JP7183718B2 - PRINTING DEVICE AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a printing device and an information processing system.

Conventionally, information is linked to payment information related to payment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The system described in Patent Document 1 associates printing control data corresponding to payment information with printing device identification information for identifying a printing device, and also associates printing device identification information with member number information indicating the membership number of a customer who has made a payment. , and the member number information is associated with the payment information by associating the print control data and the member number information with the printer identification information.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-130080

An object of the present invention is to enable accurate linking of information to payment information.

One aspect for achieving the above object is a printing device capable of communicating with a terminal, an information processing device, and a reading device, comprising: a printing unit; a control unit that controls the printing unit; receives payment information from the terminal, generates first identification information for identifying the received payment information, prints the payment information and the first identification information on a print medium by the printing unit, and prints the payment information and the first identification information on a printing medium. The reading device acquires the first identification information printed on a medium, and the reading device acquires and receives the second identification information from an information recording medium recording second identification information different from the first identification information. and the first identification information acquired from the reading device, and the second identification information acquired from the reading device, to the information processing device.

In the printing apparatus, the control unit adds a first time at which the first identification information is acquired by the reading device to the first identification information and transmits the first identification information to the information processing device. A second time at which the second identification information is acquired may be added to the second identification information and transmitted to the information processing apparatus.

The above-described printing device includes a storage unit that stores printing-device identification information for identifying the printing device, and the control unit stores the printing-device identification information stored in the storage unit as the payment information and the first identification information. , and added to the second identification information and transmitted to the information processing apparatus.

In the printing device, the second identification information may be identification information for identifying a user who uses a predetermined service provided by the information processing device.

Another aspect of achieving the above object is an information processing system comprising a first terminal, a printing device communicable with a reading device, and an information processing device communicable with the printing device, wherein the printing device receiving payment information from the first terminal, generating first identification information identifying the received payment information, printing the payment information and the first identification information on a print medium, and printing the payment information and the first identification information on the print medium. the reader acquires the first identification information received, the reader acquires the second identification information from an information recording medium recording second identification information different from the first identification information, and the received payment information, the first identification information obtained from the reading device, and the second identification information obtained from the reading device are transmitted to the information processing device, and the information processing device receives the payment from the printing device. An information processing system that receives information, the first identification, and the second identification.

In the above information processing system, the printing device adds a first time at which the first identification information is acquired by the reading device to the first identification information and transmits the information to the information processing device, and the reading device A second time at which the second identification information is acquired is added to the second identification information and transmitted to the information processing device, and the information processing device detects that the difference between the first time and the second time is within a predetermined range. If it is within, the first identification information and the second identification information may be stored in association with each other.

In the above information processing system, the information processing device analyzes text data corresponding to the payment information, stores the analysis result in association with the first identification information, and based on the analysis result, the information processing device generates service-related information relating to a service provided by the second device, stores the generated service-related information in association with the second identification information, and receives the second identification information from the second device; The configuration may be such that the service-related information associated with the identification information is transmitted to the second terminal.

In the above information processing system, the second identification information may be identification information for identifying a user who uses a predetermined service provided by the information processing device.

The figure which shows the structure of an information processing system. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of each device of the information processing system; FIG. The figure which shows the functional block of a server control part. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of print data; The figure which shows an example of a receipt. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of print text data; The figure which shows an example of an analysis program group management database. The figure which shows an example of an analysis data management database. The figure which shows an example of a member-related database. The figure which shows an example of a point management database. 4 is a flow chart showing operations of a POS terminal, a printer, and a control server; 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control server in record generation processing; 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the customer terminal and control server;

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system 1 includes multiple store systems 2 . The store system 2 is a system used in stores T such as supermarkets, convenience stores, department stores, and restaurants. The store T may be a facility where products are provided and customers pay for the products. In the present embodiment, "goods" means not only goods delivered to customers as objects, but also objects provided to customers in exchange for consideration, such as services provided to customers and food and drink provided to customers. do.
The store system 2 has a function of accounting according to the product purchased by the customer, a function of issuing a receipt R according to the accounting, and the like.

A store T to which the store system 2 is applied is provided with a checkout counter L where a customer KK makes a payment. FIG. 1 shows a case where one store T is provided with a plurality of checkout counters L, but the number of checkout counters L provided at one store T may be one. The checkout counter L is provided with a printing device 3 having a function of printing on roll paper, which is one form of printing media. Also, the checkout counter L is provided with a POS terminal 4 that is connected to the printing device 3 so as to be capable of wireless communication and that controls the printing device 3 . The POS terminal corresponds to the terminal and the first terminal. Details of the printer 3 and the POS terminal 4 will be described later.

When paying at the checkout counter L, the checkout clerk in charge of checking out the customer KK at the checkout counter L uses a code reader CR connected to the printing device 3 to read the code attached to the product or the package of the product, An input corresponding to accounting is made to the terminal 4 . The printer 3 transmits the data read by the code reader CR to the POS terminal 4 . The POS terminal 4 generates accounting information based on the data received from the printing device 3 based on the reading of the code reader CR and the input corresponding to the accounting by the cashier, and further generates the print data ID and commands based on the accounting information. The receipt R is generated and transmitted to the printing device 3 to control the printing device 3 and cause the printing device 3 to issue the receipt R. The receipt R issued by the printer 3 is handed over to the customer by the cashier. Further, in the checkout of the present embodiment, when the member card CD is presented by the customer KK, the cashier uses the code reader CR connected to the printer 3 to read the code attached to the member card CD. Accounting number information J15, which will be described later, is recorded in the code.

The membership card CD is a card that is handed over to the customer KK of the store T who has become a member of the service in order to prove that the user is a user who uses the predetermined service provided by the control server 7 . The membership card CD corresponds to an information recording medium. The member card CD records at least member number information J15 indicating a member number, which is a unique value for each member, as identification information for identifying a user who uses a predetermined service provided by the control server 7. FIG. The member number information J15 corresponds to second identification information. In this embodiment, the member number information J15 is recorded on the member card CD in a manner readable by a code reader CR connected to the printer 3. FIG.

The store system 2 includes a local area network LN.
A printing device 3 and a communication device 5 are connected to the local area network LN.
The communication device 5 is an interface device that connects the local area network LN and the global network GN including the Internet, telephone network, and other communication networks. The communication device 5 has a modem or an ONU (Optical Network Unit) function, a router function, a NAT (Network Address Translation) function, a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server function, and the like. The communication device 5 transfers data transmitted and received between the devices connected to the local area network LN and the devices connected to the global network GN in communication between the devices. Note that although the communication device 5 is represented by one block in FIG. 1, the communication device 5 may have a configuration having a plurality of devices according to functions.
The printing device 3 can access the global network GN via the communication device 5 .

A customer terminal 6 is connected to the global network GN. The customer terminal 6 corresponds to a second terminal. The customer terminal 6 is a terminal device owned by the customer KK, and specific examples include a tablet-type mobile phone, a tablet-type computer, and the like. FIG. 1 shows a case where the customer KK who owns the customer terminal 6 owns the membership card CD. Therefore, the customer KK who owns the customer terminal 6 shown in FIG. 1 is a user who uses the predetermined service provided by the control server 7.

The predetermined service provided by the control server 7 is, for example, a service of giving points according to the total purchase price or the purchased product, a service of issuing an electronic receipt, and the like. In this embodiment, a case where the control server 7 provides a service of giving points is illustrated. In the following description, the point-giving service is called a point-giving service. Note that the issuance of an electronic receipt means that part or all of the information printed on the paper medium receipt R issued by the printing device 3 is sent to the customer terminal 6 or other device in response to a request from the customer KK. Indicates that information should be displayed.

The control server 7 corresponds to an information processing device. The control server 7 is a server device that can communicate with the printing device 3 and the customer terminal 6 . In other words, the control server 7 executes predetermined arithmetic processing with a request from a client or the like as a trigger. The control server 7 transmits data based on the result of the arithmetic processing to the client as necessary. Although the control server 7 is represented by one block in FIG. 1, this does not mean that the control server 7 is composed of a single server device. For example, the control server 7 may be configured including a plurality of server devices. In other words, the control server 7 may take any form as long as it is configured to be able to execute various processes described later.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of each device included in the information processing system 1. As shown in FIG.

The POS terminal 4 is, for example, a tablet-type terminal device provided with a POS terminal touch panel 42 on a wide front surface area. The POS terminal 4 may be a stationary terminal such as a desktop type. The POS terminal 4 functions as a host computer that controls the printing device 3 by executing various processing related to the checkout at the checkout counter L. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the POS terminal 4 includes a POS terminal control section 40 , a POS terminal communication section 41 and a POS terminal touch panel 42 .

The POS terminal control unit 40 includes a POS terminal processor 400 that executes programs such as a CPU and MPU, and a POS terminal storage unit 410 , and controls each unit of the POS terminal 4 . The POS terminal control unit 40 executes various processes through the cooperation of hardware and software such that the POS terminal processor 400 reads out the control program 410A stored in the POS terminal storage unit 410 and executes processing. A predetermined application is installed in the POS terminal 4 in advance. The POS terminal control unit 40 functions as an application execution unit 4000 when the POS terminal processor 400 reads out and executes the predetermined application, a program associated with the predetermined application, and other programs from the POS terminal storage unit 410 . do. Application execution unit 4000 will be described later.

The POS terminal storage unit 410 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the POS terminal processor 400 and data processed by the POS terminal processor 400 . The POS terminal storage unit 410 stores a control program 410A executed by the POS terminal processor 400 and various other data. The POS terminal storage unit 410 has a nonvolatile storage area that stores programs and data in a nonvolatile manner. The POS terminal storage unit 410 may also include a volatile storage area and configure a work area for temporarily storing programs to be executed by the POS terminal processor 400 and data to be processed.

The POS terminal communication unit 41 is configured by communication hardware complying with a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the printer 3 under the control of the POS terminal control unit 40 . Examples of communication hardware include hardware such as communication circuits, communication ports, communication boards, and communication connectors. The POS terminal communication unit 41 of this embodiment communicates with the printer 3 according to a predetermined wireless communication standard. Communication standards for wireless communication performed between the POS terminal 4 and the printing device 3 include wireless LAN standards supporting ad-hoc mode, wireless LAN standards supporting infrastructure mode, and short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth. Any standard, such as a standard related to communication, may be used. Bluetooth is a registered trademark. The POS terminal communication unit 41 may be configured to communicate with the printing device 3 according to a predetermined wired communication standard.

The POS terminal touch panel 42 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, and a touch sensor provided over or integrally with the display panel. The display panel displays various images under the control of the POS terminal control section 40 . The touch sensor detects touch operations and outputs them to the POS terminal control unit 40 . The POS terminal control unit 40 executes processing corresponding to the touch operation based on the input from the touch sensor.

The printing device 3 is a thermal printer that stores roll paper, forms dots on the stored roll paper with a line-type thermal head, and prints characters, images, and the like. Although the printing method of the printing device 3 according to the present embodiment is the thermal method, the printing method of the printing device 3 is not limited to the thermal method, and may be another printing method such as an inkjet method. Moreover, the print head of the printing device 3 is not limited to the line type, and may be a serial type.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the printing device 3 includes a printing device control section 30 , a printing section 31 , a printing device communication section 32 , a printing device network communication section 33 and a device communication section 34 . The printer controller 30 corresponds to a controller.

The printing device control unit 30 includes a printing device processor 300 that executes programs such as a CPU and an MPU, and a printing device storage unit 310 , and controls each part of the printing device 3 . The printer storage unit 310 corresponds to a storage unit. The printing device control unit 30 executes various processes through the cooperation of hardware and software such that the printing device processor 300 reads out the control program 310A stored in the printing device storage unit 310 and executes processing.

The printing device storage unit 310 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the printing device processor 300 and data processed by the printing device processor 300 . The printer storage unit 310 stores a control program 310A executed by the printer processor 300, a serial number J11 for identifying the printer 3, and various other data. The serial number J11 corresponds to printer identification information. The serial number J11 is identification information uniquely assigned to the printing device 3 when the printing device 3 is manufactured. The printer storage unit 310 has a nonvolatile storage area that stores programs and data in a nonvolatile manner. The printing device storage unit 310 may also include a volatile storage area and configure a work area for temporarily storing programs to be executed by the printing device processor 300 and data to be processed.

The printing unit 31 includes a transport mechanism that transports the roll paper accommodated in the housing of the printing device 3, a print mechanism that forms dots on the roll paper with a thermal head to print an image, and a printer that cuts the roll paper at a predetermined position. It is equipped with various mechanisms related to printing on roll paper, such as a cutting mechanism for printing on roll paper. Under the control of the printer control unit 30, the printing unit 31 transports the roll paper using the transport mechanism, prints an image of the receipt R on the roll paper using the printing mechanism, and cuts the roll paper at a predetermined position using the cutting mechanism. to issue a receipt R.

The printer communication unit 32 is configured by communication hardware conforming to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with the POS terminal 4 under the control of the printer control unit 30 . The printer communication unit 32 of this embodiment communicates with the POS terminal 4 according to a predetermined wireless communication standard. The printer communication unit 32 may be configured to communicate with the POS terminal 4 according to a predetermined wired communication standard.

The printer network communication unit 33 includes communication hardware such as a network card conforming to a predetermined communication standard for wireless communication. connect. Devices connected to the global network GN include a control server 7 . Examples of communication standards that the printer network communication unit 33 uses for communication include HTTP and WebSocket.

The device communication unit 34 is an interface having a port conforming to the USB standard, a port conforming to a serial communication standard other than USB, a port conforming to a parallel communication standard, a port conforming to a wired LAN communication standard, and other ports. Have a board. A device can be connected to each port. The device communication section 34 communicates with a device connected to the printing apparatus 3 via a port under the control of the printing apparatus control section 30 . The device communication unit 34 may have a wireless communication function and wirelessly communicate with the device.

A code reader CR, a customer display CDR, and an automatic change machine JT are connected to the printer 3 as devices. A code reader CR corresponds to a reading device.

The code reader CR optically reads the code attached to the product, the product packaging, etc., the code printed on the receipt R, the code attached to the membership card CD owned by the customer KK, etc. Based information is output to the device communication unit 34 . Codes that can be read by the code reader CR are, for example, codes (symbol images) such as bar codes and two-dimensional codes. The device communication section 34 outputs information input from the code reader CR to the printer control section 30 .

The customer display CDR is controlled by the printer control unit 30 to display information regarding accounting. The information displayed on the customer display CDR can be viewed by the customer who pays at the checkout counter L.

The automatic change machine JT has a money receipt port into which money received from a customer is inserted and a change discharge port from which money related to change is discharged. When the coin is inserted, the corresponding change is discharged from the change discharge port.

The customer terminal 6 includes a customer terminal control section 60 , a customer terminal touch panel 61 and a customer terminal communication section 62 .

The customer terminal control section 60 includes a customer terminal processor 600 which is a processor such as a CPU or MPU for executing programs, and a customer terminal storage section 610 , and controls each section of the customer terminal 6 . The customer terminal control section 60 executes various processes through the cooperation of hardware and software such that the customer terminal processor 600 reads out the control program 610A stored in the customer terminal storage section 610 and executes the processes. A browser is installed in the customer terminal 6 in advance. Customer terminal control unit 60 functions as browser execution unit 6000 when customer terminal processor 600 reads and executes a browser and other accompanying programs from customer terminal storage unit 610 . The browser execution unit 6000 will be described later.

The customer terminal storage unit 610 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the customer terminal processor 600 and data processed by the customer terminal processor 600 . The customer terminal storage unit 610 stores a control program 610A executed by the customer terminal processor 600 and various other data. The customer terminal storage unit 610 has a nonvolatile storage area that stores programs and data in a nonvolatile manner. Moreover, the customer terminal storage section 610 may comprise a volatile storage area and constitute a work area for temporarily storing programs to be executed by the customer terminal processor 600 and data to be processed.

The customer terminal touch panel 61 includes a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, and a touch sensor provided over the display panel or integrally therewith. The display panel displays various images under the control of the customer terminal control section 60 . The touch sensor detects a touch operation and outputs it to the customer terminal control section 60 . The customer terminal control unit 60 executes processing corresponding to the touch operation based on the input from the touch sensor.

The customer terminal communication unit 62 includes communication hardware such as a network card conforming to a predetermined communication standard for wireless communication, and under the control of the customer terminal control unit 60, communicates with devices connected to the global network GN according to the predetermined communication standard. do. Devices connected to the global network GN include a control server 7 . Examples of communication standards used by the customer terminal communication unit 62 for communication include HTTP and WebSocket.

The control server 7 includes a server control section 70 , a server network communication section 71 , a server display section 72 and a server input section 73 .

The server control unit 70 includes a server processor 700 that executes programs such as a CPU and an MPU, and a server storage unit 710 , and controls each unit of the control server 7 . The server control unit 70 executes various processes through the cooperation of hardware and software such that the server processor 700 reads out the control program 710A stored in the server storage unit 710 and executes processing.
In the following description, a configuration example in which various functions of the server control unit 70 are realized by the server processor 700 executing the control program 710A will be described.

The server storage unit 710 has a storage area for storing programs executed by the server processor 700 and data processed by the server processor 700 . The server storage unit 710 stores a control program 710A executed by the server processor 700, an analysis program group management database 710B, an analysis data management database 710C, a member relation database 710D, a point management database 710E, and various other data. Details of these databases will be described later. The server storage unit 710 has a nonvolatile storage area that stores programs and data in a nonvolatile manner. The server storage unit 710 may also include a volatile storage area and configure a work area for temporarily storing programs to be executed by the server processor 700 and data to be processed.

The server network communication unit 71 includes communication hardware for wireless communication such as a network card conforming to a predetermined communication standard, and communicates with devices connected to the global network GN according to the predetermined communication standard under the control of the server control unit 70. . The equipment connected to the global network GN here includes the printer 3 and the customer terminal 6 . Examples of communication standards used by the server network communication unit 71 for communication include HTTP and WebSocket.

The server display unit 72 has a display panel, and displays various information on the display panel under the control of the server control unit 70 .

The server input unit 73 includes a keyboard, a mouse, and other input means, detects user's operations on the input means, and outputs the results to the server control unit 70 . Based on the input from the server input section 73, the server control section 70 executes processing corresponding to the user's operation on the input means.

Next, functional blocks of the server control unit 70 of the control server 7 will be described.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the server control unit 70 of the control server 7. As shown in FIG. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 3 illustrates the server storage unit 710 and four databases stored in the server storage unit 710 .

The server control section 70 of the control server 7 includes a first processing section 701 and a second processing section 702 . The first processing unit 701 and the second processing unit 702 are functional units realized by the server processor 700 executing the control program 710A.

Incidentally, as described above, the control server 7 may be configured including a plurality of server devices. Therefore, the control server 7 may be composed of two server devices, one serving as the first processing unit 701 and the other serving as the second processing unit 702 . In this configuration, each server device stores a control program 710A executed by the server processor 700 to be implemented as a processing unit.

The first processing unit 701 includes a first acquisition unit 7011 , a text data generation unit 7012 , an analysis unit 7013 and an analysis data acquisition unit 7014 .

Before describing the first acquisition unit 7011, the text data generation unit 7012 will be described.
The text data generation unit 7012 acquires the print data ID received by the printing device 3 from the POS terminal 4 from the printing device 3 via the server network communication unit 71, and generates print text data ITD based on the acquired print data ID. Generate. The print text data ITD corresponds to text data. Note that the print data ID acquired by the text data generation unit 7012 is added with the serial number J11 of the printing apparatus 3 that has transmitted the print data ID.

The print data ID of 1 is data for printing the payment information in a predetermined layout and instructing the issuance of the receipt R. The print data ID includes a plurality of control commands according to the command system of the printing device 3 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the print data ID.
As shown in FIG. 4, the print data ID includes a graphic image print instruction command CM1, a character string print-related command group GM, a line feed command LF, and a cut command CM4. The character string printing related command group GM includes a character string decoration command CM2 and a character string printing instruction command CM3.

The graphic image print instruction command CM1 is a control command that includes a dedicated instruction code and image data such as bitmap data, and instructs printing of a graphic image based on the image data. Logo information J1, which will be described later, corresponds to a graphic image.

A character string print instruction command CM3 included in the character string print-related command group GM is a control command that instructs printing of a character string for one line. The character string print instruction command CM3 includes a dedicated instruction code and character string information for instructing printing. The character string information for instructing printing is a combination of character codes of one or more characters forming the character string. A character string decoration command CM2 included in the character string printing-related command group GM is a control command that designates decoration to be applied to a character string whose printing is instructed by the character string printing instruction command CM3.

A line feed command LF is a command for instructing a line feed. The cut command CM4 is a command to cut the roll paper.

The print text data ITD is text data in which the payment information printed as characters among the payment information printed on the roll paper based on the print data ID is described as text. Therefore, the print text data ITD is data corresponding to payment information. Hereinafter, the print text data ITD will be described in detail by taking an example. For convenience of understanding the print text data ITD, first, the receipt R issued by the printing device 3 based on the print data ID will be described.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a receipt R issued by the printing device 3 based on the print data ID generated by the POS terminal 4. As shown in FIG.

On the receipt R exemplified in FIG. 5, logo information J1 stylized with the name of the store T to which the printing device 3 belongs is printed at the top. The logo information J1 is printed based on the graphic image print instruction command CM1 described above.

On the receipt R, store address information J2 representing the address of the store T to which the printing apparatus 3 belongs is printed in one line below the logo information J1. The store address information J2 is a character string printing-related command group GM including a character string decoration command CM2 for designating decoration related to centering and a character string printing instruction command CM3 for instructing printing of a character string representing the address of the store T. printed according to

On the receipt R, below one line of the store address information J2, store telephone number information J3 representing the telephone number of the store T to which the printing device 3 belongs by a character string is displayed. Based on GM, it is printed in one line.

On the receipt R, issuance date/time information J4 representing the date/time when the receipt R was issued by a character string is printed one line below the store telephone number information J3. The issuance date/time information J4 includes date information J41 representing the date when the printing device 3 issued the receipt R by a character string, and time (time) information J42 representing the time (time) when the printing device 3 issued the receipt R by a character string. and The date information J41 and the time information J42 may be generated as the print data ID by the timer of the POS terminal 4, or may be printed by the timer of the printer 3. FIG. The issue date/time information J4 includes a character string decoration command CM2 that designates decoration related to center alignment, and a character string print instruction command CM3 that instructs printing of a character string representing the date and time when the receipt R was issued. Printing is done based on the command group GM. The character string print instruction command CM3 here is a control command for instructing printing of a character string in which the character string representing the date information J41, one blank character, and the character string representing the time information J42 are consecutive.

On the receipt R, area division information BK1 is printed one line below the issue date/time information J4. The area division information BK1 is a character string in which a predetermined number of "-" characters are consecutively formed in one line. The print area of the receipt R is divided by the area division information BK1, and the area above the area division information BK1 is divided into areas. Hereinafter, in the receipt R, the area above the area division information BK1 will be referred to as "area AA1".

On the receipt R, product information J5 is printed one line below the area division information BK1. The product information J5 is information about the product purchased by the customer. The product information J5 is printed on the receipt R for each type of product purchased by the customer. Therefore, for example, if the customer purchases two types of products, two pieces of product information J5 corresponding to each of the two types of products are printed. When a plurality of pieces of product information J5 are printed on the receipt R, the pieces of product information J5 are printed continuously on different lines one line at a time.

The product information J5 includes purchase quantity information J51, product name information J52, and unit price information J53. Purchase quantity information J51, product name information J52, and unit price information J53 are printed on the same line. The purchase quantity information J51 is information representing the purchase quantity of the corresponding product in a character string. The product name information J52 is information representing the name of the corresponding product in a character string. The unit price information J53 is information representing the unit price of the corresponding product in a character string.

The product information J5 is printed based on a character string printing related command group GM including a character string decoration command CM2 for designating left alignment decoration and a character string printing instruction command CM3 below. The character string print instruction command CM3 includes a character string representing purchase quantity information J51, one blank character, a character string representing product name information J52, one or more blank characters, and characters representing unit price information J53. is a control command that instructs printing of consecutive character strings. The number of blank characters inserted between the character string representing the product name information J52 and the character string representing the unit price information J53 is adjusted so that the position of the unit price information J53 is positioned at the end of the "row". be.

On the receipt R, area division information BK2 is printed one line below the product information J5 printed at the bottom. The area division information BK2 is a character string configured similarly to the area division information BK1. The print area of the receipt R is divided by area division information BK1 and area division information BK2, and the area surrounded by these pieces of information is divided into areas. Hereinafter, the area surrounded by the area division information BK1 and the area division information BK2 on the receipt R will be referred to as "area AA2".

On the receipt R, subtotal related information J6 is printed below the area division information BK2. The subtotal amount-related information J6 has subtotal amount information J62 that expresses the subtotal amount by a character string. Further, the subtotal amount related information J6 is printed to the left of the subtotal amount information J62 in the same row as the subtotal amount information J62. subtotal amount clear information J61. As shown in FIG. 5, the subtotal amount specification information J61 related to the receipt R is a character string consisting of a character string "SUBTOTAL" of eight capital letters.

The subtotal amount related information J6 is printed based on a character string printing related command group GM including a character string decoration command CM2 for designating left alignment decoration and a character string printing instruction command CM3 below. The character string print instruction command CM3 is a control command for instructing printing of a character string in which a character string representing the subtotal amount clear information J61, one or more blank characters, and a character string representing the subtotal amount information J62 are consecutive. is. The number of blank characters inserted between the character string representing the clear subtotal amount information J61 and the character string representing the subtotal amount information J62 is such that the position of the subtotal amount information J62 is positioned at the end of the "line". , is adjusted.

On the receipt R, tax-related information J7 is printed below the subtotal amount-related information J6. The tax-related information J7 has tax amount information J72 representing the tax amount with a character string. The tax-related information J7 is printed to the left of the tax amount information J72 in the same row as the tax amount information J72. have As shown in FIG. 5, the clear tax information J71 related to the receipt R is a character string consisting of three capital letters "TAX".

The tax-related information J7 is printed based on a character string printing related command group GM including a character string decoration command CM2 specifying left-justified decoration and a character string printing instruction command CM3 described below. The character string print instruction command CM3 is a control command for instructing printing of a character string in which a character string representing the explicit tax information J71, one or more blank characters, and a character string representing the tax amount information J72 are consecutive. . The number of blank characters inserted between the character string representing the explicit tax information J71 and the character string representing the tax amount information J72 is adjusted so that the tax amount information J72 is positioned at the end of the "line". be.

On the receipt R, the total amount related information J8 is printed below the tax related information J7. The total amount related information J8 has total amount information J82 representing the total amount with a character string. Further, the total amount related information J8 is printed to the left of the total amount information J82 in the same line of the total amount information J82. It has the total amount of money explicit information J81. As shown in FIG. 5, the total amount specification information J81 related to the receipt R is a character string consisting of five capital letters "TOTAL".

The total amount related information J8 is printed based on a character string printing related command group GM including a character string decoration command CM2 specifying left alignment decoration and a character string printing instruction command CM3 below. The character string print instruction command CM3 is a control command that instructs printing of a character string in which the total amount of money specification information J81, one or more blank characters, and a character string representing the total amount of money information J82 are consecutive. The number of blank characters inserted between the character string representing the total amount clear information J81 and the character string representing the total amount information J82 is such that the position of the total amount information J82 is positioned at the end of the "line". , is adjusted. Hereinafter, in the receipt R, the area below the area division information BK2 will be referred to as "area AA3".

On the receipt R, a two-dimensional code J9 indicating receipt identification information J14 for identifying the receipt R is printed below the total amount related information J8. The receipt identification information J14 is a unique value for each receipt R issued by the printing device 3 . Since the receipt R is issued for each payment in accounting, the receipt identification information J14 corresponds to first identification information for identifying payment information regarding payment.

The two-dimensional code J9 is printed after printing of payment information based on the print data ID is completed. In this embodiment, the print data ID received from the POS terminal 4 does not include a control command for instructing printing of the two-dimensional code J9.

As described above, on the receipt R shown in FIG. 5, the payment information and the two-dimensional code J9 are printed by the printer 3 in the following layout based on the print data ID generated by the POS terminal 4. FIG. That is, in area AA1, logo information J1, store address information J2, store telephone number information J3, and issue date/time information J4 are printed in this order. One or more product information J5 is printed in the area AA2. The product information J5 is printed in the order of purchase quantity information J51, product name information J52, and unit price information J53 from right to left within one line. In area AA3, subtotal amount related information J6, tax related information J7, total amount related information J8, and two-dimensional code J9 are printed in this order. 5, the payment information includes logo information J1, store address information J2, store telephone number information J3, issue date information J4, product information J5, subtotal amount related information J6, tax related information J7, and total amount related information. Each of information J8 is shown.

The text data generation unit 7012 extracts the character string print instruction command CM3 and the line feed command LF from the print data ID acquired from the printing device 3 . Next, the printer control unit 30 generates print text data ITD in which the payment information to be printed on the receipt R as text is described based on these extracted control commands. Here, the text data generation unit 7012 describes the payment information in the print text data ITD in a state in which line feeds performed in printing are reflected. The text data generation unit 7012 also writes the payment information in the print text data ITD without reflecting the decoration specified by the character string decoration command CM2. Therefore, even if the character string decoration command CM2 designates center alignment or right alignment as the decoration to be applied to the character string, these decorations are not reflected in the description of the text in the print text data ITD.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the contents of print text data ITD generated based on the print data ID of the receipt R illustrated in FIG. As is clear from a comparison between FIG. 6 and FIG. 5, in the print text data ITD, the payment information printed as characters on the receipt R is described as text in a state that reflects the order in printing and line breaks in printing. be done.
Since the logo information J1 is a graphic image, it is not described in the print text data ITD. That is, information other than characters printed based on font data corresponding to character codes is not described in the print text data ITD.
Also, the two-dimensional code J9 is not described in the print text data ITD because it is not a character printed based on the font data corresponding to the character code.

Referring to FIG. 3 , first acquisition unit 7011 acquires identification information read by code reader CR connected to printing device 3 from printing device 3 via server network communication unit 71 . As will become clear later, the first acquisition unit 7011 acquires the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 from the printing device 3 .
The receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 acquired by the first acquisition unit 7011 are added with the serial number J11 of the printing device 3 that transmitted the information. Further, the identification information reading time is added to the receipt identification information J14 acquired by the first acquisition unit 7011 . The identification information reading time is the time when the code reader CR connected to the printing device 3 reads the two-dimensional code printed on the receipt R to acquire the receipt identification information J14, and corresponds to the first time. The member number information J15 acquired by the first acquisition unit 7011 is added with the member number reading time. The member number reading time is the time when the code reader CR connected to the printer 3 reads the code attached to the member card CD to acquire the member number information J14, and corresponds to the second time.

After acquiring the receipt identification information J14, the first acquisition unit 7011 outputs the acquired receipt identification information J14 to the analysis unit 7013 of the first processing unit 701 and the second acquisition unit 7021 of the second processing unit 702 . Also, when acquiring the member number information J15, the first acquiring unit 7011 outputs the acquired member number information J15 to the second acquiring unit 7021 of the second processing unit 702 .
The receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 output by the first acquisition unit 7011 are added with the serial number J11 of the printing device 3 that transmitted the information. Further, the receipt identification information J14 output by the first acquisition unit 7011 is added with the identification information reading time. Member number information J15 output by the first acquisition unit 7011 is added with the member number reading time.

Analysis unit 7013 executes text data analysis processing based on print text data ITD input from text data generation unit 7012 and receipt identification information J14 input from first acquisition unit 7011 .

Here, the text data analysis processing will be described in detail.
The analysis unit 7013 acquires the analysis program group BPG associated with the same serial number J11 as the serial number J11 added to the print text data ITD input from the text data generation unit 7012 from the analysis program group management database 710B. . The text data analysis processing is executed by the functions of the control program 710A installed in the control server 7 and the programs attached to the control program 710A.

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing information stored in one record of the analysis program group management database 710B.
As shown in FIG. 7, one record of the analysis program group management database 710B stores the serial number J11 and the analysis program group BPG.

In FIG. 7, the analysis program group BPG is composed of seven analysis programs BP, a first analysis program BP1 to a seventh analysis program BP7. Each analysis program BP will be described later.

The text data analysis process is a process of acquiring, from the print text data ITD, text representing item values corresponding to items included in the payment information. In the following, obtaining the text representing the item value from the print text data ITD is simply expressed as obtaining the item value from the print text data ITD. The text data analysis process extracts item values from the print text data ITD, and if necessary, converts the notation format of the extracted item values into a notation format that can be used by the user, thereby extracting the item values from the print text data ITD. to get Depending on the item value, there are item values for which notation format conversion is not performed and item values for which notation format conversion is performed. Therefore, in the text data analysis process, depending on the item, the notation format of the item value finally acquired may be the notation format at the time of extraction from the print text data ITD or the converted notation format. be.

In this embodiment, items included in the payment information are store address information items, store telephone number information items, issue date and time information items, product information items, subtotal amount information items, tax information items, and total amount information items. There are items. These items will be described later.

As described above, the analysis program group BPG of this embodiment has a plurality of analysis programs BP. One analysis program BP is a program written in a predetermined script language, and has a function of acquiring an item value from the print text data ITD for one item in accordance with an analysis rule indicated by the written processing flow. It's a program.

The analysis program group BPG obtains item values from one set of print text data ITD for items corresponding to the number of analysis programs BP. In FIG. 7, the analysis program group BPG consists of a first analysis program BP1 to a seventh analysis program BP7. In other words, the analysis program group BPG in FIG. 7 has a function of acquiring item values for each of the above seven items.

In this embodiment, the analysis program group BPG has a first analysis program BP1 having a function of acquiring item values for store address information items.
The store address information item is an item associated with store address information J2 indicating the address of the store T where the receipt R was issued as an item value.

Also, the analysis program group BPG has a second analysis program BP2 having a function of acquiring an item value for the store telephone number information item.
The telephone number information item is associated with store telephone number information J3 indicating the telephone number of the store T where the receipt R was issued as an item value.

Also, the analysis program group BPG has a third analysis program BP3 having a function of acquiring an item value for the issue date/time information item.
The issue date/time information item is an item associated with issue date/time information J4 as an item value.

The analysis program group BPG also has a fourth analysis program BP4 having a function of acquiring item values for product information items.
The product information items include product name information items, purchase quantity information items, and unit price information items.
The product name information item is an item associated with the product name information J52 as an item value.
The purchase quantity information item is an item associated with the purchase quantity information J51 as an item value.
The unit price information item is an item associated with the unit price information J53 as an item value.

Further, the analysis program group BPG has a fifth analysis program BP5 having a function of acquiring item values for subtotal amount information items.
The subtotal amount information item is an item associated with the subtotal amount information J62 as an item value.

The analysis program group BPG also has a sixth analysis program BP6 having a function of acquiring item values for tax information items.
The tax information item is an item associated with the tax amount information J72 as an item value.

Also, the analysis program group BPG has a seventh analysis program BP7 having a function of acquiring item values for the total amount information item.
The total amount information item is an item associated with the total amount information J82 as an item value.

It should be noted that although the above-mentioned item values include information expressed as character strings rather than information expressed as actual numerical values, they are treated as item values in the present embodiment.

Here, the analysis rules of the analysis program BP will be specifically described by taking the seventh analysis program BP7 as an example.
For example, the analysis rule of the seventh analysis program BP7 performs a keyword search for the character string "TOTAL" included in area AA3 of the print text data ITD, and in the line having the character string "TOTAL", the blank characters are removed and the character string " TOTAL” is extracted as the item value of the total amount information item, and the notation format of the extracted item value is converted into the notation format from which the symbol indicating the digit separator is removed.

In this embodiment, identifiers 1 to 7 are assigned to the analysis programs BP, and these identifiers indicate that the items for which the item values are to be obtained are different. Therefore, for example, the first analysis program BP1 of a certain analysis program group BPG and the first analysis program BP1 of an analysis program group BPG different from the certain analysis program group BPG have analysis rules for acquiring item values. not necessarily the same.

The items analyzed by the analysis program group BPG are not limited to those described above. Items to be analyzed by the analysis program group BPG are, in addition to the above-mentioned items, for example, a refund existence information item to which information indicating the presence or absence of a refund corresponds as an item value, and a payment method to which information indicating a payment method corresponds as an item value. Various items may be included, such as information items. In this case, the analysis program group BPG includes the analysis program BP of the corresponding item. Also, the number of analysis programs BP included in the analysis program group BPG is not necessarily limited to eight, and may differ for each analysis program group BPG. Also, the types of analysis programs BP included in the analysis program group BPG may differ for each analysis program group BPG.

Referring to FIG. 3, analysis unit 7013, after executing the text data analysis process, generates analysis data BD based on the processing result of the text data analysis process. Analysis data BD is the analysis result of text analysis processing. The analysis data BD is data in JSON format in which each of the above-described items and the obtained item value are described in association with each other. In the analysis data BD, information indicating that the item value could not be obtained from the print text data ITD is described for each item as necessary. An example of information indicating that the item value could not be acquired from the print text data ITD is a null value.

After generating the analysis data BD, the analysis unit 7013 generates a record to be registered in the analysis data management database 710C based on the generated analysis data BD and the receipt identification information J14 input from the first acquisition unit 7011. The analysis unit 7013 then registers the generated record in the analysis data management database 710C.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing information stored in one record of the analysis data management database 710C.
As shown in FIG. 8, one record in the analysis data management database 710C includes general identification information J13, serial number J11, store identification information J12, receipt identification information J14, issue date/time information J4, print data ID, and print text data. Stores ITD and analysis data BD.

The integrated identification information J13 is identification information that uniquely identifies the analysis data BD, and is generated by the analysis unit 7013 by a predetermined method.
The store identification information J12 is identification information that uniquely identifies the store T to which the printing device 3 belongs. The analysis unit 7013 receives the store identification information J12 from the printing device 3 via the server network communication unit 71 .
When generating a record to be registered in the analysis data management database 710C, the analysis unit 7013 stores the receipt identification information J14 input from the first acquisition unit 7011 in the record to be generated. At this time, the analysis unit 7013 stores receipt identification information J14 to which the same serial number J11 as the serial number J11 added to the print text data ITD analyzed in the text data analysis process is added in the generated record.

Referring to FIG. 3, analysis data acquisition unit 7014 acquires analysis data BD by referring to analysis data management database 710C. The analysis data acquisition unit 7014 outputs the acquired analysis data BD. In this embodiment, the analysis data acquisition unit 7014 outputs analysis data BD to the point provision unit 7023 of the second processing unit 702 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the second processing unit 702 includes a second acquisition unit 7021 , a correspondence record generation unit 7022 and a point provision unit 7023 .

Second acquisition unit 7021 acquires receipt identification information J14 from first acquisition unit 7011 . Also, the second acquisition unit 7021 acquires the member number information J15 from the first acquisition unit 7011 . After acquiring the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15, the second acquisition unit 7021 outputs the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 to the corresponding record generation unit 7022 in the order of acquisition.
The receipt identification information J14 obtained by the second obtaining unit 7021 is added with the serial number J11 and the identification information reading time. Also, the member number information J15 acquired by the second acquisition unit 7021 is added with the serial number J11 and the member number reading time.

Correspondence record generation unit 7022 generates a record in which receipt identification information J14 and member number information J15 input from second acquisition unit 7021 are associated with each other when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Predetermined conditions will be described later. Corresponding record generation unit 7022 registers the generated record in member-related database 710D.

FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing information stored in one record of member-related database 710D.
As shown in FIG. 9, one record in member-related database 710D stores receipt identification information J14 and member number information J15.

Corresponding record generation unit 7022 outputs the receipt identification information J14 to point imparting unit 7023 after registering the record in which receipt identification information J14 and member number information J15 are associated with each other in member-related database 710D. On the other hand, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 does not output the receipt identification information J14 to the point provision unit 7023 when the predetermined condition is not satisfied and no record is generated.

The point giving unit 7023 outputs the receipt identification information J14 input from the correspondence record generating unit 7022 to the analysis data acquiring unit 7014 of the first processing unit 701 . When the receipt identification information J14 is input from the point granting unit 7023, the analysis data acquisition unit 7014 refers to the analysis data management database 710C to specify a record that stores the input receipt identification information J14. Then, the analysis data acquisition unit 7014 acquires the analysis data BD from the specified record, and outputs the acquired analysis data BD to the point provision unit 7023 .

When the analysis data BD is acquired from the analysis data acquisition unit 7014, the point provision unit 7023 calculates the points to be provided by a predetermined algorithm based on the analysis data BD. Note that the calculated points are, for example, points that the customer KK can use for payment of fees in the next transaction. The point granting unit 7023 refers to the member-related database 710D, identifies the record storing the receipt identification information J14 output to the analysis data obtaining unit 7014, and obtains the member number information J15 from the identified record. Next, the point granting unit 7023 generates a record in which the point information indicating the calculated points is associated with the obtained member number information J15. Point information corresponds to service-related information. Based on the generated record, the point granting unit 7023 registers the record in the point management database 710E or updates the record registered in the point management database 710E.

FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically showing information stored in one record of the point management database 710E.
As shown in FIG. 10, one record of the point management database 710E stores member number information J15 and point information J16. One record in the point management database 710E is a record indicating the balance of points owned by the customer KK to whom the member number indicated by the member number information J15 is assigned.

When the point granting unit 7023 generates a record in which the member number information J15 acquired from the member-related database 710D and the point information J16 indicating the calculated points are associated with each other, the member number information J15 stored in the generated record is the same as the member number information J15. It is determined whether or not the record storing the member number information J15 is registered in the point management database 710E. If the point granting unit 7023 determines that the record is not registered, it registers the generated record in the point management database 710E as a new record. On the other hand, when determining that it is registered, the point granting unit 7023 updates the point information J16 stored in the record determined to be registered in the point management database 710E based on the point information J16 stored in the generated record. do. That is, the point granting unit 7023 increases the point balance indicated by the point information J16 stored in the record determined to be registered in the point management database 710E by adding the calculated points.

Next, operations of the POS terminal 4, the printer 3, and the control server 7 when one transaction is made at the checkout counter L will be described.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the operations of the POS terminal 4, the printer 3, and the control server 7 when payment is made at the checkout counter L. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 11, a flowchart FA shows the operation of the POS terminal 4, a flowchart FB shows the operation of the printer 3, and a flowchart FC shows the operation of the control server 7, respectively.

As shown in the flowchart FA of FIG. 11, the application execution unit 4000 of the POS terminal control unit 40 of the POS terminal 4 executes accounting processing according to the accounting processing of the customer KK, and generates a print data ID based on the accounting processing. (Step SA1).

More specifically, the application execution unit 4000 causes the POS terminal touch panel 42 to display a user interface that allows input corresponding to accounting. The application execution unit 4000 generates settlement information related to settlement in accordance with input from the cashier on the POS terminal touch panel 42 and input from the printer 3 associated with the settlement of the customer KK. Next, application execution unit 4000 generates a print data ID based on the generated payment information.

After generating the print data ID in step SA1, the application execution unit 4000 controls the POS terminal communication unit 41 to transmit the generated print data ID to the printer 3 (step SA2).

As shown in the flowchart FB of FIG. 11, the printing device control section 30 of the printing device 3 controls the printing device communication section 32 to receive the print data ID (step SB1). As described above, the print data ID includes payment information. Therefore, receiving the print data ID corresponds to receiving payment information.

Next, the printing device control section 30 generates the receipt identification information J14, and generates the image data of the two-dimensional code J9 indicating the generated receipt identification information J14 (step SB2).

The printing device control unit 30 appropriately generates the receipt identification information J14 by a predetermined method so that the receipt R issued by the printing device 3 can be uniquely identified. Also, the printing device 3 is installed with a program having a function of generating two-dimensional code image data representing predetermined information based on the predetermined information. At step SB2, the printer control unit 30 executes this program to generate two-dimensional code image data representing the receipt identification information J14.

The printer controller 30 issues a receipt R as shown in FIG. 5 based on the print data ID received at step SB1 and the two-dimensional code image data generated at step SB2 (step SB3). The issued receipt R is delivered to the customer KK.

Here, step SB3 will be described in detail.
The printer controller 30 controls the printer 31 based on the print data ID received from the POS terminal 4 to print the payment information on the roll paper. Next, after printing the payment information, the printer controller 30 controls the printer 31 based on the generated image data of the two-dimensional code J9 to print the two-dimensional code J9 on the roll paper. The printer controller 30 then controls the printer 31 based on the cut command CM4 included in the print data ID to cut the roll paper. As a result, a receipt R printed with the payment information and the two-dimensional code J9 is issued, like the receipt R shown in FIG.

When the receipt R is issued, the printer control unit 30 adds the serial number J11 and the shop identification information J12 and transmits the print data ID received at step SB1 to the control server 7 (step SB4). The shop identification information J12 is identification information for identifying the shop T to which the printing device 3 belongs, and is stored in advance in a predetermined storage area of the printing device storage section 310 .

When the customer KK presents the membership card CD and the member number information J15 recorded on the presented membership card CD is read by the code reader CR (step SX1), the printer controller 30 reads the code reader CR The member number information J15 obtained by reading is transmitted to the control server 7 via the printer network communication unit 33 (step SB5).

At step SB5, the printer controller 30 adds the membership number reading time and the serial number J11 and transmits accounting number information J15 to the control server 7. FIG. Note that the printing device control unit 30 is configured to be capable of appropriately measuring the current time.

When the cashier reads the two-dimensional code printed on the receipt R handed over to the customer KK with the code reader CR (step SX2), the printer controller 30 acquires the receipt identification information J14 by reading the code reader CR. , the receipt identification information J14 to the control server 7 via the printer network communication unit 33 (step SB6).

At step SB6, the printing device control section 30 adds the identification information reading time and the serial number J11 and transmits the receipt identification information J14 to the control server 7. FIG.

Note that the flowchart FB shown in FIG. 11 shows the operation of the printing device 3 when the two-dimensional code J9 printed on the receipt R is read after the cashier reads the membership card CD. . Reading can also be done in reverse order. In this case, the printing device 3 executes the operation of step SB5 after executing the operation of step SB6.

As shown in the flowchart FC of FIG. 11, the server control unit 70 of the control server 7 receives the print data ID to which the serial number J11 and the shop identification information J12 are added from the printer 3 via the server network communication unit 71. is received (step SC1). By this reception, the text data generation unit 7012 of the first processing unit 701 of the server control unit 70 acquires the print data ID to which the serial number J11 is added.
Further, the server control unit 70 of the control server 7 receives the member number information J15 to which the serial number J11 and the member number reading time are added from the printer 3 via the server network communication unit 71 (step SC1). . By this reception, the first acquisition section 7011 of the first processing section 701 of the server control section 70 acquires the member number information J15 to which the serial number J11 and the member number reading time are added.
Further, the server control unit 70 of the control server 7 receives the receipt identification information J14 to which the serial number J11 and the identification information reading time are added from the printer 3 via the server network communication unit 71 (step SC1). . By this reception, the first acquisition section 7011 of the first processing section 701 of the server control section 70 acquires the receipt identification information J14 to which the serial number J11 and the identification information reading time are added.

The text data generation unit 7012 of the first processing unit 701 of the server control unit 70 generates print text data ITD from the acquired print data ID (step SC2). After generating the print text data ITD, the text data generation unit 7012 adds the acquired serial number J11 added to the printing apparatus 3 to the generated print text data ITD, and outputs the print text data ITD to the analysis unit 7013. do.

Next, the analysis unit 7013 acquires the analysis program group BPG associated with the same serial number J11 as the serial number J11 added to the print text data ITD input from the text data generation unit 7012 (step SC3).

Next, the analysis unit 7013 executes text data analysis processing on the print text data ITD generated by the text data generation unit 7012 based on the obtained analysis program group BPG (step SC4).

Next, analysis unit 7013 generates analysis data BD based on the processing result of the text data analysis processing of step SC4 (step SC5).

After generating the analysis data BD, the analysis unit 7013 registers the generated analysis data BD as one record in the analysis data management database 710C (step SC6).

Next, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 executes record generation processing (step SC7). Record generation processing is processing for generating records to be registered in the member-related database 710D.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the operation of the control server 7 in record generation processing.

The correspondence record generation unit 7022 generates a combination of the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 having the same attached serial number J11 from the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 input from the second acquisition unit 7021. Determine (step SD1). For example, it is assumed that the member number information J15, the receipt identification information J14, and the member number information J15 are input from the second acquisition unit 7021 to the corresponding record generation unit 7022 in this order. In this case, in step SD1, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 determines a combination of the previously input member number information J15 and the receipt identification information J14 that is input after this member number information J15.

Next, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 generates the identification information reading time added to the combination of receipt identification information J14 determined in step SD1 and the member number reading time added to the combination of membership number information J15 determined in step SD1. is calculated (step SD2).

Next, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 determines whether or not the calculated difference is within a predetermined range (step SD3). The predetermined range is a range of time such that the transaction for which the receipt identification information J14 is read and the transaction for which the member number information J15 is read are the same transaction, and are used in advance tests and simulations. etc. is appropriately defined.

If the corresponding record generation unit 7022 determines that the calculated difference is not within the predetermined range (step SD3: NO), it does not generate a record to be registered in the member-related database 710D (step SD4). In this case, the point giving unit 7023 does not give points to the customer KK with the member number indicated by the member number information J15 of the combination determined by the corresponding record generating unit 7022 in step SD1.

On the other hand, when the corresponding record generation unit 7022 determines that the calculated difference is within the predetermined range (step SD3: YES), it generates a record to be registered in the member-related database 710D (step SD5). In this case, the point granting unit 7023 grants points to the customer KK with the member number indicated by the member number information J15 of the combination determined by the correspondence record generating unit 7022 in step SD1.

In this way, when the difference between the identification information read time added to the receipt identification information J14 and the member number read time added to the member number information J15 is within a predetermined range, the corresponding record generation unit 7022 Generate a record to be registered in the database 710D.
This is for the following reasons. For example, suppose that customer KK1 shown in FIG. 1 checks out at a certain checkout counter L, and then customer KK2 shown in FIG. 1 checks out at the same checkout counter L. It is also assumed that the member number information J15 indicating the member number of the customer KK1 was not sent due to a predetermined factor when the customer KK1 made the payment. In this case, the second acquisition unit 7021 acquires the receipt identification information J14 of the receipt R handed over from the printing device 3 to the customer KK1, the membership number information J15 of the customer KK2, and the The receipt identification information J14 of the delivered receipt R is obtained in this order. If the added serial numbers J11 are the same, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 determines the combination in the order in which the second acquisition unit 7021 acquires the information. Therefore, in this example, the corresponding record generation unit 7022 generates a record in which the receipt identification information J14 of the receipt R handed over to the customer KK1 is associated with the member number information J15 of the customer KK2. In this case, customer KK2 is given points based on the transaction made by customer KK1. Therefore, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 can perform the above process so that the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 read in different transactions are not associated with each other. In other words, the correspondence record generation unit 7022 can accurately associate the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 read in the same transaction, and accurately associate the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15. can. As a result, in the point awarding service provided by the control server 7, it is possible to prevent the accuracy of point awarding from deteriorating.

Referring to FIG. 11, when corresponding record generation unit 7022 generates a record in record generation processing, corresponding record generation unit 7022 registers the record in member-related database 710D (step SC8). As a result, the member number information J15 is linked to the print data ID by the receipt identification information J14 in the analysis data management database 710C and the member related database 710D.

As described above, in the information processing system 1, the printing device 3 transmits the print data ID including the payment information, the receipt identification information J14, and the member number information J15 to the control server 7. FIG. The control server 7 associates the print data ID with the receipt identification information J14, associates the receipt identification information J14 with the member number information J15, and associates the print data ID and the member number information J15 with the receipt identification information J14. According to this configuration, the information processing system 1 can associate the print data ID and the membership number information J15 with the receipt identification information J14, and therefore associate the membership number information J15 with the print data ID with high accuracy. be able to. As described above, since the print data ID includes payment information, the information processing system 1 can accurately associate the membership number information J15 with the payment information.

In particular, the information processing system 1 can accurately link the membership number information J15 acquired by reading from the membership card CD presented by the customer KK to the print data ID. When the member number information J15 is obtained by reading from the member card CD, since the receipt R and the member card CD are independent media in the printer 3, the member number information J15 obtained from the member card CD contains the customer KK. The receipt identification information J14 of the receipt R handed over to is not associated. Therefore, it is difficult for the control server 7 to link the print data ID and the member number information J15. Also, the timing of reading the membership card CD depends on the timing of presentation by the customer KK and the timing of reading by the cashier, and is therefore indefinite. Therefore, if the control server 7 attempts to link the print data ID and the member number information J15 based on the timing at which the member card CD is read, the processing becomes complicated and the accuracy of linking decreases. there is a risk of Therefore, in the information processing system 1, the printing device 3 prints the two-dimensional code J9 indicating the receipt identification information J14 on the receipt R together with the payment information. As a result, when the receipt identification information J14 is read, the printer 3 controls the receipt identification information J14 for linking the print data ID and the member number information J15 in addition to the print data ID and the member number information J15. It can be sent to the server 7. Therefore, as described above, the information processing system 1 can accurately associate the membership number information J15 acquired from the membership card CD, which is difficult to associate, with the print data ID by using the receipt identification information J14. can. Further, as a result, the control server 7 does not need to execute the process of linking based on the timing of reading the member card CD, and simply associates the information. Therefore, the control server 7 can easily associate the membership number information J15 acquired from the membership card CD, which is difficult to associate, with the print data ID.

When the record generated by the correspondence record generating unit 7022 is registered in the member-related database 710D, the point giving unit 7023 gives points (step SC9). As described above, the member number information J15 is associated with the print data ID with high accuracy. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which points are given. Therefore, the point granting unit 7023 can accurately grant points.

Further, as described above, in the information processing system 1, the POS terminal 4 generates a print data ID based on accounting processing and transmits the print data ID. In other words, the information processing system 1 can accurately give points without modifying the POS terminal 4 . As a result, at least the POS terminal 4 does not need to be changed in the store system 2 when the store T that does not support the use of the point giving service is changed to the store T that supports the use of the point giving service. Therefore, the store system 2 can construct a store T that supports the use of the point-giving service without making any major changes.

Next, operations of the customer terminal 6 and the control server 7 when the customer KK browses the balance of the points given by the customer terminal 6 will be described.
FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the operation of the customer terminal 6 and the control server 7. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, a flow chart FE shows the operation of the customer terminal 6, and a flow chart FF shows the operation of the control server 7. FIG.

The customer KK launches the browser of the customer terminal 6 and instructs access to a predetermined URL of the control server 7 related to display of a viewing user interface for viewing the balance of awarded points (step SY1). Note that this URL is notified to the user in advance by a predetermined method.

The browser execution unit 6000 of the customer terminal control unit 60 of the customer terminal 6 accesses a predetermined URL of the control server 7 related to display of the browsing user interface according to the instruction of the customer KK (step SE1).

As shown in Flowchart FF, the server control unit 70 of the control server 7, in response to access to a predetermined URL by the browser execution unit 6000, displays the member number and the corresponding member number to display the browsing user interface. An HTML file for displaying an input user interface for inputting a password is transmitted to the customer terminal 6 by the server network communication section 71 (step SF1).

The browser execution unit 6000 receives the HTML file for displaying the input user interface by the customer terminal communication unit 62 (step SE2).

Next, the browser execution unit 6000 displays an input user interface on the customer terminal touch panel 61 based on the received HTML file (step SE3). The input user interface has an entry field for entering a membership number, an entry field for entering a password corresponding to the membership number, and a confirm button for confirming the entry in the entry field. When the confirmation button is operated with the entry fields corresponding to the member number and password (step SY2), the browser execution unit 6000 enters the member number information J15 indicating the entered member number and the entered password. and the information shown is transmitted to the control server 7 by the customer terminal communication unit 62 (step SE4).

The server control unit 70 of the control server 7 receives the member number information J15 and the information indicating the password through the server network communication unit 71 (step SF2).

Next, the server control unit 70 determines whether or not the combination of the member number and password indicated by the combination of the received information matches a combination registered in advance (step SF3). If the server control unit 70 determines that there is a match (step SF3: YES), the server control unit 70 refers to the point management database 710E to identify the record that stores the received member number information J15, and the point information stored in the identified record. J16 is acquired (step SF4).

Next, the server control unit 70 transmits to the customer terminal 6 an HTML file for displaying a viewing user interface for displaying the acquired point information J16 (step SF5). The process of step SF5 corresponds to transmitting the point information J16 to the customer terminal 6. FIG.

The browser execution unit 6000 of the customer terminal 6 receives the HTML file for displaying the browsing user interface through the customer terminal communication unit 62 (step SE5).

The browser execution unit 6000 displays the customer terminal interface on the customer terminal touch panel 61 based on the received HTML file (step SE6).

Thus, in the information processing system 1, when the control server 7 receives the member number information J15 from the customer terminal 6, it transmits the point information J16 corresponding to the received member number information J15 to the customer terminal 6. As a result, the control server 7 can present the balance of points awarded with high accuracy to the customer KK.

As described above, the printer 3 can communicate with the POS terminal 4, the control server 7, and the code reader CR. The printing device 3 includes a printing unit 31 and a printing device control unit 30 that controls the printing unit 31 . The printing device control unit 30 receives payment information from the POS terminal 4, generates receipt identification information J14 for identifying the received payment information, and prints the payment information and the receipt identification information J14 on roll paper by the printing unit 31. , the receipt identification information printed on the roll paper is acquired by the code reader CR, the membership number information J15 is acquired from the membership card CD recording the membership number information J15 by the code reader CR, and the received payment information and the code reader CR are acquired. The obtained receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 obtained from the code reader CR are transmitted to the control server 7. FIG.

According to this configuration, the control server 7 can receive the payment information, the receipt identification information J14, and the member number information J15. It becomes possible to perform attachment with high accuracy.

The printing device control unit 30 adds the identification information reading time at which the receipt identification information J14 is acquired by the code reader CR to the receipt identification information J14 and transmits the receipt identification information J14 to the control server 7 . Further, the printer control unit 30 adds the member number reading time at which the member number information J15 is acquired by the code reader CR to the member number information J15 and transmits the member number information J15 to the control server 7 .

According to this configuration, when the control server 7 associates the receipt identification information J14 with the member number information J15, the association can be made based on the identification information reading time and the member number reading time. Therefore, the control server 7 can accurately associate the sheet identification information J14 and the member number information J15 read in the same transaction, and can more accurately associate the member number information J15 with the payment information. become.

The printing device 3 has a printing device storage unit 310 that stores a serial number J11 that identifies the printing device 3 . The printing device control unit 30 adds the serial number J11 stored in the printing device storage unit 310 to the payment information, the receipt identification information J14, and the member number information J15, and transmits them to the control server 7 .

According to this configuration, even if the control server 7 receives the payment information, the receipt identification information J14, and the member number information J15 from a plurality of printing devices 3, the member number information J15 corresponding to the payment information is generated for each printing device 3. can be linked with high accuracy.

The member number information J15 is identification information for identifying a user who uses a predetermined service provided by the control server 7. FIG. The predetermined service provided by the control server 7 in this embodiment is a point-giving service.

According to this configuration, the member number information J15 indicating the member number of the point-giving service can be accurately linked to the payment information of the accounting performed by the member number indicated by the member number information J15.

The information processing system 1 includes a POS terminal 4, a printer 3 capable of communicating with a code reader CR, and a control server 7. FIG. The printing device 3 receives payment information from the POS terminal 4, generates receipt identification information J14 for identifying the received payment information, and prints the payment information and the receipt identification information J14 on roll paper by the printing unit 31. Receipt identification information printed on paper is obtained by a code reader CR, membership number information J15 is obtained from a membership card CD recording the membership number information J15 by a code reader CR, and payment information received is obtained from the code reader CR. The receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15 obtained from the code reader CR are transmitted to the control server 7. The control server 7 receives payment information, receipt identification information J14, and member number information J15 from the printing device 3 .

According to this configuration, the information processing system 1 can associate the payment information with the member number information J15 using the receipt identification information J14, so that the member number information J15 can be associated with the payment information with high accuracy.

The printing device 3 adds the identification information read time at which the receipt identification information J14 is acquired by the code reader CR to the receipt identification information J14 and transmits the receipt identification information J14 to the control server 7 . Further, the printer control unit 30 adds the member number reading time at which the member number information J15 is acquired by the code reader CR to the member number information J15 and transmits the member number information J15 to the control server 7 . If the difference between the identification information reading time and the member number reading time is within a predetermined range, the control server 7 associates and stores the receipt identification information J14 and the member number information J15.

According to this configuration, the control server 7 can associate the receipt identification information J14 with the member number information J15 based on the identification information reading time and the member number reading time. Therefore, the control server 7 can associate the sheet identification information J14 and the member number information J15 read in the same transaction. Therefore, the control server 7 can accurately associate the sheet identification information J14 and the member number information J15, and can more accurately associate the member number information J15 with the payment information.

The control server 7 analyzes the print text data ITD corresponding to the payment information, and stores the analysis data BD as an analysis result in association with the receipt identification information J14. Based on the analysis data BD, the control server 7 generates point information J16 regarding the point giving service provided by the control server 7, and stores the generated point information J16 in association with the member number information J15. When receiving the member number information J15 from the customer terminal 6, the control server 7 transmits the point information J16 corresponding to the received member number information J15 to the customer terminal 6.

According to this configuration, the control server 7 can present the balance of points awarded with high precision to the customer KK.

Note that the above-described embodiment merely shows one aspect of the present invention, and can be arbitrarily modified and applied within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the control server 7 generates the print text data ITD, but the printing device 3 may generate the print text data ITD.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the member number information J15 is read from the member card CD after the receipt R is issued. However, the reading of the membership card CD may be performed before issuing the receipt R in one transaction.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, when the analysis unit 7013 generates a record, the configuration has been described in which the receipt identification information J14 input from the first acquisition unit 7011 is stored in the record to be generated. However, if the print data ID includes the receipt identification information J14 as settlement information, the analysis unit 7013 may acquire the receipt identification information J14 by text data analysis processing and store the generated record. In this configuration, the printing device 3 prints on the receipt R a two-dimensional code J9 indicating the same receipt identification information J14 as the receipt identification information J14 included as settlement information in the print data ID.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the point-giving service was exemplified as the service provided by the control server 7, but the service provided by the control server 7 may be the service of issuing an electronic receipt, as described above. good. In this case, the service-related information corresponds to part or all of the information printed on the paper medium receipt R issued by the printing device 3 . Further, the service provided by the control server 7 may be a service that provides item values of specific items based on the analysis data BD. In this configuration, the service-related information corresponds to part or all of the item values included in the analysis data BD. Even if the service provided by the control server 7 is a service other than the point-giving service, the control server 7 provides the user using the service with service-related information generated based on the accounting performed by other users. not to provide. Therefore, the control server 7 can provide appropriate service-related information to users who use the service.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the code reader CR is exemplified as the reading device, the code reader CR reads the membership number information J15 from the membership card CD, and the code reader CR reads the receipt identification information J14 from the receipt R. Read configuration explained. However, the reader is not limited to the code reader CR, and any device that can read the corresponding identification information from the membership card CD and the receipt R may be used. Further, the reading device for reading the corresponding identification information from the member card CD and the receipt R may not be the same device, but may be different devices. For example, a card reader and a two-dimensional code reader may be connected to the printing device 3, the card reader reads the membership number information J15 from the membership card CD, and the two-dimensional code reader reads the receipt identification information J15 from the receipt R.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the two-dimensional code J9 was exemplified as the code printed on the receipt R for reading the receipt identification information J14. may be a barcode.

Further, for example, the functions of the POS terminal control section 40, the printer control section 30, the customer terminal control section 60, and the server control section 70 may be realized by a plurality of processors or semiconductor chips.

The functions of the server control unit 70 include a storage medium storing the control program 710A, a server device for distributing the control program 710A, a transmission medium for transmitting the control program 710A, a data signal embodying the control program 710A in carrier waves, and the like. can also be realized in the form of

Also, for example, the units of processing in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 are mainly divided into The present invention is not limited by the division method or name of the processing unit. Depending on the processing content, it may be divided into more processing units. Also, one processing unit may be divided to include more processing. Also, the order of the processes may be changed as appropriate within the scope of the present invention.

Moreover, each functional unit shown in FIG. 2 shows a functional configuration, and a specific implementation form is not particularly limited. In other words, it is not always necessary to mount hardware corresponding to each functional unit individually, and it is of course possible to adopt a configuration in which one processor executes a program to realize the functions of a plurality of functional units. Also, part of the functions implemented by software in the above-described embodiments may be implemented by hardware, or part of the functions implemented by hardware may be implemented by software. In addition, the specific detailed configurations of the POS terminal 4, printer 3, customer terminal 6, and control server 7 can be changed arbitrarily without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1... Information processing system, 3... Printing apparatus, 4... POS terminal (terminal, first terminal), 6... Customer terminal (second terminal), 7... Control server (information processing apparatus), 30... Printing apparatus control unit ( control unit), 31...printing unit, 32...printing apparatus communication unit, 33...printing apparatus network communication unit, 34...device communication unit, 40...POS terminal control unit, 41...POS terminal communication unit, 42...POS terminal touch panel, 5... communication device, 60... customer terminal control unit, 61... customer terminal touch panel, 62... customer terminal communication unit, 70... server control unit, 71... server network communication unit, 72... server display unit, 73... server input unit, 300...Printing apparatus processor 310...Printing apparatus storage unit (storage unit) 310A...Control program 400...POS terminal processor 410...POS terminal storage unit 410A...Control program 600...Customer terminal processor 610...Customer terminal Memory unit 610A Control program 700 Server processor 710 Server storage unit 710A Control program 710B Analysis program group management database 710C Analysis data management database 710D Member-related database 710E Point management database , 4000... Application execution unit, 6000... Browser execution unit, BD... Analysis data (analysis result), CD... Membership card (information recording medium), CDP... Customer display, CR... Code reader (reading device), GN... Global network , ITD... print text data (text data), J11... serial number (printer identification information), J14... receipt identification information (first identification information), J15... member number (second identification information), J16... point information ( service-related information), JT: Automatic change machine.

Claims (7)

A printing device capable of communicating with a terminal, an information processing device, and a reading device,
a printing unit;
A control unit that controls the printing unit,
The control unit
receiving payment information from the terminal, generating first identification information identifying the received payment information, and printing the payment information and the first identification information on a print medium by the printing unit;
Acquiring the first identification information printed on the print medium by the reading device,
Acquiring the second identification information from an information recording medium recording second identification information different from the first identification information by the reading device,
transmitting the received payment information, the first identification information obtained from the reading device, and the second identification information obtained from the reading device to the information processing device;
In transmitting the first identification information, adding a first time at which the first identification information is acquired by the reading device to the first identification information and transmitting the information to the information processing device;
In the transmission of the second identification information, a second time at which the second identification information is acquired by the reading device is added to the second identification information and transmitted to the information processing device.
printer. A storage unit that stores printing device identification information that identifies the printing device,
The control unit adds the printing device identification information stored in the storage unit to the payment information, the first identification information, and the second identification information, and transmits the information to the information processing device.
A printing device according to claim 1 . The second identification information is identification information that identifies a user who uses a predetermined service provided by the information processing device,
3. The printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 . An information processing system comprising a first terminal, a printing device communicable with a reading device, and an information processing device communicable with the printing device,
The printing device
receiving payment information from the first terminal, generating first identification information identifying the received payment information, and printing the payment information and the first identification information on a print medium;
Acquiring the first identification information printed on the print medium by the reading device,
Acquiring the second identification information from an information recording medium recording second identification information different from the first identification information by the reading device,
transmitting the received payment information, the first identification information obtained from the reading device, and the second identification information obtained from the reading device to the information processing device;
In transmitting the first identification information, adding a first time at which the first identification information is acquired by the reading device to the first identification information and transmitting the information to the information processing device;
In transmitting the second identification information, adding a second time at which the second identification information is acquired by the reading device to the second identification information and transmitting the second identification information to the information processing device;
The information processing device is
receiving the payment information, the first identification information, and the second identification information from the printing device;
Information processing system. The information processing device is
When the difference between the first time and the second time is within a predetermined range, the first identification information and the second identification information are associated and stored;
The information processing system according to claim 4 . The information processing device is
analyzing the text data corresponding to the payment information, storing the analysis result in association with the first identification information;
generating service-related information about a service provided by the information processing device based on the analysis result, and storing the generated service-related information in association with the second identification information;
When receiving the second identification information from the second terminal, transmitting the service-related information corresponding to the received second identification information to the second terminal;
The information processing system according to claim 5 . The second identification information is identification information that identifies a user who uses a predetermined service provided by the information processing device,
The information processing system according to any one of claims 4 to 6 .

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