Information processing method, program, information processing device

Abstract

To provide technology for improving user's convenience.SOLUTION: An information processing method makes an information processing device execute the processes for: presenting a plurality of settlement means to a user; receiving selection of settlement means using a balance of an electronic value associated with the user; receiving a request to add the electronic value to the balance with a bank account preliminarily associated with the user as a payment source in the case that a balance is insufficient in settlement using the settlement means; adding the electronic value to the balance with the bank account as a payment source in the case that the balance is insufficient in the settlement using the settlement means; and subtracting a settlement amount from the added balance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing method, a program, and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, various electronic commerce transactions have been conducted on the Internet (Patent Document 1). One known payment method in electronic commerce is to make a payment after depositing (charging) money from a bank account or the like into a user's account at a payment service provider. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-077641 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional methods require a user to perform two operations: topping up an account and paying for the product, which makes the operations complicated.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for improving user convenience. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an information processing device performing the following processes: presenting a plurality of payment methods to a user; accepting a selection of a payment method using the balance of electronic value associated with the user; accepting a request to add electronic value to the balance using a bank account previously associated with the user as the withdrawal source when the balance is insufficient for payment using the payment method; adding electronic value to the balance using the bank account as the withdrawal source when the balance is insufficient for payment using the payment method; and subtracting the payment amount from the balance after addition. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a communication system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device according to the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of an information processing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information storage unit according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 shows an example of a processing sequence of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an example of transition of a screen displayed on the terminal according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an example of a display mode of another terminal during charging and settlement processing according to the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of a display mode of the terminal when payment has failed according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 shows another example of a display mode of the terminal when the payment has failed according to the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 shows another example of a display mode of the terminal on which the payment screen according to the embodiment is displayed. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 shows an example of a processing sequence of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 shows an example of a display mode of a terminal on which a recharge amount selection screen according to the first embodiment is displayed. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 shows an example of a display mode of the terminal on which the payment screen according to the first embodiment is displayed. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 shows an example of a processing sequence of the communication system 1 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 shows an example of a display mode of a terminal on which an error screen according to the second embodiment is displayed. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 shows an example of a display mode of a terminal on which a payment method selection screen is displayed according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] <Legal compliance> The disclosure described herein, when implemented, is implemented in compliance with the laws and regulations of the countries in which the disclosure is implemented. In addition, the disclosure described herein is implemented with all changes, substitutions, variations, modifications, and alterations that a person skilled in the art can make that are necessary to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries.

[0009] An embodiment for carrying out settlement according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <System configuration> Fig. 1 illustrates a configuration of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in Fig. 1, in the communication system 1, a server 110A, a server 110B, a terminal 120A, a terminal 120B, a terminal 120C, and an external server 140 are connected via a network 130.

[0011] In the present disclosure, when there is no need to distinguish between server 110A and server 110B, server 110A and server 110B may each be expressed as server 110.

[0012] In the present disclosure, when there is no need to distinguish between terminal 120A, terminal 120B, and terminal 120C, terminal 120A, terminal 120B, and terminal 120C may each be expressed as terminal 120.

[0013] In the present disclosure, when it is not necessary to distinguish between the server 110 and the terminal 120, the server 110 and the terminal 120 may each be expressed as an information processing device 200. Note that the number of information processing devices 200 connected to the network 130 is not limited.

[0014] The server 110 provides a predetermined service to the terminal 120 used by the user via the network 130. The predetermined service includes, but is not limited to, a payment service, a financial service, an electronic commerce service, a social networking service (SNS) represented by an instant messenger, a content providing service such as music, videos, and books, etc. When a user uses the predetermined service via the terminal 120, the server 110 can provide the predetermined service to one or more terminals 120.

[0015] In this disclosure, a payment service means a service that allows one or more users to give and receive money or money equivalents. Examples include, but are not limited to, services that use one-dimensional codes (such as barcodes), two-dimensional codes (such as QR codes (registered trademark)) (hereinafter, one-dimensional codes and two-dimensional codes are collectively referred to as "two-dimensional codes, etc."), and near-field wireless communication (NFC (Near Field Communication), BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ultrasonic communication, infrared communication, etc.). In addition, a payment made by a terminal 120 of a user (payer) who makes a payment by reading a two-dimensional code, etc. is expressed as "user-readable code payment" or "MPM (Merchant Presented Mode)", and a payment made by a terminal 120 of a user (seller, biller) of a store, etc., who bills for the payment, reading the displayed two-dimensional code, etc. is expressed as "store-readable code payment" or "CPM (Consumer Presented Mode)". It should be noted that the MPM and CPM may be dynamic or static.

[0016] If necessary, the terminal used by user X is expressed as terminal 120X, and user information in a predetermined service associated with user X or terminal 120X is expressed as user information X. Note that user information is information of a user associated with an account used by the user in a predetermined service. User information includes, but is not limited to, information associated with a user, such as a user's name, a user's icon image, a user's age, a user's sex, a user's address, a user's hobbies and interests, and a user's identifier, which is input by the user or given by a predetermined service, balance information of electronic value (electronic money) associated with the user, and credit card information (such as a credit card number) associated with the user, and may be any one or a combination of these.

[0017] The network 130 serves to connect two or more information processing devices 200. The network 130 refers to a communication network that provides a connection path so that the terminal 120 can connect to the server 110 and then transmit and receive data.

[0018] One or more portions of the network 130 may be a wired network or a wireless network. The network 130 may include, by way of example and without limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular network, Integrated Service Digital Networks (ISDNs), wireless LANs, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Bluetooth, satellite communications, or the like, or a combination of two or more thereof. The network 130 may include one or more networks 130.

[0019] Information processing device 200 may be any information processing device capable of implementing the functions and methods described in this disclosure.

[0020] The information processing device 200 may include, for example and without limitation, a smartphone, a mobile phone (feature phone), a computer (for example and without limitation, a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a server device, a media computer platform (for example and without limitation, a cable or satellite set-top box, digital video recorder, etc.), a handheld computer device (for example and without limitation, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), email client, etc.), a wearable terminal (for example and without limitation, a glasses-type device, a watch-type device, etc.), other types of computers, or communication platforms.

[0021] The external server 140 is, for example, a server managed by a bank, a credit card company, or the like that is affiliated with the business entity that manages the server 110. In addition, for example, the external server 140 is a server managed by a bank where the user of the server 110 has a deposit account.

[0022] <Hardware configuration> The hardware configuration of the information processing device 200 included in the communication system 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0023] The information processing device 200 includes a processor 201, a memory 202, a storage 203, an input / output interface (input / output I / F) 204, and a communication interface (communication I / F) 205. The hardware components of the information processing device 200 are connected to each other via a bus B, for example and not for limitation.

[0024] The information processing device 200 realizes the functions and / or methods described in this disclosure through cooperation between a processor 201, a memory 202, a storage 203, an input / output I / F 204, and a communication I / F 205.

[0025] The processor 201 executes functions and methods realized by codes or instructions included in a program stored in the storage 203. The processor 201 includes, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and the like, and may realize each process disclosed in each embodiment by a logic circuit (hardware) or a dedicated circuit formed in an integrated circuit (an integrated circuit (IC) chip, a large scale integration (LSI)), and the like. In addition, these circuits may be realized by one or more integrated circuits, and a plurality of processes shown in each embodiment may be realized by one integrated circuit. In addition, an LSI may be called a VLSI, a super LSI, an ultra LSI, and the like depending on the degree of integration.

[0026] The memory 202 temporarily stores the programs loaded from the storage 203 and provides a working area for the processor 201. The memory 202 also temporarily stores various data generated while the processor 201 is executing the programs. The memory 202 includes, but is not limited to, a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), and the like.

[0027] The storage 203 stores programs. The storage 203 includes, but is not limited to, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, and the like.

[0028] The communication I / F 205 transmits and receives various data via the network 130. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the mutual communication can be performed. The communication I / F 205 has a function of performing communication with other information processing devices via the network 130. The communication I / F 205 transmits various data to other information processing devices according to instructions from the processor 201. The communication I / F 205 also receives various data transmitted from other information processing devices and transmits it to the processor 201.

[0029] The input / output I / F 204 includes an input device for inputting various operations to the information processing device 200, and an output device for outputting processing results processed by the information processing device 200. The input / output I / F 204 may be an integrated input device and an output device, or may be separate input device and output device.

[0030] The input device is realized by any one or a combination of all kinds of devices that can receive input from a user and transmit information related to the input to the processor 201. Examples of the input device include, but are not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, hardware keys such as a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a camera (operation input via an image), and a microphone (operation input by voice).

[0031] The output device is realized by any one of all types of devices capable of outputting the processing result processed by the processor 201, or a combination thereof. When the processing result is output as a video or a moving image, the output device is realized by any one of all types of devices capable of displaying the display data according to the display data written in the frame buffer, or a combination thereof. Examples of the output device include, but are not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, a monitor (for example, but not limited to, a liquid crystal display, an OELD (Organic Electroluminescence Display), etc.), a head mounted display (HDM: Head Mounted Display), projection mapping, a hologram, a device capable of displaying images, text information, etc. in the air (which may be a vacuum), a speaker (audio output), a printer, etc. Note that these output devices may be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

[0032] The programs of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can store the programs in a "non-transitory tangible medium." The programs include, but are not limited to, software programs and computer programs.

[0033] The storage medium may, where appropriate, include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (such as, by way of example and not limitation, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific ICs (ASICs), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, secure digital cards or drives, any other suitable storage media, or any suitable combination of two or more of these. The storage medium may, where appropriate, be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile.

[0034] Furthermore, the program of the present disclosure may be provided to the information processing device 200 via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) capable of transmitting the program.

[0035] Furthermore, each embodiment of the present disclosure may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave in which a program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0036] The programs of the present disclosure are implemented using, by way of example and not limitation, scripting languages ​​such as JavaScript (registered trademark) and Python, C language, Go language, Swift Koltin, Java (registered trademark), and the like.

[0037] At least a part of the processing in the information processing device 200 may be realized by cloud computing configured by one or more computers.

[0038] At least a part of the processing in the information processing device 200 may be performed by another information processing device. In this case, at least a part of the processing of each functional unit realized by the processor 201 may be performed by the other information processing device.

[0039] <Other> Unless explicitly stated, the judgment configuration in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not required, and a specified process may be performed when the judgment condition is satisfied, or a specified process may be performed when the judgment condition is not satisfied.

[0040] In this disclosure, unless expressly stated or indicated by context, "at least one of A and B" means "A, B, or both." Furthermore, unless expressly stated or indicated by context, "a," "an," or "the" shall mean "one or more." Thus, in this specification, unless expressly stated or indicated by context, "an A" or "the A" means "one or more A."

[0041] The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions, variations, modifications, or alterations that a person skilled in the art may make to the embodiments and examples of the present disclosure. The appended claims also encompass all changes, substitutions, variations, modifications, or alterations that a person skilled in the art may make to the embodiments and examples of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the present disclosure encompasses any combination of one or more features of an embodiment or example in the present disclosure with one or more features of another embodiment or example in the present disclosure that a person skilled in the art may make.

[0042] In addition, references in the appended claims to an apparatus or system, or an apparatus or system component, that is adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, operable, or capable of performing a particular function encompasses that apparatus, system, component, whether or not the apparatus, system, component, or that particular function thereof is activated, turned on, or unlocked, so long as the apparatus, system, or component is so adapted, arranged, capable, configured, enabled, enabled, or capable of performing a particular function.

[0043] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, consent may be obtained from a user in advance or immediately before the implementation of any embodiment or example. In addition, the consent obtained may be comprehensive or may be obtained on a case-by-case basis.

[0044] <Embodiment> In this embodiment, an instruction to top up the available balance in the payment service provided by the server 110 and an instruction to make a payment are included in a single request.

[0045] According to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of operations on the terminal 120 when making a payment to purchase a product. Therefore, the embodiment has the effect of reducing the burden on the user and improving convenience.

[0046] <Functional configuration of the first embodiment> The functional configuration of the server 110 and the terminal 120 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. The functional units disclosed in Fig. 3 are realized by cooperation between a processor 201, a memory 202, a storage 203, an input / output I / F 204, and a communication I / F 205 included in the information processing device 200. (1) Functional configuration of the server The server 110 includes a transmission / reception unit 312, a control unit 313, and a storage unit 314. Note that the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the extent possible.

[0047] The transmitting / receiving unit 312 transmits and receives data to and from the terminal 120 and the like in accordance with instructions from the control unit 313. When the user of the terminal 120 is authenticated by, for example, a user ID and a password included in a login request from the terminal 120, the transmitting / receiving unit 312 connects a communication session with the terminal 120 using HTTPS or the like. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 312 stores the communication address and the user ID of the terminal 120 in association with the ID of the connected communication session. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 312 transmits data to the terminal 120 using the connected communication session.

[0048] The control unit 313 performs processing to provide predetermined services, such as payment services, financial services, and electronic commerce services, to the user of the terminal 120. The control unit 313 will be described in detail later.

[0049] The storage unit 314 has a user information database 3141, and stores user information of the terminal 120. The user information database 3141 will be described later in detail. The storage unit 314 also stores programs executed by the server 110 and the like.

[0050] The control unit 313 of this embodiment has a display processing unit 315 , an amount calculation unit 316 , a charge processing unit 317 , a settlement unit 318 , an output unit 319 , and a benefit granting unit 320 .

[0051] The display processing unit 315 causes the terminal 120 to display various screens.

[0052] The amount calculation unit 316 calculates the amount to be charged (charge amount) based on a request from the terminal 120. The amount calculation unit 316 may also determine whether the balance is less than the price of the product, or whether the calculated charge amount is less than a predetermined amount.

[0053] The charge processing unit 317 communicates with the external server 140 via the transmission / reception unit 312, and charges the balance of the user who made the request. In addition, if the user has registered multiple bank accounts, the charge processing unit 317 may select a bank account from which the balance will be credited in accordance with predetermined conditions.

[0054] The predetermined condition includes, for example, that the bank account is the most recently used bank account, that the bank account has the largest deposit balance, that the bank account is a bank account selected in advance by the user, that the bank account is a destination for the proceeds of sales of products sold by the user via server 110, etc. The predetermined condition is not limited to these and may be various conditions. For example, the predetermined condition may be a bank account that is frequently used by the user.

[0055] The settlement unit 318 performs settlement in response to a payment request for the amount to be paid from the terminal 120. The output unit 319 outputs various information from the server 110 to the terminal 120 and the external server 140 via the transmission / reception unit 312.

[0056] The reward giving unit 320 gives the user a reward according to the charge amount or the price of the product when the payment by the payment unit 318 fails. The reward in this embodiment is points, coupons, etc., which can be used to pay the price in the payment service provided by the server 110. (2) Functional configuration of the terminal The terminal 120 includes a reception unit 321, a transmission / reception unit 322, a control unit 323, and a storage unit 324. Note that the functions or processes of each functional unit may be realized by machine learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence) to the extent possible.

[0057] The reception unit 321 receives various operations from the user of the terminal 120 .

[0058] The transmitting / receiving unit 322 transmits and receives data to and from the server 110 and the like in accordance with instructions from the control unit 323. For example, when logging in to the server 110, the transmitting / receiving unit 322 connects a communication session with the server 110 using HTTPS or the like. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 322 stores the communication address of the server 110 and the like in association with the ID of the connected communication session. Then, the transmitting / receiving unit 322 transmits data to the server 110 using the connected communication session.

[0059] The control unit 323 performs processing to utilize services provided by the server 110, such as payment services, financial services, and electronic commerce services.

[0060] The storage unit 324 stores programs executed by the terminal 120 and the like.

[0061] (3) Example of user information storage unit The user information database 3141 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information storage unit of the first embodiment.

[0062] The user information database 3141 of this embodiment has information items such as user ID, user name, balance, borrowing limit, borrowing amount, points, payment history, payment method, bank account, etc. In the user information database 3141, the item "user ID" is associated with other items.

[0063] The value of the item "user ID" indicates user identification information for identifying a user of the payment service or the like provided by the server 110. The value of the item "user name" indicates the name of the user.

[0064] The value of the item "Balance" indicates the remaining amount available to the user for payment. Specifically, the item "Balance" is associated with the items "Owned Balance" and "Borrowable Balance". The value of the item "Owned Balance" is the amount deposited by the user into server 110. The amount deposited by the user into server 110 may include, for example, the price of goods and the like when the user sells goods and the like using the electronic commerce service provided by server 110. It may also include, for example, amounts charged using a bank, credit card, or a store's cash register. The value of the item "Borrowable Balance" is the amount obtained by subtracting the borrowing amount from the borrowing limit.

[0065] The value of the item "Borrowing limit" is the upper limit of the amount of money that the user can borrow for a specified period (e.g., one month) from the operator of the server 110 to use for settlement. In other words, the borrowing limit is the upper limit of the settlement amount that the user can settle by borrowing from the operator of the server 110 for a specified period.

[0066] The value of the item "Borrowed amount" is the total amount of money borrowed by the user from the operator of the server 110 for use in each payment during the specified period. The total amount of the borrowed amount may be settled monthly.

[0067] The value of the item "points" is, for example, points that can be used to pay for a price, which are given to the user by the server 110. Note that it may be possible to make a payment of 1 yen per point.

[0068] The value of the item "payment history" indicates the payment history of the corresponding user. Specifically, the value of the item "payment history" may include, for example, information identifying a website where the corresponding user made a payment using the payment service provided by the server 110, or information regarding a product purchased by the user using the payment service.

[0069] The value of the item "Payment method" indicates the payment method used by the user in the payment service provided by the server 110. Specifically, the payment method may be, for example, a method of paying the price by a postpaid service or a method of paying the price by a top-up payment service.

[0070] The deferred payment service is a payment service provided by the server 110, and may be, for example, a service that allows a lump sum payment within a predetermined period, such as by the end of the following month, together with the price of a product purchased through a transaction service provided by the server 110. In addition, the upper limit of the amount that can be paid in a lump sum through the deferred payment service may be the borrowing limit.

[0071] A recharge payment service is a method in which a user deposits (recharges) money into the balance held in a payment account associated with the user's account, for example from a bank account or credit card associated with the account used by the user, or from a store's cash register, and then uses the deposited amount to pay for the item.

[0072] The value of the item "Bank Account" indicates a bank account held by the user. The value of the item "Bank Account" may include information for logging in to a transaction service (Internet banking) provided via the Internet by an external server corresponding to the bank.

[0073] In the example of Figure 4, for example, a user with user ID "001" and name "User A" has an owned balance of 1,300 yen, a borrowable balance of 10,000 yen, a borrowing limit of 10,000, a borrowed amount of 0 yen, and 100 points.

[0074] <Operation process of the embodiment> The process of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows an example of a process sequence of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment.

[0075] In the communication system 1 of this embodiment, when a certain product is selected as a product to be purchased from among products sold through the service provided by the server 110 (step S501), the terminal 120 transmits a display request for a payment screen for the selected product to the server 110 (step S502). This display request includes the user ID of the user of the terminal 120.

[0076] In this embodiment, it is assumed that before the product is selected, a screen for selecting a payment method for the product price is displayed on the terminal 120 and the charge payment service is selected.

[0077] In addition, in this embodiment, a screen for selecting a payment method is displayed so that the top-up payment service can be selected only when the balance is less than the price of the product, but this is not limited to this. It is also possible to provide the user with both purchase and top-up at the same time by allowing the user to select any payment method regardless of whether the balance is less than the price of the product.

[0078] When the server 110 receives the display request including the user ID, the display processing unit 315 transmits an instruction to display a payment screen to the terminal 120 (step S503). This payment screen may be a screen including the balance corresponding to the user ID. Specifically, the server 110 may refer to the user information database 3141 and transmit the balance corresponding to the user ID included in the display request together with the display instruction to the terminal 120.

[0079] The terminal 120 accepts the display instruction and displays the payment screen (step S504). Next, when the terminal 120 accepts an instruction to purchase a product by recharge payment through a user operation on the payment screen, the terminal 120 transmits a recharge and payment request to the server 110 (step S505).

[0080] That is, the one request transmitted from terminal 120 to server 110 in step S505 includes a charge request for making a charge to server 110 and a payment request for making a payment. This request also includes the user ID of terminal 120. In other words, terminal 120 transmits one request including a deposit request and a payment request to server 110 in response to one operation by the user on the payment screen.

[0081] Next, the terminal 120 displays a screen indicating that the charge and settlement process is in progress (step S506).

[0082] When the server 110 receives the charge and payment request, the display processing unit 315 changes the state of the product for which a purchase instruction (payment instruction) has been given at the terminal 120 from a selectable state to an unselectable state (step S507).

[0083] Specifically, when a product for which a purchase instruction has been given on terminal 120 is selected on another terminal 120, server 110 displays information indicating that the product is in the process of being purchased on the product screen displayed on the other terminal 120. In this case, the product screen displayed on the other terminal 120 prohibits the acceptance of an operation to select this product as a product to be purchased.

[0084] Therefore, in this embodiment, while the server 110 is in the process of purchasing a certain product, it is possible to prevent the server 110 from receiving duplicate payment instructions for the same product from other terminals 120.

[0085] Next, the server 110 uses the amount calculation unit 316 to determine whether the user's remaining balance is equal to or greater than the price of the product, and calculates the recharge amount if the remaining balance is less than the price of the product (step S508). Specifically, the amount calculation unit 316 calculates the recharge amount according to the price of the product when purchasing the product and the remaining balance in the user information associated with the user ID.

[0086] The charge amount is, for example, the amount that becomes the price of the product when added to at least one of the remaining balance, points, coupons, etc. used by the user. In other words, it is the amount of the difference between the product price and the combined electronic value of the remaining balance, points, coupons, etc. used by the user. Note that the charge amount is not limited to this, and may be equal to or greater than the difference with the product price. More specifically, if the difference with the product price is 1,980 yen, the charge amount may be 2,000 yen or 3,000 yen. This allows the user to secure the balance available for the next payment with a single operation.

[0087] Next, the server 110 communicates with the external server 140, and the charge processing unit 317 charges (deposits) the calculated amount (electronic value) to the user's balance from the user's bank account identified by the user ID (step S509).

[0088] At this time, if there are multiple bank accounts corresponding to the user ID in the user information database 3141, the charge processing unit 317 selects the bank account from which the deposit will be made in accordance with the above-mentioned specified conditions, and charges the user's balance from the selected bank account.

[0089] When the charging is completed, the server 110 receives a charging completion notification from the external server 140 (step S510).

[0090] Next, when the server 110 receives the charge completion notification, the payment unit 318 performs payment (step S511). In other words, when the server 110 receives the charge completion notification, the server 110 performs a process for purchasing a product using the electronic value added by the charge.

[0091] In this way, when the server 110 receives one request including a charge instruction and a payment instruction from the terminal 120 in response to one operation on the terminal 120, the server 110 performs each of the charge process and the payment process (purchase process).

[0092] Therefore, in this embodiment, there is no need to perform multiple operations on terminal 120, such as issuing a charge instruction and then issuing a payment instruction, so the number of operations on terminal 120 can be reduced, improving user convenience.

[0093] The following steps S512 and S513 are performed when the payment is successful. If the payment is successful, the server 110 transmits a payment completion notification to the terminal 120 via the output unit 319 (step S512). Upon receiving the payment completion notification, the terminal 120 displays a purchase completion screen (step S513).

[0094] The following process from step S514 to step S516 is an example of a process when the payment fails. When the payment fails, the server 110 causes the reward granting unit 320 to grant a reward to the user (step S514).

[0095] Specifically, the reward giving unit 320 gives a predetermined number of points to the user. For example, the reward giving unit 320 adds points equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the price of the product to the points held by the user.

[0096] Next, the server 110 transmits a benefit notification to the terminal 120 via the output unit 319 (step S515). The benefit notification includes information indicating that the payment has failed. Upon receiving the benefit notification, the terminal 120 displays a notification screen (step S516).

[0097] The following steps S517 to S520 are another example of the process when the payment fails. When the payment fails, the server 110 communicates with the external server 140, and the charge processing unit 317 returns the amount charged in step S509 to the original bank account (step S517).

[0098] Next, the server 110 causes the reward giving unit 320 to give a reward to the user (step S518). Specifically, the reward giving unit 320 adds points equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the charged amount to the points held by the user.

[0099] Next, the server 110 transmits a bonus notification to the terminal 120 via the output unit 319 (step S519). The bonus notification includes information indicating that the payment has failed and information indicating that the charged amount has been refunded to the bank account. Upon receiving the bonus notification, the terminal 120 displays a notification screen (step S520).

[0100] In the present embodiment, when the server 110 receives a recharge and settlement request, the server 110 performs recharge and then settlement, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0101] When the server 110 receives a recharge and settlement request, the server 110 adds the recharge amount to the user's balance and makes the settlement, and after the settlement, the server 110 may have the recharge amount deposited into the server 110 from the external server 140.

[0102] In other words, upon receiving a charge and payment request, server 110 may add an amount equivalent to the charge amount to the user's balance and perform the payment process, and after performing the payment process, may obtain the amount added by server 110 from the user's bank account on external server 140.

[0103] In this embodiment, the user's balance is charged from the deposit balance in the user's bank account, but this is not limited to this. The user's balance may be charged via the user's credit card or other electronic payment methods.

[0104] <Display Mode of Terminal 120 of the Embodiment> The display aspects of the terminal 120 will be described below with reference to Fig. 6 to Fig. 10. Fig. 6 shows an example of the transition of screens displayed on the terminal according to the embodiment.

[0105] A screen 61 shown in FIG. 6 is an example of a payment screen displayed on the terminal 120 in step S504 in FIG.

[0106] The screen 61 has a display field 62 and a display field 63. An image of the product is displayed in the display field 62. Confirmation items for the purchase are displayed in the display field 63.

[0107] Specifically, display area 63 displays a product price display area 64, a balance to be used display area 65, a payment amount display area 66, a payment method display area 67, and operation buttons 68 for sending charge and settlement requests.

[0108] In the display field 63, the product price is 4600 yen, and the balance to be used for payment (held balance) is 1300 yen, so the payment amount is 3300 yen. In other words, in this case, the amount to be charged will be more than 3300 yen.

[0109] When the operation button 68 is operated, the terminal 120 transmits a charge instruction and a product payment instruction in one request to the server 110 and transitions the screen 61 to a screen 71.

[0110] In this embodiment, before the settlement screen 61 is displayed on the terminal 120, a confirmation screen may be displayed to allow the user to confirm the payment method, the balance, and the like.

[0111] On the screen 71, a notification 73 is displayed in a display field 72. The notification 73 includes a message indicating that 3,300 yen has been charged and the product has been purchased.

[0112] That is, the screen 71 notifies the user that the server 110 is carrying out charge processing and settlement processing in response to a request from the terminal 120.

[0113] When the charge process and the payment process are completed in response to the request from the terminal 120, the screen 71 on the terminal 120 is changed to a screen 91. The screen 91 is an example of a purchase completion screen displayed on the terminal 120 in step S513 of FIG.

[0114] A notification 92 indicating that the purchase of the product has been completed is displayed on the screen 91. In this embodiment, by displaying this notification 92 on the terminal 120, the user of the terminal 120 can be notified that the charge process and the purchase process have been completed.

[0115] Fig. 7 shows an example of a display mode of another terminal during charging and settlement processing according to the embodiment. Screen 81 shown in Fig. 7 is a screen displayed on another terminal 120 other than terminal 120, and shows an example of a product screen in which the state of the product has been changed to a state in which the product is being purchased by the processing of server 110 in step S507 in Fig. 5.

[0116] More specifically, screen 81 shows an example of a product screen that is displayed on another terminal 120 when this product is selected by a user of the other terminal 120 between the time when server 110 receives a charge and payment request from terminal 120 in step S505 and the time when server 110 sends a payment completion notification to terminal 120 in step S513.

[0117] The screen 81 includes a display field 62 in which an image of a product is displayed, and a display field 82 that indicates the status of the product. The display field 82 displays "Purchasing". This indicates that the product whose image is displayed in the display field 62 is in the process of being purchased based on a payment instruction from a user other than the user of the other terminal 120.

[0118] In this embodiment, when the display field 82 shows "Purchasing", users of other terminals 120 cannot make payment instructions for this product. Therefore, the server 110 can prevent a situation in which payment instructions for the same product are received from multiple terminals 120.

[0119] 8 shows an example of a display mode of the terminal when the payment has failed according to the embodiment. Screen 101A in Fig. 8 is an example of a notification screen displayed on terminal 120 in step S516 in Fig. 5.

[0120] Notification 102A is displayed on screen 101A. Notification 102A includes a message indicating that the payment has failed and a message indicating that points equivalent to the amount charged in step S509 have been awarded as a reward in the event of the payment failure.

[0121] 9 shows another example of a display mode of the terminal when the payment has failed according to the embodiment. Screen 101B in Fig. 9 is an example of a notification screen displayed on terminal 120 in step S520 in Fig. 5.

[0122] Screen 101B displays notification 102. Notification 102B includes a message indicating that the payment has failed, a message indicating that the amount charged in step S509 has been returned to the original bank account, and a message indicating that points have been awarded as a reward in the event of a payment failure.

[0123] In this manner, in this embodiment, if the payment fails, a reward may be given to the user.

[0124] 10 shows another example of a display mode of a terminal on which a payment screen according to the embodiment is displayed. A screen 61A shown in FIG. 10 is an example of a payment screen displayed on the terminal 120 in step S504 of FIG.

[0125] Screen 61A has display field 62 and display field 63A, and shows a case where the balance and points are used for payment.

[0126] Display area 63A displays a product price display area 64, a display area 65 for the remaining balance to be used, a product price and payment amount display area 66A, a payment method display area 67, operation buttons 68 for sending charge and payment requests, and a points display area 69.

[0127] In the display field 63, the product price is 4600 yen, the points used for payment are 300 points, and the balance used for payment (held balance) is 1300 yen, so the payment amount is 3000 yen. In other words, in this case, the amount to be charged will be more than 3000 yen.

[0128] Whether or not to use both the balance and points for payment may be selected when the recharge payment service is selected as the payment method.

[0129] <<First Example>> The first embodiment is an embodiment in which the recharge amount is selected by the user.

[0130] More specifically, in the first embodiment, when the recharge amount is less than a predetermined amount, a recharge amount is selected so that the recharge amount is equal to or greater than the predetermined amount.

[0131] <<Effects of the First Embodiment>> According to the first embodiment, by allowing the user to select the recharge amount, it is possible to obtain an effect that the recharge amount when using the recharge payment service can be set to a certain amount or more.

[0132] <<Operation Processing of the First Embodiment>> The processing of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 shows an example of a processing sequence of the communication system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0133] The processing from step S1101 to step S1108 in FIG. 11 is similar to the processing from step S501 to step S508 in FIG. 5, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0134] If the recharge amount calculated in step S1108 is less than the predetermined amount, the amount calculation unit 316 transmits an instruction to display a recharge amount selection screen to the terminal 120 (step S1109). The predetermined amount is, for example, 1000 yen.

[0135] When the terminal 120 receives this display instruction, it displays a selection screen for the charge amount (step S1110). When the charge amount is selected on the selection screen, the terminal 120 transmits the selection result to the server 110 (step S1111).

[0136] Next, the server 110 transmits to the terminal 120 an instruction to display a confirmation screen showing the payment amount and the retained balance as a result of charging the selected charging amount (step S1112).

[0137] When the terminal 120 receives the display instruction, it displays a confirmation screen (step S1113). Next, when the terminal 120 accepts an operation for making a charge and settlement request on the confirmation screen, it transmits the charge and settlement request to the server 110 (step S1114).

[0138] When the server 110 receives the recharge and settlement request, the recharge processing unit 317 performs the recharge process for the selected amount (step S1115).

[0139] The processing from step S1116 to step S1119 in FIG. 11 is similar to the processing from step S510 to step S513 in FIG. 5, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0140] <<Display Mode of Terminal 120 in First Embodiment>> Fig. 12 shows an example of a display mode of a terminal on which a selection screen for charging amount according to the first embodiment is displayed. A screen 141 shown in Fig. 12 is an example of a screen displayed on the terminal 120 in step S1110 of Fig. 11.

[0141] The screen 141 includes a display field 62 in which an image of a product is displayed, and a display field 142 for allowing the user to select a recharge amount.

[0142] The display field 142 includes a message 143 that prompts the user to select a recharge amount, recharge amount options 144, and an operation button 145 for transmitting the selection result to the server 110.

[0143] In the example of FIG. 12, 1000 yen, 3000 yen, and 5000 yen are displayed as options 144, but the recharge amounts displayed in options 144 are not limited to these.

[0144] Furthermore, the recharge amount does not have to be displayed as an option, and may be arbitrarily input by the user as long as it is an amount equal to or greater than a predetermined amount.

[0145] Fig. 12 shows an example of the display mode of the terminal on which the payment screen according to the first embodiment is displayed. Screen 151 shown in Fig. 12 is an example of the payment screen displayed on terminal 120 in step S1104 of Fig. 11, and shows an example in which the charge amount is less than 1000 yen.

[0146] The screen 151 has a display field 62 and a display field 152. An image of the product is displayed in the display field 62. Confirmation items for the purchase are displayed in the display field 152.

[0147] Specifically, display area 152 displays area 64 for the product price, area 153 for displaying coupons, points, and remaining balance to be used, area 154 for displaying the payment amount, display area 155 for displaying the charge amount and the remaining balance after payment, area 67 for displaying the payment method, and operation buttons 68 for sending charge and payment requests.

[0148] It can be seen from display field 153 that in addition to the remaining balance of 3,300 yen, 400 yen worth of coupons and 300 yen worth of points will be used. As a result, the payment amount displayed in display field 154 is 600 yen, which is less than 1,000 yen.

[0149] In addition, the charge amount is 3000 yen in the display field 155, and it can be seen that "charge amount 3000 yen" has been selected on the charge amount selection screen shown in FIG.

[0150] The remaining balance after the payment is displayed in display field 155. In the example of Fig. 12, the product price is 4600 yen, and in addition to the remaining balance of 3300 yen, it can be seen that 400 yen worth of coupons and 300 yen worth of points will be used.

[0151] In addition, since the payment amount is 600 yen, the display field 155 shows that the remaining balance after charging and purchasing the product will be 2400 yen.

[0152] In this manner, in this embodiment, when the payment amount is less than a predetermined amount, the charge amount can be selected from amounts equal to or greater than a certain amount.

[0153] Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the processing load caused by the user frequently making small recharges.

[0154] <<Second Example>> The second embodiment is an embodiment in which, if charging fails, the user is prompted to select a payment method.

[0155] <<Effects of the Second Embodiment>> The second embodiment has the effect that even if charging fails, settlement can be made using another payment method.

[0156] <<Operation Processing of the Second Example>> The process of the communication system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 shows an example of a process sequence of the communication system 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0157] The processing from step S1401 to step S1409 in FIG. 14 is similar to the processing from step S501 to step S509 in FIG. 5, and therefore the description thereof will be omitted.

[0158] When an error occurs in the charging process in step S1409, the charging processing unit 317 receives an error notification from the external server 140 (step S1410). A case in which an error occurs in the charging process may be, for example, when communication between the server 110 and the external server 140 is disconnected.

[0159] When the server 110 receives the error notification from the external server 140, it transmits a notification to the terminal 120 indicating that the charge process has failed (step S1411).

[0160] When terminal 120 receives this notification, it displays an error screen for the charge process (step S1412). Next, when terminal 120 accepts an operation to send a payment method selection request on the error screen, it sends the payment method selection request to server 110 (step S1413).

[0161] When server 110 receives this selection request, it transmits to terminal 120 an instruction to display a selection screen for selecting a payment method (step S1414). When terminal 120 receives this display instruction, it displays the payment method selection screen (step S1415).

[0162] Next, when terminal 120 accepts an operation to select a payment method on the payment method selection screen, it transmits the selection result to server 110 (step S1416).

[0163] Upon receiving the selection result, server 110 performs settlement based on the selected payment method (step S1417).

[0164] <<Display Mode of Terminal 120 in Second Embodiment>> Fig. 15 shows an example of a display mode of a terminal on which an error screen according to Example 2 is displayed. Screen 171 shown in Fig. 15 is an example of a screen displayed on terminal 120 in step S1412 of Fig. 14.

[0165] Screen 171 displays notification 172 including a message indicating that the charge process has not been completed and a message urging the user to change the payment method. Screen 171 also displays operation button 173 for sending a request to server 110 to select a payment method.

[0166] When the operation button 173 is operated, the terminal 120 transmits a payment method selection request to the server 110.

[0167] Fig. 16 shows an example of a display mode of a terminal on which a payment method selection screen is displayed according to the second embodiment. Screen 181 shown in Fig. 16 is an example of a screen displayed on terminal 120 in step S1415 of Fig. 14.

[0168] Screen 181 includes display field 182, display field 183, display field 184, and operation button 185. Display field 182 displays information about the product, including the product price. Display field 183 displays a message prompting the user to select a payment method. Display field 184 displays options for the payment method. Operation button 185 is a button for transmitting the selected payment method to server 110 as a selection result.

[0169] Display field 184 displays, as options for payment methods, a payment method using points other than the recharge payment service, a payment method using the remaining balance, and a payment method using a deferred payment service.

[0170] It should be noted that the options displayed in display field 184 are not limited to the example shown in Fig. 16. The payment method options may include a payment method using a credit card, a payment method from another bank account, and the like.

[0171] In this way, if the charge process is not completed, the display transitions to a payment method selection screen, eliminating the need for the user to go back to the product screen to change the payment method, thereby improving user convenience. [Explanation of symbols]

[0172] 100 Communication Systems 110 Server 120 terminals 140 External Server 312, 322 Transmitter / receiver 313, 323 Control section 314, 324 Storage section 315 Display Processing Unit 316 Amount Calculation Department 317 Charge Processing Unit 318 Payment Department 319 Output section 320 Benefits Granting Department 3141 User Information Database

Claims

1. An information processing device, Presenting a plurality of payment methods to a user; A process of accepting a selection of a payment method using a balance of electronic value associated with the user; a process of accepting a request to add electronic value to the balance by using a bank account associated in advance with the user as a withdrawal source when a balance is insufficient after a payment using the payment means; When a balance is insufficient after a payment using the payment means, a process of adding electronic value to the balance using the bank account as a withdrawal source; A process of subtracting a settlement amount from the balance after the addition; An information processing method for performing the above.

2. The process of adding the electronic value includes: The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising, when an amount of the electronic value to be added to the balance is less than a predetermined amount, adding an amount of the electronic value equal to or greater than the predetermined amount to the balance.

3. The process of adding the electronic value includes:

3. The information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising adding an amount of electronic value determined by the user to the balance.

4. The process of adding the electronic value includes: The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising adding an amount of electronic value to compensate for the shortage.

5. The information processing device, The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of: accepting, from the user, a selection of another payment method from among the plurality of payment methods if a payment using the balance has failed.

6. The information processing device, A process of displaying product information on an information processing terminal associated with the user; The information processing method according to claim 1 , further comprising: displaying the plurality of payment methods as payment methods for the price of the product.

7. In the information processing device, Presenting a plurality of payment methods to a user; A process of accepting a selection of a payment method using a balance of electronic value associated with the user; a process of accepting a request to add electronic value to the balance by using a bank account associated in advance with the user as a withdrawal source when a balance is insufficient after a payment using the payment means; When a balance is insufficient after a payment using the payment means, a process of adding electronic value to the balance using the bank account as a withdrawal source; and subtracting the settlement amount from the balance after the addition.

8. Presenting a plurality of payment methods to a user; A process of accepting a selection of a payment method using a balance of electronic value associated with the user; a process of accepting a request to add electronic value to the balance by using a bank account associated in advance with the user as a withdrawal source when a balance is insufficient after a payment using the payment means; When a balance is insufficient after a payment using the payment means, a process of adding electronic value to the balance using the bank account as a withdrawal source; and subtracting the payment amount from the balance after the addition.

Images