MERCHANDISE SALES DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM THEREFOR

• US 20140249951A1
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Published: 09/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: GOTANDA, Tsuyoshi, ANDO, Taro, OKUMA, Yumiko, SASAKI, Yasutsugu, MOCHIZUKI, Katsuhito, NIMIYA, Shigeki
• Application Number:
  US14/194,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20140249951A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10861 sensing of data fields affixed to objects or articles, e.g. coded labels postal sorting B07C3/14, conveying articles B65G47/48
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/047 using payment protocols involving electronic receipts
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems

Abstract

A merchandise sales data processing apparatus includes a code reading unit configured to read a code of a customer purchasing a merchandise, an electronic receipt issuing instruction unit configured to receive an instruction for issuing electronic receipt information associated with merchandise sales data, an electronic receipt generation unit 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, a transmission unit 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, and a receipt printing unit 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.

Claims

1. A merchandise sales data processing apparatus comprising:

a code reading unit configured to read a code of a customer purchasing a merchandise;

an electronic receipt issuing instruction unit configured to receive an instruction for issuing electronic receipt information associated with merchandise sales data;

an electronic receipt generation unit 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;

a notification unit configured to notify that the electronic receipt is to be issued;

a transmission unit 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; and

a receipt printing unit 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.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit includes an input interface having a first input element to instruct the electronic receipt information to be issued, and a second input element to instruct the paper receipt to be printed.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit receives the instruction to issue the electronic receipt information in response to an input operation on the first input element and the paper receipt printing unit prints the paper receipt in response to an input operation on the second input element.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the notification unit is configured to notify that the electronic receipt is to be issued using an operator display unit and a customer display unit, when the instruction for issuing the electronic receipt information is received by the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the notification unit is configured to notify that the paper receipt is not printed using an operator display unit, when the instruction for issuing the electronic receipt information is received by the electronic receipt issuing instruction unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the receipt printing unit prints the paper receipt when the electronic receipt generation unit detects that an offline state occurs during generation of the electronic receipt information.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the code reading unit includes one of a bar code reader, a two-dimensional code reader, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) receiver.

8. A method of processing a receipt at a store terminal in connection with sales of a merchandise to a customer at the store, comprising:

reading a code of the customer purchasing the merchandise;

receiving a first instruction for issuing electronic receipt information associated with the sales or a second instruction for issuing a paper receipt associated with the sales;

when the first instruction is received, generating the electronic receipt information in correlation with the code of the customer, notifying that the electronic receipt is to be issued, and transmitting a company code indicating a company and the electronic receipt information generated to an electronic receipt server; and

when the second instruction is received, printing a paper receipt associated with the merchandise sales data.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein one of the first instruction and the second instruction is received through respective first and second input elements provided in an input interface.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said receiving the first instructions includes detecting an operation of the first input element and said receiving the second instructions includes detecting an operation of the second input element.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the electronic receipt issuance is notified through a display unit of the store terminal and a customer display unit.

12. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

when the first instruction is received, notifying that the paper receipt is not printed using a display unit of the store terminal.

13. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

printing the paper receipt associated with the merchandise sales data when an offline state of the store terminal is detected.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the code is encoded as one of a bar code, a two-dimensional code, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) code.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for causing a store terminal to carry out a method of processing a receipt in connection with sales of a merchandise to a customer at the store, said method comprising the steps of:

reading a code of the customer purchasing the merchandise;

receiving a first instruction for issuing electronic receipt information associated with the sales or a second instruction for issuing a paper receipt associated with the sales;

when the first instruction is received, generating the electronic receipt information in correlation with the code of the customer, notifying that the electronic receipt is to be issued, and transmitting a company code indicating a company and the electronic receipt information generated to an electronic receipt server; and

when the second instruction is received, printing a paper receipt associated with the merchandise sales data.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein one of the first instruction and the second instruction is received through respective first and second input elements provided in an input interface.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein said receiving the first instructions includes detecting an operation of the first input element and said receiving the second instructions includes detecting an operation of the second input element.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the electronic receipt issuance is notified through a display unit of the store terminal and a customer display unit.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

when the first instruction is received, notifying that the paper receipt is not printed using a display unit of the store terminal.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

printing the paper receipt associated with the merchandise sales data when an offline state of the store terminal is detected.