Point management device and point management method

Abstract

To use points given to a user for purchasing NFTs.SOLUTION: A transaction system comprises: a point management device that manages points held by a user, and causes the points to be consumed according to a point consumption request from the user; and a transaction information providing device that acquires, from a market that deals with non-fungible tokens in which a holder is managed on a block chain, market data related to the non-fungible tokens, and provides the user with the acquired market data. The market data includes information indicating the transaction price of the non-fungible tokens. The point management device causes points corresponding to the transaction price of the non-fungible tokens that are requested to be purchased to be consumed from the points held by the user who requests purchasing of the non-fungible tokens.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a point management device and a point management method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, points have been given to users who purchase goods or use services, the points given to users have been managed, and the points held by users have been exchanged for goods or the like, or point operations based on the operation information of financial products such as stocks have been performed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent years, NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), which can prove the uniqueness and owner of digital assets such as digital art, game items, and trading cards, have attracted attention. And a marketplace (NFT marketplace) that handles such NFTs has been established, and it has become possible to purchase and sell NFTs using the NFT marketplace.

[0005] In such an NFT situation, as one of the ways to use the points given to the user described above, it is conceivable that the user uses the points they possess to purchase NFTs. However, with the point management technologies described in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 above, it is difficult for the user to use the points they possess to purchase NFTs. For example, in the NFT marketplace, a specific virtual currency is used as the settlement currency for NFT purchases, or a virtual currency wallet dedicated to the user must be created, etc.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and its object is to enable the points given to the user to be used for purchasing NFTs.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a point management device that manages the held points, which are the points held by the user, and receives purchase request data indicating the purchase request from the user terminal used by the user who is the source of the purchase request in response to a purchase request to purchase a non-fungible token using the held points. The point management device includes a point management table that stores the held points for each user, and the point management table identifies the held points of the user who is the source of the purchase request indicated by the purchase request data. Based on the purchase request for the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request indicated by the purchase request data and the trading price in the market of the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request, the consumption points to be consumed are identified. The identified consumption points are subtracted from the identified held points, and the resulting held points after subtraction are stored in the point management table as the held points of the user who is the source of the purchase request. One aspect of the present invention is the point management device described above, wherein the point management device acquires information for identifying the trading price equivalent points, which are the points equivalent to the trading price in the market of the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request. One aspect of the present invention is the above-described point management device, wherein the point management device compares the points corresponding to the transaction price with the identified held points and checks whether the identified held points are equal to or greater than the points corresponding to the transaction price. One aspect of the present invention is the above-described point management device, wherein the point management device executes subtraction of the consumption points by the point management unit when receiving purchase notification information indicating that the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request has been purchased by the purchaser. One aspect of the present invention is the above-described point management device, wherein the point management device transmits purchase report information indicating that the purchase of the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request has been completed to the user terminal when receiving the purchase notification information.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is a point management method in which a point management device that manages held points, which are points held by a user, and receives purchase request data indicating the purchase request from a user terminal used by the purchaser in response to a purchase request to purchase a non-fungible token using the held points includes a point management table that stores held points for each user. The point management device identifies the held points of the user who is the purchaser indicated by the purchase request data using the point management table, identifies the consumption points to be consumed based on the point-based purchase request for the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request and the transaction price in the market of the non-fungible token targeted by the purchase request, subtracts the identified consumption points from the identified held points, and stores the resulting held points as the held points of the user who is the purchaser in the point management table.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, there is an effect that the points given to the user can be used to purchase NFTs.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [First Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a transaction system according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, the point management device 2 manages points held by users. A user is registered in the point management device 2 and is assigned user identification information (user ID) for identifying the user. The point management device 2 manages points given when a user purchases a product or uses a service for each user. The point management device 2 transmits and receives data to and from a terminal used by the user (user terminal) 7 via a communication line. Further, the point management device 2 transmits and receives data to and from the transaction information providing device 6 via the communication line.

[0013] The user uses the user terminal 7 to make a point consumption request to the point management device 2. The point consumption request is, for example, a request such as exchanging points held by the user for products or the like. In the present embodiment, as one of the point consumption requests, a request (NFT purchase request) to purchase an NFT (non-fungible token) using points held by the user is provided. The user can use the user terminal 7 to make an NFT purchase request to the point management device 2.

[0014] The point management device 2 consumes points in response to a point consumption request from the user. For example, when a user exchanges points held by the user for a product, the number of consumed points set for the exchange target product is subtracted from the remaining number of points held by the user. For example, when a user purchases an NFT using points held by the user, the number of consumed points converted from the transaction price (virtual currency price) of the purchase target NFT is subtracted from the remaining number of points held by the user.

[0015] In response to an NFT purchase request from the user, the point management device 2 makes an NFT purchase request to the purchase management device 3.

[0016] The purchase management device 3 transmits and receives data to and from the point management device 2 via a communication line. Also, the purchase management device 3 transmits and receives data to and from the NFT market 4 via a communication line. The NFT market 4 is a venue for the circulation (NFT market place) such as the purchase and sale of NFTs. Note that the NFT market 4 may be realized by a computer (NFT market server) that executes a computer program (NFT market software) for causing a computer to realize functions of an NFT market place, such as presenting NFT sales information, receiving NFT purchase requests, performing settlement processing for NFTs, and managing NFT holder information, regarding NFTs. Therefore, the NFT market 4 may refer to the NFT market server.

[0017] The NFTs handled by the NFT market 4 are managed by the holder on the blockchain 5. The history of the NFTs handled by the NFT market 4 is recorded on the blockchain 5. The blockchain 5 proves the holder of the NFTs handled by the NFT market 4.

[0018] In response to an NFT purchase request from the point management device 2, the purchase management device 3 executes an NFT purchase process for the NFT market 4. In the NFT purchase process, the purchase management device 3 requests the NFT market 4 to change the holder of the NFT to be purchased. In response to the request to change the holder of the NFT to be purchased, the NFT market 4 executes a process of changing the holder of the NFT to be purchased for the blockchain 5. As a result, the holder of the NFT to be purchased managed on the blockchain 5 is changed.

[0019] The purchase management device 3 acquires data regarding the NFT to be purchased whose owner has been changed on the blockchain 5 from the NFT market 4. The data regarding the NFT to be purchased is data including the metadata of the blockchain 5 regarding the NFT to be purchased. The metadata of the blockchain 5 regarding the NFT to be purchased has information such as an identifier, a creation date and time, an owner address indicating the owner, and an object URL for the NFT to be purchased. The object URL is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating the location of the digital asset (original digital data) which is the object that the NFT to be purchased proves the owner of. The digital assets which are the objects that the NFT proves the owner of are various, such as digital art, game items, trading cards, digital photos, digital audio, and digital texts.

[0020] The purchase management device 3 records data regarding the NFT to be purchased whose owner has been changed on the blockchain 5 outside the blockchain 5.

[0021] The purchase management device 3 executes a payment settlement process in accordance with the NFT purchase process for the NFT market 4. In the payment settlement process, the purchase management device 3 executes a settlement process for the payment corresponding to the transaction price of the NFT to be purchased.

[0022] The transaction information providing device 6 transmits and receives data to and from the NFT market 4 via a communication line. Also, the transaction information providing device 6 transmits and receives data to and from the point management device 2 via a communication line.

[0023] The transaction information providing device 6 acquires market data regarding the NFT (NFT market data) from the NFT market 4. The NFT market data includes information such as an identifier, a category of the object, a transaction price (price of virtual currency), and an object URL for the NFT handled by the NFT market 4.

[0024] The transaction information providing device 6 transmits and receives data to and from the user terminal 7 via a communication line. The transaction information providing device 6 provides the user with the NFT market data acquired from the NFT market 4. The user uses the user terminal 7 to acquire the NFT market data from the transaction information providing device 6.

[0025] The transaction information providing device 6 converts the transaction price (virtual currency price) of the NFT included in the NFT market data into points managed by the point management device 2. This conversion rate is set in advance. The transaction information providing device 6 includes, in the NFT market data provided to the user, the transaction price conversion points that are the conversion values of the results of converting the transaction price (virtual currency price) of the NFT into points.

[0026] Based on the NFT market data, the user can recognize the category of the object (e.g., digital art, game items, trading cards, etc.) and the transaction price conversion points for each NFT sold in the NFT market 4. Therefore, by comparing the remaining number of points the user holds with the transaction price conversion points of each NFT, the user can determine that an NFT with a transaction price conversion point equal to or less than the remaining number of points the user holds is an NFT for which an NFT purchase request can be made. Also, the user can use the user terminal 7 to access the object URL included in the NFT market data and check the object (original digital data) of the NFT.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the point management device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 2, the point management device 2 includes a point management unit 21 and a point control unit 22. The point management unit 21 includes a point management table 23.

[0028] Each function of the point management device 2 is realized by the point management device 2 including computer hardware such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. Note that the point management device 2 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, the point management device 2 may be configured using a server computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet. Also, each function of the point management device 2 may be realized by cloud computing. Further, the point management device 2 may be realized by a single computer, or the functions of the point management device 2 may be realized by being distributed among a plurality of computers. Also, the point management device 2 may be configured to open a website using, for example, a WWW system or the like.

[0029] The point management unit 21 manages the points held by the user. The point management unit 21 manages the points of each user using the point management table 23.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the point management table according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 3, for each user, user ID, the remaining number of points held by the user (held points), and data related to the purchased NFTs (purchased NFT data) are stored in the point management table 23. The purchased NFT data is acquired from the purchase management device 3.

[0031] The point control unit 22 performs control related to points. The point control unit 22 gives an instruction to the point management unit 21 to consume points in response to a point consumption request from the user. The point management unit 21 consumes points according to the instruction from the point control unit 22.

[0032] For example, when a user exchanges the points they hold for a product, the point control unit 22 instructs the point management unit 21 to subtract the number of consumption points set for the product to be exchanged from the remaining number of points held by the user. The point management unit 21 subtracts the number of consumption points from the remaining number of points held by the user according to the instruction from the point control unit 22.

[0033] For example, when a user purchases an NFT using the points they hold, the point control unit 22 instructs the point management unit 21 to subtract the number of consumption points, which is the number of points equivalent to the trading price of the NFT to be purchased, from the remaining number of points held by the user. The point management unit 21 subtracts the number of consumption points from the remaining number of points held by the user according to the instruction from the point control unit 22. The number of points equivalent to the trading price of the NFT to be purchased is a conversion value (points equivalent to the trading price) obtained by converting the trading price (the price of virtual currency) of the NFT to be purchased by the trading information providing device 6, and is acquired from the trading information providing device 6.

[0034] In response to a request from the user to purchase an NFT, the point control unit 22 sends an NFT purchase request to the purchase management device 3.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the purchase management device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the purchase management device 3 includes a purchase management unit 31 and a purchase control unit 32. The purchase management unit 31 includes a purchase management table 33.

[0036] Each function of the purchase management device 3 is realized by the purchase management device 3 including computer hardware such as a CPU and a memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. Note that the purchase management device 3 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, the purchase management device 3 may be configured using a server computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet. Further, each function of the purchase management device 3 may be realized by cloud computing. Also, the purchase management device 3 may be realized by a single computer, or the functions of the purchase management device 3 may be realized by being distributed among a plurality of computers.

[0037] The purchase management unit 31 manages the purchase of NFTs. The purchase management unit 31 uses the purchase management table 33 to manage each NFT for which a purchase request has been made from the point management device 2.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the purchase management table according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 5, for each user, a user ID, purchased NFT data, and an identifier of the holder of the purchased NFT (NFT holder ID) are stored in the purchase management table 33. The purchased NFT data is acquired from the purchase management device 3. The user ID is the user ID of the user who made the purchase request. The purchased NFT data is the purchased NFT data according to the purchase request of the user who made the purchase request. The NFT holder ID is the identifier of the holder of the NFT purchased according to the purchase request of the user who made the purchase request. Therefore, the NFT holder ID is the identifier of the holder indicated by the holder address included in the purchased NFT data.

[0039] In the present embodiment, the holder of the purchased NFT is a predetermined purchase manager. The purchase manager is a person different from the user who made the purchase request. Therefore, the NFT holder ID is the identifier of the purchase manager (purchase manager ID) and is different from the user ID. The purchase manager is, for example, the manager of the point management device 2.

[0040] In this embodiment, the reason for making the owner of the purchased NFT the purchase administrator is, for example, that in the NFT market 4, the purchase administrator creates a virtual currency wallet collectively as a purchase window, eliminating the need to create a user-specific virtual currency wallet for each user.

[0041] The purchase control unit 32 controls the purchase of NFTs. In response to an NFT purchase request from the point management device 2, the purchase control unit 32 executes an NFT purchase process for the NFT market 4. In the NFT purchase process, the purchase control unit 32 requests the NFT market 4 to change the owner of the NFT to be purchased to a predetermined purchase administrator. In this embodiment, the purchase administrator is a person different from the user who is the source of the purchase request.

[0042] In response to a request to change the owner of the NFT to be purchased to the purchase administrator, the NFT market 4 executes a process of changing the owner of the NFT to be purchased to the purchase administrator for the blockchain 5. As a result, the owner of the NFT to be purchased managed on the blockchain 5 is changed to the purchase administrator.

[0043] The purchase control unit 32 acquires data (purchased NFT data) regarding the NFT to be purchased whose owner has been changed to the purchase administrator on the blockchain 5 from the NFT market 4. The purchase control unit 32 instructs the purchase management unit 31 to record the purchased NFT data obtained from the NFT market 4. The purchase management unit 31 stores the purchased NFT data in the purchase management table 33 in association with the user ID of the source of the purchase request and the purchase administrator ID as the NFT owner ID according to the instruction from the purchase control unit 32.

[0044] In addition, the purchase control unit 32 provides the purchased NFT data obtained from the NFT market 4 to the point management device 2. The point management device 2 stores the purchased NFT data provided from the purchase control unit 32 in the point management table 23 in association with the user ID of the source of the purchase request.

[0045] The purchase control unit 32 executes payment settlement processing in connection with the NFT purchase processing for the NFT market 4. In the payment settlement processing, the purchase control unit 32 executes the settlement processing for the payment corresponding to the transaction price of the NFT to be purchased. In the NFT market 4, a specific virtual currency is used as the settlement currency for NFT purchases. Therefore, the purchase control unit 32 executes the settlement processing for the payment in the virtual currency used in the NFT market 4.

[0046] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the transaction information providing apparatus according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 6, the transaction information providing apparatus 6 includes a market data acquisition unit 61, a point conversion unit 62, and an information providing control unit 63.

[0047] Each function of the transaction information providing apparatus 6 is realized by the transaction information providing apparatus 6 including computer hardware such as a CPU and a memory, and the CPU executing a computer program stored in the memory. Note that the transaction information providing apparatus 6 may be configured using a general-purpose computer device, or may be configured as a dedicated hardware device. For example, the transaction information providing apparatus 6 may be configured using a server computer connected to a communication network such as the Internet. Also, each function of the transaction information providing apparatus 6 may be realized by cloud computing. Further, the transaction information providing apparatus 6 may be realized by a single computer, or the functions of the transaction information providing apparatus 6 may be distributed and realized by a plurality of computers. Also, the transaction information providing apparatus 6 may be configured to open a website using, for example, a WWW system or the like.

[0048] The market data acquisition unit 61 acquires NFT market data from the NFT market 4 at a predetermined timing. For example, the market data acquisition unit 61 acquires NFT market data from the NFT market 4 at a fixed period. For example, the market data acquisition unit 61 acquires NFT market data from the NFT market 4 at a predetermined time. For example, the market data acquisition unit 61 acquires NFT market data from the NFT market 4 when a predetermined event occurs. Examples of the event include registration of a new NFT, conclusion of an NFT sale and purchase, and change in the transaction price of an NFT.

[0049] The point conversion unit 62 converts the transaction price of the NFT (price of virtual currency) included in the NFT market data into points managed by the point management device 2. This conversion rate is set in advance.

[0050] The information providing control unit 63 controls the provision of NFT market data to the user. The information providing control unit 63 transmits the NFT market data to the user terminal 7. The NFT market data transmitted to the user terminal 7 includes the converted value of the transaction price of the NFT (price of virtual currency) converted into points, i.e., the transaction price converted points.

[0051] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the provision of NFT market data according to the present embodiment. In the example of FIG. 7, for each NFT (sold NFT) sold in the NFT market 4, information such as the category to which the object of the sold NFT belongs, the identifier of the sold NFT (sold NFT ID), the transaction price converted points, and the object URL is included in the NFT market data and provided to the user. The user recognizes the information included in the NFT market data using the user terminal 7.

[0052] In this embodiment, as NFT market data, a converted price point, which is the result of converting the trading price of an NFT (the price of virtual currency) into points, is provided to the user. Therefore, the user does not need to convert the price of virtual currency, which is the trading price of the NFT, into points by themselves. As a result, the user can easily determine the NFTs for sale that can be purchased with the points they hold.

[0053] Also, in this embodiment, the converted price point is provided from the transaction information providing device 6 to the point management device 2. Therefore, the point management device 2 does not need to convert the price of virtual currency, which is the trading price of the NFT, into points by itself. As a result, the point management device 2 can easily compare the points held by the user with the converted price point.

[0054] Next, the trading method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIGS. 8 and 9 are sequence diagrams showing examples of the procedures of the trading method according to this embodiment.

[0055] [Transaction Information Provision Stage] The transaction information provision stage in the trading method according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 shows an example of the procedure of the transaction information provision stage in the trading method according to this embodiment.

[0056] (Step S11) The transaction information providing device 6 acquires NFT market data from the NFT market 4 at a predetermined timing.

[0057] (Step S12) The NFT market data includes the trading price of the NFT indicated in virtual currency. The transaction information providing device 6 converts the trading price of the NFT (the price of virtual currency) included in the NFT market data into points managed by the point management device 2 at a predetermined conversion rate.

[0058] (Step S13) The transaction information providing device 6 transmits the NFT market data to the user terminal 7. The NFT market data transmitted to the user terminal 7 includes the transaction price conversion points, which are the points of the conversion value of the conversion result in Step S12. The user terminal 7 receives the NFT market data transmitted from the transaction information providing device 6.

[0059] (Step S14) The user terminal 7 displays the NFT market data on the screen. The user recognizes each piece of information of the NFT market data shown in, for example, FIG. 7 based on the NFT market data displayed on the user terminal 7. The user can access the object URL of the desired NFT for sale using the user terminal 7, and thereby display and confirm the object of the NFT for sale (for example, the original digital data of digital art) on the screen of the user terminal 7. Also, the user can determine the NFTs for sale that can be purchased with the points the user holds based on the transaction price conversion points of each NFT for sale included in the NFT market data. In the example of providing the NFT market data illustrated in FIG. 7, since the NFTs for sale are classified by category, the user can easily search for the NFTs for sale in the desired category.

[0060] Note that the user may use the user terminal 7 to specify a category to the transaction information providing device 6 and request the NFT market data. The information providing control unit 63 of the transaction information providing device 6 extracts the information of the specified category specified by the user from the NFT market data, and transmits the NFT market data related to the NFTs for sale in the specified category to the user terminal 7. Thereby, the user can recognize the NFT market data related to the NFTs for sale in the specified category using the user terminal 7.

[0061] As another example of providing NFT market data, a virtual store handling one or more categories may be provided, and the NFTs for sale may be classified by virtual store. For example, a virtual store (art-related NFT shop) handling art-related NFTs for sale (e.g., NFTs such as digital art, signed images of artists, and audio recordings of artist interviews), a virtual store (idol-related NFT shop) handling idol-related NFTs for sale (e.g., NFTs such as idol trading cards, digital photos, and digital audio), and the like can be mentioned. The user uses the user terminal 7 to specify a virtual store to the transaction information providing device 6 and request NFT market data. The information providing control unit 63 of the transaction information providing device 6 extracts the information of the specified virtual store from the NFT market data and transmits the NFT market data related to the NFTs for sale in the specified virtual store to the user terminal 7. Thereby, the user can recognize the NFT market data related to the NFTs for sale in the specified virtual store using the user terminal 7.

[0062] In this embodiment, the category and the virtual store are examples of the sales classification of NFTs.

[0063] Note that the transaction information providing device 6 may provide the user with NFT market data related to NFTs selected from among a plurality of NFTs handled by the NFT market 4 according to predetermined sales conditions.

[0064] As the sales condition, for example, an upper limit of the transaction price conversion points based on the remaining number of points (point balance) held by the user may be set. In this case, the information providing control unit 63 of the transaction information providing device 6 acquires the user's point balance from the point management device 2 and transmits the NFT market data related to the NFTs for sale whose transaction price conversion points are less than or equal to the user's point balance to the user terminal 7 of the user.

[0065] As other sales conditions, for example, sales conditions based on user attributes may be set. Examples of the sales conditions based on user attributes include, for each NFT for sale, restrictions on the target age for sale and recommendations by age group.

[0066] [NFT Purchase Stage] Referring to FIG. 9, the NFT purchase stage in the transaction method according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 shows an example of the procedure of the NFT purchase stage in the transaction method according to this embodiment.

[0067] (Step S21) The user (the purchasing request source user) selects a desired NFT for sale (the NFT to be purchased) from the NFTs for sale included in the NFT market data provided by the transaction information providing device 6. The purchasing request source user uses the user terminal 7 to send an NFT purchase request to the point management device 2 for the NFT to be purchased. In response to the operation of the NFT purchase request by the user, the user terminal 7 sends the NFT purchase request data to the point management device 2. The NFT purchase request data is data including the user ID of the purchasing request source user and the identifier of the NFT to be purchased (the NFT to be purchased_ID). The point management device 2 receives the NFT purchase request data sent from the user terminal 7.

[0068] (Step S22) The point management device 2 compares the point equivalent of the trading price of the NFT for sale (the NFT to be purchased) corresponding to the NFT to be purchased_ID indicated in the NFT purchase request data received from the user terminal 7 with the remaining points (held points) of the purchasing request source user, and checks whether the held points of the purchasing request source user are equal to or more than the point equivalent of the trading price. The point equivalent of the trading price of the NFT for sale is obtained from the transaction information providing device 6. As a result of this check, if the held points of the purchasing request source user are less than the point equivalent of the trading price of the NFT to be purchased, the user terminal 7 of the purchasing request source user is responded to that the purchase is not possible due to insufficient points.

[0069] On the other hand, as a result of this check, if the held points of the purchasing request source user are equal to or more than the point equivalent of the trading price of the NFT to be purchased, the point management device 2 subtracts the point equivalent of the trading price from the held points of the purchasing request source user. The result of this point subtraction is recorded in the point management table 23.

[0070] (Step S23) When the points held by the purchasing requester user are equal to or more than the points equivalent to the transaction price of the NFT to be purchased, the point management device 2 transmits the NFT purchase request information to the purchase management device 3. The NFT purchase request information includes the NFT_ID of the NFT to be purchased, the user ID of the purchasing requester user (purchasing requester user ID), and the purchase fund payment data. The purchase fund payment data is data indicating that the purchase funds corresponding to the points equivalent to the transaction price of the NFT to be purchased have been paid. The purchase funds are paid in legal tender (e.g., Japanese yen, etc.) by an arbitrary payer (e.g., the administrator of the point management device 2 (point administrator)) to a predetermined payee (e.g., a bank account designated by the purchase management device 3, etc.). The conversion rate between points and legal tender (e.g., Japanese yen, etc.) is set in advance. The purchase management device 3 receives the NFT purchase request information transmitted from the point management device 2.

[0071] (Step S24) When the purchase management device 3 receives the NFT purchase request information from the point management device 2, it executes the processing of NFT purchase and payment settlement for the NFT market 4.

[0072] In the NFT purchase process, the purchase management device 3 requests the NFT market 4 to change the holder of the NFT to be purchased (NFT_ID to be purchased) to a predetermined purchase administrator. In this embodiment, the purchase administrator is a person different from the purchasing requester user, for example, the administrator of the point management device 2.

[0073] The purchase management device 3 executes a payment process for the price corresponding to the trading price of the NFT to be purchased (the price of virtual currency) in the payment settlement process. Specifically, the purchase management device 3 executes a process of paying the price corresponding to the trading price of the NFT to be purchased (the price of virtual currency) from the virtual currency wallet of the purchase manager. In the NFT market 4, the virtual currency wallet of the purchase manager has been created in advance. The purchase management device 3 deposits virtual currency corresponding to the price of the NFT to be purchased (the price of virtual currency) into the wallet. The price corresponding to the trading price of the NFT to be purchased (the price of virtual currency) is, for example, the amount of virtual currency obtained by adding fees such as transaction fees (the amount of virtual currency) to the trading price of the NFT to be purchased (the price of virtual currency). After depositing the price into the wallet, the purchase management device 3 executes a process of paying the price from the wallet.

[0074] (Step S25) When the process of NFT purchase and payment settlement by the purchase management device 3 is completed, the NFT market 4 executes a process of changing the owner of the NFT to be purchased (purchase target NFT_ID) to the purchase manager in response to a request to change the owner of the NFT to be purchased (purchase target NFT_ID) to the purchase manager with respect to the blockchain 5. As a result, the owner of the NFT to be purchased (purchase target NFT_ID) managed on the blockchain 5 is changed to the purchase manager. After this change of owner, the metadata of the blockchain 5 regarding the NFT to be purchased records the address (purchase manager address) indicating the purchase manager as the owner address. In the NFT market 4, the purchase manager address has been registered in advance.

[0075] (Step S26) The purchase management device 3 acquires data (purchased NFT data) regarding the NFT to be purchased whose holder has been changed to the purchase administrator on the blockchain 5 from the NFT market 4. The purchased NFT data is data including the metadata of the blockchain 5 regarding the NFT to be purchased. The purchase administrator address is recorded as the holder address in the metadata. Therefore, the purchased NFT data is data that proves that the holder of the NFT to be purchased is the purchase administrator.

[0076] (Step S27) The purchase management device 3 stores the purchased NFT data acquired from the NFT market 4 in the purchase management table 33 as illustrated in FIG. 5. Therefore, the purchased NFT data is recorded outside the blockchain 5 in association with the purchaser user ID. Further, the purchased NFT data is associated with the purchase administrator ID as the NFT holder ID.

[0077] (Step S28) The purchase management device 3 transmits NFT purchase notification information to the point management device 2. The NFT purchase notification information includes the NFT ID to be purchased, the purchaser user ID, and the purchased NFT data. The point management device 2 receives the NFT purchase notification information transmitted from the purchase management device 3.

[0078] (Step S29) When the point management device 2 receives the NFT purchase notification information from the purchase management device 3, the point management device 2 records the NFT purchase by the purchaser user. In recording the NFT purchase by the purchaser user, the point management device 2 stores the purchased NFT data included in the NFT purchase notification information in the point management table 23 as illustrated in FIG. 3 in association with the purchaser user ID included in the NFT purchase notification information. Further, in the point management table 23, the point management device 2 rewrites the points held by the purchaser user ID with the subtraction result of the points recorded in Step S22. Thereby, in the point management table 23, the points held by the purchaser user ID are updated to the subtraction result of the points.

[0079] In addition, if for some reason the purchase of the NFT to be purchased in the NFT market 4 fails, in the point management table 23, the points held by the user ID of the purchase requester are not updated, and the points held by the user ID of the purchase requester before the point subtraction in step S22 are maintained as they are.

[0080] In this embodiment, the consumption of points managed by the point management device 2 is recorded in the point management device 2 (point management table 23), but not recorded on the blockchain 5. Therefore, the fact that the points held by the purchase requester user were used for the purchase of the NFT to be purchased is not recorded on the blockchain 5.

[0081] (Step S30) The point management device 2 sends an NFT purchase report to the user terminal 7 of the purchase requester user. The NFT purchase report is information indicating that the purchase of the NFT to be purchased has been completed, and includes information such as the NFT_ID to be purchased and the URL (purchased NFT data URL) indicating the location of the purchased NFT data in the point management table 23. The purchase requester user can use the user terminal 7 to access the purchased NFT data URL and confirm the purchased NFT data. In addition, the purchase requester user can use the user terminal 7 to access the object URL included in the purchased NFT data and confirm the object (original digital data) of the NFT to be purchased.

[0082] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the point management table according to this embodiment. In this modified example, the points held by the user are managed for each point giver. The point giver is a person who gives points to the user when the user purchases a product or uses a service. In the example of FIG. 10, the points held by each user are separately stored in the point management table 23 for each point giver.

[0083] Note that the point management device 2 may limit the point giver of the points available for purchasing the sold NFTs to the administrator of the point management device 2. In this case, in step S22 of FIG. 13 described above, the point management device 2 compares the points converted from the transaction price of the NFT to be purchased with the points held by the purchasing request source user that are the points held by the administrator of the point management device 2 who is the point giver (target held points), and checks whether the target held points are equal to or greater than the converted transaction price points. If the target held points are less than the converted transaction price points, the point management device 2 responds to the user terminal 7 of the purchasing request source user that the purchase is not possible due to insufficient points. On the other hand, if the target held points are equal to or greater than the converted transaction price points, the point management device 2 subtracts the converted transaction price points from the target held points. The subtraction result of the target held points is recorded in the point management table 23. Also, in step S29 of FIG. 13 described above, the point management device 2 rewrites the target held points of the purchasing request source user ID in the point management table 23 as the record of the NFT purchase by the purchasing request source user to the subtraction result of the target held points recorded in step S22.

[0084] Also, the point management device 2 may limit the points available for purchasing the sold NFTs to the points given to users who have used the services provided by the administrator of the point management device 2. The administrator of the point management device 2 designates the users who have used the services provided by the administrator as the users to whom the administrator gives points.

[0085] As described above, according to this embodiment, there is an effect that the points given to the user can be used to purchase NFTs.

[0086] [Second Embodiment] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a transaction system according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 11, parts corresponding to the respective parts in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the first embodiment described above, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the point management device 2 and the purchase management device 3 are configured as separate devices. In the second embodiment, the point management device 2 and the purchase management device 3 are configured as a single management device 8 illustrated in FIG. 11, which is different from the first embodiment described above. Hereinafter, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

[0087] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the management device according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 12, parts corresponding to the respective parts in FIGS. 2 and 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the management device 8 illustrated in FIG. 12, the control unit 81 has the functions of both the point control unit 22 in FIG. 2 and the purchase control unit 32 in FIG. 4.

[0088] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the procedure of the NFT purchase stage in the transaction method according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 13, parts corresponding to the respective steps in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. In the present embodiment, the transaction information providing stage is the same as that in the first embodiment of FIG. 8 described above.

[0089] Steps S21 and S22 are the same as those in the first embodiment of FIG. 9 described above. However, the management device 8 executes each process instead of the point management device 2 in the first embodiment of FIG. 9. In the present embodiment, after step S22, step S23 in FIG. 9 is omitted, and step S24a is executed.

[0090] (Step S24a) When the points held by the purchase request source user are equal to or more than the points equivalent to the transaction price of the NFT to be purchased, the management device 8 executes the processes of NFT purchase and payment settlement for the NFT market 4. These processes of NFT purchase and payment settlement are the same as those in step S24 of the first embodiment of FIG. 9 described above.

[0091] After step S24a, steps S25 to S27 are executed. Steps S25 to S27 are the same as those in the first embodiment of FIG. 9 described above. However, instead of the purchase management device 3 in the first embodiment of FIG. 9, the management device 8 executes each process. In this embodiment, after step S27, step S28 in FIG. 9 is omitted, and step S29 is executed by the management device 8. In step S29, the management device 8 records the NFT purchase of the purchasing source user. The process of recording the NFT purchase of this purchasing source user is the same as that in step S29 of the first embodiment of FIG. 9 described above.

[0092] After step S29, step S30 is executed. However, instead of the point management device 2 in the first embodiment of FIG. 9, the management device 8 executes the process.

[0093] According to this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment described above, an effect can be obtained that the points given to the user can be used for the purchase of NFTs.

[0094] Note that thereby, for example, since it is possible to realize an improvement in the overall service quality in a system that utilizes the points held by the user, it is possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations, "Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0095] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included.

[0096] Further, a computer program for realizing the functions of each of the above-described apparatuses may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed. Here, the "computer system" may include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer system" shall include a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if the WWW system is used. The "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a writable non-volatile memory such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a flash memory, a portable medium such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), and a storage device such as a hard disk incorporated in a computer system.

[0097] Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" also includes a volatile memory (for example, DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and that holds the program for a certain period of time. Also, the above program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication wire) such as a telephone line. Also, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-described functions. Furthermore, it may be a so-called difference file (difference program) that can realize the above-described functions in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0098] 2... Point management device, 3... Purchase management device, 4... NFT market, 5... Blockchain, 6... Transaction information providing device, 7... User terminal, 8... Management device, 21... Point management section, 22... Point control section, 23... Point management table, 31... Purchase management section, 32... Purchase control section, 33... Purchase management table, 61... Market data acquisition section, 62... Point conversion section, 63... Information providing control section, 81... Control section

Claims

1. A points management device that manages points held by a user, and receives purchase request data indicating a purchase request from a user terminal used by a user who has made a purchase request in response to a purchase request for purchasing a non-fungible token using the points held by the user, A points management table for storing points owned by each user; a point management unit that identifies points held by a user who made a purchase request indicated by the purchase request data using the point management table, identifies consumption points to be consumed based on a request to purchase the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request indicated by the purchase request data using points and the trading price of the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request in the market, subtracts the identified consumption points from the identified held points, and stores the resulting held points in the point management table as points held by the user who made the purchase request; A point management device comprising:

2. The point management device acquires information identifying points equivalent to a trading price, which is points equivalent to a trading price in a market of the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request. The points management device according to claim 1 .

3. the point management device compares the transaction price equivalent points with the specified owned points and confirms whether the specified owned points are equal to or greater than the transaction price equivalent points; The points management device according to claim 2.

4. When the point management device receives purchase notification information indicating that the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request has been purchased by the purchase request source, the point management unit executes the subtraction of the consumed points. The points management device according to claim 1 .

5. When the point management device receives the purchase notification information, the point management device transmits to the user terminal purchase report information indicating that the purchase of the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request has been completed. The points management device according to claim 4.

6. A points management device that manages owned points, which are points owned by a user, and receives purchase request data indicating a purchase request from a user terminal used by a user who has made a purchase request in response to a purchase request for purchasing a non-fungible token using the owned points, includes a points management table that stores owned points for each user; the point management device identifies, using the point management table, the points held by the user who made the purchase request indicated by the purchase request data, identifies a request for the purchase of the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request indicated by the purchase request data using points and identifies consumption points to be consumed based on the trading price in the market of the non-fungible token that is the subject of the purchase request, subtracts the identified consumption points from the identified held points, and stores the resulting held points in the point management table as the held points of the user who made the purchase request; How to manage points.

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