Settlement management device, settlement management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a settlement management device, a settlement management method, and a program that can suppress or improve the decrease in the motivation of users for investment. A settlement management device that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, the settlement management device including: a settlement processing unit that realizes the electronic payment service; and an investment processing unit that executes a settlement-linked investment process for realizing a settlement-linked investment in which an investment is made in conjunction with a settlement using the electronic payment service.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a settlement management device, a settlement management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, regarding an electronic payment service that provides a payment function using electronic money, as a method of using points given to users, it has been considered to improve the convenience of points by using the points as part or all of the payment amount for post-payment (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Further, Patent Document 1 describes using points for investment as a method of using points.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, the degree of freedom that users can set regarding the implementation mode of investment is low, and the operability and usability of the user interface are not sufficient. Therefore, there is a possibility that the motivation of users for investment cannot be sufficiently enhanced.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its purposes is to provide a settlement management device, a settlement management method, and a program that can suppress or improve the decrease in the motivation of users for investment.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is a settlement management device that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, the settlement management device including: a settlement processing unit that realizes the electronic payment service; and an investment processing unit that executes a settlement-linked investment process for realizing a settlement-linked investment that makes an investment in conjunction with a settlement using the electronic payment service.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a settlement management device, a settlement management method, and a program that can suppress or improve a decrease in the user's motivation for investment.

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 settlement management apparatus, settlement management method, and program of the present invention will be described. Various apparatuses for providing services to users or performing internal analysis, such as "servers", "management apparatuses", and "information providing apparatuses" that appear hereinafter, 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 Settlement Service] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic settlement service. The electronic settlement service is realized centering around a settlement server 100. The settlement server 100 communicates with, 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, and a cooperating securities company server 200 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, a provider device, and the like.

[0011] The user terminal device 10 is a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, for example. 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 respectively referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as a CPU, and it 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 an application store, for example, and controls a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, etc.

[0012] 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).

[0013] 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, the interface 72 for the franchise store operates. The interface 72 for the franchise store may be an application for the franchise store or a browser. The interface 72 for the franchise store accepts the setting of coupons by the operator of the franchise store and transmits it to the payment 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 the application for the franchise store.

[0014] The payment server 100 realizes electronic payment based on the payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and a franchise store server. In that case, the payment information is transmitted from the POS device to the payment server 100 via the franchise store server. In the following description, without particularly distinguishing this, it is assumed that the payment information is transmitted from the first store terminal device 50.

[0015] FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating a rough flow of electronic payment. There may be two patterns, pattern 1 and pattern 2, in the electronic payment.

[0016] 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 means of an optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 contains 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 payment based on the received second settlement information (S7). Then, the settlement server 100 transmits a payment completion notification (information for displaying a payment completion screen) to the settlement application 20 (S8), and the settlement application 20 displays a payment completion screen (S9). When the store code image 60 is displayed by a display placed in the store, the store code image 60 may contain not only the store URL but also information on the settlement amount. In this case, the procedure for the user to input the settlement amount is omitted, and the information on the settlement amount 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 payment completion screen.

[0017] In the case of Pattern 2 shown in FIG. 3 (hereinafter referred to as store scan), when the settlement application 20 is launched, when an operation to make a payment is performed in the settlement application 20, when the automatic update timing (for example, every one minute) is reached, and at other timings, the settlement application 20 sends a request to issue a one-time code to the settlement server 100 (S11). The settlement server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the settlement application 20 (S13). The settlement application 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or a barcode generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user shields (presents) the display surface of the user terminal device 10 against 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 settlement information including a one-time code, a settlement amount, a franchise ID, a store ID, etc., and sends it to the settlement server 100 (S16). Information on the settlement amount has been acquired in advance by barcode reading, manual input, or the like. The settlement server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code based on the received information and performs an electronic settlement (S17). Then, the settlement server 100 sends a settlement completion notification to the settlement application 20 (S18), and the settlement application 20 displays a settlement completion screen (S19).

[0018] Note that the electronic settlement 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 identification information of the user. Further, in the store scan, the issuance of the one-time code may be omitted, and the settlement 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 settlement server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID.

[0019] [Settlement Server] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the settlement server 100 according to the first embodiment. The settlement server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a settlement content providing unit 120, a settlement processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, an investment processing unit 150, 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 an LSI (Large Scale Integration), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or may be realized by cooperation between software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device (a storage device including 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 when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device.

[0020] 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, settlement content information 174, and affiliated store / store information 176 is stored in the storage unit 170.

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

[0022] The settlement 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 settlement content providing unit 120 appropriately reads necessary content from the settlement 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-mentioned payment information and the like to the payment server 100.

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

[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the 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 phone number, a password, as well as an email address, a user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, postpaid setting, postpaid limit, postpaid usage amount, postpaid available amount, payment method setting, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, payment history information, payment-linked investment setting, and other information that are associated. The user URL is used for money transfer processing between users. When newly registering for the electronic payment service, registration of a phone 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 optionally set (not necessarily set). Similarly, the email address, and the name, address, and date of birth are also information that the user can optionally set (not necessarily 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 is referred to as an account.

[0025] The remaining balance of the charge indicates the information of the remaining balance of the electronic money set by the user's prior transfer to the account. As means of transfer, there are transfers from the ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of the designated operator (bank), transfers from the registered bank account, etc. The post-payment setting is information indicating whether the setting for enabling electronic payment by post-payment has been completed or not, and is set to either "completed" or "not completed". The post-payment limit is the limit amount of post-payment available per month, the post-payment usage amount is the amount of post-payment already used in the current month, and the available post-payment amount is the amount of post-payment available in the current month obtained by subtracting the post-payment usage amount from the post-payment limit. Although only one post-payment limit is shown in the figure, in reality, there are further upper limits per day, etc., and the lower of them may be set as the post-payment limit. Further details of the post-payment will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information indicating whether the user performs an electronic payment using the remaining balance of the charge or a payment by post-payment at that time. Each of the bank account and the credit card number is information (account number, card number) of the bank account or credit card number that can receive deposits for the electronic payment service. The charge history information is the history of the user's prior transfer to the electronic payment service to increase the remaining balance of the charge. 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, payment method, etc.) for each settlement.

[0026] The settlement-linked investment setting is setting information regarding settlement-linked investment. Settlement-linked investment is a function that automatically executes a predetermined amount of investment along with the implementation of an electronic payment. For example, the settlement-linked investment setting includes settings regarding the activation or deactivation of settlement-linked investment, settings regarding the execution frequency of investment, settings regarding the investment amount, settings regarding the investment mode (described later), etc. The user can change the content of the settlement-linked investment setting via the settlement app 10.

[0027] When the settlement processing unit 130 performs settlement processing, the investment processing unit 150 recognizes the content of the settlement-linked investment to be executed for the target settlement by referring to the settlement-linked investment settings for the user of the target settlement. The investment processing unit 150 realizes the settlement-linked investment for the settlement of the target user by requesting the affiliated securities company server 200 to execute the recognized investment content.

[0028] Here, the investment processing unit 150 uses the remaining recharge balance of the target user as the original capital for the settlement-linked investment. More specifically, when executing the settlement-linked investment, the investment processing unit 150 requests the settlement processing unit 130 to settle the investment amount to secure the original capital for the settlement-linked investment. The settlement processing unit 130 may perform settlement processing on the total amount of the payment amount to the merchant and the investment amount of the settlement-linked investment, or may perform settlement processing on each of the payment amount to the merchant and the investment amount of the settlement-linked investment. For the settlement of the original capital of the settlement-linked investment, a funding source other than the remaining recharge balance may be used. For example, the original capital of the settlement-linked investment may be settled from the remaining point balance, or may be settled by a post-payment method such as a credit card.

[0029] The affiliated securities company server 200 is a server device of a securities company (hereinafter referred to as the "affiliated securities company") that receives and processes requests for executing settlement-linked investments from the settlement server 100. An account of the target user (hereinafter referred to as the "securities account") is pre-opened with the affiliated securities company, and the securities account is managed by the affiliated securities company server 200. In the securities account, information such as the held stocks and available balance of the target user is managed. A request for executing settlement-linked investment may include, for example, qualification information (ID and password) for accessing the target user's securities account, investment amount, investment target stocks, and other information. When the target user has given prior consent regarding the information provision between the electronic payment service provider and the affiliated securities company, the identification information of the target user may be exchanged instead of the qualification information. The investment target stocks in settlement-linked investment may be specified by the target user, or may be determined in advance by the electronic payment service provider or the affiliated securities company. The investment target stocks may be selected by the user from among a plurality of target stocks presented by the electronic payment service provider or the affiliated securities company.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the content of the affiliated store / store information 176. The affiliated store / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which an affiliated store ID and a store ID are associated with a store URL, a second table 176B in which an affiliated store name and sales amount (described above) are associated with the affiliated store ID, and a third table 176C in which a store name is associated with the store ID. In addition to these pieces of information, the affiliated store / store information 176 may include information such as the category of the affiliated store or store, the location of the store, and the settlement pattern.

[0031] The information management unit 140 manages the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176 based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. The information management unit 140 adds, edits, deletes, etc. new records for the user information 172 and the affiliated store / store information 176.

[0032] [Electronic Payment] 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 reducing 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, for example, itself used as electronic money, 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.

[0033] For users whose "setting information" is set to "postpaid", the settlement processing unit 130 performs electronic settlement as follows. Postpaid is set separately from "credit payment" 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 scope of the postpaid limit. In order to receive the postpaid service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic settlement service. The amount used for postpaid is settled in a lump sum for one month 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 postpaid usage amount and subtracting the same amount from the available postpaid amount. At the end of the month, it performs the process of debiting the settlement for the current month on the payment date of the following month as described above, or requests the operator of the credit card company to perform the process. If the settlement amount exceeds the available postpaid amount at the time of provisional settlement, an error notification is returned to the settlement app 20.

[0034] [Settlement-linked investment] As described above, the settlement server 100 of the embodiment provides the user with a settlement-linked investment function in cooperation with the settlement application 10 and the partner securities company server 200. Settlement-linked investment is a function that enables a user of an electronic payment service to automatically invest a predetermined amount in conjunction with a payment made using the electronic payment service when making a payment. The user can set the usage conditions for settlement-linked investment via the settlement application 10. The set content is transmitted by the settlement application 10 to the settlement server 100 and registered in the settlement server 100 as the settlement-linked investment setting in the user information 172.

[0035] [Investment Modes in Settlement-Linked Investment] In the settlement server 100, the investment processing unit 150 provides, as options for the usage form of settlement-linked investment, a first investment mode and a second investment mode. The first investment mode is an investment mode in which investments are made at a preset investment amount and frequency in conjunction with a payment. The second investment mode is an investment mode in which the investment amount is determined based on predetermined rules and set values each time a payment is made, and then an investment is made. Basically, the settlement-linked investment by the second investment mode is assumed to be carried out in conjunction with each payment, but the second investment mode may be configured to be able to set the investment frequency in the same way as the first investment mode.

[0036] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of settlement-linked investment according to the first investment mode. The horizontal axis of the graph represents the time series of payments made by the target user, and Tn (n = 1, 2,...) represents the nth payment. The vertical axis of the graph represents the amount. In the graph, the first data series represents the amount paid by the user to the affiliated store in each payment, and the second data series represents the cumulative amount of the investment amount (cumulative investment amount) by the settlement-linked investment carried out in conjunction with each payment. As an example of the first investment mode, FIG. 7 shows that a fixed investment amount (here, 20 yen) is invested at a frequency of once for every two payments, regardless of the payment amount in each payment. That is, according to the first investment mode, the user can invest at a fixed pace (in the example of FIG. 7, an investment of 20 yen for every two payments) according to the number of times of payment.

[0037] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of settlement-linked investment in the second investment mode. The way to view the graph in FIG. 8 is the same as that in FIG. 7. As an example of the second investment mode, FIG. 8 determines the investment amount based on the settlement amount at each settlement and invests. That is, according to the second investment mode, similar to the first investment mode, the user can increase the cumulative investment amount according to the number of times of settlement.

[0038] As an example of the second investment mode, FIG. 8 rounds up the settlement amount to a predetermined unit amount, and determines the difference between the rounded-up amount and the original settlement amount as the investment amount. The unit amount for rounding up shall be set in advance as the settlement-linked investment setting. FIG. 8 is an example when the unit amount for rounding up is 50 yen. In this case, in the first settlement T1, the settlement amount of 45 yen is rounded up to 50 yen, and the difference of 5 yen between the rounded-up 50 yen and the original settlement amount of 45 yen is invested by the settlement-linked investment. In the second settlement T2, the settlement amount of 99 yen is rounded up to 100 yen, and the difference of 1 yen between the rounded-up 100 yen and the original settlement amount of 99 yen is invested by the settlement-linked investment. As a result, the cumulative investment amount after the implementation of settlement T2 is 6 yen (=5 yen + 1 yen).

[0039] In the third settlement T3, the settlement amount of 60 yen is rounded up to 100 yen, and the difference of 40 yen between the rounded-up 100 yen and the original settlement amount of 60 yen is invested by the settlement-linked investment. As a result, the cumulative investment amount after the implementation of settlement T3 is 46 yen (=6 yen + 40 yen). In the fourth settlement T4, the settlement amount of 145 yen is rounded up to 150 yen, and the difference of 5 yen between the rounded-up 150 yen and the original settlement amount of 145 yen is invested by the settlement-linked investment. As a result, the cumulative investment amount after the implementation of settlement T4 is 51 yen (=46 yen + 5 yen).

[0040] In the fifth settlement T5, the settlement amount of 77 yen is rounded up to 100 yen, and the difference of 23 yen between the rounded-up 100 yen and the original settlement amount of 77 yen is invested through settlement-linked investment. As a result, the cumulative investment amount after the implementation of settlement T5 is 74 yen (= 51 yen + 23 yen). In the sixth settlement T6, the settlement amount of 40 yen is rounded up to 50 yen, and the difference of 10 yen between the rounded-up 50 yen and the original settlement amount of 40 yen is invested through settlement-linked investment. As a result, the cumulative investment amount after the implementation of settlement T6 is 84 yen (= 74 yen + 10 yen).

[0041] In the seventh settlement T7, the settlement amount of 48 yen is rounded up to 50 yen, and the difference of 2 yen between the rounded-up 50 yen and the original settlement amount of 48 yen is invested through settlement-linked investment. As a result, the cumulative investment amount after the implementation of settlement T7 is 86 yen (= 84 yen + 2 yen). Thus, according to the second investment mode, unlike the first investment mode, the pace of increase in the cumulative investment amount is not constant, so some users can experience more game-like investments.

[0042] When using settlement-linked investment, the user shall register in advance with the settlement server 100 via the settlement app 10 the investment mode to be used and the setting information such as the implementation conditions of the investment according to the investment mode. For example, in the example of the first investment mode in FIG. 8, the investment amount per investment (e.g., 20 yen) and the execution frequency of investment (e.g., once every two times) may be preset as settlement-linked investment settings. Also, for example, in the example of the second investment mode in FIG. 8, the unit amount for rounding up the settlement amount may be preset as settlement-linked investment settings. The settlement app 10 has a function of providing the user with a settlement-linked investment setting screen as a means for registering such settlement-linked investment settings.

[0043] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a settlement-linked investment setting screen A1. The settlement-linked investment setting screen A1 includes, for example, a first setting unit A10, a second setting unit A20, and a third setting unit A30. The first setting unit A10 receives a selection operation of an investment mode to be used in settlement-linked investment. The example of FIG. 9 shows a case where the first investment mode is selected as the investment mode. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the settlement-linked investment by the first investment mode and the settlement-linked investment by the second investment mode are described assuming that they operate independently, respectively, but the settlement-linked investment by the first investment mode and the settlement-linked investment by the second investment mode may be executed simultaneously. In this case, the investment processing unit 150 may be configured to invest the total amount of the investment amount in the first investment mode and the investment amount in the second investment mode in each settlement. Also, in this case, both the first investment mode and the second investment mode may be selected in the first setting unit A10.

[0044] The second setting unit A20 receives a setting operation of investment conditions in the first investment mode. The example of FIG. 9 shows a case where it is set to perform investment every "2" settlements as the execution frequency of investment. Also, the example of FIG. 9 shows a case where "20" yen is set as the investment amount per time. Also, the example of FIG. 9 shows a case where the settlement-linked investment by the first investment mode is set to be applied to the settlement of "A store". In the example of FIG. 9, the settlement app 10 may display a button A21 for displaying an edit menu of target franchise stores in the second setting unit A20. In this case, the user can add or delete target franchise stores from an edit menu (not shown) displayed by pressing the button A21.

[0045] The third setting unit A30 accepts setting operations for investment conditions in the second investment mode. The example in FIG. 9 shows the case where "50" yen is set as the unit amount for rounding up the settlement amount. Further, the example in FIG. 9 shows the case where the settlement-linked investment by the second investment mode is set to be applied to the settlements of "Store B" and "Store C". In the example of FIG. 9, the settlement app 10 may cause the third setting unit A30 to display a button A31 for displaying an edit menu of target franchise stores. In this case, the user can add or delete target franchise stores from the edit menu (not shown) displayed by pressing the button A31.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a payment completion screen displayed on the settlement app 10 when settlement-linked investment is carried out in conjunction with the settlement of payment to a target franchise store. The payment completion screen B1 includes, for example, a first information display section B10 and a second information display section B20. The first information display section B10 is an area for displaying the result of the settlement made for the payment to the target franchise store. The example in FIG. 10 shows the situation where in the first information display section B10, it is displayed that the payment is to "Store C", which is an example of the target franchise store, the payment amount is 184 yen, and the settlement related to the payment has been completed.

[0047] The second information display section B20 is an area for displaying the result of carrying out the settlement-linked investment. The example in FIG. 10 shows the situation where in the second information display section B20, in conjunction with the settlement of the payment amount (184 yen) to the target franchise store, a settlement-linked investment of 16 yen has been carried out in the second investment mode, and it is displayed that a total payment of 200 yen has been made due to the execution of the payment to the target franchise store and the settlement-linked investment linked thereto.

[0048] According to the embodiments described above, it is possible to suppress or improve the decrease in the user's motivation for investment. More specifically, according to the settlement-linked investment function of the embodiments, since the user can automatically make an investment accompanying the settlement made by himself / herself, the hurdle for the user in investment is lowered, leading to an improvement in motivation. Also, according to the settlement-linked investment function of the embodiments, since the implementation result of the settlement-linked investment is notified by the settlement completion notice of the target settlement, the user acquires the habit of investment, leading to an improvement in motivation. Further, according to the settlement-linked investment function of the embodiments, the user can select a desired investment mode from a plurality of investment modes or use a combination of a plurality of investment modes, so the degree of freedom of the user in investment increases, leading to an improvement in motivation.

[0049] <Modification Example> In the embodiments, the case where the settlement targeted for settlement-linked investment is a settlement based on the recharge balance has been described, but the settlement-linked investment may be applied to settlements using funding sources other than the recharge balance. For example, the settlement-linked investment may be applied to settlements using the point balance, or may be applied to settlements by post-payment such as a credit card.

[0050] In the embodiment, in the user terminal device 10, various screen displays and operations are controlled by the settlement app 20 reproducing the content provided by the settlement server 100. However, these controls may be implemented mainly by the settlement server 100, mainly by the settlement app 20, or by the cooperation of the settlement server 100 and the settlement app 20. For example, when the settlement server 100 is the control main body, the settlement server 100 may be configured to provide all the content necessary for screen display to the settlement app 20. Further, for example, when the settlement app 20 is the control main body, the settlement app 20 may be configured to include all the content necessary for screen display. Further, for example, when the settlement app 20 is the control main body, the settlement app 20 may include a part of the content necessary for screen display and be configured to display the screen in combination with other content provided by the settlement server 100.

[0051] As described above, the embodiments for implementing 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

[0052] 10 User terminal device 20 Settlement app 50 First store terminal device 60 Store code image 70 Second store terminal device 72 Interface for franchisees 100 Settlement server 110 Communication unit 120 Settlement content providing unit 130 Settlement processing unit 140 Information management unit 150 Investment processing unit 170 Storage unit 172 User information 174 Settlement content information 176 Franchise / store information 200 Brokerage Firm Server

Claims

1. A settlement management device that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, a settlement processing unit that realizes the electronic payment service, a settlement-linked investment processing unit that executes settlement-linked investment processing for realizing an investment that is carried out in conjunction with a settlement using the electronic payment service and that uses electronic money or points available in the electronic payment service as the original capital for the investment, comprising: in the settlement-linked investment, the settlement-linked investment processing unit invests in either one or both of a first investment mode in which a preset amount is invested and a second investment mode in which the investment amount is determined based on the settlement amount, the first investment mode executes the settlement-linked investment at a frequency of once for each of a plurality of preset settlement times, the plurality of settlement times can be set by the user, Settlement management device.

2. A settlement management device that provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, a settlement processing unit that realizes the electronic payment service, a settlement-linked investment processing unit that executes settlement-linked investment processing for realizing an investment that is carried out in conjunction with a target settlement made for a target franchise among settlements using the electronic payment service and that uses electronic money or points available in the electronic payment service as the original capital for the investment, comprising: in the settlement-linked investment, the settlement-linked investment processing unit invests in either one or both of a first investment mode in which a preset amount is invested and a second investment mode in which the difference between the amount obtained by rounding up the settlement amount of the target settlement to the unit amount and the settlement amount is invested, in the first investment mode, the frequency of implementing the settlement-linked investment with respect to the number of times of the target settlement, the investment amount in one execution of the settlement-linked investment, and the franchise that is the target franchise among the franchises that can use the electronic payment service can be set by the user, in the second investment mode, the frequency of implementing the settlement-linked investment with respect to the number of times of the target settlement, the unit amount, and the franchise that is the target franchise among the franchises that can use the electronic payment service can be set by the user, Settlement management device.

3. When the settlement-linked investment processing unit determines that the settlement is for payment to a target franchise store with a preset settlement, the settlement-linked investment processing unit executes the settlement-linked investment processing in conjunction with the settlement. The settlement management device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. When the settlement using the electronic payment service is completed, the settlement processing unit notifies the application program that the settlement has been completed. The notification includes a first amount that is the amount of the settlement, a second amount that is the amount invested through the settlement-linked investment related to the settlement, the type of investment mode in the settlement-linked investment related to the second amount, and the total amount of the first amount and the second amount. The settlement management device according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The application program receives a selection operation of an investment mode to be used in the settlement-linked investment from among the first investment mode and the second investment mode. The application program further includes an information management unit that acquires information on the selected investment mode as the setting information for the settlement-linked investment from the application program and manages the acquired setting information in association with the user. The settlement management device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A settlement management method in which a settlement management device provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, a settlement process for realizing the electronic payment service, a settlement-linked investment process for realizing an investment conducted in conjunction with a settlement using the electronic payment service, wherein the investment uses electronic money or points available in the electronic payment service as the source of the investment, and executes the above, In the settlement-linked investment process, in the settlement-linked investment, investment is made in either one or both of an investment mode of investing a preset amount (first investment mode) and an investment mode of determining the investment amount based on the amount of the settlement (second investment mode). The first investment mode executes the settlement-linked investment at a frequency of once for each of a preset number of settlement times. The plurality of settlement times can be set by the user. Settlement management method.

7. A settlement management method in which a settlement management device provides an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, a settlement process for realizing the electronic payment service, An investment that is carried out in conjunction with a target settlement made for a target affiliated store among the settlements using the electronic payment service, and is a settlement-linked investment process for realizing a settlement-linked investment that uses electronic money or points available in the electronic payment service as the original capital of the investment, which is to be executed, In the settlement-linked investment process, in the settlement-linked investment, investment is made in either one or both of an investment mode of investing a preset amount and an investment mode of investing the difference between the amount obtained by rounding up the settlement amount of the target settlement to the unit amount and the settlement amount, In the first investment mode, the frequency of implementing the settlement-linked investment with respect to the number of times of the target settlement, the investment amount in one implementation of the settlement-linked investment, and the affiliated store that is the target affiliated store among the affiliated stores available for using the electronic payment service can be set by the user, In the second investment mode, the frequency of implementing the settlement-linked investment with respect to the number of times of the target settlement, the unit amount, and the affiliated store that is the target affiliated store among the affiliated stores available for using the electronic payment service can be set by the user, Settlement management method.

8. A program for causing a settlement management device to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, the settlement process for realizing the electronic payment service, an investment that is carried out in conjunction with a settlement using the electronic payment service, and is a settlement-linked investment process for realizing a settlement-linked investment that uses electronic money or points available in the electronic payment service as the original capital of the investment, which is a program for causing the settlement management device to execute, In the settlement-linked investment process, in the settlement-linked investment, investment is made in either one or both of an investment mode of investing a preset amount and an investment mode of determining the investment amount based on the settlement amount, The first investment mode is to execute the settlement-linked investment at a frequency of once for each of a plurality of preset settlement times, The plurality of settlement times can be set by the user, Program.

9. A program for causing a settlement management device to provide an electronic payment service to a user in cooperation with an application program operating on the user's terminal device, A settlement process for realizing the electronic payment service, An investment that is linked to a target settlement made for a target affiliated store among the settlements using the electronic payment service, and is a settlement-linked investment process for realizing a settlement-linked investment that uses electronic money or points available in the electronic payment service as the original capital of the investment, A program for causing the settlement management device to execute, In the settlement-linked investment process, in the settlement-linked investment, the investment is made in either one or both of a first investment mode in which a preset amount is invested and a second investment mode in which the difference between the amount obtained by rounding up the settlement amount of the target settlement to the unit amount and the settlement amount is invested. In the first investment mode, the frequency of implementing the settlement-linked investment with respect to the number of times of the target settlement, the investment amount in one settlement-linked investment, and the affiliated store that is the target affiliated store among the affiliated stores that can use the electronic payment service can be set by the user. In the second investment mode, the frequency of implementing the settlement-linked investment with respect to the number of times of the target settlement, the unit amount, and the affiliated store that is the target affiliated store among the affiliated stores that can use the electronic payment service can be set by the user. Program.

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