Terminal device and management device

Abstract

To provide a terminal device which enables appropriate editing of contents of a contracted plan.SOLUTION: A business operator terminal 3 as a terminal device, comprises means of displaying a plan editing screen for editing contents of a plan contracted between a business operator and a user, and input items related to the plan displayed on the plan editing screen include items whose updatability is switched depending on the presence or absence of other users subscribed to the plan.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a terminal device and a management device. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a system for managing the optimization of license contracts and purchases for various services used by companies, organizations, etc. This system executes a license purchase optimization simulation based on license information including the usage status and purchase conditions of the contracted license, and executes license purchase processing based on the execution result. This automatically extracts unnecessary services, inefficient operations, overlapping contracts, etc., and optimizes contracts and purchases by executing, reviewing, suspending, or abolishing them. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-105932 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The system of Patent Document 1 stores in a database purchase conditions, including the usage fee and billing details, set by the service provider, and enters into a contract or purchases a license based on these purchase conditions. Patent Document 1 does not describe how to edit and manage the purchase conditions. However, if the purchase conditions corresponding to the contract plan could be arbitrarily edited, it would cause disadvantages to users who have already signed up for that plan, so there is room for further consideration.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one of its objects is to provide a terminal device and a management device that can appropriately edit the contents of a plan to be contracted. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A terminal device according to one embodiment of the present invention has a means for displaying a plan editing screen for editing the contents of a plan contracted between a business operator and a user, and among the input items related to the plan displayed on the plan editing screen is an item that can be updated or not, depending on whether or not there is a user who has contracted for that plan.

[0007] A management device according to another aspect of the present invention has a means for displaying a plan editing screen on an operator's terminal device for editing a plan to be contracted between an operator and a user, and among the input items related to the plan displayed on the plan editing screen is an item that switches between being able to update and not being able to update based on whether or not there is a user who has contracted for that plan. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a terminal device and a management device that are capable of appropriately editing the contents of a contracted plan. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an information processing system including a carrier terminal which is a terminal device according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a management device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a carrier terminal. [Figure 4] 13 is an example of a plan editing screen displayed on a business operator terminal. [Diagram 5] 13 is an example of a plan editing screen displayed on a business operator terminal. [Figure 6] 13 is an example of a contract management screen displayed on a business operator terminal. [Figure 7] 11 is a sequence chart illustrating a process performed between the operator terminal and the management device. [Figure 8]11 is a sequence chart illustrating a processing procedure performed in a user terminal and a management device. [Figure 9] 11 is a sequence chart illustrating a processing procedure performed in a user terminal, a provider terminal, and a management device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same elements are given the same reference numerals and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0011] [Outline of information processing system] The configuration of an information processing system 1 including a business operator terminal 3 which is a terminal device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The information processing system 1 includes, for example, a management device 2 which is a server device, the business operator terminal 3, and a user terminal 4.

[0012] An information processing system 1 according to the embodiment is, for example, a system that manages plans contracted between a business operator and a user.

[0013] Here, the plan in the embodiment can be arbitrarily determined by the business operator for each service or product, and the user can apply for a contract by specifying one or more plans from among a plurality of plans determined by a certain business operator. A specific example will be described below.

[0014] In the case of a business providing an online learning service, for example, multiple courses and the textbooks used in each course are set as plans. A user, for example, combines a plan for a spring campaign course with multiple plans corresponding to the multiple textbooks used in the course, and enters into a single contract for the multiple plans.

[0015] For example, a fitness center operator may set up plans for multiple membership fees and rental of various equipment. A user may combine a basic plan with a monthly membership fee of 7,000 yen with a plan for renting wear, and enter into a single contract for these multiple plans.

[0016] For example, an operator of an izakaya may set a plan that includes either the first drink free for one year or a 5% discount on the bill for one year, along with the food and drinks served at the izakaya. A user may combine a plan for a 5% discount on the bill for one year with multiple plans for the food and drinks eaten at the izakaya, and enter into a single contract for the multiple plans.

[0017] The management device 2 is, for example, a computer device that executes various processes for managing contracts and plans. The business operator terminal 3 is a computer device used by a business operator that provides services or sells products. The user terminal 4 is a computer device used by a user that purchases services provided by a business operator or products sold by a business operator.

[0018] The business operator terminal 3 and the user terminal 4 may be, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) terminal, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or other terminal device.

[0019] The management device 2, the business operator terminal 3, and the user terminal 4 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network N. The network N may be, for example, the Internet, a LAN, a dedicated line, a telephone line, an in-house network, a mobile communication network, Bluetooth (registered trademark), WiFi (Wireless Fidelity), other communication lines, or a combination thereof, and may be either wired or wireless.

[0020] [Management device configuration] As shown in FIG. 2, the management device 2 includes, as its physical components, a processor 21, a communication interface 22, and a storage device 23, for example.

[0021] The processor 21 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The processor 21 executes a program 231 stored in the storage device 23, thereby functioning as a control unit 211 that realizes various functions of the management device 2.

[0022] The control unit 211 realizes, for example, a function of exchanging information with the business operator terminal 3, a function of displaying various screens on the business operator terminal 3 in response to a request received from the business operator terminal 3, and a function of receiving contents input to the various screens from the business operator terminal 3. The various screens will be described later.

[0023] The communication interface 22 is connected to the network N and functions as a communication unit that communicates with other devices and terminals on the network N.

[0024] The storage device 23 is, for example, a computer-readable recording medium such as a disk drive or a semiconductor memory. The storage device 23 functions as a storage unit that stores a program 231 for implementing various functions of the management device 2 and various data 232 used by the program 231.

[0025] The various data 232 includes, for example, data constituting plan information relating to plans, contract information relating to contracts, payment history information relating to payments, business information relating to businesses, and user information relating to users.

[0026] [Configuration of operator terminal and user terminal] As shown in FIG. 3, the carrier terminal 3 includes, as its physical configuration, a processor 31, a communication interface 32, a storage device 33, an input device 34, and a display device 35, for example.

[0027] The processor 31 is, for example, a processor such as a CPU, an MPU, etc. The processor 31 executes a program 331 stored in the storage device 33, thereby functioning as a control unit 311 that realizes various functions of the carrier terminal 3.

[0028] The control unit 311 realizes, for example, a function of transmitting various requests to the management device 2 in accordance with an operational instruction from a business operator who operates the business terminal 3, displaying various screens on the display device 35, and a function of transmitting contents inputted into various screens in accordance with an operational instruction from the business operator to the management device 2. The various screens will be described later.

[0029] The communication interface 32 is connected to the network N and functions as a communication unit that communicates with other terminals and devices on the network N.

[0030] The storage device 33 is, for example, a computer-readable recording medium such as a disk drive or a semiconductor memory. The storage device 33 functions as a storage unit that stores a program 331 for implementing various functions of the carrier terminal 3 and various data used by the program 331.

[0031] The input device 34 functions as an input unit that accepts input from the business operator. As the input device 34, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a pen tablet, a microphone, etc. can be used.

[0032] The display device 35 functions as a display unit that displays images, screens, etc. As the display device 35, for example, an organic EL display, a liquid crystal display, etc. can be used.

[0033] Here, the user terminal 4 has the same components as the provider terminal 3. That is, the user terminal 4 has, as a physical configuration, for example, a processor, a communication interface, a storage device, an input device, and a display device. Since each component of the user terminal 4 is similar to each component of the provider terminal 3 described above, the description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] [A function that allows operators to edit the contents of plans that users can sign up for] In the following, a function in which the provider edits the contents of plans that users can subscribe to while exchanging information between the provider terminal 3 and the management device 2 will be described.

[0035] Here, the plan to be edited is, for example, a plan created by each business operator using a plan creation screen. Data items constituting a plan may include, for example, basic information, billing details, free period, whether or not new applications can be accepted, and memos. The basic information may include the name of the plan and a description of the plan, and the billing details may include billing details such as billing category, billing frequency, and amount.

[0036] When a business operator edits the contents of a plan, the information processing system 1 in this embodiment switches whether or not some of the data items constituting the plan can be updated depending on whether or not there is a user who has subscribed to the plan to be edited. The details of the process depending on the presence or absence of a user who has subscribed will be specifically described in the following (1) and (2).

[0037] (1) If there is no user subscribed to the plan you want to edit: All data items constituting the plan can be updated. A plan editing screen 4a in this case is shown in Fig. 4. This plan editing screen 4a may be used as the plan creation screen described above.

[0038] The plan editing screen 4a in FIG. 4 has input fields, for example, a plan name input field 4b, a plan description input field 4c, a billing category input field 4d, a billing frequency input field 4e, an amount input field 4f, a free period input field 4g, a new application acceptance setting field 4h, and a memo input field 4i.

[0039] In Fig. 4, for example, the plan name input field 4b, the billing category input field 4d, the billing frequency input field 4e, the amount input field 4f, and the new application acceptance input field 4h are set as required input fields. Note that the required input fields are not limited to these, and can be set appropriately according to the actual operation situation.

[0040] The plan name input field 4b is a field for inputting the name of the plan. The plan description input field 4c is a field for inputting a description of the plan. The plan name and the plan description are included in the basic information.

[0041] The billing category input field 4d is a field for inputting how the fee for the plan will be charged. In FIG. 4, for example, either lump sum or continuous can be selected. The billing frequency input field 4e is a field for inputting how often billing will be performed if continuous is selected as the billing category. In FIG. 4, for example, either monthly or custom can be selected, and if custom is selected, any interval can be input in months.

[0042] The amount input field 4f is a field for inputting the fee to be set for the plan. In FIG. 4, for example, when the amount excluding tax is input and either 10% (standard taxation) or 8% (reduced tax rate) is selected as the consumption tax rate setting, the amount including tax is automatically calculated and displayed. The charge category, charge frequency, and amount are included in the charge details.

[0043] The free period input field 4g is a field for inputting the period for which the plan is provided free of charge. In FIG. 4, for example, any number of days can be input. The new application acceptance setting field 4h is a field for setting whether or not new applications for the plan are accepted. The memo input field 4i is a field for inputting any memo.

[0044] (2) If there are users who have subscribed to the plan you want to edit: Among the data items constituting the plan, the item of the charge details cannot be updated, but the other items can be updated. An example of the plan editing screen 5a in this case is shown in FIG.

[0045] The data items provided on the plan editing screen 5a in Fig. 5 are the same as the data items provided on the plan editing screen 4a in Fig. 4. The difference between the two screens is that the billing category input field 4d and the billing frequency input field 4e in Fig. 4 can be updated by inputting data, whereas the billing category display field 5d and the billing frequency display field 5e in Fig. 5 are only displayed and data cannot be updated. Also, the amount input field 5f in Fig. 5 can be edited by inputting data in the same way as the amount input field 4f in Fig. 4 by selecting the "Edit" tag in the field.

[0046] The reason why the billing category display field 5d and the billing frequency display field 5e cannot be updated on the plan editing screen 5a is because updating the billing category or billing frequency of a plan with a subscribed user may cause inconvenience to the subscribed user. For example, if a 6-month billing is updated to a monthly billing, a user who subscribed to the 6-month billing will be charged an amount that they do not remember.

[0047] [A function that allows carriers to check the plans that users have signed up for] The following describes a function in which the operator checks the plan with which the user has signed up while exchanging information between the operator terminal 3 and the management device 2.

[0048] The information processing system 1 in the embodiment allows a business operator to check a plurality of plans included in a contract designated by the business operator at once when the business operator checks the plan. A specific description will be given with reference to the drawings.

[0049] 6 shows an example of a contract management screen 6a that a business operator views to confirm a contract. This contract management screen 6a is displayed, for example, by specifying a target user on the previous screen. By selecting the "Basic Information" tab, the "Contracted Plan" tab 6b, or the "Cancelled Plan" tab provided on the contract management screen 6a, the basic information, contracted plan, or canceled plan corresponding to the specified user can be displayed.

[0050] FIG. 6 shows an example of a contract management screen 6a that is displayed when the "Current Plan" tab 6b is selected.

[0051] The contract management screen 6a is provided with a selection field 6c for specifying a contract to be displayed on the screen. In the selection field 6c, options consisting of the contract number of the target user and multiple plan names included in the contract are displayed in a selectable manner. Note that if the target user has not yet signed a contract, no options are displayed in the selection field 6c.

[0052] When the business operator operating the business operator terminal 3 selects a desired option from the selection field 6c, the contents of the contract corresponding to the selected option are displayed on the contract management screen 6a.

[0053] The contract management screen 6a includes a plan information display field 6d that displays information about one or more plans included in the contract, a contract details display field 6e that displays details of the contract, and a payment history display field 6f that displays the payment history.

[0054] The plan information display field 6d illustratively displays the plan name, the charge including tax, the free period, the applicable campaign, and the discount details for each plan. Figure 6 illustrates a case where a contract uniquely identified by a contract number includes two plans, "Plan A" and "Plan B."

[0055] The contract information display field 6e illustratively displays the contract number, application date and time, next billing date, and contract status. The payment history display field 6f illustratively displays the payment number, payment date, status, payment method, and payment amount including tax.

[0056] [What happens when a business creates or updates a plan] With reference to FIG. 7, an example of a process performed by the provider terminal 3 and the management device 2 when the provider creates or updates a plan will be described.

[0057] First, when a business operator creates a new plan (step S101; YES), the business operator terminal 3 accepts input of data required for creating the plan in accordance with the business operator's operation, and creates the plan (step S102).

[0058] Next, the management device 2 registers the plan information based on the contents input in the above step S102 (step S103).

[0059] When the business operator edits an existing plan (step S101; NO), the business operator terminal 3 accepts input of data required for editing the plan in accordance with the business operator's operation, and updates the plan (step S104).

[0060] Here, if there is no user who has subscribed to the plan to be edited in step S104, for example, the plan editing screen 4a in Fig. 4 is displayed. On the other hand, if there is a user who has subscribed to the plan to be edited, for example, the plan editing screen 5a in Fig. 5 is displayed.

[0061] Next, the management device 2 updates the plan information based on the content input in step S104 (step S105).

[0062] [Behavior when a user selects a plan and signs up] With reference to FIG. 8, an example of a process performed between the user terminal 4 and the management device 2 when the user selects a plan and enters into a contract will be described.

[0063] First, the user terminal 4 accepts, in accordance with a user's operation, the selection of one or more plans to which the user wishes to subscribe (step S201).

[0064] Next, the user terminal 4 accepts input of a payment method, such as credit card payment, according to an operation by the user (step S202).

[0065] Next, the user terminal 4 accepts an instruction to confirm the application for the contract according to an operation by the user (step S203).

[0066] Next, the management device 2 registers the contract information based on the contents inputted at the user terminal 4 (step S204).

[0067] [Operation when a carrier checks the plan a user has signed up for] With reference to FIG. 9, an example of a process procedure performed by the user terminal 4, the provider terminal 3, and the management device 2 when the provider checks the plan with which the user has signed up will be described.

[0068] First, the user terminal 4 executes an inquiry about the contract applied for by the user according to an operational instruction from the user (step S301).

[0069] Next, the business operator terminal 3 accepts the selection of the contract applied for by the target user according to the operation of the business operator who viewed the inquiry (step S302).

[0070] Here, the selection of the contract can be accepted, for example, by having the user select an option from the selection field 6c of the contract management screen 6a of FIG.

[0071] Next, the management device 2 extracts the contract information, plan information, and the like corresponding to the contract selected in the above step S302 (step S303).

[0072] Here, when one contract includes multiple plans, information on the multiple plans linked to one contract is extracted. Examples of the case where one contract includes multiple plans include a plan that continues for a specified period and a one-time plan related to that plan, a basic plan that continues for a specified period and an option plan related to the basic plan, etc.

[0073] Next, the business operator terminal 3 displays the contract information, plan information, and the like extracted in the above step S303 (step S304).

[0074] Here, the contract information and plan information can be displayed, for example, by displaying the plan information display field 6d, the contract details display field 6e, and the payment history display field 6f on the contract management screen 6a in Fig. 6. This allows the user to check all of the plans included in a contract, even if the user has contracted for multiple plans at once.

[0075] Next, the provider terminal 3 transmits a response to the inquiry about the contract executed in step S301 to the user terminal 4 in accordance with an operation instruction from the provider who has confirmed the contract information, plan information, and the like (step S305).

[0076] Next, the user terminal 4 receives a response to the inquiry about the contract (step S306).

[0077] As described above, according to the information processing system 1 including the business operator terminal 3 of the embodiment, a plan editing screen for editing the contents of a plan contracted between the business operator and a user is displayed, and among the input items related to the plan displayed on the plan editing screen, an item can be included that switches whether or not it can be updated based on whether or not there is a user who has contracted for that plan.

[0078] Specifically, on the editing screen for a plan that has a subscribed user, the billing category and billing frequency cannot be updated, thereby preventing updates to the billing category and billing frequency from resulting in unfamiliar charges.

[0079] This makes it possible to appropriately edit the contents of the plan to be subscribed.

[0080] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in every respect, and should not be interpreted as being restrictive. For example, the order of each of the above-described processing steps can be arbitrarily changed or executed in parallel as long as no contradiction occurs in the processing content.

[0081] In addition, the programs in the above-described embodiments can be installed or loaded into a computer through various recording media (computer-readable recording media) such as optical disks such as CDs and DVDs, magnetic disks, and semiconductor memories, or by downloading them from a server device (medium) via a communication network, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1...information processing system, 2...management device, 3...business operator terminal, 4...user terminal, 21...processor, 22...communication interface, 23...storage device, 31...processor, 32...communication interface, 33...storage device, 34...input device, 35...display device, 211...control unit, 231...program, 232...data, 311...control unit, 331...program

Claims

1. a means for displaying a plan editing screen for editing the contents of a plan to be contracted between a business operator and a user; The input items related to the plan displayed on the plan editing screen include an item that can be updated or not depending on whether or not there is a user who has subscribed to the plan. Terminal device.

2. The items for which the possibility of updating can be switched include items related to billing. The terminal device according to claim 1.

3. The items related to the billing include items of billing category and billing frequency. The terminal device according to claim 2.

4. The items for which renewal is not possible based on whether or not there is a user who has subscribed to the plan include an item of the amount set for the plan. The terminal device according to claim 1.

5. The plan is set for each service or product. The terminal device according to claim 1.

6. a means for displaying a plan editing screen for editing a plan to be contracted between a business operator and a user on a terminal device of the business operator; The input items related to the plan displayed on the plan editing screen include an item that can be updated or not depending on whether or not there is a user who has subscribed to the plan. Management device.

Images