Payment system and payment method

Abstract

To reduce the office load of an applicant and an approver in a payment system between a carrier and a consignor.SOLUTION: Receiving an input of identification information for identifying a transport truck or a driver from an applicant, referring to a first database in which shipping record information of the transport truck is stored using the identification information, referring to a second database in which billing history information for traveling of the transport truck is stored using the identification information, extracting a set corresponding to the transport truck or the driver specified by the identification information from the shipping record information and the billing history information, To provide a payment system in which at least one server device executes a procedure for displaying payment application information of a charge corresponding to charging history information to an applicant in a selectable manner, and a procedure for displaying the payment application information selected by the applicant to an approver in an approvable manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a payment system and a payment method. [Background technology]

[0002] Starting in 2024, truck drivers will be limited to a maximum of 960 hours of overtime work, and shorter working hours will lead to a shortage of transportation capacity, a phenomenon known as the 2024 logistics problem. There is a need for further improvements in the efficiency of logistics systems in preparation for this. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a logistics management system that manages the loading of cargo onto transport trucks. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-66535 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, highway tolls, which were previously borne by the actual transport companies that actually transport the goods, are now increasingly being borne by the shippers in order to address the logistics problem of 2024. However, highway tolls have created a significant administrative burden, as they require the collection of receipts from the actual transport companies and the visual confirmation of each of the transport company's vehicles.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a payment system and a payment method that can reduce the administrative burden on applicants and approvers. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] [1] A payment system in which at least one server device executes the following steps: accepting input of identification information identifying a transport truck or a driver from an applicant; using the identification information to refer to a first database in which shipping performance information of the transport truck is stored; using the identification information to refer to a second database in which billing history information for the travel of the transport truck is stored; extracting a set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information that corresponds to the transport truck or the driver identified by the identification information; based on the extracted set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information, displaying payment application information for the fee corresponding to the billing history information selectable by the applicant; and displaying the payment application information selected by the applicant to an approver in an approving manner. [2] The payment system described in [1], wherein the payment application information displayed to the approver is displayed for each transport truck or each driver. [3] The payment system described in [1], which, when the identification information is information that cannot reference the shipping performance information stored in the first database or the billing history information stored in the second database, references a third database that links the identification information to the shipping performance information or the billing history information. [4] The payment system described in [1], wherein the billing history information is a highway usage statement. [5] The payment system described in [1], wherein the approval includes a first approval that displays the payment application information selected by the applicant in an approving manner to a first approver, and a second approval that displays the payment application information selected by the first approver in an approving manner to a second approver. [6] The first database is a database referenced by a system that manages multiple transport trucks, and the shipping performance information includes the vehicle number, shipping date, and shipping destination of the transport truck, and the second database is a database referenced by an ETC usage inquiry service, and the billing history information includes the vehicle number, usage date, and usage IC of the transport truck. [1] A payment system as described in [1].

[0007] [7] A payment method including the steps of: receiving input of identification information identifying a transport truck or a driver from an applicant; referring to a first database storing shipping performance information of the transport truck using the identification information; referring to a second database storing billing history information for the travel of the transport truck using the identification information; extracting a set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information corresponding to the transport truck or the driver identified by the identification information from the shipping performance information and the billing history information; displaying payment application information for the fee corresponding to the billing history information selectable by the applicant based on the extracted set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information; and displaying the payment application information selected by the applicant to an approver so that it can be approved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the above configuration, the payment system displays payment application information corresponding to billing history information to the applicant in a selectable manner based on the identification information entered by the applicant, and further displays the selected payment application information to the approver in a manner that allows them to approve it, thereby reducing the administrative burden on the applicant and approver. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration to which a payment system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] 1 is a flowchart of a payment method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is an example of an application screen displayed to an applicant. [Figure 4] This is an example of an application list by transport company and transport truck displayed to the prime transport company. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of an approval screen displayed to the primary transport contractor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The payment system of the present invention is a system that assists the actual transport company in applying for truck freight charges and the shipper's approval of this application in a contract structure involving a shipper (client) and the actual transport company in logistics using transport trucks. The truck freight paid by the shipper to the actual transport company includes the main freight charge, which is mainly determined by the distance, and the highway toll that may be required depending on the situation, and the payment system of the present invention assists in the application process for the highway toll.

[0011] In the following explanation, the contract structure will be considered to consist of a shipper who has a transport company transport cargo related to their business, a prime transport company that undertakes the request from the shipper, and an actual transport company that further undertakes all or part of the request undertaken by the prime transport company and transports the cargo. The contract structure is not limited to the above structure, and the shipper may directly request transportation from the actual transport company, or multiple transport companies may be interposed between the shipper and the actual transport company.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the payment system 1 includes, for example, a server device 10, a terminal device 21 used by the applicant who is the actual transportation company, a terminal device 22 used by the prime transportation company, and a terminal device 23 used by the shipper. The server device 10 comprises a computer configured with a CPU, various programs executed on the CPU (including basic control programs such as an OS and application programs that are started on the OS and realize specific functions), and an internal memory such as RAM for storing programs and various data. The server device 10 is not limited to one, and the programs may be executed by cooperating with another server device that communicates via the Internet or the like.

[0013] The server device 10 can communicate via the Internet or the like with terminal devices 21 such as PCs or smartphones used by applicants for actual transportation businesses, terminal devices 22 used by the prime contractor transportation businesses, and terminal devices 23 used by shippers. The payment system 1 references two already stored databases 31 and 32 via the Internet or the like, and executes multiple procedures using the information contained in these databases. These databases 31 and 32 are constructed by entities other than the business operators involved in the contract structure, but are not limited to this, and may also be constructed by, for example, the shipper.

[0014] The first database 31 is a database that stores shipping performance information for multiple transport trucks, and is a database that is referenced, for example, by a system that manages the loading of cargo onto transport trucks (hereinafter referred to as a logistics management system). The first database 31 is open to users of the logistics management system, and the payment system 1 can reference the first database 31. The shipping performance information stored in the first database 31 includes the vehicle number of the transport truck, shipping date, shipping destination, ETC card number, driver's mobile phone number, type of transport truck, transport company, etc. The first database 31 is not limited to the one used in the above-mentioned physical distribution management system, as long as it contains the vehicle number of the transport truck, the shipping date, and the shipping destination.

[0015] The second database 32 is a database that stores expressway usage details (billing history information) provided in the ETC usage inquiry service. The ETC usage inquiry service is a service that allows users to check expressway usage details using ETC (electronic toll collection system) over the Internet. The second database 32 stores multiple usage details including the date of use, IC used (from), IC used (to), toll, vehicle type (medium-sized vehicle, large vehicle, etc.), vehicle number, and ETC card number.

[0016] Meanwhile, a third database 33 is stored in the storage device of the server device 10. The third database 33 is a database owned by at least one of the actual transport company, the prime transport company, and the shipper, and stores the driver's mobile phone number, vehicle number, and ETC card number in association with each other.

[0017] Next, a payment method using the payment system 1 of this embodiment will be described. As shown in Figure 2, the payment method includes step S1 of receiving input of identification information from an applicant, step S2 of using the identification information to refer to the first database 31 and the second database 32 to extract a set of shipping performance information and expressway usage details, step S3 of displaying payment application information selectable by the applicant based on the extracted set of shipping performance information and expressway usage details, step S4 of displaying the selected payment application information to a first approver so that it can be approved, and step S5 of displaying the approved payment application information to a second approver so that it can be approved. When an actual transport business applies for expressway toll payment, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes the following procedure.

[0018] [Acceptance of identification information] When a driver of a real transport company transports goods using an expressway and applies for expressway toll payment, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes a procedure to receive identification information from the applicant. The identification information is information for identifying the transport truck or the driver, and is at least one of the vehicle number, mobile phone number, and ETC card number. The applicant may be the driver of the transport truck or a person making the application on behalf of the driver. The application is made via a terminal device 21 that can communicate with the server device 10.

[0019] The applicant can enter the identification information, for example, via a text box displayed on the input screen of the terminal device 21, and the payment system 1 determines the type of identification information (vehicle number, mobile phone number, ETC card number) from the entered character string. The applicant can also select the year and month of the application.

[0020] [Extraction of information corresponding to identification information] Next, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes a procedure for referencing a plurality of databases using the identification information and extracting information required for applying for the expressway toll. At this time, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 uses the identification information to refer to a first database 31 storing shipping performance information of the transport truck, and also to a second database 32 storing details of expressway usage for the transport truck's travel. The server device 10 of the payment system 1 extracts a pair corresponding to the transport truck or driver identified by the identification information from the shipping performance information stored in the first database 31 and the details of expressway usage stored in the second database 32.

[0021] Specifically, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 extracts a pair of shipping history information and expressway usage details that contain common identification information and in which the "shipping date, shipping destination" contained in the shipping history information corresponds to the "used IC (from), used IC (to)" contained in the expressway usage details.

[0022] If the shipping history information does not contain information corresponding to the identification information entered by the applicant, for example, if a mobile phone number is entered as identification information but the mobile phone number is not included in the shipping history information, the first database 31 is referenced using the vehicle number associated with the mobile phone number in the third database 33.

[0023] Similarly, if the expressway usage details do not contain information corresponding to the identification information entered by the applicant, for example, if a mobile phone number is entered as identification information but the mobile phone number is not included in the expressway usage details, the second database 32 is referenced using the vehicle number associated with the mobile phone number in the third database 33.

[0024] In this case, the transport distance is calculated from the shipping record information, and if the expressway usage record does not meet the conditions for the transport distance, the corresponding expressway usage details can be prevented from being extracted, or an alert can be displayed. It is also possible to extract details of expressway usage according to certain conditions, such as permitting the use of expressways when the transport distance is, for example, 300 km or more.

[0025] [Display payment request information to applicant] The server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes a procedure for displaying payment application information for the toll corresponding to the expressway usage details, selectable by the applicant, based on the extracted set of shipping record information and expressway usage details. The payment application information includes at least the date of expressway usage, the IC used, and the toll, and may also include the discount amount for using ETC.

[0026] As shown in Figure 3, the application screen displays the application date and time, as well as information about the transport truck or driver identified by the identification information (vehicle number, mobile phone number, transport company), and payment application information (ETC usage history) is displayed selectable using check boxes. Shipping performance information corresponding to the payment application information is also displayed. It is also possible to display multiple payment application information selectable for one shipping performance information.

[0027] The applicant can select the payment application information they wish to apply for from among the multiple payment application information. After selecting the payment application information, when the applicant presses the application button on the screen, the selected payment application information is registered in the storage device of the payment system 1 together with information on the transport truck or driver specified by the identification information and information on the transport company.

[0028] [Approval by the primary transport contractor (first approval)] When the prime transport contractor logs in to the payment system 1 via the terminal device 22 with the payment application information registered, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes a procedure to display an application list by transport contractor and by transport truck, as shown in FIG. 4, corresponding to the prime transport contractor who logged in. The prime transport contractor can select a transport contractor to approve from multiple contracted actual transport contractors, and can also select a transport truck to approve from among them. In this embodiment, the prime transport contractor is configured to select the transport truck to approve from multiple transport trucks, but it may also be configured to select the driver to approve from multiple drivers. When the approver of the prime transport company selects the actual transport company and transport truck to be approved, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes a procedure to display the payment application information selected by the applicant to the approver of the prime transport company so that it can be approved. The application by the applicant can be notified to the prime transport company by means of e-mail or the like.

[0029] As shown in Figure 5, the approval screen of the prime transport company's terminal device 22 displays the payment application information requested by the applicant in a selectable checkbox. The approver at the prime transport company can determine whether the payment application information corresponding to the requested expressway usage details is the actual usage associated with the requested transport and select the payment application information to approve. After selecting the payment application information, when the approver presses the approve button on the screen, the fact that the first approval by the prime transport company has been completed is registered in the storage device of the server device 10, along with information about the transport truck identified by the identification information and information about the transport company.

[0030] [Shipper Approval (Second Approval)] When the payment application information has been approved by the prime transport company (first approver), and the shipper (second approver) logs in to the payment system 1 via a terminal device, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 executes a procedure to display an application list for each transport company corresponding to the logged-in shipper. When the shipper's approver selects the prime transport contractor to be approved, the server device 10 of the payment system 1 displays the payment application information approved by the prime transport contractor's approver to the shipper's approver so that the approval screen is the same as the approval screen for the prime transport contractor as shown in Figure 5.

[0031] The shipper's approver can determine whether the payment application information approved by the prime transport company is the actual usage record for the requested transport and select the payment application information to approve. After selecting the payment application information, when the approver presses the approve button on the screen, the fact that the second approval by the shipper has been completed is registered in the storage device of the server device 10, along with information on the transport truck specified by the identification information and information on the transport company.

[0032] The applicant can confirm that the payment application information has been approved by the shipper by receiving a notification such as an email or by logging in to the payment system 1. After approval, the shipper can pay the expressway tolls to the actual transport company as appropriate.

[0033] According to the above embodiment, the payment system 1 can reduce the applicant's administrative burden by presenting the applicant with payment application information corresponding to the expressway usage details based on the identification information entered by the applicant. In addition, it becomes easier to determine whether the submitted payment application information is a usage record associated with the requested transportation, thereby reducing the burden of the approver on making such determination.

[0034] In addition, the payment system 1 extracts a pair of shipping history information and expressway usage details in which the shipping date and shipping destination included in the shipping history information correspond to the IC used included in the expressway usage details, thereby reducing the burden of determining whether the expressway section being used is appropriate.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the second database 32 is a database that stores details of expressway usage, but it is not limited to this as long as it contains information on the billing history of truck freight that drivers pay depending on the situation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0036] 1...payment system, 10...server device, 21...terminal, 22...terminal, 23...terminal, 31...first database, 32...second database, 33...third database.

Claims

1. a procedure for accepting input of identifying information from the applicant that identifies the transport truck or driver; a step of referring to a first database storing shipping performance information of the transport truck using the identification information; a step of referring to a second database storing billing history information for the travel of the transport truck using the identification information; extracting a set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information corresponding to the transport truck or the driver identified by the identification information; a step of displaying payment application information for the fee corresponding to the billing history information selectably to an applicant based on the extracted set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information; and a step of displaying the payment application information selected by the applicant to an approver so that the application information can be approved.

2. The payment system of claim 1 , wherein the payment application information displayed to the approver is displayed for each of the transport trucks or the drivers.

3. 2. The payment system according to claim 1, wherein, when the identification information is information that cannot reference the shipping performance information stored in the first database or the billing history information stored in the second database, a third database that links the identification information to the shipping performance information or the billing history information is referenced.

4. The payment system according to claim 1 , wherein the billing history information is a highway usage statement.

5. 2. The payment system of claim 1, wherein the approval includes a first approval that displays the payment application information selected by the applicant so that it can be approved by a first approver, and a second approval that displays the payment application information selected by the first approver so that it can be approved by a second approver.

6. the first database is a database referenced by a system that manages a plurality of the transport trucks, and the shipping performance information includes a vehicle number, a shipping date, and a shipping destination of the transport truck; 2. The payment system according to claim 1, wherein the second database is a database referenced by an ETC usage inquiry service, and the billing history information includes the vehicle number of the transport truck, the date of usage, and the IC used.

7. receiving input of identification information identifying a transport truck or a driver from an applicant; a step of referring to a first database storing shipping performance information of the transport truck using the identification information; using the identification information to refer to a second database storing billing history information for the travel of the transport truck; extracting a set of the shipping performance information and the billing history information corresponding to the transport truck or the driver identified by the identification information; a step of displaying payment application information for the fee corresponding to the billing history information selectably to an applicant based on the extracted set of the shipping record information and the billing history information; and displaying the payment application information selected by the applicant to an approver so that the application information can be approved.

Images