Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

The present invention provides an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can reduce the processing time when an application for advance payment of invoices is submitted to an advance payment service. [Solution] The information processing device, in an invoice advance payment service that advances the payment of invoices, comprises: an advance payment application information receiving unit that receives advance payment application information for a payment business to apply for advance payment of the amount to be paid to the invoiced business; a determination unit that determines whether or not the invoiced business is registered on another platform operated by the invoice advance payment service provider, which is different from the platform that provides the invoice advance payment service; and a review unit that reviews the invoiced business based on the result of the determination unit's determination of whether or not the invoiced business is registered.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] There is known a bill payment service that pays the amount of a bill on behalf of someone. For example, when a business operator purchases an item and makes a payment, by using a credit card, a payment that cannot originally be made by card can be settled by card. When using the bill payment service, a predetermined review is performed.

[0003] Regarding a technique for performing a review on a certain target, there is known a technique for calculating a score for at least one of an address, a telephone number, and an email address, and determining the suitability of the review target based on the calculated score (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Also, regarding the bill payment service, there is known a technique for delaying the time when a user pays a fee (see, for example, Patent Document 2). Regarding a business operator who uses the bill payment service, there is known a technique for determining whether a business partner is an invoice business operator (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In order to enable the use of the invoice advance payment service, the businesses that pay the invoices and the businesses that receive the invoice payments are identified, and a review is conducted to determine whether they are eligible to receive the invoice advance payment service. Depending on the business, it may take time to identify which businesses will pay the invoices and which will receive the payments.

[0006] Furthermore, this type of review is conducted each time a business that pays for an invoice applies to the invoice advance payment service for payment of the invoice. In addition, this type of review is also conducted for businesses that have previously used the invoice advance payment service. For those using the invoice payment service, it is desirable to be able to shorten the time required for such screening. Similarly, for those providing the invoice payment service, it is desirable to be able to reduce the processing time required for such screening.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can reduce the processing required when applying for advance payment of bills through an invoice advance payment service. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device for an invoice advance payment service that advances the payment of invoices, comprising: an advance payment application information receiving unit that receives advance payment application information for a payment business to apply for advance payment of the amount payable to an invoice business; a determination unit that determines whether or not the invoice business is registered on another platform operated by the invoice advance payment service provider, which is different from the platform that provides the invoice advance payment service; and an examination unit that examines the invoice business based on the result of the determination by the determination unit as to whether or not the invoice business is registered.

[0009] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing method performed by a computer, which, in an invoice advance payment service that advances the payment of invoices, includes the steps of: receiving advance payment application information for a payment business operator to apply for advance payment of the amount to be paid to an invoice business operator; determining whether the invoice business operator is registered on another platform operated by the invoice advance payment service provider, which is different from the platform on which the invoice advance payment service is provided; and examining the invoice business operator based on the result of determining whether the invoice business operator is registered in the determination step.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention provides a computer with an invoice advance payment service that advances payments, comprising the steps of: receiving advance payment application information from a payment business operator for applying for advance payment to an invoice business operator; determining whether the invoice business operator is registered on another platform operated by the invoice advance payment service provider, which is different from the platform on which the invoice advance payment service is provided; and examining the invoice business operator based on the result of determining whether the invoice business operator is registered in the determination step. This is a program that executes [something]. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to embodiments of the present invention, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program are provided that can reduce the processing required when applying for advance payment of bills through an advance payment service. An advance payment device and a program can also be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an overview and operation flow of the advance payment system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the functional configuration of the advance payment system of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the initial setup screen for advance payment in this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing an example of an advance payment application operation screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing an example of a claim form image reading screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a diagram showing an example of a claim form file selection screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing an example of an application content confirmation screen according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a substitute payer terminal device according to a modification of the embodiment. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing an overview and operation flow of a substitute payment system according to a modification of the embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Next, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below are merely examples, and the embodiments to which the present invention is applied are not limited to the following embodiments. In all the drawings for explaining the embodiments, those having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanations are omitted. In addition, “based on XX” as used in the present application means “based at least on XX”, and includes cases where it is based on another element in addition to XX. Also, “based on XX” is not limited to the case where XX is directly used, and includes cases where it is based on something obtained by performing operations or processing on XX. “XX” is an arbitrary element (for example, arbitrary information).

[0014] [Overview of the Substitute Payment System] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview and operation flow of a substitute payment system 1 according to the present embodiment. The substitute payment system 1 is a system that realizes substitute payment among three parties: a claimant, a payer, and a substitute payer.

[0015] The claimant issues Invoice IV to the payer. The claimant includes the billing business operator who makes the claim. Invoice IV contains the payment amount, payment date, account information of the payee financial institution, etc. Invoice IV exists in a form displayed on a physical medium such as paper and in a digital data form. When Invoice IV is in the physical medium form, Invoice IV is sent from the claimant to the payer. When Invoice IV is in the digital data form, Invoice IV is transmitted from the claimant to the payer via a digital medium such as a telecommunications line.

[0016] Based on Invoice IV received from the claimant, the payer is obliged to make a payment of a specified amount to the claimant by a specified date. The payer includes the payment business operator who makes the payment. The payer makes a payment to the claimant based on the payment amount, payment date, and account information of the payee financial institution described in Invoice IV.

[0017] In the following description, the payment amount, payment date, and account information of the payee financial institution are also referred to as the payment conditions (or simply, payment conditions) specified in Invoice IV. Also, in the following description, the payer making a payment to the claimant via a financial institution account or the like based on Invoice IV received from the claimant is also referred to as "Invoice payment".

[0018] If the payer is unable to make the payment by the payment date, there is a possibility of causing a decrease in the trust level from the claimant to the payer (for example, deterioration of transaction conditions or suspension of transactions). Therefore, the payer is required to make the payment in accordance with the payment conditions.

[0019] However, due to some reasons such as a busy business and inability to secure time for payment procedures, it may be difficult to make a payment in accordance with the payment conditions. The advance payment system 1 provides a claim advance payment service that includes an advance payment function in which the advance payer makes a payment to the claimant in accordance with the payment conditions and a payment function in which the payer makes a payment of the advance amount to the advance payer at a later date. The advance payer includes the advance business operator who makes the advance payment. In the following explanation, the advance payment system 1 will also be referred to as the invoice advance payment service system. The functional configuration and operation flow of the advance payment system 1 will be explained below with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0020] [Functional Configuration of the Advance Payment System] Figure 2 shows an example of the functional configuration of the advance payment system 1 of this embodiment. The advance payment system 1 consists of a payer terminal device 10 and an advance payment terminal device 20. The payer terminal device 10 and the advance payment terminal device 20 are connected via a network N (for example, the Internet). The advance payment terminal device 20 is an example of an information processing device.

[0021] The payer terminal device 10 is a terminal device operated by the payer, such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. The payer terminal device 10 comprises a calculation unit 11, an operation unit 12, an imaging unit 13, a display unit 14, and a storage unit 15.

[0022] The arithmetic unit 11 is equipped with a central processing unit (CPU) and operates based on the programs and data stored in the memory unit 15, providing various functions. The storage unit 15 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive or semiconductor memory (flash memory, RAM, ROM), and stores various types of information, such as programs and data read by the arithmetic unit 11. The storage unit 15 may also be implemented by a virtual storage device, such as a cloud server, located outside the payer terminal device 10.

[0023] The operating unit 12 is, for example, an operating device such as a touch panel, keyboard, or mouse, which is operated by the operator (for example, the payer). The imaging unit 13 is, for example, an imaging device such as a camera, and captures an image of an object within its imaging field of view. For example, if a paper invoice IV is within the imaging field of view of the camera, the imaging unit 13 will capture an image of the paper invoice IV. The display unit 14 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display, which displays various images based on the control of the calculation unit 11.

[0024] The calculation unit 11 includes a communication unit 110, an operation reception unit 111, an imaging control unit 112, a display control unit 113, a determination unit 114, and a creation unit 115 as its functional units. The communication unit 110 communicates information with the payee terminal device 20 via the network N.

[0025] The operation reception unit 111 receives operations performed on the operation unit 12. The operation reception unit 111 includes an initial setting operation reception unit 1111, a reading method selection operation reception unit 1112, and an application operation reception unit 1113.

[0026] The imaging control unit 112 controls the imaging unit 13 to take images and acquires the images taken by the imaging unit 13. The display control unit 113 controls the display unit 14 to display various images. The determination unit 114 makes various determinations regarding the operation results of the operation unit 12 and the imaging results of the imaging unit 13. The creation unit 115 creates information to be sent to the payer terminal device 20.

[0027] The reimbursement terminal device 20 is a terminal device operated by the reimbursement party, and is, for example, a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. The reimbursement terminal device 20 comprises a calculation unit 21, a display unit 24, and a storage unit 25.

[0028] The arithmetic unit 21 is equipped with a central arithmetic processing unit and operates based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 25, providing various functions. The storage unit 25 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive or semiconductor memory (flash memory, RAM, ROM), and stores various types of information, such as programs and data read by the arithmetic unit 21. The storage unit 25 may also be implemented by a virtual storage device, such as a cloud server, located outside the payee terminal device 20.

[0029] The calculation unit 21 includes, as its functional units, a communication unit 210, a reimbursement application information receiving unit 212, an acquisition unit 214, a determination unit 216, an examination unit 217, a processing unit 218, and a display control unit 219. The communication unit 210 communicates information with the payer terminal device 10 via the network N.

[0030] The Advance Payment Application Information Reception Unit 212 receives advance payment application information from payers requesting advance payment of invoices to be paid to invoiced parties. The Invoice Payment Service is a service that advances the payment of invoices. The invoiced party is the party that receives the payment for the invoice.

[0031] The acquisition unit 214 acquires invoices relating to payments made by the payer to the claimant. For example, the acquisition unit 214 may acquire invoices directly from the payer, or it may acquire them from the advance payment application information transmitted by the payer terminal device 10.

[0032] The determination unit 216 determines whether the payer and the claimant are registered with at least one platform that provides invoice payment services. The examination unit 217 examines either the payer or the claimant, or both, based on the determination made by the judgment unit 216 regarding whether or not the payer and the claimant are registered. The processing unit 218 processes the payment of the invoice amount to the claimant based on the invoice obtained by the acquisition unit 214, for payers and claimants that have been determined to be registered by the determination unit 216 or have passed the examination by the examination unit 217.

[0033] Returning to Figure 1, let's explain the operation flow of the advance payment system 1. The claimant sends Invoice IV to the payer. As mentioned above, Invoice IV can be in the form of a physical medium such as paper, or as digital data.

[0034] (Step S10) The payer operates the payer terminal device 10 to activate the advance payment function. The operation reception unit 111 of the payer terminal device 10 accepts the operation to activate the advance payment function. The display control unit 113 displays the initial setup screen PS1 on the display unit 14.

[0035] Figure 3 shows an example of the initial setup screen PS1 of this embodiment. The initial setup screen PS1 includes a business type switching tab PS11, a payer input field PS12, a remitter name input field PS13, and an initial setup completion button PS14.

[0036] The Business Type Switching tab PS11 is an image showing the operation for switching the type of business of the payer. The Business Type Switching tab PS11 includes the Corporate tab PS111 and the Sole Proprietor tab PS112.

[0037] The Corporate tab PS111 is an image showing the operation to display the payer input field PS12 when the payer is a corporation. The Sole Proprietor tab PS112 is an image showing the payer input field (not shown) when the payer is a sole proprietor. Here, as an example, we will continue the explanation assuming that the Corporate tab PS111, which is included in the Business Type Switching tab PS11, is selected.

[0038] The payer input field PS12 is an image showing the operation for entering the payer's information. An example of the payer input field PS12 includes input fields for the company name, the representative's name, the postal code, the prefecture, and then the address.

[0039] The PS13 input field for the remitter's name is an image showing the operation for entering the name of the payer that will be notified to the recipient (claimant). The initial setup completion button PS14 is pressed when the business type selection, payer input field PS12, and remitter name input field PS13 have been completed and the entered information is to be set. Return to Figure 1 and continue the explanation.

[0040] (Step S11) Returning to Figure 1, the payer operates the payer terminal device 10 and presses the initial setup completion button PS14. The operation reception unit 111 of the payer terminal device 10 accepts the initial setup completion operation. The display control unit 113 displays the advance payment application operation screen P1 on the display unit 14.

[0041] Figure 4 shows an example of the advance payment application operation screen P1 of this embodiment. The advance payment application operation screen P1 includes a mode switching tab P11, an advance payment availability date display field P12, a reading method selection field P14, and a reading button P15.

[0042] The Mode Switching Tab P11 is an image showing the operation to switch the display mode of the deferred payment application operation screen P11. The Mode Switching Tab P11 includes the Application Tab P111, the Credit Card Billing History Display Tab P112, and the Invoice List Display Tab P113.

[0043] The application tab P111 is an image showing the operation to display the reimbursement application screen (i.e., the screen consisting of the reimbursement availability date display field P12, the reading method selection field P14, and the reading button P15).

[0044] The P112 tab displays the credit card billing history, and the image below shows how to access the credit card billing history screen (not shown). The credit card billing history screen displays the amount that the payer will pay to the advance payment provider by credit card in the future, the scheduled withdrawal date, and the amount and withdrawal date of past credit card payments.

[0045] The invoice list tab P113 shows an image of the operation required to display the invoice list screen (not shown). The invoice list screen displays a list of invoices issued by the invoicer to the payer.

[0046] The P12 column, which displays the date on which the advance payment can be made (i.e., the advance payment) will be made by the advance payment provider to the claimant when the payer requests an advance payment from the advance payment provider. The payer can determine whether or not they can make a payment that meets the payment conditions by checking the scheduled date on which the advance payment can be made displayed in the P12 column.

[0047] The payment method from the payer to the advance payment provider is, for example, by credit card. As mentioned above, the payer is the person who is requested to pay based on Invoice IV issued by the claimant. The advance payment provider is the person who pays the said payment on behalf of the claimant.

[0048] (Selection from multiple cards) A payer may have multiple credit cards in their own name. For example, they may use different credit cards depending on the payment account item or the type of claimant. The advance payment system 1 may have a function to select the credit card to be used for payment to the advance payer from among multiple credit cards. In this case, the operation reception unit 111 may have a function to select the credit card to be used for payment to the advance payer from among multiple credit cards.

[0049] In other words, the selection operation reception unit 111 accepts an operation to select a credit card to be used for payment to the advance payer from among several credit cards in the name of the payer, with credit card as the payment method. Furthermore, a credit card in the name of the payer broadly includes credit cards in the payer's personal name, as well as credit cards in the name of the company to which the payer belongs (or manages). According to the advance payment system 1 configured in this way, for example, multiple credit cards can be used depending on the payment account item or the type of claimant.

[0050] (Automatic selection from multiple cards) There may be situations where payment by credit card is impossible for various reasons. For example, the payment amount may exceed the credit limit of the card the payer normally uses (also known as the main card). In such cases, convenience would be improved if a credit card other than the main card (also known as a secondary card) were automatically selected as the payment method. The advance payment system 1 of this embodiment may have a function to select payment using a pre-registered sub-card when payment with the main card is not possible.

[0051] The operation reception unit 111 selects a predetermined main card from among multiple credit cards in the name of the payer as the credit card to be used for payment, and if payment with the main card is not possible, it selects a credit card other than the main card as the credit card to be used for payment.

[0052] Furthermore, if a credit card in the payer's name is not registered, the advance payment system 1 may have a function to register a credit card to be used for invoice payments in the advance payment system 1.

[0053] [Select reading method] (Step S12) The payer operates the reading method selection field P14 to select the reading method for invoice IV. More specifically, the payer operates either the camera shooting selection button P141 or the file selection button P142 shown in Figure 4. The reading method selection operation reception unit 1112 receives an operation to select the reading method for invoice IV.

[0054] In other words, the reading method selection operation reception unit 1112 receives an operation to select the reading method for invoice IV. The advance payment system 1 of this embodiment allows the payer to select a method for reading Invoice IV, so even if the format of Invoice IV varies depending on the billing source (for example, whether it is sent on paper or transmitted as an electronic file), the process can proceed smoothly.

[0055] [Read by camera] When the camera shooting selection button P141 is pressed, the reading method selection operation reception unit 1112 determines that camera reading has been selected. As mentioned above, Invoice IV can be in paper format or as digital data. If Invoice IV is in paper format, the payer operates the camera capture selection button P141.

[0056] The read button P15 is an operation button that starts the reading operation of invoice IV. Place invoice IV within the field of view of the imaging unit 13 of the payer terminal device 10 and operate the read button P15. When the read button P15 is pressed, the imaging control unit 112 activates the camera of the imaging unit 13 and starts imaging. The display control unit 113 displays the invoice image reading screen P2 on the display unit 14 of the payer terminal device 10.

[0057] Figure 5 shows an example of the invoice image reading screen P2 of this embodiment. The invoice image reading screen P2 includes an image display area P21, alignment marks P22, and an captured image P23. The image display area P21 is the area where the image captured by the imaging unit 13 is displayed. Alignment marks P22 (alignment marks P22-1 to P22-4) are displayed at the four corners of the image display area P21. The captured image P23 is the image of invoice IV captured by the imaging unit 13.

[0058] The determination unit 114 determines whether the four corners of the captured image P23 (i.e., the four corners of invoice IV) match the alignment marks P22. If the four corners of the captured image P23 (i.e., the four corners of invoice IV) match the alignment marks P22, the determination unit 114 captures the captured image P23 (image of invoice IV) as the image to be read. If the determination unit 114 determines that the four corners of invoice IV align with the alignment marks P22, the imaging control unit 112 captures an image of invoice IV, regardless of whether an imaging operation is performed (i.e., automatically).

[0059] Furthermore, the display control unit 113 may change the color of the alignment marks P22 or display an indication that the four corners of the captured image P23 (i.e., the four corners of invoice IV) match the alignment marks P22. Furthermore, if the determination unit 114 finds that the amount of light for imaging is insufficient, it may display a notification indicating that there is insufficient light.

[0060] [Reading from a file] If Invoice IV is in digital format, the digital data of Invoice IV (for example, a file in a specified format) can also be used as the target for reading.

[0061] Figure 6 shows an example of the invoice file selection screen P3 of this embodiment. The invoice file selection screen P3 includes a file display area P31. The file display area P31 displays a list of file images P32 of invoice IV stored in the storage unit 15 (or external storage device) of the payer terminal device 10. The payer selects the invoice IV file to be read from one or more file images P32.

[0062] [Display reading results] (Step S13) Returning to Figure 1, the payer terminal device 10 reads the information for each item listed (or digitized) on invoice IV. Based on the reading results, the display control unit 113 displays the application details confirmation screen P4 on the display unit 14.

[0063] Figure 7 shows an example of the application confirmation screen P4 of this embodiment. The application confirmation screen P4 includes a reimbursement amount display field P41, a payment due date field P42, a payee details field P43, a credit card information field P44, and an application button P45.

[0064] The advance payment amount field P41 displays the advance payment amount, the advance payment fee amount, and the payment method. The payment due date field P42 displays the payment due date to the claimant (for example, a business partner). The payee details field P43 displays the payee's information. The fields P41 (displaying the amount reimbursed), P42 (payment due date), and P43 (payee details) are fields where the payer terminal device 10 displays information read from invoice IV.

[0065] More specifically, in the case of reading by camera, the determination unit 114 acquires the image captured by the imaging unit 13 from the imaging control unit 112. In the case of reading from a file, the determination unit 114 acquires a file in a predetermined format.

[0066] The determination unit 114 determines the location of a predetermined item of Invoice IV from the acquired image based on known image recognition technology. The predetermined item includes the payment amount, payment due date, and account information of the payee's financial institution. As mentioned above, the payment amount, payment due date, and account information of the payee's financial institution are payment conditions specified in Invoice IV. In other words, the determination unit 114 determines the location of the item corresponding to the payment conditions from the image or file of Invoice IV.

[0067] The determination unit 114 obtains information on the payment terms written in the determined position on the invoice IV.

[0068] In addition, if part of Invoice IV is damaged, or if the image captured by the imaging unit 13 is not in focus, Invoice IV may not be read correctly. The determination unit 114 may have a function to calculate the accuracy of reading each item of the payment conditions.

[0069] The accuracy of the reading refers to the degree of agreement between the information described in Invoice IV and the information read. The accuracy of the reading is expressed as a numerical value from 0% to 100%, where 100% indicates a good match and 0% indicates a complete mismatch. Based on the accuracy of the reading of each item, the determination unit 114 may indicate that the accuracy is low if it is relatively low (for example, less than 50% or 10% or higher) or very low (for example, less than 10%).

[0070] The display control unit 113 displays that information for a specific item necessary for payment to the billing party is missing from the items of the invoice IV information obtained when the invoice IV is read by the reading method. For example, if the branch name of the recipient's financial institution cannot be read, the display control unit 113 displays an unreadable indicator P431.

[0071] Furthermore, the display control unit 113 displays, in a different display manner than that for missing items, that the reading accuracy is low for items among the items of the invoice IV information obtained when the invoice IV is read by the reading method. For example, if the accuracy of reading the recipient's account name is relatively low, the display control unit 113 displays a warning display P432. The warning display P432 is an image that indicates low reading accuracy in a different manner than the unreadable display P431.

[0072] If these unreadable messages (P431) or warning messages (P432) are displayed, the payer must edit the relevant item to correct any missing or misread information.

[0073] The determination unit 114 may also have a function to determine whether or not the invoice IV has already been paid (or reimbursed) in the past, based on the result of reading the invoice IV. For example, the determination unit 114 may determine whether or not the read invoice IV is one for which a reimbursement payment has already been requested. The display control unit 113 displays a warning if the determination result indicates that an application for advance payment has already been submitted.

[0074] Furthermore, if the payer terminal device 10 is set to read the invoice IV file, it may have a function to append a string such as "Read" to the filename of the invoice IV at the time the invoice IV is read, or at the time the application for advance payment for the invoice IV is submitted.

[0075] If the payer determines that all payment conditions displayed on the application confirmation screen P4 are correct, they will apply for advance payment by pressing the application button P45.

[0076] (Step S14) Returning to Figure 1, when the application button P45 is pressed, the payer terminal device 10 generates advance payment request information D2, which includes the payment conditions read from invoice IV. The communication unit 110 of the payer terminal device 10 transmits the generated advance payment request information D2 to the advance payment terminal device 20.

[0077] In other words, the application operation reception unit 1113 receives an application to pay by credit card as the payment method for invoice IV read using the selected reading method. Based on the application to pay by credit card received by the application operation reception unit 1113, the creation unit 115 creates the advance payment application information D1 and transmits it from the communication unit 110. The advance payment application information D1 includes information indicating the payer, information indicating the name of the remitter, information indicating the advance payment amount, information indicating the payment due date, information indicating the details of the payee, and credit card information.

[0078] (Step S21) In the payer terminal device 20, the communication unit 210 receives the payment application information D1 transmitted by the payer terminal device 10. The reimbursement application information receiving unit 212 receives reimbursement application information D1 from the communications unit 210. The acquisition unit 214 acquires invoice information relating to the amount that the payer pays to the claimant. For example, the acquisition unit 214 may acquire invoice information directly from the payer, or it may acquire as invoice information information information that includes information indicating the payer, information indicating the name of the remitter, information indicating the amount of the advance payment, information indicating the payment due date, and information indicating the details of the payee, which are included in the advance payment application information D1.

[0079] Here, as an example, we will continue the explanation regarding the case where the acquisition unit 214 acquires information indicating the payer, the name of the remitter, the amount of the advance payment, the payment due date, and the details of the payee, all of which are included in the advance payment application information D1, as invoice information.

[0080] (Step S22) In the payer terminal device 20, the determination unit 216 obtains invoice information from the acquisition unit 214. Based on the acquired invoice information, the determination unit 216 determines whether the payer and the claimant are registered with at least one platform that provides invoice advance payment services.

[0081] For example, the determination unit 216 accesses the platform 30 via the network N from the communication unit 210 and queries whether the payer and claimant are registered. The determination unit 216 obtains the result of the query from the platform 30 regarding whether the payer and claimant are registered and determines whether the payer and claimant are registered.

[0082] (Step S23) In the advance payment terminal device 20, the examination unit 217 obtains the result of the determination of whether the payer and the claimant are registered from the determination unit 216. Based on the obtained determination result, the examination unit 217 examines whether either the payer or the claimant, or both, are eligible to receive the advance payment service.

[0083] The review unit 217 reviews either or both payers and claimants that the determination unit 216 has determined not to be registered. In other words, the review unit 217 does not review either or both payers and claimants that the determination unit 216 has determined to be registered, and omits the review. For example, the review unit 217 reviews whether either or both payers and claimants actually exist, and whether they are targets of anti-social forces or similar activities. The review unit 217 may also review whether the invoice falls under payment items prohibited for the invoice advance payment service. For example, the review unit 217 may review whether the payment items included in the invoice are contrary to public order and morals.

[0084] (Step S24) In the advance payment terminal device 20, if the examination unit 217 examines either or both of the payers and claimants that the determination unit 216 has determined are not registered, and determines that they do not pass the examination (for example, if it determines that they are targets of anti-social forces or similar anti-social activities), it notifies the payer from the communication unit 210 that the advance payment is not possible.

[0085] (Step S25) In the advance payment terminal device 20, the processing unit 218 obtains from the determination unit 216 the result of determining whether the payer and the claimant are registered (in this case, the result of determining that either one or both of the payer and the claimant are registered). The processing unit 218 obtains from the examination unit 217 the result of examining either one or both of the payer and the claimant who were determined not to be registered by the determination unit 216 (in this case, the result of indicating that either one or both of the payer and the claimant passed the examination). The processing unit 218 performs the process of paying the invoice amount to the claimant based on the invoice information obtained by the acquisition unit 214, for payers and claimants that have been determined to be registered by the determination unit 216 or that have passed the examination by the examination unit 217.

[0086] (Step S26) In the payer terminal device 20, the processing unit 218 creates payment request information D2 to request payment for the amount paid plus a predetermined fee. The processing unit 218 transmits the created payment request information D2 from the communication unit 210 to the payer terminal device 10.

[0087] (Step S15) In the payer terminal device 10, the communication unit 110 receives the advance payment request information D2 transmitted by the advance payment terminal device 20. The display control unit 113 receives the advance payment request information D2 from the communication unit 110 and displays information on the display unit 14 indicating the amount of the advance payment made by the advance payment party plus a predetermined fee. The payer pays the amount of the advance payment party plus a predetermined fee displayed on the display unit 14. The creation unit 115 creates payment completion notification information indicating that payment of the amount of the advance payment party plus a predetermined fee has been completed and transmits it from the communication unit 110 to the advance payment terminal device 20.

[0088] Subsequently, in the payer terminal device 20, the communication unit 210 receives payment completion notification information transmitted by the payer terminal device 10. The display control unit 219 receives the payment completion notification information from the communication unit 210 and displays the information indicating that payment has been completed, which is included in the received payment completion notification information, on the display unit 24.

[0089] In step S22, the determination unit 216 may, instead of querying whether the payer and claimant are registered in the platform 30, query and obtain business information issued by the platform 30 on a per-business-business basis, and determine whether the payer and claimant are registered in the obtained business information. For example, suppose a contract for an invoice advance payment service is made in advance between the advance payment provider and the claimant. At the time of the contract, the claimant's unique identification information is registered as business information in the platform 30. When the claimant introduces the invoice advance payment service to the payer, the claimant provides the payer with the claimant's unique identification information issued at the time of the contract with the advance payment provider. The claimant includes the claimant's unique identification information in the invoice. In the payer terminal device 10, the creation unit 115 creates the advance payment request information D1 and transmits it from the communication unit 110. The advance payment request information D1 includes information indicating the payer, information indicating the name of the remitter, information indicating the advance payment amount, information indicating the payment due date, information indicating the recipient details, and credit card information, as well as the unique identification information of the claimant. In the payer terminal device 20, the communication unit 210 receives the payment request information D1 transmitted by the payer terminal device 10. The payment request information receiving unit 212 receives the payment request information D1 from the communication unit 210. The acquisition unit 214 acquires the information contained in the payment request information D1, including information indicating the payer, information indicating the name of the remitter, information indicating the payment amount, information indicating the payment due date, information indicating the details of the payee, and the unique identification information of the claimant, as invoice information. The determination unit 216 acquires the invoice information from the acquisition unit 214 and acquires business information from the platform 30. The determination unit 216 determines whether the unique identification information of the claimant is registered in the acquired business information. The same procedure applies in this example when the claimant is the payer of another invoice.

[0090] In the embodiment described above, the determination unit 216 may determine whether or not the claimant is registered on another platform operated by a business that provides invoice payment services, which is different from platform 30.

[0091] (modified version) The modified version of the payment system differs from the embodiment in that the claimant is a sole proprietor. The modified version of the payment system includes a payer terminal device 10 and a payer terminal device 40. The payer terminal device 10 and the payer terminal device 40 are connected via a network N. The payer terminal device 40 is an example of an information processing device.

[0092] Figure 8 shows an example of the functional configuration of the payment terminal device 40 in a modified embodiment. The reimbursement terminal device 40 is a terminal device operated by the reimbursement party, and is, for example, a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. The reimbursement terminal device 40 comprises a calculation unit 41, a display unit 44, and a storage unit 45.

[0093] The arithmetic unit 41 is equipped with a central arithmetic processing unit and operates based on the programs and data stored in the storage unit 45, providing various functions. The memory unit 45 can be used with the memory unit 25.

[0094] The calculation unit 41 includes, as its functional units, a communication unit 410, a reimbursement application information receiving unit 412, an acquisition unit 414, a determination unit 416, an examination unit 417, a processing unit 418, a display control unit 419, and a specific unit 420.

[0095] The communication unit 410, the reimbursement application information receiving unit 412, the acquisition unit 414, the determination unit 416, the examination unit 417, the processing unit 418, and the display control unit 419 can be applied to the communication unit 210, the reimbursement application information receiving unit 212, the acquisition unit 214, the determination unit 216, the examination unit 217, the processing unit 218, and the display control unit 219, respectively. The identification unit 420 identifies the claimant based on the claimant information contained in the advance payment application information D1 from the payer terminal device 10. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an overview and operation flow of an advance payment system of a modified embodiment.

[0096] Steps S30-S32, S35, S41, and S44-S46 can be replaced by steps S10-S12, S15, S21, and S24-S26 in Figure 1, respectively. (Step S13) The payer terminal device 10 reads the information of each item listed (or digitized) on the invoice IV. Based on the reading results, the display control unit 113 displays the application details confirmation screen P4 on the display unit 14. An example of the application confirmation screen P4 can be illustrated using Figure 7. The application confirmation screen P4 includes the reimbursement amount display field P41, the payment due date field P42, the payee details field P43, the credit card information field P44, and the application button P45.

[0097] The advance payment amount field P41 displays the advance payment amount, the advance payment fee amount, and the payment method. The payment due date field P42 displays the payment due date to the claimant (for example, a business partner). The payee details field P43 displays the payee's information. The fields P41 (displaying the amount reimbursed), P42 (payment due date), and P43 (payee details) are fields where the payer terminal device 10 displays information read from invoice IV. For example, the payee details field P43 includes the claimant information. The claimant information includes the qualified invoice registration number.

[0098] In the case of reading from a camera, the determination unit 114 acquires the image captured by the imaging unit 13 from the imaging control unit 112. In the case of reading from a file, the determination unit 114 acquires a file in a predetermined format.

[0099] The determination unit 114 determines the location of a predetermined item of Invoice IV from the acquired image based on known image recognition technology. The predetermined item includes the payment amount, payment due date, account information of the payee financial institution, and the qualified invoice registration number. As mentioned above, the payment amount, payment due date, account information of the payee financial institution, and qualified invoice registration number are payment conditions specified in Invoice IV. In other words, the determination unit 114 determines the location of the item corresponding to the payment conditions from the image or file of Invoice IV.

[0100] The determination unit 114 obtains information on the payment terms written in the determined position on the invoice IV. If the payer determines that all payment conditions displayed on the application confirmation screen P4 are correct, they will apply for advance payment by pressing the application button P45.

[0101] (Step S34) When the application button P45 is pressed, the payer terminal device 10 generates advance payment request information D2, which includes the payment conditions read from invoice IV. The communication unit 110 of the payer terminal device 10 transmits the generated advance payment request information D2 to the advance payment terminal device 20. In other words, the application operation reception unit 1113 receives an application to pay by credit card as the payment method for invoice IV read using the selected reading method. Based on the application to pay by credit card received by the application operation reception unit 1113, the creation unit 115 creates the advance payment application information D1 and transmits it from the communication unit 110. The advance payment application information D1 includes information indicating the payer, information indicating the name of the remitter, information indicating the advance payment amount, information indicating the payment due date, information indicating the details of the payee, and credit card information.

[0102] (Step S42) In the payer terminal device 40, the identification unit 420 obtains invoice information from the acquisition unit 214. Based on the acquired invoice information, the identification unit 420 identifies the claimant. For example, the identification unit 420 accesses the internet from the communication unit 410 and identifies the claimant by crawling social networking services (SNS) etc. based on the claimant's name, address, service name, etc. included in the claimant information.

[0103] Furthermore, for example, the identification unit 420 identifies the claimant based on the qualified invoice registration number included in the acquired invoice information. For example, the identification unit 420 searches for the qualified invoice registration number on the National Tax Agency's website and confirms that the qualified invoice registration number exists. For example, the identification unit 420 may confirm the existence of the qualified invoice registration number via the National Tax Agency's Application Programming Interface (API). In addition, the identification unit 420 confirms that the name of the sole proprietor corresponding to the qualified invoice registration number confirmed on the National Tax Agency's website matches the name of the sole proprietor listed on the invoice. Furthermore, for example, if the identification unit 420 is unable to identify the claimant based on the qualified invoice registration number, it may identify the claimant by crawling based on the invoice information.

[0104] (Step S43) In the advance payment terminal device 40, the review unit 417 obtains information from the identification unit 420 indicating the existence of the claimant. The review unit 417 examines whether the claimant whose existence has been confirmed is eligible to receive the advance payment service. For example, the review unit 417 examines whether the claimant is an anti-social force or an entity that engages in anti-social activities.

[0105] According to the advance payment system of the embodiment, the information processing device includes, in an invoice advance payment service that advances the payment of invoices, an advance payment application information receiving unit that receives advance payment application information for a payment business operator to apply for advance payment of the payment to a billing business operator; a determination unit that determines whether or not the payment business operator and the billing business operator are registered on a platform that provides at least an invoice advance payment service; and a review unit that examines either or both of the payment business operator and the billing business operator based on the result of the determination by the determination unit as to whether or not the payment business operator and the billing business operator are registered. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can examine either or both the payer and the billing company based on the result of determining whether or not the payer and the billing company are registered with the platform that provides the invoice advance payment service, thereby reducing the processing required when an application for advance payment is submitted to the invoice advance payment service.

[0106] In the information processing device, the review unit reviews either or both of the payment business operators and billing business operators that the determination unit has determined are not registered. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can examine either or both of the payment providers and billing providers that have been determined not to be registered with the platform that provides the invoice advance payment service, thereby reducing the amount of processing required when an application for advance payment is submitted to the invoice advance payment service.

[0107] In the information processing device, the review unit does not review either or both of the payment business operators and billing business operators that the determination unit has determined to be registered. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device does not review either or both of the payment providers and billing providers that have been determined to be registered with the platform that provides the invoice advance payment service. For either or both of the payment providers and billing providers registered with other services provided by the platform, the prescribed review has already been conducted, and the payment provider information has also been obtained by the platform, so there is no need to obtain the information again or to conduct the prescribed review, and therefore the review is omitted. This reduces the amount of processing required when an application for advance payment is submitted to the invoice advance payment service.

[0108] In the information processing system, the review unit examines whether either the payer or the billing company, or both, are eligible to receive the invoice advance payment service. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can assess whether it is eligible to receive the invoice payment service, and can therefore provide the service to businesses that are eligible and refrain from providing the service to businesses that are not eligible.

[0109] The information processing device further includes an acquisition unit that acquires invoices relating to payments made by a paying business to a billing business. The review unit then reviews either the paying business or the billing business, or both, based on the invoices acquired by the acquisition unit. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can examine either the payer or the billing company, or both, based on the invoice for the payment made by the payer to the billing company. This improves the accuracy of the examination compared to when the examination is not based on an invoice.

[0110] The information processing device further comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires invoices relating to payments made by a paying business to a billing business; and a processing unit that pays payments to billing businesses based on the invoices acquired by the acquisition unit, for paying businesses and billing businesses that have been determined to be registered by a determination unit or have passed the examination by an examination unit. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can pay the billing business based on the invoice for payment businesses and billing businesses that have been determined to be registered or have passed the screening process, thus enabling it to advance the payment that payment businesses owe to billing businesses.

[0111] In the information processing device, the determination unit acquires business information issued by the platform on a per-business-business basis and determines whether or not the payment business and billing business are registered in the acquired business information. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can examine either the payer or the billing company, or both, based on the result of determining whether the payer and the billing company are registered in the business information issued by the platform on a per-business-business basis. This reduces the processing required when an application for advance payment is submitted to the invoice advance payment service.

[0112] According to the advance payment system of the embodiment, the information processing device includes an advance payment application information receiving unit that receives advance payment application information from a paying business operator for applying to pay an invoice to an invoiced business operator in an invoice advance payment service that advances the payment of an invoice; a determination unit that determines whether or not an invoiced business operator is registered on another platform operated by a business operator that provides invoice advance payment services, which is different from the platform that provides invoice advance payment services; and a review unit that reviews the invoiced business operator based on the result of the determination by the determination unit as to whether or not an invoiced business operator is registered. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can screen billing businesses based on the result of determining whether or not the billing business is registered on a platform operated by a business that provides billing advance payment services, which is different from the platform that provides billing advance payment services. This reduces the processing required when applying for advance payment of payments to the billing advance payment service. Specifically, for the advance payment provider, there is the benefit of reducing the effort required for the payer to input information about the billing business, and for the payer, there is the benefit of reducing the number of input fields for information about the billing business. Here, if the billing business and the advance payment provider have entered into a contract in advance, the payment provider's screening may be omitted if the payment provider designates a billing business with which the advance payment provider has already concluded a contract.

[0113] In the information processing system, the review unit reviews the claiming business that the determination unit has determined is not registered. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can examine billing businesses that have been determined not to be registered on other platforms operated by businesses that provide billing services, which are different from the platform that provides the billing service. This reduces the amount of processing required when a billing business applies for payment advance to the billing service.

[0114] In the information processing system, the review unit does not review a claiming business that has been determined by the determination unit to be eligible for registration. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device does not examine billing businesses that have been determined to be registered on a platform operated by a business that provides billing services, which is different from the platform that provides the billing service. This reduces the amount of processing required when a billing business applies for payment advance to the billing service.

[0115] In the information processing system, the review unit reviews whether the billing business is eligible to receive the invoice payment service. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can assess whether it is eligible to receive the invoice payment service, and can therefore provide the service to businesses that are eligible and refrain from providing the service to businesses that are not eligible.

[0116] The information processing device further includes an acquisition unit that acquires invoices for payments made by a paying business to a billing business. The review unit then reviews the billing business based on the invoices acquired by the acquisition unit. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can further scrutinize the billing business based on the invoice for the payment made by the paying business to the billing business, thereby improving the accuracy of the scrutiny compared to when the scrutiny is not based on the invoice.

[0117] The information processing device further comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires invoices relating to payments made by a paying business to a billing business; and a processing unit that pays the billing business, which has been determined to be registered by a determination unit or has passed the examination by an examination unit, based on the invoices acquired by the acquisition unit. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can pay the billing business operator based on the invoice, for billing businesses that have been determined to be registered or have passed the screening process, thus enabling it to advance the payment that the paying business operator would otherwise have to pay to the billing business operator.

[0118] In the information processing device, the determination unit determines whether or not the payment provider is registered on another platform, and examines the payment provider based on the result of the examination unit's determination of whether or not the payment provider is registered. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can screen payment providers based on the results of determining whether or not the payment provider is registered on other platforms, thereby reducing the processing required when an application for advance payment is submitted to the invoice advance payment service.

[0119] According to the advance payment system of the embodiment, the information processing device includes, in an invoice advance payment service that advances the payment of invoices, an advance payment application information receiving unit that receives advance payment application information for a payment business operator to apply for advance payment of the amount to be paid to the billing business operator; an acquisition unit that acquires invoices relating to the amount to be paid by the payment business operator to the billing business operator; and an identification unit that identifies the billing business operator based on the business information contained in the invoice acquired by the acquisition unit. By configuring it in this way, when a paying business applies to the invoice advance payment service for advance payment of the amount to be paid to the billing business, the information processing device can identify the billing business based on the business information contained in the invoice for the amount to be paid by the paying business to the billing business, even if the billing business is a sole proprietor.

[0120] In information processing systems, business information includes the invoice number. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can identify the billing business, even if the billing business is a sole proprietorship, based on the invoice number included in the invoice for the payment made by the paying business to the billing business.

[0121] In the information processing device, the identification unit identifies the billing company by crawling based on the invoice. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can collect web page information based on the invoice, and therefore can identify the billing company from the web page information.

[0122] In the information processing device, if the identification unit cannot identify the billing business based on the invoice number, it identifies the billing business by crawling based on the invoice. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can crawl based on the invoice if it cannot identify the billing company based on the invoice number, making it easier to identify the billing company.

[0123] The information processing device further includes a review unit that reviews the billing business based on information identifying the billing business specified in the specific unit. With this configuration, the information processing device can screen the billing business based on the billing business identified from the business information contained in the invoice for the payment made by the paying business to the billing business. Here, if the billing business and the advance payment business have entered into a contract in advance, the payment business may be screened if the paying business designates a billing business with which the advance payment business has already entered into a contract.

[0124] In the information processing system, the review unit reviews whether the billing business is eligible to receive the invoice payment service. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can assess whether it is eligible to receive the invoice payment service, and can therefore provide the service to businesses that are eligible and refrain from providing the service to businesses that are not eligible.

[0125] The information processing device further includes a processing unit that pays a fee to a billing business identified by a specific unit, based on an invoice acquired by an acquisition unit. By configuring it in this way, the information processing device can pay the specified billing entity, thus enabling it to advance the payment that the paying entity owes to the billing entity.

[0126] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, a computer program to implement the functions of each of the above-mentioned devices may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be loaded into a computer system and executed. The term "computer system" here may include hardware such as an operating system and peripheral devices.

[0127] Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" refers to writable non-volatile memory such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, and flash memory, portable media such as DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" also includes volatile memory (such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory)) within computer systems that act as servers or clients when programs are transmitted via networks such as the Internet or communication lines such as telephone lines, which retain programs for a certain period of time.

[0128] Furthermore, the above program may be transmitted from a computer system that stores the program in a memory device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by transmission waves within the transmission medium. Here, the "transmission medium" used to transmit the program refers to a medium that has the function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) like the Internet or a communication line (communication line) like a telephone line. Furthermore, the above program may be intended to implement some of the functions described above. Furthermore, the aforementioned functions can be achieved in combination with programs already recorded in the computer system; these may be so-called differential files (differential programs). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0129] 1...Advance payment system, 10...Payer terminal device, 20, 40...Advance payment terminal device

Claims

1. In an invoice advance payment service that provides advance payment for invoices, the payment provider receives advance payment application information from the advance payment application department, which accepts advance payment application information from the payment provider to request advance payment for the amount to be paid to the invoice provider. A determination unit that determines whether the billing business operator is registered on another platform operated by the business operator providing the billing payment service, which is different from the platform providing the billing payment service; A review unit that reviews the claiming business based on the result of the determination unit's determination of whether or not the claiming business is registered, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the examination unit examines the claiming business operator that has been determined not to be registered by the determination unit.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the examination unit does not examine the claimant business that has been determined to be registered by the determination unit.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the examination unit examines whether the claiming business operator is eligible to receive the invoice payment service.

5. Acquisition unit that acquires invoices for the aforementioned payments made by the payment business operator to the billing business operator. Furthermore, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the examination unit further examines the requesting business operator based on the invoice acquired by the acquisition unit.

6. An acquisition unit that acquires an invoice for the aforementioned payment made by the payment business operator to the billing business operator, A processing unit pays the billing business operator that has been determined to be registered by the determination unit or has passed the examination by the examination unit, based on the invoice obtained by the acquisition unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The determination unit determines whether the payment business operator is registered on the other platform, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, which examines the payment business operator based on the result of the examination unit's determination of whether or not the payment business operator is registered.

8. A method of information processing performed by a computer, In an invoice advance payment service that provides advance payment for invoices, the payment provider receives advance payment application information to request advance payment to the invoice provider, The steps include determining whether the billing business operator is registered on another platform operated by the business operator providing the billing service, which is different from the platform providing the billing service, A step of reviewing the claiming business based on the result of determining whether or not the claiming business is registered in the above determination step, An information processing method having the following characteristics.

9. On the computer, In an invoice advance payment service that provides advance payment, the payment provider receives advance payment application information to request advance payment to the invoice provider, The steps include determining whether the billing business operator is registered on another platform operated by the business operator providing the billing service, which is different from the platform providing the billing service, A step of reviewing the claiming business based on the result of determining whether or not the claiming business is registered in the above determination step, A program that executes something.

Images