JP7335592B2 - Program and Server - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to programs and servers.

In recent years, mobile traffic has continued to increase explosively, and its spatio-temporal fluctuations have become remarkable. Factors for this include, for example, daytime and nighttime demographic changes from the city center to the suburbs, and the formation of hotspots due to events and the like. In order to improve service quality using conventional mobile networks, it is necessary to plan equipment according to the peak rate of each area. Ta. In addition, as the use of high frequency bands with large distance attenuation progresses, small cells with short radio wave reach from base stations are becoming more popular, and the above problems are expected to become even more serious in the future.

In addition, the amount of mobile communication data may be contracted or used differently for each user. For example, one user has left over the contracted data volume (several GB per month, etc.) with the communication carrier, while another user has used up the contracted data volume and added the communication data volume. There is such a thing as purchasing. There has never been a contract method that can finely and optimally deal with such differences in usage patterns.

For these problems, there is a method called a user-provided mobile network (mobile UPN: mobile user-provided network) (see Non-Patent Document 1). This is a method of connecting user terminals such as smartphones to each other by Wi-Fi (registered trademark, hereinafter the same) tethering or the like, and relaying mobile communication. That is, a user terminal called a host provides a UPN function such as a Wi-Fi access point. A user terminal called a client connects to the UPN provided by the host via Wi-Fi, and uses the host's mobile communication data volume to connect to the Internet. By appropriately provisioning the mobile UPN, it is possible to provision the network dynamically in response to fluctuations in mobile traffic demand.

Also, a method of buying and selling communication data volume using virtual currency has been proposed (see Non-Patent Document 2). A communication carrier purchases the surplus data amount from a user who has a surplus contract data amount using virtual currency, and a user whose contract data amount is insufficient purchases an additional data amount from the communication carrier using virtual currency. Buying and selling communication data amounts using such virtual currency is one method for enabling redistribution of communication data amounts among users.

G. Iosifidis, L. Gao, J. Huang, and L. Tassiulas. "Incentive mechanisms for user-provided networks" IEEE Communications Magazine, 52(9):20--27, 2014. DENT, "DENT Whitepaper", 2017. (https://www.dentwireless.com/whitepaper)

Regarding mobile UPN, conventional methods basically assume control from the network side, and there has been no approach to autonomous UPN based on voluntary control by each user. This is because it was difficult to promote mutual cooperation and increase the benefits of each user while leaving it to the autonomy of users when considering efficient distribution of communication data volume and energy consumption.

In addition, in the conventional method of buying and selling communication data volume using virtual currency, it was necessary for the communication carrier to mediate transactions between users. In other words, there is a problem that it is impossible to introduce the method in the first place in countries and regions where cooperation from communication carriers cannot be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to economically construct an autonomous mobile UPN through free communication data volume trading between mobile users, and as a result, In addition to increasing the benefits of each user, a program and a server are provided that can realize a mechanism that encourages efficient use of the mobile network.

(1) The present invention provides a server computer for performing a transaction in which the client terminal connects to the Internet via the host terminal in exchange for the user of the client terminal paying the user of the host terminal. a registration unit that receives, from a host terminal, information relating to a communication data volume and/or connection time permitted to be used in Internet connection via the host terminal, and registers the received information as exhibition information in association with the host terminal; a bid processing unit that transmits the product information to the client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal and receives information on a desired purchase value as bid information from the client terminal; and based on the product information and the bid information, information for transmitting authentication information for connecting to the host terminal functioning as an access point for wireless communication to the client terminal when the transaction is established; The present invention relates to a program characterized by functioning as a transmission unit and a payment processing unit that performs payment processing after connection between the host terminal and the client terminal is completed. The present invention also relates to a computer-readable information storage medium storing the program. The present invention also relates to a server including the above units.

According to the present invention, the user of the host terminal presents the permitted communication data volume and connection time to the user of the client terminal via the server as exhibition information, and the user of the client terminal bids for this. In this way, it is possible to realize a mechanism for free communication data volume transactions between users.

(2) Further, in the program, information storage medium, and server according to the present invention, the registration unit receives information on the communication data amount and/or the connection time and the desired sale value from the host terminal, and transmits the received information. The exhibition information may be registered in association with the host terminal.

According to the present invention, the user of the host terminal presents the amount of communication data permitted to be used, the connection time, and the desired selling price as exhibition information to the user of the client terminal via the server. It is possible to implement a mechanism for free communication data volume transactions between users, in which users place bids.

(3) Further, in the program, information storage medium, and server according to the present invention, the bid processing unit is located within a wireless communication range with the client terminal based on the location information of the client terminal and the host terminal. The exhibition information of the host terminal may be transmitted to the client terminal.

According to the present invention, the user of the client terminal can obtain the exhibition information of the host terminal located at a position where wireless communication is possible.

(4) Further, in the program, information storage medium, and server according to the present invention, the payment processing unit performs payment processing based on the information received from the host terminal regarding the communication status during connection with the client terminal. may

According to the present invention, settlement processing can be performed according to the communication status during connection.

(5) Further, in the program, information storage medium, and server according to the present invention, the registration unit may evaluate the communication status of the Internet connection of the host terminal and register the evaluation result in the exhibition information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide the user of the client terminal with information for selecting a host terminal.

(6) In addition, the present invention provides a server computer for performing transactions in which the client terminal connects to the Internet via the host terminal in exchange for the user of the client terminal paying the user of the host terminal, a registration unit that receives, from the client terminal, information on the amount of communication data and/or connection time desired to be used in the Internet connection via the host terminal, and registers the received information as purchase request information in association with the client terminal; a bid processing unit for transmitting said purchase wish information to said host terminal in response to a request from said host terminal and receiving information on a desired sale value as bid information from said host terminal; said purchase wish information and said bid information; and authentication information for connecting to the host terminal functioning as an access point for wireless communication when the transaction is established. and a settlement processing unit that performs settlement processing after connection between the host terminal and the client terminal is terminated. The present invention also relates to a computer-readable information storage medium storing the program. The present invention also relates to a server including the above units.

According to the present invention, the user of the client terminal presents the desired amount of communication data and connection time to the user of the host terminal via the server as purchase request information, and the user of the host terminal bids for this information. In this way, it is possible to realize a mechanism for free communication data volume transactions between users.

(7) Further, in the program, information storage medium and server according to the present invention, the registration unit receives information on the communication data amount and/or the connection time and the desired purchase value from the client terminal, and sends the received information to The purchase request information may be registered in association with the client terminal.

According to the present invention, the user of the client terminal presents the desired amount of communication data to be used, the connection time, and the desired purchase value to the user of the host terminal via the server as purchase request information. users bid, and a mechanism for free communication data volume transactions between users can be realized.

The figure which shows an example of a structure of the communication data amount transaction system containing the server which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows an example of the functional block diagram of the server which concerns on 1st Embodiment. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing an example of an operation sequence according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of server processing according to the first embodiment; The figure which shows an example of the operation sequence of 2nd Embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of server processing according to the second embodiment;

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It should be noted that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the scope of the invention described in the claims. Moreover, not all the configurations described in the present embodiment are essential constituent elements of the present invention.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication data amount trading system including a server according to the first embodiment. The communication data volume transaction system 1 includes a server 10, a host terminal 20, and a client terminal 30. FIG. The server 10 is a server for performing a transaction in which the client terminal 30 connects to the Internet 40 via the host terminal 20 in exchange for the user of the client terminal 30 paying the user of the host terminal 20 . The host terminal 20 and the server 10 , and the client terminal 30 and the server 10 are configured to be able to communicate via the Internet 40 . The host terminal 20 can communicate with a base station 50 (mobile base station) by mobile communication (mobile wireless communication such as 3G, LTE (registered trademark), 4G, 5G). , can communicate with the base station 60 by mobile communication. The host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30 are user terminals such as smartphones, and the host terminal 20 functions as an access point for wireless communication (short-range wireless communication such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (registered trademark)). 30 provides wireless tethering. The host terminal 20 registers the amount of communication data as an item for the server 10 . The client terminal 30 performs a bid process (transaction process) for the item with the server 10, and when the transaction is established, the client terminal 30 communicates with the host terminal 20 via the host terminal 20 and the base station 50 via the Internet 40 by wireless communication. (the host terminal 20 relays communication between the client terminal 30 and the base station 50).

FIG. 2 is an example of a functional block diagram of the server 10 according to the first embodiment. The server 10 includes a processing unit 100 , a storage unit 110 and a communication unit 120 .

The storage unit 110 stores programs and various data for causing the computer to function as each part of the processing unit 100, and functions as a work area for the processing unit 100, and its function can be realized by a hard disk, RAM, or the like.

The communication unit 120 performs various controls for communicating with the user terminals (the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30). etc.

The processing unit 100 performs login/logout processing of a user terminal, processing for registering exhibition information, bidding processing, processing for determining whether a transaction is established, processing for payment, and the like. The functions of the processing unit 100 can be realized by hardware such as various processors (CPU, DSP, etc.), ASIC (gate array, etc.), and programs. The processing unit 100 includes a registration unit 101 , a bid processing unit 102 , a determination unit 103 , an information transmission unit 104 and a payment processing unit 105 .

The registration unit 101 receives, from the host terminal 20, information regarding the amount of communication data and/or connection time (usage time) permitted to be used by the client terminal 30 in connection with the Internet via the host terminal 20, and the desired sale value. The obtained information is registered (stored) in the storage unit 110 in association with the host terminal 20 as exhibition information. Further, the registration unit 101 may evaluate the communication status of the Internet connection of the host terminal 20 and register the evaluation result in the exhibition information.

In response to a request from the client terminal 30, the bid processing unit 102 transmits the exhibition information of the host terminal 20 to the client terminal 30, receives information on the desired purchase value from the client terminal 30 as bid information, registered (stored) in Also, based on the location information acquired from each of the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30, the bid processing unit 102 sends the exhibition information of the host terminal 20 located within a wireless communication range with the client terminal 30 to the client terminal 30. may be sent to

Based on the exhibition information of the host terminal 20 and the bid information received from the client terminal 30, the determination unit 103 determines whether or not the mobile communication data amount transaction is established between the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30. .

When the transaction is concluded, the information transmission unit 104 transmits authentication information for connecting to the host terminal 20 (the host terminal 20 functioning as a Wi-Fi access point) to the client terminal 30 related to the concluded transaction. (password of the access point) is sent.

The payment processing unit 105 performs payment processing after the wireless communication connection between the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30 is completed. Further, the payment processing unit 105 may perform payment processing based on information regarding the communication status during connection with the client terminal 30 received from the host terminal 20 .

In addition, the above "value" such as "sale value" and "purchase value" may be anything as long as it can be used as "consideration", and it is expressed in legal currency (money) ( price), corporate currency (electronic money, points, in-game currency, etc.) or community currency, or the right to use some service (right to participate in an event , the right to use transportation facilities, etc.), or it may be something that has value within a specific group (game items used in online games, etc.).

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of an operation sequence according to the first embodiment. A user of the host terminal 20 (hereinafter referred to as a host) accesses (logs in to) the server 10 using the host terminal 20 and makes an exhibition request. At this time, the host specifies the amount of exhibition data (the amount of communication data permitted to be used by the client terminal 30), the minimum selling price (an example of the minimum selling price), the desired selling price (an example of the desired selling value), the time limit (for bidding). acceptance period), etc.

The server 10 receives an exhibition request from the host terminal 20, and transmits the exhibition data amount, minimum selling price, desired selling price, time limit, etc. included in the exhibition request to the host terminal 20 (host user ID, host terminal 20 IP address, etc.) and registered as exhibition information. In addition, the server 10 acquires the position information (current position) of the host terminal 20 that made the exhibition request, and registers the acquired position information in association with the host terminal 20 . The location information of the host terminal 20 is location information determined by a positioning unit (such as a GPS receiver) provided in the host terminal 20, or location information based on the base station information of the base station 50 to which the host terminal 20 is connected. . Furthermore, the server 10 evaluates the communication status of the Internet connection of the host terminal 20 that made the exhibition request, and registers the evaluation result (service class) in association with the host terminal 20 concerned. For example, the communication rate and delay (RTT: Round Trip Time) in accessing the server 10 from the host terminal 20 may be measured, and the measurement result may be used as the evaluation result. rate and delay) may be used as the evaluation result. In this case, the higher the communication rate and the smaller the delay, the higher the evaluation. Also, based on the number of base stations in the vicinity of the host terminal 20 and the radio wave status, the communication status of the host terminal 20 may be evaluated or the evaluation result may be corrected.

The server 10 also assigns a temporary SSID and a temporary password (SSID and password used when connecting to the client terminal 30) to the registered host terminal 20, and sends the assigned temporary SSID and temporary password to the host terminal 20. Notify (send). The host terminal 20 sets the temporary SSID and temporary password received from the server 10, starts Wi-Fi tethering, and starts broadcasting the temporary SSID.

A user of the client terminal 30 (hereinafter referred to as a client) accesses (logs in to) the server 10 by communication via the base station 60 using the client terminal 30, and makes an exhibition information request. The server 10 acquires the location information (current location) of the client terminal 30 that has made the exhibition information request, refers to the location information of each registered host terminal 20, and refers to the location information within a predetermined distance range (wireless A list of exhibition information of neighboring host terminals 20 located within a communicable range) is transmitted to the client terminal 30 concerned. The listing information list sent to the client terminal 30 includes the temporary SSID of the host terminal 20 in the neighborhood, the amount of listing data, the minimum selling price, the desired selling price, the evaluation result of the communication status, and the like. The client terminal 30 that has received the list of the exhibition information of the neighboring host terminals 20 compares the temporary SSID broadcast by the neighboring host terminals 20 with the temporary SSID included in the list of the exhibition information, and the neighboring host terminals 20 The expected connection rate for each host terminal 20 may be calculated based on the received Wi-Fi radio wave intensity. The client terminal 30 can screen the host terminal 20 by using information such as the amount of exhibition data, minimum selling price, desired selling price, evaluation result of communication status, etc. for the listing information list.

The client selects one of the host terminals 20 from the list of neighboring host terminals 20, designates a desired purchase price (an example of the desired purchase value), and makes a bid. The client itself may place a bid by designating the host terminal 20 and the desired purchase price, or the client terminal 30 may use the conditions preset by the client (exhibition data amount, minimum selling price, desired selling price, communication A bid may be automatically placed for an exhibition of the host terminal 20 that satisfies the conditions regarding the situation, etc.).

The server 10 receives bid information transmitted from the client terminal 30 . This bid information includes the host terminal 20 specified by the client and the desired purchase price. The server 10 determines whether or not a transaction can be concluded based on the desired purchase price included in the bid information and the minimum sale price and desired sale price included in the exhibition information of the host terminal 20 specified by the bid information. It is a condition for the transaction to be concluded that the desired purchase price is equal to or higher than the lowest selling price. If the desired purchase price is equal to or higher than the desired sale price, the transaction is concluded at that point. Otherwise, when the time limit included in the exhibition information has passed, the transaction is established for the bid of the client with the highest desired purchase price. Here, the desired purchase price (bid price) may be used as it is as the transaction price (client's payment price), or the transaction price may be determined by a technique called N-th price auction. For example, in a 2nd price auction where N = 2, a transaction is concluded with respect to the bid of the client with the highest bid price, and the client obtains the right to connect, but the successful transaction price is the bid price of the client with the second highest bid price. becomes. If the transaction is not concluded within the time limit, the host terminal 20 is notified of the failure of the transaction. The host terminal 20 that receives this notification terminates the broadcast of the temporary SSID.

When the transaction is concluded, the server 10 notifies the client terminal 30 involved in the transaction of the establishment of the transaction and a temporary password for connecting to the host terminal 20 involved in the transaction. The client terminal 30 sets the temporary password received from the server 10 and starts (establishes) a Wi-Fi connection with the host terminal 20.
And it connects to the Internet 40 by communication via the base station 50 .

While the connection between the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30 continues, the host terminal 20 measures the actual communication status (amount of communication data and communication rate). In addition, the host terminal 20 also measures the number of devices connected to the host terminal 20 via Wi-Fi, and stops the access point (Wi-Fi tethering) function in the event of unauthorized communication. Terminate the connection. Also, the host terminal 20 disconnects the connection when the communication data amount reaches (or exceeds) the exhibition data amount.

When the host terminal 20 disconnects the connection (or when the connection is disconnected by the client terminal 30), the host terminal 20 notifies the server 10 of the fact along with the measurement result of the communication status. When the server 10 receives the disconnection notification from the host terminal 20, it transmits an instruction to reset the temporary password to the client terminal 30, and the client terminal 30 erases the setting of the temporary password. .

Next, the server 10 performs settlement processing based on the communication status measurement result received from the host terminal 20 . For example, if the actual communication data volume is less than the exhibition data volume, or if the actual communication rate is lower than the pre-evaluated (measured) communication rate or the pre-calculated expected connection rate, may be corrected (downwardly corrected) to perform settlement processing. If the client terminal 30 disconnects the connection and the actual amount of communication data does not reach the exhibition data amount, the transaction price may not be corrected. If the client and the host have points that can be purchased with cash, in the settlement process, the points held by the client will be reduced by the amount equivalent to the transaction price, and the points held by the host will be reduced to the transaction price. It may be incremented by a corresponding amount (transferring an amount of points from the client to the host corresponding to the closing price).

There is a possibility that the client and the host may move. For example, assume that the host terminal A to which the client terminal first connects moves away. At this time, the strength of the received Wi-Fi radio waves between the host terminal A and the client terminal decreases, and the communication rate decreases. On the other hand, assuming that the host terminal B is approaching the client terminal at the same time, the radio wave reception intensity between the host terminal B and the client terminal increases. At this time, the client terminal cuts off the connection with the host terminal A and connects to the host terminal B when a specific condition such as a radio wave reception intensity exceeding a certain threshold is satisfied. This process is generally called handover. This method makes it possible to maintain a good communication rate even when the host and client move. In this case, the client may place a bid again when connecting to the host terminal B, or the price at which the transaction is concluded when connecting to the host terminal A exceeds the minimum sale price included in the exhibition information of the host terminal B. In some cases, the transaction may be automatically considered to have been completed and a smooth handover may be performed. In addition to the host terminal to be connected first, a connection transaction with another host terminal may be established in advance as a backup.

Also, the server 10 may be implemented in a cloud server, or may be implemented in an edge server close to a user terminal. When the server 10 is implemented on an edge server, mobile users in the area near the server 10 are handled, and when the server 10 is implemented on a cloud server, all mobile users accessing the server 10 regardless of the region. Target users. Communication data volume trading according to this embodiment occurs only between users who are close to each other and who are capable of short-range wireless communication using Wi-Fi tethering, etc., so information on distant users is not necessary for bidding. Therefore, by implementing the server 10 in the edge server, the processing in the server can be simplified. On the other hand, in areas such as suburbs where there are few users, it is possible to construct a system at low cost by using a cloud server to collectively perform processing without arranging an edge server.

According to this embodiment, the user of the host terminal 20 presents the amount of communication data that is permitted to be used, the desired selling price, etc. as exhibition information to the user of the client terminal 30 via the server 10. It is possible to realize a mechanism in which the user of the terminal 30 makes a bid for free communication data volume transactions between users.

For example, assume that user A and user B each have the same amount of communication data as their contracted data amount with a communication carrier. User A has already used about half of the contracted data volume, but leaves the other half as unused data volume. On the other hand, it is assumed that user B has already used all of the contracted data amount and is considering purchasing an additional data amount. At this time, by conducting the communication data amount transaction according to the present embodiment, user A can exhibit and sell an arbitrary amount of the unused data amount, simply leaving the unused data amount as a surplus data amount. higher gain can be obtained. In addition, user B can purchase as much communication data as he needs at a price within the range specified by himself, which is more profitable than additional purchase of a large amount of communication data (for example, in units of 1 GB) from a communication carrier. can be increased. In this way, it is expected that the present embodiment encourages voluntary transactions among users, and as a result each user obtains a high profit.

In general, there are a plurality of mobile communication carriers in each region, each of which deploys network facilities such as base stations according to different strategies, so the mobile access environment is not uniform. For example, in a certain area, there are usually many users of carrier A, so there are three base stations of carrier A, but only one base station of carrier B exists. When many users of carrier B flow into this area at some point, the traffic of carrier B increases sharply and the communication rate per user drops. It is considered inefficient and costly for carrier B to reinforce facilities in order to cope with such bursty traffic. At this time, by connecting the user of carrier B to the user of carrier A through communication data amount trading according to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to use abundant facilities of carrier A. FIG. Also, even in the event of a large-scale network failure, etc., it is possible to generate a detour route to a communicable carrier. In this way, appropriate load balancing across carriers can be achieved through the server, which can contribute to cost reduction for mobile communication carriers. At the same time, since the cooperation of mobile communication carriers is not essential, there is an advantage that it can be introduced regardless of country or region.

In the above example, the amount of communication data permitted to be used (amount of exhibition data) is received from the host terminal 20 and registered as exhibition information. The permitted connection time (exhibition connection time) may be accepted and registered as exhibition information. In this case, the host terminal 20 disconnects the connection when the connection time after establishing the connection with the client terminal 30 after the transaction is established reaches (or exceeds) the exhibition connection time.

In the above example, the case where the minimum sale price and the desired sale price are received from the host terminal 20 and registered as the exhibition information has been described. The desired price may not be specified). In this case, the suggested purchase price included in the bidding information must be at least the price determined according to the amount of communication data and connection time included in the listing information (the higher the amount of communication data and the longer the connection time, the higher the price). may be used as a condition for closing the transaction.

Also, when the host puts up communication data amount, it may be possible to put up a plurality of items at the same time. That is, by virtually dividing the communication data amount (communication band) of the host terminal 20, 1
A plurality of client terminals 30 may be allowed to connect to one host terminal 20 at the same time. In this case, since the communication rate between the host terminal 20 and each client terminal 30 is lower than in the case of non-division, the server 10 lowers the evaluation result of the communication status of the host terminal 20 in advance. Further, when the server 10 notifies the client terminal 30 of the exhibition information of the host terminal 20, the division number may also be notified.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the server 10 according to the first embodiment. First, the registration unit 101 determines whether or not an exhibition request has been received from the host terminal 20 (step S10). The amount of communication data, minimum sale price, desired sale price, and time limit included in the item are registered in association with the host terminal 20 as exhibition information (step S11). Next, the information transmission unit 104 transmits the temporary SSID and the temporary password to the host terminal 20 that transmitted the exhibition request (step S12).

Next, the bid processing unit 102 determines whether or not an exhibition information request has been received from the client terminal 30 (step S13). A list of exhibition information (communication data volume, minimum sale price, desired sale price, and temporary SSID) of the neighboring host terminal 20 is sent to the client terminal 30 (step S14).

Next, the determination unit 103 determines whether bid information (the host terminal 20 specified by the client and the desired purchase price) has been received from the client terminal 30 (step S15). In step Y) of S15, the transaction is executed based on the desired purchase price included in the received bid information and the lowest selling price and desired selling price included in the exhibition information of the host terminal 20 specified in the received bid information. It is determined whether or not it is established (step S16). If the transaction is established (the desired purchase price is equal to or higher than the desired selling price, the desired purchase price is equal to or higher than the minimum selling price, and is the highest bid within the time limit) (Y in step S16), the information The transmission unit 104 transmits the notification of successful transaction (temporary password) to the client terminal 30 (step S17).

Next, the settlement processing unit 105 determines whether or not a notification indicating that the connection has been disconnected has been received from the host terminal 20 (step S18). If the notification is received (Y in step S18), Based on the information about the communication status during connection received from the host terminal 20, the transaction price is corrected as necessary, and the settlement process is executed (step S19).

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment, the client terminal 30 registers with the server 10 a purchase request for communication data volume, and the host terminal 20 performs a bidding process for the purchase request with the server 10 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation sequence according to the second embodiment. The client accesses (logs in to) the server 10 by communication via the base station 60 using the client terminal 30, and makes a purchase request. At this time, the client specifies the desired amount of data to be purchased (amount of communication data desired to be used), the maximum purchase price (an example of the maximum purchase value), the desired purchase price (an example of the desired purchase value), and the time limit (period for accepting bids). and so on.

The server 10 receives a purchase request from the client terminal 30, and transmits the desired purchase data amount, maximum purchase price, desired purchase price, time limit, etc. included in the purchase request to the client terminal 30 (user ID of the client). , the IP address of the client terminal 30, etc.) and registered as purchase request information. In addition, the server 10 acquires the location information (current location) of the client terminal 30 that made the purchase request, and registers the acquired location information in association with the client terminal 30 . The positional information of the client terminal 30 is positional information measured by a positioning unit provided in the client terminal 30 or positional information based on the base station information of the base station 60 to which the client terminal 30 is connected.

The host accesses (logs in to) the server 10 using the host terminal 20 and makes a purchase request information request. The server 10 acquires the location information (current location) of the host terminal 20 that has made the purchase request information request, refers to the location information of each client terminal 30 registered, and refers to the location information within a predetermined distance from the host terminal 20 ( A list of purchase request information of neighboring client terminals 30 located within a wireless communicable range) is transmitted to the host terminal 20 concerned. The list of desired purchase information transmitted to the host terminal 20 includes the amount of desired purchase data of neighboring client terminals 30, the maximum purchase price, the desired purchase price, and the like.

The host selects one of the client terminals 30 from the list of neighboring client terminals 30, designates the desired selling price (an example of the desired selling value), and makes a bid. It should be noted that the host itself may bid by specifying the client terminal 30 and the desired selling price, or the host terminal 20 may use the conditions preset by the host (amount of desired purchase data, maximum purchase price, desired purchase price, etc.). The bid may be automatically made for the purchase request of the client terminal 30 that satisfies the conditions regarding the

The server 10 receives bid information transmitted from the host terminal 20 . This bid information includes the client terminal 30 specified by the host and the desired selling price. The server 10 determines whether or not a transaction can be concluded based on the desired sale price included in the bid information and the maximum purchase price and desired purchase price included in the desired purchase information of the client terminal 30 specified by the bid information. It is a condition for the transaction to be concluded that the desired selling price is equal to or lower than the maximum purchase price. If the desired sale price is less than or equal to the desired purchase price, the transaction is completed at that point. Otherwise, when the time limit included in the desired purchase information has passed, the bid of the host with the lowest desired sale price will be dealt with. Here, the desired selling price (bid price) may be set as the transaction price (client's payment price) as it is, or the transaction price may be determined by a technique called N-th price auction. For example, in a 2nd price auction where N=2, the bid of the host with the lowest bid price is closed, but the price of the deal is the bid price of the host with the second lowest bid price. If the transaction is not completed within the time limit, the client terminal 30 is notified that the transaction has not been completed.

When a transaction is established, the server 10 assigns a temporary SSID and a temporary password to the host terminal 20 related to the transaction, and notifies the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30 related to the transaction of the temporary Notify SSID and temporary password. The host terminal 20 sets the temporary SSID and temporary password received from the server 10 and starts Wi-Fi tethering, and the client terminal 30 sets the temporary SSID and temporary password received from the server 10 and communicates with the host terminal 20. Wi-Fi connection is started (connection is established), and is connected to the Internet 40 by communication via the host terminal 20 and the base station 50 .

While the connection between the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30 continues, the host terminal 20 measures the actual communication status (amount of communication data and communication rate). The host terminal 20 disconnects the connection when the communication data amount reaches (or exceeds) the exhibition data amount.

When the host terminal 20 disconnects the connection (or when the connection is disconnected by the client terminal 30), the host terminal 20 notifies the server 10 of the fact along with the measurement result of the communication status. When the server 10 receives the disconnection notification from the host terminal 20, it transmits an instruction to reset the temporary password to the client terminal 30, and the client terminal 30 erases the setting of the temporary password. .

Next, the server 10 performs settlement processing based on the communication status measurement result received from the host terminal 20 . For example, when the actual amount of communication data is smaller than the desired purchase data amount, the settlement process may be performed by correcting (lowering) the transaction price. If the client terminal 30 cuts off the connection and the actual communication data volume does not reach the desired purchase data volume, the transaction price may not be corrected.

According to the second embodiment, the user of the client terminal 30 presents the amount of communication data that he/she wishes to use, the desired purchase price, etc. to the user of the host terminal 20 via the server 10 as desired purchase information. On the other hand, the user of the host terminal 20 makes a bid, and a mechanism for free communication data amount trading between users can be realized. Also, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, voluntary transactions between users are encouraged, and as a result, each user is expected to obtain a high profit. It can achieve appropriate load balancing and contribute to cost reduction for mobile communication carriers.

In the above example, the amount of communication data desired to be used (amount of desired purchase data) is received from the client terminal 30 and registered as purchase request information. The connection time desired to be used (purchase desired connection time) may be received and registered as purchase request information. In this case, the host terminal 20 disconnects the connection when the connection time after establishing the connection with the client terminal 30 after the transaction is established reaches (or exceeds) the desired purchase connection time.

In the above example, the case where the maximum purchase price and the desired purchase price are received from the client terminal 30 and registered as the desired purchase information has been described. The desired purchase price may not be specified). In this case, the desired selling price included in the bid information is equal to or lower than the price determined according to the amount of communication data and the connection time included in the desired purchase information (the larger the amount of communication data and the longer the connection time, the higher the price). may be used as a condition for the transaction to be concluded.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example of processing of the server 10 according to the second embodiment. First, the registration unit 101 determines whether or not a purchase request has been received from the client terminal 30 (step S20). The amount of communication data, maximum purchase price, desired purchase price, and time limit included in the desired purchase request are registered as desired purchase information in association with the client terminal 30 (step S21).

Next, the bid processing unit 102 determines whether or not a request for purchase information has been received from the host terminal 20 (step S22). A list of purchase request information (amount of communication data, maximum purchase price, and desired purchase price) of client terminals 30 near the terminal 20 is transmitted to the host terminal 20 (step S23).

Next, the determination unit 103 determines whether bid information (the client terminal 30 specified by the host and the desired sale price) has been received from the host terminal 20 (step S24), and if the bid information has been received (step In Y) of S24, based on the desired selling price included in the received bid information and the maximum purchase price and desired purchase price included in the desired purchase information of the client terminal 30 specified by the received bid information, the transaction is performed. is established (step S25). If the transaction is established (the desired selling price is equal to or less than the desired purchase price, or the desired selling price is equal to or less than the maximum purchase price and is the lowest bid within the time limit) (Y in step S25), the information The transmission unit 104 transmits a transaction conclusion notification (temporary SSID and temporary password) to the host terminal 20 and the client terminal 30 (step S26).

Next, the settlement processing unit 105 determines whether or not a notification indicating that the connection has been disconnected is received from the host terminal 20 (step S27). When the notification is received (Y in step S27), Based on the information about the communication status during the connection received from the host terminal 20, the transaction price is corrected as necessary, and the settlement process is executed (step S28).

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. The present invention includes configurations that are substantially the same as the configurations described in the embodiments (for example, configurations that have the same function, method, and result, or configurations that have the same purpose and effect). Moreover, the present invention includes configurations obtained by replacing non-essential portions of the configurations described in the embodiments. In addition, the present invention includes a configuration that achieves the same effects or achieves the same purpose as the configurations described in the embodiments. In addition, the present invention includes configurations obtained by adding known techniques to the configurations described in the embodiments.

For example, the method of the first embodiment (a method in which the host registers an item and the client bids on the item) and the method of the second embodiment (a method in which the client registers a purchase request and A method in which a host bids for a request) may coexist. In this case, both methods may always be implemented, or each method may be switched automatically or according to the user's intention according to market conditions such as the ratio of the number of hosts and clients.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Communication data amount trading system 20... Host terminal 30... Client terminal 40... Internet 50, 60... Base station 100... Processing unit 101... Registration unit 102... Bid processing unit 103... Judging unit, 104... Information transmission unit, 105... Settlement processing unit, 110... Storage unit, 120... Communication unit

Claims (9)

a computer of a server for conducting transactions in which the client terminal connects to the Internet via the host terminal in exchange for the user of the client terminal paying the user of the host terminal;
receiving from the host terminal information on the amount of communication data and/or connection time permitted to be used in Internet connection via the host terminal, and exhibiting the received information and the SSID temporarily assigned to the host terminal ; a registration unit that registers information in association with the host terminal;
a bid processing unit that transmits the exhibition information to the client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal and receives information on a desired purchase value as bid information from the client terminal;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the transaction is established based on the exhibition information and the bid information;
Authentication information for connecting to the host terminal functioning as an access point for wireless communication when the SSID and password temporarily assigned to the registered host terminal are transmitted to the host terminal and the transaction is established. an information transmission unit that transmits the password to the client terminal as
A program that functions as a settlement processing unit that performs settlement processing after connection between the host terminal and the client terminal is completed. In claim 1,
The registration unit
A program for receiving information about the amount of communication data and/or the connection time and the desired sale value from the host terminal, and registering the received information as the exhibition information in association with the host terminal. In claim 1 or 2,
The bid processing unit
A program for transmitting, to the client terminal, the exhibition information of the host terminal located within a wireless communicable range with the client terminal, based on location information of the client terminal and the host terminal. In any one of claims 1 to 3,
The payment processing unit
A program for performing settlement processing by correcting a transaction price based on information received from the host terminal regarding the communication status during connection with the client terminal. In any one of claims 1 to 4,
The registration unit
A program for evaluating the communication status of the Internet connection of the host terminal and registering the evaluation result in the exhibition information. a computer of a server for conducting transactions in which the client terminal connects to the Internet via the host terminal in exchange for the user of the client terminal paying the user of the host terminal;
a registration unit that receives, from the client terminal, information on the amount of communication data and/or connection time desired to be used in the Internet connection via the host terminal, and registers the received information as purchase request information in association with the client terminal; ,
a bid processing unit that transmits the purchase request information to the host terminal in response to a request from the host terminal and receives information on a desired sale value as bid information from the host terminal;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the transaction is established based on the purchase request information and the bid information;
When the transaction is established, the SSID and password temporarily assigned to the host terminal are transmitted to the host terminal, and the SSID and password are used as authentication information for connecting to the host terminal functioning as an access point for wireless communication. an information transmission unit that transmits the password to the client terminal;
A program that functions as a settlement processing unit that performs settlement processing after connection between the host terminal and the client terminal is completed. In claim 6,
The registration unit
A program for receiving information about the amount of communication data and/or the connection time and the desired purchase value from the client terminal, and registering the received information as the desired purchase information in association with the client terminal. A server for performing a transaction in which the client terminal connects to the Internet via the host terminal in exchange for the user of the client terminal paying the user of the host terminal,
receiving from the host terminal information on the amount of communication data and/or connection time permitted to be used in Internet connection via the host terminal, and exhibiting the received information and the SSID temporarily assigned to the host terminal ; a registration unit that registers information in association with the host terminal;
a bid processing unit that transmits the exhibition information to the client terminal in response to a request from the client terminal and receives information on a desired purchase value as bid information from the client terminal;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the transaction is established based on the exhibition information and the bid information;
Authentication information for connecting to the host terminal functioning as an access point for wireless communication when the SSID and password temporarily assigned to the registered host terminal are transmitted to the host terminal and the transaction is established. an information transmission unit that transmits the password to the client terminal as
A server, comprising: a payment processing unit that performs payment processing after termination of connection between the host terminal and the client terminal. A server for performing a transaction in which the client terminal connects to the Internet via the host terminal in exchange for the user of the client terminal paying the user of the host terminal,
a registration unit that receives, from the client terminal, information on the amount of communication data and/or connection time desired to be used in the Internet connection via the host terminal, and registers the received information as purchase request information in association with the client terminal; ,
a bid processing unit that transmits the purchase request information to the host terminal in response to a request from the host terminal and receives information on a desired sale value as bid information from the host terminal;
a determination unit that determines whether or not the transaction is established based on the purchase request information and the bid information;
When the transaction is established, the SSID and password temporarily assigned to the host terminal are transmitted to the host terminal, and the SSID and password are used as authentication information for connecting to the host terminal functioning as an access point for wireless communication. an information transmission unit that transmits the password to the client terminal;
A server, comprising: a payment processing unit that performs payment processing after termination of connection between the host terminal and the client terminal.

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