Trading service device, trading service screen information transmission method, trading service program, and information processing system

Abstract

To increase the number of users of communication services through their relationship with other services, we provide a trading service device, a method for transmitting trading service screen information, a trading service program, and an information processing system. [Solution] In the processing system, the transaction server 1, which is a transaction service device, obtains user identification information from the user terminal 5 for identifying a user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce, obtains contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service, transmits screen information showing the transaction service screen according to the obtained contract status information to the user terminal, transmits screen information showing a screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is a subscriber, and transmits screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is not a subscriber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for increasing users of a communication service.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it is known that various measures have been taken to increase users of a communication service. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for implementing a new subscriber promotion campaign using the word-of-mouth effect from existing users to encourage new users to subscribe to a communication service and evaluating the effect of the campaign.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, measures within a closed communication service have limitations in their effects.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an example of the problem is to provide a transaction service device, a transaction service screen information transmission method, a transaction service program, and an information processing system capable of increasing users of a communication service in relation to a service different from the communication service.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (Application Example 1) The transaction service device of this application example comprises: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information from the user's terminal device for identifying a user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information showing a screen of the transaction service corresponding to the acquired contract status information to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is the subscriber, and transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the subscriber.

[0007] According to this application example, contract status information is acquired. Contract status information indicates whether or not the user identified by the user identification information acquired from the terminal device is a subscriber to the communication service. Screen information showing a screen corresponding to the contract status information is transmitted to the terminal device. The terminal device of a user of the transaction service displays the transaction service screen based on the screen information. If the user is a subscriber to a specific communication service, the transaction service screen displayed is a screen intended for shoppers of a specified sale. Therefore, users of the transaction service who are subscribers to the communication service can shop at the specified sale. If the user is not a subscriber to a specific communication service, the transaction service screen displayed is a screen not intended for shoppers of the specified sale. Therefore, users of the transaction service who are not subscribers to the communication service cannot shop at the specified sale. Consequently, subscribers to the communication service can shop more advantageously than non-subscribers. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of users of the communication service in relation to services other than the communication service.

[0008] (Example 2 of application) The transaction service device of this example is characterized in that, among the products that can be purchased through the transaction service, target product information indicating the products subject to the predetermined sale is stored in the target product information storage means, and the screen information transmission means transmits screen information that shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information and the stored target product information, and if the user is the contract holder, transmits screen information that shows a screen that enables the operation to purchase the target product, and if the user is not the contract holder, transmits screen information that shows a screen that makes it impossible to purchase the target product.

[0009] According to this application example, the products eligible for a specified sale are defined. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, a screen is displayed that allows the user to purchase the eligible products in the specified sale, as this screen is intended for shoppers of the specified sale. Therefore, subscribers of the communication service can purchase the eligible products. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, a screen is displayed that does not allow the user to purchase the eligible products in the specified sale, as this screen is not intended for shoppers of the specified sale. Therefore, non-subscribers of the communication service cannot purchase the eligible products. Consequently, subscribers of the communication service can shop more advantageously than non-subscribers.

[0010] (Application Example 3) The transaction service device of this application example is characterized in that the transaction service screen is a product screen of a product selected by the user, and the screen information transmission means transmits screen information indicating a product screen that can accept an operation to purchase the selected product when the selected product is the target product and the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information indicating a product screen that does not accept an operation to purchase the selected product when the selected product is the target product and the user is not the contract holder.

[0011] According to this application example, the terminal device displays a product screen. The product screen is for the product selected by the user. If the product selected by the user is a product included in a specified sale and the user is a subscriber to the communication service, a product screen that allows the user to purchase the product is displayed. Therefore, subscribers to the communication service can purchase the product on the product screen. If the product selected by the user is a product included in a specified sale and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, a product screen that does not allow the user to purchase the product is displayed. Therefore, non-subscribers to the communication service cannot purchase the product on the product screen. Consequently, subscribers to the communication service can purchase products included in the specified sale that non-subscribers cannot purchase.

[0012] (Application Example 4) The transaction service device of this application example is characterized in that the transaction service screen is a selection screen that can accept an operation to select a product to be displayed on the product screen from among products that meet predetermined conditions, the product screen is a screen of the product selected on the selection screen and can accept an operation to purchase the selected product, and the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the selection screen that can accept an operation to select the target product from among products that meet the predetermined conditions when the user is the contract holder, and transmits the screen information showing the selection screen that does not accept an operation to select the target product from among products that meet the predetermined conditions when the user is not the contract holder.

[0013] According to this application example, the terminal device displays a selection screen. The selection screen allows the user to select a product from among products that meet predetermined conditions to be displayed on the product screen. The product screen is the screen for the product selected by the user on the selection screen. The product screen is a screen that allows the user to perform an operation to purchase the selected product. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, a selection screen is displayed that allows the user to select a product that is part of a predetermined sale from among products that meet predetermined conditions. Therefore, a subscriber to the communication service can select that product from the selection screen and display the product screen for that product. The subscriber can then perform an operation to purchase that product on the product screen. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, a selection screen is displayed that does not allow the user to select a product that is part of a predetermined sale from among products that meet predetermined conditions. Therefore, a non-subscriber to the communication service cannot select that product from the selection screen. Therefore, the product screen for that product is not displayed, and the non-subscriber cannot perform an operation to purchase the product. Consequently, a subscriber to the communication service can purchase products that are part of a predetermined sale that a non-subscriber cannot purchase.

[0014] (Application Example 5) The transaction service device of this application example is a service that enables the purchase of goods from multiple vendors, and further comprises: purchase history information acquisition means that acquires purchase history information indicating the purchase history of goods by the user identified by the acquired user identification information during a predetermined period, and the purchase history information acquisition means that acquires purchase history information indicating the place of purchase of the goods; and benefit rate determination means that determines the rate of benefits to be granted to the user when the user purchases goods based on the acquired purchase history information, and the benefit rate determination means that determines the rate according to the number of place of purchase of goods during the predetermined period, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits screen information that includes information indicating at least one of the number of place of purchase of goods during the predetermined period and the determined rate, and the purchase history information acquisition means acquires purchase history information indicating the purchase history during a predetermined first period, which is longer than the first period, when the user is not the contractor, and when the user is the contractor, it acquires purchase history information indicating the purchase history during a predetermined second period, which is longer than the first period.

[0015] According to this application example, a user can purchase goods from multiple vendors through the trading service. Based on purchase history information showing the user's purchase history during a specified period, the number of vendors from which the user purchased goods during that period can be identified. The rate of benefits granted to the user is determined based on the number of vendors from which the user purchased goods during the specified period. The higher the benefit rate, the higher the value of the benefits the user can obtain. The trading service screen displays information showing at least one of the number of vendors from which the user purchased goods during the specified period and the benefit rate. Therefore, the user can check the information that affects the value of the benefits. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the benefit rate is determined based on the number of vendors from which the user purchased goods during the first specified period. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the benefit rate is determined based on the number of vendors from which the user purchased goods during the second specified period. The second period is longer than the first period. Therefore, because the period during which product purchases are counted towards the number of vendors for communication service subscribers is longer than the period applied to non-subscribers, it is possible that communication service subscribers will purchase goods from a larger number of vendors. Consequently, communication service subscribers may be able to obtain more valuable benefits. Therefore, subscribers to communication services can shop more advantageously than non-subscribers. The designated sale may, for example, involve selling products with benefits corresponding to a percentage of the benefits based on the number of stores from which purchases are made during the second period.

[0016] (Example 6) The transaction service device of this example is characterized in that the benefits include points that can be used for at least one of the transaction service and the communication service.

[0017] According to this application example, the benefits granted to the user include points. The user can use these points for at least one of either the trading service or the communication service. Therefore, it is possible to encourage the use of at least one of the trading service or the communication service.

[0018] (Application Example 7) The transaction service device of this application example is characterized in that the end time of the first period and the end time of the second period are the same, and the screen information transmission means transmits screen information that includes information showing at least one of the number of customers and the determined rate, when it is currently within the first period.

[0019] According to this application example, the second period begins before the first period. Furthermore, the first and second periods end at the same time. If the current period is the first period, the transaction service screen displays information indicating at least one of the purchase destinations and benefit rates for the specified period.

[0020] (Application Example 8) The transaction service device of this application example is characterized in that the purchase history information further indicates the amount of money spent on purchasing the goods, the purchase history information acquisition means further acquires the purchase history information indicating the purchase history during the period corresponding to whether the user is the contract holder or not within the first and second periods after the first and second periods have ended, the benefit rate determination means determines the benefit rate based on the purchase history information acquired after the first and second periods have ended, and the benefit value determination means further determines the value of the benefit to be granted to the user based on the rate and amount determined after the first and second periods have ended.

[0021] According to this application example, after the first and second periods have ended, purchase history information is acquired, and the reward rate is determined based on the number of retailers from which purchases were made during the specified period. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the specified period is the first period. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the specified period is the second period. The value of the reward is determined based on the determined reward rate and the amount of money spent by the user on purchasing goods. Therefore, the value of the reward granted to the user can be determined according to the number of retailers from which purchases were made during the specified period.

[0022] (Application Example 9) In the trading service device of this application example, the purchase history information further indicates the purchase time of the product, the second period includes the first period, and the privilege value determination means determines the value of the privilege based on the amount required for the purchase of the product during the first period.

[0023] According to this application example, when the user is not a subscriber of the communication service, the value of the privilege is determined based on the privilege rate corresponding to the number of purchase destinations during the first period and the amount required for the purchase of the product during the first period. When the user is a subscriber of the communication service, the value of the privilege is determined based on the privilege rate corresponding to the number of purchase destinations during the second period and the amount required for the purchase of the product during the first period. Therefore, while implementing sales for subscribers and non-subscribers of the communication service in the same period, subscribers of the communication service can be made to shop more favorably than non-subscribers.

[0024] (Application Example 10) In the trading service device of this application example, privilege possession status information that shows the possession status of the privilege in association with the user is stored in the privilege possession status information storage means, and the trading service device further includes privilege granting means for executing a process of granting the privilege of the determined value to the user in the stored privilege possession status information.

[0025] According to this embodiment, a privilege of a value determined based on the number of purchase destinations of products during a predetermined period can be granted to the user.

[0026] (Applicable Example 11) The transaction service device in this applicable example has a screen for the transaction service that includes information about a product. When the user is the subscriber, there is a contract date information acquisition means for acquiring contract date information indicating the contract date on which the user subscribed to the communication service. Based on the acquired contract date information, there is a privilege value determination means for determining the value of the privilege given to the user when the user purchases the product whose information is displayed on the screen of the transaction service, the privilege value determination means determining the value according to the length of the period elapsed from the contract date. The screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen including the determined value when the user is the subscriber.

[0027] According to this applicable example, when the user is a subscriber of the communication service, contract date information is acquired. The contract date information indicates the date on which the user subscribed to the communication service. The value of the privilege given to the user as a privilege for purchasing a product in a predetermined sale is determined according to the length of the period elapsed from the contract date of the communication service. Therefore, the longer the period during which the user uses the communication service, the higher the value of the privilege that the user can obtain. Thus, it is possible to encourage the user to continue using the communication service.

[0028] (Applicable Example 12) The transaction service device in this applicable example has a screen for the transaction service that includes information about a product. The communication service is a service that enables data communication. When the user is the subscriber, there is a data communication volume information acquisition means for acquiring data communication volume information indicating the amount of data communication consumed by the user using the data communication during a predetermined period. Based on the acquired data communication volume information, there is a privilege value determination means for determining the value of the privilege given to the user when the user purchases the product whose information is displayed on the screen of the transaction service, the privilege value determination means determining the value according to the data communication volume. The screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen including the determined value when the user is the subscriber.

[0029] According to this application example, if a user is a subscriber to a communication service, data usage information is acquired. This data usage information indicates the amount of data the user consumed using the aforementioned data communication service during a predetermined period. The value of the benefits granted to the user as a perk for purchasing goods in a predetermined sale is determined according to the amount of data consumed. Therefore, the more data a user consumes, the more valuable the benefits they can obtain. This encourages users to utilize the data communication services provided by the communication service.

[0030] (Application Example 13) The transaction service device in this application example is characterized in that the benefits granted to users who purchase goods in the predetermined sale include a price reduction for the purchased goods.

[0031] According to this application example, subscribers to a telecommunications service can purchase goods at a lower price during designated sales.

[0032] (Application Example 14) The transaction service device of this application example is characterized in that the benefits granted to users who purchase goods in the predetermined sale include points that can be used in at least one of the transaction service and the communication service.

[0033] In this application example, subscribers to a communication service can earn points when they purchase goods during a designated sale. These points can be used for at least one of the transaction services and the communication service. Therefore, it is possible to encourage the use of at least one of the transaction services and the communication service.

[0034] (Application Example 15) The transaction service device in this application example is characterized in that the point is a point common to both the transaction service and the communication service.

[0035] According to this application example, awarding points can encourage the use of both transaction services and communication services.

[0036] (Application Example 16) The transaction service device in this application example is characterized in that the contract status information acquisition means acquires the contract status information when a login for the use of the transaction service by the user is accepted based on the acquired user identification information.

[0037] According to this application example, after a user has logged in to use the transaction service, a screen can be displayed depending on whether or not that user is a subscriber to the communication service.

[0038] (Application Example 17) The transaction service device in this application example is characterized in that contract user information indicating the subscriber of the communication service among the users of the transaction service is stored in the contract user information storage means, and the contract status information acquisition means acquires the contract status information based on the acquired user identification information and the stored contract user information.

[0039] According to this application example, contract status information can be obtained using user identification information.

[0040] (Application Example 18) The transaction service screen information transmission method of this application example is a transaction service screen information transmission method executed by a computer, and includes: a user identification information acquisition step of acquiring user identification information for identifying a user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce from the user's terminal device; a contract status information acquisition step of acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and a screen information transmission step of transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission step transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is the subscriber, and transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the subscriber.

[0041] (Application Example 19) The transaction service program of this application example is characterized in that the computer functions as: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information from the user's terminal device for identifying a user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is a subscriber, and transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not a subscriber.

[0042] (Application Example 20) The information processing system in this application example comprises a transaction service device for a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods, and a communication service device for a specific communication service different from the transaction service, wherein the transaction service device includes: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service and the communication service from the user's terminal device; user identification information transmission means for transmitting the acquired user identification information to the communication service device; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information from the communication service device indicating whether the user identified by the transmitted user identification information is a subscriber to the communication service; and a screen for the transaction service corresponding to the acquired contract status information. The communication service device comprises: a screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information to the user's terminal device, wherein if the user is the subscriber, the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale, and if the user is not the subscriber, the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale; and the communication service device comprises: a contract user information storage means for storing contract user information indicating that the communication service subscriber is among the users of the transaction service; a user identification information receiving means for receiving the user identification information from the transaction service; and a contract status information transmission means for transmitting the contract status information to the transaction service device based on the received user identification information and the stored contract user information.

[0043] According to this application example, the communication service device is a device for a specific communication service. The communication service device stores contract user information. Contract user information is information that identifies the communication service subscriber among the users of the transaction service. The user identification information that the transaction service device obtains from the terminal device is information used in common for both the transaction service and the communication service. The transaction service device transmits this user identification information to the communication service device. The communication service device transmits contract status information to the transaction service device based on the contract user information. The transaction service device transmits screen information that displays a screen corresponding to the contract status information obtained from the communication service device to the terminal device. Therefore, the transaction service device can obtain contract status information from the communication service device using common user identification information.

[0044] (Application Example 21) The information processing system in this application example comprises a transaction service device for a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods, and a user information management device for managing user information, wherein the transaction service device comprises: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service from the user's terminal device; user identification information transmission means for transmitting the acquired user identification information to the user information management device; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information from the user information management device indicating whether the user identified by the transmitted user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means is the user If the user is the subscriber, the user information management device transmits screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale; if the user is not the subscriber, the user information management device transmits screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale. The user information management device is characterized by comprising: user information storage means for storing user information including user identification information for each user to identify the user; contract user information storage means for storing contract user information indicating that the user of the communication service is a subscriber among the users of the transaction service; user identification information receiving means for receiving the user identification information from the transaction service device; authentication means for performing authentication of the user based on the received user identification information and the stored user information; and contract status information transmitting means for transmitting contract status information to the transaction service device based on the stored contract user information if the authentication is successful.

[0045] According to this application example, the user information management device manages user information. The user information management device stores user information. User information includes user identification information for each user. The user information management device also stores contract user information. Contract user information is information that identifies the subscriber of the communication service among the users of the transaction service. The transaction service device transmits user identification information obtained from the terminal device to the user information management device. The user information management device authenticates the user based on the user identification information and user information. If authentication is successful, the user information management device transmits contract status information to the transaction service device based on the contract user information. The transaction service device transmits screen information showing a screen corresponding to the contract status information obtained from the user information management device to the terminal device. Therefore, user authentication and provision of contract status information can be performed by a user information management device that is different from the transaction service.

[0046] (Application Example 22) The information processing system in this application example comprises a transaction service device for a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods, and a communication service device for a specific communication service different from the transaction service, wherein the transaction service device includes: information linkage request information transmission means for transmitting information linkage request information indicating a request for information linkage regarding the first user to the communication service device in response to a request from the terminal device of any first user among the users of the transaction service; subscriber information acquisition means for acquiring predetermined subscriber information relating to the first user from the communication service device; subscriber information storage control means for storing the acquired subscriber information in subscriber information storage means in association with first user identification information for identifying the first user in the transaction service; first user identification information acquisition means for acquiring first user identification information for identifying the second user in the transaction service from the terminal device of any second user among the users of the transaction service; and indicating whether the second user is a subscriber of the communication service based on whether the subscriber information is associated with the acquired first user identification information. The communication service device includes a contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information, and a screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the terminal device of the second user, wherein if the second user is the subscriber, the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale, and if the second user is not the subscriber, the screen information transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale, and the communication service device includes a second user information storage means for storing second user information, which includes second user identification information for identifying the subscriber in the communication service for each subscriber, an information linkage request information receiving means for receiving the information linkage request information from the transaction service device, a second user identification information acquisition means for acquiring second user identification information for identifying the first user in the communication service from the terminal device of the first user when the information linkage request information is received, an authentication means for performing authentication of the user based on the acquired second user identification information and the stored second user information, and if the authentication is successful,The system is characterized by comprising: a means for transmitting the subscriber information to the transaction service device.

[0047] According to this application example, first user identification information for identifying users in transaction services and second user identification information for identifying subscribers in communication services are managed separately. The communication service device is a device for a specific communication service. The communication service device stores the second user information. The second user information is information that includes the second user identification information for each subscriber. The transaction service device sends information sharing request information to the communication service device in response to a request from the first user's terminal device. The information sharing request information indicates a request for information sharing regarding the first user. Upon receiving the information sharing request information, the communication service device obtains the first user's second user identification information from the first user's terminal device. The communication service device authenticates the first user based on the second user identification information and the second user information. If authentication is successful, the communication service device transmits subscriber information regarding the first user. The communication service device stores the subscriber information in a subscriber information storage means, associating it with the first user's first user identification information. The transaction service device obtains the second user's first user identification information from the second user's terminal device. The second user may be the same person as the first user, or a different person. The transaction service device acquires subscriber information in the subscriber information storage means based on whether or not subscriber identification information is associated with the first user identification information. If subscriber identification information is associated with the first user identification information, it indicates that authentication for the second user in the communication service was successful. In this case, subscriber information indicating that the second user is a subscriber to the communication service can be acquired. If subscriber identification information is not associated with the first user identification information, it indicates that authentication for the second user failed or that information sharing about the second user has not been requested. In this case, subscriber information indicating that the second user is not a subscriber to the communication service can be acquired. The transaction service device transmits screen information showing a screen corresponding to the contract status information to the terminal device. Therefore, even if it is not possible to directly acquire contract status information using the first user identification information, the transaction service device can acquire contract status information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0048] According to the present invention, measures can be implemented to increase the number of users of communication services in relation to services other than communication services. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0049] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of the schematic configuration of a processing system S according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows examples of information stored in the database and tables of trading server 1. [Figure 4] This diagram shows an example of the relationship between the sale period and the users who are eligible to participate in the sale. [Figure 5] This block diagram shows an example of the overview configuration of a communication service server 2 according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of information stored in the database of the communication service server 2. [Figure 7] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a point management server 3 according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of information stored in the database of a point management server 3 according to one embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of a functional block in the system control unit 11 of the trading server 1. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of a search results screen when the user is a subscriber to a communication service. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of a product screen when a user who is a subscriber to a communication service selects a sale item. [Figure 12] This figure shows an example of a search results screen when the user is not a subscriber to a communication service. [Figure 13] This diagram shows an example of the product screen when a user who is not a subscriber to a communication service selects a sale item. [Figure 14]This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2. [Figure 15] This sequence diagram shows an example of the processing system S when updating the communication service contract user DB14b. [Figure 16] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the product screen. [Figure 17] This flowchart shows an example of the product screen information acquisition process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 18] This figure shows an example of a search results screen when the user is a subscriber to a communication service. [Figure 19] This figure shows an example of a search results screen when the user is not a subscriber to a communication service. [Figure 20] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the product screen. [Figure 21] This flowchart shows an example of the search result screen information generation process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 22] This figure shows an example of a functional block in the system control unit 11 of the trading server 1. [Figure 23] This figure shows an example of a counting period. [Figure 24] This figure shows an example of the relationship between the number of stores where a product is purchased and the point multiplier added. [Figure 25] This is a diagram showing an example of the top screen. [Figure 26] This diagram shows an example of counting the number of stores where a purchase was made. [Figure 27] This figure shows an example of a functional block in the system control unit 31 of the point management server 3. [Figure 28] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the top screen. [Figure 29]This flowchart shows an example of the top screen information generation process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 30] This flowchart shows an example of a point awarding process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 31] This figure shows an example of a functional block in the system control unit 11 of the trading server 1. [Figure 32] (a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the recentness of the contract date and the value of the benefits. (b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between the recentness of the contract date and the selling price of the product after the discount. [Figure 33] This flowchart shows an example of the product screen information acquisition process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 34] This flowchart shows an example of a sales price determination process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 35] This flowchart shows an example of an order confirmation process executed by the system control unit 11 of the trading server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 36] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in a transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 37] (a) is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between data usage and the value of the benefits. (b) is a diagram illustrating an example of the relationship between data usage and the sales price of the product after the discount. [Figure 38] This flowchart shows an example of a sales price determination process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 39] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in a transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 40] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 21 in a communication service server 2 according to one embodiment. [Figure 41]This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the top screen. [Figure 42] This figure shows an example of the schematic configuration of a processing system S according to one embodiment. [Figure 43] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a member information management server 6 according to one embodiment. [Figure 44] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 11 in a transaction server 1 according to one embodiment. [Figure 45] This figure shows an example of a functional block in the system control unit 61 of the member information management server 6. [Figure 46] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the top screen. [Figure 47] This figure shows an example of the information stored in the database of trading server 1. [Figure 48] This block diagram shows an example of the overview configuration of a communication service server 2 according to one embodiment. [Figure 49] This figure shows an example of information stored in the database of the communication service server 2. [Figure 50] This figure shows an example of a functional block in the system control unit 11 of the trading server 1. [Figure 51] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 21 in a communication service server 2 according to one embodiment. [Figure 52] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing system S from logging into the trading service to obtaining an access token. [Figure 53] This figure shows an example of the processing performed by the processing system S when acquiring communication service information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0050] [1. First Embodiment] [1-1. Configuration of the Processing System] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, the configuration and functional overview of the processing system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the processing system S according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the processing system S may be configured to include a transaction server 1, a communication service server 2, a point management server 3, a plurality of store terminals 4, and a plurality of user terminals 5. The transaction server 1, the communication service server 2, the point management server 3, each store terminal 4, and each user terminal 5 are connected to a network NW. The network NW is constructed by, for example, the internet, a dedicated communication line (for example, a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including base stations, etc.), and a gateway, etc.

[0051] Transaction server 1 may be an example of a transaction service device. A transaction service device may be a device for a specific transaction service. For example, transaction server 1 may be a server device that performs processing related to that transaction service. A transaction service may be a service that enables the purchase of goods through e-commerce. For example, the form of e-commerce in a transaction service is not particularly limited, as long as it is e-commerce realized through information communication over a network such as a network NW. For example, a transaction service may be provided on a predetermined website. A transaction service may be a service that allows the purchase of goods only from one predetermined vendor, or it may be a service that allows the purchase of goods from multiple vendors. A vendor may be a business or an individual that sells goods. An example of a vendor is a store. A website that provides a transaction service that allows the purchase of goods from multiple vendors may be, for example, an online shopping mall. Hereafter, as an example, the transaction service will be assumed to be a service provided on an online shopping mall. Transaction server 1 may distribute the content of the transaction service or the content of the transaction service website to store terminals 4 and user terminals 5. For example, transaction server 1 may transmit screen information. Each piece of screen information may be information that indicates a specific screen in the transaction service. The screen information may be information that causes a specific screen to be displayed on the user terminal 5. The screen information may be, for example, an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document. In this case, the screen can be replaced with a web page or a page. Alternatively, the screen information may be information that indicates the content or elements to be displayed on the user terminal 5. Alternatively, the screen information may be information that instructs the user terminal 5 to display a specific screen. Based on this instruction, the user terminal 5 may obtain and display information indicating the content or elements to be displayed from the transaction server 1 or other device. The transaction server 1 may also perform processing in response to user operations on the content delivered to the user terminal 5. For example, the transaction server 1 may perform processing such as searching for products, providing search results, providing information on products selected by the user, accepting product orders, and notifying stores of order details.Furthermore, the trading server 1 may perform processing related to sales conducted in the trading service. A sale may, for example, involve selling products with special offers. An example of a special offer is a price reduction on the product. Other examples of special offers include electronic offers that can be managed on the server device or network. Examples of such special offers include points, coupons, and cashback. If the special offer includes a coupon, the coupon may be usable in the trading service or in other services. Multiple types of special offers may be given to the user in a sale. Hereafter, as an example, the special offer will include a price reduction.

[0052] Communication service server 2 may be an example of a communication service device. A communication service device may be a device for a specific communication service. For example, communication service server 2 may be a server device that performs processing related to that communication service. A communication service may be a service that enables communication using a communication terminal. For example, this communication service may be a service that enables at least one of voice communication and data communication. Also, a communication service may be a service that enables at least one of mobile communication and fixed communication. Examples of mobile communication standards include 3G standards such as W-CDMA and CDMA2000, 4G standards such as LTE and WiMAX, and 5G standards such as IMT-2020. An example of a communication service that enables fixed communication is an optical fiber service. A specific communication service may be, for example, a communication service provided by a specific carrier. Hereafter, when simply referred to as a communication service, it refers to a specific communication service. Also, hereafter, as an example, a communication service will be a service that enables mobile communication. A communication service may be a service different from the transaction service described above. The communication service server 2 may, for example, manage information related to communication service subscribers among the processing related to communication services. Users can use the communication service by entering into a contract for use at a store or online. Users who can use the communication service are also called communication service subscribers or subscribers. Users who cannot use the communication service are also called non-subscribers or non-subscribers of the communication service. For example, users without a usage contract and users who have terminated their usage contract are non-subscribers. In this embodiment, users who can enter into a usage contract for the communication service may be limited to users of the transaction service. Also, users who have terminated their use of the transaction service may also have their communication service usage contract terminated. Therefore, a communication service subscriber is a transaction service subscriber. On the other hand, a transaction service subscriber is not necessarily a communication service subscriber.

[0053] The point management server 3 may be a server device that manages the points held by each user in a predetermined point program. The point program may be a service that awards points to a user when the user makes a payment in a predetermined first service. For example, points equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the amount paid may be awarded. The point program may also be a service that allows the user to use the points they hold in a predetermined second service. For example, points may be usable for payments in the second service. The first service and the second service may be the same. Alternatively, at least some services may differ between the first service and the second service. The transaction service described above may be at least one of the first service and the second service, or not. For example, in the transaction service, points may be awarded to a user who purchases goods, and these points may be usable for payment of the purchase price of the goods. The communication service may be at least one of the first service and the second service, or not. For example, points may be awarded to a user who pays the usage fee for the communication service, and these points may be usable for payment of the usage fee for the communication service. Points held by a user are called usable points. Points may be usable in at least one of the trading service and the communication service. Points may also be common to both the trading service and the communication service. Common points may be points usable by the user in both the trading service and the communication service. Alternatively, common points may be points that the user can earn in both the trading service and the communication service. Alternatively, points being common may mean that points awarded in one of the trading service and the communication service can be used in the other of the trading service and the communication service.

[0054] Each store terminal 4 may be a terminal device used by employees of a store that sells goods through the trading service. Examples of store terminals 4 include personal computers and tablet computers. Each store terminal 4 may have a web browser installed. Employees may be able to operate the store terminal 4 to register information about the goods they sell in the trading service.

[0055] Each user terminal 5 may be a terminal device owned by a user who is able to use the trading service. Examples of user terminals 5 include personal computers, smartphones, tablet computers and other portable information terminals, mobile phones, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), set-top boxes, etc. A web browser may be installed on each user terminal 5. In addition, it may be possible to install an application for using the trading service on certain types of user terminals 5. The user terminal 5 may receive and display trading service content from the trading server 1 through a web browser or the trading service application. At least some of the users who are able to use the trading service may be subscribers to the communication service described above. The user terminal 5 of a communication service subscriber may be a communication device used for communication using that communication service.

[0056] [1-2. Server Configuration] [1-2-1. Trading Server] Next, the configuration of the trading server 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 to 4. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the trading server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the trading server 1 includes a system control unit 11, a system bus 12, an input / output interface 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15. The system control unit 11 and the input / output interface 13 are connected via the system bus 12.

[0057] The system control unit 11 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11c, and the like.

[0058] The input / output interface 13 performs interface processing between the storage unit 14 and the communication unit 15 and the system control unit 11.

[0059] The storage unit 14 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. This storage unit 14 may store databases such as a member information DB 14a, a communication service contract user DB 14b, a product DB 14c, and a purchase history DB 14d. "DB" is an abbreviation for database. The storage unit 14 may also store a period table 14e.

[0060] Figure 3 shows an example of information stored in the database and tables of the trading server 1. The member information DB 14a may store member information for each user regarding users who can use the trading service. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the member information DB 14a may store member information such as user ID, password, name, address, gender, date of birth, etc., in association with each other. The user ID may be user identification information used to identify a user in the trading service. This user ID may be user identification information that can be used in common across multiple services, for example. For example, the user ID may be common across multiple services, including at least the trading service and the communication service. Alternatively, the user ID may be common across multiple services, including a points program. The password may be used to authenticate the user in the trading service. The password may be an example of confidential information. Confidential information may be information that is intended to be kept secret from anyone other than the user identified by that user ID. A combination of user ID and password or confidential information may correspond to authentication information. Authentication information may be information used for authentication to log in to use the trading service.

[0061] The Communication Service Contract User DB 14b may contain information indicating the subscribers to the communication service among the users of the transaction service. For example, the Communication Service Contract User DB 14b may include the user ID of each subscriber to the communication service. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the Communication Service Contract User DB 14b may store the user ID and communication service information, etc., associated with each other for each subscriber to the communication service. The communication service information may be information about the user identified by the user ID among the information about the communication service. The communication service information may be information obtained from the communication service server 2. Examples of communication service information include the contract date and data traffic. The contract date may indicate the date on which the user entered into a contract to use the communication service. The data traffic may indicate the amount of data traffic consumed by the user identified by the user ID using the data traffic of the communication service during a predetermined period. For example, the data traffic for the previous month may be stored. Note that the Communication Service Contract User DB 14b does not necessarily have to store communication service information. The Communication Service Contract User DB 14b may store not only the user IDs of the communication service subscribers, but also the user IDs of all users of the transaction service. In this case, the communication service contract user DB14b may store user IDs and communication service usage information for each user, associated with each other. The communication service usage information may indicate whether or not the user identified by the user ID is a subscriber to the communication service. Alternatively, the communication service usage information may be stored in the member information DB14a, associated with the user ID. The communication service information may also be stored in the member information DB14a. In this case, the communication service contract user DB14b is unnecessary.

[0062] Product DB14c may store product information for products sold through the trading service, for each combination of product and the store that sells it. For example, as shown in Figure 3, product DB14c may store product information such as store ID, product ID, category information, product name, sale flag, sales price, comparison price, product image URL (Uniform Resource Locator), catchphrase, description, and shipping information, all associated with each other. The store ID may be identification information to identify the store that sells the product. The product ID may be identification information to identify the product. The category information may indicate which category the product belongs to. The sale flag may indicate whether or not the product is a sale item. A sale item may be a product that is subject to a predetermined sale. A predetermined sale may be, for example, a sale for users of the trading service who are subscribers of the communication service. That is, only users of the trading service who are subscribers of the communication service may be able to purchase products in a predetermined sale. Also, only subscribers of the communication service may be able to purchase sale items in a predetermined sale. As mentioned above, a sale may involve selling products with special offers. The benefits in this embodiment may include, for example, discounting the product at a predetermined percentage or higher. The selling price may indicate the price at which the user can purchase the product. The comparison price may indicate a price that is compared to the selling price. The comparison price may indicate a price that serves as the basis for calculating the discount rate. For example, the discount rate may be calculated by dividing the difference between the comparison price and the selling price by the comparison price. Examples of the comparison price include the manufacturer's suggested retail price, list price, and standard price. The product image URL may be identification information for identifying the product image. The product image may be an image related to the product. The image data of each product image may be stored separately in the storage unit 14 in association with the product image URL.

[0063] Each piece of information included in the product information can be entered by a store employee using the store terminal 4. At this time, the employee can select whether or not the product to be registered is a sale item. If the product to be registered is not a sale item, the employee may or may not enter a comparison price. The store terminal 4 sends the information entered by the employee to the transaction server 1. The transaction server 1 generates product information based on the received information and stores this product information in the product DB 14c. If the sale item flag indicates that the product to be registered is a sale item, the operator of the transaction service or the transaction server 1 may review the product information before storing it. For example, a review may be performed to determine whether the comparison price is a fair price or whether the discount rate is above a predetermined percentage. Only product information that passes the review may be stored in the product DB 14c.

[0064] When product information is stored in product DB14c, transaction server 1 may generate screen information for the product screen of the registered product based on this product information. The product screen may be a screen for a product selected by the user in the transaction service from among products that meet predetermined conditions. For example, the product screen may be a screen that includes information about the selected product. The product screen may also be a screen that can accept operations for purchasing the product selected by the user. For example, the product screen may include elements that can be operated on in order to purchase the product. Examples of operable elements include buttons, links, icons, lists, etc. Examples of operations for purchasing a product include operations to enter the purchase procedure and operations to add the product to the shopping cart. The purchase procedure may include processes for the user to decide on the order details or processes for the user to confirm the order details. Examples of order details include the number of products to purchase, payment method, product delivery method, product delivery address, etc. The purchase procedure may further include processes to confirm the order details. The purchase procedure may also include a settlement process for the user to pay the price for the product to be purchased by transaction server 1. The purchase procedure may also include the process by which the transaction server 1 notifies the store of the order details. The shopping cart may be a virtual container or list for which the user plans to purchase items later. The user can purchase items that are in the shopping cart. The transaction server 1 may store the screen information of the generated product screen in the storage unit 14, associating that screen information with the store ID and product ID to which it corresponds. For example, the URL of the product screen information may include the store ID and product ID. The screen information of the product screen may be associated with this URL.

[0065] The purchase history DB14d may store information indicating the history of product purchases in the transaction service. For example, the purchase history DB14d may store a purchase log each time the transaction server 1 receives a product order from the user terminal 5. The acceptance of a product order may correspond to the user purchasing that product. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the purchase history DB14d may store the following as a purchase log, associated with each other: order number, order date and time, user ID, store ID, product ID, sales price, quantity purchased, purchase amount, shipping fee, and payment amount. The order number may be a number used to identify the order. The order date and time may indicate the date and time the order was accepted. The order date and time may correspond to the date and time the product was purchased. The user ID may indicate the user who purchased the product. The store ID may indicate the seller of the purchased product. The product ID may indicate the purchased product. The sales price may indicate the price at which the product was purchased. The quantity purchased may indicate how many of the product were purchased. If multiple items are purchased, multiple combinations of item ID, selling price, and quantity purchased may be stored in the purchase history DB14d. The purchase amount may represent the amount calculated by multiplying the selling price by the quantity purchased. The payment amount may represent the sum of the purchase amount and shipping costs. If points were used to purchase an item, the payment amount may represent the amount after deducting the amount equivalent to the number of points used.

[0066] The period table 14e may store information about periods related to sales. For example, as shown in Figure 3, the period table 14e may store pre-sale period information and regular sale period information. The pre-sale period information may indicate the pre-sale period. The pre-sale period may indicate the period during which the pre-sale is held. The pre-sale may be a predetermined sale. That is, the pre-sale may be a sale for communication service subscribers among users of the trading service. For example, the pre-sale may be a sale in which benefits are given only to communication service subscribers. The regular sale period information may indicate the regular sale period. The regular sale period may indicate the period during which the regular sale is held. The regular sale may be a sale for all users of the trading service. For example, a communication sale may be a sale in which benefits are given to users of the trading service, regardless of whether or not they are communication service subscribers. The regular sale may be held after the pre-sale. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the sale period and users who can participate in the sale. For example, as shown in Figure 4, the regular sale period starts simultaneously with the end of the pre-sale period. In this case, communication service subscribers can purchase goods in the sale during the period from the start date and time of the pre-sale period to the end date and time of the regular sale period. On the other hand, non-subscribers of the communication service can purchase products during the sale only during the regular sale period, in addition to the pre-sale period. Since the pre-sale starts earlier than the regular sale, subscribers of the communication service have a higher probability of purchasing sale items before they run out of stock compared to non-subscribers. In this respect, subscribers of the communication service have an advantage over non-subscribers. The sale for subscribers of the communication service may start later than the sale for non-subscribers, or they may be held simultaneously. Furthermore, the sale for non-subscribers may not be held at all.

[0067] Furthermore, the storage unit 14 may store various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS (Database Management System), and a trading server program. The trading server program is a program that causes the system control unit 11 to execute processing related to trading services. The trading server program may be acquired, for example, from another device via a network NW, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0068] The communication unit 15 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 15 connects to a device different from the transaction server 1 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0069] [1-2-2. Communication Service Server] Next, the configuration of the communication service server 2 will be described with reference to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the communication service server 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the communication service server 2 comprises a system control unit 21, a system bus 22, an input / output interface 23, a storage unit 24, and a communication unit 25. The system control unit 21 and the input / output interface 23 are connected via the system bus 22.

[0070] The system control unit 21 is composed of a CPU 21a, ROM 21b, RAM 21c, etc.

[0071] The input / output interface 23 performs interface processing between the storage unit 24 and the communication unit 25 and the system control unit 21.

[0072] The storage unit 24 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. This storage unit 24 may store databases such as, for example, a subscriber information DB24a, a data communication volume DB24b, and a charge DB24c.

[0073] Figure 6 shows an example of information stored in the database of the communication service server 2. The subscriber information DB24a may be information indicating a specific communication service subscriber among the users of the transaction service. The subscriber information DB24a may store communication service subscriber information for each subscriber. For example, as shown in Figure 6, the subscriber information DB24a may store communication service subscriber information such as user ID, subscriber identification number, and contract date, associated with each other. The user ID may be identification information that identifies the subscriber. As mentioned above, the user ID may be identification information that can be used in common with both the transaction service and the communication service. In this embodiment, the subscriber of the communication service is a user of the transaction service. The communication service server 2 may use the user ID to identify, for example, which user the communication service subscriber is. Also, for example, a user may use the user ID to log in to the website of the communication service. The subscriber identification number (or subscriber identification number) may indicate a number used to identify the subscriber in order to communicate using the communication service. The subscriber identification number may be a number assigned to the subscriber by the communication service. Examples of subscriber identification numbers include telephone numbers, MSISDNs, and IMSIs (International Mobile Subscriber Identity). The contract date may indicate the date on which the subscriber entered into a contract to use the communication service. When a user enters into a contract to use the communication service, the communication service provider may register the communication service subscriber information for that user in the subscriber information DB24a. On the other hand, when a user cancels their contract to use the communication service, the communication service provider may delete the communication service subscriber information for that user from the subscriber information DB24a.

[0074] The data traffic DB24b may store the amount of data traffic consumed by each subscriber for each period using their communication service. For example, the data traffic DB24b may store the user ID, target period, and data traffic amount in association with each other. The data traffic amount may indicate the amount of data traffic consumed by a user identified by the user ID during the period indicated by the target period. The target period may be expressed as a combination of years and months for the period during which the data traffic amount was measured. Note that if the communication service is not a service that enables data communication, the data traffic DB24b does not need to be stored in the storage unit 24.

[0075] The billing database 24c may store billing information regarding the usage fees for communication services, categorized by subscriber and period. For example, the billing database 24c may store billing information such as user ID, target period, and billing amount, associated with each other. The user ID may indicate the user to whom the usage fee is billed. The target period may indicate the period for which the usage fee was incurred. For example, the target period may be indicated as a combination of year and month. The billing amount may be determined, for example, based on the amount of data traffic during the period indicated by the target period. For example, the billing amount may increase in stages as the amount of data traffic increases. The billing amount may also be determined based on the usage of voice communication and other services provided by the communication service. Furthermore, each subscriber may be able to select a pricing plan for the communication service. The billing amount may be determined based on the selected pricing plan.

[0076] Furthermore, the storage unit 24 may store various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a communication service server program. The communication service server program is a program that causes the system control unit 21 to execute processing related to communication services. The communication service server program may be acquired, for example, from another device via a network NW, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0077] The communication unit 25 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 25 connects to a device different from the communication service server 2 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0078] [1-2-3. Point Management Server] Next, the configuration of the point management server 3 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the point management server 3 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the point management server 3 includes a system control unit 31, a system bus 32, an input / output interface 33, a storage unit 34, and a communication unit 35. The system control unit 31 and the input / output interface 33 are connected via the system bus 32.

[0079] The system control unit 31 is composed of a CPU 31a, ROM 31b, RAM 31c, and the like.

[0080] The input / output interface 33 performs interface processing between the storage unit 34 and the communication unit 35 and the system control unit 31.

[0081] The storage unit 34 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. This storage unit 34 may store databases such as a regular points DB34a, a limited-time points DB34b, and a points expected to be earned DB34c.

[0082] Figure 8 shows an example of information stored in the database of the point management server 3 according to this embodiment. The normal points DB 34a may store information about normal points among the available points held by the user, for each user. Normal points may be available points with no expiration date, or available points that become invalid a predetermined period after the user last acquired normal points. Examples of the length of the period from when normal points are awarded until they expire include six months, one year, two years, etc. If normal points are available points with an expiration date, the expiration date of all normal points held by the user is updated each time the user acquires normal points. As shown in Figure 8, the normal points DB 34a may store, for example, a user ID, the number of normal points, and the expiration date, in association with each other. The user ID may indicate the user who holds those normal points. The number of normal points may indicate the number of normal points. The expiration date may indicate the end date of the period during which those normal points are valid.

[0083] The Limited-Time Points DB34b may store information about limited-time points among the available points held by a user, each time limited-time points are awarded. Limited-time points may be available points with a predetermined expiration date. An expiration date may be set for each limited-time point awarded to a user. The expiration date of limited-time points is not renewed. The length of the period from when the limited-time points are awarded until they expire may be set for each awarded limited-time point, or it may be the same for all limited-time points. Examples of the length of the period until expiration include one month, three months, six months, one year, etc. Alternatively, the expiration date may be determined directly, rather than the length of the period until expiration being determined. As shown in Figure 8, the Limited-Time Points DB34b may store limited-time point information such as user ID, number of limited-time points, and expiration date, associated with each other. The user ID may indicate the user who holds the limited-time points. The number of limited-time points may indicate the number of those limited-time points. The expiration date may indicate the end date of the period during which the limited-time points are valid.

[0084] The Points to be Earned DB34c may store information about points that a user is expected to earn. When a user takes an action that allows them to earn points, they may be able to earn those points immediately or at a later date. Generally, if a user makes a payment as an action that allows them to earn points, the user will earn those points at a later date. As shown in Figure 8, the Points to be Earned DB34c may store information about points to be earned, such as user ID, point type, number of points to be earned, expected earning date, and expiration date, in relation to each other. The user ID may indicate the user who is expected to earn points. The point type may indicate whether the points the user will earn are regular points or limited-time points. The number of points to be earned may indicate the number of points that are expected to be earned. The expected earning date may indicate the date on which the user is expected to earn points. The expiration date may be valid if the point type indicates limited-time points. The expiration date may indicate the date on which the validity period of the points to be earned ends.

[0085] The storage unit 34 further stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a point management server program. The point management server program may be a program that causes the system control unit 31 to execute various processes related to the point program. The point management server program may be acquired from another device via a network NW, for example, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0086] The communication unit 35 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 35 connects to a device different from the point management server 3 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0087] [1-3. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [1-3-1. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 9 to 13. Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1. The system control unit 11 may function as a user identification information acquisition unit 1101, an authentication unit 1102, a contract status information acquisition unit 1103, a search unit 1104, a screen information transmission unit 1105, and an order acceptance unit 1106, etc., as shown in Figure 9, by the CPU 11a reading and executing various program codes included in the trading server program.

[0088] The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire user identification information for identifying a user in the trading service. This user identification information may be, for example, identification information specific to the trading service, or identification information that can be used in common across multiple services, including the trading service. For example, the user identification information may be identification information that can be used in common between the trading service and the communication service. The user identification information may be, for example, a user ID.

[0089] The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may, for example, acquire the user identification information of the user on the user terminal 5 from the user terminal 5. For example, when a user uses the trading service, they log in to the trading service. In this case, the user enters their user identification information to log in. The user terminal 5 sends the entered user identification information to the trading server 1. The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire the user identification information in this way. If the user enters authentication information, the user terminal 5 sends that authentication information to the trading server 1. The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire the user identification information in this way.

[0090] As described later, if the authentication unit 1102 successfully authenticates the user based on the user identification information, the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may, for example, store the acquired user identification information in the user terminal 5 that sent the user identification information. For example, the user identification information may be stored in the user terminal 5 as information such as an HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol) cookie. The user identification information to be stored in the user terminal 5 may be, for example, a user ID, or it may be information that serves as a substitute for the user ID. The substitute information may be a simplified ID. The simplified ID may be, for example, user identification information automatically issued by the transaction server 1. The issued simplified ID may be associated with the user ID of the user identified by that simplified ID. For example, the storage unit 14 may store a database that associates each simplified ID with a user ID. Requests subsequently sent from the user terminal 5 that has stored the user identification information to the transaction service include the stored user identification information, etc. As a result, the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire the user identification information.

[0091] The authentication unit 1102 may perform authentication for a user to log in to the trading service based on the user identification information obtained from the user terminal 5 by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. For example, the authentication unit 1102 may perform authentication based on the user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 and user information. User information may be information that includes user identification information for each user of the trading service. User information may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 14. User information may be, for example, the member information DB 14a. For example, the authentication unit 1102 may determine that authentication was successful if user identification information that matches the user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is stored in the member information DB 14a. The authentication unit 1102 may determine that authentication failed if user identification information that matches the user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is not stored in the member information DB 14a. If authentication information is obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101, the authentication unit 1102 may perform authentication based on that authentication information and the authentication information stored in the member information DB 14a. The authentication unit 1102 may determine that authentication was successful if authentication information matching the authentication information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is stored in the member information DB 14a. The authentication unit 1102 may determine that authentication failed if authentication information matching the authentication information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is not stored in the member information DB 14a.

[0092] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information. The communication service contract status information may be information indicating whether or not a user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is a subscriber to a particular communication service. The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information only for user identification information that has been successfully authenticated by the authentication unit 1102, for example. The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information based on the user identification information and contract user information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101, for example. The contract user information may be information indicating a subscriber to a particular communication service among the users of the transaction service. For example, the contract user information may include user identification information for identifying the subscriber of that communication service in the transaction service. The contract user information may be information stored in the storage unit 14 of the transaction server 1, for example. For example, the contract user information may be the communication service contract user DB 14b. For example, as shown in Figure 3, if the communication service contract user DB 14b contains only the user IDs of communication service subscribers among the users of the transaction service, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may search the communication service contract user DB 14b for records containing the user IDs acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. In this case, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 queries, for example, the interface of the DBMS to see if there is a corresponding user ID in the communication service contract user DB 14b. In response to this query, the DBMS returns a response indicating whether or not there is a corresponding user ID. This response may correspond to the communication service contract status information. A response indicating that there is a corresponding user ID indicates that the user identified by the user ID is a communication service subscriber. A response indicating that there is no corresponding user ID indicates that the user is not a communication service subscriber. If communication service contract status information is stored in the communication service contract user DB 14b for each user of the transaction service, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire the communication service contract status information associated with the user ID acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101.

[0093] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may periodically acquire contract user information from the communication service server 2. The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may then update or replace the contract user information stored in the storage unit 14 with the contract user information acquired from the communication service server 2. The contract user information acquired from the communication service server 2 may include, for example, at least the user ID from the communication service subscriber information stored in the subscriber information DB 24a. The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may also acquire communication service information from the communication service server 2 along with the contract user information. The information acquired as communication service information may be predetermined. Examples of intervals for acquiring contract user information from the communication service server 2 include 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, etc.

[0094] The search unit 1104 may search for products that satisfy the search conditions based on the search conditions entered by the user and the product DB 14c. For example, if the search conditions include keywords, the search unit 1104 may search for products whose product name, catchphrase, or product description includes those keywords. If the search conditions include categories, the search unit 1104 may search for products whose category indicated by the category information matches the category of the search conditions, or products belonging to a subcategory belonging to that category. Furthermore, if the current period is either the pre-sale period or the regular sale period, the search unit 1104 may include all products in the search, regardless of whether the sale flag indicates that the product is on sale or not. If the current period is outside both the pre-sale period and the regular sale period, the search unit 1104 may exclude products whose sale flag indicates that the product is on sale from the search. However, during a predetermined period from a predetermined date and time to the start date and time of the pre-sale period, the search unit 1104 may include products whose sale flag indicates that the product is on sale from the search. This period is called the pre-viewing period.

[0095] The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information to the user terminal 5. For example, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information to the user terminal 5, which is the destination of user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. The screen information transmitted by the screen information transmission unit 1105 may be screen information of a transaction service screen. The transaction service screen may include a screen for shopping in the transaction service. The shopping screen may be a screen that allows the user to take actions to make a purchase in the transaction service. Actions to make a purchase may include viewing information on the screen and performing some operation on that screen. Examples of actions to make a purchase include entering product search criteria, requesting a product search, viewing products that meet predetermined conditions such as search criteria, selecting any product from products that meet predetermined conditions, viewing information on the selected product, purchasing the selected product, confirming the order details before confirming the order, and confirming the order.

[0096] The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information that shows a screen corresponding to the communication service contract status information acquired by the contract status information acquisition unit 1103. This screen may be a shopping screen. Depending on the communication service contract status information, the content displayed on the screen, the elements displayed on the screen, or the operations that the user can perform on the screen may change. For example, if the communication service contract status information indicates that the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is a communication service subscriber, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information that shows a screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale. The predetermined sale may be, for example, a sale for communication service subscribers among users of the transaction service. Therefore, shoppers of the predetermined sale are communication service subscribers. Since a screen for shoppers of the predetermined sale is displayed, communication service subscribers can purchase goods in that predetermined sale. An example of a sale for communication service subscribers is a pre-sale. On the other hand, if the screen information transmission unit 1105 indicates that the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is not a subscriber to the communication service, it may transmit screen information showing a screen not intended for shoppers of the specified sale. The screen not intended for shoppers of the specified sale may be a screen intended for users of the transaction service who are not subscribers to the communication service. In this case, non-subscribers of the communication service cannot purchase goods in the specified sale. Even if the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information showing a screen intended for shoppers of a sale different from the specified sale. An example of a sale different from the specified sale is a sale for all users of the transaction service. In this case, regardless of whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service or not, the user can purchase goods in that sale. An example of a sale for all users of the transaction service is a regular sale.

[0097] The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information for a screen intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the current time is within the period of a predetermined sale and the user is a subscriber to the communication service. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information for a screen not intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the current time is within the period of a predetermined sale and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information for a screen not intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the current time is outside the period of a predetermined sale, regardless of whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service or not. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information for a screen intended for shoppers of a sale if the current time is within the period of a sale for all users of the transaction service, regardless of whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service or not.

[0098] The screen controls described above can motivate users of the trading service to enter into a contract for the communication service. It can also motivate existing communication service subscribers to continue their contracts. Therefore, an increase in communication service subscribers can be expected. Furthermore, it motivates users of the trading service to continue using it. It can also motivate people who are not users of the trading service to register as members of the trading service and to enter into a contract for the communication service. Therefore, it can promote the use of both the trading service and the communication service.

[0099] The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information corresponding to the communication service contract status information and the sale item information. The sale item information may be information indicating sale items that are eligible for a predetermined sale among the products that can be purchased through the transaction service. By purchasing sale items, users may be able to obtain the benefits of the predetermined sale. The sale item information may be stored in, for example, the storage unit 14. The sale item information may also be, for example, the product database 14c. The sale item flag included in each product information stored in the product database 14c indicates whether or not the product corresponding to that product information is a sale item. If the communication service contract status information indicates that the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is a subscriber to the communication service, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information showing a screen that enables the operation to purchase sale items indicated by the sale item information, as an example of screen information for shoppers of the predetermined sale. This allows the communication service subscriber to perform the operation to purchase sale items. On the other hand, if the communication service contract status information indicates that the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information showing a screen that makes it impossible to purchase sale items indicated by the sale item information, as an example of a screen not intended for shoppers of the specified sale. As a result, non-subscribers of the communication service cannot purchase sale items.

[0100] The screen or product screen information that enables or disables the operation of purchasing sale items may be the product screen or product screen information described above. The product screen is the screen of the product selected by the user. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information of a product screen that accepts an operation to purchase the product if the product selected by the user is a sale item and the user is a subscriber to the communication service. In this way, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may enable the operation to purchase sale items. For example, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information of a product screen that includes elements that can be operated to purchase the product. On the other hand, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information of a product screen that does not accept an operation to purchase the product if the product selected by the user is a sale item and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service. In this way, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may disable the operation to purchase sale items. For example, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information of a product screen that does not include elements that can be operated to purchase the product. Furthermore, if the product selected by the user is not a sale item, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information of the product screen that allows the user to perform an operation to purchase that product, regardless of whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service.

[0101] Users may be able to select the products to be displayed on the product screen from a selection screen. The selection screen may be a screen that accepts operations to select products to be displayed on the product screen from among products that meet predetermined conditions. An example of predetermined conditions is search criteria entered by the user. Examples of search criteria include keywords, product categories, whether the product is on sale, price, and other product attributes. Other examples of products that meet the predetermined conditions include products that are predetermined to be displayed on the trading service screen, products automatically extracted by the trading server 1 based on user information such as purchase history, and products extracted by the trading server 1 as recommended products for that user.

[0102] Figure 10 shows an example of a search results screen when the user is a subscriber to a communication service. The search results screen is an example of a selection screen. The search results screen is a screen that shows products that meet the search criteria entered by the user. Figure 10 shows an example of a search results screen displayed, for example, during a pre-sale period. As shown in Figure 10, the search results screen 100 may include a search criteria input area 110 and one or more search product areas 120-i (where i is an integer of 1 or more). The search criteria input area 110 may be an area that accepts operations to change the search criteria entered by the user. Each search product area 120-i may be an area that displays information about products that meet the search criteria. For example, a search product area 120-i may include a product image 121, product name 122, sales price 123, shipping fee 124, points that can be earned 125, point multiplier 126, etc. The points that can be earned 125 indicates the number of points that will be awarded to the user when one of the products corresponding to the search product area 120-i is purchased. The point multiplier may indicate how many times the point accrual rate applied to the user is compared to the normal accrual rate. The point accrual rate may indicate the ratio of the amount of money equivalent to the number of points awarded to the user to the sales price of the product. The exchange rate between money and points is predetermined. For example, the exchange rate may be 1 yen to 1 point. The number of points that can be earned, 125, may be calculated by multiplying the sales price by the point accrual rate and the exchange rate. The normal accrual rate is the minimum point accrual rate. For example, if the normal accrual rate is 1 percent, a point multiplier of 1x indicates a 1 percent accrual rate, and a point multiplier of 2x indicates a 2 percent accrual rate. The point accrual rate indicated by the point multiplier differs depending on the normal accrual rate. The point multiplier applied to a user may change depending on the user's usage of the transaction service or other services. The search product area 120-i corresponding to sale items may further include a sale item icon 127. The sale item icon 127 may be information indicating that the product is on sale. For example, search product area 120-1 and search product area 120-2 include sale icon 127.Therefore, the products corresponding to search product area 120-1 and search product area 120-2 are sale items. On the other hand, search product area 120-2 does not contain the sale item icon 127. Therefore, the products corresponding to search product area 120-2 are not sale items. The user may select the products to be displayed on the product screen by performing an operation to select either search product area 120-i or an operation to select a predetermined element within either search product area 120-i. In this case, the entire search product area 120-i or the element may be considered to have a link to the product screen embedded within it. How the link to the product screen is defined on the screen information of the selection screen is not particularly limited.

[0103] Figure 11 shows an example of a product screen when a user who is a subscriber to a communication service selects a sale item. Figure 11 shows an example of a product screen displayed, for example, during a pre-sale period. On the search results screen 100, the user performs an operation to select a sale item. For example, the user selects the search product area 120-1 which includes the sale item icon 127. In response to this operation, the screen information transmission unit 1105 transmits the screen information of the product screen, and the user terminal 5 displays the product screen. As shown in Figure 11, the product screen 200 may include a product image 211, product name 212, catchphrase 213, comparison price 214, sales price 215, shipping fee 216, number of points that can be earned 217, and point multiplier 218. The product screen 200 corresponding to a sale item may further include a sale item icon 219. In addition, the product screen 200 may display an "add to cart" button 221 and a "proceed to purchase" button 222. For example, these buttons may be displayed as an overlay on the product screen 200. The "Add to Cart" button 221 is an interactive element used to add the product corresponding to the product screen 200 to the shopping cart. The "Proceed to Checkout" button 222 is an interactive element used to proceed with the checkout process for that product. Both buttons are examples of interactive elements used to purchase a product.

[0104] Users can view the items in their shopping cart on the shopping cart screen. The shopping cart screen displays information about the items in the shopping cart. Users can proceed with purchasing an item by performing an action on the shopping cart screen to enter the purchase procedure. Once the action to enter the purchase procedure is performed, the user terminal 5 may display an order confirmation screen. The order confirmation screen may display order details that have not yet been finalized. For example, the order confirmation screen may include information such as the product name, store name, price, quantity, whether or not points will be used for payment, the number of points to be used, purchase amount, shipping fee, payment amount, payment method, delivery method, and delivery address. The order confirmation screen may also be a screen that allows users to modify the order details. Furthermore, the order confirmation screen may be a screen that allows users to finalize the order details. Regardless of whether the user is already logged into the transaction service, the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire authentication information from the user terminal 5 before displaying the order confirmation screen, and authentication may be performed by the authentication unit 1102.

[0105] Figure 12 shows an example of a search results screen when the user is not a subscriber to a communication service. In Figure 12, elements identical to those in Figure 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figure 12, each search product area 120-i included in the search results screen 100 may include a product image 121, product name 122, sales price 123, shipping fee 124, points that can be earned 125, point multiplier 126, etc. A search product area 120-i corresponding to a sale item may further include a sale item icon 127 and a pre-sale period icon 128. The pre-sale period icon 128 may indicate that the product is currently on sale to the user viewing the product screen before the sale period begins. If the search results screen 100 is displayed during a pre-sale period, the pre-sale period icon 128 will be displayed. For example, search product area 120-1 and search product area 120-2 include the pre-sale period icon 128. Therefore, the user cannot purchase the products corresponding to search product area 120-1 and search product area 120-2 at this time. Users can usually purchase these items during sales periods.

[0106] Figure 13 shows an example of a product screen when a user who is not a subscriber to a communication service selects a sale item. In Figure 13, elements identical to those in Figure 11 are denoted by the same symbols. As shown in Figure 13, the product screen 200 may include a product image 211, product name 212, catchphrase 213, comparison price 214, sale price 215, shipping fee 216, points that can be earned 217, and point multiplier 218. The product screen 200 corresponding to a sale item may further include a sale item icon 219. In addition, the product screen 200 displays a pre-sale label 230 instead of an add-to-cart button 221 and a check-out button 222. The pre-sale label 230 may be information indicating that the period during which the product is currently on sale to the user viewing the product screen has not yet passed. Since neither the add-to-cart button 221 nor the check-out button 222 is displayed, the user cannot purchase the sale item.

[0107] Furthermore, even if the user is a subscriber to a communication service, if they are currently within the early access period, the search results screen and product screen shown in Figures 12 and 13, respectively, may be displayed.

[0108] The order receiving unit 1106 may receive order requests from the user terminal 5. The order receiving unit 1106 may execute processing related to the order of a product after the user has performed an operation to purchase a product on the shopping screen displayed on the user terminal 5 based on the screen information transmitted by the screen information transmission unit 1105. For example, the user performs an operation to confirm the order details on the aforementioned order confirmation screen. In response to this operation, the user terminal 5 may send an order confirmation request to the transaction server 1. The order confirmation request may be information indicating a request to confirm the order details. In response to receiving the order confirmation request, the order receiving unit 1106 may execute processing to confirm the order. For example, the order receiving unit 1106 may generate a purchase log corresponding to the order details confirmed by the user. At this time, the order receiving unit 1106 may obtain product information of the product to be purchased. The order receiving unit 1106 may generate a purchase log based on the product information and the information obtained from the user terminal 5. For example, the order receiving unit 1106 may include user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 in the purchase log. The order receiving unit 1106 may also include the current date and time as the order date and time in the purchase log. The order receiving unit 1106 may include the store ID, product ID, sales price, and quantity of the purchased items in the purchase log. The order receiving unit 1106 may also calculate the purchase amount based on the sales price and quantity. The order receiving unit 1106 may also calculate the payment amount based on the purchase amount, shipping information for the purchased items, and the number of points used for payment. The order receiving unit 1106 may include the purchase amount and payment amount in the purchase log. The order receiving unit 1106 may store the purchase log in the purchase history DB 14d.

[0109] Furthermore, the order receiving unit 1106 may perform a settlement process for the user to pay the amount indicated by the payment amount. In this case, the order receiving unit 1106 may perform the settlement according to the payment method selected by the user. For example, the order receiving unit 1106 may perform the settlement process by communicating with a settlement system (not shown) corresponding to the payment method. For example, if the payment method is credit card payment, the settlement system may be the settlement system of a credit card company or a payment processing company. If the payment method is debit card payment, the settlement system may be the online system of a bank or the settlement system of a payment processing company. If the payment method is bank transfer, the settlement system may be the online system of a bank. If the payment method is electronic money, the settlement system may be a system that manages electronic money. The specific settlement process for each method may be the same as that of known methods.

[0110] When points are used for payment, the order receiving unit 1106 may send a point deduction request to the point management server 3. The point deduction request may also be information indicating a request to reduce the available points held by the user. The point deduction request may include the user ID of the user purchasing the product and the number of points to be used. The number of points to be used may indicate the number of points used. Upon receiving the point deduction request, the point management server 3 may search the limited-time points DB 34b for limited-time point information including the user ID of the user purchasing the product. If there is matching limited-time point information, the point management server 3 may update the number of limited-time points by subtracting the number of available points from the number of limited-time points included in that limited-time point information. If there are multiple matching limited-time point information entries, the point management server 3 may prioritize processing the limited-time point information with the shorter expiration date. If the number of points used is equal to or greater than the number of limited-time points before the update, the point management server 3 may delete that limited-time point information from the limited-time points DB 34b. If the number of points used is greater than the number of limited-time points before the update, the point management server 3 may calculate the difference between the number of points used and the number of limited-time points as the new number of points used. If there are multiple instances of the same limited-time point information, the point management server 3 may repeat these processes until the number of points used becomes 0. If the number of points used is 1 or more even after all the limited-time point information has been deleted, the point management server 3 may subtract the number of points used from the number of normal points stored in the normal points DB 34a associated with the user ID of the user purchasing the product. The order acceptance unit 1106 may subtract an amount equivalent to the number of points used from the payment amount to calculate the payment amount used for settlement processing.

[0111] The order receiving unit 1106 may also award points to users who have purchased products. For example, the order receiving unit 1106 may calculate the number of points to be earned by multiplying the purchase amount by the point award rate and exchange rate corresponding to the point multiplier. If a point multiplier of 1 corresponds to a point award rate of 1 percent, the point award rate can be calculated by subtracting 100 from the point multiplier. If the exchange rate between money and points is 1:1, the order receiving unit 1106 does not need to multiply by the exchange rate. The order receiving unit 1106 may generate information on points to be earned, for example, which includes the calculated number of points to be earned and the user ID of the user who purchased the product. The order receiving unit 1106 may send a point award request including this information on points to be earned to the point management server 3. The point management server 3 may store the received information on points to be earned in the information on points to be earned DB 34c. When the expected date of earning the points included in the information on points to be earned arrives, the point management server 3 may award points based on the information on points to be earned. For example, the point management server 3 may obtain the user ID, point type, number of points to be earned, and validity period from the expected points to be earned information. If the point type indicates regular points, the point management server 3 may add the number of points to be earned to the number of regular points stored in the regular points DB 34a associated with the user ID. The point management server 3 may also update the expiration date of the regular points. If the point type indicates limited-time points, the point management server 3 may generate limited-time point information that includes the user ID, the number of points to be earned as limited-time points, and the expiration date. The point management server 3 may store the limited-time point information in the limited-time points DB 34b.

[0112] [1-3-2. Communication Service Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 14. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2. The system control unit 21 may function as a contract user information transmission unit 2101 and a payment receiving unit 2102, etc., as shown in Figure 14, by having the CPU 21a read and execute various program codes included in the communication service server program.

[0113] The contract user information transmission unit 2101 may transmit contract user information to the transaction server 1. For example, the contract user information transmission unit 2101 may transmit contract user information in response to a request from the transaction server 1. The contract user information transmission unit 2101 may transmit contract user information including all user IDs stored in the contract information DB 24a, for example.

[0114] The billing unit 2102 may perform processing to allow the operator of the communication service to receive the usage fees for the communication service from the subscriber. For example, the billing unit 2102 may perform processing to receive the usage fees for each user for the period preceding that period on a predetermined day of each period. For example, the billing unit 2102 may perform settlement processing to settle the usage fees indicated by the billing amount stored in the billing DB 24c. Except for settling the usage fees, the settlement processing itself performed by the billing unit 2102 may be the same as or similar to the settlement processing performed by the order acceptance unit 1106 of the transaction server 1. Each subscriber may be able to register their payment method for usage fees in advance. For example, information regarding payment methods may be stored in the subscriber information DB 24a.

[0115] Points may be used to pay for services. For example, each subscriber may be able to pre-select whether or not to use points to pay for services, whether or not to use all of the points they possess, and the maximum number of points to use. Information indicating these choices by subscribers may be stored, for example, in the subscriber information DB24a or other database. The payment collection unit 2102 may calculate the number of points used based on this information and the billing amount. The payment collection unit 2102 may send a point deduction request to the point management server 3, including the user ID of the target user and the number of points used. The payment collection unit 2102 may calculate the final billing amount used for settlement processing by subtracting an amount equivalent to the number of points used from the billing amount.

[0116] Once the payment processing is complete, the payment collection unit 2102 may award points to the customer who has paid the usage fee. For example, the payment collection unit 2102 may calculate the number of points to be earned by multiplying the billing amount by a predetermined point award rate. The payment collection unit 2102 may send a point award request, including this number of points to be earned and the customer's user ID, to the point management server 3.

[0117] [1-4. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 17. The order of processing is not limited to the order shown in these figures. Also, at least one of the steps shown in these figures may be omitted. The system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 may execute the processing shown in these figures according to the various program codes included in the server program.

[0118] Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S when updating the communication service contract user DB 14b. As shown in Figure 15, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 of the transaction server 1 sends a contract status information request to the communication service server 2 at a predetermined time each day (step S101). The contract user information transmission unit 2101 of the communication service server 2, upon receiving the contract status information request, obtains a user ID from the subscriber information DB 24a for each subscriber of the communication service, and also obtains communication service information associated with that user ID from one or more databases. The contract user information transmission unit 2101 transmits the obtained user ID and the obtained information to the transaction server 1 (step S102). The contract status information acquisition unit 1103, upon receiving the user ID and communication service information from the communication service server 2, deletes the old communication service contract user DB 14b stored in the storage unit 14 (step S103). Next, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 generates a new communication service contract user DB 14b based on the user ID and communication service information received from the communication service server 2, and stores this communication service contract user DB 14b in the storage unit 14.

[0119] Figure 16 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the product screen. For example, the trading server 1 sends an HTML document as an example of screen information for the login screen in response to a request from the user terminal 5, and the user terminal 5 displays the login screen based on this HTML document. The user enters their user ID and password on the login screen to perform the login operation. In response to this operation, the user terminal 5 sends the user ID and password to the trading server 1 as shown in Figure 16 (step S201). When the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 of the trading server 1 receives the user ID and password, the authentication unit 1102 performs authentication for login based on this user ID and password and the user ID and password stored in the member information DB 14a (step S202). The authentication unit 1102 then determines that this authentication was successful (step S203). In this case, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 acquires communication service contract status information based on the user ID received from the user terminal 5 and the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S204). For example, if a user ID matching that user ID is stored in the communication service contract user DB 14b, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information indicating that the user is a subscriber. If a user ID matching that user ID is not stored in the communication service contract user DB 14b, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information indicating that the user is not a subscriber.

[0120] Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 sends an HTML document as an example of screen information for the top screen to the user terminal 5. The top screen may be the screen that serves as the entry point for the trading service. The top screen may also be a screen that accepts input of product search criteria. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may also send a cookie containing the user ID or simplified ID received from the user terminal 5 along with the HTML document for the top screen. The user terminal 5 displays the top screen based on this HTML document (step S206).

[0121] The user enters search criteria on the top screen (step S207). The user terminal 5 sends a search request containing the entered search criteria to the transaction server 1 (step S208). The search unit 1104 of the transaction server 1 searches for products based on the search criteria and product DB 14c included in the received search request (step S209). If it is not currently within the pre-viewing period, pre-sale period, or regular sale period, the search unit 1104 excludes products that are on sale, indicated by the sale flag in the product information, from the search. Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 executes the search results screen information generation process (step S210). The search results screen information generation process is, for example, the process of generating an HTML document as an example of screen information for the search results screen. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may generate the HTML document for the search results screen based on the product information of the searched products. Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 sends the generated HTML document to the user terminal 5 (step S211). User terminal 5 displays the search results screen based on this HTML document (step S212).

[0122] The user selects one of the searched products from the search results screen (step S213). In response to this operation, the user terminal 5 sends a product screen request containing the URL of the product screen of the selected product to the transaction server 1 (step S214). The screen information transmission unit 1105, upon receiving the product screen request, executes a product screen information acquisition process (step S215). The product screen information acquisition process is the process of acquiring an HTML document as an example of screen information for a product screen.

[0123] Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the product screen information acquisition process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 17, the screen information transmission unit 1105 acquires the HTML document of the product screen associated with the URL included in the product screen request from the storage unit 14 (step S301). This HTML document is written so that the Add to Cart button 221 and the Purchase Procedure button 222 are displayed on the product screen. This HTML document may also include a script for the user terminal 5 to send a request corresponding to the Add to Cart button 221 and the Purchase Procedure button 222 to the transaction server 1 in response to an event that operates each of those buttons. Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the product selected by the user is a sale item based on the sale item flag stored in the product DB 14c in association with the combination of store ID and product ID included in the URL of this HTML document (step S302). If the selected product is not a sale item (step S302: NO), the product screen information acquisition process ends. If the selected product is a sale item (step S302: YES), the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the current time is within the normal sale period indicated by the normal sale period information stored in the period table 14e (step S303). If the current time is within the normal sale period (step S303: YES), the product screen information acquisition process ends.

[0124] If the current time is outside the normal sale period (step S303: NO), the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the current time is within the advance sale period indicated by the advance sale period information stored in the period table 14e (step S304). If the current time is within the advance sale period (step S304: YES), the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service based on the communication service contract status information obtained in step S204 shown in Figure 16 (step S305). The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may also acquire the communication service contract status information based on the user ID or simplified ID transmitted from the user terminal 5 along with the request in step S208 or S214 and the communication service contract user DB 14b. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may also use this communication service contract status information to make a determination. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service (step S305: YES), the product screen information acquisition process ends.

[0125] If the current time is outside the pre-sale period (step S304: NO), or if the user is not a subscriber to the communication service (step S305: NO), the screen information transmission unit 1105 removes the information necessary to display the "Add to Cart" button 221 and the "Proceed to Purchase" button 222 on the user terminal 5 from the acquired HTML document (step S306). At this time, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may add information to the HTML document to display the "Pre-Sales Period" label 230. After step S306 is completed, the product screen information acquisition process is finished.

[0126] Returning to Figure 16, once the product screen information acquisition process is complete, the screen information transmission unit 1105 sends the HTML document acquired in the product screen information acquisition process to the user terminal 5 (step S216). The user terminal 5 displays the product screen based on this HTML document (step S217). If it is currently within the pre-sale period or pre-viewing period and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, neither the "Add to Cart" button 221 nor the "Proceed to Purchase" button 222 will be displayed on the product screen. Similarly, if it is currently within the pre-viewing period, neither the "Add to Cart" button 221 nor the "Proceed to Purchase" button 222 will be displayed on the product screen. If it is currently within the regular sale period, both the "Add to Cart" button 221 and the "Proceed to Purchase" button 222 will be displayed on the product screen.

[0127] Furthermore, if authentication in step S202 fails, the transaction server 1 does not need to execute step S204. Also, when the transaction server 1 obtains the HTML document of the product image in the product screen information acquisition process, it may delete the information for displaying the Add to Cart button 221 and the Checkout button 222 without performing the check in step S304.

[0128] As explained above, according to this embodiment, if a user is a subscriber to the communication service, the transaction service screen displays a screen intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale. Therefore, users of the transaction service who are subscribers to the communication service can shop at the predetermined sale. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the transaction service screen displays a screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale. Therefore, users of the transaction service who are not subscribers to the communication service cannot shop at the predetermined sale. Consequently, subscribers to the communication service can shop more advantageously than non-subscribers. Therefore, it is possible to increase the number of users of the communication service through its relationship with other services.

[0129] Here, transaction server 1 may transmit screen information that displays a screen corresponding to the communication service contract status information and sale item information. Transaction server 1 may also transmit screen information that displays a screen enabling the user to purchase sale items if the user is a communication service subscriber. Transaction server 1 may also transmit screen information that displays a screen preventing the user from purchasing sale items if the user is not a communication service subscriber. If the user is a communication service subscriber, a screen that enables the user to purchase sale items in the specified sale is displayed as a screen for shoppers of the specified sale. Therefore, communication service subscribers can purchase the sale items. If the user is not a communication service subscriber, a screen that prevents the user from purchasing sale items in the specified sale is displayed as a screen not for shoppers of the specified sale. Therefore, non-subscribers of the communication service cannot purchase the sale items. Consequently, communication service subscribers can shop more advantageously than non-subscribers.

[0130] In this case, if the selected product is a sale item and the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the transaction server 1 may send screen information indicating a product screen that accepts the operation to purchase the selected product. Alternatively, if the selected product is a sale item and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the transaction server 1 may send screen information indicating a product screen that does not accept the operation to purchase the selected product. If the product selected by the user is a sale item in a predetermined sale and the user is a subscriber to the communication service, a product screen that accepts the operation to purchase the sale item is displayed. Therefore, subscribers to the communication service can perform the operation to purchase the sale item on the product screen. If the product selected by the user is a sale item in a predetermined sale and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, a product screen that does not accept the operation to purchase the sale item is displayed. Therefore, non-subscribers to the communication service cannot perform the operation to purchase the sale item on the product screen. Consequently, subscribers to the communication service can purchase sale items that non-subscribers cannot purchase.

[0131] Furthermore, the benefits granted to users who purchase products during a designated sale include a price reduction on the purchased product. In this case, subscribers to the communication service can purchase products at a lower price during the designated sale.

[0132] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the screen that enables or disables the operation of purchasing sale items was the product screen. In this embodiment, the screen that enables or disables the operation of purchasing sale items is the selection screen. In this embodiment, each product screen may be capable of accepting operations for purchasing the product corresponding to that product screen.

[0133] [2-1. Overview of the System Control Unit Functions of the Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the transaction server 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 18 and 19. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information indicating a selection screen that accepts an operation to display the product screen of a sale item among the items that meet predetermined conditions, if the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is a subscriber to the communication service. This makes it possible to display a product screen that accepts an operation to purchase a sale item. On the other hand, if the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information indicating a selection screen that does not accept an operation to display the product screen of a sale item among the items that meet predetermined conditions. This makes it impossible to display a product screen that accepts an operation to purchase a sale item. Therefore, the user cannot perform an operation to purchase a sale item. For items other than sale items among the items that meet predetermined conditions, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information indicating a selection screen that accepts an operation to display a product screen that accepts an operation to purchase that item, regardless of whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service or not.

[0134] Figure 18 shows an example of a search results screen when the user is a subscriber to a communication service. The search results screen shown in Figure 18 is identical to the search results screen shown in Figure 10. In Figure 18, as can be recognized by the presence or absence of the sale item icon 127, the search product areas 120-1 and 12-3 correspond to sale items. The search product area 120-2 corresponds to items that are not on sale. The user is a subscriber to a communication service. Therefore, the user can perform operations to display the product screen for the items corresponding to each of the search product areas 120-1 to 120-3.

[0135] Figure 19 shows an example of a search results screen when the user is not a subscriber to the communication service. The search results screen shown in Figure 19 is identical to the search results screen shown in Figure 12. The user is not a subscriber to the communication service. Therefore, the user cannot perform the operation to display the product screen for the products corresponding to search product areas 120-1 and 120-3, respectively. The user can perform the operation to display the product screen for the product corresponding to search product area 120-2.

[0136] The example shown in Figure 19 illustrates a case where the selection screen includes information about sale items, but does not accept an operation to display the product screen for sale items. However, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may generate screen information for the selection screen such that the selection screen does not include information about sale items and does not accept an operation to display the product screen for sale items.

[0137] [2-2. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be explained with reference to Figures 20 and 21. Figure 20 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the product screen. In Figure 20, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those in Figure 16.

[0138] As shown in Figure 20, steps S201 to S209 are executed first. After products that meet the search criteria are found (step S209), the screen information transmission unit 1105 executes the search result screen information generation process (step S221).

[0139] Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the search result screen information generation process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 21, the screen information transmission unit 1105 obtains a template for the HTML document of the search screen from the storage unit 14 (step S401). Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 selects one product from the searched products (step S402). Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 obtains product information for the selected product from the product DB 14c (step S403). Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 generates information for displaying the search product area 120-i of the selected product based on the product information and adds the generated information to the HTML document of the search screen (step S404). The information for displaying the search product area 120-i may be, for example, information written in HTML. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may obtain a template for the information for displaying the search product area 120-i from, for example, the storage unit 14. This template may include an event handler that is executed when the user performs an operation to select the search product area 120-i. This event handler may be a script or program that causes the user terminal 5 to send a product screen request to the transaction server. This event handler may also correspond to a link to the product screen. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may embed information such as the product image URL, product name, sales price, shipping fee, number of points that can be earned, and point multiplier in the information for displaying the search product area 120-i.

[0140] Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the selected product is on sale based on the sale flag included in the product information of the selected product (step S405). If the product is on sale (step S405: YES), the screen information transmission unit 1105 adds information for displaying the sale icon 127 to the information for displaying the search product area 120-i of the selected product in the HTML document of the search results screen (step S406). Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the current time is within the normal sale period indicated by the normal sale period information stored in the period table 14e (step S407).

[0141] If the current time is within the regular sale period (step S407: YES), or if the selected product is not a sale item (step S405: NO), the process proceeds to step S408. In step S408, the screen information transmission unit 1105 adds the URL of the HTML document of the product screen for the selected product to the event handler corresponding to the selection of the search product area 120-i of the selected product within the HTML document of the search results screen. As a result, the user terminal 5 sends a product screen request that includes the URL of the HTML document of the product screen for that product, in accordance with the event handler.

[0142] If the current time is outside the normal sale period (step S407: NO), the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the current time is within the advance sale period indicated by the advance sale period information stored in the period table 14e (step S409). If the current time is within the advance sale period (step S409: YES), the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service based on the communication service contract status information obtained in step S204 shown in Figure 20 (step S410). The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may also acquire the communication service contract status information in step S208 based on the user ID or simplified ID transmitted from the user terminal 5 along with the search screen request and the communication service contract user DB 14b. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may also use this communication service contract status information to make a determination. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service (step S410: YES), the process proceeds to step S408. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service (step S410: NO), or if it is currently outside the pre-sale period (step S409: NO), the process proceeds to step S411. In step S411, the screen information transmission unit 1105 removes the event handler corresponding to the selection of the search product area 120-i of the selected product from the HTML document of the search results screen. As a result, even if the user performs the operation to select the search product area 120-i, the user terminal 5 does not send a product screen request. Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 adds information for displaying the pre-sale period icon 128 to the information for displaying the search product area 120-i of the selected product in the HTML document of the search results screen (step S412).

[0143] When step S408 or step S412 is completed, the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether all of the searched products have been selected (step S413). If there are still products that have not been selected (step S413: NO), the process proceeds to step S402. In step S402, the screen information transmission unit 1105 selects one product from the searched products that have not yet been selected (step S402). If all products have been selected (step S413: YES), the search results screen information generation process is completed.

[0144] Returning to Figure 20, once the search results screen information generation process is complete, the screen information transmission unit 1105 sends the HTML document of the search screen generated in the search results screen information generation process to the user terminal 5 (step S211). The user terminal 5 displays the search results screen based on this HTML document (step S212). The user selects one of the searched products from the search results screen (step S213). If it is currently within the pre-sale period and the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the user cannot select a sale item from the searched products. In response to the product selection operation, the user terminal 5 sends a product screen request to the transaction server 1, including the URL of the product screen of the selected product (step S214). The screen information transmission unit 1105 retrieves the HTML document associated with the URL included in the product screen request from the storage unit 14 (step S222). Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 sends the retrieved HTML document to the user terminal 5 (step S216). The user terminal 5 displays the product screen based on this HTML document (step S217). The HTML document for the product screen stored in the storage unit 14 contains information for displaying the "Add to Cart" button 221 and the "Proceed to Checkout" button 222. Therefore, the "Add to Cart" button 221 and the "Proceed to Checkout" button 222 are displayed on the product screen.

[0145] As explained above, according to this embodiment, if the user is a subscriber to the communication service, a selection screen is displayed that allows the user to select a sale item from among products that meet predetermined conditions. Therefore, the subscriber can select the sale item from the selection screen and display the product screen for that sale item. The subscriber can then perform the operation to purchase the sale item on that product screen. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, a selection screen is displayed that does not allow the user to select a sale item from among products that meet predetermined conditions. Therefore, non-subscribers of the communication service cannot select the sale item from the selection screen. Consequently, the product screen for the sale item is not displayed, and non-subscribers cannot perform the operation to purchase the sale item. Thus, subscribers of the communication service can purchase sale items that non-subscribers cannot purchase.

[0146] [3. Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the embodiments described so far, whether or not a user is a subscriber to a communication service was controlled to determine whether or not that user is eligible to purchase sale items. In this embodiment, the value of the benefits a user can obtain in a sale changes depending on the number of places the user purchases products from during a predetermined period. This period is called the counting period. A sale in which the value of benefits changes depending on the number of places the user purchases from during a predetermined period is also called a shopping marathon or store-hopping campaign. Furthermore, the length of this period changes depending on whether or not the user is a subscriber to a communication service. In addition, in this embodiment, the benefits granted to the user in a sale include benefits other than discounts. As mentioned above, examples of benefits granted include points, coupons, cashback, etc. Hereafter, the case in which the benefits include points from a points program will be mainly described. The points granted may be points that can be used in at least one of the transaction service and the communication service. Also, the points granted may be points that are common to both the transaction service and the communication service.

[0147] [3-1. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [3-1-1. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 will be described with reference to Figures 22 to 26. Figure 22 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1. In Figure 22, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as those in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 22, in addition to the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the order acceptance unit 1106, the system control unit 11 may also function as a purchase history information acquisition unit 1111, a reward rate determination unit 1112, a reward value determination unit 1113, and a reward granting unit 1114.

[0148] In addition to acquiring user identification information from the user terminal 5, the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may also acquire user identification information for each user of the transaction service at a predetermined timing, for example. For example, the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire each user ID from the member information DB 14a. The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may also acquire user identification information after the sale period has ended, for example.

[0149] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire, for example, information indicating whether the user is currently a subscriber to the communication service, as communication service contract information. Alternatively, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire, for example, information indicating whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service at the start of the second counting period described later, as communication service contract information. Alternatively, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire, for example, information indicating whether the user has been a subscriber to the communication service from the start of the second counting period to the present, as communication service contract information. For example, it is possible to determine whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service at the start of the second counting period based on the communication service contract date.

[0150] The purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information showing the purchase history of products by a user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. The acquired purchase history information may also show the place of purchase of the product. The purchase history information may also show the time of purchase of the product. The purchase history information may also show the amount spent on the purchase of the product. The amount spent on the purchase may be, for example, the purchase price or the payment amount. The purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information based on the acquired user identification information. For example, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire one or more purchase logs from the purchase history DB 14d, each containing an acquired user ID, which is an example of user identification information, as purchase history information. The combination of store ID and product ID included in the purchase log indicates the purchased product. The order date and time included in the purchase log indicates when the product was purchased. The purchase amount or payment amount included in the purchase log indicates the amount spent on the purchase. Here, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information that shows the purchase history during the counting period. Whether or not a purchase occurred during the counting period can be determined, for example, by the purchase time indicated by the order date and time.

[0151] Here, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may change the length of the count period based on the communication service contract status information acquired by the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 for the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. For example, if the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information showing the purchase history during a predetermined first count period. On the other hand, if the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information showing the purchase history during a predetermined second count period. The second count period is longer than the first count period. As a result, the number of places from which a user purchases goods during the second count period may be greater than the number of places from which a user purchases goods during the first count period. There may or may not be overlap between the first count period and the second count period. Also, the second count period may or may not include the first count period. Also, the first count period and the second count period may or may not be separate. Furthermore, the second counting period may begin before, after, or simultaneously with the first counting period. Also, the second counting period may end before, after, or simultaneously with the first counting period. In addition, each counting period may consist of only one period, or it may be a set of multiple periods that are separate from each other.

[0152] Figure 23 shows an example of a counting period. As shown in Figure 23, for example, a preceding counting period and a normal counting period may be defined. Of the preceding counting period and the normal counting period, the preceding counting period starts first. The normal counting period starts simultaneously with the end of the preceding counting period. For users of the trading service who are subscribers to the communication service, purchases of goods during the preceding counting period and purchases of goods during the normal counting period are counted in the number of stores to which they were purchased. For users of the trading service who are not subscribers to the communication service, only purchases of goods during the normal counting period are counted in the number of stores to which they were purchased. Therefore, the normal counting period corresponds to the first counting period. Also, the period from the start date and time of the preceding counting period to the end date and time of the normal counting period corresponds to the second counting period. The period table 14e may store information indicating the preceding counting period and information indicating the normal counting period.

[0153] In this embodiment, users who purchase products during the sale period are granted benefits of value corresponding to the number of places from which they make purchases. The sale period may be the same as or different from either the first count period or the second count period. For example, the period of a sale for subscribers of a communication service, as a predetermined sale, may be the same as either the first count period or the second count period. The period of a sale for non-subscribers of a communication service may be the same as the first count period. Furthermore, there may or may not be overlap between the sale period and the first and second counting periods. Also, the sale period or the length of the sale period may differ depending on whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service or not. For example, the sale period for subscribers to the communication service may be longer than the sale period for non-subscribers. In the example shown in Figure 23, the sale period is usually the same as the counting period, regardless of whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service or not.

[0154] The sale of this embodiment and the sales described in the first and second embodiments may be held at the same time or not. If these sales are held at the same time, the advance count period and the regular count period may be the same as the advance sale period and the regular sale period, respectively.

[0155] Regardless of whether the sale periods are the same or not, the content of sales for subscribers of communication services will differ from the content of sales for non-subscribers of communication services. In other words, sales for non-subscribers are sales in which users can earn benefits of value corresponding to the number of places from which they purchase products during the first counting period. Sales for subscribers are sales in which users can earn benefits of value corresponding to the number of places from which they purchase products during the second period, which is longer than the first counting period.

[0156] The purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may further acquire purchase history information indicating the purchase history during the period corresponding to whether or not the user is a subscriber to the communication service, among the first and second counting periods, after the first and second counting periods have ended. For example, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information after the period with the later end time, among the first and second counting periods, has ended. The purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 may acquire purchase history information for each user, for example. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the period corresponding to that user is the first counting period. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the period corresponding to that user is the second counting period.

[0157] The reward rate determination unit 1112 may determine the rate of the reward granted to a user identified by the user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 when that user purchases a product. This rate is called the reward rate. The reward rate may, for example, represent the ratio of the value of the reward granted to the user to the amount spent on purchasing the product. If the reward includes points, the reward rate may be the point accrual rate. This point accrual rate may be expressed as a point multiplier. If the reward includes coupons, the reward rate may be the discount rate when using those coupons. If the reward rate includes cashback, the reward rate may be the cashback rate. The cashback rate may represent the ratio of the amount of cashback to the amount spent on the purchase. Here, the reward rate determination unit 1112 may determine a reward rate corresponding to the number of purchase locations identified based on the purchase history information obtained by the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111, as the number of purchase locations for the product. For example, the more purchase locations there are, the higher the value of the reward. If the reward includes points, the more purchase locations there are, the higher the point accrual rate or point multiplier may be. If the benefit includes coupons, the discount rate may be higher the more purchase locations there are. If the benefit includes cashback, the cashback rate may be higher the more purchase locations there are. The benefit rate determination unit 1112 may, for example, count only purchases where the amount spent on the purchase of goods is above a predetermined amount as part of the number of purchase locations. Examples of predetermined amounts include 500 yen, 1000 yen, 3000 yen, etc. The benefit rate determination unit 1112 may also count multiple purchases made at the same store as a single purchase location. In this case, the benefit rate determination unit 1112 may compare the total amount spent on those multiple purchases with the predetermined amount to determine whether or not to count that store as part of the number of purchase locations.

[0158] Figure 24 shows an example of the relationship between the number of stores where a product is purchased and the bonus point multiplier. The bonus point multiplier may indicate how much the point multiplier applied to a user is increased compared to the base point multiplier when points are awarded to a user who has purchased a product. The point multiplier applied to a user is calculated by adding the bonus point multiplier to the base point multiplier. For example, if the base point multiplier is 2x and the bonus point multiplier is 3x, the point multiplier applied to the user is 5x. The minimum value of the base point multiplier may be 1x. Depending on the user's use of the transaction service or other services, the base point multiplier may be higher than 1x. For convenience, the base point multiplier will be assumed to be 1x from now on. As shown in Figure 24, if the number of stores is 1, the bonus point multiplier is 0x. If the number of stores is 2, the bonus point multiplier is 1x. If the number of stores is 3, the bonus point multiplier is 2x. Similarly, for each increase of 1 in the number of stores, the bonus point multiplier increases by 1. And if the number of stores is 10 or more, the bonus point multiplier becomes 9x. Furthermore, the bonus point multiplier that increases with each increase in the number of stores may be 2 or more. Also, the bonus point multiplier may not increase linearly with each increase in the number of stores, but rather gradually.

[0159] As mentioned above, for users who are subscribers to communication services, purchases made during the second counting period are counted towards the number of purchase locations. The second counting period is longer than the first counting period. Therefore, the number of purchase locations may be higher than if only purchases made during the first counting period were counted. Thus, subscribers to communication services have an advantage over non-subscribers, whose purchases are counted only during the first counting period.

[0160] The reward rate determination unit 1112 may determine the reward rate based on the purchase history information acquired by the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 after the first count period and the second count period have ended.

[0161] The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information showing a screen containing reward status information indicating at least one of the number of purchase locations during the counting period and the reward rate determined by the reward rate determination unit 1112 to the user terminal 5 of the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. This screen may be, for example, the top screen or any other screen. The screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information showing a screen containing reward status information only when, for example, the current time is within the normal counting period or the first counting period. If the user is a subscriber to a communication service, screen information showing a screen containing reward status information may be transmitted when the current time is within the first counting period.

[0162] Figure 25 shows an example of the top screen. As shown in Figure 25, the top screen 300 may include the minimum point multiplier 301, the number of stores where purchases were made 302, the bonus point multiplier 303, and the total point multiplier 304, etc. The minimum point multiplier 301 may show a point multiplier of 1x as the minimum point multiplier. The number of stores where purchases were made 302 may show the number of stores where products were purchased during the counting period. The bonus point multiplier 303 may show the point multiplier that is added according to the number of stores where purchases were made. The total point multiplier 304 may show the sum of the minimum point multiplier 301 and the bonus point multiplier 303. The total point multiplier 304 may increase further depending on the user's usage of the transaction service and other services. Note that the bonus point multiplier 303 and total point multiplier 304 displayed on the screen are provisional information during the sale period or counting period. The bonus point multiplier and total point multiplier will increase according to the user's purchases of products during the period. The bonus point multiplier and total point multiplier will be finalized when the period ends.

[0163] The reward value determination unit 1113 may determine the value of the reward granted to the user identified by the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtained by the user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101, based on the reward rate determined by the reward rate determination unit 1112 and the amount spent on purchasing the product, which is indicated by the purchase history obtained by the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111. For example, the reward rate determination unit 1112 may determine the value of the reward by multiplying the amount spent on purchasing the product by the reward rate. If multiple purchases are made during the sale period, the reward rate determination unit 1112 may determine the value of the reward by multiplying the total amount spent on those multiple purchases by the reward rate.

[0164] Figure 26 shows an example of counting the number of stores where purchases were made. As shown in Figure 26, a user purchased goods at stores a and b during the pre-counting period. Subsequently, the user purchased goods at stores c, d, and e during the normal counting period. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, stores c, d, and e, where the goods were purchased during the normal counting period, are counted as the number of stores where purchases were made. Therefore, the number of stores is 3. As shown in Figure 24, the bonus point multiplier is 2x. Therefore, the point multiplier applied to the user is 3x. Also, the sale period is the same as the normal counting period. Therefore, a 3x point multiplier is applied to purchases at stores c, d, and e. Therefore, the number of points awarded is calculated by multiplying the total purchase amount at stores c, d, and e by the point accrual rate corresponding to the 3x point multiplier. On the other hand, if the user is a subscriber to the communication service, stores a and b, where the goods were purchased during the pre-counting period, and stores c, d, and e, where the goods were purchased during the normal counting period, are counted as the number of stores where purchases were made. Therefore, the number of stores is 5. As shown in Figure 24, the bonus point multiplier is 4x. Therefore, the point multiplier applied to the user is 5x. Also, the sale period is the same as the normal counting period. Accordingly, the 5x point multiplier is applied to purchases at stores c, d, and e.

[0165] The reward value determination unit 1113 may determine the value of the reward based on the reward rate determined by the reward rate determination unit 1112 and the amount spent on purchasing the product, based on the purchase history information acquired by the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 after the first count period and the second count period have ended.

[0166] The reward granting unit 1114 grants a reward of the value determined by the reward value determination unit 1113 to a user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101. For example, the reward granting unit 1114 executes a process to grant the reward of the determined value to the user in the reward ownership status information. The reward ownership status information may be information that shows the status of reward ownership in association with the user. The reward ownership status information may be a database that shows reward information indicating the rewards a user possesses, for example, for each user or for each reward granted to a user, in association with the user. For example, the reward ownership status information may include reward information indicating the rewards a user possesses, in association with information for identifying the user. The reward ownership status information may be stored in a predetermined reward ownership status information storage means. The reward ownership status information storage means may be, for example, a system or device that manages the rewards. The information for identifying a user in a system that manages rewards may be, for example, information for identifying a user in a transaction service or a communication service, or it may be information for a system that manages the rewards. The reward information may indicate the value of the rewards a user possesses. The process of granting a benefit may include, for example, a process of updating the benefit information by adding the value of the determined benefit to the value of the benefit indicated by the benefit information associated with that user. Alternatively, the process of granting a benefit may include a process of storing new benefit information indicating the value of the determined benefit in the benefit ownership status information associated with that user. The process of granting a benefit by the benefit granting unit 1114 may include transmitting a benefit granting request to a system, device, or benefit ownership status information storage means that manages benefits. The benefit granting request may be information indicating a request for the granting of a benefit. For example, the benefit granting unit 1114 may transmit information indicating the value of the benefit to be granted and information for identifying the user to whom the benefit is granted to that system or device. If the transaction server 1 stores benefit ownership status information, the process of granting a benefit may include the benefit granting unit 1114 updating the benefit ownership status information.

[0167] For example, when the reward includes points. The reward ownership information may be at least one of the regular points DB34a and the limited-time points DB34b. The reward information may be at least one of the regular points and limited-time points information. The reward ownership information storage means may be the point management server 3 or the storage unit 34. The reward granting unit 1114 may grant either or both of the regular points and limited-time points. For example, the reward granting unit 1114 may set a number of points corresponding to a point multiplier of 1 as regular points and a number of points corresponding to the added point multiplier as limited-time points. As an example of a reward granting request, the reward granting unit 1114 may send a point granting request to the point management server 3.

[0168] If the benefit includes a coupon, the benefit ownership information may be stored in a coupon database. The coupon database may be a database of coupons held by a user. The benefit information may also be coupon information. The coupon information may include, for example, information for identifying the user who has the coupon, the discount rate or the discount amount corresponding to the discount rate, information indicating the platform or website where the coupon can be used, and information indicating the goods or services that can be purchased with the coupon. The benefit ownership information storage means may be a coupon system not shown. The benefit granting unit 1114 may, for example, transmit information equivalent to coupon information to the coupon system, causing the coupon system to execute the process of granting coupons. For example, the coupon system may generate coupon information based on information received from the transaction server 1 and store this coupon information in the coupon database.

[0169] If the reward is a cashback, the method of granting the reward may vary depending on the payment method for the purchase price of the product or a predetermined cashback destination. For example, if the cashback destination is the user's bank account, the reward ownership information is the deposit balance database of the bank where the user's deposit account is held. The deposit balance database may be a database showing the balance of deposits in the account of each user who has a deposit account at that bank. The storage unit 14 of the transaction server 1 may store information for identifying the user's deposit account. The reward ownership information storage means may be the bank's online system. The reward granting unit 1114 may, for example, request a transfer to the cashback destination deposit account from the online system of the bank where the transaction service operator has a deposit account.

[0170] [3-1-2. Point Management Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 31 in the point management server 3 will be explained with reference to Figure 27. Figure 27 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 31 in the point management server 3. The system control unit 31 may function as a reward granting request receiving unit 3101 and a reward granting unit 3102, etc., as shown in Figure 27, by having the CPU 31a read and execute various program codes included in the point management server program.

[0171] The reward grant request receiving unit 3101 may receive a reward grant request from the transaction server 1. The received reward grant request may also be a point grant request.

[0172] The reward granting unit 3102 may, based on the point granting request received by the reward granting request receiving unit 3101, perform a process to grant points as an example of a reward of value determined by the transaction server to at least one of the regular points DB 34a and the limited-time points DB 34b, which are examples of reward ownership information. For example, the reward granting unit 3102 may perform a process to grant points in the manner described in the first embodiment.

[0173] [3-2. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be explained with reference to Figures 28 to 30. Figure 28 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the top screen. In Figure 28, the same reference numerals are used for the same processes as in Figure 16.

[0174] As shown in Figure 28, steps S201 to S204 are executed first. Next, the transaction server 1 executes the top screen information generation process (step S241).

[0175] Figure 29 is a flowchart showing an example of the top screen information generation process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 29, the screen information transmission unit 1105 obtains a template of the HTML document for the top screen from the storage unit 14 (step S501). Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 determines whether the current time is within the normal count period based on the period table 14e (step S502). If the current time is not within the normal count period (step S502: NO), the reward rate determination unit 1112 sets the total point multiplier to 1 (step S503).

[0176] If the current date is within the normal counting period (Step S502: YES), the purchase history information acquisition unit 1112 determines whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service based on the communication service contract status information (Step S504). If the user is a subscriber to the communication service (Step S504: YES), the purchase history information acquisition unit 1112 obtains the contract date included in the communication service information associated with the user's user ID from the communication service contract user DB 14b (Step S505). Next, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 determines whether the user was a subscriber to the communication service at the start of the preceding counting period by comparing the contract date with the start date of the preceding counting period (Step S506). If the user was a subscriber to the communication service at the start of the preceding counting period (Step S506: YES), the process proceeds to Step S507. In Step S507, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1112 obtains all purchase logs from the purchase history DB 14d that include the user's user ID and include order dates and times after the start date and time of the preceding counting period as purchase history information. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service (step S504: NO), or if the user became a subscriber to the communication service after the start of the preceding count period (step S506: NO), the process proceeds to step S508. In step S508, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1112 acquires all purchase logs from the purchase history DB 14d that include the user's user ID and include order dates and times after the start date and time of the normal count period, as purchase history information.

[0177] When step S507 or S508 is completed, the reward rate determination unit 1112 counts the number of stores where purchases were made based on the acquired purchase history information (step S509). For example, the reward rate determination unit 1112 may acquire store IDs from each purchase log included in the purchase history information. The reward rate determination unit 1112 counts the number of acquired store IDs as the number of stores where purchases were made. If there are multiple identical store IDs among the acquired store IDs, the reward rate determination unit 1112 counts those identical store IDs as one store. Next, the reward rate determination unit 1112 determines the bonus point multiplier according to the counted number of stores where purchases were made (step S510). For example, the reward rate determination unit 1112 may acquire the bonus point multiplier corresponding to the number of stores where purchases were made from a table showing the correspondence between the number of stores and the bonus point multiplier. Next, the screen information transmission unit 1105 adds the number of stores and the bonus point multiplier to the HTML document of the top screen (step S511). Next, the reward rate determination unit 1112 calculates the total point multiplier by adding 1 to the added point multiplier (step S512). When step S503 or S512 is completed, the screen information transmission unit 1105 adds the total point multiplier to the HTML document of the top screen (step S513). When step S513 is completed, the top screen information generation process is finished.

[0178] Returning to Figure 28, once the top screen information generation process is complete, the screen information transmission unit 1105 sends the generated top screen HTML document to the user terminal 5 (step S205). The user terminal 5 displays the top screen based on this HTML document (step S206).

[0179] Figure 30 is a flowchart showing an example of a point granting process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 11 may execute the point granting process on a predetermined day after the period with the latest end date and time among the sales period, the first counting period, or the second counting period has elapsed. For example, the system control unit 11 may execute the point granting process for each user whose user ID is stored in the member information DB 14a.

[0180] As shown in Figure 30, the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 acquires the user ID of the target user from the member information DB 14a (step S601). Next, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 acquires the communication service contract status information of the target user based on the acquired user ID and the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S602). Next, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1112 determines whether the target user is a subscriber to the communication service based on the communication service contract status information (step S603).

[0181] If the target user is a subscriber to the communication service (step S603: YES), the purchase history information acquisition unit 1112 retrieves the contract date included in the communication service information associated with the target user's user ID from the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S604). Next, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 determines whether the target user is a subscriber to the communication service at the start of the preceding count period by comparing the contract date with the start date of the preceding count period (step S605). If the target user is a subscriber to the communication service at the start of the row count period (step S605: YES), the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 retrieves all purchase logs from the purchase history DB 14d that include the target user's user ID and include the order date and time within the period from the start date and time of the preceding count period to the end date and time of the normal count period as purchase history information (step S606). Next, the reward rate determination unit 1112 counts the number of stores where purchases were made based on the acquired purchase history information (step S607). Next, the reward value determination unit 1113 extracts purchase logs containing the order date and time within the normal count period from the acquired purchase history information, and uses them as new purchase history information (step S608).

[0182] If the target user is not a subscriber to the communication service (step S603: NO), or if the target user became a subscriber to the communication service after the start of the preceding count period (step S605: NO), the process proceeds to step S609. In step S609, the purchase history information acquisition unit 1111 acquires all purchase logs from the purchase history DB 14d that include the target user's user ID and include the order date and time within the normal count period as purchase history information. Next, the reward rate determination unit 1112 counts the number of stores where the purchase was made based on the acquired purchase history information (step S610).

[0183] When step S608 or step S610 is completed, the reward rate determination unit 1112 determines the bonus point multiplier according to the number of stores where purchases were made that were counted (step S611). Next, the reward rate determination unit 1112 calculates the total point multiplier by adding 1 to the bonus point multiplier (step S612). Next, the reward value determination unit 1113 calculates the total purchase amount during the normal counting period based on the purchase history information obtained in step S608 or step S609 (step S613). For example, the reward value determination unit 1113 may obtain the purchase amount from each purchase log included in the purchase history information. The reward value determination unit 1113 may calculate the total of the obtained purchase amounts. Next, the reward value determination unit 1113 determines the number of points to be earned by multiplying the total purchase amount by the determined total point multiplier and exchange rate (step S614). If the exchange rate is 1 yen to 1 point, the reward value determination unit 1113 does not need to multiply by the exchange rate. Next, the reward granting unit 1114 sends a point granting request to the point management server 3 (step S615). For example, the reward granting unit 1114 may set the point type to indicate which of the regular points and limited-time points will be granted. If limited-time points are to be granted, the reward granting unit 1114 may set the expiration date to a predetermined date. The point management server 3 may also set the expected acquisition date to a predetermined date. The reward granting unit 1114 may generate expected point acquisition information including the user ID of the target user, point type, expected number of points to be acquired, expected acquisition date, and expiration date. The reward granting unit 1114 may send a point granting request including this expected point acquisition information. When step S614 is completed, the point granting process ends. The point management server 3, having received the point granting request, executes the process for granting points as described above.

[0184] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the rate of benefits granted to the user is determined according to the number of purchase locations during a predetermined period. The higher the benefit rate, the higher the value of the benefits that the user can acquire. The transaction service screen displays information indicating at least one of the purchase locations and the benefit rate during the predetermined period. Therefore, the user can check the information that affects the value of the benefits. If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the benefit rate is determined according to the number of purchase locations during a predetermined first counting period. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the benefit rate is determined according to the number of purchase locations during a predetermined second counting period. The second counting period is longer than the first counting period. Therefore, since the period during which product purchases are counted towards the number of purchase locations for communication service subscribers is longer than the period applied to non-subscribers, there is a possibility that communication service subscribers will have a larger number of purchase locations. Consequently, communication service subscribers may be able to acquire more valuable benefits. Therefore, communication service subscribers can shop more advantageously than non-subscribers.

[0185] Here, the benefits may include points that can be used for at least one of the trading services and the communication services. In this case, the user can use these points for at least one of the trading services and the communication services. Therefore, it is possible to encourage the use of at least one of the trading services and the communication services.

[0186] Furthermore, the points included in the benefits may be points that are common to both trading services and communication services. In this case, the awarded points can be used for both trading services and the aforementioned communication services. Therefore, it can encourage the use of both trading services and the aforementioned communication services.

[0187] Furthermore, the end date of the first counting period and the end date of the second counting period may be the same. Also, if the transaction server 1 is currently within the first counting period, it may transmit screen information that includes information showing at least one of the number of purchasers and the determined rate. In this case, if it is currently within the first counting period, the transaction service screen will display information showing at least one of the purchasers and the rate of benefits for the specified period.

[0188] Furthermore, after the first and second counting periods have ended, the transaction server 1 may acquire purchase history information showing the purchase history during the period corresponding to whether or not the user is a subscriber to the communication service within the first and second counting periods. The transaction server 1 may also determine the reward rate based on the purchase history information acquired after the first and second counting periods have ended. The transaction server 1 may also determine the value of the reward granted to the user based on the reward rate and amount determined after the first and second counting periods have ended. In this case, the value of the reward is determined based on the determined reward rate and the amount spent by the user on purchasing the goods. Therefore, the value of the reward granted to the user can be determined according to the number of purchase locations during a predetermined period.

[0189] Here, the second counting period may include the first counting period. Furthermore, the transaction server 1 may determine the value of the reward based on the amount spent on purchasing goods during the first counting period. According to this embodiment, if the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the value of the reward is determined based on the reward rate corresponding to the number of purchase locations during the first counting period and the amount spent on purchasing goods during the first counting period. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the value of the reward is determined based on the reward rate corresponding to the number of purchase locations during the second counting period and the amount spent on purchasing goods during the first counting period. Therefore, it is possible to conduct sales for both subscribers and non-subscribers of the communication service simultaneously, while allowing subscribers to make purchases more advantageously than non-subscribers.

[0190] Furthermore, the transaction server 1 may execute a process to grant the user a reward of a determined value based on the reward ownership status information. In this case, the user can be granted a reward of a value determined based on the number of places where the product was purchased during a predetermined period.

[0191] [4. Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the first and second embodiments, the discount amount of the product, as an example of the value of the benefits in a predetermined sale, was uniform. In this embodiment, the value of the benefits that a user can obtain in a predetermined sale changes depending on when the user signs up for a communication service contract.

[0192] [4-1. Overview of the System Control Unit Functions of the Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 will be described with reference to Figures 31 and 32. Figure 31 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1. In Figure 31, the same elements as in Figure 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figure 31, in addition to the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the order acceptance unit 1106, the system control unit 11 may also function as a reward value determination unit 1121 and a contract date information acquisition unit 1122.

[0193] The contract date information acquisition unit 1122 may acquire contract date information indicating the contract date on which the user contracted for the communication service if the communication service status information indicates that the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is a subscriber to the communication service. For example, the contract date information acquisition unit 1122 may acquire the contract date associated with the user identification information from the communication service contract user DB 14b. The communication service information included in the communication service contract user DB 14b includes the contract date.

[0194] The reward value determination unit 1113 may determine the value of the reward granted to a user when the user purchases a product whose information is displayed on the transaction service screen, based on the contract date information obtained by the contract date information acquisition unit 1122. The type of product information displayed on the screen is not particularly limited. In this case, the reward value determination unit 1113 may determine the value according to the length of time elapsed since the contract date of the communication service. The period elapsed since the contract date of the communication service may be, for example, the period from the contract date to the present. The reward value determination unit 1113 may set the value of the reward higher the longer the period elapsed since the contract date. Figure 32(a) is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the newness of the contract date and the value of the reward. As shown in Figure 32(a), the value of the reward decreases the newer the contract date, and the value of the reward increases the older the contract date. This makes it possible to give more preferential treatment to users who have been using the communication service for a longer period of time. Therefore, it is possible to encourage continued use of the communication service. If the reward includes a discount on the product, the reward value determination unit 1113 may set the discount amount higher the longer the period elapsed since the contract date. Figure 32(b) shows an example of the relationship between the newness of the contract date and the selling price of the discounted product. As shown in Figure 32(b), the newer the contract date, the higher the selling price, and the older the contract date, the lower the selling price. The special value determination unit 1113 may directly manipulate the discount amount according to the length of time elapsed since the contract date, or it may change the discount amount by manipulating the discount rate. The special value determination unit 1113 may calculate the selling price after the discount based on the determined discount rate or discount amount.

[0195] As described in the third embodiment, when determining the reward rate according to the number of places of purchase of the product during a predetermined period, the reward value determination unit 1131 (or reward rate determination unit 1112) may increase the reward rate as the number of places of purchase increases, and also increase the reward rate as the period elapsed since the contract date increases.

[0196] If the communication service status information indicates that the user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 is a subscriber to the communication service, the screen information transmission unit 1105 may transmit screen information showing a screen that includes value information indicating the value of the benefit determined by the benefit value determination unit 1113 to the user terminal 5. The type of screen that includes value information is not particularly limited as long as it is a screen that includes product information. Examples of screens that include value information include selection screens, product screens, and order confirmation screens. The value information may be, for example, the sales price 123 displayed in the search results screen 100. Alternatively, the price information may be, for example, the sales price 215 displayed in the product screen 200. Since these sales prices show the sales price after discount, they can be said to also show the value of the benefit. In addition, the product screen 200 displays a comparison price 214. The difference between the comparison price 214 and the sales price 215 corresponds to the value of the benefit.

[0197] When the order receiving unit 1106 receives an order request from the user terminal 5, it may perform a process to grant a benefit of value determined by the benefit value determination unit 1113. For example, if the benefit includes a discount, the order receiving unit 1106 may calculate the purchase amount using the sales price determined by the benefit value determination unit 1113 for the ordered product. The order receiving unit 1106 may also perform a settlement process for the user to make a payment based on the payment amount calculated based on that purchase amount.

[0198] [4-2. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be described with reference to Figures 33 to 35. Figure 33 is a flowchart showing an example of the product screen information acquisition process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 33, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those in Figure 17.

[0199] As shown in Figure 33, steps S301 and S302 are executed first. If the product selected by the user is not a sale item (step S302: NO), the product screen information acquisition process ends. If the selected product is a sale item (step S302: YES), the process proceeds to step S303. If it is currently within the normal sale period (step S303: YES), the product screen information acquisition process ends. If it is currently outside the normal sale period (step S303: NO), the process proceeds to step S304. If it is currently within the pre-sale period (step S304: YES), the process proceeds to step S305. If it is currently outside the pre-sale period (step S304: NO), or if the user is not a subscriber to the communication service (step S305: NO), step S306 is executed and the product screen information acquisition process ends. If the user is a subscriber to the communication service (step S305: NO), the system control unit 11 executes the sales price determination process (step S321).

[0200] Figure 34 is a flowchart showing an example of the sales price determination process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 34, the benefit value determination unit 1113 obtains the sales price of the target product from the product DB 14c (step S701). When the sales price determination process is called from the product screen information acquisition process, the target product is the product selected by the user. Next, the contract date information acquisition unit 1122 obtains the contract date associated with the user ID obtained from the user terminal 5 from the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S702). Next, the benefit value determination unit 1113 calculates the length of time that has elapsed from the contract date to today (step S703). Next, the benefit value determination unit 1113 determines a further discount rate according to the length of time that has elapsed (step S704). The further discount rate is a discount rate for further discounting the sales price after the discount. Since the sales price of the sale target product is already the discounted price, the discount will be applied twice. The bonus value determination unit 1113 may set a higher re-discount rate as the elapsed period length increases. For example, the bonus value determination unit 1113 may obtain a re-discount rate corresponding to the calculated period length from a table showing the correspondence between the period length and the re-discount rate. Next, the bonus value determination unit 1113 calculates a new sales price based on the sales price and the re-discount rate (step S705). For example, the bonus value determination unit 1113 may calculate the new sales price by subtracting from the sales price an amount calculated by multiplying the sales price by the re-discount rate. When step S705 is completed, the sales price determination process is finished.

[0201] Returning to Figure 33, once the sales price determination process is complete, the screen information transmission unit 1105 rewrites the sales price included in the HTML document of the product screen with the new sales price (step S322). After step S322 is complete, the product screen information acquisition process is finished.

[0202] Furthermore, the transaction server 1 may also rewrite the sales price displayed on the screen in the same manner as described above, on selection screens such as the search screen and other screens. In addition, although the process shown in Figure 33 corresponds to the first embodiment, the sales price on the screen information may also be rewritten in the same manner in the second embodiment.

[0203] Figure 35 is a flowchart showing an example of order confirmation processing performed by the system control unit 11 of the trading server 1 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 11 may, for example, execute order confirmation processing in response to the trading server 1 receiving an order confirmation request from the user terminal 5.

[0204] As shown in Figure 35, the order receiving unit 1106 obtains product information of the product selected by the user as the product to be ordered from the product DB 14c. The order receiving unit 1106 also obtains the purchase quantity entered by the user for this product from the user terminal 5 (step S801). Next, the special value determination unit 1113 determines whether the ordered product is a sale item based on the sale item flag included in the product information (step S802). If the ordered product is not a sale item (step S802: NO), the special value determination unit 1113 calculates the purchase amount by dividing the purchase quantity by the sales price included in the product information as the sales price registered by the store (step S803).

[0205] If the ordered item is a sale item (step S802: YES), the reward value determination unit 1113 obtains communication service contract status information based on the user ID and communication service contract user DB 14b transmitted from the user terminal 5 along with the order confirmation request (step S804). Next, the reward value determination unit 1113 determines whether the user is a subscriber to the communication service based on the communication service contract status information (step S805). If the user is not a subscriber to the communication service (step S805: NO), the process proceeds to step S803.

[0206] If the user is a subscriber to the communication service (step S805: YES), the system control unit 11 executes the sales price determination process (step S806). The product in question here is the ordered product. Next, the special value determination unit 1113 calculates the purchase amount by multiplying the new sales price determined in the sales price determination process by the number of items purchased (step S807).

[0207] When step S803 or S807 is completed, the order receiving unit 1106 calculates the payment amount by adding the shipping fee to the purchase amount and subtracting an amount equivalent to the number of points to be used (step S808). Next, the order receiving unit 1106 performs the settlement process with the calculated payment amount (step S810). Next, the order receiving unit 1106 calculates the points to be earned based on the purchase amount (step S811). Next, the order receiving unit 1106 sends a point grant request including the points to be earned to the point management server 3 (step S812). When step S812 is completed, the order confirmation process is finished.

[0208] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the value of the benefits granted to the user as a perk for purchasing goods in a predetermined sale is determined according to the length of time elapsed since the contract date of the communication service. Therefore, the longer a user uses the communication service, the more valuable the benefits they can acquire. This encourages users to continue using the communication service.

[0209] [5. Fifth Embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the fourth embodiment, the value of the benefits that a user can obtain in a predetermined sale changed depending on when the user contracted for the communication service. In this embodiment, the value of the benefits that a user can obtain in a predetermined sale changes depending on the amount of data communication by the user during a predetermined period.

[0210] [5-1. Functional Overview of the System Control Unit of the Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 will be described with reference to Figure 36. Figure 36 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 36, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 36, in addition to the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the order acceptance unit 1106, the system control unit 11 may also function as a reward value determination unit 1131 and a data communication volume information acquisition unit 1132.

[0211] When the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 acquires contract user information from the communication service server 2, it may acquire contract user information including data communication volume in addition to user identification information. For example, as shown in Figure 15, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may send a contract user information request to the communication service server 2. Upon receiving the contract user information request, the communication service server 2 may acquire each user ID from the subscriber information DB 24a and also acquire the data communication volume associated with the combination of that user ID and a target period indicating a predetermined period from the data communication volume DB 24b. The communication service server 2 may send each combination of user ID and data communication volume to the transaction server 1. The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may generate a new communication service contract user DB 14b that shows the relationship between the user identification information and data communication volume acquired from the communication service server 2.

[0212] The data communication volume information acquisition unit 1132 may acquire data communication volume information indicating the amount of data communication consumed by a user identified by the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 during a predetermined period, if the communication service status information indicates that the user identified by the user identification information is a subscriber to the communication service. For example, the data communication volume information acquisition unit 1132 may acquire the data communication volume associated with the user identification information from the communication service contract user DB 14b. The acquired data communication volume may be, for example, the amount of data communication consumed in the previous month.

[0213] The reward value determination unit 1131 may determine the value of the reward granted to a user when the user purchases a product whose information is displayed on the transaction service screen, based on the data communication volume information acquired by the data communication volume information acquisition unit 1132. In this case, the reward value determination unit 1131 may determine the value according to the data communication volume. The reward value determination unit 1131 may set the value of the reward higher the more data communication volume is used. Figure 37(a) shows an example of the relationship between data communication volume and reward value. As shown in Figure 37(a), the value of the reward decreases as the data communication volume decreases, and the value of the reward increases as the data communication volume increases. This can encourage users to use data communication. If the reward includes a discount on the product, the reward value determination unit 1131 may set the discount amount higher the more data communication volume is used. Figure 37(b) shows an example of the relationship between data communication volume and the sales price of the product after the discount. As shown in Figure 37(b), the sales price increases as the data communication volume decreases, and the sales price decreases as the data communication volume increases. The reward value determination unit 1131 may perform the same processing as the reward value determination unit 1121 described in the fourth embodiment, except that it uses the amount of data communication.

[0214] The screen information transmission unit 1105 and the order acceptance unit 1106 may perform the same processing as described in the fourth embodiment.

[0215] [5-2. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be described with reference to Figure 38. Figure 38 is a flowchart showing an example of the sales price determination process executed by the system control unit 11 of the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 38, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those in Figure 34. The product screen information acquisition process and the order confirmation process may be the same as those in the fourth embodiment.

[0216] As shown in Figure 38, the benefit value determination unit 1131 obtains the sales price of the target product from the product database 14c (step S701). Next, the data communication volume information acquisition unit 1132 obtains the data communication volume associated with the user ID obtained from the user terminal 5 from the communication service contract user database 14b (step S721). Next, the benefit value determination unit 1131 determines the re-discount rate according to the data communication volume (step S722). For example, the benefit value determination unit 1131 may obtain the re-discount rate corresponding to the acquired data communication volume from a table showing the correspondence between data communication volume and re-discount rate. Next, the benefit value determination unit 1131 calculates a new sales price based on the sales price and re-discount rate (step S705). When step S705 is completed, the sales price determination process is finished.

[0217] As explained above, according to this embodiment, the value of the benefits granted to the user as a perk for purchasing products in a predetermined sale is determined according to the amount of data transmitted. Therefore, the more data a user consumes, the more valuable the benefits they can obtain. This encourages users to utilize the data communication provided by the communication service.

[0218] [6. Sixth Embodiment] Next, a sixth embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the embodiments described so far, the transaction service server 1 obtained communication service contract status information from a database stored in the transaction service server 1 in response to a user login. In this embodiment, the transaction service server 1 obtains communication service contract status information from the communication service server 2.

[0219] [6-1. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [6-1-1. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 will be described with reference to Figure 39. Figure 39 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 39, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 39, the system control unit 11 may function as a user identification information transmission unit 1141 in addition to the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the order acceptance unit 1106.

[0220] The user identification information transmission unit 1141 may transmit the user identification information obtained from the user terminal 5 by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the communication service server 2. For example, if authentication by the authentication unit 1102 using the user identification information is successful, the user identification information transmission unit 1141 may transmit that user identification information.

[0221] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 acquires communication service contract status information from the communication service server 2. The acquired communication service contract status information indicates whether the user identified by the user identification information transmitted to the communication service server 2 by the user identification information transmission unit 1141 is a subscriber to the communication service. As described later, in response to the transmission by the user identification information transmission unit 1141, the communication service server 2 transmits the communication service contract status information to the transaction server 1. The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may also acquire communication service information such as the contract date and data traffic volume from the communication service server 2 along with the communication service contract status information.

[0222] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103, which has acquired communication service contract status information, may update the communication service contract user DB 14b based on the communication service contract status information. For example, if the communication service contract status information indicates that the user identified by the user identification information transmitted by the user identification information transmission unit 1141 is a subscriber to the communication service, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may update the communication service contract user DB 14b to indicate that the user is a subscriber to the communication service. If information such as the contract date is acquired from the communication service server, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may store that information in the communication service contract user DB 14b in association with the user identification information. If the communication service contract status information indicates that the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may update the communication service contract user DB 14b to indicate that the user is not a subscriber to the communication service. Subsequently, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information for that user from the communication service server 2 or from the communication service contract user DB 14b.

[0223] [6-1-2. Communication Service Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2 will be described with reference to Figure 40. Figure 40 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 40, the system control unit 21 may function as a user identification information receiving unit 2111 and a contract status information transmitting unit 2112, etc.

[0224] The user identification information receiving unit 2111 receives user identification information transmitted from the transaction server 1.

[0225] The contract status information transmission unit 2112 may transmit communication service subscriber information to the transaction server 1 based on the user identification information and contract user information received by the user identification information receiving unit 2111. The transmitted communication service subscriber information is information indicating whether or not the user identified by the user identification information is a subscriber to the communication service. As mentioned above, the contract user information may also be information indicating a specific communication service subscriber among the users of the transaction service. The contract user information may also include user identification information for identifying communication service subscribers in the transaction service. The contract user information may also be information stored in the storage unit 24. For example, the contract user information may be the subscriber information DB 24a. For example, if the received user identification information is included in the subscriber information DB 24a, the contract status information transmission unit 2112 may obtain communication service subscriber information indicating that the user is a subscriber. If the received user identification information is not included in the subscriber information DB 24a, the contract status information transmission unit 2112 may obtain communication service subscriber information indicating that the user is not a subscriber. The contract status information transmission unit 2112 may transmit the acquired communication service subscriber information to the transaction server 1. The contract status information transmission unit 2112 may also transmit other information associated with the user identification information along with the communication service subscriber information to the transaction server 1 as communication service information.

[0226] [6-2. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be explained with reference to Figure 41. Figure 41 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the top screen. In Figure 41, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those in Figure 16.

[0227] As shown in Figure 41, steps S201 and S202 are executed first. Then, if authentication for login is successful (step S203), the user identification information transmission unit 1141 of the transaction server 1 transmits the user ID obtained in step S201 to the communication service server 2 (step S261). The contract status information transmission unit 2112 of the communication service server 2 obtains communication service contract status information based on the received user ID and subscriber information DB 24a (step S262). Then, the contract status information transmission unit 2112 transmits this communication service contract status information to the transaction server 1 (step S263). The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 of the transaction server 1, having received the communication service contract status information, updates the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S264). For example, if the communication service contract status information indicates that the user is a subscriber to the communication service, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 stores the user ID transmitted in step S261 in the communication service contract user DB 14b. If the same user ID is already stored, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 does not need to perform this storage process. If the communication service contract status information indicates that the user is not a subscriber to the communication service, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 deletes the user ID transmitted in step S261 from the communication service contract user DB 14b. If the user ID is not stored in the communication service contract user DB 14b, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 does not need to perform this deletion. Next, steps S205 and S206 are executed. After this, subsequent processes shown in Figure 16, Figure 20, or Figure 28 may be executed. In the case of the process shown in Figure 28, step S241 may be executed before step S205.

[0228] As described above, according to this embodiment, the transaction server 1 can obtain communication service contract status information from the communication service device using common user identification information.

[0229] [7. Seventh Embodiment] Next, a seventh embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the embodiments described so far, the trading server 1 managed the information of users of the trading service. In this embodiment, at least some of the information of users who can use a predetermined service, including the trading service and the communication service, is managed by a device different from the trading server 1. The predetermined service may be, for example, an internet comprehensive service. The internet comprehensive service may include multiple services. Each service included in the internet comprehensive service may be a service provided using information and communication technology. At least one service may be a service provided on a website. A user who becomes a member of the internet comprehensive service may be able to use some or many of the services included in the internet comprehensive service. For some of the services included in the internet comprehensive service, the user may be required to register separately. For example, a user who becomes a member of the internet comprehensive service may be able to use the trading service. On the other hand, a user may be able to use the communication service by entering into a contract for the use of the communication service, on the condition that they are a member of the internet comprehensive service.

[0230] [7-1. Configuration of the Processing System] Next, the configuration and functional overview of the processing system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 42. Figure 42 is a diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the processing system S according to this embodiment. In Figure 42, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 42, the processing system S may be configured to include a transaction server 1, a communication service server 2, a point management server 3, a plurality of store terminals 4, a plurality of user terminals 5, and a member information management server 6. The member information management server 6 is connected to a network NW.

[0231] The member information management server 6 may be an example of a user information management device. The user information management device may be a device that manages information about users. For example, the member information management server 6 may be a server device that manages information about users of the Internet Comprehensive Service. For example, the member information management server 6 may manage information that may be referenced by two or more of the multiple services included in the Internet Comprehensive Service. The member information management server 6 may also perform login authentication for users to use at least one of the services included in the Internet Comprehensive Service.

[0232] [7-2. Configuration of the Member Information Management Server] Next, the configuration of the member information management server 6 will be described with reference to Figure 43. Figure 43 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the member information management server 6 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 43, the member information management server 6 includes a system control unit 61, a system bus 62, an input / output interface 63, a storage unit 64, and a communication unit 65. The system control unit 61 and the input / output interface 63 are connected via the system bus 62.

[0233] The system control unit 61 is composed of a CPU 61a, ROM 61b, RAM 61c, and the like.

[0234] The input / output interface 63 performs interface processing between the storage unit 64 and the communication unit 65 and the system control unit 61.

[0235] The storage unit 64 is configured, for example, as a hard disk drive. This storage unit 64 may store databases such as a member information DB 14a and a communication service contract user DB 14b. The information stored in the member information DB 14a and the communication service contract user DB 14b may be the same as the information shown in Figure 3. Neither the member information DB 14a nor the communication service contract user DB 14b is stored in the transaction server 1. Here, the user IDs stored in these databases may be user identification information for users to use the Internet Comprehensive Service. Similarly, the user IDs stored in the database of the communication service server 2 may also be user identification information for the Internet Comprehensive Service.

[0236] Furthermore, the storage unit 64 may store various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a member information management server program. The member information management server program is a program that causes the system control unit 61 to execute processing related to users of the comprehensive internet service. The member information management server program may be acquired, for example, from another device via a network NW, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0237] The communication unit 65 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 65 connects to a device different from the member information management server 6 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0238] [7-3. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [7-3-1. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the transaction server 1 will be described with reference to Figure 44. Figure 44 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the transaction server 1 according to this embodiment. In Figure 44, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 44, the system control unit 11 may function as a user identification information acquisition unit 1101, a contract status information acquisition unit 1103, a search unit 1104, a screen information transmission unit 1105, a user identification information transmission unit 1151, and an authentication result information receiving unit 1152. In this embodiment, the member information management server 6 performs user authentication. Therefore, the system control unit 11 does not need to function as an authentication unit 1102.

[0239] The user identification information transmission unit 1151 may transmit the user identification information obtained from the user terminal 5 by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the member information management server 6. The transmission of user identification information at this time may be for the purpose of user authentication. For example, the user ID sent from the user terminal 5 by the user to log in to the trading service may be transmitted to the member information management server 6. If authentication information is obtained from the user terminal 5 by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101, the user identification information transmission unit 1151 may transmit that authentication information to the member information management server 6.

[0240] The user identification information transmission unit 1151 may or may not transmit the user identification information again to the member information management server 6 if the authentication performed by the member information management server 6 based on the user identification information previously transmitted for user authentication is successful. The transmission of user identification information at this time may also be for the purpose of obtaining communication service contract status information for the transaction server 1.

[0241] The authentication result information receiving unit 1152 may receive authentication result information from the member information management server 6. The authentication result information may indicate the result of authentication performed by the member information management server 6 based on the user identification information sent to the member information management server 6 by the user identification information transmission unit 1151 for user authentication.

[0242] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information from the member information management server 6. For example, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information about the user identified by the user identification information transmitted to the member information management server 6 by the user identification information transmission unit 1151.

[0243] [7-3-2. Member Information Management Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 61 in the member information management server 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 45. FIG. 45 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 61 in the member information management server 6. As shown in FIG. 45, the system control unit 61 may function as a contract user information acquisition unit 6101, a user identification information reception unit 6102, an authentication unit 6103, an authentication result information transmission unit 6104, a contract status information transmission unit 6105, etc., when the CPU 61a reads and executes various program codes included in the member information management server program.

[0244] The contract user information acquisition unit 6101 may acquire contract user information from the communication service server 2. Then, the contract user information acquisition unit 6101 may store the acquired contract user information in the storage unit 64. The contract user information stored in the storage unit 64 may be, for example, the communication service contract user DB 14b. For example, in the process shown in FIG. 15, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 of the transaction server 1 acquires contract user information from the communication service server 2 and generates a new communication service contract user DB 14b. The contract user information acquisition unit 6101 may execute the same process as the process of the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 at this time.

[0245] The user identification information reception unit 6102 may receive user identification information from the transaction server 1.

[0246] The authentication unit 6103 may execute user authentication based on the user identification information received by the user identification information receiving unit 6102 and the user identification information stored in the member information DB 14a. For example, the authentication unit 6103 may perform authentication using the user identification information transmitted from the transaction server 1 for the user to log in. The authentication method by the authentication unit 6103 may be the same as the authentication method by the authentication unit 1102 described in the first embodiment.

[0247] The authentication result information transmission unit 6104 may or may not transmit the authentication result information to the transaction server 1. For example, the authentication result information transmission unit 6104 may transmit authentication result information corresponding to the result of authentication by the authentication unit 6103. That is, the transmitted authentication result information may be information indicating whether the authentication by the authentication unit 6103 has succeeded or not.

[0248] The contract status information transmission unit 6105 may transmit communication service contract status information to the transaction server 1. The transmitted communication service contract status information may be information indicating whether or not the user identified by the user identification information received by the user identification information receiving unit 6102 is a subscriber to the communication service. The contract status information transmission unit 6105 may transmit communication service contract status information based on the received user identification information and contract user information. The contract user information may be, for example, the communication service contract user DB 14b. The contract status information transmission unit 6105 may transmit communication service contract status information if authentication by the authentication unit 6103 is successful. On the other hand, the contract status information transmission unit 6105 does not have to transmit communication service contract status information if authentication by the authentication unit 6103 fails. The contract status information transmission unit 6105 may transmit communication service contract status information in response to receiving user identification information from the transaction server 1, which has received the authentication result information transmitted by the authentication result information transmission unit 6104. Alternatively, the contract status information transmission unit 6105 may transmit authentication result information indicating the success of authentication and communication service contract status information in response to the success of authentication performed by the authentication unit 6103 based on user identification information received from the transaction server 1 for user authentication. In this case, the contract status information transmission unit 6105 may also function as the authentication result information transmission unit 6104.

[0249] [7-4. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be explained with reference to Figure 46. Figure 46 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S from logging into the trading service to displaying the top screen. In Figure 46, the same reference numerals are used for processes that are the same as those in Figure 41.

[0250] As shown in Figure 46, the user terminal 5 sends the entered user ID and password to the transaction server 1 (step S201). The user identification information transmission unit 1151 of the transaction server 1 sends the received user ID and password to the member information management server 6 (step S241). The authentication unit 6103 of the member information management server 6 performs authentication for login based on the received user ID and password and the user ID and password stored in the member information DB 14a (step S242). The authentication unit 6103 then determines that the authentication was successful (step S243). In this case, the authentication result information transmission unit 6104 sends authentication result information indicating the success of the authentication to the transaction server 1 (step S2244). The user identification information transmission unit 1151 of the transaction server 1, having received the authentication result information indicating the success of the authentication, sends the same user identification information to the member information management server 6 as the user identification information sent in step S241 (step S245). If the authentication result information indicates an authentication failure, the user identification information transmission unit 1151 does not transmit the user identification information. The contract status information transmission unit 6105 of the member information management server 6, which has received the user ID, obtains communication service contract status information based on the user ID and the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S246). Note that whether the user ID transmitted from the transaction server 1 is a user ID for authentication or a user ID for obtaining communication service contract status information can be determined by the type of request transmitted from the transaction server 1 or whether the user ID is accompanied by a password. The contract status information transmission unit 6105 transmits the obtained contract status information transmission unit 6105 to the transaction server 1 (step S247). Next, steps S205 and S206 are executed. After this, subsequent processing shown in Figures 16, 20, or 28 may be executed. In the case of the processing shown in Figure 28, step S241 may be executed before step S205. Transaction server 1 may subsequently obtain communication service contract status information from member information management server 6 as needed.

[0251] As described above, according to this embodiment, user authentication and the provision of communication service contract status information can be performed by a user information management device separate from the transaction service.

[0252] [8. Eighth Implementation] Next, an eighth embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the embodiments described so far, users or subscribers were identified using common user identification information for both the transaction service and the communication service. In this embodiment, user identification information is managed separately for the transaction service and the communication service. The user identification information used to identify a user in the transaction service is called the first user identification information. The first user identification information may be, for example, user identification information for the transaction service. Alternatively, the first user identification information may be the user identification information for the Internet integrated service described above. In this case, the communication service is not included in the Internet integrated service. The user identification information used to identify a user in the communication service is called the second user identification information. The second user identification information may be, for example, the subscriber identification number described above, or other user identification information. Since the user identification information differs between the transaction service and the communication service, it is difficult for the transaction server 1 to obtain the communication service contract status information as is. Therefore, in this embodiment, a mechanism is used to enable information sharing. Information sharing may correspond to the exchange of information about users or subscribers between the trading service (or trading server 1) and the communication service (or communication service server 2). Points in the points program managed by the points management server 3 may be points usable in the trading service, but not necessarily points usable in the communication service.

[0253] [8-1. Server Configuration] [8-1-1. Trading Server] Next, the configuration of the transaction server 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 47. Figure 47 shows an example of the information stored in the database of the transaction server 1. The difference between Figure 47 and Figure 3 is that the member information DB14a, communication service contract user DB14b, and purchase history DB14d store a transaction service user ID instead of a user ID. The transaction service user ID is an example of first user identification information.

[0254] The communication service contract user DB14b may store an access token in addition to the transaction service user ID and communication service information. The access token may be credentials indicating the right of the transaction server 1 to obtain communication service information relating to the user identified by the transaction service user ID from the communication service or the communication service server 2. By possessing this right, the transaction server 1 can obtain communication service information from the communication service server 2. Through information sharing, a user of the transaction service may be linked to a communication service subscriber who is the same person as that user.

[0255] [8-1-2. Communication Service Server] Next, the configuration of the communication service server 2 will be described with reference to Figures 48 and 49. Figure 48 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the communication service server 2 according to this embodiment. In Figure 48, the same elements as in Figure 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figure 48, the storage unit 24 of the communication service server 2 may store subscriber information DB 24a, data communication volume DB 24b, charges DB 24c, and information acquisition qualification DB 24d.

[0256] Figure 49 shows an example of information stored in the database of the communication service server 2. The difference between the subscriber information DB24a to billing DB24c shown in Figure 49 and the subscriber information DB24a to billing DB24c shown in Figure 6 is that the communication service user ID is stored instead of the user ID. The communication service user ID is an example of second-party user identification information.

[0257] The subscriber information DB24a may store a password in addition to the communication service user ID, subscriber identification information, and contract date information. The password may be used for user authentication in the communication service. The password may be an example of confidential information. A combination of user ID and password or confidential information may constitute authentication information.

[0258] The Information Acquisition Qualification DB24d may store qualification information for each granted qualification, relating to the qualifications or authority of a service other than the communication service to acquire information about the subscriber of the communication service. A service that acquires information from the communication service is also called a client. For example, the Information Acquisition Qualification DB24d may store qualification information such as an access token, a communication service user ID, and information to be acquired, associated with each other. The access token may be information indicating the qualification to acquire information about the subscriber. The access token may also be identification information to identify the granted qualification. The access token may be used as authentication information for the client to acquire subscriber information. Examples of protocols used for authentication include OAuth and OpenID. The communication service user ID may indicate the subscriber from whom the client can acquire information with that qualification. The information to be acquired may indicate the type of communication service information that the client can acquire with that qualification. The acquisitionable communication service information is not particularly limited as long as it relates to the subscriber identified by the communication service user ID. For example, the acquisitionable communication service information may include information associated with the communication service user ID or the subscriber identification number of the subscriber identified by that communication service user ID. Examples of information that can be obtained include communication service user ID, subscriber identification number, contract date, and data usage.

[0259] [8-2. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [8-2-1. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1 will be explained with reference to Figure 50. Figure 50 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 in the trading server 1. In Figure 50, the same reference numerals are used for elements that are the same as those in Figure 9. As shown in Figure 50, in addition to the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 to the order acceptance unit 1106, the system control unit 11 may also function as an information linkage request information transmission unit 1161, a contractor information acquisition unit 1162, a contractor information storage control unit 1163, and an information linkage cancellation unit 1164, etc.

[0260] The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire first user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service. The first user identification information may be, for example, a transaction service user ID. The functions of the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may be the same as those described in at least one of the embodiments described so far, except that the user identification information to be acquired is first user identification information. The authentication units 1102 to 1106 and the information linkage request information transmission units 1161 to 1164 may, if necessary, use the first user identification information as user identification information for processing.

[0261] The information sharing request information transmission unit 1161 may transmit information sharing request information to the communication service server 2 in response to a request from the user terminal 5 of any first user among the users of the trading service. The information sharing request information may indicate a request for information sharing regarding that first user. Specifically, the information sharing request information may be a request for information sharing between the trading service and the communication service regarding the first user. Alternatively, the information sharing request information may be information indicating a request for permission or authorization for the trading service to acquire communication service information regarding the first user from the communication service. The information sharing request information may include, for example, information to be acquired. This information to be acquired may indicate the type of communication service information that the trading server 1 acquires from the communication service server 2. The information sharing request information transmission unit 1161 may transmit the information sharing request information via the user terminal 5 of the first user, rather than transmitting the information sharing request information directly to the communication service server 2. For example, the information sharing request information transmission unit 1161 may send the information sharing request information to the user terminal 5 using redirection technology such as HTTP redirection, thereby causing the user terminal 5 to send the information sharing request information to the communication service server 2.

[0262] The subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may acquire subscriber information from the communication service equipment. The subscriber information may be information relating to the first user among the information relating to the communication service. The subscriber information may include, for example, at least one of the following: credential information and communication service information. The credential information may be, for example, an access token. The subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may, for example, acquire the credential information first from the communication service server 2. The subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may acquire the communication service information from the communication service server 2 by transmitting the acquired credential information to the communication service server 2. The subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may also acquire subscriber information periodically. For example, the subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may acquire the communication service information by transmitting the credential information to the communication service server 2. The subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may, for example, transmit each piece of credential information stored in the communication service contract user DB 14b and acquire the subscriber information corresponding to that credential information. Examples of intervals for acquiring subscriber information from the communication service server 2 include 1 hour, 6 hours, 12 hours, 1 day, etc. The subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 may receive either information acquisition success information or information acquisition failure information from the communication service server 2 as a response to transmitting credential information. Information acquisition success information may indicate the success of acquiring information from the communication service server 2. Information acquisition success information may include communication service information. Information acquisition failure information may indicate the failure of acquiring information from the communication service server 2. Information acquisition failure information does not have to include communication service information.

[0263] The subscriber information storage control unit 1163 may store the subscriber information acquired by the subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 in the communication service contract user DB 14b, associating it with first user identification information for identifying the first user in the transaction service. Information sharing is performed because the subscriber information is associated with the first user identification information.

[0264] The user identification information acquisition unit 1101 may acquire first user identification information for identifying a second user in the trading service from the user terminal 5 of any second user among the users of the trading service. The second user may be the same person as the first user or a different person. Requests are sent to the trading server 1 from the user terminals 5 of various users of the trading service at various times. Therefore, the trading server 1 may receive requests from each of the user terminals 5 of different users at the same time or at different times. The trading server 1 may also receive requests from each of the user terminals 5 of the same user at different times. The received requests may contain first user identification information.

[0265] The contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information for the second user based on the first user identification information of the second user acquired by the user identification information acquisition unit 1101 and the communication service contract user DB 14b. The communication service contract status information may be acquired in a manner similar to the method described in the first embodiment, for example. For example, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information based on whether or not subscriber information is associated with the acquired first user identification information. If subscriber information is associated with the acquired first user identification information, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information indicating that the second user is a subscriber to the communication service. If subscriber information is not associated with the acquired first user identification information, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 may acquire communication service contract status information indicating that the second user is not a subscriber to the communication service. Among the users of the transaction service, there may be some users who are subscribers to the communication service but have not permitted information sharing. For such users, communication service contract status information indicating that they are not subscribers to the communication service may be acquired.

[0266] When the contract information acquisition unit 1162 receives an information acquisition failure response from the communication service server 2 in response to transmitting the qualification information, the information linkage release unit 1164 may release the information linkage regarding the qualification information. For example, the information linkage release unit 1164 may release the information linkage by releasing the association between the qualification information and the second user identification information. The information linkage release unit 1164 may release the association, for example, by deleting either one or both of the qualification information (or contract information) and the first user identification information associated with the qualification information from the communication service contract user DB 14b.

[0267] [8-2-2. Communication Service Server] Next, the functional outline of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2 will be described with reference to FIG. 51. FIG. 51 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 21 in the communication service server 2 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 51, the system control unit 21 may function as an information linkage request information reception unit 2121, a user identification information acquisition unit 2122, an authentication unit 2123, a qualification information storage control unit 2124, a contract information transmission unit 2125, an information linkage release unit 2126, and the like.

[0268] The information linkage request information reception unit 2121 may receive information linkage request information from the transaction server 1. The information linkage request information reception unit 2121 may receive information linkage request information via the first user terminal 5.

[0269] When the information sharing request information is received by the information sharing request information receiving unit 2121, the user identification information acquisition unit 2122 may acquire second user identification information for identifying the first user in the communication service from the first user's user terminal 5. For example, the first user confirms that the transaction service will acquire communication service information from the communication service. At this time, the first user inputs their second user identification information. The user terminal 5 transmits the input second user identification information to the communication service server 2. The user identification information acquisition unit 2122 may acquire user identification information in this way. If the first user inputs authentication information, the user terminal 5 transmits that authentication information to the communication service server 2. The user identification information acquisition unit 2122 may acquire second user identification information in this way.

[0270] The authentication unit 2123 may perform authentication for the first user to log in to the communication service based on the user identification information obtained from the user terminal 5 by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122. For example, the authentication unit 2123 may perform authentication based on the second user identification information and second user information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122. The second user information may be information that includes the second user identification information for each subscriber of the communication service. The second user information may be stored in a predetermined second user information storage means. The second user information may be, for example, the subscriber information DB 24a. The second user information storage means may be, for example, the storage unit 24. The authentication unit 2123 may determine that authentication is successful if, for example, the subscriber information DB 24a contains second user identification information that matches the second user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122. The authentication unit 2123 may determine that authentication has failed if no second user identification information matching the second user identification information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122 is stored in the subscriber information DB 24a. If authentication information is obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122, the authentication unit 2123 may perform authentication based on that authentication information and the authentication information stored in the subscriber information DB 24a. The authentication unit 2123 may determine that authentication has succeeded if authentication information matching the authentication information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122 is stored in the subscriber information DB 24a. The authentication unit 2123 may determine that authentication has failed if no authentication information matching the authentication information obtained by the user identification information acquisition unit 2122 is stored in the subscriber information DB 24a.

[0271] If authentication by the authentication unit 2123 is successful, the credential information storage control unit 2124 may store the credential information in the information acquisition credential DB 24d in association with the second user identification information of the first user. This credential information may be, for example, an access token. The credential information storage control unit 2124 may also generate new credential information and store this credential information. Furthermore, the credential information storage control unit 2124 may store the information to be acquired included in the information linkage request information in the information acquisition credential DB 24d in association with its second user identification information.

[0272] The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may transmit subscriber information to the transaction server 1 if authentication by the authentication unit 2123 is successful. For example, the credential information storage control unit 2124 may transmit the credential information generated by the credential information storage control unit 2124 to the transaction server 1. Also, if the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 receives credential information from the transaction server 1, it may transmit communication service information to the transaction server 1. For example, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may obtain second user identification information and acquisition target information associated with the credential information from the information acquisition qualification DB 24d. The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may obtain information associated with the second user identification information, of the type indicated by the acquisition target information, from the database where that information is stored. Then, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may transmit the obtained information to the transaction server 1 as communication service information.

[0273] The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may determine whether the credentials received from the transaction server 1 are valid. If the credentials are valid, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may send information acquisition success information, including communication service information, to the transaction server 1. If the credentials are invalid, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may send information acquisition failure information, which does not include communication service information, to the transaction server 1.

[0274] The information linkage termination unit 2126 may terminate information linkage with the trading service for any subscriber of the communication service if that subscriber terminates their contract for the communication service. For example, a subscriber may perform an operation on the communication service website to select contract termination. In response to this operation, the subscriber's user terminal 5 may send contract termination request information to the communication service server 2. The contract termination request may include the subscriber's second user identification information. The information linkage termination unit 2126 may terminate information linkage in response to receiving the contract termination request information. For example, the information linkage termination unit 2126 may terminate information linkage by invalidating the credentials generated for that subscriber. The information linkage termination unit 2126 may invalidate the credentials by, for example, revoke the association between the subscriber's second user identification information and the credentials. For example, the information linkage termination unit 2126 may revoke the association by deleting either or both of the second user identification information and credentials stored in the information acquisition qualification DB 24d in association with each other. For example, the information linkage termination unit 2126 may also invalidate the credentials associated with the second user identification information by deleting the subscriber's second user identification information or communication service subscriber information from the subscriber information DB 24a.

[0275] [8-3. Operation of the Processing System] Next, the operation of the processing system S will be explained with reference to Figures 52 and 53. Figure 52 is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing by the processing system S from logging into the trading service to obtaining an access token. First, the user terminal 5 sends the trading service user ID and password to the trading server 1 (step S901), and the trading server 1 performs authentication for login (step S902). If it is determined that authentication is successful (step S903), the trading server 1 sends the HTML document of the top screen to the user terminal 5 (step S904), and the user terminal 5 displays the top screen (step S905). Except for the use of the trading service user ID, the processing content of steps S901 to S905 may be the same as the processing content of steps S201 to S205 shown in Figure 16. Note that, as explained in the seventh embodiment, the member information management server 6 may perform login authentication.

[0276] On the top screen, the user performs an operation to register with the trading service that they are a subscriber to the communication service through information linkage. In response to this operation, the user terminal 5 sends a communication service information registration request to the trading server 1 (step S906). The information linkage request information transmission unit 1161 of the trading server 1, which has received the communication service information registration request, sends an information acquisition permission request as an example of information linkage request information to the communication service server 2 (step S907). The information linkage request information transmission unit 1161 may also send an information acquisition permission request to the user terminal 5, causing the user terminal 5 to send an information acquisition permission request to the communication service server 2. The user identification information acquisition unit 2122 of the communication service server 2, which has received the information acquisition permission request, sends an HTML document of the information acquisition permission confirmation screen to the user terminal 5 (step S908). The information acquisition permission confirmation screen may be a screen that asks the user whether or not to allow the trading service to acquire communication service information from the communication service. The information acquisition permission confirmation screen may include information indicating, for example, the type of communication service information to be acquired. Furthermore, the information acquisition permission confirmation screen may include input fields for the communication service user ID and password.

[0277] The user enters their communication service user ID and password on the information acquisition permission confirmation screen. The user terminal 5 sends these communication service user ID and password to the communication service server 2 (step S909). The authentication unit 2123 of the communication service server 2 performs user authentication based on the received communication service user ID and password and the communication service user ID and password stored in the subscriber information DB 24a (step S919). If it is determined that authentication was successful (step S911), the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 generates an authorization code and sends the authorization code to the transaction server 1 (step S912). The authorization code may be information indicating that information acquisition has been permitted. The authorization code may also be identification information to identify the authorization of information acquisition. The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may temporarily store the transaction service user ID received from the user terminal 5, the generated authorization code, and the information to be acquired included in the information acquisition permission request in association with each other. The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may send an authorization code to the user terminal 5, causing the user terminal 5 to send that authorization code to the transaction server 1.

[0278] Upon receiving the authorization code, the subscriber information acquisition unit 1162 of the transaction server 1 transmits the authorization code to the communication service server 2 (step S913). Upon receiving the authorization code, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 of the communication service server 2 generates an access token (step S914). Next, the credential information storage control unit 2124 acquires the communication service user ID and acquisition target information associated with the authorization code, associates these communication service user ID and acquisition target information with the access token, and stores them in the information acquisition qualification DB 24d (step S915). Next, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 transmits the generated access token to the transaction server 1 (step S916). Upon receiving the access token, the credential information storage control unit 2124 of the transaction server 1 associates the access token with the transaction service user ID acquired in step S901 and stores it in the communication service contract user DB 14b (step S917). The credential information storage control unit 2124 may associate the transaction service user ID transmitted from the user terminal 5 along with the communication service information registration request or other request with the access token.

[0279] Figure 53 shows an example of processing by the processing system S when acquiring communication service information. For example, after step S917, the contract status information acquisition unit 1103 of the transaction server 1 sends the access token stored in step S917 to the communication service server 2 (step S1001). The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 of the communication service server 2 determines the validity of the received access token (step S1002). For example, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may determine that the credentials are valid if credentials matching the received credentials are stored in the information acquisition credentials DB 24d. On the other hand, the subscriber information transmission unit 2125 may determine that the credentials are invalid if credentials matching the received credentials are not stored in the information acquisition credentials DB 24d. The subscriber information transmission unit 2125 sends the information corresponding to the determination result of the validity of the credentials, from among the information acquisition success information and the information acquisition failure response, to the transaction server 1 (step S1003). The subscriber information storage control unit 1163 of the transaction server 1 determines whether or not information acquisition success information has been transmitted from the communication service server 2 (step S1004). If information acquisition success information has been transmitted (step S1004: YES), the subscriber information storage control unit 1163 stores the communication service information included in the information acquisition success information in the communication service contract user DB 14b in association with the transmitted access token (step S1005). If information acquisition failure information has been transmitted (step S1005: NO), the information linkage release unit 1164 deletes the transmitted access token, the transaction service user ID and communication service information associated with this access token from the communication service contract user DB 14b, thereby releasing the association between the access token and the transaction service user ID (step S1008).

[0280] For each access token stored in the communication service contract user DB14b, a process similar to the one shown in Figure 53 may be performed periodically. When the transaction server 1 receives information retrieval success information from the communication service server 2, it overwrites the communication service information stored in the communication service contract user DB14b with the communication service information included in the information retrieval success information.

[0281] Furthermore, processes similar to those shown in Figures 16, 20, or 28 may be executed. In these processes, a transaction service user ID is used instead of a user ID. Also, the process for obtaining communication service contract status information may be the process described in this embodiment.

[0282] As described above, according to this embodiment, even if it is not possible to directly obtain communication service contract status information using the first user identification information, the transaction server 1 can obtain communication service contract status information.

[0283] [9. Ninth Embodiment] In the first and second embodiments, the benefit granted to users in a predetermined sale was a discount on goods. However, the benefit granted may be something other than a discount. The following describes an example where the benefit granted includes points. The points included in the benefit may be usable in at least one of the transaction service and the communication service. The points may also be common to both the transaction service and the communication service. For example, users of the transaction service and subscribers of the communication service may be able to earn and use points as described in the first embodiment. Furthermore, non-subscribers of the communication service may or may not be granted points. For example, non-subscribers may be granted points according to a standard point multiplier. If points are granted to non-subscribers, the benefit granted to subscribers of the communication service in a predetermined sale may be additional points.

[0284] Product information stored in product DB14c may further include a bonus point multiplier. The bonus point multiplier may indicate the multiplier of additional points awarded to users who purchase the product corresponding to that product information. Users who purchase the product may be able to earn a number of points corresponding to the sum of the base point multiplier and the bonus point multiplier. Store employees may be able to set the bonus point multiplier for each product. For products other than sale items, stores may or may not set a bonus point multiplier. A specified sale may involve selling products with bonus points awarded at a bonus point multiplier of a specified multiplier or higher. When a store attempts to register product information for a sale item, a check may be performed to determine whether the bonus point multiplier is equal to or greater than the specified multiplier. Product information may only be stored in product DB14c if the bonus point multiplier is equal to or greater than the specified multiplier.

[0285] When the order receiving unit 1106 of the transaction server 1 confirms an order for goods, the order receiving unit 1106 (or the reward granting unit 1114) may calculate the total point multiplier by adding the bonus point multiplier included in the product information of the ordered goods to the base point multiplier. The order receiving unit 1106 may also calculate the number of points to be earned by multiplying the purchase price of the goods by the point granting rate corresponding to the total point multiplier. The order receiving unit 1106 may grant points by sending a point granting request including the number of points to be earned to the point management server 3.

[0286] (Note 1) A transaction service device comprising: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information for identifying a user from the user's terminal device in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information showing a screen of the transaction service corresponding to the acquired contract status information to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is the subscriber, and transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the subscriber.

[0287] (Note 2) The transaction service device according to Note 1, wherein, among the products available for purchase through the transaction service, target product information indicating the products subject to the predetermined sale is stored in the target product information storage means, and the screen information transmission means transmits screen information indicating a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information and the stored target product information, and if the user is the contract holder, transmits screen information indicating a screen that enables the operation to purchase the target product, and if the user is not the contract holder, transmits screen information indicating a screen that makes it impossible to purchase the target product.

[0288] (Note 3) The transaction service device according to Note 2, wherein the transaction service screen is a product screen of a product selected by the user, and the screen information transmission means transmits screen information indicating a product screen that can accept an operation to purchase the selected product when the selected product is the target product and the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information indicating a product screen that does not accept an operation to purchase the selected product when the selected product is the target product and the user is not the contract holder.

[0289] (Note 4) The transaction service device according to Note 2 or 3, wherein the transaction service screen is a selection screen capable of accepting an operation to select a product to be displayed on the product screen from among products that meet predetermined conditions, the product screen is a screen of the product selected on the selection screen and is capable of accepting an operation to purchase the selected product, and the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the selection screen capable of accepting an operation to select the target product from among products that meet the predetermined conditions when the user is the contracting party, and transmits the screen information showing the selection screen that does not accept an operation to select the target product from among products that meet the predetermined conditions when the user is not the contracting party.

[0290] (Note 5) The transaction service is a service that enables the purchase of goods from multiple vendors, and further comprises: purchase history information acquisition means for acquiring purchase history information indicating the purchase history of goods by the user identified by the acquired user identification information during a predetermined period, wherein the purchase history information indicates the place of purchase of the goods; and benefit rate determination means for determining the rate of benefits to be granted to the user when the user purchases goods, based on the acquired purchase history information, wherein the benefit rate determination means determines the rate according to the number of places of purchase of goods during the predetermined period; the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing a screen that includes information indicating at least one of the number of places of purchase of goods during the predetermined period and the determined rate; and the purchase history information acquisition means acquires purchase history information indicating the purchase history during a predetermined first period, which is the predetermined period, when the user is not the contractor; and when the user is the contractor, acquires purchase history information indicating the purchase history during a predetermined second period, which is longer than the first period, which is the predetermined period, as described in any one of Notes 1 to 4.

[0291] (Appendix 6) The transaction service device according to Appendix 5, characterized in that the aforementioned benefits include points that can be used for at least one of the transaction service and the communication service.

[0292] (Note 7) The transaction service device according to Note 5 or 6, characterized in that the end time of the first period and the end time of the second period are the same, and the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information that includes information showing at least one of the number of customers and the determined rate, when it is currently within the first period.

[0293] (Note 8) The transaction service device according to any one of Notes 5 to 7, characterized in that the purchase history information further indicates the amount of money spent on purchasing the goods, the purchase history information acquisition means further acquires the purchase history information indicating the purchase history during the period corresponding to whether or not the user is the contractor within the first and second periods after the first and second periods have ended, the reward rate determination means determines the rate of the reward based on the purchase history information acquired after the first and second periods have ended, and the reward value determination means further determines the value of the reward to be granted to the user based on the rate and amount determined after the first and second periods have ended.

[0294] (Note 9) The transaction service device according to Note 8, wherein the purchase history information further indicates the time of purchase of the product, the second period includes the first period, and the reward value determination means determines the value of the reward based on the amount spent on purchasing the product during the first period.

[0295] (Note 10) The transaction service device according to Note 8 or 9, wherein a benefit ownership status information indicating the ownership status of the benefit associated with a user is stored in a benefit ownership status information storage means, and the device further comprises a benefit granting means that performs a process of granting the user a benefit of the determined value to the stored benefit ownership status information.

[0296] (Note 11) The transaction service device according to any one of Notes 1 to 10, wherein the screen of the transaction service includes information about a product, and if the user is the subscriber, the transaction service device further includes a contract date information acquisition means for acquiring contract date information indicating the date on which the user contracted for the communication service, and a benefit value determination means for determining the value of a benefit granted to the user when the user purchases the product whose information is displayed on the screen of the transaction service, the benefit value determination means for determining the value according to the length of time elapsed since the contract date, and the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen including the determined value if the user is the subscriber.

[0297] (Note 12) The transaction service device according to any one of Notes 1 to 11, wherein the screen of the transaction service includes information about a product, the communication service is a service that enables data communication, and if the user is the subscriber, the device further comprises: data communication volume information acquisition means for acquiring data communication volume information indicating the amount of data communication consumed by the user using the data communication during a predetermined period; and a benefit value determination means for determining the value of a benefit granted to the user when the user purchases the product whose information is displayed on the screen of the transaction service, based on the acquired data communication volume information, the benefit value determination means for determining the value according to the amount of data communication, and the screen information transmission means for transmitting the screen information showing the screen including the determined value if the user is the subscriber.

[0298] (Note 13) The transaction service device according to any one of Notes 1 to 12, characterized in that the benefits granted to a user who purchases goods in the aforementioned sale include a price reduction on the purchased goods.

[0299] (Note 14) The transaction service device according to any one of Notes 1 to 13, characterized in that the benefits granted to users who purchase goods in the specified sale include points that can be used in at least one of the transaction service and the communication service.

[0300] (Note 15) The transaction service device according to Note 6 or 14, characterized in that the point is a point common to both the transaction service and the communication service.

[0301] (Note 16) The transaction service device according to any one of Notes 1 to 15, characterized in that the contract status information acquisition means acquires the contract status information when a login for the use of the transaction service by the user is accepted based on the acquired user identification information.

[0302] (Note 17) A transaction service device according to any one of Notes 1 to 16, wherein contract user information indicating a subscriber to the communication service among the users of the transaction service is stored in the contract user information storage means, and the contract status information acquisition means acquires the contract status information based on the acquired user identification information and the stored contract user information.

[0303] (Note 18) A method for transmitting transaction service screen information executed by a computer, comprising: a user identification information acquisition step of acquiring user identification information from the user's terminal device for identifying a user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce; a contract status information acquisition step of acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and a screen information transmission step of transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission step transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is the subscriber, and transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the subscriber.

[0304] (Note 19) A transaction service program characterized in that a computer functions as a user identification information means for acquiring user identification information from the user's terminal device for identifying a user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in electronic commerce; a contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and a screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is the subscriber, and transmits the screen information showing a screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the subscriber.

[0305] (Note 20) In an information processing system comprising a transaction service device for a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods, and a communication service device for a specific communication service different from the transaction service, the transaction service device includes: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service and the communication service from the user's terminal device; user identification information transmission means for transmitting the acquired user identification information to the communication service device; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information from the communication service device indicating whether the user identified by the transmitted user identification information is a subscriber to the communication service; and screen information for the transaction service that shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, the user An information processing system comprising: a screen information transmission means for transmitting to a terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale when the user is the subscriber, and transmits screen information showing the screen not for shoppers of the predetermined sale when the user is not the subscriber; and the communication service device comprises: a contract user information storage means for storing contract user information indicating that the communication service subscriber is among the users of the transaction service; a user identification information receiving means for receiving the user identification information from the transaction service; and a contract status information transmission means for transmitting the contract status information to the transaction service device based on the received user identification information and the stored contract user information.

[0306] (Note 21) An information processing system comprising a transaction service device for a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods, and a user information management device for managing user information, wherein the transaction service device comprises: user identification information means for acquiring user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service from the user's terminal device; user identification information transmission means for transmitting the acquired user identification information to the user information management device; contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information from the user information management device indicating whether the user identified by the transmitted user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service; and screen information transmission means for transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, wherein the screen information transmission means is configured to determine whether the user is a subscriber. In addition, the system transmits screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale, and if the user is not the contract holder, it transmits screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale. The user information management device comprises: user information storage means for storing user information including user identification information for each user to identify the user; contract user information storage means for storing contract user information indicating that the user of the transaction service is a contract holder of the communication service; user identification information receiving means for receiving the user identification information from the transaction service device; authentication means for performing user authentication based on the received user identification information and the stored user information; and contract status information transmitting means for transmitting contract status information to the transaction service device based on the stored contract user information if the authentication is successful.

[0307] (Note 22) An information processing system comprising a transaction service device for a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods, and a communication service device for a specific communication service different from the transaction service, wherein the transaction service device includes: information linkage request information transmission means for transmitting information linkage request information indicating a request for information linkage regarding the first user to the communication service device in response to a request from the terminal device of any first user among the users of the transaction service; subscriber information acquisition means for acquiring predetermined subscriber information relating to the first user from the communication service device; subscriber information storage control means for storing the acquired subscriber information in subscriber information stora...

Claims

1. A user identification information means for obtaining user identification information from the user's terminal device in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods through electronic commerce, Contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service, A screen information transmission means that transmits screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, Equipped with, Transaction service device characterized in that the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale when the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale when the user is not the contract holder.

2. Among the products available for purchase through the aforementioned transaction service, product information indicating the products subject to the aforementioned predetermined sale is stored in the product information storage means. The transaction service device according to claim 1, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits screen information that shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information and the stored target product information, transmits screen information that shows a screen that enables the user to perform an operation to purchase the target product if the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information that shows a screen that makes it impossible to perform an operation to purchase the target product if the user is not the contract holder.

3. The screen of the aforementioned transaction service is the product screen for the product selected by the user. The transaction service device according to claim 2, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing a product screen that can accept an operation to purchase the selected product when the selected product is the target product and the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information showing a product screen that does not accept an operation to purchase the selected product when the selected product is the target product and the user is not the contract holder.

4. The screen of the aforementioned transaction service is a selection screen that can accept the operation of selecting a product to be displayed on the product screen from among products that meet predetermined conditions. The aforementioned product screen is the screen for the product selected on the selection screen, and is a screen that can accept operations for purchasing the selected product. The transaction service device according to claim 2, wherein the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing a selection screen that accepts an operation to select the target product from among the products that meet the predetermined conditions when the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information showing a selection screen that does not accept an operation to select the target product from among the products that meet the predetermined conditions when the user is not the contract holder.

5. The aforementioned trading service is a service that allows the purchase of goods from multiple vendors. Purchase history information acquisition means for acquiring purchase history information indicating the purchase history of products by the user identified by the acquired user identification information during a predetermined period, wherein purchase history information indicating the place of purchase of the products is acquired. A reward rate determination means for determining the rate of the rewards granted to the user when the user purchases a product, based on the acquired purchase history information, the reward rate determination means for determining the rate according to the number of places where the product was purchased during the predetermined period, Furthermore, The screen information transmission means transmits the screen information, which includes information indicating at least one of the number of places where the product was purchased during the predetermined period and the determined rate. The transaction service device according to claim 1, wherein the purchase history information acquisition means acquires the purchase history information showing the purchase history during a predetermined first period if the user is not the contracting party, and acquires the purchase history information showing the purchase history during a predetermined second period which is longer than the first period if the user is the contracting party.

6. The transaction service device according to claim 5, characterized in that the aforementioned benefits include points that can be used for at least one of the transaction service and the communication service.

7. The end date of the first period and the end date of the second period are the same. The transaction service device according to claim 5, characterized in that the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing a screen that includes information indicating at least one of the number of purchasers and the determined rate, when the present time is within the first period.

8. The aforementioned purchase history information further indicates the amount spent on purchasing the aforementioned product, The purchase history information acquisition means, after the first and second periods have ended, further acquires the purchase history information showing the purchase history during the period corresponding to whether or not the user is the contract holder within the first and second periods, The reward rate determination means determines the rate of the reward based on the purchase history information obtained after the end of the first and second periods. The transaction service apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a benefit value determination means for determining the value of the benefit to be granted to the user based on the rate and the amount determined after the completion of the first and second periods.

9. The aforementioned purchase history information further indicates the time of purchase of the aforementioned product, The second period includes the first period, The transaction service apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the reward value determination means determines the value of the reward based on the amount of money spent on purchasing the goods during the first period.

10. The benefit ownership status information, which indicates the ownership status of the aforementioned benefit in association with the user, is stored in the benefit ownership status information storage means. The transaction service device according to claim 8, further comprising a benefit granting means that performs a process of granting the user a benefit of the determined value to the stored benefit ownership status information.

11. The aforementioned trading service screen includes information about the product. If the user is the subscriber, the contract date information acquisition means acquires contract date information indicating the date on which the user contracted for the communication service, A reward value determination means for determining the value of a reward granted to a user when the user purchases a product whose information is displayed on the screen of the transaction service, based on the acquired contract date information, the reward value determination means for determining the value according to the length of time elapsed since the contract date, Furthermore, The transaction service apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing a screen including the determined value when the user is the contractor.

12. The aforementioned trading service screen includes information about the product. The aforementioned communication service is a service that enables data communication. If the user is the subscriber, the data communication volume information acquisition means acquires data communication volume information indicating the amount of data communication consumed by the user using the data communication during a predetermined period. A reward value determination means for determining the value of a reward granted to a user when the user purchases a product whose information is displayed on the screen of the transaction service, based on the acquired data communication volume information, the reward value determination means for determining the value according to the data communication volume, Furthermore, The transaction service apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing a screen including the determined value when the user is the contractor.

13. The transaction service device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the benefits granted to users who purchase goods in the aforementioned predetermined sale include a price reduction for the purchased goods.

14. The transaction service device according to claim 1, characterized in that the benefits granted to users who purchase goods in the aforementioned predetermined sale include points that can be used in at least one of the transaction service and the communication service.

15. The transaction service apparatus according to claim 6 or 14, characterized in that the aforementioned point is a point common to both the transaction service and the communication service.

16. The transaction service device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the contract status information acquisition means acquires the contract status information when a login for the use of the transaction service by the user is accepted based on the acquired user identification information.

17. Contract user information indicating the subscriber of the communication service among the users of the transaction service is stored in the contract user information storage means. The transaction service device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the contract status information acquisition means acquires the contract status information based on the acquired user identification information and the stored contract user information.

18. In a method for transmitting trading service screen information executed by a computer, A user identification information acquisition step involves obtaining user identification information from the user's terminal device in order to identify the user in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods in e-commerce, A contract status information acquisition step involves acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service, A screen information transmission step of transmitting screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, Includes, A transaction service screen information transmission method characterized in that the screen information transmission step transmits the screen information showing the screen for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is the contract holder, and transmits the screen information showing the screen not for shoppers of a predetermined sale if the user is not the contract holder.

19. Computers, A user identification information means for obtaining user identification information from the user's terminal device in a transaction service that enables the purchase of goods through electronic commerce, Contract status information acquisition means for acquiring contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the acquired user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service, A screen information transmission means that transmits screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device. To make it function as, A transaction service program characterized in that the screen information transmission means transmits screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of a predetermined sale when the user is the contract holder, and transmits screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale when the user is not the contract holder.

20. A trading service device for a trading service that enables the purchase of goods, A communication service device for a specific communication service different from the aforementioned transaction service, In an information processing system equipped with, The aforementioned transaction service device is User identification information means for obtaining user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service and the communication service from the user's terminal device, A user identification information transmission means for transmitting the acquired user identification information to the communication service device, A contract status information acquisition means that acquires from the communication service device contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the transmitted user identification information is a subscriber to the communication service, A screen information transmission means that transmits screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, Equipped with, The screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is the contract holder, and transmits the screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the contract holder. The aforementioned communication service device is A contract user information storage means that stores contract user information indicating that the user of the transaction service is a subscriber to the communication service, A user identification information receiving means that receives the user identification information from the transaction service, A contract status information transmission means that transmits the contract status information to the transaction service device based on the received user identification information and the stored contract user information, An information processing system characterized by comprising the following features.

21. A trading service device for a trading service that enables the purchase of goods, A user information management device that manages user information, In an information processing system equipped with, The aforementioned transaction service device is User identification information means for obtaining user identification information for identifying a user in the transaction service from the user's terminal device, A user identification information transmission means for transmitting the acquired user identification information to the user information management device, Contract status information acquisition means that acquires from the user information management device contract status information indicating whether the user identified by the transmitted user identification information is a subscriber to a specific communication service different from the transaction service, A screen information transmission means that transmits screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the user's terminal device, Equipped with, The screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is the contract holder, and transmits the screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the user is not the contract holder. The user information management device is A user information storage means that stores user information, which includes user identification information for each user, A contract user information storage means that stores contract user information indicating that the user of the transaction service is a subscriber to the communication service, A user identification information receiving means that receives the user identification information from the transaction service device, Authentication means that performs user authentication based on the received user identification information and the stored user information, If the authentication is successful, a contract status information transmission means transmits the contract status information to the transaction service device based on the stored contract user information. An information processing system characterized by comprising the following features.

22. A trading service device for a trading service that enables the purchase of goods, A communication service device for a specific communication service different from the aforementioned transaction service, In an information processing system equipped with, The aforementioned transaction service device is Information sharing request information transmission means that, in response to a request from the terminal device of any first user among the users of the transaction service, transmits information sharing request information indicating a request for information sharing regarding the first user to a communication service device, A subscriber information acquisition means that acquires predetermined subscriber information relating to the first user from the communication service device, A subscriber information storage control means that stores the acquired subscriber information in a subscriber information storage means in association with first user identification information for identifying the first user in the transaction service, A first user identification information acquisition means for acquiring first user identification information for identifying the second user in the transaction service from the terminal device of any second user among the users of the transaction service, A contract status information acquisition means that acquires contract status information indicating whether the second user is a subscriber to the communication service, based on whether the subscriber information is associated with the acquired first user identification information, A screen information transmission means that transmits screen information, which is a screen of the transaction service and shows a screen corresponding to the acquired contract status information, to the terminal device of the second user, Equipped with, The screen information transmission means transmits the screen information showing the screen intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the second user is the contract holder, and transmits the screen information showing the screen not intended for shoppers of the predetermined sale if the second user is not the contract holder. The aforementioned communication service device is A second user information storage means that stores second user information, which includes second user identification information for identifying the subscriber in the aforementioned communication service, for each subscriber. Information linkage request information receiving means that receives the information linkage request information from the transaction service device, When the aforementioned information sharing request information is received, a second user identification information acquisition means obtains second user identification information for identifying the first user in the communication service from the first user's terminal device, Authentication means that performs user authentication based on the acquired second user identification information and the stored second user information, If the authentication is successful, a subscriber information transmission means transmits the subscriber information to the transaction service device, An information processing system characterized by comprising the following features.

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