JP7632887B2 - Counting device, counting method, and program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an apparatus, method, and program for performing tax exemption processing.

In Japan and many other countries, when making a purchase, you must pay a tax (consumption tax, value-added tax, etc.) according to the amount of the purchase. Furthermore, in order to attract tourists, Japan and many other countries have introduced systems that exempt non-residents from paying taxes when they make purchases that meet certain conditions. For example, Japan has a system that provides tax exemptions for purchases of general goods or consumables for personal use within a certain price range.

Currently, tax-free procedures are often done manually, but this requires a lot of time and effort, such as entering the necessary information for tax-free procedures and calculating the amounts, and is prone to errors.

The transaction processing device described in Patent Document 1 reads passport information, determines whether tax exemption is available based on the attributes of the passport owner and the amount, and then performs the payment. This technology allows the tax exemption procedure to be carried out automatically using a machine, reducing the effort and errors that would otherwise be required by manual work.

JP 2016-57992 A

In Japan, in commercial facilities (e.g. department stores, shopping centers) or shopping streets that contain multiple stores, tax exemptions may be granted by adding up the purchase amounts from those multiple stores. Furthermore, with the spread of electronic commerce such as online supermarkets and mail order sales, it may become possible in the future to add up the purchase amounts from multiple stores that meet certain conditions, regardless of their location (e.g. a group of stores run by the same owner). This is convenient for users, as even if the purchase amount at each store is small, the total amount can be added up to meet the tax exemption amount range.

However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 does not assume that purchase amounts from multiple stores will be added together for tax exemption processing. Therefore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 cannot be used when tax exemption processing is performed by adding up purchase amounts from multiple stores.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a tallying device, tallying method, and program that can reduce the processing burden when performing tax exemption processing by adding up purchase amounts at multiple stores.

A first aspect of the present invention is a counting device comprising: a receiving unit that receives from a POS terminal purchase information including information on products purchased by a user at two or more stores included in a group for which purchase amounts are to be added up; an adding up unit that calculates total information by adding up the purchase amounts of the products for each tax-free category based on the purchase information received from the POS terminal ; and a transmitting unit that transmits the total information to a tax-free processing device , wherein the total information includes a group ID for identifying the added group, the added up price, and the added up tax amount.

A second aspect of the present invention is a tallying method comprising the steps of: a computer receiving from a POS terminal purchase information including information on products purchased by a user at two or more stores included in a group for which the purchase amounts are to be added up; a computer adding up the purchase amounts of the products for each tax-free category based on the purchase information received from the POS terminal to calculate added-up information; and a computer transmitting the added-up information to a tax-free processing device, wherein the added-up information includes a group ID for identifying the added-up group, the added-up price, and the added-up tax amount.

A third aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to execute the steps of receiving from a POS terminal purchase information including information on products purchased by a user at two or more stores included in a group for which purchase amounts are to be added up, adding up the purchase amounts of the products for each tax-free category based on the purchase information received from the POS terminal to calculate added-up information, and transmitting the added-up information to a tax-free processing device, wherein the added-up information includes a group ID for identifying the added-up group, the added-up price, and the added-up tax amount.

According to the present invention, purchase information including shopping information from two or more stores is classified into groups according to the stores, and the purchase amounts for each group are added up to determine whether tax exemption is available. With this configuration, tax exemption processing can be performed by automatically adding up the purchase amounts from multiple stores, simplifying the tax exemption procedure.

1 is a schematic diagram of a tax exemption processing system according to a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a tax exemption process according to the first embodiment. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tax exemption processing device and a POS terminal according to a first embodiment; 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams of purchase information, tax-free category information, and store information according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a purchase information recording process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a tax exemption process according to the first embodiment. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram of a counting device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a purchase information recording process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a tax exemption process according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view of a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of a mobile terminal according to a third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a purchase information recording process according to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a tax exemption process according to the third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a tax exemption processing device according to each embodiment.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the drawings described below, parts having the same functions are given the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations may be omitted.

(First embodiment)
1 is a schematic diagram of a tax-free processing system 10 according to the present embodiment. The tax-free processing system 10 includes a tax-free processing device 100 that performs tax-free processing, and a POS (Point Of Sale) terminal (point of sale information management terminal) 200 that reads product information and performs accounting. The tax-free processing device 100 and the POS terminal 200 are connected by wired connection or wireless connection via a network 300 such as the Internet. The tax-free processing system 10 may include other devices such as a server and a terminal.

The tax exemption processing device 100 receives and records purchase information used for tax exemption processing from the POS terminal 200. The tax exemption processing device 100 also acquires the purchase information of the user in response to the user's operation and performs tax exemption processing. The purchase information includes the user's identification information, the POS terminal 200 identification information, the time of purchase, the contents of the purchased item, etc. The tax exemption processing includes adding up the purchase amounts from multiple stores, determining whether tax exemption is possible, and calculating and paying the refund amount.

The POS terminal 200 is installed in each store and is a store terminal that reads product information and performs accounting. One or more POS terminals 200 are installed in one store. The POS terminal 200 transmits purchase information used for tax exemption processing to the tax exemption processing device 100.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the tax-free processing according to this embodiment. Department store A1 includes stores A and B, each of which is provided with a POS terminal 200. Shopping mall A2 includes stores C and D, each of which is provided with a POS terminal 200. Airport B is provided with a tax-free processing device 100. In this embodiment, the tax-free processing device 100 is provided within airport B, but this is not limited and the device may be provided in any location. Also, a part of the tax-free processing device 100 (e.g., the display and input device) may be located at airport B, and another part of the tax-free processing device 100 (e.g., the processor, memory, and storage device) may be located in a location separate from airport B.

When a user pays for purchases at each store in department store A1 and shopping mall A2, the POS terminal 200 sends the purchase information to the tax-free processing device 100, and the tax-free processing device 100 records the purchase information received from the POS terminal 200. It is preferable that the POS terminal 200 sends the purchase information to the tax-free processing device 100 each time a transaction is completed, but the transmission of the purchase information may be done at other times, such as after every specified number of transactions or every specified time.

When a user performs the tax-free procedure on the tax-free processing device 100 at airport B, the tax-free processing device 100 reads the purchase information associated with the user and performs the tax-free processing described below. In the tax-free processing, the purchase amounts at stores A and B in department store A1 are added together, and the purchase amounts at stores C and D in shopping district A2 are added together, and the applicability of tax-free shopping for each of department store A1 and shopping district A2 and the amount of the refund are calculated. If a refund is calculated in the tax-free processing, the tax-free processing device 100 either pays out the refund or outputs information (documents, etc.) that allows the user to receive the refund at another location.

Conventionally, tax-free procedures had to be completed at each store or facility where shopping was done, which meant a lot of work for both the user and the store. With the tax-free processing of this embodiment, the tax-free procedures can be completed all at once, for example, by a tax-free processing device 100 installed at airport B, which can significantly reduce the work involved in the tax-free procedures. In addition, the purchase amounts of multiple stores that can be added together because they are included in the same facility (department store A1 or shopping mall A2 in this case) can be automatically added together. This not only simplifies the tax-free procedures and reduces mistakes, but is also convenient for the user, as it is possible to receive tax-free even if the purchase amount at one store does not meet the amount required for tax-free.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the tax-free processing device 100 and POS terminal 200 according to this embodiment. The tax-free processing device 100 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a memory 120, a storage device 130, and a communication interface 140. The tax-free processing device 100 further comprises a display 150, an input device 160, a passport reader 170, a printer 180, and a deposit/withdrawal device 190. The tax-free processing device 100 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 2, and may further comprise other components. The tax-free processing device 100 may consist of one or more devices, or may be configured integrally with other devices.

The communication interface 140 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be able to execute at least one of the communication methods of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 140 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, etc., required for the communication method. The communication interface 140 is connected to the network 300 using the communication method in accordance with a signal from the CPU 110, and communicates.

The storage device 130 stores the programs executed by the tax exemption processing device 100 and data resulting from processing by the programs. The storage device 130 includes a read-only ROM (Read Only Memory), a readable and writable hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The storage device 130 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 120 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 110 and data read from the storage device 130.

The CPU 110 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 120, reads a program recorded in the storage device 130, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 110 also records data of the processing results in the storage device 130, and transmits the data of the processing results to the outside via the communication interface 140.

Display 150 is a display unit that displays information to the user. Any display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display or a liquid crystal display may be used as display 150. Display 150 displays predetermined information such as the results of the tax exemption process in accordance with a signal from CPU 110. Input device 160 includes a keyboard or the like that instructs the execution of the tax exemption process, accepts input from the user, and transmits the input content as a signal to CPU 110.

The passport reading device 170 is a reading device that reads passport information as information for identifying a user. The passport reading device 170 is equipped with an imaging device such as a camera or scanner that acquires an image of the passport using an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor or a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) sensor. The passport reading device 170 reads passport information such as the user's passport number, name, and issuing country written on the passport by performing OCR (Optical Character Recognition) processing on the passport image acquired by the imaging device. A well-known technology may be used as a specific OCR processing method.

The passport reading device 170 may read passport information from an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip mounted on the passport. In that case, the passport reading device 170 is equipped with a reader that reads the contents recorded on the IC chip without contact. The passport reading device 170 reads passport information such as the user's passport number, name, and country of issue from the contents recorded on the IC chip of the passport obtained by the reader.

The passport reading device 170 may also read information input by the user using the input device 160 as passport information. The passport reading device 170 may also be provided as a terminal separate from the tax-free processing device 100. In that case, the separate terminal reads the passport information using the passport reading device 170 and transmits the passport information to the tax-free processing device 100.

The printer 180 prints the purchase information used in the tax exemption process, the results of the tax exemption process, etc., according to a signal from the CPU 110. The printer 180 may be any printing device, such as a thermal printer, inkjet printer, or laser printer.

The deposit/withdrawal device 190 is a device that pays the refund calculated in the tax exemption process, holds money internally, and dispenses a predetermined amount of money in response to a signal from the CPU 110. If the refund is paid at a location other than the tax exemption processing device 100, the deposit/withdrawal device 190 may be omitted. In that case, for example, the printer 180 is used to print documents for receiving the refund.

The POS terminal 200 comprises a CPU 210, a memory 220, a storage device 230, and a communication interface 240. In addition, the POS terminal 200 comprises a display 250, an input device 260, a passport reader 270, a printer 280, and a product information reader 290. The POS terminal 200 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2, and may further comprise other components. The POS terminal 200 may consist of one or more devices, or may be configured integrally with other devices.

The communication interface 240 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be able to execute at least one of the communication methods of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 240 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, etc., required for the communication method. The communication interface 240 is connected to the network 300 using the communication method in accordance with a signal from the CPU 210, and communicates.

The storage device 230 stores the programs executed by the POS terminal 200 and data resulting from processing by the programs. The storage device 230 includes a read-only ROM, a read/write hard disk drive, or a flash memory. The storage device 230 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 220 includes a RAM that temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 210 and data read from the storage device 230.

The CPU 210 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 220, reads a program recorded in the storage device 230, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 210 also records data of the processing results in the storage device 230, and transmits the data of the processing results to the outside via the communication interface 240.

Display 250 is a display unit that displays information to store clerks or users (customers). Any display device such as a CRT display or LCD display may be used as display 250. Display 250 displays predetermined information such as product names and total amounts in accordance with signals from CPU 210. Input device 260 includes a keyboard for instructing totals and executing deposits and withdrawals, and accepts input from store clerks and transmits the input contents as signals to CPU 210.

The passport reader 270 is a reader that reads information from the user's passport. The passport reader 270 may have the same configuration as the passport reader 170 of the tax-free processing device 100, and reads the user's passport information from an image of the passport, an IC chip in the passport, or information input using the input device 260.

The printer 280 prints paper receipts, invoices, coupons, etc. according to signals from the CPU 210. The printer 280 may be any printing device such as a thermal printer, inkjet printer, or laser printer.

The product information reading device 290 is a reading unit that reads product information, and includes any imaging device such as a CCD camera or a CMOS camera. In this embodiment, the product information includes information that identifies the product (e.g., an identifier such as a JAN code) and is represented using a barcode. The product information is not limited to barcodes, and may be obtained by any method, such as reading an IC tag attached to the product or inputting information using the input device 260. The product information reading device 290 may be provided as a terminal separate from the POS terminal 200. In that case, the separate terminal reads the product information using the product information reading device 290 and transmits the product information to the POS terminal 200.

Figure 4(a) is a schematic diagram of exemplary purchase information according to this embodiment. The purchase information includes the time of shopping (payment), a POS terminal ID that identifies the POS terminal 200 used for the payment, the user's passport number, a product ID that identifies the purchased product, the product price, the product tax amount, etc. The purchase information is generated by the POS terminal 200 and sent to the tax-free processing device 100. The purchase information received by the tax-free processing device 100 is recorded in the storage device 130.

Figure 4(b) is a schematic diagram of an exemplary tax-free category information according to this embodiment. The tax-free category information includes a product name and a tax-free category associated with a unique product ID that identifies each product. The product ID is the same as that included in the purchase information. The tax-free category specifies, for example, whether the product ID is a general product or a consumable product. The tax-free processing according to this embodiment separately aggregates the product IDs of general products and the product IDs of consumable products based on the tax-free category information. The tax-free category is not limited to those shown here, and is set appropriately according to the actual tax-free system. In addition, a tax-free category for a product may not be set. In addition, the tax-free category may include a category indicating that the product ID is not subject to tax exemption. In Figure 4(b), the tax-free category is shown as a character string, but may be information such as a code value indicating the tax-free category. The tax-free category information is recorded in advance in the storage device 130 of the tax-free processing device 100 or the storage device 230 of the POS terminal 200.

FIG. 4(c) is a schematic diagram of exemplary store information according to this embodiment. The store information includes a group ID associated with a unique POS terminal ID that identifies each POS terminal 200. The POS terminal ID is information that identifies the store where the user made a purchase. The group ID is set for each store and is group identification information that divides the store into groups (department stores, shopping centers, shopping streets, etc.) that are subject to the tally. In other words, the POS terminal IDs included in the facilities or groups that are subject to the tally are associated with a common group ID. One group ID is associated with one or more POS terminal IDs. The tax exemption process according to this embodiment adds up the purchase information (purchase amount) of one or more POS terminal IDs associated with the same group ID (group identification information) based on the store information. The store information is pre-recorded in the storage device 130 of the tax exemption processing device 100 or the storage device 230 of the POS terminal 200.

In Figures 4(a) to 4(c), the purchase information, tax-free category information, and store information are represented as character strings for visibility, but may be represented in any data format (file format), such as binary data or text data. Furthermore, the purchase information, tax-free category information, and store information may be recorded in storage device 130 as a binary file or text file, or may be recorded in storage device 130 as a database table. The purchase information, tax-free category information, and store information are not limited to those shown here, and may be divided, merged, or include other information.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the purchase information recording process according to this embodiment. The purchase information recording process is performed cooperatively by the tax-free processing device 100 and the POS terminal 200. The purchase information recording process is started, for example, when a store clerk performs an operation to start a transaction on the POS terminal 200.

First, the POS terminal 200 uses the passport reading device 270 to obtain the user's passport information as information for identifying the user (customer) (step S111). Next, the POS terminal 200 uses the product information reading device 290 to obtain product information for all products included in the transaction (step S112). The order of obtaining the passport information in step S111 and obtaining the product information in step S112 may be reversed, or may be performed in parallel.

Next, the store clerk receives money from the user and performs operations to execute the transaction on the POS terminal 200 (step S113). After the transaction is completed, the POS terminal 200 generates purchase information based on the passport information acquired in step S111 and the product information acquired in step S112 (step S114). Specifically, the POS terminal 200 generates purchase information including the time, POS terminal ID, the user's passport number, product ID, price, and tax amount, as shown in FIG. 4(a).

Then, the POS terminal 200 uses the communication interface 240 to send the purchase information generated in step S114 to the tax-free processing device 100, and the tax-free processing device 100 receives the purchase information from the POS terminal 200 (step S115). The tax-free processing device 100 records the purchase information received in step S115 in the storage device 130 (step S116). In the flowchart of FIG. 5, the purchase information is sent and received every time a transaction is made, but it may be sent and received at other times, such as every predetermined number of transactions or every predetermined time.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the tax exemption process according to this embodiment. The tax exemption process is performed by the tax exemption processing device 100. The tax exemption process is started, for example, when a user performs an operation to start the tax exemption procedure on the tax exemption processing device 100.

First, the tax-free processing device 100 uses the passport reading device 170 to obtain the user's passport information as information for identifying the user (step S121). Next, the tax-free processing device 100 reads and obtains the purchase information associated with the user from the storage device 130 based on the user's passport information (passport number) obtained in step S121 (step S122).

Next, the tax-free processing device 100 divides the purchase information (purchase amount) obtained in step S122 into groups to be added up based on the POS terminal 200 (POS terminal ID) that performed the transaction (step S123). Specifically, the tax-free processing device 100 obtains a group ID (group identification information) associated with the POS terminal ID of each purchase information from the store information recorded in the storage device 130, as shown in FIG. 4(c). The tax-free processing device 100 then classifies one or more purchase information (purchase amounts) having a POS terminal ID associated with the same group ID (group identification information) into groups to be added up.

The tax-free processing device 100 adds up the purchase amounts for each tax-free category of the product (product ID) for the purchase information included in each group created in step S123 to be added up (step S124). In this embodiment, the tax-free categories are general goods and consumables. At this time, if the product in the purchase information is not eligible for tax-free, the purchase information for that product is excluded from the addition. In this way, in this embodiment, the purchase amounts are added up when the user's passport information, which is information that identifies the user, is obtained, rather than when the transaction is performed as shown in Figure 5. Therefore, purchase amounts can be added up across stores or POS terminals.

Specifically, the tax-free processing device 100 obtains the tax-free category associated with the product ID of each purchase information from the tax-free category information shown in FIG. 4(b) stored in the storage device 130. The tax-free processing device 100 then totals the price and tax amount for each tax-free category for the purchase information included in each group. As a result of step S124, the total price and tax amount are calculated by adding up for each group (store) and for each tax-free category to be added up. If there is no tax-free category for the product, the purchase amount is added up for each group, not for each tax-free category.

The tax-free processing device 100 judges whether the tax-free application conditions are met for the purchase amounts totaled for each group (store) and each tax-free category in step S124 (step S125). Specifically, the tax-free processing device 100 judges that the tax-free conditions are met when the purchase amounts totaled for each group and each tax-free category are within a predetermined amount range. The amount range may be set separately for each tax-free category. For example, it may be judged that the tax-free conditions are met when the total amount of products in the tax-free category of general goods for one group is 5,000 yen or more. It may be judged that the tax-free conditions are met when the total amount of products in the tax-free category of consumables for one group is 5,000 yen or more and 500,000 yen or less. The tax-free conditions are set appropriately according to the actual tax-free system. As the tax-free conditions, any information related to the products purchased by the user, such as the price per product, the number of products, etc., in addition to the total amount, may be used.

The tax exemption processing device 100 calculates the refund based on the purchase amount determined in step S125 to satisfy the tax exemption conditions (step S126). In this embodiment, the refund is calculated as the total tax amount included in the purchase amount determined to satisfy the tax exemption conditions. The method of calculating the refund is set appropriately according to the actual tax exemption system.

Finally, the tax exemption processing device 100 pays out the refund calculated in step S126 using the deposit/withdrawal device 190 (step S127). If the tax exemption processing device 100 does not have a deposit/withdrawal function, the tax exemption processing device 100 may output information (documents, etc.) for the user to receive the refund at another location.

For simplicity, in this embodiment, dates are not used as conditions for the summation and tax exemption, but the tax exemption processing device 100 may use the time contained in the purchase information to perform summation for each date in addition to the group and tax exemption category. Furthermore, the tax exemption processing device 100 may determine whether the purchase amount summed up for each date meets the conditions for tax exemption.

In this embodiment, the CPU 110 of the tax-free processing device 100 and the CPU 210 of the POS terminal 200 are the subjects of each step (process) included in the process shown in Figures 5 to 6. Specifically, the CPU 210 functions as a passport information acquisition unit that executes step S111, a product information acquisition unit that executes step S112, an accounting unit that executes step S113, a purchase information generation unit that executes step S114, and a transmission unit that executes step S115. The CPU 110 functions as a reception unit that executes step S115, a recording unit that executes step S116, a passport information acquisition unit that executes step S121, a purchase information acquisition unit that executes step S122, a classification unit that executes step S123, an accumulating unit that executes step S124, a determination unit that executes step S125, a calculation unit that executes step S126, and a dispensing unit that executes step S127. The CPU 110, 210 reads a program for executing the processes shown in Figures 5-6 from the memory 120, 220 or the storage device 130, 230, and executes the program to control each part of the tax-free processing device 100 and the POS terminal 200 to execute the processes shown in Figures 5-6. Also, at least a part of the processes shown in Figures 5-6 may be performed by a dedicated device or electrical circuit, rather than by the CPU 110, 210.

According to the tax-free processing system 10 of this embodiment, even if a user makes tax-free purchases at multiple stores, the tax-free processing device 100 can perform the tax-free procedures all at once, reducing the effort required for tax-free procedures for both the user and the store. In addition, the tax-free processing system 10 can automatically add up the purchase amounts from multiple stores that can be added up, simplifying the tax-free procedures and reducing procedural errors.

Second Embodiment
In the first embodiment, the purchase amounts of each group (store) are totaled in the tax-free processing device 100. In contrast, in this embodiment, the totaling is performed by a counting device arranged for each group before the purchase information is sent to the tax-free processing device 100. The following describes the differences from the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, a tallying device 400 for adding up purchase amounts is provided between the tax-free processing device 100 and the POS terminal 200. The tallying device 400 is provided for each group of items to be added up, such as department store A1 and shopping mall A2 in FIG. 2, and is connected to one or more POS terminals 200 included in that group. The tallying device 400 then receives purchase information sent from each POS terminal 200 and performs the addition of the purchase amounts.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the tallying device 400 according to this embodiment. The tallying device 400 includes a CPU 410, a memory 420, a storage device 430, and a communication interface 440. The tallying device 400 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 7, and may further include other components. The tallying device 400 may consist of one or more devices, or may be configured integrally with other devices.

The communication interface 440 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be able to execute at least one of the communication methods of wired communication and wireless communication. The communication interface 440 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, a connection terminal, etc., required for the communication method. The communication interface 440 is connected to the network 300 using the communication method in accordance with a signal from the CPU 410, and communicates.

The storage device 430 stores the programs executed by the tallying device 400, data resulting from processing by the programs, etc. The storage device 430 includes a read-only ROM, a read/write hard disk drive, or a flash memory, etc. The storage device 430 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 420 includes a RAM (Random Access Memory) that temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 410 and data read from the storage device 430.

The CPU 410 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 420, reads a program recorded in the storage device 430, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 410 also records data of the processing results in the storage device 430, and transmits the data of the processing results to the outside via the communication interface 440.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the purchase information recording process according to this embodiment. The purchase information recording process is performed cooperatively by the tax-free processing device 100, the POS terminal 200, and the tallying device 400. The purchase information recording process is started, for example, when a store clerk performs an operation to start a transaction on the POS terminal 200. Steps S211 to S214 are the same as steps S111 to S114 in Figure 5.

The tallying device 400 receives the user's purchase information from the POS terminal 200 using the communication interface 440. The tallying device 400 then generates total information by adding up the purchase amounts for each tax-free category of the product (product ID) for the purchase information received from the POS terminal 200 (step S215). The total information includes a group ID for identifying the combined group, the user's passport number, the combined price, and the tax amount. The tax-free category information illustrated in FIG. 4(b) is pre-recorded in the storage device 430 of the tallying device 400. At this time, if the product included in the purchase information is not subject to tax exemption, the purchase information of that product is excluded from the total. As a result of step S215, the total price and tax amount for each tax-free category are calculated for one or more POS terminals 200 connected to the tallying device 400.

Then, the tallying device 400 uses the communication interface 440 to transmit the purchase information generated in step S214 and the total information calculated in step S215 to the tax-free processing device 100, and the tax-free processing device 100 receives the purchase information and the total information from the POS terminal 200 (step S216). The tax-free processing device 100 records the purchase information and the total information received in step S216 in the storage device 130 (step S217).

In the flowchart of FIG. 8, purchase information and total information are sent and received every time a transaction is made, but this may be done at other times, such as after a specified number of transactions, or at specified times. If the same user makes multiple transactions, the same purchase information will be duplicated and totaled. Therefore, when the tax-free processing device 100 receives total information for the same user (passport number) from the same counting device 400, it discards the previous total information and uses only the most recent total information.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the tax exemption process according to this embodiment. The tax exemption process is performed by the tax exemption processing device 100. The tax exemption process is started, for example, when a user performs an operation to start the tax exemption procedure on the tax exemption processing device 100. Steps S221 to S222 are similar to steps S121 to S122 in Figure 6.

The tax exemption processing device 100 reads and acquires the user's total information from the storage device 130 based on the passport information (passport number) acquired in step S221 (step S223). The tax exemption processing device 100 determines whether the tax exemption application conditions are met for the total purchase amount for each group (store) and each tax exemption category included in the total information acquired in step S223 (step S224). The method of determining the tax exemption application conditions is the same as step S125 in FIG. 6. Steps S225 to S226 are also the same as steps S126 to S127 in FIG. 6.

In this embodiment, the CPU 110 of the tax-free processing device 100, the CPU 210 of the POS terminal 200, and the CPU 410 of the tallying device 400 are the subjects of each step (process) included in the process shown in Figures 8 to 9. Specifically, the CPU 210 functions as a passport information acquisition unit that executes step S211, a product information acquisition unit that executes step S212, an accounting unit that executes step S213, and a purchase information generation unit that executes step S214. The CPU 410 functions as a totalization unit that executes step S215, and a transmission unit that executes step S216. The CPU 110 functions as a reception unit that executes step S216, a recording unit that executes step S217, a passport information acquisition unit that executes step S221, a purchase information acquisition unit that executes step S222, a totalization information acquisition unit that executes step S223, a determination unit that executes step S224, a calculation unit that executes step S225, and a dispensing unit that executes step S226. The CPU 110, 210, 410 reads a program for executing the processes shown in Figures 8 to 9 from the memory 120, 220, 420 or the storage device 130, 230, 430, and executes the program to control each part of the tax-free processing device 100, the POS terminal 200, and the tallying device 400, thereby executing the processes shown in Figures 8 to 9. Also, at least a part of the processes shown in Figures 8 to 9 may be performed by a dedicated device or electrical circuit, rather than by the CPU 110, 210, 410.

The tax-free processing system 10 according to this embodiment has the same effect as the first embodiment, and is capable of transmitting the total information generated by the counting device 400 to the tax-free processing device 100. This eliminates the need for total processing in the tax-free processing device 100, thereby reducing the processing burden on the tax-free processing device 100.

Third Embodiment
In the first and second embodiments, purchase information is transmitted from the POS terminal 200 to the tax-free processing device 100 via the network 300. In contrast, in this embodiment, the purchase information is stored in a mobile terminal held by the user, and at the time of the tax-free procedure, the purchase information is passed from the mobile terminal to the tax-free processing device 100. The following describes the differences from the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the purchase information is stored in the mobile terminal 500 as an electronic receipt. FIG. 10 is a front view of the mobile terminal 500 according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 500 has a display 550 on the front, and displays an electronic receipt 551 on the display 550. The electronic receipt 551 includes any type of information related to the transaction, such as the store name, product name, price, tax amount, total amount, etc.

Furthermore, the electronic receipt 551 includes a symbol 512 representing the purchase information. In this embodiment, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) is used as the symbol 512. The symbol 512 is displayed as a two-dimensional symbol by encoding the purchase information using a predetermined method. The tax-free processing device 100 is equipped with an imaging device such as a camera or scanner, and acquires an image of the symbol 512. The tax-free processing device 100 then acquires the purchase information by decoding the symbol 512 using a predetermined method. The symbol 512 is not limited to a QR code, and any expression method may be used.

In this embodiment, the tax-free processing device 100 obtains the purchase information by reading the symbol 512 representing the purchase information, but the purchase information may also be obtained by acquiring an image of the electronic receipt 551 using an imaging device and performing OCR processing on the image.

Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a mobile terminal 500 according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 500 includes a CPU 510, a memory 520, a storage device 530, and a mobile communication unit 540. The mobile terminal 500 further includes a display 550, an input device 560, and a non-contact IC communication unit 570. The mobile terminal 500 is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 11 as long as it can realize the functions according to this embodiment. For example, the mobile terminal 500 may be a dedicated terminal capable of sending and receiving electronic receipts, and does not need to have a communication function.

The mobile communication unit 540 is a communication unit that transmits and receives data, and is configured to be able to perform mobile communication. The mobile communication unit 540 includes a processor, an electric circuit, an antenna, etc., necessary for mobile communication. The mobile communication unit 540 communicates using mobile communication in accordance with a signal from the CPU 510. The mobile terminal 500 may communicate using wireless communication such as a wireless LAN instead of or in addition to mobile communication.

The storage device 530 stores the programs executed by the mobile terminal 500, data resulting from processing by the programs, etc. The storage device 530 includes a read-only ROM, a read/write hard disk drive, or a flash memory, etc. The storage device 530 may also include a computer-readable portable storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 520 includes a RAM, etc., which temporarily stores data being processed by the CPU 510 and data read from the storage device 530.

The CPU 510 is a processor that temporarily records temporary data used for processing in the memory 520, reads a program recorded in the storage device 530, and executes various processing operations such as calculations, control, and discrimination on the temporary data in accordance with the program. The CPU 510 also records data of the processing results in the storage device 530, and transmits the data of the processing results to the outside via the mobile communication unit 540.

The display 550 is a display unit that displays information to the user. Any display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display may be used as the display 550. The display 550 displays predetermined information such as an electronic receipt according to a signal from the CPU 510. The input device 560 includes buttons, a touch panel, etc., and accepts input from the user and transmits the input content as a signal to the CPU 510.

The non-contact IC communication unit 570 is a communication unit for communicating to receive an electronic receipt from the POS terminal 200. In this embodiment, the non-contact IC communication unit 570 is configured to communicate using NFC (Near Field Communication), which is non-contact IC communication, and includes an antenna for sending and receiving signals and power, and an electric circuit for controlling communication. A similar non-contact IC communication unit is also provided in the POS terminal 200. The communication method implemented by the non-contact IC communication unit 570 may be any method that allows communication between the POS terminal 200 installed in the store and the mobile terminal 500 owned by the user. For example, instead of contactless IC communication, short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) may be used.

Figure 12 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the purchase information recording process according to this embodiment. The purchase information recording process is performed cooperatively by the POS terminal 200 and the mobile terminal 500. The purchase information recording process is started, for example, when a store clerk performs an operation to start a transaction on the POS terminal 200. Steps S311 to S314 are the same as steps S111 to S114 in Figure 5.

The POS terminal 200 generates and outputs an electronic receipt including the purchase information generated in step S314 (step S315). The electronic receipt includes a symbol 512 generated by encrypting the purchase information. In this embodiment, the POS terminal 200 outputs the electronic receipt to the mobile terminal 500 by contactless IC communication. The POS terminal 200 may also transmit the electronic receipt to a device other than the mobile terminal 500. The mobile terminal 500 receives the electronic receipt including the user's purchase information from the POS terminal 200 using the contactless IC communication unit 570, and records the electronic receipt in the storage device 530 (step S316).

Figure 13 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the tax exemption process according to this embodiment. The tax exemption process is performed by the tax exemption processing device 100. The tax exemption process is started, for example, when a user performs an operation to start the tax exemption procedure on the tax exemption processing device 100. Step S321 is the same as step S121 in Figure 6.

The tax-free processing device 100 reads and acquires the electronic receipt using an imaging device such as a camera or scanner (step S322). The electronic receipt contains a symbol 512 representing the purchase information. The tax-free processing device 100 then acquires the purchase information contained in the electronic receipt by decoding the symbol 512 (step S323). Steps S322 to S323 are performed for each electronic receipt recorded in the mobile terminal 500. Steps S324 to S328 are similar to steps S123 to S127 in FIG. 6.

In this embodiment, the CPU 110 of the tax-free processing device 100, the CPU 210 of the POS terminal 200, and the CPU 510 of the mobile terminal 500 are the subjects of each step (process) included in the process shown in Figures 12 to 13. Specifically, the CPU 210 functions as a passport information acquisition unit that executes step S311, a product information acquisition unit that executes step S312, an accounting unit that executes step S313, a purchase information generation unit that executes step S314, and an electronic receipt output unit that executes step S315. The CPU 510 functions as a recording unit that executes step S316. The CPU 110 functions as a passport information acquisition unit that executes step S321, an electronic receipt acquisition unit that executes step S322, a purchase information acquisition unit that executes step S323, a classification unit that executes step S324, an accumulating unit that executes step S325, a determination unit that executes step S326, a calculation unit that executes step S327, and a dispensing unit that executes step S328. The CPU 110, 210, 510 reads a program for executing the processes shown in Figures 12-13 from the memory 120, 220, 520 or the storage device 130, 230, 530, and executes the program to control each part of the tax-free processing device 100, the POS terminal 200, and the mobile terminal 500, thereby executing the processes shown in Figures 12-13. Also, at least a part of the processes shown in Figures 12-13 may be performed by a dedicated device or electrical circuit, rather than by the CPU 110, 210, 510.

The tax-free processing system 10 according to this embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment, and is capable of transmitting and receiving purchase information between the tax-free processing device 100 and the POS terminal 200 via the mobile terminal 500. Therefore, there is no need to secure a communication path from the POS terminal 200 to the tax-free processing device 100.

Other Embodiments
Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram of the tax exemption processing device 100 according to each of the above-mentioned embodiments. Fig. 14 shows a configuration example for the tax exemption processing device 100 to function as a device that performs tax exemption processing by adding up purchase information from multiple stores. The tax exemption processing device includes a CPU 110 that executes a purchase information acquisition unit that acquires the purchase amounts of shopping done by a user at two or more stores and group identification information set for each store, a classification unit that divides the purchase amounts into groups based on the acquired group identification information, and a determination unit that determines whether the purchase amounts added up for each group satisfy the conditions for tax exemption.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The scope of each embodiment also includes a processing method in which a program that operates the configuration of each embodiment to realize the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments (for example, a program that causes the tax-free processing device 100, POS terminal 200, tallying device 400, and mobile terminal 500 to execute the processes shown in Figures 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, and 13) is recorded on a recording medium, the program recorded on the recording medium is read as code, and executed on a computer. In other words, computer-readable recording media are also included in the scope of each embodiment. Furthermore, each embodiment includes not only the recording medium on which the above-mentioned computer program is recorded, but also the computer program itself.

Examples of the recording medium that can be used include a floppy disk, hard disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, non-volatile memory card, and ROM. In addition, the scope of each embodiment does not include programs that execute processes by themselves recorded on the recording medium, but also programs that execute processes by working on an OS in conjunction with other software or functions of an expansion board.

Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as follows, but are not limited to the following:

(Appendix 1)
a purchase information acquiring unit that acquires the purchase amounts of purchases made by a user at two or more stores and group identification information set for each of the stores;
A classification unit that classifies the purchase amounts into groups based on the acquired group identification information;
a determination unit that determines whether the total purchase amount for each of the divided groups satisfies a condition for tax exemption;
A tax-free processing device comprising:

(Appendix 2)
a storage device for recording the group identification information;
The tax exemption processing device according to claim 1, wherein the classification unit classifies the purchase amounts into the groups based on the group identification information acquired from the storage device.

(Appendix 3)
A passport information acquisition unit for acquiring information for identifying the user is further provided,
The tax exemption processing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the purchase information acquisition unit acquires the purchase amount associated with information identifying the user.

(Appendix 4)
The tax exemption processing device according to claim 3, further comprising an addition unit that, when the information identifying the user is acquired by the passport information acquisition unit, adds up the purchase amounts associated with the information identifying the user for each group.

(Appendix 5)
The tax exemption processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a communication unit that receives the purchase amount via a network.

(Appendix 6)
The tax exemption processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a calculation unit that calculates an amount to be paid to the user based on the total purchase amount.

(Appendix 7)
The tax exemption processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the determination unit determines whether the purchase amount added up for each group and for each category of goods included in the purchase satisfies the conditions for tax exemption.

(Appendix 8)
A tax-free processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 7;
a store terminal that outputs the purchase amount;
a mobile terminal that receives the purchase amount from the store terminal and passes the purchase amount to the tax-free processing device.

(Appendix 9)
A tax-free processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 3;
a store terminal that outputs the purchase amount;
a totaling device that receives the purchase amounts from the store terminal, totals the purchase amounts, and passes the totaled purchase amount to the tax exemption processing device.

(Appendix 10)
acquiring the purchase amounts of shopping made by the user at two or more stores and group identification information set for each of the stores;
dividing the purchase amounts into groups based on the acquired group identification information;
determining whether the total purchase amount for each of the divided groups satisfies a condition for tax exemption;
A tax exemption processing method comprising:

(Appendix 11)
On the computer,
acquiring the purchase amounts of shopping made by the user at two or more stores and group identification information set for each of the stores;
dividing the purchase amounts into groups based on the acquired group identification information;
determining whether the total purchase amount for each of the divided groups satisfies a condition for tax exemption;
A program that executes the following.

10 Tax-free processing system 100 Tax-free processing device 110, 210, 410, 510 CPU
120, 220, 420, 520 Memory 130, 230, 430, 530 Storage device 140, 240, 440 Communication interface 150, 250, 550 Display 160, 260, 560 Input device 170, 270 Passport reader 180, 280 Printer 190 Cash deposit/withdrawal device 200 POS terminal 290 Product information reader 400 Totalizer 500 Portable terminal 540 Mobile communication unit 570 Non-contact IC communication unit

Claims (3)

a receiving unit that receives, from a POS terminal, purchase information including information on products purchased by a user at two or more stores included in a group for which the purchase amounts are to be added up;
an accumulating unit that calculates total information by accumulating the purchase amounts of the products for each tax-free category based on the purchase information received from the POS terminal;
A transmission unit that transmits the total information to the tax exemption processing device;
Equipped with
The totaling device, wherein the total information includes a group ID for identifying the totaled group, the totaled price, and the totaled tax amount. a step of receiving, by a computer, purchase information from a POS terminal, the purchase information including information on products purchased by a user at two or more stores included in a group in which the purchase amounts are to be totaled;
a step of the computer calculating total information by adding up the purchase amounts of the products for each tax-free category based on the purchase information received from the POS terminal;
transmitting the combined information to a tax exemption processing device;
Equipped with
The tabulation method according to the present invention, wherein the total information includes a group ID for identifying the combined group, the combined price, and the combined tax amount. On the computer,
receiving, from a POS terminal, purchase information including information on products purchased by a user at two or more stores included in a group for which the purchase amounts are to be totaled;
a step of calculating total information by adding up the purchase amounts of the products for each tax-free category based on the purchase information received from the POS terminal;
transmitting the combined information to a tax exemption processing device;
Run the command,
The program, wherein the combined information is a group ID for identifying the combined group, the combined price, and the combined tax amount.

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