Management apparatus and management method

Abstract

To provide a management apparatus for electronic stamp cards in consideration of the order of putting stamps on the electronic stamp cards available in a local government.SOLUTION: A management apparatus 10A includes: an update unit 114 which updates, when a user U purchases a commodity or a service at each of a plurality of stores located in a first area, a first dataset FDS which is associated with the user U and related to the purchase of commodities or services in the first area; and an offering unit 116 which offers an incentive to the user U when it is determined that conditions including the order of purchases and the number of purchases in the purchase of commodities or services are satisfied, based on the first dataset FDS.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Electronic stamp cards are sometimes provided for sales promotion campaigns. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for automatically generating and providing electronic stamp cards for stores that are expected to be of interest to users.

[0003] Furthermore, in order to revitalize local communities, stamp rallies are sometimes held in which participants travel around the local government and stamp their electronic stamp cards. For example, Non-Patent Document 1 describes an example of a stamp rally held within a local government using AR (Augmented Reality) technology. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-128684 [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] Cloud Circus Co., Ltd., "What are the latest trends in stamp rally initiatives? Detailed introduction to local event plans and success stories!", Internet<URL:https: / / www.coco-ar.jp / media / column / stamprally> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Conventionally, when a campaign using stamp cards that can be used within a local government is carried out to revitalize a local area, the order in which stamps are stamped on the stamp card has not been taken into consideration.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an electronic stamp card management device that takes into consideration the order in which stamps are applied to electronic stamp cards that can be used within a local government. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A preferred embodiment of the management device of the present invention includes an update unit that is linked to a user and updates a first dataset regarding purchases of the product or service in a first region when the user purchases the product or service at each of a plurality of stores in the first region, and an award unit that awards an incentive to the user when it is determined based on the first dataset that conditions including the order of purchase and the number of purchases for the product or service are met.

[0009] A preferred embodiment of the management method of the present invention includes: updating a first dataset associated with a user when the user purchases a product or service at each of a plurality of stores in a first region, the first dataset relating to purchases of the product or service in the first region; and granting an incentive to the user when it is determined based on the first dataset that conditions for the purchase of the product or service, including the order of purchase and the number of purchases, are met. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stamp card management device that takes into consideration the order in which stamps are applied to stamp cards that can be used within a local government. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a management system 1A. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 20A[k]. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an electronic stamp card SC1A. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management device 10A. [Figure 5] A table showing an example of the configuration of the stamp card database SDB. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a portion of map data MD. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between a plurality of stores and a plurality of groups. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an update operation of the first data set FDS. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an incentive granting operation. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a management device 10B. [Figure 11] 10 is a table showing an example of the configuration of a user database UDB. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of an incentive granting operation. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of an ID database SID. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] 1: First embodiment A management system 1A according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0013] A management device 10A of the present disclosure shown in FIG. 1 manages electronic stamps. Generally, stamps are managed according to purpose, such as convenience store sales promotion measures and local government measures. In addition, stamps managed for convenience store sales promotion measures and local government measures are generally stamped on physical stamp cards. By stamping a predetermined number of stamps on a stamp card, the owner of the stamp card can, for example, earn incentives. In this specification, a stamp card refers to an image displaying an electronic stamp card SC1A. The electronic stamp card SC1A is displayed on the terminal device 20A shown in Fig. 1, and an image of the first electronic stamp FS is displayed in a predetermined area within the image of the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0014] As an example, when a user U purchases a product or service at a store located in a first region, the management device 10A of the present disclosure updates a first data set FDS related to purchases of products or services in the first region, linked to the user U. Furthermore, the management device 10A determines, based on the first data set FDS, whether conditions for the purchase of the product or service, including the order of purchase and the number of purchases, are satisfied, and if the determination result is positive, grants an incentive to the user U. The first dataset FDS is, for example, linked to the user U and is a dataset relating to the purchase history of goods or services in the first region.

[0015] The management device 10A uses the data included in the first data set FDS to cause the terminal device 20A to display an electronic stamp card SC1A. A first stamp FS is displayed in a predetermined area within the electronic stamp card SC1A. In other words, the first data set FDS is a data set used to display an image of an electronic stamp card SC1A including an image of the first electronic stamp FS on the terminal device 20A.

[0016] The first data set FDS also includes first stamp data FD, which is data for displaying an image of the first stamp FS within the image of the electronic stamp card SC1A. As will be described later, the first stamp data FD corresponds to a pair of the date and time when a product or service was purchased and the store where the purchase was made.

[0017] As a result, the management device 10A can provide an incentive to the user U by taking into consideration the order in which the first stamps FS are displayed on the electronic stamp card SC1A that can be used within the local government.

[0018] 1-1: Configuration of the first embodiment 1-1-1: Overall structure FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a management system 1A according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the management system 1A includes a management device 10A and n terminal devices 20A[1], terminal device 20A[2], ... terminal device 20A[k], ... terminal device 20A[n]. n is an integer equal to or greater than 1. k is an integer equal to or greater than 1 and equal to or less than n. In the following description, terminal devices 20A[1] to 20A[n] may be collectively referred to as "terminal device 20A." In FIG. 1, user U uses terminal device 20A. Furthermore, user U[k] uses terminal device 20A[k]. In the following description, terminal device 20A[k] will be used as a representative example of terminal device 20A, as necessary.

[0019] The management device 10A is a device used to manage data related to the electronic stamp card SC1A. The electronic stamp card SC1A is displayed individually on each of the terminal devices 20A[1] to 20A[n]. As an example, when a user U[k] purchases a product or service at a store in a specific area, a first stamp FS is displayed on the electronic stamp card SC1A displayed on the terminal device 20A[k].

[0020] As an example, when user U[k] purchases goods or services at a store located in the specific area, a first QR code is printed on a receipt printed by the store's cash register. When user U[k] launches a specific application for electronic stamp card SC1A on terminal device 20A[k] and reads the first QR code, the first stamp FS is displayed on the electronic stamp card SC1A displayed on terminal device 20A[k]. Note that additional conditions for displaying the first stamp FS may be set for the electronic stamp card SC1A. For example, the first QR code may be printed on the receipt only after user U[k] purchases goods or services worth a predetermined amount or more at a store located in the specific area. "QR Code" is a registered trademark.

[0021] In the above example, the management device 10A manages data relating to the electronic stamp card SC1A and the first stamp FS.

[0022] The terminal device 20A[k] is a device that the user U[k] uses to view the electronic stamp card SC1A and check the first stamp FS displayed on the electronic stamp card SC1A. As described above, as an example, the user U[k] can display the first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A displayed on the terminal device 20A[k] by reading the first QR code printed on a receipt with the terminal device 20A[k]. The terminal device 20A[k] may be, for example, a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet, or may be a PC (Personal Computer). The same applies to other terminal devices 20A other than the terminal device 20A[k].

[0023] 1-1-2: Terminal device configuration Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a terminal device 20A[k]. As shown in Fig. 2, the terminal device 20A[k] includes a processing device 21A, a storage device 22A, an imaging device 23, a display device 24, an input device 25, and a communication device 26. The elements of the terminal device 20A[k] are connected to each other by one or more buses for communicating information. Note that the term "device" in this specification may be interpreted as other terms such as circuit, device, or unit.

[0024] The processing device 21A is a processor that controls the entire terminal device 20A[k]. The processing device 21A is configured using, for example, one or more chips. The processing device 21A is also configured using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 21A may be realized by hardware such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The processing device 21A executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0025] The storage device 22A is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 21A. The storage device 22A includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The volatile memory is, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The storage device 22A also stores a control program PR2A executed by the processing device 21A. The storage device 22A also functions as a work area for the processing device 21A.

[0026] The imaging device 23 outputs imaging data obtained by capturing an image of the external world. The imaging device 23 includes, for example, a lens, an imaging element, an amplifier, and an AD converter. Light collected through the lens is converted into an imaging signal, which is an analog signal, by the imaging element. The amplifier amplifies the imaging signal and outputs it to the AD converter. The AD converter converts the amplified imaging signal, which is an analog signal, into imaging data, which is a digital signal. The converted imaging data is output to the processing device 21A.

[0027] The display device 24 is a device that displays images and text information. The display device 24 displays various images under the control of the processing device 21A. For example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel and an organic EL display panel are suitably used as the display device 24.

[0028] The input device 25 is a device that accepts operations from the user U[k]. For example, the input device 25 includes a keyboard, a touchpad, a touch panel, or a pointing device such as a mouse. Here, if the input device 25 includes a touch panel, it may also serve as the display device 24.

[0029] The communication device 26 is hardware serving as a transmitting / receiving device for communicating with other devices. The communication device 26 is also called, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 26 may include a connector for wired connection and an interface circuit corresponding to the connector. The communication device 26 may also include a wireless communication interface. Examples of the connector and interface circuit for wired connection include products that comply with wired LAN, IEEE1394, and USB. Examples of the wireless communication interface include products that comply with wireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), etc.

[0030] The processing device 21A functions as an acquisition unit 211, a communication control unit 212, and a display control unit 213 by reading and executing the control program PR2A from the storage device 22A.

[0031] The acquisition unit 211 acquires data including the date and time when the user U[k] purchased a product or service. As an example, when the user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in a specific area, the acquisition unit 211 acquires data indicating the date and time when the user U[k] purchased the product or service at the store located in the specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store. More specifically, when user U[k] purchases a product or service at a store located in a specific area, user U[k] launches a specific app related to the electronic stamp card SC1A as described above, and then captures an image of a first QR code printed on a receipt printed at a cash register of the store with the imaging device 23. The acquisition unit 211 decodes the first QR code captured by the imaging device 23 to acquire data indicating the date and time of purchase of the product or service at a store located in the specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store, together with data indicating user U[k]. The specific region is an example of a "first region."

[0032] The communication control unit 212 causes the communication device 26 to transmit and receive various data to and from the management device 10A. As an example, the communication control unit 212 causes the management device 10A to transmit to the communication device 26 a set of data indicating the user U[k] acquired by the acquisition unit 211, data indicating the purchase date and time of a product or service at a store located in a specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store. Furthermore, the communication control unit 212 causes the communication device 26 to receive data for displaying the electronic stamp card SC1A on the display device 24 from the management device 10A.

[0033] The display control unit 213 uses the data received from the management device 10A to cause the display device 24 to display the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0034] 3 is a diagram showing an example of an electronic stamp card SC1A that the display control unit 213 causes the display device 24 to display. The electronic stamp card SC1A has a purpose display area US, a stamp display area SA, and a prize display area CD. The purpose display area US is an area that displays the purpose of the electronic stamp card SC1A. In the example shown in Figure 3, the purpose display area US displays that the electronic stamp card SC1A is a card that is used to display the first stamp FS while purchasing goods or services at multiple stores located in city B in prefecture A. In the following, purchasing goods or services at multiple stores will be referred to as "shopping around." The stamp display area SA is an area in which the first stamp FS is displayed. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the stamp display area SA includes four sections in which the first stamp FS is displayed. The prize display area CD is an area that displays the prizes that can be won when the first stamp FS is displayed in all sections included in the stamp display area SA. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the prize display area CD displays that after launching the above app, the first stamp FS will be displayed in the stamp display area SA when the target operation is performed, and that if the user U[k] can get four first stamps FS in a predetermined order, he / she will get 100 points.

[0035] 1-1-3: Management device configuration Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management device 10A. As shown in Fig. 4, the management device 10A includes a processing device 11A, a storage device 12A, a display device 13, an input device 14, and a communication device 15. The elements of the management device 10A are connected to each other by one or more buses for communicating information.

[0036] The processing device 11A is a processor that controls the entire management device 10A. The processing device 11A is configured, for example, using one or more chips. The processing device 11A is also configured, for example, using a central processing unit (CPU) that includes an interface with peripheral devices, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. Some or all of the functions of the processing device 11A may be realized by hardware such as a DSP, ASIC, PLD, and FPGA. The processing device 11A executes various processes in parallel or sequentially.

[0037] The storage device 12A is a recording medium that can be read and written by the processing device 11A. The storage device 12A includes, for example, a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is, for example, a ROM, an EPROM, or an EEPROM. The storage device 12A also stores a control program PR1A executed by the processing device 11A, a stamp card database SDB, and map data MD, and also functions as a work area for the processing device 11A.

[0038] The stamp card database SDB is a database that stores data related to electronic stamp cards SC1A. Figure 5 is a table showing an example of the configuration of the stamp card database SDB. The stamp card database SDB has the following items: "stamp card ID," "user," "first region," "expiration date," "first date and time," "first store," "second date and time," "second store," ... "wth date and time," and "wth store."

[0039] "Stamp card ID" indicates the identifier of the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0040] In the first data set FDS in the first line of the stamp card database SDB shown in Figure 5, the data "3872528341" is entered in the "Stamp Card ID" field. The data "3872528341" entered in the "Stamp Card ID" field comes from the fact that the first data set FDS in the first line is a data set for an electronic stamp card SC1A whose "Stamp Card ID" is "3872528341."

[0041] The "User" column indicates the user U of the electronic stamp card SC1A. The "User" data in the first data set FDS in the first row of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that the user U is user U[k].

[0042] "First region" indicates the target region for shopping that the electronic stamp card SC1A is used for. The data for "Region 1" in the first data set FDS in the first row of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that the purpose of the electronic stamp card SC1A with the "stamp card ID" "3872528341" is to acquire the first stamp FS while purchasing goods or services at multiple stores located in City B, Prefecture A.

[0043] "Expiration Date" indicates the expiration date of the electronic stamp card SC1A. The "Expiration Date" data in the first row of the first data set FDS of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that the expiration date of the electronic stamp card SC1A with the "Stamp Card ID" "3872528341" is January 31, 2025.

[0044] The "first date and time" indicates the date and time when the first product or service was purchased in the shopping trip corresponding to the electronic stamp card SC1A. The data for "First Date and Time" in the first data set FDS in the first row of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in city B in prefecture A on February 19, 2024.

[0045] The "first store" indicates the store where the first product or service was purchased in the shopping trip corresponding to the electronic stamp card SC1A. The data for "First Store" in the first data set FDS in the first row of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that user U[k] purchased goods or services at store p located in city B in prefecture A.

[0046] The "second date and time" indicates the date and time when the second product or service was purchased in the shopping trip corresponding to the electronic stamp card SC1A. The data for "Second Date and Time" in the first data set FDS in the first row of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in city B in prefecture A on March 21, 2024.

[0047] "Second store" indicates the store where the second product or service was purchased in the shopping trip corresponding to the electronic stamp card SC1A. The data for "Second Store" in the first data set FDS in the first row of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5 indicates that user U[k] purchased goods or services at store q located in city B in prefecture A.

[0048] The "wth date and time" indicates the date and time when the wth product or service was purchased in the shopping trip corresponding to the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0049] The "wth store" indicates the store where the product or service was purchased for the wth time in the shopping trip corresponding to the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0050] In the first data set FDS of the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Fig. 5, the pair of "first date and time" and "first store," the pair of "second date and time" and "second store," ... the pair of "wth date and time" and "wth store" correspond one-to-one to one of the one or more first stamps FS displayed in the stamp display area SA of the electronic stamp card SC1A. The data of the pair of "first date and time" and "first store," the pair of "second date and time" and "second store," ... the pair of "wth date and time" and "wth store" stored in the first data set FDS are examples of "first stamp data FD." As described above, the first dataset FDS is linked to the user U[k] and is a dataset relating to the date and time of purchase of a product or service in a specific region.

[0051] In the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Figure 5, the data "first date and time" and "second date and time" are displayed as year, month, and day. However, the data "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "wth date and time" may be displayed in other ways. For example, the data "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "wth date and time" may be displayed as date and time. As described above, in this specification, "date and time" is not limited to a combination of date and time, but may be a date alone or a combination of date and time.

[0052] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a portion of an example of map data MD. The map data MD is, for example, two-dimensional information as shown in Fig. 6. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 6, the map data MD includes, for example, position data of store p, store q, houses HS1 to HS3, roads RD1 to RD3, tram tracks RW, and tram stop ST. For example, the position data includes data indicating latitude and data indicating longitude.

[0053] In FIG. 4, the processing device 11A functions as a communication control unit 111, a display control unit 112, a first judgment unit 113, an update unit 114, a second judgment unit 115A, and an assignment unit 116 by reading and executing a control program PR1A from the storage device 12A.

[0054] The communication control unit 111 causes the communication device 15 to transmit and receive various information to and from the terminal device 20A[k]. As an example, the communication control unit 111 causes the communication device 15 to receive from the terminal device 20A[k] a set of data indicating the user U[k], data indicating the purchase date and time of a product or service at a store located in a specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store.

[0055] The display control unit 112 causes the terminal device 20A[k] to display the electronic stamp card SC1A. Specifically, the display control unit 112 causes the terminal device 20A[k] to display the electronic stamp card SC1A based on a data set extracted from the stamp card database SDB. As an example, if the first data set FDS extracted from the stamp card database SDB includes a set of data for "first date and time" and data for "first store," the data that the display control unit 112 uses to display the electronic stamp card SC1A on the terminal device 20A[k] includes image data of the first stamp FS. The same applies when the first data set FDS extracted from the stamp card database SDB includes a pair of data for the "second date and time" and data for the "second store," ... a pair of data for the "wth date and time" and data for the "wth store."

[0056] The first determination unit 113 determines whether the user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in the first region, based on the data received from the terminal device 20A[k] by the communication device 15. More specifically, if the data received from the terminal device 20A[k] by the communication device 15 includes data indicating the user U[k] and data indicating the first region, the first determination unit 113 determines that the user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in the first region.

[0057] Furthermore, when data indicating user U[k] and data indicating the first region are included in data received by communication device 15 from terminal device 20A[k], first determination unit 113 refers to stamp card database SDB to identify user U[k] and the first data set FDS that includes the first region. Then, first determination unit 113 may determine whether the purchase date and time of the product or service is before the date and time indicated by the expiration date data included in the first data set FDS.

[0058] When the first determination unit 113 determines that the user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in the first region, the update unit 114 updates the first dataset FDS associated with the user U[k] and related to purchases of products or services in the first region. More specifically, the update unit 114 records data indicating the purchase dates and times of the product or service in the "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "wth date and time" of the first dataset FDS. Furthermore, the update unit 114 records data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in the "first store," "second store," ... "wth store" of the first dataset FDS.

[0059] More specifically, if the first data set FDS does not store data in any of "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "wth date and time," the update unit 114 stores data indicating the purchase date and time of the product or service in "first date and time" of the first data set FDS. Also, if the first data set FDS does not store data in any of "first store," "second store," ... "wth store," the update unit 114 stores data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in "first store" of the first data set FDS.

[0060] Furthermore, in the first dataset FDS, if data is stored in "first date and time" but no data is stored in any of "second date and time"..."wth date and time", the update unit 114 stores data indicating the purchase date and time of the product or service in "second date and time" of the first dataset FDS. Furthermore, in the first dataset FDS, if data is stored in "first store" but no data is stored in any of "second store"..."wth store", the update unit 114 stores data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in "second store" of the first dataset FDS.

[0061] Similarly, if the first dataset FDS stores data in the "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "(w-1)th date and time," but no data is stored in the "wth date and time," the update unit 114 stores data indicating the purchase date and time of the product or service in the "wth date and time" of the first dataset FDS. Also, if the first dataset FDS stores data in the "first store," "second store," ... "(w-1)th store," but no data is stored in the "wth store," the update unit 114 stores data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in the "wth store" of the first dataset FDS.

[0062] However, if data is stored in all of "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "wth date and time" in the first dataset FDS, the update unit 114 does not need to store data indicating the purchase date and time of the product or service in the first dataset FDS. Also, if data is stored in all of "first store," "second store," ... "wth store" in the first dataset FDS, the update unit 114 does not need to store data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in the first dataset FDS.

[0063] Alternatively, in the first data set FDS, when data is stored in all of the "first date and time," "second date and time," ... "wth date and time," the update unit 114 may store the data previously stored in the "second date and time" in the "first date and time," store the data previously stored in the "third date and time" in the "second date and time," ... store the data previously stored in the "wth date and time" in the "(w-1)th date and time." Then, the update unit 114 may store data indicating the purchase date and time of a new product or service in the "wth date and time" of the first data set FDS. Furthermore, in the first data set FDS, when data is stored in all of the "first store," "second store," ... "wth store," the update unit 114 may store the data previously stored in the "second store" in the "first store," store the data previously stored in the "third store" in the "second store," ... store the data previously stored in the "wth store" in the "(w-1)th store." Then, the update unit 114 may store data indicating the store where the new product or service was purchased in the "wth store" of the first data set FDS.

[0064] In addition, when the first determination unit 113 determines that the user U[k] purchased a product or service at a store located in the first region and determines that the date and time of purchase of the product or service is before the date and time indicated by the expiration date data included in the first dataset FDS, the update unit 114 may store data indicating the date and time of purchase of the product or service in the ``first date and time,'' ``second date and time,'' ... ``wth date and time'' of the first dataset FDS, and store data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in the ``first store,'' ``second store,'' ... ``wth store'' of the first dataset FDS.

[0065] The second determination unit 115A determines whether or not a condition including the order of purchase and the number of purchases of the product or service is satisfied, based on the first data set FDS linked to the user U[k].

[0066] For example, referring to the stamp card database SDB illustrated in Fig. 5, the first data set FDS linked to user U[k] indicates that user U[k] first purchased a product or service at store p, and then purchased a product or service at store q. The second determination unit 115A determines whether the order in which user U[k] first purchased a product or service at store p and then at store q, and the number of purchases made twice, satisfy the above conditions.

[0067] As an example, the purchase order included in the above condition is the order of multiple stores from which to purchase goods or services.

[0068] Alternatively, as another example, if multiple stores where goods or services are purchased are divided into multiple groups, the order of purchase included in the above condition may be the order of the multiple groups.

[0069] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between multiple stores and multiple groups. In the example shown in FIG. 7, group G1 includes stores a, b, and c. Group G2 includes stores d and e. Group G3 includes stores f, g, and h. If user U[k] purchases a product or service first at store b, second at store h, and third at store e, the order of purchases for user U[k] will be group G1, group G3, and group G2. Alternatively, if user U[k] purchases a product or service first at store g, second at store c, and third at store e, the order of purchases for user U[k] will be group G3, group G1, and group G2.

[0070] Alternatively, as another example, the order of purchase included in the above condition may be the order of multiple stores from which the goods or services are purchased, in order of proximity to the first store determined by the second determination unit 115A to be the first store from which the goods or services were purchased.

[0071] In this case, the second determination unit 115A determines whether the above condition is met by referring to the map data MD in addition to the stamp card database SDB. For example, in the map data MD, a portion of which is illustrated in Fig. 6, if it is determined that the store where user U[k] first purchased a product or service is store p, the order of purchases included in the above condition will be in order of proximity to store p. More specifically, the order of purchase included in the above condition is that the order of multiple stores where goods or services were purchased, as indicated by the first data set FDS linked to user U[k] in the stamp card database SDB, is in order of proximity to store p, where the goods or services were first purchased.

[0072] Alternatively, as another example, the order of purchase included in the above conditions may be the order of multiple stores from which goods or services are purchased, with the first store determined by the second determination unit 115A to be the first store from which the goods or services were purchased being ranked first, and the second store located within a first distance from the first store being ranked second.

[0073] In this case, the second determination unit 115A determines whether the above condition is met by referring to the map data MD in addition to the stamp card database SDB. For example, in the map data MD, a portion of which is illustrated in Fig. 6, if it is determined that the store where user U[k] first purchased a product or service is store p and store q is within a first distance from store p, the order of purchases included in the above condition will be store p first, store q second, and so on.

[0074] Alternatively, as another example, if multiple stores where goods or services can be purchased are each located within a second distance from each of multiple stations or stops of a transportation facility, the order of purchases included in the above condition may be an order that follows the direction of travel of the vehicles used in the transportation facility.

[0075] In this case, the second determination unit 115A determines whether the above condition is satisfied by referring to the map data MD in addition to the stamp card database SDB. For example, in the map data MD, a portion of which is illustrated in FIG. 6, if each of a plurality of stores where the user U[k] purchased goods or services, as indicated by the first data set FDS associated with the user U[k], is located within a second distance from each of a plurality of bus stops ST, the order of purchases included in the above condition is the order of the visits to these stores in the direction of travel of a vehicle traveling on the railway RW in FIG. 6. In other words, the order of purchases included in the above condition is the order of the visits to these stores in the direction of travel of a vehicle traveling on the railway RW in FIG. 6.

[0076] Alternatively, as another example, if each of multiple stores from which goods or services are purchased is located on one of multiple islands, the order of purchase included in the above condition is the order in which goods or services are purchased on all islands on which one or more of the multiple stores are located.

[0077] More specifically, the order of purchases included in the above condition is that the order of multiple stores where products or services were purchased, as indicated by the first data set FDS linked to user U[k] in the stamp card database SDB, is the order in which products or services were purchased on all islands where one or more stores are located. This order may be any order as long as products or services were purchased on all islands where one or more stores are located.

[0078] The second determination section 115A is an example of a "determination section."

[0079] If the determination result of the second determination unit 115A is positive, the granting unit 116 grants an incentive to the user U[k].

[0080] 1-2: Operation of the first embodiment 1-2-1: Update operation of the first data set FDS FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of an update operation of the first data set FDS by the management device 10A provided in the management system 1A according to this embodiment.

[0081] In step S1, the processing device 11A functions as the first determination unit 113. The processing device 11A determines whether or not the user U[k] has purchased a product or service in a store located in a first region. When it is determined that the user U[k] has purchased a product or service at a store located in the first region (YES in step S1), the processing device 11A executes the process of step S2. When it is determined that the user U[k] has not purchased any product or service at a store located in the first region (NO in step S1), the processing device 11A executes the process of step S1.

[0082] In step S2, the processing device 11A functions as the first determination unit 113. The processing device 11A determines whether the purchase date and time of a product or service in the first data set FDS including the user U[k] and the first region is before the date and time indicated by the expiration date data included in the first data set FDS. In other words, the processing device 11A determines whether the purchase date and time of the product or service is within the expiration date of the electronic stamp card SC1A. If it is determined that the purchase date and time of the product or service is before the date and time indicated by the expiration date data included in the first data set FDS (YES in step S2), the processing device 11A executes the process of step S3. If it is determined that the purchase date and time of the product or service is later than the date and time indicated by the expiration date data included in the first data set FDS (NO in step S2), the processing device 11A ends all processing.

[0083] In step S3, the processing device 11A functions as the update unit 114. The processing device 11A records the first stamp data FD in any one of the following pairs of the first data set FDS: a pair of "first date and time" and "first store," a pair of "second date and time" and "second store," ... a pair of "wth date and time" and "wth store."

[0084] 1-2-2: Incentive granting operation FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of an incentive granting operation by the management device 10A provided in the management system 1A according to this embodiment.

[0085] In step S11, the processing device 11A functions as the second determination unit 115A. Based on the first data set FDS associated with the user U[k], the processing device 11A determines whether or not conditions regarding the purchase of a product or service, including the order of purchase and the number of purchases, are satisfied. If it is determined that the conditions including the purchase order and the number of purchases are met (YES in step S11), the processing device 11A executes the process of step S12. If it is not determined that the conditions including the purchase order and the number of purchases are satisfied (NO in step S11), the processing device 11A ends all processing.

[0086] In step S12, the processing device 11A functions as the granting unit 116. The processing device 11A grants an incentive to the user U[k].

[0087] If the result of step S11 is NO, the processing device 11A may execute the process of step S11 again.

[0088] 1-3: Effects of the First Embodiment The management device 10A according to this embodiment includes an updating unit 114 and an awarding unit 116. When a user U[k] purchases a product or service at each of a plurality of stores in a first region, the updating unit 114 updates a first data set FDS associated with the user U[k] and related to purchases of the product or service in the first region. The awarding unit 116 awards an incentive to the user U[k] when it is determined, based on the first data set FDS, that conditions for the purchase of the product or service, including the order of purchase and the number of purchases, are satisfied.

[0089] The management device 10A, having the above configuration, can provide an electronic stamp card SC1A that can be used within the local government, taking into consideration the order in which stamps are to be stamped. Furthermore, the management device 10A can provide an incentive to the user U[k] only if the user U[k] acquires a first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A in a pre-set order. For example, if the electronic stamp card SC1A is used in a campaign within the local government, the local government can encourage the user U[k] to travel around the local government in a pre-set route.

[0090] In addition, in the management device 10A, the purchase order is the order in which the product or service is purchased from a plurality of stores.

[0091] Because the management device 10A has the above configuration, it is possible to provide an incentive to a user U[k] only if the user U[k] visits stores in a pre-set order and acquires a first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0092] Furthermore, in the management device 10A, the multiple stores where the above-mentioned products or services are purchased are classified into multiple groups G. The order of the above-mentioned purchases is the order of the multiple groups G.

[0093] Because the management device 10A has the above configuration, it is possible to provide an incentive to the user U[k] only if the user U[k] visits multiple groups G, each group G including one or more stores, in a pre-set order and acquires a first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0094] Furthermore, in the management device 10A, the above purchase order is the order of multiple stores where the product or service is purchased, and is the order of proximity to the first store where it is determined that the user U[k] first purchased the product or service.

[0095] The management device 10A has the above configuration, and therefore can set the order in which the user U[k] visits stores in order of proximity to the store where the user first acquires the first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A.

[0096] Furthermore, in the management device 10A, the above-mentioned order of purchase is the order of multiple stores from which goods or services are purchased, with the first store from which it is determined that user U[k] first purchased goods or services being ranked first, followed by the second store located within a first distance from the first store.

[0097] Because the management device 10A has the above configuration, the order in which user U[k] visits stores can be set so that the store that is located a predetermined distance from the first store where user U[k] first acquires the first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A is the second store where user U[k] acquires the first stamp FS.

[0098] In addition, if each of the multiple stores where the above-mentioned goods or services are purchased is located within a second distance from each of multiple stations or multiple stops of the transportation facility, the order of purchase will be in the order following the direction of travel of the vehicles used in the transportation facility.

[0099] The management device 10A, having the above configuration, can set the order in which the user U[k] visits the stores according to the direction of travel of the vehicle used for transportation. As a result, for example, if the electronic stamp card SC1A is used for a campaign within a local government, the local government can link the campaign with the transportation.

[0100] Furthermore, if each of the multiple stores where the above-mentioned goods or services are purchased is located on one of the multiple islands, the order of purchase is the order in which the above-mentioned goods or services are purchased on all islands where one or more of the above-mentioned multiple stores are located.

[0101] The management device 10A has the above configuration, and can set the order in which the user U[k] visits multiple islands as the order in which the user U[k] visits stores. As a result, for example, the management device 10A can provide an electronic stamp card SC1A that is useful for a campaign within a local government that has multiple islands.

[0102] The management method of this embodiment includes: when a user U[k] purchases a product or service at each of a plurality of stores in a first region, updating a first data set FDS linked to the user U[k] and related to purchases of the product or service in the first region; and when it is determined based on the first data set FDS that conditions including the order of purchase and the number of purchases for the product or service have been met, granting an incentive to the user U[k].

[0103] The management method according to this embodiment has the above configuration, and therefore can provide an electronic stamp card SC1A that can be used within a local government, taking into consideration the order in which stamps are to be stamped. Furthermore, this management method can provide an incentive to user U[k] only if user U[k] acquires a first stamp FS on the electronic stamp card SC1A in a pre-set order. For example, if the electronic stamp card SC1A is used in a campaign within the local government, the local government can encourage user U[k] to travel around the local government in a pre-set route.

[0104] 2: Second embodiment A management system 1B according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 10 to 12. Note that, for the sake of simplicity, the components of the management system 1B that are the same as those of the management system 1A according to the first embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals, and a description of their functions may be omitted.

[0105] In the management system 1B according to this embodiment, the order in which the user U[k] visits the stores can be set starting from the place of residence of the user U[k].

[0106] 2-1: Configuration of the second embodiment 2-1-1: Overall structure The management system 1B according to this embodiment differs from the management system 1A according to the first embodiment in that it includes a management device 10B instead of the management device 10A. In other respects, the overall configuration of the management system 1B is the same as the configuration of the management system 1A according to the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and therefore is not shown in the figures.

[0107] 2-1-2: Management device configuration Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management device 10B. As shown in Fig. 10, the management device 10B is different from the management device 10A according to the first embodiment in that it includes a processing device 11B instead of the processing device 11A and a storage device 12B instead of the storage device 12A. The elements of the management device 10B are connected to each other by a single or multiple buses for communicating information.

[0108] The processing device 11B differs from the processing device 11A in that it includes a second determination unit 115B instead of the second determination unit 115A.

[0109] The storage device 12B differs from the storage device 12A in that it stores a control program PR1B instead of the control program PR1A, and further stores a user database UDB.

[0110] The user database UDB is a database that stores user data UD related to a user U. Fig. 11 is a table showing an example of the configuration of the user database UDB. The user database UDB has the following items: "User," "Place of Residence," "Latitude," and "Longitude."

[0111] The "user" column indicates the user U. The "user" data in the user data UD in the first row of the user database UDB illustrated in Fig. 11 indicates that the user U is user U[1].

[0112] The "Place of Residence" column indicates the area where the user U currently resides. The "Place of Residence" data in the first row of the user data UD in the user database UDB illustrated in Figure 8 indicates that the current place of residence of the user U[1] is "2-4-3, C-cho, B-city, A-prefecture."

[0113] The "Latitude" column indicates the latitude of the "Place of Residence." The "Latitude" data in the first row of the user data UD in the user database UDB illustrated in Figure 8 indicates that the latitude of the current place of residence of user U[1] is "35.709701."

[0114] The "Longitude" column indicates the longitude of the "Place of Residence." The "Longitude" data in the first row of the user data UD in the user database UDB illustrated in Figure 8 indicates that the longitude of the current place of residence of user U[1] is "139.654291."

[0115] In Figure 10, the processing device 11B functions as a communication control unit 111, a display control unit 112, a first judgment unit 113, an update unit 114, a second judgment unit 115B, an assignment unit 116, and a location determination unit 117 by reading and executing the control program PR1B from the storage device 12B.

[0116] The location determination unit 117 determines the residence of the user U[k] based on the user data UD relating to the user U[k].

[0117] Similar to the second judgment unit 115A, the second judgment unit 115B judges whether or not conditions including the order of purchase and the number of purchases of goods or services are met based on the first data set FDS linked to the user U[k].

[0118] In this embodiment, the purchase order included in the above conditions is the order of multiple stores where goods or services are purchased, in order of proximity to the residence of user U[k] along a route that passes through the residence of user U[k].

[0119] Therefore, the second determination unit 115B refers to the user database UDB and acquires the latitude data and longitude data of the residence of the user U[k] linked to the user U[k]. The second determination unit 115B also compares the acquired latitude data and longitude data with the map data MD to acquire the residence of the user U[k] in the map data MD and the road RD that passes through the residence.

[0120] For example, in the map data MD, a part of which is shown in FIG. 6, the second determination unit 115B acquires a house HS1 as the residence of the user U[k], and acquires a road RD1 as the road RD that passes through the residential area.

[0121] In this case, the order of purchases included in the above condition is to first purchase goods or services at store q, and then purchase goods or services at store p.

[0122] 2-2: Operation of the second embodiment 2-2-1: Incentive granting operation FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of an incentive granting operation by the management device 10B provided in the management system 1B according to this embodiment.

[0123] In step S21, the processing device 11B functions as the location determination unit 117. The processing device 11B determines the residence of the user U[k] based on the user data UD related to the user U[k].

[0124] In step S22, the processing device 11B functions as the second determination unit 115B. Based on the first data set FDS associated with the user U[k], the processing device 11B determines whether or not conditions regarding the purchase of a product or service, including the order of purchase and the number of purchases, are satisfied. If it is determined that the conditions including the purchase order and the number of purchases are met (YES in step S22), the processing device 11B executes the process of step S23. If it is not determined that the conditions including the purchase order and the number of purchases are satisfied (NO in step S22), the processing device 11B ends all processing.

[0125] In step S23, the processing device 11B functions as the granting unit 116. The processing device 11B grants an incentive to the user U[k].

[0126] If the result of step S22 is NO, the processing device 11B may execute the process of step S21 again.

[0127] 2-3: Effects of the second embodiment The management device 10B according to this embodiment further includes a location determination unit 117, as compared with the management device 10A according to the first embodiment. The location determination unit 117 determines the residence of the user U[k] based on the user data UD related to the user U[k]. The order of purchase is the order of multiple stores where the above-mentioned product or service is purchased, in order of proximity to the residence of the user U[k] along a route that passes through the residence of the user U[k].

[0128] The management device 10B, having the above configuration, can set the order in which the user U[k] visits the stores, starting from the place of residence of the user U[k].

[0129] 3: Variation The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments. Specific modified embodiments are exemplified below.

[0130] 3-1: Variation 1 In the management system 1A according to the first embodiment described above, the terminal device 20A[k] transmits to the management device 10A a set of data indicating the user U[k] acquired by the acquisition unit 211, data indicating the date and time of purchase of a product or service at a store located in a specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store.

[0131] However, the terminal device 20A[k] may transmit to the management device 10A a set of data indicating the purchase date and time of a product or service at a store located in a specific area, data indicating the store, and a stamp card ID.

[0132] In this case, the storage device 22A of the terminal device 20A[k] stores the ID database SID. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the ID database SID.

[0133] As an example, when a user U[k] purchases a product or service at a store located in a specific area, the user U[k] launches a specific app associated with the electronic stamp card SC1A as described above, and then captures a first QR code printed on a receipt printed at a cash register at the store using the imaging device 23. The acquisition unit 211 decodes the first QR code captured by the imaging device 23 to acquire data indicating the date and time of purchase of the product or service at a store located in the specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 211 acquires a stamp card ID by referring to the ID database SID illustrated in FIG. 13 using the data indicating the specific area. The communication control unit 212 causes the management device 10A to transmit the data indicating the date and time of purchase of the product or service at a store located in the specific area, the data indicating the store, and the stamp card ID acquired by the acquisition unit 211 to the communication device 26.

[0134] The management device 10A uses the stamp card ID obtained from the terminal device 20A[k] to identify the first data set FDS in the stamp card database SDB, records data indicating the purchase date and time of the product or service in the ``first date and time,'' ``second date and time,'' etc., or ``wth date and time'' of the identified first data set FDS, and records data indicating the store where the product or service was purchased in the ``first store,'' ``second store,'' etc., or ``wth store'' of the first data set FDS.

[0135] 3-2: Variation 2 In the management system 1A according to the first embodiment, a user U[k] launches a specific application associated with an electronic stamp card SC1A and then captures an image of a first QR code printed on a receipt printed at a cash register of the store using the imaging device 23 of the terminal device 20A[k]. The terminal device 20A[k] then decodes the captured image to obtain data indicating the date and time of purchase of a product or service at a store located in a specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store, along with data indicating the user U[k]. The data indicating the user U[k], the data indicating the date and time of purchase of a product or service at a store located in the specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store are transmitted from the terminal device 20A[k] to the management device 10A.

[0136] However, instead of the first QR code being printed on the receipt printed at the store's cash register, the user U[k] may launch a specific app related to the electronic stamp card SC1A on the terminal device 20A[k], which may cause a second QR code indicating the electronic stamp card SC1A to be displayed on the terminal device 20A[k].

[0137] In this case, by reading the second QR code with a POS system located at the store's cash register, data indicating user U[k], data indicating the date and time of purchase of the product or service at a store located in a specific area, data indicating the specific area, and data indicating the store are transmitted from the POS system to management device 10A.

[0138] 3-3: Variation 3 The user database UDB in the above embodiment has the following items: "user," "place of residence," "latitude," and "longitude."

[0139] However, instead of the "place of residence" where the user U currently resides, the user database UDB may have an item for "related places" which are places that the user U is currently associated with. Here, "places that the user U is currently associated with" may be, for example, the school that the user U attends or the workplace where the user U works, in addition to the place where the user U currently resides.

[0140] In this case, in the user database UDB, the "latitude" column indicates the latitude of the "related location." Also, in the user database UDB, the "longitude" column indicates the longitude of the "related location."

[0141] In this case, the location determination unit 117 determines a location related to the user U[k] based on the user data UD related to the user U[k].

[0142] In addition, the order of purchase included in the conditions determined by the second determination unit 115B is the order of multiple stores where goods or services are purchased, in order of proximity to a location related to user U[k] along a route that passes through the location.

[0143] With the above configuration, this modification can set the order in which the user U[k] visits stores, starting from a location related to the user U[k].

[0144] 4:Other (1) In the above-described embodiment, ROM and RAM are exemplified as storage devices 12A, 12B, and 22A, but other suitable storage media may also be used, such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks (e.g., compact disks, digital versatile disks, Blu-ray (registered trademark) disks), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., cards, sticks, key drives), CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-ROMs), registers, removable disks, hard disks, floppy (registered trademark) disks, magnetic strips, databases, servers, or other suitable storage media.

[0145] (2) In the above-described embodiments, the described information, signals, etc. may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0146] (3) In the above-described embodiment, input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, a memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be transmitted to another device.

[0147] (4) In the above-described embodiment, the determination may be made by a value (0 or 1) represented using one bit, by a Boolean value (true or false), or by a comparison of numerical values ​​(e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0148] (5) The order of the process procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. illustrated in the above-described embodiments may be rearranged unless inconsistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0149] (6) Each function illustrated in Figures 1 to 13 is realized by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are connected directly or indirectly (for example, by wire, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. A functional block may be realized by combining software with the single device or multiple devices.

[0150] (7) The programs exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly construed to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether they are called software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or by other names.

[0151] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0152] (8) In each of the foregoing embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0153] (9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or corresponding other information.

[0154] (10) In the above-described embodiments, the terminal device 20A may be a mobile station (MS). A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other appropriate terminology. In this disclosure, terms such as "mobile station," "user terminal," "user equipment (UE)," and "terminal" may be used interchangeably.

[0155] (11) In the above-described embodiments, the terms "connected," "coupled," or any variations thereof refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be a physical coupling or connection, a logical coupling or connection, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0156] (12) In the above embodiments, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless otherwise specified. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0157] (13) As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0158] (14) In the above embodiments, when "include," "including," and variations thereof are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, the term "or" as used in this disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0159] (15) In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, this disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are plural.

[0160] (16) In this disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "combined" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0161] (17) Each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0162] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0163] 1A, 1B: management system, 10A, 10B: management device, 11A, 11B: processing device, 12A, 12B: storage device, 13: display device, 14: input device, 15: communication device, 20A: terminal device, 21A: processing device, 22A: storage device, 23: imaging device, 24: display device, 25: input device, 26: communication device, 111: communication control unit, 112: display control unit, 113: first determination unit, 114: update unit, 115A, 115B: second determination unit, 116: assignment unit, 117: location determination unit, 211: acquisition unit, 212: communication control unit, 213: display control unit, CD: Prize display area, FD: First stamp data, FDS: First data set, FS: First stamp, G, G1, G2, G3: Group, HS1, HS2, HS3: House, MD: Map data, PR1A, PR1B, PR2A: Control program, RD, RD1, RD2, RD3: Road, RW: Railway, SA: Stamp display area, SC1A: Stamp card, SDB: Stamp card database, SID: ID database, ST: Bus stop, U: User, UD: User data, UDB: User database, US: Usage display area

Claims

1. an update unit that, when a user purchases a product or service at each of a plurality of stores present in a first region, is linked to the user and updates a first dataset related to the purchase of the product or service in the first region; an incentive granting unit that grants an incentive to the user when it is determined that a condition including the order of purchase and the number of purchases of the product or service is satisfied based on the first data set; A management device comprising:

2. The purchase order is the order of a plurality of stores in which the goods or services are purchased. The management device according to claim 1 .

3. The plurality of stores from which the goods or services are purchased are classified into a plurality of groups; The purchase order is the order of the plurality of groups. The management device according to claim 1 .

4. a location determination unit configured to determine a location associated with the user based on user data relating to the user; The purchase order is an order of a plurality of stores at which the product or service is purchased, and is an order of proximity to a location related to the user along a route that passes through the location. The management device according to claim 1 .

5. The purchase order is an order of a plurality of stores at which the product or service is purchased, and is an order of proximity to a first store determined by the determination unit to be where the user first purchased the product or service. The management device according to claim 1 .

6. The purchase order is an order of a plurality of stores from which the product or service is purchased, with a first store from which the determination unit determines that the user first purchased the product or service being ranked first, followed by a second store located within a first distance from the first store. The management device according to claim 1 .

7. each of the plurality of stores where the goods or services are purchased is located within a second distance from each of a plurality of stations or a plurality of stops of a transportation facility; The order of purchase is in accordance with the direction of travel of vehicles used in the transportation facility. The management device according to claim 1 .

8. each of a plurality of stores where the goods or services are purchased is located on one of the islands included in the plurality of islands; The purchase order is an order in which the goods or services are purchased on all islands on which one or more of the plurality of stores are located. The management device according to claim 1 .

9. When a user purchases a product or service at each of a plurality of stores in a first region, updating a first data set associated with the user and relating to the purchase date and time of the product or service in the first region; When it is determined based on the first data set that a condition including the order of purchase and the number of purchases of the product or service is satisfied, an incentive is granted to the user; A management method having the following.

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