JP2025029834A - Product sales system and its program - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow a purchaser to perform operations related to the payment of the price.SOLUTION: An article sales system includes missing detection means and control means. The missing detection means detects whether or not there is any missing information pertaining to the purchased articles transmitted to the payment machine by information transmission means of a sales processor. If the missing information is detected by the missing detection means, the control means enables payment by first payment means of the sales processor and disables payment by second payment means of the payment machine.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 40

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to a product sales system and a program therefor.

There is a two-person system as a product sales system for large retail stores such as supermarkets and home centers. A two-person product sales system has an input device operated by a store clerk called a checker, and a payment device operated by a store clerk called a cashier. The input device is a device for inputting information related to purchased products, such as barcodes attached to the products. The payment device is a device for processing product sales data of purchased products based on information input via the input device and settling transactions with customers. Because the input device and payment device are separate in a two-person product sales system, input of information related to purchased products of a second customer can start on the input device while the payment device is processing the payment for the first customer. Therefore, customers can be judged efficiently.

On the other hand, in recent years, from the perspective of reducing labor costs and preventing infectious diseases, there is a demand to have customers themselves perform operations related to depositing money required for settlement of transactions. Even in a two-person product sales system, customers themselves perform operations related to depositing money into the payment device. This eliminates the need for a store clerk to act as a cashier, thereby reducing labor costs. In addition, since store clerks do not touch cash, cash cards, etc., this can also serve as an infectious disease prevention measure.

JP 2018-152133 A

The problem that the embodiment of the present invention aims to solve is to provide a product sales system and a program therefor that can reduce labor costs by having the purchaser perform the operations related to payment, and also have an excellent effect in terms of infection control.

In one embodiment, the merchandise vending system includes a vending processor and a payment machine.
The sales processing device comprises a first processing means, an information transmitting means, an instruction transmitting means, and a first settlement means. The first processing means processes product sales data of the purchased product based on information related to the purchased product input to the input device. The information transmitting means transmits information related to the purchased product to the payment machine before receiving an instruction to end input of the information related to the purchased product from the input device. The instruction transmitting means transmits an input end instruction to the payment machine if settlement of the transaction is not possible at the time of receiving the input end instruction from the input device. The first settlement means settles the transaction of the sales data processed by the first processing means if settlement of the transaction is possible at the time of receiving the input end instruction from the input device.
The payment machine includes a second processing means and a second settlement means. The second processing means processes merchandise sales data of the purchased merchandise based on information related to the purchased merchandise received from the sales processing device. The second settlement means settles the transaction of the sales data processed by the second processing means in response to receiving an input end instruction from the sales processing device.
The product sales system having such a configuration comprises a missing part detection means and a control means. The missing part detection means detects whether there is a missing part in the information related to the purchased product transmitted to the payment machine by the information transmission means of the sales processing device. When the missing part detection means detects that there is a missing part in the information related to the purchased product, the control means validates the payment by the first payment means of the sales processing device and invalidates the payment by the second payment means of the payment machine.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a product sales system common to each embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the device main body in the sales processing device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing major storage areas formed in the main memory of the sales processing device. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the payment machine. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the main storage areas formed in the main memory of the payment machine. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the input device, the sales processing device, and the payment machine. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the main steps of a first information processing operation executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with a first business program. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the first information processing executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the first information processing executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the main steps of a first information processing operation executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with a first business program. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the second information processing executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the third information processing executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program. FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing the main steps of a fourth information processing operation executed by the processor of the payment machine in accordance with the second business program. FIG. 14 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the fifth information processing executed by the processor of the payment machine in accordance with the second business program. FIG. 15 shows an example of a registration screen displayed on the touch panel of the input device. FIG. 16 is an example of a registration screen displayed on the display of the input device. FIG. 17 is an example of a sub-plan screen displayed on the touch panel of the input device. FIG. 18 is an example of a sub-plan view displayed on the display of the input device. FIG. 19 shows an example of a payment method selection screen displayed on the touch panel of the input device. FIG. 20 shows an example of a payment screen displayed on the touch panel of the input device. FIG. 21 shows an example of a pop-up displayed on the payment screen of the touch panel of the input device while waiting for payment. FIG. 22 shows an example of text displayed on the small screen of the display of the input device while waiting for payment. FIG. 23 shows an example of a pop-up displayed on a payment screen on the touch panel of an input device when payment is possible at a sales processing device. FIG. 24 shows an example of text displayed on the small screen of the display of the input device when payment is possible at the sales processing device. FIG. 25 shows an example of a pop-up displayed on the payment screen of the touch panel of the input device when payment is possible at the payment machine. FIG. 26 shows an example of the text displayed on the small screen of the display of the input device when payment is possible at the payment machine. FIG. 27 shows an example of a payment start screen displayed on the first touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 28 shows an example of a payment method selection screen displayed on the second touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 29 shows an example of a cash payment notification screen displayed on the first touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 30 shows an example of a cash payment notification screen displayed on the second touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 31 shows an example of a cash payment in progress screen displayed on the first touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 32 shows an example of a cash payment in progress screen displayed on the second touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 33 shows an example of a cash payment completion screen displayed on the first touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 34 shows an example of a cash payment completion screen displayed on the second touch panel of the sales processing device. FIG. 35 is an example of a statement confirmation screen displayed on the touch panel of the payment machine. FIG. 36 shows an example of a payment method selection screen displayed on the touch panel of the payment machine. FIG. 37 is an example of a cash payment notification screen displayed on the touch panel of the payment machine. FIG. 38 is an example of a cash payment in progress screen displayed on the touch panel of the payment machine. FIG. 39 is an example of a cash payment completion screen displayed on the touch panel of the payment machine. FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the product sales system in the first embodiment. FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing the main steps of a sixth information processing operation executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program in the first embodiment. FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing the main steps of the seventh information processing executed by the processor of the payment machine in accordance with the second business program in the first embodiment. FIG. 43 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the product sales system in the second embodiment. FIG. 44 is a flowchart showing the main steps of an eighth information processing operation executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program in the second embodiment. FIG. 45 is a flowchart showing the main steps of a ninth information processing operation executed by the processor of the payment machine in accordance with the second business program in the second embodiment. FIG. 46 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of a product sales system in the third embodiment. FIG. 47 is a flowchart showing the main steps of a tenth information processing operation executed by the processor of the sales processing device in accordance with the first business program in the third embodiment. FIG. 48 is a flowchart showing the main steps of an eleventh information processing operation executed by the processor of the payment machine in accordance with the second business program in the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, a number of embodiments of a product sales system that allows a purchaser to perform operations related to payment will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, the configuration and basic operation and function of a product sales system 1 (see FIG. 1) common to each embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 39.

[Configuration of product sales system]
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a product sales system 1. The product sales system 1 includes an input device 2, a sales processing device 3, and a payment machine 4. The input device 2 and the payment machine 4 are respectively connected to the sales processing device 3 to constitute the product sales system 1. The input device 2 and the sales processing device 3 are connected one-to-one by a transmission cable 53 (see FIG. 2). The sales processing device 3 and the payment machine 4 are connected one-to-n (n is an integer equal to or greater than 1) by a LAN (Local Area Network) 54 (see FIG. 2). The input device 2 and the sales processing device 3 may be connected by short-range wireless communication. The sales processing device 3 and the payment machine 4 may be connected by a wireless LAN. In this embodiment, the number n of payment machines 4 connected to the sales processing device 3 is set to 1.

The input device 2 is attached to the checkout counter 51. The checkout counter 51 is arranged along the aisle PA along which shoppers walk in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The input device 2 is attached to approximately the center of the top surface of the checkout counter 51, and the upstream side of the input device 2 on the aisle PA is used as a space for placing purchased products before registration, and the downstream side is used as a space for placing purchased products after registration.

The input device 2 comprises, as input/output devices, a fixed scanner 21, a handheld scanner 22, a touch panel 23, a keyboard 24, and a display 25. The input device 2 has the fixed scanner 21 positioned so that it protrudes upward from the top surface of the checkout counter 51, and the handheld scanner 22, the touch panel 23, the keyboard 24, and the display 25 positioned around the fixed scanner 21.

More specifically, the input device 2 has a stationary scanner 21 fixed to the top surface of the checkout counter 51. The stationary scanner 21 is vertical and fixed so that the barcode reading window is located on the surface opposite the aisle PA. The input device 2 has a handy scanner 22 attached to one side of the stationary scanner 21. The touch panel 23 is attached to the top of the stationary scanner 21 so that its operation panel surface faces the same direction as the reading window of the stationary scanner 21. The keyboard 24 is attached to one side of the touch panel 23 so that its key surface faces the same direction as the operation panel surface of the touch panel 23. The display 25 is attached to one side of the stationary scanner 21 so that its display screen faces the aisle PA. The display 25 may be a touch panel.

With this arrangement of input/output devices, a store clerk standing in space SP on the opposite side of the checkout counter 51 from the aisle PA can operate the fixed scanner 21, handheld scanner 22, touch panel 23, or keyboard 24 to input information related to the purchased item by the customer, such as the product code, purchase quantity, discount amount, etc. At this time, the store clerk can check the product name, unit price, etc. of the purchased item from the information displayed on the touch panel 23. The customer can check the product name, unit price, etc. of the purchased item from the information displayed on the display 25.

The sales processing device 3 is a computer device that functions as a terminal of a POS (Point Of Sales) system. The sales processing device 3 includes a keyboard 31 and a first touch panel 32 as devices integrated with the device main body 30, and includes a handheld scanner 33, a second touch panel 34, a printer 35, an automatic change dispenser 36, a cashless payment terminal 37, etc. as devices that are externally attached to the device main body 30. The sales processing device 3 is placed on the top surface of a cash register counter 52 that is installed on the opposite side of the aisle PA near the downstream end of the checkout counter 51.

In detail, the sales processing device 3 is placed on the register counter 52 so that the key surface of the keyboard 31 and the operation panel surface of the first touch panel 32 face the space SP where the store clerk stands. The handy scanner 33, the second touch panel 34, the printer 35, the automatic change machine 36, and the cashless payment terminal 37 are arranged around the device body 30. The handy scanner 33 is arranged in a position where the store clerk standing in the space SP can operate it. The second touch panel 34 is arranged in a position where the display screen can be seen by a customer standing in the aisle PA. The printer 35 is arranged in a position where a customer standing in the aisle PA can easily receive a receipt. The automatic change machine 36 is arranged in a position where a customer standing in the aisle PA can easily insert cash and take out the dispensed change. The cashless payment terminal 37 is arranged in a position where a customer standing in the aisle PA can easily operate it when making a cashless payment such as a credit card payment, an electronic money payment, or a code payment.

With such device placement, a customer standing in the aisle PA can immediately check information displayed on the second touch panel 34, such as information related to payment. The customer can immediately receive a receipt issued by the printer 35. Customers who pay with cash can insert cash into the automatic change machine 36 while standing in the aisle PA and collect the change that is dispensed. Customers who pay by cashless payment can pay cashlessly by operating the cashless payment terminal 37 while standing in the aisle PA. In this way, the sales processing device 3 functions as a self-service payment machine that allows the customer to perform operations related to payment themselves.

The payment machine 4 is also a self-service type payment machine that allows the purchaser to perform operations related to payment themselves. The payment machine 4 is used by purchasers who cannot pay at the sales processing device 3 because the sales processing device 3 is in use. Therefore, the payment machine 4 is installed downstream of the sales processing device 3 in the direction of movement of the purchaser, as indicated by the arrow in the figure. The payment machine 4 may also be installed on the opposite side of the aisle PA to the sales processing device 3.

The payment machine 4 has a box-shaped housing 40 on one side which faces the customer. In the following, the side which faces the customer is referred to as the front. The payment machine 4 has a basket stand 41 attached to the right side when viewed from the front. The basket stand 41 is a space for a customer who uses the payment machine 4 to pay for a purchase to place a shopping basket or the like containing the purchased items.

The payment machine 4 is equipped with a touch panel 42 as a man-machine interface with the purchaser. The touch panel 42 is attached in a position that is easy for the operator, the purchaser, to operate. In this embodiment, the touch panel 42 is attached to the top of the housing 40 with the display screen facing the front. The payment machine 4 has a printer 87 (see FIG. 4) for printing receipts built into the housing 40, and a receipt issuing port 43 for issuing receipts printed by the printer 87 is formed on the front of the housing 40. The payment machine 4 also has an automatic change machine 88 (see FIG. 4) built in, and a coin insertion port 44, a coin ejection port 45, and a bill insertion/receiving port 46 are formed on the front of the housing 40. With this arrangement, a purchaser who pays with cash inserts bills into the bill insertion/receiving port 46 and inserts coins into the coin insertion port 44. Then, the payment machine 4 collects bills discharged as change from the bill inlet/outlet 46 or coins dispensed as change from the coin outlet 45, and receives a receipt issued from the receipt issuing port 43. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the payment machine 4 also includes a cashless payment terminal 89 (see FIG. 4), and is therefore also capable of handling cashless payments.

The payment machine 4 has a patrol lamp 47 attached to the top of the housing 40. The patrol lamp 47 is a lamp for notifying the operating status of the payment machine 4 to the store staff in the space SP. The operating status of the payment machine 4 notified by the patrol lamp 47 is either "payment in progress" or "standby." "Payment in progress" is the period from when the purchaser starts to pay the price until it is finished. The rest of the time is "standby."

In large retail stores such as supermarkets and home improvement centers, multiple product sales systems 1 with this configuration are typically installed in parallel in a cash register that is separated from the sales floor where products are displayed. On the other hand, in small retail stores such as specialty stores, it is possible that only one product sales system 1 is installed in the store.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the device main body 30 in the sales processing device 3. As shown in the figure, the device main body 30 includes a processor 61, a main memory 62, an auxiliary storage device 63, a clock 64, a communication interface 65, a scanner interface 66, a touch panel interface 67, a printer interface 68, a change machine interface 69, a payment terminal interface 70, an input device interface 71, and a system transmission path 72. The system transmission path 72 includes an address bus, a data bus, a control signal line, and the like. The system transmission path 72 connects the processor 61 to each of the other parts, and transmits data signals exchanged between them.

The device main body 30 constitutes a computer by connecting the processor 61, the main memory 62, the auxiliary storage device 63, the clock 64, the communication interface 65, the scanner interface 66, the touch panel interface 67, the printer interface 68, the change machine interface 69, the payment terminal interface 70, and the input device interface 71 via a system transmission path 72. The device main body 30 then connects the keyboard 31 and the first touch panel 32 to the computer via the system transmission path 72.

The processor 61 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 61 controls each part to realize various functions of the sales processing device 3 according to an operating system or an application program. The processor 61 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 61 is a multi-core processor that includes multiple processor cores and can execute multiple processes in parallel.

The main memory 62 corresponds to the main storage portion of the computer. The main memory 62 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 62 stores an operating system or application programs in the nonvolatile memory area. The main memory 62 may also store data required for the processor 61 to execute processes for controlling each part in the nonvolatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 62 uses the volatile memory area as a work area where data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 61. The nonvolatile memory area is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory). The volatile memory area is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory).

The auxiliary storage device 63 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. For example, the auxiliary storage device 63 may be an EEPROM (Electric Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive), or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The auxiliary storage device 63 stores data used by the processor 61 in performing various processes, data created by the processes in the processor 61, etc. The auxiliary storage device 63 may also store the application programs described above.

The clock 64 keeps track of the date and time. The processor 61 processes the date and time kept by the clock 64 as the current date and time.

The communication interface 65 is an interface for performing data communication with the payment machine 4 connected to the LAN 54. The communication interface 65 is also an interface for performing data communication with the POS server 55 also connected to the LAN 54. The POS server 55 is a computer that has a product master that stores product data such as the product name and unit price of each product sold in the store, and collects and tallys product sales data of purchased products processed by the sales processing device 3, and manages sales, inventory, etc. at the time of sale.

The scanner interface 66, touch panel interface 67, printer interface 68, change machine interface 69, and payment terminal interface 70 are all interfaces for performing data communication with devices externally attached to the device main body 30. That is, the scanner interface 66 performs data communication with the handheld scanner 33. The touch panel interface 67 performs data communication with the second touch panel 34. The printer interface 68 performs data communication with the printer 35. The change machine interface 69 performs data communication with the automatic change machine 36. The payment terminal interface 70 performs data communication with the cashless payment terminal 37.

The input device interface 71 is an interface for performing data communication with the input device 2 connected by the transmission cable 53. That is, the input device interface 71 performs data communication with each of the fixed scanner 21, the handheld scanner 22, the touch panel 23, the keyboard 24, and the display 25.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the main memory areas formed in the main memory 62. The sales processing device 3 uses part of the volatile memory area in the main memory 62 as an area for a first transaction file 621, a second transaction file 622, a status memory 623, and a flag memory 624. The first transaction file 621 and the second transaction file 622 are both areas for storing product sales data of purchased products processed as one transaction. The product sales data includes items such as the product code, product name, unit price, purchase quantity, and sales amount of the purchased product. The sales amount is the amount obtained by multiplying the unit price by the purchase quantity. The product sales data is sufficient to include at least the product code and purchase quantity of the purchased product. The status memory 623 is an area for storing the payment status ST. The flag memory 624 is an area for storing the first payment in progress flag Fa and the second payment in progress flag Fb.

The payment status ST is identification information that indicates the state of the payment. There are two states of the payment: a first state in which the payment method is not specified on the input device 2, and a second state in which the payment method is specified on the input device 2. In this embodiment, the payment status ST that indicates the first state is set to "10," and the payment status ST that indicates the second state is set to "20."

The first payment in progress flag Fa is one-bit data for identifying whether or not a payment is being made in the sales processing device 3. In this embodiment, the first payment in progress flag Fa indicating that a payment is being made is set to "1", and the first payment in progress flag Fa indicating that a payment is not being made is set to "0".

The second payment in progress flag Fb is one-bit data for identifying whether or not a payment is being made at the payment machine 4. In this embodiment, the second payment in progress flag Fb indicating that a payment is being made is set to "1", and the second payment in progress flag Fb indicating that a payment is not being made is set to "0".

Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the main circuit configuration of the payment machine 4. As shown in the figure, the payment machine 4 comprises a processor 81, a main memory 82, an auxiliary storage device 83, a clock 84, a communication interface 85, and a system transmission path 86. The system transmission path 86 includes an address bus, a data bus, and a control signal line. The system transmission path 86 connects the processor 81 to each of the other parts, and transmits data signals exchanged between them.

The payment machine 4 constitutes a computer by connecting a processor 81, a main memory 82, an auxiliary storage device 83, a clock 84, and a communication interface 85 via a system transmission path 86. The payment machine 4 then connects to the computer a touch panel 42, a patrol lamp 47, a printer 87, an automatic change dispenser 88, and a cashless payment terminal 89 via the system transmission path 86.

The processor 81 corresponds to the central part of the computer. The processor 81 controls each part to realize various functions of the payment machine 4 according to an operating system or an application program. The processor 81 is, for example, a CPU.

The main memory 82 corresponds to the main storage portion of the computer. The main memory 82 includes a nonvolatile memory area and a volatile memory area. The main memory 82 stores an operating system or application programs in the nonvolatile memory area. The main memory 82 may also store data required for the processor 81 to execute processes for controlling each part in a nonvolatile or volatile memory area. The main memory 82 uses the volatile memory area as a work area where data is appropriately rewritten by the processor 81. The nonvolatile memory area is, for example, a ROM. The volatile memory area is, for example, a RAM.

The auxiliary storage device 83 corresponds to the auxiliary storage portion of the computer. For example, the auxiliary storage device 83 can be an EEPROM, HDD, or SSD. The auxiliary storage device 83 stores data used by the processor 81 when performing various processes, data created by the processes in the processor 81, etc. The auxiliary storage device 83 may also store the application programs described above.

The clock 84 keeps track of the date and time. The processor 81 processes the date and time kept by the clock 84 as the current date and time.

The communication interface 85 is an interface for performing data communication with the sales processing device 3 connected to the LAN 54. The communication interface 85 is also an interface for performing data communication with the POS server 55 also connected to the LAN 54.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing the main memory areas formed in the main memory 82. The payment machine 4 uses part of the volatile memory area in the main memory 82 as an area for the third transaction file 821, the fourth transaction file 822, and the flag memory 823. Like the first transaction file 621 and the second transaction file 622, the third transaction file 821 and the fourth transaction file 822 are areas for storing product sales data of purchased products that are processed as one transaction.

The flag memory 823 is an area for storing the third payment in progress flag Fc. The third payment in progress flag Fc is one-bit data for identifying whether or not a payment is being made at the payment machine 4. In this embodiment, the third payment in progress flag Fc indicating that a payment is being made is set to "1", and the third payment in progress flag Fc indicating that a payment is not being made is set to "0".

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the input device 2, the sales processing device 3, and the payment machine 4. The input device 2 has the functions of an input means 201, a termination acceptance means 202, and a first payment acceptance means 203. The sales processing device 3 has the functions of a first communication means 301, a first processing means 302, a second payment acceptance means 303, a first settlement means 304, a storage means 305, a notification means 306, an invalidation means 307, a second communication means 308, an information transmission means 309, an instruction transmission means 310, and a deletion instruction means 311. The payment machine 4 has the functions of a third payment acceptance means 401, a second processing means 402, a second settlement means 403, and a deletion means 404.

The input means 201 is a function for inputting information related to the purchased product that the purchaser purchases. The input means 201 inputs information related to the purchased product, such as the product code and purchase quantity, via an input device such as the fixed scanner 21, the handheld scanner 22, the touch panel 23, or the keyboard 24. For example, the input means 201 inputs the product code of the purchased product from a barcode read by the fixed scanner 21 or the handheld scanner 22. For example, the input means 201 inputs the purchase quantity of the purchased product from a numerical value input by operating the numeric keypad on the touch panel 23 or the keyboard 24.

The end acceptance means 202 is a function that accepts an instruction to end input of information related to purchased goods. The end acceptance means 202 accepts an instruction to end input of information related to purchased goods via an input device such as the touch panel 23 or the keyboard 24. For example, the end acceptance means 202 accepts a signal generated by a predetermined key operation on the touch panel 23 or the keyboard 24 as an instruction to end input of information related to purchased goods.

The first payment acceptance means 203 is a function that accepts the selection and input of a payment method via a device operated by a store clerk. The device operated by the store clerk is, for example, a touch panel 23. The first payment acceptance means 203 displays a selection screen for a payment method on the touch panel 23. The first payment acceptance means 203 then accepts the payment method selected by touching the screen as the selected and input payment method. There is no particular restriction on the type of device. For example, it may be a keyboard 24. The payment methods include cash, credit card, electronic money, code payment, etc. The payment methods may also include gift certificates and other vouchers.

The first communication means 301 is a function by which the sales processing device 3 communicates with the input device 2 via the input device interface 71. The first communication means 301 receives information related to the purchased item input by the input means 201 from the input device 2. The first communication means 301 receives an input end instruction signal received by the end reception means 202 from the input device 2. The first communication means 301 receives information on the payment method received by the first payment reception means 203 from the input device 2.

The first processing means 302 is a function that processes product sales data of the purchased product based on information related to the purchased product input via the input means 201. The first processing means 302 acquires product data such as product name and unit price from the product master based on the product code of the purchased product, and generates product sales data of the purchased product consisting of items such as product code, product name, unit price, purchase quantity, and sales amount. The first processing means 302 writes and stores the product sales data in the first transaction file 621.

The second payment acceptance means 303 is a function that accepts the selection input of the payment method via a device operated by the purchaser. The device operated by the purchaser is, for example, the second touch panel 34. The second payment acceptance means 303 displays a selection screen of the payment method on the second touch panel 34. The second payment acceptance means 303 accepts the payment method selected by touching the screen as the selected and input payment method. The type of device is not particularly limited. The device operated by the purchaser may be a pointing device that moves a pointer displayed on a display. The payment method is cash, credit card, electronic money, code payment, etc. The second payment acceptance means 303 accepts the selection input of the payment method when the first payment acceptance means 203 has not accepted the selection input of the payment method at the time when the end acceptance means 202 accepts the input end instruction. Whether or not the selection input of the payment method has been accepted at the time when the input end instruction is accepted can be identified by the payment status ST. Specifically, when the payment status ST is "10", that is, when the first state is set in which no payment method has been specified using the input device 2, the second payment acceptance means 303 accepts the selection and input of any one of the payment methods via the second touch panel 34.

The first payment means 304 is a function that settles a transaction with a buyer according to the payment method accepted by the first payment acceptance means 203 or the second payment acceptance means 303 when the transaction can be settled at the time when the end acceptance means 202 accepts the input end instruction. The first payment means 304 determines that the transaction can be settled when the first payment in progress flag Fa stored in the flag memory 624 is "0", that is, when another buyer has not paid the price at the sales processing device 3. For example, when the first payment means 304 accepts cash as the payment method, it settles the transaction with the buyer in cooperation with the automatic change machine 36. For example, when the first payment means 304 accepts cashless payment as the payment method, it settles the transaction with the buyer in cooperation with the cashless payment terminal 37.

The storage means 305 has a function of storing first identification information indicating that payment by the first payment means 304 is being executed and second identification information indicating that payment by the second payment means 403 is being executed. The first payment in progress flag Fa stored by the flag memory 624 functions as the first identification information. The second payment in progress flag Fb stored by the flag memory 624 functions as the second identification information. In other words, the flag memory 624 is an example of the storage means 305.

The guidance means 306 is a function that guides the purchaser to pay the price at the payment machine 4 when the end reception means 202 receives an input end instruction while the storage means 305 stores the first identification information and does not store the second identification information. The guidance means 306 displays an image on the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 that guides the purchaser to pay the price at the payment machine 4 to provide guidance to the store clerk. The store clerk verbally guides the purchaser to pay the price at the payment machine 4. The guidance means 306 may display an image on the display 25 of the input device 2 that guides the purchaser to pay the price at the payment machine 4 to provide guidance directly to the purchaser. The guidance means 306 may display an image on the touch panel 23 and display 25 that guides the purchaser to pay the price at the payment machine 4 to provide guidance to both the store clerk and the purchaser.

The invalidation means 307 is a function that invalidates the acceptance of an input end instruction by the end acceptance means 202 while the storage means 305 is storing the first identification information and the second identification information. In other words, when the first payment in progress flag Fa and the second payment in progress flag Fb stored in the flag memory 624 are both "1", the invalidation means 307 invalidates and does not accept the input end instruction for information related to the purchased product.

The second communication means 308 is a function by which the sales processing device 3 communicates with the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65. The second communication means 308 communicates with the payment machine 4 in conjunction with the information transmission means 309, the instruction transmission means 310, and the deletion instruction means 311 described below.

The information transmission means 309 has a function of transmitting information related to purchased items input via the input means 201 to the payment machine 4. The information transmission means 309 transmits information related to purchased items, such as item codes and purchase quantities, input via input devices such as the fixed scanner 21, handheld scanner 22, touch panel 23, keyboard 24, etc., to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65. The information transmission means 309 transmits information related to purchased items to the payment machine 4 each time the information is input.

The instruction sending means 310 has a function of sending an input end instruction to the payment machine 4 if the transaction cannot be settled at the sales processing device 3 at the time the end reception means 202 receives the input end instruction. The instruction sending means 310 determines that the transaction cannot be settled when the first payment in progress flag Fa stored in the flag memory 624 is "1", that is, when another purchaser is paying the price at the sales processing device 3. The instruction sending means 310 sends the input end instruction received by the end reception means 202 to the payment machine 4.

The deletion instruction means 311 is a function that instructs the payment machine 4 to delete the sales data if the sales processing device 3 is able to settle the transaction at the time the end reception means 202 receives the input end instruction. The sales processing device 3, by functioning as the information transmission means 309, transmits information related to the purchased product to the payment machine 4 every time the information is input. The payment machine 4, by functioning as the second processing means 402, processes the product sales data of the purchased product based on the information related to the purchased product. However, the product sales data becomes unnecessary when the sales processing device 3 is able to settle the transaction. Therefore, the deletion instruction means 311 outputs a signal to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65 to instruct the payment machine 4 to delete the sales data when the first payment in progress flag Fa stored in the flag memory 624 is "0" at the time the end reception means 202 receives the input end instruction.

The third payment acceptance means 401 is a function that accepts the selection and input of the payment method via a device operated by the purchaser. The device operated by the purchaser is, for example, a touch panel 42. The type of device is not particularly limited. The device operated by the purchaser may be a pointing device that moves a pointer displayed on a display. The payment method may be cash, credit card, electronic money, code payment, etc. The third payment acceptance means 401 accepts the selection and input of one of the payment methods via an input device such as the touch panel 42.

The second processing means 402 has a function of processing product sales data for a purchased product based on information related to the purchased product received from the sales processing device 3. The second processing means 402 acquires product data such as product name and unit price from the product master based on the product code of the purchased product received from the sales processing device 3 via the communication interface 85, and generates product sales data for the purchased product consisting of items such as product code, product name, unit price, purchase quantity, and sales amount. The second processing means 402 writes and stores the product sales data in the third transaction file 821.

The second payment means 403 is a function of settling the transaction of the sales data processed by the second processing means 402 according to the payment method accepted by the first payment acceptance means 203 or the third payment acceptance means 401 in response to receiving an input end instruction from the sales processing device 3. The input end instruction is transmitted from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4 by the function of the instruction transmission means 310 when the transaction cannot be settled by the sales processing device 3. When the second payment means 403 receives the input end instruction, it settles the transaction of the sales data processed by the second processing means 402 according to the payment method accepted by the first payment acceptance means 203 or the third payment acceptance means 401. When the second payment means 403 accepts, for example, cash as the payment method, it settles the transaction with the purchaser in cooperation with the automatic change machine 88. When the second payment means 403 accepts, for example, cashless payment as the payment method, it settles the transaction with the purchaser in cooperation with the cashless payment terminal 89.

The deletion means 404 is a function that deletes the sales data processed by the second processing means 402 in response to receiving a deletion instruction from the sales processing device 3. When the deletion means 404 receives a signal from the sales processing device 3 via the communication interface 85 instructing the deletion of sales data, it deletes the data stored in the third transaction file 821.

The functions of the input device 2 as the input means 201, the termination acceptance means 202 and the first payment acceptance means 203, and the functions of the sales processing device 3 as the first communication means 301, the first processing means 302, the second payment acceptance means 303, the first settlement means 304, the storage means 305, the notification means 306, the invalidation means 307, the second communication means 308, the information transmission means 309, the instruction transmission means 310 and the deletion instruction means 311 are all realized by information processing executed by the processor 61 in accordance with the first business program.

The first business program is a type of application program stored in the main memory 62 or the auxiliary storage device 63. There are no particular limitations on the method of installing the first business program in the main memory 62 or the auxiliary storage device 63. The first business program can be installed in the main memory 62 or the auxiliary storage device 63 by recording it on a removable recording medium, or by distributing the first business program by communication via a network. The recording medium can be in any form, such as a CD-ROM or memory card, as long as it can store a program and is readable by the device.

On the other hand, the functions of the payment machine 4 as the third payment acceptance means 401, the second processing means 402, the second settlement means 403 and the deletion means 404 are realized by information processing executed by the processor 81 in accordance with the second business program.

The second business program is a type of application program stored in the main memory 82 or the auxiliary storage device 83. There are no particular limitations on the method of installing the second business program in the main memory 82 or the auxiliary storage device 83. The second business program can be installed in the main memory 82 or the auxiliary storage device 83 by recording it on a removable recording medium, or by distributing it by communication via a network. The recording medium can be in any form, such as a CD-ROM or memory card, as long as it can store a program and is readable by the device.

[Operation of the product sales system]
Next, the basic operation of the product sales system 1 will be described using the flowcharts of Figures 7 to 14 and the screen examples of Figures 15 to 39. Note that the contents and procedures of the information processing described using the flowcharts are merely examples. The contents and procedures can be modified as appropriate as long as similar operational effects can be achieved. The screen examples are also merely examples. The contents of the output text, the arrangement of images, the type and layout of software keys, etc. can be modified as appropriate.

Figures 7 to 10 are flow charts showing the main steps of the first information processing executed by the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 according to the first business program. After going around the sales floor and collecting the purchased items, the purchaser moves to the checkout area. The purchaser then places the purchased items on the checkout counter 51 of an empty aisle PA. When the purchaser arrives at the checkout area, the store clerk standing in the space SP issues a command to start registration. For example, the store clerk touches the start button displayed on the touch panel 23. This operation is a command to start registration. In response to this command, the processor 61 starts the first information processing. The processor 61 sets the screen of the touch panel 23 and display 25 of the input device 2 as the registration screen as ACT 101.

Figure 15 is an example of a registration screen SAa displayed on the touch panel 23. The registration screen SAa is divided into a current area AAa, a details area AAb, and a total area AAc. The current area AAa is an area for displaying the product name, purchase quantity, and sales price of the most recently purchased item. The details area AAb is an area for displaying the product name, purchase quantity, unit price, discount amount, and sales price of the purchased items in one transaction in list format in sequential numerical order. The total area AAc is an area for displaying the total purchase quantity and total sales price of the purchased items in one transaction. The registration screen SAa includes a subtotal button BAa. The subtotal button BAa is a software key. The subtotal button BAa is an operator for commanding the output of a subtotal for the purchased items registered as one transaction.

Figure 16 is an example of a registration screen SBa displayed on the display 25. The registration screen SBa divides the screen into multiple rows (seven rows in the example of Figure 16), with the first row through to the row just before the last row being the rows of the details area ABa, and the last row being the row of the total area ABb. Each row of the details area ABa displays the product name, unit price, purchase quantity, and sales amount of the purchased item. In the total area ABb, each row displays the total purchase quantity and total sales amount.

After checking the registration screen SAa, the clerk registers the purchased item placed on the checkout counter 51. That is, the clerk scans the barcode attached to the purchased item with the fixed scanner 21 or handheld scanner 22 of the input device 2. By scanning the barcode, the product code of the purchased item is input to the sales processing device 3 via the input device interface 71. If the purchased item does not have a barcode, the clerk causes the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to display a list of items without barcodes. The clerk then selects the purchased item from the list. Through this operation, the product code of the purchased item without a barcode is input to the sales processing device 3 via the input device interface 71.

With the touch panel 23 and the display 25 screens set to registration screen SAa and registration screen SBa, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 102. In ACT 102, the processor 61 waits for the registration of the purchased item. When a product code is input from the input device 2 via the input device interface 71, the processor 61 determines that the purchased item has been registered. The processor 61 proceeds from ACT 102 to ACT 103. In ACT 103, the processor 61 transmits an input event to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65. The input event includes the product code input from the fixed scanner 21, the handheld scanner 22, or the touch panel 23.

After sending the input event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 104. In ACT 104, the processor 61 executes product sales data processing. This processing involves reading the product name, unit price, etc. of the product identified by the input product code from the product master, and generating product sales data for the purchased product including the product code, product name, unit price, purchase quantity, sales amount, etc. After generating the product sales data for the purchased product, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 105. In ACT 105, the processor 61 writes and stores the product sales data for the purchased product in the first transaction file 621.

After storing the product sales data of the purchased product, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 106. In ACT 106, the processor 61 updates the registration screen SAa and the registration screen SBa.
Regarding the registration screen SAa, the processor 61 displays in the current area AAa the product name, purchase quantity, and sales amount of the sales data written in the first transaction file 621. At this time, if the product sales data of the previously registered purchased product is displayed in the current area AAa, the processor 61 displays in the details area AAb the product name, purchase quantity, unit price, discount amount, and sales amount of the product sales data. The processor 61 also displays in the total area AAc the total purchase quantity and sales amount of all the product sales data stored in the first transaction file 621.

For the registration screen SBa, the processor 61 displays the product name, unit price, purchase quantity, and sales amount of the sales data written to the first transaction file 621 in the first line of the details area ABa. At this time, if the sales data is displayed in the first line of the details area ABa, the processor 61 shifts the data from the first line onwards to the second line onwards, and then displays the sales data written to the first transaction file 621 in the first line. The processor 61 also displays the total purchase quantity and sales amount of all product sales data stored in the first transaction file 621 in the total area ABb.

After updating the registration screen SAa and the registration screen SBa, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 107. The processor 61 checks whether the next purchased item has been registered in ACT 107. If the next purchased item has not been registered, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 108. The processor 61 checks whether the subtotal button BAa has been pressed in ACT 108. If the subtotal button BAa has not been pressed, the processor 61 returns to ACT 107. In this way, the processor 61 waits for the next purchased item to be registered or for the subtotal button BAa to be pressed in ACT 107 and ACT 108.

When the purchased items are registered in the standby state of ACT107 and ACT108, the processor 61 returns from ACT107 to ACT103. The processor 61 then executes the processes of ACT103 to ACT106 in the same manner as described above. Thus, each time the store clerk operates the fixed scanner 21, handheld scanner 22, or touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to input data on each purchased item placed on the checkout counter 51, the processor 61 transmits an input event including information on the purchased item, i.e., the item code, to the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also generates product sales data for the purchased item based on the item code and stores it in the first transaction file 621. When the store clerk has finished registering the purchased items in this manner, he or she touches the subtotal button BAa.

In the standby state of ACT 107 and ACT 108, when the subtotal button BAa is input by a touch operation, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 109. In ACT 109, the processor 61 sets the screen of the touch panel 23 and the display 25 of the input device 2 as the subtotal screen.

Figure 17 is an example of the subtotal plan screen SAb displayed on the touch panel 23. The subtotal plan screen SAb includes a total area AAd in which the total purchase quantity of purchased items in one transaction and the total sales amount are displayed. The subtotal plan screen SAb also includes a subtotal discount button BAb, a subtotal discount button BAc, a payment method selection button BAd, a payment button BAe, and a back button BAf. Each of the buttons BAb, BAc, BAe, and BAf is a software key. The subtotal discount button BAb is an operator for instructing a discount on the total amount. The subtotal discount button BAc is an operator for instructing a discount on the total amount. Incidentally, the total amount is discounted by inputting the subtotal discount button BAb and inputting the discount amount on the numeric keypad of the keyboard 24. Similarly, the total amount is discounted by inputting the subtotal discount button BAc and inputting the discount rate on the numeric keypad of the keyboard 24.

The payment method selection button BAd is an operator for commanding the selection of a payment method. The payment button BAe is an operator for commanding the completion of the registration of a purchased item and the transition to payment for the item. The back button BAf is an operator for commanding the return to the registration of a purchased item.

Figure 18 is an example of the sub-planning screen SBb displayed on the display 25. The sub-planning screen SBb includes an area ABc in which information regarding payment is displayed. Area ABc displays the total quantity and total price of purchased items, the deposit amount, and the remaining balance. At this point, no deposit has been generated, so the deposit amount is 0 yen, and the remaining balance is the total amount minus the deposit amount.

After checking the small screen SAb, the clerk checks whether any unregistered purchased items remain on the checkout counter 51. If there are unregistered purchased items, the clerk touches the back button BAf. If there are no unregistered purchased items, the clerk decides whether to ask the customer about the payment method. For example, the clerk may ask the customer about the payment method during busy times in the store and not during quiet times. If the clerk decides to ask the customer about the payment method, the clerk touches the payment method selection button BAd. If the clerk does not decide to ask the customer about the payment method, the clerk touches the payment button BAe.

The processor 61, which has set the screen of the touch panel 23 to the sub-screen SAb and the screen of the display 25 to the sub-screen SBb, proceeds to ACT 110. The processor 61 checks whether the back button BAf has been inputted at ACT 110. If the back button BAf has not been inputted, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 111. The processor 61 checks whether the payment method selection button BAd has been inputted at ACT 111. If the payment method selection button BAd has not been inputted, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 112. The processor 61 checks whether the payment button BAe has been inputted at ACT 112. If the payment button BAe has not been inputted, the processor 61 returns to ACT 110. In this way, the processor 61, which has displayed the sub-planning screen SAb, waits for the back button BAf to be input, the payment method selection button BAd to be input, or the payment button BAe to be input in ACT110 to ACT112.

When the back button BAf is input by touch operation in the standby state of ACT110 to ACT112, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT110 to ACT113. In ACT113, the processor 61 returns the screens of the touch panel 23 and the display 25 to the previous registration screen SAa and registration screen SBa. The processor 61 then enters a standby state of ACT107 and ACT108. Thus, the store clerk can operate the fixed scanner 21, the handheld scanner 22, or the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to input data of the purchased item that was not registered.

When the payment method selection button BAd is input by touch operation in the standby state of ACT110 to ACT112, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT111 to ACT121 of FIG. 8. In ACT121, the processor 61 changes the screen of the touch panel 23 to the payment method selection screen SAc (see FIG. 19). The screen of the display 25 remains the sub-screen SBb.

Figure 19 is an example of a payment method selection screen SAc displayed on the touch panel 23. The payment method selection screen SAc includes a total area AAd similar to the sub-screen SAb. The payment method selection screen SAc also includes a selection button group BAg for each payment method. The selection button group BAg includes a cash button, a credit button, an electronic money button, and a code payment button.

The cash button is a button for commanding a cash payment. The credit button is a button for commanding a credit card payment. The electronic money button is a button for commanding an electronic money payment. The code payment button is a button for commanding a code payment. The cash button, credit button, electronic money button and code payment button are all software keys.

After checking the payment method selection screen SAc, the clerk confirms with the purchaser the payment method. The clerk then touches the button for the payment method selected by the purchaser. For example, if the purchaser wishes to pay with cash, the clerk touches the cash button in the selection button group BAg. For example, if the purchaser wishes to pay with a credit card, the clerk touches the credit button in the selection button group BAg. Similarly, if the purchaser wishes to pay with electronic money or code payment, the clerk touches the appropriate button in the selection button group BAg.

The processor 61, who has set the screen of the touch panel 23 to the payment method selection screen SAc, proceeds to ACT 122. The processor 61 waits for a payment method to be selected in ACT 122. When any payment method is selected by touching the selection button group BAg, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 123. The processor 61 acquires a payment code for the selected payment method in ACT 123. In this embodiment, a unique payment code is set in advance for each payment method, such as cash payment, credit card payment, electronic money payment, and code payment. For example, when the cash button is touched, the processor 61 acquires a payment code corresponding to cash payment, such as "111". For example, when the credit button is touched, the processor 61 acquires a payment code corresponding to credit card payment, such as "222". The same applies when other electronic money buttons and code payment buttons are touched.

Having acquired the payment code, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 124. In ACT 124, the processor 61 transmits a selection event to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65. The selection event includes the payment code of the payment method selected on the payment method selection screen SAc.

After transmitting the selection event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 125. In ACT 125, the processor 61 changes the screen of the touch panel 23 to the payment screen SAd (see FIG. 20). The screen of the display 25 remains the sub-screen SBb.

Figure 20 is an example of the payment screen SAd when cash payment is selected as the payment method. The payment screen SAd includes a sub-screen SAb and a total area AAd similar to the payment method selection screen SAc. The payment screen SAd also includes a payment button BAh. The payment button BAh is a software key. After checking the payment screen SAd, the store clerk touches the payment button BAh.

The processor 61, having set the screen of the touch panel 23 to the payment screen SAd, proceeds to ACT 126. The processor 61 waits for the payment button BAh to be input in ACT 126. When the payment button BAh is input by a touch operation, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 127.

On the other hand, when the payment button BAe is input by a touch operation in the standby state of ACT110 to ACT112 in FIG. 7, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT112 to ACT127 in FIG. 8. In this way, when the payment button BAe on the sub-screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd is input, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT127.

The processor 61 checks the first payment in progress flag Fa in ACT 127. When the payment has not been made in the sales processing device 3, the first payment in progress flag Fa is "0". When the first payment in progress flag Fa is "0", the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 127 to ACT 131 in FIG. 9. The processing from ACT 131 onwards will be described later.

In ACT 127, when the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", i.e., when payment is being made at the sales processing device 3, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 128. In ACT 128, the processor 61 checks the second payment in progress flag Fb. When payment is not being made at the payment machine 4, the second payment in progress flag Fb is "0". When the second payment in progress flag Fb is "0", the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 128 to ACT 141 in FIG. 10. The processing from ACT 141 onwards will also be described later.

In ACT 128, when the second payment in progress flag Fb is "1", i.e., when the payment is being made at the payment machine 4, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 129. In ACT 129, the processor 61 displays a pop-up PUa (see FIG. 21) on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify the user that payment is not possible. The processor 61 also displays text TXa (see FIG. 22) on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is not possible.

Figure 21 shows an example of a pop-up PUa displayed on the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23. When the store clerk sees the pop-up PUa, he or she will wait until the previous purchaser has finished paying.

Figure 22 shows an example of text TXa displayed on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25. After checking the text TXa, the purchaser will wait until payment is possible.

After notifying the user using the touch panel 23 and the display 25 that payment is not possible, the processor 61 returns to ACT 126. The processor 61 waits for the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh to be input. When the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 127. The processor 61 then executes the processes from ACT 127 onwards in the same manner as described above. Therefore, if the first payment in progress flag Fa has been rewritten to "0", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 131 in FIG. 9. If the first payment in progress flag Fa remains at "1" but the second payment in progress flag Fb has been rewritten to "0", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 141 in FIG. 10.

In contrast, if the first payment in progress flag Fa and the second payment in progress flag Fb remain at "1", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 129. Therefore, the pop-up PUa continues to be displayed on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23, and the text TXa continues to be displayed on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25.

When the first payment in progress flag Fa is "0", if the payment button BAe on the sub-plan screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd is pressed, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 131 in FIG. 9. In ACT 131, the processor 61 transmits a deletion event to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65.

After transmitting the deletion event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 132. In ACT 132, the processor 61 displays a pop-up PUb (see FIG. 23) on the subdivision screen SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify the user that payment is possible at the sales processing device 3. The processor 61 also displays text TXb (see FIG. 24) on the subdivision screen SBb of the display 25 to indicate that payment is possible.

Figure 23 is an example of a pop-up PUb displayed on the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23. A store clerk who sees the pop-up PUb knows that payment can be made at the sales processing device 3, and will guide the purchaser to where the sales processing device 3 is installed.

Figure 24 shows an example of text TXb displayed on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25. After checking the text TXb, the purchaser follows the store clerk's instructions to move to where the sales processing device 3 is installed and makes the payment.

Having notified the user that payment is possible using the touch panel 23 and the display 25, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 133. The processor 61 controls the data stored in the first transaction file 621 in ACT 133, i.e., the product sales data of the purchased product registered as one transaction, to be stored in the second transaction file 622.

When the product sales data of the purchased product registered as one transaction in the second transaction file 622 has been stored in this manner, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 134. The processor 61 checks whether or not a payment code has been acquired in ACT 134. If a payment code has not been acquired, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 134 to ACT 135. The processor 61 sets the payment status ST stored in the status memory 623 to "10" in ACT 135. On the other hand, if a payment code has been acquired in the processing of ACT 123, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 134 to ACT 136. The processor 61 adds the payment code to the second transaction file 622 in ACT 136. The processor 61 also sets the payment status ST stored in the status memory 623 to "20" in ACT 137.

After completing the processing of ACT 135 or ACT 137, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 138. In ACT 138, the processor 61 rewrites the first payment in progress flag Fa in the flag memory 624 to "1". In addition, in ACT 139, the processor 61 clears the first transaction file 621. With this, the processor 61 ends the first information processing related to the transaction with the purchaser when the first payment in progress flag Fa is in the "0" state, that is, when the sales processing device 3 is free.

On the other hand, when the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1" and the second payment in progress flag Fb is "0", if the payment button BAe on the sub-plan screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd is pressed, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 141 in FIG. 10. In ACT 141, the processor 61 transmits a payment event to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65.

After transmitting the payment event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 142. In ACT 142, the processor 61 displays a pop-up PUc (see FIG. 25) on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23, informing the purchaser that the payment machine 4 is available and guiding the purchaser to the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also displays text TXc (see FIG. 26) on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the purchaser to pay the amount at the payment machine 4.

Figure 25 shows an example of a pop-up PUc that is displayed on the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23. Upon seeing the pop-up PUc, the store clerk will verbally guide the purchaser to the payment machine 4 whose warning light 47 is on.

Figure 26 shows an example of the text TXc displayed on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25. After checking the text TXc, the customer follows the store clerk's instructions to move to the payment machine 4 whose warning light 47 is on, and makes the payment.

After guiding the purchaser to the payment machine 4 using the touch panel 23 and the display 25, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 143. In ACT 143, the processor 61 rewrites the second payment in progress flag Fb to "1". In addition, in ACT 144, the processor 61 deletes the data stored in the first transaction file 621. With the above, the processor 61 ends the first information processing related to the transaction with the purchaser when the first payment in progress flag Fa is "0" and the second payment in progress flag Fb is "1", that is, when the sales processing device 3 is occupied but the payment machine 4 is free.

In this way, the first transaction file 621 is cleared by the processing of ACT 139 or ACT 144 before the first information processing ends. Therefore, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 can continue to start the first information processing. In other words, when the next purchaser arrives at the checkout area and the store clerk issues a command to start registration, the processor 61 executes the first information processing from ACT 101 onwards in the same manner as described above.

Here, the processor 61 realizes the function of the input means 201 by the processing of ACT 102. The processor 61 realizes the function of the end acceptance means 202 by the processing of ACT 111 and ACT 126. The processor 61 realizes the function of the first payment acceptance means 203 by the processing of ACT 121 to ACT 123.

The processor 61 also realizes the function of the first processing means 302 by processing in ACT 104. The processor 61 realizes the function of the invalidation means 307 by processing in ACT 129. The processor 61 realizes the function of the guidance means 306 by processing in ACT 142.

The processor 61 also realizes the function of the information transmission means 309 through the processing of ACT 103. The processor 61 realizes the function of the instruction transmission means 310 through the processing of ACT 141. The processor 61 realizes the function of the deletion instruction means 311 through the processing of ACT 131.

Figure 11 is a flow diagram showing the main steps of the second information processing executed by the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 in accordance with the first business program. The processor 61 executes the second information processing in parallel with the first information processing described above.

At ACT 151, the processor 61 waits for the first payment in progress flag Fa to be set to "1". When the first payment in progress flag Fa is set to "1" at ACT 138 of the first information processing, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 152. At ACT 152, the processor 61 sets the screen of the first touch panel 32 to the payment start screen SCa (see FIG. 27).

Figure 27 is an example of a payment start screen SCa displayed on the first touch panel 32. The payment start screen SCa includes a total area ACa in which the total purchase quantity and total sales amount of the purchased items in one transaction are displayed. The total area ACa displays the total purchase quantity and total sales amount calculated based on the product sales data of the purchased items stored in the second transaction file 622.

After displaying the payment start screen SCa, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 153. In ACT 153, the processor 61 checks the payment status ST. If the payment status ST is "10", that is, if no payment method was selected in the first information processing, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 153 to ACT 154. In ACT 154, the processor 61 displays the screen of the second touch panel 34 as the payment method selection screen SDa (see FIG. 28).

Figure 28 is an example of a payment method selection screen SDa displayed on the second touch panel 34. The payment method selection screen SDa includes a group of selection buttons BDa for each payment method. The group of selection buttons BDa includes a cash button, a credit button, an electronic money button, and a code payment button. The payment method selection screen SDa also includes a total area ADa in which the total purchase quantity and total sales amount of purchased items in one transaction are displayed. The total area ADa displays the total purchase quantity and total sales amount calculated based on the product sales data of the purchased items stored in the second transaction file 622.

After checking the payment method selection screen SDa, the purchaser touches the button for the desired payment method. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by cash touches the cash button in the selection button group BDa. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by credit card touches the credit button in the selection button group BDa. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by electronic money touches the electronic money button in the selection button group BDa. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by code payment touches the code payment button in the selection button group BDa.

The processor 61, having set the screen of the second touch panel 34 to the payment method selection screen SDa, proceeds to ACT 155. The processor 61 waits for a payment method to be selected in ACT 155. When any payment method is selected by a touch operation on the selection button group BDa, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 156. In ACT 156, the processor 61 acquires the payment code of the selected payment method, similar to the processing in ACT 123 of the first information processing.

On the other hand, if the payment status ST is "20" in ACT 153, that is, if a payment method was selected in the first information processing, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 153 to ACT 157. The processor 61 extracts the payment code from the second transaction file 622 in ACT 157.

After completing the processing of ACT 156 or ACT 157, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 158. In ACT 158, the processor 61 sets the screens of the first touch panel 32 and the second touch panel 34 to a payment notification screen. The payment notification screen is a screen based on the payment code obtained by the processing of ACT 156 or ACT 157.

Figure 29 is an example of a payment notification screen displayed on the first touch panel 32. Figure 29 shows the cash payment notification screen SCb when a payment code for cash payment is obtained by the processing of ACT156 or ACT157. The cash payment notification screen SCb includes a total area ACa similar to the payment start screen SCa. The cash payment notification screen SCb also includes a change machine information area ACb. The change machine information area ACb displays the total amount, the total amount of cash inserted into the automatic change machine 36 (the so-called inserted amount), and the remaining amount obtained by subtracting the inserted amount from the total amount.

Figure 30 is an example of a payment notification screen displayed on the second touch panel 34. Figure 30 shows the cash payment notification screen SDb when a payment code for cash payment is obtained by the processing of ACT156 or ACT157. The cash payment notification screen SDb includes a change machine information area ADb similar to the cash payment notification screen SCb.

After checking the payment notification screen, the purchaser pays using the payment method of their choice. For example, a purchaser who selects cash payment inserts cash into the automatic change machine 36. A purchaser who selects credit card payment has the credit card data read by the reader of the cashless payment terminal 37. A purchaser who selects electronic money payment has the data on the electronic money medium read by the reader of the cashless payment terminal 37. A purchaser who selects code payment has the barcode or two-dimensional data code for code payment read by the scanner of the cashless payment terminal 37.

After displaying the screens of the first touch panel 32 and the second touch panel 34 as a payment notification screen, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 159. In ACT 159, the processor 61 waits for payment to begin. For example, if cash payment is selected, the processor 61 waits for cash to be inserted into the automatic change machine 36. For example, if credit card payment is selected, the processor 61 waits for credit card data to be read by the cashless payment terminal 37. For example, if electronic money payment is selected, the processor 61 waits for electronic money data to be read by the cashless payment terminal 37. For example, if code payment is selected, the processor 61 waits for a barcode or two-dimensional data code for code payment to be read by the cashless payment terminal 37.

When payment is started, the processor 61 proceeds from ACT 159 to ACT 160. In ACT 160, the processor 61 displays the screens of the first touch panel 32 and the second touch panel 34 as a payment in progress screen.

Figure 31 is an example of a payment in progress screen displayed on the first touch panel 32. Figure 31 shows the cash payment in progress screen SCc when a payment code for cash payment is obtained by the processing of ACT156 or ACT157. The cash payment in progress screen SCc has the same layout as the cash payment notification screen SCb. On the cash payment in progress screen SCc, the information displayed in the change machine information area ACb is updated according to the amount of cash inserted into the automatic change machine 36.

Figure 32 is an example of a payment in progress screen displayed on the second touch panel 34. Figure 32 shows the cash payment in progress screen SDc when a cash payment code is obtained by the processing of ACT156 or ACT157. Like the cash payment in progress screen SCc, the cash payment in progress screen SDc also updates the information displayed in the change machine information area ADb according to the amount of cash inserted into the automatic change machine 36. The payment in progress screen further includes a checkout button BDb. The checkout button BDb is a software key. The checkout button BDb is an operator for instructing the completion of payment. When the purchaser has finished paying the price using the selected payment method, he or she touches the checkout button BDb.

The processor 61, which has set the screens of the first touch panel 32 and the second touch panel 34 to the payment in progress screen, proceeds to ACT 161. The processor 61 waits for the checkout button BDb to be input at ACT 161. When the checkout button BDb is input by a touch operation, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 162. The processor 61 executes the settlement process of the transaction based on the payment code at ACT 162. That is, if the payment code is a code for cash payment, the processor 61 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the cash inserted into the automatic change machine 36. If the payment code is a code for credit card payment, the processor 61 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the credit card data read by the cashless payment terminal 37. If the payment code is a code for electronic money payment, the processor 61 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the electronic money data read by the cashless payment terminal 37. If the payment code is a code payment code, the processor 61 executes the payment process for the transaction using the barcode or two-dimensional data code read by the cashless payment terminal 37. Since these payment processes are all well known, detailed explanations are omitted.

Upon completing the payment process, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 163. In ACT 163, the processor 61 determines whether or not the payment has been completed. If the amount of the payment is insufficient and the payment has not been completed, the processor 61 returns to ACT 154. That is, the processor 61 sets the screen of the second touch panel 34 to the payment method selection screen SDa. The processor 61 then waits for a payment method to be selected. When one of the payment methods is selected by a touch operation on the selection button group BDa, the processor 61 acquires a payment code. Thereafter, the processor 61 executes the processes of ACT 158 to ACT 163 in the same manner as described above.

If it is determined in ACT 163 that payment has been completed, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 164. In ACT 164, the processor 61 drives the printer 35 to issue a receipt. In ACT 165, the processor 61 also displays the screens of the first touch panel 32 and the second touch panel 34 as a payment completion screen. The receipt is a sheet that records details such as the product name, price, quantity, and amount of the purchased item. The receipt also records the transaction date, time, transaction number, etc.

Figure 33 is an example of a payment completion screen displayed on the first touch panel 32. Figure 33 shows the cash payment completion screen SCd when a payment code for cash payment is obtained by processing in ACT156 or ACT157. The cash payment completion screen SCd includes a change machine information area ACb similar to the cash payment notification screen SCb and the cash payment in progress screen SCc. The store clerk can know from the information displayed in the change machine information area ACb that the payment of the customer who selected cash payment has been completed.

Figure 34 is an example of a payment completion screen displayed on the second touch panel 34. Figure 34 shows a cash payment completion screen SDd when a cash payment code is obtained by the processing of ACT156 or ACT157. The cash payment completion screen SDd includes a change machine information area ADb similar to the cash payment notification screen SDb and the cash payment in progress screen SDc. After checking the cash payment completion screen SDd, the customer takes the receipt and change and leaves the store.

After displaying the payment completion screen, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 166. The processor 61 saves the data stored in the second transaction file 622 in ACT 166, that is, the data of the products purchased by the purchaser who has completed payment. The data is saved, for example, in the auxiliary storage device 63. The data may also be saved in the main memory 62. Alternatively, the data in the second transaction file 622 may be sent to the POS server 55 via the communication interface 65 and saved in the POS server 55.

After saving the data in the second transaction file 622, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 167. The processor 61 clears the second transaction file 622 in ACT 167. The processor 61 also rewrites the first payment in progress flag Fa to "0" in ACT 168. With this, the processor 61 ends the second information processing.

In this way, the second transaction file 622 is cleared by the processing in ACT 167 before the second information processing is completed. Also, the first payment in progress flag Fa is rewritten to "0" by the processing in ACT 168 before the second information processing is completed. Therefore, in the first information processing performed in parallel with the second information processing, when the payment button BAe on the sub-plan screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd is input after the second information processing is completed, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 starts the second information processing again in conjunction with the processing in ACT 131 to ACT 139 described using FIG. 9.

Here, the processor 61 realizes the function of the second payment acceptance means 303 by processing ACT153 and ACT154. The processor 61 realizes the function of the first payment means 304 by processing ACT162.

Figure 12 is a flow diagram showing the main steps of the third information processing executed by the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 in accordance with the first business program. The processor 61 executes the third information processing in parallel with the first information processing and the second information processing described above.

In ACT 171, the processor 61 waits for the second payment in progress flag Fb to be set to "1". When the second payment in progress flag Fb is set to "1" in ACT 143 of the first information processing, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 172. In ACT 172, the processor 61 waits for the payment at the payment machine 4 to be completed. As will be described in detail later, when the payment at the payment machine 4 is completed, a payment completion event is sent from the payment machine 4 to the sales processing device 3.

When the processor 61 receives a payment completion event from the payment machine 4, it determines that the payment at the payment machine 4 has been completed. The processor 61 proceeds from ACT 172 to ACT 173. In ACT 173, the processor 61 rewrites the second payment in progress flag Fb to "0". With this, the processor 61 ends the third information processing.

In this way, the second payment in progress flag Fb is rewritten to "0" by the processing of ACT 173 before the third information processing is completed. Therefore, in the first information processing performed in parallel with the third information processing, when the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1" at the time when the payment button BAe on the sub-plan area SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd is input after the third information processing is completed, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 starts the third information processing again in conjunction with the processing of ACT 141 to ACT 144 described using FIG. 10.

Figure 13 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the fourth information processing executed by the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 in accordance with the second business program. The processor 81 of the payment machine 4 in the standby state starts the information processing of the steps shown in the flow chart of Figure 13. First, the processor 81 sets the screen of the touch panel 42 to the standby screen as ACT 201. The standby screen is a screen that indicates that the payment machine 4 is in the standby state. For example, a screen that displays text such as "Please wait" or "Welcome" is set as the standby screen.

With the touch panel 42 screen set as a standby screen, the processor 81 waits for an input event in ACT 202. When an input event is received from the sales processing device 3 via the communication interface 85, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 203. The processor 81 executes product sales data processing in ACT 203. This processing involves reading the product name, unit price, etc. of the product identified by the product code included in the input event from the product master, and generating product sales data for the purchased product including the product code, product name, unit price, purchase quantity, sales amount, etc. After generating the product sales data for the purchased product, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 204. The processor 81 writes and stores the product sales data for the purchased product in the third transaction file 821 in ACT 204.

After executing the product sales data processing, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 205. The processor 81 checks whether a new input event has been received in ACT 205. If an input event has not been received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 206. The processor 81 checks whether a selection event has been received in ACT 206. If a selection event has not been received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 207. The processor 81 checks whether a deletion event has been received in ACT 207. If a deletion event has not been received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 208. The processor 81 checks whether a payment event has been received in ACT 208. If a payment event has not been received, the processor 81 returns to ACT 205. In this way, the processor 81 waits to receive an input event, a selection event, a deletion event, or a payment event in ACT 205 to ACT 208. Note that even in the standby state in ACT 205 to ACT 208, the screen of the touch panel 42 is the standby screen.

When an input event is received in the standby state of ACT205 to ACT208, the processor 81 returns to ACT203. The processor 81 executes product sales data processing based on the product code included in the input event. The processor 81 then stores the product sales data of the purchased product in the third transaction file 821, and goes into a standby state of ACT205 to ACT208.

When a selection event is received in the standby state of ACT205 to ACT208, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT209. In ACT209, the processor 81 acquires the payment code of the selected payment method, similar to the processing in ACT123 of the first information processing. Then, in ACT210, the processor 81 adds the acquired payment code to the third transaction file 821.

After adding the payment code to the third transaction file 821, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT211. The processor 81 checks whether or not a delete event has been received in ACT211. If a delete event has not been received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT212. The processor 81 checks whether or not a payment event has been received in ACT212. If a payment event has not been received, the processor 81 returns to ACT211. In this way, after receiving the selection event, the processor 81 waits for a delete event or a payment event in ACT211 and ACT212.

When a deletion event is received in the standby state of ACT205 to ACT208, or in the standby state of ACT211 and ACT212, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT213. In ACT213, the processor 81 clears the third transaction file 821. With this, the processor 81 ends the fourth information processing.

In this way, if a deletion event is received without receiving a payment event, the third transaction file 821 is cleared and the payment machine 4 goes into standby.

On the other hand, when a payment event is received in the standby state of ACT205 to ACT208 or in the standby state of ACT211 and ACT212, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT214. The processor 81 controls the data stored in the third transaction file 821 in ACT214, that is, the product sales data of the purchased product registered as one transaction, to be stored in the fourth transaction file 822.

Once the product sales data of the purchased product registered as one transaction in the fourth transaction file 822 has been stored in this manner, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 215. In ACT 215, the processor 81 rewrites the third payment in progress flag Fc in the flag memory 823 to "1". In ACT 216, the processor 81 clears the third transaction file 821. With this, the processor 81 ends the fourth information processing.

In this way, if a delete event is received without receiving a payment event, or after a payment event is received and the processing of ACT214 and ACT215 is executed, the first transaction file 621 is cleared. Therefore, the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 can continue to start the fourth information processing.

Figure 14 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the fifth information processing executed by the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 in accordance with the second business program. The processor 81 executes the fifth information processing in parallel with the fourth information processing described above.

In ACT 221, the processor 81 waits for the third payment in progress flag Fc to be set to "1". When the third payment in progress flag Fc is set to "1" in ACT 215 of the fourth information processing, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 222. In ACT 222, the processor 81 changes the screen of the touch panel 42 to the statement confirmation screen SEa (see FIG. 35). The processor 81 also turns on the patrol lamp 47.

Figure 35 is an example of a details confirmation screen SEa displayed on the touch panel 42. The details confirmation screen SEa is divided into a details area AEa and a total area AEb. The details area AEa is an area that displays in list form, in sequential numerical order, the product name, purchase quantity, unit price, discount amount, and sales amount of the purchased products in one transaction. The total area AEb is an area that displays the total purchase quantity and total sales amount of the purchased products in one transaction. Based on the product sales data stored in the fourth transaction file 822, the processor 81 causes the details area AEa to display the product name, purchase quantity, unit price, discount amount, and sales amount of the purchased products in one transaction. Based on the product sales data stored in the fourth transaction file 822, the processor 81 causes the total area AEb to display the total purchase quantity and total sales amount of the purchased products.

The details confirmation screen SEa includes a confirmation button BEa and a call clerk button BEb. The confirmation button BEa and the call clerk button BEb are software keys. The confirmation button BEa is an operator that is used by the purchaser to instruct the purchaser that he or she has confirmed that the details of the purchased item are displayed on the details confirmation screen SEa. The call clerk button BEb is an operator that is used by the purchaser to instruct the purchaser to call a clerk.

After displaying the statement confirmation screen SEa, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 223. The processor 81 waits for the confirmation button BEa to be pressed in ACT 223. When the store clerk call button BEb is pressed in this standby state, the processor 81 performs a store clerk call operation. For example, the processor 81 blinks the patrol lamp 47. Thereafter, when the called store clerk performs an operation to end the call, the processor 81 returns to the standby state in ACT 223.

When the confirmation button BEa is input in the standby state of ACT 223, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 224. The processor 81 confirms whether or not a payment code has been added to the fourth transaction file 822 in ACT 224. If a payment code has been added in ACT 209 of the fourth information processing, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 225. The processor 81 extracts the payment code from the fourth transaction file 822 in ACT 225.

In contrast, if a payment code has not been added to the fourth transaction file 822, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 226. In ACT 226, the processor 81 displays the screen of the touch panel 42 as the payment method selection screen SEb (see FIG. 36).

Figure 36 is an example of a payment method selection screen SEb displayed on the touch panel 42. The payment method selection screen SEb includes a group of selection buttons BEc for each payment method. The group of selection buttons BEc includes a cash button, a credit button, an electronic money button, and a code payment button. The payment method selection screen SEb also includes a total area AEc in which the total purchase quantity and total sales amount of the purchased items in one transaction are displayed. The total area AEc displays the total purchase quantity and total sales amount calculated based on the product sales data of the purchased items stored in the fourth transaction file 822. The payment method selection screen SEb also displays a store clerk call button BEb, allowing the purchaser to call a store clerk.

After checking the payment method selection screen SEb, the purchaser touches the button for the desired payment method. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by cash touches the cash button in selection button group BEc. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by credit card touches the credit button in selection button group BEc. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by electronic money touches the electronic money button in selection button group BEc. For example, a purchaser who wishes to pay by code payment touches the code payment button in selection button group BEc.

The processor 81, having set the screen of the touch panel 42 to the payment method selection screen SEb, proceeds to ACT 227. The processor 81 waits for a payment method to be selected in ACT 227. When any payment method is selected by a touch operation on the selection button group BEc, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 228. In ACT 228, the processor 81 obtains the payment code of the selected payment method, similar to the processing in ACT 123 of the first information processing.

After completing the processing of ACT 225 or ACT 228, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 229. In ACT 229, the processor 81 sets the screen of the touch panel 42 to a payment notification screen. The payment notification screen is a screen based on the payment code obtained by the processing of ACT 225 or ACT 229.

Figure 37 is an example of a payment notification screen displayed on the touch panel 42. Figure 37 shows the cash payment notification screen SEc when a payment code for cash payment is obtained by processing in ACT225 or ACT228. The cash payment notification screen SEc includes a total area AEc similar to the payment method selection screen SEb. The cash payment notification screen SEc also includes a change machine information area AEd. The change machine information area AEd displays the total amount, the total amount of cash inserted into the automatic change machine 88 (the so-called inserted amount), and the remaining amount obtained by subtracting the inserted amount from the total amount. The store clerk call button BEb is also displayed on the payment notification screen, allowing the purchaser to call a store clerk.

After checking the payment notification screen, the purchaser pays the price using the payment method of their choice. For example, a purchaser who selects cash payment inserts cash into the automatic change machine 88. A purchaser who selects credit card payment has the credit card data read by the reader of the cashless payment terminal 89. A purchaser who selects electronic money payment has the data on the electronic money medium read by the reader of the cashless payment terminal 89. A purchaser who selects code payment has the barcode or two-dimensional data code for code payment read by the scanner of the cashless payment terminal 89.

With the screen of the touch panel 42 set to the payment notification screen, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 230. In ACT 230, the processor 81 waits for payment to begin. For example, if cash payment is selected, the processor 81 waits for cash to be inserted into the automatic change machine 88. For example, if credit card payment is selected, the processor 81 waits for credit card data to be read by the cashless payment terminal 89. For example, if electronic money payment is selected, the processor 81 waits for electronic money data to be read by the cashless payment terminal 89. For example, if code payment is selected, the processor 81 waits for a barcode or two-dimensional data code for code payment to be read by the cashless payment terminal 89.

When payment is started, the processor 81 proceeds from ACT 230 to ACT 231. In ACT 231, the processor 81 displays the screen of the touch panel 42 as a payment in progress screen.

Figure 38 is an example of a payment in progress screen displayed on the touch panel 42. Figure 38 shows the cash payment in progress screen SEd when a cash payment code is obtained by processing in ACT225 or ACT228. The cash payment in progress screen SEd is a screen in which a checkout button BEd is added to the cash payment notification screen SCb. On the cash payment in progress screen SCc, the information displayed in the change machine information area AEd is updated according to the amount of cash inserted into the automatic change machine 88. The checkout button BEd is a software key. The checkout button BEd is an operator for instructing the completion of payment. When the purchaser has finished paying the price using the selected payment method, he or she touches the checkout button BEd. Note that the store clerk call button BEb continues to be displayed even on the payment in progress screen, allowing the purchaser to call a store clerk.

The processor 81, which has set the screen of the touch panel 42 to the payment in progress screen, proceeds to ACT 232. The processor 81 waits for the checkout button BEd to be input at ACT 232. When the checkout button BEd is input by a touch operation, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 233. The processor 81 executes the settlement process of the transaction based on the payment code at ACT 233. That is, if the payment code is a code for cash payment, the processor 81 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the cash inserted into the automatic change machine 88. If the payment code is a code for credit card payment, the processor 81 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the credit card data read by the cashless payment terminal 89. If the payment code is a code for electronic money payment, the processor 81 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the electronic money data read by the cashless payment terminal 89. If the payment code is a code for code payment, the processor 81 executes the settlement process of the transaction with the barcode or two-dimensional data code read by the cashless payment terminal 89. All of these payment processes are well known, so we will not go into detail here.

Upon completing the payment process, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 234. In ACT 234, the processor 81 determines whether or not the payment has been completed. If the amount of the payment is insufficient and the payment has not been completed, the processor 81 returns to ACT 226. That is, the processor 81 sets the screen of the touch panel 42 to the payment method selection screen SEb. The processor 81 then waits for a payment method to be selected. When one of the payment methods is selected by a touch operation on the selection button group BEc, the processor 81 obtains the payment code for the selected payment method. Thereafter, the processor 81 executes the processes of ACT 229 to ACT 234 in the same manner as described above.

If it is determined in ACT 234 that the payment has been completed, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 235. In ACT 235, the processor 81 drives the printer 87 to print a receipt. In ACT 236, the processor 81 also displays a payment completion screen on the screen of the touch panel 42.

Figure 39 is an example of a payment completion screen displayed on the touch panel 42. Figure 39 shows the cash payment completion screen SEe when a cash payment code is obtained by processing in ACT225 or ACT228. The cash payment completion screen SEe includes a change machine information area AEd similar to the cash payment notification screen SEc and the cash payment in progress screen SEd. The information displayed in the change machine information area AEd allows the store clerk to know that the payment of a customer who selected cash payment has been completed. Note that a customer who has completed payment does not call a store clerk, so the store clerk call button BEb is not displayed on the payment completion screen. After checking the payment completion screen, the customer takes the receipt and leaves the store.

After displaying the payment completion screen, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 237. In ACT 237, the processor 81 saves the data stored in the fourth transaction file 822, that is, the data of the products purchased by the purchaser who has completed payment. The data is saved, for example, in the auxiliary storage device 83. The data may also be saved in the main memory 82. Alternatively, the data in the fourth transaction file 822 may be sent to the POS server 55 via the communication interface 85 and saved in the POS server 55.

After saving the data in the fourth transaction file 822, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 238. The processor 81 clears the fourth transaction file 822 in ACT 238. The processor 81 also transmits a payment completion event to the sales processing device 3 via the communication interface 85 in ACT 239. The processor 81 also turns off the patrol lamp 47. With this, the processor 81 ends the fifth information processing.

In this way, when the payment process is completed in the payment machine 4, a payment completion event is sent to the sales processing device 3. In the sales processing device 3 that receives the payment completion event, the second payment in progress flag Fb is rewritten to "0" in ACT 173 of FIG. 12. As a result, when the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", that is, when the payment button BAe on the sub-plan surface SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd is input while the payment is being made in the sales processing device 3, the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 starts the fifth information processing again in conjunction with the processing of ACT 214 to ACT 216 of FIG. 13.

Here, the processor 81 realizes the function of the third payment acceptance means 401 by processing in ACT 226. The processor 81 realizes the function of the second processing means 402 by processing in ACT 203. The processor 81 realizes the function of the second settlement means 403 by processing in ACT 233. The processor 81 realizes the function of the deletion means 404 by processing in ACT 213.

[Operation of the product sales system]
Next, the operation of the product sales system 1 that operates as described above will be described.
The store clerk uses the input device 2 to input the product codes and other information for each of the purchased products that the purchaser will purchase. Each time a product code and other information is input, the sales processing device 3 stores the product sales data for the purchased product in the first transaction file 621. The sales processing device 3 also transmits an input event to the payment machine 4. In response to this input event, the payment machine 4 stores the product sales data for the purchased product in the third transaction file 821.

When the store clerk has finished inputting data on all the purchased items purchased by the first purchaser, he/she presses the payment button BAe on the sub-screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd. At this time, it is assumed that both the sales processing device 3 and the payment machine 4 are available. In other words, both the payment in progress flag Fa and the payment in progress flag Fb are "0". In this case, a pop-up PUb is displayed on the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to notify that payment is possible at the sales processing device 3. In addition, text TXb is displayed on the display 25 of the input device 2 to indicate that payment is possible. Therefore, the first purchaser moves to the location where the sales processing device 3 is installed and pays for the purchased items by self-operation.

Next, assume that while the first purchaser is paying at the sales processing device 3, the second purchaser has finished inputting data for all the purchased items and has pressed the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh. That is, the payment in progress flag Fa is "1" and the payment in progress flag Fb is "0". In this case, a pop-up PUc is displayed on the touch panel 23 of the input device 2, directing the purchaser to the payment machine 4. Also, text TXc is displayed on the display 25 of the input device 2 to instruct the purchaser to pay at the payment machine 4. Therefore, the second purchaser moves to the location where the payment machine 4 is installed and pays for the purchased items by self-operation.

Next, assume that while two purchasers are paying using the sales processing device 3 and payment machine 4, a third purchaser has finished inputting all the items they wish to purchase and presses the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh. In other words, both the payment in progress flag Fa and the payment in progress flag Fb are "1". In this case, a pop-up PUa is displayed on the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to inform the purchaser that payment is not possible. Also, text TXa is displayed on the display 25 of the input device 2 to instruct the purchaser to wait because payment is not possible. Therefore, the third purchaser waits for the previous purchaser to finish paying.

Now, let us assume that the purchaser who was operating the sales processing device 3 has already finished paying. In this case, the payment in progress flag Fa becomes "0", and a pop-up PUb is displayed on the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to inform the purchaser that payment is possible at the sales processing device 3. Also, text TXb is displayed on the display 25 of the input device 2 to indicate that payment is possible. Therefore, the third purchaser pays by self-operation at the sales processing device 3.

Conversely, if the purchaser who was operating the payment machine 4 finishes paying first, the payment in progress flag Fb becomes "1", and a pop-up PUc is displayed on the touch panel 23 of the input device 2 to guide the purchaser to the payment machine 4. Also, text TXc is displayed on the display 25 of the input device 2 to instruct the purchaser to pay the price with the payment machine 4. Therefore, the third purchaser pays the price by self-operation with the payment machine 4.

In this way, in the product sales system 1, the purchaser can pay for the purchased product by operating the sales processing device 3 or the payment machine 4 by himself/herself. However, there are the following concerns with this system.

That is, each time a product code is input from the input device 2 as information related to the purchased product, the sales processing device 3 stores the product sales data in the first transaction file 621 based on the product code. The sales processing device 3 also transmits input events including the product code to the payment machine 4 in a trickle. Meanwhile, the payment machine 4 stores the product sales data in the third transaction file 821 based on the product code included in the input event received from the sales processing device 3. Therefore, if there is no missing input event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, the product sales data stored in the first transaction file 621 and the product sales data stored in the third transaction file match. However, data communication from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4 is not necessarily always stable. There may be a case where some communication failure occurs temporarily and data is not transmitted. If a communication failure occurs during transmission of an input event, the input event is missing in the payment machine 4. If an input event is missing, the product sales data stored in the third transaction file will be missing, and will not match the product sales data stored in the first transaction file 621. Thus, if the merchandise sales data stored in the third transaction file does not match the merchandise sales data stored in the first transaction file 621, the transaction cannot be properly settled at the payment device 4.
Next, first to third embodiments will be described as embodiments for avoiding problems that may occur when data transmitted in a sporadic manner from the sales processing device 3 to the payment device 4 is missing.

[First embodiment]
First, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
40 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the product sales system 1 in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 40, the product sales system 1 includes a missing part detection unit 91 and a control unit 92.

The missing item detection means 91 is a function for detecting whether or not there is a missing item in the information related to the purchased item transmitted to the payment machine 4 by the information transmission means 309 of the sales processing device 3. In other words, the missing item detection means 91 detects whether or not there is a missing item in the input event, etc. transmitted from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4. The missing item detection means 91 includes an adding means 931, a storage means 932, and a determining means 933.

The adding means 931 is a function that adds regular information to information related to purchased goods sent from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, i.e., input events, etc. Regular information is, for example, consecutive numbers such as 1, 2, 3, ..., so-called sequence numbers. Regular information may also be, for example, character strings with a fixed order, such as a, b, c, .... The adding means 931 is a function that is realized by a first business program implemented by the sales processing device 3.

The storage means 932 is a function that stores regular information that is added to the information related to the purchased item received by the payment machine 4. In other words, the storage means 932 obtains regular information from the information related to the purchased item received by the payment machine 4, and writes and stores the information in memory in the order in which it was obtained. The storage means 932 is a function that is realized by a second business program implemented by the payment machine 4 in cooperation with the memory provided in the payment machine 4.

The determination means 933 is a function that determines whether or not information related to the purchased product is missing. The determination means 933 determines whether or not the regularity of the regular information added to the information related to the purchased product received by the payment machine 4 has been lost. If the regularity has not been lost, the determination means 933 determines that there is no missing information related to the purchased product. In contrast, if the regularity has been lost, the determination means 933 determines that there is a missing information related to the purchased product. For example, if there is a gap in the sequence number stored by the storage means 932, the determination means 933 determines that there is a missing information related to the purchased product. The determination means 933 is a function that is realized by a second business program implemented by the payment machine 4. The determination means 933 may be a function that is realized by a first business program implemented by the sales processing device 3.

The control means 92 is a function that, when the missing information detection means 91 detects missing information on the purchased product, validates the payment by the first payment means 304 of the sales processing device 3 and invalidates the payment by the second payment means 403 of the payment machine 4. That is, when the missing information detection means 91 detects missing information on the purchased product, the control means 92 validates the payment by the first payment means 304 if another purchaser has not paid the price at the sales processing device 3. When another purchaser has paid the price at the sales processing device 3, the control means 92 waits for the payment to be completed and then validates the payment by the first payment means 304. The control means 92 invalidates the payment by the second payment means 403 by instructing the payment machine 4 to delete the data stored in the third transaction file 821. The control means 92 is a function that is realized by the first business program implemented by the sales processing device 3.

Incidentally, when the missing information detection means 91 detects that information related to the purchased product is missing, and the sales processing device 3 receives an input end instruction from the input device 2 and the transaction settlement is impossible, the guidance means 306 of the sales processing device 3 waits until the transaction settlement is possible and then guides the user to make the settlement at the sales processing device.

Figure 41 is a flow chart showing the main procedure of the sixth information processing executed by the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 according to the first business program. The processor 61 waits for the occurrence of an event to be transmitted to the payment machine 4 in ACT 301. When an event occurs, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 302. The processor 61 checks whether an input event has occurred in ACT 302. If it is not an input event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 303. The processor 61 checks whether a selection event has occurred in ACT 303. If it is not a selection event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 304. The processor 61 checks whether a deletion event has occurred in ACT 304. If it is not a deletion event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 305. The processor 61 checks whether a payment event has occurred in ACT 305. In this way, when an event to be transmitted to the payment machine 4 occurs, the processor 61 identifies the type of the event in ACT 302 to ACT 305.

When an input event occurs in ACT 103 of FIG. 7, or when a selection event occurs in ACT 124 of FIG. 8, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 306. In ACT 306, the processor 61 issues regular information, such as a sequence number, and adds it to the input event or the selection event. Then, in ACT 307, the processor 61 controls so that the input event or the selection event with the sequence number added is sent to the payment machine 4. With this control, the input event or the selection event with the sequence number added is sent from the communication interface 65 via the LAN 54 to the payment machine 4.

When a deletion event occurs in ACT 131 of FIG. 9, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 307. The processor 61 controls to transmit the deletion event to the payment machine 4 without adding a sequence number in ACT 307. With this control, the deletion event without the addition of a sequence number is transmitted from the communication interface 65 via the LAN 54 to the payment machine 4.

When a payment event occurs in ACT 141 of FIG. 10, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 308. The processor 61 controls to send the payment event to the payment machine 4 without adding a sequence number in ACT 308. With this control, the payment event without the sequence number is sent from the communication interface 65 via the LAN 54 to the payment machine 4.

The processor 81 of the payment machine 4 that has received the payment event returns an acceptance response or a negative response to the sales processing device 3, as will be described in detail later. The processor 61 then checks whether an acceptance response has been received after transmitting the payment event in ACT 309. If an acceptance response has been received, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 142 in FIG. 10. The processor 61 then executes the processes in ACT 142 to ACT 144 in the same manner as described above. That is, the processor 61 displays a pop-up PUc (see FIG. 25) on the small display area SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23, which guides the purchaser to the payment machine 4 because the payment machine 4 is available. The processor 61 also displays text TXc (see FIG. 26) on the small display area SBb of the display 25 to instruct the purchaser to pay the price at the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also rewrites the second payment in progress flag Fb to "1". The processor 61 also deletes the data stored in the first transaction file 621.

In contrast, if a negative response is received from the payment machine 4, or if neither a positive response nor a negative response is received, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 310. In ACT 310, a pop-up PUa (see FIG. 21) is displayed on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify the user that payment is not possible. The processor 61 also displays text TXa (see FIG. 22) on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is not possible.

Then, in ACT 311, the processor 61 waits for the payment button BAe on the sub-screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd to be input. When the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 312. In ACT 312, the processor 61 checks the first payment in progress flag Fa. If the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", the processor 61 returns to ACT 311. In this way, even if the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, while the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", that is, while the payment of the price is being made at the sales processing device 3, the processor 61 displays the pop-up PUa and text TXa to notify that payment of the price is not possible.

In response to this, when it is confirmed in ACT 312 that the first payment in progress flag Fa has become "0", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 131 in FIG. 9. Then, the processor 61 executes the processes of ACT 131 to ACT 139 in the same manner as described above. That is, the processor 61 transmits a deletion event to the payment device 4 via the communication interface 65. The processor 61 also displays a pop-up PUb (see FIG. 23) on the small screen SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify that payment at the sales processing device 3 is possible. Furthermore, the processor 61 displays text TXb (see FIG. 24) on the small screen SBb of the display 25 to indicate that payment is possible. The processor 61 also stores the data stored in the first transaction file 621 in the second transaction file 622. Then, the processor 61 sets the payment status ST to "10" or "20", sets the first payment in progress flag Fa to "1", and clears the first transaction file 621.

As a result, the second information processing described with reference to FIG. 11 is executed in the sales processing device 3. Therefore, the purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 by himself to make the payment.

Figure 42 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the seventh information processing executed by the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 according to the second business program. The processor 81 waits to receive an event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 in ACT 401. When the event is received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 402. The processor 81 checks whether an input event has been received in ACT 402. If the event is not an input event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 403. The processor 81 checks whether a selection event has been received in ACT 403. If the event is not a selection event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 404. The processor 81 checks whether a deletion event has been received in ACT 404. If the event is not a deletion event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 405. The processor 81 checks whether a payment event has been received in ACT 405. In this way, when the event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 is received, the processor 81 identifies the type of the event in ACT 402 to ACT 405.

When an input event is received in ACT 202 or ACT 205 of FIG. 13, or when a selection event is received in ACT 206, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 406. In ACT 406, the processor 81 acquires regular information, such as a sequence number, that is added to the input event or selection event, and stores it in the memory unit. The memory unit is part of the volatile memory area of the main memory 82. The processor 81 writes and stores the sequence numbers in the memory unit in the order in which they were acquired.

The processor 81, having stored the regular information, proceeds to ACT 407. The processor 81 executes processing according to the event received in ACT 407. For example, when an input event is received, the processor 81 executes the processing in ACT 203 and ACT 204 of FIG. 13. Specifically, the processor 81 generates product sales data for the purchased product, and writes and stores the product sales data in the third transaction file 821. For example, when a selection event is received, the processor 81 executes the processing in ACT 209 and ACT 210 of FIG. 13. Specifically, the processor 81 acquires the payment code of the selected payment method, and adds the acquired payment code to the third transaction file 821. With this, the processor 61 ends the seventh information processing.

If a deletion event is received in ACT 207 of FIG. 13, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 407. The processor 81 executes processing corresponding to the deletion event in ACT 407. That is, the processor 81 executes the processing of ACT 213 of FIG. 13. Specifically, the processor 81 clears the third transaction file 821. With this, the processor 61 ends the seventh information processing.

When a payment event is received in ACT 208 of FIG. 13, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 408. The processor 81 checks the regular information stored in the memory unit in ACT 408. Then, the processor 81 determines whether the regular information has regularity in ACT 409. For example, if the regular information is sequence information, the processor 81 determines whether there are gaps in the sequence numbers. For example, if there are no gaps in the sequence numbers, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..., the processor 81 determines that there is regularity. On the other hand, if there are gaps in the sequence numbers, such as 1, 2, 4, 5, ..., the processor 81 determines that there is no regularity.

If there is a regularity, the processor 81 proceeds from ACT 409 to ACT 410. In ACT 410, the processor 81 controls the system to return an approval response to the sales processing device 3 that is the sender of the payment event. This control causes an approval response signal to be sent from the communication interface 85 to the sales processing device 3 via the LAN 54.

Then, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 214 in FIG. 13. The processor 81 then executes the processes of ACT 214 to ACT 216 in the same manner as described above. That is, the processor 81 stores the data of the third transaction file 821 in the fourth transaction file 822. The processor 81 also rewrites the third payment in progress flag Fc in the flag memory 823 to "1". The processor 81 then clears the third transaction file 821.

As a result, the fifth information process described with reference to FIG. 14 is executed in the payment machine 4. This allows the purchaser to operate the payment machine 4 by himself/herself and make the payment.

On the other hand, if it is determined in ACT 409 that there is no regularity, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 411. In ACT 411, the processor 81 controls the process to return a negative response to the sales processing device 3, which is the sender of the payment event. This causes a negative response signal to be sent from the communication interface 85 to the sales processing device via the LAN 54. With this, the processor 61 ends the seventh information processing.

Here, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 realizes the function of the adding means 931 by the processing of ACT 306 in FIG. 41. The processor 81 of the payment machine 4 realizes the function of the storage means 932 by the processing of ACT 406 in FIG. 42, and realizes the function of the determination means 933 by the processing of ACT 408 and ACT 409. The processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 realizes the function of the control means 92 by the processing of ACT 309 to ACT 312 in FIG. 41.

In this way, in the first embodiment, regular information is added to the input events and selection events sent in a trickle from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4. In the payment machine 4, the regular information added to the input events and selection events received in a trickle from the sales processing device 3 is stored in a memory unit. Then, when a second purchaser is instructed to pay at the input device 2 while the first purchaser is paying at the sales processing device 3 and a payment event is sent from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, it is determined whether the information stored in the memory unit has a regularity. If it does, payment at the payment machine 4 is permitted. Therefore, the second purchaser operates the payment machine 4 by himself to pay the price.

In contrast, if there is no regularity, payment at the payment machine 4 is not possible. Specifically, the data in the third transaction file 821 is deleted. At this time, a pop-up PUa is displayed on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to inform the user that payment is not possible. In addition, text TXa is displayed on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is not possible.

After that, when the first purchaser has finished paying at the sales processing device 3, a pop-up PUb is displayed on the submenu SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23, informing the user that payment is possible at the sales processing device 3. In addition, text TXb is displayed on the submenu SBb of the display 25 to indicate that payment is possible. Thus, payment at the sales processing device 3 is permitted. Therefore, the second purchaser can operate the sales processing device 3 themselves to make the payment.

In this way, according to the first embodiment, if there is a loss in the data of an input event transmitted in a staggered manner from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, the payment destination for the transaction related to that input event is limited to the sales processing device 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem in which a payment is made based on data with a loss.

In the first embodiment, the events to which regular information is added are input events and selection events, but regular information may be added only to input events. Alternatively, regular information may be added to other events such as deletion events and payment events.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Fig. 43 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the product sales system 1 in the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 43, the product sales system 1 in the second embodiment also includes a missing part detection means 91 and a control means 92. However, the configuration of the missing part detection means 91 is different from that in the first embodiment. That is, the missing part detection means 91 includes a response means 941, a recognition means 942, and a determination means 943.

The response means 941 is a function whereby the payment machine 4, which has received information on the purchased product from the sales processing device 3, returns a response signal. In other words, the response means 941 returns an acceptance response signal to the sales processing device 3 each time the payment machine 4 receives an input event or the like transmitted from the sales processing device 3. The response means 941 is a function realized by a second business program implemented by the payment machine 4.

The recognition means 942 is a function that recognizes the response signal returned from the payment machine 4 to the sales processing device 3. That is, each time a response signal is returned from the payment machine 4 to the sales processing device 3, the recognition means 942 recognizes whether the response signal is an approval response signal or not. The recognition means 942 is a function that is realized by a first business program implemented by the sales processing device 3.

The determination means 943 is a function that determines whether or not information related to the purchased product is missing based on the response signal returned from the payment machine 4 to the sales processing device 3. That is, the determination means 943 determines that there is a missing piece of information related to the purchased product when the recognition means 942 cannot recognize the response signal of the acceptance response. Specifically, when the recognition means 942 cannot recognize the response signal of the acceptance response after an input event or the like is sent from the sales processing device 3, the determination means 943 sets the missing piece flag Fx to "1" and stores the fact that a missing piece has occurred. The determination means 943 is a function that is realized by a first business program implemented by the sales processing device 3. The determination means 933 may be a function that is realized by a second business program implemented by the payment machine 4.

Incidentally, even in the second embodiment, if the missing information detection means 91 detects missing information related to the purchased product and the sales processing device 3 receives an input end instruction from the input device 2 and the transaction settlement is impossible, the guidance means 306 of the sales processing device 3 will wait until the transaction settlement is possible and then guide the user to make the settlement at the sales processing device.

Figure 44 is a flow chart showing the main procedure of the eighth information processing executed by the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 according to the first business program. The processor 61 waits for the occurrence of an event to be transmitted to the payment machine 4 in ACT 501. When an event occurs, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 502. The processor 61 checks whether an input event has occurred in ACT 502. If it is not an input event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 503. The processor 61 checks whether a selection event has occurred in ACT 503. If it is not a selection event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 504. The processor 61 checks whether a deletion event has occurred in ACT 504. If it is not a deletion event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 505. The processor 61 checks whether a payment event has occurred in ACT 505. In this way, when an event to be transmitted to the payment machine 4 occurs, the processor 61 identifies the type of the event in ACT 502 to ACT 505.

When an input event occurs in ACT 103 of FIG. 7, or when a selection event occurs in ACT 124 of FIG. 8, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 506. The processor 61 controls to transmit the input event or the selection event to the payment machine 4 in ACT 506. With this control, the input event or the selection event is transmitted from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54.

After controlling the transmission of the input event or selection event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 507. In ACT 507, the processor 61 waits for a response signal from the payment machine 4. Then, if a response signal of an acceptance response is received, the processor 61 ends the eighth information processing.

On the other hand, if the response signal of the acceptance response cannot be received, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 508. If the response signal of the acceptance response cannot be received, it is assumed that the payment machine 4 did not correctly receive the input event or the selected event. In other words, it is assumed that a loss has occurred in the event data. The processor 61 sets the loss flag Fx to "1" in ACT 508. The loss flag Fx is one-bit data for identifying whether a loss has occurred in the input event or the selected event. In this embodiment, the loss flag Fx indicating that a loss has occurred is set to "1". After setting the loss flag Fx to "1", the processor 61 ends the eighth information processing.

When a deletion event occurs in ACT 131 of FIG. 9, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 509. The processor 61 controls to transmit the deletion event to the payment machine 4 in ACT 509. With this control, the deletion event is transmitted from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54.

After controlling the transmission of the deletion event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 510. The processor 61 checks the missing flag Fx in ACT 510. If the missing flag Fx is set to "1", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 511. The processor 61 resets the missing flag Fx to "0" in ACT 511. Thus, after resetting the missing flag Fx to "0" or confirming that the missing flag Fx is "0", the processor 61 ends the eighth information processing.

Incidentally, a deletion event is sent when the purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 to pay the price. In other words, when a deletion event is sent, there is no problem even if data is missing from the payment device 4. Therefore, the processor 61 resets the missing flag Fx to "0".

If a payment event occurs in ACT 141 of FIG. 10, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 512. The processor 61 checks the missing flag Fx in ACT 512. If the missing flag Fx is "0", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 141 of FIG. 10. The processor 61 executes the processing of ACT 141 to ACT 144 in the same manner as described above.

That is, the processor 61 controls the system so that a payment event is sent to the payment machine 4. This control causes the payment event to be sent from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54. The processor 61 also displays a pop-up PUc (see FIG. 25) on the small screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23, informing the purchaser that the payment machine 4 is available and guiding the purchaser to the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also displays text TXc (see FIG. 26) on the small screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the purchaser to pay the amount at the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also rewrites the second payment in progress flag Fb to "1". The processor 61 also deletes the data stored in the first transaction file 621.

When the missing flag Fx is "0", it means that there is no missing data in the payment machine 4. Therefore, the purchaser can operate the payment machine 4 by himself to make the payment.

In contrast, if the missing flag Fx is "1" in ACT 512, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 513. The processor 61 resets the missing flag Fx to "0" in ACT 513. The processor 61 also displays a pop-up PUa (see FIG. 21) on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify the user that payment is not possible in ACT 514. The processor 61 also displays text TXa (see FIG. 22) on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is not possible.

Then, in ACT 515, the processor 61 waits for the payment button BAe on the sub-screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd to be input. When the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 516. In ACT 516, the processor 61 checks the first payment in progress flag Fa. If the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", the processor 61 returns to ACT 515. In this way, even if the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, while the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", that is, while the payment of the price is being made at the sales processing device 3, the processor 61 displays the pop-up PUa and text TXa to notify that payment of the price is not possible.

When it is confirmed in ACT 516 that the first payment in progress flag Fa has become "0", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 131 in FIG. 9. Then, the processor 61 executes the processes of ACT 131 to ACT 139 in the same manner as described above. That is, the processor 61 transmits a deletion event to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65. The processor 61 also displays a pop-up PUb (see FIG. 23) on the small screen SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify that payment at the sales processing device 3 is possible. The processor 61 also displays text TXb (see FIG. 24) on the small screen SBb of the display 25 to indicate that payment is possible. The processor 61 also stores the data stored in the first transaction file 621 in the second transaction file 622. The processor 61 then sets the payment status ST to "10" or "20", sets the first payment in progress flag Fa to "1", and clears the first transaction file 621.

As a result, the second information processing described with reference to FIG. 11 is executed in the sales processing device 3. Therefore, the purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 by himself to make the payment.

Figure 45 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the ninth information processing executed by the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 according to the second business program. The processor 81 waits to receive an event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 in ACT 601. When the event is received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 602. The processor 81 determines the type of event in ACT 602. Then, when an input event or a selection event is received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 603. The processor 81 performs control to return an acceptance response to the sales processing device 3, which is the sender of the event, in ACT 603. This control causes an acceptance response signal to be transmitted from the communication interface 85 via the LAN 54 to the sales processing device.

After controlling the transmission of the acceptance response, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 604. On the other hand, if an event other than an input event or a selection event is received, the processor 81 skips the process in ACT 603 and proceeds to ACT 604. The processor 81 executes an event reception process in ACT 604. That is, if an input event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 203 and ACT 204. If a selection event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 209 and ACT 210. If a deletion event is received, the processor 81 executes the process in ACT 213. If a payment event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 214 to ACT 216. These event reception processes are as described above, so a detailed description will be omitted here.

The processor 81 of the payment machine 4 realizes the function of the response means 941 by processing in ACT 603 of FIG. 45. The processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 realizes the function of the recognition means 942 by processing in ACT 507 of FIG. 44, and realizes the function of the determination means 943 by processing in ACT 508. The processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 realizes the function of the control means 92 by processing in ACT 512 of FIG. 44.

In this way, in the second embodiment, each time an input event and a selection event are transmitted from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, an acceptance response signal is returned from the payment machine 4 to the sales processing device 3. If an acceptance response signal is returned each time an input event and a selection event are transmitted, the missing flag Fx remains at "0". However, if an acceptance response signal is not returned even once, the missing flag Fx becomes "1". The fact that an acceptance response signal is not returned from the payment machine 4 means that the input event or selection event was not received correctly at the payment machine 4, in other words, there is a data loss.

The processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 checks the missing flag Fx when a payment by a second purchaser is instructed on the input device 2 while a first purchaser is paying on the sales processing device 3, and a payment event is sent from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4. If the missing flag Fx is "0", it is determined that no missing item has occurred, and a payment event is sent to the payment machine 4. Therefore, the second purchaser operates the payment machine 4 by himself to pay the price.

On the other hand, if the missing flag Fx is "1", the processor 61 recognizes that a missing item has occurred. The processor 61 does not send a payment event to the payment machine 4. The processor 61 displays a pop-up PUa (see FIG. 21) on the small display surface SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify the user that payment is not possible. The processor 61 also displays text TXa (see FIG. 22) on the small display surface SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is not possible. After that, when the purchaser has finished paying the price at the sales processing device 3, further payment at the sales processing device 3 is permitted. Therefore, the second purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 by himself to make the payment.

In this way, even in the second embodiment, if there is a loss in the data of an input event that is transmitted in a staggered manner from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, the payment destination for the transaction related to that input event is limited to the sales processing device 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem in which payment is made based on data with a loss.

In the second embodiment, the event for which the payment machine 4 returns an approval response is not classified into an input event and a selection event. The approval response may be returned only when an input event is received. In this case, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 does not perform the processes of ACT 507 and ACT 508 in FIG. 44 after transmitting the selection event. The payment machine 4 may also return an approval response for other deletion events, payment events, etc.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
Fig. 46 is a schematic diagram showing the main functional configuration of the product sales system 1 in the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 46, the product sales system 1 in the third embodiment also includes a missing item detection means 91 and a control means 92. However, the configuration of the missing item detection means 91 differs from that in the first and second embodiments. That is, the missing item detection means 91 includes a transmission counting means 951, a reception counting means 952, and a determination means 953.

The transmission counting means 951 has a function of counting the number of transmissions each time an event is transmitted from the sales processing device 3 to the payment device 4. In other words, the transmission counting means 951 has a transmission counter Tc. The transmission counter Tc is reset to "0" before a transaction with a purchaser is started. Then, each time an input event or the like is transmitted in succession from the sales processing device 3 to the payment device 4, the transmission counting means 951 counts up the transmission counter Tc by "1".

The reception counting means 952 has a function of counting the number of receptions each time the payment machine 4 receives an event transmitted from the sales processing device 3. That is, the reception counting means 952 has a reception counter Rc. The reception counter Rc is reset to "0" before a transaction with a purchaser is started. Then, each time the payment machine 4 receives an input event or the like transmitted in succession from the sales processing device 3, the reception counting means 952 counts up the reception counter Rc by "1".

The determination means 953 is a function that determines whether or not there is a missing piece of information related to the purchased item based on the number of transmissions counted by the transmission counting means 951 and the number of receptions counted by the reception counting means 952. That is, the determination means 953 determines that there is a missing piece of information related to the purchased item when the number of transmissions and the number of receptions do not match, typically when the number of receptions is smaller than the number of transmissions. Specifically, the determination means 953 compares the count value of the transmission counter Tc with the count value of the reception counter Rc, and if they do not match, determines that there is a missing piece of information related to the purchased item. The determination means 943 is a function that is realized by a second business program implemented by the payment machine 4. The determination means 933 may be a function that is realized by a first business program implemented by the sales processing device 3.

Figure 47 is a flow chart showing the main procedure of the tenth information processing executed by the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 according to the first business program. The processor 61 waits for the occurrence of an event to be transmitted to the payment machine 4 in ACT 701. When an event occurs, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 702. The processor 61 checks whether an input event has occurred in ACT 702. If it is not an input event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 703. The processor 61 checks whether a selection event has occurred in ACT 703. If it is not a selection event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 704. The processor 61 checks whether a deletion event has occurred in ACT 704. If it is not a deletion event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 705. The processor 61 checks whether a payment event has occurred in ACT 705. In this way, when an event to be transmitted to the payment machine 4 occurs, the processor 61 identifies the type of the event in ACT 702 to ACT 705.

When an input event occurs in ACT 103 of FIG. 7, or when a selection event occurs in ACT 124 of FIG. 8, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 706. The processor 61 controls to transmit the input event or the selection event to the payment machine 4 in ACT 706. With this control, the input event or the selection event is transmitted from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54.

After controlling the transmission of the input event or the selection event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 707. In ACT 707, the processor 61 counts up the transmission counter Tc by "1". With this, the processor 61 ends the eighth information processing.

When a deletion event occurs in ACT 131 of FIG. 9, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 708. The processor 61 controls to transmit the deletion event to the payment machine 4 in ACT 708. With this control, the deletion event is transmitted from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54.

After controlling the transmission of the deletion event, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 709. In ACT 709, the processor 61 resets the transmission counter Tc to "0". With this, the processor 61 ends the eighth information processing.

Incidentally, a deletion event is sent when the purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 to pay the price. In other words, when a deletion event is sent, there is no problem even if data is missing from the payment device 4. Therefore, the processor 61 resets the transmission counter Tc to "0".

When a payment event occurs in ACT 141 of FIG. 10, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 710. In ACT 710, the processor 61 controls to transmit a notification event to the payment machine 4. With this control, the notification event is transmitted from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54. The notification event includes the count value of the transmission counter Tc.

The details will be described later, but upon receiving the notification event, the payment machine 4 returns an approval response or a negative response. The processor 61 then waits for a response signal from the payment machine 4 in ACT 711. Here, if an approval response signal is received from the payment machine 4, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 712. The processor 61 resets the transmission counter Tc to "0" in ACT 712. The processor 61 then proceeds to ACT 141 in FIG. 10. The processor 61 executes the processes in ACT 141 to ACT 144 as described above.

That is, the processor 61 controls the system so that a payment event is sent to the payment machine 4. This control causes the payment event to be sent from the communication interface 65 to the payment machine 4 via the LAN 54. The processor 61 also displays a pop-up PUc (see FIG. 25) on the small screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23, informing the purchaser that the payment machine 4 is available and guiding the purchaser to the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also displays text TXc (see FIG. 26) on the small screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the purchaser to pay the amount at the payment machine 4. The processor 61 also rewrites the second payment in progress flag Fb to "1". The processor 61 also deletes the data stored in the first transaction file 621.

Receiving the response signal of the acceptance response means that no data is missing from the payment machine 4. Therefore, the purchaser can operate the payment machine 4 by himself to make the payment.

In contrast, if a negative response signal is received from the payment machine 4, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 713. In ACT 713, the processor 61 resets the transmission counter Tc to "0". In ACT 714, the processor 61 displays a pop-up PUa (see FIG. 21) on the sub-screen SAb or payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify the user that payment is not possible. In ACT 714, the processor 61 displays text TXa (see FIG. 22) on the sub-screen SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is not possible.

Then, in ACT 715, the processor 61 waits for the payment button BAe on the sub-screen SAb or the payment button BAh on the payment screen SAd to be input. When the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 716. In ACT 716, the processor 61 checks the first payment in progress flag Fa. If the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", the processor 61 returns to ACT 715. In this way, even if the payment button BAe or the payment button BAh is input, while the first payment in progress flag Fa is "1", that is, while the payment of the price is being made at the sales processing device 3, the processor 61 displays the pop-up PUa and text TXa to notify that payment of the price is not possible.

When it is confirmed in ACT 716 that the first payment in progress flag Fa has become "0", the processor 61 proceeds to ACT 131 in FIG. 9. Then, the processor 61 executes the processes of ACT 131 to ACT 139 in the same manner as described above. That is, the processor 61 transmits a deletion event to the payment machine 4 via the communication interface 65. The processor 61 also displays a pop-up PUb (see FIG. 23) on the small screen SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify that payment at the sales processing device 3 is possible. The processor 61 also displays text TXb (see FIG. 24) on the small screen SBb of the display 25 to indicate that payment is possible. The processor 61 also stores the data stored in the first transaction file 621 in the second transaction file 622. Then, the processor 61 sets the payment status ST to "10" or "20", sets the first payment in progress flag Fa to "1", and clears the first transaction file 621.

As a result, the second information processing described with reference to FIG. 11 is executed in the sales processing device 3. Therefore, the purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 by himself to make the payment.

Figure 48 is a flow chart showing the main steps of the eleventh information processing executed by the processor 81 of the payment machine 4 according to the second business program. The processor 81 waits to receive an event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 as ACT 801. When the event is received, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 802. The processor 81 checks whether an input event has been received as ACT 802. If it is not an input event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 803. The processor 81 checks whether a selection event has been received as ACT 803. If it is not a selection event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 804. The processor 81 checks whether a deletion event has been received as ACT 804. If it is not a deletion event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 805. The processor 81 checks whether a payment event has been received as ACT 805. If it is not a payment event, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 806. The processor 81 checks whether a notification event has been received as ACT 806. Thus, when an event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 is received, the processor 81 identifies the type of the event as ACT 802 through ACT 806.

If an input event is received in ACT 202 or ACT 205 of FIG. 13, or if a selection event is received in ACT 206, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 807. In ACT 807, the processor 81 counts up the reception counter Rc by "1". After that, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 809.

On the other hand, if a deletion event is received in ACT 207 of FIG. 13, or if a payment event is received in ACT 208, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 808. In ACT 808, the processor 81 resets the reception counter Rc to "0". After that, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 809.

In this way, when the reception counter Rc is counted up by "1" in ACT 807, or when the reception counter Rc is reset to "0" in ACT 808, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 809. The processor 81 executes an event reception process in ACT 809. That is, when an input event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 203 and ACT 204. When a selection event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 209 and ACT 210. When a deletion event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 213. When a payment event is received, the processor 81 executes the processes in ACT 214 to ACT 216. These event reception processes are as described above, so detailed explanations will be omitted here.

When a notification event transmitted from the sales processing device 3 is received by the processing of ACT 710 in FIG. 47, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 810. In ACT 810, the processor 81 compares the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the count value of the reception counter Rc included in the notification event. In ACT 811, the processor 81 determines whether the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the count value of the reception counter Rc match.

If the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the count value of the reception counter Rc match, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 812. In ACT 812, the processor 81 performs control so as to return an acceptance response to the sales processing device 3 that is the sender of the notification event. With this control, a response signal of the acceptance response is transmitted from the communication interface 85 to the sales processing device 3 via the LAN 54.

If the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the count value of the reception counter Rc do not match, the processor 81 proceeds to ACT 813. In ACT 813, the processor 81 controls the device to return a negative response to the sales processing device 3 that sent the notification event. This causes a response signal of a negative response to be sent from the communication interface 85 to the sales processing device 3 via the LAN 54. With this, the processor 81 ends the eleventh information processing.

Here, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 realizes the function of the transmission counting means 951 by processing ACT 707 in FIG. 47. The processor 81 of the payment machine 4 realizes the function of the reception counting means 807 by processing ACT 807 in FIG. 48, and realizes the function of the determination means 953 by processing ACT 810 to ACT 813. The processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 realizes the function of the control means 92 by processing ACT 711 in FIG. 47.

In this way, in the third embodiment, each time an input event and a selection event are sent from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4 in a cascading manner, the transmission counter Tc in the sales processing device 3 counts up, and the reception counter Rc in the payment machine 4 counts up. Then, when the second purchaser's payment is instructed by the input device 2 while the first purchaser is paying the price in the sales processing device 3, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 sends a notification event when sending a payment event from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4. In the payment machine 4 that receives this notification event, the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the reception counter Rc are compared. As a result, if the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the reception counter Rc match, it is recognized that no missing items have occurred and an acceptance response is returned to the sales processing device 3. The sales processing device 3 that receives the acceptance response sends a payment event to the payment machine 4. Therefore, the second purchaser operates the payment machine 4 by himself to pay the price.

On the other hand, if the count value of the transmission counter Tc and the reception counter Rc do not match, the payment machine 4 does not return an approval response to the sales processing device 3. Since there is no approval response, the processor 61 of the sales processing device 3 recognizes that a missing item has occurred. The processor 61 does not send a payment event to the payment machine 4. The processor 61 displays a pop-up PUa (see FIG. 21) on the small display surface SAb or the payment screen SAd of the touch panel 23 to notify that payment is impossible. The processor 61 also displays text TXa (see FIG. 22) on the small display surface SBb of the display 25 to instruct the user to wait because payment is impossible. After that, when the purchaser's payment is completed on the sales processing device 3, further payment on the sales processing device 3 is permitted. Therefore, the second purchaser operates the sales processing device 3 by himself to make the payment.

In this way, even in the third embodiment, if there is a loss in the data of an input event that is transmitted in a staggered manner from the sales processing device 3 to the payment machine 4, the payment destination for the transaction related to that input event is limited to the sales processing device 3. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a problem in which payment is made based on data with a loss.

In the third embodiment, the events counted by the transmission counter Tc and the reception counter Rc may be input events only.

[Other embodiments]
The product sales system may be configured with two input devices 2 and sales processing devices 3, and one payment machine 4, with the two sales processing devices 3 sharing one payment machine 4. In this case, each sales processing device 3 transmits an event to the payment machine 4 including identification information unique to the sales processing device 3. The identification information may be identification information of the store clerk operating the input device 2, such as an employee code.

The first payment acceptance means 203 of the input device 2 may be omitted. In that case, the purchaser will select the payment method by operating the sales processing device 3 or the payment machine 4 himself. However, if the purchaser wishes to pay with a gift certificate or other voucher, the intervention of a store clerk is required. For this reason, it is desirable for the input device 2 to have a function for selecting a gift certificate payment.

The product sales system 1 can simultaneously handle up to three purchasers. Therefore, the sales processing device 3 and the payment machine 4 each have three transaction files, a first transaction file, a second transaction file, and a third transaction file. A unique port number is assigned to each transaction file, and for example, the port number assigned to the first transaction file of the sales processing device 3 is associated with the port number assigned to the first transaction file of the payment machine 4. Similarly, the port number assigned to the second transaction file of the sales processing device 3 is associated with the port number assigned to the second transaction file of the payment machine 4. Also, the port number assigned to the third transaction file of the sales processing device 3 is associated with the port number assigned to the third transaction file of the payment machine 4. Then, the sales processing device 3 outputs the product sales data stored in each transaction file to the transaction file of the payment machine 4 having the port number associated with the port number of the transaction file. By adopting such a configuration, the process of ACT 133 in FIG. 9 and the process of ACT 214 in FIG. 13 can be omitted. In the third embodiment, a transmission counter Tc and a reception counter Rc may be provided for each of the first to third transaction files.

Although several other embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope of the invention and the scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the claims.

1...Product sales system, 2...Input device, 3...Sales processing device, 4...Payment machine, 21...Fixed scanner, 22...Handheld scanner, 23...Touch panel, 24...Keyboard, 25...Display, 31...Keyboard, 32...First touch panel, 33...Handheld scanner, 34...Second touch panel, 35, 87...Printer, 36, 88...Automatic change machine, 37, 89...Cashless payment terminal, 41...Basket stand, 42...Touch panel, 47...Patrol lamp, 51...Checkout Counter, 52... cash register counter, 53... transmission cable, 54... LAN, 55... POS server, 61, 81... processor, 62, 82... main memory, 63, 83... auxiliary storage device, 64, 84... clock, 65, 85... communication interface, 66... scanner interface, 67... touch panel interface, 68... printer interface, 69... change machine interface, 70... payment terminal interface, 71... input device interface, 72, 86 ...system transmission path, 91...missing detection means, 92...control means, 201...input means, 202...end acceptance means, 203...first payment acceptance means, 204...reading means, 301...first communication means, 302...first processing means, 303...second payment acceptance means, 304...first settlement means, 305...storage means, 306...guide means, 307...invalidation means, 308...second communication means, 309...information transmission means, 310...instruction transmission means, 311...deletion instruction means, 312...confirmation means, 313...points acquisition means Stage, 401...third payment acceptance means, 402...second processing means, 403...second settlement means, 404...deletion means, 621...first transaction file, 622...second transaction file, 623...status memory, 624...flag memory, 821...third transaction file, 822...fourth transaction file, 823...flag memory, 931...addition means, 932...storage means, 933, 943, 953...determination means, 941...response means, 942...recognition means, 951...transmission counting means, 952...reception counting means.

Claims (6)

a vending processor and a payment machine;
The sales processing device includes:
a first processing means for processing merchandise sales data of the purchased merchandise based on information related to the purchased merchandise input to an input device;
an information transmitting means for transmitting information relating to the purchased goods to the payment machine before receiving an instruction to end input of the information relating to the purchased goods from the input device;
an instruction sending means for sending the input end instruction to the payment machine when the settlement of the transaction is impossible at the time of receiving the input end instruction from the input device; and
a first settlement means for settling the transaction of the sales data processed by the first processing means when the settlement of the transaction is possible at the time when the input end instruction is received from the input device;
Equipped with
The payment machine is
A second processing means for processing merchandise sales data of the purchased merchandise based on the information related to the purchased merchandise received from the sales processing device; and
a second settlement means for settling a transaction of the sales data processed by the second processing means in response to receiving the input end instruction from the sales processing device;
A product sales system comprising:
a missing item detection means for detecting whether or not there is a missing item in the information related to the purchased item transmitted to the payment machine by the information transmission means of the sales processing device;
a control means for validating the payment made by the first payment means of the sales processing device and invalidating the payment made by the second payment means of the payment machine when the missing information is detected by the missing information detection means;
A product sales system comprising: The product sales system according to claim 1, wherein the missing detection means adds regular information to the information related to the purchased product transmitted from the sales processing device to the payment machine, and detects that there is a missing information in the information related to the purchased product when the regularity of the regular information added to the information related to the purchased product received by the payment machine is lost. The product sales system according to claim 1, wherein the missing item detection means detects whether or not there is a missing item in the information related to the purchased product based on the presence or absence of a response signal returned to the sales processing device when the payment machine receives the information related to the purchased product. The product sales system according to claim 1, wherein the missing item detection means compares the number of times the sales processing device transmits information related to the purchased product to the payment machine with the number of times the payment machine receives information related to the purchased product, and detects that there is a missing item in the information related to the purchased product if they do not match. a guidance means for, when the absence detection means has detected that information relating to the purchased product is missing and the sales processing device has received the input end instruction from the input device and payment for the transaction is impossible, providing guidance to wait until payment for the transaction is possible and to make payment at the sales processing device;
The product sales system of claim 1, further comprising: a vending processor and a payment machine;
The sales processing device includes:
a first processing means for processing merchandise sales data of the purchased merchandise based on information related to the purchased merchandise input to an input device;
an information transmitting means for transmitting information relating to the purchased goods to the payment machine before receiving an instruction to end input of the information relating to the purchased goods from the input device;
an instruction sending means for sending the input end instruction to the payment machine when the settlement of the transaction is impossible at the time of receiving the input end instruction from the input device; and
a first settlement means for settling the transaction of the sales data processed by the first processing means when the settlement of the transaction is possible at the time when the input end instruction is received from the input device;
Equipped with
The payment machine is
A second processing means for processing merchandise sales data of the purchased merchandise based on the information related to the purchased merchandise received from the sales processing device; and
a second settlement means for settling a transaction of the sales data processed by the second processing means in response to receiving the input end instruction from the sales processing device;
A computer of a product sales system comprising:
a missing item detection means for detecting whether or not there is a missing item in the information related to the purchased item transmitted to the payment machine by the information transmission means of the sales processing device; and
a control means for validating the payment made by the first payment means of the sales processing device and invalidating the payment made by the second payment means of the payment machine when the missing information detection means detects that there is a missing information in the information related to the purchased product;
A program to function as a