Point processing system, method and program

Abstract

To enable the collection of a wide range of information on a user and to enable the giving of the motivation to provide information to the user.SOLUTION: Common log-in information for a user to perform log-in to at least an A service provided by an A service system 2A and an X service provided by an X service system 2X is acquired. Purchase related information on the user is acquired from a user information database 22A of the A service system 2A on the basis of the common log-in information. A bonus point usable in the X service is calculated on the basis of the acquired purchase related information. An instruction to give the calculated bonus point to a point account of the user is transmitted to the X service system 2X.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a point processing system, method, and program for assisting a point service that issues points in association with the provision of products or the like.

Background Art

[0002] As a means of sales promotion, customer acquisition, and customer retention, a point service that issues points (including coupons, mileage, trading stamps, etc.) that can be used for exchange with products or services (hereinafter referred to as "products or the like") in physical stores or virtual stores in association with the provision of products or services has become widespread.

[0003] In recent years, it has become common for a single user to use multiple point services. In such cases, point management by the user tends to become complicated. In addition, there has been a demand for exchanging points between point services.

[0004] Therefore, a website (aggregation site) that uses account aggregation to improve services for users who use multiple point services is known. In such an aggregation site, a user creates an integrated account and registers in advance the login information for each of the multiple point services to be used. As a result, the user can refer to the details of the points acquired in the multiple point services that the user uses simply by logging in to the integrated account with the common login information. In such an aggregation site, for example, those that enable point exchange between point services are also known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0005] FIG. 6 shows an example of a display screen of a user terminal when logging in to an aggregation site that realizes a point exchange service with common login information. The user has previously registered by associating the ID and password, which are login information for each of a plurality of point services of Service A, Service B, Service C, and Service X used by the user, with the integrated account of the aggregation site.

[0006] On the screen shown in FIG. 6(A), in order to execute point exchange between point services, the user executes login to the integrated account. FIG. 6(B) shows an example of the screen after login, and is for inputting how many points of the points obtained for any of the point services of Service A, Service B, and Service C are to be exchanged for points of Service X.

[0007] In the case of point exchange using the aggregation site, user information related to each point service is automatically acquired (scraped) using the login information for each point service that the user has previously associated and registered with the integrated account. Therefore, on the screen of FIG. 6(B), the user can apply to exchange the points of any point service for the points of Service X without inputting the ID and password, which are the login information for each point service, each time.

[0008] Although the aggregation site provides a more convenient service to the user as described above, it also brings benefits to the operator side. Generally, an operator related to a point service can grasp the purchase situation of customers associated with point granting, and the grasped purchase situation can be used, for example, for placing product orders or for product development and planning. By using an aggregation site that realizes the above-described point management, an operator related to a point service can collect such user purchase situations, etc., collectively from a plurality of operators related to point services that are partner operators.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] However, the information collected using an aggregation site that realizes such point management is, for example, information from a business operator related to a point service that is a partnering business operator, and is limited to information about products purchased with point grants. For this reason, for example, information related to business operators outside the partnership or information related to business operators that do not implement a point program cannot be acquired. Furthermore, information regarding users who do not use the aggregation site in the first place cannot be acquired. Thus, there are limitations to the range of information that can be collected using an aggregation site that realizes point management.

[0011] This invention was made paying attention to the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a point processing system, method, and program that can collect a wide range of information regarding users and can give users a motivation to provide information.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the point processing system and method according to the present invention includes a login information acquisition unit that acquires login information for a predetermined user to log in to at least a first service and a second service, a purchase-related information acquisition unit that acquires purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired login information, a bonus point calculation unit that calculates bonus points that can be used in the second service based on the acquired purchase-related information, and an output unit that outputs information for causing the second service to assign the calculated bonus points to the predetermined user.

[0013] A second aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention is such that the acquired login information includes common login information for the predetermined user to log in to the first and second services, and the purchase-related information acquisition unit acquires purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired common login information.

[0014] A third aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention is such that the acquired login information includes individual login information for the predetermined user to log in to the first and second services individually, and the purchase-related information acquisition unit acquires purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired individual login information.

[0015] A fourth aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention is such that the bonus point calculation unit calculates points that can be used in the second service while maintaining the points acquired by the predetermined user in the first service, which are stored in the database related to the first service.

[0016] The fifth aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention is that when the second service includes a plurality of point services that perform point awarding processes based on different point awarding rules, the bonus point calculation unit selects, from among the plurality of point services, the point service with the largest bonus point awarding amount based on the point awarding rule of each of the plurality of point services, and calculates the bonus points that can be used in the selected point service based on the point awarding rule of the selected point service and the acquired purchase-related information.

[0017] The sixth aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention is that when the second service includes a plurality of point services, the bonus point calculation unit selects, from among the plurality of point services, the point service with the highest usage frequency based on the usage frequency of the predetermined user for the plurality of point services, and calculates the bonus points that can be used in the selected point service based on the point awarding rule of the selected point service and the acquired purchase-related information.

[0018] The seventh aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention is that the bonus point calculation unit calculates the bonus points according to at least one element of the type of information, the degree of detail of the information, the amount of information, and the amount of money included in the acquired purchase-related information and a point awarding rate preset corresponding to the element.

[0019] The eighth aspect of the point processing system according to the present invention further includes a awarding history storage unit that generates information representing the awarding history of the calculated bonus points and stores it in a storage medium in association with information representing the user or the provider of the purchase-related information, and an awarding history information output unit that reads and outputs information representing the corresponding bonus point awarding history stored in the storage medium in response to an acquisition request from a terminal used by the user or the provider of the purchase-related information.

Advantages of the Invention

[0020] According to the first aspect of the present invention, purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user related to the first service is acquired based on the login information set in association with the predetermined user. Then, based on the acquired purchase-related information, bonus points usable in the second service are calculated, and information for awarding the calculated bonus points to the predetermined user is output to the second service.

[0021] Here, the first service includes, for example, a service used by a user for settlement of goods or the like, a service for selling goods to the user, and a service for providing services to the user. In addition, the first service includes not only a service that also functions as a point service but also a service that does not function as a point service. Therefore, as the purchase-related information, not only information about goods purchased with point awarding but also information managed by a service unrelated to point awarding can be acquired.

[0022] For example, in order to acquire the settlement information of a user who uses a financial institution, it is generally difficult to directly access the banking system of the financial institution to acquire the settlement information. However, such settlement information can also be easily acquired as the purchase-related information by accessing the database of the financial institution using the above-mentioned login information.

[0023] In addition, in response to the acquisition of the purchase-related information, bonus points are awarded to the user who provided the purchase-related information. Therefore, it is possible to give the user an incentive to provide purchase-related information, and thereby an increase in the number of acquired purchase-related information can be expected.

[0024] According to a second aspect of the present invention, common login information for a predetermined user to log in to a first service and a second service is obtained, and based on the obtained common login information, purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user related to the first service is obtained. For example, in an integrated account logged in with the common login information, individual login information for each of a plurality of services is pre-registered linked to the common login information, and further, a course for specifying the acquisition form of the purchase-related information is set. The course includes, for example, information representing the service name as the information acquisition destination, the type of acquired information, and the acquisition timing. Therefore, by using the common login information as a key, it is possible to simultaneously obtain purchase-related information regarding the user from a plurality of services in which the individual login information is linked to the common login information. Also, each purchase-related information can be obtained in the acquisition form specified by the set course.

[0025] According to a third aspect of the present invention, individual login information for a predetermined user to individually log in to a first service and a second service is obtained, and based on the obtained individual login information, purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user is obtained from the first service or the second service. For this reason, by using the individual login information as a key, it is possible to obtain purchase-related information regarding an arbitrary service of a predetermined user.

[0026] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the second service is instructed to grant bonus points that can be used in the second service to the predetermined user while maintaining the points acquired by the predetermined user in the first service. Thus, when the first service is a service that also doubles as a point service, even if bonus points are granted to the predetermined user, the points already acquired by the predetermined user in the first service are maintained. That is, when the acquisition process of purchase-related information is executed, the point exchange process is not performed, and the point granting process for the service designated as the point granting destination is performed. Therefore, when providing purchase-related information, a clearer motivation can be given.

[0027] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of point services with different point granting rules as the service for granting bonus points, the point service with the largest bonus point granting amount or granting rate is selected from among the plurality of point services, and the bonus points that can be used in this point service are calculated. Therefore, the user can acquire the most points as the consideration for providing their purchase-related information.

[0028] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, when there are a plurality of point services as the service for granting bonus points, the point service with the highest usage frequency of the user is selected from among the plurality of point services, and the bonus points that can be used in this point service are calculated. Therefore, it becomes possible to grant bonus points to the point service that the user uses most frequently.

[0029] According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, bonus points are calculated according to at least one element among the type of information, the degree of detail of information, the amount of information, and the amount of money included in the purchase-related information acquired from the service of the information acquisition destination. That is, bonus points commensurate with the type, amount, quality, and value of the acquired purchase-related information are calculated. Therefore, the business operator receiving the purchase-related information may grant bonus points commensurate with the type, amount, quality, and value of the information when acquiring the user's purchase-related information. On the other hand, for the user who is the information provider, if information with a high type, amount, quality, and value is provided, it becomes possible to acquire bonus points commensurate with it.

[0030] According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, based on the stored bonus point awarding history information, the user can confirm, for example, what type of bonus points and how many points have been acquired as a reward for providing past purchase-related information. Also, the provider of the purchase-related information can confirm, for example, what type of bonus points and how many points have been awarded to the user as a reward for acquiring the purchase-related information.

[0031] That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a point processing system, method, and program that can collect a wide range of information about a user and give the user an incentive to provide information.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0032]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] In the first embodiment of the present invention, a technique for assisting a point service using the account aggregation and scraping techniques described in relation to FIG. 6 will be described.

[0034] FIG. 1 is an overhead view of a system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Service A, Service B, and Service C are services that a user uses in relation to the purchase of goods and the like. Such services may be services that a user uses for settling payments for goods, such as a credit settlement service, or services that retailers such as department stores, supermarkets, convenience stores, virtual stores, etc. sell goods to users, or services that provide services to users such as delivery companies, fitness clubs, beauty salons, hospitals, etc. Note that such services that a user uses in relation to purchases may or may not also serve as point services.

[0035] On the one hand, the X service is a service that also functions as a point service. The point service is, for example, a service in which when a registered user purchases a product or service, points are given to the user according to the purchase amount or according to the number of visits to the store, etc., under the conditions set by the company side. The accumulated points can be exchanged for products or services during subsequent visits to the store, or can be used as payment when purchasing products or services. The management data of the points given or used is generally stored in a mobile terminal such as a point card or a smartphone, and is also transmitted from a store cash register terminal or a POS server to which the cash register terminal is connected to a point management server and used for the management of member users. Specific examples of point services include various types such as coupons, mileage, and trading stamps.

[0036] By the way, in the system according to the first embodiment, in order to improve the service for users who use the above-mentioned multiple services A, B, and C, a website that uses account aggregation (hereinafter referred to as an aggregation site) is provided. In the first embodiment, this aggregation site constitutes the point processing system according to the present invention.

[0037] The server that constitutes the aggregation site includes a login information database 100. And for each user, an integrated account is created, and individual login information corresponding to each of the multiple services A, B, and C used by the user is pre-registered in the login information database 100 in association with the common login information for logging in to this integrated account. Thereby, the user can refer to the content of the points obtained by each of the multiple services A, B, and C that the user uses only by logging in to the integrated account using the common login information.

[0038] In addition, the server that constitutes the aggregation site includes a purchase-related information acquisition unit 200 and a bonus point calculation unit 300. The purchase-related information acquisition unit 200 acquires purchase-related information about the user from the A service database E1, B service database E2, and C service database E3 provided corresponding to each of the services A, B, and C used by the user by scraping. The purchase-related information includes, for example, settlement information. The settlement information includes, for example, the date and time when the user made a settlement, the store (including virtual stores), and the amount. Alternatively, the purchase-related information may include, for example, information indicating the order history of products, information indicating the registration status of products under consideration for purchase, and information indicating the registration status for receiving services.

[0039] The bonus point calculation unit 300 calculates bonus points that can be used in the X service specified in advance as the bonus point recipient based on the acquired purchase-related information, and sends an instruction to have the calculated bonus points credited to the user's X service point account 400. The bonus points may be given, for example, as consideration for the acquired purchase-related information. Here, when the A service, B service, and C service have a point service, it should be noted that even if the bonus points are credited to the X service point account 400, the points that the user has already acquired in the service that also serves as the point service will not be changed.

[0040] Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the first embodiment of the point processing system according to the present invention will be described.

[0041] (Configuration example) FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless network system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] The communication system according to the first embodiment includes, for example, a plurality of user terminals 3 each used by a user, an X service system 2X that provides an X service which is a point service, an A service system 2A that provides an A service used by the user in relation to the purchase of goods and the like, and a point processing device 1. These are connected via a network NW that uses the Internet Protocol (IP).

[0043] Among these, the point processing device 1 realizes an aggregation site. The point processing device 1 acquires purchase-related information of a user related to the A service from the A service system 2A, and in response to the acquisition of the purchase-related information, transmits an instruction to grant bonus points that can be used in the X service to the user's point account. For example, the A service may be a service used by the user for settlement of goods and the like, such as a settlement service provided by a financial institution, or may be a service that sells goods to the user or provides services to the user. Note that the A service may also be a service that combines a point service.

[0044] The X service system 2X includes a management device 21X that executes a processing function for realizing the X service, and a user information database 22X that stores points acquired by the user in the X service for each user.

[0045] A service system 2A includes a management device 21A that executes processing functions for realizing the A service, and a user information database 22A that stores purchase-related information of users related to the A service for each user. The purchase-related information includes, for example, settlement information. The settlement information indicates, for example, the date and time when the user made a settlement, the store (including virtual stores), and the amount. Alternatively, the purchase-related information may include information indicating the order history of goods, information indicating the registration status of goods under consideration for purchase, and information indicating the registration status for receiving services. When the A service also serves as a point service, the user information database 22A also stores the points acquired by the user in the A service for each user.

[0046] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a point processing device 1 that constitutes all or the main part of the point processing system according to the first embodiment. The point processing device 1 according to the first embodiment includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication interface unit 13.

[0047] The communication interface unit 13 includes, for example, one or more wired or wireless communication interface units. The communication interface unit 13 receives the common login information transmitted from the user terminal 3 and inputs the received common login information to the control unit 11. Further, the communication interface unit 13 acquires the purchase-related information of the user from the A service system 2A according to an instruction from the control unit 11 and inputs the acquired purchase-related information to the control unit 11. Furthermore, the communication interface unit 13 outputs an instruction to grant bonus points to the X service system 2X according to an instruction from the control unit 11.

[0048] The memory unit 12 uses a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) as a memory medium, which can be written and read at any time, and has a program storage area and a data storage area. Among these, in the data storage area, a login information storage unit 121, a purchase-related information storage unit 122, and a point conversion table storage unit 123 are provided.

[0049] The login information storage unit 121 stores the content of the integrated account logged in with common login information for each user. That is, the login information storage unit 121 stores, for each user, as the content of the integrated account, the common login information and the individual login information corresponding to each of a plurality of services including Service A and Service X, with the individual login information for each service linked to the common login information. In the case where the user selectively registers in advance the services to be integrated and managed on the my page, the login information storage unit 121 also stores the services registered on the my page as the content of the above integrated account for each user. Further, the login information storage unit 121 may store permission information indicating the user's permission regarding the use of his or her own information.

[0050] The purchase-related information storage unit 122 stores the purchase-related information acquired from the Service A system 2A.

[0051] The point conversion table storage unit 123 stores a conversion coefficient for calculating the bonus points to be given to the point account related to Service X based on the purchase-related information according to the type of the purchase-related information. Each of the conversion coefficients is, for example, pre-input by the operator of the point processing device 1 according to the prior agreement with Service X.

[0052] The control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and includes a login information acquisition unit 111, a purchase-related information acquisition unit 112, a bonus point calculation unit 113, and a point awarding instruction unit 114 in order to execute the processing functions in the first embodiment. The processing functions of each of these units are all realized by causing the CPU to execute a program stored in the program storage area of the storage unit 12.

[0053] The login information acquisition unit 111 executes a process of acquiring common login information for the user to log in to at least Service A and Service X. The acquisition process of the common login information is, for example, to acquire the common login information input to the user terminal 3 via the communication interface unit 13 when the user logs in. Alternatively, the acquisition process of the common login information is, for example, to periodically read and acquire the user's common login information stored in the login information storage unit 121 of the storage unit 12 on a predetermined day of each month or every time the user settles a product or the like. In this case, the login information acquisition unit 111 refers to the content of the integrated account stored in the login information storage unit 121 of the storage unit 12, and uses the acquired common login information as a key to identify the user's individual login information for logging in to Service A and the user's individual login information for logging in to Service X to be used in subsequent processing.

[0054] The purchase-related information acquisition unit 112 accesses the user information database 22A of the Service A system 2A via the communication interface unit 13 based on the individual login information of the corresponding user for logging in to Service A specified by the login information acquisition unit 111. Then, it executes a process of acquiring purchase-related information regarding the corresponding user from the user information database 22A and storing the acquired purchase-related information in the purchase-related information storage unit 122 of the storage unit 12.

[0055] The bonus point calculation unit 113 reads out the purchase-related information of the corresponding user stored by the purchase-related information acquisition unit 112 from the purchase-related information storage unit 122, and based on the read purchase-related information, executes a process of calculating bonus points that can be used in the X service provided by the X service system 2X.

[0056] At this time, when the A service is a service that also serves as a point service, the bonus point calculation unit 113 executes a calculation process of bonus points that can be used in the X service while maintaining the points obtained by the user in the A service, which are stored in the user information database 22A of the A service system 2A.

[0057] That is, in the bonus point calculation unit 113, when the acquisition process of purchase-related information is executed, no point exchange process is performed, and a point awarding process for the service specified as the point awarding destination is performed. As a result, even if bonus points are awarded to the user's point account based on the purchase-related information related to the A service, the points that the user has already obtained in the A service are maintained as they are.

[0058] Also, when calculating the above bonus points, the bonus point calculation unit 113 reads out the conversion coefficient corresponding to the purchase-related information from the point conversion table storage unit 123 of the storage unit 12, and calculates the bonus points according to this conversion coefficient. For example, the bonus points are calculated by calculating the product of the amount of goods or the like shown in the purchase-related information and the conversion coefficient, or by calculating the product of the amount of information in the purchase-related information and the conversion coefficient.

[0059] The point awarding instruction unit 114 generates an instruction for awarding the calculated bonus points to the user's point account, and executes a process of transmitting this point awarding instruction from the communication interface unit 13 to the X service system 2X. Note that the individual login information of the corresponding user for logging in to the X service, which is specified by the login information acquisition unit 111, is used for the transmission process.

[0060] (Operation example) Next, an operation example of the point processing apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of point processing executed by the control unit 11 shown in FIG. 3. Also, prior to the point processing described in relation to FIG. 4, an association is made between the common login information and the services desired to be integrated and managed. FIG. 5 shows an example of a display screen of a my page on which the user selectively registers in advance the services to be integrated and managed.

[0061] The user stores in advance the contents of his / her integrated account in the login information storage unit 121 in association with the common login information. For example, the user registers from his / her user terminal 3 the individual login information corresponding to each of a plurality of services used by the user, including the A service and the X service, in association with the common login information as the contents of the integrated account.

[0062] At this time, the point processing apparatus 1 causes the user terminal 3 to display screen information for requesting the user's permission to use the purchase-related information. Then, when the user inputs that he / she has given permission on this screen, the point processing apparatus 1 stores this permission information in the contents of the integrated account. Note that the point processing apparatus 1 may regard that the user has given permission to provide the purchase-related information managed by the A service by registering the individual login information of the A service without displaying the screen information for requesting permission.

[0063] In addition, as the content of the integrated account, the user may also selectively register in advance on the my page the services to be integrated and managed from among the services in which individual login information is registered in association with the common login information for the integrated account.

[0064] In this case, for example, the point processing device 1 first causes the user terminal 3 to display the login screen shown in FIG. 5(A). Then, on this screen, when the user inputs the ID and password that constitute the common login information of the integrated account and logs in, the point processing device 1 performs user authentication based on the input ID and password. As a result of this authentication process, when the legitimacy of the user is confirmed, the point processing device 1 causes the user terminal 3 to display the my page screen. An example of the my page screen is shown in FIG. 5(B).

[0065] Next, on the my page screen, the user selects the service for which integrated management is desired from among the displayed services by checking the checkbox. Then, when the user performs the selection end operation, the information representing the selection result is sent from the user terminal 3 to the point processing device 1 and stored in the login information storage unit 121.

[0066] Note that after registering the services to be integrated and managed, the point processing device 1 causes the user terminal 3 to display a screen for confirming the commitment of the purchase-related information for the services. Then, when the user inputs on this screen that they have committed, the information is sent from the user terminal 3 to the point processing device 1. The point processing device 1 stores this permission information including it in the content of the integrated account. In this case as well, it may be considered that the user has permitted the provision of the purchase-related information for the service by the selection operation (checking the checkbox) of the service to be integrated and managed on the my page screen.

[0067] The point processing device 1 can automatically acquire and manage purchase-related information of a user related to a service in which individual login information is registered in association with common login information of an integrated account, or purchase-related information of a user related to a service selectively registered by the user as described in relation to FIG. 5, by scraping.

[0068] Next, the point processing shown in FIG. 4 will be described. First, in step S1, the control unit 11 acquires common login information for the user to log in to at least Service A and Service X under the control of the login information acquisition unit 111. The acquisition process of the common login information may be, for example, to acquire the common login information input on the user terminal 3 when the user logs in. Alternatively, the acquisition process of the common login information may be, for example, to periodically read and acquire the common login information of the user stored in the login information storage unit 121 on a predetermined day of each month, or every time the user settles a product or the like.

[0069] The process of reading the common login information from the login information storage unit 121 is executed, for example, according to a course that designates the acquisition form of purchase-related information set on the my page screen after the user logs in to the integrated account, that is, information that defines the type of service for which the user has permitted the provision of purchase-related information and its acquisition timing, etc.

[0070] When the common login information is acquired, the content of the integrated account stored in the login information storage unit 121 is referred to, and the individual login information of the user for Service A and the individual login information of the user for Service X, which are used in subsequent processing, are specified using the common login information as a key.

[0071] In step S2, under the control of the purchase-related information acquisition unit 112, the control unit 11 accesses the A service system 2A based on the individual login information for the A service stored in the login information storage unit 121. Then, the purchase-related information about the user is obtained from the user information database 22A of the A service system 2A, and the obtained purchase-related information is stored in the purchase-related information storage unit 122.

[0072] Note that the purchase-related information obtained in step S2 may include not only the purchase-related information about the user of the A service system 2A but also the purchase-related information about the user related to other services in which the user has previously associated and registered login information with the integrated account. Alternatively, as described in relation to FIG. 5, in the case where the user selectively registers the services to be integrated and managed on the my page, the purchase-related information obtained in step S2 may include the purchase-related information about the user related to the services registered on the my page.

[0073] Note that when obtaining settlement information as purchase-related information in step S2, the purchase-related information acquisition unit 112 may, for example, obtain only the settlement information settled after the previous acquisition timing. Also, even when obtaining purchase-related information other than settlement information in step S2, the purchase-related information acquisition unit 112 may, for example, obtain only the purchase-related information generated after the previous acquisition timing.

[0074] In step S3, under the control of the bonus point calculation unit 113, the control unit 11 reads out the purchase-related information stored in the purchase-related information storage unit 122, and calculates the bonus points that can be used in the X service provided by the X service system 2X based on the read purchase-related information. The bonus points are given, for example, as a consideration for the above purchase-related information. At this time, when the A service is a service that also functions as a point service, the calculation process is executed while maintaining the points acquired by the user in the A service, which are stored in the user information database 22A of the A service system 2A.

[0075] Regarding the above bonus point calculation process, first, the case where settlement information is acquired as purchase-related information in step S2 will be described as an example. The settlement information is managed, for example, with information about each product for which the user has made a settlement in one purchase as one record. One record includes the date and time when the user made the settlement, the store name (including the virtual store), the amount, etc. Note that the settlement information may include, for example, the product name and point information of the settled products for each record.

[0076] The bonus point calculation process is executed, for example, based on the amount indicated by each record of the settlement information. For example, the first conversion coefficient stored in the point conversion table storage unit 123 is read out, and the sum of the products of the amount indicated by each of the above records and the read first conversion coefficient is calculated, and the above bonus points are calculated.

[0077] On the other hand, the bonus point calculation process may be executed based on the amount of information in the settlement information. For example, the second conversion coefficient stored in the point conversion table storage unit 123 is read out, and the product of the total number of records of the above settlement information and the read second conversion coefficient is calculated, and the above bonus points are calculated.

[0078] Incidentally, the values of the above-described first and second conversion coefficients may be set as follows, for example. For example, the above-described first and second conversion coefficients may be set to different values according to the service of the provider of the settlement information. Also, for example, in each record of the settlement information, for a record that shows, in addition to the date and time when the user made the settlement, the store (including virtual stores), the amount, etc., the name of the product that has been settled, etc., the values of the above-described first and second conversion coefficients may be set higher.

[0079] That is, the values of the above-described first and second conversion coefficients may be set higher or lower according to the amount of information for each record or the type of information included in each record. Further, the above-described first and second conversion coefficients may be set to different values according to the period such as the year or month in which the settlement for each record of the settlement information was made. Incidentally, the above-described first and second conversion coefficients and the calculation method of the bonus points may be set to be in other modes different from those described above.

[0080] In the above description, the calculation process of the bonus points when settlement information is acquired as purchase-related information in step S2 has been described. However, even when other purchase-related information such as information indicating the order history of products, information indicating the registration status of products under consideration for purchase, and information indicating the registration status for receiving services is acquired as purchase-related information, the same process as in the case of the above-described settlement information may be executed.

[0081] For example, each of the above-described other purchase-related information also includes information about each product, etc. in each record. The information indicating the order history of products includes, for each record, the date and time when the user placed the order, the product name, the amount, the delivery location, etc. Also, the information indicating the registration status of products under consideration for purchase includes, for example, for each record, the date and time when the user registered, the product name, the amount, etc. Finally, the information indicating the registration status for receiving services includes, for example, for each record, the type of service, the frequency of receiving that service, the gender and age of the user, and the address of the user, etc.

[0082] When calculating bonus points based on such purchase-related information, similar to the case of settlement information, it may be executed based on the amount of goods or the like shown in the acquired purchase-related information, or it may be executed based on the amount of information such as the total number of records in the acquired purchase-related information. Further, the conversion coefficient as described above used in the calculation process may be set to different values according to the service from which the purchase-related information is acquired, similar to the above-described case, or may be set according to the amount of information for each record or the type of information included in each record. Furthermore, different values may be set according to the date / time information shown in the purchase-related information.

[0083] Finally, in step S4, under the control of the point granting instruction unit 114, the control unit 11 transmits an instruction to the X service system 2X so that the calculated bonus points are granted to the user's point account. In this transmission process, for example, the login information for the X service stored in the login information storage unit 121 is used.

[0084] (Effect) As described in detail above, in the first embodiment of this invention, the following effects are achieved. That is, in the point processing device 1, first, the common login information corresponding to the user's integrated account is specified, and based on the common login information, the individual login information corresponding to the A service is specified from the login information storage unit 121. Then, based on the specified individual login information, the purchase-related information about the user is acquired from the user information database 22A of the A service system 2A. And based on the acquired purchase-related information, the bonus points that can be used in the X service are calculated, and an instruction to grant the bonus points is transmitted to the X service system 2X.

[0085] Here, the above A service includes, for example, services used by users for settlement of goods or the like, services for selling goods to users, and services for providing services to users. Further, the above A service includes not only services that also serve as point services, but also services that do not serve as point services. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, as the above purchase-related information, not only information about goods or the like purchased with point awarding, but also information unrelated to point awarding can be acquired. That is, it becomes possible to acquire a wide range of purchase-related information related to the consumption behavior of users.

[0086] For example, it is generally difficult for a third party to directly access the banking system of a financial institution to acquire the settlement information of a user who uses the financial institution and acquire the settlement information. However, such settlement information can also be easily acquired with the permission of the user by accessing the database of the financial institution using the individual login information of a plurality of services linked to the above common login information as the above purchase-related information. Further, as a consideration for the acquisition of purchase-related information, by awarding bonus points to the point service used by the above user, it is possible to give the user an incentive to provide purchase-related information.

[0087] In addition, when the A service that is the information acquisition destination is a service that also serves as a point service, even if bonus points are awarded to another point service, the X service, the points of the above user already acquired in the A service will not decrease and will be maintained. For this reason, the user does not suffer any disadvantage by providing purchase-related information.

[0088] Furthermore, for the integrated account logged in with the common login information, a course for specifying the acquisition form of purchase-related information is set. The course includes, for example, information specifying the service serving as the information acquisition destination, the type of information to be acquired, and the acquisition timing. Therefore, if a plurality of information acquisition destination services are registered in the course, it becomes possible to collectively acquire predetermined types of purchase-related information regarding the same user from these plurality of services at a preset timing.

[0089] [Modification Example] (1) In the first embodiment, the common login information of the user is acquired, and by logging in to the integrated account based on this common login information, purchase-related information related to the service serving as the information acquisition destination is acquired based on the individual login information associated with the common login information in the integrated account. However, the acquisition means of the purchase-related information may be configured as follows.

[0090] That is, instead of the common login information, the first individual login information for the service that holds the purchase-related information and the second individual login information for the service that holds the point account to which the bonus points are to be granted are acquired. Then, the purchase-related information is acquired based on the first individual login information, and the bonus points are calculated based on the acquired purchase-related information. Finally, based on the second individual login information, an instruction to grant the calculated bonus points is transmitted to the management device of the service that holds the point account of the granting destination.

[0091] Note that the acquisition process of the first and second individual login information is, for example, to acquire the first and second individual login information input by the user to the user terminal 3. When using such individual login information, it is possible to acquire a wide range of information such as purchase-related information related to an arbitrary service. In addition, bonus points can be granted to the point account related to the service desired by the user each time.

[0092] (2) Further, for example, only common login information may be used to log in to a plurality of services that are sources for acquiring purchase-related information, and individual login information may be used to log in to a service that holds a point account to which bonus points are to be credited. Also, individual login information for each may be used to log in to a plurality of services that are sources for acquiring purchase-related information, and common login information may be used to log in to a service that holds a point account to which bonus points are to be credited.

[0093] (3) In the first embodiment, an example of acquiring purchase-related information about the user from the service that is the information acquisition source has been described, but the information to be acquired is not limited to purchase-related information. For example, questionnaire response information, information about events, tourist spots, etc., traffic jam information on roads, and information about the user's tweets on any topic may be acquired. Also, when acquiring information from a plurality of services, not only limited to information of a common type, but different types of information may be acquired collectively.

[0094] (4) In the above first embodiment, as an example of selectively registering services managed in the integrated account, the case of selecting and registering a service to be integratedly managed from among the services in which individual login information is registered in advance in association with the common login information of the integrated account has been shown. However, it is not limited thereto, and after selecting a service to be integratedly managed, individual login information corresponding to the selected service may be registered in association with the common login information of the integrated account.

[0095] (5) In the above first embodiment, the case where the individual login information of each service used by the user, the user information related to each service, and the scraping engine are managed in the aggregation server as the point processing device has been described as an example. However, not limited thereto, the individual login information of each service, the user information related to each service, and the scraping engine may be managed in the user terminal, or may be distributed and managed between the aggregation server and the user terminal.

[0096] For example, all of the above information and the scraping engine may be stored in the user terminal, and the same service may be realized by the software of the user terminal. That is, the point processing realized by the point processing device described in the above first embodiment may be realized by an application in the user terminal. Alternatively, the same service may be realized in a system in which the login information is managed in the user terminal and the user information related to each service and the scraping engine are managed in the aggregation server.

[0097] (6) In the first embodiment, the case where the acquisition process of purchase-related information is performed using the scraping engine in the point processing device constituted by the aggregation server has been described as an example. However, not limited thereto, it may be configured to use the Application Programming Interface (API) provided by the server that operates each service serving as the information acquisition destination, and acquire the information managed by each service by the point processing device. Generally, APIs include an authentication API and a data provision API, and by using these APIs in combination, it is possible to acquire information about the user after performing user authentication by the point processing device.

[0098] Also, when each service provides information to the point processing device, the types and quality of the information provided may be controlled in the API according to the user's permission information. For example, when providing settlement information, only the settlement date and time, settlement items, and amount for each record may be set as the information to be provided, and personal information such as the user name may be set as non-provided, or all information including the user's personal information may be set as the information to be provided.

[0099] Similarly, when providing purchase-related information, for each record, the purchase date and time, product name, purchase location, and amount may be set as the information to be provided, and personal information of the user may be set as non-provided, or all information including the user's personal information may be set as the information to be provided.

[0100] (7) As a method for calculating bonus points, the conversion coefficient to points may be varied according to the types and quality of the information obtained. For example, for a user who permits the provision of all information including personal information, an upper limit value of the conversion coefficient is set, while for a user who does not provide personal information, the conversion coefficient is set to a value lower than the upper limit value. Also, for a user who permits the provision of settlement information, an upper limit value of the conversion coefficient is set, while for a user who permits the provision of only purchase history information regarding a specific product or service, the conversion coefficient is set to a value lower than the upper limit value. By doing so, it becomes possible to grant appropriate bonus points while reflecting the user's permission.

[0101] (8) In the first embodiment, the point processing device 1 calculates bonus points and notifies the point service server of the instruction information for granting the calculated points. However, it is not limited to this. The point processing device may only perform the process of obtaining purchase-related information from the service server of the information acquisition destination, transmit the obtained purchase-related information to the point service server, and the point service server may calculate bonus points according to the received purchase-related information and perform the process of granting the points to the corresponding user.

[0102] That is, not all of the processing functions of the point processing device necessarily need to be provided within the point processing device, and they may be configured to be distributed among the user terminal, the service server of the information acquisition destination, and the point service server that grants bonus points. That is, the present invention includes not only the case where it is realized by a single device but also the case where it is realized by a system including a plurality of devices.

[0103] (9) When there are a plurality of point services that are candidates for the bonus point granting destination, the point processing device manages the current point granting rate for each point service with respect to the corresponding users. Then, it selects the point service with the highest point granting rate at the current time, calculates the bonus points according to the point granting rate of the selected point service server, and transmits an instruction to grant the calculated bonus points to the selected point service. In this case, instead of calculating the bonus points, the acquired information may be transmitted to the selected point service. By doing so, when the user uses a plurality of point services, it becomes possible to grant bonus points to the point account of the point service with the highest point granting rate at the current time among them.

[0104] (10) When there are a plurality of point services that are candidates for the bonus point granting destination, the point processing device manages the usage frequency of the user for each point service. Then, it selects the point service with the highest usage frequency at the current time and transmits the acquired information or an instruction to grant points calculated based on the information. By doing so, when the user uses a plurality of point services, it becomes possible to grant bonus points to the point account of the point service with the highest usage frequency at the current time among them.

[0105] In addition, as a method for selecting the point service as the bonus point granting destination, it is possible to use a method of sequentially selecting all the point services in use or randomly selecting them.

[0106] (11) When the point processing device receives the provision of purchase-related information and grants points to the user as consideration therefor, it may generate the point grant history information and store it in the history database. The point grant history information consists of, for example, the acquisition date and time of the purchase-related information, the identification name of the acquired purchase-related information, and the type and number of points granted, associated with the user ID or the purchase-related information provider ID. When the point processing device receives a query request for the point grant history information from the user terminal or the terminal of the person in charge of the trading partner service, it searches the history database for the corresponding point grant history information and transmits it to the requesting terminal. Thereby, the user can confirm what type of points and how many points he / she has received as a return for the provision of past purchase-related information. Also, the provider of the purchase-related information can confirm what type of points and how many points have been granted to the user as a return for the acquisition of the purchase-related information.

[0107] In addition, the types and configurations of the point processing device, the user terminal, etc., as well as the information stored in the login information storage unit and the point conversion table storage unit, etc., can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0108] In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and at the implementation stage, the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist thereof. Also, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the above-described embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0109] 100... Login information database, 200... Purchase-related information acquisition unit, 300... Bonus point calculation unit, 400... X service point account, E1... A service database, E2... B service database, E3... C service database, NW... Network, 1... Point processing device, 11... Control unit, 111... Login information acquisition unit, 112... Purchase-related information acquisition unit, 113... Bonus point calculation unit, 114... Point awarding instruction unit, 12... Memory unit, 121... Login information memory unit, 122... Purchase-related information memory unit, 123... Point conversion table memory unit, 13... Communication interface unit, 2X... X service system, 2A... A service system, 21X, 21A... Management device, 22X, 22A... User information database, 3... User terminal.

Claims

1. A login information acquisition unit that acquires login information for at least a first service and a second service of a predetermined user; A purchase-related information acquisition unit that acquires purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired login information; A bonus point calculation unit that calculates bonus points that can be used in the second service based on the acquired purchase-related information; An output unit that outputs information for causing the calculated bonus points to be granted to the predetermined user for the second service A point processing system comprising:

2. The acquired login information includes common login information for the predetermined user to log in to the first and second services, The purchase-related information acquisition unit acquires purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired common login information. The point processing system according to claim 1.

3. The acquired login information includes individual login information for the predetermined user to log in to the first and second services individually, The purchase-related information acquisition unit acquires purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired individual login information. The point processing system according to claim 1.

4. The bonus point calculation unit calculates points that can be used in the second service while maintaining the points acquired by the predetermined user in the first service stored in the database related to the first service. The point processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. When the second service includes a plurality of point services that perform point granting processes based on different point granting rules, The bonus point calculation unit selects a point service with the largest point granting amount or granting rate from among the plurality of point services based on the point granting rules of each of the plurality of point services, and based on the point granting rule of the selected point service and the acquired purchase-related information, calculates bonus points that can be used in the selected point service. The point processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the second service includes a plurality of point services, the bonus point calculation unit selects the point service with the highest usage frequency from among the plurality of point services based on the usage frequency of the predetermined user for the plurality of point services, and based on the point awarding rule of the selected point service and the acquired purchase-related information, calculates the bonus points that can be used in the selected point service. The point processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. The bonus point calculation unit calculates the bonus points according to at least one element of the type of information, the degree of detail of the information, the amount of information, and the amount of money included in the acquired purchase-related information, and a point awarding rate preset corresponding to the element. The point processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. An awarding history storage unit that generates information representing the awarding history of the calculated bonus points and stores it in a storage medium in association with information representing the user or the provider of the purchase-related information; An awarding history information output unit that reads and outputs information representing the corresponding bonus point awarding history stored in the storage medium in response to an acquisition request from a terminal used by the user or the provider of the purchase-related information The point processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising.

9. A point processing method executed by a device including a computer and a storage medium, a process of acquiring login information for a predetermined user to log in to at least a first service and a second service; a process of acquiring purchase-related information regarding the predetermined user from a database related to the first service based on the acquired login information; a process of calculating bonus points that can be used in the second service based on the acquired purchase-related information; a process of outputting information for causing the second service to grant the calculated bonus points to the predetermined user A point processing method comprising.

10. A program for causing a processor to execute the processing of each part included in the point processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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