INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND PROGRAM

• US 20200134577A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2013
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: GOTANDA, Tsuyoshi, SUSAKI, Akiko
• Application Number:
  US16/729,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20200134577A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/0457 the tickets being sent electronically
• 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 20/202 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 20/209 Specified transaction journal output feature, e.g. printed receipt or voice output
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/14 Systems including one or more distant stations co-operating with a central processing unit data transmission in general H04L; telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station H04Q9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 5/00 Receipt-giving machines cash registers giving receipts G07G1/00

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a member correlating unit that correlates a membership code to a user, an electronic receipt receiving unit that receives electronic receipt information correlated with the membership code from an electronic receipt managing server that manages the electronic receipt information, and an electronic receipt displaying unit that displays a plurality of selectable process categories corresponding to the electronic receipt information received from the electronic receipt receiving unit in a menu on a display unit.

Claims

1. A system for distributing data, comprising:

a plurality of store servers corresponding to a plurality of stores, respectively, each of the store severs being configured to;

i) store an electronic receipt generated by a point of sale (POS) terminal of the corresponding store for a transaction made by a customer thereat, and

ii) transmit the electronic receipt along with additional information indicating a category of a product associated with the transaction made by the customer, through a public network;

an electronic receipt management server connected to the store servers over the public network and configured to;

i) store the electronic receipt in association with the additional information upon reception thereof from each of the store servers, and

ii) transmit the electronic receipt and the additional information in response to a request therefore; and

a client device wirelessly connectable to the public network and configured to;

i) request authentication for a customer and perform a customer authentication with the electronic receipt management server, and when the authentication succeeds, transmit to the electronic receipt management server a request for electronic receipts and additional information associated therewith for transactions made by the customer,

ii) upon receipt of the electronic receipts and the additional information, generate a first graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a touch panel display and including first and second selectable objects,

iii) upon selection of the first selectable object, generates a second GUI displayed on the touch panel display and including a plurality of third selectable objects each of which is to view an image of one of the received electronic receipts, and

iv) upon selection of the second selectable object, generate statistics information about purchases made by the customer based on the received electronic receipts and the additional information, and generate a third GUI displayed on the touch panel display and including a graphical chart that shows an amount of purchases made by the customer for each category over a predetermined of time.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second selectable objects are arranged in the first GUI as icons.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein

a banner for advertisement is further arranged in the first GUI.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the store servers is further configured to determine whether or not additional information associated with the electronic receipt exists, and upon determining that the additional information exists, store the additional information in association with the electronic receipt.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the store servers transmits the additional information in response to an inquiry from the electronic receipt management server.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein

the graphical chart is a pie chart or a bar graph.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein

one of the pie chart or the bar graph is shown in the third GUI based on a selection made by the customer of a button on the client device.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein

the client device is further configured to

generate a fourth GUI displayed on the client device and including a calendar in which each day of a current month is indicated by an icon, and

upon selection of the icon, update the fourth GUI to display all purchases made by the customer on the corresponding day.

9. A method for distributing data using a system including a plurality of store servers corresponding to a plurality of stores, respectively, an electronic receipt management server, and a client device, the method comprising:

by each of the store servers,

i) storing an electronic receipt generated by a point of sale (POS) terminal of a corresponding store for a transaction made by a customer thereat, and

ii) transmitting, to the electronic receipt management server, the electronic receipt along with additional information indicating a category of a product associated with the transaction made by the customer, through a public network;

by the electronic receipt management server,

i) storing the electronic receipt in association with the additional information upon reception thereof from each of the store servers, and

ii) transmitting, to the client device, the additional information in response to a request therefore; and

by the client device,

i) requesting authentication for a customer and performing a customer authentication with the electronic receipt management server, and when the authentication succeeds, transmitting to the electronic receipt management server a request for electronic receipts and additional information associated therewith for transactions made by the customer,

ii) upon receipt of the electronic receipts and the additional information, generating a first GUI displayed on the client device and including first and second selectable objects,

iii) upon selection of the first selectable object, generating a second GUI displayed on the client device and including a plurality of third selectable objects each of which is to view an image of one of the received electronic receipts, and

iv) upon selection of the second selectable object, generating statistics information about purchases made by the customer based on the received electronic receipts and the additional information, and generating a third GUI displayed on the client device and including a graphical chart that shows an amount of purchases made by the customer for each category over a predetermined of time.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein

the first and second selectable objects are arranged in the first GUI as icons.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein

a banner for advertisement is further arranged in the first GUI.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

by each of the store servers,

determining whether or not additional information associated with the electronic receipt exists; and

upon determining that the additional information exists, storing the additional information in association with the electronic receipt.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

by each of the store servers, transmitting the additional information in response to an inquiry from the electronic receipt server.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

the graphical chart is a pie chart or a bar graph.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein

one of the pie chart or the bar graph is shown in the third GUI based on selection made by the customer of a button on the client device.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

by the client device, generating a fourth GUI displayed on the client device and including a calendar in which each day of a current month is indicated by an icon; and

upon selection of the icon, updating the fourth GUI to display all purchases made by the customer on the corresponding day.