JP3573253B2 - Electronic commerce terminal - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic commerce terminal device for realizing electronic commerce (electronic commerce) and used by a user who is provided with an electronic commerce service.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In recent years, in addition to depositing and withdrawing services at financial institutions, automatic ticketing services such as air tickets, etc., for example, check-in / check-out services at hotels and golf courses, and online shopping at department stores and convenience stores, etc. In business, electronic commerce using online terminals is performed.
[0003]
These e-commerce transactions are usually realized by an e-commerce system including, for example, an integrated provider 41 and e-commerce terminal devices 42a, 42b, 42c... As shown in FIG. The integrated provider 41 provides an e-commerce service and has a host computer for managing e-commerce (including processing for contact with the card company 43 and other shopping malls 44). . On the other hand, the electronic commerce terminal devices 42a, 42b, 42c,... Are installed and used at a remote place of the integrated provider 41 such as a hotel, a golf course, a department store, a convenience store, etc. And the like, and functions as an online terminal when performing electronic commerce by transmitting and receiving information to and from the host computer.
[0004]
In such an electronic commerce system, each of the electronic commerce terminal devices 42a, 42b, 42c,... Is configured such that the user can operate the touch panel or the like, and furthermore, deposits and withdrawals using cash or a credit card. It has a function corresponding to the processing. As a result, in this electronic commerce system, a user of each electronic commerce terminal device 42a, 42b, 42c... Can perform a desired electronic commerce by operating a touch panel or the like, and pays for the value by the electronic commerce. Even if it becomes necessary to make a payment, the payment can be made at that time by cash or credit card.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the conventional e-commerce terminal device used in such an e-commerce system, settlement by cash is possible. Refund (return of change) may be required. If this occurs frequently, the e-commerce terminal device may run out of coins (changes) held in the device, and as a result, may not be able to perform e-commerce requiring change. . In order to prevent this, it is conceivable to periodically (frequently) replenish coins in the apparatus. However, in such a case, the labor for maintenance personnel and the like who replenish coins increases, and the e-commerce terminal device is increased. This leads to a decrease in the operating efficiency of the device itself.
[0006]
Also, in the conventional e-commerce terminal device, while being used for various tasks, the user is required to pay money in consideration of the provision of goods and services. There is no one that has a function of requesting payment of money, that is, a request for donation of money (such as a donation). In other words, with regard to donation operations such as "fund-raising," no response is considered.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention prevents the shortage of coins and raises donations for donations such as "donations" by collecting donations for e-commerce transactions, even if it is necessary to refund the coins. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic commerce terminal device capable of simultaneously responding.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is an electronic commerce terminal device devised to achieve the above object, a connection means for connecting via a communication line to a computer that manages electronic commerce, Operate by a user who receives e-commerce service An information input / output unit for inputting / outputting information necessary for the electronic commerce, and a deposit / withdrawal unit for depositing / dispensing money; and an electronic commerce transaction with the computer according to the information input by the information input / output unit. And the settlement required for the electronic commerce is performed by the money deposited and withdrawn by the depositing and withdrawing means, and should be withdrawn when it becomes necessary to perform withdrawal by the depositing and withdrawing means. A donation amount output means for outputting to the information input / output means an amount of the donation to be raised and an approval key for instructing whether or not the donation is allowed, and an amount output by the donation amount output means by the approval key. And a withdrawal control means for subtracting the amount related to the donation from the amount to be withdrawn when the donation is approved, and dispensing the amount after the subtraction to the depositing / dispensing means. Wherein the donation amount output means sets a fraction of the amount to be withdrawn as the amount for collecting the donation. It is characterized by the following.
[0009]
According to the electronic commerce terminal device having the above configuration, for example, when it is necessary to withdraw money from the deposit / withdrawal means as a result of settlement of a certain e-commerce transaction, the information input / output means makes the withdrawal according to the instruction from the donation amount display means. The amount of money to be donated and the approval key for instructing whether or not to make a donation are output to the user who is conducting the certain electronic commerce. Here, when the user who sees the output approves the donation using the approval key, the depositing and withdrawing means changes the amount to be withdrawn to the approved donation according to the instruction from the withdrawal control means. Withdraw the amount of money after deducting such amount to the user. Then, the amount of money related to the donation is held in the electronic commerce terminal device.
As a result, in the e-commerce terminal device, even if the settlement of an e-commerce transaction requires the withdrawal, if the amount to be withdrawn by the coin is the donation amount, the number of coins in the device becomes insufficient. Can be prevented, and as a result, it is possible to respond to the donation business by the amount held in the device.
[0010]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an electronic commerce terminal device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, here, a case where the present invention is applied to an electronic commerce terminal device used for online shopping business will be described as an example.
[0011]
[First Embodiment]
First, an electronic commerce terminal device according to the first aspect of the invention will be described.
The e-commerce terminal device of the present embodiment is used in an e-commerce system as in the prior art (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 1, a modem 11, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) / touch panel 12 , A banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13, a coin pay-in / pay-out device 14, a card reader / writer 15, a receipt printer 16, a journal printer 17, a speaker 18, a power supply 19, a control unit 20, and the like. And a bus 30.
[0012]
The modem 11 is connected to a host computer of the integrated provider 41 via a communication line 45 such as an ISDN network, and is capable of exchanging information with the host computer. That is, the modem 11 functions as connection means in the present invention.
[0013]
The LCD / touch panel 12 is for displaying (outputting) information to a user of the electronic commerce terminal device 10 and for inputting information from the user, and for inputting and outputting information necessary for electronic commerce. is there. That is, the LCD / touch panel 12 functions as an information input / output unit in the present invention.
[0014]
The banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13 performs banknote pay-in / pay-out. The coin depositing and dispensing machine 14 is for depositing and dispensing coins. Further, the card reader / writer 15 performs deposit / withdrawal using a magnetic card (such as a credit card) or an IC card inserted by a user. In other words, these units 13, 14, and 15 are for enabling payments to be made by e-commerce, and function as depositing / dispensing means in the present invention. The details of these units 13, 14, and 15 are based on well-known technology, and thus description thereof is omitted here.
[0015]
The receipt printer 16 and the journal printer 17 output forms such as receipts and tickets generated as a result of electronic commerce as needed.
The speaker 18 outputs audio information to the user of the electronic commerce terminal device 10 as necessary, such as operation guidance of the LCD / touch panel 12, for example.
The power supply 19 supplies power required for the components in the electronic commerce terminal device 10 to operate.
[0016]
The control unit 20 controls the operations of the above-described units, that is, the entire electronic commerce terminal device 10, and includes a combination of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory, and various interfaces.
[0017]
However, the control unit 20 includes a donation amount output unit 21 and a withdrawal control unit 22 as characteristic features of the present invention. These units 21 and 22 are both realized by executing a predetermined program in the control unit 20.
[0018]
The donation amount output means 21 is an amount of money to be donated (hereinafter referred to as a donation amount) among the amounts to be withdrawn when it becomes necessary to make a withdrawal with the coin depositing / dispensing machine 14 or the card reader / writer 15. And an approval key for instructing whether or not to make a donation, on the LCD / touch panel 12.
[0019]
After the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the donation amount and the approval key, the withdrawal control means 22 subtracts the donation amount from the amount to be withdrawn when the donation amount is approved by the approval key. The money amount after the deduction is paid out to the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13, the coin pay-in / pay-out device 14, or the card reader / writer 15.
[0020]
Next, a processing operation example in the electronic commerce terminal device 10 configured as described above will be described.
[0021]
First, an outline of online shopping using the electronic commerce terminal device 10 will be described.
When performing online shopping using the e-commerce terminal device 10, a user of the e-commerce terminal device 10 selects a product to be purchased from a “menu screen” displayed on the LCD / touch panel 12, and further purchases the product. Enter the quantity and product delivery information (name, delivery address, delivery phone number).
[0022]
When such information is input, in the e-commerce terminal device 10, the control unit 20 exchanges information with the host computer of the integrated provider 41 via the modem 11, and the LCD / touch panel 12 purchases the product according to the result. The amount of consideration generated by this is displayed as the amount charged. At this time, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays a key for selecting a settlement method (cash or credit card, etc.) of the billed amount at the same time as displaying the billed amount, and allows the user to select the settlement method.
[0023]
Here, when cash is selected as the settlement method, the electronic commerce terminal device 10 requests the user to put the billed amount of money into the banknote depositing / dispensing machine 13 or the coin depositing / dispensing machine 14. When the credit card is selected as the settlement method, the electronic commerce terminal device 10 requests the user to insert the credit card into the card reader / writer 15.
When the user inserts cash or inserts a credit card in response to these requests, in the e-commerce terminal device 10, the control unit 20 exchanges information with the host computer, and uses any one of the selected methods. After performing the payment, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the payment result to the user as a “payment screen”.
[0024]
Then, when the content displayed by the “settlement screen” is approved by the user, the electronic commerce terminal device 10 outputs the receipt by the receipt printer 16 assuming that the electronic commerce has been established, and if necessary, coins. The change is discharged from the depositing / dispensing machine 14 or the credit card is discharged from the card reader / writer 15. After that, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the “end screen” to notify the user that the electronic commerce has ended, and subsequently displays the “menu screen” to prepare for the next electronic commerce.
[0025]
As described above, the electronic commerce terminal device 10 realizes online shopping, but the processing up to this point is substantially the same as the conventional one.
[0026]
The electronic commerce terminal device 10 has a characteristic configuration in which the control unit 20 includes a donation amount output unit 21 and a withdrawal control unit 22, which respond to donation operations such as “donation”. Is possible.
Therefore, in the following, an example of a processing operation in the electronic commerce terminal device 10 according to the present embodiment in the case of coping with a donation business such as "fund collection" will be described in detail with reference to FIG. However, until the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the “payment screen”, it is the same as the above-described case, and therefore, only the processing after the “payment screen” will be described here.
[0027]
For example, when the user selects the cash method as the settlement method of the billed amount and deposits cash into the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays a "payment screen" (step 101, Hereinafter, the step is abbreviated as S). At this time, the LCD / touch panel 12 also displays a “confirm” key and a “cancel” key for inputting approval / disapproval of the “payment screen”.
[0028]
Here, when the “cancel” key is pressed by the user, the control unit 20 determines that the contents displayed on the “payment screen” have not been approved by the user and that the electronic commerce has not been established, Return.
[0029]
On the other hand, when the “confirm” key is pressed by the user, the donation amount output unit 21 calculates the donation amount based on the content displayed on the “payment screen”. The donation amount is, for example, an amount to be dispensed by the coin depositing and dispensing machine 14 among change amounts displayed on the “settlement screen”, that is, the last three digits of the change amount. The calculation of the donation amount is performed by the donation amount output unit 21 performing a predetermined calculation. Therefore, the donation amount may be set to be only the lower two digits (or the lower one digit) of the change amount.
[0030]
After calculating the donation amount, the donation amount output unit 21 causes the LCD / touch panel 12 to display the calculated donation amount and an approval key for instructing whether or not to make a donation. As a result, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the donation amount and the corresponding "Yes" key and "No" key as a "donation screen" (S102).
[0031]
At this time, if the user presses the “Yes” key on the “donation screen”, the withdrawal control unit 22 determines that the donation of the donation amount displayed on the LCD / touch panel 12 has been approved, and Is deducted from the amount of change to be dispensed, and the amount after the deduction is dispensed to the banknote depositing / dispensing machine 13. Accordingly, in the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13, for example, if the change amount is “$ 4041” and the donation amount is “$ 41”, only “$ 4000” obtained by subtracting the donation amount from the change amount is used. Will be withdrawn.
[0032]
Thereafter, the control unit 20 causes the receipt printer 16 to output the receipt, assuming that the electronic commerce has been established, and further causes the LCD / touch panel 12 to display an “end screen”. As a result, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the “end screen”, and notifies the user that the electronic commerce has ended and that the donation of the donation has been received to the user by the “end screen”. (S103).
[0033]
However, if the user presses the “No” key on the “donation screen”, the withdrawal control unit 22 determines that the donation of the donation amount displayed on the LCD / touch panel 12 has not been approved and Do not deduct forehead. That is, as in the normal case, after the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13 and the coin pay-in / pay-out device 14 have paid out a change (for example, “$ 4041”), the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the “end screen”. Then, the electronic commerce ends (S104).
[0034]
As described above, in the electronic commerce terminal device 10 of the present embodiment, a donation is collected from the coin depositing and dispensing machine 14 for money to be dispensed as change, and when the donation is approved by the user, the dispensing is made. The change is paid out after subtracting the amount of money from the money to be donated, and the money of the amount of money related to the donation is stored in the device. Therefore, in the e-commerce terminal device 10, even if it is necessary to refund a coin (return of change) with respect to a deposit made by a user in a bill at the time of settlement of an e-commerce transaction, the coin is withdrawn. If the amount of money to be donated is the amount of donation, it is possible to prevent shortage of coins in the device, and as a result, it is possible to respond to donation work with the amount of money held in the device. Become.
[0035]
In other words, if this electronic commerce terminal device 10 is used, it is possible to prevent a shortage of coins in the device, and as a result, electronic commerce requiring change is not prevented. In addition, since it is not necessary to replenish coins in the apparatus frequently, the time required for coin replenishment can be reduced and the normal operation time of the apparatus can be increased as compared with the conventional case. And the operating efficiency of the electronic commerce terminal device 10 itself does not decrease.
[0036]
Furthermore, if this electronic commerce terminal device 10 is used, it is possible to respond to donation business by the amount held in the device, so that e-commerce using an online terminal is introduced in a wider range of business than before. As a result, it becomes very convenient for the provider of the electronic commerce service and the user of the service.
[0037]
[Second embodiment]
Next, an electronic commerce terminal device according to the second aspect of the invention will be described. However, here, only the differences from the above-described first embodiment will be described.
[0038]
As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic commerce terminal device of the present embodiment has a control unit 20a provided with a donation amount setting means 23 in addition to the case of the first embodiment.
The donation amount setting means 23 is for allowing the user to arbitrarily set the donation amount displayed on the LCD / touch panel 12 by the donation amount output means 21 from the LCD / touch panel 12. The presence of the donation amount setting means 23 causes the donation amount output means 21 not to calculate the donation amount from the display contents of the “settlement screen” but to use the amount set from the LCD / touch panel 12. ing. The donation amount setting means 23 is also realized by executing a predetermined program in the control unit 20a.
[0039]
Here, a processing operation example in the electronic commerce terminal device 10a configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. However, also here, only the processing corresponding to the donation work such as “donation” after the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the “payment screen” will be described.
[0040]
For example, when the user selects the cash method as the settlement method of the billed amount and deposits cash into the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays a "payment screen" (S201). Here, when the "cancel" key is pressed by the user, the control unit 20a returns to the pre-processing as in the case of the first embodiment.
[0041]
On the other hand, when the “confirmation” key is pressed by the user, first, in the control unit 20 a, the donation amount output unit 21 displays an “inquiry screen” for inquiring whether to make a donation on the LCD / touch panel 12. Let it. As a result, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays a message such as "Do you want to raise money?" And a "Yes" key and a "No" key for inputting an answer to the message (S202).
[0042]
When the user presses the “Yes” key on the “inquiry screen”, subsequently, the donation amount setting means 23 displays the “donation amount input screen” for inputting the donation amount on the LCD / touch panel 12. , And the user is allowed to arbitrarily set the donation amount by using the "donation amount input screen" (S203). This setting may be performed by having the user input a desired amount using a ten-key (not shown) or the like.
[0043]
Then, when the setting of the donation amount is performed, the donation amount output unit 21 causes the LCD / touch panel 12 to display the setting result. As a result, the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the set donation amount and the change amount after deducting the donation amount as a “donation screen” (S204). For example, if the change amount is “$ 4041” and the donation amount for the change amount is “$ 141”, the LCD / touch panel 12 indicates that the change amount is “$ 141” and the change amount is “$ 141”. 3900 ". The LCD / touch panel 12 also displays a “confirm” key and a “cancel” key for inputting approval / disapproval of the setting result. Therefore, at this time, if the user does not approve the displayed setting result and presses the “cancel” key, the donation amount setting means 23 displays the “collection amount input screen” again and prompts the user. Set a new donation amount.
[0044]
Thereafter, when approval of the result of setting the donation amount is obtained by pressing the “confirmation” key, the withdrawal control means 22 uses the amount of the change after subtracting the donation amount to the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13 and coin deposit / dispense. The means 14 is dispensed. Thus, in the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13 and the coin receiving / paying means 14, for example, if the change amount is "$ 4041" and the donation amount is "$ 141", the change amount is subtracted from the change amount. Only $ 3900 will be dispensed. Then, the control unit 20a displays an “end screen” on the LCD / touch panel 12 and ends the electronic commerce (S205).
[0045]
However, when the user presses the “No” key on the “inquiry screen” displayed on the LCD / touch panel 12 to the user, the donation amount output unit 21, the withdrawal control unit 22, and the collection amount setting unit 23 does not perform the processing necessary for deducting the donation amount, assuming that the donation of the donation amount has not been approved. That is, as in the normal case, after the banknote pay-in / pay-out device 13 and the coin pay-in / pay-out device 14 have paid out a change (for example, “$ 4041”), the LCD / touch panel 12 displays the “end screen”. Then, the electronic commerce ends (S206).
[0046]
As described above, in the electronic commerce terminal device 10a according to the present embodiment, as in the case of the first embodiment, even if it is necessary to perform a refund with a coin at the time of settlement of the electronic commerce, donation to the coin is provided. , It is possible to simultaneously prevent the shortage of coins and cope with donation operations such as "fund-raising".
In addition, in the e-commerce terminal device 10a, the user can arbitrarily set a donation amount, so that the user can raise a donation at a desired donation amount, and the user can make a semi-compulsory coin. There is an advantage that it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable with the collection.
[0047]
In the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the user selects the payment by cash has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the payment by credit card is not limited to this. It is possible to apply even when performing. In this case, it is not possible to obtain the advantage of preventing the shortage of coins and to save the user from having to receive change coins.However, it is possible to respond to a wide range of operations such as donation operations such as `` fund donation ''. There are benefits that are not available. In particular, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to arbitrarily set the donation amount while respecting the user's intention, so that even in the case of credit card settlement, the user can voluntarily and freely donate. Can be easily used by the user.
[0048]
Also, in the first and second embodiments described above, the case where the present invention is applied to an electronic commerce terminal device used for online shopping is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be applied to depositing and withdrawing operations at financial institutions, automatic ticketing operations such as air tickets, check-in / check-out operations at hotels and golf courses, and all other operations.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the electronic commerce terminal device of the present invention raises a donation for money to be withdrawn from the depositing and withdrawing means, and when the donation is approved by the user, the money to be withdrawn is converted to a donation. Withdrawal is made by subtracting such amount. Therefore, in this e-commerce terminal device, even if it is necessary to refund with coins at the time of settlement of e-commerce, if the refund amount is the amount of donation, it is possible to prevent shortage of coins in the device beforehand. Yes, and as a result, e-commerce requiring change is not prevented. In addition, since the time required for coin replenishment can be reduced and the normal operation time of the apparatus can be increased, the labor for maintenance personnel and the like and the operation efficiency of the apparatus itself decrease. Nor. In addition, it is possible to respond to donation business with the money of the donation deducted at the time of withdrawal, and it is possible to introduce electronic commerce using online terminals in a wider range of business than before It becomes.
In other words, if this e-commerce terminal device is used, even if it is necessary to refund with coins during the settlement of e-commerce, by collecting donations, it is possible to prevent the shortage of coins and respond to donation business Can be realized at the same time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic commerce terminal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a transition of a display screen in a case where the electronic commerce terminal device of the first embodiment supports a donation business.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of an electronic commerce terminal device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a transition of a display screen in a case where the electronic commerce terminal device according to the second embodiment corresponds to a donation business.
FIG. 5 is a system configuration diagram illustrating an outline of an example of an electronic commerce system.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Modem
12 LCD / touch panel
13 Banknote depositing / dispensing machine
14 coin receiving and dispensing machine
15 Card reader / writer
20 control unit
21 Donation amount output means
22 Withdrawal control means
23 Amount setting method

Claims (2)

Connection means for connecting to a computer for managing electronic commerce via a communication line, information input / output means for inputting / outputting information necessary for the electronic commerce operated by a user who is provided with an electronic commerce service , And a deposit / withdrawal unit for making and receiving money with the computer. In accordance with the information input by the information input / output unit, electronic commerce is performed with the computer. An electronic commerce terminal device for performing money to be paid,
When it is necessary to make a withdrawal by the depositing and dispensing means, the amount of money to be withdrawn and an approval key for instructing whether or not to make a donation are output to the information input / output means. Means to output the donation amount to be
When there is an approval for the donation of the amount output by the donation amount output unit with the approval key, the amount related to the donation is subtracted from the amount to be withdrawn, and the amount after the subtraction is used as the deposit and withdrawal unit. and a dispensing control means for dispensing a,
The electronic commerce terminal device, wherein the donation amount output means sets a fraction of the amount to be withdrawn as the amount for which the donation is to be raised . 2. The electronic commerce terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising: a donation amount setting unit configured to arbitrarily set, from the information input / output unit, an amount of a donation to be raised by the donation amount output unit.

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