JP7802134B2 - Information processing method, information processing device, and program - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to an information processing method, an information processing device, and a program.

Conventionally, when multiple users purchase a product, one user pays the price together (in one lump sum) at a store register or the like, and the other users transfer money to the first user (person-to-person transfer) using a payment service that handles online payments, allowing the multiple users to share the payment (split the bill) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2013-238998 A

However, with conventional technology, for example, having to split the bill every time a payment is made can be cumbersome for users. The purpose of this disclosure is to provide technology that can improve convenience when making payments with multiple users.

An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has a control unit that performs the following processes: providing, to each of a first user's terminal and a second user's terminal, a payment method that is different from bank remittance and can be used in a physical store, and that enables transaction processing including a payment and a remittance associated with the payment ; managing a balance that is different from a bank account balance, of a group including the first user and the second user ; acquiring, from the first user's terminal or the second user's terminal, a remittance request for the remittance associated with the payment, when payment for a service received at a physical store by the first user or the second user, respectively, is completed by the first user or the second user using the payment method at the physical store; and proceeding with the transaction processing based on the amount included in the remittance request and subtracting the amount from the group's balance.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server and a terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server and a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence for creating a joint account in a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of user information stored in a user information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of group information stored in a group information storage unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence for making a payment using a joint account in a communication system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a display screen of a terminal according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a payment history stored in a payment history storage unit according to the embodiment.

<Legal compliance>
The disclosures described herein, when implemented, are implemented in compliance with the laws and regulations of the countries in which the disclosures are implemented, and are implemented with all changes, substitutions, variations, modifications, and alterations that can be made by a person skilled in the art and are necessary to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries in which the disclosures are implemented.

An embodiment for implementing a payment using a joint account of multiple users according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.
<System Configuration>
1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in the communication system 1, a server 110A, a server 110B, a terminal 120A, a terminal 120B, and a terminal 120C are connected via a network 130.

In this disclosure, if there is no need to distinguish between server 110A and server 110B, server 110A and server 110B may each be referred to as server 110.

In the present disclosure, when there is no need to distinguish between terminal 120A, terminal 120B, and terminal 120C, terminal 120A, terminal 120B, and terminal 120C may each be referred to as terminal 120 (an example of an "information processing terminal").

In the present disclosure, when there is no need to distinguish between the server 110 and the terminal 120, the server 110 and the terminal 120 may each be referred to as an information processing device 200. Note that the number of information processing devices 200 connected to the network 130 is not limited to the example in Figure 1.

The server 110 provides predetermined services to the terminal 120 used by the user via the network 130. Examples of predetermined services include, but are not limited to, payment services, financial services, e-commerce services, SNS (Social Networking Services) such as messaging services using instant messengers, and content provision services for music, videos, books, etc. The server 110 may provide one or more predetermined services independently, or multiple servers 110 may provide one or more predetermined services. When a user uses a predetermined service via the terminal 120, the server 110 can provide the predetermined service to one or more terminals 120.

The terminal 120 is, for example, a user's smartphone or other device, and performs processing to use the various services provided by the server 110.

Where necessary, the terminal used by user X will be referred to as terminal 120X, and user information for a specified service associated with user X or terminal 120X will be referred to as user information X. User information is user information associated with the account used by the user in a specified service. User information includes, but is not limited to, information associated with the user, such as the user's name, user icon image, user age, user gender, user address, user hobbies and interests, and user identifier, which is input by the user or assigned by the specified service, balance information for electronic value (electronic money) associated with the user, and credit card information (such as a credit card number) associated with the user, and may be any one or a combination of these.

The network 130 serves to connect two or more information processing devices 200. The network 130 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that the terminal 120 can send and receive data after connecting to the server 110.

One or more portions of network 130 may be a wired network or a wireless network. Network 130 may include, by way of example and not limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cellular network, integrated service digital networks (ISDNs), wireless LANs, Long Term Evolution (LTE), code division multiple access (CDMA), Bluetooth (registered trademark), satellite communications, etc., or a combination of two or more thereof. Network 130 may include one or more networks 130.

The information processing device 200 may be any information processing device that can implement the functions and methods described in this disclosure.

The information processing device 200 may include, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile phone (feature phone), a computer (for example, but not limited to, a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a server device, a media computer platform (for example, but not limited to, a cable or satellite set-top box, digital video recorder, etc.), a handheld computer device (for example, but not limited to, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), email client, etc.), a wearable device (for example, but not limited to, a glasses-type device, a watch-type device, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms.

<Hardware configuration>
The hardware configuration of the information processing device 200 included in the communication system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information processing device 200 according to the embodiment.

The information processing device 200 includes a processor 201, a memory 202, a storage 203, an input/output interface (input/output I/F) 204, and a communication interface (communication I/F) 205. The hardware components of the information processing device 200 are interconnected via a bus B, for example and not by way of limitation.

The information processing device 200 realizes the functions and/or methods described in this disclosure through cooperation between the processor 201, memory 202, storage 203, input/output I/F 204, and communication I/F 205.

The processor 201 executes functions and methods implemented by code or instructions contained in a program stored in the storage 203. The processor 201 may include, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., and may implement the processes disclosed in each embodiment using logic circuits (hardware) or dedicated circuits formed in integrated circuits (IC (Integrated Circuit) chips, LSIs (Large Scale Integration)), etc. These circuits may be implemented using one or more integrated circuits, and multiple processes described in each embodiment may be implemented using a single integrated circuit. LSIs may also be referred to as VLSIs, super LSIs, ultra LSIs, etc., depending on their level of integration.

Memory 202 temporarily stores programs loaded from storage 203 and provides a working area for processor 201. Memory 202 also temporarily stores various data generated while processor 201 is executing programs. Examples of memory 202 include, but are not limited to, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), etc.

Storage 203 stores programs. Examples of storage 203 include, but are not limited to, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, etc.

The communication I/F 205 sends and receives various data via the network 130. This communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication is possible. The communication I/F 205 has the function of communicating with other information processing devices via the network 130. The communication I/F 205 transmits various data to other information processing devices in accordance with instructions from the processor 201. The communication I/F 205 also receives various data transmitted from other information processing devices and transmits it to the processor 201.

The input/output I/F 204 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the information processing device 200, and an output device for outputting the results of processing performed by the information processing device 200. The input/output I/F 204 may be an integrated input device and output device, or may be separate input and output devices.

The input device may be any type of device, or a combination of devices, that can accept input from a user and transmit information related to that input to the processor 201. Examples of input devices include, but are not limited to, touch panels, touch displays, hardware keys such as keyboards, pointing devices such as mice, cameras (for inputting operations via images), and microphones (for inputting operations via voice).

The output device may be any type of device capable of outputting the processing results of the processor 201, or a combination thereof. When the processing results are output as video or video images, the output device may be any type of device capable of displaying the display data written to the frame buffer, or a combination thereof. Examples of output devices include, but are not limited to, touch panels, touch displays, monitors (including, but not limited to, liquid crystal displays and organic electroluminescence displays (ELDs)), head-mounted displays (HDMs), projection mapping, holograms, devices capable of displaying images, text information, etc. in air (or a vacuum), speakers (audio output), printers, etc. Note that these output devices may also be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

The programs of each embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided in a state stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium may store the programs on a "non-transitory tangible medium." Examples of programs include, but are not limited to, software programs and computer programs.

The storage medium may, where appropriate, include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (such as, by way of example and not limitation, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific ICs (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, secure digital cards or drives, any other suitable storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. The storage medium may, where appropriate, be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile.

In addition, the program of the present disclosure may be provided to the information processing device 200 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves).

Furthermore, each embodiment of the present disclosure may be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

The programs disclosed herein may be implemented using, but are not limited to, scripting languages such as JavaScript (registered trademark), Python, C, Go, Swift, Kotlin, and Java (registered trademark).

At least part of the processing in the information processing device 200 may be realized by cloud computing consisting of one or more computers.

At least some of the processing in the information processing device 200 may be performed by another information processing device. In this case, at least some of the processing of each functional unit realized by the processor 201 may be performed by the other information processing device.

<Others>
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the judgment configuration in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not required, and a predetermined process may be performed when the judgment condition is met, or when the judgment condition is not met.

In this disclosure, unless expressly stated or indicated by context, "at least one of A and B" means "A, B, or both." Furthermore, unless expressly stated or indicated by context, "a," "an," or "the" shall mean "one or more." Thus, in this specification, unless expressly stated or indicated by context, "an A" or "the A" means "one or more A's."

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, or modifications that a person skilled in the art may make to the embodiments and examples of the present disclosure. The appended claims also encompass all changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, or modifications that a person skilled in the art may make to the embodiments and examples of the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses any combination, that a person skilled in the art may make, of one or more features of an embodiment or example of the present disclosure with one or more features of another embodiment or example of the present disclosure.

In addition, any reference in the appended claims to an apparatus or system, or a component of an apparatus or system, that is adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or capable of performing a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, or component, so long as the apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, enabled, or operable, regardless of whether the apparatus, system, component, or that particular function is activated, turned on, or unlocked.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, this disclosure may require consent from users in advance of or immediately prior to the implementation of any embodiment or example. Furthermore, consent may be obtained on a comprehensive basis or on a case-by-case basis.

<Embodiment>
An embodiment of the present disclosure comprises:
This embodiment provides a joint account that can be used by multiple users for payment.

The embodiment can, for example, improve convenience when making payments with multiple users. Furthermore, for example, since users do not need to set the split amount each time they make a payment, the resulting effect is that the load on terminal 120A and server 110, as well as the load on network 130 between terminal 120A and server 110, can be reduced.

<Functional configuration of the embodiment>
The functional configurations of the server 110 and the terminal 120 will be described using Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configurations of the server 110 and the terminal 120 according to the embodiment. The functional units disclosed in Fig. 3 are realized by cooperation of a processor 201, a memory 202, a storage 203, an input/output I/F 204, and a communication I/F 205 provided in the information processing device 200.

(1) Functional Configuration of Server The server 110 includes a reception unit 311, a transmission/reception unit 312, a control unit 313, a display control unit 314, and a storage unit 315. Note that the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the extent feasible.

The reception unit 311 receives various setting operations, etc. from businesses that operate the various services provided by the server 110.

The transmission/reception unit 312 transmits and receives data to and from the terminal 120 in accordance with instructions from the control unit 313. For example, when the user of the terminal 120 is authenticated by the user ID and password included in a login request from the terminal 120, the transmission/reception unit 312 connects a communication session with the terminal 120 using HTTPS or the like. The transmission/reception unit 312 then stores the communication address and user ID of the terminal 120 or the like in association with the ID of the connected communication session. The transmission/reception unit 312 then transmits data to the terminal 120 or the like using the connected communication session.

The control unit 313 performs processing to provide services such as payment services, financial services, and SMS messaging services to the user of the terminal 120.

The display control unit 314, in accordance with instructions from the control unit 313, causes the transceiver unit 312 to transmit information that controls the display screen of the terminal 120, etc.

The memory unit 315 includes a user information memory unit 3151 that stores user information, a group information memory unit 3152 that stores information about the group that manages the joint account, and a payment history memory unit 3153 that stores the history of each payment made using the joint account. The information stored in each memory unit will be described later.

(2) Functional Configuration of Terminal The terminal 120 includes a reception unit 321, a transmission/reception unit 322, a control unit 323, a display control unit 324, and a storage unit 325. Note that the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI to the extent feasible.

The reception unit 321 receives various operations from the user of the terminal 120.

The transmission/reception unit 322 transmits and receives data to and from the server 110, etc., in accordance with instructions from the control unit 323. For example, when logging in to the server 110, the transmission/reception unit 322 connects a communication session with the server 110 using HTTPS, etc. Then, it stores the communication address of the server 110, etc., in association with the ID of the connected communication session. Then, it transmits data to the server 110 using the connected communication session.

The control unit 323 performs processing to use specified services, such as payment services, provided by the server 110.

The display control unit 324 controls the display screen of the terminal 120 based on information received from the server 110, etc., in accordance with instructions from the control unit 323.

The memory unit 325 stores information for using services provided by the server 110.

<Processing of the embodiment>
The processing of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described below. Note that, hereinafter, the users of the terminal 120A, the terminal 120B, and the terminal 120C will be referred to as user A, user B, and user C, respectively. Note that, when each terminal 120 communicates with the server 110, it is assumed that the user account of each terminal 120 is used to receive authentication from the server 110.

<Processing when creating a joint account>
A process for creating a joint account in the communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 4 to 6B. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a process sequence for creating a joint account in the communication system 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 5A is a diagram showing an example of user information stored in the user information storage unit 3151 according to the embodiment. Figure 5B is a diagram showing an example of group information stored in the group information storage unit 3152 according to the embodiment. Figures 6A and 6B are diagrams showing an example of a display screen of the terminal 120 according to the embodiment.

The following describes an example in which user A first creates a group (group A) containing users A and B, and then adds user C to that group. Note that the number of users included in a group is not limited to this example. Also, adding users to a group is not required.

In step S1, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120A receives from user A an operation to set up a group including multiple users. Here, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120A may receive, for example, an operation to select users to be included in the group from among the users who have been previously set in a predetermined relationship with user A, such as friends, in the user information storage unit 3151 of server 110.

The reception unit 321 of terminal 120A may also obtain candidate users to include in the group from the server 110, allowing user A to select from the candidate users. The control unit 313 of server 110 may select candidate users to include in the group based on a social graph, etc. In this case, the control unit 313 of server 110 may select candidate users to include in the group based on the user IDs of users of terminals 120 located within a predetermined range from the current location of terminal 120A and with whom a predetermined relationship has been established in the user information storage unit 3151. For example, the control unit 313 of server 110 may select users with whom a predetermined relationship has been established with user A (friend users) and users with whom a predetermined relationship has been established with users with whom a predetermined relationship has been established with user A (friends of friends users). This makes it possible to extract users who are likely to share meals and drinks with user A from among other users near user A as candidate users to include in the group.

Note that a "predetermined relationship" means that the server 110 or the terminal 120 stores a predetermined relationship between two or more users. By way of example and not limitation, a predetermined relationship may include a relationship in which both parties have mutually approved the establishment of a relationship, a relationship in which at least one party has requested the establishment of a relationship, a relationship established based on user information, a relationship established based on user behavior, or a relationship established when a predetermined condition is met. Note that a relationship established based on user information may include a relationship between users who have one or more pieces of identical or similar user information, and a relationship established based on user behavior may include a relationship between users who have one or more pieces of identical or similar user behavior. Also, by way of example and not limitation, a user who has a predetermined relationship with a first user may include not only a second user who has a predetermined relationship with the first user, but also a third user (a friend of a friend) who has a predetermined relationship with the second user.

Furthermore, users who have a predetermined relationship with the user (users who have a predetermined relationship with the user) may be, for example and without limitation, all users who have a predetermined relationship with the user, a predetermined number of users, or users whose intimacy level is at or above a predetermined level.

Here, intimacy may be determined as a degree of intimacy determined so that the greater the volume of messages exchanged between users within a specified period (which may be a predetermined fixed period such as one or two months, or the period from the establishment of a specified relationship to the present), the greater the intimacy. It may also be determined as a degree of intimacy determined so that the greater the number of transactions (including the buying and selling of goods, the sending and receiving of assets, currency exchange, etc.) between users within a specified period.

Furthermore, the intimacy level may be determined so that the longer the period from when a specified relationship was established to the present, the higher the intimacy level. The period from when a specified relationship was established to the present may be an absolute value, or a relative value among one or more users who have a specified relationship with the user.

Intimacy may also be a degree determined such that, for multiple other users who have a predetermined relationship with the user, the intimacy increases the longer the other users stay within a predetermined range from the user's location. Intimacy may also be a degree determined such that, for multiple users who have a predetermined relationship with the user, the intimacy increases the longer the relationship estimated based on the length of time since the specified relationship was established and the location information of each user (for example, the degree of estimation that the users are in a family relationship).

Furthermore, the intimacy level may be determined such that the greater the number of users in common with the user (number of mutual friends), the higher the intimacy level for multiple other users who have a predetermined relationship with the user.

Furthermore, the intimacy level may be determined such that the greater the number of users who have a predetermined relationship with the user communicating with the user, the higher the intimacy level.

Furthermore, the intimacy level may be determined such that the greater the similarity between the user's own attributes and the attributes of multiple users who have a predetermined relationship with the user, the higher the intimacy level. For example, the user's attributes may be, but are not limited to, interests or concerns.

The control unit 323 of terminal 120A may also obtain information about candidate users to be included in a group from other terminals 120 via short-range wireless communication, and cause the display control unit 324 to display the obtained information about the users of the other terminals 120. In this case, the short-range wireless communication may be any type that can establish wireless communication between terminals 120 over a relatively short distance. Examples of short-range wireless communication include, but are not limited to, Wi-Fi, RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier), NFC (Near Field Communication), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), and ultrasound.

This allows other users near user A to be extracted as candidate users to include in the group. The control unit 323 of terminal 120A may also select candidate users to include in the group based on the social graph. In this case, the control unit 323 of terminal 120A may, for example, select users (friend users) who have a predetermined relationship with user A from among the users of other terminals 120 detected by short-range wireless communication, and cause the display control unit 324 to display the selected users.

Furthermore, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120B may receive an operation to designate a group that has been created in advance as a group for sending and receiving content using the messaging service provided by server 110 as a group for a joint account.

(User information storage unit 3151)
In the example of FIG. 5A, the user information storage unit 3151 stores, in association with the user ID, the name, icon, balance, and user ID of each user who is set in a predetermined relationship. The user ID is identification information of the user. The name is the name of the user. The icon is an image (still image, illustration, etc.) set for the user that represents the user. The balance is the balance of the user's account that can be used by the user to make payments in the payment service provided by the server 110. The user ID of each user who is set in a predetermined relationship is, for example, the user ID of a user who is set as a friend in an SNS or the like provided by the server 110.

Next, the transmitter/receiver 322 of terminal 120A sends a request to set up a group to server 110 (step S2). Here, the request to set up a group may include, for example, the user ID of user A and the user IDs of one or more users to be included in the group specified by user A. Note that the control unit 313 of server 110 may obtain the user ID of user A of terminal 120A based on the ID of a data communication session received from terminal 120A, which has previously logged in to server 110 using user A's user ID.

In the following description, it is assumed that user A first specifies that user B should be included in the group. The control unit 313 of server 110 then sets a group including the specified users in the group information storage unit 3152 (step S3). The control unit 313 of server 110 then sends and displays a notification to terminal 120B that users A and B have been invited to the group. When user B accepts participation in the group, the control unit 313 also sends and displays a notification to terminal 120A. This allows users A and B to send and receive content between the users included in the group, for example, using a messaging service provided by server 110. This content may include messages, images (including still images and videos), illustrations, and the like.

(Group information storage unit 3152)
5B, the group information storage unit 3152 stores a name, each user ID, a history of transmitted and received content, and a balance in association with a group ID. The group ID is identification information of the group. The name is the name of the group designated by the user when setting up (generating, creating) the group, for example.

The user IDs of the multiple users are the user IDs of the users included in the group. The history of transmitted and received content is the history of content transmitted and received in the group. Note that the history of transmitted and received content may store, for example, the user ID of the user who transmitted the content, the date and time the content was transmitted, and data on the content content, in association with the ID of the transmitted and received content.

The balance is the balance of the group's account (joint account) that each user in the group can use to make payments using the payment service provided by server 110.

Next, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120A accepts an operation by each user in the group to specify the amount to be deposited into the group's joint account (step S4). In the example of FIG. 6A, the display control unit 324 of terminal 120A displays, on a deposit screen 601 to the joint account, the group's name 602, a message 603 prompting each user to enter the deposit amount, User A's icon 604A, name 604B, deposit amount input field 604C, User B's icon 605A, name 605B, deposit amount input field 605C, and a "Decide" button 606. When the reception unit 321 accepts an operation in which amounts are entered into input fields 604C and 605C and the "Decide" button 606 is pressed, terminal 120A performs the following processing. Note that in the example of input fields 604C and 605C in FIG. 6A, User A and User B are designated to deposit 5,000 yen each into the joint account. Each user may be able to specify the amount they wish to deposit. Alternatively, the amount may be deposited automatically at predetermined intervals (for example, once a month).

Next, the transceiver 322 of terminal 120A sends a deposit request to server 110, including information on the amounts to be deposited into the group's joint account specified by user A (step S5). The deposit request may include the group ID, user A's user ID, the amount deposited by user A, user B's user ID, the amount deposited by user B, etc.

The control unit 313 of the server 110 then transfers (deposits) the amount specified by user A in the received deposit request from user A's account to the group's joint account (step S6). The control unit 313 of the server 110 then subtracts the specified amount from user A's balance in the user information storage unit 3151. The control unit 313 of the server 110 then adds this amount to group A's balance in the group information storage unit 3152. The transceiver unit 312 of the server 110 may then send a notification to terminal 120A that allows user A to make a payment from group A's balance. Upon receiving this notification, the display control unit 324 of terminal 120A may then enable user A to operate a button or the like to make a payment from group A's balance.

Next, the transceiver unit 312 of the server 110 sends a deposit request to terminal 120B for the amount specified by user A in the received deposit request that user B deposit into the group's joint account (step S7).

The display control unit 324 of terminal 120B then displays the received deposit request (step S8). Here, the display control unit 324 of terminal 120B may, for example, display a display screen such as that shown in FIG. 6B. In the example of FIG. 6B, the display control unit 324 of terminal 120B displays a group message screen 611 that displays content etc. sent and received in group A in chronological order of transmission, using the messaging service provided by server 110. In the example of FIG. 6B, each piece of content etc. is displayed in descending order of transmission date and time, starting from the bottom of the display area 613 for sent and received content etc. Note that the display control unit 324 of terminal 120 may also display each piece of content etc. in descending order of transmission date and time, starting from the top of the display area 613.

In the example of Figure 6B, a message 614A sent by user A and the date and time 614B when message 614A was sent are displayed in association with user A's icon 604A and name 604B. A message 615A sent by user B and the date and time 615B when message 615A was sent are displayed in association with user B's icon 605A and name 605B. A message 616A and the date and time 616B when message 615A was sent, which was delivered by server 110 to the terminal 120 of each user included in the group, indicating that user A has deposited money into the joint account, are also displayed. A deposit request message 617A and the date and time 617B when message 614A was sent by server 110, as well as a "Cancel" button 617C and an "Accept and deposit" button 617D, are also displayed.

Next, the acceptance unit 321 of terminal 120B accepts an operation from user B agreeing to deposit the amount specified by user A (step S9). Here, the acceptance unit 321 of terminal 120B accepts, for example, an operation from user B to press the "Agree and deposit" button 617D in FIG. 6B. Note that terminal 120B may allow user B to specify an arbitrary deposit amount. In this case, terminal 120B may allow user B to specify an amount equal to or greater than the amount specified by user A. This allows, for example, user B to deposit an amount greater than the amount specified by user A.

Next, the transceiver 322 of terminal 120B sends an acceptance response to the received deposit request to server 110 (step S10). The acceptance response may include the group ID, user B's user ID, the amount of deposit by user B, etc.

Next, the control unit 313 of the server 110 transfers the amount specified by user A or user B to be deposited by user B into the group's joint account from user B's account to the group's joint account (step S11). The control unit 313 of the server 110 then subtracts the specified amount from user B's balance in the user information storage unit 3151. The control unit 313 of the server 110 then adds this amount to group A's balance in the group information storage unit 3152. The transceiver unit 312 of the server 110 may then determine whether the amount deposited by user B into the group's joint account is equal to or greater than the amount specified by user A, and only if it is equal to or greater than this amount, may send a notification to terminal 120B allowing user B to make a payment from group A's balance. Upon receiving this notification, the display control unit 324 of terminal 120B may then enable user B to operate a button or the like to make a payment from group A's balance. This allows users who deposit a predetermined amount or more into the joint account to make a payment using the joint account. Additionally, users who have not deposited funds into the joint account can be prevented from making payments using the joint account.

Then, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120A receives an operation from user A to add user C to the group and specify the amount that user C will deposit into the group's joint account (step S12). Then, the transmission/reception unit 322 of terminal 120A sends a deposit request to server 110, including information on the amounts specified by user A that user C will deposit into the group's joint account (step S13).

Next, the transceiver 312 of the server 110 sends a deposit request to the terminal 120C (step S14). Here, the deposit request may include information on the amount specified by user A that user C will deposit into the group's joint account.

The display control unit 324 of terminal 120C then displays the received deposit request (step S15). The acceptance unit 321 of terminal 120C then accepts an operation from user C agreeing to deposit the amount specified by user A (step S16). Note that terminal 120C may allow user C to specify an arbitrary deposit amount. In this case, terminal 120C may allow user C to specify an amount equal to or greater than the amount specified by user A. This allows user C to deposit, for example, an amount greater than the amount specified by user A. The transmission/reception unit 322 of terminal 120C then transmits an acceptance response to the received deposit request to server 110 (step S17).

Next, the transceiver 312 of the server 110 transfers the amount specified by user A or user C that user C will deposit into the group's joint account from user C's account to the group's joint account (step S18). Here, the transceiver 312 of the server 110 may determine whether the amount deposited by user C into the group's joint account is equal to or greater than the amount specified by user A, and may send a notification to terminal 120C allowing user C to make a payment from group A's balance only if the amount is equal to or greater than the amount specified by user A. Upon receiving the notification, the display control unit 324 of terminal 120C may enable user C to operate a button or the like to make a payment from group A's balance. The control unit 313 of the server 110 may also add user C to group A of the messaging service, allowing users A, B, and C to send and receive content using group A. As a result, user C, who is added to group A, can make payments using the joint account and use the messaging service in group A by depositing an amount equal to or greater than the amount specified by user A into the joint account.

<Processing when making payments using a joint account>
The process of making a payment to a joint account of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the sequence of the process of making a payment to a joint account of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment. Figures 8A to 8C are diagrams showing an example of the display screen of the terminal 120 according to the embodiment. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the payment history stored in the payment history storage unit 3153 according to the embodiment.

The following describes an example in which user C makes a payment using a joint account of group A, which includes users A, B, and C. Note that the number of users included in the group is not limited to this example. Note that the processing when users A and B make a payment using group A's joint account may be the same as the processing when user C makes a payment using group A's joint account, which is described below.

In step S51, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120C receives from user C an operation to make a payment from group A's joint account using the payment service provided by server 110. Here, the reception unit 321 of terminal 120C may receive payment operations using various methods, such as QR code (registered trademark) payment, contactless payment, credit card payment, online payment, etc.

Next, the transceiver 322 of terminal 120C sends a payment request to server 110 (step S52). Here, the payment request may include the group ID of group A, the user ID of user C, and payment information. The payment information may include information such as the payment amount, the ID of the payee business, and a breakdown of the payment (receipt information).

Next, the control unit 313 of the server 110 stores the payment information, etc. contained in the received payment request in the payment history storage unit 3153 (step S53).

(Payment history storage unit 3153)
In the example of Figure 9, the payment history memory unit 3153 stores a payment ID, the user ID of the payer, payment information, the amount used (yen), and the approval status in association with the group ID. The payment ID is identification information for the payment in the joint account. The user ID of the payer is the user ID of the user who made the payment. The payment information is information indicating the content of the payment. The amount used is the name of each user who used (consumed) the paid product and the amount used by each user. The approval status is the approval status of each user's payment in the joint account, and includes "approved,""notapproved," and "not approved," etc. The amount used and the approval status may be set, for example, by a user's operation on the terminal 120.

Next, the control unit 313 of the server 110 makes a payment (advance payment) from user C's account (step S54). Here, the control unit 313 of the server 110 subtracts the payment amount from user C's balance stored in the user information storage unit 3151, and adds the payment amount to the balance of the payee's business account. This completes the payment at the store, etc.

Then, the transceiver 312 of the server 110 transmits the payment information to terminals 120A, 120B, and 120C of each user in group A via the messaging service (steps S55-1 to S55-3). The display control units 324 of terminals 120A, 120B, and 120C then display the payment information, including receipt information, on the group message screen for group A via the messaging service (steps S56-1 to S56-3).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 312 of the server 110 sends a payment approval request to the terminals 120A and 120B of each user in group A other than user C via the messaging service (steps S57-1-2). The display control units 324 of the terminals 120A and 120B then display the approval request on the group message screen for group A in the messaging service (steps S58-1-2). In the example of FIG. 8A, the display control units 324 of the terminals 120A and 120B display the group message screen 801, which displays the content, etc. sent and received in group A in chronological order of transmission, via the messaging service provided by the server 110.

In the example of Figure 8A, area 802 displaying payment information and approval requests displays a message 802A indicating that user C has requested approval for a joint account payment, a summary of the payment details 802B, a "View details" button 801C, and a "Set user" button 801D. Area 802 also displays the approval status 802E of each user other than the payer included in group A, a "Do not approve payment" button 802F, an "Approve payment" button 802G, and the date and time the approval request was sent 802H.

In addition, a message 803C sent by user C and the date and time 803D when the message 803C was sent are displayed in association with user C's icon 803A and name 803B.

Note that because approval is not required from user C, who made the payment using the joint account, the "Do not approve payment" button 802F and the "Approve payment" button 802G are not displayed on the group message screen displayed by the display control unit 324 of terminal 120C.

When the "View Details" button 801C is pressed, the display control unit 324 of the terminal 120 displays detailed payment information, such as a breakdown of the purchased items. Furthermore, when the "Set User" button 801D is pressed, a display screen is displayed that accepts settings for each user who used (consumed) the paid-for items and the amount used by each user.

When the "Do not approve payment" button 802F is pressed, the transceiver unit 322 of the terminal 120 sends a non-approval response to the server 110. The control unit 313 of the server 110 then updates the approval status for the user of the terminal 120 in the payment history storage unit 3153 from "unapproved" to "not approved."

Next, the reception units 321 of terminals 120A and 120B receive approval operations from users A and B, respectively (steps S59-1-2). Here, the reception units 321 of terminals 120A and 120B each receive an operation to press the "Approve payment" button 802G in FIG. 9, for example. Next, the transmission/reception units 322 of terminals 120A and 120B each send an approval response to the server 110 (steps S60-1-2).

Next, the control unit 313 of the server 110 transfers the payment amount from Group A's joint account to User C's account (step S61). Here, the control unit 313 of the server 110 subtracts the payment amount from Group A's balance in the group information storage unit 3152, and adds the payment amount to User C's balance stored in the user information storage unit 3151. As a result, the payment amount that had been paid in advance for User C is settled from the joint account. The control unit 313 of the server 110 also updates the approval status for the user of the terminal 120 in question from "unapproved" to "approved" in the payment history storage unit 3153.

When a payment to a joint account is approved by user A and user B, and the user and amount for the payment are set to one of the users, the display control unit 324 of the terminal 120 displays the group message screen 811 shown in Figure 8B. In the example of Figure 8B, the user and amount for the payment 812, and the approval status 813 for each user are displayed.

In addition, the display control unit 324 of the terminal 120 of each user in group A responds to user operation to display the payment history of payments made by each user to the joint account of group A. In the example of Figure 8C, the payment history screen 821 of user B in group A displays payment information 822, 823 associated with user B, the balance 824 of the joint account of group A, the total amount deposited into the joint account by user B 825, and the amount used by user B in the joint account 826. This allows the user to check the usage status of the joint account by each user in the group.

The above-described embodiment eliminates the need to split the bill each time a payment is made, making it possible to make joint payments with simple operations, for example, when using a joint account between a married couple or traveling with a group of friends.

Example 1
In the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which payment from a joint account is made when all users in a group other than the payer perform an approval operation. Alternatively, for example, when setting up (creating) a group, the terminal 120 may set a group administrator in the server 110 in response to a user's operation, and payment from the joint account may be made when the group administrator performs an approval operation. This makes it easier to approve payments. Alternatively, payment from the joint account may be made when a majority of users in a group perform an approval operation. Alternatively, payment from the joint account may be made when one or more users in a group perform an approval operation.

Alternatively, in the case of a group such as a married couple, approval operations may be unnecessary due to operations performed when setting up (creating) the group. In this case, in the processing of step S54 in FIG. 9, the control unit 313 of the server 110 makes payments from the joint account and does not send an approval request to the terminal 120.

Example 2
In the above embodiment, an example was described in which payment is made in advance from the account of user C, who is the payer, and if approval is obtained, money is transferred from the joint account to the account of user C. Alternatively, payment may be made from the joint account, and if the payment is not approved, money may be transferred from user C's account to the joint account.

In this case, in the processing of step S54 in Figure 9, the control unit 313 of the server 110 makes the payment from Group A's joint account. Here, the control unit 313 of the server 110 subtracts the payment amount from Group A's balance in the group information storage unit 3152, and adds the payment amount to the balance of the payee's business account. This completes the payment at the store, etc.

If the payment is rejected by another user, the control unit 313 of the server 110 will cover the payment amount from user C's account. Here, the control unit 313 of the server 110 subtracts the payment amount from user C's balance stored in the user information storage unit 3151, and adds the payment amount to group A's balance in the group information storage unit 3152. This allows payment to be made using a joint account even if the payer's balance is less than the payment amount.

Example 3
When a user included in a joint account group withdraws from the group, the control unit 313 of the server 110 may transfer at least a portion of the balance of the joint account to the balance of the withdrawing user. In this case, the control unit 313 of the server 110 may, for example, transfer to the balance of the withdrawing user an amount that corresponds to the proportion of the amount deposited into the joint account by each user included in the joint account group and the balance of the joint account. For example, if user A, who is withdrawing, has deposited 10,000 yen into the joint account, and each of the other users has deposited a total of 10,000 yen into the joint account, and the balance of the joint account is 10,000 yen, half of that, or 5,000 yen, may be transferred to user A.

The control unit 313 of the server 110 may also transfer to the balance of the withdrawing user an amount that corresponds to, for example, the proportion of the amount deposited by each user in the joint account group into the joint account, the amount used by each user in the joint account, and the balance of the joint account. For example, if user A who is withdrawing has deposited 10,000 yen into the joint account and user A's amount used is 5,000 yen, and each of the other users has deposited a total of 10,000 yen into the joint account and each of the other users has used 0 yen, and the balance of the joint account is 10,000 yen, one-third of that, or 3,333 yen, may be transferred to user A.

In this disclosure, transferring money includes subtracting a specified amount from one balance and adding a specified amount to the other balance.

1 Communication system 110 Server 120 Terminal 130 Network 200 Information processing device 311 Reception unit 312 Transmission/reception unit 313 Control unit 314 Display control unit 315 Storage unit 3151 User information storage unit 3152 Group information storage unit 3153 Payment history storage unit 321 Reception unit 322 Transmission/reception unit 323 Control unit 324 Display control unit 325 Storage unit

Claims (12)

The information processing device
a process of providing a payment method that can be used in a physical store, different from bank remittance, to each of the first user's terminal and the second user's terminal, and that enables a transaction process including a payment and a remittance associated with the payment ;
a process of managing a balance of a group including the first user and the second user, the balance being different from a bank account balance;
When payment for a service received at a physical store by the first user or the second user is completed by the first user or the second user using the payment means at the physical store, a process of acquiring from the terminal of the first user or the terminal of the second user a remittance request for remittance associated with the payment, the remittance request including the amount to be paid to the physical store for the service received at the physical store using the payment means ;
processing the transaction based on the amount included in the remittance request and subtracting the amount from the group's balance;
An information processing method that performs the above. The information processing method described in claim 1, wherein the payment method includes at least one of two-dimensional code payment, credit card payment, or online payment. The information processing method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of adding a third user to the group. The adding process is
The information processing method according to claim 3 , wherein the method is executed when a predetermined amount is added from the balance of the third user to the balance of the group. The adding process is
The information processing method according to claim 3 , wherein the information processing method is executed when a predetermined relationship is established between the first user or the second user and the third user. The information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising the step of deleting at least one user belonging to the group from the group. The information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising the step of associating a name with the group. The information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: accepting automatic deposits to a predetermined balance from at least one of the first user and the second user. The information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a process of displaying a history of use of the payment method in association with the user who used the payment method. The information processing method described in any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: subtracting a predetermined amount from the group's balance and adding the predetermined amount to the balance of any user belonging to the group. In the information processing device,
A process of providing each of the first user's terminal and the second user's terminal with a payment method that is different from bank remittance and can be used in physical stores, and that enables transaction processing including payment and remittance associated with the payment ;
a process of managing a balance of a group including the first user and the second user, the balance being different from a bank account balance;
When payment for a service received at a physical store by the first user or the second user is completed by the first user or the second user using the payment means at the physical store, a process of acquiring from the terminal of the first user or the terminal of the second user a remittance request for remittance associated with the payment, the remittance request including the amount to be paid to the physical store for the service received at the physical store using the payment means ;
processing the transaction based on the amount included in the remittance request and subtracting the amount from the group's balance;
A program that executes the following. A process of providing each of the first user's terminal and the second user's terminal with a payment method that is different from bank remittance and can be used in physical stores, and that enables transaction processing including payment and remittance associated with the payment ;
a process of managing a balance of a group including the first user and the second user, the balance being different from a bank account balance;
When payment for a service received at a physical store by the first user or the second user is completed by the first user or the second user using the payment means at the physical store, a process of acquiring from the terminal of the first user or the terminal of the second user a remittance request for remittance associated with the payment, the remittance request including the amount to be paid to the physical store for the service received at the physical store using the payment means ;
processing the transaction based on the amount included in the remittance request and subtracting the amount from the group's balance;
An information processing device having a control unit that executes the above.