Information processing system, information processing method and program

Abstract

An information processing system, an information processing method, and a program are provided that more easily calculate service usage fees and present the usage fees to users. [Solution] In an information processing system in which an information processing device, a user terminal, and an employee terminal can communicate via telecommunications lines, the information processing device has at least one processor, and the processor is configured to execute a program to perform the following steps: in the acquisition step, first user information and first group information corresponding to the first user information are acquired, the first user information is information about a first user who uses the service, and the first group information is information about a first group to which the first user belongs; and in the output step, the service usage fee for the first user is output based on the first user information, the first group information, and the reference information.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a "sports gym operation support system." The sports gym operation support system is a system in which a door unit 3 includes an unlocking control unit that unlocks the door based on an unlocking instruction from a server device, a user's terminal device 2 includes a first receiving unit that receives screen data, a display unit that displays a door unlocking instruction screen based on the screen data, an operation unit that issues an unlocking instruction on the unlocking instruction screen, and a first transmitting unit that sends an unlocking request to the server device when the unlocking instruction is issued, and a server device 1 includes a second receiving unit that accepts the unlocking request, an unlocking control unit that controls the door unit to unlock based on the request, a second transmitting unit that sends the unlocking instruction to the door unit and also sends a discount coupon to the user's terminal device, and a billing unit that charges the user a gym usage fee when the door is unlocked. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-041673 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there is still room for improvement in the functionality of the above-mentioned known techniques. In particular, there is a need for a technique that makes it easier to calculate the service fees and present the fees to the user.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an information processing system and the like that makes it possible to more easily calculate the service usage fee and present the usage fee to the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system comprising at least one processor, the processor being configured to execute a program to perform the following steps: in the acquisition step, first user information and first group information corresponding to the first user information are acquired, the first user information being information about a first user who uses a service, and the first group information being information about a first group to which the first user belongs; and in the output step, a usage fee for the service for the first user is output based on the first user information, the first group information, and the reference information.

[0007] According to this aspect, it is possible to more easily calculate the service usage fee and present the usage fee to the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an information processing system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device 2. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a user terminal 3. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions of the information processing device 2. [Figure 5] 1 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed in the information processing system 1. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a user information table T1. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a discount condition table T2. [Figure 8] 1 shows an example of a discount condition setting screen 6 displayed on the display unit 44 of the employee terminal 4 of employee Z. [Figure 9]1 shows an example of a usage fee inquiry screen 5 displayed on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3. [Figure 10] 10 is an activity diagram showing an example of a flow of processing executed in the information processing system 1 when a second user newly concludes a contract. FIG. [Figure 11] 11A is a diagram showing an example of a group setting screen 7a for adding new user information IF1 to group information IF2, and FIG. 11B is a diagram showing an example of a user information input screen 7b. [Figure 12] 1 shows an example of a contract plan selection screen 8 displayed on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Various features shown in the following embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0010] Incidentally, the program for realizing the software appearing in one embodiment may be provided as a non-transitory computer-readable medium, or may be provided so that it can be downloaded from an external server, or may be provided so that the program is started on an external computer and its functions are realized on a client terminal (so-called cloud computing).

[0011] Furthermore, various information processing according to an embodiment may realize input and output corresponding to the input. Here, the form of information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as reference information) is not limited as long as an output is obtained as a result of the input. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, or a predetermined function (including a decision formula such as a regression formula constructed using a statistical method), a trained model that has previously learned the correlation between input and output, or a generative AI such as a large-scale language model (these models include parameters that establish the correlation between input and output) or a visual language model that can output a desired result in response to a prompt.

[0012] In one embodiment, a "unit" may include, for example, a combination of hardware resources implemented by a circuit in the broad sense and software information processing that can be specifically realized by these hardware resources. In one embodiment, various information is handled, and this information is represented, for example, by physical values ​​of signal values ​​representing voltage and current, high and low signal values ​​as a binary bit set consisting of 0 or 1, or quantum superposition (so-called quantum bits), and communication and calculations can be performed on a circuit in the broad sense.

[0013] Furthermore, a circuit in the broad sense is a circuit realized by at least an appropriate combination of a circuit, circuitry, processor, memory, etc. The processor may be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated circuit. That is, it includes an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (e.g., a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA)), etc.

[0014] 1. Hardware Configuration In this section, the hardware configuration of one embodiment will be described.

[0015] 1.1 Information Processing System 1 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an information processing system 1. The information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 2, a user terminal 3, and an employee terminal 4. The information processing device 2, the user terminal 3 which is a user terminal, and the employee terminal 4 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a telecommunications line. In one embodiment, the information processing system 1 is made up of one or more devices or components. If the information processing system 1 is made up of only the information processing device 2, the information processing system 1 can be the information processing device 2. These components will be described below.

[0016] 1.2 Information processing device 2 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 2. The information processing device 2 includes a communication bus 20, a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a processor 23. The communication unit 21, the storage unit 22, and the processor 23 are electrically connected via the communication bus 20 inside the information processing device 2.

[0017] <Communications Department 21> The communication unit 21 is preferably a wired communication means such as USB, IEEE1394, Thunderbolt (registered trademark), wired LAN network communication, etc., but may also include wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as 3G / LTE / 5G, BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) communication, etc. as needed. In other words, it is more preferable to implement it as a collection of multiple communication means. In other words, the information processing device 2 may communicate various information from the outside via the communication unit 21 and the network.

[0018] <Storage section 22> The storage unit 22 stores various pieces of information defined above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the information processing device 2 executed by the processor 23, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the program operations. The storage unit 22 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the information processing device 2 executed by the processor 23.

[0019] <Processor 23> The processor 23 processes and controls the overall operations related to the information processing device 2. The processor 23 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) not shown. The processor 23 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 2 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 22. In other words, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 is specifically realized by the processor 23, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the processor 23. These will be described in more detail in the next section. Note that the processor 23 is not limited to being single, and multiple processors 23 may be provided for each function. A combination of these may also be used.

[0020] 1.3 User terminal A user terminal is a terminal owned by a user. User terminals include a terminal 3 (hereinafter referred to as user terminal 3) operated by a first user and a second user who use the facility, and a terminal 4 (hereinafter referred to as employee terminal 4) operated by a third user who is an employee of the facility. The user terminal may be in any form, such as a smartphone, tablet terminal, computer, or any other device that can access the information processing device 2 via a telecommunications line.

[0021] 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 3. The following description will be given taking the user terminal 3 as an example. The user terminal 3 includes a communication bus 30, a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a processor 33, a display unit 34, and an input unit 35. The communication unit 31, the storage unit 32, the processor 33, the display unit 34, and the input unit 35 are electrically connected via the communication bus 30 inside the user terminal 3. The description of the communication unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the processor 33 will be omitted as they are the same as the description of each unit in the information processing device 2.

[0022] <Display section 34> The display unit 34 displays a screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be operated by the user. The display unit 34 may be included in the housing of the user terminal 3 or may be externally attached. Specifically, the display unit 34 may be implemented as a display device such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a plasma display. It is preferable that these display devices are implemented by selectively using them depending on the type of the user terminal 3.

[0023] <Input section 35> The input unit 35 accepts operation inputs made by the user. The operation inputs are transferred as command signals to the processor 33 via the communication bus 30. The processor 33 can execute predetermined control or calculations based on the transferred command signals as necessary. The input unit 35 may be included in the housing of the user terminal 3 or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 35 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 34. When the input unit 35 is implemented as a touch panel, the user can input tap operations, swipe operations, etc. to the input unit 35. Instead of a touch panel, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, etc. can be used as the input unit 35.

[0024] 2. Functional configuration In this section, the functional configuration will be described. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the functions of the information processing device 2. As described above, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 can be specifically realized by hardware (specifically, the processor 23), and executed as each functional unit included in the processor 23. In other words, the information processing system 1 has each functional unit in a program.

[0025] Specifically, the processor 23 includes, as its functional units, a reception unit 231, an acquisition unit 232, a management unit 233, a calculation unit 234, an identification unit 235, a determination unit 236, an output unit 237, and a display control unit 238.

[0026] The reception unit 231 is configured to receive various information as a reception step. Specifically, the reception unit 231 is configured to receive information via the communication unit 21 or the storage unit 22 and to be able to read this information into a working memory. Preferably, the reception unit 231 receives a request for inquiry about the service usage fee FE1 from the user via the user terminal 3.

[0027] The acquisition unit 232 is configured to acquire various information as an acquisition step. Specifically, the acquisition unit 232 acquires user information IF1 via the user terminal 3. For example, the acquisition unit 232 acquires user information IF1 stored in the storage unit 22 of the information processing device 2 or group information IF2 related to a group GR to which the user belongs.

[0028] The management unit 233 is configured to manage various information as a management step. Specifically, the management unit 233 manages various information or data in association with group information IF2 related to the group GR to which the user belongs. The various information or data may be stored in a storage unit of various devices such as the storage unit 22 of the information processing device 2 or the user terminal 3, or may be stored in a predetermined storage area including an external storage device.

[0029] The calculation unit 234 is configured to calculate various information as a calculation step. Specifically, the calculation unit 234 calculates the service usage fee for the user based on the user information IF1 and the group information IF2.

[0030] The identification unit 235 is configured to identify various information as an identification step. Specifically, when the user information matches any of various predetermined discount conditions, the identification unit 235 identifies the discount conditions for the user corresponding to the user information.

[0031] The determination unit 236 is configured to determine various pieces of information as a determination step. Specifically, the determination unit 236 determines the amount FE2 to be billed to the user based on the service usage fee FE1.

[0032] The output unit 237 is configured to output various pieces of information in an output step. Specifically, the output unit 237 outputs various pieces of information calculated by the calculation unit 234.

[0033] As a display control step, the display control unit 238 displays various pieces of information stored in the storage unit 22 or screens containing such information in a viewable manner on a terminal such as the user terminal 3. This allows various pieces of information to be presented to a user operating the user terminal 3. When the phrase "display" is used, it does not matter whether the display medium is in a local environment or whether processing for displaying is performed via the network 11. The display control unit 238 controls visual information such as screens, images, icons, and messages to be displayed on the display of the terminal. The display control unit 238 may only generate rendering information for displaying the visual information on the terminal. 3. Information Processing The information processing of this embodiment will be described below.

[0034] FIG. 5 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed in the information processing system 1. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which a usage fee FE1 for a service of a first user, User X, is inquired. The usage fee FE1 is set monthly and is paid in advance. Specifically, the user pays the usage fee FE1 for the next month's service in the previous month. The method for setting the usage fee FE1 is not limited to this.

[0035] Here, User X is assumed to be a user of a service. The service may be, for example, the provision of use of an exercise facility. An exercise facility is a facility that provides an environment for users to exercise, such as a sports club, fitness club, or sports gym. The service may also be the provision of instruction on a specific skill. The specific skill may be, for example, a skill related to exercise, a skill related to language acquisition, or a skill related to playing a musical instrument. In this embodiment, User X is described as a member of a sports gym. In other words, User X is described as having concluded a specified usage contract with a business that provides the service. However, the type of service is not limited to this.

[0036] First, in response to the arrival of the closing date for tallying the usage fee FE1, the acquisition unit 232 acquires first user information IF11 related to user X, who is a first user, and first group information IF21 corresponding to the first user information IF11 (activity A101). Here, the first user information IF11 is information related to user X (first user) who uses the service. Also, the first group information IF21 is information related to the first group GR1 to which user X (first user) belongs.

[0037] Next, the output unit 237 outputs the usage fee FE1 of the service for the first user X based on the first user information IF11, the first group information IF21, and the reference information RE. Specifically, the identification unit 235 identifies the first discount information IF31 indicating a discount on the regular fee FE3 of the service based on the first discount condition CO11 among the group discount conditions CO1 that matches the first user information IF11 (activity A102). Here, the reference information RE includes the group discount condition CO1 related to the group information IF2. Next, as an output step, the output unit 237 outputs the usage fee FE1 based on the first discount information IF31 (activity A103).

[0038] Here, the regular fee FE3 is the fee incurred for using the exercise facility, which is a service. The regular fee FE3 may be set in advance, for example, according to a plan for using the facility. The discount conditions CO are conditions required to apply a specific discount to the regular fee FE3. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which the discount conditions CO include group discount conditions CO1 and contract discount conditions CO2.

[0039] The group discount conditions CO1 include conditions related to the group information IF2 of the group GR to which the user belongs. The conditions may include, for example, the number of people belonging to the group GR. The contract discount conditions CO2 include conditions related to the user's contract status. The conditions may include, for example, the number of plans the user subscribes to.

[0040] The discount information IF3 is information including details of the discount applied to the user. For example, the first discount information IF31 applied to the user X may be determined based on the first user information IF11 of the user X, the first group information IF21, and the group discount conditions CO1. The usage fee FE1 indicates the fee obtained by applying the discount information IF3 to the regular fee FE3.

[0041] (User information table T1) FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a user information table T1. The user information table T1 is, for example, an example of a database referenced to understand user information IF1 related to a user who uses a service. In this embodiment, the user information table T1 is configured to be able to further understand the user's group information IF2. As shown in FIG. 6, the user information table T1 may include information such as a group ID (T11), a member ID (T12), a name (T13), a contract plan (T14), a joining date (T15), a withdrawal date (T16), a status (T17), and a surplus / deficit (T18).

[0042] Here, for example, when a user completes a membership procedure, i.e., when the user concludes a predetermined service contract, a record corresponding to the user information IF1 may be added to the user information table T1. Preferably, the user information table T1 may be stored in the storage unit 22 of the information processing device 2, or may be stored in another server.

[0043] The group ID (T11) is information that can identify the group GR to which each user belongs. The group GR may be formed, for example, based on the family relationships of the users. Specifically, users who have a family relationship may be assigned the same group ID. The structure of the group GR is not limited to this. For example, the group GR may be formed based on the friendship relationships of the users, or may be formed based on the company or organization to which the users belong.

[0044] The member ID (T12) is information that can identify the user. The name (T13) is information that indicates the name of the user. The contract plan (T14) is information that indicates the type of plan with which the user has concluded a contract.

[0045] The joining date (T15) is information indicating the date on which the user joined the sports gym. The joining date (T15) may be, for example, the date on which the user newly concluded a service contract. The cancellation date (T16) is information indicating the date on which the user cancelled or will cancel their sports gym membership. The cancellation date (T16) may be the date on which the user went through the procedure to cancel the service. The status (T17) is information indicating the contract status of the user. For example, the status (T17) may be "continued" if the service contract is continuing, or "cancelled" if the service contract has been cancelled and the user has already cancelled their sports gym membership.

[0046] Surplus / Deficit (T18) is information indicating whether a surplus or deficit has occurred in the payment status of the user's usage fee FE1. For example, if the billed amount EF2 is greater than the usage fee FE1 in the payment of the usage fee FE1 up to now, this means that a "surplus" has occurred. On the other hand, if the billed amount EF2 is less than the usage fee FE1, this means that a "deficit" has occurred.

[0047] The billing amount FE2 indicates the amount to be billed to the user. The billing amount FE2 is determined based on the usage fee FE1. In principle, the determination unit 236 may determine the amount of the usage fee FE1 as the billing amount FE2. If a surplus or deficit has occurred, a process may be executed to subtract the surplus from the usage fee FE1 or add the deficit to the usage fee FE1. The occurrence of surpluses and deficits will be described in detail in activity A104.

[0048] (Discount condition table T2) 7 is a schematic diagram of the discount condition table T2. The discount condition table T2 is an example of reference information RE that is referenced to identify the discount conditions CO for the service usage fee FE1, for example. The discount condition table T2 may include information such as a code (T21), a name (T22), a target plan (T23), conditions (T24), and discount details (T25). The user information table T1 may be stored in the storage unit 22 of the information processing device 2, or may be stored in another server.

[0049] The discount condition table T2 is a database that includes conditions under which the usage fee FE1 is discounted. For example, a record may be added to the discount condition table T2 in response to the reception unit 231 receiving input of information (reference information RE) related to the discount condition CO from a third user. Here, the third user includes a service provider. The service provider may be the operator of the sports gym or an employee working at the sports gym. In this embodiment, the service provider will be described as employee Z working at the sports gym. Details of the reception process of the reference information RE will be described with reference to the discount condition setting screen 6 in FIG. 8.

[0050] The code (T21) is information that can identify the discount condition CO. The name (T22) is information that indicates the name of the discount condition CO. The target plan (T23) is information that indicates the type of contract plan to which the discount condition CO is applied. The target plan (T23) corresponds to the contract plan (T14) in the user information table T1. The plan does not need to be limited when applying a discount. The condition (T24) is information that indicates the conditions for applying a discount. The discount content (T25) is information that indicates the discount content when a discount is applied.

[0051] (Discount Condition Setting Screen 6) 8 shows an example of the discount condition setting screen 6 displayed on the display unit 44 of the employee terminal 4 of employee Z. For example, the display control unit 238 of the information processing device 2 may perform control to display the discount condition setting screen 6 by receiving a request from employee Z to display the discount condition setting screen 6. The discount condition setting screen 6 includes areas 61 to 65.

[0052] Area 61 is an area for receiving input of a code that can identify discount conditions CO from employee Z. The information entered in area 61 is managed under code (T21) in discount conditions table T2. Area 62 is an area for receiving input of the name of discount conditions CO from employee Z. The information entered in area 62 is managed under name (T22) in discount conditions table T2.

[0053] Area 63 is an area for receiving input of discount details from employee Z. Area 63 includes areas 631 to 633. The discount details specified by input to area 63 are managed in discount details (T25) of discount condition table T2.

[0054] Areas 631 and 632 are areas for receiving a selection from employee Z as to whether to set a discount based on a fixed amount or a percentage of the usage fee FE1. In this embodiment, a case where a discount is set based on a fixed amount will be described. As shown in FIG. 8, employee Z has selected "Fixed" in area 631, and has entered a discount amount of "2,000 yen" in area 633.

[0055] Area 64 is an area for receiving input of discount conditions CO from employee Z. The contents of discount conditions CO included in area 64 and identified by the information entered in area 641 are managed in conditions (T24) of discount conditions table T2.

[0056] Area 65 is an area for receiving the selection of the target plan to which the discount condition CO is applied from employee Z. The target plan identified by the selection in area 65 is managed in the target plan (T23) of the discount condition table T2.

[0057] Employee Z can easily register or change discount conditions CO via the discount condition setting screen 6. The registered or changed discount conditions CO are managed in the discount condition table T2. This makes it easy to manage multiple discount conditions CO. Furthermore, by referring to the managed discount conditions CO, the usage fee FE1 for each user can be easily calculated.

[0058] (Print usage charges) Next, the output of the usage fee FE1 in activity A103 of Figure 5 will be described. In this embodiment, the case where the usage fee FE1 of user X, "Hakomono Hanako," is output will be described. First, as an identification step, the identification unit 235 identifies the first discount condition CO11 applied to user X based on the user information table T1 and the discount condition table T2 (an example of reference information RE). Specifically, if the discount condition table T2 contains a group discount condition CO1 that matches the first user information IF11 related to user X, the identification unit 235 identifies the group discount condition CO1 as the first discount condition CO11. Next, the identification unit 235 identifies the discount content corresponding to the first discount condition CO11 as the first discount information IF31.

[0059] As shown in the user information table T1 in FIG. 6, the first group GR1 to which user X belongs includes three users (including user X (Hakomono Hanako)) whose contracts are currently ongoing. Furthermore, all three users' contract plans are "Gold." Therefore, the first user information IF11 matches the group discount condition CO1 of "POC0002" in the discount condition table T2 in FIG. 7, and this is identified as the first discount condition CO11. In other words, the identification unit 235 identifies that the first discount amount for user X will be 3,000 yen, which corresponds to the discount content of "POC0002."

[0060] Next, the output unit 237 applies the first discount information IF31 to the regular fee FE3, thereby outputting the usage fee FE1 for the user X.

[0061] The discount conditions CO are not limited to group discount conditions CO1 based on the group information IF2. The discount conditions CO may further include contract discount conditions CO2 based on the user's contract status. Specifically, the contract discount conditions CO2 may be set according to the number of plans subscribed to by the user. Alternatively, the contract discount conditions CO2 may be set according to the user's contract period. The user's contract information may be identified based on the user information IF1.

[0062] Furthermore, discounts based on the group discount conditions CO1 and the contract discount conditions CO2 may be used together. That is, the user information table T1 (reference information RE) may further include contract discount conditions CO2 related to the contract details. The identification unit 235 identifies second discount information IF32 indicating a discount on the regular fee FE3 of the service based on second discount conditions CO21 from the contract discount conditions CO2 that match the contract details included in the first user information IF11. The output unit 237 outputs the usage fee FE1 based on the second discount information IF32.

[0063] For example, based on the second discount condition CO21 that matches the contract period of user X, the identification unit 235 identifies second discount information IF32 for user X. The output unit 237 outputs the usage fee FE1 for user X by subtracting the discount amount obtained by adding up the first discount amount and the second discount amount (identified from the second discount information IF32) from the regular fee FE3.

[0064] 5, the processing of activities A104 to A106 will be described. If there is a difference FE4 (including a surplus or a deficit) between the billed amount FE2 previously billed to user X and the actual service usage fee FE1 for user X, the acquisition unit 232 acquires the difference FE4 from the user information table T1 (activity A104). If there is no difference FE4, the process proceeds to activity A105.

[0065] Next, as a determination step, the determination unit 236 determines the billing amount FE2 for user X based on the usage fee FE1 and the balance FE4 (activity A105). Specifically, if there is a surplus, the billing amount FE2 is the amount obtained by subtracting the surplus from the usage fee FE1. If there is a deficit, the billing amount FE2 is the amount obtained by adding the deficit to the usage fee FE1.

[0066] Here, an example in which the difference FE4 occurs will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the output of the usage fee FE1 for user X is executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, once a month), and that the usage fee FE1 for the next month is paid in advance in the month before that. For example, if, after the billing amount FE2 for user X has been determined, a change occurs in the first group information IF21 corresponding to user X, and the discount applied to user X changes, the difference FE4 occurs.

[0067] Specifically, the following describes the case where the usage fee FE1 for the (N+1)th month is paid in month N, using the user information table T1 and the discount condition table T2. It is assumed that a change occurs in the first group information IF21 between a predetermined point in time when the billing amount FE2 is determined based on the usage fee FE1 for the (N+1)th month and the end of month N. For example, it is assumed that the number of members with ongoing gold contracts belonging to the first group GR1 changes from three (including user X) to two. Accordingly, the group discount condition CO1 applied to user X's usage fee FE1 for the (N+1)th month is changed from "POC0002" to "POC0001" in the discount condition table T2. In other words, user X's usage fee FE1 for the (N+1)th month is changed. At this point, the billing amount FE2 based on the usage fee FE1 for the (N+1)th month has already been determined. Therefore, the difference FE4 (1,000 yen) between the changed usage fee FE1 and the already confirmed billed amount FE2 is managed in the surplus / deficit (T18) of the user information table T1. The difference FE4 is added to the usage fee FE1 for the (N+2) month to be paid in the following month (N+1), thereby confirming the billed amount FE2 to be paid in the (N+1) month.

[0068] That is, the output unit 237 executes a first output step and a second output step. After a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the output unit 237 calculated the first user's first usage fee FE11 as the first output step, the output unit 237 executes processing for outputting the first user's second usage fee FE12 as the second output step. Furthermore, the determination unit 236 determines the billing amount FE2 for the first user based on the first usage fee FE11 as the determination step. If a change occurs in the first usage fee FE11 after the determination step by the determination unit 236, the output unit 237 determines the second billing amount FE22 by subtracting the difference FE4 resulting from the change from the second usage fee FE12 as the second output step. Here, the change in the first usage fee FE11 occurs in response to a change in the first group information IF21.

[0069] According to this aspect, assuming prepayment, if a difference occurs between the actual usage fee FE1 and the finalized billing amount FE2 after the billing amount FE2 is determined due to a change such as another user belonging to the group canceling their membership, the difference can be absorbed at the time of billing for the following month to determine the billing amount FE2. Therefore, the service provider does not need to set a deadline for the user to change the contract based on the payment deadline, and can flexibly respond to changes in the user's contract. Furthermore, even if a user belonging to the same group changes the contract details after the billing amount FE2 is determined, the user can pay the fee that reflects the change without incurring any additional procedures.

[0070] 6 may be updated in response to the execution of the process for determining the billing amount FE2 in activity A105. Specifically, the management unit 233 may manage the surplus / deficit (T18) of the user information table T1 in an updated state as a management step.

[0071] In this embodiment, the process of determining the billing amount FE2 by further subtracting the deposit amount from the usage fee FE1 or adding the shortfall amount has been described, but this is not limited to this. For example, the process of activity A104 in Figure 5 does not need to be performed. In other words, the billing amount FE2 may be the usage fee FE1.

[0072] Next, as a display control step, the display control unit 238 displays the billing amount FE2 determined in activity A105 in a manner that is easy for user X to understand (activity A106).

[0073] The processing of activities A101 to A106 may be executed in response to a request for an inquiry about the usage fee from user X. The person making the request for an introduction of the usage fee is not limited to user X, but may also be employee Z. Furthermore, in the case where the payment processing of the usage fee FE1 is executed at a predetermined cycle (for example, once a month) as in this embodiment, the processing of activities A101 to A106 may be executed repeatedly in response to the arrival of a predetermined timing (for example, the closing date for tallying the usage fee FE1).

[0074] (Usage fee inquiry screen 5) 9 shows an example of a usage fee inquiry screen 5 displayed on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3. The usage fee inquiry screen 5 in FIG. 9 is an example of a screen displayed in activity A106 in FIG. 5. For example, in response to receiving a request from user X to display the usage fee inquiry screen 5, the display control unit 238 may control the display unit 34 to display the usage fee inquiry screen 5. Specifically, in response to the reception unit 231 receiving input from the user in area 50 of the usage fee inquiry screen 5, the usage fee inquiry screen 5 may be displayed. The usage fee inquiry screen 5 includes areas 51 to 54.

[0075] The area 51 contains information that identifies the contractor, that is, user X. Specifically, the usage fee inquiry screen 5 is displayed on the display unit 34 in a manner that the name of user X is contained in the area 51.

[0076] Areas 52 to 54 contain information related to the billed amount FE2. Specifically, the usage fee inquiry screen 5 is displayed on the display unit 34 in a manner that the regular fee FE3 of the plan subscribed to by user X is contained in area 52. The usage fee inquiry screen 5 is also displayed on the display unit 34 in a manner that the first discount information IF31 is contained in area 53. Here, the first discount information IF31 is information determined in activity A102 of FIG. 5.

[0077] Furthermore, the usage fee inquiry screen 5 is displayed on the display unit 34 in such a manner that the billing amount FE2 is included in the area 54. The billing amount FE2 is information determined in activity A105 of Fig. 5. This manner allows the user to grasp the discount information.

[0078] Independently from the processing of activities A101 to A106 in Fig. 5, when a user requests a new contract or a change to a contract, the reception unit 231 receives information necessary for the new contract or change from the user (activity A107). Specifically, the reception unit 231 receives information related to a new contract for a plan or information related to cancellation of a plan. Next, the management unit 233 updates the user's status (T17) and the like contained in the user information table T1 based on the information received in activity A107 (activity A108). Details of the processing executed when a user concludes a new service contract will be described with reference to Fig. 10.

[0079] To summarize the above, the information processing system 1 includes at least one processor. The processor includes a program to control the following units: The acquisition unit 232 acquires first user information IF11 and first group information IF21 corresponding to the first user information IF11. The first user information IF11 is information about a first user who uses the facility. The first group information IF21 is information about a first group GR1 to which the first user belongs. The output unit 237 outputs the usage fee for the service by the first user based on the first user information IF11, the first group information IF21, and the reference information RE.

[0080] According to this aspect, the first user can know the service usage fee according to the information of the group to which the first user belongs. Furthermore, if there is a change in the group information, the usage fee can be known in a manner that reflects the change in the usage fee that occurs along with the change in the group information.

[0081] More specifically, when a change occurs in the information of the group to which the first user belongs, the discount information managed in association with the first user may be updated. This reduces the effort required of service providers and users to manually update the user information of each user every time a change occurs in the usage fee due to a change in group information.

[0082] The usage fee for each user may be output each time based on the user information IF1 and the discount conditions (reference information RE). Specifically, the processing of activities A101 to A106 in Fig. 5 may be executed in response to receiving a request from user X to display usage fee inquiry screen 5. In this case, it is not necessary to manage the user usage fees or discount information using a data table or the like.

[0083] (New contract processing) 10 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of a process executed in the information processing system 1 in which a second user newly concludes a new contract. In this embodiment, the second user is assumed to be user Y, and the case will be described in which user Y has a family relationship with user X. In addition, the case will be described in which user Y is a person who starts using the service, and user Y newly joins a first group GR1, which is a family group to which user X belongs. Here, joining a group GR means newly associating user information IF1 of the newly joining user with group information IF2.

[0084] First, the reception unit 231 receives from the user Y, via the user terminal 3, an operation for newly associating the second user information IF12 related to the user Y with the first group information IF21 (activity A201). Specifically, the reception unit 231 may receive information capable of identifying the user Y and a group ID capable of identifying the first group GR1 to which the user Y is to belong. Preferably, the second user information IF12 has the same configuration as the first user information IF11. In this embodiment, the operation for a new contract is described as being performed by the user Y, but this is not limited to this. Such an operation may also be performed by the employee Z. The same applies to activities A202 to A205 described below.

[0085] Next, the management unit 233 manages the second user information IF12 updated based on the information received in activity A201 (activity A202). That is, the management unit 233 further manages the second user information IF12 and the first group information IF21 corresponding to the second user information IF12 by receiving an operation from the first user X or the second user Y. The second user Y is a person who has a predetermined relationship with the first user X.

[0086] Next, processing related to the membership procedure for concluding a new contract is executed. The display control unit 238 displays candidate contract plans on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3 in a manner that is understandable to user Y (activity A203). The candidate contract plans are one or more plans that user Y can subscribe to. Next, the reception unit 231 receives a selection of a contract plan from user Y via the user terminal 3 (activity A204). Next, the display control unit 238 displays the contract plan identified in activity A204 and the usage fee FE1 determined based on the first group information IF21 (activity A205).

[0087] (Group registration screen) 11A and 11B show an example of a group setting screen 7a for adding new user information IF1 to group information IF2, respectively. In this embodiment, an example of associating second user information IF12 related to user Y with first group information IF21 will be described.

[0088] The group setting screen 7a in FIG. 11a is an example of a screen displayed in the activity A201 in FIG. 10. The group setting screen 7a includes an area 71 and an object 72. The area 71 includes first user information IF11 for the group. Specifically, information that allows identification of users belonging to the first group GR1 is displayed in the area 71. The area 71 includes areas 711 to 713, each of which includes first user information IF11 for users belonging to the first group GR1. The object 72 is a button for adding a new user to the group GR. For example, the display control unit 238 receives an input for the object 72 from user Y, thereby transitioning the content displayed on the display unit 34 from the group setting screen 7a in FIG. 11a to a user information input screen 7b in FIG. 11b.

[0089] The user information input screen 7b in FIG. 11b includes areas 73 to 75 and an object 76. The areas 73 to 75 are areas for accepting input of second user information IF12 of a user to be newly registered in the first group GR1. The object 76 is a button for storing the second user information IF12 accepted as input from the user Y in the storage unit 22. For example, in response to accepting input for the object 76 from the user Y, the second user information IF12 accepted as input for the areas 73 to 75 may be newly stored in the user information table T1.

[0090] According to this aspect, by accepting an operation from user Y who will newly join the first group GR1, it is possible to easily register additional users to the first group GR1. Furthermore, by reflecting the registered contents or changes in the table, it is also possible to easily change the usage fees of other users who join the first group GR1. Note that the operation to add a new user to the group GR does not have to be performed by the user to be added. For example, in this embodiment, the operation on the group setting screen 7a and the user information input screen 7b may be performed by user X who already belongs to the first group GR1.

[0091] (Contract plan selection screen 8) FIG. 12 shows an example of a contract plan selection screen 8 displayed on the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3. The contract plan selection screen 8 is an example of a screen displayed in activity A205 of FIG. 10. The contract plan selection screen 8 includes areas 81 to 84 and an object 85. The area 81 includes the name of user Y, who is the contractor. The areas 82 to 84 each include information on a plan available to user Y. As an identification step, the identification unit 235 receives a selection from user Y of any of areas 82 to 84, thereby identifying a new plan to which user Y will subscribe.

[0092] As shown in FIG. 12 , the area 82 further includes an object 821 and an area 822. The object 821 and the area 822 include first discount information IF31 indicating that a discount is applied to the plan corresponding to the area 82. That is, the contract plan selection screen 8 indicates that the second user information IF12 matches the discount condition CO, and therefore the user Y's use of the "Gold Class" plan corresponding to the area 82 is eligible for a discount. In summary, the display control unit 238 displays the first discount information IF31 indicating a discount on the regular fee FE3 of the service for the second user in a manner that is visible to the second user. The first discount information IF31 is identified based on the discount condition table T2 (reference information RE) and the first group information IF21. This manner allows the user to select a plan while understanding the discount offered by joining a group.

[0093] Furthermore, the object 85 may be a button for the user Y to decide on a new plan to subscribe to. For example, the display control unit 238 may receive an input from the user Y on the object 85, and thereby transition the content displayed on the display unit 34 from the contract plan selection screen 8 in Fig. 12 to a screen including visual information that enables the user to grasp the usage fee FE1.

[0094] (Cancellation process) The reception unit 231 can also receive an operation from the user to perform a service cancellation procedure. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which user X performs a service cancellation procedure. Specifically, the reception unit 231 receives input of information required for the service cancellation procedure from user X via the user terminal 3. Subsequently, the management unit 233 manages the user information table T1, which includes the first user information IF11 updated based on the received information. For example, information corresponding to the withdrawal date (T16) and status (T17) in the user information table T1 may be updated. Also, for example, the record corresponding to the user information IF1 of user X who cancels may be deleted.

[0095] Here, even if the correspondence between the first user information IF11 and the first group information IF21 is dissolved, the management unit 233 maintains and manages the first group GR1 as long as multiple other user information IF1s correspond to the first user information IF11. Here, the "correspondence between the first user information IF11 and the first group information IF21 is dissolved" includes a case where the first user, user X, has completed a service cancellation procedure. For example, in the user information table T1 of FIG. 6, even if the record of user X is deleted from the user information table T1 in response to the cancellation procedure by user X, the first group GR1 (IDF01) is maintained and managed because the first group GR1 (IDF01) includes two members, "Hakomono Taro" and "Hakomono Saburo," whose status is "continued." In other words, the first group information IF21 is not deleted from the user information table T1. The same applies when the status (T17) corresponding to user X is changed from "continued" to "withdrawn." The group GR is maintained regardless of the user who performed the cancellation procedure. For example, the group GR is maintained regardless of the order in which the user who performed the cancellation procedure joined the group GR. More specifically, user X is the first user to join the first group GR1. Even if user X performs the cancellation procedure, the first group GR1 is maintained, and the usage fees FE1 of other members who join the first group GR1 are calculated based on the updated group information IF2. The same process is performed even if another user performs the cancellation procedure. According to this aspect, even if the status of the group changes, the usage fees FE1 of each user can be calculated based on the changed status. Furthermore, since there is no relationship such as master and subordinate among users belonging to a group, the fees of each member can be calculated based on the changed status of the group, regardless of the order in which they joined the group.

[0096] 4.Other The information processing system 1 according to the above embodiment may be configured as follows.

[0097] In the above embodiment, the user information table T1 is described as including user information IF1 and group information IF2, but this is not limited to this. A table including user information IF1 and a table including group information IF2 may be managed separately. The table including user information IF1 may manage user information IF1 in association with each user ID. For example, the table including group information IF2 may manage group IDs in association with the IDs of users belonging to the group.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the reference information RE is described as being the user information table T1, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the reference information RE may be a learning model. Preferably, the processor 23 further includes an artificial intelligence unit (not shown), which may have a learning model constructed by a learning method such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, or self-supervised learning.

[0099] More specifically, the learning model may be a model generated by performing so-called supervised machine learning, in which the user information table T1 and the discount condition table T2 are used as input data (explanatory variables) for learning, information about the contract plan to be proposed to the first user is used as output data (objective variable) for learning, and the input data and output data are used as teacher data in which the input data and the output data are associated as pairs. In other words, the learning model may be configured to be able to output the types of plans and usage fees FE1 (including discount information) that can be proposed to the user by inputting user information IF1 and group information IF2.

[0100] In one embodiment, the reception unit 231, the acquisition unit 232, the management unit 233, the calculation unit 234, the identification unit 235, the determination unit 236, the output unit 237, and the display control unit 238 are described as functional units realized by the processor 23 of the information processing device 2, but at least some of these may be implemented as functional units realized by an external server (not shown), or may be implemented as functional units realized by the processor of the user terminal.

[0101] The information processing device 2 may be an on-premise type or a cloud type. As the information processing device 2 in the cloud type, the above functions and processes may be provided in the form of, for example, SaaS (Software as a Service) or cloud computing.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the information processing device 2 performs various storage and control operations, but multiple external devices may be used instead of the information processing device 2. That is, various information and programs may be distributed and stored in multiple external devices using block chain technology or the like.

[0103] The above-described embodiments may be implemented as an information processing method. The information processing method includes the steps of the information processing system. The above-described embodiments may also be implemented as a program. The program causes at least one computer to execute the steps of the information processing system.

[0104] Furthermore, it may be provided in the following aspects.

[0105] (1) An information processing system comprising at least one processor, the processor being configured to execute a program to perform the following steps: in an acquisition step, first user information and first group information corresponding to the first user information are acquired, the first user information being information about a first user who uses a service, and the first group information being information about a first group to which the first user belongs; and in an output step, outputting a usage fee for the service for the first user based on the first user information, the first group information, and reference information.

[0106] According to this aspect, it is possible to know the service usage fee according to the information of the group to which the first user belongs.

[0107] (2) In the information processing system described in (1) above, in the management step, even if the correspondence between the first group information and the first user information is dissolved, the system maintains and manages the first group as long as multiple other user information corresponds to the first group information.

[0108] According to this aspect, even if the status of the group changes, the usage fee for each user can be calculated according to the changed status. Also, since there is no master-slave relationship among the users belonging to the group, the fee for each member can be calculated according to the change in the status of the group, regardless of the order in which they joined the group.

[0109] (3) In the information processing system described in (1) above, the reference information includes group discount conditions related to group information, and in the identification step, first discount information indicating a discount on the regular price of the service is identified based on a first discount condition among the group discount conditions that matches the first group information, and in the output step, the usage fee is output based on the first discount information.

[0110] According to this aspect, it is possible to calculate a usage fee for each user to which a discount is applied based on the group information of the group to which the user belongs.

[0111] (4) In the information processing system described in (3) above, the reference information further includes contract discount conditions related to the contract content, and in the identification step, second discount information indicating a discount on the regular price of the service is identified based on a second discount condition among the contract discount conditions that further matches the contract content included in the first user information, and in the output step, the usage fee is output based on the second discount information.

[0112] According to this embodiment, it is also possible to use a discount based on the details of an individual contract.

[0113] (5) In the information processing system described in (1) above, in the management step, by accepting an operation from the first user or the second user, the system further manages second user information and the first group information corresponding to the second user information, and the second user is a person who has a predetermined relationship with the first user.

[0114] According to this aspect, a new group can be registered or a modified group can be easily registered by a user operation.

[0115] (6) In the information processing system described in (5) above, the display control step further comprises displaying first discount information indicating a discount on the regular price of the service offered by the second user in a manner visible to the second user, wherein the first discount information is identified based on the reference information and the first group information.

[0116] According to this aspect, the user can select a plan while being aware of the discounts that will be offered by joining the group.

[0117] (7) In the system described in (1) above, the output step is executed at a predetermined interval.

[0118] According to this embodiment, the group information and the contract details of each individual user are always up to date, and the usage fee can be ascertained at predetermined intervals.

[0119] (8) In the system described in (1) above, the output step includes a first output step and a second output step, and after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the first usage fee for the first user was calculated in the first output step, a process of outputting a second usage fee for the first user is executed in the second output step, and further, in the determination step, a billing amount for the first user is determined based on the first usage fee, and if a change occurs in the first usage fee after the determination step is executed, in the second output step, a second billing amount is determined by subtracting the difference resulting from the change from the second usage fee.

[0120] According to this aspect, even if a difference occurs between the usage fee determined on the closing date and the actual amount billed, particularly due to a change such as another user in the group withdrawing from the group after the closing date, the difference can be absorbed when calculating the usage fee for the following month. This allows the service provider to flexibly respond to changes in the contract details. Furthermore, even if changes occur in the group information after the closing date, users can pay the fee that reflects the changes without any additional procedures.

[0121] (9) In the system described in (8) above, the change occurs in response to a change in the first group information.

[0122] (10) In the information processing system described in (1) above, the receiving step further receives input of the reference information from a third user, wherein the third user includes a provider of the service.

[0123] (11) An information processing method, comprising the steps of the information processing system according to any one of (1) to (10) above.

[0124] (12) A program that causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (10) above. Of course, this is not the case.

[0125] Finally, while various embodiments of the present invention have been described, these are presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the accompanying claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0126] 1: Information processing system 11: Network 2: Information processing equipment 20: Communication bus 21: Communications Department 22: Storage section 23: Processor 231: Reception 232: Acquisition Department 233: Management Department 234: Calculation section 235: Specific part 236: Decision section 3: User terminal 30: Communication bus 31: Communications Department 32: Storage section 33: Processor 34:Display section 35: Input section 4: Employee terminal 41: Communications Department 42: Storage section 43: Processor 44: Display section 45: Input section 5: Usage fee inquiry screen 50: area 51 :Area 52 :Area 53: Area 54 :Area 6: Discount conditions setting screen 61 :Area 62 :Area 63 :Area 631: area 632: area 633: area 64 :Area 641 :Area 65: area 7a: Group setting screen 7b: User information input screen 71 :Area 711 :Area 712 :Area 713 :Area 72: Object 73 :Area 74 :Area 75: area 76: Object 8: Contract plan selection screen 81 :Area 82 :Area 821: Object 83 :Area 84 :Area 85: Object CO: Discount conditions CO1: Group discount conditions CO11: First discount condition CO2: Contract discount conditions CO21: Second discount condition FE1: Usage fee FE11: First usage fee FE12: Second usage fee FE2: Invoice amount FE22: First invoice amount FE22: Second billing amount FE3: Regular price FE4: Difference GR: Group GR1: First group IF1: User information IF11: First user information IF12: Secondary user information IF2: Group Information IF21: First group information IF3: Discount information IF31: First discount information IF32: Second discount information RE : Reference Information T1: User information table T2: Discount condition table X:User Y: User Z: Employee

Claims

1. An information processing system, at least one processor; The processor is configured to execute a program to perform the following steps: In the acquiring step, first user information and first group information corresponding to the first user information are acquired; the first user information is information about a first user who uses a service; the first group information is information about a first group to which the first user belongs, In the identification step, first discount information indicating a discount on a regular fee for the service is identified based on a first discount condition that matches the first group information among preset group discount conditions, wherein: The group discount conditions include a condition regarding the number of people in the group, In the output step, the system outputs the usage fee for the service for the first user based on the first user information and the first discount information.

2. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, In the management step, even if the correspondence between the first group information and the first user information is dissolved, when a plurality of pieces of other user information correspond to the first group information, the first group is maintained and managed regardless of the order in which the first users joined the first group; In the identifying step, the first discount information is identified based on the first group information updated by the cancellation of the correspondence relationship; In the output step, the system outputs the usage fees for the service for each user corresponding to the other user information.

3. An information processing system, at least one processor; The processor is configured to execute a program to perform the following steps: In the acquiring step, first user information and first group information corresponding to the first user information are acquired; the first user information is information about a first user who uses a service; the first group information is information about a first group to which the first user belongs, In a particular step, Identifying first discount information indicating a discount on a regular fee for the service based on a first discount condition that matches the first group information among preset group discount conditions, and Identifying second discount information indicating a discount on the regular fee for the service based on second discount terms that match the contract details included in the first user information, among contract discount terms related to the contract details; In the output step, the system outputs the usage fee for the service for the first user based on the first user information, the first discount information, and the second discount information.

4. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, In the management step, second user information and the first group information corresponding to the second user information are further managed by accepting an operation from the first user or the second user. A system in which the second user is a person who has a predetermined relationship with the first user.

5. 5. The information processing system according to claim 4, Furthermore, in the display control step, first discount information indicating a discount on a regular fee for a service provided by the second user is displayed in a manner that is visible to the second user, The system, wherein the first discount information is identified based on the group discount conditions and the first group information.

6. 10. The system of claim 1, The output step is executed at predetermined intervals.

7. 10. The system of claim 1, the output step includes a first output step and a second output step, a process of outputting a second usage fee of the first user in the second output step after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the first usage fee of the first user was calculated in the first output step; Furthermore, in the determination step, an amount to be charged to the first user is determined based on the first usage fee; If a change occurs in the first usage fee after the determination step is executed, In the second output step, the system determines a second billing amount by subtracting the difference resulting from the change from the second usage fee.

8. 8. The system of claim 7, The change occurs in response to a change in the first group information.

9. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, Furthermore, in the receiving step, input of the group discount conditions is received from the third user, and The third user includes a provider of the service.

10. An information processing method, comprising: A method comprising the steps of the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A program, A program that causes a computer to execute each step of the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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