Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To improve user convenience. [Solution] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires from a store's terminal device user identification information which is user identification information used for electronic payment of an electronic payment service, product identification information for identifying the goods or services related to the payment, and payment information including the payment amount of the electronic payment; and a processing unit that settles the payment amount using the balance of an electronic gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate that is limited to goods that can be used with the electronic payment service and is applicable to the product identification information of the payment information, when the user possesses such an electronic gift certificate.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an electronic payment service using code information, it has been disclosed to manage and use vouchers available at a predetermined store (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, there may have been cases where vouchers that are more convenient for users could not be provided. Users include, for example, providers of vouchers and users of vouchers.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that can improve the convenience for users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires from a store terminal device user identification information which is user identification information used for electronic payment of an electronic payment service, product identification information for identifying the goods or services related to the payment, and payment information including the payment amount of the electronic payment; and a processing unit that settles the payment amount using the balance of an electronic gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate that is limited to goods that can be used with the electronic payment service and is applicable to the product identification information of the payment information, when the user possesses such an electronic gift certificate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can improve user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for implementing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of payment server 100. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the contents of merchant / store information 176. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of application information 178. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow for using gift certificates. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing application information 178A. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates an example of when products that are not eligible for the service are added. [Figure 11]This is a diagram to explain the distribution of gift certificates. [Figure 12] This is a diagram illustrating the gift certificate information managed in user information 172. [Figure 13] This figure shows an example of an interface screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of gift certificate usage history information. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes embodiments of the information processing apparatus, information processing method, and program of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Various devices such as "servers" that appear below, which provide services to users or perform internal analysis, may be implemented by a distributed group of devices, and the operators of each device may be different. Furthermore, the owner of the hardware of the devices (the provider of the cloud server) and the operator that actually operates them may also be different. The application program and the payment server work together to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program will be referred to as a payment app. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payment for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may include one provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when settling a purchase at a virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, a merchant (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at a store is mainly carried out between the user and the merchant. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic payment system in which an electronic payment service is realized. The electronic payment service is realized centering around the payment server 100. An electronic payment system for realizing the electronic payment service includes, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and a payment server 100. These devices communicate via, for example, a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, and the like.

[0011] Part or all of the functional configurations included in the electronic payment system may be distributed among a plurality of devices in any form or integrated into any device. For example, part or all of the functional configuration of the payment server 100 may be included in other devices.

[0012] [User Terminal Device] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input reception function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the configurations for realizing these functions are respectively referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as a CPU, and operates to provide an electronic payment service to the user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, etc.

[0013] [First Store Terminal Device] The first store terminal device 50 is installed in a store, for example. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image (code information) such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. Note that the store code image 60 may be displayed by a display placed in the store (which may be a display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0014] [Second Store Terminal Device] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the franchise store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. In the second store terminal device 70, an interface 72 for franchise stores operates. The interface 72 for franchise stores may be an application for franchise stores or a browser. The interface 72 for franchise stores accepts settings of coupons and the like by the operator of the franchise store and transmits them to the settlement server 100. The second store terminal device 70 which is a smartphone has a function of displaying a code image corresponding to the store code image or reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing an application for franchise stores.

[0015] [Settlement Server] The settlement server 100 realizes electronic settlement based on the settlement information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and a franchise store server. In that case, the settlement information is transmitted from the POS device to the settlement server 100 via the franchise store server. In the following description, this is not particularly distinguished, and it is assumed that the settlement information is transmitted from the first store terminal device 50.

[0016] Figures 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. There may be two patterns for electronic payments: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0017] In the case of Pattern 1 shown in Figure 2 (hereinafter referred to as user scan), the user terminal device 10 decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 contains information about the store URL (Uniform Resource Locator). This store URL is an electronic payment service domain to which information that can identify the store has been added, and is associated with the merchant ID and store ID, etc., at the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 sends first payment information, including the store URL and account ID, to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the merchant ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, obtains the merchant name and store name information (S3), and sends it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen where the merchant name and store name are displayed (S5). The user terminal device 10 then generates second payment information, including at least the payment amount, and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notification (information for displaying the payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). If the store code image 60 is displayed on a display in the store or on the display unit of the first store terminal device 50, the store code image 60 may include payment amount information as well as the store URL. In this case, the procedure for the user to enter the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Merchant name and store name information may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0018] In the case of Pattern 2 shown in Figure 3 (hereinafter referred to as Store Scan), when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, when it is time for an automatic update (for example, every minute), and at other times, the payment app 20 sends a request to the payment server 100 to issue a one-time code (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or barcode that was generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first store terminal device 50 (presents it), and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). Then, the first store terminal device 50 generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is obtained in advance by barcode scanning or manual input. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs the electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notification to the payment app 20 (S18), and the payment app 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0019] Furthermore, electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" explained in Figure 2 may be other information that can be used as user identification information (for example, a phone number). In addition, the issuance of a one-time code may be omitted during store scanning, and the payment app 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 will identify the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0020] [Payment Server Functional Configuration] Figure 4 is a diagram of the configuration of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a content provision unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, and a storage unit 170. Components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and SOC (System On Chip), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device. The Information Management Unit 140 is an example of an "Acquisition Unit". The Settlement Processing Unit 130 is an example of a "Processing Unit".

[0021] The storage unit 170 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may also be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the payment server 100 via the network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, content information 174, merchant / store information 176, and application information 178 (details described later). Some of this information may also be stored in the storage unit of the user terminal device 10. Application information 178 is an example of "corresponding information". Furthermore, if information on products that can or cannot be used is associated with the gift certificate ID in the user information 172, then user information 172 is an example of "corresponding information". "Corresponding information associated with user identification" refers, for example, to application information 178 associated with the user identification information in user information 172. The gift certificate information and application information 178 in user information 172 are managed using the gift certificate ID as the key, and the gift certificate ID is associated with the user identification information. In this way, the user identification information in user information 172 and the application information 178 are associated using the gift certificate ID as the key.

[0022] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to a network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0023] The content provider unit 120, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The content provider unit 120 reads the necessary content from the content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20 and transmits the aforementioned payment information to the payment server 100. The above content may also be generated by the payment application 20. In this case, the content provider unit 120 provides the payment application 20 with the information necessary for generating the content.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0025] [User information] Figure 5 shows an example of the contents of User Information 172. User Information 172 is an example of user registration information. User Information 172 includes, for example, user URL, account ID, telephone number, password, as well as information such as email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, credit payment settings, credit payment limit, credit payment amount, available credit payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, and payment history information. The user URL is used for money transfer processing between users. When registering for a new electronic payment service, registration of a telephone number and password is mandatory. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that the user can set at will (or does not have to set). Similarly, the email address and name, address, and date of birth are also information that the user can set at will (or does not have to set). The registration date is the date the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date the account was created). Hereafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0026] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user by sending money to their account in advance. Methods of sending money include sending from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated provider (bank) and sending from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting indicates whether or not the user has completed the settings to enable electronic payments by credit card, and is set to either "Completed" or "Not Completed". The credit payment limit is the monthly limit for credit payments, the credit payment amount is the amount already used for credit payments in the current month, and the available credit payment amount is the amount available for credit payments in the current month, calculated by subtracting the credit payment amount from the credit payment limit. While the diagram shows only one credit payment limit, in reality there are also daily limits, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details on credit payments will be described later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will use electronic payment with the charge balance or payment by credit card at that time. The bank account and credit card number information, respectively, refers to the bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) to which funds can be deposited into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a record of when the user has previously sent money to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. The payment history information shows the details of each payment made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0027] Furthermore, if a user possesses an electronic gift certificate (voucher), the URL used in user information 172 is associated with the gift certificate information. This gift certificate information includes, for example, the gift certificate ID used to identify the gift certificate and the remaining balance of the gift certificate.

[0028] [Franchise / Store Information] Figure 6 shows an example of the contents of the merchant / store information 176. The merchant / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which the merchant ID and store ID are associated with the store URL, a second table 176B in which the merchant name and sales amount (as described above) are associated with the merchant ID, and a third table 176C in which the store name is associated with the store ID. In addition to this information, the merchant / store information 176 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0029] [Electronic payment] When the payment processing unit 130 obtains payment information from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, it refers to the user information 172 to obtain the user's "payment method setting". For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance", the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows: For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance, which is managed in association with the user ID, and increasing the value of the merchant's sales proceeds item. For example, the value of the merchant's sales proceeds item is not used as electronic money itself, but rather the amount corresponding to the value of the sales proceeds item is transferred to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the merchant and the electronic payment service.

[0030] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows for users whose "settings information" is set to "credit payment". Credit payment is a payment method that is carried out in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service. The operator of the electronic payment service acts as the donor and allows electronic payment that does not depend on the charge balance within the credit payment limit. In order to use the credit payment service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The amount used by credit payment is settled in a lump sum for the month on the payment date of the following month, for example, by withdrawal from a bank account. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs a provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the amount used by credit payment and subtracting the same amount from the available credit payment limit. When the closing date arrives, it processes the payment for the current month to be withdrawn on the payment date of the following month as described above, or requests the credit card company operator to perform the said process. If the settlement amount exceeds the available credit payment limit at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is sent back to the payment application 20.

[0031] The Information Management Unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. Based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70, the Information Management Unit 140 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176. The Information Management Unit 140 performs operations such as adding, editing, and deleting new records for user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176.

[0032] [overview] The payment server 100 obtains payment information from the first store terminal device 50 (store terminal device), including user identification information (e.g., account ID), which is the user's identification information used for electronic payments of the electronic payment service; product identification information for identifying the goods or services related to the payment; and the payment amount for the electronic payment. If the user possesses an electronic gift certificate that is limited to the goods that can be used with the electronic payment service and is applicable to the product identification information in the payment information, the payment server 100 settles the payment amount using the balance of the gift certificate.

[0033] For example, in an electronic payment service, the electronic gift certificate associated with the user identification information in the payment information is managed (e.g., user information 172, applicable information 178 described later). The payment server 100 settles the payment amount in the payment information using the balance of the electronic gift certificate if the electronic gift certificate is an electronic gift certificate that can be used for the product or service of the product ID (product identification information) included in the payment information.

[0034] A gift certificate is a voucher that can be used for products from a specific manufacturer. A manufacturer can be a producer of goods or an operator that manages and operates a brand for those goods.

[0035] In this embodiment, the payment server 100 is not limited to directly obtaining payment information from the first store terminal device 50, but may also obtain payment information via an intermediary server. The intermediary server may convert the payment information and provide the converted information to the payment server 100. In this case, the payment server 100 uses the converted information (identification information) to perform various processes.

[0036] [Applicable information] Applicable information 178 is information used to identify the goods or services to which the gift certificate can be used. Figure 7 shows an example of applicable information 178. Applicable information 178 is information to which a product ID (product identification information), which is the identification information of the goods or services to which the gift certificate can be used, is associated with the gift certificate ID.

[0037] [Using gift certificates] The payment server 100 determines whether the gift certificate can be used based on the application information 178 and the payment information obtained from the first store terminal device 50, and executes the payment according to the determination result. Figure 3 above illustrates the general flow of electronic payment processing. Refer to Figure 8 for a detailed explanation of the processing related to the use of gift certificates.

[0038] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow related to the use of gift certificates. The payment information in S16 of Figure 3, as mentioned above, includes the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, and product ID. Before processing in S100, it is assumed that the payment server 100 has acquired the payment information.

[0039] First, the payment server 100 determines whether the user possesses a gift certificate that can be used for the product with the product ID (S100). For example, in the application information 178, the payment server 100 identifies the gift certificate ID to which the product ID can be used. If the identified gift certificate ID is associated with the user information 172, the payment server 100 determines that the user possesses a gift certificate that can be used for the product with the product ID.

[0040] If the user possesses a gift certificate that can be used for the product with the product ID, the payment server 100 executes the payment using the gift certificate (S102). However, if the balance of the gift certificate is insufficient to cover the payment amount, the process in S102 is skipped.

[0041] Next, if the balance of the gift certificate is insufficient to cover the payment amount, or if S102 is skipped, the payment server 100 executes a payment using other gift certificates or other payment methods (S104). Other gift certificates include, for example, gift certificates issued by local governments or by participating stores, which are not limited to specific products. Similarly, for payments of products other than the target product, payment is also executed using other gift certificates or other payment methods.

[0042] As described above, the payment server 100 can process payments using products with limited availability. Gift certificates can be used for multiple payments until the balance on the gift certificate runs out.

[0043] In the user information 172 described above, a product ID to which the gift certificate can be applied may be associated. In this case, the payment server 100 will refer to the user information 172 to determine whether or not the gift certificate can be used.

[0044] [Other examples of application information] The payment server 100 identifies the manufacturer ID included in the product ID included in the payment information. The payment server 100 determines whether or not there is a product ID containing the manufacturer ID in the applicable information 178A, and determines whether or not an electronic gift certificate can be used for the product of the product ID in the payment information.

[0045] Figure 9 shows the application information 178A. The application information 178A associates, for example, a gift certificate ID, an inapplicable product ID (or an applicable product ID), and a manufacturer ID. The manufacturer ID is an ID represented by a part of the product ID. The payment server 100 determines whether the manufacturer ID of the product ID in the payment information matches the manufacturer ID in the application information 178A to identify the gift certificate ID. If the user possesses a gift certificate with the gift certificate ID, the payment server 100 determines that the gift certificate cannot be used for payment for the product ID in the payment information if the product ID in the payment information matches an inapplicable product ID associated with the identified gift certificate ID (i.e., it falls under the blacklist). By using the manufacturer ID in this way, the eligibility of gift certificates can be easily determined, and the processing load is reduced. The same approach is used when an applicable product ID is associated in the application information 178A.

[0046] In this embodiment, gift certificates may be usable for all products of a given manufacturer. In this case, a manufacturer ID is used, and gift certificates associated with that manufacturer ID are used.

[0047] [Limited to participating stores] The merchants that accept electronic gift certificates may be limited. For example, an electronic gift certificate is associated with a merchant ID (or store ID), which is the identification information of the merchant that accepts the electronic payment service. The payment server 100 executes a payment using the electronic payment service that accepts the gift certificate if the merchant ID in the payment information matches the merchant ID of the electronic gift certificate held by the user. The merchants that accept the gift certificate may be associated with the gift certificate ID in the user information 172. Alternatively, information on merchants that do not accept the gift certificate may be associated instead of information on merchants that accept it.

[0048] In the application information 178B shown in Figure 9, for example, a gift certificate ID is associated with an inapplicable product ID (or an applicable product ID), a manufacturer ID, and a merchant ID. The payment server 100 executes a payment using the gift certificate for a merchant ID specified in the application information 178B. Note that the manufacturer ID may be omitted in the application information 178B. The same approach is used when an applicable product ID is associated in the application information 178B.

[0049] Furthermore, the manufacturer ID or merchant ID may be specified in the gift certificate information held by the user in the user information 172. For example, when the payment server 100 obtains payment information, it may compare the manufacturer ID or merchant ID included in the payment information with the manufacturer ID or merchant ID in the gift certificate information of the user information 172 to determine whether or not the payment can be used.

[0050] [Limited Terms of Use] Electronic gift certificates may have conditions attached to their use. The payment server 100 may execute a payment on the condition that the information included in the payment information satisfies the conditions. For example, in the applicable information 178, 178A, and 178B, conditions other than product identification may be specified. Other conditions include the merchant ID of the merchant where the gift certificate can be used, the store ID of the store where the gift certificate can be used, the payment amount (payment of XX yen or more), the period during which it can be used, and the days of the week. For example, a gift certificate may be usable for the purchase of eligible products worth XX yen or more.

[0051] [Add Product ID] If a new product ID is added to the application information 178, the payment server 100 refers to the application information 178 after the product ID has been added and determines whether or not electronic gift certificates can be used for payment of the product or service with the product ID included in the payment information.

[0052] When products that can be purchased with the gift certificate or products that cannot be purchased with the gift certificate are added, the product ID is added to the application information 178. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of adding products that cannot be purchased with the gift certificate. For example, product "J0000114", which cannot be purchased with the gift certificate ID "001", is added to the application information 178. This restricts the use of gift certificate "001" for payment of product ID "J0000114". In this embodiment, an example of adding products that cannot be purchased with the gift certificate has been described, but products that can be purchased with the gift certificate may also be added to the application information 178A, or merchant IDs may be added.

[0053] As described above, it is possible to add or remove restrictions on the products for which gift certificates can be used, allowing for more flexible operation. For example, it is possible to temporarily increase the number of products that can be used during campaigns, or to remove restrictions on products for which use is currently limited.

[0054] If a product ID is added, the payment server 100 may provide the user via the payment app 20 with information about products that can now be purchased using the gift certificate, or products that can no longer be purchased using the gift certificate. This allows the user to easily identify products that can be purchased using the gift certificate.

[0055] Application information 178, 178A, and 178B may differ for each user. For example, user A may be able to use the gift certificate for products A and B, while user B may not be able to use the gift certificate for product A but can use it for product B. For example, a campaign could be run to encourage the use of gift certificates by targeting specific users who have not yet used them.

[0056] [Gift certificate issuance] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the provision of gift certificates. The method of providing gift certificates to users may be either purchase-based or reward-based. In the purchase-based method, the user operates the payment app 20, selects the gift certificate to purchase on the gift certificate purchase screen, and makes the purchase. In this case, the user purchases the gift certificate using their charge balance or credit card payment. The payment server 100 makes the purchased gift certificate available to the user by associating it with the user's identification information in the user information 172. For example, a premium amount greater than the purchase price may be added to the gift certificate. This provides an incentive for users to purchase gift certificates.

[0057] The reward-based system involves users applying for the awarding of gift certificates, and receiving or being awarded gift certificates based on their application. Applications can be made on a webpage provided by the manufacturer or on a webpage provided by an electronic payment service. If the application is made by the manufacturer, the manufacturer's server sends an email or similar message to the user, and by following the instructions in the email, the system links with the electronic payment service and associates the gift certificate with the user's identification information.

[0058] As described above, gift certificates can be easily provided to consumers. For example, manufacturers can easily provide gift certificates to consumers through campaigns and other means.

[0059] Furthermore, the payment server 100 may award gift certificates to users when they purchase specific products or make payments using electronic payment services at specific merchants.

[0060] [Regarding the source of funds] Regarding the above-mentioned gift certificates, the manufacturer bears the cost of the usage fee or premium. For example, when a user performs an operation to purchase a product, the payment server 100 associates the usage fee and premium with the manufacturer and records the amount. For example, the payment server 100 bills the manufacturer for the total amount of costs recorded for a predetermined period. Alternatively, the manufacturer may provide the amount of costs to the operator of the electronic payment service in advance. In this case, for example, the payment server 100 may stop selling the gift certificates when the total amount of costs incurred as a result of users performing operations to purchase products reaches the amount of costs provided in advance by the manufacturer. Even in the case of a reward type, the system may be such that the source of funds is borne or recorded when a user performs an operation to acquire a gift certificate, as described above.

[0061] [Management of gift certificates] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the gift certificate information managed in user information 172. For example, if a user purchases the same gift certificate ID multiple times, these may be managed in different records. For example, gift certificates may have different expiration dates, and the payment server 100 manages gift certificate IDs with the same ID purchased at different times in different records, as shown in Figure 12. For example, one gift certificate and another gift certificate may have different expiration dates, so they are managed as described above.

[0062] When the payment server 100 provides information about gift certificates to a user, it may either integrate the information from multiple records (for example, by summing up the available amounts) and present it to the user via the payment app 20, or it may present the information to the user separately. For example, if presented separately, it may show that 4,000 yen is valid until March 30, 2025, and 3,000 yen is valid until April 30, 2025. If displayed as a sum, it may show that the user possesses a gift certificate worth 7,000 yen. In this case as well, it may also show that 4,000 yen expires on March 30, 2025.

[0063] The payment server 100 prioritizes the use of gift certificates with shorter expiration dates when a user possesses gift certificates with different expiration dates. This improves user convenience.

[0064] [Participating stores where gift certificates can be used] The payment server 100 may display the merchants where the user's gift certificates can be used on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Figure 13 shows an example of an interface screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. For example, the payment server 100 may display merchants where the gift certificates can be used on a map, as shown in Figure 13, or it may display a list of merchants. In the interface screen of Figure 12, for example, the location of merchants where the gift certificates can be used on a map based on the user's current location is shown.

[0065] As described above, the payment server 100 can provide users with information on merchants where the gift certificates can be used, so that users can easily recognize the merchants where the gift certificates can be used.

[0066] [Payment History] In the electronic payment service, historical information on the use of electronic gift certificates is managed. The payment server 100 extracts at least a list of information on the merchants where the gift certificates were used. In addition to the merchant information, the payment server 100 may also extract a list that includes information on the goods, etc., that were electronically paid for with the electronic gift certificates at the merchants, and the amount of the electronic payment made with the electronic gift certificates. Specifically, the payment server 100 generates gift certificate usage history information using the payment history information of the user information 172. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of gift certificate usage history information. Gift certificate usage history information is, for example, information that associates the merchant identification information, product identification information, amount, and the date and time of purchase of the product where the gift certificate was used. Gift certificate usage history information may be generated for each user, or for each user attribute. For example, gift certificate usage history information for user A (a user with predetermined attributes) may be generated, or gift certificate usage history information for a man in his 30s may be generated. In addition, user information (user attributes) may be associated with one record of the gift certificate usage history information. The above attributes may also be user attribute information managed or held within the electronic payment service. Specifically, the above attribute information may be identity verification information (Know Your Customer information) such as gender, age, and place of residence (e.g., address).

[0067] As described above, the payment server 100 can extract information indicating which of the manufacturer's products are being purchased through which sales channels (convenience stores, drugstores, supermarkets, etc.) based on the usage history of gift certificates in the electronic payment service. For example, manufacturers can refer to this information to consider sales channels and sales strategies for their products. Information on sales channels across stores for a particular user or a user with certain attributes is valuable information that cannot be obtained otherwise. The payment server 100 can provide this kind of information. For example, in the case of coupons, once they are used at a store, information from other stores cannot be obtained, but in the case of reusable gift certificates, it is possible to obtain user purchase behavior across sales channels. For example, as described above, it becomes possible to track the purchase history of the manufacturer's products in chronological order, making it possible to understand which stores or sales channels users are purchasing which products, and how they differentiate their store usage. Furthermore, since it becomes possible to understand the participating stores, the products for which gift certificates were used, and the amounts, it is possible to understand how much each participating store is selling the manufacturer's products for, as well as the actual selling price range of the products purchased using gift certificates. For example, since each store is expected to conduct its own unique sales and promotions, it becomes possible to understand what price range is most popular for a particular product. As described above, information that could not be obtained with previous systems can be obtained by analyzing the usage history of the aforementioned gift certificates.

[0068] According to the embodiments described above, the payment server 100 can improve user convenience by using the balance of an electronic gift certificate to settle the payment amount when the user possesses an electronic gift certificate that is limited to specific goods and services that can be used with the electronic payment service and can be applied to the product identification information of the payment information.

[0069] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 10. User terminal device 20 Payment Apps 50. First store terminal device 100 Payment Servers 120 Content Provision Department 130 Payment Processing Unit 140 Information Management Department 178 Application information

Claims

1. An acquisition unit acquires from a store's terminal device user identification information, which is user identification information used for electronic payments of electronic payment services, product identification information for identifying products or services related to the payment, and payment information including the payment amount of the electronic payment. When the user possesses an electronic gift certificate that is limited to the goods and services that can be used with the aforementioned electronic payment service and that can be applied to the goods and services identification information of the payment information, a processing unit settles the payment amount using the balance of the gift certificate, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned gift certificate is a gift certificate that can be used for products from a specific manufacturer. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned processing unit, In the aforementioned electronic payment service, the electronic gift certificate associated with the user identification information of the payment information is managed. If the electronic gift certificate is an electronic gift certificate that can be used for the goods or services identified in the goods or services information included in the payment information, the payment amount of the payment information is settled using the balance of the electronic gift certificate. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned electronic gift certificate is associated with merchant identification information, which is the identification information of the merchant of the electronic payment service to which it can be used. The aforementioned payment information includes the aforementioned merchant identification information, The processing unit executes a payment using the electronic payment service when the merchant identification information of the payment information matches the merchant identification information of the electronic gift certificate held by the user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned electronic gift certificates are associated with conditions for their use. The processing unit executes the payment on the condition that the information contained in the payment information satisfies the conditions. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The aforementioned gift certificate can be used for multiple transactions until the balance on the gift certificate runs out. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. In the aforementioned electronic payment service, corresponding information is managed in association with the user identification information. The aforementioned correspondence information is information to which product identification information indicating whether the electronic gift certificate can be used or not is associated. The aforementioned processing unit, By referring to the correspondence information associated with the user identification information of the payment information, it is determined whether the electronic gift certificate can be used for the product or service identified in the product or service identification information included in the payment information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. If the aforementioned product identification information is newly added to the aforementioned correspondence information, The processing unit refers to the corresponding information after the product identification information has been added and determines whether the electronic gift certificate can be used in the payment of the product or service for which the product identification information is included in the payment information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The aforementioned processing unit, Identify the manufacturer identification information included in the product identification information included in the payment information, The presence or absence of the product identification information, including the manufacturer identification information, in the correspondence information is determined, and it is determined whether the electronic gift certificate can be used for the product identified in the product identification information of the payment information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

10. In the aforementioned electronic payment service, historical information including information about the merchants where the electronic gift certificates were used is managed. The processing unit extracts at least a list of information on participating stores where the electronic gift certificates were used. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The aforementioned history information further includes information on goods, etc., that were electronically paid for using the aforementioned electronic gift certificates at the affiliated store, and the amount of the electronic payment made using the aforementioned electronic gift certificates. The processing unit extracts a list that includes, in addition to the information of the affiliated store, information on the products, etc., and the amount used. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10.

12. Computers From the store's terminal device, the system obtains user identification information, which is the user's identification information used for electronic payments of the electronic payment service; product identification information, which is the product or service related to the payment; and payment information, which includes the payment amount of the electronic payment. If the user possesses an electronic gift certificate that is limited to the goods and services that can be used with the aforementioned electronic payment service and is applicable to the goods and services identification information of the payment information, the payment amount will be settled using the balance of the gift certificate. Information processing methods.

13. On the computer, The system obtains from the store's terminal device user identification information, which is the user identification information used for electronic payments of the electronic payment service, product identification information for identifying the goods or services related to the payment, and payment information including the payment amount of the electronic payment. If the user possesses an electronic gift certificate that is limited to the goods and services that can be used with the aforementioned electronic payment service and is applicable to the goods and services identification information of the payment information, the user will be allowed to settle the payment amount using the balance of the gift certificate. program.

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