Information processing device, application program, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that can implement a wishlist that responds to needs of a user who requests supporting purchase of a commodity, an application program, an information processing method, and a program.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes: a setting receiving unit which receives, from a first user terminal device of a first user, settings for offering a privilege available for settlement in a store affiliated with an electronic settlement service, to an electronic settlement service account of a second user, using the balance remaining in an electronic settlement service account of the first user, an association unit which associates the privilege with the electronic settlement service account of the second user in accordance with the second user operating a second user terminal device; and a privilege offering unit which offers the privilege to the second user when the privilege is associated with the electronic settlement service account of the second user and the second user executes settlement in the store.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, a function called a wish list is known that allows a user to disclose information about a product that the user wishes to obtain to other users. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which a user reads product information using a terminal device in a physical store and adds the product information to the user's wish list. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-327077 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this way, the conventional technology allows a user who wishes to acquire a product to publish a wish list for other users who may be able to assist in the purchase of the product. On the other hand, for example, some users may wish to assist in the purchase of a product from a store that they personally support in order to recommend the store to other users, even if the store is not well known but has high quality. However, the wish list of the conventional technology does not meet the needs of such users.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide an information processing device, an application program, an information processing method, and a program that are capable of implementing a wish list that meets the needs of users who wish to receive assistance with purchasing products. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device comprising: a setting acceptance unit that accepts a setting from a first user terminal device of a first user to enable a benefit that can be used for payment at a store of an affiliated store of an electronic payment service to be granted to a second user's electronic payment service account using the charge balance of the first user's electronic payment service account as a source of funds; a matching unit that matches the electronic payment service account of the second user with the benefit in response to operation of the second user's second user terminal device; and a benefit granting unit that grants the benefit to the second user when the benefit is associated with the electronic payment service account of the second user and the second user makes a payment at the store. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an application program, an information processing method, and a program that can implement a wish list that meets the needs of a user who wishes to receive assistance with purchasing a product. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. [Diagram 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Diagram 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. [Figure 4] 1 is a configuration diagram of a payment server 100 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of first coupon information 178. [Figure 8]13 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of second coupon information 180. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a top screen IM of a payment application 20. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a method for using a first coupon by a user terminal device 10. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method for using a second coupon by a second user terminal device 10B. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a process for issuing a second coupon by a first user terminal device 10A. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another example of the process of issuing a second coupon by the first user terminal device 10A. [Figure 14] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a second coupon stop process by a second store terminal device 70. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a payment completion screen for an electronic payment made by a second user who has acquired a first coupon and multiple second coupons. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method for evaluating a second coupon by a second user terminal device 10B. [Figure 17] 1 is a sequence diagram illustrating a flow of processing executed by a first user terminal device 10A, a second user terminal device 10B, a payment server 100, and a first store terminal device 50 in cooperation with each other. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

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

[0010] [Electronic payment service] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized mainly by a payment server 100. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more first user terminal devices 10A, a second user terminal device 10B, one or more first store terminal devices 50, and one or more second store terminal devices 70 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, and the like. The first user terminal device 10A is a terminal device used by a first user who issues a second coupon described later, and the second user terminal device 10B is a terminal device used by a second user who uses the issued second coupon. In the following description, when the first user terminal device 10A and the second user terminal device 10B are not distinguished from each other functionally, they are referred to as "user terminal devices 10".

[0011] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input reception function, and a program execution function. In the following description, components for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a processor such as a CPU executes a payment application 20, thereby operating to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with a payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0012] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store, and is a code image such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0013] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. An interface 72 for affiliated stores runs on the second store terminal device 70. The interface 72 for affiliated stores may be an app for affiliated stores or a browser. The interface 72 for affiliated stores accepts coupon settings and the like made by the operator of the affiliated store and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image and reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing the app for affiliated stores.

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and an affiliated store server, in which case the payment information is sent from the POS device via the affiliated store server to the payment server 100. In the following explanation, no distinction is made between these two and it is assumed that the payment information is sent from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns of electronic payment: pattern 1 and pattern 2.

[0016] In the case of pattern 1 (hereinafter referred to as user scan) shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal device 10 with the payment application 20 activated decodes the store code image 60 by the optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes store URL (Uniform Resource Locator) information. This store URL is an electronic payment service domain to which store-identifying information is added, and is associated with an affiliated store ID, a store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 transmits the first payment information including the store URL and the account ID to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the affiliated store ID and the store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires the affiliated store name and the store name information (S3), and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user inputs the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen on which the affiliated store name and the store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second payment information including at least the payment amount, and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then transmits a payment completion notice (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed on a display installed in the store, the store code image 60 may include not only the store URL but also information on the payment amount. In this case, the step of the user inputting the payment amount is omitted, and the information on the payment amount is included in the first payment information and transmitted to the payment server 100. Information on the affiliated store name and the store name may be included in the payment completion screen and displayed.

[0017] In the case of pattern 2 (hereinafter referred to as store scan) shown in FIG. 3, when the payment application 20 is started, when a payment operation is performed in the payment application 20, when an automatic update timing (e.g., every minute) occurs, and at other timings, the payment application 20 transmits a request for issuing a one-time code to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and transmits it to the payment application 20 (S13). The payment application 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first store terminal device 50, and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image by an optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). The first store terminal device 50 then generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, product ID, etc., and transmits it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is acquired in advance by reading a barcode or manually entering it. The payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information and performs electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then transmits a payment completion notice to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0018] Note that electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Furthermore, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (e.g., a phone number) that can be used as user identification information. Furthermore, issuance of a one-time code may be omitted in the store scan, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In this case, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0019] [Payment server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the payment server 100 according to the first embodiment. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a payment content providing unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, and a storage unit 170. The components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized by, for example, a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (storage device having a non-transient storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (non-transient storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium in a drive device. The information management unit 140 further includes a setting reception unit 140A, an association unit 140B, and a privilege granting unit 140C, the functions of which will be described in detail later. The function of the information management unit 140 in the payment server 100 is an example of an "information processing device."

[0020] The storage unit 170 is a HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device that the payment server 100 can access via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, affiliated store / shop information 176, first coupon information 178, and second coupon information 180.

[0021] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to the network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0022] The payment content providing unit 120 has, for example, a function of a Web server, and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The payment content providing unit 120 appropriately reads necessary content from the payment content information 174 and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs by the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20, and transmits the above-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

[0023] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on the payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the user information 172. The user information 172 is an example of the registration information of a user. The user information 172 is, for example, a user URL, an account ID, a telephone number, a password, as well as an email address, a user ID, a name, an address, a date of birth, a registration date, a charge balance, a deferred payment setting, a deferred payment limit, a deferred payment usage amount, a deferred payment available amount, a payment method setting, a bank account, a credit card number, a charge history information, a payment history information, a follow-up affiliated store, a first coupon acquired, a second coupon acquired, and owned points, and other information associated with the user. The user URL is used for a remittance process between users. When registering for the electronic payment service, it is necessary to register a telephone number and a password. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). Similarly, the email address, and the name, address, and date of birth are information that can be set by the user at will (does not have to be set). The registration date is the date on which the user registered with the electronic payment service (the date on which the account was created). Hereinafter, the user's instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0025] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money that is set by a user by transferring money to an account in advance. The means of transfer include transfer from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated company (bank) and transfer from a registered bank account. The deferred payment setting is information indicating whether or not the setting for enabling electronic payment by deferred payment has been completed, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed." The deferred payment limit is the limit of deferred payment that can be used each month, the deferred payment usage amount is the amount of deferred payment that has already been used in the current month, and the deferred payment available amount is the amount of deferred payment that can be used in the current month, which is calculated by subtracting the deferred payment usage amount from the deferred payment limit. Although only one deferred payment limit is shown in the figure, in reality, there is also a daily upper limit, and the lower of these may be set as the deferred payment limit. Further details of deferred payment will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information indicating whether the user will perform electronic payment using the charge balance or payment by deferred payment at that time. The bank account and credit card number are information on a bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) that can be used to deposit funds into an electronic payment service. Charge history information is a history of the user's previous transfers to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. Payment history information is information that indicates the details of payments made by the user for each payment (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0026] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above) are associated with an affiliated store ID, and a third table 176C in which a store ID is associated with a store name. In addition to this information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may also include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the location of the store, and payment patterns.

[0027] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the first coupon information 178. The first coupon information 178 is information in which, for example, a first coupon ID, a member store ID, a store ID, a benefit content, a use condition, an expiration date, and other information are associated. As described later, the first coupon is a benefit that is issued to a user by a member store and can be used for electronic payment. In the table shown in FIG. 7, the benefit content is information indicating the content of the benefit provided by the first coupon corresponding to the first coupon ID. For example, in the case of the first coupon with the first coupon ID "0001", it means that a user can receive a 5% rebate from the payment amount by using the first coupon. The use condition is information indicating the condition under which the coupon can be used at the time of payment. For example, in the case of the first coupon with the coupon ID "0001", it means that a user can use the first coupon for payments of 300 yen or more. The expiration date is information indicating the deadline by which the first coupon can be used. The first coupon is an example of a "second benefit" in the claims.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the second coupon information 180. The second coupon information 180 is information in which, for example, a second coupon ID, an account ID, a member store ID, a store ID, a target product, a benefit content, a budget amount, an amount used, an expiration date, a comment, and a public setting are associated with each other. As described below, the second coupon is a benefit provided by a first user to a specific or unspecified second user, and is a benefit that can be used for electronic payment of a specific product specified by the first user. In the table shown in FIG. 8, the account ID is the account ID of the first user who issues the second coupon. The target product is identification information (product ID) for identifying the specific product specified by the first user among the products sold at the store specified by the store ID. The benefit content is information indicating the content of the benefit provided by the second coupon corresponding to the second coupon ID. For example, in the case of a coupon with the second coupon ID "D0001", if a user pays for the target product "13579_001" at a store identified by the store ID "651874" of the affiliated store identified by the affiliated store ID "13579", the user can receive a 5% rebate on the payment amount. Also, for example, in the case of a coupon with the second coupon ID "D0002", the store ID and target product are not entered (not specified), which means that the benefit is provided for all products sold at all stores of the affiliated store identified by the affiliated store ID "34244".

[0029] The budget amount is information indicating the amount of funds for the second coupon, designated by the first user. For example, if the first user designates 10,000 yen as the budget amount, the information management unit 140 subtracts the amount of 10,000 yen in advance from the charge balance of the first user, and subtracts the amount to be returned to the second user from the budget amount every time the second user uses the second coupon to pay for the target product. The used amount is information indicating the amount of the budget amount that is returned by one or more second users using the second coupon. The expiration date is information indicating the deadline by which the second coupon can be used. At the time of expiration, the remaining amount obtained by subtracting the used amount from the budget amount is returned to the charge balance of the first user. The comment is information indicating a comment about the target product set by the first user who issued the second coupon. The second coupon is an example of a "benefit" in the claims. The public setting is information indicating whether or not the second coupon is to be made public to unspecified second users on the payment application 20.

[0030] The information management unit 140 manages user information 172, payment content information 174, affiliated store / store information 176, first coupon information 178, and second coupon information 180 based on information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds new records, edits, deletes, and so on for the user information 172, affiliated store / store information 176, first coupon information 178, and second coupon information 180.

[0031] [Electronic payment] When payment information is acquired from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 130 refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "payment method setting" of the user. For a user whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance", the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the affiliated store's sales. The item value of the affiliated store's sales is not used as electronic money itself, for example, and an amount corresponding to the item value of the sales is transferred to a bank account in a cycle according to an agreement between the affiliated store and the electronic payment service.

[0032] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment for users whose "setting information" is set to "deferred payment" as follows. Deferred payment is set separately from "credit payment" in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service, and the operator of the electronic payment service acts as a creditor and allows electronic payment that is not dependent on the charge balance within the deferred payment limit. In order to receive the deferred payment service, a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service may be required. The amount used for deferred payment is settled on the payment date of the following month, for example, by debiting from a bank account, for one month. In this case, the payment processing unit 130 performs provisional payment by adding the payment amount to the deferred payment amount and subtracting the same amount from the available deferred payment amount, and when the closing date comes, it performs processing to debit the payment for the current month on the payment date of the following month as described above, or requests the operator of the credit card company to perform such processing. In addition, if the payment amount exceeds the available deferred payment amount at the time of provisional payment, an error notification is returned to the payment application 20.

[0033] [Top page] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the top screen IM of the payment application 20. The top screen IM displays a code image CD. The code image CD includes, for example, a barcode and a QR code. In addition, together with the code image CD, text (in the figure, "Pay with balance") is displayed indicating whether to perform electronic payment using the charge balance or to perform electronic payment by deferred payment. This text is drawn by the payment application 20 based on information updated by the payment application 20 every time the changeover switch SW is operated. The top screen IM also includes an operation area CA including the changeover switch SW, and a transition button TB. This will be described later. Note that the "switch" and "button" are GUIs (Graphical User Interfaces) realized in cooperation with a touch panel. The changeover switch SW accepts an operation to switch between performing electronic payment using the charge balance or to perform electronic payment by deferred payment. The changeover switch SW is set to perform electronic payment using the charge balance by default, and every time the changeover switch SW is operated by the user, the setting is switched between performing electronic payment using the charge balance and performing electronic payment by deferred payment. In the figure, the explanation "Postpaid" is displayed, which means that the setting is for postpaid electronic payment. The operation area CA has buttons for instructing the main operations in electronic payment, such as a button for scanning (starting a user scan) and a button for charging. When the transition button TB is operated, the screen transitions to a payment screen that displays the code image used for electronic payment and the available balance.

[0034] Below the operation area CA, for example, a group of buttons (switches) M1 to M2 for activating a mini app are further displayed. A mini app is an app that operates using the payment app 20 as a platform and provides some kind of service. A service provider develops a mini app by referring to a Software Development Kit (SDK), which is a program and technical documentation for app development provided by an administrator of the payment app 20. A mini app is an app that operates, for example, while the payment app 20 is activated. For example, a part or all of the mini app may be installed when the payment app 20 is installed, or a part or all of the mini app may be installed from a service server corresponding to the mini app. For example, when the mini app is activated, a service server (not shown) that provides a service corresponding to the mini app is accessed, and the mini app and the service server work together to provide the service to the user. At this time, the service server may be the payment server 100 itself, or may be an external server different from the payment server 100. 7, as an example, a button M1 for a mini-app that provides a coupon function (including a first coupon and a second coupon) described below, and a button M2 for a mini-app that provides a function for asset management of the charge balance are displayed, but buttons for launching various types of mini-apps, such as a payment app for paying public transportation fares, may be displayed. Furthermore, separate buttons may be provided for the first coupon and the second coupon described below.

[0035] [Use of the first coupon] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of how the first coupon is used by the user terminal device 10. The screen on the left side of Fig. 10 represents a screen displayed on the user terminal device 10 when, for example, the user accesses a dedicated page of an affiliated store of the electronic payment service via the payment application 20 of the user terminal device 10. This screen is displayed, for example, when the user clicks the coupon button M1 on the top screen IM of Fig. 10 and searches for a store that offers the first coupon.

[0036] The affiliated store dedicated page includes, for example, an area A1 in which summary information of the affiliated store is displayed, a button B1 for following the affiliated store, and an area A2 in which detailed information of the affiliated store is displayed switchably by tabs. When the user presses the follow button B1, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the follow button B1 has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to the payment server 100, and the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the affiliated store (e.g., affiliated store ID) in "followed affiliated store" of the user information 172. As a result, for example, every time the affiliated store updates the content of the affiliated store dedicated page, the payment server 100 notifies the user via the payment application 20 that the content of the affiliated store dedicated page has been updated.

[0037] In FIG. 10, for example, when the user taps on "First coupon," which is one of the tabs included in area A2, coupons that the user can currently use for electronic payment at the store are displayed. When the user, for example, follows an affiliated store and presses button B2 for acquiring a coupon, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the Acquire button B2 has been pressed together with the user's identification information (e.g., account ID) to the payment server 100, and the association unit 140B of the information management unit 140 stores the identification information of the coupon acquired by the user (e.g., first coupon ID) in "Acquired first coupon" of the user information 172. This associates the user with the first coupon acquired by the user.

[0038] After the user acquires the first coupon, when the user terminal device 10 executes an electronic payment, the reward granting unit 140C refers to the first coupon information 178 to determine whether the electronic payment matches the usage conditions of the first coupon acquired by the user, and if it is determined that the electronic payment matches the usage conditions of the first coupon, the reward granting unit 140C grants the user a reward according to the coupon content. For example, in the case of the coupon ID "C0001" in the first coupon information 178 shown in FIG. 7, the payment processing unit 130 determines whether the payment amount of the user is 300 yen or more, and if it is determined that the usage conditions are met, points equivalent to 5% of the payment amount are granted.

[0039] Thereafter, the payment application 20 displays, as a payment completion screen, an area A3 displaying the payment store, an area A4 displaying the payment amount, and an area A5 displaying the granted benefit. The right part of FIG. 8 shows, as an example, a case where 25 yen points are granted for a payment of 500 yen in response to the user acquiring a 5% off coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 stores the 25 yen worth of points in the "owned points" of the user information 172, and the payment processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the owned points from the payment amount in the user's next electronic payment, and subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available amount for later payment. In another embodiment, the coupon may be subtracted directly from the payment amount on the day without being added as points available for payment.

[0040] [Use the second coupon] The first coupon described with reference to FIG. 10 is a coupon that an affiliated store provides to a member store within a budget set by the member store itself, which can be used for electronic payments at a physical store. On the other hand, for example, some users may wish to support the purchase of a product at an affiliated store in order to recommend to other users a product that is not well known but has high quality, or an affiliated store that the user personally supports. In this case, it is preferable if the user (first user) can issue a benefit to another user (second user) in a format similar to the first coupon issued by the affiliated store and recommend the product or the affiliated store that sells the product. The second coupon described below enables such a first user to grant a benefit to a specific or unspecified second user by making an electronic payment at a specified affiliated store.

[0041] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a method of using a second coupon by the second user terminal device 10B. The screen on the left side of FIG. 11 represents a screen displayed on the second user terminal device 10B by, for example, the second user accessing a list WL of second coupons issued by the first user (hereinafter referred to as a reverse wish list) via the payment application 20 of the second user terminal device 10B. For example, the screen is displayed when the user clicks the coupon button M1 on the top screen IM of FIG. 10 to search for the first user who issued the second coupon, or the product or store to which the second coupon is issued. As another aspect, the coupon button M1 may be divided into a first coupon button M1_1 (first coupon mini-app) for displaying and acquiring information related to the first coupon, and a second coupon button M1_2 (second coupon mini-app) for displaying and acquiring information related to the second coupon, and the screen on the left side of FIG. 11 may be a screen displayed when the second user presses the second coupon button M1_2.

[0042] The reverse wishlist WL includes, for example, an area A6 for displaying the handle name and thumbnail image of the first user who issued the second coupon, an area A7 for displaying the affiliated store, shop, product, benefit, expiration date, and comment set by the first user who issued the second coupon, and a button B3 for acquiring the second coupon. FIG. 11 shows, as an example, a case where the first user issues a second coupon that can be used at two affiliated stores ("XX Coffee Shop" and "YY Ramen") in order to recommend the use of these affiliated stores. The affiliated store, shop, product, benefit, expiration date, and comment displayed on the second user terminal device 10B correspond to the affiliated store ID, shop ID, target product, benefit content, expiration date, and comment stored in the second coupon information 180 of FIG. 8. The setting reception unit 140A of the information management unit 140 receives settings related to these items from the first user terminal device 10A, issues a new second coupon, and stores information related to the newly issued second coupon in the second coupon information 180, as described later.

[0043] 11, the payment application 20 may also display a detailed setting button B4 for narrowing down the second coupons in the reverse wish list WL to be displayed. For example, when the second user presses the detailed setting button B4, the payment application 20 may display an area for setting narrowing down conditions related to the first user, affiliated store, shop, product, benefit, expiration date, and comment, and may display only the second coupons in the reverse wish list WL that satisfy the narrowing down conditions input by the second user.

[0044] When the user presses the Acquire button B3, the payment application 20 transmits information indicating that the Acquire button B3 has been pressed together with the identification information (e.g., account ID) of the second user to the payment server 100, and the association unit 140B of the information management unit 140 stores the identification information (e.g., second coupon ID) of the second coupon acquired by the second user in "acquired second coupon" of the user information 172. This associates the second user with the second coupon acquired by the second user.

[0045] After the second user acquires the second coupon, when the second user terminal device 10B executes the electronic payment, the reward granting unit 140C refers to the second coupon information 180 to determine whether the electronic payment matches the use conditions of the second coupon acquired by the second user, and if it is determined that the electronic payment matches the use conditions of the second coupon, the reward granting unit 140C grants the second user a reward according to the coupon content. More specifically, as described above, in the store scan, the first store terminal device 50 transmits payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, and product ID to the payment server 100, so that the reward granting unit 140C determines whether the electronic payment by the second user matches the use conditions of the second coupon by comparing the affiliated store ID, store ID, and product ID included in the payment information with the affiliated store ID, store ID, and target product included in the second coupon information 180 for the second coupon acquired by the second user.

[0046] Thereafter, the payment application 20 displays, as a payment completion screen, an area A3 displaying the payment store, an area A4 displaying the payment amount, and an area A5 displaying the granted benefit, in the same manner as in the case of the first coupon. The right part of FIG. 8 shows, as an example, a case where 25 yen points are granted for a payment of 500 yen in response to the second user acquiring a 5% off second coupon. In this case, the information management unit 140 subtracts 25 yen worth of points from the budget amount of the second coupon information 180, adds them to the used amount, and adds them to the "owned points" of the user information 172. In the next electronic payment of the user, the payment processing unit 130 preferentially subtracts the owned points from the payment amount, and subtracts the remaining amount from the charge balance or the available amount for later payment. In another embodiment, the coupon may be directly subtracted from the payment amount on the day without being added as points available for payment.

[0047] Although not illustrated in FIG. 11, the reverse wishlist WL may be provided with a button for following the first user who issued the second coupon, similar to the affiliated store follow button B1. In this case, the user information 172 may further include a column for storing the account ID of the first user followed by the second user. When the second user follows the first user, a push notification, for example, may be sent to the second user terminal device 10B every time the first user issues a new second coupon or changes the content of an issued second coupon.

[0048] Thus, according to this embodiment, when a first user wishes to recommend a certain product or affiliated store to a second user, the first user issues a second coupon for the product or affiliated store and publishes it as a wish list, and the second user browses the wish list on the payment application 20, acquires the second coupon, and makes an electronic payment at the target affiliated store using the acquired second coupon. In other words, according to this embodiment, a wish list that meets the needs of users who wish to assist in purchasing products can be implemented.

[0049] [Various functions related to the second coupon] Hereinafter, various functions related to the second coupon that are realized by the cooperation between the payment server 100 and the payment application 20 will be described with reference to Figs. 12 to 16.

[0050] [Issuing the second coupon] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a second coupon issuing process by the first user terminal device 10A. The screen shown in the left part of FIG. 12 is displayed when, for example, the mini-app button M1 indicating the coupon is pressed on the top screen of the payment application 20 shown in FIG. 9, and transition is made to a second coupon issuing screen. As shown in the left part of FIG. 12, the first user terminal device 10A displays, for example, an area A8 for inputting the handle name of the first user, an area A9 for specifying the affiliated store for which the second coupon is to be issued, an area A10 for specifying the store for which the second coupon is to be issued, an area A11 for specifying the target product for which the second coupon is to be issued, an area A12 for specifying the benefit content of the second coupon, an area A13 for specifying the budget amount of the second coupon, an area A14 for specifying the expiration date of the second coupon, an area A15 for inputting a comment to be displayed when the second coupon is made public, and a radio button R1 for selecting whether or not the second coupon issued by the first user is to be made public as a wish list WL. When the contents are set in areas A8 to A15 and radio button R1 and issue button B5 is pressed, first user terminal device 10A transmits the set contents to payment server 100, and setting reception unit 140A issues a second coupon based on the received set contents, associates it with the second coupon ID, and stores it in second coupon information 180. At the same time, setting reception unit 140A subtracts an amount equivalent to the budget amount from the first user's charge balance.

[0051] When the second coupon is set to be public, as shown in the left part of Fig. 11, the wishlist WL is made public to unspecified second user terminal devices 10B, whereas when the second coupon is set to be private, for example, a link for acquiring the second coupon is issued to the first user, and the first user can have the second user acquire the second coupon by sending the link for acquiring the second coupon to the second user terminal device 10B. For example, as shown in the right part of Fig. 12, the first user terminal device 10A sends the link for acquiring the second coupon issued with the private setting to the second user terminal device 10B, for example, via a chat app, and the second user clicks on the link on the second user terminal device 10B on which the payment app 20 is installed. The second user terminal device 10B transmits information indicating that the link has been clicked to the payment server 100 together with the account ID of the second user, and the association unit 140B stores the second coupon ID of the second coupon acquired by the second user in "acquired second coupon" of the user information 172. This allows the second user to acquire the second coupon that has been set to private.

[0052] Among the items shown above, the handle name, store, target product, and comment may be set arbitrarily. For example, if the handle name is not set, the name of the first user displayed on the wish list WL may be anonymous. For example, if the store is not set, the second coupon may be used for all stores belonging to the affiliated store. For example, if the target product is not set, the second coupon may be used for all products sold by the affiliated store. For example, if the comment is not set, the comment area may be omitted from area A7 shown on the left side of FIG. 11.

[0053] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another example of the process of issuing a second coupon by the first user terminal device 10A. FIG. 13 shows the process executed when the second coupon is set to public by the radio button R1. When the second coupon is set to public via the radio button R1 and the issue button B5 is pressed, the first user terminal device 10A transmits the setting contents to the payment server 100. The setting reception unit 140A transmits inquiry information to inquire whether or not to permit the issuance of the second coupon to the second store terminal device 70 of the affiliated store specified in the received setting contents. This is because, if the second coupon is issued with the public setting, it is expected that a large number of unspecified second users will visit the store to use the second coupon, which may result in a shortage of the product for which the second coupon was issued and congestion at the store. When the affiliated store clerk checks the inquiry information received on the second store terminal device 70 and presses the permission button B6, information indicating that the permission button B6 has been pressed is sent to the payment server 100, and the setting reception unit 140A issues a second coupon, associates it with the second coupon ID, and stores it in the second coupon information 180. On the other hand, when the affiliated store clerk presses the disallowance button B7, information indicating that the disallowance button B7 has been pressed is sent to the payment server 100 and the first user terminal device 10A. This makes it possible to prevent confusion that may occur when the second coupon is made public without the permission of the affiliated store clerk.

[0054] 13, the handle name set by the first user in area A8 is written as the sender of the inquiry information. In this way, if the first user does not wish to notify the affiliated store of his / her identity, he / she may set a handle name in area A8 and send a notice containing the handle name to the affiliated store. On the other hand, if the first user does not set a handle name in area A8, the name or account ID of the first user may be notified to the second store terminal device 70.

[0055] Furthermore, if the issued second coupon is made public, there is a possibility that a regular customer of the affiliated store may obtain and use the issued second coupon before a new customer. Therefore, the first user terminal device 10A may display an area for specifying whether or not to limit the use of the second coupon to new customers, in addition to the setting items described in the left part of FIG. 13. If the first user limits the use of the second coupon to new customers, the association unit 140B may refer to the payment history of the second user when the second user obtains the second coupon, and may associate the second user with the second coupon only if the second user has not made an electronic payment at the target store in the past (i.e., may grant the second coupon to the second user). In addition, instead of at the association stage, when the second user executes an electronic payment, the benefit granting unit 140C may refer to the payment history of the second user, and may grant a benefit only if the second user has not made an electronic payment at the target store in the past.

[0056] [Second coupon suspended] Even if a store clerk at an affiliated store has given permission to issue and publish a second coupon, the affiliated store may wish to suspend the issued second coupon depending on the store's congestion status, the stock status of the target product, etc. For this reason, the payment server 100 may provide a function to suspend the issued second coupon via the second store terminal device 70 of the affiliated store.

[0057] Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a second coupon stop process by the second store terminal device 70. In Fig. 14, the affiliated store interface 72 of the second store terminal device 70 displays an area A16 representing an affiliated store and its account that has logged in to the affiliated store interface 72, an area A17 representing a menu that can be operated via the affiliated store interface 72, and an area A18 displaying information about an item selected from the menu A17. Fig. 14 shows, as an example, a screen that is displayed on the affiliated store interface 72 when a store clerk at the affiliated store selects the area representing the second coupon from the menu A17.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 14, the payment server 100 transmits, for example, to the second store terminal device 70 a list of second coupons issued to the affiliated store, and displays the list on the affiliated store interface 72. At this time, the affiliated store interface 72 displays, for example, an area A18 for displaying detailed information of the second coupons issued by each first user, and a button B8 for selecting to stop issuing the second coupon. The detailed information may include information such as whether the second coupon is public or private, and the number of people who have used the second coupon, in addition to the issuer, store, product, benefit, and comment of the second coupon. When the affiliated store clerk checks the detailed information A18 of each second coupon and presses the stop button B8, the second store terminal device 70 transmits information indicating that the stop button B8 has been pressed to the payment server 100. The information management unit 140 of the payment server 100 deletes the corresponding second coupon from the second coupon information 180 based on the received information. Alternatively, the information management unit 140 may send inquiry information to the first user terminal device 10A of the first user who issued the second coupon before deleting the corresponding second coupon, and delete the second coupon when the consent of the first user is obtained. In this way, when the issuance and publication of the second coupon causes congestion at the affiliated store or a shortage of stock of the target product, for example, a salesperson at the affiliated store can deal with such a situation by suspending the use of second coupons whose status is in a published state or second coupons that have been used by many people.

[0059] In FIG. 14, an example is described in which the payment server 100 provides a function of canceling an issued second coupon via the interface 72 for member stores. However, various other functions related to the second coupon may be provided. For example, the payment server 100 may provide a function on the interface 72 for member stores that allows a product to be specified, via a product ID, as a target product for the second coupon (or a product to be excluded from the target products for which the second coupon is applied). In that case, on the setting screens shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the first user specifies a target product for the second coupon from among the products to which the second coupon is applied. This allows the member store to appropriately manage the distribution of the second coupon by, for example, excluding a product with a tight inventory situation from the target products for which the second coupon is applied. Furthermore, for example, the payment server 100 may provide a function on the interface 72 for member stores that allows a store code image 60 including product ID information corresponding to each product of the member store to be displayed in response to a selection by a store clerk. In this case, the second user terminal device 10B of the second user who has acquired the second coupon reads the store code image 60 and performs a user scan, and the payment server 100 can compare the product covered by the second coupon with the product for which electronic payment has been made, and grant the second user a benefit related to the second coupon.

[0060] [1st and 2nd coupons can be applied together] As described above, the first coupon is a benefit issued by an affiliated store based on its own funds, and the second coupon is a benefit issued by each first user based on his or her own funds. Therefore, even if the first coupon and multiple second coupons are applied to an electronic payment at the same store, the burden associated with the application is distributed among multiple issuers. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a second user who has made an electronic payment acquires the first coupon and multiple second coupons and makes an electronic payment, the benefit granting unit 140C may apply the first coupon and multiple second coupons to the second user at the same time.

[0061] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a payment completion screen of an electronic payment made by a second user who has acquired a first coupon and multiple second coupons. FIG. 15 shows a payment completion screen that is displayed when the second user makes an electronic payment after acquiring one first coupon and two second coupons issued by two first users. In the conventional technology, the second user acquires points by using only the first coupon issued by the affiliated store, but in this embodiment, the second user can acquire points corresponding to these coupons by using the first coupon and two second coupons in combination. This allows the affiliated store to be advertised more effectively without placing an excessive burden on the affiliated store or each first user.

[0062] [Evaluation from the first user who issued the second coupon] The payment server 100 may further provide the second user terminal device 10B of the second user with a function of giving an evaluation of the second coupon that has been used. FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a method of evaluating a second coupon by the second user terminal device 10B. FIG. 16 shows a scene where the second user evaluates the second coupon that has been used on a payment completion screen that is displayed after electronic payment by the second user terminal device 10B. For example, the second user terminal device 10B displays an area A19 for entering an evaluation (grade) and comments on the second coupon that has been used, and transmits the evaluation contents to the payment server 100 when the second user enters information in the area A19 and presses the send button B9.

[0063] The payment server 100 may score the first user based on the evaluation received from the second user terminal device 10B, and may display the first user with a higher score in a higher order on the search result display screen of the reverse wishlist WL shown in Fig. 11. Also, for example, the payment server 100 may give a title to the first user with a higher score, or allow the first user to use an additional function (for example, a function to solicit a budget for issuing a second coupon from users of other electronic payment services).

[0064] [Processing flow] Next, the flow of processing executed from issuance to use of the second coupon will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating the flow of processing executed by cooperation between the first user terminal device 10A, the second user terminal device 10B, the payment server 100, and the first store terminal device 50. Fig. 17 shows, as an example, the flow of processing when the first user discloses the second coupon to an unspecified second user.

[0065] First, the first user terminal device 10A accepts the setting conditions of the second coupon input by the first user (S21). Next, the first user terminal device 10A transmits the setting conditions of the second coupon that have been input to the payment server 100 (S22). Next, the payment server 100 issues a new second coupon based on the received setting conditions of the second coupon, and stores information about the newly issued second coupon in the second coupon information 180 (S23). At this time, as described above, if the setting conditions of the second coupon are set to be public, the payment server 100 may inquire of the second store terminal device 70 as to whether or not to permit issuance of the second coupon, and may execute the process of S23 if the issuance of the second coupon is permitted by a store clerk at the affiliated store.

[0066] Next, the payment server 100 discloses the issued second coupon to the second user terminal device 10B (S24). More specifically, when the coupon button M1 is operated on the payment application 20, the second user terminal device 10B displays a list of second coupons issued by multiple second users as a reverse wish list WL. Next, the second user terminal device 10B transmits an acquisition request for the second coupon designated by the second user to the payment server 100 (S25). Next, the payment server 100 grants the second coupon to the second user by associating the account ID of the second user with the second coupon ID of the second coupon based on the received acquisition request for the second coupon (S26) (S27).

[0067] Next, the second user terminal device 10B performs electronic payment by store scanning at the affiliated store where the second coupon was acquired (S28). At this time, as described above, instead of the store scanning, the second store terminal device 70 may display a store code image 60 including product ID information, and the second user may perform electronic payment by user scanning. The first store terminal device 50 that performed the store scanning transmits payment information including the payment information (one-time code, remittance amount, affiliated store ID, store ID, product ID) to the payment server 100 (S29). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received payment information, and determines whether or not there is a second coupon applicable to the second user by collating the affiliated store ID, store ID, and product ID included in the payment information with the acquired second coupon included in the user information 172 and the affiliated store ID, store ID, and target product included in the second coupon information 180 (S30).

[0068] Next, the payment server 100 transmits a payment completion notification to the second user terminal device 10B (S31), and if it is determined that a second coupon applicable to the second user exists, the payment completion notification includes information indicating that the second coupon has been applied. The second user terminal device 10B displays the received payment completion notification (S32), and the payment server 100 awards points to the second user for applying the second coupon (S33). At this time, the application of the first coupon and the awarding of points are also determined in a similar manner, but will not be described for the sake of brevity. This ends the processing related to this sequence diagram.

[0069] According to the embodiment described above, a setting is accepted from a user terminal device of a first user to grant a benefit that can be used to pay for a specific product sold at a physical store of an affiliated store of the electronic payment service to an electronic payment service account of a second user, and the electronic payment service account of the second user is associated with the benefit in response to an operation of the user terminal device by the second user, and when the benefit is associated with the electronic payment service account of the second user and the second user pays for the specific product, the benefit is granted to the second user. This makes it possible to implement a wish list that meets the needs of users who wish to receive assistance in purchasing products.

[0070] The above describes the form for carrying out the present invention using an embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and substitutions can be made within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 10 User terminal device 20. Payment App 100 Payment Server 120 Payment Contents Provider 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information Management Department 140A Settings Reception 140B Correspondence section 140C Benefits Granting Department

Claims

1. a setting reception unit that receives a setting from a first user terminal device of a first user to grant a benefit that can be used for payment at a store of an affiliated store in the electronic payment service to an electronic payment service account of a second user using a charge balance of the electronic payment service account of the first user as a resource; The setting reception unit further receives a setting as to whether the benefit is to be made public to unspecified second users or is to be kept private; a processing unit that, when the privilege is set to be made public to an unspecified second user, enables information relating to the privilege to be displayed on a second user terminal device of the unspecified second user in response to an operation by the second user, and, when the privilege is set to be made private to an unspecified second user, prevents information relating to the privilege from being displayed on the second user terminal device of the unspecified second user unless a predetermined operation is performed on the first user terminal device by the first user, Information processing device.

2. the predetermined operation is an operation of transmitting reference information enabling the user to view information related to the benefit to the second user terminal device of any one of the unspecified second users; The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. The computer receiving, from a first user terminal device of a first user, a setting to grant a benefit that can be used for payment at a store of an affiliated store of the electronic payment service to an electronic payment service account of a second user, using the charge balance of the electronic payment service account of the first user as a resource; Further accepting a setting as to whether the benefit is to be made public to unspecified second users or not; When the privilege is set to be made public to an unspecified second user, information regarding the privilege can be displayed on a second user terminal device of the unspecified second user in response to an operation by the second user, whereas when the privilege is set to be made private to an unspecified second user, information regarding the privilege cannot be displayed on the second user terminal device of the unspecified second user unless a predetermined operation is performed by the first user on the first user terminal device. Information processing methods.

4. On the computer, accepting, from a first user terminal device of a first user, a setting to grant a benefit available for payment at a store of an affiliated store of the electronic payment service to an electronic payment service account of a second user, using the charge balance of the electronic payment service account of the first user as a resource; further accepting a setting as to whether the benefit is to be made public to unspecified second users or not; When the privilege is set to be made public to an unspecified second user, information regarding the privilege is made displayable on a second user terminal device of the unspecified second user in response to an operation by the second user, whereas when the privilege is set to be made private to an unspecified second user, information regarding the privilege is made undisplayable on the second user terminal device of the unspecified second user unless a predetermined operation is performed by the first user on the first user terminal device. program.

5. a setting reception unit that receives a setting from a first user terminal device of a first user to grant a benefit that can be used for payments at affiliated stores in the electronic payment service to an unspecified second user's electronic payment service account using the charge balance of the first user's electronic payment service account as a resource; an association unit that associates an electronic payment service account of the unspecified second user with the benefit in response to an operation of a second user terminal device by the unspecified second user; a reward granting unit that grants the reward to the unspecified second user when the reward is associated with the electronic payment service account of the unspecified second user and the unspecified second user makes a payment at the store; Information processing device.

6. The computer accepting, from a first user terminal device of a first user, a setting to grant a benefit available for payment at a store of an affiliated store in the electronic payment service to an unspecified electronic payment service account of a second user, using the charge balance of the electronic payment service account of the first user as a resource; Correlating the electronic payment service account of the unspecified second user with the benefit in response to an operation of a second user terminal device by the unspecified second user; When the benefit is associated with an electronic payment service account of the unspecified second user and the unspecified second user makes a payment at the store, the benefit is granted to the unspecified second user. Information processing methods.

7. On the computer, accepting a setting from a first user terminal device of a first user to grant a benefit available for payment at a member store of the electronic payment service to an unspecified second user's electronic payment service account using the charge balance of the first user's electronic payment service account as a resource; Correlating the electronic payment service account of the unspecified second user with the benefit in response to an operation of a second user terminal device by the unspecified second user; When the benefit is associated with an electronic payment service account of the unspecified second user and the unspecified second user makes a payment at the store, the benefit is granted to the unspecified second user. program.

Images