Payment management system, payment management method, and payment management program

Abstract

The aim is to improve convenience for both businesses and consumers regarding the payment of goods or services. [Solution] The payment management system 1 comprises a business terminal 3 used by the business operator, a user terminal 2 used by the user, an account management server 4 that manages the balances of multiple accounts of the user, and a payment management server 5. The payment management server 5 calculates the total balance amount of the user related to the payment from the balances of each of the multiple accounts, determines whether the total balance amount exceeds the billed amount, and if it determines that the total balance amount exceeds the billed amount, it performs a deduction process to deduct an amount equivalent to the billed amount from at least one of the multiple accounts.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a settlement management system, a settlement management method, and a settlement management program for the settlement of the price of goods or services.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as an example of a system for managing the settlement status (payment status) of the price of goods or services, the purchase price of goods and the amount transferred related to the purchase price of the goods are obtained, and the purchase price is updated by reducing it by the amount transferred that has actually been received, so that a deposit confirmation notification system that can manage the excess or deficiency amount has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the deposit confirmation notification system described in Patent Document 1, when the excess or deficiency amount is detected and the amount transferred from the purchaser is less than the purchase price, it is possible to notify that the amount is insufficient and continue to wait for the deposit of the insufficient amount into the designated account.

[0004] However, in the deposit confirmation notification system described in Patent Document 1, when the amount is insufficient, from the consumer's perspective, only a notification that the amount is insufficient comes, and from the business operator's perspective, only waiting for the deposit of the insufficient amount, so there is room for improvement from the perspective of convenience for both business operators and consumers.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, this invention aims to provide a payment management system, a payment management method, and a payment management program that can improve convenience for both businesses and consumers regarding the settlement of payments for goods or services. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] This invention is a payment management system, payment management method, and payment management program comprising: a business terminal used by a business operator providing goods or services; an account management server that manages the balances of multiple accounts of users receiving the goods or services; and a management server that can communicate with each of the business terminal and the account management server, wherein the management server comprises: a billing amount acquisition means for acquiring the billing amount for the payment of the goods or services; a calculation means for calculating the total balance amount of the user for payment of the payment from the balances of each of the multiple accounts; a determination means for determining whether the total balance amount exceeds the billing amount; and a withdrawal processing means for performing a withdrawal process to withdraw an amount equivalent to the billing amount from at least one of the multiple accounts if the determination means determines that the total balance amount exceeds the billing amount. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] This invention can improve convenience for both businesses and consumers regarding the settlement of payments for goods or services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] An explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the payment management system of this invention. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a carrier terminal. [Figure 4] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an account management server. [Figure 5]A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a payment management server. [Figure 6] A flowchart illustrating the billing process for this invention. [Figure 7] An explanatory diagram showing an example of how to calculate the total balance before the deduction process. [Figure 8] An explanatory diagram showing the results of the deduction process and the remaining balance after the billing process in the example of Figure 7. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, one embodiment of this invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] <System Configuration> Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the payment management system 1 of the present invention. The payment management system 1 of the present invention is a system for providing payment management services related to the settlement (payment) of prices in transactions relating to the provision of goods or services. Methods of settling transaction prices include one-time settlements for goods or services provided on a temporary basis, and recurring settlements for goods or services provided regularly and continuously. The payment management system 1 of the present invention assumes that in transactions relating to one-time or recurring settlements, payment is made by deducting (withdrawing) currency (including deposit currency) or electronic money equivalent to currency from the user's account.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the payment management system 1 comprises a user terminal 2, a business terminal 3, an account management server 4, and a payment management server 5. The user terminal 2 is a terminal used by users (consumers) who receive goods or services from a business. The business terminal 3 is a terminal used by businesses (goods sellers or service providers) that provide goods or services to users. The account management server 4 is a server managed by an account management institution that manages accounts from which payments for goods or services are sent. The payment management server 5 is a server that provides payment management services.

[0013] The account management server 4 is a server used by the account management institution that manages accounts opened for users. The account management institution is an institution that manages accounts from which payments (deposit currency or electronic money) for goods or services are sent. Examples of account management institutions include financial institutions such as banks and credit unions, and payment service providers that operate electronic money. In the payment management system 1 of the present invention, users have at least one account. Furthermore, in the payment management system 1 of this embodiment, it is assumed that users have multiple accounts. The number of users is not particularly limited as long as it is two or more.

[0014] The user terminal 2, the business terminal 3, the account management server 4, and the payment management server 5 are each connected to each other via a predetermined communication line 6, enabling them to communicate with one another. However, a dedicated data communication line may be used for communication between multiple account management servers 4 (between account management institutions).

[0015] For the sake of explanation, only one user terminal 2 and one business operator terminal 3 are shown in the diagram. However, the payment management system 1 of the present invention can be used by multiple users and multiple businesses, and may have multiple user terminals 2 and multiple business operator terminals 3. Furthermore, in the payment management system 1 of the present invention, there are multiple account management institutions, and each account management institution has one or more account management servers 4. Therefore, the payment management system 1 has multiple account management servers 4.

[0016] User terminal 2 and service provider terminal 3 are general-purpose computers (user terminals) used by the user. Examples include desktop PCs, notebook (laptop) PCs, tablet PCs, smartphones, and feature phones.

[0017] Each of the account management server 4 and the settlement management server 5 is composed of a general-purpose server computer (computing device). Note that each of the account management server 4 and the settlement management server 5 may be composed of one (single) computing device or may be composed of a plurality of computing devices. Also, part or all of each of the account management server 4 and the settlement management server 5 may be composed of a cloud server.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the user terminal 2. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the merchant terminal 3. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the account management server 4. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the settlement management server 5.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 2 includes a control unit 21, an input unit 22, a display unit 23, a communication unit 24, and an auxiliary storage unit 25. Each of the input unit 22, the display unit 23, the communication unit 24, and the auxiliary storage unit 25 is communicably connected to the control unit 21. The control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 has an arithmetic unit 26 and a main storage unit 27, and executes various arithmetic and control operations in the user terminal 2.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the merchant terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, an input unit 32, a display unit 33, a communication unit 34, and an auxiliary storage unit 35. Each of the input unit 32, the display unit 33, the communication unit 34, and the auxiliary storage unit 35 is communicably connected to the control unit 31. The control unit 31 of the merchant terminal 3 has an arithmetic unit 36 and a main storage unit 37, and executes various arithmetic and control operations in the merchant terminal 3.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4, the account management server 4 includes a control unit 41, a communication unit 42, and an auxiliary storage unit 43. Each of the communication unit 42 and the auxiliary storage unit 43 is communicably connected to the control unit 41. The control unit 41 of the account management server 4 has an arithmetic unit 44 and a main storage unit 45, and executes various arithmetic and control operations in the account management server 4.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, the payment management server 5 comprises a control unit 51, a communication unit 52, and an auxiliary storage unit 53. The communication unit 52 and the auxiliary storage unit 53 are each connected to the control unit 51 for communication. The control unit 51 of the payment management server 5 has an arithmetic unit 56 and a main memory unit 57, and performs various calculations and control operations in the payment management server 5.

[0023] The arithmetic units (26, 36, 44, 56) shown in Figures 2-5 are arithmetic processing units including a CPU or MPU. Each main memory unit (27, 37, 45, 57) has RAM (DRAM), etc. The RAM is used as the work area and buffer area for the arithmetic units (26, 36, 44, 56).

[0024] The input section (22, 32) has input components that receive operation input from the user of the user terminal 2 or the business terminal 3 (user or business representative), and an input detection circuit interposed between the input components and the control section (21, 31). The input components are, for example, touch panels and / or hardware operation keys. Any type of touch panel can be used. The input detection circuit outputs operation signals or operation data (operation input data) corresponding to the operation of each input component to the control section (21, 31).

[0025] The display unit (23, 33) includes a display and a display control circuit interposed between the display and the control unit (21, 31). As the display, for example, an LCD (liquid crystal display) or an organic EL display can be used.

[0026] The communication units (24, 34, 42, 52) have communication circuits for connecting to the communication line 6. The communication circuits are either wired or wireless communication circuits, and they communicate with external computers via the communication line 6 according to instructions from the arithmetic units (26, 36, 44, 56). In addition, the communication units (24, 34, 42, 52) of the user terminal 2, the business terminal 3, the account management server 4, and the payment management server 5 can communicate with each other via dedicated lines or the like, without using the communication line 6. In particular, the communication unit 42 of the account management server 4 can also communicate via a dedicated line for data communication.

[0027] The auxiliary storage units (25, 35, 43, 53) consist of non-volatile memory such as HDDs, SSDs, flash memory, and EEPROMs, and each arithmetic unit (26, 36, 44, 56) stores programs for controlling the operation of the user terminal 2, the business terminal 3, the account management server 4, and the payment management server 5, as well as various data necessary for using this system.

[0028] As shown in Figure 2, the auxiliary storage unit 25 of the user terminal 2 stores a user program 25a for executing various operations of the user terminal 2 in this system in response to user input, and user data 25b necessary for using this system. The user program 25a and user data 25b are read from the auxiliary storage unit 25 as needed and stored (deployed) in the main memory unit 27. The operation of the user terminal 2 is realized by the arithmetic unit 26 executing the user program 25a that has been deployed in the main memory unit 27.

[0029] The user program 25a includes at least a communication program for accessing (establishing communication with) external computers (e.g., the business terminal 3, the account management server 4, and the payment management server 5), a display program for displaying various screens on the display unit 23, an input program for receiving input operations from the user via the input unit 22, and a program for selecting and executing various functions provided by the user terminal 2. The user data 25b includes at least user data necessary for this system.

[0030] As shown in Figure 3, the auxiliary storage unit 35 of the carrier terminal 3 stores a carrier program 35a for executing various operations of the carrier terminal 3, and carrier data 35b necessary for using this system. The carrier program 35a and carrier data 35b are read from the auxiliary storage unit 35 and stored (deployed) in the main storage unit 37 as needed. The operation of the carrier terminal 3 is realized by the arithmetic unit 36 ​​executing the carrier program 35a that has been deployed in the main storage unit 37.

[0031] The business operator program 35a includes at least a communication program for accessing (establishing communication with) external computers (e.g., user terminal 2, account management server 4, and payment management server 5), a billing amount notification program for notifying the payment management server 5 of transaction price (billing amount data), an input program for receiving input operations from the business operator's representative (user of business operator terminal 3) via the input unit 32, and a program for selecting and executing various functions provided by business operator terminal 3.

[0032] As shown in Figure 4, the auxiliary storage unit 43 of the account management server 4 stores the account management program 43a for executing various operations of the account management server 4, and the account management data 43b necessary for using this system. The account management program 43a and the account management data 43b are read from the auxiliary storage unit 43 as needed and stored (deployed) in the main memory unit 45. The operation of the business terminal 3 is realized by the arithmetic unit 44 executing the account management program 43a that has been deployed in the main memory unit 45.

[0033] The account management program 43a includes at least a communication program for accessing (establishing communication with) external computers (e.g., user terminal 2, business terminal 3, other account management servers 4 and payment management server 5), a program for managing the balance (bank deposit currency) for each account, a charge setting storage program for storing charge setting data indicating whether auto-charge settings (charge settings) are configured for each account, a deferred payment setting storage program for storing deferred payment setting data indicating whether a credit balance for deferred payment is configured for each account, and a program for selecting and executing various functions provided by the account management server 4. The account management data 43b includes balance data indicating the balance for each account, charge setting data for each account, deferred payment setting data for each account, and various account management data necessary for this system.

[0034] As shown in Figure 5, the auxiliary storage unit 53 of the payment management server 5 stores a payment management program 54 for executing various operations of the payment management server 5, and payment management data 55 necessary for using this system. The payment management program 54 and payment management data 55 are read from the auxiliary storage unit 53 as needed and temporarily stored in the main memory unit 57. The operation of the payment management server 5 is realized by the arithmetic unit 56 executing the payment management program 54 temporarily stored in the main memory unit 57.

[0035] The payment management program 54 includes at least a main processing program 54a for selecting and executing various functions provided by the payment management server 5, a billing amount management program 54b for managing billing amount data for each transaction notified from the business terminal 3, an account information acquisition program 54c for accessing the account management server 4 to obtain balance data, charge setting data, and deferred payment setting data for multiple accounts of the user involved in a transaction, as well as priority data for multiple accounts, a calculation program 54d for calculating the total amount of the balance that can be withdrawn from an account (withdrawable balance) from the balance data, charge setting data, and deferred payment setting data of the user's account (total balance amount), a determination program 54e for determining whether the total balance amount exceeds the billing amount, a withdrawal processing program 54f for performing a withdrawal process to withdraw an amount equivalent to the billing amount from at least one of the multiple accounts if the total balance amount exceeds the billing amount, and an accounts receivable collection program 54g for performing accounts receivable collection processing if the total balance amount does not exceed the billing amount or if the withdrawal process is unsuccessful (failed).

[0036] The payment management data 55 includes user data 55a, which is data of users of this system; business data 55b, which is data of businesses that use this system; billing amount data 55c for each transaction notified from the business terminal 3; account data 55d, which includes balance data, charge setting data, and deferred payment setting data for multiple accounts of the user involved in the transaction; data on the total balance amount of the user (total balance amount data) 55e; data on the remaining billing amount after the withdrawal process (remaining billing amount data) 55f; and data on the results of the withdrawal process (result data) 55g, etc.

[0037] User data 55a contains data to link user terminal 2 with the user (the user of user terminal 2). Business operator data 55b contains data to link business operator terminal 3 with the business operator (the user of business operator terminal 3). Account data 55d is linked to the user data 55a of the user who owns the account. As mentioned above, a user has multiple accounts, so one user data 55a is linked to multiple account data 55d. User data 55a also contains data indicating the priority order (the order in which withdrawals are executed) of the multiple account data 55d. Billing amount data 55c contains not only the billing amount but also data to identify the user involved in the transaction. Each of the billing amount data 55c, account data 55d, available balance data 55e, outstanding balance data 55f, and result data 55g is stored in a manner that allows for distinction on a transaction-by-transaction basis, such as being linked to transaction-specific identification information (ID).

[0038] The configurations described above for user terminal 2, business terminal 3, account management server 4, and payment management server 5 are merely examples and are not limited to them.

[0039] <Example of system operation> The following describes an example of the operation of the payment management system 1. First, we will briefly explain the generation of the billing amount data 55c, which is a prerequisite for explaining the operation example of the payment management system 1. When a predetermined transaction is carried out between a business and a user and it is time for settlement, the business terminal 3 notifies the payment management server 5 of the transaction price (billing amount data). The payment management server 5 stores the billing amount data notified by the business terminal 3 as billing amount data 55c. Once the billing amount data 55c is stored, billing processing is executed, including a withdrawal process to deduct the transaction price related to the billing amount data 55c from the user's account.

[0040] Figure 6 is a flowchart of the billing process according to the present invention. Figure 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of calculating the total balance before deduction. Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the result of the deduction process after the billing process in the example of Figure 7 and the balance after the billing process. The billing process will be explained below with reference to Figures 6 to 8.

[0041] The billing process shown in Figure 6 is performed by the settlement management server 5 (control unit 51) in cooperation with the user terminal 2, account management server 4, and business terminal 3, etc. As shown in Figure 6, when the settlement management server 5 starts the billing process, it obtains the billing amount from the billing amount data 55c (step S1) and identifies the user involved in the transaction (billing amount) (step S2).

[0042] Next, the balance of each account (all accounts) of the user involved in the transaction is checked (Step S3), the balance of each account of the user involved in the transaction is checked from the billing amount data 55c (Step S3), the charge settings of each account of the user involved in the transaction are checked (Step S4), the deferred payment settings of each account of the user involved in the transaction are checked (Step S5), and the total balance amount is calculated from the balance data, charge setting data, and deferred payment setting data of each user's account (Step S6).

[0043] Specifically, when calculating the total balance, in addition to summing up the balances of all user accounts, a predetermined amount is added to the balance in each case where a charge setting is enabled and where a deferred payment setting is enabled to calculate the available balance. Here, the amount added in the cases where a charge setting is enabled and where a deferred payment setting is enabled can be any amount. Furthermore, if a charge setting is enabled and the payment management server 5 can obtain data on the charge amount per transaction, the available balance can also be calculated by adding the charge amount per transaction. Furthermore, if a deferred payment setting is enabled and the payment management server 5 can obtain the credit limit (credit line), the available balance can also be calculated by adding the credit limit or an amount equivalent to the credit limit.

[0044] Referring to Figure 7, the flow from Step S1 to Step S6 and the method for calculating the total balance amount will be explained. The example in Figure 7 is one in which a certain business operator charges 50,000 yen each to four users "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", and "ddd" as payment for transactions. In this example, each of the four users "aaa", "bbb", "ccc", and "ddd" is assumed to have two accounts (Account 1 and Account 2). Account 1 is assumed to have higher priority than Account 2. Account 1 and Account 2 may be bank accounts or non-bank accounts such as electronic money accounts. In addition, the amount added when the charge setting is "enabled" and when the deferred payment setting is "enabled" is set to 20,000 yen each.

[0045] For example, user "aaa" has a balance of 40,000 yen in their first account, and both charge and deferred payment settings are set to "none," meaning there are no additions from charge or deferred payment settings. Therefore, the available balance in user "aaa"'s first account is 40,000 yen. Similarly, user "aaa" has a balance of 40,000 yen in their second account, and both charge and deferred payment settings are set to "none," meaning there are no additions from charge or deferred payment settings. Therefore, the available balance in user "aaa"'s second account is 40,000 yen. Consequently, user "aaa"'s total balance is 80,000 yen.

[0046] User "bbb"'s first account has a balance of 40,000 yen, and both charge and deferred payment settings are enabled. An additional 20,000 yen is added for each of the charge and deferred payment settings, totaling 40,000 yen. Therefore, the available balance for user "bbb"'s first account is 80,000 yen. User "bbb"'s second account has a balance of 0 yen, and both charge and deferred payment settings are disabled. There is no additional balance from charge or deferred payment settings. Therefore, the available balance for user "bbb"'s second account is 0 yen. Consequently, user "bbb"'s total balance is 80,000 yen.

[0047] User "ccc"'s first account has a balance of 90,000 yen, and both charge and deferred payment settings are set to "none," meaning there are no additions from charge or deferred payment settings. Therefore, the available balance for user "ccc"'s first account is 90,000 yen. User "ccc"'s second account has a balance of 20,000 yen, and both charge and deferred payment settings are set to "enabled." Additions from charge and deferred payment settings amount to 20,000 yen each, totaling 40,000 yen. Therefore, the available balance for user "ccc"'s second account is 60,000 yen. Consequently, user "ccc"'s total balance is 150,000 yen.

[0048] User "ddd"'s first account has a balance of 10,000 yen, and both the charge setting and the deferred payment setting are set to "none," so there are no additions from the charge setting or deferred payment setting. Therefore, the available balance for user "ddd"'s first account is 10,000 yen. Also, user "ddd"'s second account has a balance of 10,000 yen, with the charge setting set to "enabled" and the deferred payment setting set to "none." The charge setting addition is 20,000 yen. Therefore, the available balance for user "ddd"'s second account is 30,000 yen. Thus, user "ddd"'s total balance is 40,000 yen.

[0049] Returning to Figure 6, the total balance is calculated (Step S6), and then it is determined whether the total balance exceeds the billed amount (Step S7). If it is determined that the total balance does not exceed the billed amount (Step S7: NO), proceed to Step S10, which will be described later.

[0050] On the other hand, if it is determined that the total balance exceeds the billed amount (Step S7: YES), the deduction process for the billed amount is executed (Step S8). In Step S8, the deduction process is executed starting with the account with the highest priority, Account 1. If the amount deducted from Account 1 is less than the billed amount, the remaining amount (remaining billed amount) is deducted from Account 2.

[0051] Next, it is determined whether the withdrawal process in step S8 was successful (step S9). Here, the withdrawal process is considered successful if the entire amount of the invoice was withdrawn. In other words, in step S9, it is determined whether the entire amount of the invoice was withdrawn (whether the remaining balance became 0 yen). If it is determined that the withdrawal process was not successful (the withdrawal process failed) (step S9: NO), the process proceeds to step S10. Cases in which the withdrawal process fails include situations where the account balance changes due to withdrawals or use of electronic money between the time the total balance is calculated in steps S1 to S6 and the withdrawal process is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the withdrawal process was successful (step S9: YES), the invoice processing is terminated.

[0052] Step S10 proceeds to the accounts receivable collection process. Specifically, if the total balance does not exceed the invoiced amount, or if the withdrawal process fails, the process proceeds to the accounts receivable collection process. When the process proceeds to the accounts receivable collection process, the accounts receivable (uncollected payments) are collected using a method different from the normal payment method. For example, in the accounts receivable collection process, a reminder notice (such as an email) may be sent to the user terminal 2. Note that the specific method of the accounts receivable collection process is not an essential part of the present invention, and publicly known methods such as mailing payment slips to the user individually for each transaction can be used, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0053] The flow from step S7 to step S10 and the details of the deduction process will be explained with reference to Figure 8. The example in Figure 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the results and balances of the deduction process in the example in Figure 7.

[0054] As described above, the available balance in user "aaa"'s first account was 40,000 yen, and the available balance in user "aaa"'s second account was also 40,000 yen, resulting in a total balance of 80,000 yen for user "aaa" (see Figure 7). Since the billing amount was 50,000 yen, the total balance exceeded the billing amount. Therefore, the withdrawal process was executed starting with the first account, which had the highest priority, and 40,000 yen was withdrawn from the first account and 10,000 yen from the second account, for a total of 50,000 yen withdrawn. Since the entire billing amount was withdrawn, the withdrawal process was successful (○), and the billing process for user "aaa" was completed. The balance in the first account is now 0 yen, and the balance in the second account is now 30,000 yen.

[0055] The available balance in user "bbb"'s first account was 80,000 yen, and the available balance in user "bbb"'s second account was 0 yen, resulting in a total balance of 80,000 yen for user "bbb" (see Figure 7). The billing amount was 50,000 yen, so the total balance exceeded the billing amount. Therefore, the withdrawal process was executed starting with the first account, which had the highest priority, and 50,000 yen was withdrawn from the first account, for a total of 50,000 yen. Since the entire billing amount was withdrawn, the withdrawal process was successful (○), and the billing process for user "bbb" was completed. The balance in the first account and the balance in the second account are both 0 yen. Note that the example shown in Figure 8 shows a case where the balance in the first account after billing is 0 yen, but if auto-charge occurs when the balance falls below a predetermined level, a balance corresponding to the amount charged each time may be generated.

[0056] The available balance in user "ccc"'s first account was 90,000 yen, and the available balance in user "ccc"'s second account was 60,000 yen, resulting in a total balance of 150,000 yen for user "ccc" (see Figure 7). The billing amount was 50,000 yen, so the total balance exceeded the billing amount. Therefore, the withdrawal process was executed starting with the first account, which had the highest priority, and 50,000 yen was withdrawn from the first account, for a total of 50,000 yen. Since the entire billing amount was withdrawn, the withdrawal process was successful (○), and the billing process for user "ccc" was completed. The balance in the first account is now 40,000 yen, and the balance in the second account is now 60,000 yen.

[0057] The available balance in user "ddd"'s first account was 10,000 yen, and the available balance in user "ddd"'s second account was 30,000 yen, resulting in a total balance of 40,000 yen for user "ddd" (see Figure 7). The invoice amount is 50,000 yen, so the total balance does not exceed the invoice amount. Therefore, the withdrawal process is not executed, and the process proceeds to accounts receivable collection. Since the withdrawal process is not executed, the result of the withdrawal process is "Failure (×)", and there is no change in the balance of each account.

[0058] As described above, the payment management system 1 of the present invention determines whether the total balance exceeds the invoiced amount, and if it determines that the total balance exceeds the invoiced amount, it performs a withdrawal process to deduct an amount equivalent to the invoiced amount from at least one of the multiple accounts. Therefore, even if the balance in one account does not exceed the invoiced amount, payment can be made if the total balance exceeds the invoiced amount. Thus, from the business perspective, the likelihood of collecting payment increases, and from the user's (consumer's) perspective, it is convenient because payment can be made as long as the total amount in multiple accounts is sufficient, without having to worry about the balance in any particular account. Therefore, it is possible to improve convenience for both businesses and consumers regarding the settlement of payments for goods or services.

[0059] Furthermore, according to the present invention, withdrawals are processed in order from the highest priority account to the highest priority account, which is convenient for users as they can prepare in advance by increasing the balance of the highest priority account.

[0060] Furthermore, according to the present invention, since a predetermined amount is added to the balance of an account for which auto-charge settings are enabled to calculate the total balance, payments can be made even when the balance is low, improving convenience for both businesses and consumers.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a predetermined amount is added to the balance of an account with a deferred payment setting to calculate the total balance, so that payments can be made even if the balance is low, improving convenience for both businesses and consumers. In addition, the addition related to the charge setting and the addition related to the deferred payment setting can be combined, increasing the likelihood of being able to pay the amount, thus improving convenience for both businesses and consumers.

[0062] Furthermore, according to the present invention, if it is determined that the total balance does not exceed the invoiced amount, the process will proceed to the collection of outstanding receivables. This allows for the collection of outstanding receivables (uncollected payments) using a method different from the usual payment method, thereby increasing the likelihood of collecting the payment.

[0063] In this invention, the management server corresponds to the payment management server 5 in the above embodiment, the business terminal corresponds to the business terminal 3, the account management server corresponds to the account management server 4, the billing amount acquisition means corresponds to the billing amount management program 54b and the control unit 51 that operates therein, the calculation means corresponds to the calculation program 54d and the control unit 51 that operates therein, the determination means corresponds to the determination program 54e and the control unit 51 that operates therein, the deduction processing means corresponds to the deduction processing program 54f and the control unit 51 that operates therein, the priority storage means corresponds to the auxiliary storage unit 53 that stores user data 55a, the priority acquisition means corresponds to the account information acquisition program 54c and the control unit 51 that operates therein, the charge setting storage means corresponds to the auxiliary storage unit 43 that stores account management data 43b, and the deferred payment setting storage means corresponds to the auxiliary storage unit 43 that stores account management data 43b. However, this invention is not limited to this embodiment and can take various other forms. Furthermore, the screens and specific configurations described in the above-mentioned embodiments are merely examples and can be modified as appropriate according to the actual product.

[0064] For example, in the above embodiment, the account priority data is stored in the auxiliary storage unit 53 (payment management server 5) as part of the user data 55a, but it may also be stored in another device (a device with a storage unit) or a cloud server that can communicate with the payment management server 5. Also, the charge setting data and the deferred payment setting data are stored in the auxiliary storage unit 43 (account management server 4) as part of the account management data 43b, but they may also be stored in another device (a device with a storage unit) or a cloud server that can communicate with the payment management server 5. [Industrial applicability]

[0065] This invention can be used in industries related to the settlement of payments for goods or services. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0066] 1…Payment management system 2…User terminal 3…Service provider server 4… Account management server 5…Payment management server 51... Control Unit

Claims

1. A business terminal used by a business that provides goods or services, An account management server that manages the balances of multiple accounts of users who receive the aforementioned goods or services, The system includes a management server capable of communicating with each of the aforementioned business terminals and account management servers, The aforementioned management server A means for obtaining the invoice amount related to the price for the provision of the aforementioned goods or services, A calculation means for calculating the total balance amount of the user related to the payment of the aforementioned charges from the balances of each of the aforementioned multiple accounts, A means for determining whether the total balance exceeds the amount billed, The system also includes a withdrawal processing means that, if the determination means determines that the total balance exceeds the billed amount, withdraws an amount equivalent to the billed amount from at least one of the multiple accounts. Payment management system.

2. The system further comprises a priority storage means for storing the priority order of the aforementioned multiple accounts, The management server further comprises a priority acquisition means for acquiring the priority of the multiple accounts, The withdrawal processing means performs withdrawal processing in order from the account with the highest priority, according to the priority order of the multiple accounts. The payment management system according to claim 1.

3. The system further includes a charge setting storage means that stores whether or not each of the aforementioned multiple accounts has a charge setting related to auto-charge enabled. The calculation means calculates the total balance amount by adding a predetermined amount to the balance of the account to which the charge setting has been made. The payment management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Each of the aforementioned multiple accounts is further provided with a deferred payment setting storage means that stores whether or not a deferred payment setting has been made for it, The calculation means calculates the total balance by adding a predetermined amount to the balance of the account to which the deferred payment setting is made. The payment management system according to claim 3.

5. The management server, when it determines using the determination means that the total balance does not exceed the invoiced amount, proceeds to the accounts receivable collection process. The payment management system according to claim 4.

6. A payment management method in a payment management system comprising a business terminal used by a business that provides goods or services, an account management server that manages the balances of multiple accounts of users who receive the goods or services, and a management server that can communicate with each of the business terminal and the account management server, The aforementioned management server Obtain the invoice amount relating to the price for the provision of the aforementioned goods or services, From the balances of each of the aforementioned multiple accounts, the total balance amount of the user related to the payment of the aforementioned charges is calculated, Determine whether the total balance exceeds the amount billed. If it is determined that the total balance exceeds the invoiced amount, a withdrawal process will be performed to deduct an amount equivalent to the invoiced amount from at least one of the multiple accounts. Payment management methods.

7. A computer of a management server that can communicate with both a business terminal used by a business that provides goods or services, and an account management server that manages the balances of multiple accounts of users who receive the said goods or services, A means for obtaining the invoice amount related to the price for the provision of the aforementioned goods or services, A calculation means for calculating the total balance amount of the user related to the payment of the aforementioned charges from the balances of each of the aforementioned multiple accounts, A means for determining whether the total balance exceeds the amount billed, If the determination means determines that the total balance exceeds the billing amount, the withdrawal means functions to perform a withdrawal process that withdraws an amount equivalent to the billing amount from at least one of the multiple accounts. Payment management program.

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