Payment system

Abstract

To provide an application program capable of improving users' convenience in electronic settlements, settlement system and control method of terminal devices.SOLUTION: An application program causes a terminal device capable of communicating with a settlement server via a network to: acquire first identification information for identifying an affiliated store to which a shop selling a product belongs; acquire second identification information for identifying the product; acquire a price of the product corresponding to the first identification information and the second identification information; and in response to an instruction from a user who owns the terminal device, transmitting, to the settlement server, settlement information including a settlement amount based on the price of the product, for performing a product settlement process.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an application program, a payment system, and a control method for a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electronic payment services using user terminals owned by users are known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an electronic payment system that executes electronic payment by displaying code information such as a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) on a user terminal and having a payment terminal installed in a store read the code information. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-157339 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the electronic payment system described in Patent Document 1, the code information displayed on the user terminal needs to be read by a payment terminal installed in the store, and the payment process cannot be completed by operating the user terminal alone, which can be inconvenient for users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide an application program, a payment system, and a control method for a terminal device that can improve user convenience in electronic payments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an application program that causes a terminal device capable of communicating with a payment server via a network to obtain first identification information for identifying an affiliated store to which a store selling a product belongs, obtain second identification information for identifying the product, obtain a price of the product corresponding to the first identification information and the second identification information, and, in response to instructions from a user holding the terminal device, transmits payment information to the payment server for processing the payment for the product, including a payment amount based on the price of the product. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an application program, a payment system, and a method for controlling a terminal device that can improve the convenience of users in electronic payments. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Diagram 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Diagram 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] 1 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of product information 178. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of coupon information 180. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a user terminal device 200. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 shows an example of a store code reading screen 300 of the payment application 20. [Figure 11]FIG. 3 shows an example of a product code reading screen 310 of the payment application 20. [Figure 12] FIG. 3 shows an example of a shopping cart screen 320 of the payment application 20. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows an example of a payment screen 330 of the payment application 20. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a general flow of electronic payment by a second user scan. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the application program, the payment system, and the control method of the terminal device of the present invention will be described. The application program and the payment server cooperate to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a payment application. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payments related to the purchase of goods and services at a store. The store is, for example, a physical store (real store) existing in the real world, but may also include a virtual store of electronic commerce. The virtual store may also include a store provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when making a payment for shopping at the virtual store, the screen is controlled to transition to an interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, the store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at the store is mainly performed between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be performed between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing 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 200, one or more first store terminal devices 50, and one or more second store terminal devices 70 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, and the like.

[0011] The user terminal device 200 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 200 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, 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 200, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment application 20, thereby operating to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 200 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0012] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first 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 first store terminal device 50 includes 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 be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0013] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. An interface 72 for affiliated stores runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface 72 for affiliated stores may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface 72 for affiliated stores accepts coupon settings and the like by the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 200 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case the payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, no distinction is made between these two and it is assumed that the payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns of electronic payment: pattern 1 and pattern 2.

[0016] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 200 with the payment application 20 activated decodes the store code image 60 by the optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is an electronic payment service domain to which store-identifying information is added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, a store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 transmits the first payment information including the store URL and the account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the affiliated store ID and the store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and the store name information (S3), and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user inputs the payment amount into the user terminal device 200 on the screen on which the affiliated store name and the store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 200 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount, and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then transmits a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include not only the store URL but also information on the payment amount. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the information on the payment amount is included in the first payment information and transmitted to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and the store name may be included in the payment completion screen and displayed.

[0017] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, when the payment application 20 is started, when a payment operation is performed in the payment application 20, when an automatic update timing (e.g., every minute) occurs, and at other timings, the payment application 20 transmits a request for issuing a one-time code to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S13). The payment application 20 displays a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 200 over the first store terminal device 50, and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image by an optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode or manually entering it. The payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information and performs electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then transmits a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0018] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuance of a one-time code may be omitted in the store scan, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0019] [Payment server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, 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 cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

[0020] 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, payment content information 174, affiliated store / shop information 176, product information 178, and coupon information 180.

[0021] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0022] The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a function of a Web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 200. The payment content providing unit 120 appropriately reads necessary content from the payment content information 174 and provides it to the user terminal device 200. The user terminal device 200 accepts various inputs by the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0023] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 172. The user information 172 is an example of the registration information of a user. The user information 172 is, for example, a user URL, an account ID, a telephone number, a password, as well as information associated with an email address, a user ID, a name, an address, a date of birth, a registration date, a charge balance, a post-payment setting, a post-payment limit, a post-payment usage amount, a post-payment available amount, a payment method setting, a bank account, a credit card number, charge history information, payment history information, points, a coupon ID, a stamp card, and the like. The user URL is used for a remittance process between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, it is necessary to register a telephone number and a password. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). Similarly, the email address, and the name, address, and date of birth are information that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0025] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money that is set by a user by transferring money to an account in advance. The means of transfer include transfer from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated company (bank) and transfer from a registered bank account. The deferred payment setting is information indicating whether or not the setting for enabling electronic payment by deferred payment has been completed, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." The deferred payment limit is the limit of deferred payment that can be used each month, the deferred payment usage amount is the amount of deferred payment that has already been used in the current month, and the deferred payment available amount is the amount of deferred payment that can be used in the current month, which is calculated by subtracting the deferred payment usage amount from the deferred payment limit. Although only one deferred payment limit is shown in the figure, in reality, there is also a daily upper limit, and the lower of these may be set as the deferred payment limit. Further details of deferred payment will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information indicating whether the user will perform electronic payment using the charge balance or payment by deferred payment at that time. The bank account and credit card number are information on a bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user transferring funds to the electronic payment service in advance to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information showing the details of the payment made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.) for each payment. Points are a value acquired each time an electronic payment is made using the payment application 20, and can be used as electronic money in the electronic payment service. The coupon ID is identification information for identifying a coupon owned by the user. The stamp card is information on a stamp card owned by the user, and may include information on the number of stamps on the stamp card and the discount amount applicable when purchasing a product. A stamp card may exist for each of multiple affiliated stores, and may be associated with an affiliated store ID described later.

[0026] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above) are associated with an affiliated store ID, and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the location of the store, and payment patterns.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the product information 178. The product information 178 is information about a product for each affiliated store. The product information 178 is input using the second store terminal device 70, collected by the payment server 100 from the second store terminal device 70, and stored in the storage unit 170. The product information 178 is information in which, for example, an affiliated store ID, a product ID, a product name, a genre, a price, an image, and other information are associated with each other. The affiliated store ID is the same as that described in FIG. 6. The product ID is identification information for identifying a product. The product name is information indicating the name of the product. The genre is information indicating the genre to which the product belongs (for example, food, drink, magazine, etc.). The price is information indicating the price of the product. The image is information indicating an image of the product, but may be an address of a location where the image of the product is stored.

[0028] In this way, the product information 178 is information in which the affiliated store ID is associated with information about the product (product ID, product name, genre, price, image). Therefore, even if it is the same product, it is possible to handle products at different prices depending on the affiliated store.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of coupon information 180. Coupon information 180 is information indicating the contents of an electronic coupon that can be used to discount a product. Coupon information 180 is input using the second store terminal device 70, collected by the payment server 100 from the second store terminal device 70, and stored in the storage unit 170. Coupon information 180 is information in which, for example, a coupon ID, a product ID, a discount amount, an expiration date, and other information are associated with each other. The coupon ID is identification information for identifying a coupon. The product ID is the same as that described in FIG. 7. The discount amount is information regarding the amount that can be discounted from the price of a product by using a coupon. The expiration date is information regarding the expiration date until which the coupon can be used.

[0030] The information management unit 140 manages user information 172, affiliated store / store information 176, product information 178, and coupon information 180 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 200 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records, edits, deletes, and so on for the user information 172, affiliated store / store information 176, product information 178, and coupon information 180.

[0031] [Electronic payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For a user whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance", the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales. The item value of the affiliated store's sales is not used as electronic money itself, for example, and an amount corresponding to the item value of the sales is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0032] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment for users whose "setting information" is set to "deferred payment" as follows. Deferred payment is set separately from "credit payment" in cooperation with a credit card company that is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service, and the operator of the electronic payment service acts as a creditor and allows electronic payment that is not dependent on the charge balance within the deferred payment limit. In order to receive the deferred payment service, a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service may be required. The amount used for deferred payment is settled on the payment date of the following month, for example, by debiting from a bank account, for one month. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the deferred payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the deferred payment available amount, and when the closing date comes, it performs processing to debit the payment for the current month on the payment date of the following month as described above. In addition, if the payment amount exceeds the deferred payment available amount at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment application 20.

[0033] [User terminal device] 9 is a configuration diagram of user terminal device 200. User terminal device 200 includes, for example, a communication unit 210, a display unit 220, an input unit 230, a control unit 240, and a storage unit 250. Communication unit 210 is a communication interface for communicating with payment server 100. Display unit 220 and input unit 230 are realized, for example, by a touch panel display.

[0034] The control unit 240 is realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, 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 or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

[0035] Storage unit 250 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM, or the like. Storage unit 250 may be a NAS device accessible by user terminal device 200 via a network. User information 252, payment application 20, and the like are stored in storage unit 250. User information 252 is some or all of the information of a record corresponding to the user who owns user terminal device 200, among user information 172 shown in FIG. 5. Payment application 20 is read and executed by a hardware processor (such as a CPU) in user terminal device 200.

[0036] [Second User Scan] In the user scan described in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as the first user scan), the user needs to line up at a cash register installed in a store and input the payment amount told to him by a store clerk into the user terminal device 200. This requires the user to line up at the cash register where the clerk is, and if there are many people lined up at the cash register, the waiting time may be long. Furthermore, when performing the first user scan, the user needs to show the clerk even products that the clerk does not want to see and have them scanned at the cash register, so the user's privacy may not be guaranteed.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, we propose a second user scan that enables a user to perform payment processing by simply operating the user terminal device 200, without the need for the user to line up at the cash register or contact a store clerk. By performing the second user scan, it is possible to improve the convenience of the user in electronic payment. The second user scan will be described in detail below.

[0038] [Payment app display screen] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a store code reading screen 300 of the payment application 20. When the payment application 20 is started up on the user terminal device 200 and the user selects (tap) an icon corresponding to the second user scan on the home screen of the payment application 20, the store code reading screen 300 shown in Fig. 10 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the user terminal device 200.

[0039] As shown in Fig. 10, the user terminal device 200 reads and decodes the store code image 60 using an optical reading function. This allows the user terminal device 200 to obtain a store URL in which information capable of identifying a store is added to the domain of the electronic payment service. The user terminal device 200 transmits first payment information including the store URL and account ID to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 transmits to the user terminal device 200 the affiliated store ID, affiliated store name, and store name corresponding to the store URL.

[0040] In this way, the control unit 240 of the user terminal device 200 reads the store code image (first code information) 60 installed in the store using the camera mounted on the user terminal device 200, decodes the read store code image 60, and obtains the affiliated store ID from the payment server 100 based on the store URL obtained by decoding. This enables the user terminal device 200 to identify the affiliated store where the user is going to purchase a product.

[0041] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a product code reading screen 310 of the payment application 20. When the store code image 60 is read on the store code reading screen 300 of Fig. 10, the product code reading screen 310 shown in Fig. 11 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the user terminal device 200.

[0042] The product code reading screen 310 includes a reading area 311, a shopping cart button 312, and a payment button 313. The reading area 311 is an area that is read by the camera of the user terminal device 200. A barcode that encodes a product ID is attached to the product. When the user places the product in the reading area 311 so that the product barcode is visible, the product barcode is read and decoded by the optical reading function of the user terminal device 200.

[0043] In this manner, the control unit 240 of the user terminal device 200 reads the barcode (second code information) attached to the product using the camera mounted on the user terminal device 200, and decodes the read barcode. This enables the user terminal device 200 to obtain a product ID for identifying the product.

[0044] The user terminal device 200 transmits the affiliated store ID and the product ID to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 reads information (product name, genre, price, image) corresponding to the affiliated store ID and the product ID received from the user terminal device 200 from the product information 178 in the storage unit 170, and transmits the read information to the user terminal device 200.

[0045] The user terminal device 200 adds products to the shopping cart based on the information received from the payment server 100. The shopping cart is a function for temporarily storing products to be purchased. The shopping cart button 312 is a button for displaying a shopping cart screen 320, which will be described later, on the display unit 220. The payment button 313 is a button for displaying a payment screen 330, which will be described later, on the display unit 220.

[0046] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a shopping cart screen 320 of the payment application 20. When a user selects (tap) the shopping cart button 312 shown in Fig. 11, the shopping cart screen 320 shown in Fig. 12 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the user terminal device 200.

[0047] The shopping cart screen 320 includes information 321 about a product to be purchased, cashback information 322, a coupon 323, a stamp card 324, a scan button 325, and a payment button 326. The information 321 about a product to be purchased is information (product name, category, price, image) about a product to be purchased that has been added to the shopping cart. The cashback information 322 is information including the conditions for cashback. In the example shown in FIG. 12, a message "Add one more product to get a 10% cashback!" is displayed as the cashback information 322.

[0048] The coupon 323 is information about a coupon applicable to a product to be purchased that is included in the shopping cart. For example, the user terminal device 200 transmits the product ID of the product to be purchased that is included in the shopping cart to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 reads out information about the coupon applicable to the product of the product ID received from the user terminal device 200 (coupon ID, product ID, discount amount, expiration date) from the coupon information 180 in the storage unit 170. The payment server 100 also refers to the coupon column of the user information 172 in the storage unit 170 to determine whether the user has a coupon applicable to the product to be purchased. If the user has a coupon applicable to the product to be purchased, the payment server 100 transmits information about the coupon (coupon ID, product ID, discount amount, expiration date, etc.) to the user terminal device 200. The user terminal device 200 displays the coupon 323 applicable to the product to be purchased that is included in the shopping cart on the display unit 220 based on the information received from the payment server 100.

[0049] The stamp card 324 is information about a stamp card owned by a user. A stamp card is a card on which stamps are stamped according to the user's visit to a store or the payment amount, and the user can receive a discount according to the number of stamps stamped on the stamp card. For example, the user terminal device 200 transmits an affiliated store ID to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 refers to the stamp card column of the user information 172 in the storage unit 170 and determines whether the user owns a stamp card corresponding to the affiliated store ID received from the user terminal device 200. If the user owns a stamp card corresponding to the affiliated store ID received from the user terminal device 200, the payment server 100 transmits information about the stamp card (the number of stamps, the discount amount, etc.) to the user terminal device 200. The user terminal device 200 displays the stamp card 324 that can be used at the affiliated store visited by the user on the display unit 220 based on the information received from the payment server 100.

[0050] The scan button 325 is a button for scanning other products. When the user selects (tap) the scan button 325, a product code reading screen 310 shown in Fig. 11 is displayed on the display unit 220 of the user terminal device 200. The payment button 326 is a button for displaying a payment screen 330 (described later) on the display unit 220.

[0051] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing an example of payment screen 330 of payment application 20. When a user selects (tap) payment button 313 shown in Fig. 11 or payment button 326 shown in Fig. 12, payment screen 330 shown in Fig. 13 is displayed on display unit 220 of user terminal device 200.

[0052] The payment screen 330 includes information 331 about products to be purchased, information 332 about points to be earned, a total amount 333, a payment completion button 334, and a back button 335. Information 331 about products to be purchased is information about the products to be purchased (product name, price), and may include the amount of discount by using a coupon or stamp card. Information 332 about points to be earned is information about points to be earned by this purchase. Total amount 333 is the amount to be paid by the user, which is the total amount of the products to be purchased minus the discount amount.

[0053] The payment completion button 334 is a button for instructing payment of the amount shown in the total amount 333. When the user selects (tap) the payment completion button 334, the user terminal device 200 transmits payment information including the payment amount to the payment server 100. The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the payment information received from the user terminal device 200.

[0054] For example, if the user has a coupon applicable to the product that the user is about to purchase, the control unit 240 calculates the payment amount (total amount 333) taking into account the discount amount of the coupon, and transmits payment information including the calculated payment amount to the payment server 100. This allows the user terminal device 200 to perform electronic payment taking into account the discount amount of the coupon.

[0055] Furthermore, if the user has a stamp card of the affiliated store that sells the product that the user is trying to purchase, the control unit 240 calculates the payment amount (total amount 333) taking into account the discount amount on the stamp card, and transmits payment information including the calculated payment amount to the payment server 100. This allows the user terminal device 200 to perform electronic payment taking into account the discount amount on the stamp card.

[0056] The back button 335 is a button for returning to the previous screen. When the user selects (tap) the back button 335, the user terminal device 200 displays the previous screen (the product code reading screen 310 in FIG. 11 or the shopping cart screen 320 in FIG. 12) on the display unit 220.

[0057] FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the general flow of electronic payment by the second user scan. First, the user terminal device 200 with the payment application 20 running decodes the store code image 60 by the optical reading function (S21). The store code image 60 contains store URL information. The payment application 20 transmits the first payment information including the store URL and the account ID to the payment server 100 (S22). The payment server 100 uses the store URL to search the affiliated store / store information 176 to obtain the affiliated store ID, affiliated store name, and store name (S23), and transmits them to the payment application 20 (S24). The payment application 20 obtains the product ID by reading and decoding the barcode of the product in response to the user's operation on the product code reading screen 310 (S25). Then, the payment application 20 transmits the affiliated store ID and the product ID to the payment server 100 (S26). The payment server 100 reads information (product name, genre, price, image) corresponding to the affiliated store ID and product ID received from the payment application 20 from the product information 178 in the storage unit 170, and transmits the read information to the payment application 20 (S27). The payment application 20 adds the product to the shopping cart based on the information received from the payment server 100. The payment application 20 can add multiple products to the shopping cart by repeating the processes of S25 to S27.

[0058] When the payment button 326 is selected (tapped) on the payment screen 330, the payment application 20 calculates the payment amount (S28). Then, the payment application 20 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and sends it to the payment server 100 (S29). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S30). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S31), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S32).

[0059] According to the embodiment described above, the user terminal device 200 is capable of communicating with the payment server 100 via the network NW. The control unit 240 of the user terminal device 200 acquires an affiliated store ID (first identification information) for identifying an affiliated store to which a store selling a product belongs, acquires a product ID (second identification information) for identifying the product, and acquires the price of the product corresponding to the affiliated store ID and the product ID. Furthermore, in response to an instruction from a user who possesses the user terminal device 200, the control unit 240 transmits payment information for performing payment processing for the product, including a payment amount based on the product price, to the payment server 100. This enables the user terminal device 200 to improve the convenience of the user in electronic payment.

[0060] In addition, since the second user scan allows a user to purchase a product without contacting a store clerk, there is a possibility that the user will take away products that have not been electronically paid for due to a mis-scanning or forgetting to scan the product. The more products the user is trying to purchase, the higher the possibility of this problem occurring. Therefore, the control unit 240 of the user terminal device 200 may prohibit the second payment information from being sent to the payment server if the number of products the user is trying to purchase exceeds a preset upper limit. If the number of products exceeds a preset upper limit, the user may have the store clerk check the products to be purchased, and then the upper limit may be lifted to perform electronic payment. For example, the control unit 240 may lift the upper limit by reading code information (third code information) such as a QR code (registered trademark) owned by the store clerk using a camera mounted on the user terminal device 200. This reduces the possibility that the user will take away products that have not been electronically paid for due to a mis-scanning or forgetting to scan the product.

[0061] 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]

[0062] 20. Payment App 50 First store terminal device 60 Store Code Image 70 Second store terminal device 100 Payment Server 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Contents Provider 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 170 Storage section 172 User information 174 Payment Content Information 176 Store Information 178 Product information 180 Coupon Information 200 User terminal device 210 Communications Department 220 Display section 230 Input section 240 Control Unit 250 Storage section

Claims

1. A payment server that performs payment processing, An application program installed on a user terminal device that can communicate with the aforementioned payment server via a network, A store terminal device on which a merchant interface operates, A payment system that includes, The application program is installed on the user terminal device. To obtain primary identification information to identify the affiliated store to which the store selling the product belongs, To obtain a second identification information for identifying the aforementioned product, The price of the product corresponding to the first identification information and the second identification information is obtained. In response to instructions from a user carrying the user terminal device, the payment information for processing the payment of the product, including the payment amount based on the price of the product, is transmitted to the payment server. The payment server performs payment processing for the product based on the payment information received from the user terminal device. Product information, including the price of the aforementioned product, is entered using the store terminal device and collected from the store terminal device by the payment server. Payment system.

2. When the application program causes the user terminal device to acquire the first identification information, The camera mounted on the user terminal device reads the first code information installed in the store. The read first code information is decoded, Based on the information obtained by the decoding, the first identification information is to be obtained from the payment server. The payment system according to claim 1.

3. When the application program causes the user terminal device to acquire the second identification information, The camera mounted on the user terminal device reads the second code information attached to the product. The second identification information is obtained by decoding the second code information that has been read. The payment system according to claim 1.

4. The application program is further provided to the user terminal device, The system determines whether the user possesses a coupon applicable to the product the user intends to purchase. If the user possesses the coupon, the payment amount will be calculated taking into account the discount amount from the coupon. The payment information, including the calculated payment amount, is sent to the payment server. The payment system according to claim 1.

5. The application program is further provided to the user terminal device, The system determines whether the user possesses a stamp card from the store that sells the aforementioned product. If the user possesses the stamp card, the payment amount will be calculated taking into account the discount amount from the stamp card. The payment information, including the calculated payment amount, is sent to the payment server. The payment system according to claim 1.

6. The application program is further provided to the user terminal device, If the number of items that the user intends to purchase exceeds a predetermined limit, the system will prohibit the transmission of the payment information to the payment server. The payment system according to claim 1.

7. The application program is further provided to the user terminal device, The upper limit is removed by using the camera mounted on the user terminal device to read the third code information owned by the store clerk. The payment system according to claim 6.

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