FRANCHISE ADD-ON SYSTEM, USER OPERATION TERMINAL AND STORE FRONT STOCK SHELF AND BACKYARD STOCK SHELF USED THEREFOR, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM USED THEREFOR

• US 20110018685A1
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
• Original Assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hiroshi, Tanaka, Masataka
• Granted Patent: US 8,564,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.91
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/12 electronically operated digital data processing aspects G06Q20/00

Abstract

A store front stock shelf 300 installed together with a sales processing device 200 at a position of cash register detects a stock status of cigarette packs STP housed therein, and produces store front stock data SSD. A user operation terminal 100 installed together with the sales processing device 200 at the position of cash register acquires, from the store front stock shelf 300, store front stock data SSD of cigarette packs STP selected on the commodity selection screen TSG displayed in a switchable manner in response to enter operation by the ordinary user, and makes the touch panel display, in a switchable manner, a commodity selection screen TSG presenting “in stock” if the cigarette packs STP are in stock. In this way, a franchise add-on system capable of simplifying and smoothening purchase of even over-the-counter commodities not readily accessible by the ordinary users, such as cigarette packs STP, and capable of improving LTV and retention, can be provided.

Claims

1. A franchise add-on system including a sales processing device which is installed at a position of cash register in a franchise shop so as to execute sales processing of over-the-counter commodities by commodity ID (identification) data attached to said over-the-counter commodity, comprising:

a store front stock shelf installed in the vicinity of said sales processing device at said position of cash register, and housing at least a part of said over-the-counter commodities in a freely pickable manner; and

a user operation terminal which includes a touch panel allowing thereon enter operation by an ordinary user, and installed in the vicinity of said sales processing device at said position of cash register,

said store front stock shelf including a stock detection unit which detects a stock status of said over-the-counter commodities housed therein and produces store front stock data,

said user operation terminal including a media storage unit which stores a hypermedia which makes said user operation terminal output, in a displayed form, a commodity selection screen allowing thereon step-wise selection among said over-the-counter commodities housed in at least said store front stock shelf, in response to the enter operation by said ordinary user;

a media display unit which makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said stored commodity selection screen in response to the enter operation by said ordinary user; and

a stock confirmation unit which makes use of said commodity ID data of said over-the-counter commodity selected on said commodity selection screen displayed in a switchable manner, so as to acquire a correspondent said store front stock data from said store front stock shelf, and

said media display unit making said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen presenting “

in stock”

, if said acquired store front stock data represents an in-stock status.

2. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said media display unit makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen presenting “

out-of-stock”

, if said acquired store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status.

3. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said media display unit makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen recommending a correlated one of said over-the-counter commodities, if said acquired store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status.

4. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a backyard stock shelf which is installed in a backyard of said franchise shop apart from said position of cash register, so as to keep said over-the-counter commodities to be replenished to said store front stock shelf,

said backyard stock shelf including a replenishment detection unit which detects a stock status of said over-the-counter commodities kept therein and produces replenishment stock data,

wherein said user operation terminal further includes a replenishment confirmation unit which makes use of said commodity ID data to acquire a correspondent said replenishment stock data from said backyard stock shelf, if said acquired store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status, and

said media display unit makes said touch panel display, in a switchable trimmer, said commodity selection screen presenting “

out-of-stock”

, if also said acquired replenishment stock data represents an out-of-stock status.

5. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 4,

wherein said media display unit makes the touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen presenting “

in-stock”

, if said acquired store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status and said replenishment stock data represents an in-stock status.

6. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 4,

wherein said media display unit makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen recommending a correlated one of said over-the-counter commodities, if both of said acquired store front stock data and said replenishment stock data represent an out-of-stock status.

7. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 4,

wherein at least either one of said user operation terminal and said backyard stock shelf includes an alert sending unit which sends, if said store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status and said replenishment stock data represents an in-stock status, said correspondent commodity ID data together with a predetermined replenishment alert data to said sales processing device, and

said sales processing device includes an alert receiving unit which receives said replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data, and an alert issuing unit which outputs, in an alert form, said received replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data.

8. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 4,

wherein at least either one of said user operation terminal and said backyard stock shelf includes a purchase alert unit which sends, if said replenishment stock data represents an out-of-stock status, said correspondent commodity ID data together with a predetermined purchase alert data to said sales processing device, and

said sales processing device includes an alert receiving unit which receives said purchase alert data and said commodity ID data, and an alert issuing unit which outputs, in an alert form, said received purchase alert data and said commodity ID data.

9. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein at least either one of said user operation terminal and said backyard stock shelf includes an alert sending unit which sends, if said store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status, said correspondent commodity ID data together with a predetermined replenishment alert data to said sales processing device, and

said sales processing device includes an alert receiving unit which receives said replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data, and an alert issuing unit which outputs, in an alert form, said received replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data.

10. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said user operation terminal further includes an ID presenting unit which outputs, if said acquired store front stock data represents an in-stock status, said correspondent commodity ID data to said sales processing device in response to a specific enter operation, and

said sales processing device further includes a sales processing unit which executes sales processing of said over-the-counter commodity based on said entered commodity ID data.

11. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein said user operation terminal further includes an ID acquisition unit which acquires said commodity ID data attached to said over-the-counter commodities, and said media display unit allows said touch panel to output, in a displayed form, said commodity selection screen corresponded to said acquired commodity ID data.

12. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein at least a part of said over-the-counter commodities includes a cigarette pack.

13. A user operation terminal of the franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a media storage unit which stores a hypermedia which makes said user operation terminal output, in a displayed form, a commodity selection screen allowing thereon step-wise selection among said over-the-counter commodities housed in at least said store front stock shelf in response to the enter operation by said ordinary user;

a media display unit which makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said stored commodity selection screen of said hypermedia in response to the enter operation by said ordinary user; and

a stock confirmation unit which makes use of said commodity ID data of said over-the-counter commodity selected on said commodity selection screen displayed in a switchable manner, so as to acquire a correspondent said store front stock data from said store front stock shelf,

said media display unit making said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen presenting “

in stock”

, if said acquired store front stock data represents an in-stock status.

14. A store front stock shelf of the franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 1, comprising:

a stock detection unit which detects a stock status of said over-the-counter commodities housed therein and produces store front stock data.

15. A backyard stock shelf of the franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 4, comprising:

a replenishment detection unit which detects a stock status of said over-the-counter commodities kept therein and produces replenishment stock data.

16. A computer program configured to make said user operation terminal as claimed in claim 13, executes:

a media storage process which stores a hypermedia which outputs, in a displayed form, a commodity selection screen allowing thereon step-wise selection among said over-the-counter commodities housed in at least said store front stock shelf, in response to the enter operation by said ordinary user;

a media display process which makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said stored commodity selection screen of said hypermedia in response to the enter operation by said ordinary user; and

a stock confirmation process which makes use of said commodity ID data of said over-the-counter commodity selected on said commodity selection screen displayed in a switchable manner, so as to acquire a correspondent said store front stock data from said store front stock shelf,

said media display process making said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen presenting “

in stock”

, if said acquired store front stock data represents an in-stock status.

17. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 2,

wherein said media display unit makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen recommending a correlated one of said over-the-counter commodities, if said acquired store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status.

18. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 5,

wherein said media display unit makes said touch panel display, in a switchable manner, said commodity selection screen recommending a correlated one of said over-the-counter commodities, if both of said acquired store front stock data and said replenishment stock data represent an out-of-stock status.

19. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 5,

wherein at least either one of said user operation terminal and said backyard stock shelf includes an alert sending unit which sends, if said store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status and said replenishment stock data represents an in-stock status, said correspondent commodity ID data together with a predetermined replenishment alert data to said sales processing device, and

said sales processing device includes an alert receiving unit which receives said replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data, and an alert issuing unit which outputs, in an alert form, said received replenishment alert data said commodity ID data.

20. The franchise add-on system as claimed in claim 6,

wherein at least either one of said user operation terminal and said backyard stock shelf includes an alert sending unit which sends, if said store front stock data represents an out-of-stock status and said replenishment stock data represents an in-stock status, said correspondent commodity ID data together with a predetermined replenishment alert data to said sales processing device, and

said sales processing device includes an alert receiving unit which receives said replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data, and an alert issuing unit which outputs, in an alert form, said received replenishment alert data and said commodity ID data.