Payment servers, payment systems, payment methods, and programs

Abstract

To provide payment servers, payment systems, payment methods, and programs that can improve convenience for users. [Solution] A payment server that provides electronic payment services to a user in cooperation with a payment application operating on a user terminal device, comprising: an information management unit that manages payment methods set by the user using a storage unit; and a payment processing unit that performs electronic payment using a payment method selected from a plurality of payment methods, including a first payment method using the charge balance of the electronic payment service and a second payment method that pays directly from the user's bank account, wherein the payment processing unit receives payment information including the payment amount from a user terminal device or a store payment terminal installed in the store, and if the payment method stored in the storage unit is the second payment method, performs electronic payment by requesting a bank server that manages the bank account to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, an electronic payment service provided by cooperation between an application program (hereinafter referred to as a payment application) and a payment server has become widespread. In this type of electronic payment service, a payment source (fund source) can be selected from a plurality of sources (Patent Document 1). In recent years, there are also businesses that allow payments to be made by debit card by registering the debit card as a fund source.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, when making a payment by debit from a bank account, it was necessary to go through a debit card. Therefore, users had to create a debit card in advance and register it as a fund source for the electronic payment service, and the conventional technology was complicated and lacked convenience as a mechanism.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide a settlement server, a settlement system, a settlement method, and a program that can improve convenience for users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a payment server that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with a payment application operating on a user terminal device, comprising: an information management unit that manages a payment method set by the user using a storage unit; and a payment processing unit that performs an electronic payment using a payment method selected from a plurality of payment methods, including a first payment method using the charge balance of the electronic payment service and a second payment method that pays directly from the user's bank account, wherein the payment processing unit receives payment information including the payment amount from the user terminal device or a store payment terminal installed in the store, and, if the payment method stored in the storage unit is the second payment method, performs an electronic payment by requesting a bank server that manages the bank account to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to improve convenience for the user. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows the basic forms of in-store electronic payment. [Figure 2] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payments (terminal payments) using a payment app. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the contents of merchant / store information 174. [Figure 5] This diagram shows an overview of the processing flow when a user scan is performed. [Figure 6] This diagram shows an overview of the processing flow when a store scan is performed. [Figure 7] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for performing electronic payments (card payments) using payment cards. [Figure 8] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for direct bank settlement. [Figure 9]This is a diagram to explain how to switch payment methods. [Figure 10] This is a diagram to explain how to switch payment methods. [Figure 11] This diagram shows an example of the account linking process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

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

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

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

[0012] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least optical reading function, communication function, display function, input acceptance function, and program execution function. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions will be referred to as a camera, communication device, touch panel, CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as the CPU, and it operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to users. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application distribution server (not shown), and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc. of the user terminal device 10. In the following description, there may be instances where it is written as "sending information to the user terminal device 10 (or receiving / acquiring information from the user terminal device 10)" and instances where it is written as "sending information to the payment application 20 (or receiving / acquiring information from the payment application 20)," but these are merely differences in expression and do not distinguish anything.

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

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

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

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

[0017] The storage unit 170 is, for example, an HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the settlement server 100 via a network. Information such as user information 172 and franchise / store information 174 is stored in the storage unit 170.

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

[0019] The information management unit 120 edits, adds, deletes, etc. the user information 172 and the franchise / store information 174 and manages them.

[0020] Figure 3 shows an example of the contents of User Information 172. User Information 172 is a collection of information such as User URL, Account ID, Phone Number, Password, Registration Date, Charge Balance, Earned Points, Electronic Money Type, Terminal Payment Method, Card Payment Method, Various History Information, Identity Verification Flag, Name, Address, Date of Birth, Email Address, Bank Account (1), Bank Account (2), Account Balance, Postpay Settings, and Postpay Conditions Information, all of which are linked to each other. Hereafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is linked may be referred to as an account. In the figure, items indicated by "-" indicate that they are not set.

[0021] The user URL is used for processing transfers between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone number and password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100. The registration date is the date the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date the account was created). The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user by sending money to the account in advance. Earned points are the value obtained by the user as a benefit of the electronic payment service and are a value that can be used for electronic payments as a charge balance. Transfer methods include depositing into an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated company (bank) and transferring from a registered bank account (1). The type of electronic money is information indicating, for example, whether the electronic money can be withdrawn or can only be used for electronic payments. The terminal payment method is setting information indicating whether the user will make an electronic payment using the charge balance (balance payment), make a deferred payment, or make an electronic payment via bank transfer (bank direct payment) at the terminal. Details of bank direct payment will be described later. The card payment method is configuration information that indicates whether the user will make an electronic payment using their charged balance (balance payment), a deferred payment electronic payment, or an electronic payment via bank transfer. The terminal payment method and the card payment method may be integrated, and the payment method for terminal payments and the payment method for card payments may be linked. Electronic payment using a charged balance is an example of the first payment method, and electronic payment via bank transfer is an example of the second payment method. Various history information includes charge history, which shows the history of when the user has previously sent money to the electronic payment service to increase their charged balance, and payment history, which shows the details of each electronic payment made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, merchant ID, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0022] The Identity Verification Flag indicates whether or not the user has completed identity verification using an identification document. Post-payment becomes available only after identity verification is complete. In the diagram, the user with account ID "002" has not completed identity verification and can only select balance payment as a terminal payment method. Bank account (1) is the account number of the bank account to which funds can be deposited into the electronic payment service. Bank account (2) is the account number of the bank account used for direct bank payment. Account balance is the account balance of bank account (2). The Information Management Unit 120 obtains the account balance by sharing information with the bank server 300. As will be described later, account balance information does not necessarily have to be included in user information 172. Post-payment settings indicate whether or not the setting operation to enable post-payment has been completed. Post-payment conditions information indicates various conditions for post-payment, such as the limit and the amount used in the current month.

[0023] Figure 4 shows an example of the contents of the merchant / store information 174. The merchant / store information 174 includes, for example, a first table 174A in which merchant IDs and store IDs are associated with store URLs, a second table 174B in which merchant names and sales figures (as described above) are associated with merchant IDs, and a third table 174C in which store IDs are associated with store IDs. In addition to this information, the merchant / store information 174 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, store location, and payment patterns.

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

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

[0026] The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information if the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of the user is set to "balance payment" (S7-1). At this time, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by, for example, decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the merchant's sales proceeds. The item value of the merchant's sales proceeds is not used as electronic money itself, for example, but the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales proceeds is transferred to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the merchant and the electronic payment service. If the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment", the payment processing unit 130 sends the first payment information and the second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S7-2). The credit card server 200 performs electronic payment by adding the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information and deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S7-3). Furthermore, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "bank payment," the payment processing unit 130 confirms that the account balance of the user information 172 is equal to or greater than the payment amount, and then sends the payment amount, the user's account ID, bank account (2) information, etc. to the bank server 300 to request electronic payment (S7-4). The bank server 300 deducts the payment amount from the user's account balance based on the received information and performs the electronic payment (S7-5). At this time, as will be described later, the adjusted payment amount, after deducting the points earned by the user, may be sent to the bank server 300. Alternatively, the payment server 100 may not recognize the user's account balance, and the bank server 300 may solely confirm that the account balance is equal to or greater than the payment amount, and if the account balance is less than the payment amount, it may send a message to the payment server 100 indicating that electronic payment is not possible. The same applies to the process in S17-4 described later.

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

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

[0029] The payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information, and if the "terminal payment method" in the user information 172 of that user is set to "balance payment", it performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S17-1). The content of the processing at this time is the same as the processing in S7-1 in Figure 5. If the "terminal payment method" is set to "post-payment", the payment server 100 sends the first payment information and the second payment information to the credit card server 200 to request electronic payment (S17-2). The credit card server 200 adds the payment amount to the user's monthly usage amount based on the received information and performs electronic payment by deducting the monthly usage amount from the user's bank account after the closing date (S17-3). Furthermore, if the "terminal payment method" is set to "bank transfer," the payment processing unit 130 confirms that the account balance in the user information 172 is equal to or greater than the payment amount, and then sends the payment amount, the user's account ID, and bank account (2) information to the bank server 300 to request electronic payment (S17-4). Based on the received information, the bank server 300 deducts the payment amount from the user's account balance and performs the electronic payment (S17-5). At this time, as will be described later, the adjusted payment amount, after deducting the points earned by the user, may be sent to the bank server 300.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[0038] The settlement distribution unit 230 refers to the user's card user information 272 corresponding to the message obtained from the credit interface 220 and determines whether the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment". If the "card payment method" is set to "post-payment", the settlement distribution unit 230 notifies the credit interface 220 of this and passes the message obtained from the credit interface 220 to the credit payment processing unit 240. If the "card payment method" is set to "balance payment", the settlement distribution unit 230 adds the user's account ID to the message obtained from the credit interface 220 and sends it to the settlement server 100 to request electronic payment. The settlement server 100, upon receiving the request for electronic payment, performs the same processing as in S7-1 in Figure 5 and S17-1 in Figure 6. If the "card payment method" is set to "bank payment", the settlement distribution unit 230 adds the user's account ID to the message obtained from the credit interface 220 and sends it to the settlement server 100 to request electronic payment. The payment server 100, upon receiving a request for electronic payment, forwards it to the bank server 300 and requests the electronic payment. The bank server 300 performs the same processing as in S7-5 in Figure 5 and S17-5 in Figure 6.

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

[0040] [Bank Direct Payment] The following describes the direct bank payment system implemented by this embodiment. Figure 8 shows an example of a configuration for direct bank payment. This electronic payment system is executed primarily by a payment application 20 and a bank application 22 operating on a user terminal device 10, which is one of the media Ms; one or more store payment terminals 30 and one or more store code images 40, which are part of the store equipment E; and a payment server 100 and a bank server 300, which constitute part of the payment system S. A general-purpose browser may be used instead of the bank application 22. The bank server 300 is operated by a bank (a business licensed to operate a bank) that cooperates with an electronic payment service provider (e.g., a money transfer service provider). Note that both businesses may be the same corporation or corporations belonging to a holding group. Furthermore, the bank server 300 may be operated by a bank (a city bank, a regional bank, a foreign bank, a credit union, etc.) that does not have a specific relationship with an electronic payment service provider.

[0041] The bank server 300 communicates with the settlement server 100 via a network NW. The bank server 300 has various functions for providing, for example, online banking services. The bank server 300 includes, for example, an information management unit 310, a native application integration unit 320, a bank settlement processing unit 330, and a storage unit 370. Components other than the storage unit 370 are implemented, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be implemented by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device. The storage unit 370 stores information such as bank account information 372.

[0042] The information management unit 310 edits, adds, and deletes bank account information 372 and manages it. Bank account information 372 is information that associates, for example, the user's account number, account balance, and account ID (used by the payment server 100) with each other. The information management unit 310 cooperates with the information management unit 120 of the payment server 100 to provide the account balance to the payment server 100 and to obtain the account ID from the payment server 100. The native application integration unit 320 communicates with the bank application 22 running on the user terminal device 10 and performs tasks such as accepting settings and providing information for providing online banking services. In other words, the bank application 22 is an application program for receiving online banking services provided by the bank server 300. The native application integration unit 320 also has web server functionality and may provide similar services to the user terminal device 10 even if a general-purpose browser is used instead of the bank application 22 on the user terminal device 10. The bank settlement processing unit 330 provides so-called online banking services such as transfers and deposits in response to instructions from the bank app 22 or a web browser.

[0043] As described above, on the payment server 100 side, the information management unit 120 manages the payment method set by the user (here, this refers to at least the terminal payment method, and may also include the card payment method) using the user information 172 in the storage unit 170, and the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment using a payment method selected from among multiple payment methods, including a first payment method using the charge balance of the electronic payment service and a second payment method that pays directly from the user's bank account. At this time, the payment processing unit 130 receives payment information including the payment amount from the user terminal device 10 or the store payment terminal 30 located in the store, and if the payment method stored in the storage unit 170 is the second payment method, it performs electronic payment by requesting the bank server 300, which manages the bank account, to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account.

[0044] Here, the settlement processing unit 130, which is managed using the storage unit 170, calculates an adjusted settlement amount by subtracting the points from the settlement amount if there are points (earned points as described above) that can be used as a charge balance in the electronic payment service, and performs electronic payment by requesting the bank server 300 to deduct the adjusted settlement amount from the bank account. The use of these points may be set to be automatically used in full, or the user may instruct whether or not to use points each time an electronic payment is made.

[0045] Switching payment methods is performed by operations on the payment app 20. Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the switching of payment methods. First, as shown in the left figure of Figure 9, the display screen of the payment app 20 includes a first area A1 where a code image is displayed, a second area A2 with icons for calling up one or more functions in electronic payment, and a third area A3 associated with a "Pay" button. The second area A2 and the third area A3 are displayed in the first group of colors. The first group of colors are, for example, warm colors. The code image includes, for example, barcodes and QR codes. In addition, the first area A1 displays text indicating the payment method (for example, "Balance Payment" / "Bank Payment" / "Credit Payment") along with the code image. This text is drawn by the payment app 20 based on information (whether it is a balance payment, bank payment, or deferred payment) that the payment app 20 updates each time the first area A1 is swiped. Note that a "button" is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) implemented in cooperation with the touch panel and is also called an "icon". Area 2A2 contains buttons for easily accessing key electronic payment functions, such as a button to initiate scanning (user scan), a button to view the history, and a button to initiate charging. Here, electronic payment with deferred payment is referred to as the third payment method.

[0046] The payment app 20 performs processing to switch the payment method in response to a swipe of the first area A1. This processing to switch the payment method includes, for example, sending information indicating that a switch has been made (or information indicating which payment method will be selected as a result of the switch) to the payment server 100, and storing this information in the memory of the user terminal device 10. In addition, in response to a swipe of the first area A1, the payment app 20 switches the display colors of the second area A2 and the third area A3 between the first group of colors corresponding to the first payment method and the second group of colors corresponding to the second payment method, and displays the second area A2 in an intermediate state (for example, an intermediate color) at an intermediate point between the start and completion of the swipe. The start of the swipe is when the user's finger is placed on the touch panel, and the completion is when the user's finger has slid beyond a reference distance that is determined to be a swipe.

[0047] In the right-hand diagram of Figure 9, the payment method is set to the second payment method, and the second area A2 and the third area A3 are displayed in the second group of colors. The second group of colors is, for example, a gray-based color. Note that the first, second, and third group of colors may each refer to a single color (in this case, they can be rephrased as the first color, second color, and third color), or they may have a certain range (for example, both vermilion and crimson may be included in the first group of colors, different shades of gray may be included in the second group of colors, and both light blue and navy blue may be included in the third group of colors, which will be described later). The payment application 20 displays, for example, the first area A1 in an intermediate state using an animation to indicate the switch. The following explanation will mainly describe the process of switching from the first payment method to the second payment method, but the switch from the second payment method to the first payment method is performed by the reverse operation, or the same operation.

[0048] As shown in the middle diagram of Figure 9, the payment app 20 slides the first area A1 horizontally (towards the shorter side of the user terminal device 10) in response to the user's swipe, causing another first area A1 to appear from the edge of the screen and move toward the front. The newly appearing first area A1 displays "Bank Transfer" as the payment method. The code image may be the same for both the first and second payment methods. From the start to the completion of the swipe operation, the payment app 20 controls the display color of the second area A2, gradually moving it from the first group of colors to the second group of colors according to the progress, until it is the second group of colors at the time of completion.

[0049] The left diagram in Figure 10 shows the same state as the right diagram in Figure 9. In the right diagram of Figure 10, the payment method is set to the third payment method, and the second area A2 and the third area A3 are displayed in the third group of colors. The third group of colors is, for example, a blue-based color.

[0050] As shown in the middle diagram of Figure 10, the payment app 20 slides the first area A1 horizontally in response to the user's swipe, causing another first area A1 to appear from the edge of the screen and move toward the front. The newly appearing first area A1 displays "Credit Card Payment" as the payment method. The code image may be the same for the second and third payment methods. From the start to the completion of the swipe operation, the payment app 20 controls the display color of the second area A2, gradually moving it from the second group of colors to the third group of colors as the swipe operation progresses, so that it becomes the third group of colors at the time of completion.

[0051] In this way, by setting the first area A1 as the target for swiping and changing the display of the second area A2 over time according to the progress of the swipe, it becomes unnecessary to have a switch for switching payment methods. This enhances the functionality that can be easily accessed and provides users with a natural user experience.

[0052] Furthermore, the screens that appear when the "Pay" button is pressed may also be displayed with a background color corresponding to the current payment method. This allows users to maintain awareness of their current electronic payment method setting.

[0053] The following describes the process when an electronic payment service and a bank link accounts. Account linking means enabling bank payments within the electronic payment service in response to user actions. Account linking may be initiated by operations within the payment app 20, but it is preferable to initiate it from the bank app 22, as described below. This is because the fact that the bank app 22 is running means that the user's bank account has already been verified.

[0054] Figure 11 shows an example of the account linking process. First, the banking application 22 is launched on the user terminal device 10. The display screen IM1 of the banking application 22 has general display items for the banking application 22, such as account balance, as well as an operation button B1 for calling the payment application 20 (to instruct linking with the electronic payment service). When the user operates the operation button B1, the functions of the SDK (Software Development Kit) provided by the electronic payment service enable information exchange between the bank server 300 and the payment server 100 for bank payment settlement. For example, information such as the bank account and account balance is transmitted from the bank server 300 to the payment server and registered in the user information 172, and information such as the user's account ID is transmitted from the payment server 100 to the bank server 300. This SDK function is applicable not only to banks that link with electronic payment services but also to the banking application 22 of general banks.

[0055] Next, the payment application 20 is activated on the user terminal device 10. Activation means that if the user terminal device 10 is logged in, the display screen IM2 of the payment application 20 is brought to the foreground, and if it is not logged in, the payment application 20 is launched after login authentication. At this time, the display screen IM2 of the payment application 20 displays text prompting the user to consent to providing payment information for the electronic payment service to the bank, and also provides a link to a screen displaying detailed warnings, as well as an application button B2 to accept the user's application operation.

[0056] When a user operates the application button B2, the payment app 20 displays a screen IM3 showing a code image with the payment method fixed to bank transfer. The payment method is fixed to bank transfer because, when linked via the bank SDK, bank transfer is selected by default. The display screen IM3 shows the points the user has, and allows the user to choose whether or not to use points for bank transfer (to use points to cover part or all of the payment). Using the display screen IM3, bank transfer payments via store scan become possible. This display screen IM3 is a different screen from, for example, the home screen of the payment app 20 (as exemplified in Figure 9-10). Once account linking is complete, if the operation button B1 is operated for the second time or later and the user terminal device 10 is logged in, the display of the screen in the middle of Figure 11 is skipped, and the display screen IM3 in the right is displayed. If the operation button B1 is operated for the second time or later and the user terminal device 10 is not logged in, the display of the screen in the middle of Figure 11 is skipped, and after login authentication, the display screen IM3 in the right is displayed.

[0057] According to the embodiment described above, electronic payment is made using a payment method selected from a plurality of payment methods, including a first payment method using the charge balance of an electronic payment service and a second payment method that pays directly from the user's bank account. Payment information including the payment amount is received from the user terminal device or a store payment terminal installed in the store, and if the payment method stored in the storage unit is the second payment method, the payment is made by requesting the bank server that manages the bank account to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account, thereby improving convenience for the user.

[0058] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] E. Store facilities M medium S Payment System 10. User terminal device 20 Payment Apps 22 Banking Apps 30 Store Payment Terminals 40 Store Code Images 60 Payment Cards 70 Credit card processing terminal 100 Payment Servers 130 Payment Processing Unit 140 Authentication Department 200 credit card servers 300 bank servers

Claims

1. A payment server that provides electronic payment services to users in cooperation with a payment application running on a user terminal device, An information management unit that manages payment methods set by users using a memory unit, The system includes a settlement processing unit that performs electronic payment using a settlement method selected from a plurality of settlement methods, including a first settlement method using the charge balance of the electronic payment service and a second settlement method that pays directly from the user's bank account. The payment processing unit receives payment information including the payment amount from the user terminal device or a store payment terminal located in the store, and if the payment method stored in the storage unit is the second payment method, it performs electronic payment by requesting the bank server managing the bank account to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account. Payment server.

2. The settlement processing unit manages the points using the storage unit, and if there are points available as a charge balance in the electronic payment service, it performs electronic payment by requesting the bank server to deduct the adjusted settlement amount, obtained by subtracting the points from the settlement amount, from the bank account. The settlement server according to claim 1.

3. A payment system comprising the payment server described in claim 1 or 2 and the payment application, The payment application is activated when an operation button that instructs the user to link with the electronic payment service, which is provided in the banking application for receiving the online banking service provided by the bank server and which operates on the user terminal device, is operated. The payment server allows the user to select electronic payment using the second payment method in response to an application operation performed on the payment application activated by the operation of the operation button. Payment system.

4. The aforementioned payment app is This displays a code image for electronic payment. When the application operation is performed, the code image with the payment method fixed to the second payment method is displayed. The payment system according to claim 3.

5. The code image for which the payment method is fixed to the second payment method is displayed on a screen different from the home screen of the payment application 20. The payment system according to claim 4.

6. After the application operation has been performed once, when the operation button provided in the banking application is operated, the payment application will display the code image with the payment method fixed to the second payment method without displaying the screen for accepting the application operation. The payment system according to claim 4.

7. A payment system comprising the payment server described in claim 1 or 2 and the payment application, The aforementioned payment application is installed on the user terminal device, A first area is displayed on which a code image used for the electronic payment is shown, and a second area is provided on which one or more icons are provided for calling up functions in the electronic payment. The display color of the second area is to be displayed in a color corresponding to the first payment method and the second payment method, respectively. Payment system.

8. The aforementioned payment app is As the first area is swiped, the system performs a process to switch the electronic payment method between a plurality of payment methods, including the first payment method and the second payment method. At an intermediate point between the start and completion of the swipe, the display color of the second area is displayed in an intermediate state corresponding to each of the multiple payment methods. The settlement system according to claim 7.

9. A payment server that provides electronic payment services to users in cooperation with a payment application running on a user terminal device, A process that manages the payment method set by the user using a memory unit, The process involves performing an electronic payment using a payment method selected from a plurality of payment methods, including a first payment method using the charge balance of the electronic payment service and a second payment method paying directly from the user's bank account. The process for performing the aforementioned electronic payment includes receiving payment information, including the payment amount, from the user terminal device or a store payment terminal located in the store, and, if the payment method stored in the storage unit is the second payment method, performing the electronic payment by requesting the bank server managing the bank account to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account. Payment methods.

10. A payment server that provides electronic payment services to users in cooperation with a payment application running on the user terminal device, A process that manages the payment method set by the user using a memory unit, A program for performing electronic payment using a payment method selected from a plurality of payment methods, including a first payment method using the charge balance of the electronic payment service and a second payment method paying directly from the user's bank account, The process for performing the aforementioned electronic payment includes receiving payment information, including the payment amount, from the user terminal device or a store payment terminal located in the store, and, if the payment method stored in the storage unit is the second payment method, performing the electronic payment by requesting the bank server managing the bank account to deduct the payment amount included in the payment information from the bank account. program.

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