Electronic payment management device, payment terminal, and electronic payment management method

Abstract

The present invention provides an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method that can prevent fraudulent payments. [Solution] The electronic payment system includes a payment terminal management server, a vending machine, a payment terminal, an information storage medium, a payment service provider server, and a user terminal. The payment terminal management server obtains payment terminal identification information and the price to be paid from the payment terminal via communication, and obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium via communication. The payment terminal management server verifies the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and only if the verification is successful does it enable the payment terminal to settle the price to be paid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method.

Background Art

[0002] Automated vending machines capable of electronic payment (see, for example, Patent Document 1) are widespread. The automated vending machine of Patent Document 1 incorporates a function for using an electronic payment service provided by a payment service provider. The automated vending machine can provide a convenient payment means for users.

[0003] The automated vending machine of Patent Document 1 includes an ID storage medium. In Patent Document 1, an information processing device that communicates with the automated vending machine receives purchase information including an identifier of the automated vending machine and a product identifier corresponding to a purchase instruction for a product, and an identifier of the ID storage medium when purchasing a product, and determines whether vending machine management information indicating the correspondence between the identifier of the automated vending machine and the identifier of the ID storage medium exists in the vending machine management unit. When the vending machine management information exists in the vending machine management unit, a settlement process is performed to have the settler bear the amount corresponding to the product identifier. Thereby, the automated vending machine of Patent Document 1 can perform an appropriate settlement using a user terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] There are electronic payment systems that provide an inexpensive way to make electronic payments simply by installing a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium (such as a QR code or NFC (Near Field Communication) tag) at an object or location where electronic payments are made (for example, a vending machine).

[0006] In an electronic payment system that incorporates payment terminals and information storage media into vending machines, when purchasing a product, a payment request for the product is initiated when the user performs a product purchase operation on the vending machine and reads information from the information storage media (information storage media associated with the payment terminal) using their user terminal. Once a payment request is made, the necessary payment information is sent from both the payment terminal and the user terminal to the payment terminal management server. The payment terminal management server requests a determination (authorization) from the payment service provider server to determine whether the payment is possible. The payment service provider server then receives a determination result indicating that the payment is possible, sends the determination result to the payment terminal, and the payment is completed by the payment terminal.

[0007] Electronic payment systems must prevent fraudulent payments by allowing only legitimate payment requests based on proper procedures to be processed.

[0008] While Patent Document 1 describes an information processing device that uses a vending machine identifier stored in the vending machine to determine whether a payment is appropriate, the present invention can prevent fraudulent payments without using a vending machine identifier. In electronic payment systems, typically, the business that provides the vending machine and the business that provides the payment terminal and information storage medium are different, and there is no guarantee that the business providing the payment terminal and information storage medium will always know the vending machine identifier. Therefore, in order to provide a function to prevent fraudulent payments simply by introducing a set of payment terminal and information storage medium, a mechanism is needed to prevent fraudulent payments without using a vending machine identifier.

[0009] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the information processing device receives a product identifier corresponding to the purchase instruction from the vending machine as purchase information necessary for payment. Therefore, in order for the information processing device to know the price of the product to be paid for, the information processing device needs to have management information for the price of the product corresponding to the product identifier. However, for the same reasons as above, there is no guarantee that the business operator providing the payment terminal and information storage medium will know the product identifier and the price corresponding to the product identifier, and it may be difficult to prepare management information for the price of the product corresponding to the product identifier.

[0010] In contrast, the present invention is adaptable to existing devices because it only requires obtaining price information for goods and services to be paid for from devices that provide goods and services, as has been done in the past. Furthermore, since the payment terminal management server receives the price to be paid for from the payment terminal, the payment terminal management server does not need to have management information for the price of the goods corresponding to the product identifier (i.e., management information for identifying the price to be paid for).

[0011] Furthermore, when the present invention is installed on an object such as an automatic vending machine to which a payment terminal is attached, it is not necessary to configure the object to which the payment terminal is attached in a special way that transmits the product identifier assigned to the product corresponding to the purchase instruction to the payment terminal.

[0012] Furthermore, in this invention, the configuration of the device to be attached only needs to have a simple configuration that can transmit the price of the payment target to the payment terminal.

[0013] This invention was made to solve the above problems. Specifically, one of the objectives of this invention is to provide an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method that do not require management information for identifying the price of the payment to be made.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method applicable to an object to be attached (for example, a vending machine currently in use) that has a simple configuration capable of transmitting the price of the item to be paid for to the payment terminal.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method that can prevent fraudulent payments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electronic payment management device comprising a computing device and a storage device, configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the computing device obtains payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target from the payment terminal via communication, obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium via communication, verifies the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment terminal to settle the price of the payment target only if the verification is successful.

[0017] The electronic payment management device of the present invention includes a computing device and a storage device, and is configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal. The computing device obtains payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target from the payment terminal via communication, obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium via communication, requests the payment terminal to verify the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment terminal to settle the price of the payment target only if the verification performed by the payment terminal is successful.

[0018] The electronic payment management device of the present invention includes a computing device and a storage device, and is configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal. The computing device obtains the price of the payment target from the payment terminal, and when it obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium via communication from the user terminal, it requests the payment terminal to inquire whether or not a payment request has been made, and is configured to enable the payment terminal to settle the price of the payment target only if the inquiry result indicates that a payment request has been made.

[0019] The payment terminal of the present invention includes a computing device and a storage device, is configured to communicate with an electronic payment management device, and is connected to an automatic product supply device or an automatic service supply device in a communicative manner. The computing device obtains the price of the payment target from the automatic product supply device or the automatic service supply device and transmits it to the electronic payment management device. Upon receiving a matching determination request from the electronic payment management device, the electronic payment management device determines whether it has obtained payment terminal identification information from the payment terminal via communication, and whether it has obtained information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium via communication. If the electronic payment management device has obtained the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, it matches the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information and transmits the matching determination result to the electronic payment management device.

[0020] The payment terminal of the present invention includes a computing device and a storage device, is configured to communicate with an electronic payment management device, and is connected to an automated product dispensing device or automated service dispensing device in a communicative manner, wherein the computing device is configured to obtain the price of the item to be settled from the automated product dispensing device or automated service dispensing device and transmit it to the electronic payment management device, and when it receives an inquiry request from the electronic payment management device, it determines whether or not a payment request has been made to the electronic payment management device and transmits the determination result to the electronic payment management device as an inquiry result.

[0021] The present invention relates to an electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device obtains payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target from the payment terminal via communication, obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium via communication, verifies the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment of the price of the payment target by the payment terminal only if the verification is successful.

[0022] The electronic payment management method of the present invention is an electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to be communicable with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device obtains payment terminal identification information and the price of a payment target by communication from the payment terminal, obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from an information storage medium by communication from the user terminal, requests the payment terminal to collate the association between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment terminal to pay the price of the payment target only when the collation performed by the payment terminal is successful.

[0023] The electronic payment management method of the present invention is an electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to be communicable with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein when the information processing device obtains the price of a payment target from the payment terminal and obtains information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from an information storage medium by communication from the user terminal, it requests the payment terminal to inquire whether or not a payment request has been made, and enables the payment terminal to pay the price of the payment target only when the inquiry result indicates that a payment request has been made.

Effect of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, it is not necessary to have management information for specifying the price of a payment target, and unauthorized payment can be prevented. Note that the effects described here are not necessarily limited, and any of the effects described in the present disclosure may be applicable.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of an electronic payment system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a payment terminal management server. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining terminal ID management information. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration example of a vending machine. [Figure 5]Figure 5 shows an example of a hardware configuration for a payment terminal. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the matching process performed by the payment terminal management server. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the process for triggering an alarm about tampering. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the matching process performed by the payment terminal. [Figure 15] Figure 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 17] Figure 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 20] Figure 20 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Figure 22]Figure 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0026] The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings of the embodiments, the same or corresponding parts may be denoted by the same reference numerals. In the following description, various types of information may be described using expressions such as "record," but these types of information may be represented by other data structures. When describing identification information, the expression "ID" will be used, but other expressions are possible. In the following description, the device may be used as the subject when describing processing, but the subject of the processing may be the CPU or controller instead of the device.

[0027] <<First Embodiment>> Figure 1 shows an example configuration of an electronic payment system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic payment system includes a payment terminal management server 100, a vending machine 200, a payment terminal 300, an information storage medium 400, and a payment service provider server 500. The electronic payment system may also include a user terminal 600, and although not shown in the figure, it may also include a terminal for an administrator who manages the vending machine 200.

[0028] The payment terminal management server 100, the payment terminal 300, the payment service provider server 500, and the user terminal 600 are all connected to each other via network NW1, enabling communication between them. The vending machine 200 and the payment terminal 300 are also connected to each other via a communication line (not shown), enabling communication between them.

[0029] Figure 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the payment terminal management server 100. The payment terminal management server 100 is sometimes referred to as an "electronic payment management device". As shown in Figure 2, the payment terminal management server 100 has a non-volatile storage device 110 that can read and write data, a memory 120 (e.g., RAM), a CPU 130, an input / output interface 140, and a network interface 150. The CPU 130, storage device 110, memory 120, input / output interface 140, network interface 150, and bus 160 are connected via a bus.

[0030] A device including a CPU 130, a storage device 110, memory 120, an input / output interface 140, a network interface 150, and a bus 160 may be referred to as an "information processing device." An information processing device may be a combination of multiple information processing devices or a virtual information processing device built on the cloud. The CPU 130 may be referred to as an "arithmetic unit."

[0031] The storage device 110 holds (stores) the program 111 and the database 112. The CPU 130 loads the program 111 stored in the storage device 110 into the memory 120. The CPU 130 executes the program 111 loaded into the memory 120 to realize various functions of the payment terminal management server 100.

[0032] Database 112 includes terminal ID management information 112a. Terminal ID management information 112a is sometimes referred to as "management information". Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating terminal ID management information 112a. As shown in Figure 3, terminal ID management information 112a includes payment terminal ID 112a1 and sticker ID 112a2 as columns for storing information (values). In terminal ID management information 112a, information corresponding to each column relating to the payment terminal 300 and the information storage medium 400 that is installed in the vending machine 200 together with the payment terminal 300 is associated with each other and stored as row-level information (records). Specifically, payment terminal ID 112a1 stores payment terminal identification information (payment terminal ID) for identifying (specifying) the payment terminal 300. Sticker ID 112a2 stores information storage medium identification information (sticker ID) for identifying (specifying) the information storage medium 400.

[0033] Referring again to Figure 2, as mentioned above, the program 111 executed by the CPU 130 is loaded into memory 120, and data used by the CPU 130 when executing program 111 is temporarily stored there.

[0034] The input / output interface 140 is an interface for connecting operating devices such as a keyboard and mouse, as well as a display. The network interface 150 is an interface for connecting the payment terminal management server 100 to the network NW1.

[0035] Figure 4 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the vending machine 200. The vending machine 200 includes a controller 210, a storage device 220, a money processing unit 230, a product storage unit 240, a communication unit 250, a display unit 260, a product selection button 270, and a voice guidance unit 280.

[0036] The controller 210 controls the operation of the vending machine 200. The controller 210 includes a CPU, ROM, memory (e.g., RAM), and an interface (IF). The CPU, ROM, memory, and IF are connected via a bus. The controller 210 is connected via the bus to the storage device 220, the money processing unit 230, the product storage unit 240, the communication unit 250, the display unit 260, the product selection buttons 270, and the voice guidance unit 280, among others.

[0037] The CPU loads programs stored in the storage device 220 and ROM into memory. The CPU then executes various processes by running the programs loaded into memory. The storage device 220 and ROM store programs for controlling the operation of the vending machine 200, among other things.

[0038] The storage device 220 is a non-volatile storage device that can read and write data. The storage device 220 stores (retains) price management information 221, including the prices of each product offered by the vending machine 200, as well as programs and other similar information.

[0039] The cash processing unit 230 is a cash processing unit that includes a coin and banknote slot, a change slot, a coin sorting unit, a banknote authentication unit, and a coin or banknote dispensing unit. Under the control of the controller 210, the cash processing unit 230 performs operations such as determining the authenticity of the inserted money (coins and banknotes), calculating the amount deposited, and dispensing change.

[0040] The product storage unit 240 includes a product storage section, a product discharge section, a product retrieval outlet, a temperature control section, and the like. A product storage section is provided for each product selection button 270 and stores the product corresponding to the product selection button 270. Under the control of the controller 210, the product storage unit 240 performs tasks such as discharging the product selected via the product selection button 270.

[0041] The communication unit 250 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices and payment terminals 300. The communication unit 250 communicates with external devices and payment terminals 300 under the control of the controller 210.

[0042] The display unit 260 consists of a display device such as a liquid crystal display. Various information, such as monetary information, is displayed on the display unit 260.

[0043] The product selection button 270 accepts the input of the product to be sold by the vending machine 200.

[0044] The voice guidance unit 280 generates voice prompts in response to operations on the vending machine 200, the operation of the vending machine 200, and other similar actions.

[0045] Figure 5 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a payment terminal 300. The payment terminal 300 includes a CPU 310, a memory 320, a storage device 330, a first communication unit 340, and a second communication unit 350. The CPU 310, memory 320 (e.g., RAM), storage device 330, first communication unit 340, and second communication unit 350 are connected via a bus.

[0046] The CPU 310 loads the program stored in the storage device 330 into the memory 320. The CPU 310 executes various processes by running the program loaded into the memory 320. The storage device 330 stores programs for controlling the payment terminal 300, etc. The storage device 330 is a non-volatile storage device that can read and write data. Programs, etc., are stored (retained, held) in the storage device 330.

[0047] The first communication unit 340 is a communication interface used for communication with the controller 210 of the vending machine 200. The first communication unit 340 is connected to the controller 210 of the vending machine 200 via a communication line (not shown). The second communication unit 350 is a communication interface used for communication with an external payment terminal management server 100 via the network NW1. The second communication unit 350 is connected to the payment terminal management server 100 via the network NW1.

[0048] The information storage medium 400 is a medium that stores information and can read that information by a specific device (for example, a user terminal 600). The information storage medium 400 stores information necessary for executing electronic payments, such as information indicating the location of the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment service provider server 500 on the network NW1 (URL (Uniform Resource Locator)), and identification information of the information storage medium 400 (referred to as "sticker ID"). Specific examples of the information storage medium 400 include codes such as two-dimensional codes (codes printed on paper, etc.) such as QR codes (registered trademarks), and NFC tags.

[0049] The payment service provider server 500 provides electronic payment services. The payment service provider server 500 can be configured with the same hardware configuration as the payment terminal management server 100 shown in Figure 2.

[0050] Figure 6 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal 600. The user terminal 600 includes a CPU 610, memory 620, storage device 630, various sensors 640, a touch panel 650, a communication unit 660, an NFC communication unit 670, and an imaging unit 680. The CPU 610, memory 620, storage device 630, various sensors 640, touch panel 650, communication unit 660, NFC communication unit 670, and imaging unit 680 are connected via a bus. An example of a user terminal 600 is a smartphone.

[0051] The CPU 610 controls the operation of the user terminal 600. The CPU 610 loads programs stored in the storage device 630 into memory 620. The CPU 610 executes various processes by running the programs loaded into memory 620. The storage device 630 is a non-volatile storage device that can read and write data. The storage device 630 stores (retains) programs for controlling the user terminal 600 and applications for using electronic payment services.

[0052] The various sensors 640 include position sensors, geomagnetic sensors, distance sensors, acceleration sensors, and gyroscope sensors. These sensors enable the detection of the user terminal 600's position, orientation, direction of movement, motion, tilt, etc. The user terminal 600 may also be equipped with other sensors, such as illuminance sensors and proximity sensors.

[0053] The touch panel 650 is a display device that can display images and also functions as an input device.

[0054] The communication unit 660 is a communication interface that can be connected to the network NW1. Under the control of the CPU 610, the communication unit 660 communicates with external devices connected to the network NW1. For example, the communication unit 660 communicates with external devices such as the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment service provider server 500.

[0055] The NFC communication unit 670 performs NFC communication when in close proximity to a compatible reader / writer. The NFC communication unit 670 is equipped with an encoding circuit, a decoding circuit, an antenna, etc. The NFC communication unit 670 reads information from an NFC tag via NFC communication.

[0056] The communication unit 660 may further include other communication units such as a Bluetooth® communication unit or an infrared communication unit.

[0057] The imaging unit 680 is an imaging device equipped with an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary MOS). For example, the imaging unit 680 is used to capture images of two-dimensional codes. In this case, the user terminal 600 reads information from the image of the two-dimensional code contained in the captured image.

[0058] <Overview> The outline of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system of the present invention allows users to utilize electronic payment services provided by an electronic payment service provider (payment service provider server 500) simply by installing a set of a payment terminal 300 and an information storage medium 400 at the object (e.g., vending machine 200) or location where electronic payments are made, thereby providing an inexpensive electronic payment function / location.

[0059] An example of an electronic payment system shown in Figure 1 involves attaching a set of a payment terminal 300 and an information storage medium 400 (an information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300) to a vending machine 200, and processing the payment for goods when a user purchases goods using a user terminal 600 at the vending machine 200.

[0060] In the electronic payment system, when a user purchases a product, they perform a product selection operation on the vending machine 200 (for example, by pressing the product selection button 270). The vending machine 200 instructs the user to read the necessary payment information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300) using the user terminal 600. The user terminal 600 performs the operation to read the information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user terminal 600 transmits the read information to the payment terminal management server 100. Subsequently, the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment service provider server 500 proceed with processing to execute the payment, and when the payment is completed, the product is dispensed from the vending machine 200.

[0061] In electronic payment systems, it is possible that users may perform product selection operations on the vending machine 200 without intending to purchase a product, or that product selection operations may be performed by mistake, or that only information reading operations may be performed by the user terminal 600. To prevent fraudulent payments, it is necessary to disable electronic payment for such operations.

[0062] Therefore, the electronic payment system uses the payment terminal management server 100 to perform a verification check to determine whether a payment request is appropriate, and based on the result of the check, it allows only legitimate payment requests based on appropriate operations to be processed (i.e., it makes an authorization request and proceeds with the necessary processing for payment, enabling payment by the payment terminal 300). In this way, the electronic payment system can prevent fraudulent payments.

[0063] <Operation> Figure 7 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system.

[0064] S701: In the vending machine 200, the user performs a product selection operation.

[0065] S702: The vending machine 200 transmits the price corresponding to the selected product to the payment terminal 300.

[0066] S703: When the payment terminal 300 receives a price, it sends the payment request, price, and payment terminal ID to the payment terminal management server 100. The payment terminal management server 100 does not need to have management information to identify the price to be paid, as it receives the price to be paid from the payment terminal 300.

[0067] S704: The user terminal 600 obtains the sticker ID by reading it from the information storage medium 400.

[0068] S705: When user terminal 600 obtains a sticker ID, it sends the sticker ID to payment terminal management server 100.

[0069] S706: The payment terminal management server 100 performs a matching check. The matching check is performed to prevent payment processing from proceeding due to fraudulent payment requests. The matching check determines whether the payment terminal ID has been obtained from the payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID from the user terminal 600, and verifies the correspondence between the payment terminal ID obtained from the payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600. Correspondence verification means confirming whether the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID are associated in the terminal ID management information 112a. Specifically, in verifying the correspondence between the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, the terminal ID management information 112a is referred to identify the sticker ID corresponding to the payment terminal ID obtained from the payment terminal 300, and it is determined whether the identified sticker ID matches the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600. The payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching is successful if the identified sticker ID matches the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600, and determines that the matching is unsuccessful if the identified sticker ID does not match the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600. In addition, when matching the correspondence between the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, the terminal ID management information 112a may be referenced to identify the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID from the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600, and it may be determined whether the identified payment terminal ID matches the payment terminal ID obtained from the payment terminal 300.

[0070] The details of the matching process will be explained later using Figure 8. Figure 7 illustrates the operation when the matching process is determined to be successful.

[0071] S707: The payment terminal management server 100 requests authorization from the payment service provider server 500. Authorization is the process of determining whether electronic payment is permissible for a purchaser (user). Authorization is sometimes referred to as "authorization." When authorization is performed, the payment terminal management server 100 sends the authorization information received from the payment terminal 300 (such as the price) and the authorization information received from the user terminal 600 (such as information identifying the user) along with the request.

[0072] S708: When the payment service provider server 500 receives an authorization request and the information necessary for authorization from the payment terminal management server 100, it performs the authorization and sends the authorization result (information indicating whether electronic payment is possible or impossible) to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0073] S709: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the authorization result, it sends the authorization result to the payment terminal 300.

[0074] S710: When the payment terminal 300 receives the authorization result from the payment terminal management server 100, it completes the payment for the goods (payment of the fee for the goods).

[0075] S711: When the payment terminal 300 completes the payment for the product, it sends a payment completion message (information indicating payment completion) to the vending machine 200.

[0076] S712: When the vending machine 200 receives confirmation of payment completion from the payment terminal 300, it performs a product provision operation and provides the product.

[0077] S713: When the payment terminal 300 completes the payment for the goods, it sends a payment completion message (information indicating payment completion) to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0078] S714: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives payment completion from the payment terminal 300, it sends the payment result to the payment service provider server 500.

[0079] S715: When the payment service provider server 500 receives the payment result from the payment terminal management server 100, it performs processing according to the payment result and sends the payment result to the user terminal 600.

[0080] S716: When the user terminal 600 receives the payment result from the payment service provider server 500, it notifies the user of the completion of the payment by displaying information indicating the completion of the payment on the touch panel 650.

[0081] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating the matching determination performed by the payment terminal management server 100. The payment terminal management server 100 starts processing from step 800 and proceeds to step 805, where it determines whether it has already obtained at least one of the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID from the user terminal 600.

[0082] If neither the payment terminal ID nor the sticker ID has been obtained, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 805 and repeats the process in step 805.

[0083] If at least one of the payment terminal ID and sticker ID has been obtained, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 805 and proceeds to step 810.

[0084] When the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 810, it determines whether or not it has already obtained both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID.

[0085] If neither the payment terminal ID nor the sticker ID has been obtained, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 810 and proceeds to step 815, where it starts measuring time and determines whether the measured time exceeds a predetermined time (i.e., whether a predetermined time has elapsed since obtaining either the payment terminal ID or the sticker ID). If the measured time is less than or equal to the predetermined time, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 815 and returns to step 810, where it repeats the process of step 810 described above.

[0086] If both the payment terminal ID and sticker ID have been obtained, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 810 and proceeds to step 820.

[0087] When the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 820, it refers to the terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the sticker ID corresponding to the payment terminal ID.

[0088] Subsequently, the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 825 and determines whether the sticker ID identified in step 820 matches the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600.

[0089] If the sticker ID identified in step 820 matches the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600, it can be said that the payment terminal 300 that sent the payment request and the information storage medium 400 from which the user terminal 600 obtained the sticker ID correspond, and that an appropriate payment request has been generated. Therefore, in this case, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 825 and proceeds to step 830, where it determines success and proceeds to step 895 to temporarily end the matching process.

[0090] If the sticker ID identified in step 820 does not match the sticker ID obtained from the user terminal 600, it can be said that the payment terminal 300 that sent the payment request and the information storage medium 400 from which the user terminal 600 obtained the sticker ID do not correspond, and therefore the payment request is not valid. Accordingly, in this case, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 825 and proceeds to step 835, where it determines it has failed and proceeds to step 895 to terminate the matching process.

[0091] For example, if only a product selection operation is performed on the vending machine 200, or if only an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400 is performed by the user terminal 600, it is possible that after one of the payment terminal ID and sticker ID is obtained ("YES" in step 805), the other of the payment terminal ID and sticker ID cannot be obtained. In this case, after either the payment terminal ID or sticker ID is obtained, the payment terminal management server 100 repeatedly checks "NO" in the process of step 810 and "NO" in the process of step 815 until a predetermined time has elapsed, and after the predetermined time has elapsed, it determines "YES" in step 815 and proceeds to step 835. When the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 835, it determines that it has failed and proceeds to step 895 to terminate the matching judgment for the time being.

[0092] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the first case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be a failure. The first case can occur when the payment terminal ID received by the payment service provider server 500 from the payment terminal 300 does not match the sticker ID received by the payment service provider server 500 from the user terminal 600.

[0093] Steps S701 through S705 are the same as those described in Figure 7. In the example in Figure 9, at S910, the matching is deemed to have failed because the sticker ID identified from the payment terminal ID does not match the sticker ID. The operation in this case will be explained below.

[0094] S910: The payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching has failed.

[0095] S911: If the payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching process has failed, it sends a message to the user terminal 600 indicating that payment is not possible. The payment terminal management server 100 also instructs the user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is not possible, thereby informing the user that payment cannot be made. This allows the user to recognize that payment cannot be made.

[0096] S912: The payment terminal management server 100 notifies the payment terminal 300 that payment is not possible.

[0097] S913: When the payment terminal 300 receives a payment failure message from the payment terminal management server 100, it sends the message to the vending machine 200.

[0098] S914: When the vending machine 200 receives a payment failure notification from the payment terminal 300, it stops dispensing the product.

[0099] S915: The vending machine 200 informs the user that it is unable to dispense a product through voice guidance from the voice guidance unit 280, images displayed on the display unit 260, etc.

[0100] Figure 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the second case in the electronic payment system, which is determined to be a failure in the matching process. The second case can occur when the payment service provider server 500 receives a sticker ID from the user terminal 600, but the vending machine 200 does not perform a product selection operation, preventing the payment service provider server 500 from receiving a payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300.

[0101] S1001: The user terminal 600 obtains the sticker ID by reading it from the information storage medium 400.

[0102] S1002: When user terminal 600 obtains a sticker ID, it sends the sticker ID to payment terminal management server 100.

[0103] S1003: The payment terminal management server 100 performs the matching check shown in Figure 8. The payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching check has failed.

[0104] S1004: If the payment terminal management server 100 determines that the transaction has failed, it sends a message to the user terminal 600 indicating that the payment is not possible. The payment terminal management server 100 also instructs the user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that the payment is not possible, thereby informing the user that the payment cannot be completed. This allows the user to recognize that the payment cannot be completed.

[0105] Figure 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a third case in the electronic payment system where the matching process fails. The third case can occur when the payment service provider server 500 receives a payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300 due to a product selection operation on the vending machine 200, but the user terminal 600 does not perform an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400, or an operation to read information is performed on a counterfeit information storage medium such as a forged QR code (registered trademark) whose access destination has been tampered with, resulting in the payment service provider server 500 not receiving a sticker ID from the user terminal 600.

[0106] S1101: In the vending machine 200, the user performs a product selection operation.

[0107] S1102: The vending machine 200 transmits the price of the selected product to the payment terminal 300.

[0108] S1103: When the payment terminal 300 receives a price, it sends the payment request, price, and payment terminal ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0109] S1104: The payment terminal management server 100 performs the matching check shown in Figure 8. The payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching check has failed.

[0110] S1105: The payment terminal management server 100 sends a payment failure message to the payment terminal 300.

[0111] S1106: When the payment terminal 300 receives a payment failure message from the payment terminal management server 100, it sends the message to the vending machine 200.

[0112] S1107: When the vending machine 200 receives a payment failure notification from the payment terminal 300, it stops the product dispensing operation.

[0113] S1108: The vending machine 200 notifies the user that it is unable to provide the product through voice guidance from the voice guidance unit 280 or images displayed on the display unit 260. If the user is notified that payment is not possible despite having performed an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400, the user can recognize the possibility that the operation to read information was performed on a counterfeit information storage medium such as a counterfeit QR code (registered trademark).

[0114] <Effects> As explained above, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment can prevent fraudulent payments by allowing only legitimate payment requests based on appropriate operations to be processed.

[0115] Furthermore, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment can be applied to an attachment (for example, a currently used vending machine 200, etc.) that has a simple configuration capable of transmitting the price of the item to be paid to the payment terminal 300. Therefore, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment does not need to provide an identifier for the vending machine 200, etc., to the payment terminal management server 100, and does not need to have management information to identify the price of the item to be paid.

[0116] For example, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only needs to obtain price information of the goods or services to be paid for from the device that provides the goods or services, as has been done conventionally. In the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment, the payment terminal management server 100 does not need to obtain information to identify the device that provides the goods or services, and since it uses the price of the goods to be paid for sent from the payment terminal 300, it does not need to have management information for the price of the goods corresponding to the product identifier (i.e., management information for identifying the price of the goods to be paid for).

[0117] Furthermore, when the electronic payment system of the first embodiment is installed on an object such as a vending machine 200 to which a payment terminal 300 is attached, it is not necessary to configure the object to which the payment terminal is attached in a special way that transmits the product identifier assigned to the product corresponding to the purchase instruction to the payment terminal 300.

[0118] <<Second Embodiment>> The electronic payment system according to the second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the second embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in the following respects.

[0119] In the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment, the payment terminal management server 100 notifies the administrator if the number of failures (failure determination results) in the matching judgment within a predetermined time exceeds a predetermined threshold. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

[0120] <Overview> Electronic payment systems are required to have measures in place to prevent malicious activity. Malicious activity refers to operations such as repeatedly selecting products on a vending machine 200 for malicious purposes, or repeatedly reading payment information from the information storage medium 400 using a user terminal 600 without selecting any products. Malicious activity unnecessarily loads the payment terminal management server 100, so measures to prevent malicious activity are required.

[0121] Therefore, in the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment, if multiple failures due to such malicious operation occur, the system notifies the administrator, thereby alerting the administrator that malicious operation is taking place and issuing an alarm (warning) to the user. In this way, the electronic payment system can prevent malicious operation.

[0122] <Operation> Figure 12 is a flowchart illustrating the tampering alarm processing performed by the payment terminal management server 100. The payment terminal management server 100 starts processing from step 1200 and determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the matching judgment.

[0123] If no failure is detected during the matching process, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1205 and executes the process in step 1205 again.

[0124] If a failure occurs during the matching process, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1205 and proceeds to step 1210. Upon reaching step 1210, the payment terminal management server 100 begins counting the number of failures. That is, the payment terminal management server 100 assigns "1" to the number of occurrences N.

[0125] Subsequently, the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 1215 to determine whether a failure has occurred again in the matching process. If no failure has occurred again in the matching process, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1215 and proceeds directly to step 1225.

[0126] If a failure occurs again during the matching process, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1215 and proceeds to step 1220, where it adds "1" to the current occurrence count N, assigns that number to occurrence count N, and proceeds to step 1225.

[0127] When the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 1225, it determines whether the number of occurrences N is greater than or equal to the threshold number Nth.

[0128] If the number of occurrences N is less than the threshold number Nth, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1225 and proceeds to step 1230 to determine whether the measurement time is within a predetermined time. This predetermined time is set to be longer than the predetermined time in step 815 of Figure 8.

[0129] If the measurement time is within the predetermined time, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1230 and returns to step 1215, and starts processing again from step 1215. If the measurement time is longer than the predetermined time, the number of occurrences N is less than the threshold number Nth ("NO" in step 1225), and the measurement time from the time the first failure occurred exceeds the predetermined time. In this case, it is presumed that the possibility of tampering is low. Therefore, in this case, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1230 and proceeds to step 1295 to terminate the tampering alarm processing.

[0130] If the number of occurrences N is greater than or equal to the threshold number Nth, it is presumed that there is a high possibility of malicious activity because the number of failures Nth or more has occurred within the predetermined measurement time (YES in step 1230). Therefore, in this case, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1225 and proceeds to step 1235 to notify the administrator's terminal (not shown) of the malicious activity by sending a message. This allows the administrator to recognize that malicious activity is occurring and take countermeasures against it.

[0131] Furthermore, in step 1235, the payment terminal management server 100 may instruct the user terminal 600 and / or payment terminal 300 to perform an alarm action (such as generating a warning sound, emitting a voice, or displaying a warning image), thereby alerting the user terminal 600 and / or vending machine 200 to stop mischievous operations by issuing a warning (alarm) via voice or image.

[0132] In other words, if the payment terminal management server 100 fails to obtain the payment terminal ID within a predetermined time after obtaining the sticker ID, and if the verification fails more than a threshold number of times within a predetermined time, it may instruct the user terminal 600 to perform an alarm operation. The server may then warn (alarm) the user terminal 600 via voice or images to encourage it to stop mischievous operations.

[0133] The payment terminal management server 100 may, after obtaining the payment terminal ID, instruct the payment terminal 300 to activate an alarm if it fails to obtain the sticker ID within a predetermined time, resulting in a determination of failure of verification occurring more than a threshold number of times within a predetermined time. The payment terminal 300 may then instruct the vending machine 200 to activate an alarm, and the vending machine 200 may issue a warning (alarm) via voice, images, etc., to urge users to stop tampering.

[0134] Furthermore, in step 1235, if the prank operation is performed by a user terminal 600 (i.e., if only the sticker ID is obtained from the user terminal 600 and the payment terminal ID cannot be obtained, resulting in a failure judgment occurring more than a threshold number of times), the payment terminal management server 100 may prevent the user terminal 600 from accessing the payment terminal management server 100.

[0135] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment provides the same effects as the first embodiment. Furthermore, the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment can prevent tampering.

[0136] <<Third Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the third embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in that the matching determination is performed by the payment terminal 300. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

[0137] <Overview> When the payment terminal management server 100 receives at least one of the payment terminal ID and sticker ID, it sends a judgment request (matching judgment request) to the payment terminal 300. When the payment terminal 300 receives the judgment request, it performs a matching judgment. The payment terminal 300 sends the judgment result to the payment terminal management server 100. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives a success result, it enables the payment. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure result, it disables the payment by not sending an authorization request.

[0138] <Operation> Figure 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be successful.

[0139] Steps S701 to S705 in Figure 13 are the same as the operations described in Figure 7.

[0140] S1310: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300, it sends a determination request to the payment terminal 300.

[0141] S1311: When the payment terminal 300 receives a judgment request, it performs a matching judgment. In the example in Figure 13, the matching judgment determines success. Details of the matching judgment will be explained in detail using Figure 14.

[0142] S1312: The payment terminal 300 sends a success result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0143] S1313: When the payment terminal 300 receives a success result, it requests authorization from the payment service provider server 500.

[0144] The subsequent steps S708 to S716 are the same as the operation described in Figure 7.

[0145] Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating the matching determination performed by the payment terminal 300. The payment terminal 300 starts processing from step 1400 and proceeds to step 1405, where it communicates with the payment terminal management server 100 and determines whether the payment terminal management server 100 has already obtained both the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID from the user terminal 600.

[0146] If the payment terminal management server 100 has not yet obtained both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 determines "NO" in step 1405 and proceeds to step 1410, where it starts measuring the time and determines whether the measured time is longer than a predetermined time.

[0147] If the measurement time is less than or equal to the predetermined time, the payment terminal 300 determines "NO" in step 1410 and returns to step 1405, and the process of step 1405 described above is executed again.

[0148] If the payment terminal management server 100 has already obtained both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 determines "YES" in step 1405 and proceeds to step 1415, where it obtains the payment terminal ID and sticker ID from the payment terminal management server 100.

[0149] Subsequently, the payment terminal 300 proceeds to step 1420, where it refers to the terminal ID management information 112a of the payment terminal management server 100 and identifies the sticker ID corresponding to the payment terminal ID. Alternatively, the payment terminal 300 may also possess terminal ID management information 112a; in this case, the payment terminal 300 refers to its own terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the sticker ID corresponding to the payment terminal ID.

[0150] Subsequently, the payment terminal 300 proceeds to step 1425, where it determines whether the sticker ID identified in step 1420 matches the sticker ID obtained from the payment terminal management server 100.

[0151] If the sticker ID identified in step 1420 matches the acquired sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 determines "YES" in step 1425 and proceeds to step 1430, where it determines success and proceeds to step 1495 to temporarily end the matching process.

[0152] If the sticker ID identified in step 1420 does not match the acquired sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 determines "NO" in step 1425 and proceeds to step 1435, where it determines it has failed and proceeds to step 1495 to terminate the matching process.

[0153] For example, if only a product selection operation is performed on the vending machine 200, or if only an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400 is performed by the user terminal 600, the payment terminal management server 100 may not be able to obtain both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID. In this case, the payment terminal 300 repeatedly outputs "NO" in the process of step 1410 and "NO" in the process of step 1405 until a predetermined time has elapsed, at which point it determines "YES" in step 1410 and proceeds to step 1435. Upon proceeding to step 1435, the payment terminal 300 determines that it has failed and proceeds to step 1495 to terminate the verification process.

[0154] Figure 15 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the first case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be a failure.

[0155] Steps S701 to S705 in Figure 15 are the same as the operations described in Figure 7.

[0156] S1510: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the payment terminal ID, it sends a determination request to the payment terminal 300.

[0157] S1511: When the payment terminal 300 receives a judgment request, it performs the matching judgment shown in Figure 14 and determines that it has failed.

[0158] S1512: The payment terminal 300 sends a failure as the result of the determination to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0159] S1513: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure from the payment terminal 300, it sends a payment failure message to the user terminal 600. The payment terminal management server 100 also instructs the user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that the payment is impossible, thereby informing the user that the payment cannot be completed. This allows the user to recognize that the payment cannot be completed.

[0160] The subsequent steps S912 through S915 are the same as the operation described in Figure 9.

[0161] Figure 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the second case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be a failure.

[0162] Steps S1001 and S1002 in Figure 16 are the same as the operations described in Figure 10.

[0163] S1610: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the sticker ID, it sends a judgment request to the payment terminal 300.

[0164] S1611: When the payment terminal 300 receives a judgment request, it performs the matching judgment shown in Figure 14 and determines that it has failed.

[0165] S1612: The payment terminal 300 sends a failure as the result of the determination to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0166] S1613: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure from the payment terminal 300, it sends a message indicating that payment is not possible to the user terminal 600. The payment terminal management server 100 also instructs the user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is not possible, thereby informing the user that payment cannot be made.

[0167] Figure 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of an electronic payment system. Figure 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a third case in the electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be a failure.

[0168] Steps S1101 to S1103 in Figure 17 are the same as the operations described in Figure 11.

[0169] S1710: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the payment terminal ID, it sends a determination request to the payment terminal 300.

[0170] S1711: When the payment terminal 300 receives a judgment request, it performs the matching judgment shown in Figure 14 and determines that it has failed.

[0171] S1712: The payment terminal 300 sends a failure as the result of the determination to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0172] The subsequent operations in S1105 through S1108 are the same as those described in Figure 11.

[0173] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the third embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0174] <<Fourth Embodiment>> The electronic payment system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the fourth embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in the following respects.

[0175] When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a sticker ID, it requests the payment terminal 300 indicated by the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID to inquire whether a payment request has been made, and then makes an authorization request based on the inquiry result. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

[0176] <Overview> When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a sticker ID from the user terminal 600, it refers to the terminal ID management information 112a and sends an inquiry request to the payment terminal 300 to confirm whether the payment terminal 300 indicated by the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID has made a payment request.

[0177] When the payment terminal 300 receives an inquiry request, it checks with the payment terminal management server 100 to see whether or not it has made a payment request (whether or not a payment request has been made).

[0178] The payment terminal 300 determines that it has made a payment request to the payment terminal management server 100 (payment request submitted) to be successful. The payment terminal 300 sends a success message to the payment terminal management server 100 as the inquiry result.

[0179] If the payment terminal 300 cannot confirm that it has made a payment request to the payment terminal management server 100 (payment request submitted), it sends a failure message to the payment terminal 300 as an inquiry result.

[0180] If the payment terminal management server 100 receives a successful query result, it enables the payment. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failed query result, it refrains from making an authorization request.

[0181] The inquiry request is executed when the sticker ID is received from the user terminal 600. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives the payment terminal ID before the sticker ID, it starts measuring the time. If the payment terminal management server 100 does not receive the sticker ID thereafter and the measured time exceeds a predetermined time, it will not make an authorization request.

[0182] <Operation> Figure 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be successful.

[0183] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system. Steps S701 to S705 in Figure 18 are the same as those described in Figure 7.

[0184] S1810: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the sticker ID in S705, it refers to the terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID. The payment terminal management server 100 sends an inquiry request to the payment terminal 300 to confirm whether the payment terminal 300 indicated by the identified payment terminal ID has made a payment request.

[0185] S1811: When the payment terminal 300 receives an inquiry request, it confirms that the payment request has been submitted and determines that it has been successful.

[0186] S1812: The payment terminal 300 sends a success message as the query result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0187] S1813: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a successful query result, it sends an authorization request to the payment service provider server 500.

[0188] The subsequent steps S708 to S716 are the same as the operation described in Figure 7.

[0189] Figure 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the second case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be a failure.

[0190] Steps S1001 to S1002 in Figure 19 are the same as the operations described in Figure 10.

[0191] S1910: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the sticker ID in S1002, it refers to the terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID. The payment terminal management server 100 sends an inquiry request to the payment terminal 300.

[0192] S1911: When payment terminal 300 receives an inquiry request, it cannot confirm that the payment request has been submitted and determines that it has failed.

[0193] S1912: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure as a query result, it sends an authorization request to the payment service provider server 500.

[0194] The subsequent steps in S1004 are the same as those described in Figure 10.

[0195] Figure 20 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a third case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be a failure.

[0196] Steps S1101 to S1103 in Figure 20 are the same as the operations described in Figure 11.

[0197] S2000: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the payment terminal ID in S1103, it starts measuring the time. If the measurement time exceeds a predetermined time, it proceeds to S1105.

[0198] Steps S1105 through S1108 are the same as the operation described in Figure 11.

[0199] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the fourth embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0200] <<Fifth Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the fifth embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in the following respects.

[0201] In the electronic payment system, when a user purchases a product, the user terminal 600 reads information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user terminal 600 transmits the read information to the payment terminal management server 100. Next, the user selects a product from the vending machine 200. Subsequently, the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment service provider server 500 perform the necessary processing to authorize the payment, and once the payment is authorized, the product is dispensed from the vending machine 200. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

[0202] <Operation> Figure 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of a case in an electronic payment system where the matching process is determined to be successful.

[0203] S2101: The user terminal 600 obtains the sticker ID by reading it from the information storage medium 400.

[0204] S2102: When user terminal 600 obtains a sticker ID, it sends the sticker ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0205] S2103: In the vending machine 200, the user performs a product selection operation.

[0206] S2104: The vending machine 200 transmits the price of the selected product to the payment terminal 300.

[0207] S2105: When the payment terminal 300 receives a price, it sends the payment request, price, and payment terminal ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0208] The subsequent steps S706 to S716 are the same as the operation described in Figure 7.

[0209] The operation in the first case, which is determined to be a failure in the matching judgment, is the same as in Figure 9, except that S701 to S705 are replaced with S2101 to S2105.

[0210] The operation in the second case, which is determined to be a failure in the matching judgment, is the same as in Figure 10, except that S1001 to S1002 are replaced with S2101 to S2102.

[0211] The operation in the third case, which is determined to be a failure in the matching judgment, is the same as in Figure 11, except that S1101 to S1103 are replaced with S2103 to S2105.

[0212] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the fifth embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0213] <<Sixth Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the sixth embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the third embodiment only in the following respects.

[0214] In the electronic payment system, when a user purchases a product, the user terminal 600 reads information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user terminal 600 transmits the read information to the payment terminal management server 100. Next, the user selects a product from the vending machine 200. Subsequently, the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment service provider server 500 perform the necessary processing to authorize the payment, and once the payment is authorized, the product is dispensed from the vending machine 200. The following explanation will focus on these differences.

[0215] <Operation> Figure 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system. Steps S1601 to S1605 are the same as those described in Figure 16. Steps S1311 to S1313 are the same as those described in Figure 13. Steps S708 to S716 are the same as those described in Figure 7.

[0216] The operation in the first case, which is determined to be a failure in the matching judgment, is the same as in Figure 15, except that S701 to S705 and S1510 are replaced with S1601 to S1605.

[0217] The operation in the second case, which is determined to be a failure in the matching judgment, is the same as in Figure 16, except that S1001 to S1002 and S1510 are replaced with S1601 and S1602.

[0218] The operation in the third case, which is determined to be a failure in the matching judgment, is the same as in Figure 17, except that S1101 to S1103 are replaced with S1603 to S1605.

[0219] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the sixth embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0220] <<Variation>> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, the embodiments described above can be combined with each other as long as they do not depart from the scope of the invention. For example, features of the second embodiment may be applied to the third to sixth embodiments.

[0221] In the embodiments described above, an electronic payment system was described in which a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium is introduced into an object for which electronic payment is performed (for example, an automated service product provision device such as an automated vending machine 200 that sells goods) to provide the object with the function / location for electronic payment. However, the electronic payment system to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this example. For example, the object may be an automated service provision device that automatically provides services (for example, a massage device). For example, the electronic payment system may be an electronic payment system in which a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium is introduced into a place that sells goods or provides services where electronic payment is performed, to provide the place that sells goods or provides services with the function / location for electronic payment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0222] 100...Payment terminal management server, 110...Storage device, 111...Program, 112...Database, 112a...Terminal ID management information, 120...Memory, 130...CPU, 140...Input / output interface, 150...Network interface, 160...Bus, 200...Vending machine, 300...Payment terminal, 400...Information storage medium, 500...Payment service provider server, 600...User terminal

Claims

1. An electronic payment management device comprising a computing unit and a storage device, configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, The aforementioned computing device is The payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target are obtained from the aforementioned payment terminal via communication. The user terminal obtains information storage medium identification information that it has read from the information storage medium via communication from the user terminal. The system verifies the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and only if the verification is successful, it enables the payment of the price of the payment target by the payment terminal. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

2. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 1, The aforementioned computing device is The payment terminal obtains the price of the item to be paid from the automated product dispensing device or automated service dispensing device to which the payment terminal is connected. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

3. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 1, The storage device has management information to which the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information are associated. The aforementioned computing device is Referencing the management information, the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information is verified. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

4. In the electronic payment management device described in claim 3, The aforementioned computing device is When at least one of the aforementioned information storage medium identification information and the aforementioned payment terminal identification information is obtained, a matching determination is performed. When both the information storage medium identification information and the payment terminal identification information have been obtained, the matching is determined to be successful if the information storage medium identification information and the payment terminal identification information are associated with each other by referring to the management information, and if the matching is determined to be unsuccessful if the information storage medium identification information and the payment terminal identification information are not associated with each other by referring to the management information. If, after obtaining either the information storage medium identification information or the payment terminal identification information, the other of the information storage medium identification information or the payment terminal identification information cannot be obtained within a predetermined time, the matching is determined to have failed. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

5. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 4, It is configured to communicate with the payment service provider's server, The aforementioned computing device is If the verification is successful, an authorization request is sent to the payment service provider server, the authorization result is received from the payment service provider server, and the authorization result is transmitted to the payment terminal. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

6. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 5, The aforementioned computing device is If verification fails, information indicating payment failure is sent to the payment service provider server and / or the user terminal without sending an authorization request. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

7. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 4, The aforementioned computing device is If the matching process fails more than a certain number of times within a specified timeframe, the administrator terminal will be notified. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

8. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 4, The aforementioned computing device is If, after obtaining the information storage medium identification information, the payment terminal identification information cannot be obtained within a predetermined time, and a determination of failure to match occurs more than a threshold number of times within that predetermined time, the user terminal is instructed to perform an alarm operation. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

9. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 4, The aforementioned computing device is If, after obtaining the information storage medium identification information, the payment terminal identification information cannot be obtained within a predetermined time, and a determination of failure to match occurs more than a threshold number of times within that predetermined time, access from the user terminal to the electronic payment management device will be prevented. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

10. In the electronic payment management device according to claim 4, The aforementioned computing device is If, after obtaining the payment terminal identification information, the information storage medium identification information cannot be obtained within a predetermined time, and a determination of failure to match occurs more than a threshold number of times within that predetermined time, the payment terminal is instructed to activate an alarm. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

11. An electronic payment management device comprising a computing unit and a storage device, configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, The aforementioned computing device is The payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target are obtained from the aforementioned payment terminal via communication. The user terminal obtains information storage medium identification information that it has read from the information storage medium via communication from the user terminal. The payment terminal is requested to perform a matching of the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and only if the matching performed by the payment terminal is successful, the payment terminal is enabled to settle the price of the payment target. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

12. An electronic payment management device comprising a computing unit and a storage device, configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, The aforementioned computing device is The system obtains the price to be paid from the payment terminal, and, via communication from the user terminal, obtains the information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium. The system then requests the payment terminal to inquire whether or not a payment request has been made, and only if the inquiry result indicates that a payment request has been made, the payment terminal is enabled to pay the price to be paid. It is configured in such a way. Electronic payment management device.

13. An electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, The aforementioned information processing device The payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target are obtained from the aforementioned payment terminal via communication. The user terminal obtains information storage medium identification information that it has read from the information storage medium via communication from the user terminal. The system verifies the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and only if the verification is successful, it enables the payment of the price of the payment target by the payment terminal. Electronic payment management methods.

14. An electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, The aforementioned information processing device The payment terminal identification information and the price of the payment target are obtained from the aforementioned payment terminal via communication. The user terminal obtains information storage medium identification information that it has read from the information storage medium via communication from the user terminal. The payment terminal is requested to perform a matching of the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and only if the matching performed by the payment terminal is successful, the payment terminal is enabled to settle the price of the payment target. Electronic payment management methods.

15. An electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, The aforementioned information processing device The system obtains the price to be paid from the payment terminal, and, via communication from the user terminal, obtains the information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from the information storage medium. The system then requests the payment terminal to inquire whether or not a payment request has been made, and only if the inquiry result indicates that a payment request has been made, the payment terminal is enabled to pay the price to be paid. Electronic payment management methods.

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