Receipt-Based Electronic Ticket Processing for Low-Burden Store Use
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Solution Overview
Problem
The spread of the novel coronavirus has led to a decrease in restaurant sales, and existing methods for providing electronic tickets to employees impose a significant burden on the store side, hindering their introduction and spread.
Innovation Solution
An electronic ticket information processing apparatus that includes a storage unit for user identification and ticket details, an acquisition unit for transaction data from photographed receipts, an extraction unit for usable amounts, and an output unit for calculating and paying the user based on accumulated ticket use, allowing electronic tickets to be used without burdening the store.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If electronic tickets are introduced to employees to support restaurant recovery, then restaurant sales can be recovered, but the burden on store operations increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex verification and calculation logic from the store side and relocates it to a centralized management system. The store only needs to issue receipts, while the management system automatically handles electronic ticket validation, accumulation tracking, and refund calculations, significantly reducing store operational burden while enabling widespread electronic ticket usage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized management system as an intermediary between the store and employees. This intermediary automatically processes electronic ticket verification, accumulates usage amounts across multiple transactions, and calculates refunds, eliminating the need for stores to directly manage complex electronic ticket operations while still achieving sales recovery goals
2Reliability
If manual tracking of electronic ticket usage is implemented, then usage can be monitored, but operational complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical tracking processes with an automated information processing system. The system automatically captures receipt data, extracts transaction amounts, validates electronic ticket usage against accumulation rules, and calculates refunds without human intervention, ensuring accurate tracking while dramatically reducing processing time
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service automated tracking where the management system independently performs verification, accumulation, and calculation operations without requiring store staff or employees to manually track usage. The system automatically processes receipts and maintains accurate records of electronic ticket consumption patterns
3Adaptability or versatility
If electronic ticket systems require store-side construction and operation, then full control over ticket usage is achieved, but implementation burden and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal centralized management system that serves multiple stores and employees through a single platform. The system handles electronic ticket issuance, verification, accumulation tracking, and refund calculation across the entire organization, providing comprehensive control without requiring individual stores to build or maintain separate systems
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having stores build and operate electronic ticket systems (bottom-up approach), the patent inverts the architecture by implementing a centralized management system that stores connect to (top-down approach). This inversion maintains full organizational control over ticket usage while eliminating the burden of local system construction and operation
Data Source
AI summary
To provide an electronic ticket information processing apparatus for providing a user with an electronic ticket available in a store without imposing a burden on the store side.An electronic ticket information processing apparatus includes: a storage unit that stores user identification information, and an available amount and an available period of an electronic ticket to be provided to a user in association with the user identification information; an acquisition unit that acquires transaction information from an image obtained by photographing a receipt issued when the user performs a purchase transaction at a target store; an extraction unit that extracts, based on the acquired transaction information, use amount information indicating an amount to be a use target of the electronic ticket; a calculation unit that calculates an accumulated use amount of the electronic ticket by the user in the available period by accumulating amounts indicated by the use amount information for respective pieces of transaction information in which a transaction date is included in the available period; and an output unit that outputs an amount according to the accumulated use amount as an amount to be paid to the user.