Sales information management device, settlement system, control method of sales information management device, control program of sales information management device

Abstract

To provide a sales information management device, etc. capable of safely performing settlement even when a plurality of sales information management devices such as POS devices are arranged close to each other.SOLUTION: A sales information management device 10a capable of communicating with a plurality of customer terminal devices 11a and mutually overlapping with part of communication areas of the customer terminal devices, uses ultra-short-range wireless communication to transmit specific settlement identification information, the settlement identification information, to a settlement execution target terminal device. A customer portable terminal generates and transmits response communication information including identification information of the customer portable terminal in the specific settlement identification information. When receiving a plurality of pieces of response communication information including the same specific settlement identification information, the sales information management device executes specific processing for specifying the settlement execution target terminal device and executes settlement processing to the specified settlement execution target terminal device by using short-range wireless communication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sales information management device relating to the management of sales information, a payment system, a control method for a sales information management device, and a control program for a sales information management device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, payment methods using two-dimensional barcodes such as NFC (Near Field Communication) and QR Code (registered trademark) have been proposed for making payments using mobile terminals in stores and the like. However, the high cost of the card readers required to read NFC cards has been a barrier to their adoption by stores, and payments using two-dimensional barcodes have the drawback of being time-consuming, as users must themselves scan and present the two-dimensional barcode. For this reason, in order to build a payment system without using the above-mentioned technology, a system has been proposed that combines short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) with sonic communication (for example, Patent Document 1). Such a system that combines short-range wireless communication and sound waves is effective in that it uses sound wave communication to transmit important payment information only to the mobile terminal making the payment, and is unlikely to be transmitted to other mobile terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7286478 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when a payment system that combines near-field wireless communication and ultrasonic communication is used as a POS (Point of Sale) system for a store, etc., multiple POS devices are placed close to each other at the checkout counter of the store, etc., and a situation arises in which many customers' mobile terminals, etc. are present around each POS device and are capable of communicating. Furthermore, due to the nature of sound waves, if the volume is too low, it will be affected by surrounding sounds and communication will fail, but if the volume is too high, the communication will be received by multiple customers' mobile devices, etc. In the latter case, there is a risk that communication will be mistakenly made with the mobile devices of other customers other than the customer in question, hindering safe payment.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a sales information management device, a payment system, a control method for a sales information management device, and a control program for a sales information management device that can perform payments safely even when multiple sales information management devices such as POS devices and multiple customer terminal devices are placed in close proximity to each other. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The above object is achieved in the present invention by a sales information management device that manages sales information that can communicate with multiple customer terminal devices owned by customers, wherein at least a portion of the communication areas of the sales information management device and the customer terminal device are arranged to overlap with each other, and uses very short distance wireless communication to transmit specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, which is the customer terminal device that executes the payment, and the customer mobile terminal that receives the specific payment identification information generates response communication information that includes identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, receives the transmitted response communication information, and when it receives multiple pieces of response communication information that include the same specific payment identification information, executes identification processing to identify the payment execution target terminal device, and executes payment processing for the identified payment execution target terminal device using short distance wireless communication.

[0007] According to the above configuration, the sales information management device communicates with the payment execution target terminal device (e.g., a customer mobile terminal that executes the payment) via ultra-short-range wireless communication such as sound waves, making it difficult for other customer mobile terminals to receive the communication. However, even with this configuration, there are cases where the communication is received by other customer terminal devices. Therefore, in the present invention, first, the sales information management device transmits specific payment identification information such as a payment number to the payment execution target terminal device via ultra-short distance wireless communication. The payment execution target terminal device that has received the payment execution target information then transmits response communication information, in which the identification information of the payment execution target terminal device has been added to the specific payment identification information, to the sales information management device. Therefore, the sales information management device can confirm the identification information (for example, the number of BT advertisement information) of the payment execution target terminal device. In this way, the sales information management device is configured to confirm the terminal device to be used for payment execution using response communication information, and then execute payment processing using short-range wireless communication with the terminal device to be used for payment execution, thereby preventing the device from mistakenly requesting payment-related information from other customer terminal devices.

[0008] Furthermore, when the sales information management device acquires response communication information containing the same specific payment identification information from multiple customer terminal devices, it performs specific processing to identify the terminal device that is the target of payment execution (for example, excluding terminals that are receiving advertisements for a long period of time, requesting additional processing information from multiple customer terminal devices, and identifying the terminal device that is the target of payment execution based on the result information of the additional processing information from the customer terminal device), and executes payment processing for the identified terminal device that is the target of payment execution using short-range wireless communication. Therefore, the payment execution target terminal device can be identified with high accuracy. In this way, with the present invention, even if the sales information management device and multiple customer terminal devices are located close to each other and some of the communication areas of these devices overlap with each other, payments can be made safely without mistaking the communication partner.

[0009] Preferably, in the sales information management device, the ultra-short-range wireless communication is short-range wireless communication between the sales information management device and the customer mobile terminal, and is executed after the sales information management device establishes communication with the customer mobile terminal, and the identification process includes determining whether the sales information management device has been receiving advertising communication for a long period of time when receiving the response communication information.

[0010] According to the above configuration, ultra-short-range wireless communication is short-range wireless communication between the sales information management device and the customer mobile terminal, and is configured to be executed after the sales information management device establishes communication with the customer mobile terminal. Therefore, the sales information management device can more reliably perform ultra-short distance wireless communication with the customer mobile terminal. Furthermore, the identification process of the sales information management device includes determining whether or not the sales information management device has been receiving advertising communication from a terminal or the like for a long period of time when receiving response communication information. Therefore, if advertising communication continues to be received within a confirmation time (e.g., a predetermined time) for obtaining information on the duration of the advertising communication, and the communication time is longer than the normal advertising communication time, it can be determined that the communication partner is not a customer terminal device, but, for example, a terminal device of a sales clerk of the sales information management device located near the sales information management device, and the communication can be effectively eliminated.

[0011] Preferably, in the sales information management device, the identification process includes requesting additional processing information from multiple customer terminal devices, and identifying the terminal device to be used for payment execution based on the result information of the additional processing information from the customer terminal devices.

[0012] According to the above configuration, the identification process includes requesting additional processing information from multiple customer terminal devices, and identifying the terminal device to which payment is to be executed based on the result information of the additional processing information from the customer terminal devices. Therefore, additional processing information can be obtained from a plurality of customer terminal devices, and the payment execution target terminal device can be identified with high accuracy from this additional processing information. In this way, with the present invention, even if the sales information management device and multiple customer terminal devices are located close to each other and some of the communication areas of these devices overlap with each other, payments can be made safely without mistaking the communication partner.

[0013] The above object is achieved by the present invention by a payment system comprising a plurality of sales information management devices that manage sales information and are capable of communication, and a plurality of customer terminal devices that are carried by customers and are capable of communication, wherein at least a portion of the communication areas of the sales information management devices and the customer terminal devices overlap with each other, wherein the sales information management devices use very short distance wireless communication to transmit specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, to the customer terminal device that executes the payment, the customer mobile terminal that has received the specific payment identification information transmits response communication information that includes identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, to the sales information management device, the sales information management device having received multiple pieces of response communication information that include the same specific payment identification information executes identification processing to identify the payment execution target terminal device, and the sales information management device executes payment processing for the identified payment execution target terminal device using short distance wireless communication.

[0014] Preferably, in the payment system, the ultra-short-range wireless communication is short-range wireless communication between the sales information management device and the customer mobile terminal, and is executed after the sales information management device establishes communication with the customer mobile terminal, and the identification process includes determining, when receiving the response communication information, whether the sales information management device has been receiving advertising communication for a long period of time.

[0015] Preferably, in the payment system, the identification process includes requesting additional processing information from multiple customer terminal devices, and identifying the terminal device to be used for payment execution based on the result information of the additional processing information from the customer terminal devices.

[0016] Preferably, in the payment system, the ultra-short-range wireless communication is ultrasonic communication, the customer terminal device has a microphone for receiving the ultrasonic communication, and the customer terminal device is configured to automatically activate the microphone when it recognizes the sales information management device.

[0017] According to the above configuration, the customer terminal device can be prevented from activating the microphone in a location that is not close to the sales information management device, thereby preventing the power consumption of the customer terminal device from increasing.

[0018] Preferably, in the payment system, the payment identification information has a limited validity period, and the response communication information is encrypted based on the payment identification information.

[0019] According to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent the response communication information transmitted by short-range wireless communication from being known to a third party.

[0020] Preferably, in the payment system, the customer terminal device is capable of adding additional information about the purchase to the payment-related information.

[0021] According to the above configuration, the customer terminal device can add additional information about the purchase to the payment-related information, so that the customer can add information about the purchase verbally or without giving orders or instructions.

[0022] The above object is achieved in the present invention by a control method for a sales information management device that manages sales information that can communicate with multiple customer terminal devices owned by customers, wherein at least a portion of the communication areas of the sales information management device and the customer terminal device are arranged to overlap with each other, and uses very short distance wireless communication to transmit specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, to the customer terminal device that executes the payment, and the customer mobile terminal that receives the specific payment identification information generates response communication information that includes identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, receives the transmitted response communication information, and when multiple pieces of response communication information including the same specific payment identification information are received, performs identification processing to identify the payment execution target terminal device, and executes payment processing for the identified payment execution target terminal device using short distance wireless communication.

[0023] In the present invention, the above object is achieved by a control program for the sales information management device that manages sales information in which at least a plurality of customer terminal devices owned by customers and some of the communication areas are mutually overlapping, and that realizes the following functions in the sales information management device: a function of transmitting, using very short distance wireless communication, specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, to the payment execution target terminal device, which is the customer terminal device that executes the payment; a function of the customer mobile terminal that receives the specific payment identification information generating response communication information that includes identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, and receiving the transmitted response communication information; a function of executing specific processing to identify the payment execution target terminal device when multiple response communication information including the same specific payment identification information is received; and a function of executing payment processing for the identified payment execution target terminal device using short distance wireless communication. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] As described above, the present invention has the advantage of providing a sales information management device, a payment system, a control method for a sales information management device, and a control program for a sales information management device that enable secure payment even when multiple sales information management devices such as POS devices and multiple customer terminal devices are placed in close proximity to each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main configuration of a "store payment system 1" according to an embodiment of the "payment system" of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram regarding communication between a mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like and a customer mobile terminal 100a and the like. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the main configuration of the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the main configuration of the customer mobile terminal 100a etc. of FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of the main operation of the store payment system 1 of FIG. [Figure 6] 10 is another schematic flowchart showing an example of the main operation of the store payment system 1 of FIG. [Figure 7] 10 is another schematic flowchart showing an example of the main operation of the store payment system 1 of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below are preferred examples of the present invention, and therefore various technically preferable limitations are applied. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments unless otherwise specified in the following description to the effect that the present invention is specifically limited.

[0027] (Main components of store payment system 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the main configuration of a "store payment system 1" according to an embodiment of the "payment system" of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, store X has a "checkout counter K" where customers pay, and this checkout counter K is equipped with multiple sales information management devices, such as mobile POS (Point of sale) device No. 1 10a, mobile POS device No. 2 10b, and mobile POS device No. 3 10c.

[0028] These mobile POS devices No. 1 10a, etc. are portable terminals that perform the functions of a POS device. Here, POS stands for point-of-sale information management, and refers to a system that collects and records information about products (product name, price, time sold, etc.) on a per-item basis at the point (point of sale) where products are sold and paid for in retail businesses, etc., to grasp product sales information and manage sales and inventory based on that information.

[0029] In this embodiment, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like are configured to allow customers to use non-cash payment means, such as electronic currency (money). Here, "electronic money" refers to, for example, "electronic money" issued by a specific company, which can be used to pay for goods and / or services at a specific store, just like cash. In this embodiment, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. is equipped with a payment application that enables payment with "Company A electronic money" issued by Company A and "Company B electronic money" issued by Company B.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. are communicably connected to the "Company A payment server 3" and the "Company B payment server 4" via the Internet network 2. The mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like are also connected to a POS server 5, and are configured to transmit sales data and the like.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, each mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. is operated by store clerks a, b, and c, who have store clerk mobile terminals 11a, 11b, and 11c, respectively. Also, at the checkout counter K, "pre-POS products 12a, 12b, 12c" which are pre-register products are placed near the mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like.

[0032] Also, as shown in FIG. 1, customers a to i each hold their own customer terminal device, customer mobile terminal 100a to 100i, and are located near mobile POS device No. 1 10a to 10c at checkout counter K to pay for goods. Specifically, the customer portable terminals 100a to 100c are located near the first mobile POS device 10a, and the customer portable terminals 100d to 100f are located near the second mobile POS device 10b. Furthermore, the customer portable terminals 100g to 100i are located near the mobile POS device No. 3 10c.

[0033] (Regarding communication between the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. and the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc.) FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory diagram regarding communication between the mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like and the customer mobile terminal 100a and the like. The mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like are equipped with a short-range wireless communication device. This short-range wireless communication is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), using a frequency band of, for example, 2.4 GHz in the short-wave band, and the communicable distance is divided into three classes according to output power, ranging from a few meters to 100 meters.

[0034] In this embodiment, "Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)" is used, which is a communication method that consumes less power than conventional "Bluetooth." The short-range wireless communication device of this embodiment is configured to be capable of BLE communication, and the communication distance is set to, for example, about 3 m. In the "BLE" communication method, communication takes place, for example, as follows: 1) Communication is performed from the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc., which is a slave device, to the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc., which is a master device. The customer mobile terminal 100a, etc., performs advertising communication. 2) The mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. acquires the data sent in the advertising communication by scanning, and the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. recognizes the customer's portable terminal. 3) The customer portable terminal 100a or the like recognized by the first mobile POS device 10a ends the advertising communication and communicates with the first mobile POS device 10a or the like. 4) Data communication is performed, and when the transaction is completed, the first mobile POS device 10a etc. ends the communication.

[0035] Here, "advertisement (broadcast) communication" refers to a wireless signal that a customer mobile terminal 100a, etc. uses to communicate its own location to a mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc., and the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. can catch the wireless signal from the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc. and recognize and grasp the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc.

[0036] V1 and V2 in FIG. 2 indicate the "BLE communication distance" of the first mobile POS device 10a and the second mobile POS device 10b, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 2, the communication range is wide.

[0037] The mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the like and the customer portable terminal 100a and the like are configured to be capable of ultra-short distance wireless communication, for example, sound wave communication. Specifically, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. converts (modulates) data etc. into sound wave data and outputs it from the speaker of the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. In this embodiment, the communication distance of the sound wave data is set to, for example, 30 cm, but the setting can be adjusted by changing the volume, etc. The "sound wave data" output from the speaker of the mobile POS device No. 1 10a or the like is received by the microphone of the customer mobile terminal 100a, and the data is acquired. Communication via acoustic data is the basis for proximity communication and authentication technology. Since acoustic communication uses a standard microphone and speaker as an interface, it can be used on any device, including mobile terminals.

[0038] W1 and W2 in FIG. 2 indicate the "sonic communication distance" of the first mobile POS device 10a and the second mobile POS device 10b, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 2, the communication range is extremely narrow.

[0039] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, communication between the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc. and the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. is initially performed using BLE communication, and after the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. recognizes the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc., if the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc., wants to communicate "only" with the customer mobile terminal 100a, it can switch to "sonic communication" to effectively exclude communication with other customer mobile terminals, such as the customer mobile terminal 100b.

[0040] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as described above, communication between the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc. and the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. is initially performed using BLE communication, and after the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. recognizes the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc., if the mobile POS device No. 1 10a wants to communicate "only" with the customer mobile terminal 100a, it switches to "sonic communication." However, the present invention is not limited to this, and communication between the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc. and the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. may be configured to initially use sonic communication from the start, rather than using BLE communication.

[0041] In addition, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, customer mobile terminal 100a, Company A's payment server 3, Company B's payment server 4, and POS server 5 of "this system 1" in Fig. 1 each have a computer, including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk, etc., and are connected via a bus.

[0042] (Main components of mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc.) FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the main configuration of the first mobile POS device 10a and the like shown in FIG. Since the first mobile POS devices 10a to 10c have the same configuration, the first mobile POS device 10a will be described below as an example. As shown in Figure 3, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a has a "POS side control unit 20", which has a "POS side communication device 21" for communicating with the customer mobile terminal 100a in Figure 1, a "speaker 22" for outputting audio, and a "POS side touch panel 23" for inputting and displaying various information. The POS-side touch panel 23 is an electronic component that combines a display, which is a display unit, with a position input device, and is an input device that allows a user to input various information by touching what is displayed on the display.

[0043] In addition, as shown in Figure 3, the control unit 20 also controls the ``POS-side payment application storage unit 24,'' ``payment identification information generation unit 25,'' ``sound wave information generation unit 26,'' ``collision judgment unit 27,'' and ``POS-side various information storage unit 28,'' but the contents of these will be described later.

[0044] (Main components of the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc.) FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram showing the main configuration of the customer mobile terminal 100a etc. in FIG. Since the customer mobile terminals 100a to 100i have the same configuration, the customer mobile terminal 100a will be described below as an example. As shown in Figure 4, the customer mobile terminal 100a has a "terminal side control unit 110", which has a "terminal side communication device 111" for communicating with mobile POS device No. 1 10a in Figure 1, a "microphone 112" for inputting voice, and a "terminal side touch panel 113" for inputting and displaying various information. The terminal side touch panel 113 is similar to the touch panel 23 in FIG.

[0045] In addition, as shown in Figure 4, the control unit 110 also controls the ``terminal side payment application storage unit 114,'' ``advertisement activation judgment unit 115,'' ``microphone activation unit 116,'' ``response communication information generation unit 117,'' and ``terminal side various information storage unit 118,'' but the contents of these will be described later.

[0046] (Example of main operation of store payment system 1) 5 to 7 are schematic flowcharts showing an example of the main operations of the store payment system 1 of FIG. In this embodiment, the following explanation will be given using an example in which customer a carries his / her own customer mobile terminal 100a, goes shopping at store X, and makes payment using company A's electronic money at mobile POS device No. 1 10a.

[0047] First, make advance preparations. Specifically, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc. and the customer mobile terminal 100a, etc. install a payment application (such as "Company A's electronic money application") and store it in the "POS-side payment application memory unit 24" in Figure 3 and the "terminal-side payment application memory unit 114" in Figure 4, respectively.

[0048] Next, the process proceeds to step (hereinafter referred to as "ST") 1 in FIG. In ST1, customer a goes to store X with his / her own customer mobile terminal a, places the products he / she wants to purchase in a basket, etc., and heads to checkout counter K.

[0049] Next, the process proceeds to ST2. In ST2, the first mobile POS device 10a operates the "POS-side communication device 21" and continues to advertise itself via BLE communication (performing broadcast communication via BLE) while continuing to scan to find customer mobile terminals 100a and the like that "use the payment scheme."

[0050] Next, the process proceeds to ST3. In ST3, the customer mobile terminal 100a refers to the "terminal side communication device 111" and the "terminal side payment application storage unit 114", runs the "payment application (such as an application for Company A's electronic money)", and constantly scans to find nearby mobile POS devices such as the first mobile POS device 10a.

[0051] Next, the process proceeds to ST4. In ST4, the "advertisement start determination unit (program) 115" of the customer mobile terminal 100a in Fig. 4 operates to determine whether or not the first mobile POS device 10a etc. has been confirmed, and if confirmed, starts advertising. At this time, the customer mobile terminal 100a does not search for "mobile POS device No. 1 10a", but searches for all mobile POS devices, so when it detects mobile POS devices No. 1 and No. 2, etc., it performs the same operation on them.

[0052] Thus, according to this embodiment, the customer mobile terminal 100a does not advertise at all times, but is configured to advertise only after scanning to confirm the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc., thereby reducing battery consumption of the customer mobile terminal 100a.

[0053] Next, the process proceeds to ST5. In ST5, the first mobile POS device 10a acquires the data sent from the customer mobile terminal 100a in the advertisement and recognizes the customer mobile terminal 100a.

[0054] Next, the process proceeds to ST6. In ST6, customer a carrying customer mobile terminal 100a approaches mobile POS device No. 1 100a at checkout counter K to make a payment.

[0055] Next, the process proceeds to ST7. In ST7, the "microphone activation unit (program) 116" of the customer mobile terminal 100a in FIG. 4 operates, and when it recognizes that the customer is approaching the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc., it automatically activates the microphone 112.

[0056] Also, unlike this embodiment, the customer mobile terminal 100a may be configured to recognize its proximity to the first mobile POS device 10a from the strength of the BLE radio waves. That is, the customer mobile terminal 100a may be configured to estimate the distance between itself and the first mobile POS device 100a from the strength of the BLE radio waves (for example, an RSSI value, etc.), and only activate the microphone 112 when it approaches an appropriate distance.

[0057] If the customer mobile terminal 100a is configured to activate the microphone 112 at a location not close to the first mobile POS device 10a, the activation time of the microphone will be longer and power consumption will increase. In this regard, in this embodiment, the microphone 112 is activated only when the customer approaches the first mobile POS device 10a, thereby preventing the power consumption of the customer mobile terminal 100a from increasing.

[0058] Next, the process proceeds to ST8. In ST8, the clerk a in charge of the first mobile POS device 10a registers the products that the customer a intends to purchase on the customer mobile terminal 100a via the first mobile POS device 10a, and confirms with the customer the payment method, specifically, whether the payment will be made with "Company A's electronic money" or "Company B's electronic money."

[0059] Also, unlike this embodiment, the customer a may select "electronic money." For example, if customer a wishes to pay with "Company A's electronic money," the customer mobile terminal 100a can be configured to set the "Company A's electronic money" application to "priority processing" in advance, so that payment will automatically be made with "Company A's electronic money" without the sales clerk a having to confirm with customer a whether they would like to pay with "Company A's electronic money" or "Company B's electronic money."

[0060] In addition, instead of the above-mentioned "priority processing," a selection notification between "Company A's electronic money" and "Company B's electronic money" may be displayed on the terminal touch panel 113 of the customer mobile terminal 100a each time, and the customer may make a selection each time.

[0061] Next, the process proceeds to ST9. In ST9, the "payment identification information generating unit (program) 25" of the first mobile POS device 100a shown in Fig. 3 operates to generate and store payment identification information, such as a payment identification number for the customer's mobile terminal (a payment identification number that is valid for a limited time and has a time limit), sender identification data indicating the first mobile POS device 100a that sent the information, and specific payment identification information including the type of electronic money used for the payment, such as "Company A's electronic money," such as "payment identification data (an example of payment identification information dedicated to the payment execution terminal device)."

[0062] Next, the process proceeds to ST10. In ST10, the "sound wave information generating unit (program) 26" of the first mobile POS device 10a in FIG. 3 operates to generate "payment identification sound waves" by modulating the "payment identification data" into sound waves of a frequency that humans cannot hear (inaudible range), and transmits the "payment identification sound waves" from the "speaker 22" in FIG. 3.

[0063] Furthermore, this "payment identification sound wave" contains a random number element, making it difficult to infer from the outside.

[0064] In this way, by using sound waves in the inaudible range, it is possible to increase the amount of data that can be communicated. Furthermore, it is less susceptible to sounds in the audible range (such as human voices and background music), making it possible to avoid noise. Furthermore, by including sender identification data indicating the sender mobile POS device No. 1 10a, if the customer mobile terminal 100a that receives this recognizes multiple mobile POS devices via BLE, it only needs to perform the ``response communication'' described below to a single mobile POS device No. 1 10a, and mobile POS devices that are not the target do not need to receive this communication, thereby making overall communication more efficient.

[0065] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, sound wave communication has a narrow communication range, as shown in Figure 2, so when mobile POS device No. 1 10a emits sound waves, it cannot communicate with customer mobile terminals 100c, etc. located far from mobile POS device No. 1 10a, but can only communicate with customer mobile terminals 100a, etc. located nearby, so it is possible to prevent unnecessary information from being sent to other customer mobile terminals 100c, etc.

[0066] In addition, in this embodiment, the communication distance of the sound wave data is set to, for example, 30 cm, but the store clerk can adjust the communication distance to any distance by changing the "volume" (raising or lowering the volume) of the mobile POS device No. 1 100a, etc.

[0067] This makes it possible to adjust the signal so that it does not reach the customer mobile terminals 100c of other customers in the vicinity. Furthermore, the first mobile POS device 10a may be configured to listen to the surrounding environmental sounds and automatically change the volume of the sounds it transmits depending on the volume of the environmental sounds.

[0068] In addition, the reception status of the microphone 112 of the customer mobile terminal 100a may be displayed on the terminal's touch panel 113, and if the sensitivity is below a certain threshold, a warning may be displayed to customer a, urging them to try again or use a different payment method.

[0069] By adopting such a configuration, customer a can be quickly notified of an inability to make a payment before making a payment, thereby preventing confusion in front of mobile POS device No. 1 10a, etc., and congestion while waiting to pay.

[0070] Next, the process proceeds to ST11. In ST11, when the customer mobile terminal 100a receives the payment number data, sender data, and payment electronic money data of the "payment identification sound wave," the "response communication information generation unit (program) 117" in Fig. 4 operates, and the customer mobile terminal 100a generates and stores "response communication information" by adding the "identification information (BT advertising information number, etc.)" of the customer mobile terminal a to the received "payment number data" and encrypting it based on the received payment number data. Then, the "response communication information" is transmitted to the source mobile POS device No. 1 10a via BLE.

[0071] Next, the process proceeds to ST12, where it is determined whether the first mobile POS device 10a has received "response communications" including the same "payment number" sent from multiple customer mobile terminals 10a, etc. within a certain period of time.

[0072] If it is determined in ST12 that the message contains multiple "response messages," the process proceeds to ST13. In ST13, the "collision determination unit (duplicate payment information (payment No.) determination unit) 27" of the mobile POS device No. 1 10a operates, and determines that a terminal that has maintained an advertisement reception state for a predetermined time (an example of a long time) or longer is not a customer mobile terminal (for example, a store clerk mobile terminal, etc.), and excludes it (an example of identification processing). In other words, this is to eliminate information that may be sent as a "response communication" from the store clerk mobile terminal 11a, etc., including the "payment number" sent by the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, resulting in a "collision."

[0073] That is, since the mobile POS device No. 1 10a continues to receive advertisements, if the advertisement reception time is longer than that of normal response communication, it can determine that the communication partner is not the customer mobile terminal 100a, but, for example, the clerk mobile terminal 11a of clerk a located near the mobile POS device No. 1 10a, and can effectively eliminate that communication. Specifically, the first mobile POS device 10a has a confirmation time (for example, a predetermined time) for comparison with the advertisement reception duration. If mobile POS device No. 1 10a continues to receive advertising communication beyond this confirmation time (for example, one hour), it determines that the advertising reception time is longer than that of a normal response communication, and determines that the communication partner is not the customer mobile terminal 100a but, for example, the clerk mobile terminal 11a of clerk a located near mobile POS device No. 1 10a, and effectively rejects that communication.

[0074] On the other hand, when the second mobile POS device 10b receives this "response communication," it does not respond in particular because the received "payment number" is not information sent by its own device.

[0075] Next, the process proceeds to ST14. In ST14, the first mobile POS device 10a determines whether or not it has received multiple "response communications" containing the same "payment number." If multiple "response communications" have been received, the process proceeds to ST15.

[0076] In ST15, the first mobile POS device 10a requests additional processing (sending a further signal, shaking the terminal vigorously, etc.) via BLE from the multiple customer mobile terminals etc. that it has received (an example of specific processing). This is to determine a specific customer mobile terminal a that desires to make the payment from among the multiple customer mobile terminals a that are transmitting the response communication, based on the result information of the additional processing.

[0077] Next, the process proceeds to ST16. In ST16, the customer mobile terminal 100a or the like performs additional processing (transmission of a further signal) using BLE, and transmits the result information to the first mobile POS device 10a.

[0078] Next, the process proceeds to ST17. In ST17, the first mobile POS device 10a identifies the customer mobile terminal 100a that wishes to make a payment at the first mobile POS device 10a, based on the result information of the "further signal (additional processing)" received from each customer mobile terminal 100a, etc.

[0079] By performing such processing, for example, it is possible to effectively eliminate "response communication information" from a customer mobile terminal 100d or the like who wishes to make a payment at the adjacent mobile POS device No. 2 10b in store X.

[0080] Furthermore, without being limited to this, information that "multiple detections have been made" may be transmitted to multiple customer mobile terminals 100a, etc. via BLE, and identification information may be displayed on the terminal-side touch panel 113 of the customer mobile terminals 100a, etc., and based on the identification information selected by the multiple customer mobile terminals 100a, etc., the mobile POS device No. 1 10a may select the customer mobile terminal 100a requesting the payment.

[0081] In this case, even if a plurality of customer mobile terminals 100a, etc. are detected, the target customer mobile terminal can be quickly and appropriately identified without uniformly treating them as an "error" and performing termination processing.

[0082] As described above, in this embodiment, first, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a or the like transmits the payment number information to the customer mobile terminal 100a by sound wave communication. Then, the customer mobile terminal 100a that has received the payment number sends response communication information that includes the information on the payment number and its own device identification information to the first mobile POS device 10a. Therefore, the first mobile POS device 10a can check the identification information of the device (for example, the number of BT advertising information, etc.) before transmitting the request information for acquiring payment-related information to the customer mobile terminal 100a. In this way, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a confirms the customer mobile terminal 100a using the response communication information, and then requests the customer mobile terminal 100a to obtain more confidential payment-related information, thereby preventing the device from mistakenly requesting payment-related information from another customer terminal device.

[0083] In particular, when mobile POS device No. 1 10a receives response communication information containing the same payment number from multiple customer terminal devices, it can obtain additional processing information from these customer terminal devices and accurately identify the customer mobile terminal 100a that should make the payment from this additional processing information. In this embodiment, even if multiple mobile POS devices No. 1 10a, etc. and multiple customer mobile terminals 100a, etc. are located close to each other and some of the communication areas of these devices overlap with each other, payments can be made safely without mistaking the communication partner.

[0084] Next, the process proceeds to ST18. In ST18, the first mobile POS device 10a sends a request to the "customer mobile terminal 10a" (an example of a payment execution target terminal device) that will perform the settlement to acquire "payment-related information," which is information used for the settlement, via BLE. This "payment-related information" includes information such as the identification information of the intended payment method (such as Company A's electronic money), password, etc. However, the payment-related information is not limited to these pieces of information and may be other information.

[0085] Also, unlike this embodiment, the request to acquire the approval information may be made by "sound wave communication." In this case, the information of the "request to acquire approval information" can be transmitted more accurately to the target "customer mobile terminal 10a" only.

[0086] Next, the process proceeds to ST 19. In ST 19, the customer mobile terminal 10a that has received the acquisition request transmits the payment-related information to the first mobile POS device 10a by BLE communication.

[0087] Next, the process proceeds to ST20. In ST20, the customer mobile terminal 100a requesting the payment is identified, and when payment-related information, etc., is received, the mobile POS device No. 1 10a communicates with Company A's payment server 3 and executes the payment using Company A's electronic money. On the other hand, if the first mobile POS device 10a cannot identify the customer mobile terminal 100a requesting the payment, it regards this as an "error" and ends the process.

[0088] Next, the process proceeds to ST21. In ST21, after the payment is made using the electronic money of company A, the first mobile POS device 10a directly transmits an electronic receipt to the customer mobile terminal 100a.

[0089] In this way, BLE communication and ultrasonic communication can be used to reliably identify the device as belonging to the customer, so that after payment, customer A does not need to access the server from his / her own customer mobile terminal 100a to check the "electronic receipt," as was done in the past, and the "electronic receipt" can be obtained at the same time as payment.

[0090] In addition, conventional payment methods (such as NFC payment and payment using IC chips) can only transfer a small amount of data, and code payments using two-dimensional barcodes (QR Codes (registered trademark)) also require connection to a server via the Internet because the QR Codes (registered trademarks) themselves can only contain a small amount of data.

[0091] In contrast, in this embodiment, data communication is performed directly between the mobile POS device No. 1 10a and the customer mobile terminal 100a using BLE, so a large amount of data can be transmitted "offline" without going through the Internet.

[0092] (Modification of this embodiment) The following embodiment has much of the same configuration as the above-described embodiment, so the following description will focus on the differences. The difference is that in ST19 in the present embodiment described above, the customer mobile terminal 100a includes the following "additional information" in the "payment-related information" and transmits this information to the first mobile POS device 10a via BLE. The additional information includes the following:

[0093] 1) Attach customer attribute information, questionnaire responses, etc. as "additional information." By sending information that the customer has saved in advance on their mobile terminal a, such as their birthday, gender, age, address, and family composition, or their responses to a questionnaire that has been distributed to them in advance by some means, discount services can be provided based on this information, and processing can be carried out through the mobile POS device (such as understanding customer trends between stores).

[0094] 2) The customer mobile terminal 100a transmits automatically collected information (GPS and various sensor information) as "additional information." By transmitting information stored in the customer's mobile terminal 100a (for example, the distance traveled that day based on GPS, or other POS information of the scheme that has been recognized as being in proximity, etc.) to the first mobile POS device 10a, discount services based on this information and data processing through the mobile POS device (such as the store understanding the trends of customers visiting the store) can be carried out.

[0095] 3) Data relating to the use of coupons and the like distributed in advance to the customer mobile terminal 100a is transmitted as "additional information." The mobile POS device acquires and utilizes data relating to the use of coupons that the customer's mobile terminal has acquired in advance in some way (such as through processing on a payment service application).

[0096] 4) Order data related to products for sale, such as "products before the register (products before the POS)," is transmitted to the customer mobile terminal 100a as "additional information." The mobile POS device No. 1 10a transmits information such as products handled in front of the register (products in front of the register) and special services to the customer's mobile terminal 100a, and transmits this information as "additional information" so that the customer can select and order in advance.

[0097] Specifically, mobile POS device No. 1 recognizes the customer's mobile terminal A and sends coupon information and a catalog of products sold in front of the register via BLE. Unlike typical mobile ordering, this means that the order data is sent simultaneously during the payment process at the store, meaning customers can complete payment on the spot and avoid the need for verbal orders or instructions. Furthermore, the customer mobile terminal 100a can process the purchase request information of the pre-POS product as "additional information" and make a "lump" payment together with other products.

[0098] (Modifications other than additional information) The mobile POS device No. 1 10a or the like transmits data relating to the use of coupons distributed in the store X to the customer mobile terminal 100a. Coupons can be distributed from the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. to the customer mobile terminal 100a etc. Since coupon information is generally not confidential, the communication is performed before the mobile POS device No. 1 10a etc. identifies the customer mobile terminal 100a etc. Coupon information and data related to coupon redemption are transmitted.

[0099] In addition, the POS server 5 connected to the mobile POS device No. 1 10a stores the customer's past purchase history information, so if the customer has purchased the same coffee a certain number of times consecutively within a specific recent period, it determines that this is a purchase of that coffee and sends confirmation information to the customer's mobile terminal 100a via BLE, and when the confirmation information is received (BLE), it performs payment processing.

[0100] This allows the customer to omit verbal ordering, etc., by simply responding to the "confirmation information" from the first mobile POS device 10a.

[0101] Furthermore, when customer A approaches store X with his / her own customer mobile terminal 100a, BLE communication is performed, and through this communication, store X is recorded in the customer mobile terminal 100a, and the customer mobile terminal 100a may be stored in the first mobile POS device 10a in store X.

[0102] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been given of the case where the invention is realized as a device, but the invention is not limited to this, and the invention may be distributed as a program that can be executed by a computer, stored on a storage medium such as a magnetic disk (a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc.), a magneto-optical disk (MO), or a semiconductor memory.

[0103] The storage medium may be any medium that can store the program and is computer-readable, and the storage format of the storage medium is not particularly limited.

[0104] In addition, an OS (operating system), database management software, network software, or other MW (middleware) running on a computer may execute some of the processes required to realize this embodiment based on instructions from a program installed on the computer from a storage medium.

[0105] Furthermore, the storage medium in the present invention is not limited to a medium independent of a computer, but also includes a storage medium that stores or temporarily stores a program downloaded via a LAN, the Internet, or the like.

[0106] Furthermore, the computer in the present invention only needs to execute each process in this embodiment based on a program stored in a storage medium, and may be a device consisting of a single personal computer or the like, or a system in which multiple devices are connected to a network.

[0107] Furthermore, the term "computer" in this invention is not limited to a personal computer, but also includes an arithmetic processing unit, a microcomputer, etc. included in information processing equipment, and is a general term for equipment or devices that can realize the functions of this invention by a program.

[0108] The above describes the embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims. The configurations of the above embodiments can be partially omitted or arbitrarily combined in a different manner from the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1...Store payment system, 2...Internet network, 3...Company A's payment server, 4...Company B's payment server, 5...POS server, 10a...Mobile POS device No. 1, 10b...Mobile POS device No. 2, 10c...Mobile POS device No. 3, 11a, 11b, 11c...Store clerk mobile terminal, 12a, 12b, 12c...Product in front of POS, 20...POS side control unit, 21...POS side communication device, 22...Speaker, 23...POS side touch panel, 24...POS side payment application storage unit, 25...Payment payment identification information generation unit, 26...sound wave information generation unit, 27...duplicate payment information (collision) determination unit, 28...POS side various information storage unit, 100a to 100i...customer portable terminal, 110...terminal side control unit, 111...terminal side communication device, 112...microphone, 113...terminal side touch panel, 114...terminal side payment application storage unit, 115...advertisement activation determination unit, 116...microphone activation unit, 117...response communication information generation unit, 118...terminal side various information storage unit, K...accounting counter, X...store,

Claims

1. A sales information management device that manages sales information that can communicate with a plurality of customer terminal devices owned by customers, At least a part of the communication areas of the sales information management device and the customer terminal device are arranged to overlap with each other, Using very short distance wireless communication, specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, is transmitted to the payment execution target terminal device, which is the customer terminal device that executes the payment; The customer mobile terminal that has received the specific payment identification information generates response communication information that includes identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, and receives the transmitted response communication information; When a plurality of pieces of response communication information including the same specific payment identification information are received, a specification process is executed to specify the payment execution target terminal device; A sales information management device that executes a payment process for the specified payment execution target terminal device using short-range wireless communication.

2. the ultra-short-range wireless communication is short-range wireless communication between the sales information management device and the customer mobile terminal, and is executed after the sales information management device establishes communication with the customer mobile terminal; The sales information management device of claim 1, characterized in that the identification process includes determining whether the sales information management device has been receiving advertising communications for a long period of time when receiving the response communication information.

3. The sales information management device described in claim 1, characterized in that the identification process includes requesting additional processing information from multiple customer terminal devices and identifying the terminal device to be used for payment execution based on result information of the additional processing information from the customer terminal devices.

4. A payment system comprising a plurality of sales information management devices that manage sales information and are capable of communication, and a plurality of customer terminal devices that are carried by customers and are capable of communication, wherein at least a portion of the communication areas of the sales information management devices and the customer terminal devices are arranged to overlap with each other, the sales information management device transmits specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information dedicated to the payment execution target terminal device, to the payment execution target terminal device, which is the customer terminal device that executes the payment, using very short distance wireless communication; The customer mobile terminal that has received the specific payment identification information transmits response communication information including the specific payment identification information and identification information of the customer mobile terminal to the sales information management center, The sales information management device, which has received a plurality of pieces of response communication information including the same specific payment identification information, executes a specification process to specify the payment execution target terminal device, A payment system characterized in that the sales information management device executes payment processing for the specified payment execution target terminal device using short-range wireless communication.

5. the ultra-short-range wireless communication is short-range wireless communication between the sales information management device and the customer mobile terminal, and is executed after the sales information management device establishes communication with the customer mobile terminal; The payment system described in claim 4, characterized in that the identification process includes determining whether the sales information management device has been receiving advertising communications for a long period of time when receiving the response communication information.

6. The payment system described in claim 4, characterized in that the identification process includes requesting additional processing information from multiple customer terminal devices and identifying the terminal device to which payment is to be executed based on result information of the additional processing information from the customer terminal devices.

7. The payment system described in claim 4, characterized in that the ultra-short-range wireless communication is ultrasonic communication, the customer terminal device has a microphone that receives the ultrasonic communication, and the customer terminal device is configured to automatically activate the microphone when it recognizes the sales information management device.

8. 5. The payment system according to claim 4, wherein the payment identification information has a limited validity period, and the response communication information is encrypted based on the payment identification information.

9. 5. The payment system according to claim 4, wherein the customer terminal device can add additional information about the purchase to the payment-related information.

10. A control method for a sales information management device that manages sales information that can communicate with a plurality of customer terminal devices owned by customers, comprising: At least a part of the communication areas of the sales information management device and the customer terminal device are arranged to overlap with each other, Using very short distance wireless communication, specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, is transmitted to the payment execution target terminal device, which is the customer terminal device that executes the payment; The customer mobile terminal that has received the specific payment identification information generates response communication information that includes identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, and receives the transmitted response communication information; When a plurality of pieces of response communication information including the same specific payment identification information are received, a specification process is executed to specify the payment execution target terminal device; A method for controlling a sales information management device, comprising: executing a payment process for the specified payment execution target terminal device using short-range wireless communication.

11. A sales information management device that manages sales information of a plurality of customer terminal devices owned by at least customers, the communication areas of which are partially overlapped with each other, a function of transmitting specific payment identification information, which is payment identification information exclusive to the payment execution target terminal device, to the payment execution target terminal device, which is the customer terminal device that executes the payment, using ultra-short distance wireless communication; a function of the customer mobile terminal receiving the specific payment identification information generating response communication information including identification information of the customer mobile terminal in the specific payment identification information, and receiving the transmitted response communication information; a function of executing a specification process for specifying the payment execution target terminal device when receiving a plurality of pieces of the response communication information including the same specified payment identification information; A control program for a sales information management device for realizing a function of executing a payment process for the specified payment execution target terminal device using short-range wireless communication.

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