JP4445686B2 - Balance management method, balance management program and distributed charge processing system in distributed charge processing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for managing the balance of each user in a distributed billing processing system that uses a plurality of distributed servers and at least one management server to distribute and process billing for a large number of users, a balance management program, and a distributed billing process About the system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
The number of users who use electronic money is increasing by shopping on the Internet. Processing billing using electronic money for a large number of users with a single server is a reduction in processing speed due to the load being concentrated on a single server, and the spillover range of effects when a failure occurs on a server There is a problem with this point as well, and it is realistic to distribute the charging process for many users by a plurality of servers (hereinafter referred to as distributed servers).
[0003]
An example of a distributed billing system that performs billing using a single management server (sometimes referred to as a home server) and a plurality of distributed servers for transactions by a large number of users executed over a network is as follows. This is described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-76332. In this distributed billing processing system, a part of the balance of the money paid in advance by each user is transferred in advance from the management server to each distributed server. In any distributed server, when the billing process for any user is executed, if the balance of the user in the distributed server is greater than the amount required for the billing process, the balance of the user in the distributed server The billing process is executed by using the distributed server, and the billing process is executed by the distributed server without communicating with the management server.
[0004]
However, if the balance of the user in the distributed server is insufficient than the amount necessary for the billing process, the distribution server requests the management server to transfer the insufficient amount. The insufficient balance requested from the balance of the user in the management server is transferred from the management server to the requesting server. If the balance of the user in the management server is insufficient for the requested shortage, the management server collects the balance of the user from another distributed server other than the requesting distributed server, and uses the collected balance The remaining balance requested by using the money is transferred from the management server to the requesting server.
[0005]
In JP 2000-76332 A, the user collected by the management server from another distributed server other than the requesting distributed server in order to reduce the number of remittances between the distributed server and the management server. It is proposed that the amount of the remaining balance be larger than the shortage. Typically, half of the remaining balance of the user in the other distributed server is transferred to the management server.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the distributed billing processing system described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-76332, when it is determined that the balance of the user is insufficient at the time when the billing process is performed on the user in each distributed server, Then, the management server requests remittance of the shortage amount, and the management server remits the shortage amount to the distributed server after receiving the request. When the load on the management server is heavy, it may take time for the management server to process this request. Alternatively, the network may be congested, and communication between the management server and the distributed server may take time. In this way, it takes time until the management server receives a deficient amount remittance request from the distributed server and remits the deficient amount to the distributed server. During this time, the user waits for the completion of the billing process, and the processing capacity of the distributed server also decreases.
[0007]
Examining the actual condition of shopping, in addition to the usage mode of purchasing expensive items very rarely, there is also the use of purchasing small items almost every day or at a frequency close to it. For example, it is a case of purchasing goods such as daily foods, books, accessories such as those placed in a store or a convenience store. For users who purchase items like the latter, if there is a shortage of balance for each purchase and a request for remittance of the balance from the distributed server to the management server is made, the frequency at which the user will be in a state of waiting for completion of billing processing Get higher.
[0008]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to cause a shortage of user's balance when executing a charging process for any user by any of the distributed servers in a distributed management system including at least one management server and a plurality of distributed servers. This is to reduce the frequency and to prevent an increase in billing processing time due to a shortage remittance required when a shortage occurs.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a balance management method according to the present invention has a plurality of distributed servers and at least one management server, manages the balance of money paid in advance by a user, and the user can use a product or service. This is a balance management method in a distributed billing processing system that processes billing for the user according to the purchase amount when the user is purchased.
[0010]
More specifically, the distributed billing processing system transfers a part of the balance of the money paid in advance by each user from the management server to each distributed server in advance, and in any distributed server, for any user When executing the billing process, if the balance of the user in the distributed server is greater than the amount required for the billing process, the billing process is executed using the balance of the user in the distributed server, and the distribution If the balance of the user in the server is less than the amount necessary for the billing process, the distribution server requests the management server to transfer the shortage, and the request is made from the balance of the user in the management server. Remittance of the shortage amount that has been made to the requesting server from the management server, or the remaining balance for the user in the management server When the requested shortage amount is insufficient, at least the remaining amount of the remaining amount is collected by the management server from other distributed servers other than the requesting distributed server, and the requested amount is used using the collected remaining amount. This is a distributed billing system that remits the remaining balance from the management server to the requesting server.
[0011]
In the balance management method according to the present invention, the management server periodically checks whether the balance of each user in each distributed server has reached a replenishment reference amount predetermined for each user, As a result, when it becomes clear that the balance in any distributed server of any user is insufficient from the replenishment reference amount, the shortage from the replenishment reference amount among the remaining amount of the user in the management server Is added to the balance of the user in the distributed server.
[0012]
Thereby, when the balance of any user in any of the distributed servers does not reach the replenishment reference amount determined in advance for the user, the balance of the user is supplemented in advance from the management server to the distribution server. Therefore, when the user makes a purchase later, if the charge associated with the purchase is equal to or greater than the replenishment reference amount, there will be no shortage of the balance at the distributed server, so remittance of the shortage from the distributed server to the management server No request is issued, and the accounting process for the user can be quickly executed by the distributed server.
[0013]
Specifically, the inspection is performed at a time or a time zone that satisfies a predetermined condition every day. The time or time zone is, for example, a fixed time zone in the middle of the night when the use of the user is reduced and the load on the distributed server and the management server is greatly reduced. Alternatively, the above inspection may be performed when it is detected that the load on the distributed server and the management server is smaller than a predetermined load limit value. Further, the replenishment reference amount determined for each user is determined depending on the amount of the balance paid in advance by the user. For example, the replenishment reference amount for each user may be determined in proportion to the amount of money paid by each user in advance. The inspection is preferably executed by the management server. However, it may be desirable for the inspection to be executed in a distributed manner by the plurality of distributed servers.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of a distributed billing processing system, a balance management method, and a balance management program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of one embodiment of a distributed billing processing system according to the present invention. The distributed charging processing system includes a plurality of distributed servers 130 and 140 for charging each user, and at least one management server 101 for managing the supply of each user's balance to these distributed servers. Have. This system manages the remaining amount of money that the user has paid in advance (hereinafter sometimes referred to as prepaid money), and charges the user when the user purchases goods or services according to the purchase amount To process.
[0016]
Although only two distributed servers are shown in the figure, the number of distributed servers used is not particularly limited. The balance managed by the present distributed billing processing system may be managed in the form of electronic money, or only the amount of the balance may be managed without using electronic money.
[0017]
The shopping subject to billing can be executed in various forms. The terminal 151 or 152 may be a personal computer (PC) that accesses the market on the Internet or a special terminal that can input a card. In any case, it is assumed that the access to the distributed server 130 or 140 from the terminal 151 or 152 is performed via the load balancer 150. Hereinafter, examples of various execution modes of shopping will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
[0018]
In the figure, the symbols or symbols mean the following. 150 is the load balancer 150 in FIG. 1, and 151 is the terminal 151 in FIG. ST is a terminal operated by a store clerk, PT is a terminal operated by a purchaser, and PC is a personal computer in the home. A double-headed arrow (← →) indicates product reference / selection, and a one-way arrow (→) indicates the settlement of the purchased product. In FIG. 2, the load distribution apparatus 150 is actually connected with the plurality of distribution servers 130 and 140 and the management server 101 shown in FIG. 1 via the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, and other networks. In FIG. 2, these servers are not shown for simplicity. The terminals 150 and 151 and the load balancer 150 are connected via the Internet, an intranet, a LAN, or other appropriate network, but the network is not particularly shown in the figure. The same applies to the network connecting the load balancer 150, the plurality of distributed servers 130 and 140, and the management server 101.
[0019]
In the first example, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), a purchase is made by a purchaser at a real store selling goods such as books, daily foods, small items placed in a store or a convenience store. This is a case where the in-store terminal ST used for the checkout of the merchandise is the terminal 151 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as terminal # 1) or the terminal 152 (sometimes referred to as terminal # 2). In this case, the store clerk operates the terminal 151.
[0020]
In the second example, as shown in FIG. 5B or FIG. 5C, the purchaser selects a product to be purchased by operating the terminal 151, and the purchaser himself selects the product to be purchased from these products. This is a case where the terminal 151 is operated to settle the payment. In this case, the terminal 151 may be in an actual store where a store clerk is present, or may be an unmanned store where only the terminal 151 is installed. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, the terminal of the product to be presented to the buyer may be the terminal 151 (local holding), and as shown in FIG. 5C, the server G different from the terminal 151 is used. The terminal 151 may obtain the product held by (remotely owned) from the apparatus via the network and present it to the purchaser.
[0021]
A third example is a case where a purchaser performs online shopping using a home personal computer (PC) as shown in FIGS. A product to be purchased is selected by referring to the product presented by the purchaser's operation of the PC, and the purchaser operates the PC to check out the product to be purchased from these products. The PC is directly or indirectly connected to the server L which is the load balancer 150 by the purchaser's checkout operation. In this case, the PC is the terminal 151 in FIGS. 4D and 4E, and the server V is the terminal 151 in FIGS. Further, there may be one server adjacent to the PC as shown in FIGS. 4D and 4F, and there may be a plurality of adjacent servers as shown in FIGS. Good.
[0022]
Note that the product or service may be received by the user on the spot, or may be received at another time or another place. If necessary, information (user ID) for specifying the purchased user is input at the time of purchase. The user ID may be stored in a card separately prepared for each user, and the user ID may be input using this card.
[0023]
When executing the charging process for the purchase from the terminal # 1 and the terminal # 2, one of the distributed servers 130 and 140 is selected by the load balancer 150, and the charging process is executed by the selected distributed server. The load balancer 150 distributes billing processing for a large number of users by a plurality of distributed servers. The selection of the distributed server that should execute the charging process for each user may be made to sequentially select a plurality of distributed servers in accordance with a predetermined order for each opportunity to execute the charging process. Another method, for example, a distributed server to be charged can be selected based on the user ID of the user who should execute the charging process.
[0024]
FIG. 3 shows main programs and related data incorporated in the management server 101. In the management server 101, an individual user setting program 105, an overall billing amount control program 107, and a distributed server supplement program 111 are executed. More specifically, the total charge amount control process 106 executes the total charge amount control program 107, and there is one for the management server 101. On the management server 101, the user individual setting process 104 exists corresponding to each user, and executes the user individual setting program 105 for the corresponding user. The distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 or the distributed server # 2 replenishment process 120 exists corresponding to the distributed server 130 or 140, respectively, and executes the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121 for the corresponding distributed server.
[0025]
The management server 101 is provided with a total billing amount table 108 for use in managing balances for each user in the management server 101. Further, as a table for managing the balance for each user in each distributed server 130 or 140, a distributed server # 1-compatible balance table 112 or a distributed server # 2-compatible balance table 122 is further provided. Further, a control parameter table 103 is provided for controlling the operation of the management 101.
[0026]
FIG. 4 shows an example of data related to main programs incorporated in the plurality of distributed servers 130 and 140. On the distributed server 130 or 140, one distributed server charge amount control process 131 or 141 is executed on the distributed server 130 or 140. The distributed server charge amount control process 131 or 141 executes the distributed server charge amount control program 132 or 142, respectively. Each distributed server 130 or 140 is provided with a distributed server balance table 133 or 143 in order to manage the balance for each user in the distributed server.
[0027]
The money paid in advance by each user is distributed and set as the balance of the user to the management server 101 and each of the distributed servers 130 and 140 by the overall billing amount control process 106 of the management server 101. That is, the total billing amount control process 106 divides the amount of the user into the balance for the management server 101 and the balance for each distributed server 130 or 140 according to a predetermined standard, and each balance is divided into the management server 101, each Set in the distributed server 130 or 140. A method for determining the balance to be set in the management server or the distributed server will be described later. Setting of the balance for each user in each distributed server 130 or 140 is executed by the total charge amount control process 106 by communicating with the distributed server charge amount control process 131 or 141 in each distributed server 130 or 140.
[0028]
When it is found that the balance of the user in the distributed server 130 or 140 is insufficient when the charge for the product or service purchased by any user is processed in any of the distributed servers 130 or 140 Requests the user individual setting process 104 in the management server 101 from the distributed server billing amount control process 131 or 141 in the distributed server 130 or 140.
[0029]
The user individual setting process 104 requests the total charge amount control process 106 to supplement the requested shortage. The total charge amount control process 106 uses a part of the balance of the user registered in the total charge amount table to supplement the requested shortage amount. In this way, whenever the balance of the user is insufficient compared to the amount to be charged in any of the distributed servers, the distributed server requests the management server 101 to replenish the distributed server with the insufficient amount each time.
[0030]
Note that when the management server 101 replenishes the shortage amount in the charging process associated with such purchase, there may be a case where the balance of the user in the management server 101 is insufficient. In such a case, the total charge amount control process 106 of the management server 101 communicates with another distributed server, for example, the distributed server charge amount control process 141 of 140, and the balance of the same user in the other distributed server 140 The deficiency is collected from the server and replenished to the requesting distributed server.
[0031]
The distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 or the distributed server # 2 replenishment in the management server 101 is prevented so that the remaining amount necessary for charging when the user purchases a product or service does not occur as much as possible. The process 120 periodically checks whether the balance of each user at the corresponding distributed server 130 or 140 is less than a predetermined replenishment reference amount.
[0032]
This inspection is performed at a predetermined condition every day, for example, at night when the processing load on the distributed server is small. As a result of this inspection, if it is found that any user's balance is less than the above replenishment reference amount in any distributed server, the distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 or distributed server corresponding to that distributed server 130 or 140 The # 2 replenishment process 120 replenishes the balance of the user of the distributed server 130 or 140 from the management server 101 to the replenishment reference amount in advance at that time.
[0033]
As a result, when the user makes a purchase, if the billing amount is smaller than the replenishment reference amount, the billing process is executed and no shortage occurs. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of times that the balance server lacks the balance. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of transfers of the balance between the distributed server and the management server, which is necessary when there is a shortage of balance, and to reduce the time required for billing processing at the distributed server.
[0034]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing examples of various data used in the system of FIG. FIG. 4A shows an example of the total billing amount table 108. Corresponding to each user, the total billing amount table 108 stores the identification information (user ID) 108A of the user, the balance 108B in the management server 101 of the user, the replenishment reference amount 108C, the exclusion flag 108D, and the like. . As described above, the replenishment reference amount 108C indicates the amount to be replenished to each distributed server as the balance of the user. For the sake of convenience, such replenishment performed before the shortage of the balance is referred to as advance replenishment. The amount of advance replenishment can also be determined for each user. The exclusive flag 108D will be described later.
[0035]
FIG. 4B shows an example of the balance table 112 corresponding to the distributed server # 1 stored in the management server 101 corresponding to the distributed server 130. The balance table 122 corresponding to the distributed server # 2 also has the same structure. As shown in the figure, the distributed server # 1-corresponding balance table 112 stores the user ID 112A of each user and the distributed server corresponding to the user, in this example, the balance 112B and the increase 112C in 130. The increment 112C will be described later.
[0036]
FIG. 5C shows an example of the distributed server balance table 133 stored in the distributed server 130. The distributed server balance table 143 also has the same structure. As shown in the figure, in the distributed server balance table 133, the user ID 133A of each user and the balance 133B of the user in the distribution server 130 are stored.
[0037]
FIG. 5D shows an example of the control parameter table 103. In the time condition 103A, a condition relating to a time or a time zone when each server is pre-supplemented up to the reference replenishment amount is stored in advance. For example, a predetermined time at night is stored. Advance replenishment may be performed multiple times a day. In that case, a plurality of times are designated in the time condition 103A. Alternatively, one time and an elapsed time from that time may be designated.
[0038]
The load condition 103B stores a limit value of a processing load that may perform pre-replenishment processing on the distributed server. When the processing load of the distributed server is larger than the limit value, it is presumed that the distributed server is performing the charging process, and the pre-replenishment process ends the charging process so that this charging process is not delayed. It is desirable to execute the processing when the processing load becomes smaller.
[0039]
The replenishment reference amount determination data 103C stores data for determining a replenishment reference amount that is replenished in advance replenishment. The replenishment reference amount can be determined by various methods. In the present embodiment, the user pays a predetermined amount of money for shopping before shopping, and this money is used by the management server 101 as the balance of the user.
[0040]
The replenishment reference amount regarding the balance of the user can be changed according to the amount paid in advance by the user. For example, the replenishment reference amount determination data 103C includes an amount 103C1 and a reference usage date 103C2. The amount of prepaid money P1, P2, P3, etc. that can be used is stored in the amount 103C1. The reference usage days 103C2 store reference usage days N1, N2, N3, etc., which are determined in advance corresponding to the respective amounts.
[0041]
When such data is used, when the amount of prepaid money is P1, P2, or P3, the average daily usage amount is P1 / N1, P2 / N2, or P3 / N3, respectively. For example, P1, P2, and P3 may be 20,000 yen, 60,000 yen, and 150,000 yen, respectively, and N1, N2, and N3 may be 20, 20, and 30, respectively. In this example, P1 / N1 = 1000 yen, P2 / N2 = 3000 yen, and P3 / N3 = 5000 yen. These amounts are used as replenishment reference amounts for prepaid money of amounts P1, P2, and P3, respectively.
[0042]
The user decides the total amount of money that can be used in a month in consideration of his average daily usage amount, gives the daily usage amount or a supplementary reference amount close to it, Can be paid in advance at a frequency of about once a month. For example, if you spend an average of 1000 yen a day and shop for about 20 days in a month, the amount P is 1000 yen x 20 = 20,000 yen, and the standard number of days N is close to 20 days. Pay the money you have in advance. In the above example, prepaid money of P1 = 20,000 yen and N1 = 20 may be paid in advance. Of course, when there is a shortage of remaining money as a result of shopping, it is necessary to pay new prepaid money.
[0043]
As in P1 and P2 in the above example, it is desirable to be able to purchase prepaid money that has the same amount of money P1 and P2 but that has a different value of the standard use days. As described above, when a plurality of reference usage days corresponding to the same amount are available, the user needs to directly or indirectly specify the value of the reference usage days when paying the amount in advance. Of course, only one value may be prepared for the standard usage days N, and some values may be used as the amount P. Alternatively, the user can specify the amount P and the reference number of days N without determining a combination of the amount P and the reference number of days N in advance.
[0044]
Each user transfers a desired amount of money to the management server 101 in advance before using the product or service processed by the billing processing system. The transfer is performed, for example, from the bank where the user account is located via the network. In the present invention, the money transferred in advance by the user in this way is used for the subsequent billing process. The method of money transfer may be other methods, and the form of the money transferred is not particularly limited. It may be a transfer as electronic money.
[0045]
In the management server 101, the following processing is executed by an initial setting program not shown in FIG. First, when the user uses the system for the first time, an entry for the user is secured in the total charge table 108, and initial data is set in the entry. Specifically, in FIG. 5A, the user ID assigned to the user is stored in the user ID area 108A in the secured entry, the amount transferred to the balance 108B is stored, and the replenishment reference amount 108C is stored. Stores the replenishment reference amount determined according to the transfer amount.
[0046]
The replenishment reference amount is, as already described with respect to the replenishment reference amount determination data 103C in the control parameter table 103, when the transferred amount is any amount registered in the replenishment reference amount determination data, for example, P1, The reference number of days stored corresponding to the amount of money, for example the ratio P1 / N1 with N1, becomes the replenishment reference amount. When there are a plurality of amounts that are the same as the transferred amounts in the replenishment reference amount determination data 103, the user can select any amount 103C1 and the reference usage days so that the management server 101 can determine the replenishment reference amount. It is necessary to specify at the time of transfer whether to use the pair with 103C2.
[0047]
The initial setting program instructs each distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 or distributed server # 2 replenishment process 120 in the management server 101 to correspond to the corresponding distributed server # 1 remaining balance table 112 or distributed server # 2. An entry for the user is secured in the balance table 122. The user ID 112A is stored in the secured entry, for example, the entry secured in the distributed server # 1-compatible balance table 112 shown in FIG. The remaining amount 112B and the increment 112C of the entry remain 0.
[0048]
Similarly, the initial setting program instructs the distributed server charge amount control process 131 or 141 in each distributed server 130 or 140 to secure an entry for the user in the distributed server balance table 133 or 143. Let The user ID 133A is stored in the secured entry, for example, the distributed server balance table 133 shown in FIG. The balance 133B remains 0, and the update flag 133C remains reset.
[0049]
Thus, the initial setting is completed. If the user is already using this billing processing system, the entry for the user already exists in the total billing amount table 108, so the amount transferred is the above in the total billing amount table 108. It is added to the user's balance 108B. The replenishment reference amount 108C is newly set based on the newly transferred amount as described above. The distributed server # 1-compatible balance table 112 or the distributed server # 2-compatible balance table 122 in the management server 101 and the distributed server balance table 133 or 143 in each distributed server 130 or 140 are not changed.
[0050]
The amount transferred by the user is used as follows. Billing for purchases made by any user is processed by any of the distributed servers selected by the load balancer 150 (FIG. 1). The balance of each user in each distributed server is replenished in two ways. Each distributed server is replenished in advance without waiting for each user to shop so that there is a balance of the replenishment reference amount for any user. If a billing process is required because a user has made a purchase, and the billing amount is less than or equal to the replenishment reference amount, the distributed server that processes the billing uses the remaining amount of the user in the distributed server for billing Processing can be executed.
[0051]
Another method of replenishing the balance of each user in each distributed server is a billing process of replenishing an insufficient amount from the management server 101 when the balance is larger than the balance of the user in the distributed server that performs billing at the time of billing processing. It is a replenishment of time.
[0052]
First, pre-replenishment will be described. The advance replenishment is executed by the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121 in the management server 101. In accordance with the time condition 103A stored in the control parameter table 103, the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121 corresponding to each distributed server 130 or 140 causes the distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 or the distributed server # 2 by a startup program (not shown). It is started as a replenishment process 120. When the time condition 103A defines one activation time, the distributed server supplement program 111 or 121 is activated once a day. This activation time is generally set so as to belong to a time zone in which the processing load on the distributed server is small. However, when 103A designates an activation time interval, activation is performed a plurality of times a day according to the time interval.
[0053]
FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of the distributed server supplement program 111. The processing of the distributed server supplement program 121 is the same. The distributed server supplement program 111 or 121 is started corresponding to each distributed server 130 or 140. In the following, it is assumed that the distributed server supplement program 111 has been started in correspondence with the distributed server 130.
[0054]
When the distributed server supplement program 111 is activated, it communicates with the corresponding distributed server 130 to receive data relating to the processing load, and the processing load is a load condition 103B registered in the control parameter table 103 (FIG. 5 ( It is determined whether or not the load is equal to or less than the processing load specified in d)). If not, the process waits until such a small processing load is detected (step S301).
[0055]
When it is detected that the processing load of the corresponding distributed server 130 is such a low processing load, the distributed server charge amount control process 131 in the corresponding distributed server 130 is called, and the distribution server 130 in the distributed server 130 The balance 133B of each user registered in the balance table 133 is read, and the balance 112B of the user in the balance server # 1 balance table 112 corresponding to the distribution server 130 in the management server 101 is read (FIG. 5B). Update to match the remaining balance (step S302).
[0056]
In this way, the balances are combined for all users. The same applies to the balance of the balance table 122 corresponding to the distributed server # 2 in the management server 101 and the balance table 143 in the distributed server 140 in the distributed server 140 corresponding to the other distributed servers 140.
[0057]
After the balance 112B in the balance table 112 corresponding to the distributed server # 1 is updated, the balance 112B of any user stored in the table 112, that is, the balance of the user in the distributed server 130 corresponding to the table Is less than the replenishment reference amount of the user. The replenishment reference amount for each user is stored in an area 108 </ b> C provided in the entry corresponding to the user in the total charge amount table 108.
[0058]
If any user's balance in the distribution server 130 is less than the replenishment reference amount set for the user, the user's entry in the total charge table 108 is locked (step S303). The lock is executed by writing a bit indicating the lock in the exclusive flag 108D included in the entry of the user in the total charge amount table 108.
[0059]
Thereafter, the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121 replenishes the overall billing amount control process 106 with the shortage for the user, that is, the balance corresponding to the difference between the replenishment reference amount and the corresponding balance in the distributed server. A request is made (step S304). The total charge amount control process 106 determines whether or not the requested shortage can be replenished from the balance 108B (FIG. 5A) in the total charge amount table 108 of the user by the total charge amount control program 107.
[0060]
In the case where the requested remaining balance can be replenished, the remaining balance corresponding to the distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 executing the requesting distributed server replenishment program 111 is replenished with the remaining surplus. It moves by adding it to the remaining amount 112B of the user. The amount of money moved is stored as an increase 112C. In this way, the balance of the distributed server 130 is increased on the management server 101 for the user whose balance on the distributed server is insufficient.
[0061]
In some cases, the balance 108B of the user in the total billing amount table 108 may be smaller than the replenishment reference amount. In this case, since it cannot be replenished in advance, the total charge amount control program 107 notifies the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121 of the replenishment request source that replenishment is not possible. In the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121, it is determined whether or not the shortage amount has been replenished based on the response regarding whether or not replenishment is possible by the total charge amount control program 107 (step S305). Even if replenishment is not possible, this is ignored and no special action is taken (step S306).
[0062]
Thereafter, the distributed server supplement program 111 or 121 calls the distributed server charge amount control process 131 on the corresponding distributed server 130, and uses the increased amount 112 C in the remaining balance table 112 corresponding to the distributed server # 1 as the distributed server in the distributed server 130. In addition to the balance 133B of the same user registered in the internal balance table 133, this balance is increased to the replenishment reference amount (step S307). After the increase, the increase 112C is reset to zero. If the user cannot be replenished, the increase 112C in the balance table # 1 corresponding to the distributed server # 1 is 0, and in this case, replenishment is not performed.
[0063]
Thereafter, the exclusion flag 108D for the user in the total billing amount table 108 is reset, and the lock on the balance 108B of the user is released (step S308). Thereafter, it is determined whether or not advance replenishment has been performed for all users (step S309). If not, another user is selected (step S310), and the above processing is repeated. In this way, the balance of all users for one distributed server is replenished in advance to the replenishment reference amount.
[0064]
The same process is executed in the same manner for the other distributed servers. For example, with respect to the distributed server 140, advance replenishment is executed by the distributed server # 2 replenishment process 120 in the management server 101 using the distributed server replenishment program 111 or 121 and the distributed server # 1 corresponding balance table 112. The balances in the balance server balance table 143 are replenished to the replenishment reference amount for all users.
[0065]
The accounting process at each distributed server when the user executes shopping is executed as follows. FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of processing executed when a user purchases a product among the processing of the distributed server billing amount control program 132. The processing of the distributed server charge amount control program 142 is the same. The charging process for the user purchase is executed by any of the distributed servers. In the distributed server, is the amount of money necessary for the purchase of the user larger than the balance of the user stored in the balance area 133B (FIG. 5C) of the balance server 133 in the balance server 133 in the balance server? It is determined whether or not (step S501). If the user's balance is greater than the purchase amount, the user's purchase is processed as a valid purchase. That is, the balance is reduced by the purchase amount (step S502), and the user is notified of “purchase possible” (step S503).
[0066]
However, as a result of the determination in step S501, when the balance of the user in the distribution server is less than the purchase amount, the user individual setting process 104 in the management server 101 is performed by the distribution server charge amount control process 131 in the distribution server 130. Is requested to increase the balance in the distributed server 130 by the shortage amount, and waits until the amount is increased (step S504).
[0067]
As will be described in more detail later, when the balance of the user in the management server 101 is greater than the shortage amount, the management server 101 replenishes the requesting distributed server with the shortage amount. When the remaining balance of the user in the management server is less than the shortage amount, the management server 101 collects the shortage amount of the user from another distributed server, for example, 140, and distributes the collected residual amount to the requesting distributed server 130. To replenish. If the remaining balance in another distributed server, for example 140, is less than the shortage amount, the management server 101 notifies the request source distributed server 130 that the shortage amount cannot be recovered.
[0068]
In the distributed server billing amount control process 131 of the request source distributed server 130, when the shortage amount is replenished from the management server 101, it is determined that the balance of the distributed server 130 is not short (step S 505). Is reduced by the purchase amount (step S502), and purchase permission is returned (step S503). However, if the shortage amount is not replenished by the management server 101, it is determined that the balance of the user of the distributed server 130 is insufficient (step S505), and a purchase impossibility is returned (step S506). Thus, the accounting process at the distributed server 130 ends.
[0069]
An outline of processing by the management server 101 when the balance on the distributed server of the user corresponding to the purchase amount described above is insufficient is as follows.
[0070]
FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of the process of the user individual setting program 105. As already described, when the user's remaining balance in the distributed server 130 is insufficient for the purchase amount in the process of executing the charging process for the user on any of the distributed servers, for example, 130, The user individual setting process 104 of the management server 101 is called from the distributed server billing amount control process 131, and replenishment of the shortage amount is requested. When receiving the replenishment request, the user individual setting process 104 processes the replenishment request according to the user individual setting program 105.
[0071]
First, in step S401, an exclusive lock is placed on the balance 108B of the user in the total charge table 108. This exclusive lock is performed in order to sequentially update the balance of the same user when there is a replenishment request of the balance for the same user from another process. The exclusive lock is performed by storing a lock bit in the exclusive flag area 108D of the user.
[0072]
In step S <b> 402, the total charge control process 106 is requested to increase the balance in the distributed server of the user by the shortage amount, and the process waits until the increase in the balance is approved by the total charge control process 106. In step S403, when the response from the total charge amount control process 106 is approval of the remaining amount increase, the distribution server charge amount control process 131 of the request source distributed server 130 is notified of the increase of the shortage amount. If the response from the total charge amount control process 106 cannot increase the remaining balance, a non-increase amount is returned to the distributed server charge amount control process 131 of the request source distributed server 130. In step S404, the lock of the balance of the user in the total charge table 108 set in step S401 is released, and the user individual setting process 104 is ended.
[0073]
FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of the total charge amount control program 107. The total billing amount control process 106 is called from the distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110, the distributed server # 2 replenishment process 120, or the user individual setting process 104 in response to a replenishment request. From the distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110 or the distributed server # 2 replenishment process 120, the balance of any of the distributed servers is requested to be replenished to the user whose balance is smaller than the replenishment reference amount. Called from the individual user setting process 104 when the purchase amount exceeds the balance of the user in the distributed server that is processing the billing. When the total charge amount control process 106 receives the balance replenishment request, it processes the replenishment request in accordance with the total charge amount control program 107.
[0074]
First, in step S801, it is determined whether or not the request amount can be extracted from the balance of the requesting user in the total charge amount table 108. If the requested amount can be extracted from the balance, in step 807, only the requested amount is returned from the user's balance in the total bill table 108 to the request source, and the total bill control process 106 ends the process. If the requested amount cannot be extracted from the balance, it is determined in step S802 whether the call is from the user individual setting process 104.
[0075]
If so, that is, if it is a replenishment request related to purchase, it is checked in step S804 whether or not the balance can be collected from other distributed servers. That is, it is determined whether or not the shortage can be collected from the balance of the user of the distributed server other than the distribution server of the request source and the balance of the user in the management server 101.
[0076]
This determination is performed as follows. The balance of the user of the management server 101 is stored as the balance 108B of the user in the total charge table 108. The remaining amount of the user in the other distributed server is added to the remaining amount of the user in the management server 101, and when the remaining amount equal to or more than the requested amount is obtained as a result of the addition, the shortage amount can be recovered. When there are a plurality of distributed servers other than the requesting distributed server, the balance of the user in each of the other distributed servers is assigned to the user in the management server 101 in the order of the distributed server with the largest balance of the user. Add to the balance.
[0077]
If it is determined in step S804 that the requested amount can be collected, in step S806, all the remaining balance of the user is collected from the other distributed server 140 (the remaining balance is set to 0), and the corresponding amount in the total charge amount table 108 is collected. Add to user's balance 108B. When there are a plurality of distributed servers from which the balance is to be collected, the above addition process is repeated for each distributed server. Thereafter, in step S807, as already described, the requested amount is supplemented to the requesting distributed server.
[0078]
On the other hand, if it is determined in step S804 that the requested amount cannot be collected, in step S805, the request source is notified of the shortage of the balance.
[0079]
In step S802, it is determined that the replenishment request is not a request from the user individual setting process 104, that is, a call from the distributed server replenishment process corresponding to any of the distributed servers, for example, the distributed server # 1 replenishment process 110. In this case, the replenishment request is not a replenishment request for the shortage amount associated with the purchase but a pre-replenishment request generated because the balance at the distributed server is less than the replenishment reference amount. In this case, since the remaining amount of the user in the total billing amount table 108 is already smaller than the shortage requested to be replenished in step S801, the shortage is collected from other distributed servers in order to realize replenishment. There is a need to. However, if the balance is collected from another distributed server in order to use the balance as the replenishment reference amount, the processing overhead in the management server 101 and other distributed servers increases. Returning to (step S803), the overall billing amount control process 106 ends the process.
[0080]
In this way, the balance of each user of each distributed server is periodically replenished so as to be the replenishment reference amount. Therefore, when the purchase amount is within the replenishment reference amount, when the distributed server executes the charging process associated with the purchase by the user, there is no shortage of the balance in the distributed server. When it becomes necessary to move the balance between the distributed server and the management server 101, the processing of the management server 101 and the processing of the distributed server increase along with the movement, which increases the accounting processing time. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the billing processing time by performing advance replenishment.
[0081]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms. For example, the shortage check for whether or not the balance at each distributed server of each user has not reached the replenishment reference value is performed for all users and all the distributed servers by the management server in the above embodiment. However, all the distributed servers can be changed to check the balance in each distributed server of each user in parallel. For this purpose, the replenishment reference value of each user may be stored in each distributed server. In such a modification, the balance shortage check is performed in a distributed manner by a plurality of distributed servers, so that the time required to complete the balance shortage check can be shortened. However, there is a possibility that replenishment requests may be generated simultaneously from a plurality of distributed servers to the management server, and the management server needs to be programmed so that it can process a plurality of such replenishment requests that occur simultaneously. For this reason, the program of the management server may be more complicated than the case where the shortage check is performed only by the management server as in the embodiment described above.
[0082]
FIG. 10 shows an example of another distributed billing processing system realized by distributing a plurality of management servers. All users are divided into two user groups, and different management servers are used corresponding to the respective user groups. User grouping can be performed by, for example, user IDs. For example, a management server 910 for user group 1 and a management server 911 for user group 2 can be used. Thereby, the load of each management server can be reduced compared with the case where the number of management servers is one. In this example, the same set of distributed servers 920 to 923 executes the charging process for any group of users. In the figure, the load balancer 150 and the terminal 151 shown in FIG. 1 are not shown for simplicity. The load balancer needs to select a management server to be processed for each user.
[0083]
FIG. 11 shows an example of still another distributed billing processing system that uses a set of distributed servers corresponding to each user group. That is, distributed servers 1020 and 1021 are used for charging processing for users belonging to user group 1, and distributed servers 1022 and 1023 are used for charging processing for users belonging to user group 2. The management server 101 is used for all users. Since different distributed server groups are used for each user group, the processing load of each distributed server can be reduced.
[0084]
Furthermore, even if the total number of distributed servers used for the same user group is reduced, the load on each distributed server can be reduced by increasing the number of user groups. If the total number of distributed servers used for the same user group is reduced, it becomes possible to increase the balance of the same user in one distributed server, which may cause a shortage of balance during billing processing. Can be reduced. In the figure, the load balancer 150 and the terminal 151 shown in FIG. 1 are not shown for simplicity. The load balancer needs to select a distributed server group to be processed for each user, for example, based on a user ID.
[0085]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when a charging process is executed on a user's purchase action on any of the distributed servers, the balance of the user at the distributed server is insufficient with respect to the purchase amount. It is possible to reduce the frequency of occurrence of the state of being. This can reduce the frequency of transferring the shortage amount from the management server to the distributed server during the billing process, thereby preventing an increase in the execution time of the billing process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a distributed billing processing system according to the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing various examples of execution forms of purchases to be charged by the distributed charging processing system according to the present invention. FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating main programs and related data incorporated in a management server.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing main programs and related data incorporated in some distributed servers.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing examples of various data used in the system of FIG. 1;
FIG. 6 is a schematic flowchart of a distributed server supplement program.
FIG. 7 is a schematic flowchart of processing executed when a user purchases a product among the processing of the distributed server billing amount control program.
FIG. 8 is a schematic flowchart of an individual user setting program.
FIG. 9 is a schematic flowchart of an overall billing amount control program.
FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a charging processing system that uses a different management server for each user group.
FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of an accounting processing system that uses different distributed server groups for each user group.

Claims (7)

It has a plurality of distributed servers and at least one management server, manages the remaining amount of money paid by the user in advance, and processes charges for the user according to the purchase amount when the user purchases goods or services A distributed charging processing system, wherein a part of the balance of money paid in advance by each user is transferred in advance from the management server to each distributed server, and charging processing for any user is executed in any of the distributed servers When the balance of the user in the distributed server is greater than the amount required for the billing process, the billing process is executed using the balance of the user in the distributed server, and If the balance is insufficient for the billing process, request the remittance amount from the distributed server to the management server. The balance of the requested shortage from the balance of the user in the management server is transferred from the management server to the requesting server, or the balance for the user in the management server is requested When the shortage amount is insufficient, the management server collects at least the remaining amount of the shortage amount from another distributed server other than the request source distributed server, and the requested shortage amount using the recovered balance amount In a distributed billing processing system that transfers the remaining amount of money from the management server to the requesting server, whether or not the balance of each user in each distributed server has reached a predetermined replenishment reference amount for each user is periodically As a result of the inspection, it is determined that the balance in any distributed server of any user is insufficient from the replenishment reference amount. The replenishment reference amount determined for each user by replenishing the shortage amount from the replenishment reference amount of the remaining amount of the user in the management server to the remaining amount of the user in the distributed server. Is determined by the management server depending on the amount paid in advance by the user recorded in the control parameter table provided in the management server and a predetermined standard usage period corresponding to each amount. How to manage the balance.   The balance management method according to claim 1, wherein the inspection is executed every day in a time zone that satisfies a predetermined condition.   The balance management method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inspection is executed by the management server.   3. The balance management method according to claim 1, wherein the inspection is executed by each distributed server.   A plurality of users are divided into a plurality of user groups, and the management server includes a plurality of management servers provided corresponding to one user group, and each management server includes a plurality of users belonging to the corresponding user group. 5. The balance management method according to claim 1, wherein the balance management method is used as a management server for managing the balance.   A plurality of users are divided into a plurality of user groups, the plurality of distributed servers are divided into a plurality of distributed server groups, and each distributed server group has a plurality of distributed servers, and the users to which the distributed server group corresponds The balance management method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the balance management method is used as a plurality of distributed servers that manage a balance of a plurality of users belonging to a group. It has a plurality of distributed servers and at least one management server, manages the remaining amount of money paid by the user in advance, and processes charges for the user according to the purchase amount when the user purchases goods or services A distributed billing processing system, wherein a part of the balance of money paid in advance by each user is transferred in advance from the management server to each distributed server, and any one of the distributed servers performs billing processing for any user Means for executing the billing process using the balance of the user in the distributed server when the balance of the user in the distributed server is greater than the amount required for the billing process when executing, and the distributed server If the balance of the user is insufficient from the amount necessary for the billing process, remittance of the shortage from the distributed server A request to the management server, and the requested balance from the user's balance in the management server is transferred from the management server to the requesting server, or to the user in the management server When the balance is insufficient for the requested shortage amount, at least the balance of the shortage amount is collected by the management server from another distributed server other than the requesting distributed server, and the collected balance is used. Means for transferring the requested remaining balance from the management server to the requesting server, and whether or not the balance of each user in each distributed server has reached a predetermined replenishment reference amount for each user. Means for periodically inspecting, and as a result of the inspection, the balance in any of the distributed servers of any user is insufficient from the replenishment reference amount When it is found out, the means for replenishing the shortage amount from the replenishment reference amount out of the balance of the user in the management server to the balance of the user in the distributed server, for each user The replenishment reference amount determined in accordance with the management server depends on the amount paid in advance by the user recorded in the control parameter table provided in the management server and the reference usage days determined in advance corresponding to the respective amounts. A distributed billing processing system characterized by being determined by a server.

Images