Payment server, financial institution server, payment system. payment method, and program

Abstract

To provide a payment server, a financial institution server, a payment system, a payment method, and a program which enable a user to use payment from an account of a financial institution to improve convenience to the user.SOLUTION: The payment server can communicate with a user terminal device operated by a user, a store terminal device installed in a store selling goods, and a financial institution server managing accounts of a financial institution and performs electronic payment in an electronic payment service and comprises; an acquisition unit which acquires the amount of money to be paid for a product which the user will purchase, user identification information for identifying the user, and affiliated store identification information for identifying an affiliated store to which the store belongs, from the user terminal device or the store terminal device; and a payment processing unit which transmits the amount of money to be paid, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information to the financial institution server to cause the financial institution server to perform payment from an account.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a payment server, a financial institution server, a payment system, a payment method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, electronic payment services using user terminal devices owned by users have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes an electronic payment system in which code information such as a barcode or QR code (registered trademark) is displayed on a user terminal device and the code information is read by a store terminal device installed in a store, thereby executing electronic payment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-157339 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, although the electronic payment system described in Patent Document 1 allows electronic payments using electronic money, it does not allow payments to be made using accounts at financial institutions, which can be inconvenient for users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a payment server, financial institution server, payment system, payment method, and program that enable the use of financial institution account payments and improve convenience for users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a payment server that performs electronic payments in an electronic payment service and is capable of communicating with a user terminal device operated by a user, a store terminal device installed in a store that sells goods, and a financial institution server that manages accounts at a financial institution, and is equipped with an acquisition unit that acquires from the user terminal device or the store terminal device the payment amount of the goods that the user wishes to purchase, user identification information for identifying the user, and affiliated store identification information for identifying the affiliated store to which the store belongs, and a payment processing unit that transmits the payment amount, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information to the financial institution server, thereby causing the financial institution server to perform account settlement. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a payment server, financial institution server, payment system, payment method, and program can be provided that enable account payments at financial institutions to be used, thereby improving convenience for users. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a financial institution server 300. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user account information 371. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store account information 372. [Figure 10] 1 is a sequence diagram showing an example of an account settlement process executed by payment application 20, payment server 100, and financial institution server 300. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a payment authorization process. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of payment history information 374. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of account settlement. [Figure 14] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a refund process executed by payment application 20, payment server 100, and financial institution server 300. FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a refund credit process. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of refund history information 375. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a refund confirmation process. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a home screen of the payment application 20. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a transaction history mini-app. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a bank account transaction history screen in a bank mini-app. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Below, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of a payment server, financial institution server, payment system, payment method, and program of the present invention will be described. Various devices, such as the "server" mentioned below, that provide services to users and perform internal analysis may be realized by a group of distributed devices, and each device may be operated by a different business. Furthermore, the owner of the device's hardware (the cloud server provider) and the business that actually operates it may also be different. An electronic payment service is a service that supports payments for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real-world store) that exists in real space, but it may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. Virtual stores may also include those operated by entities other than the operator of the electronic payment service. In such cases, when making a payment for a purchase at a virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In an electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and when a purchase is made at a store, processing such as payment is primarily conducted between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be conducted between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] Figure 1 shows an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 200, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and a financial institution server 300 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, etc.

[0011] The user terminal device 200 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet terminal. The user terminal device 200 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 200, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment application (hereinafter referred to as a payment app) 20, which operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment app 20 is installed on the user terminal device 200 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0012] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0013] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, tablet terminal, personal computer, etc. An interface for affiliated stores 72 runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface for affiliated stores 72 may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface for affiliated stores 72 accepts coupon settings and the like from the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 200 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, this distinction will not be made and it is assumed that payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] The financial institution server 300 is a computer that manages accounts at a financial institution, and communicates with the payment server 100 via the network NW. The financial institution may be, for example, an institution that provides financial services, such as a bank or a credit union.

[0016] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns for electronic payment: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0017] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, user terminal device 200, with payment application 20 running, decodes store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). Store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is the domain of the electronic payment service to which store identification information has been added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, store ID, etc. in payment server 100 (described below). Payment application 20 sends first payment information including the store URL and account ID to payment server 100 (S2). Payment server 100 searches for store information (described below) using the affiliated store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires information on the affiliated store name and store name (S3), and sends this information to payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into user terminal device 200 on the screen displaying the affiliated store name and store name (S5). Then, the user terminal device 200 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 makes the electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment app 20 (S8), and the payment app 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include information on the payment amount in addition to the store URL. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and store name may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0018] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, the payment app 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the payment server 100 when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, at the automatic update timing (e.g., every minute), and at other timings (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image, such as a QR code or barcode, generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 200 over the first in-store terminal device 50, and the first in-store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first in-store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode, manually entering it, etc. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs electronic payment (S17). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0019] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuing a one-time code may be omitted in store scanning, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0020] [Payment server] 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, an acquisition unit 150, a refund processing unit 160, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive device.

[0021] The storage unit 170 is a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, a random access memory (RAM), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a network attached storage (NAS) device that can be accessed by the payment server 100 via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, and affiliated store / shop information 176.

[0022] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0023] The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a function of a web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 200. The payment content providing unit 120 reads out necessary content from the payment content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 200. The user terminal device 200 accepts various inputs from the user while content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172. The payment processing unit 130 not only has the function of electronic payment, but also has the function of having the financial institution server perform account settlement.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. User information 172 is an example of user registration information. User information 172 includes, for example, a user URL, account ID, telephone number, and password, as well as associated information such as email address, user ID, name, address, gender, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, credit card payment settings, credit card limit, credit card payment amount, available credit card payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, and payment history information. The user URL is used for remittance processing between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID can be set by the user (or does not have to be set). The email address, name, address, and date of birth are also information that can be set by the user (or do not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0026] The charge balance indicates the balance of electronic money set by the user by transferring funds to the account in advance. Transfer methods include transfers from a designated bank's ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) or from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting indicates whether the settings for electronic credit payment have been completed and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." The credit payment limit is the monthly credit payment limit. The credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment already used in the current month. The available credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment available in the current month, calculated by subtracting the credit payment amount from the credit payment limit. While the figure shows only one credit payment limit, in reality, there may also be daily limits, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details on credit payments will be described later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will currently make electronic payments using the charge balance, credit payment, or bank account payments using the deposit balance in their bank account. The bank account and credit card number are information on the bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a history of the user's previous transfers to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. The payment history information is information that shows the breakdown of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0027] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store ID is associated with an affiliated store name and sales amount, and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0028] The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 200 and the second store terminal device 70. For example, the information management unit 140 adds, edits, deletes, etc. new records for the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176.

[0029] [Electronic Payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "electronic payment," the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds. The item value of the affiliated store's sales proceeds is not itself used as electronic money, for example, but rather the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0030] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payments for users whose "Payment Method Setting" is set to "Credit Card Payment" as follows. Credit card payment is a payment method in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the creditor, and allows electronic payments within the credit card payment limit, independent of the remaining balance. To receive the credit card payment service, a user may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The monthly amount used for credit card payment is settled on the following month's payment date, for example, by debit from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 makes a provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the credit card payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available credit card balance. On the closing date, the payment processing unit 130 performs the process described above to debit the current month's payment on the following month's payment date, or requests the credit card company operator to perform this process. If the settlement amount exceeds the available credit card balance at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is returned to the payment app 20.

[0031] [Financial institution server] The payment processing unit 130 causes the financial institution server 300 to perform account payment for users whose "payment method setting" is set to "account payment." Below, the configuration of the financial institution server 300 will be described as a premise for explaining the details of account payment.

[0032] FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of financial institution server 300. Financial institution server 300 includes, for example, communication unit 310, account settlement processing unit 320, account refund processing unit 330, information management unit 340, and storage unit 370. The components other than communication unit 310 and storage unit 370 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transitory storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or CD-ROM, and installed in the storage device by inserting the storage medium into a drive.

[0033] The storage unit 370 is a HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 370 may be a NAS device that can be accessed by the financial institution server 300 via a network. The storage unit 370 stores information such as user account information (first account information) 371, affiliated store account information (second account information) 372, reserve account information 373, payment history information 374, and refund history information 375.

[0034] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW, and is, for example, a network interface card.

[0035] The account settlement processing unit 320 performs payment authorization processing and account settlement based on the information received from the payment server 100 and the information stored in the storage unit 370. Details of the payment authorization processing and account settlement will be described later.

[0036] The account refund processing unit 330 performs refund authorization processing and refund confirmation processing based on the information received from the payment server 100 and the information stored in the storage unit 370. The refund authorization processing and refund confirmation processing will be described in detail later.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user account information 371. User account information 371 associates information such as account ID, branch number, account number, deposit balance, name, address, gender, and date of birth. The account ID is the same information as the account ID included in user information 172 (FIG. 5) and is identification information for identifying the user. A common account ID is used by payment server 100 and financial institution server 300. The branch number is a number for identifying the branch of the financial institution. The account number is a number for identifying the user's account. The deposit balance is information indicating the balance of the deposit made by the user at the financial institution. The name, address, gender, and date of birth are the same information as the name, address, gender, and date of birth included in user information 172 (FIG. 5).

[0038] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of member store account information 372. Member store account information 372 associates information such as a member store ID, branch number, account number, deposit balance, and member store name and address. The member store ID is the same information as the member store ID included in member store / store information 176 (FIG. 6) and is identification information for identifying the member store. A common member store ID is used by payment server 100 and financial institution server 300. The branch number is a number for identifying a branch of a financial institution. The account number is a number for identifying the member store's account. The deposit balance is information indicating the balance of a deposit made by a member store at a financial institution. The member store name and address is information indicating the name, location, etc. of the member store.

[0039] Next, the process when a user applies to start using account settlement will be described. First, payment server 100 accepts an application from the user to start using account settlement. For example, the user can launch a mini application (hereinafter referred to as a mini app) of a financial institution (e.g., a bank) from payment app 20 and apply to start using account settlement from the mini app. Based on the application content from the user, payment server 100 transmits application information including the user's account ID, account number, etc. to financial institution server 300. Financial institution server 300 updates user account information 371 based on the received application information. This enables the user to use account settlement.

[0040] Next, we will explain the processing when an affiliated store applies to start using account settlement. First, the payment server 100 accepts an application from the affiliated store to start using account settlement. For example, when the payment server 100 receives an application from the affiliated store's terminal device (such as the second store terminal device 70), the electronic payment service provider that operates the payment server 100 conducts an examination of the affiliated store. If the examination determines that the applying affiliated store should be approved as an account settlement affiliated store, the payment server 100 transmits application information including the affiliated store's member store ID, account number, etc. to the financial institution server 300. The financial institution server 300 updates the affiliated store account information 372 based on the received application information. This enables the affiliated store to use account settlement.

[0041] The information management unit 340 manages the user account information 371 and the affiliated store account information 372 based on the information obtained from the payment server 100. For example, the information management unit 140 adds new records to, edits, deletes, etc. the user account information 371 and the affiliated store account information 372.

[0042] [Account settlement] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of account settlement processing executed by the payment application 20, the payment server 100, and the financial institution server 300. First, the communication unit 110 of the payment server 100 receives payment information from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50 (step S21).

[0043] Next, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 references the user information 172 to obtain the "payment method setting" of the user. If the "payment method setting" is set to "account payment," the payment processing unit 130 controls the communication unit 110 to send a payment authorization request to the financial institution server 300 (step S22). The payment authorization request includes the transaction number, payment amount, account ID (user identification information), and affiliated store ID (affiliated store identification information). The transaction number is issued by the payment server 100 and is a number used to identify the current transaction. The transaction number is also notified to the payment application 20 by the payment server 100.

[0044] The communication unit 310 of the financial institution server 300 receives the payment authorization request from the payment server 100. Thereafter, the account settlement processing unit 320 of the financial institution server 300 executes a payment authorization process to determine whether the user has the ability to pay (step S23). The details of the payment authorization process will be described below.

[0045] Figure 11 is a flowchart showing an example of payment authorization processing. First, the account settlement processing unit 320 acquires the deposit balance and payment amount of the user's account (step S100). Specifically, the account settlement processing unit 320 acquires the deposit balance linked to the account ID included in the payment authorization request from the user account information 371. The account settlement processing unit 320 also acquires the payment amount included in the payment authorization request.

[0046] Next, the account settlement processing unit 320 determines whether the balance of the user's account is less than the settlement amount (step S101). If the balance of the user's account is less than the settlement amount, the account settlement processing unit 320 determines that the user does not have the ability to pay (step S106), and ends the processing according to this flowchart.

[0047] On the other hand, if the deposit balance in the user's account is equal to or greater than the payment amount, the account settlement processing unit 320 determines that the user has the ability to pay (step S102). Then, the account settlement processing unit 320 deducts the payment amount from the user's account (step S103) and adds the payment amount to the reserve account (step S104). As a result, the payment amount is transferred from the user's account to the reserve account.

[0048] The reserve account is an account used to temporarily reserve the settlement amount for credit purposes. The account settlement processing unit 320 identifies the reserve account by referencing the reserve account information 373. The reserve account information 373 may be information that includes at least the branch number, account number, and deposit balance, for example.

[0049] Next, the account settlement processing unit 320 updates the settlement history information 374 (step S105), and ends the processing according to this flowchart. Details of the processing in step S105 will be explained below.

[0050] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of payment history information 374. Payment history information 374 associates information such as a transaction number, account ID, affiliated store ID, payment amount, confirmed / unconfirmed information, and confirmation date / time information. As described above, the transaction number is a number for identifying the current transaction. The account ID is the same information as the account ID included in user information 172 (FIG. 5) and user account information 371 (FIG. 8), and is identification information for identifying the user. The affiliated store ID is the same information as the affiliated store ID included in affiliated store / store information 176 (FIG. 6) and affiliated store account information 372 (FIG. 9), and is identification information for identifying the affiliated store. The payment amount is the price of the product the user is attempting to purchase. The confirmed / unconfirmed information is information indicating whether the account payment has been confirmed. The confirmation date / time information is information indicating the date and time when the account payment was confirmed.

[0051] For example, the account settlement processing unit 320 acquires the transaction number, account ID, affiliated store ID, and payment amount contained in the payment authorization request received from the payment server 100. The account settlement processing unit 320 also adds a new record to the payment history information 374, linking the transaction number, account ID, affiliated store ID, payment amount, and confirmed / unconfirmed information. Note that because the account settlement has not been confirmed at this point, the confirmed / unconfirmed information will be "unconfirmed," and the confirmation date and time information will be blank. This allows the account settlement processing unit 320 to update the payment history information 374 in step S105 of FIG. 11.

[0052] Returning to the explanation of Fig. 10, when the payment credit process of step S23 is completed, the account settlement processing unit 320 controls the communication unit 310 to transmit a payment credit result indicating whether the user has the ability to pay to the payment server 100 (step S24). For example, if the account settlement processing unit 320 determines in step S102 of Fig. 11 that the user has the ability to pay, it transmits a payment credit result indicating "ability to pay" to the payment server 100. On the other hand, if the account settlement processing unit 320 determines in step S106 of Fig. 11 that the user does not have the ability to pay, it transmits a payment credit result indicating "ability to pay" to the payment server 100.

[0053] When the payment server 100 receives the payment authorization result indicating "ability to pay," the payment processing unit 130 controls the communication unit 110 to send a payment confirmation request to the financial institution server 300 (step S25). The payment confirmation request includes a transaction number and the like for identifying the target of the transaction for which the account settlement is to be confirmed.

[0054] The communication unit 310 of the financial institution server 300 receives the payment confirmation request from the payment server 100. Thereafter, the account settlement processing unit 320 of the financial institution server 300 executes the account settlement based on the received payment confirmation request (step S26). Details of the account settlement will be explained below.

[0055] 13 is a flowchart showing an example of account settlement. First, the account settlement processing unit 320 acquires the transaction number from the settlement confirmation request received from the settlement server 100 (step S200). Next, the account settlement processing unit 320 deducts the settlement amount linked to the transaction number from the reserve account (step S201). The account settlement processing unit 320 can identify the reserve account by referring to the reserve account information 373.

[0056] Next, the account settlement processing unit 320 adds the settlement amount to the account of the electronic payment service provider (step S202). This allows the affiliated store's sales proceeds to be temporarily transferred to the account of the electronic payment service provider. The sales proceeds transferred to the account of the electronic payment service provider will be transferred to the affiliated store's account at a timing determined based on the contract between the electronic payment service provider and the affiliated store. The electronic payment service provider may accept an immediate transfer request from the affiliated store, or may detect that the proceeds have been transferred to the electronic payment service provider's account and transfer the proceeds to the affiliated store's account in real time.

[0057] Next, the account settlement processing unit 320 updates the settlement history information 374 (step S203). Specifically, the account settlement processing unit 320 updates the settlement history information 374 by rewriting the confirmed / unconfirmed information linked to the transaction number acquired in step S200 from "unconfirmed" to "confirmed" and writing the current date and time as the confirmed date and time information. Thereafter, the account settlement processing unit 320 ends the processing according to this flowchart.

[0058] In step S202, the account settlement processing unit 320 adds the payment amount to the account of the electronic payment service provider, but this is not limited to this. For example, in step S202, the account settlement processing unit 320 may add the payment amount to the account of the affiliated store. This allows the sales proceeds to be transferred directly from the reserve account to the account of the affiliated store.

[0059] Returning to the explanation of Figure 10, when the account settlement in step S26 is completed, the account settlement processing unit 320 controls the communication unit 310 to send a settlement completion notice to the settlement server 100 (step S27). The settlement completion notice includes a transaction number corresponding to the transaction for which settlement has been completed. This allows the settlement processing unit 130 of the settlement server 100 to identify the transaction for which settlement has been completed.

[0060] Next, the payment processing unit 130 controls the communication unit 110 to send a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 (step S28). The payment completion notification includes a transaction number corresponding to the transaction for which payment has been completed. This allows the payment application 20 to identify the transaction for which payment has been completed.

[0061] Next, payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen indicating that the payment has been completed on the display unit of user terminal device 200 (step S29). This allows the user of user terminal device 200 to understand that the payment has been completed.

[0062] In this way, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 receives, as a response to the payment credit request, a payment credit result indicating whether the user has the ability to pay from the financial institution server 300. Furthermore, if the payment processing unit 130 determines that the user has the ability to pay based on the payment credit result, it sends a payment confirmation request to the financial institution server 300, causing the financial institution server 300 to settle the account.

[0063] On the other hand, if the deposit balance of the user's account based on the user account information 371 is less than the payment amount, the account settlement processing unit 320 of the financial institution server 300 transmits a payment credit result indicating that the user does not have the ability to pay to the payment server 100. Also, if the deposit balance of the user's account based on the user account information 371 is equal to or greater than the payment amount, the account settlement processing unit 320 deducts the payment amount from the user's account, adds the payment amount to the reserve account, and transmits a payment credit result to the payment server 100 indicating that the user has the ability to pay.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, the payment authorization process is performed before the account settlement is made, thereby ensuring that the user's account balance required for the account settlement is secured. For example, a user may apply for a product purchase using payment app 20, and the account settlement is made when the product is actually shipped. In this case, if it takes time between the application for the purchase of a product and the actual account settlement, the user's account balance may be insufficient if the payment authorization process is not performed. For example, if the user's account balance is reduced by another process (e.g., a transfer or a settlement to another account) after the application for the purchase of a product, the user's account balance may be insufficient at the time of the account settlement, making the account settlement impossible. For this reason, in this embodiment, the payment authorization process is performed when the application for the purchase of a product is made, and if it is determined that the user has the ability to pay, the payment amount is temporarily deposited in a reserve account before the account settlement is made. This ensures that the user's account balance required for the account settlement is secured.

[0065] Furthermore, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 links the payment authorization request and the payment confirmation request with the same transaction number and sends them to the financial institution server 300. Meanwhile, the account payment processing unit 320 of the financial institution server 300 receives the payment authorization request and the payment confirmation request linked with the same transaction number from the payment server. This allows the payment server 100 and the financial institution server 300 to easily identify the transaction using the common transaction number.

[0066] [Refund process] Even after purchasing a product, a user can receive a refund by returning the purchased product to the store. If the user requests a refund, the financial institution server 300 will process the refund and refund the product price to the user. The refund process will be described in detail below.

[0067] 14 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a refund process executed by the payment application 20, the payment server 100, and the financial institution server 300. First, the communication unit 110 of the payment server 100 receives a refund request from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50 (step S31). The refund request includes a transaction number for identifying the transaction to be refunded.

[0068] Next, the refund processing unit 160 of the payment server 100 controls the communication unit 110 to send a refund request to the financial institution server 300 (step S32). The refund request includes a transaction number for identifying the transaction to be refunded.

[0069] The communication unit 310 of the financial institution server 300 receives the refund credit request from the payment server 100. Thereafter, the account refund processing unit 330 of the financial institution server 300 executes a refund credit process to determine whether the affiliated store has the ability to pay (step S33). The refund credit process will be described in detail below.

[0070] 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the refund processing. First, the account refund processing unit 330 obtains the deposit balance and payment amount of the affiliated store's account (step S300). Specifically, the account refund processing unit 330 obtains the account ID, affiliated store ID, and payment amount linked to the transaction number included in the refund request from the payment history information 374. The account refund processing unit 330 also obtains the deposit balance linked to the affiliated store ID from the affiliated store account information 372.

[0071] Next, the account refund processing unit 330 determines whether the balance of the account of the affiliated store is less than the payment amount (step S301). If the balance of the account of the affiliated store is less than the payment amount, the account refund processing unit 330 determines that the affiliated store does not have the ability to pay (ability to refund) (step S306), and ends the processing according to this flowchart.

[0072] On the other hand, if the deposit balance in the affiliated store's account is equal to or greater than the payment amount, the account refund processing unit 330 determines that the affiliated store has the ability to pay (ability to refund) (step S302). Thereafter, the account refund processing unit 330 deducts the payment amount from the affiliated store's account (step S303) and adds the payment amount to the reserve account (step S304). As a result, the payment amount is transferred from the affiliated store's account to the reserve account.

[0073] Next, the account refund processing unit 330 updates the refund history information 375 (step S305), and ends the processing according to this flowchart. Details of the processing in step S305 will be explained below.

[0074] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the refund history information 375. The refund history information 375 associates information such as a transaction number, account ID, affiliated store ID, payment amount, confirmed / unconfirmed information, and confirmation date / time information. As described above, the transaction number is a number for identifying the transaction to be refunded. The account ID is the same information as the account ID included in the user information 172 (FIG. 5) and the user account information 371 (FIG. 8), and is identification information for identifying the user. The affiliated store ID is the same information as the affiliated store ID included in the affiliated store / shop information 176 (FIG. 6) and the affiliated store account information 372 (FIG. 9), and is identification information for identifying the affiliated store. The payment amount is the price of the product the user is attempting to purchase. The confirmed / unconfirmed information is information indicating whether the refund process has been confirmed. The confirmation date / time information is information indicating the date and time the refund process was confirmed.

[0075] For example, the account refund processing unit 330 obtains the transaction number included in the refund credit request received from the payment server 100, and obtains the account ID, affiliated store ID, and payment amount linked to the transaction number from the payment history information 374. The account refund processing unit 330 also adds a new record linked to the transaction number, account ID, affiliated store ID, payment amount, and confirmed / unconfirmed information to the refund history information 375. Note that since the refund process has not been confirmed at this point, the confirmed / unconfirmed information will be "unconfirmed," and the confirmation date and time information will be blank. This allows the account refund processing unit 330 to update the refund history information 375 in step S305 of FIG. 15.

[0076] Returning to the explanation of Figure 14, when the refund crediting process in step S33 is completed, the account refund processing unit 330 controls the communication unit 310 to send a refund credit result indicating whether the affiliated store has the ability to pay to the payment server 100 (step S34). For example, if the account refund processing unit 330 determines in step S302 of Figure 15 that the affiliated store has the ability to pay, it sends a refund credit result indicating "ability to pay" to the payment server 100. On the other hand, if the account refund processing unit 330 determines in step S306 of Figure 15 that the affiliated store does not have the ability to pay, it sends a refund credit result indicating "ability to pay" to the payment server 100.

[0077] When the payment server 100 receives the refund credit result indicating "ability to pay," the refund processing unit 160 controls the communication unit 110 to send a refund confirmation request to the financial institution server 300 (step S35). The refund confirmation request includes a transaction number and the like for identifying the target of the transaction for which the refund process is to be confirmed.

[0078] The communication unit 310 of the financial institution server 300 receives the refund confirmation request from the payment server 100. Thereafter, the account refund processing unit 330 of the financial institution server 300 executes the refund confirmation process based on the received refund confirmation request (step S36). The refund confirmation process will be described in detail below.

[0079] 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the refund confirmation process. First, the account refund processing unit 330 acquires the transaction number from the refund confirmation request received from the payment server 100 (step S400). Next, the account refund processing unit 330 deducts the payment amount linked to the transaction number from the reserve account (step S401). The account refund processing unit 330 can identify the reserve account by referring to the reserve account information 373.

[0080] Next, the account refund processing unit 330 adds the payment amount to the user's account corresponding to the account ID linked to the transaction number (step S402). The account refund processing unit 330 can identify the user's account by referring to the user account information 371.

[0081] Next, the account refund processing unit 330 updates the refund history information 375 (step S403). Specifically, the account refund processing unit 330 updates the refund history information 375 by rewriting the confirmed / unconfirmed information linked to the transaction number acquired in step S400 from "unconfirmed" to "confirmed" and writing the current date and time as the confirmed date and time information. Thereafter, the account refund processing unit 330 ends the processing according to this flowchart.

[0082] Returning to the explanation of Figure 14, when the refund confirmation process in step S36 is completed, the account refund processing unit 330 controls the communication unit 310 to send a refund completion notice to the payment server 100 (step S37). The refund completion notice includes a transaction number corresponding to the transaction for which the refund has been completed. This allows the refund processing unit 160 of the payment server 100 to identify the transaction for which the refund has been completed.

[0083] Next, refund processing unit 160 controls communication unit 110 to send a refund completion notification to payment application 20 (step S38). The refund completion notification includes a transaction number corresponding to the transaction for which the refund has been completed. This allows payment application 20 to identify the transaction for which the refund has been completed.

[0084] Next, payment application 20 displays a refund completion screen indicating that the refund has been completed on the display unit of user terminal device 200 (Step S39). This allows the user of user terminal device 200 to understand that the refund has been completed.

[0085] In this way, the refund processing unit 160 of the payment server 100 transmits the transaction number to the financial institution server 300, thereby causing the financial institution server 300 to perform refund processing for the account settlement corresponding to the transaction number. Specifically, the refund processing unit 160 transmits a refund authorization request including the transaction number to the financial institution server 300, and receives a refund authorization result indicating whether the affiliated store has the ability to pay from the financial institution server 300 as a response to the refund authorization request. Furthermore, if the refund processing unit 160 determines that the affiliated store has the ability to pay based on the refund authorization result, it transmits a refund confirmation request to the financial institution server 300, thereby causing the financial institution server 300 to perform the refund processing.

[0086] Meanwhile, the account refund processing unit 330 of the financial institution server 300 receives a refund credit request including the transaction number from the payment server 100. Furthermore, if the deposit balance of the member store's account based on the member store account information 372 is less than the payment amount linked to the transaction number, the account refund processing unit 330 transmits a refund credit result to the payment server 100 indicating that the member store does not have the ability to pay. On the other hand, if the deposit balance of the member store's account based on the member store account information 372 is equal to or greater than the payment amount linked to the transaction number, the account refund processing unit 330 deducts the payment amount from the member store's account, adds the payment amount to the reserve account, and transmits a refund credit result to the payment server 100 indicating that the member store has the ability to pay.

[0087] As described above, in this embodiment, by performing the refund authorization process before the refund process, it is possible to reliably secure the deposit balance in the affiliated store's account necessary for the refund process. If it takes time between the time the refund request is made and the time the refund process is actually carried out, there is a possibility that the deposit balance in the affiliated store's account will be insufficient if the refund authorization process is not carried out. For example, if the deposit balance in the affiliated store's account is reduced by another process (e.g., a transfer or another refund process) after the refund request is made, there is a possibility that the deposit balance will be insufficient when the refund process is carried out, making it impossible to carry out the refund process. For this reason, in this embodiment, the refund authorization process is carried out when the refund request is made, and if it is determined that the affiliated store has the ability to pay, the payment amount is temporarily deposited in a reserve account before the refund process is carried out. In this way, it is possible to reliably secure the deposit balance in the affiliated store's account necessary for the refund process.

[0088] [App screen] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the home screen of the payment app 20. As shown in FIG. 18, the home screen of the payment app 20 includes areas A1, A2, A3, and A4. Area A1 displays code images such as barcodes and QR codes (registered trademarks) used for smartphone payments. Area A2 displays icons for instructing main smartphone payment operations such as scanning, remittance, charging, and setting the payment method. Area A3 displays the deposit balance or electronic money charge balance of the user's account.

[0089] For example, when a user selects (tap) a payment method icon displayed in area A2, payment app 20 may display a selection screen on the display unit of user terminal device 200, prompting the user to select either account payment or electronic payment. If the user selects account payment, payment app 20 may display the balance of the user's account in area A3, allowing the user to easily check the balance of the account. On the other hand, if the user selects electronic payment, payment app 20 may display the charge balance of the user's electronic money in area A3, allowing the user to easily check the charge balance of the electronic money.

[0090] Area A4 displays various icons for launching various mini-applis that can be executed by the payment app 20. Specifically, eight icons IC1 to IC8 are displayed in area A4. Icons IC1 to IC6 are icons for launching mini-applis. When a user selects (tap) one of icons IC1 to IC6, the payment app 20 launches the mini-appli corresponding to the selected icon. Icon IC7 is a favorites icon. When a user selects (tap) icon IC7, the payment app 20 displays a favorites screen on the display of the user terminal device 200 to display a list of favorite mini-applis that the user has preset. Icon IC8 is a function list icon. When a user selects (tap) icon IC8, the payment app 20 displays a function list screen on the display of the user terminal device 200 to display a list of all mini-applis.

[0091] Payment application 20 may obtain the account payment history and electronic payment history from payment server 100 and display the account payment history and electronic payment history on the display unit of user terminal device 200. This allows the user to easily check the account payment history and electronic payment history.

[0092] For example, icon IC1 is an icon for launching a financial institution mini-app, and icon IC2 is an icon for launching a transaction history mini-app. Below, a bank mini-app will be described as an example of a financial institution mini-app. When a user selects (tap) icon IC1, payment app 20 launches the bank mini-app. Through the bank mini-app, the user can check the deposit balance of the user's bank account, the account payment transaction history, etc. When a user selects (tap) icon IC2, payment app 20 launches the transaction history mini-app. Through the transaction history mini-app, the user can check the electronic payment transaction history, etc.

[0093] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of the transaction history mini-app screen. As shown in FIG. 19, the transaction history mini-app screen includes a button B1 and an area A5. Area A5 displays the electronic payment transaction history. The user can understand the electronic payment transaction history by checking area A5.

[0094] Button B1 corresponds to a link for launching the bank's mini-app. When a user selects (tap) button B1, payment app 20 launches the bank's mini-app and displays a bank account transaction history screen on the display of user terminal device 200. For example, when a user selects (tap) button B1, payment app 20 may send a transaction history request including the user's account ID to financial institution server 300 via payment server 100. Furthermore, financial institution server 300 may obtain history information corresponding to the account ID included in the transaction history request from payment history information 374 and refund history information 375, and send it to payment app 20 via payment server 100. Payment app 20 may display a bank account transaction history screen on the display of user terminal device 200 based on the received history information.

[0095] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of a bank account transaction history screen in a bank mini-app. As shown in FIG. 20, the bank account transaction history screen includes areas A6 and A7. Area A6 displays the bank name, branch name, account type, branch number, account number, deposit balance, etc. Area A7 displays the account payment transaction history. By checking area A7, the user can understand the account payment transaction history.

[0096] In this way, the payment application 20 displays a link (button B1) for launching the bank's mini-app on the display unit of the user terminal device 200. Furthermore, when the user selects button B1, the payment application 20 launches the bank's mini-app and displays the account settlement history on the bank's mini-app screen on the display unit of the user terminal device 200. This makes it possible to obtain the account settlement history from the financial institution server 300 via the financial institution's (bank, etc.) mini-app, even if the payment server 100 that provides electronic payment services does not manage the account settlement history.

[0097] If there is a history of refund processing, payment application 20 may display the history of refund processing on the display unit of user terminal device 200. This allows the user to understand not only the history of account payments but also the history of refunds.

[0098] 19, a link (button B1) for launching the bank mini-app and the electronic payment transaction history (area A5) are displayed on the transaction history mini-app screen, but this is not limiting. For example, in addition to the above, the account payment transaction history obtained from the financial institution server 300 may be displayed on the transaction history mini-app screen. This allows the user to check the account payment transaction history without selecting (tapping) button B1.

[0099] In this embodiment, the financial institution server 300 manages the account settlement history and the refund process history, but the payment server 100 may manage this information. In this case, the payment application 20 may directly obtain the account settlement history and the refund process history from the payment server 100.

[0100] An expiration date may also be set for the payment authorization process. For example, the account settlement processing unit 320 may cancel the payment authorization process if it does not receive a payment confirmation request a predetermined time after transmitting the payment authorization result to the payment server 100. When canceling the payment authorization process, the account settlement processing unit 320 may deduct the payment amount from the reserve account, add the payment amount to the user's account, and update the payment history information 374. This prevents a portion of the user's deposit from remaining in the reserve account if the payment is not confirmed for a long time.

[0101] An expiration date may also be set for the refund authorization process. For example, the account refund processing unit 330 may cancel the refund authorization process if it does not receive a refund confirmation request a predetermined time after transmitting the refund authorization result to the payment server 100. When canceling the refund authorization process, the account refund processing unit 330 may deduct the payment amount from the reserve account, add the payment amount to the affiliated store's account, and update the refund history information 375. This prevents a portion of the affiliated store's deposit from remaining in the reserve account if the refund is not confirmed for a long time.

[0102] [Variations] In the above embodiment, the user account information 371 is stored only in the storage unit 370 of the financial institution server 300, but it may also be stored in the storage unit 170 of the payment server 100. In other words, the user account information 371 may be held in both the financial institution server 300 and the payment server 100.

[0103] Furthermore, although the member store account information 372 is described as being stored only in the storage unit 370 of the financial institution server 300, it may also be stored in the storage unit 170 of the payment server 100. In other words, both the financial institution server 300 and the payment server 100 may hold the member store account information 372.

[0104] If the user account information 371 is held in both the financial institution server 300 and the payment server 100, the payment processing unit 130 may include the user's account information (account number, deposit balance, etc.) in the payment credit request instead of the account ID in step S22 of Fig. 10. Specifically, the payment processing unit 130 may obtain account information corresponding to the user's account ID from the user account information 371 and include it in the payment credit request.

[0105] Furthermore, although the payment history information 374 is stored only in the storage unit 370 of the financial institution server 300, it may also be stored in the storage unit 170 of the payment server 100. In other words, the payment history information 374 may be held in both the financial institution server 300 and the payment server 100.

[0106] When the payment history information 374 is stored in both the financial institution server 300 and the payment server 100, the payment processing unit 130 may update the payment history information 374 based on the payment authorization result in step S24 of Fig. 10. The payment processing unit 130 may also update the payment history information 374 based on the payment completion notification in step S27 of Fig. 10. This allows the user to refer to the payment history information 374 stored in the payment server 100 via the payment application 20.

[0107] As described above, the payment server 100 of this embodiment can communicate with the user terminal device 200 operated by the user, the first store terminal device 50 installed in the store selling the product, and the financial institution server 300 that manages accounts at the financial institution. The payment server 100 includes an acquisition unit 150 and a payment processing unit 130. The acquisition unit 150 acquires, from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment amount for the product the user wishes to purchase, an account ID (user identification information) for identifying the user, and an affiliated store ID (affiliated store identification information) for identifying the affiliated store to which the store belongs. The payment processing unit 130 transmits the payment amount, account ID (user identification information), and affiliated store ID (affiliated store identification information) to the financial institution server 300, causing the financial institution server 300 to perform account settlement. This allows the payment server 100 of this embodiment to utilize account settlement at financial institutions, improving convenience for users.

[0108] Furthermore, the financial institution server 300 of this embodiment is capable of communicating with a payment server 100 that performs electronic payments in electronic payment services. The financial institution server 300 includes a storage unit 370 and an account settlement processing unit 320. The storage unit 370 stores user account information (first account information) 371, in which an account ID (user identification information) for identifying a user is linked to the user's account information, and affiliated store account information (second account information) 372, in which an affiliated store ID (affiliated store identification information) for identifying the affiliated store to which the store selling the product belongs is linked to the affiliated store's account information. When the account settlement processing unit 320 receives the payment amount for the product that the user wishes to purchase, the account ID (user identification information), and the affiliated store ID (affiliated store identification information) from the payment server 100, the account settlement processing unit 320 performs account settlement by deducting the payment amount from the user's account based on the user account information (first account information) 371 and adding the payment amount to the affiliated store's account based on the affiliated store account information (second account information) 372. As a result, the financial institution server 300 of this embodiment can allow the payment server 100 to use the account payment of the financial institution, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0109] The payment system of this embodiment also includes a payment server 100 and a financial institution server 300. This allows the payment system of this embodiment to utilize account settlement at a financial institution, thereby improving convenience for users.

[0110] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 20. Payment App 50 First store terminal device 100 Payment Server 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Contents Department 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 150 Acquisition Department 160 Refund Processing Department 170 Storage section 200 User terminal device 300 Financial institution server 310 Communications Department 320 Account settlement processing unit 330 Account Refund Processing Unit 340 Information Management Department 370 Storage section

Claims

1. A payment server for performing electronic payments in an electronic payment service, which is capable of communicating with a user terminal device operated by a user, a store terminal device installed in a store that sells products, and a financial institution server that manages accounts at a financial institution, an acquisition unit that acquires, from the user terminal device or the store terminal device, the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, user identification information for identifying the user, and affiliated store identification information for identifying the affiliated store to which the store belongs; a payment processing unit that transmits the payment amount, the user identification information, and the member store identification information to the financial institution server, thereby causing the financial institution server to perform account payment; A payment server comprising:

2. The payment processing unit Sending a payment credit request including the payment amount, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information to the financial institution server; receiving, from the financial institution server, a payment credit result indicating whether or not the user has the ability to pay, as a response to the payment credit request; If it is determined that the user has the ability to pay based on the payment credit result, a payment confirmation request is sent to the financial institution server, causing the financial institution server to settle the account. The payment server according to claim 1.

3. The payment processing unit The same transaction number is linked to the payment credit request and the payment confirmation request, and the transaction number is transmitted to the financial institution server. The payment server according to claim 2.

4. a refund processing unit that transmits the transaction number to the financial institution server and causes the financial institution server to perform a refund process for the account settlement corresponding to the transaction number; The payment server according to claim 3.

5. The refund processing unit: Sending a refund credit request including the transaction number to the financial institution server; receiving, from the financial institution server, a refund credit result indicating whether the affiliated store has the ability to pay as a response to the refund credit request; If it is determined that the affiliated store has the ability to pay based on the refund credit result, a refund confirmation request is sent to the financial institution server, causing the financial institution server to carry out the refund process. The payment server according to claim 4.

6. A financial institution server capable of communicating with a payment server that performs electronic payments in an electronic payment service, a storage unit that stores first account information in which user identification information for identifying a user is linked to account information of the user, and second account information in which affiliated store identification information for identifying an affiliated store to which a store selling a product belongs is linked to account information of the affiliated store; an account settlement processing unit that, when receiving the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information from the settlement server, performs account settlement by deducting the payment amount from the user's account based on the first account information and adding the payment amount to the affiliated store's account based on the second account information; A financial institution server comprising:

7. The account settlement processing unit receiving a payment authorization request including the payment amount, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information from the payment server; If the deposit balance of the user's account based on the first account information is less than the payment amount, a payment credit result indicating that the user does not have the ability to pay is sent to the payment server; If the deposit balance of the user's account based on the first account information is equal to or greater than the payment amount, deduct the payment amount from the user's account, add the payment amount to a reserve account, and send a payment credit result indicating that the user has the ability to pay to the payment server. The financial institution server according to claim 6.

8. The account settlement processing unit When a payment confirmation request requesting confirmation of the account payment is received from the payment server, the payment amount is deducted from the reserve account and the payment amount is added to the account of the affiliated store. The financial institution server according to claim 7.

9. The account settlement processing unit receiving the payment authorization request and the payment confirmation request linked to the same transaction number from the payment server; The financial institution server according to claim 8.

10. further comprising an account refund processing unit that refunds money from the account of the affiliated store to the account of the user; The financial institution server according to claim 9.

11. The account refund processing unit: receiving a refund credit request from the payment server, the refund credit request including the transaction number; If the deposit balance of the account of the affiliated store based on the second account information is less than the payment amount linked to the transaction number, a refund credit result indicating that the affiliated store does not have the ability to pay is sent to the payment server; If the deposit balance of the member store's account based on the second account information is equal to or greater than the payment amount linked to the transaction number, deduct the payment amount from the member store's account, add the payment amount to the reserve account, and send a refund credit result to the payment server indicating that the member store has the ability to pay. The financial institution server according to claim 10.

12. The account settlement processing unit When a payment confirmation request is received from the payment server, the payment amount is deducted from the reserve account and the payment amount is added to the user's account. The financial institution server according to claim 11.

13. a user terminal device operated by a user, a store terminal device installed in a store selling the product, and a payment server that performs electronic payments in an electronic payment service and that is capable of communicating with a financial institution server that manages accounts at financial institutions; a financial institution server capable of communicating with the payment server; A payment system comprising: The payment server an acquisition unit that acquires, from the user terminal device or the store terminal device, the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, user identification information for identifying the user, and affiliated store identification information for identifying the affiliated store to which the store belongs; a payment processing unit that transmits the payment amount, the user identification information, and the member store identification information to the financial institution server, thereby causing the financial institution server to perform account payment; Equipped with The financial institution server a storage unit that stores first account information in which the user identification information is linked to the user's account information, and second account information in which the affiliated store identification information is linked to the affiliated store's account information; an account settlement processing unit that, when receiving the payment amount, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information from the payment server, performs the account settlement by subtracting the payment amount from the user's account based on the first account information and adding the payment amount to the affiliated store's account based on the second account information; Equipped with Payment system.

14. The user terminal device further includes an application program installed therein; The application program is installed in the user terminal device. displaying a selection screen that allows the user to select either the account settlement or the electronic settlement; If the user selects the account settlement, the balance of the user's account is displayed.

14. The payment system of claim 13.

15. The application program is installed in the user terminal device. Acquire the account settlement history and the electronic settlement history from the settlement server; Displaying the account payment history and the electronic payment history; 15. The payment system of claim 14.

16. The application program is installed in the user terminal device. displaying a link to launch the financial institution's mini-application; When the link is selected by the user, the mini-application is launched and the account settlement history is displayed on the screen of the mini-application.

16. The payment system of claim 15.

17. A user terminal device operated by a user, a store terminal device installed in a store selling the product, and a payment server capable of communicating with a financial institution server that manages accounts at a financial institution, Obtaining from the user terminal device or the store terminal device the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, user identification information for identifying the user, and affiliated store identification information for identifying the affiliated store to which the store belongs; transmitting the payment amount, the user identification information, and the member store identification information to the financial institution server, thereby causing the financial institution server to settle the account; Payment method.

18. A financial institution server that can communicate with a payment server that performs payment processing storing in a storage unit first account information in which user identification information for identifying a user is linked to the user's account information, and second account information in which affiliated store identification information for identifying an affiliated store to which a store selling a product belongs is linked to the affiliated store's account information; When the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, the user identification information, and the affiliated store identification information are received from the payment server, the payment server deducts the payment amount from the user's account based on the first account information and adds the payment amount to the affiliated store's account based on the second account information, thereby making an account settlement. Payment method.

19. A user terminal device operated by a user, a store terminal device installed in a store selling the product, and a payment server capable of communicating with a financial institution server that manages accounts at financial institutions, A process of acquiring, from the user terminal device or the store terminal device, the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, user identification information for identifying the user, and affiliated store identification information for identifying the affiliated store to which the store belongs; a process of transmitting the payment amount, the user identification information, and the member store identification information to the financial institution server, thereby causing the financial institution server to settle the account; A program that executes the following.

20. A financial institution server that can communicate with the payment server that processes payments. a process of storing in a storage unit first account information in which user identification information for identifying a user is linked to the user's account information, and second account information in which affiliated store identification information for identifying the affiliated store to which the store selling the product belongs is linked to the affiliated store's account information; a process of performing account settlement by subtracting the payment amount from the user's account based on the first account information and adding the payment amount to the member store's account based on the second account information when the payment amount of the product that the user wishes to purchase, the user identification information, and the member store identification information are received from the payment server; A program that executes the following.

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