Sales control device, payment system, program, sales control method

Abstract

This prevents situations where the payment cannot be processed correctly. [Solution] A sales control device provided on a supplying device, comprising: a product information transmission unit that transmits information about the items to be provided by the supplying device to the user terminal when the user terminal reads the near-field wireless communication identification information from the wireless tag which is attached to the supplying device and stores near-field wireless communication identification information that identifies the near-field wireless communication unit, and when the user terminal receives a communication request using the near-field wireless communication identification information; a payment completion notification receiving unit that receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal indicating that the payment processing for purchasing the items to be provided has been completed between the user terminal and the payment server after the user terminal has received the information about the items to be provided; and a permission notification transmission unit that transmits a permission notification to the supplying device in response to the receipt of the payment completion notification, granting permission to provide the items to be provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sales control device, a payment system, a program, and a sales control method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when purchasing a product, in addition to paying in cash, there is a payment system that enables electronic payment. Such a payment system may be used in a product sales device that sells products. For example, in Patent Document 1, a two-dimensional barcode is attached to an article supply device that houses an article, and the user's terminal device reads the two-dimensional barcode to identify the payment amount and perform payment, thereby providing the article.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when using a two-dimensional barcode, if another two-dimensional barcode is attached by a third party, there is a possibility of connecting to a server other than the payment server assumed by the user, and in that case, correct payment cannot be made. Then, the user cannot purchase the product.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a sales control device, a payment system, a program, and a sales control method capable of avoiding the situation where correct payment cannot be made.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems, one aspect of the present invention is a sales control device provided in a supplying device, comprising: a short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with a user terminal by short-range wireless communication; a product information transmission unit that transmits information about a product or service to be provided by the supplying device to the user terminal when the user terminal reads the short-range wireless communication identification information from the wireless tag attached to the supplying device which stores short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies the short-range wireless communication unit, and when the user terminal receives a communication request from the user terminal using the short-range wireless communication identification information; a payment completion notification receiving unit that receives the information about the product or service to be provided by the supplying device and receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal indicating that the payment processing for purchasing the product or service to be provided by the product or service to be provided by the supplying device; and a permission notification transmission unit that transmits a permission notification to the supplying device in response to receiving the payment completion notification.

[0007] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a payment system having a sales control device provided in a supplying device and a wireless tag attached to the supplying device, wherein the sales control device includes a short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with a user terminal by short-range wireless communication, a product information transmission unit that transmits information about the product or service to be provided by the supplying device to the user terminal when the user terminal reads the short-range wireless communication identification information from the wireless tag which is attached to the supplying device and stores short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies the short-range wireless communication unit, and the user terminal The payment system includes: a payment completion notification receiving unit that receives the information to be provided by the user terminal and receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal indicating that the payment process for purchasing the items to be provided indicated by the information to be provided has been completed between the user terminal and the payment server; and a permission notification transmitting unit that transmits a permission notification to the providing device in response to receiving the payment completion notification, wherein the wireless tag stores near-field wireless communication identification information that identifies the near-field wireless communication unit provided on the providing device to which the wireless tag is attached, and transmits the near-field wireless communication identification information to the user terminal by contactless communication based on a request from the user terminal.

[0008] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a program executed by a user terminal, which includes: performing contactless communication with a wireless tag attached to a supplying device to obtain short-range wireless communication identification information assigned to a sales control device provided on the supplying device from the wireless tag; using the obtained short-range wireless communication identification information to perform short-range wireless communication with the sales control device to obtain information about the product or service to be provided by the supplying device; performing a settlement process with a settlement server based on the amount of the product or service included in the obtained information about the product or service; receiving a settlement completion notification from the settlement server upon completion of the settlement process; and transmitting the received settlement completion notification to the sales control device.

[0009] Furthermore, one aspect of the present invention is a sales control method in which a computer, which is a sales control device provided in a providing device, receives a communication request from the user terminal using the short-range wireless communication identification information from a wireless tag attached to the providing device which stores short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies a short-range wireless communication unit provided in the sales control device, transmits information about the provided item, which is the product or service to be provided by the providing device, to the user terminal, receives the information about the provided item, receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal indicating that the payment process for purchasing the provided item indicated by the provided item has been completed between the user terminal and the payment server, and transmits a permission notification to the providing device in response to receiving the payment completion notification. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As explained above, this invention makes it possible to avoid situations where correct payment cannot be made. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a payment system S according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of payment data stored in the memory unit 62. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the payment system S when the sales device 1 is a product sales device. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the payment system S when the sales device 1 is a product sales device. [Figure 5] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the payment system S when the sales device 1 is a service provision device. [Figure 6]This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the payment system S when the sales device 1 is a service provision device. [Figure 7] This is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the payment system SA in the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] A payment system S according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. ≪First Embodiment≫ Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of a payment system S according to one embodiment of the present invention. The payment system S includes a sales device 1, an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag 2, a sales control device 3, a user terminal 4, a payment server 5, a sales management server 6, and a sales manager terminal 7. The sales device 1 is a device that provides services or goods to a user in accordance with the fee paid by the user, and is installed in the store. The sales device 1 may be, for example, a game machine, a capsule toy vending machine, an automatic vending machine, an automatic ticket vending machine, a coin locker payment machine, or a bicycle parking or car parking payment machine. In this embodiment, the case where there is one sales device 1 is described, but a store may be equipped with multiple sales devices 1.

[0013] The sales device 1 has a control unit 11 and a locking unit 12. The control unit 11 controls each part of the sales device 1. The control unit 11 is also electrically connected to the control unit 32 of the sales control device 3 (described later) via a communication line, enabling communication. The communication line connecting the control unit 11 and the control unit 32 is wired, but it may also be connected wirelessly to enable communication. The locking unit 12 switches the vending machine 1 to either a locked state or an unlocked state based on instructions from the control unit 11. The locked state is a state in which the provision of goods or services from the vending machine 1 is stopped, and the unlocked state is a state in which goods or services can be provided from the vending machine 1.

[0014] The store is a store (facility) where the vending device 1 is installed. The store may be, for example, a game center, a retail store, each station of a transportation facility, or a bicycle parking lot or a parking lot. The store is not limited to a building for the purpose of selling goods or providing services, and any facility that can at least sell goods or provide services is acceptable. For example, it may be a facility such as a complex commercial facility or a theme park that houses multiple stores.

[0015] The NFC tag 2 is attached to the vending device 1. When a plurality of vending devices 1 are provided in one store, one NFC tag 2 is provided for each different vending device 1. The NFC tag 2 may be attached to the vending device 1 with an adhesive. Also, the NFC tag 2 may be incorporated into the housing of the vending device 1, and a mark or the like indicating a position for bringing the user terminal 4 close so that a communicable position can be grasped from the outside may be shown on the outer peripheral surface of the vending device 1. Also, if the correspondence relationship with the vending device 1 can be grasped, the NFC tag 2 may be attached to the sales control device 3 attached to the vending device 1 and thus be attached to the vending device 1.

[0016] The NFC tag 2 stores a tag ID for individually identifying the NFC tag 2 and short-range wireless communication identification information (hereinafter sometimes referred to as BLE-ID) which is identification information assigned to the BLE module 31 described later. The BLE-ID may be incorporated as part of the data of the tag ID, or may be transmitted as data separate from the tag ID. Here, the NFC tag 2 can be identified based on the tag ID, and the tag ID can also be used to identify the vending device 1 to which the NFC tag 2 is attached. When the user terminal 4 is brought within a communicable distance, the NFC tag 2 performs non-contact communication and transmits the BLE-ID to the user terminal 4 by non-contact communication based on a request from the user terminal 4.

[0017] The sales control device 3 is provided in the vending device 1. The sales control device 3 includes a BLE module 31, a control unit 32, and a storage unit 33. The BLE module 31 functions as a short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with the user terminal 4 through short-range wireless communication. For short-range wireless communication, for example, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) can be used. Hereinafter, the communication performed by BLE may be referred to as BLE communication. Also, the short-range wireless communication may use any other method, for example, it may be any one of the ad hoc mode of Wi-Fi (registered trademark), UWB (Ultra Wide Band), or NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0018] The control unit 32 controls each part of the sales control device 3. In addition, when the control unit 32 reads the short-range wireless communication identification information from a wireless tag (for example, the NFC tag 2) attached to the vending device 1 and identifies the BLE module 31, and receives a communication request from the user terminal 4 using the short-range wireless communication identification information, the control unit 32 reads out the offering target information regarding the offering target, which is the target product or service provided by the vending device 1, from the storage unit 33 and transmits it to the user terminal 4, functioning as a product information transmission unit.

[0019] The offering target information is information regarding the target product or service provided by the vending device 1 and includes at least information that can identify the settlement target. The offering target information is, for example, data including a name and an amount, and may further include a store ID that identifies the store where the vending device 1 is installed and a vending device ID that identifies the vending device 1. The amount included in the offering target information may be the unit price of the product, the unit price of the service, etc.

[0020] Furthermore, the control unit 32 has the function of a payment completion notification receiving unit that receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal 4 indicating that the information on items to be provided has been received by the user terminal 4 and that the payment processing for purchasing the items to be provided indicated by the information on items to be provided has been completed between the user terminal 4 and the payment server 5. Furthermore, the control unit 32 also functions as a permission notification transmission unit that transmits a permission notification to the sales device 1 authorizing the provision of the items to be offered, in response to receiving a payment completion notification.

[0021] Furthermore, the control unit 32 has a function to write information to be provided to the storage unit 33, and when it receives a rewrite request from an external management device in connection with a change in the goods or services provided by the sales device 1, it rewrites at least one of the names and amounts of the goods or services included in the information to be provided stored in the storage unit. When the control unit 32 communicates with an external management device, it may perform short-range wireless communication with the management device via the BLE module 31. Since the control unit 32 can rewrite the product name, price, etc. in the memory unit 33 by performing short-range wireless communication with the management device, it does not need to go through a communication network. Therefore, even in stores located in areas with unstable communication network quality, the product name, price, etc. can be rewritten stably by avoiding the communication network. The external management device may be the sales management terminal 7, or it may be a different terminal device used by a store employee (for example, a smartphone, tablet, etc.).

[0022] The storage unit 33 stores the information to be provided. The storage unit 33 may be connected to the outside of the control unit 32, or a memory area provided within the control unit 32 may be used as the storage unit 33. The storage unit 33 may be configured so that, among the information to be provided, the store ID and the sales device ID are written by a terminal device used by the installation staff when the sales control device 3 is installed on the sales device 1. Furthermore, although the description has described the case where the information to be provided is stored in the storage unit 33 of the sales control device 3, it may also be stored in a storage unit provided in the sales device 1 and read by the control unit 32 by communicating with the sales control device 3.

[0023] User terminal 4 is a terminal device used by users who visit the store and purchase goods or receive services using sales device 1. User terminal 4 may be, for example, a smartphone or a tablet. The user terminal 4 includes an NFC reader 41, a BLE module 42, and a control unit 43. The NFC reader 41 communicates with the NFC tag 2 via contactless communication. The BLE module 42 communicates wirelessly with the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3.

[0024] The control unit 43 controls various parts of the user terminal 4. The control unit 43 also executes applications. Application programs are pre-installed on the user terminal 4 and are executed based on user instructions when purchasing goods from the sales device 1. Even if such application programs are not pre-installed, the user terminal 4 may send a download request to the distribution server based on user instructions, download the application from the distribution server, and install it. The application program executed by the control unit 43 may include the following: performing contactless communication with the NFC tag 2 attached to the sales device 1 to obtain a BLE-ID assigned to the sales control device 3 installed on the sales device 1 from the NFC tag 2; using the obtained BLE-ID to perform short-range wireless communication with the sales control device 3 to obtain information about the goods or services to be offered by the sales device 1; performing a settlement process with the settlement server 5 based on the amount of the goods or services included in the obtained information about the goods or services; receiving a settlement completion notification from the settlement server 5 when the settlement process is completed; and transmitting the received settlement completion notification to the sales control device 3.

[0025] The payment server 5 is connected to the user terminal 4 so that it can communicate with it, receives payment requests from the user terminal 4, and processes the electronic payment. The communication standard between the payment server 5 and the user terminal 4 may be any of LTE (Long Term Evolution), 4G, 5G, etc. The payment method of the payment server 5 may be credit card payment or prepaid payment. The payment server 5 is operated by a company that provides payment services (for example, a bank). Although only one payment server 5 is shown here, if there are multiple payment service brands, a payment server 5 may be established for each brand. Furthermore, in some areas where stores are located, prepaid payments may be more widely used than credit card payments. In such cases, users may be allowed to connect to a payment server that supports prepaid payments from their terminal 4 and complete the payment. This allows users to utilize a more convenient payment method.

[0026] The sales management server 6 receives payment data from the user terminal 4, indicating the details of the payment, once the user terminal 4 is connected to it in a communication-enabled manner. The communication standard between the sales management server 6 and the user terminal 4 may be any of LTE, 4G, 5G, etc. The sales management server 6 is managed by the business that provides the sales control device 3. There may be only one sales management server 6, but one may be provided for each store to store payment data for each store. The sales management server 6 includes a control unit (not shown), a receiving unit 61, a storage unit 62, and a transmitting unit 63. The receiving unit 61 receives payment completion notifications from the user terminal 4 or the payment server 5. The storage unit 62 stores the payment data included in the received payment completion notification. Figure 2 shows an example of settlement data stored in the storage unit 62. The payment data is data related to the payment and may include the date and time the payment was processed, information identifying the user terminal 4 that requested the payment (e.g., user ID), payment amount, product name, store ID, sales device ID, etc. The payment data stored in the storage unit 62 can be viewed as sales information by the sales manager terminal. This allows store staff to grasp sales information within the store and the sales status of each sales device 1, making sales management easier.

[0027] The transmission unit 63 reads payment data from the storage unit 62 and transmits it to the administrator terminal (for example, the sales administrator terminal 7) used by the store manager, based on a request from the administrator terminal.

[0028] The sales management terminal 7 is installed in the store and is connected to the sales management server 6 for communication. Based on input from the store staff, the sales management terminal 7 can access the sales management server 6 and refer to payment data for transactions made at that store. The store staff can use the sales management terminal 7 to refer to the payment data and understand the sales situation by referring to the sales data aggregated based on the payment data.

[0029] The aforementioned storage units 33 and 62 are composed of storage media, such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access read / write Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), or any combination of these storage media. For example, non-volatile memory can be used for the memory units 33 and 62.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit 11, BLE module 31, control unit 32, NFC reader 41, BLE module 42, control unit 43, receiving unit 61, and transmitting unit 63 described above may be composed of a processing unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a dedicated electronic circuit.

[0031] Furthermore, the payment server 5 and sales management server 6 mentioned above may be physical servers or cloud servers provided by a cloud computing service.

[0032] Next, we will explain the operation of the payment system S described above. Figures 3 and 4 are sequence diagrams illustrating the operation of the payment system S. Here, although the user is not part of the configuration of payment system S, the operation of payment system S is included in the sequence diagram for the purpose of understanding the explanation. This sequence diagram also explains the case where sales device 1 is a sales device that sells goods.

[0033] S201: In its initial state, the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3 is in a sleep state and does not transmit radio waves for communication, but it is in a state where it can receive radio waves transmitted from the user terminal 4 and can accept a wake-up command. In this case, since the BLE module 31 does not emit radio waves, it is possible to minimize interference between communications even if there are many sales control devices 3 in the vicinity.

[0034] Step S301: The user inputs instructions to launch the application program for using the payment system S on the user terminal 4. Step S302: Furthermore, the user brings the user terminal 4 close to the NFC tag 2 attached to the sales device 1.

[0035] Step S401: When user terminal 4 receives an input request to launch an application program, it starts up by executing the application program. Then, user terminal 4 reads the tag ID from NFC tag 2 and performs the necessary processing. Step S402: User terminal 4 obtains the tag ID from NFC tag 2. Step S403: User terminal 4 extracts the BLE-ID contained in the tag ID from the acquired tag ID. Step S404: The user terminal 4 uses the extracted BLE-ID as its communication partner and sends the terminal identification information assigned to the user terminal 4 (for example, the MAC (Media Access Control address) address) and the BLE oscillation command, which is a command to activate the BLE module 31, to the sales control device 3. Here, by obtaining the BLE-ID from the tag ID read from the NFC tag 2, it is possible to identify which of the many sales devices 1 installed in the store will communicate with the sales control device 3, thereby identifying the sales control device 3 to communicate with.

[0036] Step S202: The BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3 starts up when it receives a MAC address and a BLE start command, and transitions from sleep state to oscillation state. Step S203: When the BLE module 31 is activated, it broadcasts the information to be provided (for example, product name, product price, store ID, and sales device ID) stored in the memory unit 33, along with the MAC address received from the user terminal 4 in step S404.

[0037] Step S405: When the user terminal 4 receives the information to be provided and the MAC address from the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3, it determines whether the received MAC address matches the MAC address assigned to the user terminal 4 itself. If they match, it retrieves the information to be provided; otherwise, it discards the information to be provided. Here, since the MAC address is transmitted along with the information to be provided, even if there are multiple user terminals 4 near the sales control device 3, the user terminal 4 can identify whether or not it is the user terminal 4 that requested the BLE oscillation. As a result, the information to be provided can be conveyed to the requesting user terminal 4, and no further processing can be performed on user terminals 4 that are not the requesting user terminal 3. When user terminal 4 receives the information to be provided, it extracts the product name and price from the received information and displays them on the display screen of user terminal 4.

[0038] Step S302: The user checks the product name and price displayed on the screen of user terminal 4, decides whether or not to purchase the product, and if they decide to purchase it, presses the "Purchase" button displayed on the screen of user terminal 4.

[0039] Step S406: When the user terminal 4 presses the "Purchase" button, it detects that the "Purchase" button has been pressed.

[0040] Step S407: After waking from sleep mode in response to a BLE oscillation command, the user terminal 4 establishes a BLE connection with the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3. This enables one-to-one communication between the user terminal 4 and the BLE module 31. In this case, the user terminal 4 establishes the BLE connection only after detecting that the "Purchase" button displayed on the screen has been confirmed and pressed by the user. Since pressing the "Purchase" button indicates that the user has made an input indicating their intention to purchase the product, the user terminal can confirm that it is safe to establish a BLE connection with the sales control device 3 before establishing communication. If the user does not intend to purchase, the BLE connection will not be established, thus preventing the payment process from proceeding.

[0041] Step S408: After the BLE connection is established, the user terminal 4 displays a brand mark representing the payment service provided by the payment server 5, and displays a message such as "Do you want to make the payment?" along with "Make payment" and "Do not make payment" option buttons, waiting for the user to confirm whether or not to proceed with the payment. The payment service brand may be specified in advance by the user during the initial setup of the application program.

[0042] Step S303: The user confirms the information displayed on the screen of user terminal 4, and if they wish to proceed with payment, they press the "Pay" button.

[0043] Step S409: When the user clicks the "Make Payment" button on the user terminal 4, it sends a payment request to the payment server 5, which provides payment services according to the brand. The user terminal 4 transmits the following information in the payment request: the date and time the payment request was made, information identifying the user terminal 4 that made the payment request (for example, a MAC address or a user ID that identifies the user assigned to the application program), the payment amount, product name, store ID, sales device ID, etc. The store ID may be the store ID transmitted from the BLE module 31 during step S203, or the BLE-ID transmitted from the BLE module 31 may be used instead of the store ID. In this case, even if multiple BLE modules 31 are installed in one store, the sales management server 6 may store data associating the store name with the BLE-ID of each BLE module 31, so that the sales management server 6 can identify the store name from the BLE-ID.

[0044] Step S501: When the payment server 5 receives a payment request from the user terminal 4, it determines whether or not to allow the payment process to be executed based on the amount, user ID, etc., included in the payment request. For example, when processing a payment using prepaid payment, the payment server 5 refers to the balance associated with the user ID. If the balance is greater than or equal to the price of the product, it allows the payment process to be executed. If the balance is less than the price of the product, it does not allow the payment process to be executed and outputs a payment error. If the payment server 5 authorizes the execution of the payment process, it executes the payment process and updates the balance to the value obtained by subtracting the price of the goods from the balance. The payment server 5 then sends a payment completion notification to the user terminal 4 to indicate that the payment has been completed. The payment server 5 may also send payment data to the user terminal 4 as a payment completion notification, including the date and time the payment was processed, information identifying the user terminal 4 that requested the payment (e.g., user ID), payment amount, product name, store ID, sales device ID, etc. Furthermore, the payment server 5 stores the payment data generated in response to the payment processing being performed.

[0045] Step S410: When user terminal 4 receives a payment completion notification from payment server 5, it displays on its screen that the payment has been completed. This allows the user to know that the payment has been successfully completed.

[0046] Step S420: The user terminal 4 sends a payment completion notification to the sales management server 6, which includes the date and time the payment was processed, information identifying the user terminal 4 that requested the payment (e.g., user ID), payment amount, product name, store ID, sales device ID, etc.

[0047] Step S601: When the sales management server 6 receives a payment completion notification, it stores the date and time the payment processing was performed, information identifying the user terminal 4 that requested the payment (for example, the user ID mentioned above), the payment amount, the product name, and the store ID as payment data. This allows the sales management server 6 to store logs of payment data, which can later be aggregated by store ID and sent to the corresponding store in response to access from the store terminal. This allows store staff to check sales performance (sales figures, etc.) using the sales device 1.

[0048] Step S422: Meanwhile, the user terminal 4 transmits the payment completion notification received from the payment server 5 to the sales control device 3 via BLE communication. This payment completion notification only needs to contain information indicating that the payment has been completed. This payment completion notification may also include the date and time the payment was processed, information identifying the user terminal 4 that requested the payment (for example, the user ID mentioned above), the payment amount, the product name, the store ID, the sales device ID, etc.

[0049] Step S220: When the sales control device 3 receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal 4 via BLE communication, it sends an ACK (ACKnowledgement) to the user terminal 4 via BLE communication to indicate that it has received the notification. By receiving the ACK, the user terminal 4 can understand that the payment completion notification has been successfully delivered to the sales control device 3. The user terminal 4 may also display a message such as "The payment completion notification has been successfully sent to the sales control device" when it receives the ACK. This allows the user to understand that the payment completion notification has been successfully sent to the sales control device 3.

[0050] Step S221: After sending an ACK, the sales control device 3 sends an unlock instruction to the sales device 1. Step S120: When the sales device 1 receives an unlock instruction from the sales control device 3, it transitions the locking mechanism from the locked state to the unlocked state. This allows the lever for dispensing the product to be turned.

[0051] Step S320: Once the lock is released, the user turns the lever on vending machine 1. The vending machine 1 dispenses one of the stored products in response to the rotation of the lever.

[0052] Step S321: This allows the user to receive the product. Step S121: Furthermore, the sales device 1 transmits a product discharge completion notification to the sales control device 3, indicating that the product has been dispensed.

[0053] Step S222: When the sales control device 3 receives a notification from the sales device 1 that the product has been dispensed, it sends a lock instruction to the sales device 1 to lock the locking mechanism. Step S122: When the sales device 1 receives a lock command from the sales control device 3, it transitions the locking mechanism from the unlocked state to the locked state. This prevents the lever from rotating, thus preventing the product from being dispensed.

[0054] Step S223: The sales control device 3 sends a confirmation request to the user terminal 4 via BLE communication to ask whether or not to play additional games.

[0055] Step S423: When the control unit 32 of the user terminal 4 receives a request to confirm whether or not to play additional games, it displays the message "Do you want to play again?" on the display screen, along with operation buttons that provide the options "Play additional games" and "Do not play additional games". The user checks this display screen and decides whether or not to play again. Depending on the decision, if they decide to play again (purchase another item), they input an operation to the "Play Additional Play" button; if they decide not to play again (do not purchase an additional item), they input an operation to the "Do not play additional play" button. Here, the control unit 32 may terminate the acceptance of operation input if a certain period of time has passed without any operation buttons being pressed, and proceed with processing as if the "Do not play additional play" button had been pressed.

[0056] Step S424: When user terminal 4 receives an input for the "Play Additional Games" button based on user input, it proceeds to step S408 to receive input on whether or not to make a payment. Depending on whether or not a payment is made, the process from S408 is executed. If the payment process is executed, user terminal 4 can proceed to purchase the next product, etc., while maintaining the BLE communication that was established (while the BLE connection is still established). As a result, since the BLE communication is continued with user terminal 4, even if another user tries to use the same vending machine 1 and reads the NFC tag 2, they will not be able to establish a BLE connection. This allows the user who has decided whether or not to play additional games to continue using the vending machine 1.

[0057] Step S425: On the other hand, if the user terminal 4 receives an input from the user for the "Do not play additional games" button, it sends a play end signal to the sales control device 3 indicating that additional games will not be played.

[0058] Step S224: When the sales control device 3 receives a play end signal from the user terminal 4, it sends a BLE disconnection request to the user terminal 4 to disconnect the BLE connection.

[0059] Step S225: After sending a BLE disconnection request, the sales control device 3 performs a disconnection process to disconnect the BLE connection that the BLE module 31 had established. This transitions the device to a state where it can establish a BLE connection with another user terminal 4.

[0060] Step S226: When the BLE connection is disconnected, the sales control device 3 enters a sleep state.

[0061] Step S425: When the user terminal 4 receives a BLE disconnection request from the sales control device 3, it disconnects the BLE connection that the BLE module 42 had established.

[0062] Next, we will describe the case where the sales device 1 functions as a service-providing device that provides services. As an example of a service-providing device, we will describe the case where it is a game machine installed in an arcade or the like. The game machine may be an arcade game machine or a crane game machine. Figures 5 and 6 are sequence diagrams illustrating the operation of the payment system S when the sales device 1 is a service provision device. In Figures 5 and 6, the same steps as in Figures 3 and 4 are given the same step numbers and their explanations are omitted; the differences will be explained primarily. Steps S201 through S202 proceed similarly. Step S203A: When the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3 is activated, it broadcasts the information to be provided (for example, the game machine's gameplay details (such as the name of the game being played), the product name, the product price, the store ID, and the sales device ID) stored in the memory unit 33, along with the MAC address. In this case, the information to be provided includes the game name, etc., rather than just the product name.

[0063] Step S405A: Based on the MAC address included in the information to be provided received from the sales control device 3, if the information to be provided is addressed to user terminal 4 itself, user terminal 4 extracts the game details and amount from the information to be provided and displays them on the display screen of user terminal 4. This allows the user to check the game details and price displayed on the user terminal 4's screen, decide whether or not to play the game, and if they decide to play, press the "Purchase" button (or "Play" button) displayed on the user terminal 4's screen. Subsequently, the process proceeds similarly from step S405 to step S220.

[0064] Step S221A: After sending an ACK, the sales control device 3 outputs an add command to the sales device 1 to add to the number of plays. Step S120A: When the vending device 1 receives an increment instruction from the vending control device 3, it adds "1" to the play count. The game starts once this play count is added. Step S320A: Once the game starts, the user can play it.

[0065] Step S121A: When one game is completed, the vending device 1 terminates the game and sends a play completion notification to the vending control device 3. Subsequently, similar to steps S223 and beyond, the sales control device 3 sends a confirmation request to the user terminal 4 via BLE communication to confirm whether or not to play additional games. If the user wishes to play additional games, the process proceeds to step S408; if the user does not wish to play additional games, the BLE connection is disconnected.

[0066] In step S405A, the user terminal 4 may display an input button (for example, a radio button, pull-down menu, or text input field) that allows the user to specify the number of plays when displaying the play details and price, allowing the user to specify the number of plays. Alternatively, in step S406, the user may be asked to press a purchase button after specifying the number of plays. This allows the user to pay the amount corresponding to the specified number of plays, and the specified number of plays may be added when adding the number of plays in step S221A. In this case, the user can pay for multiple plays at once and play multiple games.

[0067] ≪Second Embodiment≫ Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram showing the configuration of the payment system SA in the second embodiment. In the first embodiment of the payment system S, a case was described in which one sales control device 3 is provided for one sales device 1. However, in the second embodiment, one sales control device 3 is provided in a manner that allows communication between multiple sales devices 1. Figure 7 illustrates a case where the sales control device 3 is equipped with sales device 1A and sales device 1B. Sales device 1A is equipped with NFC tag 2A, and sales device 1B is equipped with NFC tag 2B. The control unit 11A of the sales device 1A controls the locking unit 12A and communicates with the control unit 32 of the sales control device 3. NFC tag 2A stores the tag ID assigned to it. The tag ID of NFC tag 2A includes the BLE-ID of the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3. The control unit 11B of the sales device 1B controls the lock unit 12B and communicates with the control unit 32 of the sales control device 3. The tag ID of the NFC tag 2B includes the BLE-ID of the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3.

[0068] When the control unit 43 of the user terminal 4 reads the tag ID from the NFC tag 2A using the NFC reader 41, it communicates with the BLE module 31 of the sales control device 3 via the BLE module 42, using the BLE-ID included in the tag ID as the destination. At this time, the control unit 43 transmits the tag ID to the control unit 32 via BLE communication. As a result, the control unit 32 of the sales control device 3 can identify whether to communicate with sales device 1A or sales device 1B by referring to the tag ID. For example, the storage unit 33 of the sales control device 3 stores device data where the tag ID of NFC tag 2A is associated with the control unit 11A, and the tag ID of NFC tag 2B is associated with the control unit 11B. The control unit 32 refers to this device data to identify the sales device corresponding to the tag ID. As a result, the control unit 32 can identify the sales device corresponding to which payment was made at the user terminal 4, and unlock the lock unit, etc.

[0069] Furthermore, the storage unit 33 may store product management data that associates the tag ID of the NFC tag with the product name and price. This allows the control unit 32 to determine the product name and price handled by the sales device being used by referring to the tag ID and notify the user terminal 4. As a result, even if multiple sales devices with different products and prices are connected, payment can be made for the product corresponding to the product being sold.

[0070] Furthermore, even if multiple sales devices (sales device 1A, sales device 1B) are connected to a single sales control device 3, multiple different user terminals 4 can communicate with different sales devices (sales device 1A, sales device 1B), making it possible for sales device 1A and sales device 1B to process in parallel. For example, a first user terminal 4 can communicate with the sales device 1A via the sales control device 3 to complete the payment for a product, and a second user terminal 4 can also communicate with the sales device 1B via the sales control device 3 to complete the payment for a product. Here, the first user terminal 4 communicates with the sales control device 3 using a BLE-ID based on the tag ID obtained from the NFC tag 2A. By referring to the aforementioned device data, the sales control device 3 can identify that the BLE-ID obtained from the first user terminal 4 is based on the tag ID obtained from the NFC tag 2A. This enables the sales control device 3 to send and receive data between the first user terminal 4 and the sales device 1A. Furthermore, by referring to the device data, the sales control device 3 can identify that the BLE-ID obtained from the second user terminal 4 is based on the tag ID obtained from the NFC tag 2B. This enables the sales control device 3 to send and receive data between the second user terminal 4 and the sales device 1B. In this way, sales devices 1A and 1B can each communicate with different user terminals 4 and provide products in parallel.

[0071] According to this second embodiment, since one sales control device 3 is provided for multiple sales devices, the number of sales control devices 3 to be installed can be reduced compared to the case where each sales device is provided with its own sales control device 3. This reduces installation costs and provides a payment system that is easy for stores to adopt.

[0072] In the embodiment described above, an NFC tag is used instead of a two-dimensional barcode as the target to be read by the user terminal 4 for payment. If a two-dimensional barcode is superimposed by a third party, and that superimposed barcode contains data indicating a malicious access destination, the user may be unable to make a correct payment due to quissing or other means. In contrast, in this embodiment, an NFC tag is used to transmit the BLE-ID of the sales control device 3 instead of the access destination (URL) of a server, etc., so that a correct payment can be made.

[0073] Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the sales control device 3 installed in the store does not need to have a function to communicate with an external server via a network, etc., and only needs to have a short-range wireless communication function. Therefore, since communication with the external server can be left to the user terminal used by the user, the sales control device 3 can be configured at a low cost, and the burden of introducing equipment on the store side can be reduced. Furthermore, since the sales control device 3 does not communicate with external servers via networks, etc., even if the communication quality deteriorates before the user terminal completes the payment, it is easy to identify that the cause of the deterioration in communication quality is the communication network between the user terminal used by the user and the payment server.

[0074] In the implementation described above, the BLE module 31 was described as waking up from sleep mode when it receives a BLE transmission command from the user terminal 4. However, instead of receiving a BLE transmission command from the user terminal 4, it may also be configured to wake up when a switch provided on the sales control device 3 is pressed by the user.

[0075] The sales control device 3 and user terminal 4 in the above-described embodiment may be implemented using a computer. In that case, the functions of these devices may be implemented by recording a program for implementing these functions on a computer-readable recording medium, loading the program recorded on this recording medium into a computer system, and executing it. Here, "computer system" includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into a computer system. Moreover, "computer-readable recording medium" may also include those that dynamically hold programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, and those that hold programs for a certain period of time, such as volatile memory inside a computer system that acts as a server or client in such cases. Furthermore, the above-mentioned program may be for implementing a part of the functions described above, or it may be a program that can implement the above-mentioned functions in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system, or it may be implemented using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0076] While embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments and includes designs and the like that do not depart from the spirit of this invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1,1A,1B Sales equipment 2,2A,2B NFC tags 3. Sales control device 4. User terminals 5 Payment Server 6. Sales Management Server 7. Sales Manager Terminal 11, 11A, 11B, 32, 43 Control Unit 12, 12A, 12B Locking section 31 BLE modules 33,62 Storage part 41 NFC reader 42 BLE modules 61 Receiving unit 63 Transmitter S Payment System

Claims

1. This is a sales control device installed in the supplying device. A short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with the user terminal via short-range wireless communication, A product information transmission unit transmits to the user terminal information about the product or service that is the target of the provision device, when the user terminal reads the short-range wireless communication identification information from the wireless tag attached to the provision device which stores short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies the short-range wireless communication unit, and a communication request is received from the user terminal using the short-range wireless communication identification information, the product information transmission unit transmits to the user terminal information about the product or service that is the target of the provision device. A payment completion notification receiving unit receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal indicating that the user terminal has received the information to be provided and that the payment processing for purchasing the items to be provided indicated by the information to be provided has been completed between the user terminal and the payment server. A permission notification transmission unit transmits a permission notification to the providing device in response to receiving the payment completion notification, A sales control device having

2. The aforementioned short-range wireless communication unit is Upon receiving a communication request from the aforementioned user terminal, the device wakes up from sleep mode. When the user inputs an instruction to execute payment processing on the user terminal, communication with the user terminal is established. The sales control device according to claim 1.

3. It has a storage unit that stores the information to be provided, When a rewrite request is received from an external management device in connection with a change in the goods or services provided by the aforementioned providing device, the control unit rewrites at least one of the names and amounts of the goods or services included in the provided information stored in the storage unit. A sales control device according to claim 1 or claim 2, having the following features.

4. A payment system comprising a sales control device installed in a dispensing device and a wireless tag attached to the dispensing device, The aforementioned sales control device is A short-range wireless communication unit that communicates with the user terminal via short-range wireless communication, A product information transmission unit transmits to the user terminal information about the product or service that is the target of the provision device, when the user terminal reads the short-range wireless communication identification information from the wireless tag attached to the provision device which stores short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies the short-range wireless communication unit, and a communication request is received from the user terminal using the short-range wireless communication identification information, the product information transmission unit transmits to the user terminal information about the product or service that is the target of the provision device. A payment completion notification receiving unit receives a payment completion notification from the user terminal indicating that the user terminal has received the information to be provided and that the payment processing for purchasing the items to be provided indicated by the information to be provided has been completed between the user terminal and the payment server. The system includes a permission notification transmission unit that transmits a permission notification to the providing device granting permission to provide the items to be provided in response to receiving the payment completion notification, The aforementioned wireless tag is The device storing the aforementioned wireless tag is equipped with a short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies the short-range wireless communication unit provided in the providing device, Based on a request from the user terminal, the short-range wireless communication identification information is transmitted to the user terminal via contactless communication. Payment system.

5. The aforementioned payment system further includes a sales management server, The aforementioned sales management server is A receiving unit that receives the aforementioned payment completion notification, A payment data storage unit that stores payment data based on the received payment completion notice, The device has a transmission unit that reads the payment data and transmits it to the administrator terminal based on a request from the administrator terminal used by the store manager. The payment system according to claim 4.

6. The aforementioned sales control device is It has a storage unit that stores the information to be provided, When a rewrite request is received from an external management device in connection with a change in the goods or services provided by the aforementioned providing device, the control unit rewrites at least one of the names and amounts of the goods or services included in the provided information stored in the storage unit. A payment system according to claim 4 or claim 5, having the following features.

7. A program executed by the user's terminal, By performing contactless communication with a wireless tag attached to the dispensing device, the short-range wireless communication identification information assigned to the sales control device installed in the dispensing device is obtained from the wireless tag. Using the acquired short-range wireless communication identification information, the sales control device and the provided device communicate via short-range wireless communication to acquire information about the provided goods or services that are the target of the provided goods or services. A settlement process is performed with the settlement server based on the amount of the goods or services included in the acquired information to be provided. Upon completion of the aforementioned payment process, the system receives a payment completion notification from the payment server. The received payment completion notification is transmitted to the sales control device. A program that includes the following.

8. The computer, which is a sales control device installed in the supplying device, When a user terminal reads the short-range wireless communication identification information from a wireless tag attached to the aforementioned supplying device, which stores short-range wireless communication identification information that identifies the short-range wireless communication unit installed in the sales control device, and when a communication request is received from the user terminal using the short-range wireless communication identification information, the supplying device transmits information about the product or service to be provided to the user terminal. The user terminal receives the information to be provided, and the user terminal receives a payment completion notification indicating that the payment process for purchasing the items to be provided as indicated by the information to be provided has been completed between the user terminal and the payment server. Upon receiving the payment completion notification, the provider sends a permission notification to the provider device authorizing the provision of the items to be provided. Sales control method.

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