Payment processing management system and method

Abstract

We provide secure payment processing services. [Solution] A payment agency management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a payment data acquisition unit that acquires payment data indicating the amount to be paid by a service user to a business partner from a payment agency system; a deposit data acquisition unit that acquires deposit data indicating a deposit by transfer, direct debit, or immediate direct debit from the service user's account to a financial institution account; a deposit confirmation unit that matches the payment data and the deposit data to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account; and an approval unit that, upon confirming that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account, determines that the service user's intention to pay has been confirmed and approves the payment from the financial institution account to the business partner's account.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a payment agent management system and method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, payment agency services that act on behalf of the work of paying prices and the like to business partners are known. In a payment agency service, first, funds are transferred from an account of a user of the payment agency service (hereinafter referred to as a service user) to an account of an entity that provides the service (hereinafter referred to as a payment agent), and thereafter, funds are transferred from the account of the payment agent to an account of the business partner.

Prior Art Literature

Patent Literature

[0003]

Patent Literature 1

Summary of the Invention

Problem to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when a payment agent goes bankrupt, if funds have already been transferred from the service user's account to the payment agent's account, but have not yet been transferred from the payment agent's account to the business partner's account, the service user has to make the payment to the business partner again. As described above, there is a risk of bad debt and a risk of double payment when the payment agent goes bankrupt, and the payment agency service cannot be provided safely.

[0005] Accordingly, the present invention safely provides a payment agency service.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0006] A payment agency management system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a payment data acquisition unit that acquires payment data indicating the amount to be paid by a service user to a business partner from a payment agency system; a deposit data acquisition unit that acquires deposit data indicating a deposit by transfer, direct debit, or immediate direct debit from the service user's account to a financial institution account; a deposit confirmation unit that matches the payment data and the deposit data to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account; and an approval unit that, upon confirming that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account, determines that the service user's intention to pay has been confirmed and approves the payment from the financial institution account to the business partner's account. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, payment processing services can be provided securely. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram illustrating the transfer of funds between accounts (in the case of a bank transfer) according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a diagram illustrating the transfer of funds between accounts according to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of account transfer and instant account transfer). [Figure 3] This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of bank transfer). [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of bank transfer). [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing the overall configuration of one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of immediate account transfer). [Figure 6] This is a functional block diagram of a payment processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This is an example of payment data related to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of bank transfer). [Figure 8] This is an example of payment data related to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of a bank transfer). [Figure 9]This is an example of payment data related to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of direct debit or immediate direct debit). [Figure 10] This is an example of deposit data related to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of bank transfer or immediate bank transfer). [Figure 11] This is a sequence diagram of a transfer process related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This is a sequence diagram of the refund process related to One Hundred Days of Monte Carlo. [Figure 13] This is a sequence diagram of the account transfer process related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] This is a sequence diagram of an instant account transfer process related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] This is a hardware configuration diagram of a payment processing system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Explanation of Terms> In this specification, "financial institution account" means an account opened at a financial institution such as a bank or credit union (for example, financial institution A), and in which the account holder is said to be said financial institution (for example, financial institution A). However, a "financial institution account" may also be an account opened at a financial institution (for example, financial institution A), and in which said financial institution (for example, financial institution A) guarantees the monetary debt (for example, an account in which the account holder is said to be an affiliate of the financial institution (for example, an affiliate of financial institution A)).

[0011] The deposit financial institution account and the refund financial institution account may be the same account or separate accounts (provided that the deposit financial institution account and the refund financial institution account shall be opened at the same financial institution). Furthermore, one financial institution account (an account used for both deposit and refund) may be opened for one payment agent, or one financial institution account (an account used for both deposit and refund) may be opened for multiple payment agents. In addition, one deposit financial institution account and one refund financial institution account may be opened for one payment agent, or one deposit financial institution account and one refund financial institution account may be opened for multiple payment agents. In this specification, "deposit financial institution account" is an account into which funds to be paid by a service user to a business partner are deposited. In this specification, "refund financial institution account" is an account into which funds to be refunded to a service user are deposited.

[0012] In this specification, "payment agent" refers to a person that provides payment agency services that act as an agent for the business of paying the price etc. to business partners. In this specification, "service user" refers to a person that enters into a contract with a payment agent and receives the payment agency service. In this specification, "transacting party" is the party to whom a service user makes a payment. In other words, a "transacting party" is a party that demands payment from the service user.

[0013] <Summary> First, an outline of the present invention will be described. In one embodiment of the present invention, a payment agency management system (for example, a system managed by a financial institution) acquires payment data indicating the payment amount from a service user to a business partner from a system managed by a payment agent (hereinafter referred to as a payment agent system).

[0014] In the case of bank transfers, the payment agency management system obtains deposit data from the financial institution's internet banking system indicating a deposit made by bank transfer from the service user's account to the financial institution's account. In the case of direct debit (excluding instant direct debit), the payment agency management system requests a direct debit from the financial institution's internet banking system and obtains deposit data from the financial institution's internet banking system indicating a deposit made by direct debit from the service user's account to the financial institution's account. In the case of instant direct debit, the payment agency management system requests an instant direct debit from a system that provides instant direct debit services (hereinafter referred to as the instant direct debit system) and obtains deposit data from the instant direct debit system indicating a deposit made by instant direct debit from the service user's account to the financial institution's account.

[0015] Subsequently, the payment processing system matches the payment data with the deposit data and, if it confirms that the payment amount from the service user to the trading partner has been deposited into the financial institution account, it approves the payment from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account (i.e., it instructs the internet banking system or instant account transfer system to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account). In this way, once it is confirmed that the payment amount from the service user to the trading partner has been deposited into the financial institution account, the financial institution can assume the service user's debt.

[0016] [For bank transfers] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the transfer of funds between accounts (in the case of a bank transfer) according to one embodiment of the present invention. "Bank transfer" refers to the transfer of funds from a service user's account to a financial institution account via bank transfer. Each service user is assigned a bank transfer account number to the financial institution account used for deposits.

[0017] For example, service user A requests a transfer from their own account to their designated transfer account number (1111111 in the example in Figure 1) assigned to their deposit bank account, from the financial institution where their account is opened. It is assumed that service user A has been notified of the transfer account number by the payment processing company before the transfer. Subsequently, when the payment processing management system issues instructions to the internet banking system, funds are transferred from the deposit bank account to the account of service user A's business partner. The same applies to service users B and C. The transfer account number can be assigned by the payment processing company to each service user, or it can be assigned on a per-payment basis (i.e., per payment unit, for example, per month's payment).

[0018] If a refund is due to a service user, funds may be transferred from the deposit account to the refund account, and then the refund (bank transfer) may be made from the refund account to the user's account.

[0019] Note that while Figure 1 illustrates the case where the bank accounts for deposits and refunds are separate accounts, the bank accounts for deposits and refunds may also be the same account (i.e., the account number for transfers is assigned to that same account).

[0020] [Bank transfer (excluding instant bank transfer) and in the case of instant bank transfer] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating fund transfers between accounts according to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of account transfer and instant account transfer). "Account transfer" refers to the case in which funds are transferred from the service user's account to a financial institution's account via account transfer (non-instant withdrawal), and "instant account transfer" refers to the case in which funds are transferred from the service user's account to a financial institution's account via instant account transfer (instant withdrawal). It is assumed that the service user has previously entered into an account transfer or instant account transfer contract (i.e., registered their account) with a financial institution. Let's assume that service user a has an account opened at financial institution A, service user b has an account opened at financial institution B, and service user c has an account opened at financial institution C. If a service user has an account opened at a financial institution, but has not entered into an account transfer or instant account transfer contract, it is also possible to use a service in which the payment agent instructs the payment agent management system from the payment agent system to register the account for account transfer or instant account transfer at each financial institution.

[0021] In the case of user a, when the payment agency management system instructs the internet banking system to perform an account transfer, or instructs the instant account transfer system to perform an instant account transfer, a withdrawal will be made from user a's account opened at financial institution A to a financial institution account opened at financial institution A (for example, an account in the name of financial institution A).

[0022] In the case of user b, when the payment agency management system instructs the internet banking system to perform an account transfer, or instructs the instant account transfer system to perform an instant account transfer, a withdrawal will be made from user b's account opened at financial institution B to a financial institution account opened at financial institution B (for example, an account in the name of financial institution B).

[0023] In the case of user c, when the payment agency management system instructs the internet banking system to perform an account transfer, or instructs the instant account transfer system to perform an instant account transfer, a withdrawal will be made from user c's account opened at financial institution C to a financial institution account opened at financial institution C (for example, an account in the name of financial institution C).

[0024] Then, funds are transferred from the financial institution accounts opened at each financial institution to a centralized financial institution account (for example, a financial institution account opened at the financial institution that manages the payment agency management system). Subsequently, when the payment agency management system issues instructions to the internet banking system or the instant account transfer system, funds are transferred from the centralized financial institution account to the accounts of the business partners of service users a, b, and c.

[0025] Furthermore, when using a combination of bank transfer, direct debit, and instant direct debit, it is possible to use the same financial institution account for deposits (or an account used for both deposits and refunds) and the same financial institution account for consolidating funds.

[0026] <Overall structure (for bank transfers)> Figure 3 shows the overall configuration of one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of bank transfer). The payment agency management system 10 can send and receive data with the payment agency system 20 and the internet banking system 11 via any network. For example, the payment agency management system 10 and the payment agency system 20 may send and receive data via API (application programming interface) linkage, or they may send and receive data via a web screen. Each of these will be explained below.

[0027] <<Payment Agency Management System>> The payment processing management system 10 receives requests from payment processing service provider systems 20 (although Figure 3 describes the case where there is one payment processing service provider system 20, the payment processing management system 10 may be connected to multiple payment processing service provider systems 20) and uses financial institution accounts to transfer funds from the service user's account to the transaction provider's account. For example, the payment processing management system 10 is a system managed by a financial institution. The payment processing management system 10 consists of one or more computers.

[0028] Specifically, the payment agency management system 10 obtains payment data from the payment agency system 20, which shows the amount to be paid by the service user to the business partner. The payment agency management system 10 also obtains deposit data, which shows the deposit made by bank transfer from the service user's account to the financial institution account. The payment agency management system 10 matches the payment data with the deposit data to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account. Once the payment agency management system 10 confirms that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account, it considers that the service user's intention to pay has been confirmed, and the financial institution approves the payment from the financial institution account to the business partner's account. In this way, once it is confirmed that the payment amount from the service user to the business partner has been deposited into the financial institution account, the financial institution can assume the service user's debt.

[0029] <<Payment processing service provider system>> The payment processing system 20 is a system that provides payment processing services (i.e., a system managed by the payment processing company). The payment processing system 20 can send and receive data with each of the user terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c (hereinafter collectively referred to as user terminals 30; although Figure 3 describes the case where there are three user terminals 30, the number of user terminals 30 is not limited to this). The payment processing system 20 consists of one or more computers.

[0030] <<User Terminal>> The user terminal 30 is a terminal used by a service user who receives a payment agency service. For example, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, or the like.

[0031] <<Internet Banking System>> The internet banking system 11 performs deposit and withdrawal processing for an account opened at a financial institution (financial institution A in the example of Fig. 3). The internet banking system 11 is configured of one or more computers.

[0032] <Overall Configuration (in the case of account transfer (excluding immediate account transfer))> Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the overall configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention (in the case of account transfer (excluding immediate account transfer)). The payment agency management system 10 can transmit and receive data to and from each of the payment agency system 20 and the internet banking system 11 via an arbitrary network. For example, the payment agency management system 10 and the payment agency system 20 may transmit and receive data through API (application programming interface) linkage, or may transmit and receive data via a web screen. Each will be described below.

[0033] <<Payment Agency Management System>> The payment agency management system 10 receives a request from the payment agency system 20 (note that although Fig. 4 describes a case where there is one payment agency system 20, the payment agency management system 10 may be connected to a plurality of payment agency systems 20), and uses a financial institution account whose account holder is a financial institution to transfer funds from the service user's account to the transactor's account. For example, the payment agency management system 10 is a system managed by a financial institution. The payment agency management system 10 is configured of one or more computers.

[0034] Specifically, the payment agency management system 10 acquires payment data indicating the payment amount from a service user to a business partner from the payment agency system 20. The payment agency management system 10 acquires deposit data indicating a deposit made by account transfer from the service user's account to a financial institution account. The payment agency management system 10 matches the payment data against the deposit data to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account. When the payment agency management system 10 confirms that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account, it determines that the service user's intention to pay has been confirmed, and the financial institution approves the payment from the financial institution account for centralized fund management to the business partner's account. In this way, when it is confirmed that the payment amount from the service user to the business partner has been deposited into the financial institution account, the financial institution can assume the debt of the service user . Note that the debt may be transferred at the timing when the amount is deposited into the financial institution account of each financial institution, or may be transferred at the timing when the amount is deposited into the financial institution account for centralized fund management.

[0035] <<Payment Agency System>> The payment agency system 20 is a system that provides a payment agency service (that is, a system managed by a payment agency). The payment agency system 20 can transmit and receive data to and from each of user terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c (hereinafter collectively referred to as user terminals 30. Although FIG. 4 describes a case where there are three user terminals 30, the number of user terminals 30 is not limited thereto). The payment agency system 20 is composed of one or more computers.

[0036] <<User Terminal>> The user terminal 30 is a terminal used by a service user who receives a payment agency service. For example, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, or the like.

[0037] <<Internet Banking System>> Internet banking systems 11A, 11B, and 11C (hereinafter collectively referred to as Internet Banking System 11; although Figure 4 illustrates the case where there are three Internet Banking Systems 11, the number of Internet Banking Systems 11 is not limited to this) process deposits and withdrawals for accounts opened at each financial institution (in the example of Figure 4, financial institution A, financial institution B, and financial institution C). Internet Banking System 11 consists of one or more computers.

[0038] <Overall structure (in the case of immediate bank transfer)> Figure 5 shows the overall configuration of one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of instant account transfer). The payment agency management system 10 can send and receive data with the payment agency system 20 and the instant account transfer system 12 via any network. For example, the payment agency management system 10 and the payment agency system 20 may send and receive data via API (application programming interface) linkage, or they may send and receive data via a web screen. Each of these will be explained below.

[0039] <<Payment Agency Management System>> The payment processing management system 10 receives requests from payment processing service provider systems 20 (although Figure 5 describes the case where there is one payment processing service provider system 20, the payment processing management system 10 may be connected to multiple payment processing service provider systems 20) and transfers funds from the service user's account to the transactioner's account using a financial institution account in the name of a financial institution. For example, the payment processing management system 10 is a system managed by a financial institution. The payment processing management system 10 consists of one or more computers.

[0040] Specifically, the payment proxy management system 10 acquires, from the payment proxy system 20, payment data indicating the payment amount from a service user to a transaction partner. The payment proxy management system 10 acquires deposit data indicating a deposit made via immediate account transfer from the service user's account to a financial institution account. The payment proxy management system 10 matches the payment data against the deposit data to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account. When the payment proxy management system 10 confirms that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account, it determines that the service user's intention to pay has been confirmed, and the financial institution approves the payment from the financial institution account for centralized fund management to the transaction partner's account. In this way, when it is confirmed that the payment amount from the service user to the transaction partner has been deposited into the financial institution account, the financial institution can assume the debt of the service user. Note that the debt may be transferred at the timing when the fund is deposited into the financial institution account of each financial institution, or may be transferred at the timing when the fund is deposited into the financial institution account for centralized fund management.

[0041] <<Payment Proxy System>> The payment proxy system 20 is a system that provides a payment proxy service (that is, a system managed by a payment proxy). The payment proxy system 20 can transmit and receive data to and from each of user terminals 30a, 30b, and 30c (hereinafter collectively referred to as user terminals 30. Although FIG. 5 describes a case where there are three user terminals 30, the number of user terminals 30 is not limited thereto). The payment proxy system 20 is composed of one or more computers.

[0042] <<User Terminal>> The user terminal 30 is a terminal used by a service user who receives a payment proxy service. For example, the user terminal 30 is a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer, or the like.

[0043] <<Accounting System>> The accounting systems 13A, 13B, and 13C (hereinafter collectively referred to as accounting systems 13; although Figure 5 illustrates the case where there are three accounting systems 13, the number of accounting systems 13 is not limited to this) process deposits and withdrawals from accounts opened at each financial institution (in the example of Figure 5, financial institutions A, B, and C). Accounting systems 13 consist of one or more computers.

[0044] <<Instant Account Transfer System>> The instant account transfer system 12 is a system that provides an instant account transfer service. The instant account transfer system 12 consists of one or more computers.

[0045] Furthermore, one payment processing company may handle multiple methods from among bank transfers, direct debits, and instant direct debits, and the payment processing company system 20 may distribute the processing to one of the multiple payment processing management systems 10. In Figures 3 to 5, the payment processing management system 10 is explained separately for the case of bank transfers and the case of direct debits and instant direct debits, but one payment processing management system 10 may handle multiple methods from among bank transfers, direct debits, and instant direct debits.

[0046] <Function Block> Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of a payment processing system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The payment processing system 10 may include a payment data acquisition unit 101, a deposit data acquisition unit 102, a deposit confirmation unit 103, an approval unit 104, an account transfer processing unit 105, a refund processing unit 106, a payment data storage unit 107, and a deposit data storage unit 108. Furthermore, the payment processing system 10 can function as the payment data acquisition unit 101, the deposit data acquisition unit 102, the deposit confirmation unit 103, the approval unit 104, the account transfer processing unit 105, and the refund processing unit 106 by executing a program. Each of these will be described below.

[0047] The payment data acquisition unit 101 acquires payment data from the payment agency system 20 that shows the amount of payment made by the service user to the business partner.

[0048] The deposit data acquisition unit 102 acquires deposit data from the internet banking system 11 indicating deposits made by transfer or direct debit from the service user's account to a financial institution account, or acquires deposit data from the instant direct debit system 12 indicating deposits made by instant direct debit from the service user's account to a financial institution account.

[0049] The deposit confirmation unit 103 matches the payment data acquired by the payment data acquisition unit 101 with the deposit data acquired by the deposit data acquisition unit 102 to confirm that the payment amount from the service user to the business partner has been deposited into the financial institution account. For example, if the deposit confirmation unit 103 determines that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account, it can determine that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account if the amount deposited into the financial institution account is equal to or greater than the payment amount.

[0050] When the payment amount from the service user to the trading partner is deposited into the financial institution account, the approval unit 104 approves the payment from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account (that is, it instructs the internet banking system 11 or the instant account transfer system 12 to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account).

[0051] The account transfer processing unit 105 performs the processing for account transfers. Specifically, the account transfer processing unit 105 instructs the internet banking system 11 to perform an account transfer, or instructs the instant account transfer system 12 to perform an instant account transfer. If the withdrawal from the service user's account fails due to insufficient funds or other reasons, the account transfer can be attempted again.

[0052] The refund processing unit 106 processes refunds from payment processing companies to service users.

[0053] The payment data storage unit 107 stores the payment data acquired by the payment data acquisition unit 101. This will be described in detail later with reference to Figures 7 and 9.

[0054] The deposit data storage unit 108 stores the deposit data acquired by the deposit data acquisition unit 102 or the account transfer processing unit 105. This will be described in detail later with reference to Figures 8 and 10.

[0055] [Payment data (for bank transfers)] Figure 7 shows an example of payment data (in the case of bank transfer) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The payment data includes "service user information" and "business partner information".

[0056] "Service user information" refers to information about the service user receiving the payment processing service. "Service user information" includes information such as the service user (e.g., company name), service user code, transfer account number assigned to the financial institution account (the account number assigned to the service user (specifically, bank code, branch code, deposit type, and account number)), number of payments (the number of payments the service user requests from the payment processing company), and payment amount (the total amount of payments the service user requests from the payment processing company).

[0057] "Supplier information" refers to information about the business partners to whom the service user makes payments. This information includes the business partner's name (e.g., company name), the business partner's account information (specifically, bank code, branch code, account type, account number), payment date, and payment amount (the amount the service user pays to the business partner).

[0058] [Deposit data (for bank transfers)] Figure 8 shows an example of deposit data (in the case of a bank transfer) according to one embodiment of the present invention. The deposit data includes "financial institution account information" and "bank transfer deposit data (account for transfer)".

[0059] "Financial institution account information" refers to information about a financial institution account (specifically, bank code, branch code, deposit type, and account number). Each financial institution account is assigned a unique account number for transfers, specific to each service user.

[0060] "Transfer deposit data (account for transfer)" includes information about the account designated as the recipient at the time of the transfer (specifically, bank code, branch code, deposit type, account number), the date of the deposit, and the deposit amount (the amount transferred to the account number for transfer).

[0061] The deposit confirmation unit 103 can determine that the payment has been deposited into the financial institution account if the "deposit amount" transferred to the bank account number in the "bank transfer deposit data (bank account for transfer)" of the deposit data in Figure 8 is equal to or greater than the "payment amount" in the "customer information" of the payment data in Figure 7.

[0062] [Payment data (for direct debit and immediate direct debit)] Figure 9 shows an example of payment data related to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of direct debit and immediate direct debit). The payment data includes "service user information" and "business partner information".

[0063] "Service user information" refers to information about the service user receiving the payment processing service. This information includes the service user (e.g., company name), service user code, account information for direct debit (specifically, bank code, branch code, deposit type, account number), number of payments (the number of payments the service user requests from the payment processing company), and payment amount (the total amount of payments the service user requests from the payment processing company).

[0064] "Supplier information" refers to information about the business partners to whom the service user makes payments. This information includes the business partner's name (e.g., company name), the business partner's account information (specifically, bank code, branch code, account type, account number), payment date, and payment amount (the amount the service user pays to the business partner).

[0065] [Deposit data (for direct debit and instant direct debit)] Figure 10 shows an example of deposit data related to one embodiment of the present invention (in the case of account transfer and immediate account transfer). The deposit data includes the "service user code," "account information from which the withdrawal was made (specifically, bank code, branch code, deposit type, and account number)," "withdrawal date," and "withdrawal amount (amount withdrawn)."

[0066] The deposit confirmation unit 103 can refer to the deposit data in Figure 10 and determine that the payment amount in Figure 9 has been debited from the account from which the "service user information" in the payment data in Figure 9 is debited, and that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account.

[0067] <Processing method> Figure 11 is a sequence diagram of a bank transfer process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0068] In step 101 (S101), the user terminal 30 transmits payment information (for example, the contents of an invoice from a business partner) to the payment agent system 20. The payment agent system 20 receives the payment information from the user terminal 30.

[0069] In step 102 (S102), the payment agent system 20 creates payment data based on the payment information from S101 and sends the payment data to the payment agent management system 10. The payment agent management system 10 receives the payment data from the payment agent system 20.

[0070] In step 103 (S103), the internet banking system 11 transmits the deposit data to the payment agency management system 10. The payment agency management system 10 receives the deposit data from the internet banking system 11.

[0071] Prior to S103, the service user has requested a transfer from their own account to their own transfer account number, which is assigned to the deposit financial institution account, from the financial institution where their account is opened.

[0072] In step 104 (S104), the payment agency management system 10 matches the payment data from S102 with the deposit data from S103 to confirm that the payment amount from the service user to the business partner has been deposited into the deposit financial institution account. For example, if the amount deposited into the deposit financial institution account is equal to or greater than the payment amount, the payment agency management system 10 can determine that the payment amount has been deposited into the deposit financial institution account.

[0073] In step 105 (S105), when the payment agency management system 10 receives the payment amount from the service user to the trading partner into the deposit financial institution account, it approves the payment from the deposit financial institution account to the trading partner's account (i.e., it instructs the internet banking system 11 to transfer funds from the deposit financial institution account to the trading partner's account).

[0074] In step 106 (S106), the internet banking system 11 transfers funds from the deposit financial institution account to the customer's account.

[0075] As described below, if an overpayment, underpayment, or reversal (including an erroneous payment) occurs during the transfer process, and a refund to the service user is required, the payment management system 10 may transfer funds from the deposit financial institution account to the refund financial institution account, and then refund (transfer) the funds from the refund financial institution account to the user's account. The deposit financial institution account and the refund financial institution account may be the same account or different accounts.

[0076] [Refund (overpayment)] If the amount deposited into the designated bank account is greater than or equal to the payment amount, the funds will be transferred to the trading partner's account, and the difference between the amount deposited into the designated bank account and the payment amount will be refunded to the service user's account.

[0077] [Refund (shortfall)] If the amount deposited into the designated bank account is less than the payment amount, the amount deposited into the designated bank account will be refunded to the service user's account.

[0078] [Refund (Reversal)] If a refund is attempted due to an error in the trading partner's account information, and the transfer is not redone (i.e., there are no instructions to change the trading partner's account information and redo the transfer), the amount deposited into the receiving financial institution account will be refunded to the service user's account.

[0079] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram of a refund process according to one embodiment of the present invention. Examples 1 to 3 of the refund method are described below.

[0080] <Example 1> For example, the payment processing system 10 obtains approval from the payment processing company system 20 for a refund from a financial institution account for refunds to the service user's account, and then instructs the internet banking system to make the refund.

[0081] In step 1 (S1), the payment agency management system 10 sends refund information to the payment agency system 20. For example, S1 is executed when the matching in S104 in Figure 11 does not match (resulting in an overpayment or underpayment) or when a reversal occurs due to an error in the trading partner's account information.

[0082] For example, the payment processing system 10 may allow the payment processing company system 20 to obtain details of the difference between "the amount deposited into the financial institution account for deposits" and "the amount paid" (i.e., details of overpayments or underpayments) via API integration or other means.

[0083] For example, the payment agency management system 10 may allow the payment agency system 20 to obtain details of reversals (details of payments that were not re-transferred) via API integration or other means.

[0084] In step 2-1 (S2-1), the payment agent system 20 instructs the payment agent management system 10 to transfer funds from the refund financial institution account to the service user's account.

[0085] In step 2-2 (S2-2), the payment agency management system 10 instructs the internet banking system 11 to transfer funds from the refund financial institution account to the service user's account.

[0086] <Example 2> For example, the payment processing system 20 instructs the internet banking system 11 to refund funds from a financial institution account designated for refunds to the service user's account. In other words, in Example 2, the payment processing company cannot approve withdrawals from a financial institution account designated for deposits, but it can approve withdrawals from a financial institution account designated for refunds.

[0087] In step 1 (S1), the payment agency management system 10 sends refund information to the payment agency system 20. For example, S1 is executed when the matching in S104 in Figure 11 does not match (resulting in an overpayment or underpayment) or when a reversal occurs due to an error in the trading partner's account information.

[0088] For example, the payment processing system 10 may allow the payment processing company system 20 to obtain details of the difference between "the amount deposited into the financial institution account for deposits" and "the amount paid" (i.e., details of overpayments or underpayments) via API integration or other means.

[0089] For example, the payment agency management system 10 may allow the payment agency system 20 to obtain details of reversals (details of payments that were not re-transferred) via API integration or other means.

[0090] In step 2 (S2), the payment processing system 20 instructs the internet banking system 11 to transfer funds from the refund financial institution account to the service user's account.

[0091] <Example 3> Example 3 is the case where the bank account used for deposits and the bank account used for refunds are the same account.

[0092] In step 1 (S1), the payment agency management system 10 sends refund information to the payment agency system 20. For example, S1 is executed when the matching in S104 in Figure 11 does not match (resulting in an overpayment or underpayment) or when a reversal occurs due to an error in the trading partner's account information.

[0093] For example, the payment processing system 10 may allow the payment processing company system 20 to obtain details of the difference between "the amount deposited into the financial institution account for deposits" and "the amount paid" (i.e., details of overpayments or underpayments) via API integration or other means.

[0094] For example, the payment agency management system 10 may allow the payment agency system 20 to obtain details of reversals (details of payments that were not re-transferred) via API integration or other means.

[0095] In step 2-1 (S2-1), the payment agent system 20 instructs the payment agent management system 10 to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the service user's account.

[0096] In step 2-2 (S2-2), the payment processing management system 10 matches the refund data obtained in S2-1 with the unpaid refunds (those that should be refunded but have not yet been refunded), and determines the refunds (i.e., those refunds that have not yet been refunded) based on the results of the matching.

[0097] In step 2-3 (S2-3), the payment agency management system 10 instructs the internet banking system 11 to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the service user's account.

[0098] In step 3 (S3), the internet banking system 11 transfers funds from a financial institution account to the service user's account.

[0099] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram of the account transfer process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] In step 111 (S111), the user terminal 30 transmits payment-related information (for example, the contents of an invoice from a business partner) to the payment agent system 20. The payment agent system 20 receives the payment-related information from the user terminal 30.

[0101] In step 112 (S112), the payment agent system 20 creates payment data based on the payment information from S111 and sends the payment data to the payment agent management system 10. The payment agent management system 10 receives the payment data from the payment agent system 20.

[0102] In step 113 (S113), the payment agency management system 10 instructs the internet banking systems 11 (in the example in Figure 13, this includes the internet banking system 11A of financial institution A (assuming that financial institution A has opened a financial institution account for fund concentration), the internet banking system 11B of financial institution B, and the internet banking system 11C of financial institution C) to perform a direct debit. The payment agency management system 10 transmits payment data information such as the service user's account information (i.e., withdrawal account information) and payment amount (i.e., withdrawal amount) to the internet banking systems 11A, 11B, and 11C.

[0103] Subsequently, the internet banking system 11A withdraws funds from the service user's account (an account opened at financial institution A) and transfers the funds to a financial institution account opened at financial institution A (for example, an account in the name of financial institution A). Similarly, the internet banking system 11B withdraws funds from the service user's account (an account opened at financial institution B) and transfers the funds to a financial institution account opened at financial institution B (for example, an account in the name of financial institution B). Similarly, the internet banking system 11C withdraws funds from the service user's account (an account opened at financial institution C) and transfers the funds to a financial institution account opened at financial institution C (for example, an account in the name of financial institution C).

[0104] In step 114 (S114), the internet banking systems 11A, 11B, and 11C transmit the deposit data to the payment agency management system 10. The payment agency management system 10 receives the deposit data from the internet banking systems 11A, 11B, and 11C.

[0105] In step 115 (S115), the payment agency management system 10 matches the payment data from S112 with the deposit data from S114 to confirm that the payment amount from the service user to the business partner has been deposited into the financial institution account.

[0106] In step 116 (S116), when the payment agency management system 10 receives the payment amount from the service user to the trading partner into the financial institution account, it approves the payment from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account (i.e., it instructs the internet banking systems 11A, 11B, and 11C to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account).

[0107] In step 117 (S117), the internet banking system of a financial institution that does not have a financial institution account for fund concentration (internet banking systems 11B and 11C in the example of Figure 13) moves the funds deposited into the financial institution account by the account transfer executed in response to the request in S113 to the financial institution account for fund concentration. In addition, if the financial institution account used for depositing funds by financial institution A and the financial institution account for fund concentration are separate, the internet banking system of a financial institution that does have a financial institution account for fund concentration moves the funds deposited into the financial institution account by the account transfer executed in response to the request in S113 to the financial institution account for fund concentration.

[0108] In step 118 (S118), the internet banking system 11A transfers funds from a financial institution account (a financial institution account for fund centralization) to the customer's account.

[0109] Figure 14 is a sequence diagram of an immediate account transfer process according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0110] In step 201 (S201), the user terminal 30 transmits payment-related information (for example, the contents of an invoice from a business partner) to the payment agent system 20. The payment agent system 20 receives the payment-related information from the user terminal 30.

[0111] In step 202 (S202), the payment agent system 20 creates payment data based on the payment information from S201 and sends the payment data to the payment agent management system 10. The payment agent management system 10 receives the payment data from the payment agent system 20.

[0112] In step 203 (S203), the payment agency management system 10 instructs the instant account transfer system 12 to perform an instant account transfer. The payment agency management system 10 transmits payment data information such as the service user's account information (i.e., withdrawal account information) and payment amount (i.e., withdrawal amount) to the instant account transfer system 12.

[0113] In step 204 (S204), the instant account transfer system 12 instructs the accounting systems 13 (in the example in Figure 14, accounting system 13A of financial institution A (assuming that financial institution A has opened a financial institution account for fund concentration), accounting system 13B of financial institution B, and accounting system 13C of financial institution C) to perform an instant account transfer. The instant account transfer system 12 transmits payment data information such as the service user's account information (i.e., withdrawal account information) and payment amount (i.e., withdrawal amount) to accounting systems 13A, 13B, and 13C.

[0114] Subsequently, accounting system 13A withdraws funds from the service user's account (an account opened at financial institution A) and transfers the funds to a financial institution account opened at financial institution A (for example, an account in the name of financial institution A). Similarly, accounting system 13B withdraws funds from the service user's account (an account opened at financial institution B) and transfers the funds to a financial institution account opened at financial institution B (for example, an account in the name of financial institution B). Similarly, accounting system 13C withdraws funds from the service user's account (an account opened at financial institution C) and transfers the funds to a financial institution account opened at financial institution C (for example, an account in the name of financial institution C).

[0115] In step 205 (S205), the accounting systems 13A, 13B, and 13C transmit the deposit data to the instant account transfer system 12. The instant account transfer system 12 receives the deposit data from the accounting systems 13A, 13B, and 13C.

[0116] In step 206 (S206), the instant account transfer system 12 sends the deposit data to the payment agency management system 10. The payment agency management system 10 receives the deposit data from the instant account transfer system 12.

[0117] In step 207 (S207), the payment agency management system 10 matches the payment data from S202 with the deposit data from S206 to confirm that the payment amount from the service user to the business partner has been deposited into the financial institution account.

[0118] In step 208 (S208), when the payment agency management system 10 receives the payment amount from the service user to the trading partner into the financial institution account, it approves the payment from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account (i.e., it instructs the instant account transfer system 12 to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account).

[0119] In step 209 (S209), the instant account transfer system 12 instructs the accounting systems 13A, 13B, and 13C to transfer funds from the financial institution account to the trading partner's account.

[0120] In step 210 (S210), the accounting systems of financial institutions that do not have a financial institution account for fund concentration (accounting systems 13B and 13C in the example of Figure 14) move the funds deposited into their financial institution accounts by instant account transfers performed in response to the request in S204 to the financial institution account for fund concentration. In addition, the accounting system of a financial institution that has a financial institution account for fund concentration (accounting system 13A in the example of Figure 14) moves the funds deposited into its financial institution accounts by instant account transfers performed in response to the request in S204 to the financial institution account for fund concentration if the financial institution account used for deposits for instant account transfers of financial institution A and the financial institution account for fund concentration are separate.

[0121] In step 211 (S211), the accounting system 13A transfers funds from a financial institution account (a financial institution account for centralizing funds) to the trading partner's account.

[0122] <Management functions> In one embodiment of the present invention, the payment agency management system 10 may enable the payment agency system 20 to obtain information on the status of unpaid payments (i.e., payment data that has not yet been deposited into the financial institution account) immediately before or after the deadline agreed upon between the payment agency and the service user, via API integration or the like.

[0123] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the payment agency management system 10 may enable the payment agency system 20 to obtain details of the difference between "the amount deposited into the financial institution account for deposits" and "the amount paid" (i.e., details of overpayments or underpayments) through API integration or the like.

[0124] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the payment agency management system 10 may enable the payment agency system 20 to obtain details of reversals (details of payments that were not re-transferred) via API integration or the like.

[0125] <Effects> In this invention, by using a financial institution account (an account in the name of a financial institution, or an account in which a financial institution guarantees monetary debt), the risk of bad debt or double payment in the event of the payment agent's bankruptcy is eliminated. Furthermore, by having the payment agent management system approve transfers, direct debits, or instant direct debits (i.e., approve withdrawals from financial institution accounts), fraud by payment agents can be prevented.

[0126] <Hardware Configuration> Figure 15 is a hardware configuration diagram of a payment agency management system 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The same applies to the payment agency system 20, user terminal 30, internet banking system 11, and instant account transfer system 12.

[0127] The payment processing management system 10 may include a control unit 1001, a main memory unit 1002, an auxiliary memory unit 1003, an input unit 1004, an output unit 1005, and an interface unit 1006. Each of these will be described below.

[0128] The control unit 1001 is a processor (for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), etc.) that executes various programs installed in the auxiliary storage unit 1003.

[0129] The main memory unit 1002 includes non-volatile memory (ROM (Read Only Memory)) and volatile memory (RAM (Random Access Memory)). The ROM stores various programs, data, etc., necessary for the control unit 1001 to execute various programs installed in the auxiliary memory unit 1003. The RAM provides a work area that is expanded when the various programs installed in the auxiliary memory unit 1003 are executed by the control unit 1001.

[0130] The auxiliary storage unit 1003 is an auxiliary storage device that stores various programs and information used when various programs are executed.

[0131] The input unit 1004 is an input device used by the operator of the payment agency management system 10 to input various instructions to the payment agency management system 10.

[0132] The output unit 1005 is an output device that outputs the internal status of the payment agency management system 10, etc.

[0133] The interface unit 1006 is a communication device for connecting to a network and communicating with other devices.

[0134] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the configurations shown in the above embodiments, including combinations with other elements. These aspects can be modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention and can be appropriately determined according to their application. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0135] 10 Payment Processing Management System 20 Payment processing system 30 User terminals 11. Internet Banking System 12 Instant Account Transfer System 13 Accounting Systems 101 Payment Data Acquisition Unit 102 Deposit Data Acquisition Section 103 Payment Confirmation Department 104 Approval Department 105 Account Transfer Processing Unit 106 Refund Processing Department 107 Payment Data Storage Unit 108 Deposit Data Storage Unit 1001 Control Unit 1002 Main memory 1003 Auxiliary storage unit 1004 Input section 1005 Output section 1006 Interface section

Claims

1. A payment data acquisition unit obtains payment data from the payment processing company system that shows the amount paid by the service user to the business partner, A deposit data acquisition unit acquires deposit data indicating deposits made by transfer, direct debit, or instant direct debit from the account of the service user to a financial institution account. A deposit confirmation unit matches the payment data with the deposit data to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account. Upon confirming that the aforementioned payment amount has been deposited into the aforementioned financial institution account, the service user's intention to pay has been confirmed, and an approval department approves the payment from the aforementioned financial institution account to the aforementioned trading partner's account. A payment processing management system equipped with [features / equipment].

2. The aforementioned payment was made by bank transfer. The aforementioned financial institution account is a deposit account, The payment agency management system according to claim 1, wherein each financial institution account is assigned a transfer account number for each service user.

3. The aforementioned payment was made by bank transfer. The payment agency management system according to claim 1, further comprising a refund processing unit that obtains approval from the payment agency system for a refund from a financial institution account for refunds to the account of the service user, and instructs the internet banking system to make the refund.

4. The aforementioned payment was made by bank transfer. The payment agency management system according to claim 1, wherein the payment agency system instructs the internet banking system to refund funds from a financial institution account for refunds to the account of the service user.

5. The aforementioned payment was made by bank transfer. The payment agency management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a refund processing unit that obtains refund data indicating a refund to the service user from the payment agency system, matches it with unpaid refunds, and instructs the internet banking system to issue a refund based on the results of the matching.

6. The aforementioned payment will be made by bank transfer or immediate bank transfer. The payment agency management system according to claim 1, further comprising an account transfer processing unit that issues an instruction for account transfer to an internet banking system, or an instruction for immediate account transfer to an immediate account transfer system.

7. A method performed by a payment processing management system, This involves obtaining payment data from the payment processing company's system that shows the amount paid by the service user to the business partner, and The acquisition of deposit data indicating deposits made by transfer, direct debit, or instant direct debit from the service user's account to a financial institution account, The payment data and the deposit data are compared to confirm that the payment amount has been deposited into the financial institution account. When the aforementioned payment amount is deposited into the aforementioned financial institution account, the payment from the aforementioned financial institution account to the aforementioned trading partner's account will be authorized. A method that includes this.

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