Payment management device, reward provision method, and program

Abstract

To promote sales of a specific commodity and facilitate the use of an electronic settlement service by a business operator different from a seller of the commodity.SOLUTION: In a settlement system, a settlement application causes a terminal device to read, using an optical read function, encoded first code image information attached to a commodity, and transmit notification information indicating that the information has been read, to a settlement management apparatus. The settlement management apparatus includes: a settlement processing unit which acquires, from the terminal device, encoded second code image information presented in a real store, the information being read by the terminal device, to perform electronic settlement using the acquired information; and a privilege offering unit which offers a privilege to a user of the terminal device that has transmitted the notification information, in accordance with the notification information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a payment system and a method for providing a reward. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional electronic money system including a plurality of transaction devices installed in a store and performing transaction processing using electronic money stored in a recording medium, and a management device that manages the plurality of transaction devices, the management device determines, from the plurality of transaction devices, a transaction device that is eligible for a reward to be granted to a user who has performed a transaction processing, and the management device or the transaction device that is eligible for a reward determines whether the transaction device on which the user performs a transaction processing is the determined transaction device that is eligible for a reward, and executes a reward granting process to grant a reward to the user on the condition that the transaction device is determined to be eligible for a reward (Patent Document 1). In this system, a reward is granted at the time of new registration, at the time of charging, or to a specific target person. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-287522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in Patent Document 1 above is not primarily focused on promoting specific products sold in physical stores. As a result, it has sometimes been impossible to promote the use of electronic payment services provided by businesses other than the seller of a specific product while also promoting the sale of that product.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a payment system and a method for granting benefits that can promote sales of specific products and also encourage the use of electronic payment services provided by businesses other than the product seller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a payment system comprising a payment app running on a user's terminal device and a payment management device that cooperates with the payment app to provide the user with electronic payment services in a physical store, wherein the payment app causes the terminal device to read information encoded in a first code image attached to a product using an optical reading function and send notification information indicating that the information has been read to the payment management device, and the payment management device has a payment processing unit that obtains from the terminal device information encoded in a second code image that was read by the terminal device and presented at the physical store, and performs electronic payment using the obtained information, and a bonus granting unit that grants a bonus to the user of the terminal device that sent the notification information in accordance with the notification information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to promote sales of a specific product and also to encourage the use of an electronic payment service provided by a business other than the seller of the product. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a product with a bonus. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a process flow for granting a benefit to a user who is an existing member. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a processing flow in which a benefit is given to a user who was a non-member. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of notification content. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The payment system, reward method, and product packaging of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The payment system includes, for example, a payment management device and a payment application. The payment management device is realized by one or more processors. The payment management device is a device that provides electronic payment services in cooperation with the payment application. In the following explanation, the payment management device will be referred to as the "payment server." The electronic payment service is a service that supports payments related to the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real-world store) that exists in real space.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] FIG. 1 shows an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10 and one or more store terminal devices 50 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc. The user terminal device 10 is an example of a "terminal device."

[0011] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment application 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment application 20 controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0012] The store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The store terminal device 50 may include a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may also be displayed on a display placed in the store.

[0013] The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the store terminal device 50. The payment server 100 performs electronic payment, for example, by increasing or decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID (in other words, by depositing or withdrawing electronic money). Electronic payment may include methods such as revolving payment or credit payment that allow purchases of a larger amount than the charge balance at the time of purchase.

[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the general flow of electronic payment. There are two patterns for electronic payment: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2. In Pattern 1, the payment app 20 is first launched on the user terminal device 10, which displays a code image such as a QR code or barcode. The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the store terminal device 50. The store terminal device 50 uses its optical reading function to decode the code image and obtains information that can identify the account ID (which may be the account ID or a one-time code issued by the payment server). The store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including information that can identify the account ID, the payment amount, the store ID, etc., and transmits it to the payment server 100. The payment amount information has been obtained in advance by reading a barcode, manually entering it, or the like. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 transfers the payment amount from the user's electronic payment account to the store's electronic payment account, thereby completing the payment process.

[0015] In pattern 2, the user terminal device 10, with the payment app 20 running, decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function. The store code image 60 contains information such as the store name. The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen displaying the store name, etc. The user terminal device 10 then generates payment information including the account ID, payment amount, store ID, etc., and transmits it to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 performs payment processing based on the received information. Note that electronic payment may be performed only in one of the above patterns. The "account ID" described in Figure 2 may also be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information.

[0016] [Payment server] 3 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a login status management unit 120, a payment content providing unit 122, a payment processing unit 124, a reward granting unit 126, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0017] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172 and payment content information 174.

[0018] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0019] The login status management unit 120 manages the login status of each user. When a user newly installs the payment application 20 and registers various information (at the time of new registration), the login status management unit 120 considers the user to have logged in. Thereafter, the login status management unit 120 maintains the user's login status unless the same user terminal device 10 accesses the unit and a logout operation is performed. In a new registration, the user enters at least a phone number and a password. When a user performs a logout operation using the user terminal device 10 and then logs in again, the login status management unit 120 requests the user to enter a phone number and a password. At this time, the login status management unit 120 determines whether the user terminal device 10 is the same as the previous one based on a hash value of the OS identification information, etc., and if it determines that the user terminal device 10 is not the same, it performs SMS authentication.

[0020] The payment content providing unit 122 has, for example, the functionality of a web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The payment content providing unit 122 reads out necessary content from the payment content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100. Note that the content based on the payment content information 174 includes content provided in a logged-in state and content provided in a non-logged-in state. In the content provided in a non-logged-in state, the payment server 100 provides various guidance information and accepts applications for new registration and phone number change. The payment content providing unit 122 is an example of a "membership guidance unit."

[0021] The payment processing unit 124 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 124 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0022] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. User information 172 is an example of user registration information. For example, user information 172 associates information such as an account ID (which may be omitted) with the minimum phone number and password required for new registration, as well as an email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, bank account, credit card number, other service linkage information, radio wave authentication settings, carrier payment settings, chat friend list, charge history information, payment history information, and chat history information. Information other than the phone number, password, registration date, charge balance, charge history information, and payment history information is optional information. Hereinafter, a user instance (electronic payment account) associated with this information will be referred to as an account. The registration date is the date on which the user registered with the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created).

[0023] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by a user by transferring funds to the account in advance. Transfer methods include transfers from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated service provider (bank) or from a registered bank account. The bank account and credit card number are information (account number, card number) of a bank account or credit card number that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. The other service link information is the login ID of another service that links with the electronic payment service (for example, operated by an operator belonging to the same business group). The radio wave authentication setting is setting information for authentication through communication with a specific telecommunications carrier. The carrier payment setting is setting information for transferring at least a portion of payments made using the electronic payment service to a telecommunications carrier. The chat friend list is a list of other users who can chat with the user using the chat function provided by the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user's transfers to the electronic payment service in advance to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information that shows the details of the payment made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, etc.). The chat history information is a history of the content of the chats that the user has had.

[0024] [Product with bonus] The following describes how to handle products with special benefits according to the present invention. The special benefit granting unit 126 not only provides users with regular coupons such as "flat rate XX% return" offered by each affiliated store, but also provides the following services for products with special benefits in cooperation with the payment application 20 and a general-purpose code reader application.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a product with a bonus. The product shown in the figure is a processed potato product packaged in a package PK. The package PK has an area IM, visible from the outside, displaying information indicating that a bonus is available from an electronic payment service provider separate from the seller of the product. This information indicating that a bonus is available may be displayed by a sticker or other attachment attached to the package PK. When the package PK is opened, a code image CI is exposed inside the package PK. Instead of being printed inside the package PK or displayed by a sticker or other attachment, the code image CI may be printed on the surface of the package PK and exposed by peeling off a sticker or other attachment attached to the surface of the package PK, or may be displayed on the back of a sticker or other attachment attached to the surface of the package PK.

[0026] Since a product with a bonus is configured in this manner, the code image CI is read after payment is completed. This payment may be made using an electronic payment service, another service, or cash. The bonus may be determined in any manner, such as a fixed amount of cash back or a cash back of a predetermined percentage of the payment amount.

[0027] [Support for members] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process flow for granting a privilege to a user who is an existing member. First, when the code image CI is read by the payment application 20 (and the optical reading function of the user terminal device 10) (S1), the payment application 20 transmits notification information indicating that the information has been read to the payment server 100 (S2). This notification information includes, for example, information that allows the user's account ID to be identified. Upon receiving the notification information, the privilege granting unit 126 of the payment server 100 references the payment history information in the user information 172, grants a privilege to the user based on the payment history information (S3), and notifies the payment application 20 of the details of the granted privilege (S4). For example, the privilege granting unit 126 increases the user's charge balance according to the determined cashback amount. The payment application 20 then displays notification content on the user terminal device 10 indicating that the privilege has been granted (S5). The details of the privilege granting process and the notification content will be described later.

[0028] [For non-members] 7 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process flow for granting a benefit to a user who was previously a non-member. When the code image CI is read by general-purpose software (a code reader application) on the user terminal device 10A (which is not the terminal device of the user of the electronic payment service at this point, and is therefore referred to as the non-member user terminal device 10A) (S11), the user terminal device 10A accesses the payment server 100 based on the decoded information, and acquires a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for acquiring non-logged-in content by the user terminal device 10A (S12). The user terminal device 10A automatically, or in response to an operation by the non-member user, requests the non-logged-in content stored at the location indicated by the URL from the payment content provider 122 (S13). In response, the payment content provider 122 provides the non-logged-in content, i.e., content that provides information about joining the electronic payment service, to the user terminal device 10A (S14). In response, when the non-member user enters a phone number and password to perform the membership operation (S15), this is communicated to the payment server 100, and the non-member user becomes a new member user. As with existing users, the benefit granting unit 126 grants a benefit to the new member user (S16) and notifies the payment app 20 of the details of the granted benefit (S17). For example, the benefit granting unit 126 increases the charge balance of the user in accordance with the determined cashback amount. In this case, for example, the payment app 20, which is in a logged-in state in response to the membership operation, automatically displays notification content related to the benefit on the user terminal device 10 (S18).

[0029] [Bonus Granting] The reward granting unit 126, for example, grants higher rewards to new members and users whose usage level is lower than the standard compared to users whose usage level is higher than the standard. A new member is a user who is prompted to join the electronic payment service by reading the code image CI, as described above. A "user whose usage level is lower than the standard" is a user who has no payment history for a predetermined period of time (e.g., a week, several weeks, one month, or several months from the current day). A "user whose usage level is higher than the standard" is a user who has a payment history for a predetermined period of time. This allows new members and so-called inactive members to receive higher rewards, thereby promoting the acquisition and use of the electronic payment service. Note that a "user whose usage level is lower than the standard" may be defined as a user whose usage amount for a predetermined period of time is below the standard, and a "user whose usage level is higher than the standard" may be defined as the opposite. In other words, the level of usage may be defined by any combination of usage frequency, usage amount, and other factors.

[0030] [Notification Content] The payment application 20 may display game-like content on the user terminal device 10 as notification content, and may display the reward determined by the reward granting unit 126 as the result of the game in the notification content. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of notification content. The example shown is content created based on a scratch game. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 8, the notification content displays information encouraging the user to rub (or tap) a part of the screen, and the reward content is displayed in response to the user's rubbing (or tapping) action. This provides user-friendly content, which can further promote the use of electronic payment services. The notification content may also be other forms, such as fortune-telling, darts, or a ladder game.

[0031] According to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to promote sales of specific products and encourage the use of electronic payment services provided by businesses other than the seller of the products. Typical benefits in electronic payment services are set for each affiliated store (brand), and benefits are not limited to specific products from a particular manufacturer. In contrast, according to the embodiment, product sellers can freely set the products eligible for benefits, thereby promoting sales of specific products. Furthermore, in order to publicize a campaign offering benefits, products with benefits are more likely to be seen by users than methods such as push notifications to user terminal devices 10, thereby enhancing the advertising effectiveness of the electronic payment service. Furthermore, since benefits are granted to users who were not members at the time of purchasing the product, this system can achieve a higher advertising effectiveness than a campaign limited to members. As a result, the embodiment effectively promotes sales of specific products and encourages the use of electronic payment services provided by businesses other than the seller of the products.

[0032] Furthermore, with conventional general rewards (coupons), the rewards are given uniformly to each affiliated store, making it impossible to change the coupon ratio by referring to the payment history of a user who purchased a specific product. Furthermore, because coupon acquisition requires an action within the payment app 20 to acquire a coupon, even frequent users do not necessarily use the coupon. This is even more so for users who have not used an electronic payment service for a certain period of time or at all. In contrast, according to the embodiment, it is possible to promote sales of specific products and encourage the use of electronic payment services provided by businesses other than the seller of the product to user groups who are difficult to reach by rewards granted only through the payment app 20.

[0033] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 50 Store terminal equipment 60 Store Code Image 100 Payment Server 120 Login Status Management Unit 122 Payment Contents Department 124 Payment processing unit 126 Benefits Granting Department 170 Storage section 172 User information 174 Payment Content Information

Claims

1. A payment management device that provides an electronic payment service in cooperation with a payment application that runs on a user's terminal device, granting a privilege to the user in response to acquisition of the notification information; The notification information is information indicating that the payment application has read information encoded in a code image attached to the product using an optical reading function and that the information has been read. Payment management device.

2. The code image is encoded with information for allowing the terminal device to access the payment management device when the code image is read by general-purpose software different from the payment app, When an access is made from a terminal device of a user based on the code image, the user is guided to register for the electronic payment service. The payment management device according to claim 1 .

3. obtaining, from the terminal device, information encoded in the code image presented at the brick-and-mortar store and read by the terminal device, and making an electronic payment using the obtained information; The payment management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. acquiring information encoded in a code image displayed by a store terminal device installed in a physical store, the code image being read by the store terminal device, from the store terminal device, and performing electronic payment using the acquired information; The payment management device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The code image attached to the product is exposed by opening the packaging of the purchased product or by removing a sticker attached to the purchased product. The payment management device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. granting the benefit to a new member user who registers for the electronic payment service in response to an invitation to register for the electronic payment service; The payment management device according to claim 2.

7. The computer Providing electronic payment services in cooperation with a payment application running on a user's terminal device; granting a privilege to the user in response to acquisition of the notification information; The notification information is information indicating that the payment application has read information encoded in a code image attached to the product using an optical reading function and that the information has been read. Method of awarding rewards.

8. On the computer, Providing an electronic payment service in cooperation with a payment application running on a user's terminal device; granting a privilege to the user in response to acquisition of the notification information; The notification information is information indicating that the payment application has read information encoded in a code image attached to the product using an optical reading function and that the information has been read. program.

Images