Electronic payment service management apparatus

Abstract

To estimate the amount spent on electronic payment services during a predetermined period taking into account life events occurring in the entire household to which a user belongs.SOLUTION: A processing apparatus 11 comprises a prediction unit 113, an estimation unit 115, and a notification unit 116. The prediction unit 113 predicts the amount spent on electronic payment services during a predetermined period based on the past usage information of a person managed by a management unit 111. The estimation unit 115 estimates an expenditure amount for events of the household from the present to the end of the predetermined period, based on household information FI1. The household information FI1 is information about the household to which the person belongs. The notification unit 116 notifies a terminal apparatus 20-1 used by a user U1 of the predicted amount spent on the electronic payment services and the estimated expenditure amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic payment service management device. [Background technology]

[0002] In electronic payment services such as credit cards, if the annual usage amount exceeds a certain amount, a user may be given a benefit such as a cash back. Patent Document 1 discloses a system for estimating the annual service usage amount in electronic payment services. The system generates a usage amount estimation model for estimating the usage amount of a payment service for each user based on the service usage information of each user, and estimates the usage amount of a certain user's payment service using the generated usage amount estimation model. In other words, the conventional system estimates the annual usage amount based on the service usage information of the user himself. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-204327 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the annual usage amount is affected by life events of the household to which the user belongs. Examples of such life events include a child's entry into higher education, a family's replacement of a car, etc. In conventional systems, the annual usage amount is estimated simply based on the service usage information of the user, and therefore there is a problem that the annual usage amount cannot be estimated taking into account the life events of the entire household.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to estimate the amount of electronic payment services used over a specified period of time, taking into account the life events of the entire household to which the user belongs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An electronic payment service management device in a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a management unit that manages personal usage information indicating the amount and details of usage for electronic payment services used by the individual; an awarding unit that awards a privilege to the individual if the amount of usage of the electronic payment services in a specified period exceeds a specified amount; a prediction unit that predicts the amount of usage of the electronic payment services in the specified period based on the individual's past usage information managed by the management unit; an estimation unit that estimates the amount of expenditures for events of the household from the present to the end of the specified period based on household information on the household to which the individual belongs; and a notification unit that notifies a terminal device used by the individual of the amount of usage of the electronic payment services predicted by the prediction unit and the amount of expenditures estimated by the estimation unit. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the electronic payment service management device of the present invention, it is possible to estimate the amount of electronic payment services to be used in a given period of time, taking into account the life events of the entire household to which the user belongs. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system including an electronic payment service management device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] 3 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the processing device of FIG. 2; [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the processing device of FIG. 2. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system including an electronic payment service management device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a server in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a neural network model applied to a learning model according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] 8 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the processing device of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 8 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the processing device of FIG. 7. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system including an electronic payment service management device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the first server in FIG. 11. [Figure 13] 12 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the second server in FIG. 11. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing device in FIG. 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] 1. First embodiment The configuration of an electronic payment service management device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0010] 1.1. Configuration of the First Embodiment Overall Configuration Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 including an electronic payment service management device according to the first embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a server 10, a terminal device 20, and a communication network NET. Fig. 1 shows three terminal devices 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3.

[0011] The information processing system 1 is a system that provides an electronic payment service to users who possess terminal devices 20. Users U1, U2, and U3 possess terminal devices 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3, respectively.

[0012] In the information processing system 1, the server 10, the terminal device 20-1, the terminal device 20-2, and the terminal device 20-3 are communicably connected to each other via a communication network NET. In addition, although three terminal devices 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 are illustrated in Fig. 1, this number is merely an example, and the information processing system 1 can include any number of terminal devices 20.

[0013] The server 10 is a server that manages the electronic payment service. The server 10 transmits various information related to the electronic payment service to the terminal device 20 via the communication network NET, thereby providing various information to each user.

[0014] That is, the information processing system 1 is a system that provides an electronic payment service to any user who uses the terminal device 20.

[0015] 1.1.2. Server configuration Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server 10 in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the server 10 includes a processing device 11 as an electronic payment service management device, a storage device 12, a communication device 13, a display 14, and an input device 15. The elements included in the server 10 are connected to each other by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0016] The processing device 11 is a processor that controls the entire server 10, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 11 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 11 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing device 11 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0017] The storage device 12 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11. The storage device 12 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM). The volatile memory is, for example, a Random Access Memory (RAM).

[0018] The storage device 12 stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR1 to be executed by the processing device 11, household information FI1, and a keyword group KW1. The storage device 12 also functions as a work area for the processing device 11.

[0019] The communication device 13 is hardware as a transmitting / receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 13 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 13 may include a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 13 may also include a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0020] The display 14 is a device that displays images and text information. The display 14 displays various images under the control of the processing device 11. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel are suitably used as the display 14.

[0021] The input device 15 is a device that accepts operations by an administrator of the information processing system 1. For example, the input device 15 includes a keyboard, a touch pad, a touch panel, and a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, when the input device 15 includes a touch panel, it may also serve as the display 14. In particular, the administrator of the information processing system 1 can modify the control program PR1 by using the input device 15.

[0022] The processing device 11, for example, reads and executes a control program PR1 from the storage device 12, thereby functioning as a management unit 111, an assignment unit 112, a prediction unit 113, a determination unit 114, an estimation unit 115, and a notification unit 116. The processing device 11 is an example of an electronic payment service management device.

[0023] The management unit 111 manages household information FI1. The household information FI1 is information about the household to which the user belongs. More specifically, the household information FI1 includes personal use information and family use information.

[0024] The personal use information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details for the electronic payment service used by the user himself. The user himself is, for example, user U1 who uses terminal device 20-1. The personal use information includes the date of use of the electronic payment service, the usage amount, the name of the store used, the name of the product purchased, etc. In this embodiment, user U1 is the head of the household, and the household to which user U1 belongs is composed of four people: user U1 himself, user U1's spouse, user U1's eldest son, and user U1's eldest daughter. This family structure is merely an example, and the family structure of a user who uses an electronic payment service is not limited to this example.

[0025] The electronic payment service includes a service using a credit card and a service using a QR code. In the following description of the present embodiment, the service using a credit card is used as the electronic payment service.

[0026] In services using credit cards, a personal card is issued to user U1 as a credit card. A family card is issued to user U1's family as a credit card. Here, the family of user U1 refers to the members of the household to which user U1 belongs, excluding user U1 himself, that is, user U1's spouse, user U1's eldest son, and user U1's eldest daughter. Specifically, for example, a family card is issued as a credit card to any family member of user U1 who is 18 years of age or older and who wishes to have one.

[0027] The family usage information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details of the family card used by the family of the user U1. The personal usage information and the family usage information are reflected in the household information FI1 managed by the management unit 111 for each use of the personal card and each use of the family card.

[0028] The granting unit 112 grants a privilege to the user U1 himself / herself when the usage amount of the electronic payment service in a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined amount. The predetermined period is, for example, one year from January 1st at the beginning of the year to December 31st at the end of the year. The privilege includes point granting, cash back, and discount coupons. The predetermined period may be one year from April 1st to March 31st of the following year, or may be set according to the joining date of the user U1. The predetermined period is not necessarily limited to one year. The predetermined amount is an amount previously determined by the business operator providing the electronic payment service.

[0029] The prediction unit 113 predicts the usage amount of the electronic payment service in a specified period based on the past personal use information. The past personal use information is the personal use information for a period prior to the specified period. Therefore, the longer the period during which the electronic payment service is used, the higher the accuracy of the prediction of the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period tends to be. Note that the past personal use information may be limited to the personal use information for a specific period immediately prior to the specified period. The specific period is, for example, 5 years, 10 years, etc.

[0030] More specifically, the prediction unit 113 obtains a function of the change in the usage amount for each past year from the past user's usage information, and predicts the usage amount of the electronic payment service for a predetermined period based on the obtained function. Note that the prediction unit 113 may also average the usage amounts for each past year from the past user's usage information, and predict the average usage amount as the usage amount of the electronic payment service for the predetermined period.

[0031] The determination unit 114 determines whether or not a household event will occur in the remaining period based on the household information FI1. The remaining period is the period from the present to the end of a predetermined period. For example, the determination unit 114 analyzes the monthly usage amount based on the family usage information from the past to the present, and determines that a month with a higher usage amount compared to other months is a month in which a household event will occur. Therefore, the determination unit 114 determines whether or not a month in which a household event will occur is included in the remaining period.

[0032] Household events include family trips, returning home, the user U1's own retirement, the eldest son or daughter's continuing education, coming of age, getting a job, getting married, and the like.

[0033] The estimation unit 115 estimates the amount of expenditures for the household event for the remaining period based on the household information FI1. The estimation unit 115 can estimate the content of the event for the month from, for example, the family card usage details for the month in which the household event determined by the determination unit 114 occurs. More specifically, the estimation unit 115 can estimate the content of the event for the month by, for example, comparing the name of the purchased product with a keyword group KW1 pre-stored in the storage device 12.

[0034] The keyword group KW1 pre-stored in the storage device 12 is grouped by the content of the event. When the similarity between the purchased product name and each keyword in the keyword group KW1 exceeds a predetermined frequency, the estimation unit 115 estimates the content of the event to which the keyword belongs as the content of the event of the household in the relevant month.

[0035] The estimation unit 115 estimates the amount of expenditure for the household regarding the event from the amount of use related to the estimated content of the event. In other words, when the determination result of the determination unit 114 is positive, the estimation unit 115 estimates the amount of expenditure for the household regarding the event based on the content of the event and the household information FI1.

[0036] The estimation unit 115 predicts, for example, the total points acquired in a predetermined period and the stage rank for the next period based on the predicted amount of use of the electronic payment service in a predetermined period. In electronic payment services, the stage rank is generally determined according to the amount of use in the previous year, and preferential treatment such as a higher point return rate is provided for higher stage ranks.

[0037] The notification unit 116 notifies the terminal device 20-1 used by the user U1 of the usage amount of the electronic payment service predicted by the prediction unit 113 and the expenditure amount estimated by the estimation unit 115. This allows the user U1 to recognize the usage amount of the electronic payment service for a specified period and the expenditure amount for the remaining period.

[0038] 1.1.3. Terminal Device Configuration Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 20 in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the terminal device 20 includes a processing device 21, a storage device 22, a communication device 23, a display 24, and an input device 25. The elements included in the terminal device 20 are connected to each other by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0039] The processing device 21 is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 20, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 21 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and a register. Note that some or all of the functions of the processing device 21 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. The processing device 21 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0040] The storage device 22 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

[0041] The storage device 22 stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR2 to be executed by the processing device 21. The storage device 22 also functions as a work area for the processing device 21.

[0042] The communication device 23 is hardware as a transmitting / receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 23 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, a communication module, etc. The communication device 23 may include a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 23 may also include a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0043] The display 24 is a device that displays images and text information. The display 24 displays various images under the control of the processing device 21. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel are suitably used as the display 24.

[0044] The input device 25 receives operations from the user U1. For example, the input device 25 includes a keyboard, a touch pad, a touch panel, and a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, when the input device 25 includes a touch panel, it may also function as the display 24.

[0045] The processing device 21 functions as an acquisition unit 211, an output unit 212, and a display control unit 213, for example, by reading out a control program PR2 from the storage device 22 and executing it.

[0046] The acquisition unit 211 acquires various types of information transmitted from the server 10.

[0047] The output unit 212 outputs information input by the user U1 using the input device 25 to the server 10 via the communication device 23. The information input by the user U1 includes, for example, household information.

[0048] The display control unit 213 causes the display 24 to display various pieces of information based on the various pieces of information acquired by the acquisition unit 211 .

[0049] 1.2. Operation of the electronic payment service management device according to the first embodiment 1.2.1. First Operation of Processing Device 11 Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the processing device 11 in Fig. 2. Hereinafter, the first operation of the processing device 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. The routine in Fig. 4 is started, for example, when the processing device 11 is started, and is executed every time a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0050] In step S11, the processing device 11 predicts the usage amount of the electronic payment service in a predetermined period by functioning as the prediction unit 113. The prediction unit 113 predicts, for example, the total points acquired in the predetermined period and the stage rank for the next period based on the prediction of the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the predetermined period.

[0051] In step S12, the processor 11 functions as the determination unit 114 to determine whether the usage amount exceeds a predetermined amount.

[0052] In step S12, when the processing device 11 determines that the usage amount exceeds the predetermined amount, that is, when the determination result in step S12 is positive, the processing device 11 executes the process of step S13. In this case, in step S13, the processing device 11 functions as the granting unit 112 to grant a privilege to the user U1 himself, and temporarily ends this routine.

[0053] On the other hand, in step S12, when the processing device 11 determines that the usage amount is equal to or less than the predetermined amount, that is, when the determination result in step S12 is negative, the processing device 11 ends this routine once. In other words, when the determination result in step S12 is negative, the processing device 11 does not grant a privilege to the user U1 himself.

[0054] 1.2.2. Second Operation of Processing Device 11 Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the processing device 11 in Fig. 2. Hereinafter, the second operation of the processing device 11 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. The routine in Fig. 5 is started, for example, when the processing device 11 is started, and is executed every time a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0055] In step S21, the processor 11 functions as the prediction unit 113 to predict the usage amount of the electronic payment service in a predetermined period based on the past usage information of the user.

[0056] In step S22, the processing device 11 functions as the determination unit 114 to determine whether or not one or more events will occur in the household during the remaining period.

[0057] In step S22, when the processing device 11 determines that one or more events will occur in the remaining period, that is, when the determination result in step S22 is positive, the processing device 11 executes the process of step S23. In this case, in step S23, the processing device 11 functions as the estimation unit 115 to estimate the expenditure amount for each of the one or more events.

[0058] In step S24, the processing device 11 functions as the notification unit 116 to notify the terminal device 20-1 of the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period and the expenditure amount in the remaining period, and then ends this routine. This allows the user U1 using the terminal device 20-1 to recognize the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period and the expenditure amount in the remaining period.

[0059] On the other hand, in step S22, if the processing device 11 determines that no household event will occur in the remaining period, that is, if the determination result in step S22 is negative, the processing device 11 executes the process of step S25. In this case, in step S25, the processing device 11 functions as the notification unit 116 to notify the terminal device 20-1 of the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period, and temporarily ends this routine. This allows the user U1 using the terminal device 20-1 to recognize the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period.

[0060] 1.3. Advantages of the First Embodiment According to the above description, the processing device 11 as an electronic payment service management device according to the first embodiment includes a management unit 111, a granting unit 112, a prediction unit 113, an estimation unit 115, and a notification unit 116. The management unit 111 manages the principal's usage information. The principal's usage information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details for the electronic payment service used by the principal. The granting unit 112 grants a privilege to the principal when the usage amount of the electronic payment service in a specified period exceeds a specified amount.

[0061] The prediction unit 113 predicts the amount of electronic payment service usage in a specified period based on the user's past usage information managed by the management unit 111. The estimation unit 115 estimates the amount of expenditure for events of the household from the present to the end of the specified period based on household information FI1. Household information FI1 is information about the household to which the user belongs. The notification unit 116 notifies the terminal device 20-1 used by user U1 of the amount of electronic payment service usage predicted by the prediction unit 113 and the amount of expenditure estimated by the estimation unit 115.

[0062] Since expenditures related to household events are rare, it is difficult to predict them from the amount of regular electronic payment service usage. However, according to this embodiment, the amount of expenditures related to the event estimated based on the household information FI1 is notified to the individual along with the amount of regular electronic payment service usage. Therefore, when the individual pays for expenses related to a life event using an electronic payment service, the individual can know the amount of usage for a specified period.

[0063] The processing device 11 also includes a determination unit 114. The determination unit 114 determines whether or not a household event will occur in the period from the present to the end of a predetermined period, based on the household information FI1. If the determination result of the determination unit 114 is positive, the estimation unit 115 estimates the amount of expenditure for the household event, based on the content of the event and the household information FI1.

[0064] According to this embodiment, if no event occurs for the household during the period from the present to the end of the predetermined period, the estimation unit does not estimate the expenditure amount, thereby reducing the processing load on the estimation unit 115.

[0065] Furthermore, the electronic payment service is a service that uses credit cards. A personal card is issued to the principal as a credit card, and a family card is issued to the principal's family as a credit card. The management unit 111 manages family usage information. The family usage information is information that indicates the usage amount and usage details for the family card used by the principal's family. Household information FI1 includes the principal usage information and the family usage information.

[0066] According to this aspect, the amount of expenditure for a household event is estimated using not only the personal use information but also the family use information, so that the accuracy of estimating the amount of expenditure for a household event can be improved.

[0067] 2. Second embodiment The configuration of the electronic payment service management device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 6 to 10. Note that in the following description, for the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the first embodiment, and the description of their functions may be omitted. Also, in the following description, for the sake of simplicity, the differences between the second embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0068] 2.1. Configuration of the second embodiment 2.1.1. Overall Configuration Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 1A including an electronic payment service management device according to the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 6, the information processing system 1A differs from the information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a server 10A instead of the server 10.

[0069] 2.1.2. Server configuration Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the server 10A in Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 7, the server 10A is different from the server 10 according to the first embodiment in that the server 10A includes a processing device 11A instead of the processing device 11 and includes a storage device 12A instead of the storage device 12.

[0070] The processing device 11A is a processor that controls the entire server 10A, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 11A is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and a register. Note that some or all of the functions of the processing device 11A may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. The processing device 11A executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0071] The storage device 12A is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11A. The storage device 12A includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

[0072] The storage device 12A stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR3 to be executed by the processing device 11A, household information FI2, a plurality of teacher data TD1, and a learning model LM1. The storage device 12A also functions as a work area for the processing device 11A.

[0073] The communication device 13, the display 14, and the input device 15 are similar to the communication device 13, the display 14, and the input device 15 of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0074] The processing device 11A functions as a management unit 111A, an assignment unit 112, a prediction unit 113, a determination unit 114, an estimation unit 115A, a notification unit 116, and a learning unit 117 by reading and executing a control program PR3 from the storage device 12A.

[0075] The management unit 111A manages household information FI2. The household information FI2 includes the household information FI1, that is, the personal use information and the family use information, as well as the personal attribute information and the family attribute information.

[0076] The personal attribute information is information about the attributes of the user U1 himself / herself. The personal attribute information is, for example, information about the user U1's date of birth, sex, hobbies, interests, etc., provided by the user U1 when signing up for a credit card.

[0077] Family attribute information is information relating to the attributes of user U1's family. Family attribute information is, for example, information about the birth date, gender, hobbies, interests, etc. of each family member of user U1 provided by user U1 when signing up for a credit card service. Family attribute information includes age information of each family member of user U1. Age information is information indicating the age of each family member of user U1, and is based on the birth date of each family member provided by user U1. Thus, household information includes age information.

[0078] The personal attribute information and family attribute information can be modified or changed by the user U1 as appropriate, not just at the time of signing up for the credit card service.

[0079] The estimation unit 115A includes a first estimation unit 115a and a second estimation unit 115b. The first estimation unit 115a estimates the content of the event based on age information. The content of the event is estimated by inputting the age information into a lookup table that predefines the correlation between the age information and the content of the event. In addition, the lookup table that predefines the correlation between the age information and the content of the event may be provided for each gender.

[0080] The second estimation unit 115b estimates the amount of expenditure required for the estimated content of the event. For example, when the first estimation unit 115a estimates "eldest daughter becoming an adult" as the content of the event, the second estimation unit 115b estimates the amount of expenditure related to the eldest daughter becoming an adult. The second estimation unit 115b estimates the amount of expenditure related to the eldest daughter becoming an adult using a learning model LM1 described in detail below.

[0081] The learning unit 117 has an acquisition unit 117a and a generation unit 117b. The acquisition unit 117a prepares a plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1 and stores the prepared plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1 in the storage device 12A. The plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1 are configured by corresponding input data and output data. The acquisition unit 117a prepares a learning model LM1 before learning. During machine learning, the acquisition unit 117a randomly acquires, for example, a set of teacher data from the storage device 12A from the plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1.

[0082] The generation unit 117b generates a trained learning model LM1 by machine learning the multiple teacher data TD1 into the learning model LM1. More specifically, the generation unit 117b performs machine learning using the multiple teacher data TD1 stored in the storage device 12A. That is, the generation unit 117b inputs the multiple teacher data TD1 into the learning model LM1, thereby causing the learning model LM1 to machine learn the correlation between the input data and the output data constituting the multiple teacher data TD1, and generates a trained learning model LM1.

[0083] The multiple teacher data TD1 include multiple sets of data sets. One set of data sets is composed of a set of input data including the content of the event and the personal use information, and output data including the amount of expenditure. In supervised learning, the output data is, for example, called a correct answer label. In this way, the amount of expenditure is associated as output data with the content of the event and the personal use information included in the input data.

[0084] 2.1.3. Learning model configuration 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a neural network model applied to the learning model LM1 according to the second embodiment. The neural network model 90 includes an input layer 91, an intermediate layer 92, and an output layer 93.

[0085] The input layer 91 has neurons whose number corresponds to the event content and personal use information as input data, and the event content and personal use information are input to each neuron, respectively.

[0086] The intermediate layer 92 is composed of, for example, a convolutional neural network. The intermediate layer 92 converts the feature amount extracted from the content of the event and the personal usage information input via the input layer 91 by an activation function, and outputs it as a one-dimensional array feature vector.

[0087] The output layer 93 outputs output data including the expenditure amount based on the feature vector output from the intermediate layer 92.

[0088] Between each phase of the neural network model 90, synapses are laid that connect the neurons between the layers.

[0089] The generation unit 117b inputs a plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1 to the neural network model 90, and causes the neural network model 90 to machine-learn the correlation between the input data, that is, the event content and the personal use information, and the output data, that is, the expenditure amount. More specifically, the generation unit 117b first selects one set of data from the plurality of teacher data TD1, and inputs the event content and the personal use information constituting the one set of data to the input layer 91 of the neural network model 90 as input data.

[0090] The generating unit 117b adjusts the weights associated with each synapse so that the value of the evaluation function becomes smaller, using an evaluation function that compares the output data output from the output layer 93 as an inference result, i.e., the expense amount, with the output data constituting the set of data, i.e., the correct label of the expense amount. Here, adjusting the weights associated with each synapse is called backpropagation.

[0091] The generation unit 117b sequentially inputs, as input data, the contents of the events constituting each of the multiple sets of data sets in the multiple teacher data TD1 and the personal use information to the input layer 91 of the neural network model 90. The generation unit 117b compares each input data with the output data corresponding to each input data, and iteratively adjusts the weights associated with each synapse so as to reduce the value of the evaluation function.

[0092] When it is determined that a predetermined learning end condition is satisfied, the generating unit 117b ends the machine learning and stores the neural network model 90 at that point in time as a trained learning model LM1 in the storage device 12A. The predetermined learning end condition is, for example, that the number of iterations of the series of learning processes described above reaches a predetermined number, and that the value of the evaluation function becomes smaller than a permissible value.

[0093] 2.2. Operation of the electronic payment service management device according to the second embodiment 2.2.1. First Operation of Processing Device 11A Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a first operation of the processing device 11A in Fig. 7. Hereinafter, the first operation of the processing device 11A will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The first operation is an operation related to a machine learning method by the learning unit 117. The routine in Fig. 9 is started, for example, when the processing device 11A is started, and is executed every time a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0094] In step S31, the processing device 11A functions as the acquisition unit 117a to prepare a plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1 as a preliminary step for starting machine learning, and stores the prepared plurality of pieces of teacher data TD1 in the storage device 12A. The number of pieces of teacher data to be prepared here may be set in consideration of the inference accuracy required for the learning model LM1 to be finally obtained.

[0095] Next, in step S32, the processing device 11A prepares a learning model LM1 before learning in order to start machine learning by functioning as the acquisition unit 117a. The learning model LM1 before learning prepared here employs the neural network model shown in FIG. 8, and the weights of each synapse are set to an initial value. Each neuron in the input layer 91 is associated with the contents of the event and the personal use information as input data constituting the plurality of teacher data TD1. Each neuron in the output layer 93 is associated with the amount of expenditure as output data constituting the plurality of teacher data TD1.

[0096] Next, in step S33, the processing device 11A functions as the acquiring unit 117a to acquire, for example, one set of data randomly from the multiple pieces of teacher data TD1 stored in the storage device 12A.

[0097] Next, in step S34, the processing device 11A functions as the generating unit 117b to input the input data included in the set of data sets to the input layer 91 of the prepared learning model LM1 before learning or during learning. As a result, output data is output as an inference result from the output layer 93 of the learning model LM1. However, the output data is generated by the learning model LM1 before learning or during learning. Therefore, in the state before learning or during learning, the data output as an inference result indicates information different from the output data included in the set of data sets, i.e., the correct answer label.

[0098] Next, in step S35, the processing device 11A functions as the generating unit 117b to compare the output data included in the set of data acquired in step S33, i.e., the correct label, with the output data output from the output layer 93 as an inference result in step S34, and adjust the weight of each synapse, thereby performing machine learning. In this way, the generating unit 117b causes the learning model LM1 to learn the correlation between the input data and the output data.

[0099] Next, in step S36, the processing device 11A functions as the generating unit 117b to determine whether a predetermined learning end condition is satisfied based on the inference result and the value of an evaluation function based on the output data included in one set of data sets, i.e., the correct answer label. The generating unit 117b may determine whether a predetermined learning end condition is satisfied based on the inference result and the remaining number of unlearned data sets stored in the storage device 12A.

[0100] In step S36, if the generation unit 117b determines that the learning termination condition is not satisfied and machine learning is to be continued, i.e., if the judgment result in step S36 is negative, the processing device 11A functions as the generation unit 117b and performs the processes from step S33 to step S35 multiple times on the learning model LM1 being learned using an unlearned dataset.

[0101] On the other hand, if the generation unit 117b determines in step S36 that the learning termination condition has been satisfied, i.e., if the determination result in step S36 is positive, the processing device 11A functions as the generation unit 117b, and adjusts the weights associated with each synapse in step S37 to store the learned learning model LM1 that has been machine-learned, i.e., the adjusted weight parameter group, in the storage device 12A, and temporarily terminates this routine.

[0102] In the machine learning method of Fig. 9, the case where online learning is adopted as the method for adjusting the weights has been described, but batch learning, mini-batch learning, etc. may also be adopted. Furthermore, whether or not a predetermined learning end condition is satisfied may be determined based on the misjudgment rate.

[0103] 2.2.2. Second Operation of Processing Device 11A Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a second operation of the processing device 11A of Fig. 7. Hereinafter, the second operation of the processing device 11A will be described with reference to Fig. 10. The routine of Fig. 10 is started, for example, when the processing device 11A is started, and is executed every time a certain time has elapsed.

[0104] In step S41, the processing device 11A functions as the first estimation unit 115a to estimate the content of the event based on the age information.

[0105] In step S42, the processing device 11A functions as the determination unit 114 to determine whether or not one or more events will occur in the household in the remaining period, based on the content of the event estimated based on the age information.

[0106] In step S42, when the processing device 11A determines that one or more events will occur in the remaining period, that is, when the determination result in step S42 is positive, the processing device 11A executes the process of step S43. In this case, in step S43, the processing device 11A functions as the second estimation unit 115b to estimate the expenditure amount related to each of the one or more events.

[0107] In step S44, the processing device 11A functions as the notification unit 116 to notify the terminal device 20-1 of the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period and the expenditure amount in the remaining period, and then ends this routine. As a result, the user U1 using the terminal device 20-1 recognizes the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period and the expenditure amount in the remaining period.

[0108] On the other hand, in step S42, if the processing device 11A determines that no household event will occur in the remaining period, that is, if the determination result in step S42 is negative, the processing device 11A executes the process of step S45. In this case, in step S45, the processing device 11A functions as the notification unit 116 to notify the terminal device 20-1 of the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period, and temporarily ends this routine. As a result, the user U1 using the terminal device 20-1 recognizes the usage amount of the electronic payment service in the specified period.

[0109] 2.3. Advantages of the Second Embodiment According to the above explanation, the electronic payment service is a service that uses a credit card. A personal card is issued to the user U1 himself as a credit card, and a family card is issued to each of the user U1's family members as a credit card. The management unit 111A of the processing device 11A as an electronic payment service management device in the second embodiment manages personal attribute information, family usage information, and family attribute information. Personal attribute information is information related to the attributes of the user U1 himself. Family usage information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details for the family card used by the family of the user U1. Family attribute information is information related to the attributes of the family members. Household information includes personal attribute information and family attribute information.

[0110] According to this aspect, the amount of expenditure for a household event is estimated using not only the person's attribute information but also family attribute information, so that the accuracy of estimating the amount of expenditure for a household event can be improved.

[0111] The household information also includes age information indicating the ages of the family members of the user U1. The estimation unit 115A includes a first estimation unit 115a and a second estimation unit 115b. The first estimation unit 115a estimates the content of the event based on the age information. The second estimation unit 115b estimates the amount of expenditure required for the estimated content of the event.

[0112] According to this embodiment, the expenditure for a family event is estimated based on the ages of the family members of user U1, so that the content of the event, such as user U1's own retirement, a child's employment, or a child's coming of age, and the expenditure amount corresponding to the content can be estimated.

[0113] The second estimation unit 115b estimates the amount of expenses by inputting the event content and personal usage information estimated by the first estimation unit 115a into a learning model LM1 that has already learned the relationship between the event content, personal usage information, and the amount of expenses.

[0114] According to this embodiment, since the learning model LM1 has already learned the relationship between the content of the event and the expenditure amount as well as the relationship between the personal usage information and the expenditure amount, the expenditure amount can be estimated taking into account the amount of the usage amount of the user U1 himself.

[0115] 3. Third embodiment The configuration of the electronic payment service management device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 11 to 14. In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the first and second embodiments, and the description of their functions may be omitted. In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, the differences between the third embodiment and the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0116] 3.1. Configuration of the third embodiment Overall Configuration Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an information processing system 1B including an electronic payment service management device according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the information processing system 1B differs from the information processing system 1 according to the first embodiment in that it includes a first server 10B instead of the server 10 and in that it includes a second server 30 in addition to the first server 10B.

[0117] The first server 10B is a server that mainly manages the first electronic payment service. The first server 10B provides each user with various information by transmitting various information related to the first electronic payment service to the terminal device 20 via the communication network NET. The second server 30 is a server that mainly manages the second electronic payment service. The second server 30 provides each user with various information by transmitting various information related to the second electronic payment service to the terminal device 20 via the communication network NET. The first server 10B and the second server 30 can transmit and receive information to each other via the communication network NET.

[0118] The first electronic payment service corresponds to the electronic payment service according to the first embodiment. The second electronic payment service is a service different from the first electronic payment service. The first personal information corresponds to the personal information according to the first embodiment.

[0119] 3.1.2. Configuring the First Server Fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the first server 10B in Fig. 11. As shown in Fig. 12, the first server 10B includes a processing device 11B as an electronic payment service management device, a storage device 12B, a communication device 13, a display 14, and an input device 15. The elements included in the first server 10B are connected to each other by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0120] The processing device 11B is a processor that controls the entire first server 10B, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 11B is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and a register. Note that some or all of the functions of the processing device 11B may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. The processing device 11B executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0121] The storage device 12B is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11B. The storage device 12B includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

[0122] The storage device 12B stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR4 to be executed by the processing device 11B, household information FI1, and a keyword group KW1. The storage device 12B also functions as a work area for the processing device 11B.

[0123] The communication device 13, the display 14, and the input device 15 are similar to the communication device 13, the display 14, and the input device 15 of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0124] The processing device 11B reads out and executes a control program PR4 from the storage device 12B, thereby functioning as a management unit 111B, an assignment unit 112, a prediction unit 113A, a determination unit 114, an estimation unit 115, and a notification unit 116A.

[0125] The management unit 111B manages the first personal use information and the second personal use information. The first personal use information is information relating to the use of the first electronic payment service by the user U1 himself. The first personal use information is included in the household information FI1 stored in the memory device 12B. The second personal use information is information relating to the use of the second electronic payment service by the user U1 himself. The second personal use information is included in the household information FI3 stored in the memory device 32.

[0126] Prediction unit 113A predicts the first usage amount based on the past first personal usage information managed by management unit 111B. The first usage amount is the usage amount of the first electronic payment service in a predetermined period. For example, if the predetermined period is from January 1 to December 31 of this year, the past first personal usage information is the personal usage information for the first electronic payment service before December 31 of last year.

[0127] More specifically, the prediction unit 113A obtains a function of the change in the usage amount for each past year from the past first user's usage information, and predicts the usage amount of the first electronic payment service for a predetermined period based on the obtained function. Note that the prediction unit 113A may also average the usage amounts for each past year from the past first user's usage information, and predict the average usage amount as the usage amount of the first electronic payment service for the predetermined period.

[0128] Prediction unit 113A predicts the second usage amount based on the past second personal usage information managed by management unit 111B. The second usage amount is the usage amount of the second electronic payment service in the remaining period. The remaining period is the period from the present to the end of a specified period. For example, if the specified period is from January 1 to December 31 of this year, the past second personal usage information is the personal usage information for the second electronic payment service before December 31 of last year.

[0129] More specifically, the prediction unit 113A obtains a function of the change in the usage amount for each past year from the past second user's usage information, and predicts the usage amount of the second electronic payment service for the remaining period based on the obtained function. Note that the prediction unit 113A may also average the usage amounts for each past year from the past second user's usage information, and predict the usage amount of the second electronic payment service for the remaining period from the average usage amount.

[0130] The determination unit 114A determines whether the first usage amount is less than a predetermined amount. The predetermined amount is an amount determined in advance by a business providing the first electronic payment service. If the first usage amount exceeds the predetermined amount, the granting unit 112 grants a privilege to the user U1 himself / herself.

[0131] When the first usage amount is less than a predetermined amount, the notification unit 116A notifies the terminal device 20-1 used by the user U1 of the second usage amount. On the other hand, when the first usage amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount, the notification unit 116A does not notify the terminal device 20-1 of the second usage amount.

[0132] 3.1.3. Configuring the Second Server Fig. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the second server 30 in Fig. 11. As shown in Fig. 13, the second server 30 includes a processing device 31, a storage device 32, a communication device 33, a display 34, and an input device 35. The elements included in the second server 30 are connected to each other by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0133] The processing device 31 is a processor that controls the entire second server 30, and is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 31 is configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, and a register. Note that some or all of the functions of the processing device 31 may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, an ASIC, a PLD, or an FPGA. The processing device 31 executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0134] The storage device 32 is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 31. The storage device 32 includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, and an EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, a RAM.

[0135] The storage device 32 stores a plurality of programs including a control program PR5 to be executed by the processing device 31, and household information FI3. The storage device 32 also functions as a work area for the processing device 31.

[0136] The communication device 33, the display 34, and the input device 35 are similar to the communication device 13, the display 14, and the input device 15 of the first embodiment, and therefore their description will be omitted.

[0137] The processing device 31 functions as a management unit 311, an assignment unit 312, and a notification unit 316 by reading out a control program PR5 from the storage device 32 and executing it.

[0138] The management unit 311 manages the household information FI3. The household information FI3 includes at least the second personal use information. In other words, the management unit 311 manages the second personal use information.

[0139] The granting unit 312 grants a privilege to the user U1 himself / herself when the usage amount of the second electronic payment service in a predetermined period exceeds a predetermined amount. The predetermined period may be, for example, one year from January 1st at the beginning of the year to December 31st at the end of the year, or may be a separately determined period. The privilege includes points, cash back, and discount coupons. The predetermined amount is an amount determined in advance by the business operator providing the second electronic payment service.

[0140] The notification unit 316 notifies the terminal device 20-1 used by the user U1 of information related to the privilege granted by the granting unit 312. This allows the user U1 to recognize the privilege granted for use during the predetermined period of time.

[0141] In this way, information processing system 1B is a system that provides a first electronic payment service and a second electronic payment service to any user who uses terminal device 20.

[0142] 3.2. Operation of the electronic payment service management device according to the third embodiment 3.2.1. Operation of the Processing Unit 11B Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the processing device 11B in Fig. 12. Hereinafter, the operation of the processing device 11B will be described with reference to Fig. 14. The routine in Fig. 14 is started, for example, when the processing device 11B is started, and is executed every time a certain period of time has elapsed.

[0143] In step S51, the processing device 11B functions as the prediction unit 113A to predict the first usage amount based on the past first user usage information.

[0144] Next, in step S52, the processing device 11B functions as the prediction unit 113A to predict the second usage amount based on the second past user usage information.

[0145] Next, in step S53, the processor 11B functions as the determination unit 114A to determine whether or not the first usage amount is less than a predetermined amount.

[0146] In step S53, when the processing device 11B determines that the first usage amount is less than the predetermined amount, that is, when the determination result in step S53 is positive, the processing device 11B executes the process of step S54 and temporarily ends this routine. In this case, in step S54, the processing device 11B functions as the notifying unit 116A to notify the terminal device 20-1 of the second usage amount.

[0147] This allows user U1 using terminal device 20-1 to recognize the predicted usage amount of the second electronic payment service from the present to the end of the predetermined period. User U1 can also recognize that the condition for receiving the benefit of the first electronic payment service is not currently met because the usage amount of the first service is less than the predetermined amount.

[0148] On the other hand, in step S53, when the processing device 11B judges that the first usage amount exceeds the predetermined amount, that is, when the judgment result in step S53 is negative, the processing device 11B ends this routine once. That is, in this case, the processing device 11B does not notify the terminal device 20-1 of the second usage amount.

[0149] In this way, when it is determined that the first usage amount is less than the predetermined amount, the second usage amount is notified to the terminal device 20-1. Therefore, since the user U1 satisfies the condition for receiving the benefit of the first electronic payment service, it is expected that the user U1 will refrain from using the second electronic payment service in the future and promote the use of the first electronic payment service.

[0150] 3.3. Advantages of the Third Embodiment According to the above explanation, the electronic payment service according to the first embodiment is the first electronic payment service according to this embodiment. The personal use information according to the first embodiment is the first personal use information according to this embodiment. The management unit 111B manages the second personal use information. The second personal use information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details for the second electronic payment service used by the user U1 himself.

[0151] The prediction unit 113A predicts the first usage amount based on the past first personal usage information. The past first personal usage information is information managed by the management unit 111B. The first usage amount is the usage amount of the first electronic payment service in a specified period. The prediction unit 113A predicts the second usage amount based on the past second personal usage information. The past second personal usage information is information managed by the management unit 111B. The second usage amount is the usage amount of the second electronic payment service from the present to the end of the specified period, i.e., the remaining period. If the first usage amount is less than the specified amount, the notification unit 116A further notifies the terminal device 20-1 used by the user U1 himself of the second usage amount.

[0152] According to this embodiment, the user U1 can know that by using an amount equivalent to the second usage amount in the first electronic payment service instead of using it in the second electronic payment service in the future, the user U1 can obtain the benefit of the first electronic payment service. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the convenience of the user U1 can be improved.

[0153] 4. Variations The present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. Specific modified aspects are exemplified below. Two or more aspects selected from the following examples may be combined. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment and the following modified aspects may be combined as long as they are not mutually contradictory.

[0154] 4.1. Variation 1 In each of the above embodiments, a service using a credit card is used as the electronic payment service. However, a service using a QR code may be used as the electronic payment service.

[0155] In a service using QR codes, for example, a QR code recorded in the terminal device 20-1 owned by the user U1 can be linked to the card number of the user's card issued as a credit card. Also, a QR code recorded in each terminal device owned by each of the family members of the user U1 can be linked to the card number of the family card issued as a credit card.

[0156] In this example, the personal usage information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details of the payment made by the user U1 himself / herself using the terminal device 20-1 via QR code. The family usage information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details of the payment made by each of the family members of the user U1 himself / herself using their own terminal device via QR code.

[0157] In addition, in a service using QR codes, for example, user U1 can transfer money from terminal device 20-1 owned by user U1 to terminal devices 20 owned by each of his / her family members. Each of user U1's family members can use QR code payment within the amount of money transferred from user U1.

[0158] In this example, the family usage information is included in the personal usage information. That is, the family usage information is information indicating the usage amount and usage details of the payment made by the user U1 and each of the user U1's family members using the terminal device 20 owned by each of them via QR code.

[0159] 4.2. Variation 2 In the second embodiment, the first estimation unit 115a estimates the content of the event by inputting the age information into a lookup table that predefines the correlation between the age information and the content of the event, but the method of estimating the content of the event is not particularly limited. For example, the first estimation unit 115a may estimate the content of the event by inputting the age information into a learning model that has learned the correlation between the age information and the content of the event.

[0160] 4.3. Variation 3 In the third embodiment, the information processing system 1B includes two servers, i.e., the first server 10B and the second server 30, but this configuration is merely an example, and the information processing system 1B may include three or more servers. In other words, in the third embodiment, two types of electronic payment services are managed in the information processing system 1B, but three or more types of electronic payment services may be managed.

[0161] 5.Other (1) In the above-described embodiment, storage device 12, storage device 12A, storage device 12B, storage device 22, and storage device 32 are exemplified as ROM and RAM, but may be a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), a register, a removable disk, a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, a database, a server, or any other suitable storage medium. The program may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunication line. The program may also be transmitted from a communication network NET via a telecommunication line.

[0162] (2) In the above-described embodiments, the described information, signals, etc. may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0163] (3) In the above-described embodiment, the input / output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a management table. The input / output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or added. The output information, etc. may be deleted. The input information, etc. may be transmitted to another device.

[0164] (4) In the above-described embodiments, the determination may be made based on a value represented using one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0165] (5) The order of the process steps, sequences, flow charts, etc. illustrated in the above-described embodiments may be changed without causing any inconsistency. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0166] (6) Each function illustrated in Fig. 1 to Fig. 14 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method of realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized by using one device that is physically or logically combined, or may be realized by using two or more devices that are physically or logically separated and directly or indirectly connected (for example, by wire, wirelessly, etc.). The functional block may be realized by combining the one device or the multiple devices with software.

[0167] (7) The programs exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by other names.

[0168] Additionally, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired and / or wireless technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave, etc.), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0169] (8) In each of the above embodiments, the terms “system” and “network” are used interchangeably.

[0170] (9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or corresponding other information.

[0171] (10) In the above-described embodiment, the server 10, the server 10A, the first server 10B, and the second server 30 may be a mobile station (MS). A mobile station may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable term. In the present disclosure, the terms "mobile station", "user terminal", "user equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0172] (11) In the above-mentioned embodiments, the terms "connected" and "coupled" or any variation thereof refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be a physical coupling or connection, a logical coupling or connection, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read with "access". As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and light (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0173] (12) In the above embodiments, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0174] (13) The terms "determining" and "determining" as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, search, inquiry (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, "determining" and "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. In addition, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc., to be a "judgment" or "decision." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include considering some action to be a "judgment" or "decision." In addition, "judgment" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0175] (14) In the above embodiments, when "include," "including," and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or" used in this disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0176] (15) In this disclosure, where articles have been added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural.

[0177] (16) In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0178] (17) Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched according to execution. In addition, notification of specific information (e.g., notification that "X is the case") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the specific information).

[0179] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented as modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes only and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0180] Reference Signs List 1, 1A, 1B... Information processing system, 10, 10A... Server, 10B... First server, 20... Terminal device, 30... Second server, 90... Machine learning device, 111, 111A, 111B, 311... Management unit, 112, 312... Assignment unit, 113, 113A... Prediction unit, 114, 114A... Determination unit, 115, 115A... Estimation unit, 115a... First estimation unit, 115b... Second estimation unit, 116, 116A, 316... Notification unit, FI1, FI2, FI3... Household information, LM1... Learning model, U1... User himself

Claims

1. a management unit for managing the individual's usage information indicating the usage amount and usage details for the electronic payment service used by the individual; an awarding unit that awards a privilege to the person when an amount of use of the electronic payment service in a predetermined period of time exceeds a predetermined amount; a prediction unit that predicts a usage amount of the electronic payment service during the predetermined period based on the past usage information of the user managed by the management unit; an estimation unit that estimates an amount of expenditure for an event of the household from the present to the end of the predetermined period based on household information on the household to which the person belongs; a notification unit that notifies a terminal device used by the person of the usage amount of the electronic payment service predicted by the prediction unit and the expenditure amount estimated by the estimation unit; An electronic payment service management device comprising:

2. a determination unit that determines whether an event will occur in the household during a period from the present to the end of the predetermined period based on the household information; When the determination result of the determination unit is positive, the estimation unit estimates an amount of expenditure for the event of the household based on the content of the event and the household information.

2. The electronic payment service management device according to claim 1.

3. the electronic payment service is a service using a credit card, A personal card is issued to the principal as the credit card, and a family card is issued to the principal's family as the credit card, the management unit manages family usage information indicating usage amounts and usage details for family cards used by the person's family; The household information includes the personal use information and the family use information.

2. The electronic payment service management device according to claim 1.

4. the electronic payment service is a service using a credit card, A personal card is issued to the principal as the credit card, and a family card is issued to the principal's family as the credit card, the management unit manages personal attribute information relating to attributes of the person, family usage information indicating usage amounts and usage details for family cards used by family members of the person, and family attribute information relating to attributes of the family members; The household information includes the person attribute information and the family attribute information.

2. The electronic payment service management device according to claim 1.

5. The household information includes age information indicating the ages of the person's family members, The estimation unit is a first estimation unit that estimates a content of the event based on the age information; A second estimation unit that estimates an expense amount required for the content of the estimated event.

2. The electronic payment service management device according to claim 1.

6. The second estimation unit estimates the expense amount by inputting the content of the event and the personal use information estimated by the first estimation unit into a learning model that has already learned the relationship between the content of the event, the personal use information, and the expense amount.

6. The electronic payment service management device according to claim 5.

7. the electronic payment service is a first electronic payment service; The personal information is first personal information, the management unit manages second personal use information indicating a usage amount and usage details for a second electronic payment service used by the person; the prediction unit predicts a first usage amount, which is a usage amount of the first electronic payment service during the predetermined period, based on the past first personal usage information managed by the management unit; the prediction unit predicts a second usage amount, which is a usage amount of the second electronic payment service from the present to the end of the predetermined period, based on the past second personal usage information managed by the management unit; the notification unit further notifies the terminal device used by the principal of the second usage amount when the first usage amount is less than the predetermined amount.

2. The electronic payment service management device according to claim 1.

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