Information processing device, terminal device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

When an information processing device handles settlements related to the provision of items for sale in a supply device, the time until the items for sale are provided is shortened in certain circumstances. [Solution] The information processing device 2 includes a receiving unit 21 that receives a user identifier and a sales target identifier, a storage unit 22 that stores correspondence information that associates the user identifier with payment method information, a determination unit 23 that determines whether to send an instruction to provide the sales target before the completion of payment when the user identifier and the sales target identifier are received, a settlement unit 24 that uses the payment method information associated with the received user identifier by the correspondence information to settle the sale target identified by the received sales target identifier, and a transmission unit 25 that, if it is determined to send an instruction to provide before the completion of payment, sends an instruction to the providing device before the completion of payment, and otherwise sends an instruction to the providing device after the completion of payment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device or the like that performs settlement for providing items for sale in a providing device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, when a user purchases an item or the like from a vending machine, the user has been able to purchase the item or the like without paying cash (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the settlement for purchasing an item or the like using a conventional vending machine, since the settlement is performed on a server or the like, there has been a problem that it takes time until the item or the like is provided accordingly.

[0005] Generally speaking, when performing settlement for providing items for sale in a providing device such as a vending machine on a device different from the providing device, there has been a problem that the settlement process takes time and it takes time to provide the items for sale in the providing device.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an information processing device or the like that can shorten the time until the provision of items for sale in a providing device even when the settlement for the provision of items for sale in the providing device is performed in the information processing device in a specific situation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above objective, an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a receiving unit that receives a user identifier that identifies a user and a sales target identifier that identifies a sales target to be provided to the user by a sales target provisioning device that provides the sales target, which is associated with the user identifier; a storage unit that stores one or more first correspondence pieces of information that associate the user identifier with payment method information relating to the user identified by the user identifier; a determination unit that, when the receiving unit receives the user identifier and the sales target identifier associated with the user identifier, determines whether to send an instruction to provide the sales target before the completion of the payment; a settlement unit that, using the payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence piece, performs a settlement for the sales target identified by the sales target identifier associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit; and a transmission unit that, if the determination unit determines to send an instruction to provide the sales target before the completion of the payment, sends an instruction to provide the sales target to the sales target provisioning device corresponding to the payment before the settlement unit completes the payment, and otherwise sends an instruction to provide the sales target to the sales target provisioning device corresponding to the payment after the settlement unit completes the payment.

[0008] With this configuration, if it is determined that a provision instruction for the product to be sold should be sent before the payment is completed, the provision instruction can be sent to the supply device without waiting for the payment to be completed, and accordingly, the time it takes for the product to be provided by the supply device can be shortened.

[0009] Furthermore, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the determination unit may determine that if there is payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence information, it will transmit an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of the payment.

[0010] With this configuration, if payment method information exists, it is considered that payment can be completed using that payment method information, and therefore, instructions for providing the product to be sold can be sent to the providing device before payment is completed.

[0011] Furthermore, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the payment means information includes first payment means information and second payment means information, and the payment unit, when making a payment using the payment means information, makes the payment using the first payment means information included in the payment means information, and if the payment is not completed, makes the payment using the second payment means information included in the payment means information, and the determination unit may determine to transmit an instruction to provide the sales target before the payment is completed if the second payment means information exists in the payment means information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence information.

[0012] With this configuration, if a second payment method information exists, it is considered that the payment can be completed using that second payment method information, and therefore, the instruction to provide the item to be sold can be sent to the providing device before the payment is completed.

[0013] Furthermore, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the receiving unit may also receive confirmation information indicating that payment method information associated with the user identifier has been confirmed to exist, along with the user identifier, and the determination unit may decide to transmit an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of payment when the receiving unit has received the confirmation information along with the user identifier.

[0014] With this configuration, if payment method information has been confirmed to exist in advance, it is possible to complete the payment using that payment method information, and therefore, the instruction to provide the item to be sold can be sent to the providing device before the payment is completed.

[0015] Furthermore, in an information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, if the determination unit determines that it will transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold before the settlement is completed, and the settlement using the settlement means information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence information is not completed, the settlement unit may perform the settlement after the settlement means information has been updated.

[0016] With this configuration, if a payment using payment method information is not completed when an instruction to provide the product has been sent before the payment is completed, the payment will be processed after the payment method information is updated, thereby ensuring more reliable billing for the product.

[0017] Furthermore, in an information processing device according to one aspect of the present invention, the receiving unit may further receive a confirmation request that asks for confirmation of whether payment method information associated with a user identifier, including a user identifier, exists, and the transmitting unit may transmit a confirmation result indicating whether payment method information associated with a user identifier included in the confirmation request received by the receiving unit by first correspondence information exists.

[0018] With this configuration, for example, it is possible to check in advance whether payment method information for a particular user exists and provide it to the terminal device.

[0019] Furthermore, in an information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the storage unit further stores one or more second correspondence pieces of information that associate a first identifier for identifying a providing device with a second identifier for identifying a providing device, and the receiving unit receives a first set from the providing device that includes a first identifier for identifying a providing device and a sales target identifier for identifying a sales target selected by the user in the providing device, and receives a second set from the user's terminal device that includes a user identifier for identifying the user and a second identifier for identifying a providing device obtained by the terminal device from the providing device, and among the first sets received by the receiving unit, the sales target identifier included in the first set that includes a first identifier that is associated with a second identifier included in the second set received by the receiving unit by the second correspondence piece of information may be a sales target identifier linked to a user identifier included in the second set.

[0020] With this configuration, the first set received from the providing device and the second set transmitted from the user's terminal device can be used to perform payment for the sales item selected by the providing device.

[0021] Also, in the information processing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the providing apparatus may be a vending machine.

[0022] With such a configuration, in the information processing apparatus, settlement regarding a sales target sold in the vending machine can be performed.

[0023] Further, the terminal device according to one aspect of the present invention is a terminal device held by a user, and includes a storage unit that stores a user identifier for identifying the user, and in an information processing apparatus that performs settlement regarding a sales target provided by a providing apparatus, a confirmation unit that checks whether there is settlement means information regarding the user identified by the user identifier, which is associated with the user identifier, and when it is confirmed by the confirmation unit that there is settlement means information associated with the user identifier, a transmission unit that transmits the user identifier and confirmation information indicating that it has been confirmed that there is settlement means information associated with the user identifier.

[0024] With such a configuration, when it is confirmed that there is settlement means information associated with the user identifier, it is possible to transmit to that effect. In response to that transmission, for example, in the providing apparatus, the sales target can be provided earlier.

[0025] Also, an information processing method according to an aspect of the present invention is an information processing method processed using a receiving unit, a storage unit in which one or more first correspondence information associating a user identifier with settlement means information regarding a user identified by the user identifier is stored, a determination unit, a settlement unit, and a transmission unit. The receiving unit receives a user identifier for identifying a user and a sales target identifier for identifying a sales target provided to the user in a providing device that provides the sales target and is associated with the user identifier. When the determination unit receives the user identifier and the sales target identifier associated with the user identifier, it determines whether to transmit an instruction to provide the sales target before the completion of settlement. The settlement unit uses the settlement means information associated with the received user identifier by the first correspondence information to perform settlement regarding the sales target identified by the sales target identifier associated with the received user identifier. When it is determined that the transmission unit transmits an instruction to provide the sales target before the completion of settlement, before the completion of settlement in the settlement step, it transmits an instruction to provide the sales target to the providing device corresponding to the settlement, and otherwise, after the completion of settlement in the settlement step, it transmits an instruction to provide the sales target to the providing device corresponding to the settlement.

Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to an information processing apparatus etc. according to an aspect of the present invention, even when settlement regarding the provision of a sales target in a providing device is performed in the information processing device, it becomes possible to shorten the time until the provision of the sales target in the providing device in a specific situation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] Block diagram showing the configuration of a providing device according to the embodiment [Figure 3] Block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the embodiment [Figure 4] Block diagram showing the configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment [Figure 5] Flowchart showing the operation of the supply device according to this embodiment. [Figure 6] Flowchart showing the operation of the information processing device according to the same embodiment. [Figure 7] Flowchart showing the operation of the terminal device according to this embodiment. [Figure 8A] This figure shows an example of multiple first correspondence information in the same embodiment. [Figure 8B] This figure shows an example of multiple second correspondence information in the same embodiment. [Figure 8C] This figure shows an example of multiple sales target information in the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] The present invention's supplying device, information processing device, terminal device, and information processing method will be described below using embodiments. In the following embodiments, components and steps denoted by the same reference numerals are identical or equivalent, and further explanation may be omitted. The information processing device according to this embodiment, when performing payment for the provision of items for sale in a supplying device such as a vending machine, will transmit a command to provide the items for sale to the supplying device before the payment is completed if it is determined that a command to provide the items for sale should be transmitted before the payment for those items is completed. With this configuration, the time until the items for sale are provided in the supplying device can be shortened in certain situations.

[0029] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment, Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the providing device 1 according to this embodiment, Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 2 according to this embodiment, and Figure 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 4 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the information processing system 100 comprises one or more providing devices 1, an information processing device 2, and one or more terminal devices 4, and may also include a payment server 9 as needed. The one or more providing devices 1, one or more terminal devices 4, and the payment server 9 and the information processing device 2 may be connected to each other via a wired or wireless communication line 500. The communication line 500 may be, for example, the Internet, an intranet, or a public telephone network.

[0030] The dispensing device 1 according to this embodiment provides items for sale and, as shown in Figure 2, comprises a selection receiving unit 11, a storage unit 12, a transmission unit 13, a receiving unit 14, a dispensing unit 15, and a recording medium 16. In this embodiment, the case in which the dispensing device 1 is a vending machine that sells goods will be mainly described, but the dispensing device 1 may be a device other than a vending machine. The dispensing device 1, which is a vending machine, may, for example, provide food and beverages. That is, the items for sale of the dispensing device 1 may, for example, be food and beverages. In this embodiment, the case in which the items for sale of the dispensing device 1 are beverages in containers such as cans or plastic bottles will be mainly described. Note that the term "items for sale" is used from the seller's perspective, while from the buyer's perspective, it is the item to be purchased. Therefore, the items for sale can also be considered as the item to be purchased.

[0031] The selection reception unit 11 may accept the selection of sales targets by the user 6. The user 6 may select sales targets, for example, by pressing a selection button on the dispensing device 1. The selection reception unit 11 may then accept the selection of sales targets by the user 6. In response to the user 6 pressing a selection button on the dispensing device 1, the selection reception unit 11 may accept information that can identify the sales target corresponding to that selection button, that is, the sales target selected by the user 6. The information that can identify the sales target may be, for example, a column identifier that identifies the column containing the product that is the sales target in the dispensing device 1. The column identifier may, as an example, be a column number. In this embodiment, the case in which the selection reception unit 11 accepts a column identifier, which is a column number that identifies the sales target selected by the user 6, will be mainly described. As an example, this column identifier and the vending machine identifier that identifies the dispensing device 1 may be used as sales target identifiers to identify the sales targets.

[0032] The selection reception unit 11 may accept the selection of items to be sold via an input interface, such as a physical button on the supplying device 1 or a soft button displayed on the display screen. The selection reception unit 11 may or may not include a device for receiving the selection (e.g., an input interface). Furthermore, the selection reception unit 11 may be implemented by hardware or by software such as a driver that drives a predetermined device.

[0033] The storage unit 12 may store a first identifier that identifies the dispensing device 1. The storage unit 12 may also store information other than the first identifier. For example, the storage unit 12 may store a vending machine identifier that identifies the dispensing device 1, which is a vending machine. This vending machine identifier may be the same as the first identifier, or it may not be. Furthermore, the process by which information such as the first identifier is stored in the storage unit 12 is not specified. For example, information may be stored in the storage unit 12 via a recording medium, information transmitted via a communication line, etc., may be stored in the storage unit 12, or information input via an input device may be stored in the storage unit 12. Furthermore, the storage unit 12 is preferably implemented using a non-volatile recording medium, but it may also be implemented using a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0034] The transmission unit 13 may transmit to the information processing device 2 that performs settlement processing a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target selected by the selection reception unit 11, and a first identifier stored in the storage unit 12. This transmission may, for example, be performed immediately after the selection of the sales target is accepted by the selection reception unit 11. The transmitted sales target identifier may include, for example, a column identifier accepted by the selection reception unit 11 and a vending machine identifier stored in the storage unit 12. Along with the sales target identifier, the transmission unit 13 may also transmit to the information processing device 2 information about the sales target identified by the sales target identifier, such as the name of the sales target and the price of the sales target.

[0035] The transmitting unit 13 may or may not include a wired or wireless communication device (e.g., a modem or network card) for transmission. Furthermore, the transmitting unit 13 may be implemented by hardware or by software such as a driver for the communication device.

[0036] The receiving unit 14 receives a provision instruction from the information processing device 2 in response to the transmission of the sales target identifier and the first identifier. This provision instruction is transmitted from the information processing device 2 either before or after the settlement is completed in response to the transmission of the sales target identifier and the first identifier by the transmitting unit 13. For example, if the settlement in the information processing device 2 is not completed in response to the transmission of the sales target identifier and the first identifier, the receiving unit 14 may receive error information from the information processing device 2 indicating that the settlement was not completed, or it may not receive any information. In this embodiment, the latter case will be mainly described. Also, as an example, the sales target identifier that identifies the sales target subject to settlement may or may not be included in the provision instruction or error information. This sales target identifier is the sales target identifier transmitted by the transmitting unit 13.

[0037] The receiving unit 14 may or may not include a wired or wireless communication device (e.g., a modem or network card) for receiving data. The receiving unit 14 may be implemented by hardware or by software such as a driver for the communication device.

[0038] When the receiving unit 14 receives a supply instruction, the supply unit 15 provides the user 6 with the sales item selected by the selection receiving unit 11. The supply unit 15 may, for example, control the mechanism for providing sales items in the supply device 1 so that when a supply instruction is received, the selected sales item 5 is discharged from the supply device 1. The mechanism for providing sales items is already publicly known, and a detailed explanation thereof is omitted. By the supply unit 15 controlling the mechanism for providing sales items in the supply device 1 so that, for example, the sales item 5 is discharged to the dispensing opening, the user 6 can receive the desired sales item 5.

[0039] Furthermore, if the receiving unit 14 receives error information, or if a predetermined period has elapsed since the transmitting unit 13 transmitted the sales target identifier or the first identifier, and the receiving unit 14 has not received a provision instruction, the provisioning unit 15 does not have to provide the sales target to the user 6. In this case, for example, the user 6 may be notified that payment could not be made, or may not be notified.

[0040] The recording medium 16 may store a second identifier that identifies the providing device 1. It is preferable that the first identifier and the second identifier are different, but this is not required. In this embodiment, the case where the first identifier and the second identifier are different will be mainly described. The second identifier is assumed to be linked to the first identifier stored in the storage unit 12. Information linking the first identifier and the second identifier may be held, for example, by the information processing device 2.

[0041] The recording medium 16 may, for example, be a card-shaped recording medium. The recording medium 16 may be, for example, an IC card, or another recording medium. The IC card may be, for example, a contactless card that performs short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication). Thus, the recording medium 16 may be a medium that uses short-range wireless communication. The recording medium 16 may, for example, be a recording medium having an RF tag such as Felica® or MIFARE®. If the recording medium 16 is a Felica IC card, the second identifier may, for example, be a pair of the system code and IDm stored in the recording medium 16. In this embodiment, the case in which the recording medium 16 is an IC card having an RF tag will be mainly described.

[0042] The information processing device 2 according to this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, comprises a receiving unit 21, a storage unit 22, a determination unit 23, a settlement unit 24, and a transmission unit 25. The information processing device 2 may, for example, perform settlement processing related to one or more providing devices 1. The information processing device 2 may, as an example, be a server in a server-client system.

[0043] The receiving unit 21 receives a user identifier that identifies user 6 and a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target to be offered to user 6 by the providing device 1, which is associated with the user identifier. The receiving unit 21 may, for example, receive the user identifier and the sales target identifier at the same time, or it may receive them at different times. The sales target to user 6 may be, for example, a sales target selected by user 6 if the providing device 1 is a vending machine.

[0044] For example, if a pair of user identifiers and sales target identifiers is received by the receiving unit 21, it may be determined that the user identifier and sales target identifier are linked.

[0045] As another example, the receiving unit 21 may receive a first set from the providing device 1, which includes a first identifier that identifies the providing device 1 and a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target selected by user 6 in the providing device 1. The receiving unit 21 may, for example, store the received set of sales target identifier and first identifier in the storage unit 22. The receiving unit 21 may also receive information about the sales target identified by the sales target identifier, such as the name of the sales target and the price of the sales target, along with the sales target identifier. The receiving unit 21 may also receive a second set from user 6's terminal device 4, which includes a user identifier that identifies user 6 and a second identifier that identifies the providing device 1, which the terminal device 4 obtained from the providing device 1. In this embodiment, the case in which the receiving unit 21 receives the first and second sets will be mainly described.

[0046] In this case, the first identifier associated with the second identifier included in the second set received by the receiving unit 21, among the first sets received by the receiving unit 21, that is, the sales target identifier included in the first set which includes the first identifier associated with that second identifier in the second correspondence information described later, may become the sales target identifier associated with the user identifier included in the second set.

[0047] Furthermore, the receiving unit 21 may receive, for example, a user identifier along with verified information indicating that payment method information associated with that user identifier has been confirmed to exist. This verified information will be described later.

[0048] Furthermore, the receiving unit 21 may receive a confirmation request from the terminal device 4. This confirmation request may include, for example, a user identifier and request confirmation of whether payment method information associated with that user identifier exists. The user identifier included in the confirmation request may be, for example, the user identifier of the user 6 who holds the terminal device 4 that is the source of the confirmation request.

[0049] The receiving unit 21 may or may not include a wired or wireless receiving device (e.g., a modem or network card) for receiving data. Furthermore, the receiving unit 21 may be implemented by hardware or by software such as a driver for operating the receiving device.

[0050] The storage unit 22 stores one or more first correspondence information records that associate a user identifier with payment method information related to the user 6 identified by that user identifier. This first correspondence information records the user 6 and the payment method information. In this embodiment, the case in which multiple first correspondence information records are stored in the storage unit 22 will be mainly described.

[0051] The user identifier is not particularly limited as long as it is information that can uniquely identify user 6. For example, it may be the user's telephone number or email address, or other strings of characters used to identify the user. In addition, identifiers of items owned by user 6 or services used by user 6 may be used as user identifiers to identify user 6. For example, the identifier of an IC card owned by user 6 or the identifier of a payment method such as electronic money used by user 6 may be used as a user identifier.

[0052] Payment method information is information used when making a payment to user 6. This payment is usually a cashless payment. For example, if the payment method is a credit card, the payment method information may include the card number, the cardholder's name, and the expiration date, and may also include the security code as needed. If the payment method is electronic money, the payment method information may include the information required for electronic money payment.

[0053] The payment method information may include, for example, a first payment method information and a second payment method information. In this case, the first payment method information is the payment method information that is used preferentially, and the second payment method information may be the payment method information used when payment using the first payment method information is not completed. It is preferable that the first and second payment method information are different payment method information.

[0054] For example, the first payment method information may be electronic money payment method information, and the second payment method information may be credit card payment method information. Alternatively, the second payment method information may be payment method information for a payment using a deposit. For example, payment method information for a payment using a deposit may be information showing the balance of the deposit from user 6.

[0055] The storage unit 22 may store, for example, one or more second correspondence pieces of information that associate a first identifier that identifies a providing device 1 with a second identifier that identifies the providing device 1. This second correspondence piece of information links the first identifier and the second identifier. It is assumed that the first identifier and the second identifier associated by the second correspondence piece of information identify the same providing device 1. In this embodiment, the case where the second correspondence piece of information is a table will be mainly described, but the first identifier and the second identifier may also be associated by second correspondence piece of information such as a function, or by other second correspondence piece of information. When the first identifier and the second identifier are associated by a function, for example, the result of substituting the second identifier into the function may become the first identifier.

[0056] Furthermore, the storage unit 22 may also store one or more sales target correspondence information, for example, which associates a sales target identifier with information about the sales target identified by that sales target identifier. This sales target correspondence information links the sales target with the information about that sales target. The information about the sales target preferably includes, for example, the price of the sales target, and may also include the name of the sales target. Note that if the price of the sales target is also received by the receiving unit 21, the storage unit 22 does not need to store the sales target correspondence information.

[0057] Here, associating the first piece of information with the second piece of information may mean, for example, that it is sufficient to obtain the other piece of information from one of the two pieces of information. Therefore, the correspondence information that associates the first piece of information with the second piece of information may be, for example, information that includes the first piece of information and the second piece of information as a pair, or it may be information that links the first piece of information and the second piece of information.

[0058] Furthermore, the storage unit 22 may store information other than that described above. For example, the storage unit 22 may store a pair of a sales target identifier and a first identifier received by the receiving unit 21, as described above.

[0059] The process by which information is stored in the storage unit 22 is irrelevant. For example, information may be stored in the storage unit 22 via a recording medium, information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the storage unit 22, information input via an input device may be stored in the storage unit 22, or information may be accumulated in the storage unit 22 by other components such as the receiving unit 21.

[0060] The storage unit 22 is preferably implemented using a non-volatile recording medium, but may also be implemented using a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

[0061] The determination unit 23 determines whether to send an instruction to provide the product before the settlement is completed when the receiving unit 21 receives a user identifier and a product identifier associated with that user identifier. For example, the determination unit 23 may also determine to send an instruction to provide the product before the settlement is completed when the receiving unit 21 receives the user identifier along with the verified information.

[0062] The settlement unit 24 uses the settlement method information, which is associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information, to perform a settlement for the sales item identified by the sales item identifier linked to that user identifier, which is also received by the receiving unit 21. At the time of settlement, the settlement unit 24 may, for example, access the settlement server 9 via the communication line 500 to perform the settlement process. The settlement server 9 may be, for example, a server that performs settlement processing using payment methods such as credit cards or electronic money. If the settlement unit 24 accesses the settlement server 9 to perform the settlement process, the processing time will be longer accordingly.

[0063] As an example, when the receiving unit 21 receives a second set including a user identifier and a second identifier, the settlement unit 24 may use the settlement method information associated with the user identifier by the first correspondence information to settle the sale item identified by the sale item identifier included in the first set including the first identifier linked to the second identifier, from the first set including the sale item identifier and the first identifier received by the receiving unit 21. The first identifier linked to the received second identifier may be, for example, the first identifier associated with that second identifier by the second correspondence information.

[0064] The settlement unit 24 may, for example, when a second set including a user identifier and a second identifier is received, identify the payment method information associated with the user identifier by the first correspondence information. Alternatively, the settlement unit 24 may identify the first identifier associated with the received second identifier by the second correspondence information, identify the first set containing the identified first identifier from the first set including the received sales target identifier and the first identifier, and identify the sales target identifier included in the identified first set. Furthermore, as an example, the settlement unit 24 may use the sales target correspondence information stored in the storage unit 22 to identify the price corresponding to the identified sales target identifier, and perform payment for that identified price using the identified payment method information. Also, if the price of the sales target is also received by the receiving unit 21, the settlement unit 24 may, as an example, perform payment for that received price using the identified payment method information. In this way, the settlement unit 24 may, for example, use the identified payment method information to perform payment for an amount corresponding to the identified price or the received price. As a result of this payment, user 6, identified by the received user identifier, will be charged according to the price of the item sold, identified by the received item sold identifier.

[0065] Furthermore, for example, if the payment method information includes first and second payment method information, the payment unit 24 may, when performing a payment using the payment method information, perform the payment using the first payment method information included in that payment method information, and if that payment is not completed, perform the payment using the second payment method information included in that payment method information. In this way, the second payment method information may be, for example, backup payment method information used when the payment using the first payment method information is not completed.

[0066] Furthermore, if the decision unit 23 determines that an instruction to provide the sales item should be sent before the payment is completed, and the payment using the payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information is not completed, the payment unit 24 may perform the payment after the payment method information has been updated. This payment is for the sales item identified by the sales item identifier received by the receiving unit 21. In this case, for example, the payment unit 24 may store unpaid information, including information about the uncompleted payment such as the payment amount and the date and time of the payment, in the storage unit 22, associated with the payment method information used for the uncompleted payment. Then, after the payment method information has been updated, the payment unit 24 may perform the payment again using the unpaid information. If the payment after the update of the payment method information is completed, the amount related to the uncompleted payment, i.e., the amount that could not be collected, can be charged to the user 6 accordingly. If the payment after the update of the payment method information is completed, for example, the unpaid information used for that payment may be deleted.

[0067] Furthermore, if there is no payment method information associated with the received user identifier by the first correspondence information, payment using the payment method information does not need to be performed. Also, if there is payment method information associated with the received user identifier by the first correspondence information, but that payment method information is invalid, for example, if the credit card has expired or if an error occurs during the payment processing using the payment method information, payment does not need to be performed. An error during the payment processing using the payment method information may occur, for example, if there are insufficient funds in the balance required for payment.

[0068] If the determination unit 23 determines that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the settlement is completed, the transmission unit 25 sends the instruction to provide the items for sale to the providing device 1 corresponding to the settlement before the settlement is completed by the settlement unit 24. Otherwise, i.e., if the determination unit 23 does not determine that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the settlement is completed, the transmission unit 25 sends the instruction to provide the items for sale to the providing device 1 corresponding to the settlement after the settlement is completed by the settlement unit 24. In this way, if the determination unit 23 determines that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the settlement is completed, the instruction to provide the items for sale will be sent to the providing device 1 before the settlement is completed, allowing the user 6 to receive the items for sale sooner. The providing device 1 corresponding to the settlement may be, for example, the providing device 1 that transmitted the item for sale identifier that triggered the settlement.

[0069] Furthermore, if the determination unit 23 does not determine that an instruction to provide the sales item should be sent before the settlement is completed, and the settlement by the settlement unit 24 is not completed, the transmission unit 25 may, for example, not send an instruction to the providing device 1 corresponding to that settlement, and may instead send error information. Also, if the transmission unit 25 has sent an instruction to provide the sales item before the settlement is completed, and the settlement for the sales item using the payment method information is not completed thereafter, the transmission unit 25 may send information to the terminal device 4 requesting an update to the payment method information. The terminal device 4 to which this information is sent may, for example, be the terminal device 4 that sent the user identifier associated with the payment method information.

[0070] Furthermore, the transmitting unit 25 may, for example, when the receiving unit 21 receives a confirmation request, transmit a confirmation result indicating whether there is payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information. For example, the transmitting unit 25 may transmit a confirmation result indicating whether there is at least one payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information. As another example, if the payment method information includes first and second payment method information, the transmitting unit 25 may transmit a confirmation result indicating whether there is second payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information.

[0071] Furthermore, if the transmission unit 25 transmits a provision instruction to the provisioning device 1, it may also transmit a notification to the terminal device 4 held by the user 6 who selected the sales target, indicating that the provision instruction has been transmitted. Alternatively, if the transmission unit 25 does not transmit a provision instruction to the provisioning device 1, it may transmit error information to the terminal device 4 held by the user 6 who selected the sales target.

[0072] The transmitting unit 25 may or may not include a transmitting device (e.g., a modem or network card) for transmitting data. Furthermore, the transmitting unit 25 may be implemented by hardware or by software such as a driver for operating the transmitting device.

[0073] The terminal device 4 in this embodiment is held by the user 6 who purchases the product for sale from the providing device 1, and as shown in Figure 4, it comprises a touch panel 41, a storage unit 42, an acquisition unit 43, a transmission unit 44, a receiving unit 45, and a confirmation unit 46. The terminal device 4 may be, for example, a mobile information terminal equipped with communication functions such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), smartwatch, or notebook computer, or it may be any other terminal device. In this embodiment, the case where the terminal device 4 is a smartphone will be mainly described.

[0074] The touch panel 41 receives instructions and operations from the user 6. The touch panel 41 may also display the results of the operations. In addition, the terminal device 4 may be equipped with, for example, an input device such as a keyboard or mouse that accepts input, and a display device that displays images, instead of the touch panel 41.

[0075] The storage unit 42 stores a user identifier that identifies user 6. This user 6 is the user 6 who holds the terminal device 4. Note that the storage unit 42 may also store information other than the user identifier. For example, verified information may be stored in the storage unit 42.

[0076] The process by which information is stored in the storage unit 42 is irrelevant. For example, information may be stored in the storage unit 42 via a recording medium, information transmitted via a communication line or the like may be stored in the storage unit 42, information input via an input device may be stored in the storage unit 42, or information may be accumulated in the storage unit 42 by other components.

[0077] The storage unit 42 is preferably implemented using a non-volatile recording medium, but may also be implemented using a volatile recording medium. The recording medium may be, for example, a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.

[0078] The acquisition unit 43 acquires a second identifier from the providing device 1 that identifies the providing device 1. The method by which the acquisition unit 43 acquires the second identifier from the providing device 1 is not limited. For example, the acquisition unit 43 may read the second identifier from the recording medium 16 of the providing device 1, receive the second identifier transmitted from the providing device 1, or acquire the second identifier from the providing device 1 by other means. The reception of the second identifier may be performed, for example, via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth®. In this embodiment, the case in which the acquisition unit 43 reads the second identifier from the recording medium 16 of the providing device 1 will be mainly described. The reading of the second identifier may be performed, for example, by reading the second identifier stored in the recording medium 16 from the recording medium 16 using RFID. In this case, the acquisition unit 43 may, for example, read the second identifier from the recording medium 16 using an RFID reader / writer. The acquisition unit 43 may or may not include a device for acquiring the second identifier, such as a reader / writer. Furthermore, the acquisition unit 43 may be implemented by hardware, or by software such as a driver that drives the device.

[0079] If the verification unit 46 confirms that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, the transmission unit 44 may transmit the user identifier, confirmed information indicating that the existence of payment method information associated with that user identifier has been confirmed, and the second identifier obtained by the acquisition unit 43. The verification process by the verification unit 46 will be described later. This transmission may be performed, for example, to the information processing device 2. The transmission unit 44 may also transmit a verification request including the user identifier to the information processing device 2 in response to instructions from the verification unit 46. This process will be described later.

[0080] Furthermore, if the verification unit 46 does not confirm that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, the transmission unit 44 may, for example, transmit the user identifier and the second identifier, or it may transmit the user identifier, the second identifier, and information indicating that it could not confirm that payment method information associated with that user identifier exists.

[0081] The transmitting unit 44 may, for example, transmit information to the information processing device 2 directly, or it may transmit information to the information processing device 2 via another device such as the providing device 1. The transmitting unit 44 may or may not include a transmitting device for transmission. The transmitting unit 44 may be implemented by hardware, or by software such as a driver that drives the transmitting device.

[0082] The receiving unit 45 receives a confirmation result indicating whether payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request exists, in response to the confirmation request sent by the transmitting unit 44. The receiving unit 45 may also receive, for example, error information, confirmation that a provision instruction has been sent to the providing device 1, or a request to update the payment method information from the information processing device 2.

[0083] The receiving unit 45 may or may not include a receiving device for receiving data. Furthermore, the receiving unit 45 may be implemented by hardware, or by software such as a driver for operating the receiving device.

[0084] The verification unit 46 verifies whether payment method information exists for user 6 identified by a user identifier, which is associated with the user identifier stored in the storage unit 42, in the information processing device 2 that performs settlement for the sales items provided by the providing device 1. This verification may, for example, be a verification of whether at least one payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, or, if the verification information includes first and second payment method information, it may be a verification of whether a second payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. For example, the verification unit 46 may transmit a verification request including the user identifier via the transmission unit 25, and if the verification result received by the receiving unit 21 indicates that payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the verification request exists, the information processing device 2 may verify that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. If the received verification result indicates that no payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the verification request transmitted from the transmission unit 44 exists, the verification unit 46 may, for example, not perform any verification processing and simply verify in the information processing device 2 that the user identifier and payment method information are not associated. If the received confirmation result indicates that payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request sent from the transmission unit 44 does not exist, a request to register valid payment method information in the information processing device 2 may be output to the touch panel 41 or the like. The confirmation request asks for confirmation of whether payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request exists.

[0085] The timing of the above-mentioned verification, i.e., the timing of the verification request, is irrelevant. The verification unit 46 may, for example, verify whether payment method information associated with a user identifier exists when the application software (hereinafter simply referred to as "application") for purchasing the items for sale on the providing device 1 is launched on the terminal device 4, or it may perform this verification periodically. The verification unit 46 may also store information regarding the received verification result in the storage unit 42. The information regarding the verification result may be, for example, the verification result itself, or it may be verified information. In the latter case, if the received verification result indicates that payment method information associated with a user identifier exists, the verified information may be stored in the storage unit 42, and if not, the verified information may not be stored. The information regarding the received verification result and the date and time of receipt may also be stored in the storage unit 42. If the verification result is received within a predetermined period (for example, within one day, within one week, within one month, etc.), the verification unit 46 does not need to perform a repeat verification. The date and time of receipt may also be considered as the date and time of storage. Because there is almost no difference between the two.

[0086] Next, the operation of the supply device 1 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0087] (Step S101) The selection receiving unit 11 determines whether it has received a selection of the items to be sold. If it has received a selection of the items to be sold, it proceeds to step S102; otherwise, it repeats the process in step S101 until it receives a selection of the items to be sold.

[0088] (Step S102) The transmission unit 13 transmits to the information processing device 2 a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target for which the selection has been accepted, and a first identifier stored in the storage unit 12.

[0089] (Step S103) The receiving unit 15 determines whether it has received a provision instruction from the information processing device 2. If it has received a provision instruction, it proceeds to step S104; otherwise, it repeats the process in step S103 until it receives a provision instruction. If a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the transmission of the sales target identifier or the first identifier and no provision instruction has been received from the information processing device 2, it may be considered a timeout and the process may return to step S101.

[0090] (Step S104) The supply unit 15 provides the sales item 5 selected in step S101 to the user 6. For example, the sales item 5 selected in step S101 may be discharged to the outlet of the supply device 1. Then, the process returns to step S101.

[0091] Note that the order of processing in the flowchart in Figure 5 is just one example, and the order of each step may be changed if similar results can be obtained. Also, in the flowchart in Figure 5, processing may be terminated by power off or processing termination interrupt.

[0092] Next, the operation of the information processing device 2 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 6.

[0093] (Step S201) The receiving unit 21 determines whether it has received the sales target identifier and the first identifier from the supplying device 1. If it has received the sales target identifier and the first identifier, it proceeds to step S202; otherwise, it proceeds to step S203.

[0094] (Step S202) The receiving unit 21 stores the received sales target identifier and the first identifier in the storage unit 22. Then, the process returns to step S201.

[0095] (Step S203) The receiving unit 21 determines whether it has received the user identifier and the second identifier from the terminal device 4. If it has received the user identifier and the second identifier, it proceeds to step S204; otherwise, it proceeds to step S212. The received user identifier and the second identifier may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 22. The receiving unit 21 may also receive, for example, verified information along with the user identifier and the second identifier.

[0096] (Step S204) The determination unit 23 determines whether to send a provision instruction before the settlement is completed. If it decides to send a provision instruction before the settlement is completed, it proceeds to step S205; otherwise, it proceeds to step S209. For example, in step S203, the determination unit 23 may decide to send a provision instruction before the settlement is completed if the user identifier and the second identifier, along with the confirmed information, are received. Conversely, if the user identifier and the second identifier are received, but the confirmed information is not received, it may decide not to send a provision instruction before the settlement is completed.

[0097] (Step S205) The settlement unit 24 identifies the first identifier associated with the second identifier received in step S203 by the second correspondence information, and identifies the set containing the identified first identifier from the sets of sales target identifiers and first identifiers stored in the storage unit 22. If there are multiple sets containing the identified first identifier, the settlement unit 24 may identify the most recent set, i.e., the set received at the latest time. Then, the transmission unit 25 transmits a provision instruction to the providing device 1 that transmitted the set of sales target identifiers and first identifiers identified by the settlement unit 24.

[0098] (Step S206) The settlement unit 24 identifies the sales target identifier included in the set identified in step S205, and settles the sales target identified by the identified sales target identifier using the settlement method information associated with the user identifier received in step S203 by the first correspondence information. In this settlement, the settlement unit 24 may, for example, use the price associated with the identified sales target identifier by the sales target correspondence information. If the settlement method information includes first and second settlement method information, the settlement unit 24 may first settle using the first settlement method information, and if that settlement is not completed, it may settle using the second settlement method information.

[0099] (Step S207) The settlement unit 24 determines whether the settlement in step S206 has been completed. If the settlement has been completed, it returns to step S201; otherwise, it proceeds to step S208.

[0100] (Step S208) The settlement unit 24 stores unsettled information in the storage unit 22, associated with the settlement method information used in step S206. The unsettled information is information about settlements that were not completed, and may include information such as the settlement amount and the date and time of the settlement. Then, the process returns to step S201.

[0101] (Step S209) The settlement unit 24 identifies the first identifier associated with the second identifier received in step S203 by the second correspondence information, and identifies the set containing the identified first identifier from the sets of sales target identifiers and the first identifier stored in the storage unit 22. The settlement unit 24 then identifies the sales target identifier included in the identified set, and performs settlement for the sales target identified by the identified sales target identifier using the settlement method information associated with the user identifier received in step S203 by the first correspondence information. In this settlement, the settlement unit 24 may, for example, use the price associated with the identified sales target identifier by the sales target correspondence information. If the settlement method information includes first and second settlement method information, the settlement unit 24 may first perform settlement using the first settlement method information, and if that settlement is not completed, perform settlement using the second settlement method information.

[0102] (Step S210) The settlement unit 24 determines whether the settlement in step S209 has been completed. If the settlement has been completed, the process proceeds to step S211; otherwise, it returns to step S201.

[0103] (Step S211) The transmission unit 25 transmits a provision instruction to the provisioning device 1 that transmitted the pair of the sales target identifier and the first identifier identified by the settlement unit 24. Then, the process returns to step S201.

[0104] (Step S212) The receiving unit 21 determines whether it has received an acknowledgment request. If it has received an acknowledgment request, it proceeds to step S213; otherwise, it proceeds to step S215.

[0105] (Step S213) The transmission unit 25 checks whether there is payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request received in step S212 by the first correspondence information, and obtains the confirmation result. The confirmation result may be information indicating whether or not payment method information exists.

[0106] (Step S214) The transmission unit 25 transmits the confirmation result obtained in step S213. The recipient of this confirmation result may be, for example, the source of the confirmation request. Then, the process returns to step S201.

[0107] (Step S215) The receiving unit 21 determines whether it has received an instruction to update the payment method information. If it has received an instruction to update the payment method information, it proceeds to step S216; otherwise, it returns to step S201. This instruction may, for example, be sent from the terminal device 4.

[0108] (Step S216) The receiving unit 21 updates the payment method information in response to an instruction to update the payment method information. For example, the instruction to update the payment method information may include a user identifier and new payment method information. The receiving unit 21 may then, for example, identify the payment method information associated with the user identifier by the first correspondence information, and overwrite the identified payment method information with the new payment method information included in the instruction to update the payment method information.

[0109] (Step S217) The settlement unit 24 determines whether unsettled information was associated with the settlement method information before the update in step S216, that is, whether there are any unsettled settlements for the settlement method information before the update. If unsettled information was associated with the settlement method information before the update, the process proceeds to step S218; otherwise, it returns to step S201.

[0110] (Step S218) The settlement unit 24 performs a settlement using the unsettled information associated with the settlement method information before the update and the settlement method information after the update. In this settlement, the settlement unit 24 may use the amount included in the unsettled information. That is, the settlement of that amount may be performed. If the settlement method information includes first and second settlement method information, the settlement unit 24 may first perform a settlement using the first settlement method information, and if that settlement is not completed, it may perform a settlement using the second settlement method information. Furthermore, if the settlement is completed, the settlement unit 24 may delete the unsettled information, and otherwise, the unsettled information may be associated with the settlement method information after the update. Then, the process returns to step S201.

[0111] Note that the order of processing in the flowchart in Figure 6 is just one example, and the order of each step may be changed if similar results can be obtained. Also, in the flowchart in Figure 6, processing may be terminated by power off or processing termination interrupt.

[0112] Next, the operation of terminal device 4 will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0113] (Step S301) The verification unit 46 determines whether to verify that payment method information associated with a user identifier exists in the information processing device 2. If it decides to verify, it proceeds to step S302; otherwise, it proceeds to step S306. The verification unit 46 may decide to perform the verification, for example, when an application for purchasing an item for sale in the providing device 1 is launched, or it may decide to perform the verification periodically.

[0114] (Step S302) The confirmation unit 46 causes the information processing device 2 to send a confirmation request via the transmission unit 44. As a result, the confirmation request is sent from the transmission unit 44.

[0115] (Step S303) The receiving unit 45 determines whether it has received a confirmation result from the information processing device 2. If it has received a confirmation result, it proceeds to step S304; otherwise, it repeats the process in step S303 until it receives a confirmation result. If a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the confirmation request was sent and no confirmation result has been received from the information processing device 2, it may be determined that a timeout has occurred and the process may return to step S301.

[0116] (Step S304) The verification unit 46 determines, based on the verification result received in step S303, whether payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. If the verification result indicates that payment method information exists, the unit proceeds to step S305; otherwise, it returns to step S301.

[0117] (Step S305) The verification unit 46 stores the verified information in the storage unit 42. The verification unit 46 may also store the verified information in association with the date and time at that time. Then, the process returns to step S301.

[0118] (Step S306) The acquisition unit 43 determines whether to acquire the second identifier. If it acquires the second identifier, it proceeds to step S307; otherwise, it returns to step S301. The acquisition unit 43 may, for example, determine to acquire the second identifier when it receives an instruction from the user 6 to read the second identifier from the recording medium 16.

[0119] (Step S307) The acquisition unit 43 acquires the second identifier. The acquisition unit 43 may, for example, read the second identifier from the recording medium 16 of the providing device 1 in response to the user 6 bringing the terminal device 4 closer to the recording medium 16. If the acquisition unit 43 does not acquire the second identifier, for example, a message to bring the terminal device 4 closer to the recording medium 16 of the providing device 1 may be output to the touch panel 41 or the like.

[0120] (Step S308) The transmitting unit 44 transmits the user identifier stored in the storage unit 42 and the second identifier obtained in step S307 to the information processing device 2. If the storage unit 42 also stores verified information, that verified information may also be transmitted. If the storage unit 42 associates a date and time with the verified information, the transmitting unit 44 may transmit the verified information if there is verified information stored that is associated with a date and time within a predetermined period from the current date and time, but may not transmit the verified information if there is no verified information stored that is associated with a date and time within a predetermined period from the current date and time. Then, the process returns to step S301.

[0121] Although not included in the flowchart of Figure 7, terminal device 4 may, for example, perform processing to update payment method information stored in information processing device 2. Also, the order of processing in the flowchart of Figure 7 is just one example, and the order of each step may be changed if the same result can be obtained. Furthermore, in the flowchart of Figure 7, processing may be terminated by power off or processing termination interrupt.

[0122] Next, the operation of the information processing system 100 according to this embodiment will be explained using a specific example. In this example, it is assumed that a plurality of first correspondence information shown in Figure 8A, a plurality of second correspondence information shown in Figure 8B, and a plurality of sales target correspondence information shown in Figure 8C are each stored in the storage unit 22. The first correspondence information shown in Figure 8A includes a user identifier and payment method information associated with that user identifier. The payment method information also includes first and second payment method information. Note that, as shown in Figure 8A, there may be payment method information that does not include second payment method information. The second correspondence information shown in Figure 8B includes a first identifier and a second identifier associated with that first identifier. The sales target correspondence information shown in Figure 8C includes a sales target identifier and information about the sales target identified by that sales target identifier, name and price of the sales target. The sales target identifier also includes a vending machine identifier and a column identifier. This column identifier is assumed to be a column number. As an example, the first sales target information shown in Figure 8C indicates that the name of the sales target identified by the vending machine identifier "V001" and column identifier "01" is "ABC Water," and that the price of that sales target is "130 yen." Note that the sales target information does not necessarily have to include the name of the sales target.

[0123] In a certain supply device 1, suppose a user identified by user identifier "U001" (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "User U001"; the same applies to targets identified by other identifiers) selects a sales target whose name is "ABC Water" (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "Sales Target ABC Water") by pressing the selection button for that sales target. Then, the selection receiving unit 11 of the supply device 1 receives a column identifier "01" corresponding to Sales Target ABC Water in response to the sales target selection by User U001, and passes the column identifier "01" to the transmission unit 13 and the supply unit 15 (step S101).

[0124] Upon receiving the column identifier, the transmission unit 13 reads the vending machine identifier "V001" of the dispensing device 1 stored in the storage unit 12, and transmits the sales target identifier, which includes the vending machine identifier "V001" and the received column identifier "01", along with the first identifier "A001" stored in the storage unit 12, to the information processing device 2 (step S102).

[0125] The pair of a sales target identifier and a first identifier transmitted from the supplying device 1 is received by the receiving unit 21 of the information processing device 2 and stored in the storage unit 22 (steps S201, S202). The receiving unit 21 also stores the address of the sender of the received pair of sales target identifier and first identifier in the storage unit 22, associating it with the pair.

[0126] Suppose user U001 then launches an application on terminal device 4 to purchase an item for sale on providing device 1. In response to this launch, confirmation unit 46 determines that it needs to check whether payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, and passes an instruction to transmission unit 44 to send a confirmation request (step S301). Upon receiving this instruction, transmission unit 44 reads the user identifier "U001" from storage unit 42 and sends a confirmation request containing the read user identifier to information processing device 2 (step S302).

[0127] The confirmation request sent from terminal device 4 is received by the receiving unit 21 of information processing device 2, and the confirmation request and the sender's address are passed to the transmitting unit 25 (step S212). Upon receiving the confirmation request, the transmitting unit 25 searches the multiple first correspondence information shown in Figure 8A using the user identifier "U001" included in the received confirmation request as a search key, and checks whether the hit first correspondence information contains the second payment method information. In this case, as shown in Figure 8A, it is assumed that the hit first correspondence information contains the second payment method information "Q001". Then, the transmitting unit 25 obtains a confirmation result that the second payment method information exists and sends the confirmation result to the previously received address (steps S213, S214).

[0128] The confirmation result transmitted from the information processing device 2 is received by the receiving unit 45 of the terminal device 4 and passed to the confirmation unit 46 (step S303). Upon receiving the confirmation result, the confirmation unit 46 confirms that the second payment method information exists based on the confirmation result and stores the confirmed information in the storage unit 42, associated with the date and time at that time (steps S304, S305). Note that the processing from application startup to the storage of confirmed information may be executed, for example, before the selection button is pressed on the providing device 1.

[0129] Suppose user U001 then operates the application on terminal device 4 to set it to a mode that reads the second identifier from the recording medium 16 of providing device 1, and holds the acquisition unit 43 of terminal device 4 over the recording medium 16 of providing device 1. In response, the second identifier "B001" stored in the recording medium 16 is read by the acquisition unit 43 and passed to the transmission unit 44 (steps S306, S307). Upon receiving the second identifier, the transmission unit 44 reads the user identifier "U001" from the storage unit 42. The transmission unit 44 also determines whether verified information associated with a date and time within a predetermined period from the current date and time is stored in the storage unit 42. If this is the case, it is assumed that the verified information is stored. The transmission unit 44 then reads the verified information and transmits the user identifier, the second identifier, and the verified information to the information processing device 2 (step S308).

[0130] The user identifier, second identifier, and verified information transmitted from the terminal device 4 are received by the receiving unit 21 of the information processing device 2. The user identifier and second identifier are passed to the settlement unit 24, and the verified information is passed to the determination unit 23 (step S203). Upon receiving the verified information, the determination unit 23 determines to send a provision instruction before the settlement is completed and passes a transmission instruction for the provision instruction to the transmission unit 25 (step S204).

[0131] Upon receiving the user identifier, etc., the settlement unit 24 searches the multiple second correspondence information shown in Figure 8B using the received second identifier "B001" as a search key, and identifies the first identifier "A001" contained in the second correspondence information that is found to be a hit. The settlement unit 24 also searches the pairs of sales target identifiers and first identifiers stored in the storage unit 22 using the identified first identifier "A001" as a search key, identifies the pairs that are found to be a hit, and passes the identification result to the transmission unit 25. Upon receiving the identification result, the transmission unit 25 sends a provision instruction to the address associated with the pair of identification results (step S205).

[0132] The provision instruction transmitted from the information processing device 2 is received by the receiving unit 14 of the provisioning device 1 and passed to the provisioning unit 15 (step S103). Upon receiving the provision instruction, the provisioning unit 15 provides the product for sale with column identifier "01", which it had previously received from the selection receiving unit 11, i.e., the product ABC water for sale, to user U001 (step S104). In this way, the product ABC water for sale is dispensed to the outlet, and user U001 can receive the product for sale. Furthermore, since the provision instruction is transmitted from the information processing device 2 before the settlement is completed, user U001 can receive the product ABC water for sale more quickly.

[0133] Furthermore, the settlement unit 24 of the information processing device 2 identifies the sales target identifier included in the pair of sales target identifier and first identifier that contains the identified first identifier "A001". The identified sales target identifier includes the vending machine identifier "V001" and the column identifier "01". Subsequently, the settlement unit 24 searches the multiple sales target corresponding information shown in Figure 8C using the identified sales target identifier, the vending machine identifier "V001" and the column identifier "01", as search keys, and reads the price "130 (yen)" included in the hit sales target corresponding information.

[0134] Furthermore, the settlement unit 24 searches the multiple first correspondence information shown in Figure 8A using the received user identifier "U001" as a search key, and reads the first payment method information "P001" contained in the first correspondence information that is found to be a hit. Then, the settlement unit 24 makes a payment for the price "130 (yen)" using the read first payment method information "P001" (step S206). In this specific example, it is assumed that the payment was completed after the provision instruction was sent (step S207). In this case, no unsettled information is accumulated.

[0135] Suppose the settlement unit 24 is unable to complete the settlement using the first settlement method information "P001", and further, is unable to complete the settlement using the second settlement method information "Q001" included in the first correspondence information including the user identifier "U001". In this case, the settlement unit 24 may store the unsettled information, including the date and time and the amount that could not be settled, "130 (yen)", in the storage unit 22, associating it with the first correspondence information including the user identifier "U001" (step S208).

[0136] As described above, after the unsettled information is stored in the storage unit 22, suppose user U001 transmits valid payment method information to the information processing device 2 using a terminal device 4 or the like. Then, the payment method information is received by the receiving unit 21 and stored in the storage unit 22 (steps S215, S216). Furthermore, since the unsettled information is associated with the first correspondence information which includes the updated payment method information, the settlement unit 24 determines that there is an incomplete settlement (step S217) and performs the settlement using the unsettled information and the updated payment method information (step S218). If this settlement is completed, the settlement unit 24 deletes the unsettled information which was associated with the first correspondence information which includes the user identifier "U001". Note that the update of the payment method information may be performed, for example, via an application on the terminal device 4.

[0137] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8A, for example, the first correspondence information, which includes the user identifier "U002," does not include the second payment method information. Therefore, in a series of processes in which user U002 purchases an item for sale at the providing device 1, if a confirmation request is sent from user U002's terminal device 4, the information processing device 2 will send a confirmation result to the terminal device 4 indicating that the second payment method information does not exist. As a result, the confirmed information will not be stored in the storage unit 22 of user U002's terminal device 4, and the confirmed information will not be sent when the user identifier, etc., is sent from the terminal device 4. In this way, if only the user identifier and the second identifier are received from the terminal device 4, the determination unit 23 of the information processing device 2 will decide not to send a provision instruction before the payment is completed. Therefore, the settlement unit 24 first performs settlement for the sales item selected by user U002 (step S209), and once the settlement is complete, a provision instruction is sent from the information processing device 2 to the provisioning device 1, and the sales item 5 is provided to user U002 (steps S210, S211). In this case, compared to the case where the provision instruction is sent before the settlement is completed, it takes longer to provide the sales item 5 to user U002.

[0138] As described above, according to the information processing device 2 of this embodiment, if it is determined that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the completion of settlement, the instruction can be sent to the providing device 1 without waiting for the settlement to be completed, and accordingly, the time until the items for sale are provided by the providing device 1 can be shortened. Furthermore, for example, if confirmed information is sent along with a user identifier, the determination unit 23 can use that confirmed information to determine that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the completion of settlement. In addition, if payment method information exists, determining that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the completion of settlement can increase the likelihood that the settlement can be completed even if an instruction to provide the items for sale is sent before the completion of settlement. Furthermore, if the payment method information includes first and second payment method information, and settlement using the first payment method information is not completed, and settlement using the second payment method information is to be performed, determining that an instruction to provide the items for sale should be sent before the completion of settlement because the second payment method information exists can further increase the likelihood that the settlement can be completed even if an instruction to provide the items for sale is sent before the completion of settlement.

[0139] Furthermore, if it is determined that a provision instruction should be sent before the payment is completed, and the payment using the payment method information is not completed after the provision instruction is sent, the payment method information will be updated and the payment will be made again, thereby more reliably charging the user 6 for the provision of the item to be sold.

[0140] Furthermore, according to the terminal device 4 of this embodiment, when transmitting a user identifier to the information processing device 2, it is possible to shorten the time until the sales item is provided by the providing device 1 by also transmitting confirmed information indicating that payment method information associated with the user identifier has been confirmed to exist. In addition, by confirming in advance that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists in the terminal device 4, the information processing device 2 does not need to perform this confirmation when providing the sales item in the providing device 1.

[0141] In this embodiment, the case in which the terminal device 4 queries the information processing device 2 to determine whether payment method information associated with a user identifier exists has been mainly described, but this is not required. For example, if one or more first correspondence information is also stored in the providing device 1, the terminal device 4 may query the providing device 2 to determine whether payment method information associated with a user identifier exists. In this case, similar to the information processing device 2, the providing device 1 may receive a confirmation request from the terminal device 4 and transmit the confirmation result to the terminal device 4 accordingly. The one or more first correspondence information stored in the providing device 1 may be updated in synchronization with the update of the one or more first correspondence information in the information processing device 2. Also, for example, when user 6's payment method information is registered in the information processing device 2 using the terminal device 4, the confirmation unit 46 of the terminal device 4 may confirm that payment method information associated with a user identifier stored in the storage unit 42 exists in the information processing device 2 at the time of registration of the payment method information. As another example, if the storage unit 42 of the terminal device 4 also stores first correspondence information regarding the user 6 of the terminal device 4, the confirmation unit 46 may use the first correspondence information stored in the storage unit 42 to confirm whether payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. The first correspondence information stored in the storage unit 42 may be updated in synchronization with the update of the corresponding first correspondence information in the information processing device 2. In this way, for example, it becomes possible to confirm that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists in the information processing device 2 without sending a confirmation request to the information processing device 2. If it is confirmed that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists in the information processing device 2, confirmed information may be stored in the storage unit 42 accordingly. In this case, the transmission unit 44 may, for example, transmit the user identifier and confirmed information indicating that the existence of payment method information associated with that user identifier has been confirmed when the confirmation unit 46 has confirmed that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists in the information processing device 2 as described above, that is, when confirmed information is stored in the storage unit 42.In addition, a second identifier obtained from the providing device 1 may be transmitted along with the user identifier.

[0142] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the case in which the information processing device 2 determines to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of payment in response to receiving a user identifier and confirmed information from the terminal device 4 has been described, but this is not required. Confirmed information does not have to be sent from the terminal device 4 to the information processing device 2. In this case, the determination unit 23 of the information processing device 2 may, for example, determine to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of payment if there is payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information, and determine not to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of payment otherwise. As an example, the determination unit 23 may determine to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of payment if at least one payment method information is associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information, and may not determine to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of payment otherwise. As another example, if the payment method information includes first and second payment method information, the determination unit 23 may decide to send an instruction to provide the items for sale before the completion of payment if the second payment method information exists in the payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit 21 by the first correspondence information, but may not decide to send an instruction to provide the items for sale before the completion of payment otherwise.

[0143] Furthermore, in this embodiment, for example, if the settlement unit 24 of the information processing device 2 is only able to settle a portion of the amount of the item to be sold using the first settlement means information, it may use the second settlement means to settle the remaining amount. For example, if the settlement unit 24 is only able to settle 50 yen of the 150 yen amount of the item to be sold to a certain user 6 using the first settlement means information, it may use the second settlement means information to settle the remaining 100 yen.

[0144] Furthermore, in this embodiment, even if payment using the first payment method information is possible, payment using the second payment method information may also be made. For example, user 6 may specify that they prefer to use the second payment method information. In this case, when the user identifier etc. is transmitted from the terminal device 4, the intention to preferentially use the second payment method information may also be transmitted. User 6 may set the system to preferentially use the second payment method information, for example, if using the second payment method information would provide benefits. Another example is that the information processing device 2 may use the payment method information that is more suitable for user 6 from among the first and second payment method information. For example, the payment unit 24 of the information processing device 2 may prioritize the payment method information that offers more benefits, such as a higher point redemption rate.

[0145] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes cases where the payment method information is electronic money, credit card, or deposit information, the payment method information may be other types of information. For example, the payment method information may be points information or coupon information. In this case, user 6 may, for example, purchase items using points or purchase items using coupons.

[0146] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the payment method information includes an expiration date such as the expiration date of a credit card, for example, if the information processing device 2 has payment method information associated with a user identifier and the expiration date included in that payment method information has not expired, it may decide to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of the payment, and confirmation information may be sent. If this is not the case, it may not be decided to send an instruction to provide the item for sale before the completion of the payment, and confirmation information may not be sent.

[0147] Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the price of the item to be sold is below a predetermined threshold, the transmission unit 25 may, as described above, transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold before settlement is completed, or transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold after settlement is completed, depending on the determination result by the determination unit 23. If the price of the item to be sold exceeds a predetermined threshold, the transmission unit 25 may only transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold after settlement is completed. In this way, even if settlement is not completed after the instruction to provide is transmitted, the amount can be kept below the threshold.

[0148] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes a case in which the information processing device 2 performs payment using the sales target identifier etc. transmitted from the providing device 1 and the user identifier etc. transmitted from the terminal device 4, this is not required. For example, the information processing device 2 may receive the sales target identifier and the user identifier from the providing device 1 and perform payment using them. In this case, for example, after the user 6 selects a sales target at the providing device 1, the user identifier may be passed from the terminal device 4 to the providing device 1, and that user identifier may be transmitted to the information processing device 2 together with the sales target identifier that identifies the selected sales target.

[0149] In this case as well, for example, if payment method information associated with a user identifier exists in the information processing device 2, the terminal device 4 will pass the confirmed information to the providing device 1, and the providing device 1 will transmit the sales target identifier, the user identifier, and the confirmed information to the information processing device 2. In response, the information processing device 2 may transmit a provision instruction before the completion of payment. Alternatively, the transmission of confirmed information may not be performed, and as described above, the information processing device 2 may decide whether to transmit a provision instruction before the completion of payment depending on whether payment method information associated with the received user identifier exists.

[0150] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the verified information may include, for example, authentication information. For example, if the verification result transmitted from the information processing device 2 to the terminal device 4 indicates that payment method information associated with a user identifier exists, the verification result may include authentication information, and the terminal device 4 may transmit verified information including the authentication information included in the verification result to the information processing device 2. Upon receiving the verified information, the information processing device 2 may use the authentication information included in the verified information to determine whether the verified information is legitimate. If it is determined to be legitimate verified information, the determination unit 23 may decide to send an instruction to provide sales assistance before the completion of the settlement; otherwise, the determination unit 23 may decide not to send an instruction to provide sales assistance before the completion of the settlement. The authentication information may be, for example, encrypted information. The information processing device 2 may determine that the information is legitimate if the result of decrypting the encrypted information is predetermined information. In this way, it is possible to prevent the information processing device 2 from falsely claiming that payment method information associated with a user identifier exists when it does not.

[0151] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the transmission of the instruction to provide before the completion of payment may be limited to, for example, only when user 6 has set it that way. In this case, for example, when the user identifier, etc., is transmitted from the terminal device 4 to the information processing device 2, information such as a flag indicating whether or not the user wishes to receive the instruction to provide before the completion of payment may also be transmitted. The information processing device 2 may then transmit the instruction to provide before the completion of payment if the information indicates that the user wishes to receive the instruction to provide before the completion of payment, and the determination unit 23 determines that the instruction to provide before the completion of payment should be transmitted. The setting of information such as a flag indicating whether or not the user wishes to receive the instruction to provide before the completion of payment may be performed, for example, in an application on the terminal device 4.

[0152] Furthermore, the transfer of the second identifier from the providing device 1 to the terminal device 4 may be performed by wireless communication, such as short-range wireless communication, as described above. In this case, the providing device 1 may transmit the second identifier stored in the recording medium 16 to the terminal device 4 by wireless communication. This transmission may be performed, for example, by the transmitting unit 13 or by another transmitting device. In this case, the recording medium 16 does not have to be capable of reading the second identifier by, for example, RFID.

[0153] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case where the dispensing device 1 is an automatic vending machine and the items it sells are food and beverages, this is not required. The items the dispensing device 1 sells may be goods other than food and beverages, such as stationery, clothing, or daily necessities, or they may be services. When the items sold are services, the dispensing device 1 may be, for example, a photocopier, a device that sells tickets for concerts, etc., a ticket gate at a railway or other transportation system, a gate at the entrance of an event venue, art museum, museum, aquarium, zoo, theme park, movie theater, etc., or any other device related to the provision of services.

[0154] If the providing device 1 is a photocopier or the like, the items for sale provided to user 6 may include, for example, photocopying services, the right to view concerts, transportation by public transport, the right to enter event venues, etc.

[0155] Furthermore, although this embodiment mainly describes the case where the sales target identifier is an identifier that can uniquely identify the type of sales target, this is not required. The sales target identifier may be, for example, the price of the sales target. In this case, the price of the sales target can be identified by the sales target identifier. Also, the settlement unit 24 of the information processing device 2 may perform settlement using the price indicated by the sales target identifier. In this case, for example, the storage unit 22 does not need to store sales target corresponding information.

[0156] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each process or function may be implemented by centralized processing by a single device or a single system, or by distributed processing by multiple devices or multiple systems.

[0157] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the exchange of information between each component may, for example, be performed by outputting information from one component and receiving information from the other component if the two components performing the information exchange are physically different, or by moving from the processing phase corresponding to one component to the processing phase corresponding to the other component if the two components performing the information exchange are physically the same.

[0158] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, information related to the processing performed by each component, such as information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, or received by each component, as well as information such as thresholds, formulas, and addresses used by each component in processing, may be temporarily or for a long period of time stored in a recording medium (not shown), even if not explicitly stated in the above description. The storage of information in the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a storage unit (not shown). The reading of information from the recording medium (not shown) may be performed by each component or a reading unit (not shown).

[0159] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if the information used in each component, such as thresholds, addresses, and various setting values ​​used by each component in processing, can be changed by the user, then even if not explicitly stated in the above description, the user may be allowed to change such information as appropriate, or not. If the user can change such information, the change may be implemented, for example, by a receiving unit (not shown) that receives change instructions from the user and a changing unit (not shown) that changes the information in response to those change instructions. The receiving unit (not shown) may receive change instructions from an input device, receive information transmitted via a communication line, or receive information read from a predetermined recording medium.

[0160] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, if two or more components included in the providing device 1, information processing device 2, and terminal device 4 have communication devices, input devices, etc., the two or more components may have a single physical device or they may have separate devices.

[0161] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, each component may be configured with dedicated hardware, or, if a component can be implemented by software, it may be implemented by executing a program. For example, each component can be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. During execution, the program execution unit may execute the program while accessing the storage unit or recording medium. The software that implements the information processing device 2 in the above embodiment is the following program. In other words, this program may be a program that causes a computer, which has access to a storage unit that stores one or more first correspondence pieces of information that associate a user identifier with payment method information relating to the user identified by the user identifier, to execute the following steps: receiving a user identifier that identifies a user and a sales item identifier that identifies a sales item to be provided to the user by a sales item provider, which is associated with the user identifier; determining whether to send an instruction to provide the sales item before the completion of payment when the user identifier and the sales item identifier associated with the user identifier have been received; performing a payment for the sales item identified by the received sales item identifier associated with the user identifier, using the payment method information associated with the received user identifier by the first correspondence piece of information; and, if it is determined that an instruction to provide the sales item before the completion of payment, sending an instruction to provide the sales item to the sales item provider before the completion of payment in the payment step, or, if not, sending an instruction to provide the sales item to the sales item provider after the completion of payment in the payment step.

[0162] Furthermore, the software that implements the terminal device 4 in the above embodiment is a program as follows. In other words, this program is a program that causes a computer that can access a storage unit that stores a user identifier to execute processing in a terminal device held by a user, and may be a program that causes the computer to execute the following steps: confirm whether there is payment method information relating to a user identified by the user identifier that is associated with the user identifier in an information processing device that performs settlement for sales items provided by the providing device; and if it is confirmed in the confirmation step that there is payment method information associated with the user identifier, transmit the user identifier and confirmed information indicating that it has been confirmed that there is payment method information associated with the user identifier.

[0163] Furthermore, in the above program, the verification step includes sending a verification request that asks for confirmation of whether payment method information associated with a user identifier, including a user identifier, exists, and receiving a verification result in response to the sending of the verification request, indicating whether payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the verification request exists. In the verification step, if the received verification result indicates that payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the verification request exists, the information processing device may confirm that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. With this configuration, a verification result indicating whether payment method information associated with a user identifier exists can be received from the information processing device.

[0164] Furthermore, the above program may also cause the computer to perform a step of obtaining a second identifier that identifies the providing device from the providing device, and in the transmission step, if it is confirmed in the verification step that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, the user identifier, the verified information, and the second identifier obtained in the acquisition step may be transmitted. With such a configuration, for example, by transmitting the user identifier, verified information, and second identifier from the terminal device to the information processing device, and the sales target identifier and first identifier from the providing device to the information processing device, the information processing device can perform payment for the sales target selected by the providing device.

[0165] Furthermore, in the above program, steps such as receiving information and sending information do not include any processes that can only be performed by hardware, such as processes performed by modems or interface cards in the steps of receiving or sending information.

[0166] Furthermore, this program may be executed by being downloaded from a server or the like, or by being read from a predetermined recording medium (for example, an optical disc such as a CD-ROM, a magnetic disc, or a semiconductor memory). This program may also be used as a program constituting a program product.

[0167] Furthermore, the computer running this program may be a single computer or multiple computers. That is, it may perform centralized processing or distributed processing.

[0168] Furthermore, the embodiments described above are illustrative examples for specifically carrying out the present invention and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The technical scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than by the description of the embodiments, and modifications within the literal scope and equivalent meaning of the claims are intended. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0169] 1 Providing device 2. Information Processing Device 4 Terminal devices 11 Selection Reception Section 12, 22, 42 storage section 13, 25, 44 Transmitter 14, 21, 45 Receiving section 15 Providing Department 16 Recording media 23 Judgment Department 24 Payment Department 41 Touch panel 43 Acquisition Department 46 Verification Section

Claims

1. A receiving unit that receives a user identifier that identifies a user, and a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target provided to the user in a providing device that provides the sales target, A storage unit that stores one or more first correspondence pieces of information that associate a user identifier with payment method information relating to the user identified by the user identifier, When the receiving unit receives a user identifier and a sales target identifier associated with the user identifier, a determination unit determines whether to send an instruction to provide the sales target before the payment is completed. A settlement unit that uses the settlement method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit, according to the first correspondence information, to perform settlement for the sales target identified by the sales target identifier linked to the user identifier received by the receiving unit, An information processing device comprising: a determination unit which, if it determines that an instruction to provide the items to be sold should be sent before the settlement is completed, sends an instruction to provide the items to be sold to the providing device corresponding to the settlement before the settlement is completed by the settlement unit, and, otherwise, sends an instruction to provide the items to be sold to the providing device corresponding to the settlement after the settlement is completed by the settlement unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines that if there is payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence information, it will transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold before the completion of the payment.

3. The payment method information includes a first payment method information and a second payment method information. The settlement unit, when performing a settlement using the settlement means information, performs the settlement using the first settlement means information contained in the settlement means information, and if the settlement is not completed, performs the settlement using the second settlement means information contained in the settlement means information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit determines that if the second payment method information exists in the payment method information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence information, it will transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold before the completion of the payment.

4. The receiving unit also receives, along with the user identifier, confirmed information indicating that it has been confirmed that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit determines, when the receiving unit receives confirmed information together with a user identifier, to transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold before the settlement is completed.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the settlement unit, when the determination unit determines that it will transmit an instruction to provide the item to be sold before the settlement is completed, performs the settlement after the settlement means information has been updated, if the settlement using the settlement means information associated with the user identifier received by the receiving unit has not been completed.

6. The receiving unit further receives a confirmation request that includes a user identifier and asks whether payment method information associated with the user identifier exists. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit transmits a confirmation result indicating whether there is payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the confirmation request received by the receiving unit by the first correspondence information.

7. The storage unit further stores one or more second correspondence pieces of information that associate a first identifier for identifying a providing device with a second identifier for identifying the providing device. The receiving unit receives a first set from the providing device, which includes a first identifier that identifies the providing device and a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target selected by the user in the providing device, and also receives a second set from the user's terminal device, which includes a user identifier that identifies the user and a second identifier that identifies the providing device, which the terminal device obtained from the providing device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, among the first sets received by the receiving unit, the sales target identifier included in the first set that includes the first identifier associated with the second identifier included in the second set received by the receiving unit in the second correspondence information is a sales target identifier linked to the user identifier included in the second set.

8. The information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the dispensing device is a vending machine.

9. A program that causes a computer, which has access to a storage unit that stores a user identifier to identify a user, to execute processing on a terminal device held by that user, On the computer, In an information processing device that performs settlement for sales items provided by the providing device, the steps include: checking whether there is payment method information relating to the user identified by the user identifier, which is associated with the user identifier; A program for causing a user identifier to be transmitted if it is confirmed in the verification step that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, the program for transmitting the user identifier and verified information indicating that it has been confirmed that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists.

10. The aforementioned verification step is, The steps include sending a confirmation request that asks for confirmation of whether payment method information associated with the user identifier, including the user identifier, exists, The step of receiving a confirmation result indicating whether payment method information associated with a user identifier included in the confirmation request exists in response to the transmission of the confirmation request, In the verification step, if the received verification result indicates that payment method information associated with the user identifier included in the verification request exists, the information processing device verifies that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, according to claim 9.

11. The computer is further instructed to perform the step of obtaining a second identifier that identifies the providing device from the providing device, The program according to claim 9 or 10, wherein in the transmission step, if it is confirmed in the confirmation step that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, the program transmits the user identifier, the confirmed information, and the second identifier obtained in the acquisition step.

12. A terminal device held by a user, A storage unit that stores a user identifier that identifies the user, An information processing device that performs settlement for sales items provided by the providing device includes a confirmation unit that checks whether there is payment method information for a user identified by the user identifier that is associated with the user identifier, A terminal device comprising: a transmission unit that, when the verification unit confirms that payment method information associated with the user identifier exists, transmits the user identifier and confirmed information indicating that the existence of payment method information associated with the user identifier has been confirmed.

13. An information processing method that uses a receiving unit, a storage unit that stores one or more first correspondence pieces of information that associate a user identifier with payment method information relating to the user identified by the user identifier, a determination unit, a settlement unit, and a transmission unit, The receiving unit receives a user identifier that identifies a user and a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target provided to the user in a providing device that provides the sales target, which is associated with the user identifier. The determination unit, upon receiving a user identifier and a sales target identifier associated with the user identifier, determines whether to send an instruction to provide the sales target before the completion of the payment. The settlement unit performs a settlement using the settlement method information associated with the received user identifier by the first correspondence information, for the sales target identified by the sales target identifier linked to the received user identifier. An information processing method comprising the steps of: if the transmitting unit determines to transmit an instruction to transmit the item to be sold before the settlement is completed, it transmits an instruction to transmit the item to be sold to the supplying device corresponding to the settlement before the settlement is completed in the settlement step; otherwise, it transmits an instruction to transmit the item to be sold to the supplying device corresponding to the settlement after the settlement is completed in the settlement step.

14. A computer that can access a storage unit that stores one or more first correspondence pieces of information that associate a user identifier with payment method information relating to the user identified by the user identifier, The steps include receiving a user identifier that identifies a user and a sales target identifier that identifies the sales target provided to the user in a providing device that provides the sales target, A step in determining whether to send instructions to provide the sale item before the payment is completed, when a user identifier and the sale item identifier associated with that user identifier are received, A step of making a payment for a sales item identified by a sales item identifier linked to the received user identifier, using the payment method information associated with the received user identifier by the first correspondence information, A program for causing the program to execute the following steps: if it is determined that an instruction to provide the items to be sold should be sent before the completion of the payment, it sends an instruction to provide the items to be sold to the providing device corresponding to the payment before the completion of the payment in the payment step; otherwise, it sends an instruction to provide the items to be sold to the providing device corresponding to the payment after the completion of the payment in the payment step.

Images