JP2003016351A - Product purchase support system, terminal device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide a merchandise purchase support system or the like that can guide a user to a store where he can purchase desired products. A merchandise information management server (10) grasps the presence or absence of stock and the like based on merchandise management information transmitted from a store server (50) prepared for each store. When the navigation device 20 receives the product specifying information to be searched from the user, the navigation device 20 stores the product specifying information in the product information management server 1.
0, and the merchandise information management server 10 transmits to the navigation device 20 the store information on the store where the merchandise can be purchased. Navigation device 20
Since the location of the store can be displayed on a map, the user can know the position of the store that can be purchased. If necessary, route guidance to the dealer can be instructed. As a result, I went to the store with great effort, but I can not buy it because it is out of stock.
Such inconveniences are resolved.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for supporting product purchase using communication technology.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When it is desired to know the location of a store for purchasing a product, for example, even with a conventional navigation system, the names and locations of department stores and supermarkets could be provided. .
Of course, it was possible to calculate and guide the route for that position. However, if you want to go to a store to purchase goods, you must have something to buy when you go to the intended store. Therefore, it is conceivable that the store does not originally sell the product you want to purchase, or that the product is sold but the product is sold out. In that case, it would be a waste to walk, but the existing navigation system only guides the name and position of the store as described above, and it is not possible to inform such inventory status. It was

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a product purchase support system or the like capable of guiding a user to a store where desired products can be purchased. And

[0004]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention
According to the merchandise purchase support system described in (1), the merchandise information management server can grasp the presence or absence of inventory based on the merchandise management information transmitted from the store server prepared for each store. Then, when the terminal device that has received the product specifying information to be searched from the user transmits the product specifying information to the product information managing server, the product information managing server determines whether the product specified based on the product specifying information. Store information about stores that can be purchased is sent to the terminal device. In the terminal device that has received the store information, the guide means guides the store where the product can be purchased based on the store information.
By going to the store according to this guide, the inconvenience of being out of stock and unable to purchase the product even though the customer has visited the store is eliminated, and the possibility of purchasing the desired product becomes very high.

According to the merchandise purchase support system according to the second aspect, the merchandise information management server can grasp the presence or absence of inventory based on the merchandise management information transmitted from the store server prepared for each store. Then, the product information management server, based on the product management information transmitted from the store server, transmits the store information regarding the store where the product can be purchased to the terminal device by digital television broadcasting. The terminal device that has received the store information transmitted from the product information management server guides the store where the product can be purchased, based on the received store information and the product specifying information received through the search target receiving means. .

In the case of the system according to the first aspect, since it is so-called on-demand type information communication, there is an advantage that only the desired information can be acquired and the amount of data handled by the terminal device is reduced. On the other hand, it is necessary to transmit from the terminal device to the product information management server. For example, when this system is installed in a vehicle, it is assumed that a mobile phone, a mobile phone, etc. will be used as the transmission means of the terminal device. Will occur. On the other hand, in the case of the system according to the second aspect, it is not necessary to make the demand on demand, and the store information may be unilaterally transmitted from the product information management server to the terminal device. Therefore, as in the case of receiving a digital television broadcast program, for example, the terminal device may only receive the store information, and in that case, there is no communication cost when using the car phone or the mobile phone described above. Does not occur. If the store information transmitted from the product information management server is updated frequently, the problem of response is reduced and the possibility of purchasing the desired product is increased.

However, even so, since the actual stock situation at the retail store fluctuates in real time, the guide to the retail store where the desired product can be purchased based on the retail store information received at a certain timing. It is also assumed that the desired product cannot be purchased at the store based on the store information received at another timing after the start of. Therefore, as a measure in that case, as described in claim 3, it is determined that the product cannot be purchased at the store, and the user is notified of that fact.

Various methods are conceivable for receiving the product specifying information to be searched. For example, as shown in claim 4,
A method in which a user inputs a product name in a text format, a product code published in a magazine or the like, or a printed bar code is read by a bar code reader and input can be considered.

When the accepted product name is a unique product name, only that product name may be adopted. However, as shown in claim 5, for example, a list of competing product names of the product is displayed, and Product identification information including the product name selected from is also displayed, or if the product name is comprehensive, a list of unique product names belonging to that comprehensive product name is displayed in a list, and the product name selected from them is specified. It can be considered as information. Generally, as a purchaser's consciousness, there are cases in which only a specific product is desired to be purchased and cases in which the same product is acceptable. For example, when considering the product name “milk”, in reality, a plurality of manufacturers sell a plurality of types of products. Therefore, it is convenient if a product name of simply milk is accepted and a list is provided for each manufacturer and for each type such as milk / processed milk / milk drink, and the user can select from the list. Further, for example, when the product name of a certain processed milk is characterized by “calcium-enhanced”, if there is “calcium-enhanced” processed milk from another maker, it is displayed as a list as a competing product. By doing so, it is easier to reflect the user's intention by selecting one or more of them.

Further, as described in claim 6, a list of the highest hierarchy of the product name list having one or more hierarchy structures may be displayed and selected from the list. Here, when multiple comprehensive product names are displayed in a list, the process of displaying multiple product names belonging to the comprehensive product name selected from them or further comprehensive product names in a list is finally performed. It is sufficient to execute until an appropriate product name is selected. For example, in the case of "milk", it is possible to sequentially select food, drink, and milk. In this case, although the entire list may be stored in the terminal device, considering that the amount of data is enormous, a hierarchical list display such as large classification → medium classification → small classification → ... It is also preferable that the product information management server provides necessary data at a required time (claim 7). Of course, all the data necessary for displaying the list may be acquired from the product information management server.

[0011] Regardless of whether a text entry or the like is performed or a list is displayed from the beginning, it is easy for the user to select a list of product names included in competing product names and comprehensive product names. It is preferable to display a list including information. For example, in the case of milk,
The manufacturer name and the unique product name may be displayed in the classified products such as processed milk and milk drink, or the unique product name may be displayed in the distinguished products by the manufacturer name. In this case, the unique product name is followed by milk
It is preferable to add a classification such as processed milk / milk drink. Although milk has been described as an example, the same applies to other products.

Furthermore, there may be a situation in which a user wants to purchase a plurality of products. Therefore, the desired purchase quantity of the product may be accepted, and the product identification information transmitted to the product information management server may include the quantity information. This is effective when you want to purchase a large amount. In other words, even if the product itself exists, if the desired quantity cannot be purchased, the user has to go to another store again, and the user wants to know the store that can be purchased at one time.

In the terminal device, it has already been described that the guide means guides the store where the product can be purchased.
For example, the guide means displays the address of a store where the product can be purchased. However, from the viewpoint of making it easier to access the store, the position of the store can be shown on the map as shown in claim 8, or the store can be reached to the destination or via the store as shown in claim 9. It is conceivable that a guide route is calculated as the ground, and the movement guide to the dealer is performed according to the guide route. For example, when the terminal device is adopted as an in-vehicle device, it may be configured as a so-called car navigation device, and appropriate route guidance including, for example, intersection guidance will be executed. The map data may be stored in the terminal device in advance, or may be transmitted from the product information management server together with the position data.

Further, the number of stores where the merchandise can be purchased is not necessarily one. Therefore, it is possible to target all of the corresponding shops, but it is actually preferable to target only a part of them. For example, as described in claim 10, based on the position of the own device, one or a plurality of shops suitable for use are narrowed down and the shop is targeted for guidance. In this case "suitable"
The store may be, for example, a store located at the shortest distance from the position of the terminal device or one or a plurality of stores located within a predetermined distance.

In the tenth aspect of the invention, the ease of movement is the main focus, but as shown in the eleventh aspect, it is also preferable to take the commodity price into consideration. This is because there are many cases where the price of the same product differs depending on the store, and even if the price is a little far, many purchasers will go to that store. From this point of view, it is preferable to display the product price corresponding to the store.

In claims 10 and 11, it is premised that the terminal device narrows down, but as shown in claims 12 and 13, the product information management server side executes the narrowing down, and the result of the narrowing down is performed. May be transmitted to the terminal device. When a terminal device is realized as a mobile device, it can be realized as a device that is supposed to be carried by a user, such as a mobile phone.
Further, as described in claim 14, it may be configured as an in-vehicle device. When configuring as an in-vehicle device, when narrowing down one or more dealers suitable for use, regardless of whether the narrowing is performed by the terminal device or the product information management server, the vehicle is moved to the dealer. It is preferable that the ease of is also taken into consideration. That is, the vehicle is not always easy to move just because the straight line distance is short.
For example, in the case of calculating the above-mentioned guide route, it is possible to consider information such as the status of the road network and the traffic status and narrow down to only the shops that can arrive in the shortest time or only the plurality of upper shops. Further, when considering the movement by such a vehicle, the presence or absence of a parking lot (and the number of cars accommodated, etc.) can also be adopted as a condition for narrowing down. It is also possible to add a condition such as whether or not the cash card can be used, whether or not the product can be delivered in the case of a large product, regardless of whether or not the vehicle is moving.

By the way, in the case of the present system, the product information management server is premised on a structure for performing data communication with the store server prepared for each store, and therefore the structure as shown in claim 15 is also provided. Can be adopted. That is, the terminal device can transmit information related to the purchase of the product to the product information management server based on the transmitted store information. In the case of using digital television broadcasting as claimed in claim 2, information may be transmitted from the terminal device side to the product information management server by digital television broadcasting capable of bidirectional communication. At this time, the product information management server further transmits the information transmitted from the terminal device to the store server corresponding to each store. The information related to the purchase of the product may be the date and time of ordering the product, making a reservation, and planning to visit the store. Such information may be input by the user via the input means, or may be automatically generated by the guide means. When the guide means is automatically generated, it is preferable to confirm with the user. In this way, each retailer can perform shipping, reservation, delivery preparation, etc. of the product based on the information transmitted to the store server, which enables smooth product sales.

The terminal device in such a commodity purchase support system can be incorporated as a part of the function of the (car) navigation device as described above, or can be incorporated as a part of the function of the mobile phone. Further, as described in claims 16 to 27, it can be realized as a terminal device. These are terminal devices which are effective for use in the commodity purchase support system described in claims 1 to 12, respectively.

Further, the program for realizing the function executed by each means in the above-mentioned terminal device on the computer is, for example, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a hard disk, a ROM, a RAM.
It can be used by recording it on a computer-readable recording medium such as the above and loading it into a computer system and starting it as necessary, or by loading it via a network and starting it.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. Needless to say, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various forms can be adopted as long as they are within the technical scope of the present invention.

[First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a commodity purchase support system according to the first embodiment. The merchandise purchase support system includes a merchandise information management server 10, a navigation device 20 as a "terminal device" mounted on a vehicle and used, and a store server 5 prepared for each store.
It has 0.

First, the configuration of the product information management server 10 will be described. The product information management server 10 includes a control unit 1
5, a communication unit 12, a data input / output unit 13, and a hard disk device 14 connected to the control unit 15.
The communication unit 12 is configured to perform data communication with the navigation device 20 via the telephone line network 60 including a wireless line, and the data input / output unit 13 performs data communication with the store server 50. This is a configuration for performing.

The store server 50 is a server device connected to the network and is prepared for each store. Therefore, a plurality of units are prepared corresponding to a plurality of stores. The store here includes various stores such as supermarkets, department stores, discount stores, fast food stores, and restaurants. And store server 5
In 0, a database for managing the inventory of products in the store is constructed. It should be noted that the product is a “product” in the broad sense of being sold at a store, such as food, clothing, miscellaneous goods, and various services that do not exist as a “product”. Then, the product information management server 10
The merchandise management information can be acquired from the store server 50. The data communication processing between the product information management server 10 and the store server 50 is also performed in the navigation device 20 described above.
It is conceivable that the communication processing is performed via the telephone line network 60, similarly to the communication processing with.

The hard disk device 14 is a large-capacity storage device, and is reconstructed based on product list information, information indicating the name and position of each store, and product management information transmitted from each store server 50. Product database 14
It stores a, etc. The list information of products is a list having a plurality of hierarchical structures. For example, the highest hierarchy includes foods / electric appliances ..., the lower hierarchy of foods includes beverages / vegetables / meat ... There are milk, coffee, soft drinks, etc. in the hierarchy, and a unique product name is set in the lower hierarchy of milk. The product database is created by associating at least the store, the unit price, and the stock quantity for each unique product in the lowest hierarchy in the product list information. For example, for a product called OO (maker name) Hokkaido milk 1000ml,
¥ 98/50 ”,“ Distributor B / 188 yen / 20 ”,
[Distributor C, 198 yen, 100 bottles ...] This product database is updated every time the latest product management information is transmitted from the store server 50.

The control unit 15 includes a well-known CPU, ROM, R
This is a so-called computer system including an AM, an I / O, and a bus line connecting these. Then, it controls the entire product information management server 10. Next, the configuration of the navigation device 20 will be described.

The navigation device 20 includes the position detector 2
2, map data input device 24, operation switch group 26, display device 28, speaker 30, external memory 32, communication device 3
4, and a position detector 22 including an electronic control unit (ECU) 38 is a well-known gyroscope 40, a vehicle speed sensor 42, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) that detects the position of the vehicle based on radio waves from a satellite. It has a GPS receiver 44 for. These sensors, etc. 4
Since 0, 42, and 44 have errors with different properties, they are configured to be used while being interpolated by a plurality of sensors. Depending on the accuracy, it may be configured by a part of the above, and further, a geomagnetic sensor, a steering rotation sensor, a wheel sensor for each rolling wheel, or the like may be used.

The map data input device 24 inputs the map data stored in the recording medium. In addition, in the map data,
It includes data indicating the road connection status and map matching data for improving the position detection accuracy. As the recording medium for storing the map data, a CD-ROM or a DVD is generally used because of its data amount, but other medium such as a memory card may be used.

The operation switch group 26 is composed of various switches for operating the navigation device 20, and more specifically, switches for selecting products, which will be described later, and a route to a destination by the user (guide route). ) Including switches for setting. In the present embodiment, as various switches constituting the operation switch group 26, touch switches integrally formed with the display device 28 are used. A mechanical switch other than the display device 28 or a voice input switch configured by a voice recognition device may be used. Alternatively, the operation switch group 26 may be realized as a remote control terminal (remote control) that is separate from the navigation device 20.

The display device 28 is a color display device,
On the display screen, the vehicle current position mark input from the position detector 22, the map data input from the map data input device 24, and additional data such as a guide route or a mark of a set point to be displayed on the map. And can be overlaid and displayed.

The speaker 30 is constructed so that the driver can be informed of the driving guidance by voice. In the present embodiment, both the display by the display device 28 and the voice output from the speaker 30 are provided. The driver can be provided with driving guidance. For example, in the case of a right turn, the map of the right turn point is enlarged and displayed, and the contents such as "Please turn right at the next intersection" are output by voice. If the driver is informed by voice, the driver can confirm the traffic information at the set point without moving the viewpoint, so that a further safe driving can be achieved.

The external memory 32 is composed of a semiconductor memory device or the like and can store various data. The stored contents are backed up by a power source (not shown). The communication device 34 is configured to perform data communication with the product information management server 10 described above, and receives information from the product information management server 10 and transmits information to the product information management server 10. Device. As a device used as the communication device 34, a mobile communication device such as a car phone or a mobile phone may be used, or a dedicated transceiver may be used. Information received from the outside via the communication device 34 is processed by the electronic control device 38.

The electronic control unit 38 is constructed as an ordinary computer, and internally has a well-known CPU and RO.
M, RAM, I / O and bus lines connecting these components are provided. Then, in accordance with inputs from the position detector 22, the map data input device 24, and the operation switch group 26, the display device 28, the speaker 30, and the external memory 3
2. Control the communication device 34 to execute various processes.

In the product information management server 10 of the product purchase support system configured as described above, the presence or absence of product inventory can be grasped from the product management information transmitted from the store server 50 prepared for each store. Then, when the user selects the product to be searched through the operation switch group 26 of the navigation device 20 and the product selection information is transmitted to the product information management server 10, the product information management server 10 selects the product. The shop information based on the information is transmitted to the navigation device 20. As a result, the navigation device 20 can set the store as a destination or a stopover based on the store information, and can execute route guidance to the point of sale.

Then, a series of operations in the product purchase support system will be described in detail below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 2 and 3 and the display screen examples of FIGS. The flowchart of FIG. 2 shows processing relating to inventory search / guidance executed by the navigation device 20. This process is executed when an instruction for inventory search is issued via the operation switch group 26.

In the first step (hereinafter, the step is simply indicated by the symbol S) 10, the product to be searched is accepted. In the present embodiment, when accepting this, first, the communication device 3
The product information management server 10 is accessed via 4 to display the search target acceptance screen on the display device 28. The product information management server 10 has a web server function, which allows the display device 28 of the navigation device 20 connected to the telephone line network 60 to refer to the search target acceptance screen.

On the initial screen of the search object acceptance screen, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, a field for entering a product code, a field for entering a product name in text, a button for requesting a list display, etc. are displayed. ing. These may be appropriately selected and used by the user according to the situation. First,
The case of inputting with the product code is described as an example, and then the differences in the case of other input examples will be described.

The product code mentioned here is a code unique to the product (that is, originally unique). For example, when the product code is posted in a magazine or the like and the user wants to input and specify the code, the product code is input to the input field of. In this case, the code identifies a unique product name. Then, when the user presses the search button, the product code is transmitted to the product information management server 10. In addition, in the case of “pressing the search button on the screen”, if the touch switch is a touch switch, the corresponding part may be directly touched. In the case of a mechanical switch, the cursor is moved to this button part and the predetermined position is set. Press the confirmation switch of.

The merchandise information management server 10 that has received the merchandise code refers to the merchandise database 14a in the hard disk device 14 and searches for a merchandise item that competes with the merchandise item specified by the received merchandise code. This is when the purchaser wants to buy only a specific product,
In some cases, it may be acceptable as long as it is a similar product, but we have considered the latter. For example, the product name accepted as a search target is ●● calcium-fortified milk [1000ml]
If it is, it is a processed milk characterized by containing more calcium than usual, so if it has similar characteristics, for example, ▲ ▲ Ca milk [1000 ml] or ◆ ◆ milk (Ca · iron doubled) ) [1000ml] etc. are extracted as competitive products. In the product names, ●●, ▲▲, and ◆◆ are manufacturer names, for example. In this embodiment, the product database 1
It is assumed that the classification of the product list in 4a is made from such a viewpoint. In the case of milk (including processed milk and milk drinks), it seems that it is more appropriate to handle different products depending on the case, for example, 500 ml and 1000 ml. .

A screen for presenting the competitive products thus extracted is displayed on the display device 28 as shown in FIG. 4 (b). If the product name received as the search target is ●● calcium-fortified milk [1000 ml], the check box □ provided at the top of the product is checked on the screen of FIG. 4 (b). It is displayed in a closed state. If the user does not need to change or add, he / she can just press the confirm button. Also, if you want to add a product, you can put a check in the head of the product name, and if you want to change it, you can remove the check already entered. It is conceivable that these operations are performed, for example, by moving the cursor to the corresponding portion and clicking. Here, it is assumed that ▲▲ Ca milk [1000 ml] is selected in place of ●● calcium-fortified milk [1000 ml].

When the product to be searched is finally determined and the confirm button is pressed in this way, the process of receiving the product to be searched in S10 of FIG. 2 is completed, and then the process of receiving the number and conditions of S20 is executed. . Specifically, the screen switches to a screen for inputting the number of products and conditions as shown in FIG. The conditions include, for example, whether or not there is a parking lot, whether or not a cash card can be used, and whether or not a product can be delivered. The user may check the check box □ for the item to which the condition is to be added, as in the case described above.

After that, when the confirmation button is pressed, the product specifying information is transmitted to the product information management server 10. The product identification information is the product name, the number of products, and the conditions set by the above-described operations. In addition, in the present embodiment, the product information management server 10 obtains information on the current position obtained based on the data from the position detector 22 together with the product specifying information.
Send to. This completes the number / condition acceptance process of S30.

On the other hand, in the case of the text input, of course, if the user remembers the correct product name, the unique product name can be input. In this case, thereafter, the same processing as in the case of the product code described above is performed. However, since an accurate product name is not always remembered, it is also possible to input a comprehensive product name such as "milk". The user enters "milk" and the search button (Fig. 4
When you press (a)), the comprehensive product name is "milk"
Is transmitted to the product information management server 10, the product information management server 10 creates a list screen of unique product names belonging to the category of milk. The user of the navigation device 20 selects a desired product from the list displayed on the screen. After this, the same processing as in the case of the product code described above is performed.

When the list display of is requested,
The product information management server 10 uses the highest hierarchy (for example, food, etc.) in the list information of products in the product database 14a.
When a user on the side of the navigation device 20 who views the screen creates a list screen of electrical appliances ...) and selects, for example, a food item from the list screen, the product information management server 10 causes the product information management server 10 to select a lower layer of the food item (for example, beverages, vegetables, meats ... ) List screen is created. When the user selects, for example, a beverage from among them, the product information management server 10 creates a list screen of lower layers of the beverage (eg milk, coffee, soft drink ...),
When the user selects milk from among them, the product information management server 10 creates a list screen of unique product names constituting the lower hierarchy of milk. This screen has the same contents as when "milk" is input in the above text input. From this point onward, the processing is the same as in the case of the above-mentioned product code, so the description thereof is omitted.

With any of these input methods, the screen finally becomes the screen of FIG. 5A, so the processing after the confirmation button is pressed will be described. As described above, since the navigation device 20 transmits the product identification information and the current position information to the product information management server 10,
The merchandise information management server 10 searches the merchandise database based on the information, and extracts information about the corresponding store. Specified product for extraction ●●
It is assumed that the calcium-fortified milk [1000ml] is in stock at the specified number or more and the specified conditions (for example, parking lot) are satisfied, and the distance is further narrowed down. This is because presenting a store that is too far away has virtually no meaning to the user. The distance here is a straight line distance and can be obtained from the position information of the dealer and the current position information sent from the navigation device 20. Note that, for example, it is also possible to narrow down to a predetermined number of upper stores in order of decreasing distance.

Regarding the stores narrowed down in this way,
A list screen in which the price of the corresponding product ▲ ▲ Ca milk [1000 ml] at the shop concerned is associated with the above straight line distance is created (see FIG. 5B) and transmitted to the navigation device 20 side. On the side of the navigation device 20, this list screen is presented on the display device 28 (S30). here,
The numbers are displayed in ascending order of the straight line distance. In addition, the information that can display this list screen is "distributor information"
Equivalent to.

When the map display button on the screen is pressed (S40: YES), the navigation device 20 indicates each store on the map displayed on the display device 28 based on the position information of each store. The information is displayed at the corresponding position (S50). For example, a mark such as ... May be used, or the name of the store may also be written. The current position obtained by the navigation device 20 is also shown as a mark on the map. This allows the user to have an indication of which store is located and how far from the current location. Further, the price may be displayed together with the display showing the position of the store. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6A, in addition to the number and the store name at the corresponding position on the map, 198 yen, 198 yen, 188 yen ...
The price is also displayed. For example, if only these three stores are displayed, it can be seen that the price is 198 yen at the store closest to the current position and 188 yen at the farthest store. Therefore, the user can select a store that is far from the distance but is cheap, or can prioritize the closeness.

Then, the store can be set as a destination or a transit point and route guidance to the store can be provided. In the present embodiment, a button for the user to select whether or not to provide route guidance is displayed on the map display screen shown in FIG. 6A, and when the “No” button is pressed ( (S60: NO), and this processing is ended as it is. On the other hand, if the "Yes" button is pressed (S6
0: YES), and a store to be the destination (or transit point) is selected (S70). Specifically, the user is first inquired to select a store. For example, if a touch switch is used, a message such as "Please touch the store you want to use as the destination or transit point" is displayed on the display device 28 or output from the speaker 30 as voice. For example, when the dealer shown in FIG. 6A is selected, the dealer is set as the destination as shown in FIG. 6B.

In the next S80, route calculation is performed. At this time, the estimated arrival time is also calculated. Then, route guidance is started (S90), and the estimated arrival time calculated in S80 is transmitted to the product information management server 10 (S100).
After that, this processing ends, and the route guidance started in S90 continues.

Continuing, such a navigation device 2
The process on the product information management server 10 side corresponding to the process on the 0 side will be described based on the flowchart of FIG. This process is executed when there is an access from the navigation device 20 side. First, in S210, a reception target process is executed. This process corresponds to the process of S10 in FIG. 2, and as described above, the screen information that can be referred to on the display device 28 of the navigation device 20 is created and transmitted by the web server function, or the navigation device is used. The selection result or the like from 20 is received and various processing corresponding to it is performed.

The subsequent 220 acceptance of the merchandise item specific information / current position information corresponds to the process of S20 in FIG. The product database is searched based on the information received in this way, and information about the corresponding store is extracted and sent to the navigation device 20 side as a search result (S230).

As described above, in the navigation device 20, when the user instructs route guidance, the arrival time at the corresponding store is calculated and transmitted. So next S2
At 40, it is determined whether the estimated arrival time has been received.
It should be noted that in the present embodiment, a waiting state for the scheduled arrival time is set for a predetermined time such as 5 minutes. If the estimated arrival time is received here (S240: YES), S250
At, the estimated arrival time is transmitted to the corresponding store server 50. Then, this process ends. On the other hand, if the estimated arrival time is not received within the predetermined time (S240: N
O), the present process is terminated without executing the process of S250.

Next, the effect of the product purchase support system of this embodiment will be described. In the merchandise purchase support system of the present embodiment, the merchandise information management server 10 grasps the presence or absence of inventory based on the merchandise management information transmitted from the store server 50 prepared for each store. When the navigation device 20 receives the product specifying information to be searched from the user, the product specifying information is displayed as the product specifying information.
The product information management server 10 transmits to the navigation device 20 the store information regarding the stores where the product can be purchased. The navigation device 20 can display the position of the shop on the map, so that the user can know the shop where the shop can be purchased and, if necessary, can also give the route guidance to the shop. As a result, although I went to the store all the time, I can not purchase it because it is out of stock,
Such inconvenience is solved.

Even if the product name is not remembered accurately, the product name list is hierarchically entered by the user by entering a comprehensive product name as text or displaying the product list from the beginning. The user can easily find his or her desired product. Further, even if a unique product name is input (selected), the product including the competing product is further presented, so that the user can comprehensively select the product including the competing product. Since these are in line with the purchaser's product selection behavior at the time of daily product purchase, more appropriate product selection can be performed.

Since the number of products is also a search condition, it is effective especially when a large quantity is desired to be purchased. That is,
Even if the product itself exists, if you can not purchase the desired quantity at once, you must go to another store,
This is because the user wants to know the stores that can be purchased at one time. Similarly, since it is possible to set conditions such as the presence or absence of a parking lot and the presence or absence of the use of a cash card, it becomes possible to search for a store more suited to the user's wishes.

Further, in the present system, the navigation device 20 transmits to the product information management server 10 the estimated time of arrival at the store when traveling along the guide route, and the estimated time of arrival is determined by the product information management server 10. , Is transmitted to the corresponding store server 50. Therefore, based on the estimated arrival time transmitted to the store server 50, each store can prepare the product desired by the user in advance. For example, if it is applied to fast food drive-through, it is possible to receive products without waiting. However, in this case, the order must be officially accepted, so for example, prepare an order acceptance screen,
The order information may be transmitted to the relevant store server 50 by the user performing an operation of confirming that the product / quantity designated in the process before that is ordered from the designated store. By doing this, you can purchase more reliably and without waiting.

Further, in this system, the merchandise information management server 10 is configured to perform data communication with the store server 50 and acquires the store information from the store server 50. Therefore, the store information can be updated. You can easily deal with it. That is, if the store information is stored in advance in the product information management server 10, if the store information is changed,
Maintenance work in the product information management server 10 occurs. On the other hand, if the store information is acquired from the store server 50, the store side updates the store information in the store server 50 as needed, so that the maintenance work in the product information management server 10 can be performed. This is because it is no longer needed.

The operation switch group 26, the electronic control device 38, and the display device 28 of the navigation device 20 in this embodiment correspond to the "search target receiving means", and the electronic control device 38, the display device 28, and the speaker 30 are included. The position detector 22 and the electronic control unit 38 correspond to the "position detecting unit".

[Second Embodiment] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the arrangement of a product purchase support system according to the second embodiment. Figure 1
The same parts as those of the system of the first embodiment shown in FIG. The difference from the system of the first embodiment is that the product information management server 10 includes a digital television broadcasting unit (hereinafter referred to as “digital TV broadcasting unit”) 11 instead of the communication unit 12, and navigation. The device 20 is provided with a digital television receiver (hereinafter referred to as “digital TV receiver”) 36 instead of the communication device 34.

The digital TV broadcasting unit 11 carries out digital television broadcasting corresponding to a predetermined channel, and also broadcasts the store information a by multiplexing it with the channel. On the other hand, the digital TV receiver 36 has a configuration for receiving digital television broadcasting broadcast from the product information management server 10. The navigation device 20 of this embodiment has a function as a television receiver, and when a channel is selected via the operation switch group 26, the image and sound of the digital television broadcast are displayed on the display device 28 and the speaker 30. It is designed to be output via.

In the product purchase support system configured as described above, the store information created by the product information management server 10 based on the product database 14a stored in the hard disk device 14 is multiplexed on the digital television broadcast. To send. Then, the navigation device 20
Then, the digital broadcast wave is demodulated and temporarily stored in the external memory 32. Then, when the user selects the product to be searched through the operation switch group 26 of the navigation device 20, the corresponding store is extracted based on the product selection information, and the result is displayed on the display device. 28 and the speaker 30. After that, when the store is set as the destination, route guidance to the point of sale can be executed.

Next, a series of operations in the product purchase support system will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The flowchart of FIG. 8 shows processing executed by the store server 50, and in S310, input of product information is accepted. This accepts, for example, the one manually input by the employee of the store, or the one input from a so-called POS cash register connected to the store server.

Then, in subsequent S320, the product information accepted in S310 or the product management information in which the accepted product information is added is transmitted to the product information management server 10 via the telephone line network. When only the product information is transmitted, the product information management server 10 determines, for example, whether or not the product is in stock. On the other hand, when transmitting as product management information, for example, the presence or absence of stock is determined on the side of the store server 50, and the resulting product management information is transmitted. The store server 50 repeatedly performs such processing, that is, if product information is input, the product information or product management information is transmitted to the product information management server 10 each time.

The flowchart of FIG. 9 shows the processing executed in the product information management server 10, and S41
At 0, the information from the store server 50 is received, and the subsequent S42
In 0, the product database 1 based on this received information
4a is updated. Then, in S430, the store information created based on the product database 14a is converted into a terrestrial digital TV signal. After that, in S440, the terrestrial digital TV broadcast wave is transmitted. The product information management server 10 repeatedly performs such processing, that is, when the information from the store server 50 is received, the product database 14a is updated, and the store information is digital T.
Transmit as V broadcast wave.

The flowchart of FIG. 10 shows the processing executed by the navigation device 20. The terrestrial digital TV broadcast wave transmitted from the product information management server 10 is received (S510) and the broadcast wave is demodulated. Then, the store information is extracted (S520) and stored in the external memory 32 (S530).

Then, it is judged whether or not there is a request from the user for the purchased product (S540), and if there is a purchase request (S540).
540: YES), the purchased product is searched (S55
0), product information as a search result is presented (S56).
0). Regarding the reception of the desired product for purchase and the presentation of the search result, for example, as described in the first embodiment with reference to FIGS.
It is possible to adopt methods such as sequentially accepting conditions and displaying the name of the store, price, distance to the store, etc.

Then, when the purchase item is determined (S570: YES), route guidance is started (S58).
0). As described with reference to FIG. 6 in the first embodiment, the store name, price, etc. are displayed on the map displayed on the display device 28, and the route to a certain store selected from them is displayed. The route guidance may be started only when the user gives an instruction to perform the guidance. When the vehicle arrives at the destination (S590: YES), the route guidance is ended (S600), and the process returns to S510. On the other hand, if the vehicle has not arrived at the destination (S590: NO), the process returns to S510.

As described above, while the route guidance is started and the destination is not reached, the terrestrial digital TV broadcast wave is received, the store information is extracted and stored (SS510 to 530),
Unless there is a request for a new purchased product (S540: NO),
The process moves to S640. In S640, it is determined whether or not route guidance is in progress. If route guidance is in progress (S610: YE
S) Then, it is determined whether or not there is a stock of the purchased product which has been previously desired and is currently being routed to the corresponding store (S62).
0). In other words, the inventory fluctuates in real time, so even if the inventory was present at the time of receiving the previous desired product,
This is because it can be considered that the inventory is exhausted based on the information of the receiving dealer after that. If there is stock, the process returns to S510, but if there is no stock, S6
In step 30, the display device 28 is used to indicate that the product is out of stock. The speaker 30 may be used for voice output, or both may be used in combination.

It is conceivable that the user who sees such an out-of-stock display (or voice notification) may perform a re-search for another product or another condition, or may give an instruction to suspend. In addition, in the process of S630, it is conceivable that the stock is out of stock (or voice notification) and that it is possible to select either the re-search or the interruption (or voice notification).

When it is instructed to re-search for another product or other condition, the process proceeds to S550 and the re-search is performed. On the other hand, when the interruption is instructed, the process proceeds to S600. End route guidance. Next, the effect of the product purchase support system of this embodiment will be described.

Since the system of the first embodiment is so-called on-demand type information communication, there is an advantage that only the desired information can be acquired and the amount of data handled by the navigation device 20 is reduced. On the other hand,
Data transmission from the navigation device 20 to the product information management server 10 is required, and communication costs will be incurred when a telephone line network is used with a mobile communication device such as a car phone or a mobile phone. The second
In the case of the system of the embodiment, the product information management server 10
Since it is only necessary to unilaterally send the store information from
The navigation device 20 may only receive the store information as in the case of receiving a digital television broadcast program. Therefore, no communication cost is incurred when using a car phone or a mobile phone. And the store server 50
If the product information management server 10 grasps the fluctuation of the inventory that occurs in the product as much as possible in real time, and if the information corresponding to the fluctuation of the inventory is transmitted as a digital TV broadcast wave, the information is received by the navigation device 20. Even if you do a search, there will be fewer problems in terms of response, and the possibility that you can purchase the desired product will increase.

However, since the actual stock status at the retail store fluctuates in real time, after starting the guidance to the retail store where the desired product can be purchased based on the retail store information received at a certain timing, Based on the store information received at another timing, it is assumed that the desired product cannot be purchased at that store. In the second embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 9, when the stock of the desired product for purchase is exhausted after the route guidance is started, the fact is notified to the user, and the re-search or the interruption is stopped. It is also convenient in that respect because it can respond to instructions.

Although the amount of data transmitted from the merchandise information management server 10 toward the navigation device 20 side is larger than in the case of the first embodiment, for example, terrestrial digital TV broadcast waves are compared with a telephone line. The information rate is quite high. Further, since high-definition broadcasting is also assumed for digital terrestrial broadcasting waves, an information rate of, for example, 23 Mbps at maximum is specified. Of course, it is necessary to set the rate lower than this in order to obtain stable reception as a mobile body, but it is realistic to avoid image data etc. as information about the store as much as possible and send information centered on text data. There is no problem with. In particular, since information such as product names, prices, and locations of retailers can be handled by text data, there is no problem in reality with such an information rate.

However, since it is expected that the amount of data will be relatively huge, if the navigation device 20 takes in all the data every time, the processing load becomes large. Therefore, the transmission data from the product information management server 10 may be divided into the following two types (A) and (B) and transmitted.

(A) Transmission of all data ... The timing of receiving and fetching all data in all the product information navigation devices 20 is limited to the following cases. When the power is turned on for the first time on the day → If the user uses this product purchase support system while data is being imported, a message indicating that data is being imported is displayed, and when it is finished, that effect is displayed.

When the product purchase support system is not used and the digital TV receiver is not used, there is a request from the user to fetch all data. Is
The data is displayed on the display device 28 so that the user can determine what time the data is.

Further, in order to reduce the capacity of the product information of all data, the following may be considered. If it is the same product, limit the number of product information items of the same table to be sent depending on the location of the store, price, etc. (Unless the stock is exhausted, the limited product information will not be changed.) 1CH for terrestrial digital TV Since the band is divided into 13 segments for transmission, a large classification of products is assigned to each segment, and the in-vehicle digital TV receiver side also takes in only the necessary segment data. (B) Only changed item information ... changed product information, for example, information is sent from the product information management server 10 at predetermined intervals, and only product information that has changed at the time of the transmission from the previous transmission To send. In the digital TV receiver 36 of the navigation device 20, the terrestrial digital T
Always receive V broadcast waves and obtain changed product information +
Update.

In the transmitted product information (product name, price, manufacturer, packing quantity / capacity, stock quantity, product characteristics, etc.), price and stock quantity change over time. Moreover, prices do not change often, so the only issue is the constantly changing inventory.

Therefore, the stock quantity is updated every time when the stock quantity is large (decrease / increase) in a large unit, and when the stock quantity is small, the data is updated in a small unit (increase). + Send. For example, if the stock is 1000, it is updated + transmitted every time the number of stocks decreases by 100, and when the number of stocks falls below 100, it decreases by 10 units. In this case, the store server 50 may transmit to the product information management server 10 each time such a change occurs in each predetermined unit, or the store server 50 may send the product information management server 10 whenever there is a change at any time. Send to
The product information management server 10 may determine whether or not a change has occurred for each predetermined unit, and if applicable, perform digital TV broadcast transmission.

By doing so, the data to be transmitted only for the changed items can be considerably reduced.
In the case of the present system, the store information is only received unilaterally from the product information management server 10. However, as described in the first embodiment, for example, sales when traveling along the guide route. The estimated arrival time at the store may be transmitted to the product information management server 10, and the estimated arrival time may be transmitted to the corresponding store server 50 by the product information management server 10. This way
Based on the estimated arrival time transmitted to the store server 50, each store can prepare the product desired by the user in advance. However, in this case, a function of transmitting data from the navigation device 20 side to the product information management server 10 is required. In that case, for example, data communication via a telephone network may be adopted as in the first embodiment, but data is transmitted from the navigation device 20 to the product information management server 10 by digital television broadcasting capable of two-way communication. It may be possible to send.

In the present embodiment, the operation switch group 26, the electronic control device 38 and the display device 28 of the navigation device 20 correspond to "search object receiving means", and the digital TV receiver 36 to "receiving means". Equivalent to. The electronic control unit 38, the display unit 28, and the speaker 30 correspond to “guidance means”, and the position detector 22 and the electronic control unit 3 are provided.
Reference numeral 8 corresponds to "position detecting means".

[Others] (1) In the above-described embodiment, the product-specific information can be input by text input or product code input, but in these cases, the user must successively input data. . Therefore, for example, as shown by broken lines in FIGS. 1 and 7, the barcode reader 100 is connected to the electronic control unit 38 of the navigation device 20, and the barcode reader 100 is connected.
The product code or the like may be read by.
Of course, this is the case when there are magazines, advertisements, etc. in which product codes and the like have been bar-coded and printed.

(2) In the above embodiment, for example, the data itself for displaying the product list is the product information management server 1.
0 hard disk device 14 in the product database 14a
Since it is stored as a part of, the product name search itself cannot be executed without interaction between the navigation device 20 and the product information management server 10. However, if the navigation device 20 has a list of product names, the navigation device 20 alone can perform the process up to the step of searching for a unique product name.

(3) In the above embodiment, the user is provided with a rough guideline of the perspective distance from the current position to the store. However, the vehicle is not always easy to move just because the straight line distance is short. This is because there are cases where the distance of the route itself is long or there is a temporary traffic jam. Therefore, for example, it is possible to calculate the route for each of a predetermined number of candidate stores, obtain the required time, and then present the user with the shortest required time. Note that such a route calculation is performed by the navigation device 2
It may be executed on the side of 0 or on the side of the product information management server 10.

(4) The above embodiment is applied to the vehicle-mounted navigation device 20, but it is also applicable to a non-vehicle-mounted navigation device, for example, a device carried by a person. (5) The program for executing the processing relating to the reception / guidance shown in FIG.
It may be incorporated in the device, or it may be stored in a CD-ROM or the like that stores map data together, and then loaded into the electronic control unit 38 and started up. Further, for example, the product information management server 10
It can also be used by downloading from and starting.

(6) In the above embodiment, the electronic control unit 36 interpolates the error based on the data detected by the position detector 22 including the gyroscope 38, the vehicle speed sensor 40, the GPS receiver 42 and the like. The current position of the vehicle is specified. Therefore, the position detector 22 and the electronic control unit 38
Corresponds to the “current position specifying means”, but the position detector 22 is not necessarily required to be realized as the means. For example, a communication unit that acquires position information from a roadside beacon or the like may be provided, and the current position may be specified based on the beacon information or the like. Alternatively, a mobile phone, PHS, or the like may be connected to the navigation device 20, and the present location may be specified by the position specifying function of the mobile phone, PHS, or the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a product purchase support system of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a reception / guidance process executed by a navigation device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing such as acceptance processing executed by a product information management server.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a reception screen displayed on the display device of the navigation device.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a reception screen and a search result presentation screen displayed on the display device of the navigation device.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a map display screen of a store and a route guidance screen.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a product purchase support system of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing executed by a store server and a product information management server according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing processing executed by the navigation device in the second embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Merchandise information management server, 11 ... Digital television broadcasting section, 12 ... Communication section, 13 ... Data input / output section, 14
… Hard disk drive, 14a… Product database, 2
0 ... Navigation device, 22 ... Position detector, 24 ... Map data input device, 26 ... Operation switch group, 28 ... Display device, 30 ... Speaker, 32 ... External memory, 34 ... Communication device, 36 ... Digital television receiver , 38 ... Electronic control device, 40 ... Gyroscope, 42 ... Vehicle speed sensor,
44 ... GPS receiver, 50 ... Store server, 60 ... Telephone network, 100 ... Bar code reader

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 2F029 AA02 AB01 AB07 AB13 AC02                       AC06 AC09 AC14 AC18 AC19                 5H180 AA01 BB04 BB05 BB12 BB13                       CC12 EE18 FF05 FF06 FF12                       FF13 FF22 FF25 FF27 FF38

Claims (28)

[Claims] 1. A product information management server, a store server capable of communicating with the product information management server, and a terminal device capable of communicating with the product information management server, wherein the store server is prepared for each store and has at least inventory. It is possible to transmit the product management information including the presence or absence of the item to the product information management server, the terminal device has a search target receiving unit that receives the product specifying information to be searched, and receives via the search target receiving unit. The product information management server can transmit the specified product identification information to the product information management server, and the product information management server transmits the inventory of the product specified based on the product specification information transmitted from the terminal device from the store server. It is possible to make a determination based on the product management information, and to send to the terminal device the store information on the store where the product can be purchased. The terminal device has a guide means for guiding a store where the product can be purchased, based on the store information transmitted from the product information management server. 2. A product information management server, a store server capable of communicating with the product information management server, and a terminal device capable of communicating with the product information management server, wherein the store server is prepared for each store, and at least inventory is provided. It is possible to transmit the product management information including the presence or absence of the product to the product information management server, and the product information management server, based on the product management information transmitted from the store server, a store from which the product can be purchased. Information about a store can be transmitted to the terminal device by digital television broadcasting, the terminal device receiving means for receiving the store information transmitted from the product information management server, and a product to be searched. Receiving via search target receiving means for receiving specific information, the store information received by the receiving means, and the search target receiving means Based on the commodity specifying information, product purchase support system and having a guide means for guiding the possible dealer of the product purchase. 3. The merchandise purchase support system according to claim 2, wherein the guide means starts the guidance to a store where the merchandise can be purchased, and then sells the sale based on the store information received by the receiving means. A product purchase support system which, when it is determined that it is impossible to purchase a product at a store, notifies that effect. 4. The product purchase support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the search target acceptance means uses the product identification information as at least a product name in text format, a product-specific code, and a bar code. A merchandise purchase support system characterized in that it can be accepted by either. 5. The merchandise purchase support system according to claim 4, wherein the search target acceptance means displays a list of competing merchandise names if the merchandise names accepted in the text format are unique. If the accepted product name is comprehensive, the unique product name group belonging to the comprehensive product name is displayed in a list, and the product selected from the product identification information including the product name selected from A product purchase support system, characterized in that the name is the product identification information. 6. The product purchase support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the search target acceptance means displays a list of the highest level of the product name list having one or more hierarchical structures, A plurality of product names or comprehensive product names included in the displayed list are displayed in a list, and when the product name list is displayed, the unique product name selected from the list is used as the product specifying information, When the comprehensive product name list is displayed, the process of displaying multiple product names belonging to the comprehensive product name selected from the list or the comprehensive product name in the list is finally selected as the unique product name. A product purchase support system that is characterized by repeating until 7. The product purchase support system according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the terminal device acquires a part or all of the list of the product name or the comprehensive product name from the product information management server. Characteristic product purchase support system. 8. The product purchase support system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the store information includes position data on a map of the store, and the guide means sets the sales. A product purchase support system characterized by displaying the location of a store on a map. 9. The product purchase support system according to claim 1, wherein the store information includes position data on a map of the store, and the guide means is the sales unit. A merchandise purchase support system characterized in that a guide route is calculated with a store as a destination or a transit point, and movement guidance to the store is performed according to the guide route. 10. The product purchase support system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the terminal device further comprises position detection means for detecting the position of the device itself, and the guiding means enables the product purchase. When there are a plurality of suitable stores, one or a plurality of stores suitable for use are narrowed down based on at least the position of the own device detected by the position detection means, and the relevant store is guided. Product purchase support system. 11. The product purchase support system according to claim 10, wherein the product management information also includes the price of the product, and the product information management server includes the price of the corresponding product in the store information. When there are a plurality of stores where the product can be purchased, the guide means narrows down the stores based on at least the position of the device itself and the price of the corresponding product. A product purchase support system. 12. The commodity purchase support system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the terminal device further includes position detecting means for detecting the position of the own device, and the position detected by the position detecting means is set to the position detecting means. The product information management server transmits the product specification information together with the product identification information, and the product information management server is suitable for use based on at least the position transmitted from the terminal device when there are a plurality of stores where the product can be purchased. A merchandise purchase support system characterized by narrowing down one or a plurality of dealers and transmitting dealer information regarding the narrowed down dealers to the terminal device. 13. The product purchase support system according to claim 12, wherein the product management information also includes the price of the product, and the product information management server has a plurality of stores from which the product can be purchased. In this case, the product purchase support system is characterized by narrowing down the stores based on at least the position of the terminal device and the price of the corresponding product. 14. The product purchase support system according to claim 8, wherein the terminal device is configured as an in-vehicle device, and is suitable for the use in the terminal device or the product information management server. A product purchase support system, characterized in that when one or more stores are narrowed down, the ease of moving a vehicle to the stores is taken into consideration. 15. The product purchase support system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the terminal device further manages information related to product purchases when the store information is transmitted. A commodity purchase support system, wherein the commodity information management server transmits the information to the store server when the commodity information management server transmits information related to the purchase of the commodity. 16. A terminal device capable of communicating with a product information management server, which receives at least product management information including stock availability from a store server prepared for each store, and receives product identification information to be searched. Based on the search target receiving unit, the product specific information transmitting unit that transmits the product specific information received via the search target receiving unit to the product information management server, and the product specific information transmitted by the product specific information transmitting unit. When the retail store information on the retail store where the product specified in the above can be purchased is transmitted from the product information management server, a retail store information receiving unit capable of receiving the retail store information, and the retail store information receiving unit. Terminal device for guiding a store where the product can be purchased, based on the store information received by the means. 17. A terminal device communicable with a product information management server, which receives at least product management information including stock availability from a store server prepared for each store, the digital information being transmitted from the product information management server to a digital television. A store information receiving unit capable of receiving store information about a store where a product can be purchased, which is transmitted by broadcasting, a search target receiving unit which receives product specifying information to be searched, and a receiving unit which receives the information. A terminal device, comprising: guide means for guiding a store where the product can be purchased, based on the retail store information and the product identification information received through the search target receiving device. 18. The terminal device according to claim 17, wherein the guide means starts a guide to a store where the merchandise can be purchased, and then, based on the store information received by the receiving means, indicates the store. When it is determined that the purchase of the item is not possible, the terminal device notifies that effect. 19. The terminal device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the search target acceptance means uses the product identification information as at least one of a product name in text format, a product-specific code, and a bar code. A terminal device characterized in that it can be accepted at. 20. The terminal device according to claim 19, wherein if the product name received in the text format is unique, the search target receiving means displays a list of competing product names and selects from the list. If the accepted product name is inclusive, the unique product name group belonging to the inclusive product name is displayed in a list, and the product name selected from them is displayed. A terminal device using the product identification information. 21. The terminal device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the search object receiving means displays a list of the highest hierarchy of the product name list having one or more hierarchy structures, and displays the list. When multiple product names or comprehensive product names included in the list are displayed and the product name list is displayed, the unique product name selected from the list is used as the product identification information, while the comprehensive product When the name list is displayed, the process of displaying multiple product names belonging to the comprehensive product name selected from the list or comprehensive product names in a list is performed until the unique product name is finally selected. A terminal device characterized by repeating. 22. The terminal device according to claim 20, wherein a part or all of the list of the product name or the comprehensive product name is acquired from the product information management server. 23. The terminal device according to claim 16, wherein the receiving unit receives information including position data on a map of the store as the store information, and the guide is provided. A means displays the position of the said store on a map, The terminal device characterized by the above-mentioned. 24. The terminal device according to claim 16, wherein the receiving unit receives information including position data on the map of the store as the store information, and the guide is provided. A terminal device, wherein the means calculates a guide route with the store as a destination or a waypoint, and guides movement to the store according to the guide route. 25. The terminal device according to claim 23, further comprising a position detecting means for detecting the position of the own device, wherein the guiding means has a plurality of stores where the product can be purchased, A terminal device characterized by narrowing down one or a plurality of stores suitable for use based on at least the position of the device itself detected by the position detecting means and guiding the store. 26. The terminal device according to claim 25, wherein the receiving unit receives information including a price of a product as the store information, and the guiding unit is a store where the product can be purchased. When there are a plurality of items, the terminal device narrows down the stores based on at least the position of the device itself and the price of the corresponding product. 27. The terminal device according to claim 23, further comprising: position detecting means for detecting the position of the own device, and position transmitting means for transmitting the position detected by the position detecting means to the product information management server. A terminal device comprising: 28. A program for causing a computer to function as each unit in the terminal device according to any one of claims 16 to 27.