Information processing device and method for shopping cart return notification
AssigneeToshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorNaoya Misawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to one embodiment, an information processing device includes a processing circuit having programmed instructions to: determine a cart location of a shopping cart that is moved by a customer and used for transportation of a merchandise purchased by the customer; and provide a notification for promoting a return of the shopping cart to a return area for returning the shopping cart in response to a determination that (i) the shopping cart is located in a place outside of the return area and (ii) a stay time of the shopping cart at the place outside the return area exceeds a threshold length of time.
Claims18
An information processing device comprising:
- a processing circuit having programmed instructions to:
- determine a cart location of a shopping cart that is moved by a customer and used for transportation of a merchandise purchased by the customer;
- provide a first notification promoting a return of the shopping cart to a return area for returning the shopping cart in response to a determination that (i) the shopping cart is located in a place outside of the return area and (ii) a stay time of the shopping cart at the place outside the return area exceeds a threshold length of time;
- determine whether settlement of the merchandise is completed based on an operation state of a device coupled to the shopping cart that performs a process to facilitate purchasing the merchandise;
- and
- provide a second notification in response to a determination that (i) the shopping cart is located in the place outside of the return area, (ii) the stay time of the shopping cart at the place outside the return area exceeds the threshold length of time, and (iii) the settlement of the merchandise is completed.
A method of promoting a return of a shopping cart to a return area, the method comprising:
- determining, by an information processing device, a cart location of the shopping cart that is moved by a customer and used for transportation of a merchandise purchased by the customer;
- and
- prompting, by the information processing device, a user to return the shopping cart to the return area in response to a determination that (i) the shopping cart is located in a place outside of the return area and (ii) the shopping cart has been stationary at the place outside the return area for greater than a threshold length of time.
A shopping cart system, comprising:
- a shopping cart used for transportation of a merchandise by a customer;
- a cart terminal coupled to the shopping cart;
- a power supply positioned to provide electrical power to the shopping cart when the shopping cart is positioned within a return area located within a store;
- and
- an information processing device including a processing circuit having programmed instructions to:
- provide a first notification prompting a user to return the shopping cart to the return area in response to a determination that the shopping cart is located inside of the store and at least one of (i) settlement of the merchandise is completed or (ii) the shopping cart has remained in a place outside of the return area for greater than a threshold length of time;
- and
- provide a second notification prompting the user to return the shopping cart to the return area in response to a determination that the shopping cart is located outside of the store, the second notification being different from the first notification.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.