This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese patent application No. 2020-203907, filed on Dec. 9, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a cocktail proposal apparatus, a cocktail proposal method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium.
In related art, when a cocktail is served to a customer, the customer selects a cocktail from a fixed menu, and then a bartender makes and serves the cocktail selected by the customer.
However, there are a wide variety of types of cocktails, and many types of cocktails are not on menus.
Thus, it is considered that many customers may want to drink cocktails that are not on a menu.
However, it is considered that customers generally have little knowledge of cocktails and thus may have ambiguous requests for kinds of cocktails they want, such as a cocktail with a gentle taste or a cool cocktail.
In order to respond to such customers' ambiguous requests, even bartenders need to have a great deal of knowledge about cocktails.
However, as described above, since there are a wide variety of types of cocktails, it is difficult for bartenders to have a comprehensive knowledge about all this wide variety of types of cocktails.
Therefore, recently, in order to supplement the bartenders' knowledge, there has been a demand for a technique by which cocktails more precisely meeting ambiguous requests from customers can be proposed.
One of related art is Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-197162. According to the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-197162, when a customer inputs his/her budget and preference, a drink (e.g., wine) suited to the his/her budget and preference is selected and displayed.
As described above, according to the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-197162, it is possible to propose a drink suited to a customer's budget and preference.
However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-197162 proposes a drink based on a clear request such as a customer's budget and preference. It is therefore difficult for the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-197162 to propose a drink meeting a customer's request when the customer's request is ambiguous.
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cocktail proposal apparatus, a cocktail proposal method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium capable of proposing a cocktail more precisely meeting an ambiguous request from a customer.
An example aspect of the present disclosure is a cocktail proposal apparatus includes:
an input unit configured to receive an input of a requirement for a cocktail;
a correspondence relationship storage unit configured to store a first correspondence relationship representing a correspondence relationship between an element characterizing the cocktail and the cocktail;
an optimum cocktail search unit configured to select a type of cocktail based on the element included in the requirement input to the input unit and the first correspondence relationship; and
an output unit configured to output the type of cocktail selected by the optimum cocktail search unit.
Another example aspect of the present disclosure is a cocktail proposal method performed by a cocktail proposal apparatus. The cocktail proposal method includes:
storing a first correspondence relationship representing a correspondence relationship between an element characterizing a cocktail and the cocktail;
receiving an input of a requirement for the cocktail;
selecting a type of cocktail based on the element included in the requirement input to the input unit and the first correspondence relationship; and
outputting the selected type of cocktail.
Another example aspect of the present disclosure is a non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute:
a procedure of storing a first correspondence relationship representing a correspondence relationship between an element characterizing a cocktail and the cocktail;
a procedure of receiving an input of a requirement for the cocktail;
a procedure of selecting a type of cocktail based on the element included in the requirement input to the input unit and the first correspondence relationship; and
a procedure of outputting the selected type of cocktail.
The above and other aspects, characteristics, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description of certain example embodiments when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following descriptions and drawings are omitted and simplified as appropriate for the purpose of clarifying the description. In the following drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same reference signs, and repeated descriptions thereof are omitted if necessary.
First, a configuration example of a cocktail proposal apparatus 100 according to a first example embodiment will be described with reference to
The input unit 101 receives an input of requirements and conditions for cocktails. The requirements for cocktails include, for example, ingredients of the cocktail, a color of the cocktail, sensibility to describe the cocktail, an emotion to describe the cocktail, and so on. The conditions for cocktails include, for example, a price.
The cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102 stores cocktail characteristic correspondence relationships. The cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship includes a first correspondence relationship representing a correspondence relationship between an element characterizing a cocktail and a type of cocktail. In the first example embodiment, the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship also includes a second correspondence relationship representing a correspondence relationship between the elements characterizing the cocktail. However, the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship may or may not include the second correspondence relationship. Here, an example of the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship including the first correspondence relationship and the second correspondence relationship stored in the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102 will be described with reference to
The cocktail model storage unit 103 stores, for each type of cocktail, a cocktail model of the cocktail including components of the cocktail model and undetermined variables. Referring now to
The cocktail making procedure storage unit 104 stores, for each type of cocktail, a cocktail making procedure of the cocktail including a constitution procedure of the cocktail making procedure and undetermined variables. Here, an example of the cocktail making procedure stored in the cocktail making procedure storage unit 104 will be described with reference to
As shown in
The optimum cocktail search unit 105 first selects the type of cocktail based on elements included in the requirements input to the input unit 101 and the first correspondence relationship stored in the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102. If the second correspondence relationship is stored in the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 may select the type of cocktail based on the elements included in the requirements input to the input unit 101 and the first and second correspondence relationships. Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 reads the cocktail model of the cocktail of the selected type from the cocktail model storage unit 103, and determines a value of each undetermined variable included in the read cocktail model based on the condition input to the input unit 101. Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 reads the cocktail making procedure of the cocktail of the selected type from the cocktail making procedure storage unit 104, and assigns the value of each variable included in the cocktail model determined above to each undetermined variable included in the read cocktail making procedure.
The output unit 106 outputs the type of cocktail selected by the optimum cocktail search unit 105, and also outputs the cocktail making procedure of the cocktail, in which the values are assigned to the variables by the optimum cocktail search unit 105.
Next, examples of an input source terminal and an output destination terminal for the cocktail proposal apparatus 100 according to the first example embodiment will be described with reference to
In the example of
For example, the terminal 200A is used by a customer who visits a shop serving cocktails. The use scene in this case is, for example, as follows. The customer inputs his/her requirements and conditions for the cocktail and obtains the output of the type of cocktail and the cocktail making procedure. The customer presents the output result to the bartender or hall staff, and the bartender cooks based on the output result.
Alternatively, the terminal 200A may be used by the bartender or hall staff working in the shop serving cocktails. The use scene in this case is, for example, as follows. The bartender or hall staff listens to the customer's requirements and conditions for the cocktail, inputs the customer's requirements and conditions, and obtains the output of the type of cocktail and the cocktail making procedure. The bartender cooks based on the output result. There may also be requests from shops to use leftover ingredients. Thus, the bartender or hall staff may input additional shop requirements and conditions for cocktails.
In the example of
For example, the terminal 200B is used by a customer who comes to a shop serving cocktails, and the terminal 200C is used by a bartender or hall staff working at the shop. The use scene in this case is, for example, as follows. The customer inputs the customer's requirements and conditions for the cocktail. The bartender or hall staff obtains the output of the type of cocktail and the cocktail making procedure, and the bartender cooks based on the output result.
In the example of
For example, the terminal 200D is used by a customer who comes to a shop serving cocktails, and the terminal 200E is used by a bartender or hall staff working at the shop. The use scene in this case is, for example, as follows. The customer inputs the customer's requirements and conditions for the cocktail. The bartender or hall staff also inputs the shop's requirements and conditions for the cocktail.
In the example of
Note that the terminals 200A to 200E shown in
Next, an example of a flow of a schematic operation of the cocktail proposal apparatus 100 according to the first example embodiment will be described with reference to
As shown in
Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 selects a type of candidate cocktail based on the elements included in the requirements input to the input unit 101 in Step S10 and the first and second correspondence relationships stored in the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102 (Step S20).
Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 reads the cocktail model of the candidate cocktail selected in Step S20 from the cocktail model storage unit 103, and determines the value of each undetermined variable included in the read cocktail model based on the condition input to the input unit 101 (Step S30).
Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 reads the cocktail making procedure of the candidate cocktail selected in Step S20 from the cocktail making procedure storage unit 104, and assigns the values of the variables determined in Step S30 and included in the cocktail model to the undetermined variables included in the read cocktail making procedure (Step S40).
After that, the output unit 106 outputs the type of cocktail selected by the optimum cocktail search unit 105 in Step S20, and also outputs the cocktail making procedure of the cocktail, in which the optimum cocktail search unit 105 assigns values to the respective variables in Step S40 (Step S50).
Next, an example of the flow of the schematic operation in Step S20 shown in
As shown in
Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 determines whether or not the condition “There still remains a set C that can be materialized and a sufficient number of candidate cocktails has not been obtained” is satisfied (Step S22). Here, the “sufficient number” is predetermined.
If the conditions described above are satisfied in Step S22 (YES in Step S22), the optimum cocktail search unit 105 selects one of the sets C that can be materialized, and materializes the set C based on the first correspondence relationship and the second correspondence relationship stored in the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102 to obtain a set C′ (Step S23). In Step S23, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 creates the set C′ by materializing the set C based on the first correspondence relationship and the second correspondence relationship.
Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 adds the set C′ to the search tree as a child node of the set C selected in Step S23 (Step S24). The set C added to the search tree is one of the candidate cocktails. After Step S24, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 returns to Step S22 and repeats the processing from Step S22.
If the condition “There still remains a set C that can be materialized and a sufficient number of candidate cocktails has not been obtained” is not satisfied in Step S22 (NO in Step S22), the optimum cocktail search unit 105 outputs the types of cocktail candidates obtained so far (Step S25), and the processing ends.
Next, an example of the flow of the schematic operation in Step S30 shown in
As shown in
Next, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 determines whether a variable whose value is not yet determined is present in the variables included in the cocktail model read in Step S31 (Step S32).
In Step S32, if there is a variable whose value is not yet determined (YES in Step S32), the optimum cocktail search unit 105 determines the undetermined value of each variable included in the cocktail model based on the condition input to the input unit 101 (Step S33). After Step S33, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 returns to Step S32 and repeats the processing from Step S32.
If there is no variable whose value is not yet determined in Step S32 (NO in Step S32), the optimum cocktail search unit 105 outputs the determined value of each variable of the cocktail model (Step S34), and the processing ends.
Next, specific examples of operations of Steps S10 to S50 shown in
First, a specific example of the operation of Step S10 shown in
As shown in
The customer inputs text data in an optional area among the areas 211 to 214 included in the input screen 210. In the example of
In the example of
Next, a specific example of the operation of Step S20 shown in
As shown in
In the example shown in
For this reason, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 materializes the ingredient “tonic” and the sensibility “refreshingly cool” input to the input unit 101 as the requirements into “gin tonic”, and selects the materialized “gin tonic” as the type of candidate cocktail.
Next, a specific example of the operation of Step S30 shown in
As shown in
In the example of
Thus, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 determines the values of the variables X1, X2, Y, and W so as to satisfy the price “2000 yen or less” input to the input unit 101 as a condition, that is, so that the gin tonic served to the customer becomes 2000 yen or less. Specifically, in the example of
Next, a specific example of the operation of Step S40 shown in
As shown in
In the example of
Thus, the optimum cocktail search unit 105 assigns the values of the variables X1, X2, Y, and W determined in Step S30 for the cocktail model of the “gin tonic” to the variables X1, X2, Y, and W included in the cocktail making procedure of the “gin tonic”. Specifically, in the example of
Next, a specific example of the operation of Step S50 shown in
As shown in
In the example of
As described above, according to the first example embodiment, the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102 stores the first correspondence relationship representing the correspondence relationship between the elements characterizing a cocktail and the type of cocktail. The optimum cocktail search unit 105 selects the type of cocktail based on the elements included in the requirements input to the input unit 101 and the first correspondence relationship. The output unit 106 outputs the selected type of cocktail. Thus, even if the requirement input to the input unit 101 is ambiguous, the type of cocktail can be selected by materializing the input requirements using the first correspondence relationship. Therefore, a cocktail which meets the ambiguous request from the customer more precisely can be proposed.
According to the first example embodiment, the cocktail model storage unit 103 stores the cocktail models each including the variables for each type of cocktail, and the cocktail making procedure storage unit 104 stores the cocktail making procedures each including the variables for each type of cocktail. The optimum cocktail search unit 105 determines the value of the variable included in the cocktail model of the selected cocktail based on the condition input to the input unit 101. The optimum cocktail search unit 105 assigns the determined values of the variables included in the cocktail model to the variables included in the selected cocktail making procedure. The output unit 106 outputs the cocktail making procedure of the selected cocktail in which the determined values are assigned to the variables. In this manner, it is possible to not only propose the cocktail and the cocktail making procedure of that cocktail. At this time, instead of outputting the cocktail making procedure stored in the cocktail making procedure storage unit 104 as it is, the variables included in the cocktail making procedure are optimized based on the condition input to the input unit 101, and the cocktail making procedure in which the variables are optimized is output. In this way, the cocktail making procedure more precisely meeting the customer's request can be proposed.
Further, according to the first example embodiment, the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102 may further store the second correspondence relationship representing the correspondence relationship between the elements characterizing the cocktail. The optimum cocktail search unit 105 may select the type of cocktail based on the elements included in the requirements input to the input unit 101 and the first and second correspondence relationships. This makes it easier to materialize the input requirements, thereby facilitating selection of the type of cocktail.
A configuration example of a cocktail proposal apparatus 100A according to a second example embodiment will be described with reference to
The input unit 111 receives an input of requirements for cocktails. The input unit 111 corresponds to, for example, the input unit 101.
The correspondence relationship storage unit 112 stores a first correspondence relationship representing a correspondence relationship between elements characterizing a cocktail and the cocktail. The correspondence relationship storage unit 112 corresponds to, for example, the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 102.
The optimum cocktail search unit 113 selects a type of cocktail based on elements included in requirements input to the input unit 111 and a first correspondence relationship stored in the correspondence relationship storage unit 112. The optimum cocktail search unit 113 corresponds to, for example, the optimum cocktail search unit 105.
The output unit 114 outputs the type of cocktail selected by the optimum cocktail search unit 113. The output unit 114 corresponds to, for example, the output unit 106.
Thus, even if the requirement input to the input unit 111 is ambiguous, the type of cocktail can be selected by materializing the input requirements using the first correspondence relationship. Therefore, a cocktail which more precisely meets the ambiguous request from the customer can be proposed.
The cocktail proposal apparatus 100A according to the second example embodiment may further include a cocktail model storage unit for storing cocktail models each including variables for each type of cocktail, and a cocktail making procedure storage unit for storing cocktail making procedures each including variables for each type of cocktail. The cocktail model storage unit and the cocktail making procedure storage unit correspond to, for example, the cocktail model storage unit 103 and the cocktail making procedure storage unit 104, respectively. The input unit 111 may further receive an input of conditions for cocktails. The optimum cocktail search unit 113 may determine the values of the variables included in the cocktail model of the selected cocktail based on the condition input to the input unit 111, and assign the determined values of the variables included in the cocktail model to the variables included in the cocktail making procedure of the selected cocktail. The output unit 114 may further output the cocktail making procedure after the optimum cocktail search unit 113 assigns the values to the variables.
Further, the cocktail characteristic correspondence relationship storage unit 112 may further store the second correspondence relationship representing the correspondence relationship between the elements characterizing the cocktail. Furthermore, the optimum cocktail search unit 113 may select the type of cocktail based on the elements included in the requirements input to the input unit 111 and the first and second correspondence relationships stored in the correspondence relationship storage unit 112.
In addition, the optimum cocktail search unit 113 may select a predetermined number of cocktails and assign values to the variables included in the cocktail making procedure for each selected cocktail. The output unit 114 may output the predetermined number of types of cocktails selected by the optimum cocktail search unit 113, and may also output the cocktail making procedure for each selected type of cocktail after the optimum cocktail search unit 113 assigns the values to the variables.
Further, the input unit 111 may receive an input of the requirements and conditions for cocktails from a plurality of input sources.
A hardware configuration example of a cocktail proposal apparatus 100B according to a third example embodiment will be described with reference to
The processor 121 may be, for example, a microprocessor, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 121 may include a plurality of processors.
The memory 122 is composed of a combination of a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 122 may include storage separated from the processor 121. In this case, the processor 121 may access the memory 122 via an I (Input)/O (Output) interface (not shown).
Each of the cocktail proposal apparatuses 100 and 100A according to the first and second example embodiments, respectively, may have a hardware configuration shown in
The above-mentioned program can be stored and provided to a computer (including a computer 50) using any type of non-transitory computer readable media. Non-transitory computer readable media include any type of tangible storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable media include magnetic storage media (such as floppy disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives, etc.), optical magnetic storage media (e.g. magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), CD-R (CD-Recordable), CD-R/W (CD-ReWritable), and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM, RAM (random access memory), etc.). The program may be provided to a computer using any type of transitory computer readable media. Examples of transitory computer readable media include electric signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer readable media can provide the program to a computer via a wired communication line (e.g. electric wires, and optical fibers) or a wireless communication line.
Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to the example embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the example embodiments described above. The configuration and details of the present disclosure may be modified in various ways that would be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure.
For example, in the example embodiments described above, a scene used by a customer, a bartender, or a hall staff in a shop serving cocktails has been described as an example of a use scene of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. The disclosure may be used, for example, by a general user when he or she is shopping for alcohol, or by an employee of an alcohol sales company for marketing purposes.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020-203907 | Dec 2020 | JP | national |