JP7651671B2 - VOLUME CHARGE CALCULATION DEVICE, VOLUME CHARGE CALCULATION METHOD, AND VOLUME CHARGE CALCULATION PROGRAM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pay-per-use charge calculation device, a pay-per-use charge calculation method, and a pay-per-use charge calculation program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a medical instrument management system that does not use a flat-rate fee system, but instead uses a pay-per-use fee system (see paragraph 0029 of Patent Document 1). As a specific method for calculating the pay-per-use fee, Patent Document 1 discloses that a fee calculation unit calculates a usage fee for each user based on the number of uses for each user counted by a frequency counting unit and a predetermined unit price (see paragraph 0046 of Patent Document 1), and also discloses that this unit price may be set in stages according to the number of uses (see paragraph 0047 of Patent Document 1).

JP 2020-8980 A

In this way, in the field of calculating fees where the total amount changes depending on the amount and number of uses, it was previously possible to automatically perform calculations that adopted the same unit price for the entire total quantity, as in Patent Document 1 above, but it was not possible to automatically perform calculations that adopted different unit prices for each level of quantity.

For example, suppose the unit price master is set as shown in Figure 2, and the total sales quantity is 100 units. In this case, if the same unit price is used for the entire total quantity, the sales amount will be 100 units x unit price 10 yen = 1,000 yen. On the other hand, if a different unit price is used for each quantity level, the sales amount will be (10 units x unit price 20 yen) + (40 units x unit price 15 yen) + (50 units x unit price 10 yen) = 1,300 yen.

In this way, calculations that use the same unit price for the entire total quantity have the disadvantage of resulting in lower sales amounts compared to calculations that use different unit prices for each level of quantity (in the example in the previous paragraph, the calculation that uses the same unit price results in a sales amount that is 300 yen lower). For this reason, there has been a demand for a method that can automatically perform calculations that use different unit prices for each level of quantity, but this has not been possible until now.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a pay-per-use fee calculation device, a pay-per-use fee calculation method, and a pay-per-use fee calculation program that can calculate a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to the amount of use, by using a method that employs a different unit price for each level of quantity.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the pay-per-use fee calculation device of the present invention is a pay-per-use fee calculation device that has a control unit and calculates a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to the quantity of usage, and is characterized in that the control unit is equipped with an allocation means that calculates a quantity for each product and each quantity range by allocating the total usage quantity inputted into a total input screen, which is a screen for inputting the total usage quantity , to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master in order from the smallest to the smallest quantity ranges in the unit price master in accordance with a unit price master in which a unit price for each product and for each quantity range is set, a range-based fee calculation means that calculates a fee for each quantity range by multiplying the quantity for each quantity range allocated and determined by the allocation means by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range, and a pay-per-use fee calculation means that calculates the pay-per-use fee according to the total quantity of usage by accumulating the fees for each quantity range calculated by the range-based fee calculation means.

The pay-per-use fee calculation device according to the present invention is characterized in that the unit price master includes records having product identification data for identifying products, the quantity range, and the unit price, the control unit further includes a record acquisition means for acquiring from the unit price master records having the product identification data entered on the total input screen, the allocation means assigning the total usage quantity entered to each of the quantity ranges in the acquired records in accordance with the acquired records to determine the quantity for each of the quantity ranges, and the fee per range calculation means multiplies the quantity for each of the quantity ranges assigned and determined by the allocation means by the unit price in the acquired record corresponding to the quantity range, thereby calculating the fee for each of the quantity ranges.

The pay-per-use fee calculation device according to the present invention is further characterized in that the control unit, in response to an instruction from the total input screen, further includes a breakdown information display means for displaying breakdown information data including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each quantity range determined by the allocation means, and the fee for each quantity range calculated by the fee-per-range calculation means as breakdown information of the pay-per-use fee calculated by the pay-per-use fee calculation means.

The pay-per-use fee calculation device according to the present invention is further characterized in that the control unit further comprises an invoice data generation means for generating invoice data including the pay-per-use fee calculated by the pay-per-use fee calculation means, and including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each of the quantity ranges determined by the allocation means, and the fee for each of the quantity ranges calculated by the fee-per-range calculation means as breakdown information of the pay-per-use fee calculated by the pay-per-use fee calculation means.

The pay-per-use fee calculation device according to the present invention is also characterized in that, when the quantity range and the unit price in the unit price master are changed to a virtual quantity range and unit price, the allocation means, the range-based fee calculation means, and the pay-per-use fee calculation means perform processing based on the virtual quantity range and the unit price in the unit price master, thereby calculating the virtual pay-per-use fee.

Furthermore, the pay-per-use fee calculation method of the present invention is a pay-per-use fee calculation method executed by an information processing device having a control unit, which calculates a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to the quantity of usage, and is characterized by including an allocation step of determining a quantity for each product and each quantity range by allocating the total usage quantity inputted into a total input screen, which is a screen for inputting a total usage quantity, to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master, starting from the smallest quantity range , in accordance with a unit price master executed by the control unit, in which a unit price for each product and for each quantity range is set; a range-based fee calculation step of calculating a fee for each quantity range by multiplying the quantity for each quantity range determined by allocation in the allocation step by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range; and a pay-per-use fee calculation step of calculating the pay-per-use fee according to the total quantity of usage by accumulating the fees for each quantity range calculated in the range-based fee calculation step.

Furthermore, the pay-per-use fee calculation program of the present invention is a pay-per-use fee calculation program for calculating a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to the quantity of usage, to be executed by an information processing device having a control unit, and is characterized in including: an allocation step for calculating a quantity for each product and each quantity range by allocating the total usage quantity inputted into a total input screen, which is a screen for inputting a total usage quantity , to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master in order from the smallest to the smallest quantity ranges in the unit price master, in accordance with a unit price master in which a unit price for each product and for each quantity range is set, to be executed by the control unit; a range fee calculation step for calculating a fee for each quantity range by multiplying the quantity for each quantity range calculated in the allocation step by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range; and a pay-per-use fee calculation step for calculating the pay-per-use fee according to the total usage quantity by accumulating the fees for each quantity range calculated in the range fee calculation step.

The present invention has the advantage that it can calculate a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to the amount of use, by using a method that employs different unit prices for each level of quantity.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a usage-based charge calculation device. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of the contents of the unit price master. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the unit price master. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a processing flow according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a fixed-term contract details input screen. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a scale unit price breakdown screen. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an invoice. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the unit price master and transaction performance data. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the unit price master and transaction performance data in which a virtual quantity range and a virtual unit price are set.

Below, an embodiment of a pay-per-use charge calculation device, a pay-per-use charge calculation method, and a pay-per-use charge calculation program according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

[1. Overview]
In the IT service industry, there is a growing trend away from businesses that simply sell things, such as subscriptions and recurring contracts, to businesses that add services to things and earn continuous revenue from services. In addition to flat-rate contracts, subscriptions and recurring contracts also include pay-as-you-go contracts (a form of charging based on transaction volume or usage).

Here, there are cases where there are multiple calculation patterns for pay-as-you-go fee calculations. There is also a requirement to print the formula that is the basis for the fee calculation on the invoice. This invention relates to the "unit price" used when calculating fees. "Unit price" refers to the price of one unit of sales. Therefore, the sales amount is calculated by multiplying the sales quantity by the unit price (sales amount = unit price x quantity). In some cases, the unit price is set for each product, customer, or quantity.

The present invention focuses on "quantity scale amount calculation," which is characterized by its method of determining unit prices, and focuses on the structure of the unit price master and the data structure that holds the basis for the quantity scale amount calculation. The quantity scale amount calculation according to the present invention can be applied, for example, when calculating a pay-as-you-go fee, the amount of which is determined according to the quantity of use, as shown in (1) and (2) below.

(1) First, there are usage fees charged according to the amount of usage. For example, line usage fees and system usage fees. Specific examples include online banking usage fees, ATM usage fees, and advertising fees based on the number of clicks on a web service.

(2) Next, there are usage fees charged according to the number of users. For example, there are customer management fees. Specific examples include customer account information management fees and license fees according to the number of users.

The present invention also provides a method that makes it possible to analyze the impact that fluctuations in values set in the unit price master have on transaction volume and transaction value, and can be used to make management decisions. The specific configuration and operation are described below.

2. Configuration
An example of the configuration of the metered charge calculation device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the metered charge calculation device 100.

The metered fee calculation device 100 is a commercially available desktop personal computer. Note that the metered fee calculation device 100 is not limited to a stationary information processing device such as a desktop personal computer, but may be a portable information processing device such as a commercially available notebook personal computer, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a smartphone, or a tablet personal computer.

The pay-per-use charge calculation device 100 includes a control unit 102, a communication interface unit 104, a storage unit 106, and an input/output interface unit 108. Each unit included in the pay-per-use charge calculation device 100 is connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via any communication path.

The communication interface unit 104 communicatively connects the metered rate calculation device 100 to the network 300 via a communication device such as a router and a wired or wireless communication line such as a dedicated line. The communication interface unit 104 has a function of communicating data with other devices via the communication line. Here, the network 300 has a function of connecting the metered rate calculation device 100 and the server 200 so that they can communicate with each other, and is, for example, the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network). Note that data such as various masters described below may be stored in the server 200, for example.

An input device 112 and an output device 114 are connected to the input/output interface unit 108. The output device 114 may be a monitor (including a home television), a speaker, or a printer. The input device 112 may be a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, or a monitor that works with a mouse to provide a pointing device function. In the following, the output device 114 may be referred to as the monitor 114, and the input device 112 may be referred to as the keyboard 112 or the mouse 112.

The storage unit 106 stores various databases, tables, files, and the like. The storage unit 106 records computer programs that work in cooperation with the OS (Operating System) to give instructions to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to perform various processes. The storage unit 106 can be, for example, a memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a fixed disk device such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, an optical disk, or the like.

The memory unit 106 includes, for example, a unit price master 106a, breakdown information data 106b, invoice data 106c, and transaction performance data 106d.

The unit price master 106a is a master in which the unit price for each quantity range is set. As shown in FIG. 3, the unit price master 106a includes records having, for example, product identification data (product code and product name) for identifying the product, the start date of application, the quantity range (quantity or less), units, the unit price, and the like. For example, in the case of the unit price master 106a in FIG. 3, a unit price of 33 yen is set for the quantity range of "1000 times or less (= 1 time to 1000 times)", a unit price of 28 yen is set for the quantity range of "2000 times or less (= 1001 times to 2000 times)", a unit price of 23 yen is set for the quantity range of "3000 times or less (= 2001 times to 3000 times)", a unit price of 18 yen is set for the quantity range of "4000 times or less (= 3001 times to 4000 times)", a unit price of 13 yen is set for the quantity range of "5000 times or less (= 4001 times to 5000 times)", a unit price of 8 yen is set for the quantity range of "6000 times or less (= 5001 times to 6000 times)", and a unit price of 5 yen is set for the quantity range of "9,999,999 times or less (= 6001 times or more)". For ease of explanation, the unit price master 106a in FIG. 3 includes only records that have "network usage fee" as a product, but it may also include many records that have other products.

The breakdown information data 106b is data including breakdown information on the metered fee calculated by the metered fee calculation unit 102d described later. As shown in FIG. 6, the breakdown information data 106b includes, for example, the quantity range (scale quantity) in the unit price master 106a, the unit in the unit price master 106a, the unit price in the unit price master 106a, the quantity calculated by the allocation unit 102b described later, and the fee (amount) for each quantity range calculated by the range-based fee calculation unit 102c described later.

The invoice data 106c is the data that is used to create an invoice. As can be read from the invoice shown in FIG. 7, the invoice data 106c includes, for example, the pay-per-use fee (subtotal) calculated by the pay-per-use fee calculation unit 102d (described later), the quantity range in the unit price master 106a, the quantity calculated by the allocation unit 102b (described later), the unit in the unit price master 106a, the unit price in the unit price master 106a, and the fee (amount) for each quantity range calculated by the fee-per-range calculation unit 102c (described later).

The transaction performance data 106d is data on transaction performance. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the transaction performance data 106d includes, for example, the invoice number, the accounting year and month, the department code, the product identification data (product code), the total usage quantity (scale quantity), and the like. The transaction performance data 106d may further include the results of calculations based on the unit price master 106a and the transaction performance, that is, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, it may include, for example, the pay-per-use fee (scale unit price) calculated by the pay-per-use fee calculation unit 102d described below, the quantity "1 set", the transaction amount calculated by multiplying the scale unit price by the quantity "1 set", and the like.

The control unit 102 is a CPU or the like that provides overall control of the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100. The control unit 102 has an internal memory for storing control programs such as an OS, programs that define various processing procedures, required data, etc., and executes various information processing operations based on these stored programs.

The control unit 102 is, in terms of its functional concept, for example, made up of: (1) a record acquisition unit 102a as a record acquisition means for acquiring records having product identification data entered into the total input screen from the unit price master; (2) an allocation unit 102b as an allocation means for determining a quantity for each quantity range by allocating the total usage quantity entered into the total input screen, which is a screen for entering a total usage quantity, to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master in accordance with the unit price master in which the unit price for each quantity range is set; (3) a range fee calculation unit 102c as a range fee calculation means for calculating a fee for each quantity range by multiplying the quantity for each quantity range determined by allocation by the allocation means by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range; and (4) a range fee calculation unit 102d as a range fee calculation means for calculating a fee for each quantity range by accumulating the fees for each quantity range calculated by the range fee calculation means. (5) a breakdown information display unit 102e as a breakdown information display means that displays breakdown information data including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each quantity range calculated by the allocation means, and the fee for each quantity range calculated by the range fee calculation means as breakdown information of the usage-based fee calculated by the usage-based fee calculation means in response to an instruction from the total input screen; and (6) an invoice data generation unit 102f as an invoice data generation means that generates invoice data including the usage-based fee calculated by the usage-based fee calculation means and including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each quantity range calculated by the allocation means, and the fee for each quantity range calculated by the range fee calculation means as breakdown information of the usage-based fee calculated by the usage-based fee calculation means.

The record acquisition unit 102a acquires records having the product identification data entered into the total input screen (corresponding to the fixed-term contract details input screen in FIG. 5) for entering the total usage quantity from the unit price master 106a, which includes records having the product identification data, the quantity range, and the unit price.

The allocation unit 102b allocates the total usage quantity entered on the total input screen to each of the quantity ranges in the acquired record according to the acquired record, thereby determining the quantity for each of the quantity ranges.

The range fee calculation unit 102c calculates the fee for each quantity range by multiplying the quantity for each quantity range allocated and determined by the allocation unit 102b by the unit price in the acquired record that corresponds to that quantity range.

The pay-per-use fee calculation unit 102d calculates the pay-per-use fee according to the total usage quantity by accumulating the fees for each quantity range calculated by the range-based fee calculation unit 102c.

In addition, when the quantity range and the unit price are changed to a virtual quantity range and unit price in the unit price master 106a, the allocation unit 102b, the range fee calculation unit 102c, and the pay-per-use fee calculation unit 102d can calculate the virtual pay-per-use fee by performing processing using the virtual quantity range and the unit price in the unit price master 106a.

The breakdown information display unit 102e, in response to an instruction from the total input screen, displays breakdown information data 106b including the unit price set in the unit price master 106a, the quantity for each quantity range calculated by the allocation unit 102b, and the fee for each quantity range calculated by the fee per range calculation unit 102c, as breakdown information of the metered fee calculated by the metered fee calculation unit 102d. This display can be, for example, a screen (corresponding to the scale unit price breakdown screen in FIG. 6) separate from the total input screen (corresponding to the fixed-term contract details input screen in FIG. 5).

The invoice data generation unit 102f generates invoice data 106c that includes the metered fee calculated by the metered fee calculation unit 102d, and includes the unit price set in the unit price master 106a, the quantity for each quantity range determined by the allocation unit 102b, and the fee for each quantity range calculated by the fee-per-range calculation unit 102c as breakdown information of the metered fee calculated by the metered fee calculation unit 102d.

[3. Overview of Calculation Method in the Present Embodiment]
In this section, an overview of the calculation method in this embodiment, an overview of the calculation method in the past, and the advantages of the calculation method in this embodiment will be described.

[3-1. Overview of Calculation Method in the Present Embodiment]
Usually, the unit price is multiplied by the quantity to calculate the sales amount. In contrast, in the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment, the unit price is set for each "quantity scale," and the unit price per set is calculated from the sales quantity to determine the sales amount (sales amount = quantity scale unit price x 1 set). The quantity scale amount calculation is a mechanism for calculating the unit price per set from the sales quantity, and the sales amount is calculated by taking the sum of the unit prices for each quantity scale, as shown in the following example.

As a specific example, we will explain how to calculate the unit price and sales amount when the sales quantity is 100 and the unit price master 106a has the contents shown in Figure 2. Here, in this embodiment, the sales quantity is defined as the "scale quantity." The scale number is the actual transaction volume, and is used to calculate the quantity scale unit price.

In this example, the sales quantity (scale quantity) is 100, so the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment is performed as follows, while referring to the unit price master 106a. That is, (1) for quantities up to 10, the calculation is made as follows: unit price 20 yen x quantity 10 = sales amount 200 yen; (2) for quantities up to 50, the calculation is made as follows: unit price 15 yen x quantity 40 (= 50 - 10) = sales amount 600 yen; and (3) for quantities up to 100, the calculation is made as follows: unit price 10 yen x quantity 50 (= 100 - 40 - 10) = sales amount 500 yen.

The sales amounts for each price range (1) to (3) (200 yen, 600 yen, and 500 yen) are added up and defined as the unit price per set (1,300 yen), which is the quantity scale unit price. The sales amount is then calculated by multiplying the quantity scale unit price (1,300 yen) by the formula: 1,300 yen x 1 = 1,300 yen. This is why the actual transaction volume and sales volume differ.

As explained above in section [3-1], in the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment, a unit price and the range of quantities (scale quantities) for which that unit price is used are determined in advance, and the amount calculated from each unit price is accumulated. For this reason, the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment is suitable for services where the fee per usage unit decreases as the transaction volume increases, for example, and can be used specifically for fee systems for line usage when using web services.

[3-2. Overview of conventional calculation methods]
Next, a conventional unit price calculation by quantity will be described. If the sales quantity is 100 and the unit price master 106a has the contents shown in Fig. 2, 10 yen is adopted as the unit price. Therefore, the sales amount is calculated as follows: unit price 10 yen x quantity 100 = 1,000 yen. In other words, in the conventional unit price calculation by quantity, once the quantity is determined, the unit price is determined as one.

[3-3. Merits of calculation in this embodiment]
Finally, the advantages of the quantity scaled amount calculation according to this embodiment will be described. By adopting the quantity scaled amount calculation according to this embodiment, for example, it is possible to realize a fee system in which the rate of increase in the billing amount decreases as the transaction volume increases. In addition, the following effects (1) and (2) can be obtained, for example.

(1) Prevention of Loss of Sales (Revenue) Suppose the unit price master 106a has the contents shown in FIG. 2. In this case, if there is a transaction of 100 units, the sales amount will be 1,000 yen in the conventional unit price calculation by quantity described in [3-2], whereas the sales amount will be 1,300 yen in the quantity scale amount calculation according to the present embodiment described in [3-1]. Also, if there is a transaction of 120 units, the sales amount will be 840 yen in the conventional unit price calculation by quantity described in [3-2], whereas the sales amount will be 1,440 yen in the quantity scale amount calculation according to the present embodiment described in [3-1]. In this way, in the case of the conventional unit price calculation by quantity, the seller may incur a loss in a transaction of a quantity near the threshold value of the unit price master 106a. If the conventional unit price calculation by quantity is used to sell 1,300 yen, which is the amount when 100 units are sold using the quantity scale amount calculation according to the present embodiment, 186 units must be sold.

(2) Promoting or Suppressing the Use of a Service According to the quantity scale amount calculation of this embodiment, it is possible to promote the use of a service. That is, by setting the unit price lower as the transaction volume increases, it is possible to expect the occurrence of more demand. In other words, it is possible to promote an increase in transaction volume by manipulating the rate of decrease in the unit price (increasing the rate of decrease in the unit price) as the transaction volume increases.

Conversely, the quantity scale price calculation according to this embodiment can also suppress the use of services. In other words, when there are constraints on the supply volume of a service or product, excessive use can be suppressed and stable supply can be achieved by setting fees such that the unit price increases as the transaction volume increases. In other words, it is possible to suppress the transaction volume by manipulating the rate of decrease in the unit price (suppressing the rate of decrease in the unit price) as the transaction volume increases.

As explained above in section [3-3], the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment can promote or discourage the use of the service by setting the unit price in the unit price master 106a. By periodically reviewing the unit price system, it is possible to control the transaction volume while securing a certain level of profit, and to forecast the expected profit.

4. Specific examples of processing
In this section, as specific examples of the processing according to this embodiment, the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment and the virtual amount calculation according to this embodiment will be described separately.

[4-1. Quantity scale amount calculation]
First, the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow of FIG. 4 and to FIGS.

First, in "Regular Contract Input (1)" of the flow in FIG. 4, the product "Network Usage Fee", contract number "A010001", detail number "1", and contract date "2019/10/01" are entered from the regular contract detail input screen in FIG. 5. When the product is entered, it is determined from the product master (not shown) whether to adopt the scale unit price or the conventional unit price. If the scale unit price is adopted, the flow in FIG. 4 proceeds to "Yes" in "Is the product subject to the scale unit price?", and the quantity scale amount calculation according to this embodiment is performed. On the other hand, if the conventional unit price is adopted, the flow in FIG. 4 proceeds to "No" in "Is the product subject to the scale unit price?", and the conventional quantity-based unit price calculation is performed. In this example, the scale unit price is adopted for the product "Network Usage Fee", and the flow proceeds to "Yes".

When the product "Network usage fee" is entered on the fixed-term contract details input screen in FIG. 5, the record acquisition unit 102a acquires records having the product "Network usage fee" from the unit price master 106a. The unit price master 106a consisting of the acquired records is shown in FIG. 3.

Returning to the flow in Figure 4, if you select "Yes" for the question "Is this product subject to the scale unit price?", the scale quantity "7,500" and the scale unit code "times" are then entered on the fixed-term contract details input screen in Figure 5. Once this input has been made, the sales amount is calculated as follows:

The allocation unit 102b allocates the quantity "7,500 times" input on the fixed-term contract details input screen of Fig. 5 to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master 106a of Fig. 3, thereby obtaining the quantity for each of the quantity ranges.
● For a quantity range of "1,000 times" or less, 1,000 times of the quantity "7,500 times" are allocated,
● For the quantity range of "2,000 times" or less, 1,000 times of the remaining quantity "6,500 times" will be allocated,
● For the quantity range of "3,000 times" or less, 1,000 times of the remaining quantity "5,500 times" will be allocated,
● For the quantity range of "4,000 times" or less, 1,000 times of the remaining quantity "4,500 times" will be allocated,
● For quantity ranges of "5,000 times" or less, 1,000 times of the remaining quantity "3,500 times" will be allocated,
● For the quantity range of "6,000 times" or less, 1,000 times of the remaining quantity "2,500 times" will be allocated,
● For the quantity range of "9,999,999 times" or less, 1,500 times of the remaining quantity of "1,500 times" are allocated.

The range-based fee calculation unit 102c multiplies the quantity after the range of quantities allocated by the allocation unit 102b by the unit price in the unit price master 106a in FIG. 3 corresponding to the range of quantities, thereby calculating the fee for each range of quantities.
● Calculate 33,000 yen by multiplying the quantity of 1,000 times in the quantity range of "1,000 times" or less by the unit price of "33.00 yen" corresponding to the quantity range of "1,000 times" or less,
● 28,000 yen is calculated by multiplying the quantity of 1,000 times in the quantity range of "2,000 times" or less by the unit price of "28.00 yen" corresponding to the quantity range of "2,000 times" or less,
● 23,000 yen is calculated by multiplying the quantity of 1,000 times in the quantity range of "3,000 times" or less by the unit price of "23.00 yen" corresponding to the quantity range of "3,000 times" or less,
● 18,000 yen is calculated by multiplying the quantity of 1,000 times in the quantity range of "4,000 times" or less by the unit price of "18.00 yen" corresponding to the quantity range of "4,000 times" or less,
● 13,000 yen is calculated by multiplying the quantity of 1,000 times in the quantity range of "5,000 times" or less by the unit price of "13.00 yen" corresponding to the quantity range of "5,000 times" or less,
● 8,000 yen is calculated by multiplying the quantity of 1,000 times in the quantity range of "6,000 times" or less by the unit price of "8.00 yen" corresponding to the quantity range of "6,000 times" or less,
● 7,500 yen is calculated by multiplying the quantity of 1,500 times in the quantity range of "9,999,999 times" or less by the unit price of "5.00 yen" that corresponds to the quantity range of "9,999,999 times" or less.
The calculated fee for each quantity range is stored in the itemized information data 106b as shown in the flow of FIG.

The pay-per-use fee calculation unit 102d calculates the fee according to the scale quantity "7,500" by accumulating the fees for each quantity range calculated by the range-based fee calculation unit 102c. Specifically, the pay-per-use fee calculation unit 102d calculates 33,000 yen + 28,000 yen + 23,000 yen + 18,000 yen + 13,000 yen + 8,000 yen + 7,500 yen = 130,500 yen.

The calculated 130,500 yen becomes the scale unit price. Then, the sales amount of 130,500 yen is calculated using the formula 130,500 yen x 1, and the consumption tax amount of 13,050 yen is also calculated. The calculated scale unit price of 130,500 yen, sales amount of 130,500 yen, and consumption tax amount of 13,050 yen are displayed on the fixed-term contract details input screen of Figure 5 in "Fixed-term contract input (2)" of the flow in Figure 4. In Figure 5, the hatched items (scale unit price, accounting year and month, quantity, unit, sales amount, and consumption tax amount) are display items rather than input items.

Here, when the operator presses "Unit Price Breakdown" on the fixed-term contract details input screen of FIG. 5, the breakdown information display unit 102e displays the contents of the breakdown information data 106b. That is, the breakdown information display unit 102e displays the unit price set in the unit price master 106a of FIG. 3 (corresponding to "unit price" in FIG. 6), the quantity for each quantity range calculated by the allocation unit 102b (corresponding to "quantity" in FIG. 6), and the fee for each quantity range calculated by the range fee calculation unit 102c (corresponding to "amount" in FIG. 6) on the breakdown information display screen of FIG. 6 as breakdown information of the sales amount of 130,500 yen calculated by the pay-as-you-go fee calculation unit 102d. By displaying the breakdown information data 106b, the operator can confirm the basis for calculating the scale unit price (130,500 yen). The breakdown information data 106b is generated at the timing when the scale quantity is input.

Returning to the flow of FIG. 4, in the "billing process", an invoice (see FIG. 7) is created on which the calculation basis for the quantity scale amount calculation is printed. The invoice (see FIG. 7) is created based on invoice data 106c generated by invoice data generation unit 102f. Invoice data generation unit 102f generates invoice data 106c that includes the sales amount of 130,500 yen calculated by the metered fee calculation unit 102d, and includes the unit price set in unit price master 106a in FIG. 3 (corresponding to "unit price" in the invoice in FIG. 7), the quantity for each quantity range calculated by allocation unit 102b (corresponding to "quantity" in the invoice in FIG. 7), and the fee for each quantity range calculated by range fee calculation unit 102c (corresponding to "amount" in the invoice in FIG. 7) as breakdown information of the metered fee of 130,500 yen calculated by metered fee calculation unit 102d.

[4-2. Virtual amount calculation]
Next, the virtual amount calculation according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG.

If the past transaction quantities are as shown in the "scale quantity" in the transaction history data 106d in FIG. 8, and the contents of the unit price master 106a are as shown in FIG. 8, the transaction amount for each month is calculated according to the calculation method described in [4-1] as shown in the "transaction amount" in the transaction history data 106d in FIG. 8. The total of the calculated "transaction amounts" for each month is then 219,500 yen.

If you want to check how the total amount will change if you change the numerical range and unit price in the unit price master 106a, you can use the changed numerical range (virtual numerical range) and changed unit price (virtual unit price) to perform a virtual amount calculation as follows.

In the virtual amount calculation, the virtual transaction amount for each month can be calculated using the transaction performance data 106d based on the settings of the virtual unit price master 106a including the virtual numerical range and the virtual unit price. Specifically, if the past transaction quantities are as shown in the "scale quantity" in the transaction performance data 106d in FIG. 9 (same scale quantity as in FIG. 8) and the contents of the virtual unit price master 106a are as shown in FIG. 9, the virtual transaction amount for each month is calculated according to the "transaction amount" in the transaction performance data 106d in FIG. 9 by the calculation method described in [4-1]. The total value of the calculated virtual "transaction amounts" for each month is the virtual total amount of 190,700 yen. The operator can then use the results of the virtual amount calculation as a basis for deciding whether or not to officially change the numerical range and unit price in the unit price master 106a.

[5. Summary of the present embodiment]
As described above, the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100 according to this embodiment can calculate a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to the quantity of use, by using a method that employs a different unit price for each level of quantity. This makes it possible to prevent loss of revenue in a pay-per-use contract, for example, and to promote or suppress the use of the service by adjusting the settings of the unit price master 106a. Therefore, the present invention can be said to be an invention that has merits for both the service provider and the user.

In addition, the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100 according to this embodiment can perform an amount simulation (virtual amount calculation process) when a new numerical range (virtual numerical range) and a new unit price (virtual unit price) are applied to the actual results for the past month. This makes it possible, for example, to easily control transaction volume and increase profits by reviewing unit prices. In other words, a profit simulation can be performed when reviewing unit prices, making it possible to achieve more efficient unit price setting work.

6. Other embodiments
The present invention may be embodied in various different embodiments other than those described above within the scope of the technical concept set forth in the claims.

For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method.

In addition, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, registered data for each process, information including parameters such as search conditions, screen examples, and database configurations shown in this specification and drawings may be changed as desired unless otherwise specified.

Furthermore, with regard to the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100, each component shown in the figure is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure.

For example, the processing functions of the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100, particularly the processing functions performed by the control unit, may be realized in whole or in part by a CPU and a program interpreted and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware using wired logic. The program is recorded on a non-transient computer-readable recording medium that contains programmed instructions for causing the information processing device to execute the processes described in this embodiment, and is mechanically read by the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100 as necessary. That is, a computer program for giving instructions to the CPU in cooperation with the OS and performing various processes is recorded in a storage unit such as a ROM or HDD (Hard Disk Drive). This computer program is executed by being loaded into RAM, and cooperates with the CPU to form the control unit.

This computer program may also be stored in an application program server connected to the pay-per-use fee calculation device 100 via any network, and may be downloaded in whole or in part as needed.

In addition, the program for executing the processing described in this embodiment may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium, or may be configured as a program product. Here, the term "recording medium" refers to a memory card, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, a SD (Secure Digital) card, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM (registered trademark) (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), a CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), an MO (Magneto-Optical disk), a DVD (Digital Versatile This includes any "portable physical media" such as a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc, and a Blu-ray (registered trademark) Disc.

A "program" is a data processing method written in any language or description method, and may be in any format, such as source code or binary code. Note that a "program" is not necessarily limited to a single configuration, but also includes a distributed configuration consisting of multiple modules or libraries, and a program that works in conjunction with a separate program, such as an OS, to achieve its function. Note that the specific configuration and reading procedure for reading a recording medium in each device shown in the embodiments, as well as the installation procedure after reading, can use well-known configurations and procedures.

The various databases stored in the memory unit are storage devices such as RAM, ROM, etc., fixed disk devices such as hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks, and store various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processes and providing websites.

The pay-per-use charge calculation device 100 may be configured as an information processing device such as a known personal computer or workstation, or may be configured as the information processing device to which any peripheral device is connected. The pay-per-use charge calculation device 100 may be realized by implementing software (including programs or data, etc.) that causes the device to realize the processing described in this embodiment.

Furthermore, the specific form of distribution and integration of the devices is not limited to that shown in the figures, and all or part of them can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various additions or functional loads. In other words, the above-mentioned embodiments can be implemented in any combination, or the embodiments can be implemented selectively.

The present invention is useful in all industries and business sectors where pay-as-you-go contracts exist, particularly in the IT industry.

100: metered charge calculation device 102: control unit
102a Record Acquisition Unit
102b Allocation section
102c Range-based charge calculation unit
102d Pay-per-use charge calculation unit
102e Breakdown information display section
102f: invoice data generating unit 104: communication interface unit 106: storage unit
106a Unit Price Master
106b Breakdown information data
106c Invoice data
106d Transaction record data 108 Input/output interface unit 112 Input device 114 Output device 200 Server 300 Network

Claims (4)

A pay-per-use charge calculation device including a control unit, the pay-per-use charge being determined according to a usage amount,
The control unit is
an allocation means for determining a quantity for each of the products and each of the quantity ranges by allocating the total usage quantity inputted on a total input screen, which is a screen for inputting a total usage quantity , to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master in order from the smallest to the largest , in accordance with a unit price master in which a unit price for each of the products and each of the quantity ranges is set;
a range fee calculation means for calculating a fee for each of the quantity ranges by multiplying the quantity for each of the quantity ranges allocated by the allocation means by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range;
a pay-per-use charge calculation means for calculating the pay-per-use charge according to the total quantity of use by integrating the charges for each quantity range calculated by the range-based charge calculation means;
a breakdown information display means for displaying data including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each of the quantity ranges calculated by the allocation means, and the fee for each of the quantity ranges calculated by the fee-per-range calculation means as breakdown information of the metered fee calculated by the metered fee calculation means, in response to an instruction from the total input screen;
Equipped with
when the quantity range and the unit price are changed to a virtual quantity range and unit price in the unit price master, the allocation means, the range fee calculation means and the pay-as-you-go fee calculation means use the past transaction quantity stored in the data as the total usage quantity, and perform processing based on the virtual quantity range and the unit price in the unit price master, thereby calculating the virtual pay-as-you-go fee;
A pay-per-use charge calculation device comprising: the unit price master includes a record having product identification data for identifying the product, the quantity range, and the unit price;
The control unit further includes a record acquisition unit for acquiring, from the unit price master, a record having the product identification data input to the total input screen,
the allocation means allocates the input total usage quantity to each of the quantity ranges in the acquired record in accordance with the acquired record, thereby determining a quantity for each of the quantity ranges;
said range-based fee calculation means multiplying the quantity for each of said quantity ranges allocated and obtained by said allocation means by said unit price in said acquired record corresponding to said quantity range, thereby calculating a fee for said quantity range;
The pay-per-use charge calculation device according to claim 1 . A pay-per-use fee calculation method executed by an information processing device having a control unit, the pay-per-use fee being a fee whose amount is determined according to a usage amount, comprising:
Executed by the control unit,
an allocation step of determining a quantity for each of the products and the quantity ranges by allocating the total usage quantity inputted on a total input screen, which is a screen for inputting a total usage quantity , to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master in order from the smallest to the largest , according to a unit price master in which a unit price for each of the products and each of the quantity ranges is set;
a range fee calculation step of multiplying the quantity for each of the quantity ranges allocated in the allocation step by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range to calculate a fee for each of the quantity ranges;
a pay-per-use fee calculation step of calculating the pay-per-use fee according to the total usage quantity by integrating the fees for each quantity range calculated in the fee-for-each-range calculation step;
a breakdown information display step of displaying data including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each quantity range calculated in the allocation step, and the fee for each quantity range calculated in the fee for each range calculation step as breakdown information of the metered fee calculated in the metered fee calculation step, in response to an instruction from the total input screen;
Including,
when the quantity range and the unit price are changed to a virtual quantity range and unit price in the unit price master, the allocation step, the range fee calculation step, and the pay-as-you-go fee calculation step use the past transaction quantity stored in the data as the total usage quantity, and perform processing based on the virtual quantity range and the unit price in the unit price master, thereby calculating the virtual pay-as-you-go fee;
A pay-as-you-go fee calculation method characterized by the above. A pay-per-use fee calculation program for causing an information processing device having a control unit to execute a pay-per-use fee, the amount of which is determined according to a usage amount, comprising:
To cause the control unit to execute
an allocation step of determining a quantity for each of the products and the quantity ranges by allocating the total usage quantity inputted on a total input screen, which is a screen for inputting a total usage quantity , to each of the quantity ranges in the unit price master in order from the smallest to the largest , according to a unit price master in which a unit price for each of the products and the quantity ranges is set;
a range fee calculation step of multiplying the quantity for each of the quantity ranges allocated in the allocation step by the unit price in the unit price master corresponding to the quantity range to calculate a fee for each of the quantity ranges;
a pay-per-use fee calculation step of calculating the pay-per-use fee according to the total usage quantity by integrating the fees for each quantity range calculated in the fee-for-each-range calculation step;
a breakdown information display step of displaying data including the unit price set in the unit price master, the quantity for each quantity range calculated in the allocation step, and the fee for each quantity range calculated in the fee for each range calculation step as breakdown information of the metered fee calculated in the metered fee calculation step, in response to an instruction from the total input screen;
Including,
when the quantity range and the unit price are changed to a virtual quantity range and unit price in the unit price master, the allocation step, the range fee calculation step, and the pay-as-you-go fee calculation step use the past transaction quantity stored in the data as the total usage quantity, and perform processing based on the virtual quantity range and the unit price in the unit price master, thereby calculating the virtual pay-as-you-go fee;
A pay-as-you-go calculation program characterized by:

Images