Application program, payment system, and terminal device control method

Abstract

To provide an application program or the like capable of combining points issued to a user with electronic money usable in electronic settlement to pay the bill on a credit card, thereby improving convenience for the user. [Solution] An application program that causes a terminal device capable of communicating via a network with a credit card company server managed by a credit card company to display the credit card billing amount on a display unit of the terminal device, obtain the amount of electronic money that can be used for electronic payment to apply to the billing amount, obtain the number of points awarded to the user in connection with the user's purchase of a product to apply to the billing amount, and send an application instruction to the credit card company server instructing the amount of electronic money and the number of points to be combined and applied to the billing amount.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an application program, a payment system, and a control method for a terminal device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, a point service has been proposed in which a store selling goods issues points to a user in accordance with the payment of a fee, and the issued points are used to pay the fee. Patent Document 1 also proposes a system in which the points issued to a user are used to pay the credit card bill. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-282439 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the system described in Patent Document 1 cannot combine the points issued to users with electronic money that can be used for electronic payments to pay credit card bills, which can be inconvenient for users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide an application program, a payment system, and a control method for a terminal device that can combine points issued to a user with electronic money that can be used for electronic payments and apply it to the credit card bill, thereby improving convenience for users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an application program that causes a terminal device capable of communicating via a network with a credit card company server managed by a credit card company to display the credit card billing amount on a display unit of the terminal device, obtain the amount of electronic money that can be used for electronic payment to apply to the billing amount, obtain the number of points granted to the user in connection with the user's purchase of a product to apply to the billing amount, and send an application instruction to the credit card company server instructing the amount of electronic money and the number of points to be combined and applied to the billing amount. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an application program, a payment system, and a control method for a terminal device that can combine points issued to a user with electronic money that can be used for electronic payments and apply it to the credit card bill, thereby improving convenience for users. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Diagram 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Diagram 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a user terminal device 200. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a credit card company server 300. [Figure 9]FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of credit card information 372. [Figure 10] 13 is an example of a home screen of a payment application 20. [Figure 11] 13 is an example of a management screen for the mini app 30. [Figure 12] 13 is an example of a payment amount input screen of the mini app 30. [Figure 13] 13 is an example of a payment details confirmation screen of the mini app 30. [Figure 14] 13 is an example of a procedure completion screen of the mini app 30. [Figure 15] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing details of the electronic money and point appropriation process. [Figure 16] 13 is an example of a home screen of the mini app 30. [Figure 17] 13 is another example of a home screen of the mini appli 30. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the application program, the payment system, and the control method of the terminal device of the present invention will be described. Various devices for providing services to users and performing internal analysis, such as the "server" that will be described below, may be realized by a group of distributed devices, and each device may be operated by a different business operator. Furthermore, the owner of the hardware of the device (the cloud server provider) and the business operator that actually operates the device may also be different. The electronic payment service is a service that supports payments related to the purchase of goods and services at a store. The store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but may also include a virtual store of electronic commerce. The virtual store may include a store provided by an entity different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when making a payment for shopping at the virtual store, the screen is controlled to transition to an interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, the store is treated as belonging to, for example, an affiliated store (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at the store is mainly performed between the user and the affiliated store. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be performed between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 200, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and a credit card company server 300 via 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] The user terminal device 200 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 200 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input acceptance function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions are respectively called a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and the like. In the user terminal device 200, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment application (hereinafter referred to as a payment app) 20, and the device operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide the user with an electronic payment service. In addition, in the user terminal device 200, a processor such as a CPU executes a mini application (hereinafter referred to as a mini app) 30, and the device operates in cooperation with the credit card company server 300 to provide the user with a service related to a credit card. The payment app 20 is installed in the user terminal device 200 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, the communication device, the touch panel, and the like. The mini app 30 runs on the payment app 20.

[0012] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. 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 such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0013] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. An interface 72 for affiliated stores runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface 72 for affiliated stores may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface 72 for affiliated stores accepts coupon settings and the like by the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 200 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case the payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, no distinction is made between these two and it is assumed that the payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] The credit card company server 300 is a computer managed by the credit card company, and communicates with the payment server 100 and the user terminal device 200 via the network NW. As will be described in detail later, the credit card company server 300 holds information related to the user's credit card.

[0016] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns of electronic payment: pattern 1 and pattern 2.

[0017] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 200 with the payment application 20 activated decodes the store code image 60 by the optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is an electronic payment service domain to which store-identifying information is added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, a store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 transmits the first payment information including the store URL and the account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the affiliated store ID and the store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and the store name information (S3), and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user inputs the payment amount into the user terminal device 200 on the screen on which the affiliated store name and the store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 200 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount, and transmits 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 transmits a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include not only the store URL but also information on the payment amount. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the information on the payment amount is included in the first payment information and transmitted to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and the store name may be included in the payment completion screen and displayed.

[0018] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, when the payment application 20 is started, when a payment operation is performed in the payment application 20, when an automatic update timing (e.g., every minute) occurs, and at other timings, the payment application 20 transmits a request for issuing a one-time code to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S13). The payment application 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 200 over the first store terminal device 50, and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image by an optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, etc., and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode or manually entering it. The payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information and performs electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then transmits a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0019] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Also, issuance of a one-time code may be omitted in the store scan, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0020] [Payment server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, 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 an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or a CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

[0021] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, and affiliated store / shop information 176.

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

[0023] The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a function of a Web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 200. The payment content providing unit 120 appropriately reads out necessary content from the payment content information 174 and provides it to the user terminal device 200. The user terminal device 200 accepts various inputs by the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0024] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0025] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 172. The user information 172 is an example of the registration information of a user. The user information 172 is, for example, a user URL, an account ID, a telephone number, a password, as well as an email address, a user ID, a name, an address, a gender, a date of birth, a registration date, a charge balance, a credit payment setting, a credit payment limit, a credit payment amount used, a credit payment available amount, a payment method setting, a bank account, a credit card number, charge history information, payment history information, a membership number, and other information associated with the user. The user URL is used for a remittance process between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, it is necessary to register a telephone number and a password. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). Similarly, the email address, the name, the address, and the date of birth are information that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's 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 that is set by a user by transferring money to an account in advance. The means of transfer include transfer from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated company (bank) and transfer from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting is information indicating whether or not the setting for enabling electronic payment by credit payment has been completed, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." The credit payment limit is the credit payment limit that can be used each month, the credit payment usage amount is the amount of credit payment that has already been used in the current month, and the credit payment available amount is the amount of credit payment that can be used in the current month, which is calculated by subtracting the credit payment usage amount from the credit payment limit. Although only one credit payment limit is shown in the figure, in reality, there is also a daily upper limit, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details of credit payment will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information indicating whether the user will perform electronic payment using the charge balance, payment by credit payment, or account payment using the deposit balance in the bank account at that time. The bank account and credit card number are information on a bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service. Charge history information is a history of the user's previous transfers to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. Payment history information is information that shows the details of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.). Points are awarded to users when they purchase products, and can be used in electronic payments like electronic money.

[0027] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store name and sales amount are associated with an affiliated store ID, and a third table 176C in which a store name is associated with a store ID. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the location of the store, and payment patterns.

[0028] The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 200 and the second store terminal device 70. For example, the information management unit 140 adds new records to, edits, and deletes the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176.

[0029] [Electronic payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 200 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For a user whose "payment method setting" is set to "electronic payment", 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 managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales. The item value of the affiliated store's sales is not used as electronic money itself, for example, and an amount corresponding to the item value of the sales is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0030] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment for users whose "payment method setting" is set to "credit card payment" as follows. Credit card payment is a payment method in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service, and the operator of the electronic payment service acts as a creditor and allows electronic payment that is not dependent on the charge balance within the credit card payment limit. In order to receive the credit card payment service, a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service may be required. The amount used in the credit card payment is settled on the payment date of the following month, for example, by debiting from a bank account, for one month. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the credit card payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available credit card payment amount, and when the closing date comes, it performs processing to debit the payment for the current month on the payment date of the following month as described above, or requests the operator of the credit card company to perform the processing. In addition, if the payment amount exceeds the available credit card payment amount at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment application 20.

[0031] [User terminal device] FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of the user terminal device 200. The user terminal device 200 includes, for example, a communication unit 210, a control unit 220, a display unit 230, an input unit 240, and a storage unit 270. The control unit 220 is 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 an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium), or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

[0032] Storage unit 270 is a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM, etc. Storage unit 270 may be a NAS device accessible by user terminal device 200 via a network. Storage unit 270 stores payment application 20, mini application 30, and information used by these applications.

[0033] The communication unit 210 is a wireless communication module that performs wireless communication with a wireless base station connected to the network NW.

[0034] The display unit 230 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The input unit 240 is a device that accepts input from a user. The display unit 230 and the input unit 240 may be configured as a touch panel display.

[0035] [Credit card company server] FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of the credit card company server 300. The credit card company server 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 310, a credit card payment processing unit 320, and a storage unit 370. The credit card payment processing unit 320 is 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 an LSI, ASIC, FPGA, or GPU, or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device having a non-transient storage medium) in advance, or may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium), and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device.

[0036] The storage unit 370 is a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 370 may be a NAS device that is accessible by the credit card company server 300 via a network. The storage unit 370 stores information such as credit card information 372.

[0037] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 310 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0038] The credit card payment processing unit 320 performs credit card-related processing, the details of which will be described later. The credit card payment processing unit 320 also reads out credit card information 372 from the storage unit 370, updates the credit card information 372, and so on.

[0039] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the credit card information 372. The credit card information 372 is information in which, for example, a card number, a user name, an expiration date, a security code, a billing history, and an account ID are associated with each other. The card number is information indicating a credit card number. The user name is information indicating the name of the credit card owner. The expiration date is information indicating the expiration date of the credit card. The security code is information indicating a number written on the back of the credit card to prevent fraudulent use. The billing history is information on the billing history of the credit card, and includes, for example, information such as the billing year and month and the billing amount. The credit card billing amount may include both the billing amount for purchasing products (shopping) and the billing amount for borrowing cash (cashing). The account ID is information similar to the account ID included in the user information 172 (FIG. 5), and is identification information for identifying a user who uses an electronic payment service. The credit card company server 300 obtains the account ID from the payment server 100 by performing account linkage with the payment server 100, and writes the obtained account ID into the credit card information 372.

[0040] [App screen] Fig. 10 is an example of the home screen of the payment app 20. As shown in Fig. 10, the home screen of the payment app 20 includes areas A1, A2, and A3. Area A1 displays code images such as barcodes and QR codes (registered trademarks) used in smartphone payments. Area A2 displays icons for instructing main operations in smartphone payments such as charging and scanning. Area A3 displays various icons for launching various mini-apps that can be executed by the payment app 20.

[0041] Specifically, eight icons IC1 to IC8 are displayed in the area A3. The icons IC1 to IC6 are icons for launching mini apps. When the user selects (tap) any of the icons IC1 to IC6, the payment application 20 launches the mini app corresponding to the selected icon. The icon IC7 is a favorite icon. When the user selects (tap) the icon IC7, the payment application 20 displays a favorite screen on the display unit of the user terminal device 200 to display a list of the favorite mini apps preset by the user. The icon IC8 is a function list icon. When the user selects (tap) the icon IC8, the payment application 20 displays a function list screen on the display unit of the user terminal device 200 to display a list of all mini apps.

[0042] Fig. 11 is an example of a management screen of the mini app 30. When the user selects (tap) the icon IC1 displayed on the home screen of Fig. 10, the credit card company's mini app 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as "mini app") is launched. After that, when the user selects (tap) a management icon (not shown) from the home screen of the mini app 30, the management screen of the mini app 30 shown in Fig. 11 is displayed on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200. As shown in Fig. 11, the management screen of the mini app 30 includes a management menu display area A4, a various procedures / confirmation display area A5, and a button B1.

[0043] The management menu display area A4 displays menus such as "Check available balance," "Check card information," "Check / change payment account," "Revolving management," "Cashing service," and "Notification delivery settings."

[0044] The procedure / confirmation display area A5 displays menus such as "Increase available credit limit," "Pay card bill with electronic money," "Apply for ETC card," "Family card," "Account linking," "Confirm / change customer information," and "Identity authentication service."

[0045] Button B1 is a button for proceeding to a procedure for paying the card bill with electronic money. When the user taps (selects) button B1, a payment amount input screen shown in FIG.

[0046] Fig. 12 is an example of a payment amount input screen of the mini app 30. As described above, when the user taps (selects) button B1 on the management screen (Fig. 11) of the mini app 30, the payment amount input screen of the mini app 30 is displayed on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200. As shown in Fig. 12, the payment amount input screen includes a planned billing amount display area A6, an amount input area A7, a check box C, a button B2, and a button B3.

[0047] The estimated billing amount display area A6 displays the estimated billing amount for the current month's card billing, the available electronic money balance, and the available points. In the example shown in Fig. 12, the estimated billing amount is 250,000 yen, the available electronic money balance is 3,000 yen, and the available points are 1,000 points.

[0048] Check box C is used to select whether or not to apply points to a card charge. In the example shown in FIG. 12, if the user checks check box C, 1,000 points held by the user will be applied to the card charge. For example, points may be applied to the card charge at an exchange rate of 1 point = 1 yen. Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 12, if the user checks check box C, 1,000 points will be applied to the card charge, resulting in a payment of 1,000 yen.

[0049] The amount input area A7 is an area for inputting the amount to be applied to the card bill. The user can input the amount in the amount input area A7 using the input unit 240 of the user terminal device 200. In the example shown in Fig. 12, the available electronic money balance is 3000 yen and the available points are 1000 points, so the user can input an amount of 3000+1000=4000 yen or less in the amount input area A7.

[0050] Button B2 is a button for instructing to use all of the electronic money balance and points. In the example shown in Fig. 12, when the user taps (selects) button B2, 3000 (electronic money) + 1000 (points) = 4000 yen is automatically input into amount input area A7.

[0051] The button B3 is a confirmation button. When the user taps (selects) the button B3 after inputting the amount in the amount input area A7, the payment details confirmation screen of FIG.

[0052] Fig. 13 is an example of a payment details confirmation screen of the mini app 30. On the payment details confirmation screen, the user can confirm the billing amount after payment with electronic money. In Fig. 12 described above, when the user checks the check box C and inputs 3000 yen in the amount input area A7, the payment details confirmation screen shown in Fig. 13 is displayed on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200. In this case, the amount to be used for payment (amount to be appropriated for card billing) is 3000 yen, and the number of points to be used is 1000 points, so the balance of electronic money to be used is 3000-1000=2000 yen.

[0053] In this way, the mini app 30 obtains the total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the user's input in the amount input area A7. The mini app 30 also calculates the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount. This makes it possible to reduce the amount of electronic money to be paid by the user according to the number of points used.

[0054] Furthermore, the mini app 30 determines whether or not to apply points to the billing amount according to the user's input in the check box C. If the mini app 30 determines to apply points to the billing amount, it gives priority to applying the points to the billing amount over electronic money. Electronic money can be both withdrawn to a bank and sent to a friend, but points cannot be both withdrawn to a bank and sent to a friend. For this reason, points, which have fewer opportunities to be used, are given priority over electronic money when applying to the billing amount.

[0055] 13, the payment details confirmation screen displays the expected card billing amount for this month (250,000 yen), the amount to be used for payment (3,000 yen), the balance of electronic money to be used (2,000 yen), the number of points to be used (1,000 points), and the expected final billing amount (247,000 yen). The payment details confirmation screen also includes buttons B4 and B5.

[0056] Button B4 is a button for returning to the previous screen. When the user taps (selects) button B4, the payment amount input screen of FIG. 12 is displayed on display unit 230. By returning to the payment amount input screen, the user can modify the amount to be applied to the card bill. Button B5 is a button for instructing the user to proceed with the application procedure of electronic money and points. When the user taps (selects) button B5, the credit card company server 300 and the payment server 100 work together to carry out the application process of electronic money and points. The details of the application process of electronic money and points will be described later.

[0057] Fig. 14 is an example of a procedure completion screen of the mini app 30. When the application process of the electronic money and points is completed, the procedure completion screen shown in Fig. 14 is displayed on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200. On the procedure completion screen, the user can understand that the application for the application process of the electronic money and points is completed. The procedure completion screen also includes a button B6.

[0058] Button B6 is a button for returning to the management screen (FIG. 11). When the user taps (selects) button B6, the management screen of FIG. 11 is displayed on display unit 230. By returning to the management screen, the user can perform other procedures.

[0059] 15 is a sequence diagram showing details of the electronic money and point appropriation process. The process according to this sequence diagram is executed when the user taps (selects) button B1 on the management screen of the mini app 30 shown in FIG.

[0060] First, the credit card payment processor 320 of the credit card company server 300 transmits a user information request to the payment server 100 (step S21). The user information request includes the account ID of the user who operates the mini app 30.

[0061] Next, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 transmits the user information to the credit card company server 300 in response to the user information request received from the credit card company server 300 (step S22). Specifically, the payment processing unit 130 acquires the electronic money balance and points of the user linked to the account ID included in the user information request from the user information 172, and transmits the acquired electronic money balance and points to the credit card company server 300.

[0062] Next, the credit payment processing unit 320 of the credit card company server 300 transmits the amount billed on the user's card, the user's electronic money balance, and points to the credit card company's mini app 30 (step S23). Specifically, the credit payment processing unit 320 obtains the amount billed on the user's card from the billing history in the credit card information 372. The credit payment processing unit 320 also receives the user's electronic money balance and points from the payment server 100. The credit payment processing unit 320 then transmits this information to the mini app 30.

[0063] Next, the credit card company's mini-app 30 displays the payment amount input screen shown in Fig. 12 on the display unit 230 based on the card billing amount, electronic money balance, and points received from the credit card company server 300 (step S24). This allows the user to understand the card billing amount, the electronic money balance, and points held by the user. The user then inputs the amount in the amount input area A7 and taps (selects) button B3.

[0064] When the user taps (selects) button B3, the mini app 30 acquires the electronic money balance to be used (step S25) and the number of points to be used (step S26). For example, in FIG. 12, if the user checks the checkbox C and inputs 3000 yen in the amount input area A7, the electronic money balance to be used will be 2000 yen and the number of points to be used will be 1000 points.

[0065] Next, the mini app 30 displays the payment details confirmation screen shown in Fig. 13 on the display unit 230 based on the card billing amount, the electronic money balance to be used, and the number of points to be used (step S27). This allows the user to check the electronic money balance and the number of points to be applied to the card bill. If there are no problems with the contents displayed on the payment details confirmation screen, the user taps (selects) button B5.

[0066] When the user taps (selects) the button B5, the mini app 30 sends an appropriation instruction to the credit card company server 300 (Step S28). The appropriation instruction includes the electronic money balance and the number of points to be applied to the card charge.

[0067] Next, the credit card payment processor 320 of the credit card company server 300 transmits the payment information to the payment server 100 based on the application instruction transmitted from the mini app 30 (step S29). The payment information includes the user's account ID, the affiliated store ID, the balance of electronic money to be used, the number of points to be used, etc. The affiliated store ID is stored in advance in the storage unit 370 as identification information for identifying the credit card company.

[0068] Next, the payment processing unit 130 of the payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the payment information received from the credit card company server 300 (step S30). Here, the balance of electronic money to be used included in the payment information is treated as the payment amount, and the number of points to be used included in the payment information is treated as payment points. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the payment amount is 2000 yen (balance of electronic money to be used), and the payment points are 1000 points (number of points to be used). Specifically, the payment processing unit 130 subtracts the payment amount (2000 yen) from the charge balance of the user linked to the account ID included in the payment information in the user information 172 (FIG. 5), and subtracts the payment points (1000 points) from the points of the user linked to the account ID included in the payment information. In addition, the payment processing unit 130 calculates the payment amount by adding up the payment amount and the amount equivalent to the payment points. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the payment amount is 2000+1000=3000 yen. Thereafter, the payment processing unit 130 adds the payment amount (3000 yen) to the sales amount (sales amount of the credit card company) linked to the affiliated store ID included in the payment information in the second table 176B (FIG. 6).

[0069] When the electronic payment is completed, the payment processing unit 130 transmits a payment completion notice to the credit card company server 300 (step S31). The payment completion notice may include the user's account ID and the payment amount.

[0070] The credit card payment processor 320 of the credit card company server 300 updates the credit card information 372 based on the payment completion notice (step S32). Specifically, the credit card payment processor 320 identifies the user based on the account ID included in the payment completion notice. The credit card payment processor 320 also subtracts the payment amount included in the payment completion notice from the card billing amount for the current month included in the billing history of the identified user in the credit card information 372.

[0071] When the update of the credit card information 372 is complete, the credit card payment processor 320 sends a payment completion notice to the mini app 30 (step S33). After that, based on the payment completion notice received from the credit card company server 300, the mini app 30 displays the procedure completion screen shown in Fig. 14 on the display unit 230 (step S34). This allows the user to know through the mini app 30 that the application process of electronic money and points has been completed normally.

[0072] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which both electronic money and points are appropriated to the billing amount of the card bill. On the other hand, if the check box C in FIG. 12 is not checked, the mini app 30 determines not to appropriate the points to the billing amount. In this case, in step S28, an appropriate instruction is sent to the credit card company server 300 to instruct the application of electronic money equivalent to the total amount entered in the amount input area A7 in FIG. 12 to the billing amount. This allows the application process to proceed even if the user does not wish to use the points.

[0073] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, the application procedure for electronic money and points is performed from the management screen of the mini app 30, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the application procedure for electronic money and points may be performed from the home screen that is displayed when the mini app 30 is started. This point will be described below.

[0074] Fig. 16 is an example of the home screen of the mini app 30. When the user selects (tap) the icon IC1 displayed on the home screen of Fig. 10, the credit card company's mini app 30 is launched, and the home screen of the mini app 30 shown in Fig. 16 is displayed on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200. On the home screen of the mini app 30, the user can check various information related to the credit card. The home screen of the mini app 30 also includes a button B7 and a message display area A8.

[0075] Button B7 is a button for proceeding to the management screen (FIG. 11). When the user taps (selects) button B7, the management screen of FIG. 11 is displayed on display unit 230. By proceeding to the management screen, the user can check information related to the credit card and perform various procedures.

[0076] The message display area A8 is an area for displaying a message to the user. In the example shown in Fig. 16, the message "You can reduce the billing amount by using your electronic money balance and points" is displayed in the message display area A8. This makes it possible to prompt the user to proceed with the application procedure of electronic money and points.

[0077] Furthermore, when the user selects (tap) the message display area A8, the payment amount input screen of the mini app 30 shown in FIG. 12 is displayed on the display unit 230. This allows the user to proceed with the electronic money and points appropriation procedure directly from the home screen (FIG. 16) without going through the management screen (FIG. 11). Note that the message display area A8 may be displayed on the home screen only during the provisional confirmation period of the card bill. The provisional confirmation period may be the period from when the billing amount of the card bill is provisionally confirmed to when it is finally confirmed.

[0078] Fig. 17 is another example of the home screen of the mini app 30. When the user scrolls down the home screen of the mini app 30 in Fig. 16 by swiping, the home screen of the mini app 30 shown in Fig. 17 is displayed on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200. As shown in Fig. 17, the home screen of the mini app 30 includes a payment service display area A9.

[0079] The payment service display area A9 is an area that displays the payment services for card charges. In the example shown in Fig. 17, "Flat Revolving", "Skip Revolving", and "Balance Credit" are displayed in the payment service display area A9.

[0080] Furthermore, when the user selects (tap) "Balance Credit" in the payment service display area A9, a payment amount input screen for the mini app 30 shown in Fig. 12 is displayed on the display unit 230. This allows the user to carry out the electronic money and points crediting procedure directly from the home screen (Fig. 17) without going through the management screen (Fig. 11).

[0081] Also, a banner may be displayed on the home screen of the mini app 30 to guide the user to the payment amount input screen of the mini app 30 shown in Fig. 12. Also, a link to the payment amount input screen of the mini app 30 shown in Fig. 12 may be displayed on the screen of the payment app 20. This allows the user to easily proceed with the application procedure of electronic money and points.

[0082] As described above, the mini app 30 of this embodiment causes the user terminal device 200, which can communicate with the credit card company server 300 managed by the credit card company via the network NW, to display the credit card bill on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200 (step S24), obtain the amount of electronic money that can be used for electronic payment to be applied to the bill (step S25), obtain the number of points given to the user in association with the purchase of a product by the user to be applied to the bill (step S26), and transmit an application instruction to the credit card company server to instruct the amount of electronic money and the number of points to be combined and applied to the bill (step S28). This allows the points issued to the user and the electronic money that can be used for electronic payment to be combined and applied to the credit card bill, improving convenience for the user.

[0083] The payment system of this embodiment includes a credit card company server 300 managed by a credit card company, a payment server 100 that performs electronic payment using electronic money, and a mini app 30 installed in a user terminal device 200 that can communicate with the credit card company server 300 and the payment server 100 via a network NW. The mini app 30 causes the user terminal device 200 to display the credit card bill on the display unit 230 of the user terminal device 200 (step S24), obtain the amount of electronic money that can be used for electronic payment to be applied to the billed amount (step S25), obtain the number of points given to the user in association with the purchase of a product by the user to be applied to the billed amount (step S26), and transmit an application instruction to the credit card company server instructing to combine the amount of electronic money and the number of points and apply them to the billed amount (step S28). The credit card company server 300 transmits payment information based on the amount of electronic money and the number of points included in the application instruction received from the user terminal device 200 to the payment server 100 (step S29). The payment server 100 subtracts the payment amount included in the payment information from the user's electronic money balance and adds the payment amount to the credit card company's sales (step S30). This allows the points issued to the user and the electronic money that can be used for electronic payment to be combined and used to pay the credit card bill, improving convenience for the user.

[0084] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 20. Payment App 30 Mini Apps 100 Payment Server 110 Communications Department 120 Payment Contents Provider 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 170 Storage section 200 User terminal device 210 Communications Department 220 Control section 230 Display section 240 Input section 270 Storage section 300 Credit card company server 310 Communications Department 320 Credit card payment processing unit 370 Storage section

Claims

1. A terminal device capable of communicating with a credit card company server managed by the credit card company via a network, Displaying the credit card bill on the display unit of the terminal device; acquiring the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user, which points are to be applied to the amount of the bill; Acquire a total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the input of the user; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; transmit, to the credit card company server, an application instruction for applying a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; Application program.

2. The terminal device further includes: determining whether or not to apply the points to the billing amount according to an input from the user; 2. The application program according to claim 1.

3. The terminal device further includes: when it is determined that the points should be applied to the billing amount, the application instruction for applying the points to the billing amount in priority to the electronic money is transmitted to the credit card company server; 2. The application program according to claim 1.

4. The terminal device further includes: when it is determined that the points should not be applied to the billing amount, an application instruction is sent to the credit card company server, the application instruction instructing that the electronic money equivalent to the total amount be applied to the billing amount; 3. The application program according to claim 2.

5. A terminal device capable of communicating with a credit card company server managed by a credit card company via a network, displaying a payment amount input screen on a display unit of the terminal device, the payment amount input screen including a credit card charge amount and an amount input area for inputting a total amount to be applied to the credit card charge amount; acquiring the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user, which points are to be applied to the amount of the bill; obtaining the total amount to be applied to the billing amount in response to the user's input in the amount input area; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; transmit, to the credit card company server, an application instruction for applying a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; Application program.

6. An application program which is a mini-application for providing credit card-related services and can be activated by operating a payment application for providing electronic payment services, A terminal device capable of communicating with a credit card company server managed by the credit card company via a network, displaying the credit card bill on the display unit of the terminal device; acquiring the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user, which points are to be applied to the amount of the bill; Acquire a total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the input of the user; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; transmit, to the credit card company server, an application instruction for applying a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; Application program.

7. a credit card company server managed by a credit card company; A payment server for performing electronic payment using electronic money; an application program installed in a terminal device capable of communicating with the credit card company server and the payment server via a network; A payment system comprising: The application program is installed in the terminal device. Displaying the credit card bill on the display unit of the terminal device; acquiring the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user, which points are to be applied to the amount of the bill; Acquire a total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the input of the user; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; transmits to the credit card company server an application instruction for applying a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; The credit card company server Transmitting payment information based on the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points included in the application instruction received from the terminal device to the payment server; The payment server, subtracting a payment amount based on the payment information from the balance of the electronic money of the user, and adding the payment amount to the sales amount of the credit card company; Payment system.

8. A credit card company server managed by a credit card company; A payment server for performing electronic payment using electronic money; an application program installed in a terminal device capable of communicating with the credit card company server and the payment server via a network; A payment system comprising: The application program is installed in the terminal device. displaying a payment amount input screen on a display unit of the terminal device, the payment amount input screen including a credit card charge amount and an amount input area for inputting a total amount to be applied to the credit card charge amount; acquiring the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user, which points are to be applied to the amount of the bill; obtaining the total amount to be applied to the billing amount in response to the user's input in the amount input area; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; transmits to the credit card company server an application instruction for applying a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; The credit card company server Transmitting payment information based on the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points included in the application instruction received from the terminal device to the payment server; The payment server, subtracting a payment amount based on the payment information from the balance of the electronic money of the user, and adding the payment amount to the sales amount of the credit card company; Payment system.

9. A credit card company server managed by a credit card company; A payment server for performing electronic payment using electronic money; an application program installed in a terminal device capable of communicating with the credit card company server and the payment server via a network; A payment system comprising: the application program is a mini-application that can be launched by operating a payment application for providing an electronic payment service and that provides a credit card-related service, The application program is installed in the terminal device. displaying the credit card bill on the display unit of the terminal device; acquiring the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user, which points are to be applied to the amount of the bill; Acquire a total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the input of the user; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; transmits to the credit card company server an application instruction for applying a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; The credit card company server Transmitting payment information based on the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points included in the application instruction received from the terminal device to the payment server; The payment server, subtracting a payment amount based on the payment information from the balance of the electronic money of the user, and adding the payment amount to the sales amount of the credit card company; Payment system.

10. A terminal device capable of communicating with a credit card company server managed by a credit card company via a network, Displaying the credit card bill on the display unit of the terminal device; Obtaining the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user to be applied to the billing amount; Obtaining a total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the input of the user; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; sending an application instruction to the credit card company server to instruct the credit card company to apply a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; A method for controlling a terminal device.

11. A terminal device capable of communicating with a credit card company server managed by a credit card company via a network, displaying a payment amount input screen on a display unit of the terminal device, the payment amount input screen including a credit card charge amount and an amount input area for inputting a total amount to be applied to the credit card charge amount; Obtaining the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user to be applied to the billing amount; obtaining the total amount to be applied to the billing amount in response to the user's input in the amount input area; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; sending an application instruction to the credit card company server to instruct the credit card company to apply a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; A method for controlling a terminal device.

12. A terminal device which can be activated by operating a payment app for providing electronic payment services, has an application program installed which is a mini-application for providing services related to credit cards, and is capable of communicating via a network with a credit card company server managed by the credit card company, displaying the credit card bill on a display unit of the terminal device; Obtaining the number of points granted to the user in connection with the purchase of a product by the user to be applied to the billing amount; Obtaining a total amount to be applied to the billing amount according to the input of the user; Calculating the amount of electronic money to be applied to the billing amount by subtracting the amount corresponding to the number of points from the total amount; sending an application instruction to the credit card company server to instruct the credit card company to apply a combination of the amount of the electronic money and the number of the points to the billing amount; A method for controlling a terminal device.

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