Payment processing system, transmission method, and program

Abstract

Reduce the burden on linked services. [Solution] The message acquisition unit (102) of the payment processing system (1) acquires messages to users who have used a linked service that works in conjunction with the payment processing service. The usage content information acquisition unit (103) acquires usage content information regarding the user's usage based on the message. The payment URL acquisition unit (106) acquires a payment URL for the user's payment when the usage content information has been acquired. The payment URL transmission unit (107) transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a settlement agency system, a transmission method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a settlement agency service that cooperates with a cooperation service used by a user has been known. For example, in Patent Document 1, a processing device of a settlement agency that mediates the settlement of payment between a purchaser who purchases a product through an e-commerce service, which is an example of a cooperation service, and a seller who sells the product through the e-commerce service, based on a request signal for requesting to mediate the settlement from the server of the e-commerce service, remits the payment from the purchaser to the settlement agency company and remits the payment from the settlement agency company to the seller.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technology of Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to modify the server of the e-commerce service so that the server of the e-commerce service transmits a request signal to the processing device, the burden on the seller has been high. This is the same for other cooperation services other than the e-commerce service. Therefore, the conventional technology has not been able to reduce the burden on the cooperation service.

[0005] One of the objects of the present disclosure is to reduce the burden on the cooperation service. Note that the object of the present disclosure is not limited to the content described in the column of the problems to be solved by the invention.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The payment processing system relating to this disclosure includes: a message acquisition unit that acquires messages to users who have used a linked service that works in conjunction with the payment processing service; a usage information acquisition unit that acquires usage information relating to the user's usage based on the message; a payment URL acquisition unit that acquires a payment URL for the user's payment when the usage information has been acquired; and a payment URL transmission unit that transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This disclosure can reduce the burden on linked services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the hardware configuration of a payment processing system. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of a screen displayed on a user's terminal. [Figure 3] This diagram shows an example of the functions implemented by the payment processing system. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a payment processing database. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a verification database. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of how usage information can be obtained. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of a method for verifying the accuracy of usage information. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the process performed by the payment processing system. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the functions implemented in the modified payment processing system. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the verification method in Modification Example 1. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the payment screen for Modification Example 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [1. Hardware configuration of the payment processing system] An example of an embodiment of the payment processing system, transmission method, and program related to this disclosure will be described. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the payment processing system. For example, payment processing system 1 includes a payment processing server 10. The payment processing server 10 is connected to a network N such as the Internet or a LAN. In the example of Figure 1, a cooperation server 20 included in cooperation system 2 and a user terminal 30 are further connected to the network N.

[0010] The payment processing server 10 is the server computer for the payment processing service. The payment processing service is a service that handles payments on behalf of the linked service. The payment processing service can also be described as a service that executes payments that arise when a user uses the linked service, on behalf of the linked service. In this embodiment, we give an example where the payment processing company that operates the payment processing service and the linked service provider that operates the linked service are different companies, but they may be the same company.

[0011] A linked service is a service that works in conjunction with a payment processing service. A linked service can also be described as a service that requests the payment processing service to handle payments on its behalf. A linked service can be any service that generates payment when used by a user. For example, a linked service could be an e-commerce service, travel booking service, telecommunications service, financial service, government service, ticket sales service, restaurant reservation service, delivery service, beauty salon reservation service, video streaming service, or any other service.

[0012] For example, the payment agency server 10 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13. The control unit 11 includes at least one processor. The storage unit 12 includes at least one of a volatile memory such as a RAM and a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory. The communication unit 13 includes at least one of a communication interface for wired communication and a communication interface for wireless communication.

[0013] The cooperation server 20 is a server computer for a cooperation service. For example, the cooperation server 20 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a communication unit 23. The hardware configurations of the control unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the communication unit 23 may be the same as those of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13, respectively.

[0014] The user terminal 30 is a user's computer that uses the cooperation service and the payment agency service. For example, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, or a wearable terminal. The user terminal 30 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, a communication unit 33, an operation unit 34, and a display unit 35. The hardware configurations of the control unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the communication unit 33 may be the same as those of the control unit 11, the storage unit 12, and the communication unit 13, respectively. The operation unit 34 is an input device such as a touch panel or a mouse. The display unit 35 is a display such as a liquid crystal or an organic EL.

[0015] Note that the programs stored in the storage units 12, 22, and 33 may be supplied to the payment agency server 10, the cooperation server 20, or the user terminal 30 via the network N. Further, at least one of a reading unit (for example, a memory card slot) for reading a computer-readable information storage medium and an input / output unit (for example, a USB port) for inputting / outputting data with an external device may be included in the payment agency server 10, the cooperation server 20, or the user terminal 30. For example, the program stored in the information storage medium may be supplied to the payment agency server 10, the cooperation server 20, or the user terminal 30 via at least one of the reading unit and the input / output unit.

[0016] Also, the computers included in the settlement agency system 1 are not limited to the example of FIG. 1. The settlement agency system 1 may include at least one computer. For example, the settlement agency system 1 may include a settlement agency server 10 and other computers (for example, other server computers other than the settlement agency server 10, a cooperation server 20, or a user terminal 30). The settlement agency system 1 may include only other computers not shown in FIG. 1.

[0017] [2. Outline of the settlement agency system] In this embodiment, as an example of the cooperation service, an e-commerce service will be described. For example, the user operates the user terminal 30 to access the cooperation server 20 and order a product. The settlement generated by the product order is not executed at the time of order, but is executed after the order. After the user performs an operation to order a product for the cooperation service, the user performs an operation to execute the settlement for the settlement agency service. The process until the user orders a product may be the same as the process of a known e-commerce service where the settlement is executed after the order. The user may order a service instead of a product in the e-commerce service.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the user terminal 30. For example, when the user operates the user terminal 30 to order a product in the cooperation service, as shown in the upper left of FIG. 2, the user terminal 30 causes the display unit 35 to display an order completion screen SC1 indicating that the order has been completed. At this point, the order has been completed, but the settlement has not been completed. When the order is completed, the cooperation server 20 sends an order completion email M2, which is an email indicating that the order has been completed, to the user's email address. The user's email address is assumed to be registered in advance in the cooperation service or specified at the time of order.

[0019] For example, when a user selects the order completion email M2 in the email application on the user terminal 30, the user terminal 30 displays the order completion email M2 on the display unit 35, as shown in the upper right of Figure 2. In the example in the upper right of Figure 2, the order completion email M2 shows the order ID that identifies the order, the order date and time, the product code that identifies the product, the product name, price, quantity, shipping fee, payment amount, and the person who placed the order. The content of the order completion email M2 is not limited to the example in Figure 2. The order completion email M2 may include any content related to the order details. The content of the order completion email M2 may be the same as that of a known e-commerce service.

[0020] In this embodiment, the order completion email M2 is sent not only to the user but also to the payment processing service. For example, the user's email address is set as the recipient of the order completion email M2. The payment processing service's email address is set as the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) of the order completion email M2. Therefore, even if the user sees the order completion email M2, they will not realize that the payment processing service has also received a copy of the email.

[0021] For example, when the payment processing server 10 receives an order completion email M2, it retrieves information about the user's order from the order completion email M2. The payment processing server 10 may retrieve only the minimum information necessary for payment (for example, only the payment amount), or it may retrieve other information in addition to that information (for example, the order ID). The payment processing server 10 retrieves the user's email address from the recipient information of the order completion email M2. The payment processing server 10 sends a payment request email M3 to the user's email address, indicating a request for payment.

[0022] For example, when a user selects payment request email M3 in the email application on the user terminal 30, the user terminal 30 displays payment request email M3 on the display unit 35, as shown in the lower left of Figure 2. Payment request email M3 includes a payment URL for the payment of the goods ordered by the user. The payment URL is the URL of the payment processing service. In the example in the lower left of Figure 2, the argument of the payment URL indicates a payment ID that can identify the user's payment. The argument may also indicate other information besides the payment ID (for example, payment amount or order ID). Payment request email M3 may include all or part of the contents of the order completion email M2.

[0023] For example, when a user operates the user terminal 30 and selects a payment URL, the user terminal 30 accesses the payment processing server 10 and displays the payment screen SC4, which accepts payment instructions, on the display unit 35, as shown in the lower right of Figure 2. The payment processing server 10 can identify which payment should be executed based on the payment ID indicated by the argument of the payment URL. In the example in the lower right of Figure 2, a credit card is used as the payment method. The user enters the credit card number, expiration date, and cardholder name on the payment screen SC4.

[0024] Furthermore, the payment methods available to users through the payment processing service are not limited to credit cards. Users can use any payment method through the payment processing service. For example, debit cards, electronic money, balances not classified as electronic money, bank accounts, wallets, crypto assets, or other payment methods may be available through the payment processing service. The payment processing service may be compatible with various publicly known payment methods. When a user initiates a payment from the payment screen SC4, the payment is completed. The process after the user initiates a payment may be the same as that of publicly known payment processing services.

[0025] As described above, the payment processing system 1 of this embodiment obtains the information necessary for payment based on the order completion email M2 sent via BCC when a user orders a product through the linked service. If the linked service has a function to send the order completion email M2 to the user before linking with the payment processing service, the linked service can link with the payment processing service by adding the payment processing service to the BCC of the order completion email M2. Therefore, the payment processing system 1 can reduce the burden on the linked service to link with the payment processing service. The details of the payment processing system 1 will be described below.

[0026] [3. Functions implemented by the payment processing system] Figure 3 shows an example of the functions implemented by the payment processing system 1. Figure 3 shows the functions implemented by the payment processing server 10 and the linkage server 20.

[0027] [3-1. Functions implemented by the payment processing server] For example, the payment processing server 10 includes a data storage unit 100, a storage unit 101, a message acquisition unit 102, a usage content information acquisition unit 103, a page search unit 104, a verification unit 105, a payment URL acquisition unit 106, and a payment URL transmission unit 107. The data storage unit 100 is implemented by a storage unit 12. Each of the storage unit 101, message acquisition unit 102, usage content information acquisition unit 103, page search unit 104, verification unit 105, payment URL acquisition unit 106, and payment URL transmission unit 107 is implemented by a control unit 11.

[0028] [Data Storage Unit] The data storage unit 100 stores various types of data related to the payment processing service. For example, the data storage unit 100 stores the payment processing database DB1 and the verification database DB2.

[0029] Figure 4 shows an example of the payment processing database DB1. The payment processing database DB1 is a database that stores various information related to the payment processing service. For example, the payment processing database DB1 stores payment ID, usage details, payment URL, and payment information. The information stored in the payment processing database DB1 is not limited to the example in Figure 4. Other information may be stored in the payment processing database DB1. For example, the payment processing database DB1 may store data from order completion email M2, the user's email address obtained from order completion email M2, or data from payment request email M3.

[0030] Details of the payment ID and payment URL are as described above. Usage information refers to information about the user's usage of the linked service. Usage information can also be described as information indicating the details of the payment that arises as a result of the user's use of the linked service. Usage information may show only the minimum information necessary for payment (e.g., payment amount), or it may also show other information (e.g., information not directly related to payment). For example, usage information may show the payment amount, information necessary for calculating the payment amount (e.g., unit price, quantity, tax, or shipping fee), specific information about the payment target (e.g., order ID, order date and time, product code that can identify the product, product name, price, quantity, shipping fee, payment amount, or customer), or a combination of these.

[0031] Payment information refers to information about payments made by a user as a result of using the linked service. Payment information may indicate payments made before execution or payments made after execution. For example, payment information may include the payment amount, the payment deadline, information indicating whether the payment has been executed or not, the payment method used by the user, the date and time the payment was executed, the order ID of the order to which the payment was made, or a combination of these. When the payment processing server 10 communicates with the user terminal 30 and executes a payment, it updates or generates payment information.

[0032] Furthermore, if a user is registered with the payment processing service, the user may log in to the payment processing service and execute the payment. In this case, the payment information may indicate a user ID that can identify the user who executed the payment. If a user ID that can identify the user in the linked service is shown in the order completion email M2, the payment information may indicate the user ID in the linked service. The user ID in the linked service may also be shown in the usage details information. The user ID in the payment processing service and the user ID in the linked service may be the same or different. These user IDs may be any information. For example, these user IDs may be the login account entered when logging in, an email address, a phone number, or other information.

[0033] Figure 5 shows an example of the verification database DB2. The verification database DB2 is the database on which searches are performed by the page search unit 104, which will be described later. For example, the verification database DB2 stores data for linked service pages and a search index. The information stored in the verification database DB2 is not limited to the example in Figure 5. Other information may be stored in the verification database DB2. For example, the URLs of linked service pages may be stored in the verification database DB2. Details of linked service pages and indexes will be explained in the section describing the storage unit 101, which will be described later.

[0034] Note that the data stored in the data storage unit 100 is not limited to the examples above. The data storage unit 100 only needs to store data related to the payment processing service. For example, the data storage unit 100 may store data from the payment screen SC4 or other screens. The data storage unit 100 may also store the format of the payment URL (the part of the payment URL other than the arguments). The data storage unit 100 may also store the email address of the linked service. The data storage unit 100 may also store data in the format of the payment request email M3. The data storage unit 100 may also store other data necessary for the processing described later.

[0035] [Storage Department] The storage unit 101 retrieves multiple linked service pages from the linked service, associates each of the linked service pages with the index retrieved from the linked service page, and stores them in the verification database DB2. In this embodiment, the case in which the verification database DB2 is stored in the data storage unit 100 is given as an example, but the verification database DB2 may be stored on a computer other than the payment processing server 10, or on an information storage medium.

[0036] The integrated service page is a page related to the integrated service. The integrated service page is a page that the integrated service provides to the user. The integrated service page may be displayed in a browser or in an application dedicated to the integrated service. The integrated service page may be in any data format. For example, the integrated service page may be in a markup language format such as HTML, a document file format, an image file format, or another format.

[0037] In this embodiment, we take the example where the e-commerce service corresponds to the linked service, so the linked service page is a product page that shows the details of the products handled by the linked service. For example, the linked service page includes the product title, description, images, videos, price, shipping costs, conditions for free shipping, benefits available to the user (e.g., coupons), or a combination of these. The linked service page may also include user interface elements for the user to add products to their cart or bookmarks, advertisements, links to other pages, or other information.

[0038] For example, the storage unit 101 retrieves data from each of the multiple linked service pages from the linked server 20. The storage unit 101 may retrieve data from all linked service pages, or it may retrieve data from some of the linked service pages. From each of the multiple linked service pages, the storage unit 101 retrieves information that can be used as an index to be referenced during searches. For example, the storage unit 101 may retrieve the payment-related portion from each of the multiple linked service pages as an index. The payment-related portion may be an amount, or it may be the specific details of the payment target (for example, the title or description of the product).

[0039] In this embodiment, we take the case where the product is the item to be paid for as an example, so the storage unit 101 may obtain information about the product from the linked service page as an index. For example, the storage unit 101 may obtain a string related to the product as an index by performing linguistic analysis on the linked service page. If the linked service page is standardized, it is possible to identify which part of the linked service page contains the string related to the product, so the storage unit 101 may obtain information about the product by obtaining the standardized part from the linked service page. In this case, it is assumed that information that can identify the standardized part of the linked service page (the part from which the storage unit 101 should obtain information) is stored in advance in the data storage unit 100. The storage unit 101 should then obtain the standardized part from the linked service page based on this information.

[0040] For example, if the linked service page is not standardized, the storage unit 101 may perform morphological analysis on the strings contained in the linked service page and obtain specific morphemes (e.g., nouns or numbers) as indexes. In this case, keywords for identifying the index may be stored in the data storage unit 100. The storage unit 101 may perform matching between the morphemes obtained from the linked service page and the keywords, and obtain indexes based on the matching results. The storage unit 101 may obtain morphemes that match the keywords as indexes, or it may obtain morphemes before or after the morphemes in question as indexes.

[0041] Note that the method by which the storage unit 101 obtains the index is not limited to the example above. The storage unit 101 may also have the AI, described later, obtain the index from the linked service page. In this case, the storage unit 101 inputs a prompt to the AI ​​indicating that the AI ​​should obtain the index from the linked service page, along with the linked service page itself. The AI ​​calculates the embedded representations of these and outputs the index based on the embedded representations. The storage unit 101 associates the linked service page with the index output by the AI ​​and saves them in the verification database DB2. The index output by the AI ​​may be verified by the administrator of the payment processing service, modified as necessary, and then saved in the verification database DB2.

[0042] [Message acquisition section] The message acquisition unit 102 acquires messages for users who have used the linked service that works in conjunction with the payment processing service. The message is a notification to the user. The message may be sent to the user by any means. For example, the message may be sent to the user by email, SMS (Short Message Service), messaging app, SNS (Social Networking Service), notification function of an application dedicated to the linked service, or by other means. The message may contain any content. The content of the message may be the same as that of a publicly known linked service. The message may be sent by a mechanism that was already implemented in the linked service before it began working with the payment processing service.

[0043] For example, the message includes details of the user's usage of the linked service. The message also includes information necessary for the payment processing service to process the payment. The message may indicate the payment amount, details of the payment target, or a combination of these. The message acquisition unit 102 acquires a message with the same content as the message sent to the user. The message acquisition unit 102 may acquire the message sent to the user itself, a copy of the message sent to the user, or a message to which the message sent to the user has been forwarded.

[0044] In this embodiment, we take the example of when the message acquisition unit 102 acquires an email sent to a user who has used the linked service as a message. The message acquisition unit 102 can acquire any email sent to the payment processing service's email address. Since emails unrelated to the linked service may also be sent to the payment processing service's email address, the message acquisition unit 102 may acquire emails from which the sender is the linked service, or it may acquire emails whose subject is a predetermined subject (for example, a subject indicating that the user has used the linked service). The linked service's email address is assumed to be stored in the data storage unit 100.

[0045] For example, the message acquisition unit 102 acquires the order completion email M2 sent when a user completes an order as a message. The message acquisition unit 102 acquires the order completion email M2 sent by the cooperating server 20 via the mail server. In the example in the upper right of Figure 2, the message acquisition unit 102 acquires the order completion email M2 in which the payment processing service's email address is set as BCC. The message acquisition unit 102 may also acquire the order completion email M2 in which the payment processing service's email address is set as To or CC (Carbon Copy).

[0046] For example, when the message acquisition unit 102 acquires the order completion email M2, it issues a new payment ID based on a predetermined issuance rule. The payment ID should be issued in a way that does not overlap with other payment IDs. The message acquisition unit 102 issues a new record to the payment agency database DB1 and stores the payment ID. This record stores the usage information acquired by the usage information acquisition unit 103 (described later) and the payment URL acquired by the payment URL acquisition unit 106 (described later). The message acquisition unit 102 may also store the data of the order completion email M2 in the new record.

[0047] Note that the emails acquired by the message acquisition unit 102 are not limited to order completion emails M2. The message acquisition unit 102 only needs to acquire emails sent when a user uses a linked service. The emails should include information necessary for payment resulting from the user's use of the linked service. The information included in the emails may vary depending on the linked service. In this embodiment, sections describing order completion emails M2 can be interpreted as referring to other emails.

[0048] For example, if the linked service is a travel booking service, the message acquisition unit 102 may acquire a booking confirmation email, which is an email indicating that a reservation for accommodation has been accepted. The booking confirmation email contains information necessary for advance payment of accommodation fees. If the linked service is an administrative service, the message acquisition unit 102 may acquire a procedure confirmation email, which is an email indicating that a user's procedure has been accepted. The procedure confirmation email shall contain information necessary for tax payment. Similarly, if the linked service is another service, the message acquisition unit 102 may acquire emails sent when a user uses another service.

[0049] Furthermore, the messages acquired by the message acquisition unit 102 are not limited to email. The message acquisition unit 102 may acquire other messages besides email. The message acquisition unit 102 may acquire other messages that are sent when a user uses the linked service. For example, if an SMS message is sent when a user uses the linked service, the message acquisition unit 102 may acquire the SMS message. In this case, the linked server 20 sends the same message to the user not only to the user's phone number but also to the phone number of the payment processing service.

[0050] For example, if a message is sent from the messaging app when a user uses a linked service, the message acquisition unit 102 may acquire the message from the messaging app. In this case, the linked server 20 sends the same message to the user not only to the user's account in the messaging app but also to the payment processing service account. Similarly, if other means are used to send the message, the message acquisition unit 102 should acquire the same message as the user.

[0051] [Usage content information acquisition unit] The usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires usage information based on the message acquired by the message acquisition unit 102. In this embodiment, we take the case where an email corresponds to a message as an example, so the usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires usage information based on the email. In the example in the upper right of Figure 2, the order completion email M2 corresponds to an email, so the usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires usage information based on the order completion email M2. For example, the usage information acquisition unit 103 stores the usage information in the payment processing database DB1 in association with the payment ID issued when the message acquisition unit 102 acquired the order completion email M2. The payment ID may be issued by a function other than the message acquisition unit 102.

[0052] For example, the usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires usage information by analyzing the order completion email M2. If the order completion email M2 is standardized, the section in the order completion email M2 where the usage information is placed is predetermined. Information that can identify this section is stored in the data storage unit 100. Based on this information, the usage information acquisition unit 103 may acquire the usage information placed in that section from the order completion email M2. In the order completion email M2 in the upper right of Figure 2, the section (for example, a row) where each item such as the order ID and order date and time is placed is fixed, so the usage information acquisition unit 103 may acquire usage information indicating each item placed in that section.

[0053] For example, if the order completion email M2 is not standardized, the usage information acquisition unit 103 may perform a keyword search on the order completion email M2 and acquire usage information based on the results of the keyword search. In this case, the keyword used as the search query (for example, a string such as "order ID" or "payment amount") may be stored in the data storage unit 100. The usage information acquisition unit 103 may acquire the portion that is hit by the keyword search using the keyword as the query as usage information, or it may acquire a morpheme before or after the portion (for example, the "o00025" portion after the keyword "order ID", or the "90,000 yen" portion after the keyword "payment amount") as usage information.

[0054] Figure 6 shows an example of a method for acquiring usage information. In this embodiment, the usage information acquisition unit 103 may cause the AI ​​(Artificial Intelligence), which is a trained large-scale language model, to acquire usage information based on a prompt and a message. There are various definitions of AI, but any known definition is acceptable. For example, AI may be a large-scale language model of the transformer type, such as BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) or GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer), or it may be a large-scale language model that is not classified as a transformer (for example, a neural network other than a transformer).

[0055] For example, the AI ​​includes a program that performs a series of processes, such as calculating an embedded representation of the input information which is the information input to it (e.g., programs for each layer, such as the input layer, hidden layer, or output layer), and parameters referenced by the program (e.g., weight coefficients or biases). The internal structure of the AI ​​may be the same as that of a known AI. The AI ​​has been trained with various documents. For example, the AI ​​may have been trained with messages. The AI ​​may be fine-tuned for the payment processing system 1, or it may be a general-purpose model that is not particularly fine-tuned. In this embodiment, the case where the AI ​​is a general-purpose model is given as an example.

[0056] A prompt is a natural language sentence that indicates instructions to the AI. For example, a prompt may be prepared in advance by the administrator of the payment processing service and stored in the data storage unit 100, or it may be entered by the administrator on the spot when the acquisition of usage information is performed. These points also apply to the AI ​​described in the storage unit 101 mentioned above and the AI ​​described in the verification unit 105 described below.

[0057] In the example in Figure 6, the prompt is a sentence such as, "Please retrieve usage information from the message you entered." The prompt can be any sentence indicating that the AI ​​will retrieve usage information from the message. The prompt is not limited to the example in Figure 6. For example, the prompt may indicate the items to be retrieved as usage information. The prompt could also be a sentence such as, "Please retrieve the order ID, order date and time, product code, product name, price, quantity, shipping fee, payment amount, and customer as usage information." The items could be just the payment amount, which is the minimum amount required for payment, or they could be details of the order, such as the order ID.

[0058] In this embodiment, we take the example of a case where the AI ​​is managed by a computer other than the payment processing server 10 (for example, a computer of an external AI service contracted by the payment processing service). For example, the usage information acquisition unit 103 sends prompts and messages to the other computer. The AI ​​calculates embedded representations of the prompts and messages based on parameters adjusted by pre-training. Based on the embedded representations, the AI ​​acquires and outputs usage information from the messages. The usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires the usage information output by the AI ​​from the other computer.

[0059] The AI ​​may be stored in the data storage unit 100. In this case, the usage information acquisition unit 103 inputs prompts and messages as input information to the AI ​​stored in the data storage unit 100. The AI ​​acquires and outputs usage information from the messages based on the embedded representations of the prompts and messages. The usage information acquisition unit 103 only needs to acquire the usage information output from the AI.

[0060] Furthermore, the AI ​​may be specialized in the task of acquiring usage information. In this case, the relationship between training messages and training usage information is learned by the AI. Training messages include training usage information. Training messages are training input information that is input to the AI ​​during learning. Training usage information is the correct information during learning. The AI ​​is trained to output training usage information when a training message is input. AI learning may be performed using a known algorithm (e.g., backpropagation or gradient descent). AI learning may be performed by any computer. These points are the same for other AIs in this embodiment. When the AI ​​is specialized in a specific task, prompts do not need to be input to the AI. The usage information acquisition unit 103 only needs to input the message to be processed to the AI ​​and acquire the usage information output from the AI.

[0061] [Page Search Section] The page search unit 104 searches for linked service pages that correspond to the usage information from among multiple linked service pages that can be displayed on the user terminal 30. A linked service page corresponding to the usage information is a linked service page that contains the content indicated by the usage information. A linked service page corresponding to the usage information can also be described as a linked service page that is found by a search using the usage information as a query.

[0062] In this embodiment, we take the example of a case where the usage information indicates the products ordered by the user, so the linked service page that indicates the products ordered by the user corresponds to the linked service page corresponding to the usage information. The page search unit 104 searches for a linked service page corresponding to the usage information by using the usage information as a query to search multiple linked service pages. The page search unit 104 identifies the linked service pages that are found in the search as linked service pages corresponding to the usage information.

[0063] In this embodiment, the storage unit 101 prepares the verification database DB2, and the page search unit 104 searches for linked service pages corresponding to the usage information based on the verification database DB2. For example, the page search unit 104 searches for linked service pages corresponding to the usage information based on the usage information and the index stored in the verification database DB2. The search algorithm may be the same as a known algorithm. The page search unit 104 may perform the search based on an algorithm used in a known search engine.

[0064] The page search unit 104 may search for linked service pages according to the usage information without using the verification database DB2. If the page search unit 104 does not use the verification database DB2, the data storage unit 100 does not need to store the verification database DB2. In this case, the payment processing server 10 does not need to include the storage unit 101. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the payment processing server 10 includes the storage unit 101, but an example in which the payment processing server 10 does not include the storage unit 101 is also within the scope of this disclosure. The page search unit 104 may search for linked service pages according to the usage information by using the usage information as a query and performing a keyword search on all linked service pages for which no index has been obtained.

[0065] For example, the page search unit 104 may search for linked service pages corresponding to the usage information by sending a search request to the linked server 20 with the usage information as the query. In this case, the linked server 20 searches for linked service pages based on the search request and sends the search results to the payment processing server 10. The linked server 20 is assumed to store an index for each of the multiple linked service pages. This index is also used when a user searches for products. The page search unit 104 identifies the linked service page corresponding to the usage information by receiving the search results from the linked server 20. Even in this configuration, the payment processing server 10 can identify the linked service page corresponding to the usage information without including the storage unit 101.

[0066] [Verification Department] The verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on the linked service information related to the linked service. The linked service information is information obtained from the linked server 20. The linked service information is information about the specific content of the items that the user uses (items that the user can pay for) in the linked service. For example, if the linked service is an e-commerce service, the linked service information is product information. If the linked service is a travel reservation service, the linked service information is accommodation information. If the linked service is an administrative service, the linked service information is tax information. The linked service information may also be the purchase conditions for the items sold in the linked service.

[0067] When the verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of the usage information, it means that the verification unit 105 determines whether or not the usage information is accurate, or calculates a score indicating the degree of accuracy of the usage information. For example, the verification unit 105 may verify the accuracy of the usage information by comparing the content indicated by the usage information with the content indicated by the linked service information. The verification unit 105 may determine that the usage information is inaccurate if these contents do not match. The verification unit 105 may determine that the usage information is accurate if these contents match.

[0068] In this embodiment, we take the example of a case where the usage information indicates a payment target that is subject to payment. Therefore, the verification unit 105 may obtain payment target information related to the payment target as linked service information from the linked service page corresponding to the usage information. The payment target information may be information that can identify the payment target (e.g., product code or model number), a name assigned to the payment target that does not identify the payment target (e.g., product name), the title of the payment target, price, shipping fee, or other information. The payment target information may also be an index stored in the verification database DB2. The verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on the payment target information. In the following description, the term "linked service information" may be read as "payment target information".

[0069] Figure 7 shows an example of a method for verifying the accuracy of usage information. In this embodiment, the verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on a prompt instructing the AI, which is a trained large-scale language model, to verify the accuracy of the usage information, as well as linked service information and the usage information itself. The AI ​​used for accuracy verification may be the same as or different from the AI ​​used for acquiring the usage information. The meaning of AI is as described above.

[0070] In the example in Figure 7, the prompt is a sentence such as, "You are an AI that verifies the accuracy of usage information. Please verify the accuracy of the usage information based on the linked service information and usage information you have entered." The prompt can be any sentence indicating that the AI ​​is verifying the accuracy of the usage information. The prompt is not limited to the example in Figure 7. The prompt may indicate what items are included in the usage information. The prompt may indicate what kind of information the linked service information is. The prompt may indicate from what perspective the AI ​​should verify the accuracy. The prompt may indicate what accuracy means.

[0071] For example, the verification unit 105 sends prompts, collaborative service information, and usage information to another computer managing the AI. The AI ​​calculates these embedding representations based on parameters adjusted through pre-training. Based on the embedding representations, the AI ​​outputs the accuracy verification results. The usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires the verification results output by the AI ​​from the other computer. In the example in Figure 7, the AI ​​outputs binary information indicating whether the usage information is accurate or not as the accuracy verification result, but the AI ​​may also output a score indicating the degree of accuracy of the usage information as the accuracy verification result. The prompt may indicate what information the AI ​​should output as the accuracy verification result.

[0072] If the AI ​​is stored in the data storage unit 100, the verification unit 105 only needs to input prompts, linked service information, and usage details to the AI ​​stored in the data storage unit 100. The AI ​​will output the accuracy verification result based on the embedded representations of the prompts, linked service information, and usage details. The verification unit 105 only needs to acquire the verification result output from the AI.

[0073] Furthermore, the AI ​​may be specialized in the task of verifying accuracy. In this case, the AI ​​is trained on the relationship between the training linked service information and usage information and the training verification results. The training linked service information and usage information are the training input information that is input to the AI ​​during training. The training verification results are the information that is correct during training. The AI ​​is trained to output the training verification results when the training linked service information and usage information are input. In this case, it is not necessary for the AI ​​to receive a prompt. The verification unit 105 inputs the linked service information and usage information to be processed to the AI ​​and obtains the verification results output from the AI.

[0074] The verification unit 105 may verify the accuracy of the usage information without using the search results of the page search unit 104. In this case, the payment processing server 10 does not need to include the page search unit 104. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the payment processing server 10 includes the page search unit 104, but an example in which the payment processing server 10 does not include the page search unit 104 is also within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the verification unit 105 may verify the accuracy of the usage information by comparing all linked service pages with the usage information without specifically performing a search of linked service pages. In this case, the verification unit 105 may determine that the usage information is accurate if there are a predetermined number (e.g., 1) or more linked service pages that contain the content of each of the multiple items indicated by the usage information.

[0075] For example, the verification unit 105 may determine that the usage information is accurate if there are a predetermined number (e.g., 1) or more linked service pages that contain the content of some of the items among the multiple items indicated by the usage information. Alternatively, for example, the verification unit 105 may verify the accuracy of the usage information by comparing the usage information with the information obtained as an index in the verification database DB2, without specifically performing a search for linked service pages. In this case, the verification unit 105 may determine that the usage information is accurate if there are a predetermined number (e.g., 1) or more linked service pages that include the content of each or some of the multiple items indicated by the usage information in their index.

[0076] [Payment URL Acquisition Section] The payment URL acquisition unit 106 acquires a payment URL for the user's payment when usage details information is acquired. When usage details information is acquired, it means after the usage details information has been acquired. In this embodiment, the payment URL acquisition unit 106 acquires a payment URL by generating a payment URL as an example, but the payment URL acquisition unit 106 may also acquire an unused payment URL from a payment URL database in which pre-generated payment URLs are stored. The payment URL database is assumed to be stored in the data storage unit 100.

[0077] The payment URL is the URL used for payment that occurs when a user uses the linked service. The payment URL can also be described as the URL that displays the payment screen SC4, which accepts payment instructions from the user, on the user terminal 30. The payment URL includes a payment ID that identifies the payment in question. In the example in the lower left of Figure 2, the payment URL includes the payment ID as an argument. The payment ID may be included in other parts of the payment URL besides the argument. The payment URL may also include other information that identifies the payment in question (e.g., order ID) instead of the payment ID.

[0078] [Payment URL transmission section] The payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. In this embodiment, an example is given where the payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits the payment URL to the user but does not transmit it to the linked service. However, the payment URL transmission unit 107 may transmit the payment URL to the linked service but not to the user. The payment URL transmission unit 107 may transmit the payment URL to both the user and the linked service. The payment URL transmission unit 107 may transmit the payment URL in any manner. For example, the payment URL transmission unit 107 may transmit the payment URL as a string, or it may transmit the payment URL as a two-dimensional code generated based on the payment URL. That is, the payment URL transmission unit 107 transmitting the two-dimensional code is equivalent to the payment URL transmission unit 107 transmitting the payment URL.

[0079] For example, the payment URL transmission unit 107 sends a message containing a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. This message may be sent by any means, similar to messages acquired by the message acquisition unit 102. The payment URL transmission unit 107 may send a message containing a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service via email, SMS, messaging app, SNS, notification function, or other means. The payment URL transmission unit 107 may also send the payment URL alone to at least one of the user and the linked service without including it in the message.

[0080] In this embodiment, the payment URL sending unit 107 obtains the user's email address based on the email obtained by the message acquisition unit 102, and sends an email containing a payment URL to the user based on that email address. In the example in the upper right of Figure 2, the message acquisition unit 102 obtains the order completion email M2, so the payment URL sending unit 107 obtains the user's email address based on the order completion email M2. For example, the payment URL sending unit 107 obtains the user's email address set as the recipient of the order completion email M2. In the example in the lower left of Figure 2, the payment URL sending unit 107 sends a payment request email M3, which is an example of an email containing a payment URL, to the user's email address. The payment URL sending unit 107 sets the payment URL in the format of the payment request email M3 and then sends the payment request email M3.

[0081] The user's email address may also be set in the CC field of the order completion email M2. In this case, the payment URL sending unit 107 only needs to obtain the user's email address set in the CC field of the order completion email M2. If the user's email address is written in the body of the order completion email M2, the payment URL sending unit 107 only needs to obtain the user's email address by analyzing the body of the order completion email M2 and obtaining the portion that is presumed to be the email address.

[0082] Furthermore, if the payment URL transmission unit 107 sends a payment URL to the user by means other than email, it shall obtain the information necessary for sending the payment URL from the linked server 20. For example, the payment URL transmission unit 107 may obtain the user's phone number, messaging app account, SNS account, linked service user ID, or other information from the linked server 20, and send the payment URL to the user based on this information. If the payment URL transmission unit 107 sends a payment URL to a linked service by means other than email, the payment URL transmission unit 107 shall obtain the linked service's phone number, messaging app account, SNS account, or other information from the linked server 20, and send the payment URL to the linked service based on this information.

[0083] Furthermore, when the payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits a payment URL to the linked service, the linked server 20 sends a message containing the payment URL to the user based on the payment URL received from the payment processing server 10. This message may also be sent by any means. The linked server 20 may send the message containing the payment URL to the user via email, SMS, messaging app, SNS, notification function, or other means. The linked server 20 may also send an email similar to the payment request email M3 to the user.

[0084] In this embodiment, the payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service when the accuracy of the usage information is confirmed. That is, the payment URL transmission unit 107 controls whether or not to transmit a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service based on the verification result of the verification unit 105. The payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service on the condition that the accuracy of the usage information is confirmed. If the accuracy of the usage information is not confirmed, the payment URL is not transmitted to at least one of the user and the linked service.

[0085] The payment URL transmission unit 107 may transmit the payment URL without relying on the verification results of the verification unit 105. In this case, the payment processing server 10 does not need to include the verification unit 105. In this embodiment, an example is given in which the payment processing server 10 includes the verification unit 105, but an example in which the payment processing server 10 does not include the verification unit 105 is also within the scope of this disclosure. The payment URL transmission unit 107 may transmit the payment URL without performing any verification of the accuracy of the usage information.

[0086] [3-2. Functions implemented by the linked server] For example, the cooperating server 20 includes a data storage unit 200 and a message transmission unit 201. The data storage unit 200 is implemented by a storage unit 22. The message transmission unit 201 is implemented by a control unit 21.

[0087] [Data Storage Unit] The data storage unit 200 stores various data related to the linked services. For example, the data storage unit 200 stores each of multiple linked service pages. The data storage unit 200 stores the email address of the payment processing service. The data storage unit 200 may also store the phone number, messaging app account, or SNS account of the payment processing service. The data storage unit 200 may also store a product database containing various product information and an order database containing various order information. The data storage unit 200 may also store data similar to that of a known linked service.

[0088] [Message sending section] The message sending unit 201 sends a message containing usage details to the user and the payment processing service when the user uses the linked service. In this embodiment, the order completion email M2 corresponds to the message, so the message sending unit 201 sends the order completion email M2 to the user and the payment processing service. For example, the message sending unit 201 sends the order completion email M2 with the user's email address set as the recipient and the payment processing service's email address set as the BCC. The message sending unit 201 may automatically send the order completion email M2 when the user places an order, or it may send the order completion email M2 when a person in charge of the linked service performs the operation to send the order completion email M2.

[0089] In this embodiment, we take the example of a case where the message transmission unit 201 simultaneously transmits a message to the user and a message to the payment processing service. However, the message transmission unit 201 may transmit the message to the user and the message to the payment processing service at different times. For example, the message transmission unit 201 may transmit the message to the user first, and then the message to the payment processing service. Conversely, the message transmission unit 201 may transmit the message to the payment processing service first, and then the message to the user.

[0090] [4. Processes executed by the payment processing system] Figure 8 shows an example of the processing performed by the payment processing system 1. The control units 11, 21, and 31 execute the programs stored in the storage units 12, 22, and 32, respectively, thereby executing the processing shown in Figure 8. Each step in Figure 8 is an example of a transmission method.

[0091] As shown in Figure 8, the payment processing server 10 performs processing to retrieve multiple linked service pages with the linked server 20 (S1). The payment processing server 10 associates each of the multiple linked service pages with the index of that linked service page and stores them in the verification database DB2 (S2). An example of the processing in S1 and S2 is as described in the processing of the storage unit 101.

[0092] The integration server 20 performs processing to accept an order with the user terminal 30 (S3). When a user orders a product through the integration service, the integration server 20 performs processing to display the order completion screen SC1 with the user terminal 30 (S4). The processing in S3 and S4 may be the same as that of a known integration service. The integration server 20 sends an order completion email M2 to which the user's email address is the recipient and the payment processing service's email address is the BCC (S5). An example of the processing in S5 is as described in the processing of the message sending unit 201. The user terminal 30 receives the order completion email M2 from the integration server 20 via the mail server (S6).

[0093] The payment processing server 10 receives an order completion email M2 from the linked server 20 via the mail server (S7). An example of the processing in S7 is as described in the processing of the message acquisition unit 102. The payment processing server 10 acquires usage details information based on the order completion email M2 (S8). An example of the processing in S8 is as described in the processing of the usage details acquisition unit 103. The payment processing server 10 verifies the accuracy of the usage details information (S9). An example of the processing in S9 is as described in the processing of the verification unit 105. If a search for linked service pages is performed, the processing of the page search unit 104 is also performed in S9. If the accuracy of the usage details information cannot be confirmed in S9 (S9: Inaccurate), this process terminates.

[0094] In S9, if the accuracy of the usage information is confirmed (S9: accurate), the payment processing server 10 obtains a payment URL (S10). An example of the process in S10 is as described in the processing of the payment URL acquisition unit 106. The payment processing server 10 sends a payment request email M3 containing the payment URL to the user's email address set as the recipient of the order completion email M2 (S11). An example of the process in S11 is as described in the processing of the payment URL sending unit 107. The user terminal 30 receives the payment request email M3 from the payment processing server 10 via the mail server (S12).

[0095] When the user selects payment request email M3, the payment processing server 10 executes a process to display the payment screen SC4 with the user terminal 30 (S13). In S13, the payment processing server 10 identifies the payment amount of the target payment based on the payment ID included in the HTTP request received from the user terminal 30 and the payment processing database DB1. As shown in the lower right of Figure 2, the payment processing server 10 displays the payment screen SC4 showing the payment amount on the user terminal 30.

[0096] The payment processing server 10 executes the payment with the user terminal 30 based on the input to the payment screen SC4 (S14). The payment in S14 may be the same as known processing. The payment processing server 10 notifies the linked server 20 and the user terminal 30 of the payment execution result (S15), and this process ends. In S15, the payment processing server 10 may send an email to the linked service's email address and the user's email address indicating that the payment has been executed. The payment processing server 10 may also notify the payment execution result by means other than email.

[0097] [5. Summary of Embodiments] The payment processing system 1 of this embodiment obtains a message to a user who has used the linked service. Based on the message, the payment processing system 1 obtains usage information. The payment processing system 1 obtains a payment URL. The payment processing system 1 sends the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. As a result, the linked service only needs to send the message to the user to the payment processing system, so the payment processing system 1 can reduce the burden on the linked service. For example, if the linked service already has a function to send a message to the user, the payment processing system 1 only needs to modify that function to also send the message to the payment processing system 1, so the amount of modification required on the linked service side can be greatly reduced. The linked service does not need to develop new functions such as sending special notifications to the payment processing system 1 separately from the message to the user. The linked service can use the payment processing service by making only minor modifications to its existing functions.

[0098] Furthermore, Payment Processing System 1 obtains emails sent to users who have used the linked service as messages. Payment Processing System 1 obtains usage information from the emails. As a result, the linked service only needs to send the email to Payment Processing System 1 as well, thus reducing the burden on the linked service. For example, if the linked service already has a function to send order completion emails M2 to users, Payment Processing System 1 only needs to modify that function to also send the order completion emails M2 to the Payment Processing Service, thus significantly reducing the amount of modification required on the linked service side. If the linked service adds the Payment Processing Service's email address to the BCC field, users will no longer be confused about receiving order completion emails M2 to an unfamiliar email address, thus improving user convenience.

[0099] Furthermore, payment processing system 1 obtains the user's email address based on the email sent to the user, and sends an email containing a payment URL to the user based on that email address. This eliminates the need for the linked service to separately notify the payment processing service of the user's email address, thus reducing the burden on the linked service. Payment processing system 1 can also quickly send an email containing a payment URL to the user.

[0100] Furthermore, the payment processing system 1 instructs the AI, which is a pre-trained large-scale language model, to acquire usage information based on prompts and messages to the user. This allows the payment processing system 1 to accurately acquire usage information from messages. For example, even if the messages are not standardized, the payment processing system 1 can acquire usage information. When a payment processing service interacts with multiple partner services, the payment processing system 1 acquires messages in various formats. Therefore, if the payment processing system 1 were to try to acquire usage information from the message location corresponding to the format of each partner service, the burden on the payment processing service would increase. In this regard, the payment processing system 1 can accurately acquire usage information regardless of the format by utilizing AI.

[0101] Furthermore, the payment processing system 1 verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on the linked service information. Once the accuracy of the usage information is confirmed, the payment processing system 1 sends a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. This prevents the payment processing system 1 from executing a payment that the user did not intend. For example, since the accuracy of AI is not perfect, some errors may occur. In this regard, by verifying the accuracy of the usage information, the payment processing system 1 can execute the payment intended by the user even if the AI ​​output is incorrect.

[0102] Furthermore, the payment processing system 1 verifies the accuracy of the usage details information based on a prompt instructing the AI, a pre-trained large-scale language model, to verify the accuracy of the usage details information, along with the linked service information and the usage details information itself. This allows the payment processing system 1 to accurately verify the accuracy of the usage details information. For example, even in cases where the accuracy of the usage details information cannot be verified by simple keyword comparison, the payment processing system 1 can accurately verify the accuracy of the usage details information by utilizing the AI.

[0103] Furthermore, the payment processing system 1 searches for a linked service page corresponding to the usage information from among multiple linked service pages that can be displayed on the user terminal 30. The usage information indicates the payment target. The payment processing system 1 obtains the payment target information as linked service information from the linked service page corresponding to the usage information. The payment processing system 1 verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on this payment target information. As a result, the payment processing system 1 can verify the accuracy of the usage information based on the payment target information obtained from the appropriate linked service page corresponding to the usage information, thereby improving the accuracy of the verification.

[0104] Furthermore, the payment processing system 1 retrieves multiple linked service pages from the linked service, associates each of these linked service pages with the index obtained from that linked service page, and stores them in the verification database DB2. Based on the verification database DB2, the payment processing system 1 searches for linked service pages corresponding to the usage information. As a result, the payment processing system 1 can prepare a verification database in advance, enabling it to quickly verify the accuracy of the usage information. For example, the payment processing system 1 can reduce the time from when a user completes an order until the payment request email M3 is sent.

[0105] [6. Variant] This disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. This disclosure may be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of this disclosure.

[0106] Figure 9 shows an example of the functions implemented in the modified payment processing system 1. As shown in Figure 9, in the modified version described later, the payment processing server 10 includes a notification unit 108, a display control unit 109, and a duplicate determination unit 110. Each of the notification unit 108, the display control unit 109, and the duplicate determination unit 110 is implemented by a control unit 11.

[0107] [6-1. Variation 1] For example, a user may take advantage of a benefit offered by a linked service. A benefit is any kind of advantage the user receives. The benefit may be any of the various benefits offered by a well-known linked service. For example, a benefit may be a coupon, a discount that does not require a coupon, the use of points, a free product, an increased point redemption rate, free shipping, or other benefits. Modification 1 takes the example of a case where a benefit that affects the payment amount is used. In this case, a discount is equivalent to a benefit. If the benefit is not properly applied to the payment amount indicated by the usage information, the user may suffer a disadvantage. Therefore, Modification 1 explains a case where the accuracy of the usage information is verified based on whether or not the benefit is properly applied.

[0108] Figure 10 shows an example of a verification method in Modification 1. The verification unit 105 in Modification 1 verifies the accuracy of the usage information by verifying whether or not the benefits used by the user in the linked service have been applied. In Modification 1, as in the embodiment, an example of a verification method using AI is given. The verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of the usage information by inputting prompts, linked service information, and usage information to the AI ​​and obtaining the verification results output by the AI.

[0109] For example, a prompt indicates that the AI ​​should verify whether or not a benefit has been applied. In the example in Figure 10, the prompt is a sentence such as, "You are the AI ​​that verifies the accuracy of usage information. Based on the linked service information and usage information you have entered, please verify the accuracy of the usage information while also verifying whether or not a benefit has been applied." The prompt can be any sentence indicating that the AI ​​will verify whether or not a benefit has been applied. The prompt is not limited to the example in Figure 10. The prompt may also specify what the benefit is.

[0110] For example, the verification unit 105 sends prompts, linked service information, and usage information to another computer managing the AI. The AI ​​calculates these embedding representations based on parameters adjusted through pre-training. Based on the embedding representations, the AI ​​outputs accuracy verification results, including whether or not the benefit has been applied. The usage information acquisition unit 103 acquires the verification results output by the AI ​​from the other computer. In the example in Figure 10, the AI ​​outputs binary information as an accuracy verification result, indicating whether or not the usage information is accurate and whether or not the benefit has been applied. However, the AI ​​may also output a score as an accuracy verification result indicating the degree of accuracy of the usage information and the probability that the benefit has been applied. The prompt may indicate what information the AI ​​should output as an accuracy verification result.

[0111] If the AI ​​is stored in the data storage unit 100, the verification unit 105 only needs to input a prompt, linked service information, and usage details information to the AI ​​stored in the data storage unit 100. Based on the embedded representations of the prompt, linked service information, and usage details information, the AI ​​outputs a verification result indicating whether or not the benefit has been applied. The verification unit 105 only needs to acquire the verification result output from the AI.

[0112] Alternatively, the AI ​​may be specialized in the task of verifying whether or not the benefits are applied. In this case, the AI ​​is trained on the relationship between training linked service information and usage information and training verification results regarding whether or not the benefits are applied. The AI ​​is trained to output training verification results regarding whether or not the benefits are applied when training linked service information and usage information are input. In this case, it is not necessary for the AI ​​to receive a prompt. The verification unit 105 inputs the linked service information and usage information to be processed into the AI ​​and obtains the verification results output from the AI.

[0113] The verification unit 105 may also verify whether or not the benefit has been applied without using AI. For example, the verification unit 105 may verify whether or not the benefit has been applied by determining whether or not the benefit application result indicated by the linked service information (e.g., the price after discount) matches the benefit application result indicated by the usage details information (e.g., the payment amount). If these do not match, the verification unit 105 may determine that the benefit has not been applied, and if they do match, it may determine that the benefit has been applied.

[0114] For example, the verification unit 105 may verify whether a benefit has been applied by determining whether the difference (e.g., the difference in amount) between the benefit application result indicated by the linked service information (e.g., the price after discount) and the benefit application result indicated by the usage details information (e.g., the payment amount) falls within a predetermined range. The verification unit 105 may determine that the benefit has not been applied if these differences do not fall within the predetermined range, and determine that the benefit has been applied if these differences fall within the predetermined range.

[0115] The verification method used by the verification unit 105 is not limited to the above example. For example, the verification unit 105 may verify whether the benefits are being applied appropriately by determining whether the conditions for discounts in time-limited sales events, discounts based on the user's membership rank in linked services, free shipping are met, whether the conditions for applying discounts are met, and whether the conditions for using points are met.

[0116] In Modification 1, the payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service if it is confirmed that the benefit has been applied. That is, the payment URL transmission unit 107 controls whether or not to transmit a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service based on the verification result of whether or not the benefit has been applied. The payment URL transmission unit 107 transmits a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service on the condition that it is confirmed that the benefit has been applied. If it is not confirmed that the benefit has been applied, it does not transmit a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service.

[0117] The payment processing system 1 in Modification Example 1 verifies the accuracy of usage information by verifying whether the benefits used by the user in the linked service have been applied. If it is confirmed that the benefits have been applied, the payment processing system 1 sends a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. This prevents the payment processing system 1 from executing a payment that does not reflect the benefits used by the user.

[0118] [6-2. Variation 2] For example, in the embodiment, it was given that if the accuracy of the usage information could not be confirmed, the payment URL would not be sent. However, in this case, a notification may be sent to the administrator of the payment processing service. The administrator of the payment processing service operates an administrator terminal, which is not shown in Figure 1. The administrator terminal may be a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. When the administrator terminal receives a notification, it displays the notification.

[0119] The payment processing system 1 in Modification 2 includes a notification unit 108. The notification unit 108 notifies the administrator of the payment processing service if the accuracy of the usage information cannot be confirmed. The notification unit 108 notifies the administrator of the payment processing service on the condition that the accuracy of the usage information cannot be confirmed. The notification unit 108 does not notify the administrator of the payment processing service if the accuracy of the usage information is confirmed.

[0120] For example, the notification unit 108 may use email to notify the administrator that the accuracy of the usage information could not be confirmed. The notification unit 108 may also use other notification means other than email to notify the administrator. Other notification means may include the notification function in the administrator's management tool, SMS, SNS, or messaging app. The notification may include any content. The notification may show the usage information that could not be confirmed, or it may show a message containing such usage information.

[0121] For example, the administrator checks the notification by operating the administrator terminal. Once the administrator confirms that the usage information is correct, they perform a send operation to send a payment request email M3 containing a payment URL. Based on the administrator's operation, the payment URL sending unit 107 sends a payment request email M3 containing a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. The administrator may also correct information such as the payment amount before performing the send operation. In this case, when the user makes a payment, the payment will be executed based on the information corrected by the administrator.

[0122] In Modification 2, Payment Processing System 1 notifies the administrator of the payment processing service if the accuracy of the usage information cannot be verified. This allows the administrator to become aware of the inaccuracy in the usage information and take appropriate action. Payment Processing System 1 prevents situations where a user's payment is never processed. For example, if the administrator corrects information such as the payment amount, Payment Processing System 1 will be able to execute the payment with the correct information.

[0123] [6-3. Modified Example 3] For example, a payment processing service may be linked with multiple linked services. Each of the multiple linked services has a linkage system 2 as described in the embodiment. The payment processing server 10 obtains emails sent by each of the multiple linked services' linkage servers 20. If the multiple linked services are an e-commerce service, a travel booking service, and an administrative service, the payment processing server 10 obtains emails sent to users who used the e-commerce service, emails sent to users who used the travel booking service, and emails sent to users who used the administrative service. For each email, the payment processing server 10 performs the processing described in the embodiment and sends a payment URL to the user or linked service. The payment processing database DB1 may store information that can identify which linked service the payment is for.

[0124] In Modification 3, the verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of usage information based on verification criteria corresponding to the linked service used by the user among multiple linked services. Verification criteria are standards referenced in verifying the accuracy of usage information. For example, if verification is performed based on usage amount, the verification criterion is the threshold for the difference in usage amount that is acceptable in the verification. If verification is performed based on matching strings such as product names, the verification criterion is the threshold for the difference in strings that is acceptable in the verification (for example, the number of characters).

[0125] In Modification 3, the relationship between the linked service and the verification criteria is stored in the data storage unit 100. The verification unit 105 obtains the verification criteria associated with the linked service to be verified. Based on the obtained verification criteria, the verification unit 105 verifies the accuracy of the usage information. If the AI ​​is used in the same way as in the embodiment, the verification unit 105 inputs the verification criteria associated with the linked service to the AI. The prompt may indicate that verification should be performed based on the verification criteria input to the AI. The AI ​​calculates an embedded representation of the verification criteria, etc., input to itself and outputs a verification result corresponding to the embedded representation. The verification unit 105 obtains the verification result output from the AI. The processing after the verification result is obtained may be the same as in the embodiment or Modifications 1 and 2.

[0126] The payment processing service in Modification Example 3 integrates with multiple linked services. The payment processing system 1 verifies the accuracy of usage information based on verification criteria corresponding to the linked service used by the user. This allows the payment processing system 1 to integrate with multiple linked services. For example, if the appropriate verification criteria differ depending on the linked service, the payment processing system 1 can verify the accuracy of usage information using the appropriate verification criteria for each linked service.

[0127] [6-4. Modification 4] For example, as briefly explained in the embodiment, when a user selects a payment URL, the payment screen SC4 is displayed on the user terminal 30. As shown in the example in the lower right of Figure 2, the payment screen SC4 does not need to display the minimum information necessary for payment, and the specific details of the order do not need to be displayed. However, users may want to know what the payment is for on the payment screen SC4. Therefore, in Modification 4, we will give an example of a case where the details of the user's order are displayed on the payment screen SC4.

[0128] The payment processing system 1 of Modification 4 includes a display control unit 109. When a payment URL is selected on the user's user terminal 30, the display control unit 109 displays a payment screen SC4 for payment, which shows the details of the usage, on the user terminal 30 based on the usage information. For example, the display control unit 109 obtains usage information associated with the payment ID included in the HTTP request from the user terminal 30 based on the payment processing database DB1. Based on this usage information, the display control unit 109 displays the payment screen SC4 on the user terminal 30.

[0129] The details of the usage shown on the payment screen SC4 may be all or part of the content indicated by the usage information. As in the embodiment, if the electronic commerce service is the linked service, the usage is the order details. The usage may be anything that corresponds to the linked service. For example, if the travel reservation service is the linked service, the usage is the accommodation booked by the user. If the administrative service is the linked service, the usage is the details of the taxes paid by the user.

[0130] Figure 11 shows an example of the payment screen SC4 in Modification 4. As shown in Figure 11, the display control unit 109 displays the payment screen SC4 on the user terminal 30 by sending the display data for the payment screen SC4, which shows the details of the order, to the user terminal 30. The display data can be any data that displays a screen on the user terminal 30. For example, the display data may be data in a markup language such as HTML. In the example in Figure 11, the display control unit 109 displays the payment screen SC4 on the user terminal 30, which shows not only the payment amount indicated by the usage information, but also the order ID, order date and time, product code, product name, price, quantity, shipping fee, and at least one of the orderer indicated by the usage information.

[0131] In the modified version 4, when a payment URL is selected on the user terminal 30, the payment processing system 1 displays a payment screen SC4 on the user terminal 30, which shows the details of the transaction based on the transaction information. This allows the user to confirm the details of the transaction on the payment screen SC4 and then execute the payment from the payment screen SC4, thereby improving user convenience.

[0132] [6-5. Variation 5] For example, due to various circumstances (e.g., an error on the linked server 20, a user requesting a resend of the order completion email M2, or a linked service representative manually sending the order completion email M2), it is possible that the same order completion email M2 may be sent to the payment processing service multiple times. In this case, if the payment URL for the same order is sent multiple times, duplicate payments may be executed. Therefore, Modification 5 explains how to determine if the same order completion email M2 has been sent multiple times.

[0133] The payment processing system 1 of Modification 5 includes a duplicate detection unit 110. The duplicate detection unit 110 determines whether multiple messages are duplicates of each other. Multiple messages are considered duplicates if they have exactly the same content, or if they have different content but a predetermined percentage or more of the content is the same. The duplicate detection unit 110 determines whether multiple messages are duplicates by comparing them with each other.

[0134] In Modification 5, an order completion email M2 is described as an example message, similar to the embodiment. The duplicate determination unit 110 determines whether the contents of multiple order completion emails M2 overlap with each other. For example, the duplicate determination unit 110 may determine whether all the contents of multiple order completion emails M2 overlap, or it may determine whether some of the contents of multiple order completion emails M2 (e.g., order ID) overlap. The duplicate determination unit 110 may also determine whether at least some of the sender, recipient, subject, body, and attachments of the order completion emails M2 overlap.

[0135] In Modification 5, the payment URL transmission unit 107 sends a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service when it is determined that multiple messages do not overlap with each other. That is, the payment URL transmission unit 107 controls whether or not to send a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service based on the determination result of the overlap determination unit 110. The payment URL transmission unit 107 sends a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service on the condition that multiple messages do not overlap with each other. If multiple messages overlap with each other, the payment URL is not sent to at least one of the user and the linked service. If multiple messages overlap with each other, processing may be suspended and checked by an administrator.

[0136] The payment processing system 1 in Modification 5 determines whether multiple messages overlap with each other. If the payment processing system 1 determines that the multiple messages do not overlap, it sends a payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. This allows the payment processing system 1 to prevent unintended duplicate payments from being executed.

[0137] [6-6. Other variations] For example, the above variations may be combined.

[0138] For example, the functions described as being implemented by the payment processing server 10 may be implemented by the collaboration server 20, the user terminal 30, or other computers. The functions described as being implemented by the payment processing server 10 may be shared among multiple computers.

[0139] [7. Addendum] For example, a payment processing system can also be configured as follows:

[0140] (1) A message acquisition unit that acquires messages to users who have used a linked service that works in conjunction with a payment processing service, A usage information acquisition unit acquires usage information regarding the user's usage based on the aforementioned message, When the aforementioned usage information is obtained, a payment URL acquisition unit obtains a payment URL for the user's payment, A payment URL transmission unit that transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service, A payment processing system that includes [this]. (2) The message acquisition unit acquires emails sent to the user who used the linked service as messages, The aforementioned usage information acquisition unit acquires the usage information based on the aforementioned email. The payment processing system described in (1). (3) The payment URL transmission unit obtains the user's email address based on the email, and sends an email containing the payment URL to the user based on that email address. (2) The payment processing system described in (2). (4) The aforementioned usage information acquisition unit causes the AI ​​(Artificial Intelligence), which is a trained large-scale language model, to acquire the usage information based on a prompt and a message. A payment processing system as described in any of (1) to (3). (5) The payment processing system further includes a verification unit that verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on the linked service information relating to the linked service, The payment URL transmission unit transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service when the accuracy of the usage information has been confirmed. A payment processing system as described in any of (1) to (4). (6) The verification unit verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on a prompt that instructs an AI (Artificial Intelligence), which is a pre-trained large-scale language model, to verify the accuracy of the usage information, the linked service information, and the usage information. The payment processing system described in (5). (7) The payment processing system further includes a page search unit that searches for a linked service page relating to the linked service, which is a linked service page that can be displayed on the user's terminal, and which searches for a linked service page corresponding to the usage information. The aforementioned usage information indicates the payment target for the aforementioned payment, The verification unit obtains payment target information related to the payment target from the linked service page corresponding to the usage information as linked service information, and verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on said payment target information. The payment processing system described in (5) or (6). (8) The payment processing system further includes a storage unit that retrieves the multiple linked service pages from the linked service, associates each of the multiple linked service pages with the index retrieved from the linked service page, and stores them in a verification database. The page search unit searches for the linked service page corresponding to the usage information based on the verification database. The payment processing system described in (7). (9) The verification unit verifies the accuracy of the usage information by verifying whether or not the benefits used by the user in the linked service have been applied. The payment URL transmission unit transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service when it is confirmed that the benefit has been applied. A payment processing system as described in any of (5) to (8). (10) The aforementioned payment processing system includes a notification unit that notifies the administrator of the payment processing service if the accuracy of the usage information cannot be confirmed. A payment processing system as described in any of (5) to (9), further including the above. (11) The aforementioned payment processing service works in conjunction with multiple aforementioned linked services, The verification unit verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on verification criteria corresponding to the linked service used by the user among the multiple linked services. A payment processing system as described in any of (5) to (10). (12) The payment processing system further includes a display control unit that, when the payment URL is selected on the user's user terminal, displays a payment screen for the payment, which shows the details of the usage, on the user terminal based on the usage information. A payment processing system as described in any of (1) to (11). (13) The payment processing system further includes a duplicate determination unit that determines whether or not multiple messages overlap with each other. The payment URL transmission unit, when it determines that the multiple messages do not overlap with each other, transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. A payment processing system as described in any of (1) to (12). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0141] 1 Payment processing system, 2 Integration system, N Network, 10 Payment processing server, 11, 21, 31 Control unit, 12, 22, 32 Storage unit, 13, 23, 33 Communication unit, 20 Integration server, 30 User terminal, 34 Operation unit, 35 Display unit, 100 Data storage unit, 101 Storage unit, 102 Message acquisition unit, 103 Usage information acquisition unit, 104 Page search unit, 105 Verification unit, 106 Payment URL acquisition unit, 107 Payment URL transmission unit, 108 Notification unit, 109 Display control unit, 110 Duplicate detection unit, 200 Data storage unit, 201 Message transmission unit, DB1 Payment processing database, DB2 Verification database, SC1 Order completion screen, M2 Order completion email, M3 Payment request email, SC4 Payment screen.

Claims

1. A message acquisition unit that acquires messages to users who have used a linked service that works in conjunction with a payment processing service, A usage information acquisition unit acquires usage information regarding the user's usage based on the aforementioned message, When the aforementioned usage information is obtained, a payment URL acquisition unit obtains a payment URL for the user's payment, A payment URL transmission unit that transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service, A payment processing system that includes [this].

2. The message acquisition unit acquires emails sent to the user who used the linked service as messages, The aforementioned usage information acquisition unit acquires the usage information based on the aforementioned email. The payment processing system according to claim 1.

3. The payment URL transmission unit obtains the user's email address based on the email, and sends an email containing the payment URL to the user based on that email address. The payment processing system according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned usage information acquisition unit causes the AI ​​(Artificial Intelligence), which is a trained large-scale language model, to acquire the usage information based on a prompt and a message. A payment processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The payment processing system further includes a verification unit that verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on the linked service information relating to the linked service, The payment URL transmission unit transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service when the accuracy of the usage information has been confirmed. A payment processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The verification unit verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on a prompt that instructs an AI (Artificial Intelligence), which is a trained large-scale language model, to verify the accuracy of the usage information, the linked service information, and the usage information. The payment processing system according to claim 5.

7. The payment processing system further includes a page search unit that searches for a linked service page relating to the linked service, which is a linked service page that can be displayed on the user's terminal, and which searches for a linked service page corresponding to the usage information. The aforementioned usage information indicates the payment target for the aforementioned payment, The verification unit obtains payment target information related to the payment target from the linked service page corresponding to the usage information as linked service information, and verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on said payment target information. The payment processing system according to claim 5.

8. The payment processing system further includes a storage unit that retrieves the multiple linked service pages from the linked service, associates each of the multiple linked service pages with the index retrieved from the linked service page, and stores them in a verification database. The page search unit searches for the linked service page corresponding to the usage information based on the verification database. The payment processing system according to claim 7.

9. The verification unit verifies the accuracy of the usage information by verifying whether or not the benefits used by the user in the linked service have been applied. The payment URL transmission unit transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service when it is confirmed that the benefit has been applied. The payment processing system according to claim 5.

10. The aforementioned payment processing system includes a notification unit that notifies the administrator of the payment processing service if the accuracy of the usage information cannot be confirmed. The payment processing system according to claim 5, further comprising:

11. The aforementioned payment processing service works in conjunction with multiple aforementioned linked services, The verification unit verifies the accuracy of the usage information based on verification criteria corresponding to the linked service used by the user among the multiple linked services. The payment processing system according to claim 5.

12. The payment processing system further includes a display control unit that, when the payment URL is selected on the user's user terminal, displays a payment screen for the payment, which shows the details of the usage, on the user terminal based on the usage information. A payment processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

13. The payment processing system further includes a duplicate determination unit that determines whether or not multiple messages overlap with each other. The payment URL transmission unit, when it determines that the multiple messages do not overlap with each other, transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. A payment processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

14. A computer, A message acquisition step to obtain messages to users who have used a linked service that is linked with a payment processing service, A usage information acquisition step is to acquire usage information regarding the user's usage based on the aforementioned message, When the aforementioned usage information is obtained, a payment URL acquisition step is performed to obtain a payment URL for the user's payment, A payment URL transmission step of transmitting the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service, A method of sending that executes.

15. A message acquisition unit that acquires messages to users who have used a linked service that works in conjunction with a payment processing service. A usage information acquisition unit acquires usage information regarding the user's usage based on the aforementioned message. When the aforementioned usage information is obtained, a payment URL acquisition unit obtains a payment URL for the user's payment. A payment URL transmission unit that transmits the payment URL to at least one of the user and the linked service. A program that makes a computer function.

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