Information processor, information processing method and program

Abstract

To realize a verification regarding a use of an instrument configured to execute processing according to a reading result of a use medium via a non-contact communication, in a more preferable manner.SOLUTION: An information processor includes generation means configured to: combine pieces of processing related to an issuance or a use of a use medium readable via a non-contact communication, respectively applied to a series of instruments including at least partially a station service instrument with regard to the issuance or the use of the use medium, so as to sequentially execute respective pieces of processing corresponding to a plurality of instruments included in the series of instruments; and generate a verification pattern to be applied to verify the pieces of processing of the plurality of instruments. The station service instrument included in the series of instruments includes an entrance / exit management instrument configured to manage an entrance / exit in a prescribed area according to a reading result of the use medium, and at a verification regarding a use of the plurality of instruments, the respective pieces of processing of the plurality of instruments are executed as a series of processing related to the verification, according to the corresponding verification pattern.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] With the realization of near-field wireless communication, also known as contactless communication, this communication technology has been used to read media such as IC cards and portable communication terminals such as smartphones on station equipment such as ticket gates and fare adjustment machines, thereby enabling practical applications such as managing entrance and exit to designated areas such as areas inside latches, settling fares for public transportation, etc. In recent years, it has also been considered to use such media as IC cards (so-called transportation IC cards) and communication terminals read by devices other than station equipment for electronic transactions using electronic money, and for providing other services such as luggage storage services using lockers. Furthermore, in order to safely operate the above-mentioned equipment, various technologies for verifying the operation of the equipment are being studied. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a technology for verifying the operation of station service equipment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4857737 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the past, when verifying devices that execute processing in response to the results of reading media such as IC cards or communication terminals (hereinafter also referred to as "used media"), such as the station service devices exemplified above, verification patterns were manually generated and the verification was performed using the actual devices and media. However, in recent years, as exemplified above, the number of devices that can use the used media has increased, and the number of usage scenarios has also increased. Therefore, with the past methods, it was sometimes practically difficult to perform comprehensive verification due to the time and effort required for preparing the verification environment and conducting the verification.

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to make it possible to more suitably verify the use of a device that executes processing in response to the results of reading a medium used via contactless communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the present invention has a generation means for generating a verification pattern to be applied to verify the processing of each of a series of devices related to the issuance or use of a medium of use that can be read via contactless communication, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that are applied to each of the devices in the series so that processes corresponding to each of the devices included in the series are executed sequentially, and the station service equipment included in the series of devices includes an entry / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a specified area based on the reading results of the medium of use, and when verifying the use of each of the multiple devices, the processing of each of the multiple devices is executed as a series of processes related to the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to more preferably verify the use of a device that executes a process in accordance with the result of reading a medium to be used via contactless communication. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1]FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of verification work for station equipment. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of verification data related to realization of a verification pattern. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method for verifying the use of a device. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration of an information processing system. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a usage pattern of various devices. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of input / output data to a verification process related to device use. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a functional configuration of a verification pattern management server. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a method for creating a verification pattern. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for specifying a generation condition of a verification pattern. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an operation screen for specifying a generation condition of a verification pattern. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for determining whether a latch is inside or outside. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a verification pattern. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing by a verification pattern management server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0010] <Summary> The information processing system 1 according to this embodiment is a system for verifying the use of devices that provide various services by reading a medium of use, such as a transportation IC card or a portable communication terminal such as a smartphone, via short-range wireless communication, also known as contactless communication. Devices that the information processing system 1 can verify include, for example, station service devices related to the use of public transportation (e.g., railways) such as ticket gates, ticket vending machines, and fare adjustment machines. Furthermore, in recent years, the above-mentioned transportation IC cards and other such media have become usable for purposes other than the use of public transportation, such as electronic payments using electronic value, such as electronic money, and procedures related to the use of coin lockers. Therefore, the information processing system 1 is configured to be able to verify devices related to the provision of these services.

[0011] Therefore, to better understand the features of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, an example of a conventional method for verifying the use of the above-mentioned devices will be described. In the conventional method, a physical medium such as a transportation IC card is used as the medium of use, and the medium is read by a real device such as a station service device or other device to execute processing, and the processing result is compared with an expected value of the processing result created in advance to determine legitimacy. Furthermore, the device that reads the medium of use during verification is not limited to one, and verification can also be performed in cases where multiple devices are used consecutively, for example, by having each device read the medium of use in sequence.

[0012] For example, Figure 1 shows a schematic example of a verification process using a conventional method. The example shown in Figure 1 shows an example in which a new IC card is issued and entry processing is performed at station A, a charge processing is performed at station B, and then passing through a single-latch ticket gate for transfer (exit processing and entry processing), and finally electronic payment and exit processing is performed at a vending machine at station N. In this way, with conventional methods, station settings, etc. are configured as needed for the target device, the device is actually made to read a medium such as an IC card and execute processing, and various evaluations are made of the processing results.

[0013] On the other hand, as mentioned above, conventional methods require the use of actual machines and media, which requires the preparation of various devices for verification and the securing of a location to install those devices. Given this background, it is conceivable that there may be situations where it is difficult to verify all devices, and in such cases, verification may be limited to representative devices. Furthermore, due to the nature of using actual machines and media, complex operations such as manual operation of the devices are required.

[0014] Furthermore, the generation of verification patterns and the confirmation of verification results are sometimes performed manually, which can be time-consuming for users. In particular, in cases involving complex transfers, the procedure for creating expected values ​​can be complicated, such as manually calculating the usage fee and then deducting it from the electronic value charged to the medium of use. This can lead to situations where there are only a limited number of workers available to handle the process, or where incorrect expected values ​​are created. Given this background, with conventional methods, even if an attempt was made to increase the number of verification patterns, it was sometimes difficult to create a sufficient amount of verification input data within a specified period.

[0015] For example, Fig. 2 shows an example of verification data for realizing various verification patterns. In the example shown in Fig. 2, verification conditions are set for the verification data, such as the company that provides the device, the name of the station where the device is installed, the type of device, functions, detailed settings, confirmation contents, and the increase / decrease amount of electronic value due to contactless communication (hereinafter also referred to as SF increase / decrease amount). In addition, in the verification data, the remaining amount of electronic value held in the medium to be used (hereinafter also referred to as SF remaining amount) is set as the expected value of the processing result by the target device.

[0016] Furthermore, when determining the verification procedures, a wide variety of verification input data is manually created, and if the workers are insufficiently knowledgeable about station equipment or public transportation fare calculation rules, they may apply settings that are not actually used, such as re-entering a ticket gate after entering through one. In particular, the inclusion of such patterns that are not actually used is often discovered when the verification is actually carried out, which can require the verification to be suspended and the verification content and expected values ​​to be revised, which can be time-consuming. In addition, when comparing the verification results with expected values, the main verification items may be items that are expected to be rewritten as the equipment is used, making it difficult to verify the series of information stored on the media used.

[0017] The information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a mechanism that enables verification of the legitimacy (in other words, validity) of the results of processing performed by each device in response to the results of reading the medium used, without using the actual device or medium. An overview of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described below.

[0018] 3 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a method for verifying the use of various devices in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. In the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, among the processes of the various devices to be verified, the software (programs) for realizing the processes, particularly those related to issuing the medium to be used and those executed in response to the results of reading the medium to be used, are extracted, and then incorporated into the verification system so that the processes of each piece of software are executed sequentially in accordance with the usage pattern of each device. Specifically, the information processing system 1 simulates in software the situation in which each of the series of devices to be verified is used sequentially by running software corresponding to each of the series of devices to be verified and executing processes sequentially. As a specific example, the example shown in Figure 3 simulates the situation in which a usage medium is issued by a ticket vending machine, the usage medium is used to pass through an entrance ticket gate and enter a latch, and then electronic value is charged by an adjustment machine inside the latch, and then a teller processing machine is used to exit the latch. At this time, the information processing system 1 reproduces information (such as the remaining amount of electronic value) stored in the medium of use (such as an IC card) at that time by encoding data corresponding to the processing result of the software corresponding to the target device, and uses this information (hereinafter also referred to as encoded information) as input for the software corresponding to the next device. With this configuration, a situation in which multiple devices are used sequentially using a common medium of use is simulated. In this way, the information processing system 1 obtains the results of using each of a series of devices as data based on the processing results of the software corresponding to each device, and by evaluating the data, verifies whether the processing results of the target device are valid. With this mechanism, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment realizes verification of the use of each device without using actual devices or media. Furthermore, by utilizing the characteristic that it can be realized without using actual devices or media, the information processing system 1 may provide a function to automatically create multiple verification patterns that differ in the combination of devices to be verified, the order in which they are used, etc., by combining devices and functions.

[0019] An example of the system configuration of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will now be described with reference to Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment includes a verification pattern management server 100, a verification server 200, and a terminal device 300. As described above, the information processing system 1 incorporates software extracted from each device to be verified, particularly software for implementing processes related to the issuance of a medium of use such as an IC card and processes executed in response to the results of reading the medium of use, as software to be used for verifying the device. Such devices to be verified include at least station service equipment related to the issuance of a medium of use and the use of the medium of use, such as ticket vending machines, ticket gates, fare adjustment machines, and counter processing machines, but may also include other devices capable of reading medium of use, such as vending machines and coin lockers.

[0020] The verification pattern management server 100 generates a verification pattern to be applied to verify the processing of each of the plurality of devices by combining processes (in other words, software corresponding to the devices) related to the realization of various functions applied to at least some of the devices that are candidates for verification so that they are executed sequentially and setting conditions related to the execution of the processes (e.g., information stored in a medium to be used). In this case, the verification pattern management server 100 may receive specifications for the devices and functions to be verified from a user (e.g., an administrator) via the terminal device 300, and generate multiple verification patterns by appropriately combining devices and functions within the range of the specified conditions or appropriately changing conditions related to the execution of the processes applied to the devices and functions (e.g., settings of the station where the device is installed, functions to be used, etc.). Furthermore, when generating verification patterns, the verification pattern management server 100 may impose restrictions on the generation of verification patterns corresponding to usage patterns that cannot be expected in normal operation.

[0021] For example, FIG. 5 shows an example of usage patterns of various devices that serve as the basis for the verification pattern created by the verification pattern management server 100. In FIG. Among the equipment subject to verification, station service equipment in particular may include equipment whose use is restricted depending on whether it is located inside or outside an area where entry and exit are managed by devices that manage entry and exit, such as ticket gates and ticket counter processing machines (i.e., inside or outside the latch). As a specific example, ticket vending machines that issue IC cards and other such media are normally assumed to be used outside the latch, and their use inside the latch cannot be expected in normal operation. As another example, fare adjustment machines that perform fare adjustments when exiting outside the latch are normally assumed to be used inside the latch, and their use outside the latch cannot be expected. Furthermore, there are some operations, such as the issuance of media by ticket vending machines, where it is not expected that duplicate operations will be performed in normal operation. In consideration of the constraints exemplified above, when generating a verification pattern, the verification pattern management server 100 may, for example, impose constraints on the conditions that a user can specify, thereby preventing the generation of a verification pattern for a usage pattern that would not be expected in normal operation. On the other hand, from the perspective of verifying device usage, it may be meaningful to target a usage pattern that would not be expected in normal operation as a so-called abnormal pattern for verification. In consideration of such a situation, the verification pattern management server 100 may also target a usage pattern that corresponds to such an abnormal pattern for generating a verification pattern. In this case, when a verification pattern that corresponds to an abnormal pattern is generated, the verification pattern management server 100 may notify the user by issuing notification information such as a warning that a verification pattern (in other words, a usage pattern) that would not be expected in normal operation has been generated.

[0022] In this way, the verification pattern management server 100 generates a verification pattern for each usage pattern of various devices, and manages information indicating the contents of each generated verification pattern (for example, the order of devices to be used, usage conditions, etc.) as pattern information D100. Furthermore, the verification pattern management server 100 outputs the pattern information D100 to the verification server 200, thereby causing the verification of various devices according to the verification pattern indicated by the pattern information D100 (in particular, verification of the legitimacy of processing according to the reading result of the medium to be used).

[0023] The validation server 200 corresponds to a server that executes the actual process of verifying the use of various devices. Specifically, the validation server 200 manages software extracted from each device and sequentially extracts and drives software for the target device according to the verification pattern indicated by the pattern information D100 received as input, thereby sequentially executing the process corresponding to the software. That is, in the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment, the process realized by the software of each device is not executed on the device itself, but rather in an execution environment managed by the validation server 200. As described above, the validation server 200 encodes data corresponding to the processing result of the software corresponding to the device to be verified that executed the process immediately before, as if it were stored in a medium to be used, and uses the encoded data as input for the software corresponding to the next device to be verified. The validation server 200 then outputs information corresponding to the execution result of the processing of the software corresponding to each device to a predetermined output destination as output data D200.

[0024] For example, Fig. 6 shows an example of input / output data for the verification process related to the use of various devices by the verification server 200. As shown in Fig. 6, when verifying the use of various devices, pattern information D100 corresponding to the target verification pattern, settings of the processing medium used when using the various devices, and settings of each device (e.g., station service device settings and customer input information) are input to the software corresponding to the device. The processing medium settings may include information stored in the processing medium, such as the remaining balance of electronic value. For example, when the device is station service device, the settings of each device may include device parameters (e.g., date information, fare / determination related information, etc.) and customer input information (e.g., function selection information, account button press information, etc.). Furthermore, depending on the processing results, the software of the various devices may output, as output data D200, the results of freight determination, detailed transaction data, information written to the medium used, information read from the medium used, etc. Note that the detailed transaction data corresponds to data for managing how the medium was used in a higher-level system, and may be used, for example, to present information to a banking system. Information regarding the handling of the medium used, such as an IC card, may also be included in the output data D200.

[0025] The terminal device 300 is a schematic representation of a terminal device that serves as an input / output interface when a user (e.g., an administrator) uses the verification pattern management server 100 or the verification server 200. As a specific example, the terminal device 300 may be used as an input interface through which the verification pattern management server 100 receives, from the user, specification of conditions related to the generation of a verification pattern. In this case, a UI (User Interface) for receiving the specification of conditions related to the generation of a verification pattern may be presented to the user via the terminal device 300. As another example, the terminal device 300 may serve as an output interface through which the user views the results of verification related to the use of various devices by the verification server 200 (e.g., information managed as output data D200).

[0026] An overview of the information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Note that, hereinafter, the characteristic configuration and processing of the information processing system 1 according to this embodiment will be described in more detail, focusing particularly on the configuration and processing related to generation of a verification pattern by the verification pattern management server 100.

[0027] <Hardware configuration> An example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device 900 applicable as the verification pattern management server, the verification server 200, the terminal device 300, etc. that constitute the information processing system 1 shown in FIG. 4 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0028] The information processing device 900 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 901, a communication interface device 902, a HD (Hard Disk) 903, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 908, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 909. The information processing device 900 may also include at least one of an input device 904 and an output device 905. The information processing device 900 may also include a recording medium drive device 906.

[0029] The CPU 901 controls various operations of the information processing device 900. The ROM 908 stores control programs, boot programs, and the like that can be executed by the CPU 901. The RAM 909 is the main storage memory of the CPU 901 and is used as a work area or a temporary storage area for expanding various programs. The HD 903 stores various data and programs. The CPU 901 reads out a program stored in the HD 903, expands it in the RAM 909, and executes the program, thereby realizing the functions described later with reference to Fig. 8 and the processes described later with reference to Fig. 14. Instead of the HD 903 or together with the HD 903, a storage device other than the HD 903, such as a nonvolatile memory typified by an SSD (Solid State Drive), may be used.

[0030] The communication interface device 902 is an interface that connects the information processing device 900 to various networks such as a network. The device used as the communication interface device 902 may be changed as appropriate depending on the type of network and the communication method applied. As a specific example, if the network is a wired network, the communication interface device 902 may include a connector that connects a cable used as a transmission path, a device involved in receiving data via the cable, and a device involved in transmitting data via the cable. As another example, if the network is a wireless network, the communication interface device 902 may include various devices for achieving wireless communication, such as an antenna device and an RF circuit.

[0031] The input device 904 is a device for receiving instructions from an administrator of the information processing device 900. The input device 904 may be realized by, for example, an operation device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a button, a switch, a lever, or a pedal. Furthermore, the device used as the input device 904 may be changed as appropriate depending on the method by which the user gives instructions to the information processing device 900 (in other words, the method of operating the information processing device 900). For example, when the information processing device 900 receives instructions from the user by voice input, the input device 904 may be realized by a sound collection device that receives voice input, such as a microphone.

[0032] The output device 905 is a device for presenting various types of information to the user of the information processing device 900. The output device 905 may be realized by a display device, such as a display, that presents information to the user by displaying various types of display information, screens, etc. Furthermore, the device used as the output device 905 may be changed as appropriate depending on the method of presenting information to the user. For example, when information is presented to the user by sound such as voice or electronic sound, the output device 905 may be realized by an audio output device that outputs sound, such as a speaker.

[0033] The program for the information processing device 900 is provided to the information processing device 900 by a recording medium 907 such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or an IC card memory, or is downloaded via a network, etc. When the program for the information processing device 900 is provided by the recording medium 907, the recording medium 907 is set in the recording medium drive device 906, and the program recorded on the recording medium 907 is installed in the HD 903 via the recording medium drive device 906.

[0034] <Functional configuration> An example of the functional configuration of the verification pattern management server 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 8, focusing particularly on the process of generating a verification pattern and then outputting pattern information D100 indicating the verification pattern. As shown in FIG. 8, the verification pattern management server 100 includes an input / output control unit 101, a condition setting unit 102, a verification pattern generation unit 103, and a storage unit 104.

[0035] The input / output control unit 101 performs various controls related to receiving instructions from a user and presenting information to the user. For example, the input / output control unit 101 may function as an input / output interface that receives instructions related to the generation of a verification pattern and the specification of the conditions for generating the verification pattern from the user, and presents information according to the results of generating the verification pattern based on the instructions. As a specific example, the input / output control unit 101 may present a UI for accepting specification of verification pattern generation conditions to the user via the terminal device 300 in response to an instruction from the condition setting unit 102 (described later). Furthermore, the input / output control unit 101 may present information according to the verification pattern generation result by the verification pattern generation unit 103 (described later) to the user via the terminal device 300.

[0036] The condition setting unit 102 performs various controls related to setting conditions for generating a verification pattern. For example, the condition setting unit 102 may cause the input / output control unit 101 to present a predetermined UI to a user via the terminal device 300, and receive a specification of conditions for generating a verification pattern from the user via the UI.

[0037] Here, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, an example of a UI for the condition setting unit 102 to receive instructions from the user will be described, focusing on the part related to receiving the specification of the generation conditions for the verification pattern. First, to more clearly explain the characteristics of the target UI, an overview of a method for creating a verification pattern by the verification pattern management server 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The verification pattern management server 100 allows multiple patterns to be set, such as the station settings where the target device is installed, the model of the device, and the settings of the functions applied to the device, and generates a comprehensive series of verification patterns by combining these settings. As a result, a verification pattern is generated for each combination of devices and functions, in which each of the multiple devices in the series of devices for which the verification pattern is to be generated sequentially performs processing related to the issuance of a medium to be used and processing according to the results of reading the medium to be used.

[0038] Next, we will explain Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows an example of an operation screen for accepting from a user the specification of conditions related to the generation of a verification pattern, assuming a scene in which a plurality of devices, including station equipment, are used consecutively using a medium of use such as an IC card. The example shown in Fig. 10 is configured to be able to accept specification of target devices (for example, models, etc.) for each of the scenes: issuance process of the medium of use, use of equipment outside the ticket gate, use of an entrance ticket gate, use of equipment inside the ticket gate, and use of an exit ticket gate. As described above, among the candidate devices (particularly station service devices) for setting, there may be devices whose use is restricted depending on the situation, such as whether the device is located inside or outside the latch (in other words, depending on the timing of use). In consideration of such a situation, the operation screen shown in FIG. 10 may apply a control that restricts the selection of devices whose use is restricted depending on the situation. As another example, a situation may be envisioned in which a verification pattern that would not be expected in the intended usage is generated, such as a verification pattern that includes devices whose use is normally restricted in order to verify a so-called abnormality. In such a case, the control related to the restriction on the selection of target devices may not be applied in the UI. Instead, when a specification is received via the UI, if a specification that could generate a verification pattern that would not be expected in the intended usage is detected, a warning or other notification may be displayed.

[0039] Furthermore, the condition setting unit 102 may accept more detailed setting specifications for the device specified via the operation screen illustrated in Fig. 10. For example, Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UI for accepting more detailed setting specifications, particularly for an operation screen for accepting from the user the specification of conditions related to the generation of a verification pattern.

[0040] Specifically, the operation screen shown in FIG. 11(a) is an example of an operation screen for accepting the specification of the installation station setting and the specification of the applied function setting for the device specified via the operation screen shown in FIG. 10. Note that some types of devices may have multiple functions. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 11(a), the acceptance of two or more function selections is permitted for devices with multiple functions as a condition for generating a verification pattern. By setting the installation station and the applied functions for each device in this way, a verification pattern is automatically set by combining the conditions of the device selected as the target for generating a verification pattern with the conditions of the installation station and applied functions of each device.

[0041] 11(b) shows an example of an operation screen for accepting the specification of more detailed settings for the functions of the model to be verified. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 11(b), the specification of the applicable area and validity period of the commuter pass is accepted for the function of issuing a new commuter pass at the ticket vending machine.

[0042] In this manner, the condition setting unit 102 receives the specification of the verification pattern generation conditions from the user via the UI illustrated in FIGS.

[0043] As described above, the condition setting unit 102 may limit the specification of conditions that may generate a verification pattern that cannot be expected in the intended usage, or may issue information such as a warning without imposing any restrictions. Therefore, an example of a condition that may generate a verification pattern that cannot be expected in the intended usage and a method for detecting such a condition will be described below. Hereinafter, for convenience, a verification pattern that can be expected in the intended usage will also be referred to as a usable verification pattern, and a verification pattern that cannot be expected in the intended usage will also be referred to as an unusable verification pattern.

[0044] For example, as described above, the set of devices to be verified may include devices whose usage is restricted depending on whether they are located inside or outside the latch. Therefore, for example, when accepting the designation of a device with such restrictions, the condition setting unit 102 may determine whether the timing for setting the usage of the device is inside or outside the latch, thereby determining whether the verification pattern that can be generated is a usable verification pattern.

[0045] Here, an example of a method for determining whether a device for which a verification pattern is to be generated is set to be used inside or outside the latch in the verification pattern will be described with reference to Fig. 12. In the example shown in Fig. 12, whether the device is located inside or outside the latch at the time of use is managed by a flag (hereinafter also referred to as a latch inside / outside bit) that indicates the state at that time. As a specific example, an entrance ticket gate is used when the user is outside the latch, and immediately after the entrance process is executed in conjunction with the use of the entrance ticket gate, the user moves into the latch. Therefore, immediately before the entrance process is executed by the entrance ticket gate, a value indicating an outside latch (hereinafter, this value will be referred to as "0") is set for the latch inside / outside bit, and after the entrance process is executed, the value of the latch inside / outside bit is updated to a value indicating an inside latch (hereinafter, this value will be referred to as "1"). As another example, an exit gate, a teller machine, etc. is used in a situation where the user is located inside the latch, and the user moves outside the latch immediately after the exit process is executed in conjunction with the use of the exit gate, the teller machine, etc. Therefore, immediately before the exit process is executed by the exit gate, the teller machine, etc., the value "1" indicating inside the latch is set for the latch inside / outside bit, and after the exit process is executed, the value of the latch inside / outside bit is updated to the value "0" indicating outside the latch.

[0046] In this way, the condition setting unit 102 may determine whether or not a condition related to the generation of an unavailable verification pattern is specified, for example, by comparing the type of device that accepts the specification to be executed sequentially with the value of the latch internal / external bit at that time. As illustrated above, a restriction that limits use depending on whether the device is located inside or outside a predetermined area (for example, inside or outside a latch) corresponds to an example of a first restriction. Also, a device used to manage entry and exit to a predetermined area, such as a ticket gate or a teller machine, corresponds to an example of an entry and exit management device.

[0047] Furthermore, the entry process by the entrance ticket gate and the exit process by the exit ticket gate or the ticket window processing machine are mutually associated so as to be executed as a series of processes, and use is restricted such that, after the entry process is executed, the exit process is not executed again, and the entry process is executed again. In this way, the processes (functions) applied to each of the series of devices for which the verification pattern is generated may include those that are constrained to be executed as a series of interrelated processes. For two or more processes that are constrained, for example, use is restricted such that, after the two or more processes have started but before they are completed, new processes are started. Therefore, the condition setting unit 102 may determine whether or not a designation that violates the constraint can be made for two or more processes that are constrained. As a specific example, the condition setting unit 102 may determine whether a specification that violates the constraints can be made based on the value of the latch on / off bit described above, for an example of entrance processing by an entrance ticket gate and an exit processing by an exit ticket gate or a ticket window processing machine. Specifically, when a specification to execute entrance processing by an entrance ticket gate is accepted, the condition setting unit 102 sets the value of the latch on / off bit to "1," indicating that the entry is in the latch. Then, before the value of the latch on / off bit is updated to "0," indicating that the entry is in the latch, in response to a specification to execute exit processing by an exit ticket gate or a ticket window processing machine, the condition setting unit 102 may recognize the specification of entrance processing by an entrance ticket gate as a specification that violates the constraints. In addition to the examples of entrance processing by an entrance ticket gate and exit processing by an exit ticket gate or a ticket window processing machine, it is also possible to determine whether a specification that violates the constraints can be made by similarly managing the start and end of two or more processes using flags. Furthermore, there may be no restriction on the execution order of two or more processes that are interrelated. In this case, when one of the two or more processes is executed, the re-execution of the executed process among the two or more processes before the execution of the other process is completed may be restricted. Note that a constraint set on two or more processes that are mutually associated so as to be executed as a series of processes, as exemplified above, corresponds to an example of a second constraint.

[0048] In addition, it is also possible to imagine a situation in which a process cannot be executed in duplicate when it has already been executed, such as the issuing of a usage medium by a ticket vending machine (in other words, if a process has already been executed, re-execution is restricted). For processes with such restrictions, the condition setting unit 102 may determine whether or not duplicate designations can be made. As a specific example, the condition setting unit 102 manages whether or not the process of issuing a medium to be used by a ticket vending machine has been specified using a flag, and if the flag has already been set due to a previously accepted specification, the specification of the process of issuing a medium to be used by the ticket vending machine may be recognized as a specification that violates the constraint. The constraint exemplified above, which restricts re-execution of an action once it has been executed, corresponds to an example of a third constraint.

[0049] Note that the above is merely an example and does not limit the conditions under which an unusable verification pattern may be generated (for example, constraints set for each process), and other conditions may be applied as the subject of judgment. Although the above description mainly deals with an example in which, when specifying conditions for generating a verification pattern, it is determined whether or not conditions for generating an unavailable verification pattern can be specified as appropriate, it may be difficult to determine this depending on the conditions. If such a situation can be anticipated, for example, the condition setting unit 102 may determine, after a set of conditions have been specified, whether or not an unavailable verification pattern is included among the verification patterns that can be generated by combining the conditions. The condition setting unit 102 may also accept a specification of a condition under which an unusable verification pattern may be generated and additionally register the condition. In this way, if an unusable verification pattern is included in the generated verification patterns, for example, the user can register the condition of the verification pattern as a restriction target, thereby allowing the condition setting unit 102 to treat the verification pattern as an unusable verification pattern from the next time onwards. Furthermore, the part of the condition setting unit 102 that determines whether or not a condition that violates a constraint set for a process, as exemplified above, has been specified corresponds to an example of a determination unit.

[0050] The condition setting unit 102 may exclude conditions related to the generation of an unusable verification pattern (conditions that cannot be expected in the original usage method) from the verification pattern generation targets, or may include the conditions as the verification pattern generation targets without excluding them and notify the user of information indicating a warning, etc. Then, the condition setting unit 102 outputs information related to the verification pattern generation conditions specified by the user to the verification pattern generation unit 103.

[0051] The verification pattern generation unit 103 generates a verification pattern based on the generation conditions specified by the condition setting unit 102. At this time, the verification pattern generation unit 103 generates a verification pattern for each combination of conditions by combining conditions such as station settings, model and equipment settings specified as the generation conditions. For example, FIG. 13 shows an example of a verification pattern. In the example shown in FIG. 13, for each of the processes of issuance processing, non-latch processing (before entry), entry processing, in-latch processing, exit processing, and non-latch processing (after exit), the station where the processing is executed and the equipment and functions to be used are set. Furthermore, the verification pattern includes input data for executing verification of the target equipment. For example, if the target equipment is station service equipment, the input data may include the station service equipment settings (e.g., customer input information and equipment parameters) described with reference to FIG. 6. Furthermore, if equipment other than station service equipment is the target of verification, the input data may include settings for the equipment. Furthermore, if the verification pattern does not include processing related to the issuance of a medium to be used, information indicating the initial state of the processing medium may be included as the processing medium settings. In this way, the verification pattern generation unit 103 generates a series of verification patterns and outputs data of each verification pattern (pattern information D100) to a predetermined output destination (e.g., the verification server 200, etc.). The verification pattern generation unit 103 may also retain the pattern information D100 of the generated verification patterns by storing it in a predetermined storage unit. The storage unit 104 schematically shows a storage area of ​​the verification pattern management server 100.

[0052] An example of the functional configuration of the verification pattern management server 100 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to FIGS. 8 to 13, focusing particularly on the process of generating a verification pattern and then outputting pattern information D100 indicating the verification pattern.

[0053] <Processing> An example of processing by the verification pattern management server 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 14, focusing particularly on processing for generating a verification pattern and then outputting pattern information D100 indicating the verification pattern.

[0054] In S101, the condition setting unit 102 determines whether to exclude abnormal verification patterns from the generation targets, such as unavailable verification patterns. Specifically, the condition setting unit 102 may determine whether to exclude abnormal verification patterns from the generation targets in accordance with instructions from a user, settings made in advance, etc. If the condition setting unit 102 determines in S101 that abnormal verification patterns should be excluded from the verification patterns to be generated, the process proceeds to S102. In this case, in S102, when accepting the specification of the verification pattern generation conditions, the condition setting unit 102 restricts the acceptance of specifications that violate the constraints when the verification target is a process with constraints. By applying such control, verification patterns that are unavailable, such as verification patterns that are used for verifying abnormal situations, are excluded from the verification patterns to be generated. On the other hand, if the condition setting unit 102 determines in S101 not to exclude abnormal verification patterns from the generation targets, the process proceeds to S103. In this case, the process of S102 is skipped, and the condition setting unit 102 allows the acceptance of a specification that violates a constraint when a process with a constraint is to be verified when accepting a specification of a generation condition for a verification pattern. In other words, in this case, verification patterns that are used for verifying abnormal situations, such as unusable verification patterns, are included in the generation targets. Then, in S103, the condition setting unit 102 receives from the user the specification of conditions related to the generation of a verification pattern (for example, conditions such as station settings, model and equipment settings, etc.).

[0055] In S104, the condition setting unit 102 determines whether the conditions specified in S103 include a condition that violates the constraint of the process for which the constraint is set. Note that, if the abnormal verification pattern is excluded in the determination process of S101, the conditions related to the verification pattern excluded by the same control will be excluded from the determination target in S104. If the condition setting unit 102 determines that the conditions specified in S103 include a condition that violates the constraint of the process to which the constraint is set, the process proceeds to S105. In this case, in S105, the condition setting unit 102 notifies the user of information indicating that the target verification pattern is an unavailable verification pattern. On the other hand, if the condition setting unit 102 determines that the conditions specified in S103 do not include a condition that violates the constraint of the process to which the constraint is set, the process proceeds to S106. In this case, the process of S105 is skipped.

[0056] In S106, the condition setting unit 102 outputs information about the verification pattern generation conditions specified by the user to the verification pattern generation unit 103. The verification pattern generation unit 103 generates a verification pattern for each combination of the generation conditions (e.g., conditions such as station setting, model and equipment setting) specified by the condition setting unit 102. Then, the verification pattern generation unit 103 outputs pattern information D100 for each of the generated verification patterns to a predetermined output destination (e.g., the verification server 200).

[0057] An example of the processing of the verification pattern management server 100 according to this embodiment has been described above with reference to FIG. 14, focusing particularly on the processing of generating a verification pattern and then outputting pattern information D100 indicating the verification pattern.

[0058] <Conclusion> As described above, the verification pattern management server 100 according to this embodiment generates a verification pattern to be applied to verifying the processes of each of a series of devices related to the issuance or use of a medium readable via contactless communication by combining processes corresponding to each of the multiple devices included in the series of devices so that the processes are executed sequentially. The series of devices for which this verification pattern is generated includes at least some station service equipment, and the station service equipment includes an entrance / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a specified area based on the results of reading the medium. Then, when verifying the use of each of the multiple devices, the processes of the multiple devices are executed as a series of processes related to the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. As described above, the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment allows software to simulate the use of various devices, such as IC cards and station equipment, without using actual media or equipment. This significantly reduces the effort required for verification compared to when actual media or equipment are actually prepared and used for verification. Furthermore, in the information processing system 1 according to the present embodiment, when generating a verification pattern, conditions such as station settings, equipment and function settings, etc. are specified, and a comprehensive verification pattern is automatically generated by combining these conditions. This allows the user to obtain a verification pattern that comprehensively covers all possible usage patterns with simple operations, without having to manually generate the verification pattern.

[0059] The following configurations also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. (1) An information processing device having a generation means for generating a verification pattern to be applied to the verification of the processing of each of a series of devices related to the issuance or use of a medium of use that can be read via contactless communication, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that are applied to each of the devices in the series so that processes corresponding to each of the devices included in the series are executed sequentially, and the station service equipment included in the series of devices includes an entry / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a specified area based on the reading results of the medium of use, and when verifying the use of each of the multiple devices, the processing of each of the multiple devices is executed as a series of processes related to the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. (2) The information processing device described in (1) has a determination means for determining whether a verification pattern is a usable verification pattern or not depending on whether at least some of the sequentially executed processes applied to the generation of the verification pattern include processes whose execution is restricted by the constraints, and the generation means determines a combination of multiple processes to be used to generate a verification pattern depending on the result of the determination by the determination means. (3) An information processing device as described in (2), wherein at least some of the processes applied to each of the series of devices have a first constraint set to indicate whether the process is allowed to be executed inside or outside the specified area where entry and exit are managed by the entry and exit management device, and the determination means determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether the process having the first constraint set, which is included in the plurality of processes applied to generate the verification pattern, is executed inside or outside the specified area. (4) The information processing device described in (2), wherein at least some of the processes applied to each of the series of devices include two or more processes having a second constraint set so that they are executed as a series of mutually associated processes, and the determination means determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether two or more processes having the second constraint set, which are included in the plurality of processes applied to generate the verification pattern, are newly started after the two or more processes are started but before they are completed. (5) The two or more processes to which the second constraint is set include an entrance management process for managing entry to the specified area and an exit management process for managing exit from the specified area, which are applied to the entrance / exit management device, and the determination means determines that the verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern when a combination of processes in which the entrance management process is newly executed after the entrance management process is executed and before the exit management process corresponding to the entrance management process is executed is included in the verification pattern to be generated, in the information processing device described in (4). (6) The information processing device described in (2), wherein at least some of the processes applied to each of the series of devices have a third constraint set that restricts re-execution once the processes have been executed, and the determination means determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether the processes with the third constraint set, which are included in the plurality of processes applied to generate the verification pattern, are executed in duplicate. (7) An information processing device described in any one of (2) to (6), wherein the discrimination means controls the output of notification information including information about the verification pattern to a predetermined output destination when the discrimination means determines that the target verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern. (8) The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (7), wherein the discrimination means controls the verification pattern to be included in the generation target even when it determines that the verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern. (9) The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (6), wherein the determination means, when determining that the target verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern, restricts generation of the verification pattern. (10) An information processing method executed by an information processing device, comprising a generation step of generating a verification pattern to be applied to the verification of the processing of each of a series of devices related to the issuance or use of a medium of use that can be read via contactless communication, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that are applied to each of the series of devices so that processes corresponding to each of the multiple devices included in the series of devices are executed sequentially, wherein the station service equipment included in the series of devices includes an entry / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a specified area depending on the reading results of the medium of use, and when verifying the usage of each of the multiple devices, the processing of each of the multiple devices is executed as a series of processes related to the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. (11) A program that causes a computer to execute a generation step of generating a verification pattern to be applied to the verification of the processing of each of a series of devices related to the issuance or use of a medium of use that can be read via contactless communication, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that are applied to each of the devices in the series so that processes corresponding to each of the devices included in the series are executed sequentially, and the station service equipment included in the series of devices includes an entry / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a specified area based on the reading results of the medium of use, and when verifying the usage of each of the multiple devices, the processing of each of the multiple devices is executed as a series of processes related to the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1 Information processing system, 100 Verification pattern management server, 101 Input / output control unit, 102 Condition setting unit, 103 Verification pattern generation unit, 104 Storage unit, 200 Verification server, 300 Terminal device

Claims

1. a generating means for generating a verification pattern to be applied to verify the processing of each of a series of devices, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium to be readable via contactless communication, the processes corresponding to each of a plurality of devices included in the series of devices, so that the processes are executed sequentially; The station service equipment included in the series of equipment includes an entrance / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a predetermined area according to the reading result of the medium used, When verifying the use of each of the plurality of devices, processing for each of the plurality of devices is executed as a series of processing for the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. Information processing device.

2. At least some of the processes applied to the respective devices in the series are restricted in their execution according to execution conditions of the processes at the execution timing; a determination unit that determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether or not a process whose execution is restricted by the constraint is included in at least a part of a plurality of processes that are sequentially executed and that are applied to generate the verification pattern; the generating means determines a combination of a plurality of processes for generating a verification pattern in accordance with a result of the determination by the determining means. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. a first constraint is set for at least some of the processes applied to each of the series of devices, indicating whether the process is permitted to be executed inside or outside the predetermined area where entry and exit are managed by the entry and exit management device; the determining means determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether a process to which the first constraint is set, which is included in the plurality of processes applied to generate the verification pattern, is executed inside or outside the predetermined area. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

4. At least some of the processes applied to each of the series of devices include two or more processes for which a second constraint is set so that the processes are executed as a series of processes associated with each other; the determination means determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether two or more processes, to which the second constraint is set, included in the plurality of processes applied to generate the verification pattern are newly started after the two or more processes have been started but before the two or more processes are completed. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

5. the two or more processes to which the second constraint is set include an entrance management process for managing entrance to the predetermined area and an exit management process for managing exit from the predetermined area, both of which are applied to the entrance / exit management device; the determination means determines that the verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern when a combination of processes in which the entrance management process is newly executed after the entrance management process is executed and before the exit management process corresponding to the entrance management process is executed is included in the verification pattern to be generated; The information processing device according to claim 4 .

6. a third constraint is set on at least some of the processes applied to each of the series of devices, restricting re-execution of the processes once they have been executed; the determining means determines whether the verification pattern is a usable verification pattern depending on whether processes to which the third constraint is set, which are included in the plurality of processes applied to generate the verification pattern, are executed redundantly. The information processing device according to claim 2 .

7. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when the determination means determines that the target verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern, the determination means controls so that notification information including information about the verification pattern is output to a predetermined output destination.

8. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determining means controls the verification pattern to be included in the generation target even when the determining means determines that the verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the determining means, when determining that the target verification pattern is not a usable verification pattern, restricts generation of the verification pattern.

10. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, a generating step of generating a verification pattern to be applied to verify the processing of each of a series of devices, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that are applied to each of the series of devices related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that can be read via contactless communication so that processes corresponding to each of the multiple devices included in the series of devices are executed sequentially; The station service equipment included in the series of equipment includes an entrance / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a predetermined area according to the reading result of the medium used, When verifying the use of each of the plurality of devices, processing for each of the plurality of devices is executed as a series of processing for the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. Information processing methods.

11. To the computer a generating step of generating a verification pattern to be applied to verifying the processing of each of a series of devices, at least some of which include station service equipment, by combining processes related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that are applied to each of the series of devices related to the issuance or use of the medium of use that can be read via contactless communication so that processes corresponding to each of the multiple devices included in the series of devices are executed in sequence; The station service equipment included in the series of equipment includes an entrance / exit management device that manages entry and exit to a predetermined area according to the reading result of the medium used, When verifying the use of each of the plurality of devices, processing for each of the plurality of devices is executed as a series of processing for the verification based on the corresponding verification pattern. program.

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