Service providing apparatus, service providing method, and program

Abstract

To improve the convenience for users. 【Solution means】An acquisition unit that acquires a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store, and the identification information of the user stored in the storage unit, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at the set stores among the stores of the electronic payment service, and voucher information in which the usage amount for each voucher is associated, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of the vouchers can be used. When the usage amount of the first type of voucher available at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available at the store, a second type of voucher different from the first type and available at the store is used to execute the electronic payment related to the request. A service providing device including a payment processing unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a service providing apparatus, a service providing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a management apparatus that receives attribute information indicating attributes of a user who can acquire a coupon that is automatically applied in conjunction with a settlement process using a predetermined settlement means, and provides a coupon that can be acquired only by a user having the attributes indicated by the received attribute information (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described apparatus, the convenience for the user may be low.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and one of the objects thereof is to provide a service providing apparatus, a service providing method, and a program that can improve the convenience for the user.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an acquisition unit that acquires a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of a user, the identification information of a store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store, and the identification information of the user stored in the storage unit, and a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used in the set stores among the stores of the electronic payment service, and voucher information in which the usage amount for each voucher is associated, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers are available for each type of the vouchers. When the usage amount of the first type of voucher available at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available at the store, a second type of voucher available at the store different from the first type is used to execute the electronic payment related to the request. A service providing device including a settlement processing unit.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a service providing device, a service providing method, and a program that can improve the convenience for users.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the service providing apparatus, service providing method, and program of the present invention will be described. Various apparatuses for providing services to users or performing internal analysis, such as the "server" that appears below, may be realized by a decentralized group of apparatuses, and the operators of each apparatus may be different. Also, the holder of the hardware of the apparatus (provider of the cloud server) and the operator who actually operates the apparatus may be different. The application program and the settlement server cooperate to provide an electronic settlement service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a settlement application. The electronic settlement service is a service that supports the settlement related to the purchase of goods and services in a store. The store is, for example, a physical store (actual store) existing in the real space, but may include a virtual store for e-commerce. The virtual store may include those provided by a party different from the operator of the electronic settlement service. In that case, when making a purchase settlement in the virtual store, it is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic settlement service. In the electronic settlement service, the store is, for example, treated as belonging to a franchise (brand), and processing such as settlement when a purchase action is performed in the store is mainly carried out between the user and the franchise. Instead of this, processing such as settlement may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic Payment Service] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic payment system in which an electronic payment service is realized. The electronic payment service is realized centering around the payment server 100. An electronic payment system for realizing the electronic payment service includes, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, a payment server 100, and a service server 200 (in the figure, 200-1 to 200-3 ···). These devices communicate with each other via, for example, a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, a network of a payment system such as a credit card, and the like.

[0011] Part or all of the functional configurations included in the electronic payment system may be distributed among a plurality of devices in an arbitrary form, or may be integrated into an arbitrary device. For example, part or all of the functional configuration of the payment server 100 may be included in other devices.

[0012] [User Terminal Device] 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, the configurations for realizing these functions are referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc., respectively. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as a CPU, and operates to provide an electronic payment service to the user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment application 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, and the like.

[0013] [First Store Terminal Device] The first store terminal device 50 is installed in a store, for example. 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. Note that the store code image 60 may be displayed by a display placed in the store (which may be a display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0014] [Second Store Terminal Device] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the franchise store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or the like. In the second store terminal device 70, an interface 72 for franchise stores operates. The interface 72 for franchise stores may be an application for franchise stores or a browser. The interface 72 for franchise stores accepts settings of coupons and the like by the operator of the franchise store and transmits them to the settlement server 100. The second store terminal device 70 which is a smartphone has a function of displaying a code image corresponding to the store code image or reading the code image displayed by the user terminal device 10 by executing an application for franchise stores.

[0015] [Service Server] The service server 200 provides users with services different from the electronic payment service. The service is, for example, a service that provides users with vouchers available in the electronic payment service. The service server 200 executes processes for granting users vouchers available in the electronic payment service in cooperation with, for example, the payment server 100. For example, when a user performs an operation to purchase a voucher on the interface screen provided by the service server 200, the service server 200 provides the payment server 100 with information such as the user identification information shared between them, and the details of the purchased voucher (number of sheets, available amount, expiration date, type of voucher, voucher identification information). Based on the information provided by the service server 200, the payment server 100 manages by associating the voucher information with the user identification information managed in the electronic payment service. As a result, the user can use the voucher in the electronic payment of the electronic payment service.

[0016] For example, the vouchers provided by each service server 200 are different types of vouchers. The different types mean that the types of the vouchers themselves are different, the issuing entities of the vouchers are different, the regions where the vouchers can be used are different, etc. The issuing entity may be a local government or a business operator. Vouchers with different available regions are, for example, vouchers available at predetermined franchise stores within ○○ City, vouchers available at predetermined franchise stores within △△ City, etc.

[0017] Note that part or all of the functional configuration of the service server 200 may be included in the payment server 100, or part or all of the functional configuration of the payment server 100 may be included in the service server 200.

[0018] [Payment Server] The settlement server 100 realizes electronic settlement based on the settlement 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 a franchise server. In that case, the settlement information is transmitted from the POS device to the settlement server 100 via the franchise server. In the following description, without particular distinction, it is assumed that the settlement information is transmitted from the first store terminal device 50.

[0019] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating a general flow of electronic settlement. There may be two patterns, pattern 1 and pattern 2, in electronic settlement.

[0020] In the case of pattern 1 shown in FIG. 2 (hereinafter referred to as user scan), the user terminal device 10 in the state where the settlement application 20 is started decodes the store code image 60 by the optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 includes information on the store URL (Uniform Resource Locator). This store URL is obtained by adding information capable of identifying the store to the domain of the electronic payment service, and is associated with the franchise store ID, store ID, etc. in the payment server 100 (described later). The settlement application 20 transmits first settlement information including the store URL and the account ID to the settlement server 100 (S2). The settlement server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the franchise store ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, acquires information on the franchise store name and store name (S3), and transmits it to the settlement application 20 (S4). The user inputs the settlement amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen where the franchise store name and store name are displayed (S5). Then, the user terminal device 10 generates second settlement information including at least the settlement amount and transmits it to the settlement server 100 (S6). The settlement server 100 performs an electronic settlement based on the received second settlement information (S7). Then, the settlement server 100 transmits a settlement completion notification (information for displaying a settlement completion screen) to the settlement application 20 (S8), and the settlement application 20 displays a settlement completion screen (S9). Note that when the store code image 60 is displayed by a display placed in the store, the store code image 60 may include not only the store URL but also settlement amount information. In this case, the procedure for the user to input the settlement amount is omitted, and the settlement amount information is included in the first settlement information and transmitted to the settlement server 100. Information on the franchise store name and store name may be included and displayed on the settlement completion screen.

[0021] In the case of Pattern 2 shown in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as store scan), when the payment application 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment application 20, when the automatic update timing (for example, every minute) is reached, and at other timings, the payment application 20 sends a one-time code issuance request to the payment server 100 (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends 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 in front of the first store terminal device 50, and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image by means of an optical reading function and acquires a one-time code or the like (S15). Then, the first store terminal device 50 generates payment information including the one-time code, the payment amount, the franchise ID, the store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The information on the payment amount has been acquired in advance by barcode reading, manual input, or the like. The payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information and performs an electronic payment (S17). Then, the payment server 100 sends a payment completion notification to the payment application 20 (S18), and the payment application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0022] Note that the electronic payment may be performed in only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" described in FIG. 2 may be other information (for example, a telephone number) that can be used as the identification information of the user. Further, in the store scan, the issuance of the one-time code may be omitted, and the payment application 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID.

[0023] [Functional Configuration of Payment Server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the settlement server 100. The settlement server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a content providing unit 120, a settlement processing unit 130, an information processing unit (processing unit) 140, and a storage unit 170. Components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including a circuit unit; circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), SOC (System On Chip), or may be realized by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device having a non-transitory storage medium) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a flash memory, or may be stored in a removable storage medium (a non-transitory storage medium) such as a DVD or a CD-ROM, and may be installed in the storage device by mounting the storage medium on a drive device.

[0024] The storage unit 170 is an HDD, a flash memory, a RAM (Random Access Memory), or the like. The storage unit 170 may be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the settlement server 100 via a network. Information such as user information 172 including voucher information 173, content information 174, and affiliated store / store information 176 is stored in the storage unit 170. Some of this information may be stored in the storage unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0025] 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.

[0026] The content providing unit 120 has, for example, the 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 content providing unit 120 appropriately reads necessary content from the content information 174 and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs by the user in a state where the content is reproduced by the payment application 20 and transmits the above-described payment information and the like to the payment server 100. The above content may be generated by the payment application 20. In this case, the content providing unit 120 provides information necessary for generating the content to the payment application 20.

[0027] 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.

[0028] [User Information] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the user information 172. The user information 172 is an example of the user's registration information. The user information 172 includes, for example, a user URL, an account ID, a telephone number, a password, as well as an email address, a user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, remaining charge amount, credit payment setting, credit payment limit, credit payment usage amount, available credit payment amount, payment method setting, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, payment history information, and other information that are associated with each other. The user URL is used for money transfer processing between users. When newly registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a telephone number and a password is required. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that the user can arbitrarily set (or may not set). Similarly, the email address, and the name, address, and date of birth are also information that the user can arbitrarily set (or may not set). The registration date is the date when the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date when the account was created). Hereinafter, an instance of the user (electronic payment account) in which these pieces of information are associated with each other is referred to as an account.

[0029] The remaining charge amount is information indicating the remaining amount of electronic money set by the user making a remittance to the account in advance. As means of remittance, there are remittances from the ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated operator (bank), remittances from a registered bank account, and the like. The credit payment setting is information indicating whether the setting for electronic settlement by credit payment has been completed or not, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed". The credit payment limit is the limit amount of credit payment available per month, the credit payment usage amount is the amount of credit payment already used in the current month, and the available credit payment amount is the amount of credit payment available in the current month obtained by subtracting the credit payment usage amount from the credit payment limit. Although only one credit payment limit is shown in the figure, in reality, there are further upper limits on a daily basis and the lower of them may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details of credit payment will be described later. The settlement method setting is setting information indicating whether the user performs electronic settlement using the remaining charge amount or performs settlement by credit payment at that time. Each of the bank account and credit card number is information (account number, card number) of a bank account or credit card number to which funds can be deposited for the electronic settlement service. The charge history information is the history of the user increasing the remaining charge amount by remitting to the electronic settlement service in advance. The settlement history information is information showing the breakdown of the settlements made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase action was performed, settlement amount, settlement method, etc.) for each settlement.

[0030] The user information 172 includes the voucher information 173. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the voucher information 173. The voucher information 173 is, for example, information indicating vouchers available to the user or information regarding vouchers used by the user (not shown). FIG. 6 shows the voucher information 173 of a predetermined user. The voucher information 173 is, for example, information in which a voucher ID, the number of vouchers, the available amount, and the expiration date are associated. Information indicating the date and time when the voucher was issued may be associated with the voucher ID.

[0031] [Franchise Store / Store Information] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the content of franchise store / store information 176. The franchise store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which a franchise store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which a franchise store name and sales amount (described above) are associated with the franchise store ID, a third table 176C in which a store name is associated with the store ID, and franchise store voucher information 176D. In addition to these pieces of information, the franchise store / store information 176 may include information such as the category of the franchise store or store, the location of the store, and the settlement pattern.

[0032] The franchise store voucher information 176D is information in which a voucher ID is associated with the store ID. The franchise store voucher information 176D is information in which the type of voucher that can be used in the store is defined. In the franchise store voucher information 176D, the franchise store ID may be used instead of the store ID.

[0033] The information processing unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. The information processing unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the franchise store / store information 176 based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information processing unit 140 performs addition, editing, deletion, etc. of new records for the user information 172 and the franchise store / store information 176.

[0034] [Electronic Settlement] When the settlement processing unit 130 acquires settlement information from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, it refers to the user information 172 to acquire the "settlement method setting" of the user. For users whose "settlement method setting" is set to "charge balance", the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic settlement as follows. For example, the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic settlement by decreasing the charge balance managed in association with the user ID and increasing the item value of the sales amount of the franchise store. The item value of the sales amount of the franchise store is not used as electronic money itself, and the amount corresponding to the item value of the sales amount is transferred to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the franchise store and the electronic settlement service.

[0035] For users whose "setting information" is set to "credit payment", the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic settlement as follows. Credit payment is a payment method through cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic settlement service. The operator of the electronic settlement service acts as the creditor and allows electronic settlement that does not depend on the charge balance within the credit payment limit. In order to receive the credit payment service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic settlement service. The amount used for credit payment is settled in one lump sum on the payment date of the following month, for example, by debit from the bank account. In this case, the settlement processing unit 130 performs provisional settlement by adding the settlement amount to the credit payment usage amount and subtracting the same amount from the available credit payment amount. When the closing date arrives, the processing for debiting the settlement of the current month to the payment date of the following month as described above is performed, or the processing is requested from the operator of the credit card company. If the settlement amount exceeds the available credit payment amount at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is returned to the settlement application 20.

[0036] The information processing unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. Based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70, the information processing unit 140 manages user information 172 and franchise / store information 176. The information processing unit 140 performs operations such as adding, editing, and deleting new records for the user information 172 and the franchise / store information 176.

[0037] [Overview] The settlement server 100 acquires a request for electronic settlement using an electronic settlement service including the user's identification information, the store's identification information, and the settlement amount from the settlement app 20 or the first store terminal device 50. The settlement server 100 refers to the voucher information 173 stored in the storage unit 170, in which a plurality of types of electronic vouchers available for use in the set stores among the user's identification information and the stores of the electronic settlement service are associated with the usage amount for each voucher, and the franchise voucher information 176D indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of voucher are available. When the usage amount of the first type of voucher available for use in the store is less than the settlement amount, the settlement server 100 uses, in addition to the first type of voucher available for use in the store, the second type of voucher available for use in the store different from the first type to execute the electronic settlement related to the request.

[0038] When the user holds vouchers of a plurality of types, the settlement server 100 determines the vouchers to be preferentially used based on the reference information 178. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the reference information 178. The reference information 178 is information in which, for example, the priority and the content to be prioritized are associated. For example, the first priority is in the order of the shortest expiration date, the second priority is in the order of the largest available amount (balance), and the third priority is in the order of the oldest creation date. The creation date is specified based on the information (timestamp) indicating the date and time when the voucher of the user information 172 was granted.

[0039] The settlement server 100 refers to the above reference information 178 and determines the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher based on the first criterion, and then determines the type of voucher to be preferentially used based on the second criterion after the first criterion. The first criterion is to preferentially use vouchers with a short expiration date. The second criterion is that the available amount is large. The third criterion is to use them in the order of the oldest creation date.

[0040] [Flowchart] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the settlement server 100. This processing is the processing executed when the settlement server 100 acquires an electronic payment request (second settlement information, settlement information).

[0041] First, the settlement server 100 identifies the vouchers available at the store where the electronic payment is to be made (S100). For example, the settlement server 100 refers to the affiliated store voucher information 176D to identify the vouchers available at the store, and further refers to the voucher information 173 to identify whether the user holds the vouchers available at the store.

[0042] Next, the settlement server 100 determines the voucher to be used based on the reference information 178 (S102). For example, the settlement server 100 automatically preferentially uses vouchers over other payment methods. The settlement server 100 uses one or more vouchers to satisfy the settlement amount, for example. The settlement server 100 determines the voucher to be used according to the priority of the reference information 178, for example.

[0043] Next, the payment server 100 determines whether electronic payment can be made only with vouchers (S104). If electronic payment can be made only with vouchers, the payment server 100 executes electronic payment only with vouchers (S106). If electronic payment cannot be made only with vouchers, the payment server 100 executes electronic payment using vouchers and other payment methods (S108). For example, other payment methods are used for the shortage. Thus, the processing of one routine of this flowchart ends.

[0044] [Specific Example 1] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the vouchers to be used. Assume that the user holds one each of voucher 1, voucher 2, and voucher 3 that can be used at franchise store A. The expiration date is earliest for voucher 1, and voucher 2 and voucher 3 have the same expiration date. Assume that the remaining balance of voucher 2 is larger than the remaining balance of voucher 3. Voucher 1, voucher 2, and voucher 3 are different types of vouchers. For example, the remaining balance of voucher 1 is 500 yen, the remaining balance of voucher 2 is 600 yen, and the remaining balance of voucher 3 is 500 yen.

[0045] (Pattern A) When an electronic payment of 1000 yen is made at franchise store A, voucher 1 and voucher 2 are used (500 yen is used for each as shown in the figure). Voucher 1 with the nearer expiration date is preferentially used, and then, among the vouchers with the same expiration date, voucher 2 with the larger available amount is preferentially used. If the user holds two or more vouchers of voucher 1 (for example, has vouchers worth 1000 yen), voucher 1 is used for the electronic payment.

[0046] (Pattern B) When an electronic payment of 1,500 yen is made at Franchise Store A, Voucher 1, Voucher 2, and Voucher 3 are used (500 yen, 600 yen, and 400 yen are used respectively as shown in the figure). If the user holds multiple copies of Voucher 1, Voucher 1 is preferentially used. If the user holds multiple copies of Voucher 2, Voucher 2 is preferentially used.

[0047] (Pattern C) When an electronic payment of 2,000 yen is made at Franchise Store A, Voucher 1, Voucher 2, and Voucher 3 are used, and for the remaining amount, other payment methods are used (500 yen, 600 yen, 500 yen, and 400 yen are used respectively as shown in the figure). If the user holds multiple copies of Voucher 1, Voucher 1 is preferentially used. If the user holds multiple copies of Voucher 2, Voucher 2 is preferentially used. If the user holds multiple copies of Voucher 3, Voucher 3 is preferentially used.

[0048] As described above, when the user holds multiple types of vouchers, the settlement server 100 can improve the convenience of the user by using the vouchers based on the priority.

[0049] [Regarding the refund process of Specific Example 1] After the settlement server 100 executes the electronic payment related to the request using the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher, when a refund request is obtained, among the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher, the refund process is preferentially executed for the voucher with the longer expiration date set. The same applies to [Regarding the refund process of Specific Example 2] described later.

[0050] When a refund process occurs, the settlement server 100 performs the refund process according to the priority opposite to the priority of use. In the case of Pattern A, when a refund process of 500 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for voucher 2. For example, the refund process for vouchers with a longer expiration date is preferentially performed. In the case of Pattern B, when a refund process of 500 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for voucher 2. In the case of Pattern B, when a refund process of 1000 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for voucher 2, and further, the refund process is performed for voucher 3. In the case of Pattern C, when a refund process of 1000 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for other payment methods, and further, the refund process is performed for voucher 2. For example, the refund order is performed in the order of (1) and (2). (1) The expiration date is in the future (the expiration date is far), (2) If the expiration dates are the same, the order of use (the order of the priority of use). As described above, when the expiration dates of voucher 2 and voucher 3 are the same, the refund of voucher 2, which is in the order of use (the order of the larger balance), is prioritized over the refund of voucher 3.

[0051] As described above, the settlement server 100 can improve the convenience of users by performing the refund process so that it is easier for users to use vouchers.

[0052] [Specific Example 2] Multiple types of vouchers include vouchers available at stores of the first type and vouchers available at stores of the second type, where the issuing entity is the same. The stores of the first type and the stores of the second type may partially overlap. The stores of the first type and the stores of the second type are arbitrarily set by the issuing entity, for example. Multiple types of vouchers include, for example, vouchers available at affiliated stores and vouchers available at limited affiliated stores. The affiliated stores are affiliated stores defined by the issuing entity such as a local government. These affiliated stores include, for example, department stores, chain stores of large enterprises, affiliated stores of small and medium-sized enterprises, individually-owned affiliated stores, local affiliated stores, etc. Vouchers available at affiliated stores may be hereinafter referred to as "common vouchers". The limited affiliated stores are affiliated stores limited from the affiliated stores defined by the issuing entity such as a local government. These affiliated stores are some or all of the affiliated stores of small and medium-sized enterprises, individually-owned affiliated stores, and local affiliated stores (for example, affiliated stores other than department stores and chain stores of large enterprises). Vouchers available at limited affiliated stores may be hereinafter referred to as "dedicated vouchers". For example, the above-mentioned affiliated stores include affiliated stores that are large-scale retail stores (stores exceeding a standard such as a store area of 1,000 square meters) (for example, affiliated stores within large-scale retail stores) and other affiliated stores, and the limited affiliated stores may be affiliated stores different from the affiliated stores that are large-scale retail stores. The above-mentioned affiliated stores may include stores with a capital of a predetermined amount or more, and the limited affiliated stores may be classified so as not to include stores with a capital of a predetermined amount or more. The limited affiliated stores may be affiliated stores belonging to the local chamber of commerce and industry. Dedicated vouchers are preferentially used over vouchers that are common vouchers.

[0053] Figure 11 is a diagram for explaining the vouchers to be used. Assume that the user holds one dedicated voucher, one common voucher, and one voucher 2, each of which is available at affiliated store A with a value of 500 yen. The expiration dates of the dedicated voucher and the common voucher are the same, and voucher 2 has the latest expiration date. The dedicated voucher and the common voucher are vouchers issued by the same local government or operator.

[0054] Dedicated vouchers and common vouchers are preferentially used because their expiration dates are closer than those of other vouchers. As described above, dedicated vouchers and common vouchers have the same expiration date, but the expiration date for computer processing (the expiration date of the information used in computer processing) is set earlier for dedicated vouchers than for common vouchers. For example, the expiration date of a dedicated voucher is set X seconds earlier than the expiration date of a common voucher. This ensures that dedicated vouchers are preferentially used.

[0055] (Pattern D) When a 500-yen electronic payment is made at Franchise Store A, a dedicated voucher is used. That is, a dedicated voucher with lower usage flexibility is preferentially used over a common voucher with higher usage flexibility. In other words, when multiple vouchers with the same expiration date are held, the voucher to be used is determined by considering the usage flexibility before the priority of the balance.

[0056] (Pattern E) When a 1500-yen electronic payment is made at Franchise Store A, a dedicated voucher, a common voucher, and Voucher 2 are used (500 yen is used for each as shown in the figure). If the user holds multiple dedicated vouchers, the dedicated vouchers are preferentially used. If the user holds multiple common vouchers, the common vouchers are preferentially used. That is, among "dedicated vouchers (vouchers of type A), common vouchers (vouchers of type A)" and "Voucher 2 (vouchers of type B)", the voucher with the shorter expiration date is given priority. Dedicated vouchers (vouchers of type A1) are given priority over common vouchers (vouchers of type A2).

[0057] (Pattern F) When an electronic payment of 2,000 yen is made at Franchise Store A, a dedicated voucher, a common voucher, and Voucher 2 are used (500 yen each as shown in the figure), and for the remaining amount, other payment methods are used. When the user holds multiple dedicated vouchers, the dedicated vouchers are preferentially used. When the user holds multiple common vouchers, the common vouchers are preferentially used. When the user holds multiple Voucher 2s, Voucher 2 is preferentially used.

[0058] As described above, when the user holds multiple types of vouchers, the settlement server 100 can improve the convenience of the user by using the vouchers based on the priority.

[0059] [Regarding the refund process of Specific Example 2] When a refund process occurs, the settlement server 100 performs the refund process according to the priority opposite to the usage priority. In the case of Pattern D, when a refund process of 500 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for the dedicated voucher. In the case of Pattern E, when a refund process of 500 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for Voucher 2. For example, the refund process for the voucher with a longer expiration date is preferentially performed. In the case of Pattern F, when a refund process of 1,500 yen occurs, the refund process is performed for other payment methods, then for Voucher 2, and further for the common voucher.

[0060] As described above, the settlement server 100 can improve the convenience of the user by performing the refund process so that the user can more easily use the vouchers.

[0061] [Integration process of vouchers] When multiple users hold vouchers of the same type, the settlement server 100 may integrate the multiple vouchers. When the settlement server 100 has multiple vouchers of the same type, it integrates the multiple vouchers and causes the display unit of the user terminal device 10 to display information including the total amount obtained by adding up the usage amounts after integration as if the user holds one voucher. When the settlement server 100 has multiple vouchers of the same type, it integrates the multiple vouchers and causes the display unit of the user terminal device 10 to display information including the expiration date after aligning the expiration dates of the vouchers after integration as if the user holds one voucher. Through the above processing, the convenience of using vouchers is improved for the user.

[0062] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the integration process. In an example different from this embodiment (another example), when a user obtains a voucher of the first type and then obtains another voucher of the first type, the interface screen IF1 is displayed. The interface screen IF1 is a screen on which vouchers of the first type are each displayed. In this case, in another example, in the voucher information, for example, they are managed as vouchers with different expiration dates in two records.

[0063] In contrast, when a user of the settlement server 100 of this embodiment obtains a voucher of the first type and then obtains another voucher of the first type (when obtaining vouchers of the same type), the interface screen IF2 is displayed. The interface screen IF2 is a screen that integrally displays the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the first type obtained later. The interface screen IF2 is, for example, a screen on which the available amount (10,000 yen) of the first type of voucher obtained first and the available amount (5,000 yen) of the first type of voucher obtained next are totaled, and the expiration date is displayed as the same date. The expiration date is, for example, the later date of the expiration dates of the two vouchers.

[0064] The settlement server 100 may manage, for example, the records of integrated vouchers as one record. In this case, the available amount and expiration date are set and managed based on the integrated amount and the later expiration date. Even when the settlement server 100 integrates vouchers, it may manage each voucher in its respective record. In this case, a process of rewriting the expiration date to the integrated expiration date is performed.

[0065] As described above, by integrating vouchers of the same type, the convenience for the user is improved in the settlement server 100. For example, even when the user obtains vouchers of the same type at different timings, the user can use the vouchers of the same type as one voucher.

[0066] [Interface Screen at the Time of Settlement] The settlement server 100 may include information on the vouchers held by the user in the interface screen IF3 displayed on the display unit when the user performs an electronic settlement. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the interface screen IF3. The interface screen IF3 is, for example, a screen on which a code image generated based on a one-time code is displayed. On the interface screen IF3, below the code image, information such as the type of vouchers held by the user, the available amount for each voucher, and the expiration date is displayed. For example, the order in which the vouchers are arranged may be determined based on the above-described priority. For example, in the area AR1, the vouchers with higher priority may be arranged in order from the top. Thereby, the user can recognize the vouchers held and their contents, and further can easily recognize the vouchers to be preferentially used intuitively.

[0067] The information in the area AR1 may be included in the interface screen for reading the store code image. Also in this case, the user can recognize the vouchers held and their contents at the timing of performing an electronic settlement, and further can easily recognize the vouchers to be preferentially used intuitively.

[0068] [Interface Screen after Settlement] The settlement server 100 may include information on vouchers used in the electronic settlement in the interface screen IF4 to be displayed on the display unit after the user has performed the electronic settlement. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the interface screen IF4. The interface screen IF4 is, for example, a completion screen displayed after the electronic settlement is completed. On the interface screen IF4, information such as the settlement date and time, the settlement amount, the points to be granted, and information indicating the details of the vouchers used is displayed. The information indicating the details of the vouchers used is, for example, information indicating the type of the vouchers used and the usage amounts used with each voucher. Thereby, the user can recognize the type of the vouchers used, the amount for each voucher, and the like. In the area AR2, the order in which the vouchers are arranged may be determined based on the above-described priority. For example, in the area AR2, the vouchers used in order from the top and having a high priority are arranged. Thereby, the user can recognize which vouchers were preferentially used.

[0069] According to the embodiment described above, the settlement server 100 refers to the voucher information in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at the set stores among the stores of the electronic settlement service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated with each other, and the usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of voucher can be used. When the usage amount of the first type of voucher that can be used at the store is less than the settlement amount, in addition to the first type of voucher that can be used at the store, a second type of voucher that can be used at the store and is different from the first type is used to execute the electronic settlement related to the request, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0070] As described above, the embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described using the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0071] 10 User terminal device 20 Payment application 100 Payment server 120 Content providing unit 130 Payment processing unit 140 Information processing unit

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store; Referring to the voucher information stored in the storage unit, in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers available for use in the set stores among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated with each other, and the usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of voucher are available, When the usage amount of the first type of voucher available in the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available in the store, a second type of voucher different from the first type and available in the store is used to execute the electronic payment related to the request, and a payment processing unit; After the payment processing unit executes the electronic payment related to the request using the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher, when a refund request is acquired, among the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher, a refund process is preferentially executed for the voucher with a longer expiration date set. Service providing device.

2. An acquisition unit that acquires a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store; Referring to the voucher information stored in the storage unit, in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers available for use in the set stores among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated with each other, and the usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of voucher are available, When the usage amount of the first type of voucher available in the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available in the store, a second type of voucher different from the first type and available in the store is used to execute the electronic payment related to the request, and a payment processing unit; A providing unit that provides information about the voucher to the user's terminal device. When the providing unit has a plurality of vouchers of the same type, the providing unit integrates the plurality of vouchers and causes the display unit of the terminal device to display information including an expiration date in which the expiration dates of the integrated vouchers are matched so that the user holds one voucher. Service providing apparatus.

3. An acquisition unit that acquires a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store; Referring to voucher information stored in the storage unit, in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers available at a set store among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated with each other, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of the vouchers are available; When the usage amount of the first type of voucher available at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available at the store, a second type of voucher available at the store different from the first type is used to execute the electronic payment related to the request. A payment processing unit; After the payment processing unit executes the electronic payment related to the request using the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher, when a refund request is acquired, among the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher, a voucher to be the target of the refund processing is specified based on the priority opposite to the priority used in the electronic payment, and the refund processing is preferentially executed for the specified voucher. Service providing apparatus.

4. The plurality of types means that the types of the vouchers themselves are different, the issuing entities of the vouchers are different, or the regions where the vouchers can be used are different. The service providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The payment processing unit determines the first type of voucher and the second type of voucher based on a first criterion, and determines the type of voucher to be preferentially used based on a second criterion next to the first criterion. The first criterion is to preferentially use a voucher with a shorter expiration date. The second criterion is that the available amount is large. The service providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

6. The plurality of types of vouchers include a first voucher that can be used at franchise stores determined by the issuing entity, and a second voucher that can be used at franchise stores that are limited to the franchise stores, although the issuing entity is the same. The service providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

7. The settlement processing unit preferentially uses the second voucher rather than the first voucher. The service providing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The plurality of types of vouchers include a voucher of type A and a voucher of type B. The voucher of type A includes a voucher of type A1 and a voucher of type A2 that have the same expiration date. The voucher of type A2 can be used at franchise stores determined by the issuing entity, and the voucher of type A1 can be used at franchise stores that are limited to the franchise stores. The settlement processing unit gives priority to the voucher with the shorter expiration date among the voucher of type A and the voucher of type B, and preferentially executes electronic settlement for the voucher of type A1 rather than the voucher of type A2. The service providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

9. It includes a providing unit that provides information about vouchers to the user's terminal device. When the user has a plurality of vouchers of the same type, the providing unit integrates the plurality of vouchers and displays, on the display unit of the terminal device, information including the total amount obtained by adding up the usage amounts after integration so that the user holds one voucher. The service providing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

10. A computer acquires a request for electronic settlement using an electronic settlement service including the user's identification information, the store's identification information, and the settlement amount from an electronic settlement application or the store's terminal device, refers to voucher information stored in the storage unit, in which the user's identification information is associated with a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at the set stores among the stores of the electronic settlement service and the usage amount for each voucher, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where each type of the voucher can be used, when the usage amount of the first type of voucher that can be used at the store is less than the settlement amount, in addition to the first type of voucher that can be used at the store, uses the second type of voucher that can be used at the store and is different from the first type to execute the electronic settlement related to the request. After executing the electronic payment related to the request using the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type, when a refund request is acquired, a refund process is executed preferentially for the voucher with the longer expiration date set among the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type. Service providing method.

11. On a computer, acquire a request for an electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of a user, the identification information of a store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store, refer to voucher information in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at a set store among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers are available for each type of voucher, when the usage amount of the first type of voucher available at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available at the store, execute the electronic payment related to the request using a second type of voucher different from the first type and available at the store, After executing the electronic payment related to the request using the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type, when a refund request is acquired, execute a refund process preferentially for the voucher with the longer expiration date set among the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type. Program.

12. A computer acquires a request for an electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of a user, the identification information of a store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store, refers to voucher information in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at a set store among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers are available for each type of voucher, when the usage amount of the first type of voucher available at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher available at the store, execute the electronic payment related to the request using a second type of voucher different from the first type and available at the store. Providing information about vouchers to the user's terminal device, When having a plurality of vouchers of the same type, integrating the plurality of vouchers and causing the display unit of the terminal device to display information including an expiration date in which the expiration dates of the integrated vouchers are matched so that the user holds one voucher, Service providing method.

13. Causing a computer to, Obtain a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or the terminal device of the store, Refer to voucher information stored in a storage unit, in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at a set store among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated with each other, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of the vouchers can be used, When the usage amount of the first type of voucher that can be used at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher that can be used at the store, using a second type of voucher that can be used at the store different from the first type to execute the electronic payment related to the request, Causing the user's terminal device to be provided with information about vouchers, When having a plurality of vouchers of the same type, integrating the plurality of vouchers and causing the display unit of the terminal device to display information including an expiration date in which the expiration dates of the integrated vouchers are matched so that the user holds one voucher, Program.

14. A computer, Obtaining a request for electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or the terminal device of the store, Referring to voucher information stored in a storage unit, in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers that can be used at a set store among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated with each other, and usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of the vouchers can be used, and When the usage amount of the first type of voucher that can be used at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the first type of voucher that can be used at the store, using a second type of voucher that can be used at the store different from the first type to execute the electronic payment related to the request, After performing the electronic payment related to the request using the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type, when a refund request is obtained, among the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type, identify the voucher to be the target of the refund process based on the priority opposite to the priority used in the electronic payment, and execute the refund process preferentially for the identified voucher. Service providing method.

15. On a computer, acquire a request for an electronic payment using an electronic payment service including the identification information of the user, the identification information of the store, and the payment amount from an electronic payment application or a terminal device of the store. Refer to the voucher information in which the identification information of the user, a plurality of types of electronic vouchers available at the set stores among the stores of the electronic payment service, and the usage amount for each voucher are associated, and the usage store information indicating the identification information of the stores where the vouchers of each type of the voucher are available. When the usage amount of the voucher of the first type available at the store is less than the payment amount, in addition to the voucher of the first type available at the store, use the voucher of the second type available at the store different from the first type to execute the electronic payment related to the request. After performing the electronic payment related to the request using the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type, when a refund request is obtained, among the voucher of the first type and the voucher of the second type, identify the voucher to be the target of the refund process based on the priority opposite to the priority used in the electronic payment, and execute the refund process preferentially for the identified voucher. Program.

Images