Sales system and recording medium

• US 20060100932A1
• Filed: 02/17/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohmori, Motoji, Iwata, Yoshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/21
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0238 at point-of-sale [POS]
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

The present invention relates to a recording medium on which information is recorded, and in particular to a recording medium on which commodity sales information is recorded.

Claims

1. A sales system comprising a recording medium used in purchasing a commodity, and a register apparatus that performs processing for settlement of payment for purchase of the commodity, wherein

the recording medium includes:

a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount;

a judgment unit operable to judge, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation unit operable to calculate, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output unit operable to output the calculated discount amount, and

the register apparatus includes;

a reception unit operable to receive the discount amount;

a calculation unit operable to calculate a discounted selling price of the commodity by subtracting the discount amount from the regular selling price; and

a payment processing unit operable to perform settlement processing for payment for selling the commodity at the calculated discounted selling price.

2. The sales system of claim 1, further comprising a server apparatus that is located in a shop, and that manages commodity sales information relating to sales of commodities,

wherein the register apparatus outputs commodity sales information to the server, the commodity sales information including the regular selling price of the commodity that has been sold, the discount amount, and the discounted selling price, and

the server apparatus receives the commodity sales information, and internally stores the received commodity sales information.

3. The sales system of claim 2, wherein

the recording medium further stores thereon bearer information in correspondence with the condition information and the calculation method information, and outputs the bearer information in correspondence with the calculated discount amount, the bearer information indicating a bearer who bears the discount amount that is discounted from the regular selling price,

the register apparatus further receives the bearer information, and outputs the commodity sales information in which the bearer information is further included, to the server apparatus, and

the server apparatus further stores therein shop server management information that indicates a manager of the server apparatus, and (i) receives the commodity sales information that includes the bearer information, and stores the commodity sales information, (ii) judges whether the bearer information included in the commodity sales information matches the stored sales server manager information, and (iii) when the commodity sales information is judged not match the stored sales server manager information, transmits the commodity sales information to an external server managed by the bearer indicated by the bearer information and deletes the internally stored commodity sales information.

4. The sales system of claim 3, further comprising a server apparatus provided in an external location to the shop,

wherein the server apparatus provided in the external location is the external server, and stores therein external manager information that indicates a manager of the external server and that matches the bearer information, and receives the commodity sales information from the shop server and internally stores the received commodity sales information.

5. The sales system of claim 1 comprising a mobile information terminal instead of the recording medium, the mobile information terminal including:

a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount;

a judgment unit operable to judge, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation unit operable to calculate, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output unit operable to output the calculated discount amount.

6. A recording medium used in purchasing a commodity, comprising:

a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount;

a judgment unit operable to judge, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation unit operable to calculate, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output unit operable to output the calculated discount amount.

7. The recording medium of claim 6, wherein

the storage unit further stores, in advance, receipt information relating to a commodity previously purchased,

the condition information indicates that the regular selling price of the commodity is to be discounted based on a commodity previously purchased, and

the judgment unit judges whether the discount is to be applied, with use of the stored receipt information.

8. The recording medium of claim 6, wherein

the output unit outputs the discount amount according to wireless communication.

9. A register apparatus in a sales system comprising a recording medium used in purchasing a commodity, and the register apparatus that performs processing for settlement of payment for purchase of the commodity, wherein

the recording medium (i) stores condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount, (ii) judges, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information, (iii) calculates, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information, and, (iv) outputs the calculated discount amount, and

the register apparatus includes:

a reception unit operable to receive the discount amount;

a calculation unit operable to calculate a discounted selling price of the commodity by subtracting the discount amount from the regular selling price; and

a payment processing unit operable to perform settlement processing for payment for selling the commodity at the calculated discounted selling price.

10. The register apparatus of claim 9, wherein the recording medium outputs the amount according to wireless communication, and

the reception unit receives the amount according to wireless communication.

11. A server apparatus that is located in a shop, and that manages commodity sales information relating to sales of commodities, comprising:

a manager storage unit operable to store manager information that indicates a manager of the server apparatus;

a commodity storage unit operable to store the commodity sales information, the commodity sales information including commodity information relating to a commodity, discount amount information that indicates a discount amount for a discounted sale of the commodity, and bearer information that indicates a bearer who bears the discount amount;

a judgment unit operable to judge whether the bearer information included in the commodity sales information matches the stored sales server manager information; and

a transmission unit operable to transmit, when the commodity sales information is judged not match the stored sales server manager information, the commodity sales information to an external server managed by the bearer indicated by the bearer information, and delete the internally stored commodity sales information.

12. A mobile information terminal used in purchasing a commodity, comprising:

a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount;

a judgment unit operable to judge, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation unit operable to calculate, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output unit operable to output the calculated discount amount.

13. A discounting method used by a recording medium used in purchasing a commodity, wherein

the recording medium comprises a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount, and

the discounting method comprises:

a judgment step of judging, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation step of calculating, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output step of outputting the calculated discount amount.

14. A discounting computer program used by a recording medium used in purchasing a commodity, wherein

the recording medium comprises a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount, and

the discounting computer program comprises:

a judgment step of judging, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation step of calculating, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output step of outputting the calculated discount amount.

15. A computer-readable program recording medium having recorded thereon a discounting computer program used by a recording medium used in purchasing a commodity, wherein the recording medium comprises a storage unit operable to store condition information that indicates a condition to be fulfilled in order for a discount to be applied to a regular selling price of the commodity, and calculation method information indicating a method for calculating a discount amount, and

the discounting computer program comprises:

a judgment step of judging, when the commodity is being purchased, whether the discount is to be applied, based on the condition information;

a calculation step of calculating, when the judgment unit judges that the discount is to be applied, the discount amount, based on the calculation method information; and

an output step of outputting the calculated discount amount.