JP7645765B2 - Information processing system and payment management device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology for linking electronic payment processing and reward granting processing.

As user terminals such as smartphones become more widespread, electronic payment services that use the user terminals to make electronic payments and reward services that grant rewards to users who have conducted commercial transactions are becoming more widely used. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a mechanism for linking such electronic payment services and reward services.

JP 2009-134521 A

Under the current system, when a user purchases a product at a store, the user must perform operations on a user terminal such as a smartphone to receive an electronic payment service (for example, starting a program for receiving the electronic payment service and displaying a dedicated one-dimensional or two-dimensional code on the user terminal), and must also perform operations to receive rewards such as points in response to the purchase of the product (for example, starting a program for receiving a reward service and displaying a dedicated two-dimensional code on the user terminal). In particular, if a user purchases products at one store and receives rewards from multiple reward services, the user must repeat the operations to receive each reward service, which is very cumbersome for the user. Meanwhile, store employees must also operate the store terminal one by one in response to the user's operations, which is also cumbersome.

The present invention aims to reduce the operational burden involved in carrying out processes related to electronic payments and reward allocation.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention comprises a store terminal, a payment management device that performs processing related to electronic payments, and a reward granting device that performs processing related to granting rewards to users, the payment management device including a storage unit that stores user identification information for identifying each user in the payment management device and payment identification information that identifies each electronic payment process in the payment management device in association with each other, a transmission unit that transmits the payment identification information to a user terminal, a payment processing unit that, when the store terminal acquires a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal, performs processing related to electronic payments for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request, and, when an inquiry request including the payment identification information is acquired from the reward granting device, a and a transmission unit that transmits the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with other information to the bonus granting device, the store terminal includes a transmission unit that acquires the payment identification information from the user terminal and transmits the payment request including the payment identification information to the payment management device, and a transmission unit that transmits a bonus granting request including the acquired payment identification information to the bonus granting device, the bonus granting device includes a transmission unit that, upon acquiring the bonus granting request from the store terminal, transmits the inquiry request including the payment identification information included in the bonus granting request to the payment management device, and an awarding processing unit that, upon acquiring the user identification information from the payment management device in response to the inquiry request, performs processing to grant a bonus to a bonus grantee corresponding to the user identification information.

In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the present invention includes a store terminal, a payment management device that performs processing related to electronic payments, and a reward granting device that performs processing related to granting rewards to users, and the payment management device includes a transmission unit that, when it acquires user identification information for identifying each user in the payment management device from the user terminal, transmits a query request including the user identification information to the reward granting device, a transmission unit that transmits payment identification information that identifies each electronic payment process in the payment management device to the user terminal, a storage unit that associates and stores the payment identification information that identifies each electronic payment process in the payment management device with reward grant destination identification information that identifies a reward grant destination in the reward granting device, which is acquired in response to the query request, and, when it acquires a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal by the store terminal, a user identification information corresponding to the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request. a payment processing unit that performs processing related to electronic payment for the user, and a transmission unit that, when a reference request including the payment identification information is obtained from the reward granting device, transmits the reward grant destination identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information to the reward granting device, the store terminal has a transmission unit that obtains the payment identification information from the user terminal and transmits the payment request including the payment identification information to the payment management device, and a transmission unit that transmits a reward granting request including the obtained payment identification information to the reward granting device, the reward granting device has a transmission unit that, when the reward granting request is obtained from the store terminal, transmits the inquiry request including the payment identification information included in the reward granting request to the payment management device, and an awarding processing unit that, when the reward grant destination identification information is obtained from the payment management device in response to the inquiry request, performs processing to award a reward to the reward grant destination identification information.

In addition, in order to solve the above problem, the present invention comprises a store terminal, a payment management device that performs processing related to electronic payments, and a reward granting device that performs processing related to granting rewards to users, the payment management device having a transmission unit that, upon acquiring user identification information for identifying each user in the payment management device from the user terminal, transmits the user identification information and payment identification information that identifies each electronic payment process in the payment management device to the reward granting device, and a transmission unit that transmits the payment identification information to the user terminal, and, upon acquiring a payment request including the payment identification information acquired by the store terminal from the user terminal, transmits information about the user corresponding to the user identification information in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request. and a payment processing unit that performs processing related to electronic payments via the user terminal, the store terminal includes a transmission unit that acquires the payment identification information from the user terminal and transmits the payment request including the payment identification information to the payment management device, and a transmission unit that transmits a bonus granting request including the acquired payment identification information to the bonus granting device, the bonus granting device includes a storage unit that associates and stores a bonus grant destination corresponding to the user identification information acquired from the payment management device with the payment identification information, and an awarding processing unit that, when the bonus granting request is acquired from the store terminal, performs processing to grant a bonus to the bonus grant destination corresponding to the payment identification information included in the bonus granting request.

The present invention can reduce the operational burden involved in carrying out processes related to electronic payments and rewards.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the privilege granting device 30 according to the first embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in the privilege granting device 30 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a payment management device 40 according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system 1 according to a first embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a payment management device 40 according to the first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation of the information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system 1 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a privilege granting device 30 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation of the information processing system 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data stored in a payment management device 40 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing system 1 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an operation of the information processing system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[First embodiment]
1 is a diagram showing an example of an information processing system 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The information processing system 1 is a system for electronically settling a commercial transaction in which a user pays money to purchase a product or service at a store, and for granting some kind of benefit to the user in accordance with the commercial transaction. The benefit referred to here may be anything that has value to the user, such as points that the user can use in place of money at a store or the like.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes a user terminal 10 carried by a user, a store terminal 20 installed in a store, a reward granting device 30 that performs processing to grant rewards to users, a payment management device 40 that performs processing related to electronic payments, and a communication network 2 including a wireless communication network or a wired communication network that communicatively connects these. The user terminal 10, the store terminal 20, the reward granting device 30, and the payment management device 40 are all computers capable of communication. More specifically, the user terminal 10 is a computer that can be carried by a user, such as a smartphone, a wearable device, or a tablet. The store terminal 20 is a terminal operated in a store, and may be, for example, a computer integrated with a POS (Point of Sales) register or a computer connected to a POS register, or may be a computer called a payment terminal. The reward granting device 30 and the payment management device 40 are computers configured as servers. Note that FIG. 1 shows one each of the user terminal, the store terminal, the reward granting device, and the payment management device, but each of these may be multiple.

Figure 2 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the reward-granting device 30. The reward-granting device 30 is physically configured as a computer including a processor 3001, memory 3002, storage 3003, communication device 3004, input device 3005, output device 3006, and a bus connecting these. Each of these devices operates with power supplied from a battery (not shown). In the following description, the word "device" can be interpreted as a circuit, device, unit, etc. The hardware configuration of the reward-granting device 30 may be configured to include one or more of the devices shown in Figure 2, or may be configured without including some of the devices. In addition, the reward-granting device 30 may be configured by communicating and connecting multiple devices each having a different housing.

The functions of the privilege granting device 30 are realized by loading specific software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, causing the processor 3001 to perform calculations, control communications via the communications device 3004, and control at least one of the reading and writing of data in the memory 3002 and storage 3003.

The processor 3001, for example, operates an operating system to control the entire computer. The processor 3001 may be configured with a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, registers, etc. Also, for example, a baseband signal processing unit, a call processing unit, etc. may be realized by the processor 3001.

The processor 3001 reads out programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 3003 and the communication device 3004 into the memory 3002, and executes various processes according to these. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described below. The functional blocks of the reward granting device 30 may be realized by a control program stored in the memory 3002 and running on the processor 3001. The various processes may be executed by one processor 3001, or may be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 3001. The processor 3001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may be transmitted to the reward granting device 30 via a telecommunications line.

The memory 3002 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 3002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 3002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing the method according to this embodiment.

Storage 3003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 3003 may also be called an auxiliary storage device.

The communication device 3004 is hardware (transmission/reception device) for communicating between computers via the communication network 2, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc.

The input device 3005 is an input device (e.g., a key, a microphone, a switch, a button, a camera, a sensor, a two-dimensional code reader, etc.) that accepts input from the outside. The output device 3006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that performs output to the outside. Note that the input device 3005 and the output device 3006 may be integrated into one configuration (e.g., a touch panel).

Each device, such as the processor 3001 and memory 3002, is connected by a bus for communicating information. The bus may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

The privilege granting device 30 may be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 3001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

The user terminal 10, the store terminal 20, and the payment management device 40 are equipped with a processor, memory, storage, a communication device, an input device, an output device, and a bus connecting these, as hardware for implementing a computer, similar to the privilege granting device 30 shown in FIG. 2. However, the communication device equipped in the user terminal 10 is hardware (transmitting and receiving device) for communicating between computers via the communication network 2 according to a communication standard such as LTE (Long Time Evolution) to realize wireless communication. This communication device may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD: Frequency Division Duplex) and time division duplex (TDD: Time Division Duplex). In addition, a transmitting and receiving antenna, an amplifier unit, a transmitting and receiving unit, a transmission line interface, etc. may be realized by this communication device. The transmitting and receiving unit may be implemented as a transmitting unit and a receiving unit that are physically or logically separated.

As shown in FIG. 3, the reward granting device 30 stores in storage a reward user ID, which is user identification information for identifying a user in the reward granting service provided by the device itself, in association with the reward granted to the user. When a user performs user registration to receive the reward granting service provided by the reward granting device 30, a reward user ID for identifying the user is generated and stored in the reward granting device 30. In the example of FIG. 3, points that can be used in place of money are illustrated as an example of a reward. For example, the reward granted to a user with a reward user ID "AU001" is "1500" points.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the payment management device 40 stores in the storage a payment user ID, which is user identification information for identifying a user in the electronic payment service provided by the device itself, and a privileged user ID for identifying a user in the privilege granting device 30, in association with each other. In the payment management device 40, when a user performs user registration to receive the electronic payment service provided by the payment management device 40, a payment user ID for identifying the user is generated and stored. A privileged user ID of a certain user in the privilege granting device 30 is input to the payment management device 40 by notification from the privilege granting device 30 via the communication network 2 or manual input by the administrator of the payment management device 40, and these are stored in association with the payment user ID of the user. In the example of FIG. 5, the privileged user ID "AU001" in the privilege granting device 30 is stored in association with the payment user ID "XU001" of a certain user. In other words, the payment management device 40 is capable of grasping the privileged user ID of each user in the privilege granting device 30 and the privileged user ID of the user in the privilege granting device 30.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing system 1. In this embodiment, a one-time token equivalent to so-called disposable identification information is used as payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process. This one-time token is generated by the payment management device 40 for each electronic payment and transmitted to the user terminal 10. In response to this, the one-time token acquired from the payment management device 40 is displayed as a two-dimensional code on the user terminal 10. Note that the method for displaying the one-time token on the user terminal 10 is not limited to using a two-dimensional code, and other display methods such as using a one-dimensional barcode may be used. The store terminal 20 acquires this one-time token from the user terminal 10. This acquisition is realized, for example, by a method of optically reading and decoding the two-dimensional code displayed on the user terminal 10 using a two-dimensional code reader or the like provided in the store terminal 20.

In the payment management device 40, the second transmission unit 41 transmits the one-time token generated in response to a request from the user terminal 10 to the user terminal 10.

In the store terminal 20, the first transmission unit 21 transmits a payment request including the one-time token acquired from the user terminal 10 to the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2. In addition to the one-time token, this payment request includes a store ID, which is identification information for the store (or the same store group such as a franchise chain: the same applies below) stored in the store terminal 20, the date and time of the commercial transaction that occurred between the store and the user, the amount of money that the user should pay to the store in the commercial transaction (i.e., the payment amount), and a request to make an electronic payment with that amount of money. Note that the store ID may be, for example, a combination of an identifier for the same store group and an identifier that identifies each store within the store group.

In the payment management device 40, the memory unit 42 stores the payment user ID and the privilege user ID of each user in association with each other (see FIG. 4). More specifically, the memory unit 42 stores multiple privilege user IDs for identifying each user in multiple privilege granting devices 30 in association with the payment user ID of each user.

Furthermore, the memory unit 42 stores the payment user ID of the user corresponding to the user terminal 10, the one-time token generated in response to a request from the user terminal 10, and the store ID included in the payment request including the one-time token, in association with each other. An example of this stored content is shown in FIG. 6. In the example of FIG. 6, the memory unit 42 stores the payment user ID "XU001" of the user corresponding to a certain user terminal 10 and the one-time token "T001" generated in response to a request from the user terminal 10 in association with each other.

In the payment management device 40, when the store terminal 20 acquires a payment request including a one-time token acquired from the user terminal 10, the payment processing unit 43 performs processing related to electronic payment based on the payment user ID stored in the storage unit 42 in association with the one-time token included in the payment request. Specifically, the payment processing unit 43 performs processing to notify a financial institution such as a bank or credit card company of the payment amount, etc., in order to collect the payment amount included in the payment request from the user using the bank account or credit card corresponding to the payment user ID included in the payment request. Information on the bank account or credit card corresponding to the payment user ID is stored in the payment management device 40 in advance at the time of user registration. Note that when the payment management device 40 itself is under the management of a financial institution, when the payment management device 40 manages a prepaid balance, when payment is made with value information called points that the payment management device 40 grants to the user, or when a user who has a contract with a communication carrier performs so-called carrier payment that can be paid together with communication charges, the payment management device 40 itself performs predetermined processing such as registering the payment amount, etc.

In the store terminal 20, the third transmission unit 22 transmits a request for granting a reward including the one-time token acquired from the user terminal 10 to the reward granting device 30. In addition to the one-time token, this request for granting a reward includes, for example, the store ID stored in the store terminal 20, the date and time of the transaction, the content of the reward according to the payment amount, and a request to grant the reward to the user.

In the bonus granting device 30, when the fourth transmission unit 31 acquires a bonus granting request from the store terminal 20, it transmits an inquiry request including the one-time token and store ID included in the bonus granting request to the payment management device 40.

In the payment management device 40, when the fifth transmission unit 44 receives an inquiry request including a one-time token from the privilege granting device 30, it identifies the payment user ID stored in the memory unit 42 in association with the one-time token (see FIG. 6), and further transmits the privilege user ID (see FIG. 4) stored in association with the payment user ID to the privilege granting device 30.

In the privilege granting device 30, when the granting processing unit 32 acquires the privilege user ID transmitted from the payment management device 40 in response to the inquiry request, the granting processing unit 32 performs processing to grant a privilege to the privilege grantee corresponding to the privilege user ID. Specifically, the granting processing unit 32 performs processing to update the points (see FIG. 3) stored in association with the privilege user ID acquired from the payment management device 40.

Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the following description, for example, when the payment management device 40 is described as the subject of processing, this specifically means that the processor 4001 performs calculations by loading specific software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 4001 and memory 4002, and controls communication via the communication device 4004 and the reading and/or writing of data in the memory 4002 and storage 4003, thereby executing processing. The same applies to the user terminal 10, the store terminal 20, and the bonus granting device 30.

Before the process shown in FIG. 7 is started, the user is assumed to have registered with the reward granting service provided by the reward granting device 30 and with the electronic payment service provided by the payment management device 40. As a result, the information illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 is stored in the reward granting device 30 and the payment management device 40, respectively.

When a user selects an item in a store and pays at the register, the user operates the user terminal 10 to start a program that realizes an electronic payment service. In response, the user terminal 10 requests a one-time token from the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2 (step S11). The second transmission unit 41 of the payment management device 40 identifies the user terminal 10 that made the request and generates a one-time token "T001" for identifying the payment user ID of the user of that user terminal 10 (here, "XU001" in FIG. 4) (step S12). More specifically, the second transmission unit 41 stores the payment user ID "XU001" and the one-time token "T001" generated to identify the payment user ID "XU001" in association with each other. The second transmission unit 41 then transmits the generated one-time token "T001" to the user terminal 10 via the communication network 2 (step S13).

The user terminal 10 generates and displays a two-dimensional code or the like that encodes the one-time token including the payment user ID (step S14). The user shows the two-dimensional code or the like displayed on the user terminal 10 to a store employee, who then has the two-dimensional code or the like read by the two-dimensional code reader of the store terminal 20 (step S15). The store terminal 20 decodes the two-dimensional code or the like to obtain the one-time token "T001".

Next, the first transmission unit 21 of the store terminal 20 transmits a payment request including the acquired one-time token "T001" to the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2 (step S16).

The payment processing unit 43 of the payment management device 40 performs processing related to electronic payment in response to a payment request from the store terminal 20 (step S17). In other words, the payment processing unit 43 performs processing related to electronic payment based on the payment user ID "XU001" stored in association with the one-time token "T001" included in the payment request. When this payment processing is completed, the payment management device 40 notifies the store terminal 20 of a payment completion notification via the communication network 2 (step S18).

When the store terminal 20 receives a payment completion notification from the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2, the third transmission unit 22 of the store terminal 20 transmits a bonus granting request including the one-time token acquired in step S13 to the bonus granting device 30 (step S19). In addition to the one-time token "T001", this bonus granting request includes the store ID "S001", the date and time of the transaction, the content of the bonus according to the payment amount, and a request to grant the bonus to the user.

In the bonus granting device 30, when the fourth transmission unit 31 acquires a bonus granting request from the store terminal 20, it transmits an inquiry request including the one-time token "T001" and store ID "S001" contained in the bonus granting request to the payment management device 40 (step S20).

In the payment management device 40, when the fifth transmission unit 44 obtains an inquiry request including the one-time token "T001" from the bonus granting device 30, it identifies the payment user ID "XU001" stored in the memory unit 42 in association with the one-time token "T001", and further transmits the bonus user ID "AU001" stored in association with the payment user ID "XU001" to the bonus granting device 30 (step S21).

In the bonus granting device 30, when the granting processing unit 32 acquires the bonus user ID "AU001" from the payment management device 40 in response to the inquiry request, it performs processing to grant a bonus to the bonus grantee corresponding to the bonus user ID "AU001" (step S22). This updates the bonus corresponding to the bonus user ID "AU001" illustrated in FIG. 3. The bonus granting device 30 then transmits a bonus granting processing completion notification to the store terminal 20 (step S23).

According to the first embodiment described above, the user only needs to perform an operation to launch a program for making an electronic payment, and the processing related to electronic payment and the granting of rewards in the information processing system 1 is executed. This makes it possible to reduce the operational burden on the user for performing the processing related to electronic payment and the granting of rewards compared to the conventional method. Similarly, according to the first embodiment described above, the operational burden on the store employee for the store terminal 20 is also reduced.

[Second embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The system configuration and device configuration according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, but some of the functions and operations are different. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the second embodiment. Each of these functions will be described in the operation description below.

As shown in FIG. 9, the privilege granting device 30 stores in the storage a privilege user ID, which is user identification information for identifying a user in the privilege granting service provided by the device itself, a point card ID, which is identification information for identifying a point card owned by the user, the registration date and time of each point card in the device itself, and a privilege granted to the user, in association with each other. A point card is a card issued to a customer by a store, and privileges are managed on a point card basis. In other words, the point card ID is a privilege grantee identification information that identifies the grantee of the privilege. In the example of FIG. 9, for example, a user with a privilege user ID "AU001" has two point cards with point card IDs "P00001" and "P00002", and the privileges granted to each of them are "1500" points and "200" points. On the other hand, a user with a privilege user ID "AU002" has only one point card with a point card ID "P00015", and the privilege granted to each of them is "3800" points.

Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. Before the process shown in FIG. 10 is started, it is assumed that the user has registered with the reward granting service provided by the reward granting device 30 and has also registered with the electronic payment service provided by the payment management device 40. As a result, the information exemplified in FIG. 9 is stored in the reward granting device 30, and the information exemplified in FIG. 4 described above is stored in the payment management device 40.

The user operates the user terminal 10 to start a program that realizes the electronic payment service. In response, the user terminal 10 requests a one-time token from the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2 (step S101).

The first transmission unit 401 of the payment management device 40 identifies the user terminal 10 that made this request, generates a one-time token "T001" corresponding to the payment user ID of the user of that user terminal 10 (here, "XU001" in Figure 4), and stores the payment user ID "XU001" and the one-time token "T001" in association with each other (step S102).

Next, the second transmission unit 402 of the payment management device 40 transmits a query request including the privilege user ID "AU001" corresponding to the payment user ID "XU001" to the privilege granting device 30 (step S103).

In the privilege granting device 30, the third transmission unit 301, in response to the inquiry request, transmits the point card number corresponding to the privilege user ID "AU001" to the payment management device 40 as a privilege grantee ID that identifies the privilege grantee in the privilege granting device 30 based on the memory contents exemplified in FIG. 9 (step S104). At this time, if there are multiple point card numbers, such as the one corresponding to the privilege user ID "AU001", the point card number with the most recent registration date and time (say "P00001") is selected and transmitted as the privilege grantee ID.

The memory unit 403 of the payment management device 40 associates the one-time token "T001" generated in step S102 with the point card number "P00001" sent as the bonus recipient ID from the bonus granting device 30 in step S104, and stores them as shown in the example in FIG. 11 (step S105).

The first transmission unit 401 of the payment management device 40 transmits the one-time token "T001" generated in step S102 to the user terminal 10 via the communication network 2 (step S106).

The user terminal 10 generates and displays a two-dimensional code or the like that encodes the transmitted one-time token "T001" (step S107). The user shows the two-dimensional code or the like displayed on the user terminal 10 to a store employee, who then has the two-dimensional code or the like read by the two-dimensional code reader of the store terminal 20 (step S108). The store terminal 20 decodes the two-dimensional code or the like to obtain the one-time token "T001".

Next, the fourth transmission unit 201 of the store terminal 20 transmits a payment request including the acquired one-time token "T001" to the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2 (step S109).

The payment processing unit 404 of the payment management device 40 performs processing related to electronic payment in response to a payment request from the store terminal 20 (step S110). In other words, the payment processing unit 404 performs processing related to electronic payment based on the payment user ID "XU001" stored in association with the one-time token "T001" included in the payment request. When this payment processing is completed, the payment management device 40 notifies the store terminal 20 of a payment completion notification via the communication network 2 (step S111).

When the store terminal 20 receives a payment completion notification from the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2, the fifth transmission unit 202 of the store terminal 20 transmits a bonus granting request including the one-time token acquired in step S108 to the bonus granting device 30 (step S112). In addition to the one-time token "T001", this bonus granting request includes the store ID "S001" stored in the store terminal 20, the date and time of the transaction, the content of the bonus according to the payment amount, and a request to grant the bonus to the user.

In the bonus granting device 30, when the sixth transmission unit 302 acquires a bonus granting request from the store terminal 20, it transmits an inquiry request including the one-time token "T001" and store ID "S001" contained in the bonus granting request to the payment management device 40 (step S113).

In the payment management device 40, when the seventh transmission unit 405 obtains an inquiry request including the one-time token "T001" from the reward granting device 30, it transmits the point card number "P00001" stored in the memory unit 403 (Figure 12) in association with the one-time token "T001" to the reward granting device 30 (step S114).

In the bonus granting device 30, when the granting processing unit 303 obtains the point card number "P00001" from the payment management device 40 in response to the inquiry request, it performs processing to grant a bonus to the bonus recipient corresponding to the point card number "P00001" (step S115). This updates the bonus corresponding to the bonus user ID "AU001" and point card number "P00001" illustrated in FIG. 9. The bonus granting device 30 then sends a bonus granting processing completion notification to the store terminal 20 (step S116).

According to the second embodiment described above, the user only needs to perform an operation to launch a program for making an electronic payment, and the processing related to electronic payment and the granting of a bonus is executed in the information processing system 1. This makes it possible to reduce the operational burden on the user for performing the processing related to electronic payment and the granting of a bonus, compared to the conventional method. Similarly, according to the second embodiment described above, the operational burden on the store employee for the store terminal 20 is also reduced.

[Third embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The system configuration and device configuration according to the third embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, but some of the functions and operations are different. Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of an information processing system 1 according to the third embodiment. Each of these functions will be described in detail in the operation description below.

Next, the operation of the information processing system 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13. Before the process shown in FIG. 13 is started, it is assumed that the user has registered with the reward granting service provided by the reward granting device 30 and has also registered with the electronic payment service provided by the payment management device 40. As a result, the information illustrated in FIG. 9 is stored in the reward granting device 30, and the information illustrated in FIG. 4 is stored in the payment management device 40.

The user operates the user terminal 10 to start a program that realizes the electronic payment service. In response, the user terminal 10 requests a one-time token from the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2 (step S201).

The first transmission unit 4001 of the payment management device 40 identifies the user terminal 10 that made this request, generates a one-time token "T001" corresponding to the payment user ID of the user of that user terminal 10 (here, "XU001" in Figure 4), and stores them in association with each other (step S202).

Next, the second transmission unit 4002 of the payment management device 40 transmits the privilege user ID "AU001" corresponding to the payment user ID "XU001" and the token "T001" to the privilege granting device 30 (step S203).

In the privilege granting device 30, the memory unit 3002 stores the point card number corresponding to the privilege user ID "AU001" as a privilege grantee ID that identifies the privilege grantee in the privilege granting device 30 in association with the token "T001" based on the memory contents exemplified in FIG. 9 (step S204). At this time, if there are multiple point card numbers, such as the point card number corresponding to the privilege user ID "AU001", the point card number with the most recent registration date and time (say "P00001") is selected and stored as the privilege grantee ID. As a result, the memory unit 3002 of the privilege granting device 30 stores the token "T001" in association with the point card number "P00001" as in the example of FIG. 11. The third transmission unit 3001 notifies the payment management device 40 that this storage process has ended.

Then, the first transmission unit 4001 of the payment management device 40 transmits the one-time token "T001" generated in step S202 to the user terminal 10 via the communication network 2 (step S205).

The user terminal 10 generates and displays a two-dimensional code or the like that encodes the one-time token (step S206). The user shows the two-dimensional code or the like displayed on the user terminal 10 to a store employee, who then has the two-dimensional code or the like read by the two-dimensional code reader of the store terminal 20 (step S207). The store terminal 20 decodes the two-dimensional code or the like to obtain the one-time token.

Next, the fourth transmission unit 2001 of the store terminal 20 transmits a payment request including the acquired one-time token "T001" to the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2 (step S208).

The payment processing unit 4004 of the payment management device 40 performs processing related to electronic payment in response to a payment request from the store terminal 20 (step S209). In other words, the payment processing unit 404 performs processing related to electronic payment based on the payment user ID "XU001" corresponding to the one-time token "T001" included in the payment request. When this payment processing is completed, the payment management device 40 notifies the store terminal 20 of a payment completion notification via the communication network 2 (step S210).

When the store terminal 20 receives a payment completion notification from the payment management device 40 via the communication network 2, the fifth transmission unit 2002 of the store terminal 20 transmits a bonus granting request including the one-time token "T001" acquired in step S207 to the bonus granting device 30 (step S211). In addition to the one-time token "T001", this bonus granting request includes the store ID "S001", the date and time of the transaction, the content of the bonus according to the payment amount, and a request to grant the bonus to the user.

When the bonus granting unit 3003 of the bonus granting device 30 acquires a bonus granting request from the store terminal 20, it performs processing to grant a bonus to the bonus grantee corresponding to the point card number "P00001" (FIG. 11) associated with the one-time token "T001" included in the bonus granting request (step S212). This updates the bonus corresponding to the point card number "P00001" illustrated in FIG. 11. The bonus granting device 30 then transmits a bonus granting processing completion notification to the store terminal 20 (step S213).

According to the third embodiment described above, the user only needs to perform an operation to launch a program for making an electronic payment, and the processing related to electronic payment and the granting of a bonus is executed in the information processing system 1. This makes it possible to reduce the operational burden on the user for performing the processing related to electronic payment and the granting of a bonus more than ever before. Similarly, according to the second embodiment described above, the operational burden on the store employee for the store terminal 20 is also reduced.

[Modification]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The above-described embodiment may be modified as follows. In addition, two or more of the following modifications may be combined and implemented.
[Modification 1]
In the second and third embodiments, when there are multiple point card IDs (benefit destinations) corresponding to a privileged user ID, the privilege granting device 30 selects the privilege destination with the most recent registration date and time. When selecting one of multiple privilege destinations, the privilege granting device 30 may select the most frequently used point card ID (benefit destination) among the multiple point card IDs (benefit destinations) corresponding to the privileged user ID. In this case, the privilege granting device 30 stores the point card ID (benefit destination) and the date and time of use in addition to the storage contents exemplified in FIG. 9 and the like.

In the example shown in FIG. 9, for example, a reward is stored for each point card ID. Alternatively, however, for example, a reward may be stored for each user ID, and the point card ID of the point card used by each user may simply be stored as information indicating the recipient of the reward for that user ID. In other words, rewards may be stored in association with the user ID.

[Modification 2]
After a user purchases an item at a store, the user may wish to cancel the purchase. In this case, the store terminal 20 transmits to the payment management device 40 a reduction request (a request including the amount of the reduction in the payment amount and the payment user ID) requesting a reduction in the payment amount input by the employee, and transmits to the reward granting device 30 a reward subtraction request (a request including the content of the reward to be subtracted and the reward user ID) requesting a reduction in the reward according to the reduction in the payment amount. In response to this request, the payment management device 40 performs a process of reducing the payment amount. In response to this request, the reward granting device 30 performs a process of subtracting the stored reward.

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, the payment management device 40 stores the correspondence between the payment user ID and the privilege user ID, and the payment management device 40 and the privilege granting device 30 specify a user using the privilege user ID, but this example is not limited to this. The correspondence between the payment user ID and the privilege user ID may be stored in the privilege granting device, and the payment management device 40 and the privilege granting device 30 may specify a user using the payment user ID.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a payment user ID, which is user identification information for identifying a user in the payment management device 40, and a privilege user ID for identifying a user in the privilege granting device 30 were used. In other words, a payment user ID and a privilege user ID were each assigned to the same user. This example is not limiting, and the user identification information for identifying a user in the present invention may be user identification information common to the payment management device 40 and the privilege granting device 30. In addition, a session ID that can be temporarily used and is issued in a series of processes between each terminal or device may be used as the payment user ID.

As stated above, in short, the payment user ID and privilege user ID can be any information that can identify the user.

[Modification 4]
The store terminal 20 may simply function as a thin client, and the payment management device 40 or the reward granting device 30 may perform the processing, or the store terminal 20 may perform some processing and the remaining processing may be performed by the payment management device 40 or the reward granting device 30. A headquarters server of a store manager or a relay processing company server that switches payment companies may be interposed between the store terminal 20 and the payment management device 40 or the reward granting device 30.

[Modification 5]
In the user terminal 10, the output of information is not limited to the image display of a two-dimensional code as exemplified in the embodiment, but may be output using, for example, contactless communication or voice. In this case, the store terminal 20 acquires a one-time token via contactless communication or voice.

[Other Modifications]
The block diagrams used in the description of the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. The method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using one device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, using wires, wirelessly, etc.). The functional blocks may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

Functions include, but are not limited to, judgement, determination, judgment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, regard, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs the transmission function is called a transmitting unit or a transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on the method of realization for either of these.

For example, a payment management device in one embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs the processing of the present disclosure.

Each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be applied to at least one of LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE-A (LTE-Advanced), SUPER 3G, IMT-Advanced, 4G (4th generation mobile communication system), 5G (5th generation mobile communication system), FRA (Future Radio Access), NR (new Radio), W-CDMA (registered trademark), GSM (registered trademark), CDMA2000, UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX (registered trademark)), IEEE 802.20, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), Bluetooth (registered trademark), and other suitable systems, and next-generation systems extended based on these. In addition, multiple systems may be combined (for example, a combination of at least one of LTE and LTE-A with 5G, etc.).

The processing steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. of each aspect/embodiment described in this disclosure may be reordered unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order and are not limited to the particular order presented.

The input and output information may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. The output information may be deleted. The input information may be transmitted to another device.

The determination may be based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean (true or false) value, or a numerical comparison (e.g., with a predetermined value).

Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended as an illustrative example and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, and the like, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. Software, instructions, information, and the like may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and/or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, and the like), then these wired and/or wireless technologies are included within the definition of a transmission medium.

The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.
In addition, terms explained in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings.

In addition, the information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information.

As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

Any reference to elements using designations such as "first," "second," etc., used in this disclosure does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient way to distinguish between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

The "part" in the configuration of each of the above devices may be replaced with "means," "circuit," "device," etc.

When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Additionally, the term "or," as used in this disclosure, is not intended to be an exclusive or.

In this disclosure, where articles have been added through translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

1, 10, 100: Information processing system, 2: Communication network, 10: User terminal, 20: Store terminal, 30: Benefit granting device, 3001: Processor, 3002: Memory, 3003: Storage, 3004: Communication device, 3005: Input device, 3006: Output device, 40: Payment management device

Claims (9)

A store terminal;
A payment management device that performs processing related to electronic payments;
a reward giving device that performs processing related to the giving of rewards to users,
The payment management device,
a storage unit that stores user identification information for identifying each user in the payment management device and payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the payment management device in association with each other;
A transmitter that transmits the payment identification information to a user terminal;
a payment processing unit that, when the store terminal acquires a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal, processes electronic payment for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request;
a transmission unit that, when receiving a query request including the payment identification information from the privilege granting device, transmits the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information to the privilege granting device;
The store terminal includes:
a transmitter that acquires the payment identification information from the user terminal and transmits the payment request including the payment identification information to the payment management device;
a transmitter configured to transmit a request for granting a privilege to the privilege granting device, the request including the acquired payment identification information;
The privilege granting device is
a transmitting unit configured to, when receiving the benefit request from the store terminal, transmit the inquiry request including the payment identification information included in the benefit request to the payment management device;
An information processing system characterized by comprising an awarding processing unit that, when the user identification information is obtained from the payment management device in response to the inquiry request, performs processing to award a bonus to a bonus recipient corresponding to the user identification information. A store terminal;
A payment management device that performs processing related to electronic payments;
a reward giving device that performs processing related to the giving of rewards to users,
The payment management device,
a transmission unit that, when acquiring user identification information for identifying each user in the payment management device from the user terminal, transmits a query request including the user identification information to the benefit granting device;
a transmitter for transmitting payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the payment management device to a user terminal;
a storage unit that stores payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the payment management device and privilege recipient identification information for identifying a privilege recipient in the privilege granting device, the privilege recipient identification information being acquired in response to the inquiry request, in association with each other;
a payment processing unit that, when the store terminal acquires a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal, processes electronic payment for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request;
a transmission unit configured to, when receiving a query request including the payment identification information from the privilege granting device, transmit to the privilege granting device the privilege grantee identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information;
The store terminal includes:
a transmitter that acquires the payment identification information from the user terminal and transmits the payment request including the payment identification information to the payment management device;
a transmitter configured to transmit a request for granting a privilege to the privilege granting device, the request including the acquired payment identification information;
The privilege granting device is
a transmitting unit configured to, when receiving the benefit request from the store terminal, transmit the inquiry request including the payment identification information included in the benefit request to the payment management device;
An information processing system characterized by comprising: an awarding processing unit that, when the award grantee identification information is obtained from the payment management device in response to the inquiry request, performs processing to award a award to the award grantee identification information. A store terminal;
A payment management device that performs processing related to electronic payments;
a reward giving device that performs processing related to the giving of rewards to users,
The payment management device,
a transmitter that, when acquiring user identification information for identifying each user in the payment management device from the user terminal, transmits the user identification information and payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the payment management device to the benefit granting device;
A transmitter that transmits the payment identification information to a user terminal;
a payment processing unit that, when the store terminal acquires a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal, processes an electronic payment for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request;
The store terminal includes:
a transmitter that acquires the payment identification information from the user terminal and transmits the payment request including the payment identification information to the payment management device;
a transmitter configured to transmit a request for granting a privilege to the privilege granting device, the request including the acquired payment identification information;
The privilege granting device is
a storage unit that stores a reward recipient corresponding to the user identification information acquired from the payment management device and the payment identification information in association with each other;
An information processing system characterized by comprising: an awarding processing unit that, when it receives the bonus awarding request from the store terminal, performs processing to award a bonus to the bonus award recipient corresponding to the payment identification information included in the bonus awarding request. 4. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein, when there are a plurality of the bonus recipients corresponding to the user identification information, the bonus granting device selects one of the plurality of bonus recipients. The information processing system according to claim 4 , wherein the bonus granting device selects the bonus grant destination having the most recent registration date and time from among the plurality of bonus grant destinations corresponding to the user identification information. The information processing system according to claim 4 , wherein the bonus granting device selects the bonus grant destination with the highest frequency of use from among the plurality of bonus grant destinations corresponding to the user identification information. a storage unit that stores user identification information for identifying each user in the device and payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the device in association with each other;
A transmitter that transmits the payment identification information to a user terminal;
a payment processing unit that, when a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal by a store terminal is acquired, processes electronic payment for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request;
A payment management device characterized by comprising a transmission unit that, when an inquiry request including the payment identification information is obtained from the privilege granting device, transmits the user identification information stored in the memory unit in correspondence with the payment identification information to the privilege granting device. a transmission unit that, when acquiring user identification information for identifying each user in the own device from the user terminal, transmits a query request including the user identification information to the privilege granting device;
a transmitter for transmitting payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the own device to the user terminal;
a storage unit that stores payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the device itself and reward recipient identification information for identifying a reward recipient in the reward granting device, the reward identification information being acquired in response to the inquiry request, in association with each other;
a payment processing unit that, when a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal by a store terminal is acquired, processes electronic payment for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in the storage unit in association with the payment identification information included in the payment request;
A payment management device characterized by having a transmission unit that, when an inquiry request including the payment identification information is obtained from the bonus granting device, transmits the bonus grantee identification information stored in the memory unit in correspondence with the payment identification information to the bonus granting device. a transmitter that, when acquiring user identification information for identifying each user in the device itself from the user terminal, transmits the user identification information and payment identification information for identifying each electronic payment process in the device itself to the benefit granting device;
A transmitter that transmits the payment identification information to a user terminal;
a payment processing unit that, when a payment request including the payment identification information acquired from the user terminal by a store terminal is acquired, processes electronic payments for a user corresponding to the user identification information stored in correspondence with the payment identification information included in the payment request.

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