Payment system, payment method, and computer program

Abstract

To increase convenience for customers who purchase a product or a service in a physical shop using a deferred payment option.SOLUTION: A payment system includes: a customer detection unit (13a) which detects a customer (A) entering a physical shop (B); an information obtaining unit (13b) which obtains settlement information regarding a product (D) which is purchased by the customer, from a mobile terminal (20) carried by the customer; a deferred payment unit (13c) which allows a deferred payment for the product to be made by the customer, according to the settlement information; a checking unit (13d) which checks, regarding the customer, whether or not any of deferred payments which had been allowed prior to the entrance to the physical shop is / are outstanding; and a payment promotion unit (13e) which, when there is / are outstanding deferred payment / payments, performs a payment promotion process to prompt the customer to make a payment regarding the outstanding deferred payment / payments.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-service payment system, a payment method, and a computer program for use in a brick-and-mortar store. [Background technology]

[0002] One known system of this kind is a payment system in which a customer reads product information about a purchased product using a mobile terminal carried by the customer, and the information is sent to a cashier in the store or another device on a network to complete the payment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). This payment system accepts cash, electronic money, and deferred payment such as credit cards. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4388082 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, for example, in the case of deferred payment by credit card, the accounting process takes time due to the need to authenticate the credit card, and it is difficult to make deferred payment by credit card without a credit card, which is a technical problem. Furthermore, there is no process that prevents customers from forgetting to make a payment. As such, existing payment systems that allow deferred payment lack convenience for customers.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a payment system, a payment method, and a computer program that improve convenience for customers who make deferred payments for products or services purchased at a physical store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the payment system of the present invention includes a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a physical store; an information acquisition unit that acquires settlement information for items purchased by the customer whose entry has been recognized from a mobile device carried by the customer; a deferred payment settlement unit that enables the customer to make a deferred payment for the items based on the settlement information; a confirmation unit that confirms whether there are any outstanding deferred payment payments made possible by the deferred payment settlement unit before the customer whose entry has been recognized into the physical store; and a payment promotion unit that performs a payment promotion process to encourage the customer to make payment for the outstanding deferred payment when there is an outstanding deferred payment.

[0007] One aspect of the payment method of the present invention is to have at least one computer of a payment system having a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a physical store, an information acquisition unit that acquires settlement information for items purchased by the customer whose entry has been recognized from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, and a deferred payment settlement unit that enables the customer to make a deferred payment for the items based on the settlement information, check whether there are any outstanding deferred payment payments made possible by the deferred payment settlement unit before the customer whose entry has been recognized into the physical store, and if there is an outstanding deferred payment, perform a payment promotion process that prompts the customer to make payment for the outstanding deferred payment.

[0008] One aspect of the computer program of the present invention is configured to cause at least one computer to function as a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a physical store, an information acquisition unit that acquires settlement information for items purchased by the customer whose entry has been recognized from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, a deferred payment unit that enables the customer to make a deferred payment for the items based on the settlement information, a confirmation unit that confirms whether or not there are any outstanding deferred payment payments among the deferred payment payments made possible by the deferred payment unit before the customer whose entry has been recognized into the physical store, and a payment promotion unit that performs a payment promotion process to encourage the customer to make payment for the outstanding deferred payment when there is an outstanding deferred payment. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one aspect of each of the above-mentioned payment system, payment method, and computer program, it is possible to increase the convenience of customers who make deferred payments for products or services purchased at a physical store. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic overall configuration for realizing a payment system according to the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a server constituting the payment system according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a processing procedure for post-payment settlement by the settlement system according to the present invention, focusing on the relationship with the customer. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process executed by a control device of a server of the payment system according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An example of an embodiment of the payment system according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this embodiment, a case where a customer purchases a product as a purchase target at a real store (hereinafter referred to as a "real store") will be described as an example.

[0012] First, an example of the overall configuration for realizing the payment system according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The payment system according to the present invention includes, for example, a server 10 and a mobile terminal 20 carried by a customer A in a physical store B. The server 10 and the mobile terminal 20 may be connected via a network C such as the Internet or an intranet so as to be capable of mutual communication.

[0013] The mobile terminal 20 may be, for example, a portable communication terminal having a data input function, a data output function, a data control function, a data storage function, and a data communication function. The mobile terminal 20 may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or the like owned by the customer A. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 20 may be, for example, a communication terminal lent by the actual store B to the customer A. Here, the data communication function is a function of connecting the mobile terminal 20 to an external device (for example, the server 10, etc.) so as to be capable of mutual communication. The external data input function is a function of inputting data in response to an input operation by the customer A, and the input form does not matter, for example, touch input, code reading input, key input, voice input, etc. The data output function is a function of outputting data in a form recognizable by the customer A, and the output form does not matter, for example, screen output, voice output, etc. The mobile terminal 20 may have, for example, a volatile recording medium and a non-volatile recording medium as a data storage function, and may be configured to be capable of temporarily and / or long-term storage of various information (for example, customer identification information described later). The data control function is, for example, a function that controls various operations of the mobile terminal 20 based on input operations by the customer A and control information from the server 10. The mobile terminal 20 may have, for example, a computer unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and recording media such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory) required for the operation, and the various operations may be controlled by the computer unit. Alternatively, the mobile terminal 20 may have a hardware circuit that controls the various operations.

[0014] The server 10 may be physically configured by one server, or may be a conceptual server (e.g., a cloud server configured on a cloud environment) physically configured by a plurality of servers.

[0015] The hardware configuration of the server 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The server 10 has, for example, a storage device 11, a communication interface 12, and a control device 13. The storage device 11, the communication interface 12, and the control device 13 may be connected to each other via, for example, a data path 15 so that they can transmit and receive data to each other. The storage device 11 can store desired data. The storage device 11 may include, for example, at least one of a hard disk device, an optical magnetic disk device, an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a disk array device. The storage device 11 may include a volatile recording medium and a non-volatile recording medium. The storage device 11 may have, for example, customer data. The customer data may include, for example, customer identification information associated with customer specific information and postpaid payment information as information about each customer. The customer specific information is information for identifying each customer, and may include, for example, name, age, address, identity verification information, and the like. The identity verification information is information for identity authentication, and may include, for example, information for biometric authentication (for example, face information for face authentication, or iris information for iris authentication), and / or a password. The deferred payment information includes payment information related to deferred payment, and may include, for example, corresponding store identification information, payment amount, purchase details, purchase date, billing date, payment deadline, etc. for each deferred payment. Furthermore, the storage device 11 may have, for example, store data. The store data may include information related to each physical store B, such as store identification information associated with store name, address, bank account as transfer destination, etc.

[0016] The communication interface 12 is an interface that enables data communication between the server 10 and an external device disposed outside the server 10, for example. The external device includes, for example, the mobile terminal 20, as well as a communication device provided in an external system (not shown). The external system includes, for example, a bank transfer system and a payment system of a payment reception facility (convenience store, etc.). The communication interface 12 is configured to receive, for example, various information output from an external device of the server 10 and send it to the control device 13. In this way, the communication interface 12 functions as an input device that inputs information from the external device of the server 10 to the server 10. In addition, the communication interface 12 is configured to receive, for example, various control information related to the external device of the server 10 from the control device 13 and output it to the external device. In this way, the communication interface 12 functions as an output device that outputs information from the server 10 to the external device of the server 10.

[0017] The control device 13 may be configured as a computer unit having, for example, a CPU and recording media such as RAM and ROM required for its operation. The ROM may, for example, temporarily or long-term store a computer program executed by the control device 13. The RAM may, for example, temporarily store data used by the control device 13 when the control device 13 is executing a computer program. The control device 13 may obtain (i.e., download or read) a computer program from an external device of the server 10 via the communication interface 12. The control device 13 executes the read computer program. As a result, a logical function block for executing the operation to be performed by the server 10 is realized within the control device 13. In other words, the control device 13 can function as a controller for realizing a logical function block for executing the operation to be performed by the server 10.

[0018] Fig. 2 shows an example of logical functional blocks implemented in the control device 13 in order to realize the payment system according to the present invention. As shown in Fig. 2, implemented in the control device 13 are a customer recognition unit 13a, an information acquisition unit 13b, a deferred payment unit 13c, a confirmation unit 13d, and a payment promotion unit 13e.

[0019] The customer recognition unit 13a recognizes that the customer A has entered the actual store B and that the customer A has left the actual store B, for example, by information from the mobile terminal 20 as described below. The information acquisition unit 13b acquires, for example, payment information related to the product purchased by the customer A via the mobile terminal 20. The payment information is information associated with each product and used for payment of the product purchase, and includes, for example, product information related to the product, such as the product name and the product price. The information acquisition unit 13b may acquire, for example, payment information read by the mobile terminal 20 from the mobile terminal 20. The deferred payment unit 13c performs, for example, a process for making the payment of the purchased product a deferred payment. The deferred payment unit 13c enables deferred payment for the customer A who is registered in the customer data in advance, even if the customer A does not carry a card such as a credit card. The deferred payment unit 13c may, for example, perform a process of treating a payment based on the acquired settlement information as a deferred payment for customer A, and issuing an invoice for the deferred payment to customer A after customer A leaves physical store B. The deferred payment unit 13c may, for example, perform a payment agency process of paying the payment amount determined as the deferred payment (the amount to be paid to physical store B) to physical store B on behalf of customer A.

[0020] The confirmation unit 13d, for example, confirms whether there is an outstanding deferred payment settlement for customer A whose entry into the brick-and-mortar store B has been confirmed by the customer recognition unit 13a. An "uncompleted deferred payment settlement" is a deferred payment settlement for which an invoice has been issued but payment has not been completed, among past deferred payment settlements for customer A that have been made possible by the deferred payment settlement unit 13c. The payment promotion unit 13e performs a payment promotion process to promote payment for the uncompleted deferred payment settlements held by customer A. For example, the payment promotion unit 13e may execute a process (i.e., a notification process) to notify customer A of a payment reminder for the uncompleted deferred payment settlement. The payment reminder may be displayed, for example, on the screen of the mobile terminal 20 carried by customer A. This makes it possible to prevent forgetting to pay the deferred payment settlement. Furthermore, the payment promotion unit 13e may perform a process to disable the payment system for customer A when there is an uncompleted deferred payment settlement for which the payment deadline has passed.

[0021] An example of a processing procedure for deferred payment by the payment system according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 3(a) to 3(g), focusing on the relationship with customer A. Here, mobile terminal 20 will be described as a mobile terminal (smartphone, tablet terminal, etc.) owned by customer A. Application software (hereinafter referred to as a "payment app") for functioning as mobile terminal 20 related to the payment system of the present invention may be installed in mobile terminal 20. Each operation of mobile terminal 20 described below may be controlled by a data control function of mobile terminal 20. The payment app of mobile terminal 20 may be appropriately started by a predetermined trigger (for example, an operation by customer A, etc.).

[0022] In the payment system according to the present invention, the customer A may be requested to register customer identification information so that the customer A is recognized as a "customer". The customer identification information may be input and registered by the customer A's input operation on the mobile terminal 20 as shown in FIG. 3(a), for example. As described above, the customer identification information may be, for example, name, age, address, and identity verification information. For example, the server 10 may assign the customer A's customer identification information to the customer identification information acquired via the mobile terminal 20, and register the customer identification information associated with the customer identification information in the storage device 11 as customer data related to the customer A. The mobile terminal 20 may hold the customer identification information assigned to the customer A. In the payment system according to the present invention, by recognizing the entry of the customer A, whose customer data is registered in advance, into the actual store B, it is possible to provide the customer A with an environment in which the customer A can purchase a product by deferred payment even if he does not carry a card such as a credit card. The customer identification information may be registered before or after the customer A enters the actual store B.

[0023] When customer A enters the physical store B, the server 10 may acquire customer recognition information regarding customer A via, for example, the mobile terminal 20. The customer recognition information may include, for example, store information regarding the physical store B and customer identification information of customer A. The store information regarding the physical store B may include, for example, store identification information of the physical store B and the current time as the time of entry. The store information regarding the physical store B may be acquired by, for example, reading a code (two-dimensional code in FIG. 3(b)) displayed on the screen of a store terminal 30 installed in the physical store B by the mobile terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 3(b). As described above, the store terminal 30 is capable of displaying a code in which store information is recorded, and may be, for example, a terminal device in the store system of the physical store B. The store terminal 30 may be installed, for example, near the entrance / exit of the physical store B. The store information may be read by the mobile terminal 20 when customer A performs an operation on the mobile terminal 20 (for example, an operation of holding the mobile terminal 20 over a code displayed on the store terminal 30). The read store information may be transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 to the server 10 as customer recognition information together with customer A's customer identification information. In the following description, the various information transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 to the server 10 may include customer A's customer identification information and store identification information of physical store B in order to identify customer A and physical store B.

[0024] The server 10 (customer recognition unit 13a) that has acquired the customer recognition information may perform a store entry process. In the store entry process, the server 10 may, for example, perform identity authentication based on identity verification information in the customer data registered for customer A. In the store entry process, for example, if the store entry information is not associated with the customer data for customer A, the server 10 may recognize that customer A has entered physical store B, and associate the store entry information including store information with the customer data.

[0025] The server 10 (confirmation unit 13d) that recognizes the entrance of customer A may, for example, confirm whether or not customer A has an outstanding deferred payment. When there is an outstanding deferred payment, that is, when there is an outstanding deferred payment in the deferred payment information of the customer data related to customer A, the server 10 (payment promotion unit 13e) may perform notification processing to notify a payment reminder regarding the outstanding deferred payment. For example, when there is deferred payment information regarding customer A that does not have a completion flag set, the server 10 may determine that there is an outstanding deferred payment. The server 10 may display the payment reminder on the screen of the mobile terminal 20, for example. And / or the server 10 may notify the payment reminder by email, for example, to the mobile terminal 20 or a predetermined notification destination of customer A. Furthermore, the server 10 (payment promotion unit 13e) may perform non-permission processing to disable the payment system for customer A when there is an outstanding deferred payment that has passed its payment deadline, for example. As a disapproval process, the server 10 may, for example, disable the information acquisition unit 13b for the customer A and terminate the payment system.

[0026] While the customer A is shopping, the server 10 (information acquisition unit 13b) may acquire, for example, settlement information for the purchased item from the mobile terminal 20 by the operation of the customer A. The settlement information may be acquired, for example, by the barcode E corresponding to the purchased item, as shown in FIG. 3(c). Therefore, the settlement information for the purchased item D may be read by the mobile terminal 20 from the barcode E for the purchased item D, and transmitted to the server 10. The settlement information may be read by the mobile terminal 20 by the reading operation of the customer A, so that the congestion at the cash register caused by reading the settlement information for each item can be eliminated even if a large number of items are purchased. As described above, the settlement information is information used for settlement for purchasing the item D, and may include the product name, the product price, etc. for the item D. Note that if the information acquisition unit 13b is disabled, the server 10 (information acquisition unit 13b) does not function and does not acquire the settlement information sent from the mobile terminal 20. This causes the settlement system to be locked for the customer A.

[0027] The server 10 may perform a payment process for the purchased product D at a predetermined timing. For example, the server 10 may perform the payment process when a predetermined payment start operation is performed by the customer A on the mobile terminal 20. When performing the payment process for the customer A, the server 10 may perform identity authentication based on the identity verification information registered for the customer A. For example, a screen related to the payment process may be displayed appropriately on the screen of the mobile terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 3(d). In the payment process, the server 10 (deferred payment unit 13c) may generate payment information related to the payment of the product purchased by the customer A at the physical store B based on the acquired settlement information, and perform a process to enable deferred payment based on the generated payment information. For example, the server 10 (deferred payment unit 13c) may include the generated payment information in the deferred payment information for the customer A. In this way, the deferred payment information for the customer A may include the payment information for which the server 10 (deferred payment unit 13c) has enabled deferred payment. The payment information may include, for example, store identification information of physical store B, the payment amount, the purchase details, and the purchase date. The server 10 (deferred payment unit 13c) may perform, for example, a payment agency process for paying the payment amount corresponding to the deferred payment to the physical store B (for example, transferring the payment amount to the bank account of the physical store B via a transfer system). Furthermore, the server 10 (deferred payment unit 13c) may generate, for example, an invoice for the customer A regarding the deferred payment. Note that the server 10 may present, for example, a plurality of payment methods including the deferred payment (for example, cash payment, electronic money, credit card, etc.) to the customer A, and allow the customer A to select the deferred payment from the plurality of payment methods.

[0028] For example, when the server 10 (customer recognition unit 13a) acquires customer recognition information again within a predetermined time for customer A who entered physical store B, the server 10 may recognize that customer A has left physical store B and perform a store exit process. As described above, the customer recognition information may include, for example, store information for physical store B and customer identification information for customer A. The store information for physical store B may include, for example, store identification information for physical store B and the current time as the store exit time. The store information for physical store B may be acquired, for example, by reading a code (two-dimensional code in FIG. 3(e)) displayed on the screen of the store terminal 30 by the mobile terminal 20, as shown in FIG. 3(e), similar to the store information acquired at the time of entering the store. The read store information may be transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 to the server 10 as customer recognition information, for example, together with the customer identification information for customer A.

[0029] In the store exit process, the server 10 may perform identity authentication based on the identity verification information registered for the customer A. In the store exit process, the server 10 may delete the store entry information for the actual store B associated with the customer data for the customer A. The server 10 (postpaid settlement unit 13c) that recognizes the store exit of the customer A may perform billing, for example. In the billing process, the server 10 may attach the invoice F generated in the payment process to an email and send it to the mobile terminal 20 of the customer A and / or to the customer A by mail, as shown in FIG. 3(f). Furthermore, in the billing process, the server 10 may set the date on which the invoice F was issued to the customer A as the billing date and the date a predetermined period has passed since the invoice date as the payment deadline in the postpaid settlement information for the customer A. The server 10 (postpaid settlement unit 13c) may issue the invoice F, for example, and then execute a payment agent process for the actual store B for the corresponding postpaid settlement.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3(g), customer A who has received invoice F can make a payment based on invoice F at a predetermined payment acceptance facility such as convenience store G. This completes the payment of customer A to the payment system for the deferred payment based on invoice F (i.e., the uncompleted deferred payment). The payment method at this time may be any payment method such as credit card, electronic money, cash, etc. When the payment based on invoice F is completed, for example, a payment notice indicating that the payment has been completed may be sent to server 10 by the payment system of convenience store G. Server 10 that has received the payment notice may, for example, set a completion flag for the corresponding deferred payment information. Note that when a payment notice is received for an uncompleted deferred payment whose payment deadline has passed, server 10 may, for example, set a completion flag for the corresponding deferred payment information and enable information acquisition unit 13b that was disabled for customer A by the resumption process.

[0031] On the other hand, for example, if the server 10 (postpaid settlement unit 13c) does not recognize the exit of customer A who entered physical store B, it may perform a next-time denial process so that customer A cannot use the settlement system the next time he or she makes a purchase. As the next-time denial process, the server 10 may, for example, disable the information acquisition unit 13b for customer A. For example, the server 10 (customer recognition unit 13a) may determine that "exit is not recognized" if there is customer data whose entry information has not been deleted even after a predetermined time has passed since the time of entry. For example, the server 10 may enable the information acquisition unit 13b that was disabled for customer A by the resume process.

[0032] An example of the process executed by the control device 13 of the server 10 from the time when the customer A enters the brick-and-mortar store B until the invoice for the deferred payment is issued to the customer A will be described with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 4. The process routine shown in Fig. 4 is started when the server 10 acquires customer recognition information from the mobile terminal 20.

[0033] First, the server 10 (customer recognition unit 13a) may execute, for example, the above-mentioned store entry process based on the customer recognition information acquired from the mobile terminal 20 (step S101). If the identity authentication performed based on the identity verification information of the customer data is unsuccessful, the server 10 may, for example, end the current processing routine. Also, if the next denial process has been performed for customer A, that is, if the information acquisition unit 13b has been invalidated for customer A, the server 10 may display an unauthorized use message on the screen of the mobile terminal 20 in the store entry process and end the current processing routine. The unauthorized use message may, for example, indicate that use of the payment system has been permitted because leaving the actual store B has not been recognized.

[0034] In the store entry process, if the identity authentication is successful and the next refusal process has not been performed for customer A, the server 10 may associate the store entry information with the customer data for customer A. Next, the server 10 (confirmation unit 13d) may, for example, confirm whether there is an outstanding deferred payment settlement for customer A (step S102). If there is no outstanding deferred payment settlement for customer A (step S102: No), the server 10 may proceed to step S103. If there is an outstanding deferred payment settlement in the customer data for customer A (step S102: Yes), for example, the server 10 (payment promotion unit 13e) may determine whether the current processing routine can be continued (step S104). If there is no outstanding deferred payment settlement whose payment deadline has passed, the server 10 may determine that the current processing routine can be continued. If there is no outstanding deferred payment for which the payment deadline has passed (step S104: Yes), the server 10 (payment promotion unit 13e) may execute, for example, the notification process described above, that is, notify the mobile terminal 20 of a payment reminder, and proceed to step S103 (step S105). On the other hand, if there is an outstanding deferred payment for which the payment deadline has passed (step S104: No), the server 10 (payment promotion unit 13e) may execute, for example, the refusal process described above, and end the current processing routine (step S106). As the refusal process, the server 10 may display, for example, a refusal message on the screen of the mobile terminal 20. The refusal message may indicate, for example, that the customer A is not permitted to use the payment system until the payment of the deferred payment for which the payment deadline has passed is completed.

[0035] While customer A is shopping, server 10 (information acquisition unit 13b) may acquire payment information for product D to be purchased via mobile terminal 20 (step S103). As described above, the payment information may be presented as a barcode and read by mobile terminal 20. Next, server 10 may perform payment processing, for example, when customer A performs a payment start operation on mobile terminal 20 (step S107). In the payment processing, server 10 may generate payment information based on the acquired payment information, and perform processing related to the payment corresponding to the generated payment information. Here, server 10 (post-payment settlement unit 13c) may perform processing for making the payment a post-payment settlement at the selection of customer A, and processing for enabling the post-payment settlement, as described above.

[0036] Next, the server 10 (customer recognition unit 13a) may determine, for example, whether the above-mentioned store exit process has been performed within a predetermined time after customer A entered the store, in order to determine whether customer A has left the physical store B (step S108). If the store exit process has been performed within the predetermined time (step S108: Yes), the server 10 (postpaid settlement unit 13c) may, for example, perform the above-mentioned billing process and then end the current processing routine (step S109). In the billing process, the server 10 issues an invoice F to customer A regarding the settlement of the current purchase. The server 10 may, for example, send an email with the invoice F attached to the mobile terminal 20 of customer A. On the other hand, if the store exit process is not completed within the specified time (step S108: No), the server 10 (post-payment settlement unit 13c) may perform the above-mentioned next-time disallowance process so that customer A cannot use the settlement system the next time they shop, i.e., disable the information acquisition unit 13b for customer A, and terminate the current processing routine (step S110).

[0037] Steps S104 to S106 correspond to the payment promotion process performed by the payment promotion unit 13e. It should be noted that confirmation as to whether there is an outstanding deferred payment settlement is not required to be performed before the settlement information acquisition process. For example, the server 10 (confirmation unit 13d) may confirm whether there is an outstanding deferred payment settlement for customer A during the settlement information acquisition process, i.e., when the settlement information for customer A is acquired from the mobile terminal 20, and steps S104 to S106 may be performed as the payment promotion process.

[0038] The mobile terminal 20 may be prepared by the actual store B and lent to the customer A. In this case, the customer data may be registered, for example, by a mobile terminal owned by the customer A. Also, for example, the store information may be stored in advance in the mobile terminal 20, and the customer identification information may be acquired by an input operation of the customer A to the mobile terminal 20. The mobile terminal 20 lent to the customer A may be returned to the actual store B, for example, when the customer A leaves the store. Also, with regard to the notification destination of payment reminders, non-permission messages, invoices, etc., for example, the mobile terminal owned by the customer A may be registered in advance in the customer data as the notification destination.

[0039] The store terminal 30 may be connected to the server 10 so as to be able to communicate with each other. In this case, for example, the store terminal 30 may acquire customer identification information from the mobile terminal 20, and transmit the customer identification information regarding customer A from the store terminal 30 to the server 10. A payment reminder regarding an uncompleted deferred payment may be displayed on the screen of the store terminal 30. For example, a predetermined detectable device (including a mobile terminal) that holds customer identification information of customer A may be detected by a sensor installed in the physical store B, and the customer recognition unit 13a may recognize customer A's entry into and exit from the physical store based on the detection signal.

[0040] The purchase object purchased by the customer is not limited to a product, but may be a service for which a fee must be paid by the customer. For example, a barcode on which settlement information including the service name, service fee, etc. is recorded may be provided on a label or wrapping paper associated with the service, and the barcode may be read by the mobile terminal 20.

[0041] Furthermore, the payment system may analyze customer behavior information within physical store B (e.g., length of stay, behavior within the store, understanding of traffic patterns, items not purchased, etc.) obtained, for example, via a payment app on mobile terminal 20, and provide the information to the physical store.

[0042] <Additional Notes> The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above-described embodiment.

[0043] (Appendix 1) The payment system described in Appendix 1 is a payment system comprising a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a physical store; an information acquisition unit that acquires settlement information for items purchased by the customer whose entry has been recognized from a mobile terminal carried by the customer; a deferred payment unit that enables the customer to make a deferred payment for the items based on the settlement information; a confirmation unit that confirms, for the customer whose entry has been recognized, whether there are any outstanding deferred payment payments among the deferred payment payments made possible by the deferred payment unit before the customer entered the physical store; and a payment promotion unit that performs a payment promotion process to encourage the customer to make payment for the outstanding deferred payment when there is an outstanding deferred payment.

[0044] According to the payment system described in Supplementary Note 1, a customer recognized as entering a physical store can be provided with a postpaid payment system that does not require the customer to carry a card such as a credit card. In addition, since the settlement information regarding the purchase items is obtained from a mobile terminal carried by the customer himself, accounting processing at the cash register is also unnecessary. This makes it possible to reduce or eliminate the processing related to credit cards and / or congestion at the cash register that is likely to occur due to an increase in the number of purchases by each customer. In addition, if a smartphone or tablet terminal that a customer usually carries or a mobile terminal provided by a physical store is adopted as the mobile terminal of the payment system described in Supplementary Note 1, a specific item such as a card is not required to be carried to use the payment system. Furthermore, the payment promotion process can prevent customers who use the postpaid payment system from forgetting to make a payment. In this way, according to the payment system described in Supplementary Note 1, it is possible to provide a payment system that improves the convenience of customers who shop at physical stores. Note that a "customer" in the payment system may be registered in customer data in the payment system, for example.

[0045] (Appendix 2) The payment system described in Appendix 2 is the payment system described in Appendix 1, in which the customer recognition unit recognizes the customer's entry into the physical store based on operations on the mobile terminal performed by the customer at the physical store, and the confirmation unit confirms whether there is an outstanding deferred payment in accordance with the operations on the mobile terminal.

[0046] According to the payment system described in Supplementary Note 2, the presence or absence of an outstanding deferred payment is confirmed in response to the customer's operation on a mobile terminal for the customer's entrance to be recognized by the customer recognition unit. Therefore, the confirmation unit can confirm the presence or absence of an outstanding deferred payment when the customer enters the store.

[0047] (Appendix 3) The payment system described in Appendix 3 is a payment system described in Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the payment promotion unit performs notification processing regarding a notification urging the customer to make payment regarding the uncompleted deferred payment as the payment promotion processing.

[0048] According to the payment system described in Appendix 3, as a payment promotion process, it is possible to send a notification to a customer who has an outstanding deferred payment to urge him / her to make a payment. For example, the notification may be sent by email to a predetermined notification destination. By sending the payment notification by push notification, it is possible to automatically urge a customer who has an outstanding deferred payment to make a payment.

[0049] (Appendix 4) The payment system described in Supplementary Note 4 is the payment system described in Supplementary Note 3, wherein the payment promotion unit sends the notification to the mobile terminal.

[0050] According to the payment system described in Appendix 4, a notification prompting payment is sent to the mobile terminal carried by the customer. In particular, if the mobile terminal is owned by the customer, the notification can be sent to the customer at a specified timing in addition to when the customer enters the store. The notification may be displayed on the mobile terminal screen and / or output as a voice, for example.

[0051] (Appendix 5) The payment system described in Appendix 5 is a payment system described in any one of Appendixes 1 to 4, wherein the payment promotion unit disables the information acquisition unit with respect to the customer as the payment promotion processing when there is an uncompleted deferred payment that satisfies specified conditions.

[0052] According to the payment system described in Appendix 5, the information acquisition unit is disabled for a customer who has an outstanding deferred payment that satisfies a specified condition. For example, if the specified condition is that the payment deadline has passed, the information acquisition unit can be disabled for a customer who has an outstanding deferred payment that is past the payment deadline. When the information acquisition unit is disabled, the information acquisition unit does not function even if settlement information is sent from a mobile terminal, and the payment system is locked for the customer. This makes it possible to strongly urge the customer to make payment within the payment deadline.

[0053] (Appendix 6) The payment system described in Appendix 6 is a payment system described in any one of Appendixes 1 to 5, wherein the customer recognition unit further recognizes the customer leaving the physical store, and the deferred payment unit disables the information acquisition unit with respect to the customer if the customer's leaving the store is not recognized for a predetermined period of time after the customer's entry into the store is recognized.

[0054] According to the payment system described in Appendix 6, the information acquisition unit is disabled for customers whose store exit is not recognized. By disabling the information acquisition unit, for example, the next time the customer makes a purchase, even if payment information is sent from the mobile terminal, the information acquisition unit will not function, and the payment system will be locked for the customer. For example, if store exit is recognized by an operation on the mobile terminal by the customer, the customer can be strongly urged to perform the operation, and the payment system can reliably grasp that the customer has left the store. This makes it possible to use the customer's leaving as a trigger for issuing an invoice. Also, information that is useful for analyzing the length of time a customer stays in a physical store can be obtained.

[0055] (Appendix 7) The payment method described in Appendix 7 is a payment method in which at least one computer of a payment system having a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a physical store, an information acquisition unit that acquires settlement information for items purchased by the customer whose entry has been recognized from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, and a deferred payment unit that enables the customer to make a deferred payment for the items based on the settlement information, checks whether there are any outstanding deferred payment payments made possible by the deferred payment unit before the customer whose entry has been recognized into the physical store, and if there is an outstanding deferred payment, performs a payment promotion process to encourage the customer to pay for the outstanding deferred payment.

[0056] According to the payment method described in Supplementary Note 7, it is possible to realize the payment system described in Supplementary Note 1. The operation and effects of the payment method are similar to those of the payment system described in Supplementary Note 1.

[0057] (Appendix 8) The computer program described in Appendix 8 is a computer program configured to cause at least one computer to function as a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a physical store, an information acquisition unit that acquires settlement information for items purchased by the customer whose entry has been recognized from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, a deferred payment unit that enables the customer to make a deferred payment for the items based on the settlement information, a confirmation unit that confirms whether or not there are any outstanding deferred payment payments among the deferred payment payments made possible by the deferred payment unit before the customer whose entry has been recognized into the physical store, and a payment promotion unit that performs a payment promotion process to prompt the customer to make payment for the outstanding deferred payment when there is an outstanding deferred payment.

[0058] According to the computer program described in Appendix 8, the payment system described in Appendix 1 can be realized.

[0059] (Appendix 9) The recording medium described in Appendix 9 is a recording medium on which the computer program described in Appendix 8 is recorded.

[0060] The present invention can be modified as appropriate within the scope that does not contradict the gist or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and payment systems, payment methods, and computer programs involving such modifications are also included in the technical concept of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10 Server 13a Customer recognition department 13b Information acquisition section 13c Deferred Payment Department 13d Verification Section 13e Payment Promotion Department 20 Mobile Devices A customer B. Physical store

Claims

1. A customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a brick-and-mortar store and a customer's exit from the brick-and-mortar store, an information acquisition unit that acquires, from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, payment information regarding an item to be purchased by the customer whose entry into the store has been recognized; a deferred payment settlement unit that performs a payment agent process to pay the payment amount for the purchase item to the physical store based on the settlement information, includes the payment amount in deferred payment information for the customer as payment information that can be deferred, performs a billing process to bill the customer for the payment amount when it is recognized that the customer has left the store, and completes the deferred payment information corresponding to the bill when payment for the bill is completed; A confirmation unit that refers to the deferred payment information and confirms whether or not there is an outstanding deferred payment for the customer whose entry into the store has been recognized; A payment system comprising: a payment promotion unit that performs a payment promotion process to prompt the customer to make payment regarding the uncompleted deferred payment when there is an uncompleted deferred payment.

2. the customer recognition unit recognizes the entry of the customer into the brick-and-mortar store based on an operation on the mobile terminal performed by the customer in the brick-and-mortar store; The payment system according to claim 1 , wherein the confirmation unit confirms whether or not there is an outstanding deferred payment in response to an operation on the mobile terminal.

3. The payment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the payment promotion unit performs a notification process for a notification urging the customer to make payment regarding the uncompleted deferred payment as the payment promotion process.

4. The payment system according to claim 3 , wherein the payment facilitating unit issues the notification to the mobile terminal.

5. the payment promotion unit, when there is an uncompleted deferred payment that satisfies a predetermined condition, disables the information acquisition unit with respect to the customer as the payment promotion process. A payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The payment system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the post-payment settlement unit disables the information acquisition unit with respect to the customer if the customer's entry into the store is recognized and then the customer's exit is not recognized for a predetermined period of time.

7. A customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a brick-and-mortar store and a customer's exit from the brick-and-mortar store, an information acquisition unit that acquires, from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, payment information regarding an item to be purchased by the customer whose entry into the store has been recognized; and a deferred payment unit that performs a payment agent process to pay the payment amount for the purchase item to the physical store based on the settlement information, includes the payment amount in deferred payment information for the customer as payment information that can be deferred, performs a billing process to bill the customer for the payment amount when it is recognized that the customer has left the store, and completes the deferred payment information corresponding to the bill when payment for the bill is completed, With respect to the customer whose entry into the store has been recognized, referring to the deferred payment information, confirming whether or not there is an outstanding deferred payment; When there is an uncompleted deferred payment, a payment promotion process is performed to encourage the customer to make payment regarding the uncompleted deferred payment.

8. At least one computer a customer recognition unit that recognizes a customer's entry into a brick-and-mortar store and his / her exit from the brick-and-mortar store; an information acquisition unit that acquires, from a mobile terminal carried by the customer, payment information regarding an item to be purchased by the customer whose entry into the store has been recognized; a deferred payment settlement unit which performs a payment agent process for paying the settlement amount for the purchased item to the physical store based on the settlement information, includes the settlement amount in deferred payment information for the customer as payment information that can be deferred, performs a billing process for billing the customer for the settlement amount when it is recognized that the customer has left the store, and completes the deferred payment information corresponding to the bill when payment for the bill is completed; a confirmation unit that refers to the deferred payment information and confirms whether or not there is an outstanding deferred payment for the customer whose entry has been recognized; and A computer program configured to function as a payment promotion unit that performs a payment promotion process to prompt the customer to make payment regarding the uncompleted deferred payment when there is an uncompleted deferred payment.

Images