Application program and server device

Abstract

To provide an application program improving usefulness of displaying a map on an application cooperating with an electronic settlement service.SOLUTION: An application program operating in a user terminal device and executing processing relating to an electronic settlement service in cooperation with a server device providing the electronic payment service, the application program causes the user terminal device to: display privilege information regarding privilege relating to the electronic settlement service received from the server device in association with a map location of a store offering the privilege; and in response to a user of the user terminal device operating an operation area included in privilege information image representing the privilege, execute prescribed processing stipulated for the operation area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an application program and a server device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for providing various information on a map displayed by a terminal device such as a smartphone. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying facilities in the vicinity of a user and the status of devices installed in the facilities on a map displayed by a terminal device. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-33344 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional technology, sufficient information is not provided on the map in a way that would increase the convenience of electronic payment services, and there are cases in which displaying a map on an app linked to an electronic payment service is not very useful.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an application program and a server device that can improve the usefulness of displaying maps on an app that links to an electronic payment service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an application program that operates on a user terminal device and works in cooperation with a server device that provides an electronic payment service to execute processing related to the electronic payment service, causing the user terminal device to display bonus information regarding bonuses available in the electronic payment service received from the server device, linked to the location on a map of a store offering the bonus, and causing a user of the user terminal device to execute a specified process defined for an operation area included in a bonus information image representing the bonus in response to the user operating the operation area. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an application program and a server device that can improve the usefulness of displaying a map on an app that is linked to an electronic payment service. [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. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen of a payment application 20. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a method for acquiring and using a coupon by the user terminal device 10. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when payment application 20 executes a map search function. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed as a result of the payment application 20 executing a map search function. [Figure 11] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method for a user to specify a reference position RP. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of priority information 180. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of a store card SC. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when an operation area of ​​a child card of a store card SC is operated. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of a map search function executed by the payment application 20. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by payment application 20. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the application program and the server device of the present invention will be described. The application program and the payment server work together 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 real space, but may also include a virtual store of electronic commerce. The virtual store may also include a store provided by an entity other than 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 10, 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 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a 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, 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, thereby operating to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with a payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, the communication device, the touch panel, etc. The payment application 20 is an example of an "application program" in the claims.

[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 made 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 10 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 10 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 to the payment server 100 via the affiliated store server. In the following description, no distinction is made between the two, and it is assumed that the payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50. The payment server 100 is an example of a "server device" in the claims.

[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 10 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 10 on the screen on which the affiliated store name and the store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 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 or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 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, benefit information 178, and priority 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 10. The payment content providing unit 120 appropriately reads necessary content from the payment content information 174 and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 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 10 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 gender, a date of birth, a registration date, a charge balance, a deferred payment setting, a deferred payment limit, a deferred payment usage amount, a deferred payment available amount, a payment method setting, a bank account, a credit card number, a follow affiliated store, an acquired coupon, an acquired point, an acquired stamp card, charge history information, and a payment history information. 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, the name, the address, and the 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 the bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. Charge history information is a history of the user increasing the charge balance by transferring funds to the electronic payment service in advance. Payment history information is information that shows the details of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.). Details of followed affiliated stores, earned coupons, earned points, and earned stamp cards will be 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] The information management unit 140 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records, edits, deletes, etc. for the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176. Details of the priority information 180 will be described later.

[0028] [Electronic payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 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.

[0029] 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, which 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 available deferred payment 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, or requests the operator of the credit card company to perform such processing. In addition, if the payment amount exceeds the available deferred payment amount at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment application 20.

[0030] [Top page] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen of the payment application 20. A code image CD is displayed on the top screen. The code image CD includes, for example, a barcode and a QR code. In addition, together with the code image CD, text indicating whether electronic payment is to be made using the charge balance or by deferred payment is displayed (in the figure, "Balance Payment" is displayed, which means that electronic payment is set to be made using the charge balance). This text is drawn by the payment application 20 based on information (whether it is charge balance payment or deferred payment) that is updated by the payment application 20 every time the changeover switch SW is operated. In addition, the top screen includes an operation area CA including the changeover switch SW, a transition button TB1, and a transition button TB2. Note that the "switch" and "button" are GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) that are realized in cooperation with a touch panel. The changeover switch SW accepts an operation to switch between electronic payment using the charge balance and electronic payment by deferred payment. The default setting of the changeover switch SW is to perform electronic payment using the charge balance, and each time the user operates the switch, the setting switches between performing electronic payment using the charge balance and performing electronic payment by deferred payment. The operation area CA is provided with buttons for instructing major operations in electronic payment, such as a button for instructing scanning (starting a user scan) and a button for instructing charging. When the transition button TB1 is operated, the screen transitions to a payment screen IM2 that displays the code image used for electronic payment and the available balance. When the transition button TB2 is operated, the screen transitions to a screen that displays the available balance for balance payment or deferred payment. In FIG. 7, electronic payment using the charge balance is set, so when the transition button TB2 is operated, the available balance for balance payment is displayed.

[0031] Furthermore, the operation area CA is provided with a "bargain" button for displaying information on campaigns provided by the electronic payment service or the affiliated store (or by both of them). When the "bargain" button is operated, a screen is displayed that displays information on currently provided campaigns. Here, the campaign means a benefit that gives points that can be used for the next payment to a user who has made an electronic payment that satisfies a predetermined condition set by the electronic payment service or the affiliated store (or by both of them). The campaign does not necessarily give points to a user who has made an electronic payment that satisfies the predetermined condition, but may give points probabilistically (for example, with a 50% probability). For example, the points to be given in the campaign may be prepared as multiple candidates (for example, 10%, 5%, 3%, 0%), and the points to be given to a user who has made an electronic payment that satisfies the predetermined condition may be determined probabilistically from among these candidates. When the campaign is provided jointly by the electronic payment service and the affiliated store, the funds may be provided by the electronic payment service alone, the affiliated store alone, or the electronic payment service and the affiliated store jointly.

[0032] Below the operation area CA, for example, a group of buttons (switches) M1 to M3 for activating a mini app are further displayed. The mini app is, for example, an app that uses the payment app 20 as a platform. The mini app is, for example, an application program developed by a service provider that provides the service of the service server 200 to run in the payment app 20. The service provider develops the mini app by referring to an SDK (Software Development Kit), which is a program and technical document for app development provided by the administrator of the payment app 20. The mini app is, for example, an app that runs while the payment app 20 is running. For example, a part or all of the mini app may be installed when the payment app 20 is installed, or a part or all of the mini app may be installed from a service server corresponding to the mini app. For example, when the mini app is started, the mini app (payment app 20) accesses a service server (not shown) that provides a service corresponding to the mini app, and the mini app and the service server work together to provide the service to the user. 7 shows, as an example, a group of mini-app buttons M1 to M3 that provide functions for viewing or acquiring information on coupons, stamp cards, and flyers provided by member stores, but buttons for launching various types of mini-apps, such as an investment app for managing a charge balance, a payment app for paying public transportation fares, etc. Furthermore, a map search function, which will be described later, may be implemented as a mini-app, rather than as the payment app 20.

[0033] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a method of acquiring and using a coupon by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of FIG. 8 represents a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, the user clicks the button M1 on the top screen of FIG. 7 to access a dedicated page of the affiliated store that provides the coupon. The affiliated store dedicated page includes, for example, an area A1 in which overview information of the affiliated store is displayed, a button B1 for following the affiliated store, and an area A2 in which detailed information of the affiliated store is displayed in a switchable manner using tabs. When the user presses the follow button B1, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the follow button B1 has been pressed to the payment server 100 together with the user's identification information (for example, account ID), and the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the affiliated store (for example, affiliated store ID) in the "followed affiliated store" of the user information 172. As a result, for example, every time the affiliated store updates the content of the affiliated store dedicated page, the payment server 100 notifies the user via the payment application 20 of a notification indicating that the content of the affiliated store dedicated page has been updated. In other words, when a user follows an affiliated store, this indicates a high level of interest the user has in the affiliated store.

[0034] In Fig. 8, for example, when the user taps on "Coupon," one of the tabs included in area A6, coupons that the user can currently use for electronic payment at the store are displayed. When the user, for example, presses button B2 to follow an affiliated store and acquire a coupon, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the acquire button B2 has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the affiliated store (e.g., affiliated store ID) in "Followed affiliated store" of the user information 172, and stores the identification information of the coupon acquired by the user (e.g., coupon number) in "Acquired coupon."

[0035] After the user acquires a coupon, when the user terminal device 10 executes the electronic payment described above, the payment processing unit 130 judges whether the electronic payment matches the application conditions of the coupon acquired by the user, and if it is judged that the electronic payment matches the application conditions of the coupon, the payment application 20 grants the user a benefit according to the coupon content. After that, the payment application 20 displays, as a payment completion screen, an area A3 displaying the payment store, an area A4 displaying the payment amount, and an area A5 displaying the granted benefit. FIG. 8 shows, as an example, a case where 25 yen points are granted for a payment of 500 yen in response to the user acquiring a 5% off coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 adds 25 yen worth of points to the "acquired points" of the user information 172. If the acquired points have a positive value, the payment processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the acquired points from the payment amount in the user's next electronic payment, and subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available amount for post-payment. As another aspect, the coupon may be deducted directly from the payment amount on the day, without being added as points that can be used for payment.

[0036] Also, for example, when the user clicks button M2 on the top screen of FIG. 7, the payment application 20 transitions to a screen for viewing stamp cards provided by each affiliated store. Here, the stamp card means a privilege provided to the user in response to a predetermined number of times (e.g., 5 times) of electronic payments that satisfy a predetermined condition (e.g., payments of 500 yen or more) set by the affiliated store. Unlike coupons, the stamp card is automatically counted by the payment server 100 as the number of electronic payments that satisfy the predetermined condition, and is automatically provided to the user in response to the predetermined number of times. The payment server 100 stores identification information of the stamp card acquired by the user as the "acquired stamp card" in the user information 172. When the user acquires the stamp card, the user can receive points by making an electronic payment at the affiliated store where the stamp card was acquired, or can receive a product by presenting the acquired stamp card at the store of the affiliated store.

[0037] Also, for example, when a user clicks button M3 on the top screen of FIG. 7, the payment application 20 transitions to a screen for viewing promotional information (flyers) sent by each affiliated store. The operator of each affiliated store sets conditions for these campaigns, coupons, stamp cards, and flyers (which are examples of "benefits" in the claims) and edits the information to be sent on the affiliated store interface 72 of the second store terminal device 70. When the operator of each affiliated store sets the conditions for these benefit information, the second store terminal device 70 transmits the set contents to the payment server 100, and the payment server 100 stores the received set contents in the storage unit 170 as benefit information 178.

[0038] In this way, the payment application 20 cooperates with the payment server 100 to provide various benefits and information useful to the user in addition to the payment function, and the user utilizes these benefits and information, for example, by displaying a map on the payment application 20 and taking into consideration the user's current location and residential area. However, in the conventional technology, these useful benefits and information are not provided on the map in a way that enhances the convenience of the electronic payment service for the user, and there are cases in which displaying a map on the payment application 20 is not very useful.

[0039] [Map search] In light of the above circumstances, the payment application 20 cooperates with the payment server 100 to provide the above-described special offer information such as campaigns, coupons, stamp cards, and flyers in a manner that enhances the convenience of the electronic payment service for the user. More specifically, when the user operates the transition button TB3, the payment application 20 executes a map search function described below.

[0040] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when the payment application 20 executes a map search function. The screen shown in FIG. 9 is displayed, for example, when the user presses the transition button TB3 on the top screen shown in FIG. 7 for the first time. As shown in FIG. 9, the payment application 20 displays a screen for inquiring whether or not to permit the sharing of the user's location information. When the user presses the permission button B3, the payment application 20 acquires the measured current location of the user using a positioning device (such as a GPS receiver) included in the user terminal device 10, sets the acquired current location as a reference location RP, and displays the benefit information of stores existing in the vicinity. At this time, the payment application 20 assigns a larger score value to a store that is closer and has a higher benefit return rate based on, for example, the distance from the current location to the store and the benefit return rate provided by the store, and displays the benefit information of the stores in descending order of the assigned score value. Details of the score value calculation method will be described later.

[0041] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed by the payment application 20 as a result of executing a map search function. The screen shown in FIG. 10 is displayed, for example, when the user presses the permission button B3 on the screen shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, the payment application 20 displays, for example, a map area MP including a reference position RP that is the user's current location, a filtering area FL, and a store card SC. The map area MP displays the locations of surrounding stores (four surrounding stores S1 to S4 as an example in FIG. 10) that offer benefits related to electronic payment services, based on the reference position RP. The payment application 20 receives, for example, affiliated store / store information 176 and benefit information 178 related to a predetermined number of stores that exist within a predetermined range based on the reference position RP from the payment server 100, and displays them. The store card SC is an example of a "benefit information image" in the claims.

[0042] In FIG. 10, the user's current location is displayed as the reference location RP in response to the user allowing the sharing of location information; however, if the user does not allow the sharing of location information, the user's designated location may be set as the reference location RP and the locations of nearby stores offering special benefits related to electronic payment services may be displayed.

[0043] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method for a user to specify a reference position RP. The screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed, for example, when the user presses the permission button B3 on the screen shown in FIG. 9. As shown in the left part of FIG. 11, the payment application 20 first displays an interface for the user to specify address information for which the user wishes to display a map. In the left part of FIG. 11, as an example, an interface for the user to select an address to be displayed from among the displayed address information candidates is displayed, but alternatively, the payment application 20 may display an interface that allows the user to directly input address information. When the user specifies the address information for which the user wishes to display a map, the payment application 20 then displays a map area MP corresponding to the specified address information, and the user searches for a point to be specified as the reference position RP by, for example, dragging the displayed map area MP. When the user determines a point to be specified as the reference position RP from the map area MP, for example, by tapping the point, the payment application 20 confirms the tapped point as the reference position RP. Thereafter, similarly to FIG. 10, payment application 20 displays nearby stores offering special offers related to electronic payment services, using the determined reference position RP as a reference.

[0044] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 10, the payment application 20 displays a filtering area FL for filtering the store card SC displayed at the bottom of the map area MP. More specifically, for example, the payment application 20 displays an "All Deals" filter F1, a "Campaign" filter F2, a "Coupon" filter F3, a "Stamp Card" filter F4, a "Flyer" filter F5, and a "Detailed Filter" F6 on the filtering area FL. Note that, for convenience of explanation, in FIG. 10, the payment application 20 displays various filters in two columns on the same screen, but the payment application 20 may display various filters in one column on the same screen, and filters that do not fit within the display size of the user terminal device 10 may be arranged outside the screen in a manner that allows scrolling in the left and right directions.

[0045] The "All Deals" filter F1 is a filter that is set by default when the map search function is executed, and when the filter F1 is applied, the payment application 20 sequentially displays, as store cards SC, surrounding stores that provide at least one type of benefit among all types of benefits such as campaigns, coupons, stamp cards, flyers, etc. In this case, the payment application 20 calculates, for example, a score value for determining the display order of each of the target surrounding stores, and displays the store cards SC of each surrounding store in descending order of score value.

[0046] More specifically, where d is the distance between the reference position RP and a nearby store and r is the highest return rate among the benefits offered by the nearby store, payment application 20 calculates score value Sc = S1(d) + S2(r). Here, S1(d) represents a score function with distance as an input parameter, and the smaller the distance d, the larger the value it takes, and S2(r) represents a score function with return rate as an input parameter, and the higher the return rate r, the larger the value it takes. Payment application 20 calculates score value Sc for each nearby store, and displays store cards SC of the nearby stores in descending order of calculated score value Sc. For example, in the case of Figure 10, "AA convenience store BB branch" indicated by store card SC1 corresponding to store S1 in map area MP has a distance d = 500m and a rebate rate r = 10%, while "CC convenience store DD branch" indicated by store card SC2 corresponding to store S2 in map area MP has a distance d = 1km and a rebate rate r = 10%. Therefore, due to the smaller value of distance d, the score value Sc for store S1 is calculated as a larger value than the score value Sc for store S2, and store card SC1 is displayed higher than store card SC2.

[0047] The payment application 20 may calculate the score value Sc by further considering priority information 180 regarding the type of benefit in addition to the distance d from the surrounding store and the return rate r of the benefit. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the priority information 180. The priority information 180 is, for example, information such as priority associated with the type of benefit. The lower the priority value, the higher the degree of priority. As an example, the priority information 180 shown in FIG. 12 shows that the priority is highest in the order of campaign, coupon, stamp card, and flyer. The payment application 20 may calculate the score value Sc=S1(d)+S2(p,r) for each benefit of the surrounding store, and use the benefit with the highest score value Sc as the score value representing the surrounding store. Here, S2(p,r) represents a score function with the priority and return rate as input parameters, which takes a larger value as the priority p is higher and the return rate r is higher. For example, in the case of Fig. 10, "CC Drug DD Store" indicated by store card SC2 provides a coupon with a 10% return rate and a stamp, but payment application 20 refers to priority information 180 and inputs a higher priority of 2 for the coupon into S2(p,r), resulting in a higher score value Sc. Therefore, payment application 20 uses the score value Sc calculated for the coupon providing a 10% return rate as a score value representing "CC Drug DD Store" and compares it with score values ​​Sc representing other surrounding stores to determine the display order.

[0048] Furthermore, for example, when determining the ranking of the store cards SC of the surrounding stores, the payment application 20 may calculate the score values ​​Sc for all of the benefits offered by the surrounding stores, rather than comparing the maximum score values ​​Sc of the benefits offered by the surrounding stores, and may display the store cards SC of the surrounding stores with a higher total or average of the calculated score values ​​Sc at a higher rank. When displaying the store cards SC of the surrounding stores with a higher total of the calculated score values ​​Sc at a higher rank, the store cards SC with a greater variety of benefits can be displayed at a higher rank, whereas when displaying the store cards SC of the surrounding stores with a higher average of the calculated score values ​​Sc at a higher rank, the store cards SC with a higher return rate can be displayed at a higher rank.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, the payment application 20 may calculate the score value Sc=S1(d)+S2(p,r,c) by taking into consideration the priority and return rate of the benefit, as well as the conditions for applying the benefit. Here, S2(p,r,c) represents a score function with the priority, return rate, and the degree of the application conditions as input parameters, which takes a larger value the higher the priority p and the return rate r, but takes a smaller value depending on the degree of the conditions for applying the benefit. In this case, for example, when comparing a coupon that provides a 10% return for payments of 1000 yen or more with a coupon that provides a 10% return for all payments, the score value Sc of the latter coupon is calculated to be higher. For example, if the application condition is related to the attributes of the user (gender, age, etc.), the "degree of application condition" can be calculated by calculating the ratio of applicable users among all users with reference to the name, address, gender, and date of birth in the user information 172, or if the application condition is related to payment (payment amount, whether it is the first time, etc.), the "degree of application condition" can be calculated by calculating the ratio of payments that satisfy the applicable condition among all electronic payments of all users with reference to the payment history information in the user information 172. In this way, by calculating the score value while further taking into consideration the application conditions of the benefit, it is possible to prevent the affiliated store from intentionally creating a benefit with a high return rate and extremely strict application conditions, and fraudulently displaying it at the top of the map search function.

[0050] Also, for example, when calculating and comparing the score values ​​Sc of the store benefits, the payment application 20 may exclude benefits for which the user who used the map search function does not meet the application conditions. For example, in the case of FIG. 10, if the user does not meet the application conditions of a campaign with a 10% return rate indicated by the child card SC1_1 of the store card SC1, the payment application 20 may compare the score values ​​Sc by excluding the campaign. In that case, the payment application 20 compares the score value Sc of a coupon with a 5% return rate provided by "AA convenience store BB store" with the score value Sc of a coupon with a 10% return rate provided by "CC Drug Store DD store". Although "AA convenience store BB store" has a higher score value S1(d) related to distance, the store card SC2 of "CC Drug Store DD store" will be displayed higher depending on the score value S2(r) related to return rate.

[0051] The "Campaign" filter F2 is a filter for displaying store cards SC limited to surrounding stores that are offering campaigns as benefits. When the "Campaign" filter F2 is applied, the payment application 20 calculates the score value Sc=S1(d)+S2(r) only for surrounding stores that are offering campaigns, and displays the store cards SC of the surrounding stores in descending order of the calculated score value Sc.

[0052] Similarly, the "coupon" filter F3 is a filter for displaying store cards SC limited to surrounding stores that offer coupons as benefits. When the "coupon" filter F3 is applied, the payment application 20 calculates the score value Sc=S1(d)+S2(r) only for surrounding stores that offer coupons, and displays the store cards SC of the surrounding stores in descending order of the calculated score value Sc.

[0053] Similarly, the "stamp card" filter F4 is a filter for displaying store cards SC limited to surrounding stores that offer coupons as benefits. When the "stamp card" filter F4 is applied, the payment application 20 calculates the score value Sc=S1(d)+S2(r) only for surrounding stores that offer stamp cards, and displays the store cards SC of the surrounding stores in descending order of the calculated score value Sc. When the "stamp card" filter F4 is applied, the payment application 20 may further consider the number of payments required to acquire a stamp card when calculating the score value. More specifically, the payment application 20 may decrease the score value of a stamp card that requires a larger number of payments to acquire it, while increasing the score value of a stamp card that requires a smaller number of payments to acquire it.

[0054] Similarly, the "flyer" filter F5 is a filter for displaying store cards SC limited to surrounding stores that offer fliers as a benefit (information). When the "flyer" filter F5 is applied, the payment application 20 calculates the score value Sc=S1(d) only for surrounding stores that offer fliers, and displays the store cards SC of the surrounding stores in descending order of the calculated score value Sc. Since the return rate of the flier is zero, when the "flyer" filter F5 is applied, the payment application 20 displays the store cards SC of the surrounding stores that are closer in distance in descending order.

[0055] The "details" filter F6 is a filter for narrowing down conditions other than the types of benefits described above. Specifically, when the "details" filter F6 is applied, the payment application 20 displays an interface for allowing the user to set narrowing down conditions, such as the number of stores for which benefits are to be displayed, the distance from the reference position RP, the minimum return rate required by the user, and the category of affiliated stores. For example, the user sets the number of stores to 10, the distance from the reference position RP to 1 km, the minimum return rate to 5%, and the category of affiliated stores to "restaurants," and the payment application 20 displays only stores that meet the set conditions and their benefit information as the map area MP and the store card SC.

[0056] [Store Card Details] Hereinafter, a detailed configuration of the store card SC will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the store card SC. As shown in FIG. 13, the store card SC includes, for example, an area A6 that displays information about the store (including, as an example, the logo of the affiliated store, the store name, and information about the distance from the reference position RP in FIG. 13), and child cards SC_1, SC_2, . . . SC_k, . . . SC_N (N is a positive integer) of the store card SC. The child card SC_k of the store card SC is an area provided for each benefit provided by each store, and includes a display area SC_k_D for displaying the content of the benefit, and an operation area SC_k_O for performing an operation corresponding to the type of the benefit. That is, when a user presses the operation area SC_k_O, the payment application performs a process according to the type of benefit of the child card SC_k. For example, the payment application 20 arranges the child cards SC_1, SC_2, . . . SC_k, . . . SC_N from the left in descending order of the score value Sc calculated for each benefit, and places the child card SC_k (child cards SC1_3 and SC1_4 in FIG. 13) that does not fit within the display size of the user terminal device 10 outside the screen in a manner that allows scrolling in the left-right direction. The child card SC_k is an example of a "partial benefit information image" in the claims.

[0057] For example, in the case of FIG. 13, "AA Convenience Store BB" indicated by the store card SC1 offers four benefits, and accordingly includes child cards SC1_1 to SC1_4. The child card SC1_1 includes a display area SC1_1_D indicating that the store is running a campaign offering up to 10% cashback, and an operation area SC1_1_O for confirming the details of the campaign. When the user presses the operation area SC1_1_O, the payment application 20 executes a process according to the campaign, that is, a process of transitioning to a screen for confirming the details of the campaign. Similarly, the child card SC1_3 includes a display area SC1_3_D indicating that the store is running a stamp card offering up to 5% cashback, and an operation area SC_3_O for confirming the details of the stamp card, and when the user presses the operation area SC1_3_O, the payment application 20 executes a process according to the stamp card, that is, a process of transitioning to a screen for confirming the details of the stamp card. Similarly, child card SC1_4 includes a display area SC1_4_D indicating that the store is offering a flyer, and an operation area SC1_4_O for viewing the flyer, and when a user presses operation area SC1_4_O, payment application 20 executes processing according to the flyer, i.e., processing to transition to a screen for checking the details of the flyer.

[0058] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when an operation area of ​​a child card of the store card SC is operated. The screen shown in Fig. 14(a) is a screen showing details of a campaign that is displayed, for example, when a user presses the operation area SC1_1_O of the child card SC1_1 of the store card SC1 shown in Fig. 13, and the screen shown in Fig. 14(b) is a screen showing details of a stamp card that is displayed, for example, when a user presses the operation area SC1_4_O of the child card SC1_4 of the store card SC1 shown in Fig. 13. In this way, the user can check details of a campaign, a stamp card, a flyer, etc. by operating the operation area SC_k_O displayed on the child card SC_k of the store card SC.

[0059] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 13, the child card SC1_2 includes a display area SC1_2_D indicating that the store is offering a coupon with a maximum rebate of 5%, and an operation area SC1_2_O for acquiring the coupon. When the user presses the operation area SC1_2_O, the user can acquire the coupon, similar to the case where the user presses the Acquire button B2 shown on the screen on the left side of FIG. 8. More specifically, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the operation area SC1_2_O has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the affiliated store in the "Following affiliated store" of the user information 172, and stores the identification information of the coupon acquired by the user in the "Acquired coupon" (e.g., coupon number). With this configuration, the user can acquire a coupon without the trouble of switching the screen to an affiliated store dedicated page.

[0060] When a user desires to check detailed information about the coupon, the user presses the display area SC1_2_D, and the payment application 20 executes a process to transition to a screen for checking the coupon details. More specifically, the payment application 20 executes a process to transition to an affiliated store dedicated page shown on the screen on the left side of Fig. 8. Alternatively, the payment application 20 may provide an operation area for transitioning to a screen for checking the coupon details, separate from the display area.

[0061] As another function, when a store is selected on the map area MP, the payment application 20 may display a store card SC corresponding to the selected store superimposed on the map area MP so that the user can easily check the benefits provided by each store. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another example of the map search function executed by the payment application 20. As shown in FIG. 15, for example, when a user taps a store with a symbol S1 on the map area MP, the payment application 20 displays a store card SC1 of the store corresponding to the store S1 superimposed on the map area MP. The user can quickly check multiple benefit information provided by the store by scrolling the child card SC1_K that is further superimposed on the displayed store card SC1.

[0062] Furthermore, as another function, when there is no surrounding store that is within a predetermined range based on the reference position RP and that offers a special benefit, the payment application 20 may expand the predetermined range until at least one surrounding store is searched for. Conversely, when there are more than a predetermined number of surrounding stores that are within a predetermined range based on the reference position RP and that offer a special benefit, the payment application 20 may reduce the predetermined range so that the number of stores is within the predetermined number. In other words, the payment application 20 may change the scale of the map area MP according to the number of surrounding stores searched for.

[0063] [Processing flow] Next, the flow of processing executed by payment application 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by payment application 20. The processing of the flowchart shown in Fig. 16 is executed, for example, when transition button TB3 is pressed on the top screen of payment application 20 shown in Fig. 7.

[0064] First, the payment application 20 inquires of the user whether or not the user agrees to share the current location (step S100). If the user agrees to share the current location, the payment application 20 acquires the user's current location as a reference location using the positioning device included in the user terminal device 10 (step S102). On the other hand, if the user does not agree to share the current location, the payment application 20 acquires a designated location designated by the user as a reference location (step S104).

[0065] Next, the payment application 20 extracts one or more stores that are located near the reference position and that offer special benefits by inquiring of the payment server 100 (step S106). Next, the payment application 20 calculates a score value for each special benefit offered by each of the one or more stores, and determines the maximum score value as the score value of the store (step S108). Next, the payment application 20 displays a store card for each store according to the determined score value (step S110). Next, the payment application 20 displays a child card corresponding to each special benefit on the store card according to the calculated score value for each special benefit (step S112).

[0066] Next, the payment application 20 determines whether or not the operation area of ​​any child card displayed on the store card has been operated (step S114). If it is determined that the operation area of ​​any child card displayed on the store card has been operated, the payment application 20 executes a process according to the type of benefit corresponding to the child card (step S116). This ends the process of this flowchart.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the payment application 20 is described as the subject of the processing, but the payment application 20 may only have an information input / output function and a communication function with the payment server 100, and the payment server 100 may execute the processing according to this embodiment. For example, when the payment server 100 receives information from the user terminal device 10 that the user has agreed to share the current location, the payment server 100 extracts nearby stores offering benefits using the received current location as a reference location, calculates a score value for each benefit, determines the display order of the scorecard and child cards, and transmits the determined result to the user terminal device 10 to display it on the payment application 20. When the payment server 100 receives information from the user terminal device 10 that the operation area on the child card has been operated, the payment server 100 executes processing according to the type of benefit corresponding to the child card, transmits the execution result to the user terminal device 10, and displays it on the payment application 20.

[0068] According to the embodiment described above, payment application 20 displays the benefit information received from the server device, which is related to the benefit available in the electronic payment service, in association with the location on a map of the store offering the benefit, and executes a predetermined process defined for the operation area in response to the user of the user terminal device operating the operation area included in the benefit information image. This improves the usefulness of displaying a map on an application linked to the electronic payment service.

[0069] 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]

[0070] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 100 Payment Server 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Contents Provider 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department

Claims

1. An application program that operates on a user terminal device and executes processing related to the electronic payment service in cooperation with a server device that provides the electronic payment service, the application program comprising: displaying a benefit information image relating to benefits available in the electronic payment service received from the server device in association with a location on a map of a store offering the benefit; When the benefit is a discount coupon that can be used in the electronic payment service, displaying the benefit information image including a first operation area for allowing a user of the user terminal device to obtain the discount coupon and a second operation area for allowing the user to view detailed information of the benefit, Application program.

2. causing the user terminal device to display a list of stores that offer the benefit and are included in the map, and to display the first operation area and the second operation area for each store included in the list; 2. The application program according to claim 1.

3. when a store is selected by the user from a list of stores that provide the benefit and that are included in the map, displaying the first operation area and the second operation area for the store on the user terminal device; 2. The application program according to claim 1.

4. causing the user terminal device to determine a display order of the corresponding plurality of bonus information images when there are a plurality of stores that provide the bonus, and to display the plurality of bonus information images in association with positions on a map of the plurality of stores that provide the bonus according to the determined display order; 2. The application program according to claim 1.

5. enabling the user terminal device to filter a list of stores that offer the benefit included in the map for each type of benefit, and to determine a display order of the stores included in the list according to the type of benefit to be filtered; 2. The application program according to claim 1.

6. A server device that executes processing related to an electronic payment service in cooperation with a user terminal device, the server device including: displaying, on a map, benefit information relating to benefits available in the electronic payment service, the benefit information being received from the server device and linked to the locations of stores offering the benefit; When the benefit is a discount coupon that can be used in the electronic payment service, displaying the benefit information image including a first operation area for allowing a user of the user terminal device to obtain the discount coupon and a second operation area for allowing the user to view detailed information of the benefit, Server device.

Images