Information processing method, program, and information processing apparatus

Abstract

This provides information processing methods and other tools that can support the use of the hometown tax donation system. [Solution] The information processing method involves a computer that acquires purchase information regarding goods or services purchased by a user, identifies the payment amount required to receive the purchased goods or services as a return gift under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system based on the purchase information, and accepts the payment of the payment amount to the local government. Preferably, the payment amount is identified as the difference obtained by subtracting the purchase price of the goods or services from the donation amount determined for each of the goods or services, or determined according to the purchase price of the goods or services.

Description

Technical Field

[0007] , , [Figure 1]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method, a program, and an information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] There is a system for supporting the use of the hometown tax payment system. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system that grants a loan amount corresponding to the donation amount to a person who has made a donation related to hometown tax payment, and divides the loan amount into a predetermined number of times and repays it from the salary of the implementer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In one aspect, an object is to provide an information processing method or the like that can support the use of the hometown tax payment system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The information processing method includes: a computer acquiring purchase information regarding a product or service purchased by a user, specifying an amount to be paid necessary to receive the purchased product or service as a return gift of the hometown tax payment system based on the purchase information, and accepting a settlement for paying the amount to be paid to a local government.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] In one aspect, the use of the hometown tax payment system can be supported.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] [Figure 1]This diagram shows an example of a donation deferred payment system configuration. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example server configuration. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the record layout for the product database, user database, store database, and local government database. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the purchase list display screen. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of the processing steps performed by the server. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings illustrating its embodiments. (Embodiment 1) Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of a donation deferred payment system. This embodiment describes a donation deferred payment system that accepts deferred payments for goods or services that users have already purchased. The donation deferred payment system includes an information processing device 1 and terminals 2, 2, 2... Each device is connected via a network N such as the Internet.

[0009] Information processing device 1 is an information processing device capable of various information processing and information transmission and reception, such as a server computer or a personal computer. In this embodiment, information processing device 1 is assumed to be a server computer, and for simplicity, it will be referred to as server 1 below. As will be described later, server 1 acquires (collects) purchase information for each product or service purchased by the user and presents it to the user as a purchase list (see Figure 4). Then server 1, The system accepts input from users to select products or services they wish to receive as return gifts under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system from a purchase list, and accepts payment for the selected products or services, which are then used to pay the donation to the local government.

[0010] Terminal 2 is a terminal device used by users of this system (users of the Furusato Nozei system), and is, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer. Terminal 2 displays a list of products or services to be purchased and accepts input from users selecting products or services to be received as return gifts.

[0011] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of Server 1. Server 1 comprises a control unit 11, a main memory unit 12, a communication unit 13, and an auxiliary memory unit 14. The control unit 11 has one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro-Processing Unit), and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and performs various information processing and control processing by reading and executing the program P stored in the auxiliary storage unit 14. The main memory unit 12 is a temporary storage area such as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) and DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores data necessary for the control unit 11 to perform calculation processing. The communication unit 13 is a communication module for performing communication-related processing, and sends and receives information with the outside.

[0012] The auxiliary storage unit 14 is a non-volatile storage area such as a hard disk or large-capacity memory, and stores the program P (program product) and other data necessary for the control unit 11 to execute processing. The auxiliary storage unit 14 also stores the product DB 141, user DB 142, store DB 143, and local government DB 144. The product DB 141 is a database that stores information on each product or service that can be received as a return gift from a local government. The user DB 142 is a database that stores information on each user. The store DB 143 is a database that stores information on each store that provides products or services. The local government DB 144 is a database that stores information on each local government.

[0013] The auxiliary storage unit 14 may be an external storage device connected to the server 1. Furthermore, the server 1 may be a multi-computer system consisting of multiple computers, or it may be a virtual machine virtually constructed by software.

[0014] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the server 1 is not limited to the above configuration and may include, for example, an input unit for receiving operation input, a display unit for displaying images, etc. The server 1 may also include a read unit for reading portable storage media 1a such as a CD (Compact Disk)-ROM or DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM, and may read and execute a program P from the portable storage media 1a.

[0015] Figure 3 shows an example of the record layout for Product DB141, User DB142, Store DB143, and Local Government DB144.

[0016] Product DB141 includes columns for Product ID, Product Name, Providing Store, Price, and Tax Amount. The Product ID column stores the Product ID, which is the identifier for each product or service. The Product Name, Providing Store, Price, and Tax Amount columns, each associated with the Product ID, store the name of the product or service, the store ID of the providing store, the selling price of the product or service, and the tax amount (donation amount) to be paid in order to receive the product or service as a return gift.

[0017] User DB142 includes columns for User ID, Username, Address, Purchase History, and Donation History. The User ID column stores the User ID, which is the identifier for each user. The Username, Address, Purchase History, and Donation History columns are associated with the User ID, respectively, and record the user's information. It stores the name, address, purchase history of goods or services, and donation history through hometown tax payment. In the purchase history column, for example, associated with the purchase date and time of goods or services, the store ID of the purchase store, the name of the purchased goods or services, and the purchase price are stored. In the donation history column, for example, associated with the date and time of donation, the municipality ID of the municipality as the recipient, the product ID of the goods or services received as a return gift, and the tax amount (payment amount) additionally paid for using the hometown tax system are stored.

[0018] The store DB143 includes a store ID column, a store name column, an address column, an eligible invoice number column, and a corporate number column. The store ID column stores the store ID, which is the identifier of each store. The store name column, address column, eligible invoice number column, and corporate number column store the store name, the address of the store, the eligible invoice number, and the corporate number (in the case of an individual business owner, the eligible taxpayer number) respectively, in association with the store ID.

[0019] The municipality DB144 includes a municipality ID column, a municipality name column, and a notification destination column. The municipality ID column stores the municipality ID, which is the identifier of each municipality. The municipality name column and the notification destination column store the municipality name and the notification destination (contact information of the municipality staff) to notify the municipality of the donation (payment information described later) respectively, in association with the municipality ID.

[0020] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of a purchase list. Based on Figure 4, the outline of this embodiment will be described.

[0021] Generally, when using the hometown tax system, first, a donation is made to the municipality. When a donation is made, in many municipalities, a return gift can be received. Then, by submitting the donation receipt certificate issued by the municipality during the final tax return, etc., deductions for inhabitant tax, income tax, etc. can be received. That is, generally, a donation is made first.

[0022] In this embodiment, by making donations to local governments deferred payments, users can retroactively receive goods or services they have already purchased as a return gift. For example, consider a case where a user travels to a certain local government area and purchases goods as souvenirs. In this case, the user can use this system to pay a donation to the local government afterward (pay additional taxes), thereby exchanging the purchased goods or services for a return gift. Subsequently, the user can receive a tax deduction by submitting a donation receipt issued by the local government.

[0023] Figure 4 illustrates an example of a purchase list display screen showing a list of products or services that the user has purchased. This screen includes a receipt reading field 41, a purchase summary field 42, a purchase list display field 43, a payment amount display field 44, and a payment button 45.

[0024] To generate the purchase list shown in Figure 4, Server 1 obtains purchase information about goods or services that the user has purchased. The method of obtaining purchase information is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, data read by OCR (Optical Character Recognition) from the receipt issued by the store at the time of purchase is obtained as purchase information.

[0025] The receipt reading field 41 is an operation field for reading the receipt using OCR. For example, if terminal 2 is a mobile device with a camera, terminal 2 will activate its camera and take an image of the receipt when it receives an operation input to the receipt reading button 411. Terminal 2 reads the necessary purchase information from the image of the receipt. For example, terminal 2 reads the name of the product or service purchased by the user, the date and time of purchase, the store name, the purchase price, etc. Server 1 obtains this purchase information from terminal 2.

[0026] In this embodiment, purchase information is read from the receipt using OCR, but for example... Alternatively, a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark) may be printed on the receipt, and purchase information may be obtained by scanning the two-dimensional code.

[0027] Furthermore, for example, terminal 2 may display an input screen (not shown) for manually entering purchase information in the event that OCR reading fails, allowing the user to input data that could not be read from the receipt.

[0028] Alternatively, terminal 2 may read the store's qualified invoice number from the receipt instead of reading the store name from the receipt (or accepting manual input of the store name). By reading the qualified invoice number, the store where the user purchased the goods can be appropriately identified.

[0029] In this embodiment, purchase information is obtained by reading a receipt, but for example, Server 1 may obtain purchase information from the POS (Point of Sales) system of a store selling goods or services. When obtaining purchase information from a POS system, Server 1 periodically synchronizes with the POS system of each store to obtain the purchase information. For example, Server 1 obtains purchase information including the user ID of the user who purchased the goods or services, the name of the goods or services purchased by the user, the date and time of purchase, the store ID, the purchase price, etc.

[0030] Terminal 2 displays the purchase summary section 42 and the purchase list display section 43 as the receipt reading results.

[0031] The purchase summary section 42 is a display section that shows a summary of the information on the receipt. For example, terminal 2 displays the name of the store where the product or service was purchased, the date and time of purchase, and the total purchase amount in the purchase summary section 42.

[0032] The purchase list display field 43 is a display field that shows a list of goods or services that the user has purchased, and is an operation field for selecting goods or services for which additional tax payments will be made. Terminal 2 displays the purchase price of each goods or service purchased by the user, along with the additional payment amount required to use the hometown tax donation system, in the purchase list display field 43.

[0033] Server 1 generates a purchase list based on the purchase information obtained by reading the receipt and displays it in the purchase list display area 43. First, Server 1 compares the name of each product or service purchased by the user with the names of each product or service registered in the product DB 141 to determine whether each product or service purchased by the user is eligible for the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) system. Depending on the determination result, Server 1 generates a purchase list that distinguishes between products or services that are eligible for the Furusato Nozei system and those that are not. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, Server 1 generates a purchase list that displays the additional payment amount for products or services that are eligible for the Furusato Nozei system and displays "Not Eligible" for products or services that are not eligible.

[0034] Server 1 identifies the payment amount required to utilize the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) system for each product or service purchased by the user, and generates a purchase list displaying that payment amount. Specifically, since the user has already paid the purchase price of the product or service, Server 1 identifies the payment amount as the difference between the predetermined donation amount (for example, the amount set by the local government) and the purchase price of the product or service. For example, since the ratio of the value of the return gift to the donation amount is stipulated to be 30% or less, if the price of a certain product is 300 yen, in order to receive this product as a return gift, a minimum donation of 300 x 10 / 3 = 1000 yen is required. In this case, Server 1 identifies (calculates) the payment amount as the difference of 700 yen, which is the donation amount of 1000 yen minus the purchase price of the product of 300 yen. A purchase list is generated that displays the difference of 700 yen, associated with the product name.

[0035] In this embodiment, the amount payable to the local government is the difference between the donation amount and the purchase price of the goods or services, but this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, Server 1 may accept a payment of the full donation amount to the local government and refund the user the purchase price of the goods or services. To explain according to the above example, the user may initially pay a donation of 1,000 yen and later receive a refund of 300 yen for the purchase price. In other words, Server 1 only needs to be able to accept payments for donations necessary for hometown tax donations, and its accounting methods are not particularly limited.

[0036] Furthermore, if donations involve fractional amounts such as 1 yen or 10 yen, it could complicate the accounting process for these donations at the local government level. For this reason, server 1, for example, may define a minimum donation unit of a predetermined number of digits (e.g., 100 yen units, 1000 yen units, etc.) and determine (calculate) the amount payable to the local government as an amount where the total amount including the purchase price of the goods or services is equal to or greater than the minimum donation amount and is an integer multiple of the minimum donation unit.

[0037] Terminal 2 displays individual selection tags 431 and all selection tags 432 at the top of the purchase list display area 43. If individual selection tag 431 is selected, terminal 2 displays checkboxes 433 in the purchase list display area 43, corresponding to each product or service. Terminal 2 accepts input to select products or services to be received as return gifts under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system by accepting operation input to the checkboxes 433. If all selection tag 432 is selected, terminal 2 selects all products or services that are eligible for the Furusato Nozei system.

[0038] The payment amount display field 44 is a display field that shows the total amount of donations (total tax payments) and the total amount of additional payments required to receive the goods or services selected in the purchase list display field 43 as a return gift. When goods or services to be received as a return gift are selected, Server 1 calculates the total amount of donations and the total amount of payments and displays them in the payment amount display field 44. Server 1 also calculates the amount obtained by subtracting the payment amount from the donation amount and displays "You saved XX yen" above the payment amount display field 44.

[0039] Server 1 accepts the payment to be made as a donation to the local government for the selected product or service by receiving the input of the payment button 45.

[0040] When Server 1 receives a donation payment from a user, it processes the transfer of the donation to the local government. For example, Server 1 refers to Store DB 143 to identify the address (location) of the store where the user purchased the goods or services, and then identifies the local government to which the donation should be sent from that address. For example, Server 1 displays the name of the identified local government on Terminal 2 and receives confirmation from the user regarding the recipient of the donation. Once confirmation is received from the user, Server 1 executes the process of transferring the donation to the identified local government.

[0041] Furthermore, for example, if Server 1 obtains (reads) the store name from a receipt (or invoice), it may input the store name as a search query into a predetermined map search engine (e.g., Google Maps®) to identify the store's address (location). By using a map search engine, the recipient of the donation can be appropriately identified.

[0042] Server 1 further notifies the local government official of payment information indicating that a donation has been made. The payment information includes the name, address, and donation amount of the user who made the donation. By notifying the local government of the payment information, the local government can appropriately issue a donation receipt certificate.

[0043] Based on the above, this embodiment allows for post-payment settlement of donations related to hometown tax donations. This enables users to exchange purchased goods or services for return gifts and receive tax deductions.

[0044] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure performed by Server 1. Based on Figure 5, the processing details performed by Server 1 will be explained. The control unit 11 of server 1 acquires purchase information regarding goods or services that the user has purchased (step S11). Specifically, the control unit 11 acquires purchase information from data read by OCR from a receipt issued by a store at the time of purchase of goods or services, or from POS data managed by the POS system of the store where the goods or services were purchased.

[0045] For example, terminal 2 reads the name of the product or service purchased by the user, the date and time of purchase, the store name, the purchase price, etc., from the image captured from the receipt. In this case, terminal 2 may also display an input screen for manually entering purchase information and accept manual input of data that could not be read from the receipt. The control unit 11 of server 1 acquires the various data read by terminal 2 as purchase information from terminal 2.

[0046] Furthermore, the control unit 11 obtains POS data from the store's POS system as purchase information, including the user ID of the user who purchased the product or service, the name of the product or service purchased by the user, the date and time of purchase, the store ID, the purchase price, etc.

[0047] Based on the acquired purchase information, the control unit 11 outputs and displays a purchase list on the terminal 2 showing a list of products or services that the user has purchased (step S12). For example, the control unit 11 determines whether each product or service purchased by the user is eligible for the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) system. For each product or service eligible for the Furusato Nozei system, the control unit 11 identifies the amount of payment required to receive the product or service as a return gift (for example, the difference between the predetermined donation amount for each product or service and the purchase price of the product or service). Then, as illustrated in Figure 4, the control unit 11 generates a purchase list that distinguishes between products or services eligible for the Furusato Nozei system (where additional tax payments are possible) and those that are not, and displays the payment amount for each product or service, and displays it on the terminal 2.

[0048] The control unit 11 receives input to select a product or service to be received as a return gift under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system from the displayed purchase list (step S13). The control unit 11 receives payment for the selected product or service to be paid to the local government (step S14).

[0049] The control unit 11 notifies the local government of payment information indicating that a donation has been received from the user (step S15). For example, the control unit 11 notifies the local government of payment information including the user's name, address, etc. The control unit 11 then completes the series of processes.

[0050] In this embodiment, the explanation was based on the assumption that a user purchases a return gift within a local government area, but this system may also be applied to an e-commerce (EC) site. That is, after a user purchases a product or service on an EC site, the system may accept the donation payment retroactively, allowing the user to receive the product or service as a return gift.

[0051] Based on the above, this embodiment 1 can support the use of the hometown tax donation system.

[0052] (Embodiment 2) Embodiment 1 describes a system in which goods or services that can be received as return gifts under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system are predefined in the product database 141, and a donation is made in order to receive a product or service registered in the product database 141 as a return gift. On the other hand, it is also possible to include all goods or services purchased at a store as eligible return gifts without defining which goods or services can be received as return gifts on the system side.

[0053] For example, when a user reads a receipt using terminal 2, server 1 accepts payment for the donation so that the user can receive all the goods or services listed on the receipt as a return gift, without presenting a purchase list (Figure 4) and allowing the user to select which goods or services to change to the return gift. For example, server 1 calculates the donation amount by multiplying the total purchase price of all goods or services listed on the receipt by a coefficient of 10 / 3 = 3.33... or greater. Note that this coefficient may be a different value for each local government or store. Server 1 identifies (calculates) the difference between the donation amount and the total purchase price of the goods or services as the payment amount to be paid to the local government. For example, if the total purchase price listed on the receipt is 3,000 yen, a minimum donation of 10,000 yen is required. In this case, server 1 identifies the difference of 7,000 yen as the payment amount. Server 1 accepts payment for the identified payment amount to be paid to the local government.

[0054] In this way, it is possible to accept donation payments without the system specifying (selecting) the goods or services to be changed to return gifts.

[0055] In this embodiment, it is sufficient to know at least the total purchase price of the goods or services purchased by the user, and there is no need to identify individual goods or services. Therefore, for example, donation payments can be accepted from data read from receipts rather than just sales slips. While receipts often do not include details of the purchased goods or services (names and prices of individual goods or services), they do include the total purchase price. By multiplying this total purchase price by a predetermined coefficient, the donation amount required to utilize the hometown tax donation system can be calculated.

[0056] Thus, Server 1 only needs to be able to identify the amount of payment required to use the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) system from purchase information about goods or services that the user has already purchased, and this "purchase information" only needs to include at least information that identifies the goods or services (for example, the name of the goods or services) or the purchase price of the goods or services.

[0057] Since this embodiment is the same as Embodiment 1 except for the points mentioned above, the flowchart and other detailed explanations are omitted in this embodiment.

[0058] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not in the sense described above, and all modifications within the sense and scope equivalent to the claims are intended.

[0059] The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with each other. Furthermore, the independent and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with each other in any combination, regardless of the form of reference. In addition, the claims use a form in which claims referencing two or more other claims (multi-claim form), but are not limited to this. A form in which multi-claims referencing at least one multi-claim (multi-multi-claim) may also be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0060] 1. Server (Information Processing Device) 11 Control Unit 12 Main memory 13 Communications Department 14 Auxiliary storage P Program 141 Product DB 142 UserDB 143 Store Database 144 Local government DB 2 terminals

Claims

1. We obtain purchase information regarding products or services that the user has purchased. Based on the aforementioned purchase information, the amount of payment required to receive the aforementioned purchased goods or services as a return gift under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system is identified. The payment system accepts settlements for the aforementioned payment amount to be paid to the local government. An information processing method in which a computer performs the processing.

2. The payment amount is determined by subtracting the purchase price of the product or service from the donation amount, which is set for each product or service or determined according to the purchase price of the product or service. The information processing method according to claim 1.

3. Based on the aforementioned purchase information, a purchase list showing a list of previously purchased goods or services is displayed on the display unit. The system accepts input from the aforementioned purchase list, allowing the user to select the product or service to be received as a return gift. We accept payment for the aforementioned payment amount for the selected goods or services. The information processing method according to claim 1.

4. The purchase list will be displayed, distinguishing between the aforementioned goods or services that are eligible for the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax donation) system and those that are not. The information processing method according to claim 3.

5. The data obtained by reading the receipt or invoice at the time of purchase of the aforementioned goods or services is acquired as the aforementioned purchase information. The information processing method according to claim 1.

6. The data obtained by reading the name of the store where the goods or services were purchased from the aforementioned receipt or invoice is acquired as the purchase information. Using the aforementioned store name, the store's location is identified using a map search engine. The system accepts payment of the aforementioned amount to the local government corresponding to the specified location. The information processing method according to claim 5.

7. The user obtains the purchase information from the POS (Point of Sales) system of the store where the product or service was purchased. The information processing method according to claim 1.

8. Upon receiving payment for the aforementioned amount, the payment information will be notified to the aforementioned local government. The information processing method according to claim 1.

9. We obtain purchase information regarding products or services that the user has purchased. Based on the aforementioned purchase information, the amount of payment required to receive the aforementioned purchased goods or services as a return gift under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system is identified. The payment system accepts settlements for the aforementioned payment amount to be paid to the local government. A program that instructs a computer to perform a process.

10. An information processing device comprising a control unit, The control unit, We obtain purchase information regarding products or services that the user has purchased. Based on the aforementioned purchase information, the amount of payment required to receive the aforementioned purchased goods or services as a return gift under the Furusato Nozei (hometown tax) system is identified. The payment system accepts settlements for the aforementioned payment amount to be paid to the local government. Information processing device.

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