Server, gifting method, user terminal, and program

Abstract

The goal is to provide gifting technology that allows users to choose where to donate. [Solution] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to a server comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires embedded information encoded in a mark image attached to a product from a user terminal; a screen generation unit that transmits a gifting selection screen to the user terminal, allowing the user to select a recipient from a plurality of recipient candidates based on the embedded information; and a donation processing unit that executes a donation process for making a donation related to the product to the recipient selected on the gifting selection screen.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a server, a gifting method, a user terminal, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Recently, activities such as crowdfunding and fan activities where people support and assist individuals, companies, projects, etc. have been spreading. Through such crowdfunding and fan activities, people can have a sense of connection with people, things, and society through emotional value (support and assistance).

[0003] A gifting mechanism has been proposed to enable users to easily perform such support and assistance by operating a user terminal via a network.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, with such existing gifting mechanisms, users could only support and assist specific predetermined recipients.

[0006] In view of the above problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a gifting technology that enables users to select a recipient.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] One aspect of this disclosure relates to a server comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires embedded information encoded in a mark image attached to a product from a user terminal; a screen generation unit that transmits a gifting selection screen to the user terminal, allowing the user to select a recipient from a plurality of candidate recipients based on the embedded information; and a donation processing unit that executes a donation process for making a donation related to the product to the recipient selected on the gifting selection screen. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide gifting technology that allows users to choose where to donate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a gifting process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a user terminal and a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a user terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a packaging material with a marked image according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a selection screen according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a selection screen according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing a gifting process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0011] In the following embodiment, a server and a user terminal that implement gifting processing are disclosed.

[0012] [overview] First, a gifting process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a gifting process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] In the example shown in Figure 1, the user terminal 50 uses its camera function in step S1 to capture and acquire a mark image, such as a QR code (registered trademark), printed on the packaging of product X purchased by the user. Typically, the mark image printed on the packaging of product X may be a common image for products of the same type, or it may be a different image for each product.

[0014] In step S2, the user terminal 50 extracts the embedded information encoded in the acquired mark image and connects to the server 100 according to the extracted embedded information. For example, the embedded information extracted from the mark image may include the access destination to the server 100 and any additional information (e.g., identification information of product X), similar to the embedded information in existing QR codes. Alternatively, the user terminal 50 may transmit the embedded information to the server 100 along with the identification information of the user terminal 50.

[0015] In step S3, the server 100 generates a gifting selection screen based on the embedded information received from the user terminal 50, allowing the user to select a recipient from a list of multiple recipient candidates, and transmits the generated gifting selection screen to the user terminal 50. Typically, the gifting selection screen may be generated to include recipient candidates corresponding to the product type, and may be configured so that the user can select from multiple recipient candidates #1, #2, ..., #N as shown in Figure 1. In the illustrated example, the user selects recipient #i on the gifting selection screen. Although only one recipient is selected in the illustrated example, this disclosure is not limited to this, and it may be possible to select multiple recipients.

[0016] In step S4, the user terminal 50 notifies the server 100 of the donation destination selected by the user. According to the illustrated example, the user terminal 50 notifies the server 100 of the donation destination #i.

[0017] In step S5, the server 100 executes a donation process for the donation destination selected by the user. For example, the server 100 may deposit a part of the sales amount or purchase amount for product X into an account such as the bank account of the donation destination #i selected by the user. Specifically, the server 100 may obtain a part of the sales amount or purchase amount for product X from the manufacturer of product X as funds for donation, and transfer funds corresponding to the donation amount to the donation destination #i from the obtained funds.

[0018] Note that the donation process is not necessarily limited to the above-described one, and may be realized by any other method. For example, the server 100 records information indicating that a donation has been made to the account of the donation destination selected by the user, and thereafter, for the aggregation of donations and the transfer of money, a third party may separately make a claim to the manufacturer and make a payment to the donation destination. As a result, it becomes unnecessary to perform a fund settlement process every time the donation process is executed, and it is possible to avoid the complication of transaction processing, which can contribute to an improvement in the processing speed. In addition, it becomes possible to operate the server 100 and the settlement system independently, and the degree of freedom of combination can be improved.

[0019] According to the above-described gifting process, the user can, for example, use the user terminal 50 to specify a desired donation destination from a plurality of donation destination candidates associated with the purchased product via a mark image attached to the product, and provide a part of the sales amount or purchase amount of the product from the manufacturer, seller, etc. of the product to the specified donation destination.

[0020] Here, the user terminal 50 and the server 100 may have a hardware configuration such as that shown in Figure 2. That is, the user terminal 50 and the server 100 each have a drive device 101, a storage device 102, a memory device 103, a processor 104, a user interface (UI) device 105, and a communication device 106, which are interconnected via bus B.

[0021] Programs or instructions that implement various functions and processes in the user terminal 50 and server 100 may be stored on a removable storage medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory) or flash memory. When the storage medium is set in the drive device 101, the programs or instructions are installed from the storage medium to the storage device 102 or memory device 103 via the drive device 101. However, the programs or instructions do not necessarily have to be installed from the storage medium; they may also be downloaded from any external device via a network or the like.

[0022] The storage device 102 is implemented by a hard disk drive or the like, and stores files, data, etc., used to execute the installed program or instructions, along with the installed program or instructions.

[0023] The memory device 103 is implemented using random access memory, static memory, etc., and when a program or instruction is activated, it reads the program or instruction, data, etc. from the storage device 102 and stores it. The storage device 102, the memory device 103, and the removable storage medium may be collectively referred to as a non-transitory storage medium.

[0024] The processor 104 may be implemented by one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), processing circuits, etc., which may consist of one or more processor cores, and executes various functions and processes of the user terminal 50 and the server 100 according to data such as programs, instructions, and parameters necessary to execute said programs or instructions stored in the memory device 103.

[0025] The user interface (UI) device 105 may consist of input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, camera, and microphone, output devices such as a display, speaker, headset, and printer, and input / output devices such as a touch panel, and realizes an interface between the user and the user terminal 50 and the server 100. For example, the user operates the user terminal 50 and the server 100 by operating a GUI (Graphical User Interface) displayed on the display or touch panel with a keyboard, mouse, etc.

[0026] The communication device 106 is implemented by various communication circuits that perform wired and / or wireless communication processing with external devices, the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), cellular networks, and other communication networks.

[0027] However, the hardware configuration described above is merely an example, and the user terminal 50 and server 100 according to this disclosure may be implemented by any other suitable hardware configuration.

[0028] [User terminal] Next, a user terminal 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a user terminal 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3, the user terminal 50 has an image acquisition unit 51, an information extraction unit 52, a screen acquisition unit 53, and a notification unit 54. Each of the functions of the image acquisition unit 51, the information extraction unit 52, the screen acquisition unit 53, and the notification unit 54 can be realized by the processor 104 of the user terminal 50 executing a program stored in the memory device 103.

[0029] The image acquisition unit 51 acquires a mark image attached to the product. Specifically, when a user purchases product A as shown in Figure 4 and captures a QR code printed on the packaging of product A using the camera function of the user terminal 50, the image acquisition unit 51 acquires the captured QR code as image data. Here, the mark image can typically be a QR code printed on the packaging of the product as shown, but the mark image according to this disclosure is not necessarily limited to this and may be any other appropriate image. The image acquisition unit 51 provides the acquired mark image to the information extraction unit 52.

[0030] The information extraction unit 52 extracts embedded information encoded in the mark image. Specifically, if the mark image is a QR code, the information extraction unit 52 extracts embedded information encoded in the QR code, for example, by using any known QR code processing tool. The embedded information here may include, for example, the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the website associated with the product to which the mark image is attached, and / or additional information. The information extraction unit 52 provides the extracted embedded information to the screen acquisition unit 53.

[0031] The screen acquisition unit 53 accesses the server 100 according to the embedded information and acquires a gifting selection screen from the server 100 that allows the user to select a recipient from multiple candidate recipients. At this time, the screen acquisition unit 53 may also send information about the user and / or the user terminal 50 to the server 100.

[0032] For example, when the screen acquisition unit 53 accesses the URL of the link indicated in the embedded information, it receives a gifting selection screen from the server 100 as shown in Figure 5, and displays the received gifting selection screen to the user. The gifting selection screen shown in Figure 5 presents the user on the user terminal 50 with four donation recipient options: "○○ Zoo," "△△ Aquarium," "□□ Foundation," and "×× Project," and allows the user to select a donation recipient to whom a portion of the sales proceeds of product A will be donated.

[0033] Here, the multiple potential recipient organizations associated with a product may typically be related to the product itself and may be designated by the product's manufacturer, distributor, etc. For example, if product A is pet supplies, potential recipient organizations related to animals may be suggested; if product A is bottled water, potential recipient organizations related to plastic bottle recycling, waste collection, or marine pollution control may be suggested.

[0034] Furthermore, potential recipients for donations may be displayed based on the user's past donation history. For example, recipients to which the user has donated frequently in the past may be displayed preferentially, or recipients to which the user has donated less frequently may be displayed preferentially. In addition, the user's past donation history may be displayed to the user along with the potential recipients. This makes it possible to display potential recipients that are tailored to the user's preferences based on the user's past donation history. For example, such a user's donation history may be stored in the server 100, or it may be stored in an external device that is connected to the server 100 and made available to the server 100.

[0035] Alternatively, the potential recipients may be displayed based on the amount of the donation. For example, the potential recipients may be displayed in descending or ascending order of the current donation amount for each recipient. Alternatively, the potential recipients may be displayed according to any indicator, such as the percentage of the donation amount achieved relative to the target amount. This makes it possible to display potential recipients according to the amount of the donation and allow the user to select one. For example, such donation amount information may be stored in the server 100, or it may be stored in an external device that is connected to the server 100 and made available to the server 100.

[0036] However, the potential recipients of the donations under this disclosure are not necessarily limited to those listed here and may be selected by any other means.

[0037] The notification unit 54 notifies the server 100 of the donation recipient selected on the gifting selection screen. Specifically, the notification unit 54 notifies the server 100 of the donation recipient selected by the user on the gifting selection screen displayed on the user terminal 50. For example, on the gifting selection screen shown in Figure 5, if the user selects "XX Project" as the donation recipient from the four donation recipient candidates, the gifting selection screen will show "XX Project" as selected, as shown in Figure 6, and the "Send" button will become available. When the user presses the "Send" button, the notification unit 54 notifies the server 100 that "XX Project" has been selected as the donation recipient.

[0038] In the illustrated example, only one donation recipient is selected, but this disclosure is not necessarily limited to this, and for example, multiple donation recipients may be available for the user to select. Also, although the embedded information in the above embodiment is encoded in a mark image, the embedded information in this disclosure is not necessarily limited to this, and for example, it may be stored in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag attached to the product. In this case, the information extraction unit 52 may read the RFID tag attached to the product and extract the embedded information from the RFID tag.

[0039] According to the user terminal 50 described above, a user can make a donation to a charity they wish to support simply by taking a picture of the mark attached to the product and selecting their desired charity from several potential charitys associated with that product.

[0040] [server] Next, a server 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a server 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the server 100 has an information acquisition unit 110, a screen generation unit 120, and a donation processing unit 130. Each of the functional units of the information acquisition unit 110, the screen generation unit 120, and the donation processing unit 130 can be realized by the processor 104 of the server 100 executing a program stored in the memory device 103.

[0041] The information acquisition unit 110 acquires embedded information embedded in the mark image attached to the product from the user terminal 50. Specifically, when a user who has purchased a product takes a picture of a mark image such as a QR code printed on the product's packaging, and connects to the server 100 according to the embedded information encoded in the captured mark image, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires the product identification information and / or access information to the website prepared for the product, which are encoded in the embedded information.

[0042] The screen generation unit 120 transmits a gifting selection screen to the user terminal 50 that allows the user to select a donation recipient from a list of multiple candidate recipients based on the embedded information. Based on the embedded information obtained from the user terminal 50, the screen generation unit 120 identifies the product purchased by the user, presents a list of pre-configured donation recipient candidates for that product, and generates a gifting selection screen that allows the user to select their desired donation recipient from these multiple candidate recipients.

[0043] Here, the multiple pre-configured donation recipient candidates for a product are selected in advance by, for example, the manufacturer or distributor of the product. When the screen generation unit 120 obtains embedded information such as the product's identification information, it identifies the multiple pre-configured donation recipient candidates for the product, generates a gifting selection screen that allows the user to select a desired donation recipient from these candidates, and transmits the gifting selection screen to the user terminal 50.

[0044] For example, such a gifting selection screen may be a screen like the one shown in Figure 5. In the illustrated example, four potential recipients for product A are pre-set: "○○ Zoo," "△△ Aquarium," "□□ Foundation," and "×× Project." The screen generation unit 120 generates a gifting selection screen that allows the user to select a recipient from these four candidates.

[0045] Here, the pre-configured recipient candidates for a product may be, for example, individuals, corporations, organizations, or projects related to the product, its manufacturer, distributor, manufacturing location, sales location, etc., or they may not be. For example, the recipient candidates may be all or some of the recipient candidates registered on the gifting platform operating server 100 (for example, a predetermined number of recipients with large donation amounts or numbers of donations).

[0046] The screen generation unit 120 transmits the gifting selection screen generated in this manner to the user terminal 50.

[0047] The donation processing unit 130 executes a donation process to make a donation related to the product to the recipient selected on the gifting selection screen. Specifically, when the donation processing unit 130 receives notification from the user terminal 50 that the recipient has selected a recipient, it may, for example, donate a portion of the sales or purchase price of the product (for example, a few percent of the unit price of the product) to the selected recipient.

[0048] Specifically, when the donation processing unit 130 receives notification of a donation recipient selected by the user, it stores that a donation has been made to that recipient. The donation processing unit 130 may then calculate the total number of donations to each recipient within a predetermined period, report the total number of donations to each recipient to the manufacturer or distributor who is the entity responsible for the donation of the product, and distribute the funds received from the manufacturer or distributor to each recipient.

[0049] Please note that donations here are not necessarily limited to monetary contributions; they may also include tangible items such as goods, or intangible items such as information.

[0050] To prevent a single user from performing multiple gifting operations for the same product they purchased, a user may be limited to performing a gifting operation only once per product. For this purpose, the information acquisition unit 110 acquires and registers the user terminal 50 or identification information that identifies the user, enabling it to determine whether it is the first gifting operation or a subsequent one. When the system receives an access request from a user for gifting, the screen generation unit 120 determines whether the user's identification information acquired at the time of the access has already been registered. If the identification information has already been registered, the system may send a screen indicating that a donation has already been made to the user terminal 50 to notify the user that further donations cannot be accepted.

[0051] According to the server 100 described above, users can make donations to organizations they wish to support simply by taking a picture of the mark attached to a product and selecting their desired recipient from several potential recipients associated with that product.

[0052] [Gifting process] Next, a gifting process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. This gifting process can be implemented by a user terminal 50 and a server 100, more specifically by the processors 104 of the user terminal 50 and the server 100 executing a program stored in a memory device 103. Figure 8 is a sequence diagram showing a gifting process according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] As shown in Figure 8, in step S101, the user terminal 50 captures an image of the mark attached to the product. Specifically, the user operates the user terminal 50 to capture an image of the QR code printed on the packaging of the purchased product and obtains a QR code image.

[0054] In step S102, the user terminal 50 extracts embedded information from the mark image. Specifically, the user terminal 50 uses any known QR code processing tool to extract embedded information, including the destination URL and additional information encoded in the QR code.

[0055] In step S103, the user terminal 50 accesses the server 100 according to the embedded information. Specifically, the user terminal 50 accesses the destination URL in the embedded information extracted from the QR code.

[0056] In step S104, the server 100 generates a gifting selection screen based on the embedded information. Specifically, the server 100 identifies products with QR codes based on the identification information contained in the embedded information obtained from the user terminal 50, and determines pre-configured donation recipient candidates for the identified products. The server 100 then generates a gifting selection screen to allow the user to select a donation recipient from the determined donation recipient candidates.

[0057] In step S105, the server 100 sends the generated gifting selection screen to the user terminal 50.

[0058] In step S106, the user terminal 50 accepts the donation to a recipient selected by the user from among multiple recipient candidates on the gifting selection screen.

[0059] In step S107, the user terminal 50 notifies the server 100 of the selected donation recipient.

[0060] In step S108, the server 100 executes the donation process for the notified recipient. Specifically, the server 100 reports to the donating entity, such as the manufacturer or distributor of the product, that it has received a donation request from the user for the notified recipient, and provides the funds provided by the donating entity to the recipient.

[0061] According to the gifting process described above, users can make donations to organizations they wish to support simply by taking a picture of the mark attached to a product and selecting their desired recipient from several potential recipients associated with that product.

[0062] Although embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, this disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of this disclosure as described in the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0063] 50 User Terminals 51 Image acquisition unit 52 Information extraction part 53 Screen acquisition section 54 Notification Department 100 servers 110 Information Acquisition Department 120 Screen generation section 130 Donation Processing Department

Claims

1. An information acquisition unit that obtains embedded information encoded in the mark image attached to the product from the user terminal, A screen generation unit sends a gifting selection screen to the user terminal that allows the user to select a recipient from a number of potential recipients based on the embedded information, A donation processing unit that executes a donation process to make a donation related to the product to the recipient selected on the gifting selection screen, A server that has [something].

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the donation related to the said product is to donate a portion of the sales or purchase price of the said product to the selected donation recipient.

3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the mark image is printed on the packaging material of the product.

4. The information acquisition unit acquires and registers identification information that identifies the user terminal or user. The server according to claim 1, wherein the screen generation unit determines whether the acquired identification information has already been registered, and if the acquired identifier has already been registered, it sends a screen to the user terminal indicating that a donation has been made.

5. Obtaining embedded information encoded in the mark image attached to the product from the user's terminal, Based on the embedded information, a gifting selection screen is sent to the user terminal, allowing the user to select a recipient from a list of potential recipients. The process of making a donation for the aforementioned product to the recipient selected on the gifting selection screen is performed. A gifting method that is performed by a computer.

6. An image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a mark attached to a product, An information extraction unit that extracts embedded information encoded in the aforementioned mark image, A screen acquisition unit accesses the server according to the embedded information and obtains a gifting selection screen from the server that allows the user to select a recipient from multiple candidate recipients. A notification unit that notifies the server of the recipient of the donation selected in the gifting selection screen, A user terminal having the following features.

7. Obtaining the image of the mark attached to the product, Extracting the embedded information encoded in the aforementioned mark image, The system accesses the server according to the embedded information and retrieves a gifting selection screen from the server that allows the user to select a recipient from multiple potential recipients. The recipient of the donation selected on the gifting selection screen is notified to the server, A program that causes a computer to execute something.

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