendation information recommending products that supplement nutrients for which the total nutrient amount is insufficient compared to the recommended nutrient amount.

16. The information providing device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the generating means generates recommendation information that recommends the timing of meals for the purchased product containing nutrients in which the total amount of nutrients exceeds the recommended amount of nutrients.

17. The information providing device according to any one of claims 13 to 16, wherein the generating means further generates alert information that alerts the user to incompatible food combinations of the purchased products based on the product information, and the output means further outputs the alert information.

18. The information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the output means outputs the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content along with a display area indicating the purchased product registered as the product to be purchased.

19. An information provision method comprising: obtaining product information of purchased products; calculating the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information; determining recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products; and outputting the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

20. A recording medium that stores a program that causes a computer to perform the following processes: acquiring product information of purchased products; calculating the total nutritional content of the purchased products based on nutritional information associated with the product information; determining recommended nutritional content based on the dietary situation of the meals corresponding to the purchased products; and outputting the total nutritional content and the recommended nutritional content.

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