Information processing method and information processing device

Abstract

To provide information that is useful even on a trip to a user who reserved the trip.SOLUTION: An information processing method comprises the steps executed by a computer of: storing itinerary information that is user's itinerary information which includes information of a user's place of stay or information of a route to a destination by associating with a user ID assigned to a user, in a storage unit; identifying available privilege information indicating available privilege in settlement for a shop, a commodity or a service that is associated with the route to a place of stay or a destination indicated by the itinerary information; associating the identified available privilege information with the user ID; and transmitting the available privilege information to a terminal of the user, before a settlement request for the shop, the commodity or the service is performed by the user, after the available privilege information is associated with the user ID.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method and an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a travel reservation system that creates a travel plan based on desired conditions input by a user via a user terminal and presents the plan to the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-44173 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional travel reservation systems were able to establish contact with users when they made their travel reservations, but had the problem of not being able to provide users with a wide range of useful information related to their travel.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to provide an information processing method and an information processing device that can provide a wide range of useful information related to a trip to a user who has made a travel reservation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The aspects of the present invention for solving the above problems are as follows.

[0007] The information processing method of the present invention is executed by a computer and includes the steps of: storing itinerary information, which is information on the user's itinerary including information on the user's places of stay or information on the route to the destination, in a memory unit in association with a user ID assigned to a user; identifying available benefit information indicating benefits that can be used in payment for stores, products, or services associated with the places of stay or the route to the destination indicated by the itinerary information; associating the identified available benefit information with the user ID; and, after associating the available benefit information with the user ID, transmitting the available benefit information to the user's terminal before the user makes a payment request for the store, product, or service.

[0008] The step of storing the user's itinerary information in a memory unit includes storing date and time information of the user's itinerary in the memory unit as the itinerary information, and the step of transmitting the available benefit information to the user's terminal may transmit the available benefit information to the user's terminal based on the date and time information of the itinerary stored in the memory unit.

[0009] The step of transmitting the available benefit information to the user's terminal may include transmitting the available benefit information to the user's terminal prior to the expiration date and time based on information on the expiration date and time during which the benefit can be used for a particular benefit and date and time information of the itinerary.

[0010] The information processing method of the present invention may further include a step executed by a computer of receiving a reservation for a stay at a specified destination or a reservation for use of a means of transportation to a destination, transmitted from the user's terminal, in association with a reservation user ID or a payment user ID.

[0011] The information processing method of the present invention may further include a step executed by a computer of receiving a payment request sent from the user's terminal to settle the amount the user pays for a product or service purchased by the user, in association with a payment user ID.

[0012] The information processing method of the present invention may further include a step executed by a computer of granting to a user a benefit related to a store, product or service indicated by the payment information of the payment, on condition that the user makes the payment using a payment user ID for a store, product or service associated with the place of stay or the route to the destination within a predetermined period including the date and time of the user's itinerary indicated by the itinerary information.

[0013] The step of granting the benefit to the user may include receiving payment information made by a payment method using the payment user ID, and granting the benefit to the user if the payment user ID included in the received payment information matches the payment user ID stored in the memory unit in association with the available benefit information, and if the store, product or service included in the payment information is a store, product or service associated with the place of stay or a route to the destination.

[0014] The store may be located within a predetermined area including the place of stay, and may be stored in advance in the storage unit as a store related to the place of stay.

[0015] The information processing method of the present invention may further include a step executed by a computer of acquiring information on the user's payment usage history using a payment user ID, and a step of determining the content of the benefit to be granted to the user based on the usage history.

[0016] The information processing method of the present invention may further include a step executed by a computer of determining the content of the benefit based on the amount of payment made by the user using the payment user ID.

[0017] The storage unit may store a plurality of the destinations in association with a plurality of the stores, products or services.

[0018] The information processing method of the present invention may further include a first payment processing step executed by a computer, and the first payment processing step may include a step of storing a payment token indicating a payment code for making a payment for the purchase of a product or service at a specified store in a payment information memory unit in association with information identifying the store; a step of receiving, at the store, from a terminal of a user who read the payment code, the payment token corresponding to the payment code, a payment user ID, and payment request information corresponding to the user's payment; a step of executing a payment based on the payment request information if the received payment token matches the payment token stored in the payment information memory unit; and a step of granting the user the benefit if the store, product, or service included in the payment request information or the executed payment history information is a store, product, or service associated with the place of stay or a route to the destination, for which a benefit indicated by available benefit information stored in the memory unit in association with the received payment user ID is available.

[0019] The information processing method of the present invention further includes a second payment processing step executed by a computer, the second payment processing step including a step of receiving, from a user's terminal, a payment user ID and a request for issuing a payment code for the user to make a payment, a step of generating a payment token for generating the payment code upon receiving the request for issuing the payment code, a step of associating the payment user ID with the payment token and storing them in a payment information storage unit, a step of transmitting the payment token to the user's terminal, and a step of transmitting the payment token and a payment code for the user at the store from a store terminal that has read the payment code displayed by the user's terminal based on the payment token. The method may include the steps of receiving corresponding payment request information, executing a payment based on the payment request information if the received payment token matches the payment token stored in the payment information storage unit, identifying the payment user ID stored in the payment information storage unit in association with the received payment token, and granting the benefit to the user if the store, product or service included in the payment request information or the executed payment performance information is a store, product or service associated with the place of stay or a route to the destination, for which a benefit indicated by available benefit information stored in the storage unit in association with the identified payment user ID is available.

[0020] The information processing device of the present invention has an itinerary information processing unit that associates itinerary information, which is information on the user's itinerary including information on the user's places of stay or route to the destination, with a user ID assigned to the user, a bonus information processing unit that identifies available bonus information indicating information on bonuses that can be used in payment for stores, products, or services associated with the places of stay or the route to the destination indicated by the itinerary information, and associates the identified available bonus information with the user ID, and a bonus information sending unit that transmits the available bonus information to the user's terminal after associating the available bonus information with the user ID and before the user makes a payment request for the store, product, or service. Effect of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a wide range of useful information related to a trip to a user who has made a trip reservation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of an information processing system. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which a user terminal displays itinerary information. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an information processing device; [Diagram 5] This is a table that associates available benefit information with the user's itinerary information and payment user ID. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an operation of the information processing system. [Figure 7] 13 is a schematic diagram showing the procedure for code payment, which is the second payment processing step, and the procedure for storing available benefit information, which is information on benefits available to a user. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] <First embodiment> [Overview of the information processing system S100] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of an information processing system S100. The information processing system S100 includes an information processing device 1, a user terminal 2, and a shop terminal 3.

[0024] The information processing device 1 is a server having a function as a travel reservation server that accepts travel reservations made by users and a function as a payment server. The user terminal 2 is, for example, a terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet. The store terminal 3 is a POS terminal installed in the store S.

[0025] In the following description, "code payment" refers to a payment method in which a user terminal 2 or a store terminal 3 reads a payment code, such as a two-dimensional code like a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode, and transmits the information of the read code together with store identification information, payment amount, and other information to a payment server, which then executes the payment, thereby enabling the user to make a payment at the store without using cash or a cash card, etc. In the present invention, "payment using a payment user ID" is not limited to code payment, and may be, for example, a method in which payment is made using a payment user ID using application software for credit card payment installed on a user terminal, but the following description will use code payment as an example.

[0026] An overall operation of the information processing system S100 will be briefly described before a detailed description of the information processing device 1, the user terminal 2, and the store terminal 3. Application software for travel reservations and application software for code payment are installed in the user terminal 2 in advance.

[0027] First, the user logs in to the travel reservation application software of the user terminal 2 with the payment user ID used in the payment application software, and makes a reservation for the trip. The user terminal 2 transmits reservation information for reserving the trip to the information processing device 1 in association with the payment user ID (see (1) in FIG. 1).

[0028] The information processing device 1 generates itinerary information in response to accepting a user's travel reservation based on information received from the user terminal 2, stores the generated itinerary information in association with the payment user ID (see (2) in FIG. 1), and transmits the itinerary information to the user terminal 2 (see (3) in FIG. 1). The information processing device 1 stores available benefit information, which is information on benefits that can be used when the user pays for stores, products, etc. associated with the reserved destinations and travel route using the payment user ID by code payment, etc., in association with the payment user ID (see (4) in FIG. 1).

[0029] At this stage, the information processing device 1 stores the available benefit information, which is information on benefits that the user can use in connection with the trip, and the itinerary information in association with the payment user ID. Therefore, the information processing device 1 can read out the stored available benefit information as appropriate, for example, based on a request from the user terminal 2, the position of the user terminal 2, or the operation of the user terminal, and transmit and present the available benefit information to the user (see (5) in FIG. 1).

[0030] When a user makes a purchase at store S, for example, code payment can be performed at the user terminal 2. Various methods can be used for code payment, but in the following first embodiment, as a first payment process, an MPM (Merchant-Presented Mode) method in which the user terminal 2 reads the store's code and transmits a payment request to the information processing device 1 will be exemplified. In the second embodiment, a CPM (Consumer-Presented Mode) method in which a payment code presented by a user is read by a terminal on the store side and payment processing is performed will be described as a second payment process.

[0031] When the user terminal 2 transmits a payment request in association with the payment user ID (see (6) in FIG. 1), the payment is executed in the information processing device 1, and the information processing device 1 transmits a payment completion notification to the user terminal 2 (see (7) in FIG. 1). When a payment is made using the payment user ID, the information processing device 1 identifies a benefit related to the payment from among the benefits indicated in the available benefit information, and grants the benefit to the user.

[0032] By operating the information processing system S100 in this manner, the information processing device 1 can have contact with the user not only when the user books a trip, but also after the trip, before the user travels, and during the trip, and can present the user with available benefit information. As a result, the user is motivated to purchase products or services by using benefits based on the available benefit information in the preparation stage for the trip or during the trip, which leads to increased sales of products or services sold by businesses using the information processing device 1.

[0033] [User terminal 2] 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 is a terminal communicatively connected to the information processing device 1 via a network (not shown) such as the Internet. The user terminal 2 includes an operation unit 21, a communication unit 22, a display unit 23, an imaging unit 24, a storage unit 25, and a control unit 26.

[0034] The operation unit 21 is an operation device that accepts user operations, and is, for example, a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 23. The communication unit 22 is, for example, a wireless communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from a base station of a mobile phone network. The display unit 23 is a display that displays various information. The imaging unit 24 is an imaging device for reading codes such as QR codes (registered trademark) in the store S.

[0035] The storage unit 25 stores a program executed by the control unit 26. In this embodiment, the storage unit 25 stores a travel reservation application software program for a user to make a travel reservation using the user terminal 2. The storage unit 25 also stores a code payment application software program for a user to make a code payment using the user terminal 2. To log in to the travel reservation application software and the payment application software, a payment user ID unique to the user, which is assigned to the user in advance by a business operator that operates a business related to the information processing device 1, is used. An example of logging in to the travel reservation application software using a reservation user ID associated with the payment user ID, rather than the payment user ID, will be described later.

[0036] The control unit 26 is, for example, a CPU, and by executing application software for code payment and application software for travel reservations stored in the memory unit 25, the control unit 26 performs the functions necessary for travel reservations and the functions necessary for processing code payments.

[0037] The application software for code payment may be any known software. The procedure for a user to make code payment at a store S will be briefly described below. First, the user logs into the application software for code payment with a payment user ID. When the user purchases a product at the store S, the user reads the QR code (registered trademark) of the store S with the user terminal 2 and inputs the payment amount of the product into the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 transmits a payment request including the payment amount information, the payment date and time, and the store information included in the read code to the information processing device 1 in association with the payment user ID. The information processing device 1 executes the payment based on the payment request and the payment user ID received from the user terminal 2. This allows the user to make a payment at the store S without using cash or a credit card.

[0038] The application software for travel reservations installed in the user terminal 2 has a function of accepting travel reservations from users. The application software displays on the display unit 23 an input form for inputting information for reserving a stay at a specific hotel or the like registered in advance in a corresponding application server or the like as a reservation-available target, and information for reserving a means of transportation to the stay, such as a train. In addition to the function for reserving a trip, the application software for travel reservations installed in the user terminal 2 may have a function for displaying the user's itinerary information as an itinerary, for example, as shown in FIG. 3. The application software may also have a function for the user to purchase travel-related products, such as a guidebook for a travel destination, on an EC (Electronic Commerce) site, and a function for the user to view the guidebook or the like.

[0039] Below, we will briefly explain the procedure when a user makes a reservation for a trip using the user terminal 2. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the user terminal displays itinerary information. Below, we will explain how a user makes a reservation for a trip with an itinerary such as that shown in the itinerary information in Fig. 3.

[0040] In the itinerary in Fig. 3, for example, "Shinagawa Station", "Kyoto Station" and "Shin-Osaka Station" are specified as the departure station, intermediate station and arrival station, respectively, and "Shinkansen" is reserved as the means of transportation. The itinerary information includes information on the payment user ID used by the user to reserve the trip, information on the "Osaka xyz Hotel" where the user will be staying, information on the date and time when the Shinkansen departs from Shinagawa Station, information on the date and time when the Shinkansen arrives at Kyoto Station, and information on the date and time when the Shinkansen arrives at Shin-Osaka Station.

[0041] When a user uses application software for travel reservations to reserve a trip, the user inputs information required for reservation, such as the desired place of stay and transportation, into an input form provided by the application software for travel reservations. The user terminal 2 transmits the reservation information input by the user to the information processing device 1 in association with the user ID for payment.

[0042] The information processing device 1 reserves the place of stay and the means of transportation by a conventionally known method based on the reservation information received from the user terminal 2, and transmits a reservation availability notification to the user terminal 2. In this manner, in the information processing system S100, the user inputs the desired conditions of the trip to the user terminal 2, and the information processing device 1 reserves the place of stay and the means of transportation, thereby reserving the user's trip.

[0043] In this embodiment, as described above, the payment user ID is used to log in to the payment application software and the travel reservation application software, making it possible to provide the user with information on benefits associated with the payment user ID and itinerary information.

[0044] [Information processing device 1] 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0045] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from the user terminal 2 and the store terminal 3 via a network such as the Internet. The storage unit 12 is a storage medium for storing various data, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, etc. The storage unit 12 stores an information processing program executed by the control unit 13.

[0046] The memory unit 12 stores a number of stores, products, or services for which a user can use benefits, in association with a place of stay, such as a hotel or inn, or a route to the place of stay. The target stores are, for example, stores located within a predetermined area including the place of stay. The memory unit 12 also stores information on benefits that can be used when the user makes a payment using the payment user ID at each of the stored stores, and information on benefits that can be used for the stored products and services. The memory unit 12 also stores information on the application conditions, content of the benefit, number of times the benefit can be used, and expiration date and time of each benefit.

[0047] The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 executes an information processing program stored in the storage unit 12, thereby functioning as a reservation information receiving unit 131, an itinerary information processing unit 132, a privilege information processing unit 133, a privilege information transmitting unit 134, a payment processing unit 135, and a privilege applying unit 136.

[0048] The reservation information receiving unit 131 is a reservation receiving unit that receives a reservation for a stay at a place of stay or a reservation for use of transportation to the stay in association with the user's payment user ID from the user terminal 2. Specifically, the reservation information receiving unit 131 receives reservation information for reserving a place of stay and transportation, and reserves the place of stay and transportation if the place of stay and transportation can be reserved.

[0049] The reservation information receiving unit 131 may receive a notification indicating that the user has paid the fee for the reservation for the stay or the reservation for the use of the transportation means, and may accept the payment for the reservation for the stay or the reservation for the use of the transportation means. In other words, the reservation information receiving unit 131 may accept the payment for the reservation for the use of the transportation means, for example, by receiving a notification indicating that the user has paid the fee for the reservation for the "Shinkansen" which is the transportation means to the stay destination.

[0050] Receiving a notice indicating that the consideration has been paid is not limited to a specific notice content or notice path, but may be, for example, receiving a payment completion notice sent from a payment server of a credit card company, indicating that the payment by the user's credit card has been completed. Also, receiving a notice indicating that the consideration has been paid may be receiving a payment completion notice indicating that the payment has been completed by bank transfer or a predetermined electronic money payment. The "electronic money payment" may be, for example, a payment method in which a certain amount is charged in advance to an IC card or application software for payment, and payment can be made according to the charged amount. The IC card or application software for payment may be linked to the user's credit card information. Accepting the payment of the consideration may be, for example, the information processing device 1 receiving a predetermined payment request from the user terminal 2 and performing a payment process for the consideration for a Shinkansen reservation.

[0051] The itinerary information processing unit 132 generates itinerary information for the user based on the details of the stay reservation or transportation reservation accepted by the reservation information accepting unit 131. The itinerary information includes information on the payment user ID used by the user to book the trip, information on the date and time of stay, information on the place of stay, information on the means of transportation to the place of stay, etc.

[0052] The itinerary information processing unit 132 transmits the generated itinerary information to the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 displays the itinerary information received from the itinerary information processing unit 132 on the display unit 23. With this configuration, the user can check the contents of the trip that he or she has booked on the user terminal 2. The itinerary information processing unit 132 also stores the generated user's itinerary information in the storage unit 12 in association with the user's payment user ID or reservation user ID.

[0053] The user may reserve a trip using a reservation user ID that is different from the payment user ID, instead of the payment user ID. In this case, the reservation user ID is transmitted from the user terminal 2 along with reservation information for reserving the trip. In this way, even if the first user ID (payment user ID) used by the user for code payment is different from the second user ID (reservation user ID) used for reserving the trip, if the first user ID and the second user ID (here, the payment user ID and the reservation user ID) are associated with each other, it is possible to present the user with a wide range of useful information related to the trip. That is, by storing the user's itinerary information, available privilege information, payment user ID, and reservation user ID in association with each other, the storage unit 12 can allow the privilege information transmission unit 134 to read the available privilege information from the storage unit 12 and present various privileges to the user, as described below.

[0054] The payment user ID and the reservation user ID do not necessarily have to be assigned to the user by the same business operator. There is also no particular limitation on the timing at which the payment user ID and the reservation user ID are associated. For example, the reservation information acceptance unit 131 may associate the payment user ID and the reservation user ID upon receiving the reservation user ID, the payment user ID, and a request to associate these user IDs from the user terminal 2. The reservation information acceptance unit 131 may also receive from the user terminal 2 a request to associate the reservation user ID with a payment user ID already stored in the storage unit 12, and associate the payment user ID with the reservation user ID.

[0055] The privilege information processing unit 133 identifies privileges that can be used by the user when making a payment using the payment user ID for a store, product, or service associated with the stay or the route to the stay that the user has booked. The privilege information processing unit 133 may refer to information on the store, product, or service that is stored in advance in the storage unit 12 in association with the stay or the route to the stay, and identify privileges that can be used by the user during the trip. For example, in the case of the itinerary of FIG. 3, the privilege information processing unit 133 identifies privileges that can be used by the user when making a payment using the payment user ID "abc1234" at the user terminal 2 for a store, product, or service associated with at least one of "Shinagawa Station", "Kyoto Station", "Shin-Osaka Station", "Bullet train", and "Osaka xyz Hotel".

[0056] The benefit information processing unit 133 identifies, as specific examples of benefits available for stores, products, or services associated with the destination or the route to the destination, benefits available at coffee shops in Shinagawa Station, benefits available at souvenir shops in Shin-Osaka Station, benefits available for in-car sales on the Shinkansen, and benefits available at stores in the hotel where the user is staying or stores around the hotel. As can be understood from this example, the "stores, products, or services associated with the route to the destination" include not only the route, but also stores, products, or services associated with the means of transportation to the destination. The "means of transportation to the destination" refers to a means of transportation such as a train or bus used to travel from a specified departure point to the destination, and the destination of the means of transportation does not necessarily have to be literally "to the destination", but may be, for example, an arrival station around the destination.

[0057] The benefit may be, for example, a benefit that can be used when a user purchases a product or service that is sold on an EC (Electronic commerce) site and that is eligible for the benefit, using a payment method that uses a payment ID. The product or service that is sold on an EC site and that is eligible for the benefit may be, for example, a guidebook for the area around the place of stay. Note that the payment using the payment user ID in this case is not a code payment method, but a method in which payment is made based on the user's payment user ID, information on the amount payable for payment related to the payment user ID, the payment amount, store information, etc.

[0058] At this time, the bonus information processing unit 133 receives information (product identification information) for identifying the product to be purchased by the user from the server that provides the EC site or the server that executes the payment for products, etc. on the EC site, and identifies the bonuses available for the product identified by the product identification information.

[0059] The privilege information processing unit 133 stores in the storage unit 12 available privilege information, which is information on privileges that the user identified as described above can use before or during the trip, in association with the payment user ID.

[0060] FIG. 5 is a table that associates available benefit information with a user's itinerary information and a user ID for payment. The "available benefit information" includes information on benefits available at coffee shops in Shinagawa Station, benefits available at souvenir shops in Shin-Osaka Station, and benefits available for in-car sales on the Shinkansen. "Itinerary-related items" are information included in the itinerary information that is related to the date and time of benefit use. For example, in the case of a benefit available at a coffee shop in Shinagawa Station, information on "9:00", the time the Shinkansen departs from Shinagawa Station, is shown as an itinerary-related item. "Expiration date and time" is information indicating the expiration date set for the benefit. For example, the expiration date and time of the benefit at the souvenir shop in Shin-Osaka Station is set to 17:00 on October 1, 2021, a certain period of time after the scheduled arrival date and time at Shin-Osaka Station.

[0061] The privilege information sending unit 134 reads available privilege information, which is information on privileges available to the user, from the storage unit 12, and sends the available privilege information to the user terminal 2 of the user corresponding to the payment user ID. The timing at which the privilege information sending unit 134 sends the available privilege information is, for example, before the date and time at which the user is expected to make payment using the payment user ID based on the itinerary information.

[0062] For example, if the user has already departed from Shinagawa Station and is near Shin-Osaka Station, and it is expected that the user will not make a payment at a coffee shop in Shinagawa Station during the travel period indicated by the itinerary information, the benefit information transmitting unit 134 does not need to transmit available benefit information to the user terminal 2. In such a case, the benefit information transmitting unit 134 may transmit only available benefit information related to Shin-Osaka Station and the hotel where the user is staying to the user terminal 2, based on the current time information, the user's itinerary information, etc.

[0063] For example, if the scheduled time (e.g., the departure time in the case of departing from a specific station) for a scheduled activity associated with a specific scheduled activity included in the itinerary information (e.g., an activity scheduled in an itinerary such as departing from a specific station, arriving at a specific station, arriving at a destination, or departing from a destination) has already passed, the privilege information transmitting unit 134 does not transmit available privilege information related to the specific scheduled activity. The privilege information transmitting unit 134 may present available privilege information to the user before the scheduled time associated with the scheduled activity among the scheduled activities included in the itinerary information has passed.

[0064] However, if the user returns from a trip along the same route as the outbound trip, there is a possibility that the user will use the special offer at the coffee shop in Shinagawa Station on the return trip. In such a case (i.e., if route information for the return trip is stored in storage unit 12 as an itinerary), special offer information transmitting unit 134 may transmit available special offer information to user terminal 2 at a time before arrival at Shinagawa Station, which is the timing when the user can use the special offer at the coffee shop in Shinagawa Station on the return trip, based on the itinerary information for the user's return trip and current date and time information, etc.

[0065] The bonus information transmitting unit 134 may determine the timing of transmitting the available bonus information based on the location of the user terminal 2 acquired via the communication unit 11. As an example, the bonus information transmitting unit 134 may transmit the available bonus information at the time when the location of the user terminal 2 is included in an area in which a specific bonus indicated by the available bonus information can be used, or at a certain time a specific time before the location of the user terminal 2 is included in the area. By operating in this manner, the bonus information transmitting unit 134 can present the available bonus information to the user in the area in which the user is staying, and motivate the user to use it.

[0066] The privilege information transmitting unit 134 may transmit the available privilege information to the user terminal 2 when the position of the user terminal 2 indicated by positioning information of a Global Positioning System (GPS) or the position of the user terminal 2 indicated by positioning information based on the positional relationship between the user terminal 2 and a base station enters an area in which a specific privilege can be used. Furthermore, the privilege information transmitting unit 134 may predict the time when the user will enter the area in which a specific privilege can be used, based on, for example, the user's itinerary information, and transmit the available privilege information a specific time before the predicted time.

[0067] Some benefits have a usage deadline. Therefore, the benefit information transmission unit 134 may transmit the available benefit information to the user terminal 2 before the usage deadline based on the information of the usage deadline date and time when the benefit can be used. Specifically, the benefit information transmission unit 134 may transmit the available benefit information to the user terminal 2 after the trip has started and before the usage deadline based on the date and time information of the itinerary and the information of the usage deadline date and time indicated by the benefit. For example, in the case of a benefit from a souvenir shop at Shin-Osaka Station whose usage deadline date and time is set to 17:00 on October 1, 2021, it is preferable that the benefit information transmission unit 134 transmits the available benefit information before the usage deadline date and time, preferably at least a few hours before the usage deadline date and time.

[0068] The payment processing unit 135 receives a payment request for payment of the purchase price of a product or service purchased by the user, which is transmitted from the user terminal 2, in association with the user's payment user ID. The payment processing unit 135 executes payment based on the payment information included in the payment request received from the user terminal 2 and the payment user ID received from the user terminal 2.

[0069] The privilege application unit 136 grants a privilege to the user when the payment processing unit 135 receives payment information made by a payment method using a payment user ID and the following conditions are satisfied: Specifically, when the payment user ID included in the payment information sent from the user terminal 2 matches the payment user ID stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the available privilege information and the store, product, or service included in the payment information is a store, product, or service associated with the reserved destination or the route to the destination, the privilege application unit 136 identifies a privilege associated with the store, product, or service related to the payment from among the privileges indicated by the available privilege information stored in the storage unit 12, and grants the identified privilege to the user.

[0070] As a specific example, suppose that at the stage of reserving a trip, benefits available at a coffee shop in Shinagawa Station are stored as benefits available to the user in storage unit 12. After that, when the user actually purchases a product at the coffee shop and makes the payment using the payment user ID, benefit application unit 136 identifies a benefit available when purchasing a product at the coffee shop (e.g., a discount on the purchase amount, a free purchase coupon for the next or subsequent product, etc.) based on the payment information at the time of the payment using the payment user ID and the information stored in storage unit 12, and applies the benefit.

[0071] Although not limited thereto, when a benefit is applied, the benefit information transmission unit 134 may transmit the content of the benefit to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 11. This allows the user to check the content of the applied benefit on the user terminal 2. Regarding whether or not to apply a benefit, for example, when the user makes a payment, the user may select a specific benefit from among available benefit candidates displayed on the user terminal 2, and the selected benefit may be applied to the payment.

[0072] When a benefit corresponding to the available benefit information is applied at the time of payment, the benefit application unit 136 may delete the available benefit information from the storage unit 12. Alternatively, the benefit application unit 136 may store information indicating that the benefit has been applied in the storage unit 12. By operating the benefit application unit 136 in this manner, it is possible to prevent one available benefit information from being used repeatedly.

[0073] The benefit application unit 136 may also identify available benefit information that corresponds to the payment and is available to the user, on the condition that the user makes a payment using the payment user ID for a store, product, or service associated with the destination within a specified period including the date and time of the itinerary (for example, in the case of the itinerary of Figure 3, the date and time of the itinerary is October 1st, so the ``specified period'' may be, as an example, three days from October 1st), and grant the identified benefit to the user.

[0074] [Operation sequence] The operation sequence of the information processing system S100 will be described below. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the operation sequence of the information processing system S100. In the operation sequence of Fig. 6, payment by the MPM method is performed as the first payment processing step.

[0075] First, in step S1, the user launches the travel reservation application software on the user terminal 2 and logs into the software with a payment user ID. To make a travel reservation, the user inputs information for reserving the hotel at the destination and information for reserving transportation to the destination into the input form of the travel reservation application software. For example, the user inputs "Shinagawa Station" as the departure station, "Shin-Osaka Station" as the arrival station into the input form, and selects "Bullet train" as the transportation method and the departure time, etc. The user also selects "Osaka xyz Hotel" as the destination, and inputs the dates of stay, etc.

[0076] The user operates the user terminal 2 to transmit the reservation information entered into the input form of the travel reservation application software to the information processing device 1. As a result, the reservation information for reserving a place to stay and a means of transportation is transmitted from the user terminal 2 to the information processing device 1 in association with the user's payment user ID.

[0077] Next, in step S2, the reservation information receiving unit 131 of the information processing device 1 receives reservation information for reserving a place to stay and a means of transportation transmitted in association with the payment user ID from the user terminal 2. The reservation information receiving unit 131 inquires of, for example, an external server that manages reservations of places to stay and means of transportation whether the target place to stay and means of transportation can be reserved based on the received reservation information, and reserves the place to stay and means of transportation if they can be reserved.

[0078] The itinerary information processing unit 132 generates itinerary information for the user based on the information on the places of stay and the means of transportation accepted by the reservation information accepting unit 131, and stores the itinerary information in the storage unit 12 in association with the payment user ID. The itinerary information processing unit 132 also transmits the generated itinerary information to the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 displays the itinerary information received from the itinerary information processing unit 132 on, for example, the display unit 23.

[0079] Next, in step S3, the privilege information processing unit 133 identifies privileges that the user can use when making a payment using the payment user ID for stores, products, etc. associated with the destination of stay or the route to the destination of stay indicated by the itinerary information generated by the itinerary information processing unit 132. As an example, the privilege information processing unit 133 identifies available privileges that are stores, products, or services associated with "Shinagawa Station," "Kyoto Station," "Shin-Osaka Station," "Bullet train," and "Osaka xyz Hotel" and that can be used when making a payment using the payment user ID. For example, the privilege information processing unit 133 identifies privileges that can be used at coffee shops in Shinagawa Station, privileges that can be used at souvenir shops in Shin-Osaka Station, privileges that can be used for in-car sales on the Shinkansen, and privileges that can be used at stores in the hotel where the user is staying or stores around the hotel as privileges that the user can use.

[0080] The privilege information processing unit 133 generates available privilege information, which is information on the privileges identified in this manner, and stores the information in the storage unit 12 in association with the user's payment user ID. Through the steps up to this point, the storage unit 12 stores the user's itinerary information and available privilege information in association with the payment user ID used by the user when making payments during the trip.

[0081] Next, in step S4, the bonus information sending unit 134 reads out the available bonus information stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the payment user ID, and sends the available bonus information to the user terminal 2 of the user at a predetermined timing. The timing for sending the available bonus information may be, for example, the following timing. The bonus information sending unit 134 sends the available bonus information, for example, before the user makes a payment for the target store, product, or service. Other examples of the timing for sending the available bonus information have already been explained, so duplicate explanations will be omitted here.

[0082] The user terminal 2 that receives the available privilege information transmitted from the privilege information transmitting unit 134 may display on the display unit 23 at the time when the available privilege information is received, or at the time when a specified input is made by the user after the user terminal 2 receives the available privilege information, at least one of the contents of the available privileges and the fact that the available privilege information has been received.

[0083] Next, in step S5, the user purchases a product at store S. Store S is a store where the user can make a payment using a payment method using a payment user ID that is associated in advance with a place of stay or a route to the place of stay that the user has booked and stored in memory unit 12. A clerk at store S reads a barcode attached to the product that the user purchases, and has store terminal 3 calculate the payment amount for the product. The clerk performs an operation on store terminal 3 to display the payment amount on store terminal 3.

[0084] Next, in step S6, the user starts the code payment application software and reads a payment code such as a QR code (registered trademark) displayed at the store S to obtain store information for the store S. The user also inputs the payment amount indicated by the store terminal 3 on a predetermined input screen of the code payment application software. The user operates the user terminal 2 to transmit from the user terminal 2 to the information processing device 1 a payment token corresponding to the payment code, the user's payment user ID, and payment request information including information on the payment amount to be paid, for payment request processing. The information transmitted to the information processing device 1 includes store information identifying the store S, as well as information on the date and time of payment.

[0085] Next, in step S7, the payment processing unit 135 of the information processing device 1 receives a payment request or the like transmitted from the user terminal 2 in association with the payment user ID and executes the payment. The payment processing unit 135 stores a payment token indicating a payment code for making a payment for purchasing a product or service at the store S in advance in association with information identifying the store S in the storage unit 12, which is a payment information storage unit. The payment processing unit 135 receives the payment token corresponding to the payment code, the user's payment user ID, and payment request information corresponding to the payment from the user terminal 2 that reads the payment code in the store S. Then, when the received payment token matches the payment token stored in the storage unit 12, the payment processing unit 135 executes the payment based on the information of the payment request. When the payment is executed, the payment processing unit 135 transmits a payment completion notification to the user terminal 2.

[0086] Next, in step S8, when the user makes a payment using the payment user ID, if the payment user ID (e.g., "abc1234") included in the payment information for the payment matches the payment user ID (e.g., "abc1234") stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the available benefit information, and if the store indicated by the information identifying the payment target store and the product or service indicated by the information identifying the product or service to be paid, included in the payment request information, are the store, product, or service associated with the user's itinerary information, the benefit application unit 136 identifies the target benefit and grants the benefit to the user. In other words, when a payment is made using the payment user ID, a benefit corresponding to the payment from among the benefits stored in the memory unit 12 is granted (applied).

[0087] Information about the granted benefit may be transmitted from the benefit information transmission unit 134 to the user terminal 2, thereby allowing the user to check the details of the applied benefit. As described above, a benefit may be selected by the user from among available benefit candidates displayed on the user terminal 2 when the user makes a payment, and may be applied to the payment.

[0088] In the above description of step S8, one of the conditions for granting a privilege to a user when a payment is made using a payment user ID is whether or not the store, product, or service indicated by the payment request information is a store, product, or service associated with the user's itinerary information. In the present invention, one or more pieces of information on the store, product, or service, payment date and time, and payment amount indicated by the payment information may be used to determine whether or not a privilege can be applied to the user. As an example, a privilege may be granted to a user when the product indicated by the payment information is a product associated with the user's itinerary information and to which a privilege can be applied, and the payment date and time indicated by the payment information is a predetermined date and time (which may be a period with a certain time range) associated with the user's itinerary information.

[0089] Regarding step S8, one of the technical features of this step is that, when the user makes a payment using the payment user ID, a reward corresponding to the payment among the rewards stored in the storage unit 12 as available rewards in step S3 is given to the user. FIG. 6 shows an example in which a reward is given to the user in step S8 after the payment process in step S7. Examples of this type of reward include points and cashback. On the other hand, in the present invention, before the payment process in step S7 in FIG. 6, a determination of whether or not to give a reward to the user in step S8 may be performed based on the payment request information. In this case, whether or not the reward can be applied is determined at a stage before the payment is completed, and if applicable, the payment is performed with the predetermined reward applied. Examples of this type of reward include a reward that discounts a predetermined amount from the payment amount and a reward that allows a predetermined target product to be purchased free of charge.

[0090] [Functions and Effects of Information Processing System S100] In the information processing system S100 described above, the information processing device 1 accepts a travel reservation made by a user using a payment user ID previously assigned to the user, and stores the user's itinerary information in association with the payment user ID in the storage unit 12. This allows the information processing device 1 to appropriately read out available benefit information stored in the storage unit 12, and provide useful information to the user before or during the trip.

[0091] Furthermore, the information processing device 1 stores available benefit information, which is information about benefits that can be used by the user, in the storage unit 12, and then transmits the available benefit information to the user terminal 2 before the user makes a payment using the payment user ID. With this configuration, the user can use the available benefit information received by the user terminal 2 when making a payment at a store S or the like.

[0092] Furthermore, the information processing device 1 acquires information on the expiration date and time of the privilege available to the user, and transmits the available privilege information to the user terminal 2 based on the date and time information of the itinerary. With this configuration, the information processing device 1 can transmit the available privilege information to the user terminal 2 at an appropriate timing based on the date and time information indicated in the user's itinerary information and the expiration date and time of the privilege.

[0093] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the configuration and operation method described above, and various modifications are possible. For example, when the information processing device 1 accepts a reservation for a trip, the reservation may be accepted by receiving predetermined information input by a user into an input form provided by a website on the Internet.

[0094] With regard to accepting travel reservations, the reservation information accepting unit 131 may accept the details of a user's application made verbally or in writing, for example, at a travel agency store. As an example, a travel agency's store terminal for reservations accepts the user's reservations for a place to stay and a means of transportation, and transmits the accepted reservations for a place to stay and a means of transportation to the information processing device 1 in association with the user's payment user ID or reservation user ID. In this way, the reservation information accepting unit 131 may accept the user's reservations for a place to stay and a means of transportation via the store terminal of the travel agency.

[0095] <Second embodiment> In the present invention, code payment by the user terminal 2 may be performed according to the procedure shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the procedure of code payment, which is the second payment processing step, and the procedure of storing available benefit information, which is information on benefits available to the user.

[0096] The code payment in Figure 7 is a method in which a clerk at store S reads the payment code displayed by the user on the user terminal 2 using the store terminal 3 to generate a payment token, and the store terminal 3 associates the payment token and payment request information with the payment user ID and sends them to the information processing device 1, which is the payment server, and the information processing device 1 executes the payment.

[0097] Specifically, first, the information processing device 1 receives from the user terminal 2 a payment user ID assigned to the user and an issuance request to issue a payment code for the user to make a payment at the store S. When the information processing device 1 receives the issuance request for the payment code from the user terminal 2, it generates a payment token for generating a payment code required when the user makes a payment at the store. The information processing device 1 associates the payment user ID with the generated payment token and stores them in the payment information storage unit.

[0098] The information processing device 1 then transmits the generated payment token to the user terminal 2. The user terminal 2 receives the payment token from the information processing device 1, and generates a payment code for making payment at the store S based on the received payment token, and displays it on the display unit. A clerk at the store S operates the store terminal 3 to read the payment code displayed on the user terminal 2, and transmits the payment token and payment request information corresponding to the user's payment at the store S from the user terminal 2 to the information processing device 1.

[0099] Then, the information processing device 1 receives a payment token and payment request information from the store terminal 3, and if the received payment token matches the payment token stored in the payment information storage unit, it executes payment based on the payment request information.

[0100] The information processing device 1 also identifies the payment user ID stored in the payment information storage unit in association with the payment token received from the store terminal 3. Then, the information processing device 1 grants (applies) a benefit to the user when the store indicated by the information identifying the payment target store included in the payment request information and the product or service indicated by the information identifying the product or service to be paid for (for example, coffee purchased at a coffee shop in Shinagawa Station) are a store, product, or service associated with the destination or a route to the destination for which a benefit indicated by the available benefit information stored in the storage unit in association with the identified payment user ID is available (for example, a product at a coffee shop in Shinagawa Station stored as available benefit information).

[0101] 7, one or more of the information on the store, product or service, payment date and time, and payment amount indicated by the payment request information may be set as conditions for granting a privilege to the user, as described in the first embodiment. Also, the privilege may be granted (applied) to the user before or after the completion of the payment, as described in the first embodiment.

[0102] In other words, the information processing device 1 may grant a privilege to the user (e.g., ex post facto awarding of points, etc.) based on information indicated by "payment history information" (payment usage history information) after a payment made using the user's payment user ID has been completed, such as the amount, store, or product already paid, or the time of payment completion, or may grant a privilege to the user (e.g., a discount of a specified amount from the payment amount) based on information indicated by "payment request information" before the payment is completed, such as the amount, store, product, or time for which payment is requested. Here, the payment information in each embodiment of the present invention includes at least one of "payment history information" and "payment request information".

[0103] Note that, although the above example is a configuration in which a payment token and payment request information are sent to the information processing device 1, for example, an external payment server may execute the payment using a payment method such as that shown in Fig. 7. The information processing device 1 may receive the payment record information, and if the store, product, or service included in the payment record information is a store, product, or service for which the benefit indicated by the available benefit information stored in the storage unit 12 is available, the target benefit may be applied.

[0104] As described above, in the present invention, the benefit given to the user may be a benefit that can be used for purchasing a product on an EC site, not in a physical store. When a benefit is applied to a product purchased on an EC site, for example, the benefit information processing unit 133 may first obtain, after the user makes a travel reservation, benefit information that can be used for a product or service related to the user's reserved destination of stay or the route to the destination of stay and sold on the EC site (for example, if the user's destination of stay is Shin-Osaka, a benefit that allows the user to obtain an Osaka guidebook sold on the EC site for free, etc.) from a server that provides the EC site, and store the information in the storage unit 12 in association with the user's user ID for payment.

[0105] Even when making a payment on an EC site, as described in the above embodiment, a special benefit may be applied to the user before the payment is completed, for example, a discount of a certain amount may be applied to the payment on the EC site, or a special benefit such as points or a cash back may be given to the user after the payment is completed.

[0106] In the present invention, "making a payment using a payment user ID" is not limited to payment by code payment, and may also be payment by electronic money payment on a user terminal or payment by application software for credit card payment. Even when such payment is used, the payment processing unit 135 may obtain one or more pieces of information related to the payment process, such as the store, the product or service, the payment date and time, and the payment amount, and the bonus application unit 136 may determine whether or not a bonus can be applied based on that information, and if applicable, may grant (apply) a predetermined bonus to the user.

[0107] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is to "build resilient infrastructure, promote industry, innovation and infrastructure."

[0108] Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing and integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0109] 1. Information processing device 2. User terminal 3. Store terminal 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control section 21 Control section 22 Communications Department 23 Display section 24 Imaging unit 25 Memory section 26 Control Unit 131 Reservation Information Reception Department 132 Itinerary Information Processing Unit 133 Special Information Processing Unit 134 Special Information Transmission Department 135 Payment Processing Unit 136 Benefits Application Section S store S100 Information Processing System

Claims

1. Executed by a computer, storing itinerary information, which is information on the user's itinerary including information on the user's place of stay or information on a route to a destination, in a storage unit in association with a user ID assigned to the user; Identifying available benefit information indicating benefits that can be used in payment for a store, product, or service associated with the place of stay or the route to the destination indicated by the itinerary information; associating the identified available benefit information with the user ID; transmitting the available benefit information to a terminal of the user after associating the available benefit information with the user ID and before a payment request for the store, product, or service is made by the user; receiving a payment request transmitted from the user's terminal for settling an amount to be paid by the user for a product or service purchased by the user, in association with a payment user ID that is the same as the user ID or associated with the user ID; a step of granting to the user a benefit related to the store, product, or service indicated by the payment information of the payment, on condition that the user makes the payment using the payment user ID for the store, product, or service associated with the route to the place of stay or the destination within a predetermined period including the date and time of the user's itinerary indicated by the itinerary information; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

2. the step of storing the user's itinerary information in a storage unit includes storing date and time information of the user's itinerary in the storage unit as the itinerary information; The step of transmitting the available benefit information to the user's terminal includes: transmitting the available benefit information to a terminal of the user based on the date and time information of the itinerary stored in the storage unit; The information processing method according to claim 1 .

3. The step of transmitting the available benefit information to the user's terminal includes: transmit the available benefit information to the user's terminal before the expiration date and time of use based on information on an expiration date and time during which the benefit can be used for a specific benefit and date and time information of the itinerary; The information processing method according to claim 2 .

4. The computer executes The method further includes a step of receiving a reservation for a stay at a specific stay location or a reservation for a means of transportation to a destination, which is transmitted from the user's terminal, in association with the user ID. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

5. The step of granting the benefit to the user includes: receiving payment information made by a payment method using the payment user ID, and if the payment user ID included in the received payment information matches the payment user ID stored in the storage unit in association with the available benefit information, and if the store, product, or service included in the payment information is a store, product, or service associated with the place of stay or a route to the destination, granting the benefit to the user; The information processing method according to claim 1 .

6. The store is located within a predetermined area including the place of stay, and is stored in advance in the storage unit as a store related to the place of stay. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

7. The computer executes acquiring information on a payment history of the user using the payment user ID; determining the content of the benefit to be given to the user based on the usage record; Further comprising The information processing method according to claim 1 .

8. The computer executes The method further includes a step of determining the content of the benefit based on the amount of payment made by the user using the payment user ID. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

9. The storage unit stores a plurality of the destinations in association with a plurality of the stores, products, or services. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

10. The method further includes a first payment processing step executed by a computer, The first payment processing step includes: storing a payment token indicating a payment code for making a payment for purchasing a product or service at a specific store in a payment information storage unit in association with information identifying the store; receiving, from a terminal of a user who has read the payment code at the store, the payment token corresponding to the payment code, a payment user ID, and payment request information corresponding to the payment by the user; executing a payment based on payment request information when the received payment token matches the payment token stored in the payment information storage unit; a step of granting the privilege to the user when the store, product or service included in the payment request information or the executed payment record information is a store, product or service associated with the stay or the route to the destination for which a privilege indicated by available privilege information stored in the memory unit in association with the received payment user ID is available; having The information processing method according to claim 1 .

11. The method further includes a second payment processing step executed by a computer, The second payment processing step includes: receiving, from a user terminal, a payment user ID and a request for issuing a payment code for the user to make a payment; generating a payment token for generating the payment code when a request for issuing the payment code is received; storing the payment user ID and the payment token in a payment information storage unit in association with each other; transmitting the payment token to a terminal of the user; receiving the payment token and payment request information corresponding to the payment at the store by the user from a store terminal that reads the payment code displayed by the user's terminal based on the payment token; executing a payment based on the payment request information if the received payment token matches the payment token stored in the payment information storage unit; Identifying the payment user ID stored in the payment information storage unit in association with the received payment token; a step of granting the privilege to the user when the store, product or service included in the payment request information or the executed payment record information is a store, product or service associated with the place of stay or a route to the destination for which a privilege indicated by available privilege information stored in the storage unit in association with the identified payment user ID is available; having The information processing method according to claim 1 .

12. an itinerary information processing unit that associates a user ID assigned to a user with itinerary information, which is information on the user's itinerary including information on a route to the user's place of stay or destination; a privilege information processing unit that identifies available privilege information indicating information of privileges that can be used in payment for a store, product, or service associated with the place of stay or a route to the destination indicated by the itinerary information, and associates the identified available privilege information with the user ID; a privilege information transmitting unit that transmits the available privilege information to a terminal of the user after associating the available privilege information with the user ID and before the user makes a payment request for the store, product, or service; a payment processing unit that receives a payment request transmitted from the user's terminal for settling an amount to be paid by the user for a product or service purchased by the user, in association with a payment user ID that is the same as the user ID or that is associated with the user ID; a privilege application unit that grants a privilege to a user related to the store, product, or service indicated by the payment information of the payment, on condition that the user makes the payment using the payment user ID for the store, product, or service associated with the route to the place of stay or the destination within a predetermined period including the date and time of the user's itinerary indicated by the itinerary information; An information processing device having the above configuration.

Images