Merchandise registration processing system

• US 7,654,453 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Issued: 02/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizaka, Hitoshi, Mochizuki, Hiroki, Tsuchiya, Osamu, Yamada, Yoshiya, Ikeda, Yoshihiko, Nozawa, Makoto, Kurihara, Norihiko, Ebisawa, Junya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Seung H
• Application Number:
  US12/082,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20080191011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375, 235/383, 235/385, 705/20, 705/28
• US Class Current: 235/383
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/407 Cancellation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0036 Checkout procedures

Abstract

When obtaining an ID code from a user who holds out an arm to a corresponding merchandise in a noncontact manner, respective information terminal devices accept a registration input of the corresponding merchandise. When accepting the registration input of the corresponding merchandise, registration merchandise information including obtained user identification information and merchandise identification information for identifying the merchandise corresponding to the information terminal device is transmitted to a server device. The server device stores and manages merchandise sales information for the respective ID codes from the registration merchandise information received from the respective information terminal devices. When the ID code is input from a settlement device, the merchandise sales information corresponding to the ID code is transmitted to the settlement device. The settlement device performs the settlement processing based on the merchandise sales information received from the server device.

Claims

1. A merchandise registration processing system which comprises a plurality of information terminal devices which are so arranged as to correspond to various displayed merchandises respectively and each of which has a display unit that displays information related to the corresponding merchandise, and a communication unit that receives information to be displayed on the display unit, a server device which has terminal display control means for editing information to be displayed on the display units of the respective information terminal devices for the respective information terminal devices, and transmitting edited information to the corresponding information terminal devices, and a settlement device that performs settlement processing of a commercial transaction, the information terminal devices, server device, and settlement device being connected by a communication network, the system wherein,

each of the information terminal devices comprises user recognition means for obtaining, from a user who holds out an arm to a merchandise corresponding to the information terminal device, user identification information for identifying the user in a noncontact manner, input receiving means for, under a condition that the user identification information is obtained by the user recognition means, receiving a registration input of a merchandise corresponding to the information terminal device, and registration merchandise information transmission means for, when there is a registration input of a merchandise received by the input receiving means, transmitting registration merchandise information including merchandise identification information for identifying the merchandise and the user identification information obtained by the user identification recognition means from the communication unit to the server device through the communication network,

the server device comprises information reception means for receiving information transmitted from the respective information terminal devices through the communication network, a transaction information storage unit that has a transaction information storage area for the respective user identification information, registration merchandise information processing means for, every time the registration merchandise information is received by the information reception means, adding the merchandise identification information included in the registration merchandise information to the transaction information storage area for the respective user identification information included in the registration merchandise information of the transaction information storage unit, and commercial transaction information transfer means for transferring the merchandise identification information stored for the respective user identification information in the transaction information storage unit to the settlement device, and

the settlement device comprises input means for the user identification information, and settlement processing means for performing the settlement processing of the commercial transaction with the user identified by the user identification information input through the input means based on the merchandise identification information transferred from the server device.

2. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the input receiving means of the respective information terminal devices can receive a registration cancellation input for merchandise corresponding to the information terminal device,

each of the information terminal devices includes cancellation merchandise information transmission means for, when there is a registration cancellation input for a merchandise, transmitting cancellation merchandise information including merchandise identification information for identifying the merchandise and user identification information obtained by the user identification recognition means from the communication unit to the server device through the communication network, and

the server device includes cancellation merchandise information processing means for, every time the cancellation merchandise information is received by the information reception means, deleting the merchandise identification information included in the cancellation merchandise information from the transaction information storage area for the respective user identification information included in the registration merchandise information of the transaction information storage unit.

3. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the system further comprises a user identification issuance device including biometric information storage means for storing biometric information of respective users which has been previously registered, biometric information take-in means for taking in biometric information of the users, identity authentication means for collating the biometric information taken in by the biometric information take-in means with the biometric information of the respective users stored in the biometric information storage means to perform the identity authentication, and user identification issuance means for, under a condition that the identity authentication of the user is established by the identity authentication means, issuing user identification information with respect to the user, the user identification issuance device being connected to the communication network.

4. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 3, wherein

the user identification issuance means is means for writing, to a noncontact communication storage medium carried about by the user for whom the identity authentication is established, user identification information issued for the user by noncontact communication.

5. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 4, wherein

the system further comprises a user identification device which has user identification obtention means for reading out the user identification information written in the noncontact communication storage medium, user identification transmission means for transmitting the user identification information obtained by the user identification obtention means to the server device, and annunciation means, the user identification device being connected to the communication network,

the settlement device includes completion user notification means for notifying the server device of the user identification information whose settlement processing by the settlement processing means has been completed, and

the server device includes completion user management means for storing and managing information related to the user identification information which receives notification of the settlement completion from the settlement device, user identification reception means for receiving the user identification information transmitted from the user identification device through the communication network, completion determination means for determining whether or not information related to the user identification information is stored and managed by the completion user management means every time the user identification information is received by the user identification reception means, and annunciation control means for, when it is determined that information related to the user identification information is not stored and managed by the completion determination means, making the annunciation means of the user identification device which is the transmission source of the user identification information operate for annunciation.

6. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the server device includes total calculation means for calculating the total money amount for the respective user identification information based on the merchandise identification information stored for the respective user identification information in the transaction information storage unit, and total money amount transfer means for transferring data of the total money amount calculated by the total calculation means to the information terminal device which is the transmission source of information received by the information reception means, and

each of the information terminal devices includes total display control means for displaying the total money amount of the commercial transaction on the display unit based on the total money amount data transferred from the server device.

7. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the information terminal devices further includes a first operation unit and a second operation unit, and

the input receiving means makes the operation input of the first and second operation units possible under a condition that the user recognition means obtains the user identification information, and processes in such a manner that, when the operation of the first operation unit is detected, there is a registration input for a corresponding merchandise, and processes in such a manner that, when the operation of the second operation unit is detected, there is a registration cancellation input for a corresponding merchandise.

8. The merchandise registration processing system according to claim 1, wherein

the respective information terminal devices are arranged on merchandise display shelves, and are electronic shelf label devices which display prices of merchandises displayed on the shelves.