Reservation system, reservation method, and program

Abstract

To improve the convenience of users when reserving a service by using a hometown tax payment system.SOLUTION: A reservation system presents, to a user via a user device, a reservation reception screen that is a screen for receiving a reservation of a service from the user while indicating information on a privilege given as a reward by a donation destination of a local tax system, and presents, to the user via the user device, a donation application reception screen that is a screen for receiving an application for a donation of the local tax system from the user in a case where an operation of receiving the application for the donation is received from the user. The reservation system enables the user to both receive a reservation for a service and apply for a contribution in the hometown tax payment system by a single successful authorization.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a reservation system, a reservation method, and a program, and in particular to a technology for improving convenience for users when reserving services using the hometown tax payment system. [Background technology]

[0002] On so-called OTA (Online Travel Agent) sites, in return for making reservations for services (accommodation, dining, etc.) in the area to which donations are made under the hometown tax system, customers are given special benefits such as coupons that can be used in the area to which donations are made.

[0003] For example, the OTA sites shown in Non-Patent Documents 1 and 2 have developed a system in which, when a user designates a facility located in the area of ​​the local government to which the donation is made, a discount coupon that can be used to make reservations at that facility is given as a return gift. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] “Rakuten Hometown Tax Payment”, [online], Rakuten Group, Inc., [searched July 27, 2024], Internet, <URL:https: / / event.rakuten.co.jp / furusato / coupon / travel / area.html?scid=wi_trv_hotelList_hometown_copy_modal_pc> [Non-patent document 2] “Ikyu.com Hometown Tax Payment”, [online], Ikyu Corporation, [searched on July 27, 2024], Internet,<URL:https: / / furusato.ikyu.com / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the OTA sites of Non-Patent Document 1 or Non-Patent Document 2, a user first accesses the web page of the tax payment site, which is a website for applying for donations under the hometown tax payment system, and completes the donation procedure with the local government in the area where the service they wish to reserve is provided. After that, the user accesses the web page of the OTA site, which is separate from the tax payment site, and reserves the service using the coupon they received as a gift in return.

[0006] As such, the tax payment site and the OTA site were previously operated as independent sites, and when reserving a service using the hometown tax payment system, users had to access the tax payment site's web page and the OTA site's web page separately. Therefore, for example, if users wanted to consider a service they wanted to reserve by comparing the amount of coupons they could earn with the fee required to reserve the service, they had to go back and forth between the tax payment site's web page and the OTA site's web page to check the service and fee, which was cumbersome.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide a reservation system, a reservation method, and a program that can improve the convenience of users when reserving services using the hometown tax payment system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One means for solving the above problem is a reservation system that is configured using one or more information processing devices having a processor and a storage device, and is communicatively connected to a user device, which is an information processing device operated by a user, and presents to the user via the user device a reservation acceptance screen that accepts reservations for services from the user while displaying information regarding benefits that donation recipients will grant as return gifts under the hometown tax payment system, and when an operation to reserve a service that is eligible for the benefit is received from the user, presents via the user device a donation application acceptance screen that accepts donation applications from the user under the hometown tax payment system, and when the donation application from the user is received, performs processing to grant the benefit to the user.

[0009] Other problems and solutions disclosed in the present application will be made clear in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the convenience of users when reserving services using the hometown tax payment system. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a reservation system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating main functions of the server device. [Figure 3A] 10 is an example of user information. [Figure 3B] 10 is an example of service information. [Figure 3C] 10 is an example of donation application information. [Figure 3D] 10 is an example of reservation information. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing main functions of a user device. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a reservation process. [Figure 6A] 10 is an example of a reservation reception screen. [Figure 6B] 10 is an example of a payment screen. [Figure 6C] 10 is an example of a point redemption screen. [Figure 6D] 10 is an example of a tax payment destination designation screen. [Figure 6E] 10 is an example of a tax payment amount designation screen. [Figure 6F] 10 is an example of a donation application screen. [Figure 6G] 10 is an example of a payment result screen. [Figure 7] 1 is an example of an information processing device used in configuring a reservation system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present specification and the accompanying drawings will make clear at least the following: The present invention will be described below in accordance with one embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the letter "S" before a reference numeral denotes a processing step.

[0013] <Basic configuration> 1 shows a schematic configuration of an information processing system (hereinafter referred to as "reservation system 1") that will be described as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the reservation system 1 includes a server device 100 and a user device 200.

[0014] Both the server device 100 and the user device 200 are configured using information processing devices (computers). The server device 100 and the user device 200 are connected to each other via a communication network 5 so that two-way communication is possible. The communication network 5 is a wired or wireless communication infrastructure, and is realized by, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), a public communication network, etc.

[0015] The server device 100 provides a mechanism for making reservations for services provided by one or more businesses using the mechanism of the Web (World Wide Web) to a user 2 who accesses the server device 100 via a communication network 5. The user device 200 provides a screen and functions for making reservations for services to the user 2, for example, via a Web browser.

[0016] The server device 100 provides an environment in which a user 2 can make a reservation for a service by using the benefits (points, coupons (paper-based or electronic), etc.) that he / she acquires as a return gift by applying for a donation to a local government of a donation recipient using the hometown tax payment system.

[0017] In the following, we will use as an example a case where the business providing the service is a tourism business (for example, those operating businesses such as travel, accommodation, tourist facility businesses, museums, aquariums, art galleries, amusement parks, road passenger transport businesses, restaurants, retail businesses, etc. that are recognized as contributing to the promotion of tourism in the region, and businesses that have an ongoing business relationship with these businesses), and the above service is the use of facilities (accommodation facilities, restaurants, various experience (activity) facilities, etc.).

[0018] The above benefits are points (1 point (pt) = 1 yen) that can be used only at facilities (facilities that have been approved by the local government as points usage destinations and have entered into a contract regarding point usage with the service provider or the local government receiving the donation) located in the area (within the same prefecture, city, ward, town, or village, etc., hereinafter referred to as the "target area") under the jurisdiction of the local government receiving the donation under the Hometown Tax System. User 2 can also use the points as all or part of the fee to be paid when reserving a service.

[0019] The reward may be a coupon, but in the case of a coupon, even if you use a service with a low coupon amount compared to points, there will be no remaining balance, so you will need to choose a coupon with a higher amount than you would actually like to use as a reward (the disadvantage is that you will lose out if you do not use a service with a value greater than the selected coupon amount).

[0020] In this embodiment, the use of points is subject to the following restrictions (limitations): However, the following restrictions are merely examples. (1) Points can only be used in the designated areas of the local government to which the hometown tax donation is made. (2) Even if the facility you are trying to reserve is located in the target area, you cannot use points if the facility is located in another prefecture or nationwide (franchise chain, etc.). However, you can use points as long as the amount is below a certain limit (for example, up to 50,000 points can be used per person per night). (3) In pre-designated specific areas (such as disaster-affected areas), the service can be used without any upper limit, regardless of the above restrictions.

[0021] <Function Description> 2 shows the main functions of the server device 100. The server device 100 has the following functions: a memory unit 110, a user information management unit 130, a service information management unit 135, a system information management unit 140, a donation application reception unit 150, a reservation reception unit 145, a point management unit 155, a screen control unit 160, and a communication control unit 165.

[0022] Of the above functions, the storage unit 110 stores the following information (data): user information 111, service information 112, system information 113, donation application information 115, reservation information 114, and screen information 116.

[0023] Of these, the user information 111 includes information about the user 2 that the user information management unit 130 acquires from the user device 200 or the like (hereinafter referred to as "user information").

[0024] 3A shows an example of user information 111. The illustrated user information 111 is made up of one or more records each including the following items: user ID 1111, user attributes 1112, point balance 1113, usage history 1114, and authentication information 1115. One record of the user information 111 corresponds to one user 2.

[0025] Of the above items, the user ID 1111 stores the identifier of the user 2 (hereinafter referred to as "user ID").

[0026] The user attributes 1112 stores information about the user 2 (gender, age, residential area, email address, etc.).

[0027] The point balance 1113 stores the balance of points owned by the user 2. Note that points are managed for each municipality (municipality identifier, hereinafter referred to as "municipality ID") that acquired the points, and therefore the above balance is stored in the point balance 1113 for each municipality ID.

[0028] The usage history 1114 stores the service usage history of the user 2 (information indicating the services used in the past, the period and date for which the services were used, whether or not the hometown tax payment system was used, the points acquired, the fee required to reserve the service (hereinafter also referred to as "usage fee"), the points used (hereinafter referred to as "usage points"), etc.) If the user 2 has used the service multiple times in the past, the usage history 1114 stores the usage history for each usage.

[0029] The authentication information 1115 stores the authentication information of the user 2 (user ID, password, biometric authentication information, etc.).

[0030] Returning to FIG. 2, the service information 112 includes information about services provided by businesses (hereinafter referred to as "service information") that the service information management unit 135 acquires via the communication network 5 or a user interface.

[0031] 3B shows an example of the service information 112. As shown in the figure, the illustrated service information 112 is made up of one or more records each having the following items: service ID 1121, service content 1122, usage fee 1123, provider ID 1124, system availability 1125, local government ID 1126, and local government name 1127. One record of the service information 112 corresponds to one service.

[0032] Of the above items, the service ID 1121 stores the identifier of the service (hereinafter referred to as the "service ID").

[0033] The service content 1122 stores information about the service (content of the service, period during which the service is provided (implementation period), facility providing the service, conditions for providing the service, etc.).

[0034] The usage fee 1123 stores the fee (usage fee) required to reserve the service.

[0035] The provider ID 1124 stores the identifier of the business entity that provides the service (hereinafter referred to as the "provider ID").

[0036] Information indicating whether or not the hometown tax payment system can be used when using the service is stored in the system availability 1125. If it can be used, "available" is stored, and if it cannot be used, "not available" is stored.

[0037] The local government ID 1126 stores the local government ID of a local government that provides points that can be used to pay the service fee in return for making a donation using the hometown tax payment system.

[0038] The local government name 1127 stores the name of the local government.

[0039] Returning to Figure 2, the system information 113 includes information regarding the hometown tax donation system acquired by the system information management unit 140 (for example, information necessary to calculate the limit based on the income of user 2, information necessary to calculate the maximum amount of the return gift (e.g., 30% of the donation amount), etc.; hereinafter referred to as "system information").

[0040] The donation application information 115 includes information relating to an application for a donation under the hometown tax payment system that the donation application receiving unit 150 has received from the user 2 (hereinafter referred to as "donation application information").

[0041] 3C shows an example of donation application information 115. The illustrated donation application information 115 is made up of one or more records including each piece of information (data) such as a user ID 1141, a donation recipient ID 1142, a donation amount 1143, a donation date 1144, and earned points 1145. One record of donation application information 115 corresponds to one donation application.

[0042] Of the above items, the user ID 1141 stores the user ID of user 2 who applied for a donation.

[0043] The donation recipient ID 1142 stores the local government ID of the donation recipient local government.

[0044] The donation amount 1143 stores the amount donated by user 2 to the donation destination (hereinafter also referred to as "donation amount").

[0045] The donation date 1144 stores the date on which the user 2 applied for the donation.

[0046] The earned points 1145 stores the amount of points that the user 2 has earned by applying for a donation.

[0047] Returning to FIG. 2, the reservation information 114 includes information relating to a reservation for a service that the reservation receiving unit 145 has received from the user 2 (hereinafter referred to as "reservation information").

[0048] 3D shows an example of reservation information 114. The reservation information 114 shown in the example is made up of one or more records including each piece of information (data) such as a service ID 1151, a user ID 1152, reservation details 1153, a received amount 1154, and points used 1155. One record of the reservation information 114 corresponds to one reservation.

[0049] Of the above items, the service ID 1151 stores the service ID of the service.

[0050] The user ID 1152 stores the user ID of the user 2 who has reserved the service.

[0051] The reservation details 1153 stores the reservation details of the service (reservation date and time, number of users, etc.).

[0052] The received amount 1154 stores the amount received from user 2 when reserving the service (excluding the amount used for points. ``Amount'' includes incentives such as those given for using the site in addition to card payments).

[0053] The used points 1155 stores the amount of points (used points) used by the user 2 when reserving the service.

[0054] Returning to FIG. 2, the screen information 116 includes screens (reservation acceptance screens and donation application acceptance screens, which will be described later) that the screen control unit 160 transmits to the user device 200, and information relating to control of the screens (scripts, style sheets, etc.).

[0055] The user information management unit 130 acquires user information from the user device 200 via the communication network 5 and manages the acquired user information as user information 111 in the storage unit 110 .

[0056] The service information management unit 135 acquires service information via the communication network 5 or a user interface, and manages the acquired service information as service information 112 in the storage unit 110. The service information management unit 135 acquires service information via the communication network 5, for example, from an information processing device operated by a business operator that provides the service.

[0057] The system information management unit 140 acquires system information via the communication network 5 or a user interface, and manages the acquired system information in the storage unit 110 as system information 113. The system information management unit 140 acquires system information via the communication network 5 from, for example, an information processing device operated by a local government or a business operator.

[0058] The reservation acceptance unit 145 generates one or more screens (hereinafter referred to as "reservation acceptance screens") for accepting reservations for a service from the user 2, and accepts reservations for the service from the user 2 by transmitting the generated reservation acceptance screens to the user device 200 via the communication network 5. The reservation acceptance unit 145 manages information related to the accepted reservations (reservation information) as reservation information 114 in the storage unit 110. When accepting a reservation for a service from the user 2, the reservation acceptance unit 145 authenticates the user 2 using the authentication information 1115 in the user information 111.

[0059] The donation application acceptance unit 150 generates one or more screens (hereinafter referred to as "donation application acceptance screens") for accepting donation applications from users 2, and accepts donation applications from users 2 by transmitting the generated donation application acceptance screens to the user device 200 via the communication network 5. The donation application acceptance unit 150 manages the accepted information (donation application information) in the memory unit 110 as donation application information 115.

[0060] Here, when accepting a service reservation from user 2, donation application acceptance unit 150 inherits the result of successful authentication performed when reservation acceptance unit 145 accepted the donation application from user 2, and does not perform authentication again. In other words, server device 100 makes it possible to accept both a service reservation and an application for a donation under the hometown tax payment system with a single successful authentication, and the reservation acceptance screen and donation application acceptance screen are presented to user 2 seamlessly, sharing the same authentication information. Therefore, user 2 does not need to repeatedly perform the cumbersome operation of entering authentication information, and can efficiently make a service reservation and apply for a donation under the hometown tax payment system in one go by simply accessing a web page provided by a common platform.

[0061] The point management unit 155 manages information regarding user 2's points (hereinafter referred to as "point information") as point balance 1113 in user information 111, usage history 1114, earned points 1145 in donation application information 115, used points 1155 in reservation information 114, etc.

[0062] The screen control unit 160 transmits a reservation acceptance screen and a donation application acceptance screen to the user device 200. In addition, the screen control unit 160 acquires (receives) various information such as reservation information and donation acceptance information from the user device 200 via the reservation acceptance screen and the donation application acceptance screen.

[0063] The communication control unit 165 refers to the communication-related information 117 and performs various controls related to communication with the user device 200 via the communication network 5 .

[0064] 4 shows the main functions of the user device 200. As shown in the figure, the user device 200 has the functions of a storage unit 210, a communication control unit 220, a screen display control unit 225, and an operation input receiving unit 230.

[0065] Of the above functions, the storage unit 210 stores the following information (data): screen information 211, reservation information 212, donation acceptance information 213, point information 214, and authentication information 215.

[0066] The screen information 211 includes, for example, information for displaying a screen sent from the server device 100 (such as the reservation reception screen and donation application reception screen described above, or the point usage reception screen described below).

[0067] The reservation information 212 includes reservation information received from the user 2 via the reservation reception screen.

[0068] The donation acceptance information 213 includes donation acceptance information accepted from the user 2 via the donation application acceptance screen.

[0069] The point information 214 includes the above-mentioned point information.

[0070] The authentication information 215 includes authentication information received from the user 2 (user ID, password, biometric authentication information, etc.).

[0071] The communication control unit 220 controls communication with the server device 100 via the communication network 5. The communication control unit 220 receives screens sent from the server device 100 and transmits to the server device 100 information (reservation information, donation reception information, point information, etc.) received from the user 2 by the operation input reception unit 230.

[0072] The screen display control unit 225 performs various controls related to the display of the screen sent from the server device 100 (such as displaying a web page via a web browser).

[0073] The operation input receiving unit 230 receives various information from the user 2 and manages it in the storage unit 210 .

[0074] <Reservation processing> Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining the main processing (hereinafter referred to as "reservation processing S500") performed in the reservation system 1. The reservation processing S500 will be explained below with reference to the same figure. Note that the following explanation will be given taking as an example a case where the service that user 2 wishes to reserve is an accommodation plan provided by a tourism business operator, and user 2 selects and reserves one of the multiple accommodation plans presented.

[0075] First, user 2 operates user device 200 to access a website provided by server device 100 and performs a log-in operation. User device 200 receives authentication information from user 2 and transmits the received authentication information to server device 100 (S511).

[0076] The server device 100 authenticates User 2 by comparing the authentication information sent from the user device 200 with the authentication information 1115 in the user information 111 (S512). If the authentication is successful, the server device 100 transmits a reservation acceptance screen to the user device 200 (S513). Upon receiving the user reservation acceptance screen, the user device 200 displays it and accepts the specification of an accommodation plan from User 2 (S514).

[0077] 6A shows an example of a reservation reception screen. The illustrated reservation reception screen 610 has a search condition setting field 611 and a search result display field 612. User 2 can use the search condition setting field 611 to narrow down the accommodation plans displayed in the search result display field 612.

[0078] For example, User 2 can use the search condition setting field 611 to specify that all available accommodation plans be displayed. User 2 can also specify, for example, that only accommodation plans that allow the use of hometown tax donations be displayed. User 2 can also specify, for example, that only accommodation plans that allow the use of points be displayed. User 2 can also narrow down the accommodation plans displayed in the search result display field 612 by specifying the length of stay, number of people, usage fee, etc.

[0079] The search result display field 612 displays information about each searched accommodation plan (length of stay, number of people using, and usage fee) and selection buttons 6125. User 2 operates the selection button 6125 for the accommodation plan they wish to reserve to select the accommodation plan.

[0080] Returning to Figure 5, when user 2 selects one of the accommodation plans displayed in the search result display field 612, the user device 200 sends information identifying the selected accommodation plan (service ID) and information including user 2's user ID (hereinafter referred to as "reservation information") to the server device 100 (S515).

[0081] When the server device 100 receives the reservation information (S516), it transmits a screen (hereinafter referred to as the "payment screen") for accepting information required for payment (hereinafter referred to as the "payment information") from the user 2 to the user device 200 (S517). When the user device 200 receives the payment screen, it displays it and accepts the payment information from the user 2 (S518).

[0082] 6B shows an example of a payment screen. The illustrated payment screen 620 includes a reservation details setting field 621, a payment method selection field 622, a usage fee display field 623, a usage point display field 624, a payment amount display field 625, a points use button 627, and a confirmation button 628. Note that in the initial state immediately after the payment screen 620 is displayed, the points use button 627 is in an inoperable state.

[0083] Returning to FIG. 5, the user device 200 then determines whether the accommodation plan selected by user 2 is an accommodation plan that allows the use of points (S519). Here, the user device 200 makes this determination based on the above-mentioned constraints (1) to (3). If the accommodation plan selected by user 2 allows the use of points, the user device 200 makes the point use button 627 on the payment screen 620 operable. Thereafter, the process proceeds to S531.

[0084] On the other hand, if it is determined that the accommodation plan selected by User 2 does not allow the use of points (S519: NO), the user device 200 leaves the point use button 627 on the payment screen 620 in its current state (i.e., in an inoperable state). Then, the process proceeds to S520.

[0085] In S520, in response to user 2 operating the decision button 628 on the payment screen 620, the user device 200 generates payment information based on the contents set by user 2 on the payment screen 620, and transmits the generated payment information to the server device 100 (S520).

[0086] When the server device 100 receives the payment information, it updates the reservation information 114 based on the received payment information and performs payment processing (such as payment procedures with the credit card company) (S522). Note that the server device 100 may, for example, transmit information indicating the result of payment to the user device 200 as needed. Thereafter, the reservation processing S500 ends.

[0087] In S531, the user device 200 determines whether or not the user 2 has operated the point use button 627 on the payment screen. If the user 2 has operated the point use button 627 (S531: YES), the process proceeds to S532. On the other hand, if the user 2 has operated the decision button 628 without operating the point use button 627 (S531: NO), the process proceeds to S551.

[0088] In S532, the user device 200 displays a screen (hereinafter referred to as a "points usage screen") for receiving information (points information) from the user 2 regarding the use of points, and receives information regarding the use of points from the user 2.

[0089] 6C shows an example of the point usage screen 630. The illustrated point usage screen 630 has an available points display field 631, a point usage method specification field 632, a hometown tax payment button 633, and a confirm button 634.

[0090] The available points display field 631 displays the current balance of points held by User 2 for each donation recipient municipality. User 2 can use the checkboxes to select the points of one of the municipalities as the points to be used.

[0091] In the point use method specification field 632, the user 2 specifies how to use the points.

[0092] The hometown tax payment button 633 is operated when the user 2 wishes to make a donation under the hometown tax payment system. The user 2 makes a donation, for example, in order to add points.

[0093] The decision button 634 is operated by the user 2 when the user 2 decides which local government's points to use and how to use the points.

[0094] Returning to FIG. 5, the user device 200 then determines whether or not User 2 has operated the hometown tax payment button 633 or the decision button 634 on the point usage screen 630 (S533). If User 2 has operated the hometown tax payment button 633 (S533: YES), the process proceeds to S534. On the other hand, if User 2 has operated the decision button 634 (S533: NO), the process proceeds to S540.

[0095] In S534, the user device 200 displays a screen for accepting donation applications under the hometown tax payment system (donation application acceptance screen), and accepts the donation application from the user 2.

[0096] 6D to 6F show examples of donation application acceptance screens.

[0097] 6D (hereinafter referred to as "tax payment destination designation screen 640") displays the names 6411 of local governments to which donations can be made that can be selected for the accommodation plan selected by user 2, a selection button 6412 for the local government to which donations can be made, and user 2's current point balance (point balance for each local government). User 2 operates selection button 6412 to select a local government to which donations can be made from the displayed local governments.

[0098] When user 2 selects a local government to which donations should be made on tax payment destination selection screen 640, user device 200 displays tax payment amount selection screen 650 in FIG. 6E and donation application screen 660 in FIG. 6F (S534, S535).

[0099] The donation application acceptance screen shown in FIG. 6E (hereinafter referred to as the "tax payment amount designation screen 650") has a donation amount input field 6511 and a donation application button 6512. User 2 inputs the donation amount in donation amount input field 6511. To confirm the donation amount, the user operates donation application button 6512.

[0100] For example, the server device 100 may automatically calculate the donation amount required to acquire points equivalent to the aforementioned shortfall (or the shortfall taking into account the upper limit, if there is one), and automatically display the calculated amount by default in the donation amount input field 6511 on the tax payment amount designation screen 650.

[0101] The donation application acceptance screen shown in Figure 6F (hereinafter referred to as "donation application screen 660") has an applicant information input field 6611 and a confirm button 6612. User 2 inputs the information required for the donation application (name, address, contact information, etc.) into applicant information input field 6611, and operates confirm button 6612 when input is complete.

[0102] Returning to Figure 5, when user 2 operates the application button 651 on the tax payment amount designation screen 650, the user device 200 transmits the information entered on the tax payment amount designation screen 650 and the donation application screen 660 (hereinafter referred to as "donation application information") to the server device 100 (S536).

[0103] When the server device 100 receives the donation application information (S537), it grants points to the user according to the donation amount included in the received donation application information. The server device 100 also updates the user information 111 and the donation application information 115 to their post-donation status. The server device 100 also notifies the user device 200 of the point balance (amount of points available) of user 2 after the points have been granted (S538).

[0104] Upon receiving the notification, the user device 200 updates the amount of available points (point balance) on the point usage screen 630 (S539).

[0105] Here, User 2 donates, for example, the amount necessary to acquire the points that make up the shortfall in the accommodation plan fee. By making a donation, User 2 can acquire 30% of the donation amount as a gift (points). For example, if the shortfall is 30,000 yen (equivalent to 30,000 points), User 2 can donate 100,000 yen to acquire the shortfall of 30,000 points.

[0106] However, if the above-mentioned constraint (2) applies, User 2 can only earn points up to the upper limit. For example, if the accommodation plan fee is 60,000 yen, the upper limit is 50,000 yen, and User 2's point balance is 20,000 points (equivalent to 20,000 yen), User 2 can donate 100,000 yen to earn 30,000 points (equivalent to 30,000 yen), and pay the remaining 10,000 yen (= 60,000 yen - 50,000 yen) in cash.

[0107] For example, the server device 100 may automatically calculate the donation amount required to acquire the shortfall in points for the usage fee and present it to the user 2. In this case, the server device 100 may automatically calculate the donation amount taking into account the upper limit and present it to the user 2. Furthermore, although the above example illustrates a system that assumes the existence of the constraint (2), for example, a system may also be used that presents the user 2 with an estimate of the donation amount required for the current reservation and then allows the user 2 to make a donation that will earn points that exceed the upper limit.

[0108] Returning to Figure 5, when user 2 sets the amount and method of points to be used on the point usage screen 630 and operates the decision button 634 (S540), the user device 200 generates payment information based on the information set on the payment screen 620 and sends the generated payment information to the server device 100 (S551).

[0109] When the server device 100 receives the payment information (S552), it updates the reservation information 114 based on the received payment information and performs payment processing (e.g., payment procedures with a credit card company) (S553). The server device 100 may also transmit information indicating the result of the payment to the user device 200.

[0110] FIG. 6G shows an example of a screen (hereinafter referred to as a "payment result screen 670") that is displayed when the server device 100 presents information indicating the result of the payment to the user 2 in S522 or S553.

[0111] Returning to FIG. 5, the server device 100 then transmits the donation acceptance information to the local government of the donation recipient (for example, the local government server 300 of the local government of the donation recipient) (S554).

[0112] The local government server 300 receives the donation acceptance information and updates the received donation acceptance information in a database that manages information related to donations under the hometown tax payment system (S555).

[0113] This completes the reservation process S500. Note that in the reservation process S500 described above, for example, the process that was supposed to be performed by the server device 100 may be performed by the user device 200. Conversely, the process that was supposed to be performed by the user device 200 may be performed by the server device 100.

[0114] <Technical effects, etc.> As described above, the reservation system 1 of this embodiment presents to the user 2 via the user device 200 a reservation acceptance screen, which is a screen for accepting reservations for services from the user 2, while displaying information about benefits that will be given as gifts in return by local governments that receive donations under the hometown tax payment system. When the reservation system 1 receives an operation from the user 2 to reserve a service for which a benefit is to be given, the reservation system 1 presents to the user 2 a donation application acceptance screen, which is a screen for accepting an application for a donation under the hometown tax payment system from the user 2, and performs processing to grant the benefit to the user 2 upon receiving the donation application from the user 2.

[0115] For example, for User 2, who wants to use a service under the hometown tax payment system but has not yet decided on a specific plan, if the service is a lodging plan, an important concern is "how much do I need to donate to get this plan?" However, in the past, simply accessing the hometown tax payment system's donation site did not reveal the details of the service (plan). User 2 had to go back and forth between the donation site and the OTA site to decide which local government to donate to or how much to donate, and had to go through a complicated process to decide which service to book. Furthermore, User 2 had to go back and forth between the donation site and the OTA site to confirm the donation amount and points required to use the service, whether the facility was eligible for the hometown tax payment system, and whether the service's terms of use were met. In contrast, the reservation system 1 of this embodiment presents a reservation acceptance screen to user 2 via the user device 200, and when it receives an operation from user 2 to reserve a service for which a benefit is to be granted (in the process of receiving an operation to reserve a service from user 2), it presents a donation application acceptance screen to user 2 and accepts an application for a donation under the hometown tax payment system from user 2.This allows user 2 to easily compare the donation amount with information about the service (service usage fees, conditions for using the benefit, etc.) to decide on the donation method and service, and allows efficient reservation of the service.

[0116] Furthermore, the reservation system 1 allows the user 2 to both reserve a service and apply for a donation under the hometown tax payment system with a single successful authentication. This eliminates the need for the user 2 to repeatedly perform authentication operations, allowing the user 2 to efficiently reserve a service.

[0117] Furthermore, the reservation system 1 accepts reservations for services while indicating to the user 2 the amount of donation required to acquire points equivalent to the fee required for reserving the service. This allows the user 2 to easily know, for example, how much money he or she needs to donate to cover the fee required for reserving the service with points, without having to calculate it himself or herself.

[0118] Furthermore, the reservation system 1 presents the amount obtained by subtracting the user 2's point balance from the fee required to reserve the service to the user 2 as the shortfall when reserving the service. This allows the user 2 to easily know, for example, how much he or she needs to donate to cover the entire fee required to reserve the service with points, without having to calculate it himself or herself.

[0119] Furthermore, the reservation system 1 presents the amount of donation required to acquire points equivalent to the shortfall to the user 2 via the user device 200. This allows the user 2 to know, for example, the amount of donation required to acquire points equivalent to the shortfall without having to calculate it himself.

[0120] Furthermore, the reservation system 1 presents the amount obtained by subtracting the remaining points from the upper limit of points that can be used to reserve a service to the user 2 as the shortfall when reserving the service. This allows the user 2 to easily know, for example, the amount of donation required to acquire the amount of points that takes the upper limit into account, without having to calculate it himself.

[0121] Incidentally, for example, the server device 100 may store multiple services for which user 2 can use points that are a gift from the local government to which the user has donated, and the server device 100 may accept reservations for services from user 2 while presenting to user 2 via the user device 200 other services for which user 2 can use points that are a gift from the local government to which the user has donated, different from the service reserved by user 2. In this case, a message encouraging user 2 to make a donation may be presented to user 2 via the user device 200, such as "You can reserve this plan if you donate X yen more" or "You can also make a reservation at this restaurant in the same area with the remaining points." By doing so, for example, it is possible to revitalize the local government.

[0122] Furthermore, for example, the server device 100 may store services provided by municipalities other than the municipality to which user 2 made a donation, and may store the reservation history of each service for multiple users 2, and the server device 100 may accept reservations for the service from user 2 while presenting to user 2 via the user device 200, among the services provided by other municipalities, services with a large number of users as a priority. By doing so, it is possible to revitalize the region, including other municipalities, for example.

[0123] Furthermore, for example, the server device 100 may also be configured to include information about the service that is listed on the reservation acceptance screen on the donation application acceptance screen, thereby improving the convenience of the user 2 when carrying out procedures related to donations.

[0124] Furthermore, for example, the server device 100 may store information about a plurality of services that are provided by a plurality of local governments and that are eligible for benefits under the hometown tax payment system, and the server device 100 may receive requests for services from the user 2, identify services that meet the received requests, and accept reservations for the services from the user 2 while showing the identified services to the user 2. In this way, the user 2 can efficiently find services that meet his or her requests (hopes).

[0125] Alternatively, for example, server device 100 may store information indicating a donation limit based on user 2's income, receive information indicating user 2's income from user 2, and accept reservations for the services from user 2 while presenting, from among multiple services eligible for benefits under the hometown tax payment system, services whose reservation fees are equal to or less than the points that can be earned based on the limit. In this way, for example, user 2 looking for a service whose reservation fees can be covered entirely with points can efficiently find the relevant service.

[0126] Furthermore, for example, server device 100 may store information indicating a donation limit based on user 2's income, receive information indicating user 2's income from user 2, and accept reservations for services from user 2 while displaying, among multiple services eligible for benefits under the hometown tax payment system, services whose usage fees exceed the points that can be earned with the limit based on user 2's income, in order of the lowest additional fee for the difference (the shortfall that cannot be covered by points). By doing so, for example, user 2 looking for a service with a low additional fee for the difference can efficiently find the service he or she desires.

[0127] <Example of information processing device> FIG. 7 shows an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device (computer) used to implement the server device 100 and the user device 200. As shown in FIG.

[0128] The illustrated information processing device 10 includes a processor 11 (arithmetic device), a main storage device 12 (memory), an auxiliary storage device 13 (storage), an input device 14, an output device 15, and a communication device 16. Specific examples of the information processing device 10 include a personal computer, various common servers, and general-purpose machines. All or part of the information processing device 10 may be realized using virtual information processing resources provided using virtualization technology, such as a virtual server provided by a cloud system.

[0129] The server device 100 and the user device 200 may be realized using a plurality of information processing devices 10 connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0130] In the same figure, the processor 11 is configured using, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an AI (Artificial Intelligence) chip, etc.

[0131] The main memory device 12 is a device that stores programs and data, and is, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), or a non-volatile memory (NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM)).

[0132] The auxiliary storage device 13 is, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive), a hard disk drive, an optical storage device (CD (Compact Disc), DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), etc.), a storage device, a read / write device for a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or an optical recording medium, a storage area of ​​a cloud server, etc. Programs and data can be read into the auxiliary storage device 13 via a recording medium reader or a communication device 16. The programs and data stored (memorized) in the auxiliary storage device 13 are read into the main storage device 12 as needed.

[0133] The input device 14 is an interface that accepts input from the outside, and is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, a card reader, a pen-input tablet, a voice input device, or the like.

[0134] The output device 15 is an interface that outputs various information such as the progress of processing and the results of processing. The output device 15 is, for example, a display device (LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), graphic card, etc.) that visualizes the various information, a device that converts the various information into audio (audio output device (speaker, etc.)), or a device that converts the various information into text (printer, etc.). Note that, for example, the information processing device 10 may be configured to input and output information to and from other devices via the communication device 16.

[0135] The input device 14 and the output device 15 constitute a user interface that receives information from the user and presents information to the user.

[0136] The communication device 16 is a device that realizes communication (wired communication or wireless communication) with other devices via a communication infrastructure such as a communication network 5, and is configured using, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card), a wireless communication module, a USB module, etc.

[0137] The information processing device 10 may be equipped with, for example, an operating system, a file system, a database (relational database, NoSQL, etc.), a KVS (Key-Value Store), etc.

[0138] The functions of the server device 100 and the user device 200 are realized by the processor 11 of the information processing device 10 reading and executing a program stored in the main memory device 12, or by the functions of the hardware (FPGA, ASIC, AI chip, etc.) that constitutes them.

[0139] The server device 100 and the user device 200 store the various types of information (data) described above, for example, as a table in a database or a file managed by a file system.

[0140] <Summary> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is provided for the purpose of facilitating understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention naturally includes equivalents thereof. For example, the above embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, some of the configurations of the above embodiments may be added to, deleted from, or replaced with other configurations.

[0141] For example, the above system, which allows users to seamlessly book services and apply for donations, can also be applied when user 2 receives a product as a gift in return for making a donation through the hometown tax payment system. [Explanation of symbols]

[0142] 1 Reservation system, 2 User, 4 Administrator, 5 Communication network, 100 Server device, 110 Memory unit, 111 User information, 112 Service information, 113 System information, 114 Reservation information, 115 Donation application information, 116 Screen information, 130 User information management unit, 135 Service information management unit, 140 System information management unit, 145 Reservation reception unit, 150 Donation application reception unit, 155 Point management unit, 160 Screen control unit, 165 Communication control unit, 200 User device, 210 Memory unit, 211 Screen information, 212 Reservation information, 213 Donation reception information, 214 Point information, 215 Authentication information, 220 Communication control unit, 225 Screen display control unit, 230 Operation input reception unit, S500 Reservation processing, 610 Reservation reception screen, 620 Payment screen, 630 Point usage screen, 640 Tax payment destination selection screen, 650 Tax payment amount selection screen, 660 Donation application screen, 670 Payment result screen

Claims

1. The system is configured using one or more information processing devices having a processor and a storage device, a user device that is an information processing device operated by a user, and presenting to the user via the user device a reservation acceptance screen that is a screen for accepting reservations for a service from the user while displaying information regarding benefits that will be given as return gifts by donation recipients under the hometown tax payment system; When an operation to reserve a service to which the benefit is to be granted is accepted from the user, a donation application acceptance screen, which is a screen for accepting an application for a hometown tax payment system from the user, is presented via the user device; When the donation application is received from the user, a process of granting the benefit to the user is performed. Reservation system.

2. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, The user can make both a reservation for the service and an application for a donation under the hometown tax payment system with a single successful authentication. Reservation system.

3. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, The benefit is a point that can be used to reserve a service provided by the local government that is the recipient of the donation under the hometown tax payment system, Manage the balance of the points of the user; the process of granting the benefit to the user includes a process of adding points acquired by the user by reserving a service to the balance; storing the fee required to reserve said service; storing information indicating the points to be acquired according to the amount of the donation; presenting the amount of the donation required to acquire the points equivalent to the fee to the user via the user device; Reservation system.

4. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, The benefit is a point that can be used to reserve a service provided by the local government to which the donation is made under the hometown tax payment system, Manage the balance of the points of the user; the process of granting the benefit to the user includes a process of adding points acquired by the user by reserving a service to the balance; storing the fee required to reserve said service; storing information indicating the points to be acquired according to the amount of the donation; presenting the amount obtained by subtracting the remaining points from the fee to the user via the user device as the amount of the shortfall when reserving the service; Reservation system.

5. 5. The reservation system according to claim 4, presenting to the user via the user device the amount of the donation required to acquire the points equivalent to the shortfall; Reservation system.

6. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, The benefit is a point that can be used to reserve a service provided by the local government to which the donation is made under the hometown tax payment system, Manage the balance of the points of the user; the process of granting the benefit to the user includes a process of adding points acquired by the user by reserving a service to the balance; storing the fee required to reserve said service; storing information indicating the points to be acquired according to the amount of the donation; storing information indicating an upper limit of the points that can be used for reserving the service; presenting the amount obtained by subtracting the remaining points from the upper limit to the user via the user device as the shortfall when reserving the service; Reservation system.

7. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, storing a plurality of services provided by the recipients of the user's donations; accepting the reservation while presenting to the user via the user device other services provided by the donation recipient that are different from the service reserved by the user; Reservation system.

8. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, storing services provided by other municipalities different from the municipality to which the user made a donation; storing a history of reservations for services made by each of the plurality of users; accepting the reservation while presenting to the user via the user device, among the services provided by the other local governments, those with the most users given priority; Reservation system.

9. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, The information about the service that is displayed on the reservation acceptance screen is also displayed on the donation application acceptance screen. Reservation system.

10. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, Stores information about multiple services provided by multiple local governments that are eligible for benefits under the hometown tax payment system, Accept the user's request for the service; Identifying a service that meets the request; accepting the reservation while presenting the identified service to the user; Reservation system.

11. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, Store information indicating the donation limit according to the user's income, receiving information indicating the user's income from the user; Accepting the reservation while presenting to the user, among a plurality of services eligible for the benefit under the hometown tax payment system, services for which the fee required for reservation is equal to or less than the points that can be earned under the limit; Reservation system.

12. 2. The reservation system according to claim 1, Store information indicating the donation limit according to the user's income, receiving information indicating the user's income from the user; Among the plurality of services eligible for the benefit under the hometown tax payment system, services for which the fee required for reservation exceeds the points that can be earned under the limit are presented to the user in order of the smallest additional fee, while accepting the reservation. Reservation system.

13. The system is configured using one or more information processing devices having a processor and a storage device, A reservation system communicably connected to a user device, which is an information processing device operated by a user, a step of presenting to the user via the user device a reservation acceptance screen which is a screen for accepting reservations for a service from the user while displaying information regarding benefits that will be given as return gifts by recipients of donations under the hometown tax payment system; When an operation to reserve a service that is the subject of the benefit is accepted from the user, a donation application acceptance screen that accepts an application for a hometown tax payment system from the user is presented via the user device; When the application for donation is accepted from the user, granting the benefit to the user; How to make a reservation.

14. The system is configured using one or more information processing devices having a processor and a storage device, A reservation system communicably connected to a user device, which is an information processing device operated by a user, A function of presenting to the user via the user device a reservation acceptance screen which is a screen for accepting reservations for services from the user while displaying information about benefits that will be given as return gifts by recipients of donations under the hometown tax payment system; a function of presenting, via the user device, a donation application acceptance screen that accepts an application for a hometown tax donation from the user when an operation to reserve a service that is the subject of the grant of the benefit is accepted from the user; A function of granting the benefit to the user when the donation application is received from the user. A program to achieve this.

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