JP2002260075A - Sales device and method, management device and method, sales system, recording medium and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a user to get merits when the commodities of the same maker are purchased repeatedly without limitation on a purchasing place. SOLUTION: Identification information on a commodity to be purchased by the user and the number of purchased commodity being input, a sale computer 11 installed in a retail shop transmits the input information with the identification information of an IC card to a customer management computer 31 managed by a maker A. The customer management computer 31 has the user's purchase history by each user, whereby for the customer frequently purchasing the commodity put on the market by the maker in a larger amount, the discount rate at the next purchasing is set high. The customer management computer 31 calculates the amount of money paid at the retail shop by the user according to the purchase history, and informs the amount of money to the sales computer 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sales apparatus and method, a management apparatus and method, a sales system, a recording medium, and a program, and in particular, repeatedly purchases products of the same manufacturer without being restricted by a place of purchase. The present invention relates to a vending apparatus and method, a management apparatus and method, a vending system, a recording medium, and a program capable of receiving a merit obtained by doing so.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a selling method in which points are issued according to the purchase amount or the like, and the next time a product is purchased, the payment amount is reduced according to the points stored in a magnetic card or the like.

[0003] In this selling method, from the customer's point of view, the more they shop at the same store or the same chain of stores (the more points they accumulate), the larger the amount of money discounted at the next purchase. There are benefits.

[0004]

However, in other words, if the customer does not always shop at the same store or the same chain of stores, he or she cannot enjoy the benefits.

[0005] It is expected that most customers will choose to purchase at retailers who always use and receive discounts, rather than at retailers who do not receive the benefits such as discounts. Therefore, a product of a manufacturer that is not placed in a retail store that a customer always uses is not purchased even if the customer wants the product of the manufacturer.

[0006] From the manufacturer's point of view, the stores and affiliates to sell are not always important, and it is preferable that the company's products are repeatedly purchased. That is, a system that can issue points independently to customers who repeatedly purchase their products without being restricted by a store or the like is preferable, and establishment of such a system is desired.

[0007] The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and from the viewpoint of the customer, regardless of where the purchase is made, as long as the same manufacturer's product is purchased, the purchase is repeated. It is intended to be able to receive the merit of doing. Also, from the manufacturer's point of view, it is possible to enclose customers.

[0008]

A sales apparatus according to the present invention includes a communication means for communicating with a device used by a user, and input of sales item information including identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales. Receiving means for receiving, and management for managing the user's purchase history of the device identification information and sales item information obtained by the communication means so as to inquire about the amount paid by the user when the sales item information is input by the receiving means. Inquiry means to be transmitted to the device, and acquisition means for acquiring, when the amount to be paid by the user is notified in response to the inquiry by the inquiry means, the amount information corresponding to the amount from the device through communication by the communication means. And

[0009] A requesting means for requesting a predetermined financial institution to transfer the money amount information acquired by the acquiring means to the account of the administrator of the vending machine may be further provided.

[0010] According to the method of the present invention, a communication step of communicating with a device used by a user and a receiving step of receiving input of sales information including identification information of a sales product to be sold to the user and the number of sales. And when the sale item information is input by the processing of the reception step,
In order to inquire about the amount to be paid by the user, the inquiry step of transmitting the device identification information and the sales item information acquired by the processing of the communication step to the management device that manages the purchase history of the user, and the inquiry by the processing of the inquiry step. Accordingly, when the user is notified of the amount to be paid, an acquisition step of acquiring the amount information corresponding to the amount from the device by communication through the processing of the communication step is provided.

The program of the recording medium according to the present invention includes a communication step of communicating with a device used by a user, a receiving step of receiving input of sales item information including identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales. When the sale item information is input in the reception step process, in order to inquire about the amount to be paid by the user, the device identification information and the sale item information acquired in the communication step process are managed to manage the purchase history of the user. An inquiry step to be transmitted to the device, and an acquisition step of acquiring amount information corresponding to the amount from the device by communication in the communication step when the amount to be paid by the user is notified in response to the inquiry in the inquiry step. It is characterized by including.

A program according to the present invention controls a communication control step for controlling communication with a device used by a user, and controls reception of input of sales item information including identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales. When the sales item information is input by the reception control step and the reception control step, the identification information of the device and the sales item information acquired by the communication step process are queried to inquire about the amount to be paid by the user. An inquiry step for controlling transmission to the management device that manages the purchase history; and, in response to the inquiry by the processing of the inquiry step, when the amount to be paid by the user is notified, the amount information corresponding to the amount is transmitted by the processing of the communication step. And causing the computer to execute an acquisition step of acquiring from the device by communication. To.

[0013] The management apparatus of the present invention, when the identification information of the sale item to be sold to the user and the sale item information including the number of sales are transmitted from the sale device together with the identification information of the equipment used by the user, Receiving means for receiving, a purchase history storing means for storing the purchase history of the user, and a user's purchase history read from the purchase history storage means based on the identification information of the device received by the receiving means. It is characterized by comprising a calculating means for calculating the amount to be paid for the purchase, and a notifying means for notifying the selling device of the amount calculated by the calculating means.

[0014] The purchase history storage means stores a discount rate of the price of the product for sale to the user, and the amount calculating means discounts the standard price of the product for sale based on the discount rate stored in the purchase history storage means. It is possible to calculate the unit price of the product for sale to the user, and calculate the price by multiplying the sales quantity.

[0015] The purchase history storage means can store the discount rate by changing the discount rate according to the past sales number or sales price of the product for sale.

According to the management method of the management device of the present invention, the sales item information including the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the sales item information including the number of sales is transmitted from the sales device together with the identification information of the device used by the user. A receiving step of receiving the user, a purchasing history storing step of storing the user's purchasing history, and a processing of the purchasing history storing step based on the identification information of the device received by the processing of the receiving step. The method includes a calculating step of reading out the stored information and calculating an amount paid by the user for the purchase of a sale item, and a notifying step of notifying the selling device of the amount calculated by the processing of the calculating step. .

According to the recording medium program of the present invention, when the sales information including the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the sales information including the number of sales is transmitted from the sales device together with the identification information of the equipment used by the user, A receiving step of receiving the received information, a purchasing history storing step of storing the user's purchasing history, and storing the purchasing history of the user by the processing of the purchasing history storing step based on the device identification information received by the processing of the receiving step. And a notifying step of notifying the vending device of the amount calculated by the processing of the calculating step by reading out the information to be paid from the user and paying for the purchase of the sale item.

According to the program of the present invention, the sale item information including the identification information of the sale item to be sold to the user and the number of sales items is
When transmitted from the sales device together with the identification information of the device used by the user, the reception is performed by the reception control step of controlling reception, the purchase history storage step of storing the purchase history of the user, and the reception control step. A calculating step of reading out the purchase history of the user from the information stored by the processing of the purchase history storing step based on the identification information of the controlled device, and calculating an amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item; And a notifying step of notifying the selling device of the amount calculated by the processing of the above.

The sales apparatus of the sales system according to the present invention includes a communication means for communicating with a device used by a user, and a receiving means for receiving input of sales information including identification information of a sales product to be sold to the user and the number of sales. When the sales information is input by the receiving means, the identification information of the device and the sales information obtained by the communication means are transmitted to the management device which manages the purchase history of the user in order to inquire about the amount paid by the user. And an acquisition unit that, when notified of the amount to be paid by the user in response to the inquiry by the inquiry unit, acquires amount information corresponding to the amount from the device by communication through the communication unit. In addition, when the sales information is transmitted from the sales device together with the identification information of the device, the management device receives the reception information by the reception unit, the purchase history storage unit that stores the purchase history of the user, and the reception unit. Calculating means for reading out the purchase history of the user from the purchase history storage means based on the obtained device identification information, and calculating the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item; And notification means for notifying the user.

According to the sales apparatus and method of the present invention, and the program of the recording medium, the identification information of the sales product to be sold to the user by communicating with the equipment used by the user;
And input of sales item information including the number of sales is accepted. Further, when the sale item information is input, the acquired identification information of the device and the sale item information are transmitted to the management device that manages the purchase history of the user in order to inquire about the amount paid by the user. When the amount paid by the user is notified, amount information corresponding to the amount is acquired from the device.

In the management apparatus and method of the present invention, and the program of the recording medium, the sales information including the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the sales number is included in the sales apparatus together with the identification information of the equipment used by the user. When it is sent from, it is received. Further, the purchase history of the user is stored, the purchase history of the user is read out based on the received identification information of the device, the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item is calculated, and the calculated amount is calculated. The sales equipment is notified.

In the sales system of the present invention, the communication with the device used by the user is performed, and the input of sales item information including the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales is accepted. Further, when the sale item information is input, the acquired identification information of the device and the sale item information are transmitted to the management device that manages the purchase history of the user in order to inquire about the amount paid by the user. When the amount paid by the user is notified, amount information corresponding to the amount is acquired from the device. Further, when the sale item information including the identification information of the sale item to be sold to the user and the sale number together with the identification information of the device used by the user is transmitted from the sales device, the information is received. Further, the purchase history of the user is stored, the purchase history of the user is read out based on the received identification information of the device, the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item is calculated, and the calculated amount is calculated. The sales equipment is notified.

[0023]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the concept of a sales system to which the present invention is applied.

In this sales system, when a user purchases a product, for example, the user stores the electronic money in the IC (integrated circuit) card 1 in exchange for the deposit of his account, and uses the electronic money to store the electronic money. And buy products at vending machines. A vending machine and a vending machine are provided with a vending computer 11 (see FIG. 2). When a user inputs identification information of the IC card 1 or information on a purchased product (a vending product), the vending computer is used. 11 accesses a terminal managed by a manufacturer that sells a product to be purchased by the user and inquires about the amount to be paid by the user.

In the example of FIG. 1, it is assumed that the user purchases a product sold from the manufacturer A, and the sales computer 1 installed in a retail store or a vending machine is assumed.
1. When identification information of a user's IC card 1 and information on the name of a purchased product and the number of purchases are input, the information is input to a customer management computer 31 managed by a maker A via a network 21 such as the Internet. And send the information. Then, the sales computer 11 inquires about the amount paid by the user for purchasing the product.

The customer management computer 31 has a database of customers who have purchased products sold by the maker A, and the database stores purchase history information of their own products for each customer. Then, a discount rate (point) of the price is set for each customer as a merit when purchasing the same product next time, and the amount paid by the user is calculated based on the discount rate. Is notified to the vending computer 11 of the retail store or vending machine.

The customer management computer 31 updates the purchase history information including information such as the discount rate for the customer who purchased the product. For example, the greater the cumulative number of purchases, the higher the discount rate for the next purchase. I do.

The sales computer 11 displays the amount on the display unit when the amount is notified from the customer management computer 31, and rewrites the electronic money stored in the IC card 1 when the user approves the amount. And charge the payment. That is, the sales computer 11
Obtains electronic money from the IC card 1 as the price of the product, transmits the electronic money to the customer deposit management computer 41 managed by a predetermined financial institution, and transfers the electronic money to the account of the administrator of the retail store or the vending machine. Ask.

Thus, regardless of where the product is purchased at a retail store or a vending machine, points (discount rate) can be accumulated as the product of the manufacturer A is repeatedly purchased. In FIG. 1, solid arrows indicate flows of customer IDs (identification information of the IC card 1) and the like, and dotted arrows indicate flows of electronic money.

Further, the user can purchase the product sold by the maker A even by using the customer computer 2 which is a personal computer, for example, which can be connected to the network 21, and can receive a discount by a discount. it can.

When purchasing a product of the maker A from the customer computer 2, the user accesses the sales Web server 51 storing a shopping page (Web page) where the maker A sells its product, and purchases the product. Apply for

When information on the product to be purchased is transmitted from the customer computer 2 via the network 21, the sales Web server 51 transmits the information to the customer management computer 31 and requests calculation of the payment amount. As described above, in the customer management computer 31, information such as a discount rate when the same product is purchased next time is set for each customer, and based on this, the customer management computer 31 determines the amount paid by the user. calculate. Then, the customer management computer 31 notifies the sales Web server 51 of the payment amount of the user via the network 21.

When the sales Web server 51 is notified of the user's payment amount from the customer management computer 31,
It is converted into a format that can be displayed on the customer computer 2 and transmitted to the customer computer 2 via the network 21.

As in the case of the IC card 1 described above, the user prepares electronic money in predetermined software of the customer computer 2 in exchange for the deposit in his or her account. Is notified, and when it is displayed on the display, whether or not to accept the payment (whether or not to purchase the product of maker A) is selected.

When the user decides to purchase a product and inputs that electronic money is to be transmitted, the customer computer 2
Transmits the electronic money corresponding to the payment amount to the sales Web server 51 via the network 21 (pay the price of the product to be purchased).

When the electronic money is transmitted from the customer computer 2, the sales Web server 51 transmits the electronic money to the customer deposit management computer 41 managed by a predetermined financial institution via the network 21, and stores the electronic money in the account of the maker A. Request a transfer.

In the customer management computer 31, purchase history information such as a discount rate relating to a product ordered by the user from the customer computer 2 is updated.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the sales system of FIG. The same parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

As described above, the retail computer (vending machine) is provided with the vending computer 11, and the vending computer 11 stores the electronic money information and the like stored in the IC card 1 used by the user. A reader / writer 12 that rewrites various data in a non-contact manner is provided.
In other words, the user pays for the goods purchased at the retail
When paying with electronic money stored in Card 1, IC
By bringing the card 1 closer to the vicinity of the reader / writer 12, the card 1 is made to communicate with the sales computer 11.

A selling computer 11 is installed at each place where products are sold, such as a retail store or a vending machine. That is, a plurality of sales computers 11 (not shown) are connected to the network 21, and the purchase history possessed by the maker of the product is updated and the points are obtained no matter where the purchase is made. Is added.

The maker A has a customer management computer 31
In addition to the above, a commodity price management computer 32 for managing a standard price (list price) of a commodity sold by the maker A is installed, and each computer has a LAN (Local Area Network).
rk) 35.

Then, the customer management computer 31 has
Customer database 33 that stores purchase history information for each customer
The commodity price management computer 32 is connected to a commodity price database 34 that stores standard prices of all the goods sold by the maker A.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a purchase history (customer data) stored in the customer database 33 managed by the customer management computer 31 of the maker A. The maker A is a drinking water maker.

In this example, a customer ID as identification information is set for a customer who has purchased a product of maker A in the past, and various information is stored in association with the customer ID. I have.

For example, the start date of the target period (eg, the release date of the product or the start date of the campaign period) as the period for calculating the discount rate every time the product is purchased, and the product is placed before the latest purchase date. The last purchase date as the date of purchase (purchased two times before) and the latest purchase date as the date of last purchase of the product are stored. Also,
The product name (product identification information) of the purchased product (product to be discounted), the total number of purchases of the target product in the target period described above, the total purchase price, and the next time the same product is purchased , A discount rate indicating a rate of discount from the standard price is stored. Further, when an application such as a prize is received for a purchased product, the number of application units is set and stored according to a predetermined sales number or a sales amount.

For example, in the example of FIG. 3, a customer whose customer ID is set as "0001" is assigned a product name "A".
In the period from the start date of the target period, “April 1, 2000”, “60 cans” are purchased for the product of “beer”, and the total price is “9000 yen”. Then, the next time the customer purchases the product name "A beer"
It is stored that the discount is "10%" from the standard price. The date of last purchase is “July 10, 2000”, and the date of last purchase is “May 25, 2000”.

The customer whose customer ID is set to "0001" has also purchased the product name "C cola" within the target period, and stores the same information as described above. That is, the customer with the customer ID “0001” purchases “150 cans” of “C cola” in the target period, and the total amount is “18000 yen”. And next time, "C
The discount rate for purchasing “cola” is “18%”.

As described above, the discount rate is set higher as the same product is purchased more in the target period, and the same product can be purchased at a lower price when the same product is purchased next time.

In the example of FIG. 3, the customer ID is “000”.
The purchase history of the customer set as "2" and the purchase history of the customer set as "0003" are also stored.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a standard price of a product sold by maker A, stored in a product price database 34 managed by the product price management computer 32 of FIG.

In this example, the standard price is set as “150 yen” for “A beer” and “C cola”
The standard price is set as "120 yen" for "P
The standard price is set as “120 yen” for “coffee”, and the standard price is set as “350 yen” for “K beer”.

The customer management computer 31 stores the identification information of the product purchased by the user and the number of purchases together with the identification information (customer ID) of the IC card 1 on the network 21,
When transmitted from the sales computer 11 via the LAN 35, the user requests the commodity price management computer 32 to read out the standard price of the commodity purchased by the user. The standard price is the product price management computer 32.
, The customer management computer 31 reads the discount rate set for the user from the customer database 33, and discounts the discount rate by the discount rate as the amount paid by the user.
The sales computer 11 is notified.

In the example of FIG. 2, computers managed by manufacturers B to N are also connected to the network 21 in addition to the manufacturer A. Each manufacturer is provided with a customer management computer 31 to LAN 35. I have.
That is, Maker B to Maker N are also similar to Maker A,
It has a database as described above and holds data on customers who have purchased their products.

The customer deposit management computer 41 installed at the financial institution has a customer deposit database 42 for storing information on customer deposits. The electronic money paid by the user with the IC card 1 is transmitted from the sales computer 11. When it is transmitted via the network 21, processing such as transferring it to the account of the retail store is performed. Also,
The customer deposit management computer 41 is a sales Web server 51
Electronic money for products sold at
When sent from the server 51, the sales Web server 5
1. Transfer the electronic money to the account of the maker providing the shopping page.

As described above, the user uses the customer computer 2 such as a personal computer to make a sale.
It is also possible to access the server 51 and purchase (order) merchandise from the manufacturers A to N on the shopping page (Web page). Naturally, a sales Web server 51 for providing a company's own shopping page may be provided for each manufacturer.

When a product is ordered from the customer computer 2, the sales Web server 51 accesses the computer of the maker that sells the ordered product (provides the shopping page) and is transmitted from the customer computer 2. The sales information including the customer ID and the identification information of the ordered product is transmitted via the network 21 to inquire about the amount to be paid by the user. Then, the sales Web server 51 stores the customer management computer 31 as described above.
Is converted to a format that can be displayed on the customer computer 2 and transmitted to the customer computer 2 via the network 21. When electronic money is transmitted from the customer computer 2, the sales Web server 51 sends the electronic money to the customer deposit management computer 4.
1 requires that electronic money be transferred to an account of a maker that sells ordered products.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the IC card 1.

The controller 61 has a CPU (Central Processes).
sing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read On)
ly Memory) (both are not shown), using the electromotive force generated by the electromagnetic wave received by the antenna 64 to expand the program stored in the ROM to the RAM, Control the whole operation through. In the flash memory 62, an ID assigned to the IC card 1 is registered in advance, and a secret key assigned to the IC card 1 is registered, and is used by the controller 61 as necessary. The flash memory 62 stores information such as electronic money.
The antenna 64 communicates with the reader / writer 12 provided in the sales computer 11 by electromagnetic waves. The antenna 64 is connected to the flash memory 62 and the controller 61 via the interface 63 and the bus 65.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the customer computer 2 of FIG.

The CPU 71 executes various processes according to a program stored in the ROM 72 or a program loaded from the storage unit 78 to the RAM 73. The RAM 73 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 71 to execute various processes.

The CPU 71, the ROM 72, and the RAM 73 are mutually connected via a bus 74. The bus 74 is also connected to an input / output interface 75.

The input / output interface 75 includes an input unit 76 including a keyboard and a mouse, and a CRT (Cathode Ray
Tube), a display unit 77 such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), and a storage unit 7 such as a hard disk.
8, a communication unit 79 including a modem, a terminal adapter, and the like is connected. The communication unit 79 performs, for example, communication processing with the sales Web server 51 via the network 21.

A drive 80 is connected to the input / output interface 75 as necessary, and a magnetic disk 81,
An optical disk 82, a magneto-optical disk 83, a semiconductor memory 84, or the like is appropriately mounted, and a computer program read therefrom is installed in the storage unit 78 as necessary.

For example, in the storage unit 78, software for managing electronic money is stored, and electronic money to be paid to the sales Web server 51 or electronic money transmitted from a predetermined financial institution in exchange for its own deposit. Money and the like are managed.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the sales computer 11 of FIG.

The CPU 91 expands the program stored in the ROM 92 into the RAM 93 and controls the overall operation of the sales computer 11 via the bus 98. Input unit 94
Is composed of various operation buttons, for example, information such as identification information of a product purchased by the user and the number of purchases are input. The reader / writer 12 communicates with the IC card 1 by electromagnetic waves, and executes processing such as rewriting electronic money stored in the IC card 1 based on an instruction from the CPU 91. Also, the IC sent from IC card 1
Information such as identification information (customer ID) of the card 1 is output to the CPU 91 via the bus 98.

The communication section 95 transmits and receives various information to and from terminals connected to the network 21 via the network 21. For example, when information of a product purchased by a user is input to the input unit 94 and a customer ID is read from the IC card 1 by the reader / writer 12, the information is transmitted to the customer management computer 31 via the network 21. . The display unit 96 is made up of an LCD or the like, and displays, for example, information calculated and notified from the customer management computer 31, such as the payment amount, and presents it to the user.
The output unit 97 outputs, for example, a receipt when a product is purchased.

FIG. 8 shows the customer management computer 31 of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of FIG.

The CPU 111 expands the program stored in the ROM 112 into the RAM 113 and controls the overall operation of the customer management computer 31 via the bus 114 and the input / output interface 115. The ROM 112 stores, for example, a program for managing the purchase history of a customer who has purchased the company's products. The CPU 111 accesses the customer database 33 via the bus 114 and the input / output interface 115 according to the program, and reads and writes customer data as needed.

The input / output interface 115 has an input unit 116 for inputting data relating to customers by the administrator, a display unit 117 for displaying various information, and a program read from various recording media by the drive 120. Etc. are stored in the storage unit 118 and the communication unit 11
9 and the drive 120 are connected. Communication unit 119
Is a commodity price management computer 32 via the LAN 35
And transmits and receives data to and from various terminals connected to the network 21 via the network 21.

The commodity price management computer 32, the customer deposit management computer 41, and the sales Web server 51
The configuration is basically the same as that of the customer management computer 31, and the description thereof is omitted.

Next, the operation of the sales system of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 9 and 10. 9 and 10, a description will be given of a process in which a user purchases a product at a retail store or a vending machine by using electronic money stored in the IC card 1. Processing for purchasing a product from the network 2 on the network 21 will be described later.

In step S1, the CPU 91 of the sales computer 11 controls the reader / writer 12 when the user brings the IC card 1 close to the reader / writer 12 in order to purchase a product, and transmits electromagnetic waves to the IC card 1 so as to purchase the product. The customer ID stored in the flash memory 62 is read.

At step S 2, the CPU 91 causes the display unit 96 to display a purchase guidance screen for the product, and when the purchase unit information including the identification information of the product to be purchased by the user and the number of purchases is input to the input unit 94, Accept it. Then, in step S3, the CPU 91 identifies the manufacturer that sells the product based on the identification information of the product purchased by the user, and sends the acquired customer ID to the customer management computer 31 managed by the manufacturer. , And transmits the purchased product information via the network 21.

In step S 21, the CPU 111 of the customer management computer 31 connects the network 21 and the L
The communication unit 119 receives and acquires the customer ID and the purchased product information transmitted via the AN 35. And the CPU 111
Transmits the identification information of the product purchased by the user included in the purchased product information to the product price management computer 32 via the LAN 35 in step S22, and requests a search for a standard price (fixed price) of the product. .

In step S 41, the CPU of the commodity price management computer 32 searches the commodity price database 33 in response to a request for a standard price search from the customer management computer 31, and finds the standard of the commodity to be purchased by the user. Get the price. For example, when a user tries to purchase “A beer” released from maker A,
The commodity price management computer 32 is notified of the identification information of "A beer", and acquires "150 yen" as a standard price from a database as shown in FIG.

The CPU of the commodity price management computer 32 is
In step S 42, the standard price of the product purchased by the user is notified to the customer management computer 31 via the LAN 35.

CPU 111 of customer management computer 31
Receives the standard price information of the purchased product acquired by the product price management computer 32 in step S23. Then, proceeding to step S24, the CPU 111 of the customer management computer 31 searches the customer database 33 and acquires the discount rate of the product purchased by the user, which is stored in the customer database 33 in association with the customer ID. For example, the notified customer ID (IC card 1
Is “0001” and the user purchases “A beer”, the CPU 111 acquires “10%” as the discount rate from the database as shown in FIG. I do.

In step S 25, the CPU 111 calculates the payment amount of the user and updates the customer data stored in the customer database 33. For example, as in the example described above, when a customer whose customer ID is set as “0001” purchases “10 beers” for “A beer” on “August 10, 2000”, the CPU 111 The various information shown in the second row from the top in the database example
The last purchase date is "July 10, 2000", the latest purchase date is "August 10, 2000", and the total purchase quantity is "7.
0 ".

The CPU 111 discounts the unit price of “A beer” by discounting the standard price “150 yen” of “A beer” obtained in step S23 by the discount rate “10%” obtained in step S24. 135 yen ". Then, the CPU 111 sets the current payment amount to “1”.
350 yen ", and is added to the amount stored as the total purchase amount, and the total purchase amount information is set to" 10350 ".
To "yen". Further, the CPU 111 updates the discount rate when purchasing “A beer” again next time, for example, to “12%”.

That is, the database shown in FIG. 3 is rewritten to the one shown in FIG. 11 by the above-described update processing executed in step S25. In this example, the total purchase amount is “1000” by this purchase.
Since the price has exceeded "0 yen", the right to apply for a prize has been updated as "1 unit".

In step S26, the CPU 111 notifies the sales computer 11 of the payment amount calculated in step S25 from the communication unit 119 via the LAN 35 and the network 21.

The CPU 91 of the sales computer 11 receives the notified payment amount information via the communication section 95 in step S4, and displays the payment amount on the display section 96 in step S5.

Then, the user confirms the payment amount displayed on the display section 96, and inputs a predetermined payment operation from the input section 94 when approving the payment.

When the user approves the payment of the purchase price of the product, the CPU 91 controls the reader / writer 12 in step S 6 to control the flash memory 62 of the IC card 1.
Rewrites the electronic money stored in. For example, as in the example described above, the user with the customer ID "0001" is "A
When purchasing "10 cans" of "beer", the CPU 91 controls the reader / writer 12, reduces the electronic money stored in the flash memory 62 of the IC card 1 by "1350 yen", and acquires the electronic money. .

At step S7, the CPU 91 sets the account ID of the account previously established at the financial institution as the account of the retail store.
Then, the electronic money acquired from the IC card 1 is encrypted by a predetermined method and transmitted from the communication unit 95 to the customer deposit management computer 41 via the network 21. And
The CPU 91 requests that the acquired electronic money be transferred to the account of the manager of the retail store.

The CPU of the customer deposit management computer 41 is
When the account ID and the electronic money are transmitted from the sales computer 11, they are received in step S51,
In step S52, the electronic money is transferred to the account designated by the account ID (customer deposit database 4
2 is updated). Then, step S53
, The CPU of the customer deposit management computer 41 notifies the sales computer 11 via the network 21 that the transfer has been completed.

In step S8, the CPU 91 of the sales computer 11 receives a notification that the transfer has been completed. Then, the CPU 91 causes the display unit 96 to display a message to the effect that the payment has been completed, and presents it to the user.

With the above-described processing, the user can purchase a product of the same maker repeatedly regardless of the location where the sales computer 11 is installed, thereby restricting the purchase location. You can accumulate the discount rate as points without having to. In addition, the maker can also enclose customers.

Next, referring to the flowcharts of FIGS. 12 and 13, when the user uses the customer computer 2 to access a shopping page managed by the maker, and applies for purchase of a product on the network 21. Will be described.

In step S71, the CPU 71 of the customer computer 2 proceeds to step S71 in response to the user operating the input unit 76 and instructing access to the manufacturer's shopping page stored in the sales Web server 51. Access the Web server 51.

In response to the access from the customer computer 2, the sales Web server 51 transmits the shopping page data to the network 2 in step S91.
1 to be transmitted.

When the CPU 71 of the customer computer 2 receives the shopping page data from the sales Web server 51 in step S72, the CPU 71 displays the data on the display unit 77 such as a CRT or LCD in step S73.

When the user checks the shopping page and finds a desired product, he or she sends the purchased product information including the name of the product to be purchased and the number of purchases together with the identification information (customer ID) of the IC card to be used, using a mouse or keyboard. The input is made by operating the input unit 76 composed of the following. When a reader / writer is provided in the customer computer 2, the identification information of the IC card may be read by the reader / writer.

Then, in step S74, the CPU 71 receives the customer ID and the purchased merchandise information input by the user, and proceeds to step S75 to transmit the input information from the communication unit 78 to the sales Web server 51. I do.

In step S92, the sales Web server 5
1 receives the customer ID and purchased merchandise information transmitted from the customer computer 2, and in step S93, requests the customer management computer 31 of the sales maker of the merchandise to calculate the amount paid by the user. The received information is transmitted via the network 21.

The processing of steps S111 to S116 executed in the customer management computer 31 is the same as that of steps S21 to S26 described with reference to FIG.
The processing in steps S131 and S132 executed by the commodity price management computer 32 is the same as the processing in step S131 described with reference to FIG.
The processing is the same as the processing in step S41 and step S42.

That is, the CP of the customer management computer 31
When receiving the customer ID and the purchased product information from the sales Web server 51 via the network 21 and the LAN 35 in step S111, the U111 proceeds to step S112 and notifies the product price management computer 32 of the purchased product, Request a price search. The product price management computer 32 searches the product price database 33, reads out the standard price of the product purchased by the user, and notifies the customer management computer 31 of the standard price.

CPU 111 of customer management computer 31
When the standard price of the product is received in step S113, in step S114, the customer database 33
The discount rate is acquired from the purchase history of the user stored in the. Then, the CPU 111 proceeds to step S115
In, the user discounts the standard price of the product purchased by the user by the discount rate, and calculates the unit price of the product. The CPU 111 calculates the amount to be paid by the user by multiplying the unit price by the number of purchases, updates various types of customer data (purchase history) stored in the customer database 33, and sells the amount to be paid in step S116. W
Notify the eb server 51.

The sales Web server 51 receives the payment amount transmitted from the customer management computer 31 in step S94, converts the payment amount into a data format that can be displayed on the customer computer 2 in step S95, Via the network 21.

At step S76, the CPU 71 of the customer computer 2 receives the payment amount transmitted from the sales Web server 51, and displays it on the display unit 77 at step S77. When the user instructs to pay the electronic money for the payment amount, the CPU 71
In step S78, the software for managing the electronic money is started, and the electronic money corresponding to the payment amount is transmitted from the communication unit 78 to the sales Web server 51.

The sales Web server 51 determines in step S96
The electronic money transmitted from the customer computer 2 as the price of the product is received. Then, the sales Web server 51 transmits the acquired electronic money to the customer deposit management computer 41 via the network 21 together with the account ID of the sales maker.

In step S141, when the customer deposit management computer 41 receives the electronic money transmitted from the sales Web server 51 and the account ID of the sales maker, the process proceeds to step S142, and the customer deposit management computer 41 proceeds to step S142. Transfer electronic money to your account. Then, in step S143, the customer deposit management computer 41 notifies the sales Web server 51 that the transfer has been completed.

When the sales Web server 51 is notified from the customer deposit management computer 41 that the transfer has been completed, the sales Web server 51 notifies the customer computer 2 in step S99.

In the customer computer 2, the steps
In S79, a notification that the payment is completed is received, and in step S80, it is displayed on the display unit 77.

By the above-mentioned processing, the user can purchase the goods of the favorite maker on the network 21 and can accumulate points (discount rate).

In the above description, payment is made by electronic money. However, by inputting a credit card number or the like in the sales computer 11, goods can be purchased, and a discount rate as points can be accumulated. You may do so. In that case,
When the sales computer 11 is notified of the amount paid by the user from the customer management computer 31, the sales computer 11 notifies the user of the credit card number to a predetermined financial institution together with the payment amount information. In the customer management computer 31, the payment amount is calculated as described above, and a discount rate when the same product is purchased next is set.

Although the IC card 1 is of a non-contact type, it is needless to say that information such as electronic money may be rewritten by a contact type. That is, any device can be used as long as it can store electronic money and can be used to pay for goods. For example, a mobile phone having a function of managing electronic money can be used.

As an advantage of purchasing the same merchandise of the same manufacturer, the payment amount is discounted. However, according to the purchase history, a gift or the like may be given when predetermined points are accumulated. Good. Also,
The points (discount rate) may be accumulated according to the total purchase amount of products purchased from the same manufacturer, not limited to the same products.

Naturally, points may be accumulated not only when purchasing goods, but also when paying for services such as travel. That is, for example, the travel agent manages the same customer history information as described above.

The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware, but can also be executed by software.

When a series of processing is executed by software, a program constituting the software is installed in a computer incorporated in dedicated hardware, or various programs are installed, thereby realizing various functions. Is installed from a network 21 or a recording medium in a general-purpose personal computer or the like, which can execute the program.

As shown in FIG. 8, the recording medium is a magnetic disk 1 on which the program is recorded, which is distributed to provide the user with the program separately from the apparatus main body.
21 (including floppy disk), optical disk 122
(CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVD (Digit
al Versatile Disk), magneto-optical disk 123
(Including MD (Mini-Disk)) or semiconductor memory 12
ROM 112 that stores programs and is provided to the user in a state in which it is not only configured by a package medium such as
And a hard disk included in the storage unit 118.

In this specification, the steps for describing the program recorded on the recording medium are not limited to the processing performed in chronological order according to the described order, but are not necessarily performed in chronological order. Alternatively, it also includes individually executed processing.

In this specification, the system is
It represents the entire device composed of a plurality of devices.

[0116]

According to the sales apparatus and method of the present invention, and the program of the recording medium, the sales information including the identification information of the sales product to be sold to the user by communicating with the equipment used by the user and the sales number to the user. Accept the input of. Further, when the sale item information is input, the acquired device identification information and sale item information are transmitted to a management device that manages the purchase history of the user in order to inquire about the amount paid by the user, and in response to the inquiry, When the user is notified of the amount to be paid, the amount information corresponding to the amount is obtained from the device, so that the user can purchase merchandise of the same maker repeatedly without being restricted by the place of purchase. Can receive.

According to the management apparatus and method of the present invention, and the program of the recording medium, the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the sales item information including the number of sales are sold together with the identification information of the device used by the user. When it is sent from the device, it receives it. In addition, it stores the user's purchase history, reads out the user's purchase history based on the received device identification information, calculates the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item, and notifies the sales device of the calculated amount. Therefore, the user can benefit from repeatedly purchasing products of the same maker without being restricted by the place of purchase or the like.

According to the sales system of the present invention, it communicates with the device used by the user, and accepts input of sales item information including the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales. Further, when the sale item information is input, the acquired device identification information and sale item information are transmitted to the management device that manages the purchase history of the user in order to inquire about the amount paid by the user. When the amount to be paid by the user is notified, the amount information corresponding to the amount is acquired from the device. Further, when the sale device information including the identification information of the sale item to be sold to the user and the sale item information including the number of sales is transmitted from the sales device together with the identification information of the device used by the user, the information is received. In addition, it stores the user's purchase history, reads out the user's purchase history based on the received device identification information, calculates the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item, and notifies the sales device of the calculated amount. Therefore, the user can benefit from repeatedly purchasing products of the same maker without being restricted by the place of purchase or the like. In addition, the manufacturer can keep customers.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the concept of a sales system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a sales system in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a database constructed in the customer database of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a database constructed in the commodity price database of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the IC card of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a customer computer of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a sales computer in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a customer management computer in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the sales system in FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining processing of the sales system in FIG. 2;
FIG.

11 is a diagram showing another example of the database constructed in the customer database of FIG. 2;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another process of the sales system in FIG. 2;

FIG. 13 illustrates another process of the sales system in FIG. 2;
It is a flowchart following FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 IC card, 2 customer computer, 11 sales computer, 12 reader / writer, 31 customer management computer, 32 commodity price management computer,
33 customer database, 34 commodity price database, 91 CPU, 92 ROM, 93 RAM, 94
Input section, 95 communication section, 96 display section, 97 output section, 111 CPU, 112 ROM, 113 RAM,
114 bus, 115 input / output interface, 1
16 input unit, 117 display unit, 118 storage unit,
119 communication unit, 120 drives, 121 magnetic disk, 122 optical disk, 123 magneto-optical disk, 124 semiconductor memory

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G07F 7/08 G07F 7/08 J

Claims (12)

[Claims] A communication unit configured to communicate with a device used by a user; a receiving unit configured to receive input of sales item information including an identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user and a sales number; When the sale item information is input, the identification information of the device and the sale item information acquired by the communication unit are transmitted to the management device that manages the purchase history of the user so as to inquire about the amount paid by the user. Inquiry means, and in accordance with an inquiry by the inquiry means, when the amount to be paid by the user is notified, acquisition means for acquiring amount information corresponding to the amount from the device through communication by the communication means. A selling device characterized by the following. 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a request unit that requests a predetermined financial institution to transfer the money amount information acquired by the acquisition unit to an account of a manager of the sales device. The sales equipment described. A communication step of communicating with a device used by the user; a receiving step of receiving input of sales information including identification information of a sales product to be sold to the user and a sales quantity; and a process of the receiving step. When the sales item information is input by the user, the identification information of the device and the sales item information acquired by the process of the communication step are inquired to inquire about the amount to be paid by the user. Inquiry step to be transmitted to the device, In response to the inquiry by the processing of the inquiry step, when the amount to be paid by the user is notified, the amount information corresponding to the amount from the device by communication in the processing of the communication step An acquisition step of acquiring. 4. A communication step of communicating with a device used by a user, a receiving step of receiving input of sales item information including identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user and a sales number, and a process of the receiving step When the sales item information is input by the user, the management information that manages the purchase history of the user, by using the identification information of the device and the sales item information acquired by the processing of the communication step to inquire about the amount paid by the user. Inquiry step to be transmitted to the device, In response to the inquiry by the processing of the inquiry step, when the amount to be paid by the user is notified, the amount information corresponding to the amount from the device by communication in the processing of the communication step And a computer readable program. A recording medium on which a possible program is recorded. 5. A communication control step for controlling communication with a device used by a user, and a reception control for controlling reception of input of sales item information including identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user and sales quantity. Step, When the sales information is input by the processing of the reception control step, in order to inquire about the amount paid by the user, the identification information of the device obtained by the processing of the communication step, and sales information, An inquiry step of controlling transmission to a management device that manages the purchase history of the user; and, in response to the inquiry by the processing of the inquiry step, when the amount paid by the user is notified, an amount corresponding to the amount Acquiring the information from the device by communication through the processing of the communication step. A program to be executed by a computer. 6. A management device that is connected to a sales device that accepts sales via a network and manages a user's purchase history, wherein the sales item information including the identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales is: Receiving means for receiving, when transmitted from the sales apparatus together with the identification information of the equipment used by the user, purchase history storing means for storing the purchase history of the user, and receiving the information by the receiving means A calculating unit that reads the purchase history of the user from the purchase history storage unit based on the identification information of the device, and calculates an amount that the user pays for the purchase of the sale item; A managing unit that notifies the selling device of the amount of money. 7. The purchase history storage means stores a discount rate of the price of the product for sale to the user, and the amount calculation means calculates a discount rate based on the discount rate stored in the purchase history storage means. 7. The management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a unit price of the sales item for the user is calculated by discounting from a standard price of the sales item, and the amount is calculated by multiplying the unit price by the sales number. 8. The management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the purchase history storage means stores the discount rate after changing the discount rate according to the number of past sales of the sale item or the sales amount. 9. A management method of a management device connected to a sales device for accepting sales via a network and managing a purchase history of a user, wherein the sales item including identification information of the sales item to be sold to the user and the number of sales. When information is transmitted from the selling device together with identification information of a device used by the user, a receiving step of receiving the information, a purchase history storing step of storing the purchase history of the user, and a process of the receiving step The purchase history of the user is read from the information stored by the processing of the purchase history storage step based on the identification information of the device received by the device, and the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item is calculated. And a notification step of notifying the selling device of the amount calculated by the processing of the calculation step. Management method which comprises the flop. 10. A storage medium connected to a sales apparatus that accepts sales via a network and managing a user's purchase history, comprising: identification information of a sales article to be sold to the user; When information is transmitted from the selling device together with identification information of a device used by the user, a receiving step of receiving the information, a purchase history storing step of storing the purchase history of the user, and a process of the receiving step The purchase history of the user is read from the information stored by the processing of the purchase history storage step based on the identification information of the device received by the device, and the amount paid by the user for the purchase of the sale item is calculated. And a notification step of notifying the sales device of the amount calculated by the processing of the calculation step. -Up a recording medium from which a computer readable program is recorded, which comprises a. 11. A computer which is connected via a network to a sales device for accepting sales and controls the management of a user's purchase history stores sales item information including sales information to be sold to the user and sales number. A receiving control step of controlling reception of the device when used by the user along with identification information of a device used by the user; a purchase history storing step of storing a purchase history of the user; and a receiving control step. The purchase history of the user is read from the information stored by the processing of the purchase history storage step based on the identification information of the device the reception of which is controlled by the processing of the above. A calculating step of calculating an amount to be paid, and the amount calculated by the processing of the calculating step is transmitted to the selling device. Program for executing a notification step of knowledge. 12. A sales system comprising: a sales device that receives sales of sales items to a user; and a management device that manages the purchase history of the user, wherein the sales device communicates with a device used by the user. Means, identification information of a sales item to be sold to the user, and reception means for receiving input of sales item information including the number of sales, and when the sales item information is input by the reception unit, an amount paid by the user. Inquiring means for transmitting the identification information of the device acquired by the communication means and sales information to a management device which manages the purchase history of the user to make an inquiry; and When the amount to be paid is notified, amount information corresponding to the amount is sent to the communication means. Acquisition means for acquiring from the device by communication according to the above, wherein the management device, when the sales item information is transmitted from the sales device together with the identification information of the device, a receiving unit for receiving the same, A purchase history storage unit that stores a purchase history of the user; and the purchase history of the user is read from the purchase history storage unit based on the identification information of the device received by the reception unit. A sales system comprising: a calculating unit that calculates an amount to be paid for the purchase of the product; and a notifying unit that notifies the selling device of the amount calculated by the calculating unit.