Patent Application
20140249951
This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-041190, filed Mar. 1, 2013, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-136903, filed Jun. 28, 2013; the entire contents of both applications are incorporated herein by reference.
Exemplary embodiments described herein relate to a merchandise sales data processing apparatus, and a program therefor.
In the related art, an electronic receipt system is known in which a customer receipt is electronically delivered by a store to a portable terminal or the like of the customer in connection with settlement of merchandise purchased by the customer.
By replacing a paper receipt with electronic data in this way, the store benefits because the consumption of paper can be reduced. In addition, the store can attach a coupon or the like associated with purchased merchandise to the electronic receipt, as a way to carry out merchandise sales promotion or campaign advertisement.
However, the electronic receipt system of the related art is only introduced on a per company basis and by a company which is a seller of merchandise or services. For this reason, a customer of a store of a company which has not introduced the electronic receipt system, has to receive a paper receipt, and thus a widespread introduction of the electronic receipt system is desirable. Further, it is also desirable to prevent a paper receipt from being unnecessarily issued from a point of sale (POS) terminal when an electronic receipt system is used.
Embodiments provide a merchandise sales data processing apparatus and a program therefor, capable of promoting introduction of an electronic receipt, and preventing a paper receipt from being unnecessarily issued by a merchandise sales data processing apparatus that is configured to issue electronic receipts.
A merchandise sales data processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes a code reading unit, an electronic receipt issuing instruction unit, an electronic receipt generation unit, a transmission unit, and a receipt printing unit. The code reading unit is configured to read a code of a customer purchasing a merchandise. The electronic receipt issuing instruction unit is configured to receive an instruction for issuing electronic receipt information associated with merchandise sales data. The electronic receipt generation is configured to generate the electronic receipt information in correlation with the code of the customer when the instruction for issuing the electronic receipt information is received by the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit. The transmission unit is configured to transmit a company code indicating a company and the electronic receipt information generated by the electronic receipt generation unit to an electronic receipt server. The receipt printing is configured to print a paper receipt associated with the merchandise sales data when the instruction for issuing the electronic receipt information is not received by the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit.
An exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
Electronic receipt servers 6 are connected to the network 5. A plurality of electronic receipt servers 6 are provided on a per company basis which operates stores and is a seller of merchandise or services, and function as company receipt management servers which store and manage electronic receipt information according to each company code indicating the company operating the stores. In addition, the electronic receipt server 6 may employ a headquarter server of a POS system which performs functions such as sales management, sales analysis, and inventory management of each company operating stores.
In addition, a portable terminal 8 is connected to the network 5 via a base station 7 which performs wireless communication in accordance with a standard such as Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi). The portable terminal 8 is an information processing apparatus in which a web browser is mounted, such as, for example, a smart phone, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a tablet computer. Further, an information processing apparatus such as a notebook type personal computer may be used instead of the portable terminal 8.
Furthermore, the network 5 is connected to an electronic receipt management server 9 which functions as a customer receipt management server which stores and collectively manages electronic receipt information of various companies operating stores. A consumer who has registered as a member to receive an electronic receipt service can obtain electronic receipt information from the electronic receipt management server 9 by using the portable terminal 8 via the network 5. The electronic receipt management server 9 is managed by, for example, a third-party organization other than a company which manages electronic receipt information with the electronic receipt server 6. In addition, a third-party organization and the like may also manage the electronic receipt server 6. Further, the electronic receipt management server 9 may also perform the function of the electronic receipt server 6, and thus management may be performed by a single server. Furthermore, a function of collectively managing electronic receipt information of each company, indicating a company operating stores, by using a plurality of company codes, may be provided as a service (application), for example, in a form of Software as a Service (SaaS) which is a kind of cloud computing.
Membership registration of a consumer for receiving an electronic receipt service is performed, for example, as follows. The consumer transmits a blank mail to a member management server (not illustrated) from the portable terminal 8 via the network 5. The member management server transmits a uniform resource locator (URL) indicating a page for the membership registration to the received mail address. The consumer accesses the URL indicating a page for the membership registration from the portable terminal 8, so as to display an input screen, and inputs information necessary for the membership registration. After inputting of the necessary information by the consumer is finished, an input confirmation screen is displayed on the portable terminal 8. After the consumer confirms the input information, a member is registered in a member master file. Then, the member management server sends a membership registration completion mail including a membership code and a password to the portable terminal 8. Accordingly, the membership registration is finished.
In the electronic receipt system with this configuration, electronic receipt information, which indicates content of settlement generated by the POS terminal 2 of the store 1 performing a merchandise sales data process, is transmitted to the electronic receipt management server 9 via the electronic receipt server 6 on the network 5, and the electronic receipt information is transmitted from the electronic receipt management server 9 to the portable terminal 8 of a member. The member may display the electronic receipt information on a display unit of the portable terminal 8 so as to confirm the content. In addition, the electronic receipt management server 9 may make the electronic receipt information available through the web. The portable terminal 8 having a web browser mounted therein may designate a uniform resource locator (URL) so as to download the electronic receipt information made available through the web to the portable terminal 8, thereby viewing the electronic receipt information from the web browser. Further, application software for viewing the electronic receipt information may be installed in the portable terminal 8, thereby viewing the electronic receipt information.
The portable terminal 8 stores the membership code and the password which are acquired by the consumer in the above-described way, in a storage unit 13 (refer to
Hereinafter, a configuration of each part forming the electronic receipt system according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described.
First, a configuration of the portable terminal 8 which is an information processing apparatus will be described with reference to a block diagram of
In addition to the web browser for viewing various information (content) published on the web, an electronic receipt support program P11 which is used to receive, from the electronic receipt management server 9, electronic receipt information generated after settlement of a merchandise sales data process, and an electronic receipt viewing program P12 which is used to view the received electronic receipt information, are installed in the storage unit 13 in advance.
In addition, the electronic receipt support program P11 and the electronic receipt viewing program P12, which are executed by the portable terminal 8, are recorded on a computer readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD) in a file of installable format or executable format.
Further, the electronic receipt support program P11 and the electronic receipt viewing program P12 executed by the portable terminal 8 may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and may be downloaded via the network. Furthermore, the electronic receipt support program P11 and the electronic receipt viewing program P12 executed by the portable terminal 8 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.
Next, a configuration of the POS terminal 2 which is a merchandise sales data processing apparatus will be described with reference to a block diagram of
An identification code management region 23a is secured in the storage unit 23 as a region which preliminarily stores not only a POS number of the POS terminal 2, but also a company code (an identification code of a company operating stores), a business type and business category code, a store code indicating the store 1 in which the POS terminal 2 is installed, and the like. Here, the business type and business category code is a code (sorting code) for differentiating business types and business category of stores, such as, for example, a convenience store, a supermarket, a department store, a pharmacy, and a restaurant. In addition, such a business type can be customized by the user. Further, the company code (an identification code of a company operating stores) and the business type and business category code may be registered in the electronic receipt server 6.
In addition to software for executing various pieces of POS business including a merchandise sales data process, an electronic receipt processing program P15 for processing electronic receipt information which is electrically processed instead of a receipt printed and issued when the merchandise sales data process is performed is installed in the storage unit 23 in advance.
Further, the electronic receipt processing program P15, which is executed by the POS terminal 2, is recorded on a computer readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD) in a file of installable format or executable format.
In addition, the electronic receipt processing program P15 executed by the POS terminal 2 may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and may be downloaded via the network. Furthermore, the electronic receipt processing program P15 executed by the POS terminal 2 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.
Next, a configuration of the electronic receipt server 6 which functions as a company receipt management server will be described with reference to a block diagram of
An electronic receipt management region 43a is secured in the storage unit 43 as a region which stores electronic receipt information of each company operating stores. The electronic receipt information includes a company code (an identification code of a company operating stores), a business type and business category code, a store code, a consumer membership code, a POS number of the POS terminal 2, a receipt number, merchandise sales data, and the like.
In addition, an electronic receipt management program P1 for managing electronic receipt information received from the POS terminal 2 of each store 1 in the electronic receipt management region 43a is installed in the storage unit 43 in advance.
Further, an information transmission program P2 for transmitting the electronic receipt information managed in the electronic receipt management region 43a to the electronic receipt management server 9 is also installed in the storage unit 43 in advance.
Furthermore, the storage unit 43 is provided with an information management region 43b which stores various additional information correlated with desired merchandise, member, company and store. Here, the additional information is access information such as a URL for linking to a home page associated with campaign of a company, a URL for linking to a home page associated with a commercial message of a company, and a URL for linking to a coupon of a company.
In addition, the electronic receipt management program P1 and the information transmission program P2, which are executed by the electronic receipt server 6, are recorded on a computer readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD) in a file of installable format or executable format.
Further, the electronic receipt management program P1 and the information transmission program P2 executed by the electronic receipt server 6 may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and may be downloaded via the network. Furthermore, the electronic receipt management program P1 and the information transmission program P2 executed by the electronic receipt server 6 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.
Next, a configuration of the electronic receipt management server 9 which functions as a customer receipt management server will be described with reference to a block diagram of
An electronic receipt management region 53a is secured in the storage unit 53 as a region which collectively stores electronic receipt information of various companies operating stores. More specifically, the electronic receipt management region 53a manages electronic receipt information and additional information of various companies operating stores for each member. The electronic receipt information includes a membership code, a company code (an identification code of a company operating stores), a store code, a POS number of the POS terminal 2, a receipt number, merchandise sales data, additional information, and the like.
In addition, an electronic receipt management program P3 for managing additional information and electronic receipt information received from the electronic receipt server 6 of each company in the electronic receipt management region 53a is installed in the storage unit 53 in advance.
Further, an information transmission program P4 for transmitting the electronic receipt information and additional information of desired merchandise to the portable terminal 8 is also installed in the storage unit 53 in advance.
In addition, the electronic receipt management program P3 and the information transmission program P4, which are executed by the electronic receipt management server 9, are recorded on a computer readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-R, or a digital versatile disk (DVD) in a file of installable format or executable format.
Further, the electronic receipt management program P3 and the information transmission program P4 executed by the electronic receipt management server 9 may be stored in a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and may be downloaded via the network. Furthermore, the electronic receipt management program P3 and the information transmission program P4 executed by the electronic receipt management server 9 may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.
Next, an operation of each part forming the system according to the present exemplary embodiment will be described.
First, with reference to a functional block diagram illustrated in
As illustrated in
The membership code input unit 63 inputs a membership code of a consumer stored in the portable terminal 8 via the code input unit 32. The electronic receipt issuing instruction unit 61 receives an instruction as to whether or not electronic receipt information associated with merchandise sales data is issued. When there is an instruction for issuing electronic receipt information from the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit 61, the electronic receipt generation unit 26 associates a company code of a company operating stores with electronic receipt information which is electronically processed instead of a paper receipt which is printed and issued, when a merchandise sales data process is performed, and generates the electronic receipt information in correlation with a consumer membership code.
The transmission unit 27 transmits the electronic receipt information generated by the electronic receipt generation unit 26 to the electronic receipt server 6 which manages electronic receipt information on a per company basis corresponding to a company code. The receipt printing unit 62 prints a receipt associated with merchandise sales data when there is no instruction for issuing electronic receipt information from the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit 61.
When there is an input of a closing operation key or the like for starting a closing process of merchandise transaction, the CPU 21 of the POS terminal 2 checks whether or not a membership code is input and whether or not an electronic receipt is issued, and determines whether or not there is an electronic receipt issuing instruction corresponding to a settlement process based on the closing operation.
For example, any of the following methods may be employed for an electronic receipt issuing instruction to be issued.
1. A staff operates an “issue electronic receipt” button provided in the input unit 31 (for example, a keyboard) of the POS terminal 2.
2. A consumer who is a member displays a bar code that encodes the consumer membership code on the display unit 17 of the portable terminal 8, and a staff reads the bar code with the input unit 31 (for example, a bar code scanner) of the POS terminal 2.
3. A consumer who is a member operates an “issue electronic receipt” button which is displayed on the customer display unit 30 so as to be pressed.
4. A consumer who is a member displays a bar code that encodes the consumer membership code on the display unit 17 of the portable terminal 8, and the consumer who is a member reads the bar code with input unit 31 (for example, a bar code scanner (preferably, a scanner different from a scanner used at the merchandise register)) of the POS terminal 2 for himself or herself.
5. When a consumer who is a member presents a company membership card for receiving reward points, a company membership code of the company membership card is read with the input unit 31 (for example, a bar code scanner, a magnetic card reader, NFC, or the like) of the POS terminal 2, and a membership code of electronic receipt is associated with the read company membership code, it is determined that there is an electronic receipt issuing instruction.
6. A staff operates an “issue electronic receipt” button provided in the operator display unit 28 of the POS terminal 2.
Here, a description will be made of an example of a flow of an electronic receipt process including an electronic receipt issuing instruction in the above described method 6.
Here, when the “issue electronic receipt” button Q1 is operated by an operator via the input unit 31, the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit 61) of the POS terminal 2 determines that there is an electronic receipt issuing instruction (Yes in step S3), and displays text, “An electronic receipt is issued, and a receipt is not printed” on the operator display unit 28 and the customer display unit 30 (step S4).
In addition, when the “issue electronic receipt” button Q1 is operated by the operator via the input unit 31, the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit 61) of the POS terminal 2 displays an icon i indicating that “a receipt is not necessary” in a member information area which is displayed on the operator display unit 28, as illustrated in
In addition, when it is determined that there is an electronic receipt issuing instruction (Yes in step S3), the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt generation unit 26) of the POS terminal 2 transmits merchandise transaction data to a headquarter server of the company. In addition, based on merchandise information and settlement information which are registered during settlement by a merchandise sales data process, separately from the merchandise transaction data, the CPU 21 extracts a company code (an identification code of a company operating stores), a business type and business category code, a store code, a consumer membership code, a POS number of the POS terminal 2, a receipt number, merchandise sales data, and the like from the identification code management region 23a provided in the storage unit 23, so as to convert the extracted information into a format of electronic receipt, thereby generating electronic receipt information (step S6). The electronic receipt information is generated in a data format such as text, XML, or JSON, of which a file capacity is relatively small.
Subsequently, the CPU 21 (the transmission unit 27) of the POS terminal 2, which is connected to the LAN 4 in the store and the network 5 via the network interface 24, transmits the generated electronic receipt information to the electronic receipt server 6 (step S7), and finishes the process. In addition, as further described below, when it is determined that there is no electronic receipt issuing instruction, a paper receipt is printed and issued, and merchandise transaction data is transmitted to the headquarter server, thereby finishing the process.
Further, the CPU 21 of the POS terminal 2 implements the following countermeasures so as to prevent disorder when an offline state occurs when merchandise transaction data is transmitted to the headquarter server.
1. Retry transmission is automatically performed.
2. When the retry transmission is not possible, the merchandise transaction data is stored until an online state is recovered, and is sent to the headquarter server after the online state is recovered. In this case, the CPU 21 of the POS terminal 2 displays a message such as “Merchandise transaction data will be transmitted later” on the operator display unit 28.
On the other hand, when the “issue receipt” button Q2 is operated by the operator via the input unit 31, the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit 61) of the POS terminal 2 determines that there is a receipt issuing instruction.
When it is determined that there is a receipt issuing instruction (No in step S3, and Yes in step S8), the CPU 21 (the receipt printing unit 62) of the POS terminal 2 prints and issues a receipt associated with the merchandise sales data from a printer (not illustrated) (step S9). In addition, when it is detected that an offline state occurs when the electronic receipt information is generated, the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt generation unit 26) of the POS terminal 2 prints and issues a paper receipt. In this case, the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt generation unit 26) of the POS terminal 2 displays a message, “An electronic receipt will be issued after a network failure is removed” on the operator display unit 28 and the customer display unit 30, and also prints the message, “An electronic receipt will be issued after a network failure is removed” on the paper receipt.
Next, with reference to a flowchart illustrated in
When the electronic receipt information transmitted from the POS terminal 2 is received via the network interface 44 (Yes in step S11), the CPU 41 of the electronic receipt server 6 stores the electronic receipt information in the electronic receipt management region 43a of the storage unit 43 as electronic receipt information of each company (step S12). In other words, the CPU 41 of the electronic receipt server 6 functions as electronic receipt management means for managing electronic receipt information in the storage unit 43 on a per company basis corresponding to a company code.
In addition, after storing the received electronic receipt information, the CPU 41 of the electronic receipt server 6 transmits the additional information managed in the information management region 43b and the electronic receipt information managed in the electronic receipt management region 43a to the electronic receipt management server 9 (step S14) at a preset transmission timing (No in step S11, and Yes in step S13), and then returns to step S11.
In addition, the CPU 21 (the electronic receipt generation unit 26) of the POS terminal 2 generates and transmits electronic receipt information to the electronic receipt server 6, but the present exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the CPU 21 of the POS terminal 2 may transmit a store code, a consumer membership code, a POS number of the POS terminal 2, a receipt number, merchandise sales data, and the like to the electronic receipt server 6 based on merchandise information and settlement information which are registered during settlement by a merchandise sales data process, and the CPU 41 of the electronic receipt server 6 adds a company code and a business type and business category code thereto so as to generate electronic receipt information.
Next, with reference to a functional block diagram illustrated in
As illustrated in
The reception unit 55 receives not only a company code indicating a company operating stores, but also electronic receipt information on a per company basis, which is electronically processed instead of a receipt which is printed and issued in a merchandise sales data process.
The electronic receipt collective management unit 56 stores the electronic receipt information on a per company basis received by the reception unit 55 in the electronic receipt management region 53a of the storage unit 53, for collective management.
The electronic receipt transmission unit 57 acquires electronic receipt information including one or more company codes correlated with a membership code from the electronic receipt management region 53a, to the portable terminal 8 correlated with the membership code of a predetermined consumer.
As illustrated in
When the electronic receipt information and the additional information are received (Yes in step S21), the CPU 51 (the electronic receipt collective management unit 56) of the electronic receipt management server 9 stores the electronic receipt information and additional information of various companies in the electronic receipt management region 53a of the storage unit 53 (step S22).
In addition, the CPU 51 (the electronic receipt transmission unit 57) of the electronic receipt management server 9 stores the electronic receipt information and the additional information in the electronic receipt management region 53a and then transmits the electronic receipt information and the additional information to the portable terminal 8 (step S23), and then returns to step S21. Further, when transmission of the electronic receipt information is completed, a flag indicating the completion of transmission is stored in relation to the electronic receipt information of the electronic receipt management region 53a, so that a transmission result of the electronic receipt information can be managed.
Furthermore, when there is an electronic receipt information inquiry from the portable terminal 8 (No in step S21, and Yes in step S24), the CPU 51 (the electronic receipt transmission unit 57) of the electronic receipt management server 9 extracts the additional information and the electronic receipt information managed in the electronic receipt management region 53a based on content of the electronic receipt information inquiry (step S25), so as to transmit the extracted information to the portable terminal 8 which is a source of the inquiry (step S26), and returns to step S21.
Next, with reference to a functional block diagram illustrated in
As illustrated in
The member correlation unit 81 correlates a membership code of a predetermined consumer with the portable terminal 8.
The electronic receipt reception unit 82 receives electronic receipt information including at least one or more company codes correlated with the membership code, from the electronic receipt management server 9 which collectively manages the electronic receipt information.
The electronic receipt display unit 83 arranges the electronic receipt information received by the electronic receipt reception unit 82 on a company code basis and displays the arranged electronic receipt information on the display unit 17.
As illustrated in
After the authentication, the CPU 11 (the electronic receipt reception unit 82) of the portable terminal 8 receives additional information and electronic receipt information which correspond to the input membership code and are managed in the electronic receipt management region 53a (step S32). In addition, the additional information and the electronic receipt information may be received using an email.
Next, the CPU 11 (the electronic receipt display unit 83) of the portable terminal 8 lists the purchase date included in the electronic receipt information in a list form on the display unit 17 (step S33). The purchase date is listed on the display unit 17, and thus the portable terminal 8 prompts the user who is a consumer to select information.
In addition, as illustrated in
Further, in the display example X, as illustrated in
When it is determined that the user selects a desired date by tapping the date (Yes in step S34), the CPU 11 (the electronic receipt display unit 83) of the portable terminal 8 displays electronic receipt information corresponding to the selected date on the display unit 17 (step S35).
When it is determined that the user selects a desired store (Yes in step S36), the CPU 11 (the electronic receipt display unit 83) of the portable terminal 8 displays electronic receipt information corresponding to the selected store on the display unit 17 (step S37).
In addition, a screen display image is not necessarily required to be a receipt image. However, the electronic receipt information is used instead of paper receipt information, and is thus electronic merchandise purchase evidence information which verifies purchase of merchandise. In the display example Z, the following information is displayed in order to use the electronic receipt information as merchandise purchase evidence information when the merchandise is returned.
Here, when the user selects proper merchandise or an icon correlated with merchandise (Yes in step S38), the CPU 11 (the electronic receipt display unit 83) of the portable terminal 8 accesses the network 5 via the network interface 14, and acquires various information from the network 5 based on access information which is associated with the selected merchandise or icon so as to display the acquired information on the display unit 17 (step S39).
For example, when a home page associated with merchandise as access information to the merchandise is set as a merchandise information link, when desired merchandise is selected, a home page associated with the merchandise is displayed on the display unit 17.
In addition, when a home page associated with CM is set in a banner c which is a kind of icon as access information, when the banner c is selected, the CM associated with the banner c is displayed on the display unit 17.
The CPU 11 of the portable terminal 8 finishes the process when finishing of the electronic receipt viewing process is declared from the input unit 18 (Yes in step S40).
When finishing of the electronic receipt viewing process is not declared from the input unit 18 (No in step S40), the CPU 11 of the portable terminal 8 returns to step S38 and waits for merchandise or an icon correlated with merchandise to be selected.
In addition, with reference to a flowchart of
The CPU 11 (the electronic receipt reception unit 82) of the portable terminal 8 receives electronic receipt information and additional information from the electronic receipt management server 9 (step S61).
Next, when the electronic receipt viewing program P12 is activated (Yes in step S62), the CPU 11 (the electronic receipt display unit 83) of the portable terminal 8 displays the received electronic receipt information and additional information in associated with a company code (step S63).
As above, according to the electronic receipt system of the present exemplary embodiment, unlike in the structure of an electronic receipt on a per company basis of the related art, the structure of an electronic receipt can be introduced beyond the company scope, and thus it is possible to promote introduction of an electronic receipt.
While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-041190 | Mar 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-136903 | Jun 2013 | JP | national |
