Electronic payment system

Abstract

To improve an estimation accuracy of a reason of a reading error of a card medium.SOLUTION: An electronic settlement system includes a plurality of settlement acceptance apparatuses that accept an electronic settlement based on at least information read from a card medium, and a settlement server that perform the electronic settlement or a settlement relay center that relays communication between the settlement center and the plurality of settlement acceptance apparatuses. The settlement acceptance apparatuses transmit information on an error occurred when the card medium is read to the settlement center or the settlement relay center as error information. The settlement center or the settlement relay center estimates a reason of the error based on the error information received from the settlement acceptance apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic payment system, a payment acceptance device, a reading device, an error cause estimation method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Electronic payment is also called cashless payment, and new means have been continuously emerging. On the other hand, card media with an IC chip such as credit cards and debit cards (hereinafter referred to as "contact-type card media") are still widely used. The feature of electronic payment using contact-type card media is that when reading card information, the IC chip is brought into contact with a terminal such as a reading device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Due to the amendment of the installment sales law, currently, the user himself / herself needs to insert the contact-type card media into a reading device or the like. For this reason, an increase in reading errors of contact-type card media during electronic payment has been reported. On the other hand, the causes of reading errors are diverse. The causes of reading errors are generally classified into operation methods, contact-type card media, and reading devices, but in many cases, it is difficult to identify the cause. For this reason, the burden on the site is increasing. Although the causes are different, in the case of card media that read IC chip information without contact (hereinafter referred to as "non-contact card media"), it is also a problem to identify the cause of reading errors. Hereinafter, contact-type card media and non-contact card media are collectively referred to as "card media".

[0005] The object of the present invention is to improve the estimation accuracy of the cause of a reading error of a card medium.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The invention according to claim 1 is an electronic payment system including: a plurality of payment acceptance devices that accept at least electronic payments based on information read from a card medium; a payment center that executes electronic payments; or a payment relay center that relays communication between the payment center and the plurality of payment acceptance devices, wherein the plurality of payment acceptance devices transmit information regarding an error that occurred during reading of the card medium as error information to the payment center or the payment relay center, and the payment center or the payment relay center estimates the cause of the error based on the error information received from the payment acceptance devices. The invention according to claim 2 is the electronic payment system according to claim 1, wherein the payment center or the payment relay center notifies the payment acceptance device that is the source of the error information of the cause of the error corresponding to the newly received error information. The invention according to claim 3 is the electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the payment center or the payment relay center has a storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of the error information received from the plurality of payment acceptance devices, analyzes the plurality of pieces of the error information stored in the storage unit, and transmits information reflecting the result of the analysis to the plurality of payment acceptance devices for use in the estimation process of the cause of the error. The invention according to claim 4 is the electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the payment center or the payment relay center receives, from a payment acceptance device that has performed multiple readings on a specific card medium, error information indicating that no information could be read at all during the first reading, and the error information is not received during the second reading, the payment center or the payment relay center estimates an error regarding the insertion direction of the card medium as the cause of the error. The invention according to claim 5 is the electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the payment center or the payment relay center estimates an error specific to the card medium as the cause of the error when, from the payment acceptance device that has read a specific card medium multiple times, error information indicating that no information can be read at all each time is received for the reading of the specific card medium, while the error information is not received for the reading of other card media. The invention according to claim 6 is the electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the payment center or the payment relay center estimates insufficient insertion time of the card medium as the cause of the error when, from the payment acceptance device that has read a specific card medium multiple times, error information indicating that partial information was read is received at the first reading, while the error information is not received at the second reading. It is.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the estimation accuracy of the cause of the reading error of the card medium can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 5

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Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the electronic payment system according to the embodiment will be described in detail. In each of the embodiments described below, it is assumed that a contact-type card medium such as a credit card or a debit card is used for electronic payment, but electronic payment using other electronic money is also possible. For example, it is also possible to use electronic money for transportation or distribution systems, or electronic money for a code payment system that uses a QR code (registered trademark) or a barcode.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> <Configuration of the System> FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a conceptual configuration example of the electronic payment system 1 used in Embodiment 1. The electronic payment system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a POS terminal 10 installed at a store, a card reader 20 connected to the POS terminal 10, a payment relay center 30 that relays payment information between the store and the payment operator, and a payment center 40 operated by the payment operator.

[0011] Note that the POS terminal 10, the settlement relay center 30, and the settlement center 40 are connected to each other via a settlement network 50. In FIG. 1, only two franchise systems are shown, but there is no limit to the number of franchises. Also, in FIG. 1, one POS terminal 10 is installed in one franchise, but a plurality of POS terminals 10 may be installed.

[0012] In the case of FIG. 1, there are a plurality of settlement service providers. For this reason, a plurality of settlement centers 40 are shown. However, the settlement center 40 may be one. The settlement service provider in the present embodiment is, for example, a credit card issuer or a bank that issued a debit card. The settlement relay center 30 is an information processing center that relays communication between the POS terminal 10 arranged on the franchise side and the settlement center 40. Incidentally, an electronic payment system 1 that does not use the settlement relay center 30 is also possible. In that case, the POS terminal 10 is directly connected to the settlement center 40 corresponding to the electronic money used for settlement.

[0013] The POS terminal 10 is a terminal used for registering goods and services to be settled. When it is also possible to pay the price of goods with banknotes and coins (i.e., "currency"), a change machine (not shown) is connected to the POS terminal 10. In the present embodiment, each time an electronic payment is made, the POS terminal 10 reads information necessary for the electronic payment from the card medium and transmits it to the settlement relay center 30. The POS terminal 10 is an example of a payment acceptance device in the claims.

[0014] In the present embodiment, at the time of electronic payment, the information transmitted from the POS terminal 10 to the settlement relay center 30 is referred to as "electronic payment information". The electronic payment information includes, for example, transaction information, reader terminal information, and card information. The transaction information includes, for example, transaction date and time, a number for identifying the transaction, transaction amount, and details of goods and services subject to the transaction.

[0015] The reader terminal information includes, for example, the identification number of the card reader 20, the store code, and the franchise code. The card information is the information read from the contact-type card medium and includes, for example, the card number and the reading method. In the case of a contact-type card medium, "contact IC" is read as the reading method. In the case of payment by other electronic money, "magnetic" or "non-contact" is read as the reading method.

[0016] The card reader 20 is a device that reads card information from a contact-type card medium and transmits it to the POS terminal 10. As described above, the card reader 20 does not necessarily have to be dedicated to reading a contact-type card medium and can also handle reading information required for payment by other types of electronic money. The card reader 20 in this sense is also called a multi-reader. The card reader 20 is an example of a reading device in the claims.

[0017] <Configuration of each device> <Configuration of the POS terminal 10> FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the POS terminal 10 used in the first embodiment. The POS terminal 10 shown in FIG. 2 includes a control unit 11 that controls the operation of the own terminal, a storage unit 12 used for storing data and the like, an operation display unit 13 used for receiving operations and presenting information, a receipt output unit 14 that outputs a receipt which is a settlement detail, and a communication unit 15 used for communication with the card reader 20 (see FIG. 1) and the settlement relay center 30 (see FIG. 1).

[0018] The control unit 11 is composed of a CPU (= Central Processing Unit), a ROM (= Read Only Memory), and a RAM (= Random Access Memory). That is, the control unit 11 constitutes a computer. The ROM stores the BIOS (= Basic Input Output System) and various settings. The CPU executes programs using the RAM as a work area. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 functions as a POS application unit 111 that executes processes related to, for example, settlement through program execution, and an OCX (= OLE Control Extension) unit 112 that realizes cooperation with a card reader 20 (see FIG. 1).

[0019] The POS application unit 111 is provided with functions such as a function of displaying products and services that are the targets of transactions on the operation display unit 13, a function of outputting a receipt through the receipt output unit 14 when settlement is established, and a function of transmitting electronic settlement information to the settlement relay center 30 through the communication unit 15. The POS application unit 111 is an example of a processing unit in the claims.

[0020] The OCX unit 112 is a program that realizes cooperation between the card reader 20 and the POS application unit 111, and is prepared for each card reader 20. The OCX unit 112 not only delivers the card information read from the card reader 20 to the POS application unit 111, but also executes processes such as estimating the cause of an error that occurred when reading a contact-type card medium in the card reader 20.

[0021] Therefore, the OCX unit 112 in this embodiment is provided with a card information receiving unit 112A, an error information receiving unit 112B, an error information transmitting unit 112C, an error cause estimating unit 112D, an error cause receiving unit 112E, and a determination threshold receiving unit 112F. The card information receiving unit 112A is a functional unit that receives card information from the card reader 20. The card information receiving unit 112A delivers the received card information to the POS application unit 111.

[0022] The error information receiving unit 112B is a functional unit that receives information related to a reading error of a contact-type card medium (that is, error information) from the card reader 20. The error information provided by the card reader 20 includes, for example, reader terminal information, card information, error type, and number of occurrences. Card information is included in the error information only when the reading of the card information from the contact-type card medium is successful. The error types are two types: "unable to read any information" and "unable to read information from the middle". The occurrence count is the occurrence count of errors for physically the same contact-type card medium.

[0023] The error information transmission unit 112C is a functional unit that transmits the error information received from the card reader 20 to the settlement relay center 30 (see Fig. 1). In the case of this embodiment, the error information transmission unit 112C transmits the error information received from the card reader 20 to the settlement relay center 30 in real time. However, the error information received within a predetermined period, such as on a daily basis or a weekly basis, may be transmitted in a batch.

[0024] The error cause estimation unit 112D is a functional unit that estimates the cause of the card information reading error using the error information received from the card reader 20. That is, in the case of this embodiment, the cause of the reading error is estimated within the POS terminal 10. Note that the estimation of the cause of the reading error is simultaneous with the occurrence of the reading error. For the estimation of the cause of the reading error, not only the corresponding error information but also other error information and transaction information that are temporally continuous are used.

[0025] The error cause reception unit 112E is a functional unit that receives the cause of the error from the settlement relay center 30. The OCX unit 112 in this embodiment transmits the error information to the settlement relay center 30 in real time and receives the estimated cause of the error from the settlement relay center 30 in real time. When the cause of the error estimated within the own terminal is the same as the cause of the error received from the settlement relay center 30, the error cause reception unit 112E notifies the cause estimated by the error cause estimation unit 112D to the POS app unit 111.

[0026] On the other hand, when the cause of the error estimated within the terminal is different from the cause of the error received from the settlement relay center 30, the error cause receiving unit 112E determines the cause of the error to be notified to the POS app unit 111 according to a predetermined rule. Examples of the predetermined rule include "notify both" and "give priority to the cause of the error received from the settlement relay center 30".

[0027] The determination threshold receiving unit 112F is a functional unit that receives a determination threshold used for estimating the cause of an error as an analysis result of error information from the settlement relay center 30. In the case of this embodiment, error information is accumulated in the settlement relay center 30 from all the POS terminals 10 connected to the settlement network 50 (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the settlement relay center 30 can analyze the occurrence tendency of error information in the entire market.

[0028] In addition, it is difficult to determine a reading error caused by the card reader 20 based only on the error information of the corresponding device. However, by utilizing the reading results of other card readers for the same (i.e., having the same card number) contact-type card medium, it becomes possible to more accurately determine the cause of the error. The determination threshold receiving unit 112F provides the received determination threshold to the error cause estimation unit 112D and uses it for estimating the cause of errors after the next time. Note that the determination threshold receiving unit 112F in this embodiment receives, as an analysis result, information useful for estimating the cause of a reading error, in addition to the determination threshold, from the settlement relay center 30.

[0029] The storage unit 12 is composed of a semiconductor memory or a hard disk device. In the storage unit 12, card information read from a contact-type card medium and the like are stored each time an electronic payment is made. The operation display unit 13 is composed of, for example, a touch panel. The touch panel is composed of a display that displays an operation screen and a highly transparent film sensor. For the display, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (=Electro Luminescence) display is used. For the film sensor, a capacitance type or a resistive film type sensor is used. The operation display unit 13 is used not only for the transaction screen but also for displaying the cause of an error.

[0030] The receipt output unit 14 is used for outputting a receipt which is the details of the settlement. The communication unit 15 is a communication module used for communication with an external device. Examples of external devices include a card reader 20 and a settlement relay center 30. The communication unit 15 used for communication with the card reader 20 is an example of the connection unit in the claims.

[0031] <Configuration of the card reader 20> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the card reader 20 used in the first embodiment. The card reader 20 shown in FIG. 3 includes a control unit 21 for controlling the operation of the own terminal, a storage unit 22 used for storing card information read from a contact-type card medium, an operation display unit 23 used for receiving operations and presenting information, an information reading unit 24 for reading card information from a contact-type card medium, a PIN reception unit 25 used for inputting an authentication code when the card-type recording medium is a credit card, and a communication unit 26 used for communication with an external device.

[0032] The control unit 21 is composed of a CPU (or MPU), a ROM, and a RAM. The BIOS and various settings are stored in the ROM. The CPU uses the RAM as a work area and executes programs read from the ROM and the storage unit 22. The control unit 21 functions as, for example, a card information transmission unit 21A and an error information generation unit 21B through the execution of a program. The card information transmission unit 21A is a functional unit for transmitting card information read from a contact-type card medium to the OCX unit 112 (see FIG. 2) of the POS terminal 10 (see FIG. 2). The error information generation unit 21B is a functional unit for generating error information including the error type when an error occurs during the reading of contact-type card information by the information reading unit 24. The error information generation unit 21B is an example of the "generation unit" in the claims.

[0033] The storage unit 22 is composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory. In the storage unit 22, in addition to the card information read from a contact-type card medium or the like, information such as error types and occurrence frequencies is also stored. Further, a program corresponding to the card information transmission unit 21A and the error information generation unit 21B is also stored in the storage unit 22. The operation display unit 23 is composed of, for example, operation buttons such as a numeric keypad and a display. The information reading unit 24 is a device that reads card information from a contact-type card medium. The information reading unit 24 used in this embodiment is provided with reading terminals that contact the IC chip of the correctly inserted contact-type card medium. The information reading unit 24 may include a magnetic reader for reading card information from a magnetic card.

[0034] The PIN reception unit 25 is a device used for receiving a PIN (=Personal Identification Number) code. The PIN code is used for user authentication during settlement with a credit card or a debit card. The communication unit 26 is a communication module used for communication with an external device. The external device includes a POS terminal 10 (see FIG. 1). The card reader 20 in this embodiment is not provided with a function for estimating the cause of an error.

[0035] <Configuration of the settlement relay center 30> FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the settlement relay center 30 used in the first embodiment and a data structure example of the error information DB. (A) shows a configuration example of the settlement relay center 30, and (B) shows a data structure example of the error information DB 32B. The settlement relay center 30 is a so-called data center and is realized as a server. The settlement relay center 30 shown in FIG. 4(A) includes a control unit 31 that controls the operation of its own terminal, a storage unit 32 that stores electronic settlement information, error information, etc., and a communication unit 33 that is used for communication with an external device.

[0036] The control unit 31 is composed of a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The ROM stores the BIOS and various settings. The CPU uses the RAM as a working area and executes programs read from the ROM and the storage unit 22. Through program execution, the control unit 31 functions as, for example, an electronic payment information receiving unit 31A, an electronic payment information transmitting unit 31B, an error information receiving unit 31C, an error cause estimating unit 31D, and an error information analyzing unit 31E. When the estimation of the cause of the reading error and the analysis of the error information are executed by the settlement center 40 (see FIG. 1), the functions of the error cause estimating unit 31D and the error information analyzing unit 31E are not provided in the settlement relay center 30.

[0037] The electronic payment information receiving unit 31A is a functional unit that receives electronic payment information from the POS terminal 10. The electronic payment information transmitting unit 31B is a functional unit that transmits the electronic payment information received from the POS terminal 10 to the settlement center 40. The error information receiving unit 31C is a functional unit that receives error information from the POS terminal 10. The error cause estimating unit 31D is a functional unit that estimates the cause of the reading error in real time based on the error information received from the POS terminal 10. The error cause estimating unit 31D transmits the estimated cause of the reading error to the POS terminal 10, which is the source of the error information, in real time.

[0038] The error information analyzing unit 31E analyzes the occurrence tendency of the error information stored in the storage unit 32 and determines thresholds (i.e., "judgment thresholds") and the like used for determining the cause of the reading error. The error information used by the error information analyzing unit 31E for analysis is limited to error information generated within a predetermined period (e.g., within several months) with the analysis date and time as the reference point. By limiting the period in which the error information used for analysis is generated, it becomes possible to reflect the state of the latest card reader 20 (see FIG. 1) and changes in the user's operational understanding degree when using the contact-type card medium in the latest judgment threshold.

[0039] For example, during a period when many users were not used to inserting a contact-type card medium into the card reader 20, there were many insertion errors. However, as users became more accustomed to the insertion, the frequency of insertion errors decreased. Thus, even if the determination threshold value is decreased, it becomes possible to determine with high accuracy that the cause is an insertion error. In the case of the present embodiment, the error information analysis unit 31E distributes the determined determination threshold value to the POS terminal 10 connected to the settlement network 50. Of course, the changed determination threshold value is also notified to the error cause estimation unit 31D of the own terminal.

[0040] By changing the determination threshold value, it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the error cause without changing the determination conditions for the error cause. However, depending on changes in the occurrence tendency of error information, the error information analysis unit 31E distributes a program in which the determination conditions for the error cause are changed. The storage unit 32 is composed of a semiconductor memory and a hard disk device. The storage unit 32 stores the electronic settlement information 32A received from the POS terminal 10, the error information DB (= Database) 32B, and the analysis result 32C.

[0041] The error information DB 32B stores a plurality of error information received from a plurality of POS terminals 10 connected to the settlement network 50. In the error information DB 32B shown in FIG. 4(B), the date and time when a reading error occurred, the identification number of the card reader 20, the card information that could be read, the type of reading error, the number of occurrences, etc. are recorded. Note that the data structure shown in FIG. 4(B) is an example. The type of error is a code indicating the content of the reading error and is output by the card reader 20. Examples of the content of the reading error represented by the code include "no information can be read at all" and "information cannot be read from the middle".

[0042] The number of occurrences indicates whether it is the first occurrence, the second occurrence, etc. of a reading error. The number of occurrences is notified, for example, from the POS application unit 111 (see Fig. 2). However, when the error information includes the amount of the transaction that is the subject of the electronic payment or the operation information of the POS terminal 10 (see Fig. 1), the error information receiving unit 31C or the error cause estimating unit 31D may determine the number of occurrences. For example, when the amount handled by the same POS terminal 10 is the same as the amount of the previous transaction within a predetermined time, it is presumed that the transaction is made with the same card. That is, it can be understood that it is a multiple reading error with the same card.

[0043] <Processing Operations at the Time of Reading Error of Contact-Type Card Medium> Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of the processing operations executed by each terminal and an example of the communication operations executed between terminals when an error occurs in reading a contact-type card medium. In Fig. 5, the symbol S is used in the sense of steps. In the card reader 20 in Fig. 5, it is assumed that functions other than the information reading unit 24 (see Fig. 3) operate normally. The card reader 20 that has detected a reading error generates error information (step 1) and transmits it to the OCX unit 112 of the POS terminal 10. The error information here includes at least a code representing the type of reading error.

[0044] When the OCX unit 112 receives the error information (step 2), it transmits the received error information to the settlement relay center 30 (step 3). In the case of this embodiment, the transmission of the error information is executed in real time. However, it is also possible to adopt a mechanism for periodically uploading a plurality of error information in a batch. The OCX unit 112 that has received the error information estimates the cause of the reading error (step 4) through the execution of the error cause estimating unit 112D (see Fig. 2). The outline and specific examples of the determination method will be described later. However, it is also possible to adopt a mechanism in which the estimation of the cause of the reading error is not executed by the OCX unit 112 but by the settlement relay center 30.

[0045] When the settlement relay center 30 receives error information from the POS terminal 10, each time it accumulates the received error information in the error information DB 32B (see FIG. 4) (step 5). The settlement relay center 30 in the present embodiment receives a reading error from the POS terminal 10 in real time. Therefore, the settlement relay center 30 estimates the cause of the reading error for the received error information (step 6) and transmits the estimated cause of the reading error to the POS terminal 10 (step 7). When the POS terminal 10 receives the cause of the reading error from the settlement relay center 30 in real time, it notifies the estimated cause of the reading error to the POS application unit 111 (step 8).

[0046] In the present embodiment, before notifying the cause of the reading error to the POS application unit 111, the cause of the reading error estimated by the OCX unit 112 is compared with the cause of the reading error received from the settlement relay center 30. The comparison of the causes of the reading error is executed by, for example, the error cause estimation unit 112D and the error cause reception unit 112E. When the two causes match, the OCX unit 112 notifies the cause of the reading error estimated by itself to the POS application unit 111.

[0047] When the two causes do not match, the OCX unit 112 notifies the cause of the reading error received from the settlement relay center 30 to the POS application unit 111. This is because all the error information from all the POS terminals 10 constituting the electronic payment system 1 is aggregated in the settlement relay center 30, and a more accurate determination can be made than by a single OCX unit 112. For example, it is possible to determine whether a reading error has occurred with another card reader 20 for the same contact-type card medium. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the cause of the reading error is notified from the settlement relay center 30 in real time when the reading error occurs. However, if the settlement relay center 30 does not estimate the cause of the reading error in real time and notify the POS terminal 10, which is the source of the error information, at the same time as the cause of the reading error is estimated in step 4, it is notified to the POS application unit 111.

[0048] When the POS application unit 111 receives a notification of the cause of a reading error from the OCX unit 112, it displays the cause of the received reading error on the operation display unit 13 (see FIG. 2) (step 9). In the present embodiment, although the cause of the estimated reading error is displayed, an operation required of the user may be displayed, or both the cause of the estimated reading error and the operation required of the user may be displayed. Note that the cause of the reading error may be displayed only on the operation display unit 23 (see FIG. 3) of the card reader 20, or may be displayed on both the operation display unit 13 on the POS terminal 10 side and the operation display unit 23 on the card reader 20 side. Also, the cause of the estimated reading error or the operation required of the user may be notified by voice.

[0049] With the above, the processing operation at the time when a reading error occurs is completed. On the other hand, the settlement relay center 30 analyzes, for example, periodically, the accumulated error information (step 10). The frequency of analysis may be, for example, once a week or once a month. Also, the analysis may be executed at the timing when the increase number of the accumulated error information exceeds a threshold value. For example, the settlement relay center 30 analyzes the tendency of error information collected from thousands of POS terminals 10 in the recent several months. In the analysis at the settlement relay center 30, for example, the tendency of reading errors peculiar to a card reader 20 of a specific model number, the tendency of reading errors peculiar to the usage time and usage frequency of each card reader 20, and the tendency of reading errors due to changes in the level of understanding of users in the area where the card reader 20 is used are extracted.

[0050] The settlement relay center 30 transmits the analysis result to the OCX unit 112 (step 11). The analysis result here instructs a change in the threshold value and determination condition used for estimating the cause of the reading error. The analysis results may be automatically transmitted by the settlement relay center 30. However, for example, regarding changes in the determination conditions, the settlement relay center 30 may notify the development department or the like, and transmit them after confirmation by the development department or the like. For example, when the read error due to the same settlement amount continues W times or more in a row, and it is found that the cause of the read error tends to be in the contact-type card medium, the settlement relay center 30 transmits X times to the POS terminal 10 as the threshold value for determining the cause of the read error. Also, when the read error due to different settlement amounts continues X times or more in a row, and it is found that the cause of the read error tends to be in the card reader 20, the settlement relay center 30 transmits Y times to the POS terminal 10 as the threshold value for determining the cause of the read error.

[0051] In addition to the analysis results, the settlement relay center 30 may transmit past transaction information to the POS terminal 10. The past transaction information is composed of, for example, a list of codes that identify non-contact card media that have a history of being used at the store where the POS terminal 10, which is the source of the error information, is installed. The code for identifying the non-contact card media is not the card number but a code associated with the card number. If this code is notified in advance, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the target user has operated the card reader 20 in the store. In the case of a user visiting for the first time, it is possible that the cause of this read error is that the user has no experience of operating the card reader 20 where the read error occurred. When such a determination is obtained, it becomes possible to notify the POS app unit 111 that the cause of the read error is due to the usage method.

[0052] Also, the settlement relay center 30 may transmit to the POS terminal 10 a threshold value for determining whether to distinguish between the time from the start of reading the non-contact card medium until a read error is detected and the problem of the user's usage method. For example, when the time until the output of the read error exceeds Y seconds, it becomes possible to determine as the cause of the read error the possibility that the user removed the contact-type card medium from the card reader 20 before the settlement process ended. On the other hand, when the time until the output of a reading error is within Z seconds, it becomes possible to determine that the cause of the reading error is that the user has immediately removed the contact-type card medium from the card reader 20 or is using it in a half-inserted state.

[0053] On the other hand, when the analysis result is obtained, the settlement relay center 30 performs information sharing with the maintenance department and the sales department of the POS terminal 10 (step 12). The information sharing is provided as, for example, a sharing service with the settlement relay center 30. For example, the maintenance department can utilize the collected error information to plan maintenance and preventive maintenance for a specific card reader 20 whose reading error exceeds the threshold. Also, a quick investigation of the error log becomes possible. For example, the number of reading errors of all card readers 20 to be managed is calculated every predetermined period (e.g., two months), and it becomes possible to plan the cleaning of the card reader 20 whose number of reading errors exceeds the standard deviation σ (i.e., the top 32%).

[0054] Also, for example, the number of reading errors of each card reader 20 may be given to an error determination formula to automatically determine the necessity for cleaning. The error determination formula may output a value indicating the necessity for cleaning when, for example, a reading error occurs more than z times per y times within time x. However, it is desirable to plan the cleaning of the card reader 20 so that the occurrence frequency of the reading error satisfies the allowable range on the store side and the execution of the cleaning does not interfere with the store's business. Also, for example, in the sales department, by utilizing the collected error information, it is possible to provide a proposal for replacing the card reader 20 with a new one to the store using the card reader 20 and an estimate of the replacement timing. Also, it becomes possible to propose operational advice based on the trend of the error information.

[0055] On the other hand, the OCX unit 112 of the POS terminal 10 receives the analysis result transmitted in step 11 (step 13) and uses the analysis result for subsequent estimations (step 14). As described above, the updated determination threshold value and the updated determination conditions are provided as the analysis result. Therefore, the estimation accuracy of the error cause by the OCX unit 112 is maintained at a high level. Since the estimation accuracy of the error cause by the OCX unit 112 is high, the frequency of successful card settlements increases, and the possibility of losing sales opportunities can be reduced.

[0056] <Estimation of Error Cause> <Overview> FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the overview of the error cause estimation process. In FIG. 6, the symbol S is used in the sense of steps. The estimation process shown in FIG. 6 is executed by the error cause estimation unit 112D (see FIG. 2) in the OCX unit 112 (see FIG. 2) and the error cause estimation unit 31D (see FIG. 4) in the payment relay center 30 (see FIG. 4). Hereinafter, it will be described as the processing operation of the error cause estimation unit 112D.

[0057] First, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether it is a user operation error (step 101). Examples of user operation errors include cases where the orientation of the contact-type card medium inserted into the card reader 20 (see FIG. 1) is reversed, cases where the insertion direction with respect to the card reader 20 is correct but the front and back are reversed, and cases where information on a different type of contact-type card medium than specified by the POS terminal 10 is read. In these cases, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains an affirmative result in step 101. When an affirmative result is obtained in step 101, the error cause estimation unit 112D notifies the POS application unit 111 (see FIG. 2) of the cause of the reading error and guidance on the correct operation (step 102).

[0058] On the other hand, when it cannot be determined as a user operation error, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 101 and determines whether the contact-type card medium is defective (step 103). When it is determined that the contact-type card medium is defective, for example, the number of occurrences of a reading error is less than the threshold value, or the number of occurrences of a reading error for a specific contact-type card medium is equal to or more than the threshold value. In other words, in the former case, the information reading is successful when the reading is repeated several times, and in the latter case, only the reading of a specific contact-type card medium results in a reading error, meaning that the reading of another contact-type card medium is successful.

[0059] In the former case, the reading may fail due to dirt on the IC chip of the contact-type card medium, or the information reading may succeed by chance. Similarly, in the former case, the reading may fail because the contact-type card medium was removed from the card reader 20 before all the information was read, or the reading may succeed because it was removed after all the information was read. An example of the latter case is when there is a scratch on the IC chip of a specific contact-type card medium.

[0060] In these cases, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains an affirmative result in step 103. When an affirmative result is obtained in step 103, the error cause estimation unit 112D notifies the POS application unit 111 of the cause of the reading error and the possibility of dirt or scratches on the IC chip of the contact-type card medium (step 104). On the other hand, when it cannot be determined that the contact-type card medium is defective, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 103 and notifies the POS application unit 111 of the cause of the reading error and the maintenance of the card reader 20 (step 105). If there is a problem with the card reader 20, the number of occurrences of the reading error will be equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0061] <Detailed Example> Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, a detailed example of the error cause estimation process executed by the error cause estimation unit 112D (see FIG. 2) in the OCX unit 112 (see FIG. 2) and the error cause estimation unit 31D (see FIG. 4) in the settlement relay center 30 (see FIG. 4) will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a part of the detailed example of the error cause estimation process. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the remainder of the detailed example of the error cause estimation process. The processing operation of the error cause estimation unit 112D will also be described below.

[0062] First, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether it is the first transaction of a specific contact-type card medium (step 201). When information can be read from the contact-type card medium, it is possible to determine whether the contact-type card media are the same based on the read card number. On the other hand, when information cannot be read from the contact-type card medium, it is determined based on the settlement amount given from the POS terminal 10. If it is different from the previous settlement amount, there is a high possibility of the first reading, and if the settlement amount is the same, there is a high possibility of the second reading. If an affirmative result is obtained in step 201, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether no information can be read at all (step 202).

[0063] If an affirmative result is also obtained in step 202, the error cause estimation unit 112D records a suspicion of insertion error as the cause of the reading error (step 203). At this stage, the cause of the reading error is not yet determined. Therefore, it only remains a record of suspicion. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step 202, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether information cannot be read from the middle (step 204). If an affirmative result is obtained in step 204, the error cause estimation unit 112D records a suspicion of early removal as the cause of the reading error (step 205). If information could be read from the contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 204.

[0064] After the execution of step 203, or when a negative result is obtained in step 204, or after the execution of step 205, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether it is a repeated insertion (step 206). For example, when a transaction using a contact-type card medium of a type instructed from the POS terminal 10 is canceled, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 206. Also, for example, when no new insertion is detected within a predetermined time, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 206.

[0065] When a negative result is obtained in step 206, if the cause of the estimated reading error is recorded in the POS application unit 111 (see FIG. 2) or the like, the error cause estimation unit 112D notifies it (step 207). The requirement that "if the cause of the estimated reading error is recorded" as a notification condition is because when the electronic settlement is normally completed in the first reading as in the case where a negative result is obtained in step 204, the cause of the reading error is not recorded.

[0066] When an affirmative result is obtained in step 206, the error cause estimation unit 112D returns to step 201 and determines again whether it is the first transaction of a specific contact-type card medium. When a negative result is obtained in step 201, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether it is the second transaction of a specific contact-type card medium (step 208). When an affirmative result is obtained in step 208, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether no information can be read at all (step 209). Even in the second reading of the same contact-type card medium, when an affirmative result is obtained in step 209, the error cause estimation unit 112D records a suspicion of dirt on the specific contact-type card medium (step 210) and proceeds to step 206.

[0067] On the other hand, when a negative result is obtained in step 209, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether the information cannot be read from the middle (step 211). If a positive result is obtained in step 211, that is, if information cannot be read midway even in the second reading of the same contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D records a suspicion of a blocked card (step 212) and proceeds to step 206. Examples of blocked cards include expired cards and cards that have exceeded their usage limit.

[0068] If a negative result is obtained in step 211, that is, if the reading of information is successful in the second reading of the same contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D proceeds directly to step 206. In this case, since the electronic payment is established, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 206. By the way, if a negative result is obtained in step 208 (for example, if it is not determined as a transaction of the same contact-type card medium or if it is determined as the third reading of the same contact-type card medium), the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether it is a transaction of another contact-type card medium (step 213).

[0069] If it is the third or subsequent reading of the same contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a negative result in step 213 and proceeds directly to step 206. This is because the estimation of the cause of the reading error has already been completed. On the other hand, if it is a reading of another contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D obtains a positive result in step 213 and determines whether there is a record of suspicion of dirt on the first contact-type card medium (step 214). If a positive result is obtained in step 214, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether information can be read at all from the other contact-type card medium (step 215).

[0070] If a positive result is obtained in step 215, that is, if information cannot be read at all from multiple contact-type card media, the error cause estimation unit 112D records a suspicion of dirt or foreign object contamination in the information reading unit 24 (see FIG. 3) of the card reader 20 (step 216) and proceeds to step 206. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step 215, that is, if it is possible to read another contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D records that there is a suspicion of dirt or damage on the first contact-type card medium (step 217), and proceeds to step 206.

[0071] If a negative result is obtained in step 214, for example, if there is a suspicion of insertion error, early removal, or block card on the first contact-type card medium, the error cause estimation unit 112D determines whether there is a record of suspicion of block card on the first contact-type card medium (step 218). If an affirmative result is obtained in step 218, the error cause estimation unit 112D records that the first contact-type card medium is a block card (step 219), and proceeds to step 206. On the other hand, if a negative result is obtained in step 218, the error cause estimation unit 112D proceeds directly to step 206.

[0072] <Example of error cause display> FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining an example of an operation screen of the POS terminal 10 (see FIG. 1). (A) shows an example of the screen of the operation display unit 13 when accepting payment by credit card, and (B) shows an example of the screen of the operation display unit 13 when the credit card reading fails. On the operation display unit 13 shown in FIG. 9(A), a payment screen 131 for credit card is displayed. On the payment screen 131, the characters "Please insert the card" are displayed as the content 131A of the operation required of the user.

[0073] On the operation display unit 13 shown in FIG. 9(B), an error cause notification screen 132 is displayed. The error cause notification screen 132 is displayed at the stage where the credit card reading fails one or more times. On the error cause notification screen 132, the characters "ERR1001: This card cannot be used" and "There is a suspicion of dirt or damage to the IC chip of the card" are displayed as the estimated error cause 132A. By specifically indicating the cause of the presumed reading error, it becomes easier to take specific actions to conclude the transaction. For example, for a reading error that can be resolved by removing dirt or the like, the transaction is concluded by resolving the cause of the error. As a result, the user can achieve the desired settlement, and the store side can avoid losing the sales opportunity.

[0074] <Embodiment 2> In this embodiment, a case where a function for estimating the cause of a reading error is provided in the card reader 20 (see FIG. 1) will be described. Note that, also in the case of Embodiment 2, the electronic payment system 1 shown in FIG. 1 is used. That is, the electronic payment system 1 used in Embodiment 2 also includes a POS terminal 10 (see FIG. 1) installed in a franchise store, a card reader 20 (see FIG. 1) connected to the POS terminal 10, a payment relay center 30 (see FIG. 1) that relays payment information between the franchise store and the payment operator, and a payment center 40 (see FIG. 1) operated by the payment operator.

[0075] <Configuration of Each Device> FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a configuration example of the POS terminal 10 used in Embodiment 2. In FIG. 10, reference numerals corresponding to the corresponding parts in FIG. 2 are attached and shown. In the case of the POS terminal 10 shown in FIG. 10, it is different from the POS terminal 10 shown in FIG. 2 in that the function of the error cause estimation unit 112D is not provided in the OCX unit 112. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the card reader 20 used in Embodiment 2. In FIG. 11, reference numerals corresponding to the corresponding parts in FIG. 3 are attached and shown. In the case of the card reader 20 shown in FIG. 11, it is different from the card reader 20 shown in FIG. 3 in that an error cause estimation unit 21C is added as a function executed by the control unit 21. Note that the content of the process executed by the error cause estimation unit 21C is the same as that in Embodiment 1.

[0076] <Processing Operation at the Time of Reading Error of Contact-Type Card Medium> FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another example of processing operations executed at each terminal and another example of communication operations executed between terminals when an error occurs during reading of a contact-type card medium. In FIG. 12, reference numerals corresponding to corresponding portions in FIG. 5 are shown. In the card reader 20 in FIG. 12, functions other than the information reading unit 24 (see FIG. 3) basically operate normally. In the case of this embodiment, the card reader 20 that has detected a reading error generates error information (step 1) and transmits it to the OCX unit 112 of the POS terminal 10.

[0077] When the OCX unit 112 receives the error information (step 2), it transmits the received error information to the settlement relay center 30 (step 3). In the settlement relay center 30 that has received the error information, similar to the case of Embodiment 1, it estimates the cause of the reading error based on the received error information and transmits the estimated cause of the reading error to the POS terminal 10 (steps 5 to 7). Also, the settlement relay center 30 analyzes the accumulated error information and executes processes such as transmitting the analysis result to the POS terminal 10 (steps 10 to 12).

[0078] The above processing operations are common to Embodiment 1. However, the card reader 20 in this embodiment, after generating the error information, estimates the cause of the reading error (step 21) and transmits the estimated cause of the reading error to the OCX unit 112 on the POS terminal 10 side (step 22). In the case of FIG. 12, the card reader 20 only transmits the cause of the reading error to the POS terminal 10, but may also display the estimated cause of the error on its own operation display unit 23 (see FIG. 3).

[0079] Note that the OCX unit 112 notifies the POS application unit 111 of the cause of the reading error estimated by the card reader 20 or the cause of the reading error estimated by the settlement relay center 30 (step 8A). Also, the POS application unit 111 displays the received cause of the reading error on the operation display unit 13 (step 9).

[0080] Incidentally, in the case of this embodiment, the processing operation of the OCX unit 112 that has received the analysis result from the settlement relay center 30 is different from that of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the OCX unit 112 used the received analysis result for estimating the cause of subsequent reading errors by itself. However, in the case of this embodiment, the received analysis result is notified to the card reader 20 (step 23). This is because in the case of this embodiment, the card reader 20 executes the estimation of the cause of the reading error. When the card reader 20 receives the analysis result (step 24), it saves the analysis result for the next estimation (step 25). As a result, the estimation accuracy of the reading error in the card reader 20 is maintained in a high state.

[0081] <Other Embodiments> As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above-described embodiments. It is clear from the description of the claims that various modifications or improvements added to the above-described embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0082] In the above-described embodiment, the cause of the reading error is estimated in the settlement relay center 30 (see FIG. 1), but the cause of the reading error may be estimated in the settlement center 40 (see FIG. 1).

[0083] Also, in the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a configuration in which the card reader 20 is connected to the POS terminal 10 is assumed. However, for example, in the case of a device such as a vending machine or an automatic ticket vending machine, a device configuration in which the card reader 20 is integrated may be used. The device in which the card reader 20 is integrated is an example of a settlement reception device, and the information reading unit 24 (see FIG. 3 etc.) used as a part of this device is an example of the reading unit in the claims.

[0084] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the case of estimating the cause of a reading error in a contact-type card medium has been described, but it may also be used for estimating the cause of a reading error in a non-contact-type card medium. For example, the causes of a reading error in a non-contact-type card medium include, for example, a security lock state due to multiple input errors of a password, the non-contact-type card medium being separated from the information reading unit 24 before the settlement process is completed, insufficient remaining balance in the case of a prepaid type, dirt on the display screen of a smartphone or the like on which a QR code or the like is displayed, insufficient brightness of the display screen, and malfunctions on the POS terminal 10 or card reader 20 side. Even in the case of settlement using a non-contact-type card medium, by estimating the cause of a reading error from the viewpoints of user operation errors, defects in the non-contact-type card medium, defects in the card reader 20, etc., and displaying it on the operation display unit 13 (see FIG. 2), the number of occurrences of reading errors can be reduced.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 1... Electronic settlement system, 10... POS terminal, 20... Card reader, 30... Settlement relay center, 40... Settlement center, 50... Settlement network, 111... POS application unit, 112... OCX unit, 112A... Card information receiving unit, 112B, 31C... Error information receiving unit, 112C... Error information transmitting unit, 112D, 21C, 31D... Error cause estimating unit, 112E... Error cause receiving unit, 112F... Judgment threshold receiving unit, 21A... Card information transmitting unit, 21B... Error information generating unit, 31A... Electronic settlement information receiving unit, 31B... Electronic settlement information transmitting unit, 31E... Error information analyzing unit, 32A... Electronic settlement information, 32B... Error information DB, 32C... Analysis result

Claims

1. A plurality of payment acceptance devices that accept electronic payments based at least on information read from a card medium, A payment center that executes an electronic payment, or a payment relay center that relays communication between the payment center and the plurality of payment acceptance devices, An electronic payment system having: The plurality of payment acceptance devices: Transmit information regarding an error that occurred during reading of the card medium as error information to the payment center or the payment relay center, The payment center or the payment relay center: Estimate the cause of the error based on the error information received from the payment acceptance device. An electronic payment system.

2. The payment center or the payment relay center: Notify the payment acceptance device that is the source of the error information of the cause of the error corresponding to the newly received error information. The electronic payment system according to claim 1.

3. The payment center or the payment relay center: Has a storage unit that stores a plurality of pieces of the error information received from the plurality of payment acceptance devices, Analyze the plurality of pieces of error information stored in the storage unit, and transmit information reflecting the result of the analysis to the plurality of payment acceptance devices for use in the estimation process of the cause of the error. The electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The payment center or the payment relay center: When, from the payment acceptance device where a specific card medium has been read multiple times, error information indicating that no information could be read at all is received at the first reading, while the error information is not received at the second reading, Presume an error regarding the insertion direction of the card medium as the cause of the error. The electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The payment center or the payment relay center From the payment acceptance device that has read a specific card medium multiple times, in the reading of the specific card medium, while the error information indicating that no information can be read at all is received each time, if the error information is not received in the reading of other card media, Presume an error specific to the card medium as the cause of the error. The electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The payment center or the payment relay center From the payment acceptance device that has read a specific card medium multiple times, at the first reading, the error information indicating that part of the information could be read is received, while at the second reading, if the error information is not received, Presume insufficient insertion time of the card medium as the cause of the error. The electronic payment system according to claim 1 or 2.

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