JPH08166992A - Commodity sales system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable a customer to do shopping in a comfortable environment, and to enable a seller to improve economical efficiency. CONSTITUTION: By inputting the data of a purchaser identification card 16 and the data related to the kind and the number of pieces of a purchased commodity to a commodity purchase operation device 3 by the costomer 15, the purchased commodity of each customer is distinguished and managed by a centralized controlling and managing device 6, and when the customer 15 finishes commodity purchase operation, an account is settled by a device 5 for settling account, and the purchased commodity is delivered. Thus, the efficient use of a store floor area can be attained for the seller, and a managing personnel such as a cashier and others can be reduced. Besides, since the exposed exhibition of the commodity is eliminated, shoplifting or mischief to the commodity can be prevented, and simultaneously, the damage of the commodity can be reduced. Besides, for the customers 15, they need not carry heavy baggage, and they can do shopping at a commodity shop free from congestion due to a shopping cart, etc.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an in-store product sales system and method, and more particularly to a product sales system and products in supermarkets and various specialty stores that mainly handle products that customers can carry around freely. Regarding sales method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional method for selling typical products at a store, such as a supermarket, a discount store, or a convenience store, which handles a plurality of types of products, is as follows. That is, a seller prepares a product sales floor of a required area, and arranges a large number of various products ranging from several tens to several hundreds per kind on a product shelf or the like installed in the product sales floor, and arranged products. The customer selects the desired product from the list and carries it to the checkout point, where the seller's checkout staff lists the purchased items and calculates the total purchase amount, and pays the customer's price or pays with a credit card, etc. In general, a customer obtains a product purchased in exchange or requests transportation to a predetermined place. Note that the method of selling large and expensive products, such as refrigerators and large furniture, that customers cannot freely carry around the store, is that after deciding which product the customer wants to buy, a contract for product purchase transaction at the reception counter etc. The procedure of creating documents was common.

[0003]

Among the above, the present invention is
The present invention relates to a product sales system and a product sales method in supermarkets and various specialty stores that mainly handle products of a size that customers can carry around freely. The above-mentioned conventional product sales system and product sales method include the following problems to be solved. Many of the problems are due to the sales method in which customers often purchase many products at one time, and as a result, customers carry heavy products to the checkout office. That is, firstly, it is necessary to have facilities such as a shopping basket and a shopping cart necessary for the customer to carry heavy goods to the checkout office. Also, due to the congestion of the sales floor passageway, and secondly, a large number of items per type. The uneconomical use of the sales floor area due to the need to line up products and the resulting congestion of aisles,
Inconvenience to customers due to replenishment of merchandise by a large transport cart that uses a customer aisle, temporary occupation of the aisle for customers by replenishment merchandise, etc. Damage to the product due to mischief and customer contact with the product, fifth, time uneconomical such as waiting time for payment due to listing of the product by the cashier at the time of payment and calculation of the charge,
Sixth, there is a rise in product prices due to equipment costs such as shopping carts and elevators according to the size of the cart, their maintenance and management costs, and personnel costs for those maintenance management personnel and cashiers.

Further, in the conventional product selling system and product selling method, since many people are used to perform settlement, product replenishment management, and maintenance management of shopping carts, etc.,
For example, extension of business hours such as 24-hour business cannot be easily implemented, and a large amount of cash is used for handling large amounts of cash, so it is necessary to strengthen crime prevention measures such as guardmen.
Further, the conventional product sales system and product sales method also manage consumption trends and customer data, but they were not sufficient in terms of speed and accuracy. An object of the present invention is to provide a new and comfortable product sales system and product sales method by eliminating the waste, irrationality and insufficiency contained in the conventional product sales system and product sales method. And

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems associated with the above-described conventional product sales system and product sales method, the product sales system and product sales method of the present invention include:
The basic configuration is to eliminate the action of a customer carrying a large number of heavy purchased products to a checkout office, and to receive the purchased products in a lump at the end of shopping.

A first specific basic configuration for realizing this basic configuration is a product including a plurality of types of product samples, a plurality of product purchase operation devices, and at least one settlement device. It has a sales floor and a centralized control management device. The product purchase operation device, the settlement device, and the like are connected to a centralized control management device to obtain information about products and customers, and operate as an input / output device for information required for purchasing and settlement of products. That is, the product purchase operation device is operated by a customer or a sales floor clerk, and in any case, it is confirmed that the customer has the intention to purchase the product and information such as the type and number of purchased products is acquired. The settlement device grasps the total purchase amount of the customer's products through the centralized control management device and is used for settlement by cash, credit card, prepaid card or the like. Furthermore, the purchased product is delivered to the customer in exchange for settlement.

The second specific basic structure is provided with a plurality of types of product samples and a product purchase operation and payment device capable of executing both the product purchase operation function and the payment function. The product section and the centralized control management device are provided. This commodity department may be equipped with a dedicated device for settlement. The product purchase operation and settlement device is connected to a centralized control management device to obtain information about products and customers, and also to operate as an input / output device for information required for purchase and settlement of products. That is, the product purchase operation and the settlement device are operated by the customer or the sales floor clerk. In any case, it is confirmed that the customer has the intention to purchase the product and information such as the type and number of the purchased product. In addition, the customer's product purchase total amount is grasped through the centralized control management device, and the payment is made with cash or a credit card or a prepaid card. Further, when the purchase is completed, it is confirmed that the settlement has been completed, and the purchased product is delivered to the customer.

The third specific basic structure is a paper or plastic product designation card corresponding to each product sample, instead of the product purchase operating device of the first specific basic structure. Place it and add the product specification card reading function to the payment device. Customers select the required type or required number of product specification cards and bring them to the clearing place, and read the information of the product specification card with the product specification card reading device and the adjustment device, and read the read information directly or through a centralized control management device. And the total purchase price of the customer's product is displayed. That is, in the first and second specific basic configurations described above, the customer's purchased product and the quantity thereof are sequentially grasped for each customer's product purchase operation place and time, whereas this third specific basic configuration is used. In the configuration, generally, the purchased products and the quantity of the customer are collectively grasped at the time of payment when the product designation card is presented.

In the concrete basic structure of the present invention, the product sample to be displayed may be the actual product at that time, but an empty box or imitation of the product may be used, and a display You may use the method of displaying the external appearance of a product, and the data regarding the product on the top. Also,
The above method may be used repeatedly.

The first, second or third aspect of the present invention described above.
By making use of the specific basic configuration of, the following improvements can be added. That is, as a first improvement, a registered purchase customer identification tag in which necessary information such as a name identifying each customer is registered as data is issued to each customer. When the customer desires not only cash settlement but also credit settlement, the registered purchase customer identification card also registers necessary information such as the customer's bank account. When selecting and purchasing each product at the product sales floor, if the specified product purchase operation device is made to read the data in the registered purchase customer identification tag, the centralized control management device can distinguish and recognize each of the plurality of customers. Information such as the type and number of products purchased by each customer can be grasped and managed.

Therefore, when the customer finishes shopping and arrives at the checkout office, the purchase items can be listed up and the total purchase price can be calculated. For example, the data of the registered purchase customer identification card can be read by the checkout device. By doing so, the purchase status of the product can be instantly displayed, and the result can be printed out. If necessary, the total purchase amount at that time can be displayed on each product purchase operating device, and the payment can be made at that time. For example, when using a prepaid card that includes information that can identify a purchaser, the payment can be made at each time point. Even in this case, in order to hand over the purchased products all at once, it is necessary to distinguish the user of the prepaid card from other purchasers, and it is necessary to confirm that the payment has been completed. In addition,
Generally, when work such as cash settlement and delivery of merchandise is involved, it is more desirable to perform the settlement and delivery of merchandise at a predetermined place. The predetermined place may be provided adjacent to the merchandise store, or may be provided at a plurality of places such as a front entrance of a sales facility or a parking lot.

[0012] Although registered customers can purchase products by the registered purchaser identification sheet, unregistered customers can only purchase the customer identification sheet which is valid only for cash settlement or a similar settlement means. If you take a method such as distributing at the entrance of the shop, having the customer purchase the product by this, confirming the customer identification card at the checkout place and handing over the purchased product in exchange for cash or the equivalent means Good.

As a second improvement, a merchandise storage area for separately storing each merchandise and a merchandise delivery system for picking up and delivering the designated purchase merchandise for each customer from the merchandise storage area are provided adjacent to the merchandise sales area. This system has a purchase product temporary storage box allocated for each customer, and stores the purchase specified product for each customer in the purchase product temporary storage box allocated for each customer according to the instruction of the centralized control management device. With function. The stored purchased product is delivered to the customer in exchange for confirmation of payment.

[0014]

The above-described product sales system and the product sales method using the system can solve many problems which have been problems in the conventional product sales system and the product sales method using the system. That is, since it is not necessary to arrange a large number of products for one type, the sales floor area can be used efficiently and economically, and the sales efficiency per sales floor area can be increased. In addition, for customers, problems such as congestion, carrying heavy luggage, and long waiting time at the cash register can be solved, and customers can shop in a comfortable environment. In addition to reducing personnel costs such as cashiers, personnel replenishing products at the sales floor, maintenance personnel such as shopping carts, etc., initial investment and maintenance of shopping carts and equipment such as elevators corresponding to the cart size are also required. It is possible to reduce management expenses and repair expenses.

Furthermore, by not exposing the product, it is possible to prevent the product from being tampered with, prevent damage to the product, and deliver the product to the customer in the best possible condition. Since the conventional product selling method may be suitable depending on the type of product, the novel product selling system according to the present invention and the product selling method using the system may be adjacent to the conventional selling system or It is also possible to arrange them together.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the sales system of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, and its configuration and function will be described below. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a product sales floor to which a customer identification tag is applied. Here, the purchaser identification card is a card such as a cash card or credit card that can identify user-specific information such as name and deposit account, etc. It includes a card or the like that is used to distinguish from other product purchasers who are making purchases, and is used to confirm that the purchaser is who he / she is when he / she finishes purchasing the product, for example, at the stage of payment and delivery of the product. Here, the card for which the user-specific information can be specified may be a card unique to the sales floor or the vendor, or a card that is widely distributed in the world such as a credit card of a bank. If it can be recognized and distinguished by a centralized control management device or the like, it can be used in the product section. The card for which the information unique to the user cannot be specified may be any card that can be distinguished by unique numbers or symbols, and includes post-payment or post-payment type cards and prepaid type cards. Although the embodiment of FIG. 1 is a system that uses a purchaser identification card as described above, even if the purchaser himself inputs a personal identification number or the like to identify the purchaser,
The basic effect of the present invention can be secured.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a sample display shelf group, which is 8 in FIG.
Although it is divided into two blocks, they may be stacked in layers in the height direction to make more effective use of the product sales floor area. Three
Is basically a product purchase operation device arranged corresponding to each product sample, and has the function of identifying the purchaser by the purchaser identification tag etc. and the product sample number and quantity by inputting the product sample number. It also has the function of performing purchase procedures. Further, it is possible to provide a function of confirming the total purchase amount at that time, and it is also possible to display the fact that the product is out of stock when the product is out of stock. Further, when a credit card, a prepaid card, or the like is used as the purchaser identification tag, it is possible to settle each product purchase operation device 3 for each product purchase operation.

In FIG. 1, one product purchase operating device 3 is not necessarily arranged for one kind of product sample, and a plurality of product purchasing operation devices 3 is arranged for one kind of product sample. In some cases, only one unit is placed for multiple types of product samples. If the product purchase operating device is responsible for only one type of product sample, it is not necessary to enter information such as the product number, but if one product purchasing operation device is responsible for multiple types of products, which product It is necessary to enter the unique information attached to each product at the same time to specify whether to purchase. Reference numeral 4 denotes a settlement / commodity delivery place, in which a settlement device 5 and a delivery facility 11 for delivering delivery products are arranged. When the customer himself or a staff member inputs the identification information of the customer who has finished shopping, the settlement apparatus 5 confirms whether or not the customer purchases the product, and can perform the settlement action when the customer has not paid the purchase. It is also possible to display the total purchase price of the customer's products and the details thereof.

In addition to the cash settlement function, the settlement device 5 of FIG. 1 can also execute a settlement function using credits or the like. The customer who has confirmed or completed the settlement by the settlement device 5 can receive the purchased product and directly bring it back or request the delivery to the designated place. In addition, in order to prevent abuse of the purchaser identification tag, for example, a method of inputting a personal identification number at the time of payment may be used together. With the product purchase operation device 3 and the settlement device 5,
In order to distinguish buyers from customers, grasp and manage purchased products, and execute payment functions such as credits, the product sales system shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a centralized control management device 6 including a computer, and a control signal indicated by a bold line. And information signal transmission path 7
Is connected to each commodity purchase operation device 3 and the settlement device 5. When the product department 1 having this sales system is linked to a similar product department installed in another place or when it is necessary to share the information management with the head office organization, the central control management device 6 is It may be connected to a computer at a product section or the head office, or a computer at the head office or the like may directly play the role of the centralized control management device 6.

The above is the basic configuration of the product sales system according to the present invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, a facility such as a product storage space 8 is provided adjacent to the product sales space 1. The product storage area 8 is a two-story building in FIG. 1, and is divided into four parts on each floor, a total of eight parts, and a large number of products corresponding to the product sample 2 are stored in each part. Since general purchasers, etc. do not enter the product storage area 8, it is possible to store the products in a three-dimensionally overcrowded space by using a high-rise building or using an underground space, compared to the conventional product sales system. The area of the product storage facility can be used more economically.
Further, since the product storage area 8 is divided into parts corresponding to each product, it is possible to thoroughly control the temperature of each product. The product storage area 8 is provided with a conveyor device 9 of, for example, a product collection / delivery belt type or a shooter type, and the centralized control management device 6 is based on the information input from the product purchase operation device 3.
The selective export of the product is executed by the control information of.

Although only one conveyor device 9 for collecting and delivering goods, for example, of belt type or shooter type is shown in FIG.
When the number of products to be handled and the amount of products to be handled are large, a plurality of belt type or shooter type conveying devices 9 may be provided. Reference numeral 10 denotes a temporary product storage box group, and these boxes are assigned to each purchaser who is performing a product purchase operation, and the products carried from the product storage area 8 by the collection / delivery carrier 9 are purchased for each purchaser. Allocate according to the above and temporarily store each. It should be noted that there is a possibility that a customer's purchased products may have various conditions such as heat insulation products and frozen products.However, multiple temporary storage boxes may be provided for one customer depending on the purchased product contents. It is possible to allocate or temporarily store the products under different conditions by dividing one box. Further, when a signal indicating that the purchase operation of the customer is finished is issued to the temporary storage box, the box corresponding to the customer is preferentially delivered to the settlement / commodity delivery place 4 by the delivery facility 11 for delivering goods. It Allocation of products to the boxes corresponding to each purchaser and delivery of the boxes to the settlement / commodity transfer place 4 are also executed based on commands from the central control management device 6 via the control signal and information signal transmission path 7. To be done.

According to the present invention, the conventional problems in the product sales floor 1 can be almost solved even when the above-mentioned collection and delivery of products are manually performed. In addition, the settlement and product delivery office 4
Can be provided not only adjacent to the product sales floor 1 but also at a plurality of locations such as the front entrance of the sales office and the vicinity of a parking lot, for the convenience of the customer so that at least the goods can be delivered at any location. .

By the product sales system and sales method of the present invention described above, it is possible to perform sales activities much more efficiently than the conventional sales system, and also to provide an inexpensive product in a comfortable environment for customers. It will be possible to obtain it. It should be noted that, for some special products such as clothes that are desired to be actually purchased according to the size of one's body, the conventional selling method is more suitable than the above-described product selling method of the present invention. There are some items that are considered to be sold, so these products are sold at the product sales floor by the conventional sales system installed adjacent to the sales system of the present invention or by the conventional sales system mixed with the sales system of the present invention. can do.

In addition to the sales system of the present invention described above, FIG. 1 is provided with a conventional product stacking type product sales floor 12. Although the conventional product sales floor 12 may sell products suitable for the sales method, FIG. 1 shows the conventional product sales floor 12 in order to compare the sales floor area efficiency with the product sales system of the present invention. That is, three product stacking shelves 13 and two checkout cash registers 14 are arranged, and the checkout cash register 14 is connected to the central control management device 6 by a control signal and an information signal 7.
In the case of this conventional sales method, it is necessary to stack dozens of products per type, so a product stacking shelf 13 that occupies a large area or volume is required, and in the conventional sales system, in addition to the above equipment, Although not shown, it is also necessary to have a flat product storage area through which product replenishment personnel can easily enter and leave, and it can be understood that the area utilization efficiency is significantly inferior to the product sales system of the present invention.

A detailed configuration diagram of a portion including the product sample display shelf 2 and the product purchase operation device 3 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2 and will be described below. In FIG. 2, the same numbers as those in FIG. 1 are given the same numbers. On the product sample display shelf 2, a total of four product samples, two A products, one B product, and one C product are shown. Further, as shown in the figure, one or two merchandise purchase operation devices 3 are arranged for the A merchandise, and two merchandise purchase operation devices 3 are arranged for the B and C merchandise. ing. This is because the product A is often handled, or the crowd of purchasers is expected to be congested near the place, while the products B and C are expected to be handled relatively few times. Therefore, it is not necessary to specify the product to the product purchase operating device 3 when purchasing the product of A, but to specify which product to purchase to the product purchasing operation device 3 when purchasing the product of B or C. There is a need to. Further, the product purchase operating device 3 shown by the broken line is not used at present because it is not needed at present, but it is ready to be easily added if necessary in the future.

The product purchase operation device 3 and the settlement device 5 are operated by operating the purchaser identification tag 16 possessed by the customer 15, and an example of the appearance of the product purchase operation device 3 is shown in FIG. FIG. 4 shows an example of the appearance of the settlement device 5. FIG. 3 includes a purchaser identification card input port, a display area for a simple message including operation procedures, numbers, and other simple information input buttons. An example of the displayed message is shown in FIG. By operating according to the displayed message, the process can proceed as shown by the arrow in FIG. FIG. 4 includes a purchase customer identification card slot, a simple message display area including operation procedures, a simple information input button, and a cash slot for settlement. This settlement device has a cash settlement function and a credit settlement function.In addition, for example, by inserting a purchase customer identification tag, it is recognized that the customer has finished shopping, and the temporary product corresponding to the customer It has a function to carry out the storage box to the settlement and product delivery place 4. It should be noted that the settlement with a credit card, a prepaid card or the like instead of cash can be performed not only by the settlement apparatus 5 but also by each commodity purchase operation apparatus 3. In this way, the system capable of executing the function of the commodity purchase operation device and the settlement function by one device corresponds to the second specific basic configuration of the present invention. In the embodiment, in FIG. 1, the product purchase operation device 3 may be called a product purchase operation and settlement device, and the settlement device 5 may be called a dedicated settlement device. Other components, their purposes, and actions are the same as those of FIG. It is almost the same as the example. As described above, according to the present invention, since the data of the purchaser identification tag can be always grasped, the merchandise sales system according to the present invention enables quick and accurate customer management and consumption trend management.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6 and will be described below. FIG. 6 shows a portion corresponding to FIG. 2, which is a detailed view of a portion of the first embodiment, and the same numbers as those in FIG. Reference numeral 2-2 indicates a display group for displaying a product sample and its incidental information. These displays are a control signal and information signal transmission line 7 in the embodiment of FIG. 17 is also connected. Further, each of these display groups also includes a video information storage device 18 on each display. By providing the storage device 18 in each display 2-2, it is not necessary to constantly supply the information to be displayed from the video information signal source 17 to each display. Display sample 2 like this
By displaying "-2", even when the information such as the contents of the product sample and the price at each place or the arrangement order is changed day by day, it can be dealt with only by changing the contents of the video information. If a function such as a touch panel is added to this display, the display is connected to the centralized control management device 6, so that some or all of the functions of the merchandise purchase operation device 3 and the settlement device 5 are substituted for the display. Can be made.

A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 7 and will be described below. In FIG. 7, parts having the same contents as those in the other figures are given the same numbers. In FIG. 7, 1-2 is a product sales floor having a third specific basic configuration of the present invention, and 19 is a product designation card arranged corresponding to each product sample instead of the product purchase operation device 3. is there. This product designation card is made of paper, plastic, or the like, and contains numbers or information for identifying each product, for example, by printing, engraving, or an electromagnetic method. The customer collects the required product designation cards and brings them to the settlement and product delivery place 4-2, reads the information contained in the collected product designation cards with the settlement device 5-2, and collectively manages the read information. Then, the total purchase amount of the customer's products is displayed, the settlement is executed, and the purchase and delivery of the purchased products is instructed. As in the other embodiments described above, the purchased product is delivered to the customer in exchange for the customer's settlement. In the third embodiment, since the product purchase operation device 3 is not used, it is not possible to obtain the product purchase information of the customer one by one, but there is a slight time lag, but the payment device 5-2 has Since various controls can be executed depending on the function, the basic object of the present invention can be achieved almost similarly to the first embodiment.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8 and will be described below. In FIG. 8, parts having the same contents as those in the other drawings are given the same numbers. The embodiment shown in the figure is characterized in that a prepaid card is used when a product is purchased, although some mention is made in the first embodiment. Although this prepaid card is purchased at the prepaid card sales office 20, unlike a normal prepaid card, it includes a number or a symbol for distinguishing each prepaid card. It is possible to distinguish the shopper by this number or symbol and correctly deliver the purchased product to each shopper. Also, this prepaid card may be of a disposable form after the initial amount of money has been consumed, such as a train or bus card, or a telephone card, or it may be re-charged for repeated use. It may be configured as. In order to be able to use the prepaid card repeatedly, the prepaid card must have an interface with a depositing device and a memory function, at least not shown.

In FIG. 8, reference numeral 3-2 is a prepaid card-compatible product purchase operation device, which also has a sequential payment function, and can input information on the end of shopping. You can also settle at once.
Further, the settlement apparatus 5-3 inputs at least the information indicating that the customer has finished shopping, or detects a unique number or symbol included in the prepaid card from the beginning even if the settlement is sequentially performed. , Has the function of identifying customers. It can be configured to deliver the purchased item after identifying the customer and confirming that the checkout is complete. In addition, in order to check up the list of purchased products by prepaid card and the actual product to be handed over and the balance of the card, it is also possible to have a function of displaying or printing out the contents thereof. Note that the prepaid card-compatible product purchase device 3-2 used in the description of FIG. 8 is not only compatible with prepaid cards only, but also compatible with the product purchase operation using the purchaser identification tag in the embodiment of FIG. be able to.

FIG. 9 shows a concrete embodiment of an automatic goods collecting and delivering apparatus which plays an important role in enhancing the effect of each embodiment of the present invention. The automatic goods collecting and delivering apparatus is, for example, a goods storage area 8 of FIG.
A product temporary storage box 10, a delivery facility 11 for delivering delivered products, and a central control management device 6 (not shown in FIG. 9).
And a control signal and information signal transmission path 7 and the like. In FIG. 9, for example, the product storage area 8 divided into eight parts is provided with the symbols A-1 to B-4, respectively, and the centralized control management device 6 recognizes the symbols separately. The conveyor 9 for collecting and delivering products is provided with a plurality of product trays 21 which are circulated in the direction of arrow 24 on a belt type conveyor or shooter, and each of the product trays 21 has a central control device 6. A marker 22 such as a bar-type code or a number is attached so that they can be distinguished and recognized. From the product storage area 8 the customer's purchase ordered products are sequentially ordered by the central control device 6 to receive the product tray 2
The required number can be transferred to 1. A specific method for transferring may be a magic hand whose operation is controlled by the centralized control management device 6, or a method of transferring by a pushing method.

The product tray 21 to which the mark 22 is attached is transferred by the transfer device 9 to the standby position of the product temporary storage box group 10. The temporary storage box 10 is assigned exclusively to each customer as shown by the symbols a to f in FIG. 9, for example, and the situation is grasped by the central control management device 6. Therefore, the products conveyed in the product tray 21 are accurately transferred to the temporary storage boxes 10 assigned to the respective customers, and the empty product tray 21 is returned to the product storage area 8 again. The temporary storage boxes 10 a to f are pushed out to the carry-out passage 23 from the signal indicating the end of shopping, and are further carried out to the settlement / commodity delivery place 4 by the delivery facility 11 for delivering goods for delivery, and after the settlement, the customer The goods are delivered to. This time,
The temporary storage box 10 may also be delivered to the customer together with the stored products, but only the products stored at this point are delivered to the customer, and the temporary storage box 10 returns to the temporary storage box group waiting place again, It can be configured to be dedicated to the next customer. If a bag or the like is installed inside the temporary storage box 10 before the predetermined product is put into the temporary storage box 10, the purchased products stored in the temporary storage box 10 can be delivered to the customer more easily.

Next, FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of a method for searching for purchased products on the display, and FIG.
1 and will be described below. FIG. 10 is composed of one display 2-3 for product search, a memory device 25 attached to the display, and a control signal and information signal transmission line 7 for connecting to a central control management device 6 (not shown). .
It is desirable that the memory device 25 can also be used as the video information storage device 18 of FIG. 6, and one memory device 25 is not necessarily attached to each display, and one memory device 25 can be used as a plurality of devices. It can also be configured to be shared by the displays. In addition, the memory devices 25 may be collectively arranged on the side of the centralized control management device, and may be configured to cope by increasing the information communication density of the control signal and information signal transmission path 7, and various configuration methods may be used in practice. The method with the best cost performance for the system is selected and implemented from among the above. Display 2-
Reference numeral 3 may also serve as the product sample display 2-2 shown in FIG. 6, or may be a display dedicated to product search. In addition, the search range of products may be one that covers all products, such as food and daily necessities,
Alternatively, each product genre such as vegetables and meat may be divided and shared.

In FIG. 10, the product search display 2-3.
Shows an example in which all the products are covered by one unit. First, it starts with a selection screen for food or daily necessities. Display 2
-3 is provided with a selection information input means such as a touch panel, and the selection operation can be sequentially advanced on the screen. Alternatively, a method of advancing the selection operation by pressing buttons provided corresponding to the display content of the display instead of the touch panel may be used. Further, the product search display 2-3 can receive not only the product search, but also the information display of the searched product, the product purchase operation, or the settlement act. In addition, in order to perform operations such as product purchase on the product search display 2-3,
It is necessary to identify customers by means of purchaser identification cards.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a flow chart for product search, which has a hierarchical structure and finer selection branches are prepared for each selection branch, so that selection can be sequentially performed. For those not displayed in the selection branch, an appropriate keyword can be input, and when the selection proceeds at each stage and the product to be purchased is finally decided, the purchase quantity and the like are designated.

[0036]

As described above, according to the present invention, a person who sells a product can make more advanced use of a sales floor area and the like, save labor costs such as a cashier and a cart maintenance person, and do not expose the product. Shoplifting and tampering with the product can be prevented, and the number of contact with the product is reduced, so that the damage to the product can be reduced. In addition, it is not necessary for customers to carry around heavy purchases, and because there is no need for carts in the product section, it is possible to avoid congestion and shop in a comfortable environment, and wait in line at the time of checkout etc. No, you can buy cheaper products.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial detailed view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an external appearance example of a product purchase operating device.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a settlement device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a guide message displayed on the product purchase operating device.

FIG. 6 is a partial detailed view of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a specific embodiment diagram of an automatic collection and delivery apparatus that enhances the effects of the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an embodiment of a method for searching for purchased products on a display.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an example of product search.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Product counter according to the present invention, 1-2: Product counter having the third basic configuration of the present invention, 2: Product sample display shelf, 2
-2 product sample display display, 2-3: product search display, 3: product purchase operation device, 3-2: prepaid card compatible product purchase operation device, 4 and 4-2: settlement and product delivery office, 5 and 5-2 and 5-3: settlement device, 6: centralized control management device, 7: control signal and information signal transmission line, 8: product storage, 9: product collection and delivery carrier device, 1
0: Temporary product storage box, 11: Transportation equipment for delivery product delivery, 12: Conventional product stacking type product section, 1
3: product stacking shelves, 14: checkout cash register, 15: customers, 1
6: Purchaser identification tag, 17: Video information signal source, 18: Video information storage device, 19: Product designation card, 20: Prepaid card sales office, 21: Product saucer, 22: Sign, 2
3: Carry-out passage, 24: Circulation direction of product tray, 25:
Memory device

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A commodity sales system including a commodity sales floor in which a plurality of types of commodity samples are displayed, a plurality of commodity purchase operation devices are arranged, and a settlement device is further provided, and a centralized control management device. The product purchase operation device and the settlement device are connected to the centralized control management device, and the product purchase operation device receives the customer's intention to purchase the product or the action thereof and acquires the information such as the type and the number of products purchased by the customer. However, the settlement device grasps the total purchase amount of the customer's merchandise obtained as information through the centralized control management device, accepts the settlement intention of the customer or the action thereof, and purchases in exchange for the settlement intention or the action thereof. A product sales system characterized in that the product is substantially delivered to a customer. 2. The product sales system according to claim 1, wherein the product purchase operating device has at least a part of the function of the settlement device. 3. When selecting and purchasing each product, a plurality of customers are distinguished by operating a predetermined product purchase operation device with a registered purchase customer identification tag in which necessary items unique to the customer are registered in advance. 3. The merchandise sales system according to claim 1, wherein the merchandise sale information for each customer is grasped based on the information of the registered purchaser identification tag. 4. For customers who do not have the above-mentioned necessary items registered, the purchase operation of the product can be performed by a purchaser identification card that is effective only for cash settlement or a prepaid ticket with a purchaser identification function. The merchandise sales system according to claim 1, 2 or 3. 5. A product storage area for storing each product separately, and a product collection / delivery system for collecting and delivering a designated purchase product for each customer from the product storage area according to an instruction from the centralized control management device. Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that
The product sales system described in 3 and 4. 6. The display according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of displays are arranged at a product sales floor, and the external shape of the product and data necessary for purchasing the product regarding the product are displayed on the display as a product sample. The product sales system described in 3, 4, and 5. 7. A plurality of types of product samples are displayed, a product designation card having means for distinguishing the plurality of types of product samples is arranged corresponding to each product sample, and a settlement device is further provided. A product section, a centralized control management device,
In the merchandise sales system including the above, the settlement device is connected to the central control management device, has a function of reading information of a required commodity type and a required number of commodity designation cards that the customer has selected and brought, and the read information Directly or through the centralized control management device, grasp the total purchase amount of the customer's products, and accept the settlement intention or the act thereof, and in exchange for the settlement intention or the act, the purchase product is substantially A merchandise sales system, which is configured to be handed over to a customer. 8. A centralized control connected to at least the product purchase operating device and the settlement device, which is provided with a product section including at least a plurality of types of product samples, a plurality of product purchase operating devices, and a settlement device. A management device is provided, and the product purchase operation device receives the customer's intention to purchase a product or the action thereof and acquires information such as the type and number of products purchased by the customer,
Integrated management of the acquired information by the central control management device, the settlement device at least grasp the total purchase price of the customer's goods via the central control management device, and accept the customer's willingness to pay or its action, A product selling method characterized in that the purchased product is substantially handed over to the customer in exchange for the willingness to pay or the act thereof. 9. The product selling method according to claim 8, wherein the product purchase operating device has at least a part of the function of the settlement device. 10. When a customer selects and purchases each product, a plurality of purchases are made by applying a registered purchase customer identification tag in which necessary items unique to the customer are registered in advance to the predetermined product purchase operation device. The product selling method according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the customer is distinguished and recognized, and the purchased product information for each customer is grasped based on the information of the registered purchaser identification tag. 11. For customers who have not registered the necessary items,
11. The product selling method according to claim 8, 9, or 10, characterized in that the purchase operation of the product is performed by a purchase customer identification tag valid only for cash settlement, or by a prepaid ticket with a purchase customer identification function. . 12. A product storage area in which each product is stored separately, and a product collection / delivery system that collects and delivers designated purchase products for each customer from the product storage area in accordance with instructions from the centralized control management device. 9. The invention according to claim 8,
The method for selling products according to 9, 10, and 11. 13. The display according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of displays are arranged at a product sales floor, and the external shape of the product and data necessary for purchasing the product regarding the product are displayed on the display as a product sample. The method for selling goods according to 10, 11, and 12. 14. A product comprising at least a plurality of types of product samples, a product designation card having means for distinguishing the plurality of types of product samples from each other and arranged corresponding to each product sample, and a settlement device. A sales floor and a centralized control management device are provided, and the settlement device is connected to the centralized control management device and has a function of reading the information of the commodity designation card of the required type and the required number of pieces selected and brought by the customer. Check the information directly or via the centralized control management device,
A method of selling a product, comprising: grasping a total purchase amount of a customer's products, accepting a settlement intention or an act thereof, and substantially delivering the purchased product to the customer in exchange for the settlement intention or the act.