JP7833512B2 - Payment systems, payment methods, and application programs - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a payment system, a payment method, and an application program.

Traditionally, electronic payment services that involve the exchange of information between terminal devices such as smartphones and store equipment have become widespread. The practical application of NFC (Near Field Communication) for this information exchange is also progressing. In this regard, Patent Document 1 describes a method for performing contactless credit card payments by equipping store payment terminals with NFC functionality.

Patent No. 7445073

Incidentally, while electronic payment services are often conducted via POS (Point of Sale) devices installed in stores, it is difficult to equip all POS devices with NFC functionality simultaneously for widely adopted electronic payment services. Thus, conventional technology has sometimes been insufficient to realistically improve the convenience of electronic payments.

This invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a payment system, payment method, and application program that can realistically improve the convenience of electronic payments.

One aspect of the present invention is a payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program. The application program, when it obtains a tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store and storing a tag ID capable of recognizing at least some of the store, the store's payment terminal, and the affiliated merchants to which the store belongs, via the NFC function, causes the application program to transmit the tag ID to the payment server. The payment server then transmits payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program. The application program then displays the payment information on the user terminal device and accepts the user's payment acceptance operation.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to practically improve the convenience of electronic payments.

This diagram shows the basic forms of in-store electronic payment. This diagram shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payments (terminal payments) using a payment app. This figure shows an example of the contents of user information 172. This figure shows an example of the contents of member store/store information 174. This diagram shows an overview of the processing flow when a user scan is performed. This diagram shows an overview of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. This diagram shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payments (card payments) using payment cards. This diagram schematically illustrates the process of in-store input-type NFC payment. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing flow for store-input type NFC payments. This figure shows an example of the screen transitions in the payment application 20 when a store-input type NFC payment is performed. This diagram schematically illustrates the process of user-input-based NFC payment. This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing flow for user-input type NFC payments. This figure shows an example of screen transitions in a payment application 20 when a user-input type NFC payment is performed.

[overview]
The following describes embodiments of the payment system, payment method, and application program according to the present invention, with reference to the drawings. The application program, payment server, and credit card server work together to provide electronic payment services. In the following description, the application program will be referred to as the payment app. The payment server and credit card server together may be referred to as the payment management system. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payment for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may include one provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when settling a purchase at the virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, a merchant (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at the store is mainly carried out between the user and the merchant. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[Types of in-store electronic payment methods]
Figure 1 shows a basic configuration of in-store electronic payment. Basically, electronic payment is executed by three parties: a medium M held by the user U, store equipment E, and a payment system S. The medium M is a portable computer device such as a smartphone or a credit card. Store equipment E is located in a physical store (hereinafter simply referred to as "store") in the real world and includes POS devices, wireless communication devices, credit card readers, printed materials with code images such as QR codes (registered trademark), or display devices that show code images. In in-store electronic payment, first, user identification information and payment amount information are shared unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the medium M and the store equipment E. During this process, one of the medium M or store equipment E optically reads various information from the code image displayed by the other, provides information via NFC (Near Field Communication), or reads the PAN (Primary Account Number) by a credit card reader. Then, one of the medium M or store equipment E (the one that received information from the other) transmits the payment information necessary for payment to the payment system S via the network NW. Furthermore, both the medium M and the store equipment E may transmit some information to the payment system S. The payment system S manages various information of the user U and performs electronic payments between the store and the user U in various ways. Electronic payments are made using either a prepaid system or a post-paid system, or both, or by other methods. In addition, electronic payments may also include so-called online shopping, which is performed by both the user's terminal device and the payment system. The network NW includes, for example, the internet, LAN (Local Area Network), wireless base stations, and provider equipment. Various devices that communicate via the network NW, as described later, are assumed to have communication devices such as network cards and wireless communication modules.

[Configuration (terminal payment)]
Figure 2 shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payment (terminal payment) using a payment application. This electronic payment is executed around a payment application 20 running on a user terminal device 10, which is one of the media Ms; one or more store payment terminals 30 and one or more store code images 40, which are part of the store equipment E; and a payment server 100 that constitutes part of the payment system S. The payment server 100 communicates with the user terminal device 10, the store payment terminals 30 and one or more information terminals 50 via a network NW.

The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least optical reading functionality, communication functionality, display functionality, input reception functionality, and program execution functionality. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, communication device, touch panel, CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. The user terminal device 10 operates by executing the payment application 20 via a processor such as the CPU, in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to the user. The payment application 20 is installed on the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application distribution server (not shown), and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc., of the user terminal device 10.

The store payment terminal 30 is installed, for example, in a store. The store payment terminal 30 is a computer device (or a collection thereof) having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The store payment terminal 30 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the POS device may also have a product price acquisition function and an optical reading function.

The store code image 40 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on paper or plastic media. The store code image 40 may also be displayed on a display placed in the store (this may also be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet).

The information terminal 50 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. In the electronic payment service, customers, as providers of goods or services, are treated as affiliated stores (brands), and each has one or more stores under its umbrella. An affiliated store operating only one store may also exist. The information terminal 50 is a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, etc. The information terminal 50 operates the affiliated store interface 55. The affiliated store interface 55 may be an affiliated store application or a web page displayed by a general-purpose browser. The affiliated store interface 55 accepts coupon settings, etc., from the affiliated store operator and transmits them to the payment server 100. By executing the affiliated store interface 55, the information terminal 50 may have the function of displaying a code image corresponding to the store code image 40, or reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 (in the latter case, an optical reading function is required).

The payment server 100 communicates with the credit card server 200 via a network NW. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a content provision unit 110, an information management unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components are LSIs (Large Scale Integration), ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), FPGAs (Field-Programmable Graphite Arrays).
The program may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as a Gate Array and a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the collaboration of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is inserted into a drive device.

The storage unit 170 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may also be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the payment server 100 via the network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172 and merchant/store information 174. The storage unit 170 may also store tag ID mapping information 176. This will be explained in the section on [NFC Payment].

The content provision unit 110, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The content provision unit 110 provides content to the user terminal device 10 in the form of a web page, or provides the user terminal device 10 with parameters necessary for the payment application 20 to render images.

The Information Management Unit 120 edits, adds, and deletes user information 172 and affiliated store/shop information 174, and manages these.

Figure 3 shows an example of the contents of User Information 172. User Information 172 is a collection of information such as User URL, Account ID, Phone Number, Password, Registration Date, Charge Balance, Electronic Money Type, Terminal Payment Method, Card Payment Method, Various History Information, Identity Verification Flag, Name, Address, Date of Birth, Email Address, Bank Account, Post-Payment Settings, and Post-Payment Conditions, all of which are linked to each other. Hereafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is linked may be referred to as an account. In the figure, items marked with "-" indicate that they are not set.

The user URL is used for processing transfers between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is mandatory. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100. The registration date is the date the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date the account was created). The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user beforehand by sending money to their account. Transfer methods include depositing money into an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated provider (bank) and transfers from a registered bank account. The type of electronic money indicates, for example, whether the electronic money is withdrawable or usable only for electronic payments. The terminal payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make an electronic payment using their charge balance (balance payment) or a deferred payment in terminal payments. The card payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make an electronic payment using their charge balance (balance payment) or a deferred payment in card payments. Various types of transaction history include charge history, which shows the history of users sending funds to electronic payment services in advance to increase their balance, and payment history, which shows the details of each transaction (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

The "Verified Identity" flag indicates whether the user has completed identity verification using an identification document. Post-payment becomes available only after identity verification is complete. The user with account ID "002" in the diagram has not completed identity verification and therefore can only select balance payment as their terminal payment method. The "Bank Account" field is the account number of the bank account to which funds can be deposited into the electronic payment service. The "Post-Payment Settings" field indicates whether the settings necessary to enable post-payment have been completed. The "Post-Payment Conditions" field shows various conditions for post-payment, such as the limit and the current month's usage amount.

Figure 4 shows an example of the contents of the merchant/store information 174. The merchant/store information 174 includes, for example, a first table 174A where merchant IDs and store IDs are associated with store URLs, a second table 174B where merchant names and sales figures (as described above) are associated with merchant IDs, and a third table 174C where store IDs are associated with store IDs. In addition to this information, the merchant/store information 174 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, store location, and payment patterns. As shown in the figure, the third table 174C may further include identification information (device ID) of the in-store payment terminal 30 for each store.

The payment processing unit 130 performs various processes for electronic payment. There are two methods for terminal payment, as described below: the first method (user scan) and the second method (store scan).

Figure 5 shows an overview of the processing flow when a user scan is performed. First, the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, reads and decodes the store code image 40 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 40 contains information about the store's URL. The payment application 20 sends first payment information, including the store URL and the user's account ID, to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches the merchant/store information 174 using the merchant ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, obtains the merchant name and store name information (S3), and sends it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the payment application 20 on the screen displaying the merchant name and store name (S5). Then, the payment application 20 generates second payment information, including at least the payment amount, and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6).

The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information if the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of the user is set to "balance payment" (S7-1). In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by, for example, decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the merchant's sales proceeds. The item value of the merchant's sales proceeds is not used as electronic money itself; rather, the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to the bank account according to the cycle agreed upon between the merchant and the electronic payment service. On the other hand, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment," the payment processing unit 130 sends the first and second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S7-2). The credit card server 200 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S7-3).

The payment processing unit 130 then sends a payment completion notification (information for displaying the payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 via the content provision unit 110 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that if the store code image 40 is displayed on a display in the store, the store code image 40 may include not only the store URL but also payment amount information. In this case, the procedure for the user to enter the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Merchant name and store name information may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

Figure 6 shows an overview of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. First, when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, when it is time for an automatic update (for example, every minute), and at other times, the payment app 20 sends a request to the payment server 100 to issue a one-time code (S11). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or barcode that was generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the store payment terminal 30 (presents it), and the store payment terminal 30 reads and decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). Then, the store payment terminal 30 generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). Payment amount information is obtained in advance through methods such as barcode scanning or manual entry.

The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information. If the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of that user is set to "balance payment," electronic payment is performed based on the received second payment information (S17-1). The content of this process is the same as the process in S7-1 in Figure 5. On the other hand, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment," the payment server 100 sends the first and second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S17-2). The credit card server 200 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S17-3).

Then, the payment processing unit 130 sends a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 via the content provision unit 110 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

Furthermore, electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" explained in Figure 2 may be other information that can be used as user identification information (e.g., a phone number). Additionally, the issuance of a one-time code may be omitted during store scanning, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

Furthermore, instead of managing the "post-payment" settlement through the credit card server 200, it may be handled internally by the payment server 100. In this case, the configuration of the payment card 60, credit card server 200, etc., may be omitted.

[Payment Method (Card Payment)]
Figure 7 shows an example of a configuration for electronic payment (card payment) using a payment card. This electronic payment is executed around a payment card 60, which is one of the media Ms; a credit processing terminal 70, which is one of the store equipment Es; and a payment server 100 and a credit card server 200, which constitute part of the payment system S. The credit card server 200 communicates with the credit processing terminal 70 via a network NW.

The credit processing terminal 70 is installed in the store, similar to the store payment terminal 30. The credit processing terminal 70 includes, for example, a credit payment terminal (credit card reader) and a POS device. The credit payment terminal reads the PIN (Personal Identification Number) from the inserted or scanned credit card and verifies it against the PIN entered by the user, or transmits the PAN (Primary Account Number) read from the credit card to the credit card server 200 via the POS device. The POS device works in cooperation with the credit payment terminal to transmit information such as the payment amount to the credit card server 200. An acquisitioner server may be interposed between the credit processing terminal 70 and the credit card server 200, but for the sake of simplicity, the description of the acquisitioner server will be omitted below. The payment card 60 is, for example, similar in form to a commonly used credit card, with a communication chip embedded in the card base material. The communication chip incorporates a storage medium that stores the PIN and communicates with an external device via a contactor (or wireless antenna). Alternatively, the payment card 60 may be a magnetic card. Note that the information (messages) transmitted and received when using a credit card includes an authorization message for authentication and a sales message to convey the payment amount; however, a detailed explanation distinguishing between these two is omitted below.

The credit card server 200 communicates with the payment server 100 via a network (NW). The credit card server 200 includes, for example, an information management unit 210, a credit interface 220, a payment distribution unit 230, a credit payment processing unit 240, and a storage unit 270. Components other than the storage unit 270 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be pre-stored in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted in a drive device. The storage unit 270 stores information such as card user information 272.

The information management unit 210 edits, adds, and deletes card user information 272 and manages it. Card user information 272 is information that associates, for example, information unique to the user (e.g., PAN), the card payment method, and the user's account ID (used by the payment server 100). The card payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make an electronic payment using their charged balance (balance payment) or a deferred payment.

The credit interface 220 determines whether the BIN (Bank Identification Number) in the PAN included in the message received from the credit processing terminal 70 is a code specific to the company. If it is a code specific to the company, it passes the message received from the credit processing terminal 70 to the settlement distribution unit 230. If it is not a code specific to the company, it discards the received message.

The payment distribution unit 230 refers to the user's cardholder information 272 corresponding to the message received from the credit interface 220 and determines whether the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment". If the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment", the payment distribution unit 230 notifies the credit interface 220 of this and passes the message received from the credit interface 220 to the credit payment processing unit 240. On the other hand, if the "card payment method" is set to "balance payment", the payment distribution unit 230 adds the user's account ID to the message received from the credit interface 220 and sends it to the payment server 100, requesting electronic payment. The payment server 100, upon receiving the request for electronic payment, performs the same processing as in S7-1 in Figure 5 and S17-1 in Figure 6.

The credit interface 220 checks the PAN and expiration date, and verifies whether the cumulative payment amount exceeds the monthly limit. The credit payment processing unit 240 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the information contained in the message received from the payment distribution unit 230, and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date.

[NFC payment]
In addition to the terminal payments and card payments described above, the payment system can also handle payments using NFC (hereinafter referred to as NFC payments). This will be explained below. Note that the payment system may exclusively handle NFC payments. There may be two methods of NFC payments, the first method (store input type) and the second method (user input type) described below, but the payment system may support only one of them.

(Store input type)
Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the process of in-store input type NFC payment. In in-store input type NFC payment, the store clerk T inputs the payment amount into the in-store payment terminal 30, which is a POS device, by means of barcode scanning or manual input. The input information is transmitted to the payment server 100. Objects containing or with NFC tags 80 attached are placed around the POS device (alternatively, the NFC tags 80 may be attached to the in-store payment terminal 30, etc.). The NFC tag 80 is an independent NFC tag that is not an internal function of the in-store payment terminal 30. The NFC tag 80 is, for example, a passive type tag that does not have its own power supply, and is configured to start up by receiving power from an external device and transmit information (tag ID) stored in its own memory. When a user holds an NFC-enabled user terminal device 10 over an NFC tag 80, the user terminal device 10 obtains a tag ID, and the payment application 20 instructs the user terminal device 10 to send the tag ID to the payment server 100. The tag ID is information that can identify at least some of the store, the store payment terminal 30 (POS device) installed in the store, and the affiliated merchants to which the store belongs. The payment server 100 maps the tag ID to the store, the store payment terminal 30 installed in the store, or the affiliated merchants to which the store belongs, selects the input information received from the store corresponding to the received tag ID, and sends payment information to the payment application 20 based on that input information. As a result, the payment application 20 can obtain payment information without directly communicating with the store payment terminal 30 and accept payment acceptance operations by the user (such as pressing the "Pay" button). This type of payment can be implemented even if the store payment terminal 30 does not support NFC. As a result, the convenience of electronic payments can be practically improved.

There are two possible methods for associating a tag ID with a store or affiliated merchant.
(1) A method for rewriting the tag ID with any ID information assigned to the store, the store payment terminal 30, or the merchant, or corresponding information (edited, simplified, etc.).
The ID information assigned to the store or merchant is, for example, the device ID of the store payment terminal 30 (POS device). The ID information may also be the login ID for the merchant interface 55, or the merchant ID or store ID shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, the ID information may include multiple of the above. In this case, at the start of operation, a process is performed to rewrite the ID information on the NFC tag 80, for example, using the information terminal 50.
(2) The tag ID is arbitrary information (for example, the information at the time the NFC tag 80 was purchased), and the tag ID mapping information 176 manages the association between the tag ID and the store, the store payment terminal 30, or the merchant.
In this case, the store or merchant reads the tag ID from the NFC tag 80 and registers it in the tag ID mapping information 176 of the payment server 100, for example, using the merchant interface 55. The tag ID mapping information 176 is information that associates the tag ID with some or all of the device ID, merchant ID, and store ID. When the tag ID is sent from the user terminal device 10, the payment server 100 uses the tag ID to search the tag ID mapping information 176 and identifies some or all of the merchant, store payment terminal 30, and store.

Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow for store-input type NFC payment. Here, it is assumed that the association between the tag ID and the store or merchant has already been established. First, input information is generated in the store terminal device 30 (S21). The store payment terminal 30 transmits the input information to the payment server 100 (S22). Simultaneously, the user holds the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80, and the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) obtains the tag ID (S23). While the processes in S21 and S22 and S23 can be performed in either order, it is considered more natural in business practice for the user to hold the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80 after the input information has been generated.

Next, the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) transmits information including the tag ID to the payment server 100 (S24). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the store or merchant from the tag ID (S25), and transmits payment information based on the input information and the identified store or merchant information to the payment application 20 (S26). The payment information includes at least the payment amount and store or merchant information, and may further include the payment date and time, points to be awarded, campaign information, etc. If the tag ID is information associated with a device ID in the tag ID mapping information 176 or includes a device ID, the store or merchant can be identified by referring to the third table 174C. Also, if the tag ID is information associated with a device ID in the tag ID mapping information 176 or includes a device ID, the payment amount can be obtained from the most recent unpaid input information of the store payment terminal 30 corresponding to the device ID. If the tag ID is not associated with the device ID in the tag ID mapping information 176, or if it does not contain the device ID, the payment amount may be determined by the relationship between the input information and the time the tag ID was acquired, the location information and Wi-Fi connection information of the user terminal device 10, and other information. Thus, in the store input type, the tag ID may be information that can recognize the payment amount of the transaction for which electronic payment is being attempted.

Upon receiving payment information, the payment application 20 accepts a payment acceptance operation (S27). Once the operation is completed, it sends a payment OK notification to the payment server 100 (S28). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs the payment processing (S29). This payment processing may be performed according to the user's "terminal payment method" settings, similar to the processes in S7-1 to S7-3 in Figure 5, or S17-1 to S17-3 in Figure 6. Once the payment processing is complete, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 sends payment completion notifications to the payment application 20 and the store payment terminal 30 and/or information terminal 50, respectively (S30, 31).

Figure 10 shows an example of the screen transitions in the payment application 20 when a store-input type NFC payment is performed. When the NFC tag 80 is detected while the NFC function of the user terminal device 10 is activated, screen IM1 is displayed. Screen IM1 includes a button B1 for accepting operations to proceed with the NFC payment. When button B1 is operated, screen IM2 is displayed. Note that depending on the type of OS (Operating System) of the user terminal device 10, the display of screen IM1 may be omitted, and screen IM2 will be displayed when the NFC tag 80 is detected while the NFC function of the user terminal device 10 is activated.

Screen IM2 includes area A1 where the payment amount is displayed. At this point, the processing up to S26 in Figure 9 is completed. Screen IM2 is provided with a button B2 for accepting the payment acceptance operation. When button B2 is operated, screen IM3 is displayed. This screen IM3 is the screen based on the payment completion notification at S30 in Figure 9. Screen IM3 is provided with a button B3 for transitioning to the full-function display of the payment application 20. When button B3 is operated, screen IM4, which is a payment completion notification screen similar to the one described above when terminal payment is performed, is displayed. Screen IM4 displays additional information such as points earned and campaign information.

In NFC payment, the number of operations required to complete the payment is, for example, one or two, as shown in Figure 10. In contrast, terminal payment requires at least three operations: launching the payment app 20, instructing the scanner, and accepting the payment. Therefore, the number of operations required to complete an NFC payment is fewer than that required for terminal payment, allowing users to complete the payment with fewer operations. This improves user convenience.

(User input type)
The following describes user-input type NFC payment. User-input type NFC payment is similar in form to the user scan shown in Figure 5. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the user-input type NFC payment process. In user-input type NFC payment, the user enters the payment amount into the payment application 20. The entered information (input data) is transmitted to the payment server 100. An object containing an NFC tag 80 or with an NFC tag 80 attached is placed at any location in the store (for example, around the cash register) (alternatively, the NFC tag 80 may be attached to the cash register, etc.). When the user holds the user terminal device 10, which has NFC functionality, over the NFC tag 80, the user terminal device 10 obtains the tag ID, and the payment application 20 instructs the user terminal device 10 to transmit the tag ID to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 transmits information about the store or merchant identified based on the tag ID to the payment application 20. The payment app displays store or merchant information and accepts the user's input of the payment amount. The NFC payment is completed when the user shows the payment screen displaying the payment amount to the store clerk T and then confirms the payment. This type of payment is also possible even if the store payment terminal 30 does not support NFC. As a result, the convenience of electronic payments can be practically improved. The method for associating the tag ID with the store or merchant is as described above.

Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow for user-input type NFC payment. Here, it is assumed that the association between the tag ID and the store or merchant has already been established. First, when the user holds the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80, the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) obtains the tag ID (S41). Next, the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) transmits information including the tag ID to the payment server 100 (S42). For example, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the store or merchant from the tag ID (S43) and transmits the information of the identified store or merchant to the payment application 20 (S44).

Upon receiving information about the store or merchant, the payment application 20 accepts the input of the payment amount and, after confirmation by the store clerk T, the operation to accept the payment (S45). Once the operation is completed, it sends a payment OK notification to the payment server 100 (S46). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs the payment processing (S47). This payment processing may be performed according to the user's "terminal payment method" setting, similar to the processes in S7-1 to S7-3 in Figure 5, or S17-1 to S17-3 in Figure 6. Once the payment processing is complete, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 and the information terminal 50 (S48, 49).

Figure 13 shows an example of screen transitions in the payment application 20 when a user-input type NFC payment is performed. When the NFC tag 80 is detected while the NFC function of the user terminal device 10 is activated, screen IM1 is displayed. Screen IM1 includes a button B1 for accepting operations to proceed with the NFC payment. When button B1 is operated, screen IM5 is displayed. Note that depending on the type of OS of the user terminal device 10, the display of screen IM1 may be omitted, and screen IM5 will be displayed when the NFC tag 80 is detected while the NFC function of the user terminal device 10 is activated.

Screen IM5 includes area A3 for entering the payment amount. At this point, the processing up to S44 in Figure 12 is complete. Screen IM5 is provided with button B4 for accepting payment acceptance. When button B4 is pressed, screen IM3 is displayed. Subsequent screen transitions are the same as in the store input type.

Here, even in the user-input type, the number of operations required to complete a payment using NFC is, for example, one or two operations plus the input of the payment amount, as shown in Figure 13. In contrast, the operations required for terminal payment (user scan) include at least three operations: launching the payment application 20, instructing the scan, and accepting the payment, and the input of the payment amount is the same. Therefore, the number of operations required to complete a payment using NFC is less than the number of operations required for terminal payment, allowing users to complete the payment with fewer operations. As a result, user convenience can be improved.

According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to practically improve the convenience of electronic payments.

Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

E Store Equipment M Medium S Payment System 10 User Terminal Device 20 Payment Application 30 Store Payment Terminal 40 Store Code Image 60 Payment Card 70 Credit Processing Terminal 80 NFC Tag 100 Payment Server 170 Storage Unit 176 Tag ID Mapping Information 200 Credit Card Server

Claims (15)

A payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program,
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server transmits payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program.
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
The payment information is displayed, and the user is allowed to accept the payment.
Payment system. The payment server, upon receiving the tag ID, obtains the payment-related input information entered into the store payment terminal from the store payment terminal and transmits the payment information based on the input information to the application program.
The payment system according to claim 1. The aforementioned NFC tag is an independent NFC tag that is not an internal function of the store payment terminal.
The payment system according to claim 2. A payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (near-field communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program,
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server transmits to the application program information of the store or merchant corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program.
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
The system displays information about the aforementioned store or affiliated store, and allows users to input payment information, including the payment amount.
The payment information is sent to the payment server.
Payment system. A payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program,
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize the settlement amount of a transaction to be electronically paid in the payment system, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server transmits payment information, including the payment amount corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program, to the application program.
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
The payment information is displayed, and the user is allowed to accept the payment.
Payment system. The aforementioned payment system is capable of performing payments by reading information from a code image installed in the store, in addition to payments using the NFC function.
In the aforementioned application program,
The number of operations required to complete the payment when the tag ID is obtained by the NFC function is less than the number of operations required to perform a payment using the code image after manually starting the application program.
A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The aforementioned tag ID is ID information that has been previously assigned to at least some of the stores, the store payment terminals installed in the stores, and the affiliated merchants to which the stores belong.
A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The aforementioned tag ID is arbitrary ID information,
The payment server manages the association between the store, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and at least some of the affiliated merchants to which the store belongs, using a storage unit.
A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
After sending the aforementioned tag ID to the payment server, the system accepts the user's operation to proceed with the payment.
A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In a payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program,
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server transmits payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program.
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
The payment information is displayed, and the user is allowed to accept the payment.
Payment methods. In a payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (near-field communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program,
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server transmits to the application program information of the store or merchant corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program.
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
The system displays information about the aforementioned store or affiliated store, and allows users to input payment information, including the payment amount.
The payment information is sent to the payment server.
Payment methods. In a payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program,
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize the settlement amount of a transaction to be electronically paid in the payment system, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server transmits payment information, including the payment amount corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program, to the application program.
The application program is installed on the user terminal device.
The payment information is displayed, and the user is allowed to accept the payment.
Payment methods. An application program that operates on a user terminal device with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality and implements a payment system by communicating with a payment server,
The user terminal device,
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server displays the payment information it has sent to the application program in accordance with the tag ID received from the application program, and also accepts the user's payment acceptance operation.
An application program for that purpose. An application program that operates on a user terminal device with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality and implements a payment system by communicating with a payment server,
The user terminal device,
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server displays the information of the store or merchant that it has sent to the application program corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program, and also accepts the input of payment information, including the payment amount, from the user.
The payment information is sent to the payment server.
An application program for that purpose. An application program that operates on a user terminal device with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality and implements a payment system by communicating with a payment server,
The user terminal device,
When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID that can recognize the settlement amount of a transaction to be electronically paid in the payment system, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server without requiring any operation from the user on the user terminal device .
The payment server displays payment information, including the payment amount, that it has sent to the application program in accordance with the tag ID received from the application program, and also accepts the user's payment acceptance operation.
An application program for that purpose.