Information processing system, credit card, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To reduce a risk caused by leakage of credit card information.SOLUTION: An information processing system executes settlement processing related to one credit card on the basis of a plurality of pieces of card number information associated with the one credit card and allocated to one user by one card company. For example, the information processing system may include a first number information acquisition unit that acquires one piece of card number information transmitted from one credit card among a plurality of pieces of card number information as first card number information, a second number information acquisition unit that acquires one piece of card number information among a plurality of pieces of card number information as second card number information from a storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of card number information associated with one credit card, and a payment processing unit that executes payment processing when the first card number information and the second card number information are consistent with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is known a technology for performing payment processing by switching between a first payment function that can be used in a specific group of stores and a second payment function that can be used in a wide group of stores. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-50196 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the above-mentioned conventional technology, the credit card itself is read by a terminal (for example, a terminal installed at an affiliated store) different from the user terminal held by the user, just like a normal credit card. Therefore, users are not freed from the worry of credit card information being leaked.

[0005] Therefore, in one aspect, the present invention aims to reduce the risk caused by the leakage of credit card information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect, the information processing system is characterized in that it executes payment processing related to a single credit card based on multiple card number information associated with the single credit card and assigned to a single user by a single card company. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risk caused by the leakage of credit card information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an image diagram of the features of a credit card according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an example of a process executed by a processing unit of a credit card. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data stored in a credit card information storage unit of a credit card. [Figure 5] 10 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of main processing executed by a credit card company server. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data in a credit card information storage unit of a credit card company server. [Figure 7] 10 is a schematic flowchart illustrating an example of another process executed by the credit card company server. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a conceptual diagram of the features of a credit card 21 according to this embodiment.

[0011] The information processing system 1 is a system that realizes multi-number payment, which will be described below. Multi-number payment is a service that minimizes the risk of fraudulent use of credit card information provided to stores and other places when making a payment.

[0012] The information processing system 1 includes a credit card 21, an affiliated store terminal 31, and a credit card company server 100.

[0013] Each affiliated store terminal 31 and the credit card company server 100 are connected via a network 4. The credit card 21 and the credit card company server 100 can communicate via the network 4. In the following, unless otherwise specified, a user refers to a user who makes a multi-number payment.

[0014] The network 4 may include, for example, a wireless communication network for mobile phones, the Internet, a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a Wide Area Network (WAN), a wired network, or any combination of these.

[0015] The credit card 21 is a dedicated credit card for realizing multi-number payment (hereinafter also referred to as a "specific credit card") and has functions different from those of ordinary credit cards. Specifically, in this embodiment, unlike ordinary credit cards which are associated with only one credit card number, multiple credit card numbers are associated with one credit card 21. In this case, the multiple credit card numbers associated with one credit card 21 may be numbers assigned to one user by a corresponding credit card company. In Figure 2, the multiple credit card numbers associated with the credit card 21 (eight credit card numbers in Figure 2) are schematically shown in speech bubble Q2. The multiple credit card numbers associated with one credit card 21 may be determined so that they are not the same as any credit card numbers associated with other credit cards.

[0016] The multiple credit card numbers may include a sequence of symbols and numbers that differ from those of regular credit cards. In this case, the credit card company server 100 that receives the credit card number can determine whether the corresponding credit card 21 is a dedicated credit card for realizing multi-number payment or a regular credit card.

[0017] The credit card 21 includes a communication unit 22, a credit card information storage unit 24, and a processing unit 26. The communication unit 22, the credit card information storage unit 24, and the processing unit 26 may be realized by an IC (Integrated Circuit) 210 (see FIG. 2) built into the credit card 21.

[0018] The communication unit 22 exchanges various information with the affiliated store terminal 31 through contactless communication. For example, the communication unit 22 transmits credit card information read from the credit card information storage unit 24 to the affiliated store terminal 31 in response to an instruction from the processing unit 26. In this embodiment, the credit card information may include unique information that can identify the credit card 21. This is because, in this embodiment, the credit card number included in the credit card information is one of multiple credit card numbers, and there are cases where a single credit card number alone cannot properly identify the corresponding credit card 21. However, in a modified example, the unique information need not be included, and the credit card 21 may be identified using the credit card number included in the credit card information.

[0019] In this embodiment, the credit card number included in the credit card information transmitted by the communication unit 22 to the affiliated store terminal 31 is one of a plurality of credit card numbers associated with the credit card 21. This one credit card number may be selected from the plurality of credit card numbers in accordance with a predetermined rule (hereinafter, for the sake of distinction, referred to as a "first predetermined rule"). For example, the first predetermined rule may simply be an order, and for example, the one credit card number to be transmitted may be selected in ascending order of numbers previously assigned to the plurality of credit card numbers.

[0020] In this way, in this embodiment, one selected credit card number is used from among multiple credit card numbers. This allows for the construction of a mechanism that can prevent the misuse of the credit card number used this time, even if the credit card number is placed in a situation where it can be misused for skimming or other purposes. The details of this mechanism will be described later.

[0021] The credit card information storage unit 24 stores credit card information related to the corresponding credit card 21. The credit card information is information necessary to realize payment at the credit card company server 100, and includes information transmitted from the communication unit 22 to the affiliated store terminal 31. In this embodiment, the credit card information includes a plurality of credit card numbers associated with the credit cards 21, as described above. An example of the data in the credit card information storage unit 24 will be described later with reference to FIG. 4.

[0022] The processing unit 26 performs various processes for settlement, etc. Details of the processes performed by the processing unit 26 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0023] The affiliated store terminal 31 may be provided for each affiliated store. The affiliated store terminal 31 is placed, for example, at a cash register of the affiliated store. The affiliated store terminal 31 may be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal.

[0024] For example, if the affiliated store terminal 31 is a mobile terminal, a contactless IC reading application 310 may be used. The contactless IC reading application can read credit card information by performing contactless communication with the communication unit 22 implemented in the credit card 21.

[0025] The credit card company server 100 processes the credit card information supplied from the member store terminal 31 to realize card settlement.

[0026] The credit card company server 100 performs authentication related to multi-number payment, which will be described later. The credit card company server 100 may also serve as a server that performs authentication for services (applications) other than multi-number payment. The credit card company server 100 is formed, for example, by a server computer. The credit card company server 100 may be realized by multiple server computers. For example, the credit card company server 100 may be realized by the cooperation of multiple server computers located in different locations.

[0027] The credit card company server 100 includes a credit card information storage unit 108 , a credit card information acquisition unit 110 , a credit card identification unit 111 , a credit card information verification unit 112 , and a payment processing unit 114 .

[0028] The credit card information storage unit 108 stores credit card information related to issued credit cards 21. An example of data in the credit card information storage unit 108 will be described later with reference to FIG.

[0029] The credit card information acquisition unit 110 acquires credit card information (credit card information read by the affiliated store terminal 31 for payment) from the affiliated store terminal 31. The credit card information from the affiliated store terminal 31 may be transmitted from the affiliated store terminal 31 together with payment information (for example, the amount used).

[0030] The credit card identification unit 111 identifies the credit card associated with the credit card information acquired by the credit card information acquisition unit 110. That is, the credit card identification unit 111 identifies the credit card 21 used at the affiliated store terminal 31. If the credit card information includes the above-described information unique to the credit card 21, the credit card information acquisition unit 110 can identify the credit card 21 based on the unique information. Alternatively, if the credit card information does not include the above-described information unique to the credit card 21, the credit card information acquisition unit 110 identifies the credit card 21 based on the credit card number included in the credit card information acquired by the credit card information acquisition unit 110. In this embodiment, as described above, although multiple credit card numbers are associated with one credit card 21, the multiple credit card numbers are unique numbers that are different from other credit card numbers. Therefore, by utilizing this feature, the credit card information acquisition unit 110 can identify the credit card 21 based on the credit card number included in the credit card information acquired by the credit card information acquisition unit 110 and data (described later) in the credit card information storage unit 24.

[0031] The credit card information matching unit 112 determines (matches) whether the credit card information acquired by the credit card information acquisition unit 110 matches the credit card information for the same credit card stored in the credit card information storage unit 108. In this embodiment, the credit card information matching unit 112 matches the credit card number included in the credit card information acquired by the credit card information acquisition unit 110 as follows. First, for the credit card 21 identified by the credit card identification unit 111, the credit card information matching unit 112 extracts (selects) one credit card number for matching from the data (plurality of credit card numbers) in the credit card information storage unit 24 in accordance with a predetermined rule (hereinafter also referred to as a "second predetermined rule" for distinction). The second predetermined rule only needs to match the first predetermined rule described above, and may be the same as the first predetermined rule described above.

[0032] In this case, although a credit card 21 is basically associated with multiple credit card numbers, the credit card number read from the credit card 21 and the credit card number extracted by the credit card information verification unit 112 are synchronized and are the same every time. On the other hand, in the case of fraudulent use by skimming or the like, such synchronization is unlikely to occur. This makes it possible to prevent fraudulent use by skimming or the like. In other words, it is possible to reduce the risk of credit card information leaks.

[0033] The payment processing unit 114 executes the payment process when the matching is confirmed by the credit card information matching unit 112. The payment process may be the same as the payment process performed with a normal credit card, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] Next, the information processing system 1 will be described in further detail with reference to FIG. 3 and subsequent figures.

[0035] 3 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of main processing executed by processing unit 26 of credit card 21. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data in credit card information storage unit 24 of credit card 21.

[0036] In step S300, processing unit 26 determines whether or not the card is in a state where it can be used at member store terminal 31. For example, it determines whether or not the credit card information of credit card 21 can be read by touching or swiping member store terminal 31. If the determination result is "YES," processing proceeds to step S302; otherwise, processing enters a standby state for use.

[0037] In step S302, the processing unit 26 reads out one credit card number associated with a next flag from among the multiple credit card numbers in the credit card information storage unit 24. The next flag is a flag indicating the credit card number to be read out next. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the next flag for the second credit card number is "○ (on)", and in this case, the processing unit 26 reads out the second credit card number.

[0038] In step S304, processing unit 26 transmits the credit card information including the credit card number read in step S302 to member store terminal 31. That is, member store terminal 31 reads the credit card information including the credit card number read in step S302. Once the credit card information has been read into member store terminal 31 in this manner, member store terminal 31 transmits the read credit card information to credit card company server 100.

[0039] In step S306, the processing unit 26 associates the next flag with the next credit card number in accordance with the first predetermined rule. For example, the processing unit 26 sets the next flag so that the credit card number next to the credit card number read this time will be read next time. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the next flag for the second credit card number is turned off, and the next flag for the third credit card number is turned on. In this case, the third credit card number will be read in step S302 when the card is used next at the affiliated store (which does not need to be the same as the current affiliated store).

[0040] Fig. 5 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of main processing executed by the credit card company server 100. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data in the credit card information storage unit 108 of the credit card company server 100.

[0041] In step S500, the credit card information acquisition unit 110 of the credit card company server 100 determines whether or not it has received (acquired) credit card information (including payment information) from the affiliated store terminal 31. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S502; otherwise, the process waits for the receipt of credit card information.

[0042] In step S502, the credit card identification unit 111 of the credit card company server 100 determines whether the credit card being used this time is a dedicated credit card 21 (i.e., a specific credit card) for realizing multi-number payment. For example, this determination can be made by identifying the credit card 21 based on the credit card information received in step S500. If the determination result is "YES," the process proceeds to step S504. On the other hand, if the determination result is "NO," the process ends as is, and in this case, the normal payment process is executed (not shown).

[0043] In step S504, the credit card information verification unit 112 of the credit card company server 100 reads, from the credit card information storage unit 108, one credit card number associated with a next flag from among the multiple credit card numbers related to the corresponding credit card 21. The next flag is a flag indicating the credit card number to be read next. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the next flag of the second credit card number is "○ (on)", and in this case, the credit card company server 100 reads out the second credit card number.

[0044] In step S506, credit card information verification unit 112 of credit card company server 100 determines whether the credit card number received in step S500 matches the credit card number read in step S504. That is, it determines whether the credit card numbers are the same. If the determination result is "YES," proceed to step S508; otherwise, proceed to step S510.

[0045] In step S508, the credit card information verification unit 112 of the credit card company server 100 notifies the corresponding member store terminal 31 of successful authentication. When the member store terminal 31 receives the successful authentication, it outputs a statement or the like as usual and completes the credit card processing. The notification of successful authentication may be executed only if other conditions (for example, matching of security numbers, etc.) are also satisfied.

[0046] In step S510, the credit card information verification unit 112 of the credit card company server 100 notifies the corresponding member store terminal 31 that the authentication was unsuccessful. When the member store terminal 31 receives the authentication failure, it may output a warning such as an error as usual.

[0047] In step S512, the payment processing unit 114 of the credit card company server 100 proceeds to payment processing based on the credit card information (including information for payment) received in step S500.

[0048] In step S514, the payment processing unit 114 of the credit card company server 100 associates the next flag with the next credit card number in accordance with a second predetermined rule. For example, the payment processing unit 114 sets the next flag so that the credit card number next to the credit card number read this time will be read next time. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the next flag for the second credit card number is turned off, and the next flag for the third credit card number is turned on. In this case, the next time step S504 is performed for the same credit card 21, the third credit card number will be read.

[0049] In step S516, the payment processing unit 114 of the credit card company server 100 updates the data in the credit card information storage unit 108 to record which affiliated store the current credit card number was used at. Specifically, the credit card number used this time is associated with the affiliated store number associated with the affiliated store used this time. The affiliated store number may be a unique number assigned to each affiliated store.

[0050] In this way, according to this embodiment, multiple credit card numbers are associated with the credit card 21, and one of them is used according to a predetermined rule. The credit card number read from the credit card 21 and the credit card number extracted by the credit card information verification unit 112 are synchronized and are the same every time. On the other hand, in the case of fraudulent use by skimming or the like, such synchronization is unlikely to occur. This makes it possible to prevent fraudulent use by skimming or the like. In other words, it is possible to reduce the risk of credit card information leaks.

[0051] 3 and 7, the credit card number to be used next is determined the last time (most recent time) the credit card is used, but it may also be determined at other times. For example, it may be determined the next time it is used. That is, the next flag in step S306 or step S514 may be updated by starting the processes in FIGS. 3 and 5 the next time it is used. Also, the credit card number to be used next may be stored in advance in the IC of credit card 21, in which case the credit card number may be read from the IC by a normal reading operation at the affiliated store.

[0052] 7 is a schematic flowchart showing an example of another process executed by the credit card company server 100. This process is optional and may be executed periodically or each time the data in the credit card information storage unit 108 is updated.

[0053] In step S700, the credit card company server 100 determines whether the same credit card number has been used at the same affiliated store a predetermined number of times or more. This determination can be made based on the data in the credit card information storage unit 108 (affiliated store information in FIG. 6, see step S516 in FIG. 5). If the determination result is "YES," proceed to step S704; otherwise, proceed to step S702.

[0054] In step S702, the credit card company server 100 determines whether other renewal conditions have been met. The other renewal conditions are arbitrary and may be met, for example, when a predetermined period of time has passed, when a transaction suspected of fraudulent use has been confirmed, when there has been a temporary loss, or when more than a predetermined number of payments have been made. If the determination result is "YES," the process proceeds to step S704; otherwise, it is determined that renewal is not necessary this time and the process ends.

[0055] In step S704, the credit card company server 100 updates the multiple credit card numbers associated with the credit card 21. In this case, all of the multiple credit card numbers may be updated, or only some of them (for example, only credit card numbers determined in step S700 to have been used at the same affiliated store a predetermined number of times or more) may be updated. When the credit card numbers are updated in this way, the data in the credit card information storage unit 24 of the corresponding credit card 21 is also updated. This update may be achieved by reissuing the credit card 21, rewriting the credit card information storage unit 24 of the credit card 21, or the like.

[0056] According to the process shown in FIG. 7, multiple credit card numbers are updated when predetermined conditions such as step S700 and step S702 are met, so that the inconvenience that may arise when multiple credit card numbers are not updated, i.e., the risk of credit card information being leaked, can be further effectively reduced.

[0057] Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a plurality of components of the above-described embodiments.

[0058] For example, although the above-described embodiment relates to the use of credit card 21 at a physical store of an affiliated store, it can also be applied to the use of credit card 21 at a virtual store such as a so-called online shopping store. The affiliated store terminal 31 may be in the form of a server computer (e.g., a computer on the cloud). In this case, the user may transmit credit card information to the affiliated store terminal 31 via a user terminal (not shown). In this case, the user terminal may be equipped with a card information transmission application, and the card information transmission application may implement the functions of the processing unit 26 described above.

[0059] Furthermore, in a configuration applicable to the use of credit card 21 in a virtual store, the multiple credit card numbers may be divided into multiple numbers for the physical store and multiple numbers for the virtual store (online store). In this case, the multiple numbers for the physical store may be determined in accordance with a predetermined rule each time the card is used at the physical store, and the multiple numbers for the virtual store may be determined in accordance with a predetermined rule each time the card is used at the virtual store. Furthermore, in the case of a physical store, the multiple credit card numbers may be different for each type of store, such as a supermarket or a restaurant. Similarly, in the case of a virtual store, the multiple credit card numbers may be different for each EC (Electronic Commerce) platform.

[0060] In the above-described embodiment, the multiple credit card numbers associated with the credit card 21 are used one by one, but they may be used in combination of two or more. In this case, as long as the predetermined rule for the order in which the numbers change is consistent between the credit card 21 and the credit card company server 100, the same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, multiple credit card numbers are prepared in advance, but this is not limiting. For example, a function for deriving a credit card number may be prepared, and multiple credit card numbers may be calculated by changing the arguments. In this case, the same effect as in the above-described embodiment can be achieved by using the same argument change rules on the credit card 21 side and the credit card company server 100 side. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1. Information Processing Systems 4 Network 21 Credit Card 22 Communication unit (an example of a notification means) 24 Credit card information storage section 26 Processing unit (an example of a determining means) 31 Merchant terminal 100 Credit card company server 108 Credit card information storage unit 110 Credit card information acquisition unit (an example of a first number information acquisition unit) 111 Credit Card Specific Department 112 Credit card information verification unit (an example of a second number information acquisition unit) 114 Payment processing unit

Claims

1. An information processing system that executes payment processing related to a single credit card based on multiple card number information associated with the single credit card and assigned to a single user by a single card company.

2. a first number information acquisition unit that acquires, from the plurality of pieces of card number information, one piece of card number information determined by a determination means provided in the one credit card, as first card number information; a second number information acquisition unit that acquires one piece of card number information from the plurality of pieces of card number information as second card number information; The information processing system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a payment processing unit that executes the payment processing when the first card number information and the second card number information match.

3. the determining means determines the one card number information based on a first predetermined rule; The information processing system according to claim 2 , wherein the second number information acquisition unit acquires the one card number information based on a second predetermined rule.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pieces of card number information are updated when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

5. a determination means for determining one piece of card number information from among the plurality of pieces of associated card number information in accordance with a predetermined rule; a notification means for notifying a settlement terminal or a server of the one card number determined by the determination means.

6. acquiring, as first card number information, one piece of card number information transmitted from the one credit card among a plurality of pieces of card number information associated with the one credit card; acquiring, as second card number information, one of the plurality of pieces of card number information from a storage unit that stores the plurality of pieces of card number information associated with the one credit card; An information processing method executed by a computer, which executes a payment process related to the one credit card if the first card number information and the second card number information match.

7. A computer-readable program that implements the information processing method according to claim 6.

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