Payment systems, payment servers, and payment methods

Abstract

To provide a payment system, payment method, and application program that can handle a variety of situations. [Solution] A payment server obtains store input information related to payment from the store payment terminal, and transmits payment information corresponding to the store input information and the tag ID received from the application program to the application program which is the source of the tag ID. The application program displays the payment information on the user terminal device and accepts the user's payment acceptance operation. The payment server processes differently based on the relationship between the timing of obtaining the tag ID from the application program and the timing of obtaining the store input information from the store payment terminal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a payment system, a payment server, and a payment method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there has been disclosed an invention of a payment system including an application program operating in a user terminal device having an NFC function and a payment server communicating with the application program. The application program stores, in the user terminal device, an NFC tag installed in a store and storing a tag ID capable of recognizing at least a part of the store, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs. When the tag ID is acquired by the NFC function, the application program causes the tag ID to be transmitted to the payment server. The payment server transmits payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program. The application program causes the user terminal device to display the payment information and to accept an operation of payment commitment by the user.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In an actual payment scenario, it is assumed that the identification of the user becomes suspicious due to the passage of time after information is input to the store payment terminal, or a user who is not a purchaser accidentally reads the tag ID. The conventional technology has not considered how to deal with such various events.

[0005] This invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide a payment system, payment method, and application program that can respond to various situations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program, wherein the application program causes the user terminal device to transmit the tag ID to the payment server when the tag ID is obtained by the NFC function from an NFC tag installed in a store and storing a tag ID capable of recognizing at least some of the store, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs; the payment server obtains store input information related to payment from the store payment terminal and transmits payment information corresponding to the store input information and the tag ID received from the application program to the application program, which was the source of the tag ID; the application program displays the payment information on the user terminal device and accepts a payment acceptance operation from the user; and the payment server processes differently based on the relationship between the timing of obtaining the tag ID from the application program and the timing of obtaining the store input information from the store payment terminal. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a payment system, a payment method, and an application program that can respond to various situations can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the basic forms of in-store electronic payment. [Figure 2]This diagram shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payments (terminal payments) using a payment app. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the contents of merchant / store information 174. [Figure 5] This diagram shows an overview of the processing flow when a user scan is performed. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an overview of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. [Figure 7] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payments (card payments) using payment cards. [Figure 8] This diagram schematically illustrates the process of in-store input-type NFC payment. [Figure 9] This is a sequence diagram illustrating an example of the processing flow for store-input type NFC payments. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the screen transitions in a payment application 20 when a store-input type NFC payment is performed. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow performed by the payment server 100 regarding NFC payments. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of the first scenario realized by the payment server 100. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of the second scenario realized by the payment server 100. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of the third scenario realized by the payment server 100. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] [overview] The following describes embodiments of the payment system, payment method, and application program according to the present invention, with reference to the drawings. The application program, payment server, and credit card server work together to provide electronic payment services. In the following description, the application program will be referred to as the payment app. The payment server and credit card server together may be referred to as the payment management system. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payment for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may include one provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when settling a purchase at the virtual store, the system is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, a merchant (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at the store is mainly carried out between the user and the merchant. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Types of in-store electronic payment methods] Figure 1 shows a basic configuration of in-store electronic payment. Basically, electronic payment is executed by three parties: a medium M held by the user U, store equipment E, and a payment system S. The medium M is a portable computer device such as a smartphone or a credit card. Store equipment E is located in a physical store (hereinafter simply referred to as "store") in the real world and includes POS devices, wireless communication devices, credit card readers, printed materials with code images such as QR codes (registered trademarks), or display devices that show code images. In in-store electronic payment, first, user identification information and payment amount information are shared unidirectionally or bidirectionally between the medium M and the store equipment E. During this process, one of the medium M or store equipment E optically reads various information from a code image displayed by the other, provides information via NFC (Near Field Communication), or reads the PAN (Primary Account Number) by a credit card reader. Then, one of the medium M or store equipment E (the one that received information from the other) transmits the payment information necessary for payment to the payment system S via the network NW. Furthermore, both the medium M and the store equipment E may transmit some information to the payment system S. The payment system S manages various information of the user U and performs electronic payments between the store and the user U in various ways. Electronic payments are made using either a prepaid system or a post-paid system, or both, or by other methods. In addition, electronic payments may also include forms of so-called online shopping, which are performed by both the user's terminal device and the payment system. The network NW includes, for example, the internet, LAN (Local Area Network), wireless base stations, and provider equipment. Various devices that communicate via the network NW, as described later, are assumed to have communication devices such as network cards and wireless communication modules.

[0011] [Configuration (Terminal Payment)] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for performing electronic payment (terminal payment) using a payment application. This electronic payment is executed centering around a payment application 20 operating on a user terminal device 10 which is one of the media M, one or more store payment terminals 30 which are one of the store facilities E, one or more store code images 40, and a payment server 100 which constitutes part of a payment system S. The payment server 100 communicates with the user terminal device 10, the store payment terminals 30, and one or more information terminals 50 via a network NW.

[0012] The user terminal device 10 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, for example. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input reception function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the configurations for realizing these functions are respectively referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as a CPU, and operates to provide an electronic payment service to the user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application distribution server (not shown), and controls the camera, the communication device, the touch panel, etc. of the user terminal device 10.

[0013] The store payment terminal 30 is installed in a store, for example. The store payment terminal 30 is a computer device (or an aggregate thereof) having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The store payment terminal 30 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the POS device may have a product price acquisition function and an optical reading function.

[0014] The store code image 40 is placed in the store, and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. Note that the store code image 40 may be displayed by a display placed in the store (which may be a display of a terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal).

[0015] The information terminal 50 is used by the operator of a franchise that oversees stores. In an electronic payment service, a customer as the provider of goods or services is treated as a franchise (brand), and there is one or more stores under its umbrella. There may be a franchise that operates only one store. The information terminal 50 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. The information terminal 50 operates a franchise interface 55. The franchise interface 55 may be a franchise application or a web page displayed by a general-purpose browser. The franchise interface 55 accepts settings of coupons by the operator of the franchise and transmits them to the payment server 100. The information terminal 50 may have a function of displaying a code image corresponding to the store code image 40 or reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the franchise interface 55 (in the latter case, an optical reading function is required).

[0016] The payment server 100 communicates with the credit card server 200 via the network NW. The payment server 100 has, for example, a content providing unit 110, an information management unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, and a storage unit 170. Components other than the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components are LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable The program may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as a Gate Array or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or by the collaboration of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance on a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored on a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed on the storage device when the storage medium is inserted into a drive device.

[0017] The storage unit 170 includes HDDs, flash memory, and RAM (Random Access). This includes memory, etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via the network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172 and merchant / store information 174. The storage unit 170 may also store tag ID mapping information 176. This will be explained in the [NFC payment] section.

[0018] The content provider unit 110, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The content provider unit 110 provides content to the user terminal device 10 in the form of a web page, or provides the user terminal device 10 with parameters necessary for the payment application 20 to render images.

[0019] The Information Management Department 120 edits, adds, and deletes user information 172 and merchant / store information 174, and manages these.

[0020] Figure 3 shows an example of the contents of User Information 172. User Information 172 is a collection of information such as User URL, Account ID, Phone Number, Password, Registration Date, Charge Balance, Electronic Money Type, Terminal Payment Method, Card Payment Method, Various History Information, Identity Verification Flag, Name, Address, Date of Birth, Email Address, Bank Account, Postpay Settings, and Postpay Conditions Information, all of which are linked to each other. Hereafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is linked may be referred to as an account. In the figure, items indicated by "-" indicate that they are not set.

[0021] The user URL is used for transferring funds between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100. The registration date is the date the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date the account was created). The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user beforehand by sending money to the account. Methods of transfer include depositing money into an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated company (bank) and transferring money from a registered bank account. The type of electronic money is information indicating, for example, whether the electronic money can be withdrawn or can only be used for electronic payments. The terminal payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make an electronic payment using the charge balance (balance payment) or a deferred payment in terminal payments. The card payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make an electronic payment using the charge balance (balance payment) or a deferred payment in card payments. Various types of transaction history information include charge history, which shows the history of users sending money to electronic payment services in advance to increase their balance, and payment history, which shows the details of each transaction made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0022] The "Verified" flag indicates whether the user has completed identity verification using an identification document. Post-payment becomes available only after identity verification is complete. In the diagram, the user with account ID "002" has not completed identity verification and therefore can only select balance payment as their terminal payment method. The bank account is the account number of a bank account into which funds can be deposited for the electronic payment service. The "Post-payment Settings" indicates whether the user has completed the necessary setup to enable post-payment. The "Post-payment Conditions" information shows various conditions for post-payment, such as the limit and the current month's usage amount.

[0023] Figure 4 shows an example of the contents of the merchant / store information 174. The merchant / store information 174 includes, for example, a first table 174A in which the merchant ID and store ID are associated with the store URL, a second table 174B in which the merchant name and sales amount (as described above) are associated with the merchant ID, and a third table 174C in which the store ID is associated with the store ID. In addition to this information, the merchant / store information 174 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, the store's location, and the payment pattern. As shown in the figure, the third table 174C may further include identification information (device ID) of the in-store payment terminal 30 for each store.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs various processes for electronic payment. There are two methods for terminal payment, which are described below: the first method (user scan) and the second method (store scan).

[0025] Figure 5 shows an overview of the processing flow when a user scan is performed. First, the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, reads and decodes the store code image 40 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 40 contains information about the store URL. The payment application 20 sends first payment information, including the store URL and the user's account ID, to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for merchant / store information 174 using the merchant ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, obtains the merchant name and store name information (S3), and sends it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the payment application 20 on the screen where the merchant name and store name are displayed (S5). Then, the payment application 20 generates second payment information, including at least the payment amount, and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6).

[0026] The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information if the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of the user is set to "balance payment" (S7-1). At this time, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by, for example, decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the merchant's sales proceeds. The item value of the merchant's sales proceeds is not used as electronic money itself, for example, but the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the merchant and the electronic payment service. On the other hand, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment", the payment processing unit 130 sends the first payment information and the second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S7-2). The credit card server 200 performs electronic payment by adding the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information and deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S7-3).

[0027] Then, the payment processing unit 130 sends a payment completion notification (information for displaying the payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 via the content provision unit 110 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). If the store code image 40 is displayed on a display placed in the store, the store code image 40 may include payment amount information as well as the store URL. In this case, the procedure for the user to enter the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Merchant name and store name information may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0028] Figure 6 shows an overview of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. First, when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, when it is time for an automatic update (for example, every minute), and at other times, the payment app 20 sends a request to the payment server 100 to issue a one-time code (S11). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or barcode that was generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the store payment terminal 30, and the store payment terminal 30 reads and decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). Then, the store payment terminal 30 generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). Payment amount information is obtained in advance through methods such as barcode scanning or manual entry.

[0029] The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information, and if the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of that user is set to "balance payment", it performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S17-1). The content of the processing at this time is the same as the processing in S7-1 in Figure 5. On the other hand, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment", the payment server 100 sends the first payment information and the second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S17-2). The credit card server 200 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information, and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S17-3).

[0030] Then, the payment processing unit 130 sends a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 via the content provision unit 110 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0031] Furthermore, electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" explained in Figure 2 may be other information that can be used as user identification information (for example, a phone number). In addition, the issuance of a one-time code may be omitted during store scanning, and the payment app 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 will identify the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0032] Furthermore, instead of managing the "post-payment" settlement through the credit card server 200, it may be handled internally by the payment server 100. In this case, the configuration of the payment card 60, credit card server 200, etc., may be omitted.

[0033] [Payment Method (Card Payment)] Figure 7 shows an example of a configuration for electronic payment (card payment) using a payment card. This electronic payment is executed around a payment card 60, which is one of the media Ms; a credit processing terminal 70, which is one of the store equipment Es; and a payment server 100 and a credit card server 200, which constitute part of the payment system S. The credit card server 200 communicates with the credit processing terminal 70 via a network NW.

[0034] The credit processing terminal 70 is installed in the store, similar to the store payment terminal 30. The credit processing terminal 70 includes, for example, a credit payment terminal (credit card reader) and a POS device. The credit payment terminal reads the PIN (Personal Identification Number) from the inserted or scanned credit card and verifies it against the PIN entered by the user, or transmits the PAN (Primary Account Number) read from the credit card to the credit card server 200 via the POS device. The POS device works with the credit payment terminal to transmit information such as the payment amount to the credit card server 200. An acquisitioner server may be interposed between the credit processing terminal 70 and the credit card server 200, but for the sake of simplicity, the description of the acquisitioner server will be omitted below. The payment card 60 is, for example, similar in form to a commonly used credit card, with a communication chip embedded in the card base material. The communication chip contains a storage medium that stores the PIN and communicates with an external device via a contactor (or wireless antenna). Alternatively, the payment card 60 may be a magnetic stripe card. Note that the information (messages) transmitted and received when using a credit card includes an authorization message for authentication and a sales message to indicate the payment amount; however, a detailed explanation distinguishing between these will be omitted below.

[0035] The credit card server 200 communicates with the settlement server 100 via a network NW. The credit card server 200 includes, for example, an information management unit 210, a credit interface 220, a settlement distribution unit 230, a credit settlement processing unit 240, and a storage unit 270. Components other than the storage unit 270 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted in a drive device. The storage unit 270 stores information such as card user information 272.

[0036] The information management unit 210 edits, adds, and deletes card user information 272 and manages it. Card user information 272 is information that associates, for example, information unique to the user (e.g., PAN), the card payment method, and the user's account ID (used by the payment server 100) with each other. The card payment method is setting information that indicates whether the user will make an electronic payment using their charged balance (balance payment) or a deferred payment in card payments.

[0037] The credit interface 220 determines whether the BIN (Bank Identification Number) in the PAN included in the message received from the credit processing terminal 70 is a code for the company. If it is a code for the company, it passes the message received from the credit processing terminal 70 to the settlement distribution unit 230. If it is not a code for the company, it discards the received message.

[0038] The settlement distribution unit 230 refers to the user's card user information 272 corresponding to the message obtained from the credit interface 220 and determines whether the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment". If the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment", the settlement distribution unit 230 notifies the credit interface 220 of this and passes the message obtained from the credit interface 220 to the credit payment processing unit 240. On the other hand, if the "card payment method" is set to "balance payment", the settlement distribution unit 230 adds the user's account ID to the message obtained from the credit interface 220 and sends it to the settlement server 100 to request electronic payment. The settlement server 100, upon receiving the request for electronic payment, performs the same processing as in S7-1 in Figure 5 and S17-1 in Figure 6.

[0039] The credit interface 220 checks the PAN and expiration date, and verifies whether the cumulative payment amount exceeds the monthly limit. The credit payment processing unit 240 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the information contained in the message obtained from the payment distribution unit 230, and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date.

[0040] [NFC payment] In addition to the terminal payment and card payment methods described above, the payment system can also perform NFC-based payments (hereinafter referred to as NFC payments). This will be explained below. The payment system may also be solely for NFC payments. NFC payments may have two methods: store input type and user input type, but this invention relates exclusively to the store input type.

[0041] (Store input type) Figure 8 schematically illustrates the process of in-store input type NFC payment. In in-store input type NFC payment, store clerk T inputs the payment amount into the in-store payment terminal 30, which is a POS device, by means of barcode scanning or manual input. The input information is transmitted to the payment server 100. Objects containing or with NFC tags 80 attached are placed around the POS device (alternatively, the NFC tags 80 may be attached to the in-store payment terminal 30). The NFC tag 80 is an independent NFC tag, not an internal function of the in-store payment terminal 30. The NFC tag 80 is, for example, a passive type tag that does not have its own power supply, and is configured to start up by receiving power from an external device and transmit information (tag ID) stored in its own memory. When a user holds an NFC-enabled user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80, the user terminal device 10 obtains the tag ID, and the payment application 20 causes the user terminal device 10 to send the tag ID to the payment server 100. The tag ID is information that can identify at least some of the store, the store payment terminal 30 (POS device) installed in the store, and the affiliated merchant to which the store belongs. The payment server 100 maps the tag ID to the store, the store payment terminal 30 installed in the store, or the affiliated merchant to which the store belongs. The payment server 100 selects the input information received from the store corresponding to the received tag ID and sends the payment information to the payment application 20 based on that input information. As a result, the payment application 20 can obtain payment information without directly communicating with the store payment terminal 30 and accept payment acceptance operations by the user (such as pressing the "Pay" button). This type of payment can be implemented even if the store payment terminal 30 does not support NFC. As a result, the convenience of electronic payments can be practically improved.

[0042] There are two possible methods for associating a tag ID with a store or affiliated merchant. (1) A method for rewriting the tag ID with any ID information assigned to the store, the store payment terminal 30, or the merchant, or corresponding information (edited, simplified, etc.). The ID information assigned to the store or merchant is, for example, the device ID of the store payment terminal 30 (POS device). The ID information may also be the login ID for the merchant interface 55, or the merchant ID or store ID shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, the ID information may include multiple of the above. In this case, at the start of operation, the ID information is rewritten on the NFC tag 80 using, for example, the information terminal 50. (2) The tag ID is arbitrary information (for example, the information at the time the NFC tag 80 was purchased), and the tag ID mapping information 176 manages the association between the tag ID and the store, the store payment terminal 30, or the merchant. In this case, the store or merchant reads the tag ID from the NFC tag 80 and registers it in the tag ID mapping information 176 of the payment server 100, for example, using the merchant interface 55. The tag ID mapping information 176 is information that associates the tag ID with some or all of the device ID, merchant ID, and store ID. When the tag ID is sent from the user terminal device 10, the payment server 100 uses the tag ID to search the tag ID mapping information 176 and identifies some or all of the merchant, store payment terminal 30, and store.

[0043] Figure 9 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing flow for store-input type NFC payment. Here, it is assumed that the association between the tag ID and the store or merchant has already been established. First, store input information is generated in the store terminal device 30 (S21). Store input information is information entered into the store terminal device 30 by barcode reading or manual input. The store payment terminal 30 transmits the store input information to the payment server 100 (S22). In parallel with this, when the user holds the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80, the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) obtains the tag ID (S23). Regarding the order of processing S21, S22 and S23, it may be limited to the order in which the store input information is generated before the user holds the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80, but as will be described later, it may also be permissible for the user to hold the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80 first and then for the store input information to be generated. Conversely, the process may be limited to the user first holding the user terminal device 10 over the NFC tag 80 before the store input information is generated.

[0044] Next, the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20) sends information including the tag ID to the payment server 100 (S24). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the store or merchant from the tag ID (S25) and sends payment information based on the input information and the identified store or merchant information to the payment application 20 (S26). The payment information includes at least the payment amount and store or merchant information, and may further include the payment date and time, points to be awarded, campaign information, etc. If the tag ID is information associated with a device ID in the tag ID mapping information 176 or includes a device ID, the store or merchant can be identified by referring to the third table 174C. The payment amount can also be obtained from the most recent unpaid input information of the store payment terminal 30 corresponding to the device ID, if the tag ID is information associated with a device ID in the tag ID mapping information 176 or includes a device ID. If the tag ID is not the information associated with the device ID in the tag ID mapping information 176 or does not include the device ID, the payment amount may be determined by the relationship between the input information and the time the tag ID was acquired, the location information and Wi-Fi connection information of the user terminal device 10, and other information. Thus, in the store input type, the tag ID may be information that can recognize the payment amount of the transaction for which electronic payment is to be made.

[0045] Upon receiving payment information, the payment application 20 accepts a payment acceptance operation (S27), and once the operation is performed, it sends a payment OK notification to the payment server 100 (S28). The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs the payment processing (S29). This payment processing may be performed according to the user's "terminal payment method" setting, similar to the processing in S7-1 to S7-3 in Figure 5, or the processing in S17-1 to S17-3 in Figure 6. Once the payment processing is complete, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 and the store payment terminal 30 and / or information terminal 50, respectively (S30, 31).

[0046] Figure 10 shows an example of the screen transitions of the payment application 20 when a store-input type NFC payment is performed. When the NFC tag 80 is detected while the NFC function of the user terminal device 10 is activated, screen IM1 is displayed. Screen IM1 is provided with a button B1 for accepting operations to proceed with the NFC payment. When button B1 is operated, screen IM2 is displayed. Depending on the type of OS (Operating System) of the user terminal device 10, the display of screen IM1 may be omitted, and screen IM2 will be displayed when the NFC tag 80 is detected while the NFC function of the user terminal device 10 is activated.

[0047] Screen IM2 includes area A1 where the payment amount is displayed. At this point, the processing up to S26 in Figure 9 is completed. Screen IM2 is provided with a button B2 for accepting the payment acceptance operation. When button B2 is operated, screen IM3 is displayed. This screen IM3 is the screen based on the payment completion notification at S30 in Figure 9. Screen IM3 is provided with a button B3 for transitioning to the full-function display of the payment app 20. When button B3 is operated, screen IM4 is displayed, which is the same payment completion notification screen as when terminal payment was performed as described above. Screen IM4 displays additional information such as points earned and campaign information.

[0048] In NFC payment, the number of operations required to complete the payment is, for example, one or two, as shown in Figure 10. In contrast, terminal payment requires at least three operations: launching the payment app 20, instructing the user to scan, and accepting the payment. Therefore, the number of operations required to complete NFC payment is less than that required for terminal payment, allowing users to complete the payment with fewer operations. As a result, user convenience can be improved.

[0049] The following describes the processing that responds to various events in NFC payments. As described below, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100, for example, performs different processing based on the relationship between the timing of obtaining the tag ID from the payment application 20 and the timing of obtaining store input information from the store payment terminal 30.

[0050] Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow performed by the payment server 100 for NFC payments. First, the payment server 100 determines whether or not it has acquired store input information from the store payment terminal 30 (S50). If store input information is acquired from the store payment terminal 30, the payment server 100 starts counting for the first validity period T1 (S51). The start of the count may be at the time the store input information is acquired, or at the time of the timestamp if the store input information has a timestamp indicating the time of input. Next, the payment server 100 determines whether or not the first validity period T1 has elapsed since the start of the count (S52). The first validity period T1 is, for example, a few seconds to a dozen seconds. If the first validity period T1 has elapsed since the start of the count, the payment server 100 resets the store input information and tag ID acquired at that time and terminates the processing of one routine in this flowchart. Then, processing resumes from S50. Similarly, if the flowchart states "The processing of one routine in this flowchart is completed," the store input information and tag ID will be reset and processing will resume.

[0051] In S52, if it is determined that the first validity period T1 has not elapsed, the payment server 100 determines whether or not it has obtained a tag ID from the payment application 20 (S53). If a tag ID has not been obtained, the process returns to S52. If a tag ID has been obtained, the payment server 100 sends payment information (see S25-S26 in Figure 9) to the payment application 20 (S54). Next, the payment server 10 determines whether or not it has obtained a payment cancellation notification from the payment application 20 (S55). If a payment cancellation notification has been obtained from the payment application 20, the process returns to S52. Here, in the process of S53 which is executed after the process returns to S52, the payment application 20 that sent the tag ID may be the same as or different from the payment application 20 that initially sent the tag ID. The latter scenario could involve a case where one user (for example, mistakenly) reads the tag ID with the payment app 20 and sends it to the payment server 100, and then another user reads the tag ID with the payment app 20 and sends it to the payment server 100, or a case where a user who owns multiple user terminal devices 10 reads the tag ID with the payment app 20 of the first user terminal device 10 and sends it to the payment server 100, and then reads the tag ID with the payment app 20 of another second user terminal device 10 and sends it to the payment server 100.

[0052] If the payment cancellation notification has not been received from the payment application 20, the payment server 100 determines whether the first validity period T1 has elapsed from the start of the count (S56). If the first validity period T1 has elapsed from the start of the count, the payment server 100 terminates the processing of one routine in this flowchart.

[0053] In S56, if it is determined that the first validity period T1 has not elapsed, the payment server 100 determines whether or not it has received a payment acceptance notification from the payment application 20 (S57). If a payment acceptance notification is received from the payment application 20, the payment server 100 performs the payment process (S58). This completes the processing of one routine in this flowchart.

[0054] On the other hand, if store input information has not been obtained in S50, the payment server 100 determines whether or not a tag ID has been obtained from the payment application 20 (S59). If a tag ID has not been obtained, the process returns to S50. If a tag ID has been obtained, the payment server 100 starts counting for the second validity period T2 (S60). The start of the count may be at the time the tag ID is obtained, or at the time of the timestamp if the tag ID has a timestamp indicating the time it was read. The second validity period T2 may be set to a shorter time than the first validity period T1, for example, a few seconds to a dozen seconds.

[0055] Next, the payment server 100 determines whether the second validity period T2 has elapsed since the start of the count (S61). If the second validity period T2 has elapsed since the start of the count, the payment server 100 terminates the processing of one routine in this flowchart. If the second validity period T2 has not elapsed since the start of the count, the payment server 100 determines whether the same tag ID was obtained from a payment application 20 other than the payment application 20 that sent the tag ID in S59 (S62). If a positive result is obtained in S62, the payment server 100 resets the count for the second validity period T2 and starts counting from zero (S60).

[0056] If a negative result is obtained in S62, the payment server 100 determines whether or not it has obtained store input information from the store payment terminal 30 (S63). If store input information has been obtained from the store payment terminal 30, the process returns to S51. If store input information has not been obtained from the store payment terminal 30, the process returns to S61.

[0057] The following describes the functions of the payment server 100, which are implemented based on the flowchart illustrated above. First, the payment server 100 starts counting the first validity period from the time it obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal 30, and when the first validity period has elapsed, it invalidates the payment related to the store input information (Yes at S52 in Figure 11).

[0058] Furthermore, since the payment server 100 resets the store input information and tag ID after processing the payment, it is possible to prevent cases where another payment application 20 is mistakenly allowed to make a payment. Figure 12 shows an example of the first scenario realized by the payment server 100. After the payment operation (operation to accept payment) is made in the first payment application 20-1, even if the second payment application 20-2 reads the tag ID and sends it to the payment server 100, the payment information is not sent to the second payment application 20-2. As a result, the screen for NFC payment is not displayed in the second payment application 20-2, and a different screen is displayed.

[0059] Furthermore, the payment server 100 obtains store input information from the store payment terminal 30, sends payment information to the first payment application 20-1 which is the source of the tag ID, and if the first payment application 20-1 receives a tag ID from the second payment application 20-2 before the first validity period expires, it sends payment information to the second payment application 20-2 (S54 in Figure 11 (processing for the second time and beyond)). However, if the payment server 100 obtains store input information from the store payment terminal 30, sends payment information to the first payment application 20-1 which is the source of the tag ID, and if the first payment application 20-1 receives a tag ID from the second payment application 20-2 after the first validity period has expired, it does not send payment information to the second payment application 20. Figure 13 shows an example of a second scenario realized by the payment server 100. If the first payment application 20-1 performs an operation that does not accept the payment, the first payment application 20-1 sends a payment cancellation notification to the payment server 100. Subsequently, if the second payment application 20-2 reads the tag ID and sends it to the payment server 100 within the first validity period after the store input information is entered, the payment server 100 sends the payment information to the second payment application 20-2. In response, the second payment application 20-2 displays a screen for NFC payment. Note that if the first payment application 20-1 is configured not to send a payment cancellation notification to the payment server 100, the payment server 100 may also send the payment information to the second payment application 20-2 if the second payment application 20-2 reads the tag ID and sends it to the payment server 100. Conversely, if the second payment application 20-2 reads the tag ID and sends it to the payment server 100 after the first validity period has elapsed since the store input information was entered, the payment server 100 will not send the payment information to the second payment application 20-2. As a result, the second payment application 20-2 will not display the screen for NFC payment, but will display a different screen.As mentioned above, the scenario shown in Figure 13 is one in which a user (for example, mistakenly) reads the tag ID with the first payment application 20-1 and sends it to the payment server 100, and then another user reads the tag ID with the second payment application 20-2 and sends it to the payment server 100, or a user who owns multiple user terminal devices 10 reads the tag ID with the payment application 20-1 of the first user terminal device 10-1 and sends it to the payment server 100, and then reads the tag ID with the payment application 20-2 of another second user terminal device 10-2 and sends it to the payment server 100. According to this embodiment, even in these cases, the payment can be made by the payment application 20 which is most likely to be the original payer, and the system can respond appropriately.

[0060] Furthermore, if the payment server 100 receives tag IDs from multiple application programs before acquiring store input information from the store payment terminal 30, it sends payment information to the application program that sent the last received tag ID, provided that the time from the timing of receiving the last received tag ID to the timing of acquiring the store input information is within the second validity period. Figure 14 shows an example of a third scenario realized by the payment server 100. Before the store input information is entered into the store payment terminal 30, the first payment application 20-1 reads the tag ID and sends it to the payment server 100, then the second payment application 20-2 reads the tag ID and sends it to the payment server 100, and if the store input information is acquired from the store terminal device 30 within the second validity period after the tag ID is acquired from the second payment application 20-2, the payment server 100 sends payment information to the second payment application 20-2 that sent the last tag ID. In response, the second payment application 20-2 displays a screen for NFC payment. The scenario shown in Figure 14 can also occur for the same reasons as explained in Figure 13. According to this embodiment, these phenomena can also be dealt with appropriately.

[0061] In the scenario shown in Figure 13, the payment server 100 obtains store input information from the store payment terminal 30 and sends payment information to the first payment application 20-1, which is the source of the tag ID. If the payment server 100 receives the tag ID again from the first payment application 20-1 before the first validity period expires, it may send the payment information to the first payment application 20-1 again. In this scenario, the first payment application 20-1 transitions to a state where it reads the tag ID when it receives an operation to reject the payment. In this case, the first payment application 20-1 may not send a payment cancellation notification to the payment server 100 when an operation to reject the payment is performed. Conversely, the first payment application 20-1 may send a payment cancellation notification to the payment server 100 when an operation to reject the payment is performed. In this case, the payment server 100 may use the receipt of the payment cancellation notification as a condition for sending payment information again (regardless of whether it is the same payment application 20 or not). This allows for smooth resumption of electronic payments, even if, for example, a user accidentally rejects a payment request.

[0062] Here, in order to allow users and store staff to confirm that the payment is within the second validity period, the store payment terminal 30 may be instructed to notify whether or not the payment is within the second validity period. For example, the payment server 100 may communicate with the store payment terminal 30 to display the remaining time of the second validity period on the display unit of the store payment terminal 30, or to light up a lamp on the store payment terminal 30 (for example, lit: within the second validity period, off: the second validity period has expired).

[0063] According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to realistically improve the convenience of electronic payments.

[0064] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0065] E. Store facilities M medium S Payment System 10. User terminal device 20 Payment Apps 30 Store Payment Terminals 40 Store Code Images 60 Payment Cards 70 Credit card processing terminal 80 NFC tags 100 Payment Servers 170 Storage section 176 Tag ID Mapping Information 200 credit card servers

Claims

1. A payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program, The application program is installed on the user terminal device. When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag that is installed in a store and stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server. The payment server obtains store input information related to payment from the store payment terminal, and transmits the store input information and payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program which is the source of the tag ID. The application program is installed on the user terminal device. The aforementioned payment information is displayed, and the user's payment acceptance operation is accepted. The payment server performs different processing based on the relationship between the timing at which it obtains the tag ID from the application program and the timing at which it obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal. Payment system.

2. The payment server starts counting the first validity period from the time it obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal, and when the first validity period has elapsed, it invalidates the payment related to the store input information. The payment system according to claim 1.

3. The payment server obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal, transmits the payment information to the first application program which is the source of the tag ID, and if the first application program receives the tag ID from the second application program after an operation to reject the payment has been received and before the first validity period has elapsed, transmits the payment information to the second application program. The payment system according to claim 2.

4. The payment server obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal, transmits the payment information to the first application program which is the source of the tag ID, and if it receives the tag ID again from the first application program before the first validity period expires, it transmits the payment information to the first application program again. The payment system according to claim 2.

5. The payment server obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal, transmits the payment information to the first application program which is the source of the tag ID, and if the first application program receives the tag ID from the second application program after an operation to reject the payment has been received and the first validity period has elapsed, it does not transmit the payment information to the second application program. The payment system according to claim 3.

6. If the payment server receives the tag ID from multiple application programs before acquiring the store input information from the store payment terminal, it shall transmit the payment information to the application program that sent the last received tag ID, provided that the time from the time of receiving the last received tag ID to the time of acquiring the store input information is within the second validity period. The payment system according to claim 2.

7. The second validity period is shorter than the first validity period. The payment system according to claim 6.

8. The aforementioned NFC tag is an independent NFC tag that is not an internal function of the store payment terminal. A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The aforementioned payment system is capable of performing payments by reading information from a code image installed in the store, in addition to payments using the NFC function. In the aforementioned application program, The number of operations required to complete the payment when the tag ID is obtained by the NFC function is less than the number of operations required to perform a payment using the code image after manually starting the application program. A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

10. The aforementioned tag ID is ID information that has been previously assigned to at least some of the stores, the store payment terminals installed in the stores, and the affiliated merchants to which the stores belong. A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. The aforementioned tag ID is arbitrary ID information, The payment server manages the association between the store, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and at least some of the affiliated merchants to which the store belongs, using a storage unit. A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

12. A payment server that constitutes a payment system by communicating with an application program running on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, From the aforementioned application program, The NFC function retrieves the tag ID from an NFC tag that is installed in a store and stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs. The system acquires store input information related to payment from the store payment terminal, and transmits the store input information and payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program which is the source of the tag ID, causing the application program to display the payment information and to accept the user's payment acceptance operation. The processing is made different based on the relationship between the timing at which the tag ID is obtained from the application program and the timing at which the store input information is obtained from the store payment terminal. Payment server.

13. In a payment system comprising an application program that operates on a user terminal device having NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, and a payment server that communicates with the application program, The application program is installed on the user terminal device. When the NFC function obtains the tag ID from an NFC tag that is installed in a store and stores a tag ID that can recognize at least some of the stores, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated stores to which the store belongs, the tag ID is transmitted to the payment server. The payment server obtains store input information related to payment from the store payment terminal, and transmits the store input information and payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program which is the source of the tag ID. The application program is installed on the user terminal device. The aforementioned payment information is displayed, and the user's payment acceptance operation is accepted. The payment server performs different processing based on the relationship between the timing at which it obtains the tag ID from the application program and the timing at which it obtains the store input information from the store payment terminal. Payment methods.

14. A payment server, which constitutes a payment system by communicating with an application program running on a user terminal device equipped with NFC (Near Field Communication) functionality, From the aforementioned application program, the NFC function retrieves the tag ID from an NFC tag installed in a store, which stores a tag ID capable of recognizing at least some of the store, the store payment terminal installed in the store, and the affiliated merchants to which the store belongs. The system obtains store input information related to payment from the store payment terminal, and transmits the store input information and payment information corresponding to the tag ID received from the application program to the application program that is the source of the tag ID. The application program is made to display the payment information and to accept the user's payment acceptance operation. The processing is made different based on the relationship between the timing at which the tag ID is obtained from the application program and the timing at which the store input information is obtained from the store payment terminal. Payment methods.

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