Bill issuing system and bill receiving system

Abstract

To provide a bill issuing system and a bill receiving system capable of dealing with bill information including information matched with the description conditions of a purchase book required by a law or the like by various application software by describing the bill information obtained by collecting main information in an item unit on a document in a format, and simplifying the labor of office work by easily coping with even an enterprise whose system computerization of purchase book management is difficult by using a personal information terminal and existing purchase book management software.SOLUTION: The bill issuing system is characterized in that one or more two-dimension codes are outputted and include two-dimension information and bill information composed of a text, and the bill information includes a set of an information identification part representing a type of information and an information abstract part which is a main body of the information as a plurality of items and is continuously described in a state of being delimited by a delimiter.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an invoice issuing system and an invoice receiving system that enable the exchange of invoice information, such as invoices and delivery notes exchanged between businesses, by presenting the invoice information in a format that can be electronically obtained and making it accessible using a readily available information terminal. More specifically, the present invention relates to an invoice issuing system and an invoice receiving system that enable the exchange of invoice information by presenting the invoice information, which summarizes the main information by item, in a format that can be used with various application software, including information that meets the requirements for recording in a purchase ledger required by law, etc., and that can be easily implemented using readily available information terminals and existing purchase ledger management software, thereby simplifying administrative work even for companies that find it difficult to digitize their purchase ledger management systems. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to digitize paper invoices, it is necessary to input the details of the items on the paper or in an image of the paper. This means that they must be digitized again by manual input. However, many small businesses that have traditionally handled paper invoices are not ready for digitization, and when they try to digitize in order to comply with the invoice system (Qualified Invoice Storage Act), etc., they face the problem of a significant increase in administrative work. In particular, manual input requires workers and time to input. Therefore, if an invoice could be captured as an image using a camera or scanner, and the contents of the invoice could be treated as invoice information through character recognition, the amount of input work could be reduced.However, even if character recognition is used, invoice formats are not standardized, so it is necessary to infer the layout and convert the results of character recognition on the image into item contents, which increases the effort required to check the content to prevent errors due to misrecognition, including the accuracy of the character recognition. Therefore, a method is being considered for obtaining invoice information without misrecognition by converting the invoice contents into a two-dimensional code and creating an invoice with the code attached (see Patent Document 1). Two-dimensional codes are suitable for transferring invoice information because they can contain a large number of characters and can be used to correct errors to prevent damage to the contents. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-281701 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the invoice information included in the 2D code of Patent Document 1 is written in separate format, and it is necessary to check whether the content of each item is in the same position as the type, which makes manual work prone to errors. Also, the amount of information that can be written in a 2D code is limited, so there are cases where the content of an invoice cannot be contained in a single 2D code. In such cases, there is no way to check whether the order of the written content matches that of the paper invoice. The present invention aims to provide a system that allows invoice information that summarizes the main information by item to be written in writing in the above format, so that invoice information including information that meets the conditions for recording purchase ledgers required by laws and regulations can be handled by various application software, and that can be easily implemented using familiar information terminals and existing purchase ledger management software, even by companies that find it difficult to digitize their purchase ledger management systems, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, thereby simplifying administrative work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention is as follows. 1. A billing system that issues a bill containing written billing information, a document output unit that outputs the invoice information on the document as characters and a two-dimensional code; The two-dimensional code is output in one or more units, and includes identifier information and billing information, each of which is made up of text; The invoice information consists of multiple items, each of which is a pair consisting of an information identification section that indicates the type of information and an information summary section that is the main body of the information, and which are written consecutively separated by delimiters. 2. There are two or more two-dimensional codes, and each of the two-dimensional codes includes the identifier information and divided invoice information obtained by dividing the invoice information; The invoice issuing system described in 1., wherein each piece of identifier information contains the order in which the division was made, encoded as sequence information. 3. An invoice issuing system as described in 2., wherein the information identification section of the billing details of the invoice information includes at least a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier, and the tax rate identifier is a code that identifies a calculation method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate and the amount. 4. An invoice receiving system that reads one or more two-dimensional codes output on an invoice document by the invoice issuing system described in 2. above and acquires invoice information, a two-dimensional code reader that optically reads each two-dimensional code on the document and then decodes each of the read two-dimensional codes to obtain identifier information and invoice information; a two-dimensional code verification unit that verifies whether the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit is normal, and interrupts the process if the identifier information is abnormal; an invoice information generation unit that generates the invoice information by sequentially combining the divided invoice information in accordance with the order information of the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit. 5. An invoice receiving system as described in 4 above, wherein the information identification section of the invoice details of the invoice information includes at least a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier, and the tax rate identifier is a code that identifies a calculation method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate and the amount. 6. The invoice receiving system according to 5 above, wherein when the tax amount is not included in the information identification section of the invoice details, the invoice information generation section calculates the tax amount from the tax rate, the amount, and the tax rate identifier, and verifies the corruption of the invoice information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] This invoice issuing system is equipped with a document output unit that outputs invoices, delivery notes, and other documents, allowing for accurate electronic conversion of paper invoice information, facilitating the re-entry of the invoice information into accounting systems and order management systems. In particular, because two-dimensional codes can be processed using everyday devices such as cameras on smartphones, there is no need to prepare additional devices for this system or learn how to use them, and they can be used as input data for accounting systems, order management systems, spreadsheet software, and the like. Furthermore, because invoice information can include information that conforms to the conditions for recording purchase ledgers required by various laws and regulations, such as the Consumption Tax Act and the Electronic Bookkeeping Act, the issuer can provide information that conforms to the various laws and regulations, and the recipient can receive invoice information that conforms to the various laws and regulations for bookkeeping tasks such as purchase ledgers. This results in a quantitative effect of labor-saving by eliminating the need to manually re-enter invoice details, and a lead-time shortening effect that makes it easier to inspect each slip, making it easier to understand the flow of funds early on and facilitating cash flow, thereby reducing the burden on accounting staff who do not use advanced accounting systems at small and medium-sized enterprises and simplifying tax accounting work.

[0007] Furthermore, by providing the identifier information, it is possible to distinguish the two-dimensional code from those output by means other than the written output unit, thereby preventing malfunctions and informing users to re-read the code. Because identifier information and invoice information are text-based, and each invoice item is treated as a set consisting of an information identification section that indicates the type of information and an information summary section that is the main body of the information, standard text import functions in various software can be used. Furthermore, even general-purpose software such as spreadsheets can be easily used by incorporating processes that convert information into a format that can be handled by existing software, such as scripting and macro languages. This makes it suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and sole proprietors that do not use invoice software, eliminating manual input and other tasks. It can also be used for automatic reading, automatic creation of order-related ledgers, and automatic reconciliation of deposits and withdrawals, significantly reducing the burden on workers. Furthermore, by reducing worker hours, monthly work can be leveled out. Furthermore, since the business name is not repeated in the invoice information, the amount of information included in the two-dimensional code can be reduced, making it possible to reduce the size and number of two-dimensional codes. Furthermore, because it uses a text format that is easy to convert into invoice information for existing purchase ledger management software without the need to introduce new purchase ledger management software, invoice information can be easily input and output into existing purchase ledger management software as is, or by making minor adjustments such as converting item names.This means that small and medium-sized enterprises can reduce their administrative and financial burdens without having to sign a contract with a specific invoice app provider, while also simplifying their tax accounting work. If there are two or more two-dimensional codes, and each two-dimensional code includes the identifier information and split invoice information obtained by dividing the invoice information, and each piece of identifier information includes the order in which the invoice information was divided and encoded as sequence information, then even if the two-dimensional codes are read in any order, the entire identifier information can be obtained without error by referring to the split invoice information.

[0008] The information identification section of the billing details of the invoice information includes at least a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier, and if the tax rate identifier is a code that identifies a calculation method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate and the amount, by including the method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate in the invoice information, even if the method for calculating the tax amount from the same tax rate is changed due to transitional measures following a legal amendment, the recipient can use the correct calculation method. Also, billing details for tax rates applicable to some products, such as reduced tax rates, and billing details for tax rates applicable to other general products can be included together in the invoice information.

[0009] The invoice receiving system reads one or more two-dimensional codes output on an invoice document by the invoice issuing system to obtain invoice information, and sequentially implements a two-dimensional code reading unit that optically reads each two-dimensional code on the document and then decodes each read two-dimensional code to obtain identifier information and invoice information, a two-dimensional code verification unit that verifies whether the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit is normal and aborts if abnormal, and an invoice information generation unit that sequentially combines the divided invoice information according to the order information of the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit to generate the invoice information.Even if the invoice issuing system outputs multiple two-dimensional codes, the invoice information can be reliably obtained by reading all two-dimensional codes.Furthermore, the two-dimensional code verification unit can abort processing even if a two-dimensional code other than the one output by the invoice issuing system is read, thereby preventing erroneous operation.

[0010] The information identification section of the billing details of the invoice information includes at least a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier, and if the tax rate identifier is a code that identifies a calculation method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate and the amount, by including the method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate in the invoice information, even if the method for calculating the tax amount from the same tax rate changes due to transitional measures following a legal amendment, the correct calculation method can be used when recalculating the tax amount.In addition, even if the method for calculating the tax amount differs between the invoice issuer and the invoice recipient, such as the handling of fractions of less than one yen, the necessary tax amount can be recalculated. When the tax amount is not included in the information identification section of the billing details, the invoice information generation unit calculates the tax amount from the tax rate, the amount, and the tax rate identifier to verify corruption of the invoice information. This verification can be performed without adding new verification information such as a check digit or checksum. Furthermore, by having the invoice information generation unit of the invoice receiving system perform such verification, it is possible to prevent the invoice information used in the two-dimensional code from becoming bloated due to the addition of verification information. Furthermore, it is possible to improve the accuracy of important tax amounts through tax processing, increase the reliability of the invoice, and eliminate the need for unnecessary work such as resending an invoice due to corruption of the invoice information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] The present invention will be further described in the following detailed description, which provides non-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, and with reference to the mentioned drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an invoice issued by the invoice issuing system. [Figure 2] 10 is a diagram showing an example of an information identification unit of the invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the content of a two-dimensional code provided on the invoice shown in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an information identification section when issuing a full delivery note. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the invoice issuing system. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the invoice receiving system. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing another example of the configuration of the bill receiving system. [Figure 8] 1 is an example of a spreadsheet-style display of a file with invoice information read by a billing system. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the contents of invoice information divided into two pieces. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an invoice issued by the invoice issuing system, the invoice information being divided into two parts. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The matters set forth herein are for illustrative purposes only and are intended to provide an illustrative description of the embodiments of the present invention, with the aim of providing what is believed to be the most effective and easily understandable explanation of the principles and conceptual features of the present invention. In this respect, it is not intended to show structural details of the present invention beyond the extent necessary for a fundamental understanding of the present invention, and the description, taken together with the drawings, will make clear to those skilled in the art how some aspects of the present invention may be actually embodied.

[0013] 1. Invoicing system The bill issuing system and bill receiving system of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. This invoice issuing system is characterized in that it has a document output unit that outputs invoice information as characters and two-dimensional codes on an invoice document, and one or more of the two-dimensional codes are output, and include identifier information and invoice information consisting of text, and the invoice information consists of a plurality of items, and each of the items is a pair consisting of an information identification section that indicates the type of information and an information summary section that is the main body of the information, and is written consecutively separated by delimiters. Also, although the main purpose of this invoice issuing system is to issue invoices, it may also be used to issue delivery notes.

[0014] The two-dimensional code is a code that records information such as numbers and characters using patterns arranged vertically and horizontally. The two-dimensional code is read by a two-dimensional code reader such as a camera or image scanner, and identifier information and bill information can be obtained. There is no particular restriction on the type of two-dimensional code, and known two-dimensional codes can be used, such as QR Code (registered trademark), Aztec Code, and Data Matrix. The position of the two-dimensional code on the invoice is not particularly important, and it can be placed at any position on the invoice (see, for example, Figure 1) or on the back side. Furthermore, when multiple two-dimensional codes are provided, the arrangement of the two-dimensional codes is not particularly important, and they may be arranged in a single vertical or horizontal line, or in two or more lines. The identifier information and invoice information included in the two-dimensional code are made up of text, which is a string of characters including numbers and symbols that represent the division of each piece of information. The symbols may also include control codes such as line breaks.

[0015] The identifier information is information for identifying that the information contained in the two-dimensional code is invoice information of the invoice issuing system. There are no particular restrictions on the identifier information as long as it can be distinguished as information different from that of the invoice issuing system. For example, it can be "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T)" as shown in Figures 2 and 3. Different identifier information can also be used depending on the type of document. For example, for an invoice, it can be "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T)" as shown in Figures 2 and 3, and for a delivery note, it can be "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(D)" as shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, when dividing invoice information into multiple two-dimensional codes, order information indicating the order in which the invoice information is divided can be added to the identifier information. For example, order information can be added to the second and subsequent two-dimensional codes, and the identifier information can include ascending numerical values ​​(1, 2...9, 10...). For example, the identifier information can be arranged in the following order: "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T)", "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T1)", "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T2)", "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T3)", etc.

[0016] The invoice information is text-format information consisting of character strings. The invoice information is composed of a list of multiple items, each of which is a pair consisting of an information identification section that indicates the type of information and an information summary section that is the main body of the information, and is written consecutively separated by a delimiter. Furthermore, the information identification section and the information summary section are also separated by a delimiter. The delimiter separating each set of invoice information (hereinafter referred to as the set delimiter) and the delimiter separating the information identification section and the information summary section within a set (hereinafter referred to as the information delimiter) may be the same, but it is preferable to use different symbols. By using different symbols, it is possible to identify whether the information following each symbol is an information identification section or an information summary section, thereby simplifying the analysis process of the invoice information. For example, if the set delimiter is "," and the information delimiter is "=", the invoice information can be written as "Information identification section 1 = information summary section 1, information identification section 2 = information summary section 2, information identification section 3 = information summary section 3," etc.

[0017] The type of information for each item, which is the information identification section, includes a type section (corresponding to the type header section and type footer section in FIG. 2) and a billing statement section. The type section is information that is required only once for the entire invoice, and may include, for example, the name of the business operator, the date and time of invoice, the total taxable amount, and the total consumption tax amount. An invoice detail is one or more invoice details (also called invoice items) and includes at least the amounts corresponding to the invoice items. The order in which the type section and billing statement details of the invoice information are arranged is not particularly important, and they may be in the order of type section and billing statement details, or the reverse. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the type section may be divided into two sections, a type header section and a type footer section, with a billing statement detail section provided between them. If a billing statement detail section is provided between them, the order of arrangement is consistent with that of the written invoice, and when the invoice information in text format is visually viewed and verified against the written invoice, it is easy to follow the order.

[0018] Other item types in the type section may further include invoice number, business partner name, taxable business number (any number such as customer number, corporate number, sole proprietor identification number, etc. may be used), corporate number, the company's corporate number, the company's taxable business number, tax rate for the total taxable amount, tax rate identifier for the total taxable amount, and invoice amount. The item types of the billing statement can further include product name, quantity, unit, unit price, tax rate, delivery date, order number, etc. The item types of the billing statement can further include printability and tax rate identifier. There is no particular restriction on the form in which the information identification parts representing the types of information are represented, but by assigning a specific numerical value to each item, it is possible to indicate various types while keeping the number of characters to a minimum. For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the company name can be 6, the item name in the billing statement can be 11, the quantity can be 12, the tax rate can be 15, the type flag (tax rate identifier) ​​can be 16, and the amount can be 17. Furthermore, the information identification parts are not limited to numerical values ​​and can also be alphabets, katakana, kanji, etc., or a combination of these. By dividing the invoice information into pairs consisting of an information identification section and an information summary section, and by listing them consecutively without any intervening characters or symbols, and separating them by a pair separator, the type of information summary section can be determined from the immediately preceding information identification section, eliminating the need to determine the type of information summary section from a large amount of previous information, and allowing for a simple description of the text interpretation process.Furthermore, the interpretation process can be easily implemented using macro languages ​​or script languages ​​of existing software.

[0019] The tax rate identifier in the billing statement (including the tax rate identifier for the total taxable amount) is a code used to uniquely identify the calculation method used to calculate the tax amount based on the tax rate from the total amount. The calculation method can specify whether the calculated tax amount should be rounded up, down, or to the nearest whole number, the position of the digit used to process the fraction, or the tax law on which the calculation is based. The tax rate identifier can uniquely identify one or more of these calculation methods. Invoice information with such a tax rate identifier can accurately process multiple tax rates on a single invoice, recalculate the tax amount when the tax amount handling differs between the sending and receiving businesses, and recalculate items with unclear dates, tax rates, and other information necessary for distinguishing between tax laws. This eliminates ambiguity in invoice information and ensures the proper exchange of invoice information between businesses. Furthermore, the tax rate identifier can distinguish between transitional tax rates, even in application software that does not support transitional tax rates following tax law revisions. Furthermore, by calculating all tax amounts on the billing details using the above method and comparing the total with the total tax amount, such as the total taxable amount and the total consumption tax amount, it is possible to verify whether the invoice information is corrupted. For example, if the calculated total taxable amount or total consumption tax amount does not match the total taxable amount and total consumption tax amount in the invoice information, it is possible to determine that the invoice information is corrupted and stop processing the invoice. When dividing invoice information to obtain divided invoice information, the division can be made at the group separator. For example, invoice information "Information Identification Section 1 = Information Summary Section 1, Information Identification Section 2 = Information Summary Section 2, Information Identification Section 3 = Information Summary Section 3" can be divided into two divided invoice information "Information Identification Section 1 = Information Summary Section 1, Information Identification Section 2 = Information Summary Section 2" and "Information Identification Section 3 = Information Summary Section 3." It is also possible to divide the information identification section and information summary section in the middle of their text.

[0020] This invoice issuance system can be configured to include an invoice information reading unit that reads a file containing invoice information generated by financial software such as other billing management software, a written output unit that outputs the read invoice information on paper and issues an invoice, and an issued invoice recording unit that performs bookkeeping by recording issued invoice information as issued, as shown in Figure 5. With this configuration, even financial software that cannot output two-dimensional codes can issue invoices with two-dimensional codes using the written output unit, allowing users to utilize financial software that they are familiar with and significantly reducing the increase in workload. Furthermore, instead of the invoice information reading unit, an invoice content input unit may be provided for manually inputting invoice content or via a POS or the like, and financial processing related to invoicing may be performed by this invoice issuing system. The document output unit can create a documented invoice by printing out invoice information as characters and two-dimensional codes using a printer or the like. The document output unit is not limited to creating paper documents, but may also output a document file that can be printed to obtain the document. Examples of such document files include an image file that directly captures the printed document, and a file that contains the document structure as is (e.g., a PDF file or an HTML file). In particular, outputting and saving a document file, such as a PDF file, that complies with the requirements set forth in laws and regulations, such as the Electronic Bookkeeping Act, can simplify administrative work required to comply with laws and regulations, and can also simplify the printing and mailing work required to issue paper documents.

[0021] 2. Invoice Receipt System In addition, an invoice receiving system that reads one or more two-dimensional codes output on an invoice document by an invoice issuing system to obtain invoice information is characterized by sequentially implementing a two-dimensional code reading unit that optically reads each two-dimensional code on the document and then decodes each of the read two-dimensional codes to obtain identifier information and invoice information, as illustrated in Figure 6, a two-dimensional code verification unit that verifies whether the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit is normal and aborts if it is abnormal, and an invoice information generation unit that combines the split invoice information in order according to the order information of the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit to generate the invoice information.

[0022] The two-dimensional code reader can reference the two-dimensional code using a two-dimensional code reader and obtain the invoice information stored in the two-dimensional code. The obtained invoice information can then be handled by financial software, such as billing management software. The type of two-dimensional code reader is not particularly important. It can be a combination of a general-purpose reading device, such as a digital camera or image scanner, with a two-dimensional code reader and decoder, or a two-dimensional code scanning device that combines these features. As shown in Figure 7, the invoice information can be sent to an invoice receiving system via a file transfer service, email exchange service, or other service from a smartphone with a camera or a personal computer connected to a camera or scanner, and then received by the two-dimensional code reader. In this case, the two-dimensional code reader receives the invoice information by reading the received file or by reading text copied to the clipboard from the body of an email application software. By using a smartphone or other device, such two-dimensional code reader can easily digitize invoice information without the need for additional equipment.

[0023] The two-dimensional code verification unit can verify one or more pieces of invoice information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit. The two-dimensional code verification unit checks whether the invoice information includes an information identification section and whether the information identification section is paired with an information summary section, and if it cannot verify this, it can suspend processing as an abnormality. In addition, when multiple pieces of invoice information are obtained, it verifies all of the invoice information and verifies whether all invoice information of the same order is included or whether invoice information of the same order is included.

[0024] The invoice information generation unit can process one or more pieces of invoice information verified by the two-dimensional code verification unit into one piece of invoice information and output it. In this formatting, if there is one piece of invoice information, it is output as is. In addition, if there are two or more pieces of invoice information, the information summary parts are rearranged so that the order of the information identification parts of each piece of invoice information is correct, and then the pieces are combined and output.

[0025] The invoice information generation unit can calculate the tax amount for the billing statement details obtained by the invoice issuing system. More specifically, when the information identification section of the billing statement details corresponding to the billing statement in the invoice information includes a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier, the invoice information generation unit can calculate the tax amount from the tax rate and amount using a tax rate calculation method obtained from the tax rate identifier. In addition, the invoice information generation unit can add up the tax amounts calculated from all the billing statement details to calculate the total tax amount, total consumption tax amount, etc. The total tax amount calculated using the tax rate identifier, etc., may be used as the tax amount calculated in accordance with the calculation standards of the business operator, or may be compared with the total tax amount, total consumption tax amount, etc. included in the invoice information to verify whether the invoice information is corrupted. In addition, the total transaction amount and tax amount for each tax rate can be recorded and used as a qualified invoice.

[0026] The invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system can be configured as software that runs on a personal computer or as software for a service available over a network such as a local network or the Internet. The invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system may be separate software programs or may be integrated into one software program. Furthermore, rather than being standalone software programs, the invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system may be implemented using the macro language or script language of existing application software and executed as part of the application software.

[0027] Furthermore, the bill issuing system and the bill receiving system can be provided with means for converting bill information to conform to the file format or data format of bill information supported by existing application software. For example, this invoice issuing system can convert other party's invoice information, which is invoice information in the file format of existing application software, into invoice information for this invoice issuing system. This conversion is performed by matching the identifier of the other party's invoice information with the invoice information item, or by determining the corresponding invoice information item from the position of the data string and converting it. The invoice receiving system can also convert the acquired invoice information into third-party invoice information. This conversion is performed in the same way as the invoice issuing system, by converting the third-party invoice information into corresponding invoice information items based on the identifier of the third-party invoice information and determining the position of the data string corresponding to the invoice information item. Furthermore, the conversion may be stored as conversion rules in the invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system, and may be edited as needed. Also, the conversion rules may be backed up and restored to another location.

[0028] The invoice issuing system may also be equipped with a signature function that includes one or more processes selected from a seal processing, a timestamp setting processing, and a signature processing on the document to be output. The seal processing is a process of generating a seal impression on the document. The timestamp is a process of printing the date and time of issuance of the invoice on the document so that it cannot be rewritten, or of including it in the invoice information. The signature processing is a process of printing an electronic signature on the document that can verify the creator of the invoice and the invoice information, or of including it in the invoice information. These processes can be performed using known means.

[0029] This invoice issuing system and this invoice receiving system can perform one or more processes selected from a search process that accumulates invoice information and searches for conditions for each item such as customer, product type, type of transaction, etc. and displays the results; a compilation process that aggregates each item using conditions and displays the results; and a statistical process that performs statistical processing such as trends using conditions for each item and displays the results.

[0030] The document output unit of this invoice issuing system can issue documented invoices with the business's logo affixed. The logo may be a logo image obtained by reading a pre-prepared image file, or a logo image generated by a logo generation unit. The logo generation unit can generate a logo image by any means, for example, by processing an image taken by a camera or the like. The logo image can also be created by inputting and arranging characters, lines, etc.

[0031] 3. Working Example Specific examples of the invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system are described below. The invoice issuing system and the invoice receiving system are software that has the functions of both systems and can run on a personal computer or a smartphone.

[0032] (1) Issuance of invoices through the invoice issuing system As shown in FIG. 5, the invoice issuing system of this embodiment comprises an invoice information reading unit, a document output unit, and an issued invoice recording unit. The invoice information reading unit can read comma-separated text files created by the export function of other financial software, or files input by any spreadsheet software. As shown in Figure 8, these files contain invoice details, each of which consists of the invoice number (invoice No. in Figure 8; the same applies hereinafter), taxable business number (taxable business No.), business partner name (supplier name), invoice date and time, item name, quantity, unit, unit price, tax rate, tax rate identifier (tax type), amount, and consumption tax, written on one line. These invoice details are written across multiple lines for the number of invoice details, and each item can be used as invoice information.

[0033] The document output unit formats the invoice information obtained by the invoice information reading unit and creates a printed invoice document, as shown in Figure 1. Furthermore, it can output a two-dimensional code 2, which is a QR Code (registered trademark), on the lower left side of the document. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the two-dimensional code 2 is an encoded text that combines identifier information in the format "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T)" and invoice information separated by a comma ",". The invoice information in text format contained in the two-dimensional code 2 is a text in which each item is listed, separated by a comma "," which is a group separator, as shown in Figure 3. Each item consists of a group consisting of a numerical value, which is an information identification section corresponding to the type code shown in Figure 2, and an information summary section, which is a summary of that value, separated by a comma "=" which is an information separator. Furthermore, the invoice information has a type section divided into a type header section and a type footer section, and a billing statement section placed between the type header section and the type footer section.

[0034] The type header section includes the following items: invoice number (invoice number), business partner taxable business number (customer number), business partner name (business partner name), company's taxable business number, company's corporate number, and invoice date. It also includes an identifier for the tax-inclusive / tax-exclusive category, which indicates whether the amount in the invoice details, etc., includes tax. The type footer section includes the following items: tax rate, tax rate identifier for total taxable amount (identification flag for same tax rate), total taxable amount, total consumption tax amount. It also includes an item for whether printing is possible. The billing statement details include the following items: product name, quantity, unit, unit price, tax rate, tax rate identifier (identification flag for same tax rate), amount, delivery date, and order number. It also includes a field for whether or not to print.

[0035] If the contents of the invoice information cannot be contained in a single two-dimensional code, the document output unit can appropriately divide the invoice information using the group separator symbol as a boundary, as shown in Figure 9, and output the two divided invoice information as corresponding two-dimensional codes 21, 22, etc., as shown in Figure 10. The issued invoice recording unit records the invoice information issued by the document output unit as issued as part of bookkeeping processing.

[0036] This invoice issuing system can issue and record invoices by sequentially operating the invoice information reading unit, the written output unit, and the issued invoice recording unit.

[0037] (2) Receipt of invoices through the invoice receiving system As shown in FIG. 7, the bill receiving system of this embodiment includes a two-dimensional code reading unit, a two-dimensional code verification unit, a bill information generation unit, and a bill recording unit. The two-dimensional code reader receives the contents of the file shown in Fig. 8 by reading a comma-separated text file obtained by decoding the images of the two-dimensional codes 2, 21, and 22 on the paper invoice 1 obtained by reading them with a camera or scanner to obtain images, or by directly obtaining images of the document file, or by reading from a text input field or clipboard. Also, the reading of the two-dimensional codes 2, 21, and 22 is performed using the reading function of a smartphone or the like, and the read results are sent to the two-dimensional code reader by sending or receiving them via email as an attachment or in the body of the email, or by sending or receiving the text directly using the shared clipboard function. Furthermore, if the divided invoice information is written as corresponding two-dimensional codes 21, 22, etc., as shown in Figure 10, it is possible to read and combine the files resulting from reading each of the two-dimensional codes 21, 22, or to read multiple invoice information from the clipboard all at once.

[0038] The two-dimensional code verification unit can verify one or more pieces of invoice information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit. The two-dimensional code verification unit checks whether the invoice information contains an information identification section and whether the information identification section is paired with an information summary section. If the verification unit cannot confirm this, it will abort the process as an abnormality and notify the user of the reason for the abort. In addition, if multiple pieces of invoice information are obtained, verification will be performed on all of the invoice information.

[0039] If multiple invoice information is received, the system checks whether all invoice information of the same order is included, and if it cannot confirm this, it suspends the process as an abnormality and notifies the user of the reason for the suspension. Furthermore, the system calculates the tax rate from the tax rate and amount and adds it to the invoice information.

[0040] The billing information generation unit outputs the two-dimensional code as is if there is only one code, and if there are two or more codes, it concatenates them in the order indicated by the information identification part of each code, and processes them into one biller information. For example, when invoice information is split into two two-dimensional codes as shown in Figure 9, the split invoice information is concatenated and processed into one biller information as shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, if the contents of three two-dimensional codes are "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T2), invoice information 3", "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T), invoice information 1", and "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T1), invoice information 2", the invoice information is rearranged in order and processed into "BEGIN:DTYPE=INVOICE(T), invoice information 1, invoice information 2, invoice information 3" and output. Furthermore, the invoice information generation unit verifies that the invoice information is corrupted based on the tax rate, the amount, and the tax rate identifier. Specifically, the invoice information generation unit calculates the tax amount based on the tax rate, the amount, and the tax rate identifier for each invoice detail, calculates the total amount, and compares and verifies whether it matches the corresponding tax total amount in the invoice information. If the comparison results in a mismatch, the invoice information generation unit determines that the invoice information is corrupted, notifies the user, and terminates processing.

[0041] The invoice bookkeeping unit can record the invoice information by recording the single piece of invoicer information output by the invoice information generation unit in the ledger. The invoice receiving system of this embodiment comprises a two-dimensional code reader, a two-dimensional code verification unit, an invoice information generation unit, and an invoice recording unit, which, when operated in order, allow recording of invoice information without the need to manually re-enter it. In particular, since two-dimensional codes can be processed using everyday devices such as cameras on smartphones, there is no need to prepare additional devices for this system or learn how to use them, and they can be used as input data for existing accounting systems, order management systems, spreadsheet software, etc. In addition, the invoice information generation unit of the invoice receiving system can calculate the tax amount from the tax rate, amount, and tax rate identifier and verify the corruption of the invoice information, eliminating the need to add verification information to the invoice information used for the two-dimensional code, and preventing the two-dimensional code from becoming too large to be included on the invoice.Furthermore, by processing the tax, the accuracy of the important tax amount is improved, and the reliability of the invoice is increased, eliminating the need for extra work such as re-sending the invoice due to corruption of the invoice information. This has the quantitative effect of saving labor by eliminating the need to manually re-enter invoice details, and the effect of shortening lead times by making it easier to inspect and accept each document, making it easier to understand the flow of funds early on and facilitating cash flow management. This reduces the burden on accounting staff in small and medium-sized enterprises and simplifies tax work.

[0042] The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention depending on the purpose and application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1: Invoice, 2, 21, 22: 2D code.

Claims

1. An invoice issuing system that issues an invoice with invoice information written on it, a document output unit that outputs the invoice information on the document as characters and a two-dimensional code; The two-dimensional code is output in one or more units and includes identifier information and billing information, each of which is made up of text; An invoice issuing system characterized in that the invoice information consists of multiple items, each of which is a pair consisting of an information identification section that indicates the type of information and an information summary section that is the main body of the information, and which are written consecutively separated by delimiters.

2. The two-dimensional code is provided in two or more, and each of the two-dimensional codes includes the identifier information and divided invoice information obtained by dividing the invoice information; The bill issuing system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the identifier information pieces contains the division order encoded as sequence information.

3. The invoice information includes at least a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier as items of the information identification section of the invoice details, The bill issuing system according to claim 2 , wherein the tax rate identifier is a code that identifies a calculation method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate and the amount.

4. 3. An invoice receiving system for acquiring invoice information by reading one or more two-dimensional codes output on an invoice document by the invoice issuing system according to claim 2, a two-dimensional code reader that optically reads each two-dimensional code on the document and then decodes each of the read two-dimensional codes to obtain identifier information and invoice information; a two-dimensional code verification unit that verifies whether the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit is normal, and interrupts the process if the identifier information is abnormal; an invoice information generation unit that generates the invoice information by sequentially combining the divided invoice information in accordance with the order information of the identifier information obtained by the two-dimensional code reading unit.

5. The invoice information includes at least a tax rate, an amount, and a tax rate identifier as items of the information identification section of the invoice details, 5. The bill receiving system according to claim 4, wherein the tax rate identifier is a code that identifies a calculation method for calculating the tax amount from the tax rate and the amount.

6. The invoice information includes at least a tax total as an item, The invoice receiving system according to claim 5, wherein the invoice information generation unit calculates the tax amount from the tax rate, the amount, and the tax rate identifier of each invoice detail to obtain a total amount, and verifies corruption of the invoice information.

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