Currency management system, and currency management method

Abstract

To reduce the load on information management in digital currency to achieve appropriate use of the digital currency.SOLUTION: A currency management system 100 comprises an arithmetic unit that receives, from an information processing apparatus related to a first user, information requesting predetermined payment with a predetermined type of currency that requests a payer and a recipient to satisfy predetermined conditions in relation to its use, and a user certificate that is information indicating that the first user satisfies the conditions the payer is requested to satisfy, receives, from an information processing apparatus related to a second user, an affiliated store certificate that is information indicating that the second user satisfies the conditions the recipient is requested to satisfy, determines whether the predetermined payment from the first user to the second user can be executed on the basis of the received user certificate and affiliated store certificate, and when determining that the predetermined payment can be executed, executes verification processing of executing the predetermined payment or generating information requesting the execution of the predetermined payment.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a currency management system and a currency management method. [Background technology]

[0002] Due to technological innovation in the financial sector and the advancement of cashless transactions, central banks and financial institutions around the world are engaged in research and development of digital currencies, which are digitized by computer systems and managed, stored, and exchanged over networks such as the Internet.

[0003] As a technology for managing digital currency, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic currency system that includes a currency management unit, a settlement unit, and an affiliated store determination unit, in which the currency management unit manages R coins, which have restrictions on the area of ​​use and the period of use, and N coins, which can be used without restrictions on the period of use, the settlement unit makes payments based on R coins and N coins in response to requests from users, the affiliated store determination unit determines whether the store where the payment is made is an R coin affiliated store, and the settlement unit makes payments using R coins alone or a combination of R coins and N coins. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-73694 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the electronic currency system of Patent Document 1 centrally manages information about member stores related to coins, and since the information about member stores is frequently updated for various reasons (e.g., opening or closing of a business), there is a risk of a high operational burden.

[0006] Furthermore, the electronic currency system of Patent Document 1 does not have a mechanism for determining whether a user is truly qualified to use coins, so there is a risk of coins being used fraudulently.

[0007] The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a currency management system and a currency management method that can realize the appropriate use of digital currency while reducing the burden of information management in digital currency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem is a currency management system that includes a computing device that receives from an information processing device associated with a first user information requesting a specified payment in a specified type of currency, which requires the payer and recipient to each fulfill specified conditions regarding its use, and a user certificate that is information indicating that the first user meets the conditions required of the payer, and receives from an information processing device associated with the second user a merchant certificate that is information indicating that the second user meets the conditions required of the recipient, and determines whether the specified payment from the first user to the second user can be executed based on the received user certificate and merchant certificate, and if it is determined that the specified payment can be executed, executes the specified payment or generates information requesting the execution of the specified payment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to realize the appropriate use of digital currency while reducing the burden of information management for digital currency. Configurations and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a currency management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a user terminal. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a store terminal. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration and functions (programs) included in a certificate issuing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a digital currency device. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user rule table. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an affiliated store rule table. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a VDR device. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an outline of a currency management process. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a user certificate issuing process. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a member store certificate issuing process. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a certificate issuing process. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a home screen. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an application result screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of a certificate verification process. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a payment request process. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a payment process. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an account ledger table. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a token-based ledger table. [Figure 21]FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating details of a certificate verification process. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a home screen. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a payment selection screen. [Figure 24] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a payment completion screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a currency management system 100 according to this embodiment. The currency management system 100 is an information processing system that performs processing related to multiple types of digital currencies (hereinafter simply referred to as currencies).

[0013] The currency management system 100 is composed of one or more user terminals 200 (first information processing device) used by users (first users) who are payers using each currency for payment, one or more store terminals 300 (second information processing device) used by stores (affiliated stores) who are recipients (second users) of the currency to which payments, i.e., settlements, are made in each currency, multiple certificate issuing devices 400 distributed for each type of currency that issue specified certificates (details will be described later) related to users and affiliated stores, a VDR device 600 that manages attribute information of users and affiliated stores, and a digital currency device 500 that performs payment processing between users and affiliated stores using the certificates and attribute information.

[0014] The user terminal 200, store terminal 300, certificate issuing device 400, digital currency device 500, and VDR device 600 are communicatively connected to each other via a wired or wireless communication network 5, such as the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), or a dedicated line.

[0015] Here, each type of currency in the currency management system 100 requires the user (payer) and affiliated store (recipient) to meet certain conditions regarding its use (for example, the applicable goods or services, the deadline, the type of store).

[0016] Furthermore, currency in the currency management system 100 is managed by a predetermined digital ledger (ledger table). This digital ledger may be an account-type ledger table that manages the account balance for each currency user or affiliated store, or may be a token-type ledger table that links the ID of a token user or affiliated store with the ID of a token (identification data) set for each fixed amount (for example, payment amount).

[0017] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a user terminal 200. The user terminal 200 includes an arithmetic unit 202 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 201 (storage device) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage device 206 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input device 203 such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, an output device 204 such as a display or a touch panel, and a communication device 205 configured by a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB (Universal Serial Interface) module, a serial communication module, or the like.

[0018] The user terminal 200 also stores a payment request program 211. The payment request program 211 transmits to the store terminal 300 a request for payment in a currency designated by the user (payment request).

[0019] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration and functions (programs) of the store terminal 300. The store terminal 300 includes an arithmetic unit 302 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 301 (storage device) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage device 306 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input device 303 such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, an output device 304 such as a display or a touch panel, and a communication device 305 configured with a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB (Universal Serial Interface) module, a serial communication module, or the like.

[0020] The store terminal 300 also stores a payment request program 311. When the payment request program 311 receives a payment request from the user terminal 200, it transmits a request for payment in that currency (payment request) to the certificate issuing device 400.

[0021] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a certificate issuing device 400. The certificate issuing device 400 includes an arithmetic unit 402 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 401 (storage device) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage device 406 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input device 403 such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, an output device 404 such as a display or a touch panel, and a communication device 405 configured by a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB (Universal Serial Interface) module, a serial communication module, or the like.

[0022] Furthermore, the certificate issuing device 400 stores a certificate issuance program 411. When the certificate issuance program 411 receives a certificate issuance request from the user terminal 200, it acquires attribute information of the user, and if it determines that the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in a user rule table 800 (described later), it generates a user certificate that proves that the user satisfies the conditions (is qualified) to be a payer of currency.

[0023] In addition, when the certificate issuance program 411 receives a certificate issuance request from the store terminal 300, it acquires the attribute information of the affiliated store, and if it determines that the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information meet the conditions indicated in the affiliated store rule table 900 (described below), it generates an affiliated store certificate that proves that the affiliated store meets the conditions (is qualified) to be a currency recipient.

[0024] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration and functions (programs) of digital currency device 500. Digital currency device 500 includes an arithmetic unit 502 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory 501 (storage device) such as RAM (Random Access Memory) or ROM (Read Only Memory), storage device 506 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), input device 503 such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, output device 504 such as a display or touch panel, and communication device 505 configured with a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB (Universal Serial Interface) module, a serial communication module, or the like.

[0025] The digital currency device 500 stores a ledger table 700, which is a database of the payer's and recipient's currency balances or their history for each type of currency.

[0026] In addition, the digital currency device 500 stores a user rule table 800 that stores the conditions required of the payer for each type of currency, and an affiliated store rule table 900 that stores the conditions required of the recipient for each type of currency.

[0027] Digital currency device 500 also stores a payment processing program 511 and a certificate verification program 512.

[0028] The certificate validation program 512 receives a payment request and a user certificate from the user terminal 200, and receives an affiliated store certificate from the store terminal 300. The certificate validation program 512 also acquires attribute information of the user and attribute information of the affiliated store.

[0029] The certificate validation program 512 then determines whether the attributes indicated in the user's attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in the user certificate and whether the attributes indicated in the affiliated store's attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in the affiliated store certificate, and if it determines that the attributes indicated in the user's attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in the user certificate and the attributes indicated in the affiliated store's attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in the affiliated store certificate, it generates information to make or request the specified payment indicated in the payment request.

[0030] The settlement processing program 511 generates or updates the ledger table 700 based on the generated information.

[0031] (User rule table) 6 is a diagram showing an example of a user rule table 800. The user rule table 800 has data on the rule ID 802 of each user rule, the type of currency to which the user rule applies (currency type 802), the content of the user rule (usage conditions 803), and the deadline 804 to which the user rule applies.

[0032] (Affiliate store rules table) 7 is a diagram showing an example of an affiliated store rule table 900. The affiliated store rule table 900 includes data such as the rule ID 901 of each affiliated store rule, the type of currency to which the affiliated store rule applies (currency type 902), the type of affiliated store to which the affiliated store rule applies (affiliated store category 903), the conditions under which the affiliated store rule applies, such as the use of the currency 904 (goods or services that can be purchased with the currency), and the period 905 during which the affiliated store rule applies.

[0033] If each type of currency has its own rules regarding payment (for example, information on discount rates, discount application conditions, and available areas), such information may be set in the affiliated store rules table 900. This rule information may also be registered in another database.

[0034] 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration and functions (programs) of a VDR device 600. The VDR device 600 includes an arithmetic unit 602 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory 601 (storage device) such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory), a storage device 606 such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input device 603 such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel, an output device 604 such as a display or a touch panel, and a communication device 605 configured with a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB (Universal Serial Interface) module, a serial communication module, or the like.

[0035] The VDR device 600 stores an attribute information table 1800. The attribute information table 1800 stores attribute information of users and affiliated stores who use each type of currency, and is updated as needed. The information registered in the attribute information table 1800 is information about the conditions or rules required for users and affiliated stores to use each type of currency, such as age, address, products or services currently handled by the affiliated store, or whether the user currently has a demand for public assistance.

[0036] The functions of the programs of each information processing device in the currency management system 100 described above are realized by each information processing device reading the programs from memory 201, 301, 401, 501, 601 or storage device 206, 306, 406, 506, 606. Each program can be recorded on a portable or fixed recording medium and distributed, for example. Note that all or part of these programs may be realized using virtual information processing resources provided using virtualization technology, process space separation technology, or the like, such as a virtual server provided by a cloud system. Also, all or part of these programs may be realized by a service provided by a cloud system via an API (Application Programming Interface), for example. Next, the processing performed by the currency management system 100 will be described.

[0037] 9 is a flow diagram outlining the currency management process that is a process performed by the currency management system 100. The currency management process is started after the certificate issuing device 400 and the digital currency device 500 are started, for example.

[0038] First, the certificate issuing device 400 executes a user certificate issuing process s1 for issuing a user certificate in advance in response to a request from a user who intends to use a currency.

[0039] The certificate issuing device 400 also executes an affiliated store certificate issuing process s3 for issuing an affiliated store certificate in advance in response to a request from a recipient (affiliated store) who intends to use the currency.

[0040] After the user certificate issuance process s1 and the affiliated store certificate issuance process s3, when the digital currency device 500 receives a payment request from the user terminal 200 requesting payment at an affiliated store when purchasing a product or service, it executes the certificate verification process s5 to verify the user certificate and affiliated store certificate corresponding to the payment.

[0041] If the verification is successful, the digital currency device 500 executes a payment process s7 to execute a payment corresponding to the payment request. These processes will be described in detail below.

[0042] <User certificate issuance process> FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the user certificate issuance process s1. The user terminal 200 transmits a request for issuing a user certificate to the certificate issuing device 400 (s11).

[0043] When the certificate issuing device 400 receives the request to issue a user certificate, it accesses the digital currency device 500 and receives the user rule table 800 (s12).

[0044] The certificate issuing device 400 also accesses the VDR device 600 and receives the current attribute information of the user (s13).

[0045] The certificate issuing device 400 determines whether the user's current attributes conform to the rules indicated in the user rule table 800, and if the user's current attributes conform to the rules indicated in the user rule table 800, generates a user certificate and transmits the user certificate to the user terminal 200 (s14). Then, the user terminal 200 receives the member store certificate from the certificate issuing device 400 (s15).

[0046] <Member store certificate issuance process> FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the affiliated store certificate issuance process s3. The store terminal 300 transmits a request for issuing an affiliated store certificate to the certificate issuing device 400 (s31).

[0047] When the certificate issuing device 400 receives the request to issue an affiliated store certificate, it accesses the digital currency device 500 and receives the affiliated store rule table 900 (s32).

[0048] Furthermore, the certificate issuing device 400 accesses the VDR device 600 and receives the current attribute information of the affiliated store (s33).

[0049] The certificate issuing device 400 determines whether the current attributes of the affiliated store conform to the rules indicated in the affiliated store rule table 900, and if the current attributes of the affiliated store conform to the rules indicated in the affiliated store rule table 900, generates an affiliated store certificate and transmits the affiliated store certificate to the store terminal 300 (s34).

[0050] The store terminal 300 receives the member store certificate from the certificate issuing device 400 (s35).

[0051] <Certificate issuance process> FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of the certificate issuance process s1200 that is executed by the certificate issuing device 400 in the user certificate issuance process s1 and the member store certificate issuance process s3.

[0052] The certificate issuing device 400 receives a certificate issuance request (a user certificate issuance request or a member store certificate issuance request) from the user terminal 200 or the store terminal 300 (s1201). The issuance request includes, for example, information on the type of currency and a user ID (the ID of the payer (user) or member store).

[0053] The certificate issuing device 400 identifies the type of issuance request received in s1201 (a user certificate issuance request or a member store certificate issuance request) (s1202).

[0054] If the received issuance request is a request for issuance of a user certificate (s1202: user), the certificate issuing device 400 executes the processing of s1203, and if the received issuance request is a request for issuance of a member store certificate (s1202: member store), the certificate issuing device 400 executes the processing of s1208.

[0055] In s1203, the certificate issuing device 400 acquires the user rule table 800. In addition, the certificate issuing device 400 receives current attribute information (e.g., age, address, and whether or not the user is eligible for welfare assistance) of the user associated with the user terminal 200 that sent the user certificate issuance request from the VDR device 600 (attribute information table 1800) (s1204).

[0056] The certificate issuing device 400 determines whether the user attributes received in s1204 conform to the rules indicated in the user rule table 800 (s1205).

[0057] For example, the certificate issuing device 400 determines whether the currency type 802 matches the type of currency attached to the issuance request and whether the user attributes received in s1024 satisfy the usage conditions 803.

[0058] If the user attributes received in s1204 conform to the rules indicated in the user rule table 800 (s1205: Yes), the certificate issuing device 400 executes the process of s1206. If the user attributes received in s1204 do not conform to the rules indicated in the user rule table 800 (s1205: No), the certificate issuing device 400 executes the process of s1212.

[0059] In s1206, the certificate issuing device 400 issues a user certificate to the user. For example, the certificate issuing device 400 generates data of the user certificate including information such as the certificate ID, the type of currency, the user ID, the user name, and the expiration date of the currency.

[0060] The certificate issuing device 400 transmits the user certificate issued in s1206 to the user terminal 200 of the user who transmitted the issuance request (s1207).

[0061] Meanwhile, in s1208, the certificate issuing device 400 acquires the affiliated store rule table 900. In addition, the certificate issuing device 400 receives, from the VDR device 600 (attribute information table 1800), the current attribute information of the affiliated store associated with the store terminal 300 that sent the issuance request for the affiliated store certificate (s1209).

[0062] The certificate issuing device 400 determines whether the attributes of the affiliated store received in s1209 conform to the rules indicated in the affiliated store rule table 900 (s1210).

[0063] For example, the certificate issuing device 400 determines whether the currency type 902 matches the type of currency attached to the issuance request, and whether the attributes of the affiliated store received in s1209 satisfy the affiliated store classification 903 and purpose 904 (goods or services provided by the affiliated store).

[0064] If the attributes of the affiliated store received in s1209 conform to the rules indicated in affiliated store rule table 900 (s1210: Yes), certificate issuing device 400 executes the process of s1211. If the attributes of the affiliated store received in s1209 do not conform to the rules indicated in affiliated store rule table 900 (s1210: No), certificate issuing device 400 executes the process of s1212.

[0065] In s1211, the certificate issuing device 400 issues a user certificate to the affiliated store. For example, the certificate issuing device 400 generates data of the affiliated store certificate including information such as the certificate ID, the type of currency, the affiliated store classification, the purpose, the affiliated store ID (e.g., a corporate ID), and the expiration date of the currency.

[0066] The certificate issuing device 400 transmits the member store certificate issued in s1211 to the store terminal 300 of the member store that transmitted the issuance request (s1217).

[0067] In s1212, the certificate issuing device 400 transmits information indicating that the certificate has not been issued to the user terminal 200 or the shop terminal 300. The user terminal 200 or the shop terminal 300 displays the received information on the screen.

[0068] (Home screen) 13 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen 1300 displayed by the user terminal 200 during the user certificate issuance process s1. The home screen 1300 has a user and user ID display section 1301, a certificate application section 1302 designated by the user when submitting a user certificate issuance request, and a certificate inquiry section 1303 designated by the user when displaying the contents of previously issued user certificates.

[0069] (Application screen) 14 is a diagram showing an example of an application screen 1400 that is displayed by the user terminal 200 when the certificate application section 1302 is selected. The application screen 1400 has a currency type selection field 1401 that accepts the user's selection of a currency type, a user ID selection field 1402 that accepts the user's selection of a user ID, a user name input field 1403 that accepts the user's input of a user name, an email input field 1404 that accepts the user's input of an email address, an application date display field 1405 for displaying or inputting the application date, and an application section 1406 that is selected by the user when submitting a user certificate issuance request based on the information above.

[0070] (Application result screen) 15 is a diagram showing an example of an application result screen 1500 that is displayed by the user terminal 200 when the certificate reference unit 1303 is specified. The application result screen 1500 has a certificate ID display field 1501 that displays the ID of the issued user certificate, a currency type display field 1502 that displays the type of currency related to the issued user certificate, a user ID display field 1503 that displays the user ID of the user related to the issued user certificate, a user name display field 1504 that displays the name of the user related to the issued user certificate, and an expiration date display field 1505 that displays the expiration date of the issued user certificate.

[0071] <Certificate verification process> FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the certificate verification process s5.

[0072] The user terminal 200 receives an input of a payment request from the user at the store (s51). The payment request includes, for example, information such as the user ID, the affiliated store ID, the type of currency to be used, and the payment amount.

[0073] The store terminal 300 transmits the information of the user's payment request to the store terminal 300 associated with the affiliated store indicated in the payment request (s52).

[0074] When the store terminal 300 receives the payment request information from the user, it transmits the payment request information to the digital currency device 500 (s53).

[0075] When the digital currency device 500 receives the payment request information from the store terminal 300, it sends a request to the store terminal 300 that sent the payment request to present an affiliated store certificate (s54).

[0076] When the store terminal 300 receives the request to present the member store certificate, it transmits the member store certificate received in the member store certificate issuance process s3 to the digital currency device 500 that sent the request (s55).

[0077] Furthermore, the digital currency device 500 transmits a request to present a user certificate to the user terminal 200 of the user identified by the user ID included in the payment request received from the store terminal 300 (s56).

[0078] When the user terminal 200 receives the user certificate presentation request, it transmits the user certificate received in the user certificate issuance process s1 to the digital currency device 500 that sent the presentation request (s57).

[0079] When the digital currency device 500 receives the merchant certificate and user certificate, it accesses the VDR device 600 to obtain the current attribute information of the user and merchant (s58), and uses the merchant certificate and user certificate to determine whether payment can be made at the merchant in the currency specified by the user (s58).

[0080] If the member store can make the payment in the currency specified by the user (the payment is successful), the digital currency device 500 processes the payment with the member store and updates the ledger table 700 (s60). If the member store cannot make the payment in the currency specified by the user (the payment is unsuccessful), the digital currency device 500 does not update the ledger table 700.

[0081] The digital currency device 500 transmits information indicating the result of the payment (success or failure of the payment) to the store terminal 300 (s61). The store terminal 300 stores the received information and forwards it to the user terminal 200 (s62).

[0082] <Payment request processing> FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of the payment request process s1500 which is a process executed by the user terminal 200 in the certificate verification process s5.

[0083] The user terminal 200 displays a payment selection screen 2000 (described later) (s1501), and receives an instruction (payment request) from the user to make a payment in the designated currency at the affiliated store (s1502).

[0084] The user terminal 200 searches for a user certificate corresponding to the payment request (currency type) input in s1502 (s1503).

[0085] If the user terminal 200 is able to find the corresponding user certificate (s1504: Yes), it executes the process of s1505; if the user terminal 200 is unable to find the corresponding user certificate (s1504: No), it executes the process of s1511.

[0086] In s1505, the user terminal 200 sends a payment request including the information entered in s1502 to the store terminal 300. The payment request includes, for example, the type of currency, the user ID of the user making the payment (sender), the user ID of the affiliated store to which payment is made (destination), the payment amount, the purpose (goods or services purchased), and the ID of the user certificate identified in s1504.

[0087] Thereafter, the user terminal 200 receives from the digital currency device 500 a request to present a user certificate corresponding to the ID of the user certificate included in the payment request (s1506).The user terminal 200 then transmits the user certificate to the digital currency device 500 (s1507).

[0088] Thereafter, the user terminal 200 receives information on the payment result corresponding to the payment request of s1505 from the store terminal 300 (s1508).

[0089] If the payment result information indicates that the payment was successful (s1509: Yes), the process of s1510 is executed; if the payment result information indicates that the payment was unsuccessful (s1509: No), the process of s1511 is executed.

[0090] In s1510, the user terminal 200 displays a payment completion screen 2100 (described later) indicating that the payment instructed in s1505 was successful. On the other hand, in s1511, the user terminal 200 displays a screen indicating that the payment instructed in s1505 was unsuccessful.

[0091] <Payment processing> FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of the settlement process s1600, which is a process executed by the digital currency device 500 in the certificate verification process s5.

[0092] When the digital currency device 500 receives a payment request from the store terminal 300 (s1601), it executes a certificate verification process s1602 to verify whether the payment indicated in the payment request is possible based on the user certificate and the affiliated store certificate.

[0093] If the digital currency device 500 determines that payment is possible as a result of the certificate verification process s1602 (s1603: Yes), it executes process s1604, and if it determines that payment is not possible (s1603: No), it executes process s1611.

[0094] In s1604, the digital currency device 500 checks whether rules specific to the currency for which the payment is to be made, as indicated in the payment request, have been set. For example, the digital currency device 500 attempts to obtain information on rules for the currency indicated in the payment request from the affiliated store rules table 900 or another database.

[0095] If a rule specific to the currency is set (s1604: Yes), the digital currency device 500 executes the process of s1605, and if a rule specific to the currency is not set (s1604: No), the digital currency device 500 executes the process of s1611.

[0096] In s1605, the digital currency device 500 calculates the amount to be paid by the user based on the rules acquired in s1604. For example, the digital currency device 500 applies a predetermined discount rate to the payment amount. Then, the process of s1606 is executed.

[0097] In s1606, the digital currency device 500 checks whether the user's current currency balance is equal to or greater than the payment amount. If the user's current currency balance is equal to or greater than the payment amount (s1606: Yes), the digital currency device 500 executes the process of s1607. If the user's current currency balance is less than the payment amount (s1606: No), the digital currency device 500 executes the process of s1611.

[0098] In s1607, digital currency device 500 updates the user's currency information based on the information generated up to s1606. For example, digital currency device 500 reduces the user's balance in ledger table 700 by the payment amount identified by the processing up to s1606.

[0099] Furthermore, the digital currency device 500 updates the member store's currency information based on the information generated up to s1606 (s1608). For example, the digital currency device 500 increases the member store's balance in ledger table 700 by the payment amount identified by the processing up to s1606.

[0100] Then, in s1609, the digital currency device 500 generates information indicating that the payment was successful, after which the process proceeds to s1610.

[0101] Meanwhile, in s1611, the digital currency device 500 generates information indicating that the payment has failed, after which the process of s1610 is carried out.

[0102] In s1610, the digital currency device 500 transmits information to the shop terminal 300 indicating whether the payment was successful or unsuccessful.

[0103] (Account ledger table) 19 is a diagram showing an example of an account ledger table 710, which is an example of the ledger table 700. The account ledger table 710 has data on the user ID 701 of each user (customer or affiliated store), the type of currency held by each user (currency type 702), and the balance of that type of currency 703. The account ledger table 710 also has similar data for affiliated stores.

[0104] (Token-based ledger table) 20 is a diagram showing an example of a token-based ledger table 720, which is another example of the ledger table 700. The token-based ledger table 720 has data such as a token ID 704 of each token, the type of each token (currency type 705), the amount 706 of that type of token, and a user ID 707 of a user (customer or affiliated store) who holds tokens of that amount. Note that the token-based ledger table 720 also has similar data for affiliated stores.

[0105] <Certificate verification process> FIG. 21 is a flow diagram illustrating the details of the certificate verification process S1602.

[0106] When the digital currency device 500 receives a payment request from the store terminal 300 (s1701), it sends a request to send a member store certificate to the store terminal 300 (s1702).The digital currency device 500 then receives the member store certificate from the store terminal 300.

[0107] When the digital currency device 500 receives the member store certificate, it requests the VDR device 600 to transmit attribute information of the member store (s1703). For example, the digital currency device 500 transmits the ID of the member store in the member store certificate to the VDR device 600.

[0108] Thereafter, the VDR device 600 obtains the current attribute information of the affiliated store corresponding to the transmission request received from the digital currency device 500 from the attribute information table 1800 and transmits the obtained information to the digital currency device 500.

[0109] When the digital currency device 500 receives the attribute information of the affiliated store, it determines whether the contents of the payment request received in s1701 satisfy the conditions indicated in the affiliated store certificate received in the processing of s1702 (s1704).

[0110] For example, the digital currency device 500 determines whether the store (merchant ID) in the payment request matches the merchant ID in the merchant certificate, the type of currency in the payment request matches the type of currency in the merchant certificate, the purpose in the payment request matches the purpose in the merchant certificate, and the current date and time (the date and time the payment request was received) is within the expiration date and time in the merchant certificate.

[0111] In addition, the digital currency device 500 uses the attribute information received in the processing of s1703 in these determinations. For example, the digital currency device 500 references the attribute information to confirm whether the affiliated store actually holds the qualifications to conduct business indicated by the intended use of the affiliated store certificate.

[0112] If the contents of the payment request meet the conditions indicated in the member store certificate (s1705: Yes), the digital currency device 500 executes the processing of s1707, and if the contents of the payment request do not meet the conditions indicated in the member store certificate (s1705: No), the digital currency device 500 executes the processing of s1706.

[0113] In s1707, the digital currency device 500 sends a request to send a user certificate to the user terminal 200 associated with the user ID attached to the payment request. The digital currency device 500 then receives the user certificate from the user terminal 200.

[0114] When the digital currency device 500 receives the user certificate, it requests the VDR device 600 to transmit the user's attribute information (s1708). For example, the digital currency device 500 transmits the user ID in the user certificate to the VDR device 600.

[0115] Thereafter, the VDR device 600 obtains the current attribute information of the user corresponding to the transmission request received from the digital currency device 500 from the attribute information table 1800 and transmits the obtained information to the digital currency device 500.

[0116] When the digital currency device 500 receives the user's attribute information, it determines whether the contents of the payment request received in s1701 satisfy the conditions indicated in the user certificate received in the processing of s1707 (s1709).

[0117] For example, the digital currency device 500 determines whether the user ID in the payment request matches the merchant ID in the user certificate, whether the type of currency in the payment request matches the type of currency in the user certificate, and whether the current date and time (the date and time the payment request was received) is within the expiration date and time in the user certificate.

[0118] In addition, in making these determinations, the digital currency device 500 uses the attribute information received in the processing of s1708. For example, the digital currency device 500 references the attribute information to confirm whether the user actually holds the qualifications indicated by the use of the user certificate (e.g., eligibility to receive welfare benefits).

[0119] If the contents of the payment request meet the conditions indicated by the user certificate (s1710: Yes), the digital currency device 500 executes processing of s1711; if the contents of the payment request do not meet the conditions indicated by the user certificate (s1710: No), the digital currency device 500 executes processing of s1706.

[0120] In s1711, the digital currency device 500 generates and stores information indicating that the verification was successful. This completes the certificate verification process in s1602.

[0121] In s1706, the digital currency device 500 generates and stores information indicating that the verification failed. This completes the certificate verification process in s1602.

[0122] (Home screen) FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen 2200 displayed by the user terminal 200 in the payment request process s1500.

[0123] The home screen 2200 has a display section 2201 for the user and user ID, a balance display section 2202 that displays the total balance of all currencies and the balance of each type of currency, a payment request section 2203 that is selected by the user when displaying a payment selection screen 2300 for sending a payment request to the store terminal 300, and a transaction inquiry section 2204 that is selected by the user when displaying a screen showing the details of payments made so far.

[0124] (Payment selection screen) 23 is a diagram showing an example of a payment selection screen 2300. The payment selection screen 2300 has a store input field 2301 that accepts input from the user of the store where payment will be made (where a product or service will be purchased), a payment amount input field 2302 that accepts input from the user of the amount to be paid to the store, and a currency selection field 2303 that accepts selection of the type of currency in which payment will be made.

[0125] (Payment completion screen) 24 is a diagram showing an example of a payment completion screen 2400. The payment completion screen 2400 has a store display field 2401 that displays the store where the purchase and payment were made, an amount display field 2402 that displays the payment amount, a currency display field 2403 that displays the currency used for the payment, and a balance display field 2404 that displays the current balance and total balance of each currency including the currency used for the payment.

[0126] As described above, in the currency management system 100 of this embodiment, the digital currency device 500 receives from the user terminal 200 a payment request in which the user (payer) requests a specified payment in a specified type of currency, and a user certificate indicating that the conditions required by the user to the payer regarding the use of the currency are met, and also receives from the store terminal 300 a member store certificate indicating that the conditions required by the member store regarding the use of the currency are met, and based on the received user certificate and member store certificate, determines whether the specified payment from the user to the member store can be made, and if it determines that the specified payment can be made, generates information to make or request the payment.

[0127] That is, the currency management system 100 of this embodiment uses a user certificate and a merchant certificate to determine whether a user and a merchant can make payments using a given type of currency. This makes it possible to determine, with a small amount of information, whether both the user and the merchant are eligible to use the currency.

[0128] In this way, the currency management system 100 of this embodiment can reduce the burden of information management for digital currency while realizing the appropriate use of digital currency.

[0129] In addition, in the currency management system 100 of this embodiment, the digital currency device 500 acquires the user's current attribute information and the affiliated store's current attribute information, and if it determines that the attributes indicated in the user's attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in the user certificate and that the attributes indicated in the affiliated store's attribute information satisfy the conditions indicated in the affiliated store certificate, it generates information to execute or request the execution of the above-mentioned payment.

[0130] This allows users and affiliated stores to verify whether they meet the conditions stipulated in their user certificates and affiliated store certificates, respectively, and enables the currency to be used by users and affiliated stores who are truly eligible to use it.

[0131] Furthermore, in the currency management system 100 of this embodiment, when the certificate issuing device 400 receives a certificate issuance request from the user terminal 200, it acquires the user's current attribute information, and if it determines that the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information satisfy the conditions required of the payer of the currency, it generates a user certificate and transmits the generated user certificate to the user terminal 200. Furthermore, when the certificate issuing device 400 receives a certificate issuance request from the store terminal 300, it acquires the member store's current attribute information, and if it determines that the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information satisfy the conditions required of the recipient of the currency, it generates a member store certificate and transmits the generated member store certificate to the store terminal 300.

[0132] In this way, by issuing user certificates and merchant certificates only to users and stores that have the necessary attributes to be payers and recipients of currency, respectively, it is possible to ensure the appropriate use of digital currency.

[0133] Furthermore, in the currency management system 100 of this embodiment, the digital currency device 500 generates a ledger table 700 that indicates the currency balances of users and affiliated stores resulting from the above-mentioned predetermined payments.

[0134] This will enable the proper management of digital currencies.

[0135] In addition, in the currency management system 100 of this embodiment, the digital currency device 500 generates a ledger table 700 based on the rules applied to payments using the currency (type of affiliated store, goods or services that can be purchased, deadline, area, etc.).

[0136] This will enable the appropriate operation of digital currencies with various functions.

[0137] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented using any components within the scope of the present invention. The above-described embodiments and modifications are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these contents as long as the features of the invention are not impaired. Furthermore, although various embodiments and modifications have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these contents. Other aspects conceivable within the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present invention are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0138] For example, part of the hardware provided in each device of this embodiment may be provided in another device.

[0139] Furthermore, each program of each device may be provided in another device, a program may consist of multiple programs, or multiple programs may be integrated into one program.

[0140] Furthermore, the execution of the settlement may be performed by an information processing device other than the digital currency device 500. For example, the digital currency device 500 transmits a request to execute the settlement to a predetermined settlement server, and the settlement server performs the settlement process based on the execution request. [Explanation of symbols]

[0141] 100 currency management system, 200 user terminal, 300 store terminal, 400 certificate issuing device, 500 digital currency device

Claims

1. receiving, from an information processing device associated with a first user, information requesting a predetermined payment in a predetermined type of currency that requires the payer and the recipient to respectively fulfill predetermined conditions regarding its use, and a user certificate that is information indicating that the first user satisfies the conditions required of the payer, and receiving, from an information processing device associated with a second user, a member store certificate that is information indicating that the second user satisfies the conditions required of the recipient; a computing device that executes a verification process to determine whether the predetermined payment from the first user to the second user can be executed based on the received user certificate and merchant certificate, and to execute the predetermined payment or generate information requesting the execution of the predetermined payment when it is determined that the predetermined payment can be executed; Currency management system.

2. The computing device In the verification process, Acquire current attribute information of the first user and current attribute information of the second user, respectively; determine whether the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information of the first user satisfy the conditions indicated by the user certificate and whether the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information of the second user satisfy the conditions indicated by the affiliated store certificate, and if it is determined that the attributes indicated by the attribute information of the first user satisfy the conditions indicated by the user certificate and the attributes indicated by the attribute information of the second user satisfy the conditions indicated by the affiliated store certificate, execute the specified payment or generate information requesting the execution of the specified payment; The currency management system of claim 1 .

3. a storage device that stores the conditions required of the payer in the predetermined type of currency and the conditions required of the recipient in the predetermined type of currency, The arithmetic device, before executing the verification process, When a predetermined request is received from an information processing device related to the first user, current attribute information of the first user is acquired, and it is determined whether or not the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information satisfy the conditions required of the payer. If it is determined that the attributes indicated by the attribute information satisfy the conditions required of the payer, the user certificate is generated, and the generated user certificate is transmitted to the information processing device related to the first user. when receiving a predetermined request from the information processing device related to the second user, acquire current attribute information of the second user, determine whether or not the attributes indicated by the acquired attribute information satisfy the conditions required of the recipient, and if it is determined that the attributes indicated by the attribute information satisfy the conditions required of the recipient, generate the member store certificate and transmit the generated member store certificate to the information processing device related to the second user; Perform the certificate issuance process, The currency management system of claim 1 .

4. The computing device making the predetermined payment by generating information indicating the balance of the currency of the first user and the second user due to the predetermined payment; The currency management system of claim 1 .

5. a storage device that stores rules that apply to predetermined payments in the currency; the computing device generates information indicating the balance of the currency based on the rule; The currency management system of claim 4.

6. An information processing device including a computing device, receiving, from an information processing device associated with a first user, information requesting a predetermined payment in a predetermined type of currency that requires the payer and the recipient to respectively fulfill predetermined conditions regarding its use, and a user certificate that is information indicating that the first user satisfies the conditions required of the payer, and receiving, from an information processing device associated with a second user, a member store certificate that is information indicating that the second user satisfies the conditions required of the recipient; determining whether the predetermined payment from the first user to the second user can be executed based on the received user certificate and merchant certificate, and if it is determined that the predetermined payment can be executed, executing a verification process to execute the predetermined payment or to generate information requesting the execution of the predetermined payment; Currency management methods.

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