Information processing system, information processing method and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing system etc. that can reduce the labor required for transfers in transfer agency services. [Solution] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system comprising one or more processors, wherein in a receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from a user, the transfer instruction including a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, the debit account being an account for which debit instructions can be given online, in a debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process to give an online instruction to debit the funds from the debit account in order to move the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a specified intermediary account, the intermediary account being an account for which transfer instructions can be given online, and in a transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process to give an online instruction to transfer the funds moved to the intermediary account to the transfer destination account.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology in which, when a combined withdrawal transaction in which the total amount of multiple usage fees is deducted from an account occurs periodically, it is determined whether there has been a change in the transaction content between the current combined withdrawal transaction and past combined withdrawal transactions, and if it is determined that there has been a change in the transaction content, the transaction details of the current combined withdrawal transaction are output to the user terminal associated with the account user so that the user can identify that there has been a change. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2024-141532 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a transfer agent service that performs transfers in response to instructions from a user, for example, funds from the user's account may be debited and the debited funds may be transferred to a specified transfer destination. With a bank's debit service, it is necessary to register in advance the transfer destinations for the debited funds, making it difficult to pre-register the various transfer destinations specified by users, and so transfer operations must be performed manually, for example, via Internet banking. With a transfer agent service, the problem is that the more users there are, the greater the amount of work required for such transfer operations becomes.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides an information processing system and the like that can reduce the effort required for transfers when acting as a transfer agent. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system comprising one or more processors, wherein in a receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from a user, the transfer instruction including a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, the debit account being an account for which a debit instruction can be given online, in a debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process to give an online instruction to debit the funds from the debit account in order to move the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a specified intermediary account, the intermediary account being an account for which a transfer instruction can be given online, and in a transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process to give an online instruction to transfer the funds moved to the intermediary account to the transfer destination account.

[0007] According to this aspect, the effort required for transferring money can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a payment support system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the payment support server 10. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal 50. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the overall flow of payment support processing. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is an activity diagram illustrating an example of a payment assistance process. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a list of displayed payment data. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a payment data input screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a summary image of a payment application. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an approval screen. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a period table. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of an account management screen. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a correction screen. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of the overall flow of the payment support process. 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 trained the correlation between input and output, or a large-scale language model that can output a desired result by inputting 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] <Embodiment> 1. System Configuration The system configuration according to the embodiment will be described below. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of payment support system 1. Figure 1 shows an overview of each device provided in payment support system 1 and the users who use those devices. Each overview will be explained as needed, with reference to other figures.

[0015] The payment support system 1 is an information processing system that provides a payment support service to support payments arising from transactions, and executes various information processing operations to provide this service. In particular, the payment support system 1 supports payments by debiting the payer's funds from their bank account and transferring them to the claimant's bank account. The payment support system 1 is characterized by its ability to perform all procedures from debit to transfer in a seamless manner.

[0016] The payment support system 1 comprises a communication line 2, a payment support server 10, a collection agency server 20, a data management server 30, a first bank server 41, a second bank server 42 and a third bank server 43 (when not distinguished, they are referred to as "bank servers 40"), a payer terminal 51, an approver terminal 52 and a worker terminal 53 (when not distinguished, they are referred to as "user terminals 50").

[0017] The communication line 2 is not particularly limited, but may be configured, for example, by the Internet network. The communication line 2 may also include a local area network, a mobile communication network, a VPN (Virtual Private Network), etc. The communication line 2 mediates the exchange of data between devices connected to the line itself. In the example of FIG. 1, each server is connected to the communication line 2 by wire, and each terminal is connected wirelessly. Note that the connection of each device to the communication line 2 may be wired or wireless.

[0018] The payment support server 10 is an information processing device that performs central information processing in providing the payment support service. The collection agency server 20 is an information processing device that performs information processing related to the collection agency service, which collects payments for transactions. The data management server 30 is an information processing device that performs information processing related to the data management service, which accumulates and manages user data. The collection agency service and data management service may be provided by the business that provides the payment support system 1, or by a different business.

[0019] The bank server 40 is an information processing device that processes information related to bank operations. The first bank server 41 is a server that processes information related to the operations of the bank that manages the payer's account (hereinafter referred to as the "first bank"). The second bank server 42 is a server that processes information related to the operations of the bank that handles the transfer operations in the payment support service (hereinafter referred to as the "second bank"). The third bank server 43 is a server that processes information related to the operations of the bank that manages the claimant's account (hereinafter referred to as the "third bank").

[0020] The user terminal 50 is an information processing device that functions as a UI (User Interface) for a user using the payment support system 1, and is, for example, a laptop computer. The payer terminal 51 is a terminal used by a payer who pays the transaction fee. The approver terminal 52 is a terminal used by an approver who approves the payment of the fee. The worker terminal 53 is a terminal used by a worker who transfers funds from the first bank to the second bank to pay the fee.

[0021] Each server (payment support server 10, collection agency server 20, data management server 30, and bank server 40) performs an authentication process to authenticate a user who uses the user terminal 50, and a display process to display an image on the user terminal 50. Each server stores authentication information (user ID, password, etc.) for authenticating a user who uses the payment support system 1, and authenticates a user who inputs the authentication information. By authenticating a user, each server can restrict access to data or assign identification information to data entered by the user to make it identifiable.

[0022] Each server performs, for example, processing such as generating and transmitting an HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) file as display processing, and uses the browser function to display a web page showing the system screen on the user terminal 50. Note that the user terminal 50 may install an application program for using the payment support system 1, and each server may perform processing such as generating and transmitting display data in that application as display processing. Each server controls the display on the user terminal 50 by performing these display processes.

[0023] 2. Hardware Configuration The hardware configuration according to the embodiment will be described below. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the payment support server 10. The payment support server 10 includes a control unit 101, a memory unit 102, a communication unit 103, and a bus 104. The bus 104 electrically connects the various units included in the payment support server 10.

[0024] (Control unit 101) The control unit 101 has at least one processor. The at least one processor may be configured by, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), one or more integrated circuits, one or more discrete circuits, or a combination thereof (not shown).

[0025] The control unit 101 is a computer that realizes various functions related to the payment support system 1 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the memory unit 102. In other words, information processing by software stored in the memory unit 102 is specifically realized by the control unit 101, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the control unit 101. Note that the control unit 101 is not limited to being single, and it may be implemented with multiple control units 101 for each function. It may also be a combination of these.

[0026] (Storage unit 102) The memory unit 102 stores various information defined above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD) that stores various programs related to the payment assistance system 1 executed by the control unit 101, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to program calculations. The memory unit 102 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the payment assistance system 1 executed by the control unit 101.

[0027] (Communication unit 103) The communication unit 103 is configured as a communication module. The communication module may be a wireless communication module conforming to standards such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax, LTE, 5G, or 6G, or may be a wired communication module conforming to standards such as IEEE802.3. The communication unit 103 is configured to be able to transmit various electrical signals from the payment assistance server 10 to external components. The communication unit 103 is also configured to be able to receive various electrical signals from external components to the payment assistance server 10. More preferably, the communication unit 103 has a network communication function, which allows various information to be communicated between the payment assistance server 10 and external devices via the communication line 2.

[0028] 2 have the same hardware configuration as the payment support server 10. Regarding the collection agency server 20, data management server 30, and bank server 40, only the control unit 201, control unit 301, and control unit 401 will be described using different reference numerals from the control unit 101 of the payment support server 10.

[0029] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal 50. The user terminal 50 (payer terminal 51, approver terminal 52, and worker terminal 53) includes a control unit 501, a memory unit 502, a communication unit 503, an input unit 504, an output unit 505, and a bus 506. The bus 506 electrically connects the units included in the user terminal 50. The control unit 501, the memory unit 502, and the communication unit 503 are similar hardware to the control unit 101, the memory unit 102, and the communication unit 103 shown in FIG. 5, although their specifications and models may differ.

[0030] (input unit 504) The input unit 504 has input accepting means such as keys, buttons, a touch screen, a mouse, etc., and accepts input from the user. The input unit 504 may also have sound collecting means such as a microphone, and have the function of collecting voice from the user and accepting input of the collected voice.

[0031] (output unit 505) The output unit 505 has a display means such as a display and a sound emitting means such as a speaker, and outputs visual information, auditory information, etc. For example, the output unit 505 displays visual information generated in a manner that is visible to the user, such as a screen, an image, an icon, or text, on the display surface of the display. The output unit 505 also outputs audible sound such as voice or synthesized sound from the speaker.

[0032] 3. Information Processing The information processing according to the embodiment will be described below. In the following description, the payment support server 10, collection agent server 20, data management server 30, first bank server 41, second bank server 42, third bank server 43, payer terminal 51, approver terminal 52, and worker terminal 53 will be described as the subjects of each information processing, but this information processing is executed by at least one processor provided in the payment support system 1, i.e., the processor provided in the control unit of each device. The payment support system 1 executes payment support processing to provide payment support services. The payment support processing will be described below with reference to Figures 4 and 5, etc.

[0033] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the overall flow of the payment support process. Figure 5 is an activity diagram showing an example of the payment support process. While Figures 4 and 5 share some common explanations, they differ in that Figure 4 includes human work, while Figure 5 focuses on information processing performed by an information processing device. The payment support process begins when a transaction is conducted between the payer and the biller and the invoice issued by the biller arrives at the payer. The example in Figure 4 explains the case where a paper invoice 3 is issued.

[0034] First, the payer scans the bill 3 using the scanner 4 shown in Figure 4 and uploads the generated bill image to the data management server 30. The data management server 30 stores the uploaded bill image in the management database 5 (activity A11). Next, the data management server 30 recognizes bill information from the bill image using, for example, an OCR (Optical Character Reader) function, and stores the recognized bill information in association with the bill image in the management database 5 (activity A12).

[0035] Invoice information is information related to the invoice, such as the invoice amount, invoice recipient, invoice source, transfer account, issue date, and payment due date. The payer may input the invoice information when uploading the invoice image. By repeatedly executing A11 and A12, the data management server 30 stores, for example, invoice images and invoice information addressed to the organization to which the payer belongs as payment data ((1) in Figure 4). The payer terminal 51 displays a list of payment data stored in the data management server 30 (activity A13).

[0036] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a list of displayed payment data. Figure 6 shows the system screen G1 of the payment support system 1. The system screen G1 is displayed by the payment support server 10 in cooperation with the data management server 30. The system screen G1 displays an unprocessed tab TB11 for displaying unprocessed payment data and a processed tab TB12 for displaying processed payment data.

[0037] "Processing" here refers to the processing of payment requests, with the Unprocessed tab TB11 displaying payment data for which requests have not yet been submitted, and the Processed tab TB12 displaying payment data for which requests have been submitted. In the example of Figure 6, the Unprocessed tab TB11 is selected. When the Unprocessed tab TB11 is selected, the following are displayed: a status specification field D11, a transaction date specification field D12, a payment data list C11, a Payment Request button B11, an Edit button B12, and an Request Check button B13.

[0038] List C11 displays "Status," "File name," "Transaction date," "UL date and time (UL: Upload), "Payee," "Payment amount," and "Payment due date," each associated with the other. "File name" displays the file name and path name of the invoice image. "Transaction date" displays the date on which the transaction to be invoiced took place. "UL date and time" displays the date and time the invoice image was uploaded. "Payee" displays the payee for the invoice. "Payment amount" displays the invoice amount.

[0039] The "Status" column displays either "Entered" to indicate that the entry of payment data information (such as the billing amount and payment due date) has been completed, or "Incomplete" to indicate that the entry is not yet completed. Operating the Edit button B12 displays a screen for entering payment data information.

[0040] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a payment data input screen. In FIG. 7, the system screen G2 of the payment support system 1 is displayed. The system screen G2 is also displayed by the payment support server 10 in cooperation with the data management server 30. The system screen G2 displays an invoice image C21, a payment data input field D21, and an input completion button B21. The invoice image C21 is an image of the invoice to be paid using the payment data displayed in association with the edit button B12 operated in FIG. 6. The invoice image C21 shows the invoice recipient, invoice date, invoice source, payment due date, transfer account, and invoice amount.

[0041] The input field D21 is an area for inputting information indicating payment data, and in the example of Fig. 7, it includes areas for inputting the "transaction date," "customer name," "payment amount," "payment due date," and "transfer account." Each input field D21 displays in advance the information for each item that the data management server 30 recognized from the invoice image C21. The payer compares the information in the input field D21 with the invoice image C21 to confirm whether the correct information has been entered, and if it is incorrect (i.e., there has been a recognition error), enters the correct information.

[0042] Once all the information is correct, the payer presses the input completion button B21. When the input completion button B21 is pressed, the status of the payment data shown in Figure 6 becomes "Entered." For example, if "Entered" is specified in the specification field D11 shown in Figure 6, only payment data with a status of "Entered" will be displayed. Furthermore, if a specified period is specified in the specification field D12, only payment data whose transaction date falls within the specified period will be displayed. When the payer checks the application check button B13 for the payment data to be paid and selects it, and presses the payment application button B11, the payer terminal 51 displays a summary image of the payment application.

[0043] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a summary image of a payment application. In Figure 8, a summary screen C12 is displayed superimposed on the system screen G1. The summary screen C12 displays application content display fields C13, C14, C15, and C16, payment input fields D13 and D14, a cancel button B14, and an apply button B15.

[0044] Display field C13 displays the number of payment data selected in list C11 shown in Figure 6 as the "number of payments." Display field C14 displays the subtotal of the payments indicated by that payment data as the "payment amount." Display field C15 displays the "fees" required for those payments. Display field C16 displays the "total amount" of the payment amount and fees. Input field D13 is an area for entering the name of the payment group indicated by the selected payment data. Input field D14 is an area for entering the due date for the payment indicated by the selected payment data.

[0045] If the payer wishes to change the payment object, they can operate the Cancel button B14 to return to the display of the system screen G1 and reselect the payment data. Once the payer is satisfied with the payment object and has entered the group name and payment date, they operate the Apply button B15 to complete the selection of the payment object ((2) in Figure 4) and finalize the application. The payer terminal 51 accepts the above operation as a payment object selection operation (activity A14) and sends request data to the approver terminal 52 requesting approval of the payment indicated by the selected payment data. Upon receiving the request data, the approver terminal 52 displays an approval screen for the payment indicated by the received request data (activity A15).

[0046] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an approval screen. In FIG. 9, the system screen G3 is displayed. The system screen G3 is also displayed by the payment support server 10 in cooperation with the data management server 30. The system screen G3 displays a payment tab TB31 for displaying payment data for which a payment request has been made, and a payment error tab TB32 for displaying payment data for which a payment error has occurred. A payment error indicates, for example, that a transfer could not be made because the transfer account was incorrect. In the example of FIG. 9, the payment tab TB31 is selected.

[0047] When the Payment tab TB31 is selected, the following fields are displayed: a status field D31, a transaction date field D32, a source field D33, a payment data list C31, a payment data detail display field C32, and a Create New button B31. The list C31 displays the "Status," "Group Name," "Specified Payment Date," and "Total Amount" of each payment data, each associated with the other. The "Status" field displays "Requested" if the request has been submitted but not yet approved, "Approved" if the request has been approved but not yet paid, and "Paid" if the payment has been completed. If the payment fails, the error is displayed in the Payment Error tab TB32.

[0048] Here, system screen G3 is assumed to be both an approval screen for accepting approval-related operations by the approver and an application management screen for accepting application-related operations by the payer. Therefore, system screen G3 can also be displayed on the payer terminal 51. For example, operating the New Creation button B31 displays a creation screen for creating payment data, allowing the payer to manually create new payment data. Manually created payment data is also added to and displayed in the list C31.

[0049] When a status is specified in the specification field D31, only payment data with the specified status will be displayed. When a specified period is specified in the specification field D32, only payment data whose transaction date falls within the specified period will be displayed. When a creator is specified in the specification field D33, only payment data created by the specified creator (scanner 4 or manual input) will be displayed. The approver using the approver terminal 52 selects one of the payment data included in the list C31.

[0050] The display field C32 displays details and status of the payment data selected from the list C31. The display field C32 also displays a Duplicate button B32, a Cancel Application button B33, a Return button B34, and an Approve button B35. For example, when the payer operates the Duplicate button B32, the payment support server 10 generates and displays an editable copy of the selected payment data. By editing the designated payment date of the generated copy, the payer can easily create payment data for, for example, payments that occur periodically. The payer can also cancel the payment data application themselves by operating the Cancel Application button B33.

[0051] Next, we will explain the operation when the approver displays the display field C32. The approver looks at the details of the payment data and operates the Return button B34 if they do not approve the payment, or the Approve button B35 if they approve the payment ((3) in Figure 4). The returned payment data may be returned to and displayed in the payment data list C11 shown in Figure 6, or it may be displayed in the Processed tab TB12. When the approver's approval operation is accepted (activity A16), the approver terminal 52 transmits to the payment support server 10 the details of the approved payment (payment amount, fee, specified payment date, transfer destination, etc.), the payer's account, and approval data indicating that the payment has been approved.

[0052] Upon receiving the transmitted approval data, the payment support server 10 receives a transfer instruction for the payment amount indicated in the approval data (activity A21). Next, the payment support server 10 calculates the date and time for issuing a debit instruction to make the transfer based on the received transfer instruction on the specified payment date ((4) in Figure 4, activity A22). This debit instruction is an instruction to the first bank server 41 of the first bank to debit the payment amount from the payer's account.

[0053] The payment support server 10 calculates the instruction date and time of the withdrawal based on, for example, the details of the payment indicated in the approval data. Specifically, the payment support server 10 calculates the instruction date and time of the withdrawal as the date preceding the designated payment date, based on the number of days required for the administrative processing, so that the transfer will be completed by the designated payment date indicated in the approval data. The administrative processing referred to here includes both processing performed by a person such as a bank employee and processing performed by a machine such as the bank server 40. The administrative processing includes administrative processing for debiting from a withdrawal account (hereinafter referred to as "first administrative processing"), administrative processing for transferring funds (hereinafter referred to as "second administrative processing"), and administrative processing for transferring funds (hereinafter referred to as "third administrative processing").

[0054] The first administrative process is the process performed by the first bank that receives the withdrawal instruction to withdraw the funds for payment. The second administrative process is the process performed by the business operator providing the collection agency service to transfer the withdrawn funds to the second bank. The third administrative process is the process performed by the second bank to transfer the payment amount to the transfer destination account. The period required for each administrative process may differ depending on the bank used as the first bank. The "period" here is the period counted in terms of the bank's business days. The payment support server 10 calculates the instruction date and time using a period table that associates the bank used as the first bank with the period required for each administrative process.

[0055] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a period table. FIG. 10 shows a period table TBL11 that associates a first bank with a first transaction processing period, a second transaction processing period, and a third transaction processing period. For example, if the first bank is "Bank A," the respective transaction processing periods are "2 days," "1 day," and "2 days." If the first bank is "Bank B," the respective transaction processing periods are "1 day," "1 day," and "2 days." If the first bank is "Bank C," the respective transaction processing periods are "3 days," "1 day," and "2 days."

[0056] The first processing period is the time required for the processing of withdrawals in accordance with the rules established by each bank (in the example of Figure 10, it is between "1 day" and "3 days"). On the other hand, the second processing period is "1 day" when, for example, funds are transferred directly from the payer's account at the first bank to the payment support service account at the second bank.

[0057] Some first banks have rules that prohibit direct fund transfers from the payer's account to the payment assistance service account. In such first banks, funds must first be transferred to a separate account managed by the first bank before being transferred to the payment assistance service account. This separate account could be, for example, the account of a collection agency service provider. In the example of Figure 10, even in the case of a first bank that requires funds to be transferred via this separate account, the second administrative processing period is "one day." Note that the second administrative processing period may differ between banks that require funds to be transferred via a separate account and banks that allow direct fund transfers.

[0058] The third administrative processing period is the time required for the transfer from the payment assistance service account at the second bank to the claimant's account at the third bank. The second bank is determined to be the bank that manages the payment assistance service account in partnership with the payment assistance service provider, so the third administrative processing period is set to a fixed period ("two days" in the example of Figure 10) regardless of which bank the first bank is. Note that this third administrative processing period includes one back-up day to ensure that the payment is made on the specified payment date even if an unforeseen event occurs, but it does not have to include the back-up day.

[0059] The payment support server 10 calculates the total transaction period as the sum of the first transaction period, the second transaction period, and the third transaction period associated with the bank that manages the payer's account indicated in the approval data in the period table TBL11.Then, the payment support server 10 calculates the specified date and time as the specified time on the day that is the total transaction period prior to the payment specified date indicated in the approval data.

[0060] For example, if the first bank is Bank A and the specified payment date is Monday, November 25th, the payment support server 10 calculates the total transaction period as "5 days," which is the sum of the "2 days," "1 day," and "2 days" associated with Bank A, and calculates the specified date and time as a predetermined time (e.g., midnight) on Monday, November 18th, which is five business days prior to Monday, November 25th. Similarly, if the first bank is Bank B, the payment support server 10 calculates the specified date and time as a predetermined time on Tuesday, November 19th, which is four business days prior to Monday, November 25th (the sum of "1 day," "1 day," and "2 days"). Furthermore, if the first bank is Bank C, the payment support server 10 calculates the specified date and time as a predetermined time on Friday, November 15th, which is six business days prior to Monday, November 25th (the sum of "3 days," "1 day," and "2 days").

[0061] Next, the payment support server 10 waits until the calculated instruction date and time (activity A23), and when the instruction date and time arrives, executes a debit instruction process to instruct the debit ((5-1) in Figure 4, activity A24). Specifically, the payment support server 10 generates instruction data indicating the information necessary for the debit, such as the payer's account and the debit amount (the total of the payment amount and the fee), and executes the debit instruction process by sending the data to the collection agency server 20. This debit instruction process is performed, for example, using an API (Application Programming Interface) for debits provided by the first bank.

[0062] When the collection agent server 20 receives the transmitted instruction data, it transfers the instruction data to the first bank server 41 of the bank that manages the payer's account indicated by the instruction data ((5-2) in Figure 4, activity A25). This transfer is performed automatically, so the instruction data immediately reaches the first bank server 41. When the first bank server 41 receives the transmitted instruction data, it executes a withdrawal process to make a withdrawal in accordance with the instructions indicated in the received instruction data ((6) in Figure 4, activity A26).

[0063] The content of the debit process varies depending on the bank. For example, in the case of Bank A, the first bank server 41 notifies an employee of Bank A of the content of the instructions indicated in the instruction data, and if the employee performs confirmation work related to the debit and the debit is approved, the first bank server 41 executes a process ((7) in Figure 4, activity A31) to debit the funds from the payer's account on the business day following the approval and deposit the funds into the account of the receiving agency service provider (a separate account of Bank A). In this case, the account of the receiving agency service provider is a separate account of Bank A that is different from the payer's account. Bank A's debit process is executed within the first business processing period of Bank A, which is two days, as shown in Figure 10.

[0064] In the case of Bank B, the first bank server 41 does not notify employees, but executes a process ((7) in Figure 4, activity A31) on the next business day after receiving the instruction data to withdraw funds from the payer's account and deposit the funds into the account of the collection agency service provider (a separate account of Bank B) as a withdrawal process. The withdrawal process of Bank B is executed in one day, which is the first business processing period of Bank B shown in Figure 10.

[0065] When the deposit to the separate account is completed, the first bank server 41 executes a process to report the withdrawal result ((8-1) in Fig. 4, activity A32). Specifically, the first bank server 41 executes the reporting process by generating report data indicating the payer's account from which the withdrawal was made, the separate account to which the deposit was made (the account of the collection agency service provider), the withdrawal amount (the sum of the payment amount and the fee), the withdrawal date and time, etc., and sending the report data to the collection agency server 20.

[0066] When the collection agency server 20 receives the report data, it transfers the report data to the payment support server 10 and the worker terminal 53 ((8-2) in Figure 4, activity A33). The processing of the payment support server 10 when it receives the transferred report data will be described later. When the worker terminal 53 receives the transferred report data, it displays a management screen for the separate account indicated by the report data (activity A34).

[0067] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an account management screen. In FIG. 11, system screen G4 is displayed. System screen G4 is displayed, for example, by the payment support server 10 in cooperation with the collection agency server 20. System screen G4 displays a list C41 of withdrawal information regarding the withdrawn funds, and login buttons B41, B42, and B43 for the bank's online procedures. List C41 displays the "payer," "other account," "withdrawal amount," "withdrawal date and time," and "total amount," each associated with the other. The "total amount" is the sum of the "withdrawal amounts" for "other accounts" at the same bank.

[0068] For example, since both payers α and β have separate accounts at "Bank A," the sum of the withdrawal amounts for payers α and β is displayed as the "total amount." Also, since both payers γ and δ have separate accounts at "Bank D," the sum of the withdrawal amounts for payers γ and δ is displayed as the "total amount." Since only payer ε has a separate account at "Bank F," the withdrawal amount for payer ε is displayed as the "total amount." By displaying the total of withdrawal amounts from the same bank in this way, it is easier to check the amount of funds being transferred from a separate account at that bank than if the total amount were not displayed.

[0069] Payers α and β are associated with the "Bank A" login button B41. Payers γ and δ are associated with the "Bank D" login button B42, and payer ε is associated with the "Bank F" login button B43. The worker using the worker terminal 53 performs a fund transfer operation to move the payer's funds, which have been deposited into a separate account at each bank (the account of the collection agency service provider), to the second bank's account for the payment support service.

[0070] When the worker operates the login button B41, the first bank server 41 displays a service screen for Bank A's online procedures on the worker terminal 53. On that service screen, the worker performs an operation to transfer the total amount of payers α and β displayed in the list C41 to the account for the payment support service. The worker terminal 53 accepts this operation as a funds transfer operation to transfer the payer's funds ((9) in Figure 4, activity A35), and sends request data requesting the funds transfer to the first bank server 41.

[0071] When the first bank server 41 receives the transmitted request data, it executes a funds transfer process to transfer the total amount indicated in the request data to the second bank's account for the payment support service (activity A36, (10-1) in Figure 4). The second bank server 42 executes a deposit process to deposit the funds transferred by the funds transfer process into the account for the payment support service (activity A37). In this way, by performing the processes from A31 to A37, the funds are transferred via a separate account at the first bank.

[0072] As mentioned above, some banks used as first banks (e.g., Bank B) can transfer funds directly from the payer's account at the first bank to the second bank's account for the payment assistance service without going through a separate account. Such banks that do not require a separate account are often financial institutions that provide banking services mainly over the Internet (so-called online banks). In this case, the first bank server 41 executes a funds transfer process by transferring the withdrawn funds to the account for the payment assistance service through the withdrawal process of A26, instead of A31 (deposit to separate account) ((10-2) in Figure 4, activity A38). The second bank server 42 executes a deposit process to the account for the payment assistance service (A37).

[0073] In this way, by carrying out the processes of A31, A38, and A37, a direct transfer of funds is made without going through a separate account. In this case, the first bank server 41 also executes a reporting process in A32. Note that if the payer's account does not contain the funds for the withdrawal amount, the withdrawal will fail. In this case, the first bank server 41 executes a reporting process in which it generates and transmits report data indicating that the withdrawal has failed.

[0074] After receiving the report data from the collection agency server 20, if the report data indicates that the withdrawal was successful, the payment support server 10 waits until the second transaction processing period has elapsed (activity A41). In the example of FIG. 10, the second transaction processing period is "one day" for all banks, so the payment support server 10 waits until one day has elapsed since the successful withdrawal was reported. Once the second transaction processing period has elapsed, the payment support server 10 executes a transfer instruction process (a process known as a remittance message instruction) to generate instruction data instructing the transfer of the withdrawn funds, i.e., the payment amount, and transmits the instruction data to the second bank server 42 ((11) in FIG. 4, activity A42). This transfer instruction process is performed, for example, using a transfer API provided by the second bank.

[0075] In the example of Figure 5, when the second bank server 42 receives the instruction data, it executes a transfer process of the payment amount to the transfer destination account (third bank account) indicated by the instruction data on the business day following the day of receipt ((12) in Figure 4, activity A43). The third bank server 43 executes a deposit process to deposit the funds of the payment amount transferred by the transfer process into the claimant's account ((13) in Figure 4, activity A44). In this way, the approved payment amount is transferred to the claimant's account on the specified payment date.

[0076] The above series of processes will be explained using actual dates as an example. If the specified payment date at Bank A is Monday, November 25th, then Monday, November 18th is calculated as the specified date and time for the debit instruction, as described above. When the payment support server 10 executes the debit instruction process on Monday, November 18th ((5-1) in FIG. 4), the collection agency server 20 transfers the instruction data on the same Monday, November 18th ((5-2) in FIG. 4). After two days of the first administrative processing period have passed, on Wednesday, November 20th, the first bank server 41 executes the debit process and deposits the funds into a separate account ((6) and (7) in FIG. 4).

[0077] On Thursday, November 21st, one day into the second processing period after the withdrawal, the first bank server 41 reports the withdrawal result ((8-1) and (8-2) in Fig. 4), the operator terminal 53 accepts the fund transfer operation ((9) in Fig. 4), and the first bank server 41 processes the fund transfer ((10-1) in Fig. 4). On the following business day, Friday, November 22nd, the payment support server 10 issues a transfer instruction ((11) in Fig. 4), and on Monday, November 25th, two days into the third processing period after the fund transfer, the second bank server 42 processes the fund transfer ((12) in Fig. 4).

[0078] As mentioned above, the "two days" of the third administrative processing period includes a reserve day, so even if, for some reason, the fund transfer process is delayed by one day to November 22 (Friday), the transfer instruction from the payment support server 10 may be issued on November 25 (Monday), and the transfer process may be carried out by the second bank server 42 on the same day. Because the transfer instruction from the payment support server 10 is issued online, the transfer instruction and the transfer process can be carried out on the same day.

[0079] Next, we will explain the case of Bank B, which allows funds to be transferred without going through a separate account. If the designated payment date at Bank B is Monday, November 25th, as described above, Tuesday, November 19th is calculated as the designated date and time for the debit instruction. At Bank B, the payment support server 10 executes the debit instruction process on Tuesday, November 19th (see (5-1) in FIG. 4). The receipt agent server 20 then transfers the instruction data on Tuesday, November 19th (see (5-2) in FIG. 4). After one day of the first transaction processing period has elapsed, on Wednesday, November 20th, the first bank server 41 executes the debit process and the funds transfer process to the payment support service account (see (6) and (10-2) in FIG. 4). After the funds transfer, processing is carried out according to the same schedule as at Bank A, and the second bank server 42 executes the transfer process on Monday, November 25th (see (12) in FIG. 4).

[0080] As described above, the payment support server 10 functions as an example of a receiving unit that receives a transfer instruction from a user. Activity A21 is an example of a step for receiving a transfer instruction. The transfer instruction includes the payment amount indicated by the approval data, the payer's account, and the transfer destination, i.e., the transfer amount, the debit account, and the transfer destination account. The debit account is an account for which a debit instruction can be given online by sending instruction data to the first bank server 41, like the account at the first bank described above.

[0081] The payment support server 10 functions as an example of a debit instruction unit that instructs the debiting of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction based on the received transfer instruction. Specifically, the payment support server 10 executes a debit instruction process to instruct online debiting of the transfer amount from the debit account to move the funds to a specified relay account. Activity A24 is an example of a debit instruction step. The relay account is, for example, an account for the payment support service of the second bank described above, and is an account to which online transfer instructions can be given by sending instruction data to the second bank server 42.

[0082] The withdrawn funds are transferred to the intermediary account via a separate account at the first bank by executing the funds transfer process A36, or are transferred directly to the intermediary account without passing through a separate account by executing the funds transfer process A38. The payment support server 10 then functions as an example of a transfer instruction unit that instructs a transfer to the destination account. Specifically, the payment support server 10 executes a transfer instruction process to instruct online transfer of the funds transferred to the intermediary account to the destination account. Activity A42 is an example of a transfer instruction step.

[0083] When withdrawing funds from a bank account, the transfer destination for the withdrawn funds must be registered in advance. Therefore, when acting as a payment agent for various payees, it is difficult to use the payee's account as the transfer destination, so the funds must be transferred to a specific account before the transfer procedure can be carried out. When the transfer procedure after the funds transfer is carried out manually, the transfer involves various amounts being transferred to various payee accounts, which can be a significant hassle, including confirmation work. In the payment support system 1, upon receiving a transfer instruction, both the withdrawal and transfer of funds are carried out without human intervention by online instructions from the payment support server 10 (a withdrawal instruction to the first bank server 41 and a transfer instruction to the second bank server 42 via the receiving agent server 20). This reduces the effort required for transfers when acting as a transfer agent compared to when the transfer procedure is carried out manually.

[0084] In addition, the transfer instruction received from the user includes a transfer due date, which is the deadline for the transfer. The specified payment date is an example of a transfer due date. The payment support server 10 (an example of a debit instruction unit) executes a debit instruction process so that the instruction to debit from the debit account reaches the financial institution (first bank) that manages the debit account a predetermined number of days before the transfer due date. The predetermined number of days is the sum of the first administrative processing period, the second administrative processing period, and the third administrative processing period shown in Figure 10, and is the number of days according to the financial institution (first bank) that manages the debit account.

[0085] For example, the specified number of days is 5 days (2 days + 1 day + 2 days) for Bank A, 4 days (1 day + 1 day + 2 days) for Bank B, and 6 days (3 days + 1 day + 2 days) for Bank C. According to this embodiment, payment can be made closer to the transfer due date than if all banks had the same specified number of days. Furthermore, by setting the specified number of days so as to ensure a processing period, it is possible to make it easier for the transfer due date to be met than if the processing period was not taken into consideration.

[0086] Here, the business providing the payment support service is assumed to be qualified as a Type 1 Fund Transfer Business. In such cases, the business is regulated so that it can only hold funds for the maximum number of days necessary for administrative processing. Therefore, the longer the predetermined number of days, the less likely transfer delays will occur. However, doing so would exceed the limit on the funds hold period. Therefore, in the payment support system 1, the predetermined number of days is set as the maximum number of days necessary for administrative processing from the time the withdrawal instruction is received by the financial institution (first bank) managing the withdrawal account until the funds are transferred to the transfer destination account. This embodiment can achieve both reduced transfer delays and reduced fund holdup compared to setting the predetermined number of days shorter or longer.

[0087] Furthermore, the payment support server 10 functions as an example of an amount display unit that displays the amount of funds to be transferred on the worker terminal 53. Activity A33 is an example of an amount display step. The worker terminal 53 is a terminal used by a worker who transfers funds from a separate account to an intermediary account when the financial institution (first bank) that manages the withdrawal account requires that the funds be transferred via another account at that financial institution. The account of the first bank's collection agency service provider is an example of a separate account, and the second bank's account for the payment support service is an example of an intermediary account.

[0088] In the above case, after the withdrawn funds have been transferred to a separate account, the payment support server 10 displays the amount of the withdrawn funds (withdrawal amount) on the operator terminal 53. The system screen G4 including the list of withdrawal information C41 shown in FIG. 11 is an example of a displayed withdrawal amount. This configuration reduces the amount discrepancy in the transfer of funds from a separate account to the intermediary account compared to when the withdrawal amount is not displayed. Furthermore, because the intermediary account (account for the payment support service) is fixed, there is no need to worry about transferring funds to the wrong destination even if it is not displayed.

[0089] The above-mentioned user's transfer instruction is an instruction for payment against an invoice issued for the transaction. In this case, the payment support server 10 functions as an example of a bill display unit that displays billing information including a character string read from the issued invoice along with an external image showing the appearance of the invoice. Activity A13 is an example of a bill display step.

[0090] Specifically, the payment support server 10 displays, for example, a scanned image (an example of an external image) of an invoice stored in the data management server 30 and billing information read from the scanned image on the payer terminal 51 and the approver terminal 52. The payment data list C11 shown in Figure 6 is an example of billing information, and the invoice image C21 shown in Figure 7 is an example of an external image. Note that the external image is not limited to a scanned image of a paper invoice, but may also be data showing an image of the invoice that has been generated as data from the beginning.

[0091] The displayed billing information includes the billing amount. The payment amount included in the payment data list C11 is an example of a billing amount. The payment support server 10 (an example of a receiving unit) receives a transfer instruction with the billing amount indicated by the billing information selected from the displayed billing information as the transfer amount. Specifically, when a payment application selected from the payment data list C11 is approved, the payment support server 10 receives a transfer instruction with the requested payment amount (billing amount) as the transfer amount.

[0092] Compared to when the payer looks at the invoice they received and manually inputs all the billing information, by displaying the billing information read from the invoice's external appearance image as described above and making it selectable as the payment object, it reduces the effort required to input billing information such as the transfer amount. Also, by displaying the external appearance image along with the billing information, it is easier to check whether the displayed billing information is correct compared to when the external appearance image is not displayed.

[0093] The billing information read from the invoice also includes a payment due date. When the payment support server 10 receives an operation to copy billing information, it functions as an example of a copy display unit that displays billing information with the same billing amount as the original billing information, with the payment due date editable. The editable copy of the payment data displayed when the copy button B32 shown in Figure 9 is operated is an example of billing information with the same billing amount as the original billing information, and activity A15 is an example of a copy display step.

[0094] Furthermore, the payment support server 10 (an example of a debit instruction unit) executes a debit instruction process so that an instruction to debit from the debit account is sent to the financial institution (first bank) that manages the debit account a predetermined number of days before the edited payment due date. This configuration reduces the effort required to pay repeated bills compared to when an editable copy of the billing information is not displayed.

[0095] <Variation: Automatic fund transfer> In the above example, when the financial institution (first bank) that manages the withdrawal account requires that the transfer of funds be via another account at that financial institution, a worker transfers funds from the other account at the first bank to the relay account at the second bank, but this transfer of funds can also be done automatically, just like withdrawals and transfers. This assumes that the other account can instruct the transfer online.

[0096] In this case, the payment support server 10 functions as an example of a transfer instruction unit that instructs the transfer of funds from a separate account to the relay account online. After the withdrawn funds are transferred to the separate account, the payment support server 10 instructs the transfer of those funds from the separate account to the relay account online. Specifically, when report data indicating that the withdrawal has been successfully completed and the deposit to the separate account has been sent in A33, the payment support server 10 generates instruction data instructing the transfer of the deposited funds from the separate account to the relay account and sends the instruction data to the first bank server 41, thereby issuing the above instruction online. This transfer instruction processing is performed, for example, using a transfer API provided by the first bank. This embodiment eliminates the need for human intervention when transferring funds from a separate account to the relay account.

[0097] <Variation: Corrective process when payment fails> The above-mentioned transfer may fail, for example, if the transfer destination account is entered incorrectly or if there is insufficient funds in the withdrawal account. In the former case, the second bank server 42 notifies the payment support server 10 that the transfer process has failed. In the latter case, the first bank server 41 notifies the payment support server 10 that the withdrawal has failed by sending the report data described in Figure 5 via the collection agency server 20.

[0098] When the payment support server 10 is notified that the transfer to the destination account has failed, it functions as an example of a correction display unit that displays a correction screen on the user terminal (payer terminal 51) of the user who issued the transfer instruction to accept instructions to correct the destination account.

[0099] Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of a correction screen. In Figure 12, system screen G5 of the payment support system 1 is displayed. System screen G5 is displayed, for example, by the payment support server 10 in cooperation with the data management server 30. System screen G5 displays an invoice image C51, a payment data input field D51, and a transfer instruction button B51. Invoice image C51 is an image of the invoice that is the subject of payment for which a transfer failure has been notified. Invoice image C51 shows the invoice recipient, invoice date, invoice source, payment due date, transfer account, and invoice amount.

[0100] The input field D51 is an area for entering information indicating payment data, and in the example of Figure 12, like the example of Figure 7, it includes areas for entering the "transaction date," "customer name," "payment amount," "payment due date," and "transfer account." The payer looks at the displayed invoice image C51 and corrects any errors in the billing amount or transfer account (as an insufficient balance may also be an error in the billing amount). Once the payer has completed the corrections, they operate the transfer instruction button B51.

[0101] When the transfer instruction button B51 is operated, the payment support server 10 (an example of a transfer instruction unit) executes a retransfer instruction process to instruct online transfer of funds to the transfer destination account corrected on the correction screen. Specifically, the payment support server 10 executes the retransfer instruction process by generating instruction data instructing the transfer of the payment amount to the corrected transfer destination account and sending it to the second bank server 42. Upon receiving the instruction data, the second bank server 42 executes the transfer process of the payment amount to the corrected transfer destination account indicated by the instruction data. This aspect allows for smoother retransfer when a transfer fails compared to when the correction screen is not displayed.

[0102] <Variation: Preservation of Withdrawn Funds> As mentioned above, payment assistance service providers are qualified as Type 1 funds transfer businesses, but they are obligated to preserve the payer's funds from the time they are debited from the debit account until they are transferred to the recipient account. Methods for preserving funds include deposits and trusts, both of which require the provider's own funds. When using a bank guarantee, there is no cash outflow for preservation, but costs are paid to the bank as a certain percentage of the amount guaranteed. The more users of payment assistance services there are, the greater the cost becomes.

[0103] Here, the second bank is a bank that temporarily holds funds in the intermediary account (account for payment support services), and because the funds it holds serve as collateral, it is possible to reduce the guarantee risk of the funds being protected, thereby keeping guarantee fees low. Also, large-credit restrictions limit the amount that a bank can guarantee to a certain percentage of its equity capital (currently 25%), but by using the funds held in the intermediary account as collateral, it is possible for the second bank to be exempt from the large-credit restrictions.

[0104] For the reasons stated above, when using the second bank's guarantee service, the payment support service provider must notify the second bank of the amount to be secured. Therefore, the payment support server 10 functions as an example of a calculation unit that calculates the amount of funds to be secured. Specifically, the payment support server 10 calculates the amount of funds to be secured by subtracting the total amount of funds transferred to the transfer destination account from the total amount of funds debited from the debit account through the debit instruction process. Here, in order to accurately determine the funds transferred to the transfer destination account and the timing of the transfer, after (12) in Figure 4, the second bank server 42 may notify the payment support server 10 that the transfer process has been completed and the transferred amount.

[0105] The payment support server 10 functions as an example of a processing unit that executes processing related to the preservation of funds (hereinafter referred to as "preservation-related processing") based on the calculated preservation amount. For example, the payment support server 10 executes the preservation-related processing by generating preservation data indicating a daily history of the calculated preservation amount and transmitting the generated preservation data to the second bank server 42. For example, if a fee based on the total amount of preservation funds has been established with the second bank, the second bank server 42 calculates the fee based on the preservation amount indicated in the preservation data transmitted. According to this embodiment, when a favorable guarantee is received using the funds in the intermediary account as collateral, as described above, operations related to the preservation of funds can be carried out more smoothly than if preservation-related processing were not executed.

[0106] <Variations: Other Implementations> In the above example, the payment support server 10 issues a debit instruction to the first bank server 41 via the collection agency server 20, but if the payment support service provider also provides a collection agency service, the payment support server 10 may issue a debit instruction directly to the first bank server 41. In that case, the first bank server 41 also reports the debit result directly to the payment support server 10 without going through the collection agency server 20.

[0107] In addition, the number of days expected for the execution of the withdrawal instruction process was set according to the financial institution, but it may be set uniformly regardless of the financial institution if it satisfies regulations on fund retention, etc. Even in that case, it is desirable to set the number of days so that each bank can secure the processing period for each transaction, so that the transfer due date can be easily complied with.

[0108] Furthermore, in the above example, funds are transferred to the relay account by debiting the account, but the user may also perform the operation of transferring funds to the relay account. Figure 13 is a diagram showing another example of the overall flow of the payment support process. Figure 13 shows a payment support system 1a that does not include a collection agent server 20. In the example of Figure 13, the processes and tasks (1) to (3) shown in Figure 4 are carried out, and the payment is approved.

[0109] When the payment is approved, the payer performs a transfer operation on the payer terminal 51 using, for example, the first bank's internet banking service to transfer the payment amount from his / her own account at the first bank (the account corresponding to the withdrawal account in the above example) to the intermediary account (account for the payment support service) at the second bank ((4) in Fig. 13). Based on the payer's transfer operation, the first bank server 41 executes a transfer process to transfer the payment amount from the payer's account to the intermediary account as a funds transfer process ((10-3) in Fig. 13).

[0110] When the first bank server 41 executes the transfer process, the second bank server 42 executes the deposit process. When the deposit process is completed, the second bank server 42 reports the transfer result by sending transfer result data indicating the result of the transfer process completion and the transfer amount to the payment support server 10 ((8-3) in Figure 13). After transferring the money to the relay account, the payer performs a transfer instruction operation on the payer terminal 51 to instruct it to transfer the payment amount to the biller's account (transfer destination account) ((5) in Figure 13). The payer terminal 51 generates instruction data indicating the transfer destination account, the payment amount, and the transfer instruction, and sends it to the payment support server 10.

[0111] When the payment support server 10 receives the instruction data, it immediately generates instruction data instructing the transfer of the payment amount indicated in the instruction data and transmits it to the second bank server 42 (so-called remittance message instruction) as a transfer instruction process ((11) in Figure 13), or waits until it receives a transfer result report if it has not been received. The second bank server 42 then executes the transfer process of the payment amount to the transfer destination account indicated in the instruction data ((12) in Figure 13).

[0112] As described above, in the example of Figure 13, payment support server 10 (an example of a receiving unit) first receives a transfer instruction from a user. The transfer instruction includes the transfer amount and the transfer destination account (a debit account is not required). In this case, the user is the one transferring funds from their own account to the relay account. Then, payment support server 10 (an example of a transfer instruction unit) executes a transfer instruction process to instruct online transfer of the funds transferred to the relay account to the transfer destination account. In this way, in the example of Figure 13, a transfer from the relay account to the transfer destination account is carried out in response to an online instruction, so the effort required for transfers in transfer agency services can be reduced compared to when the transfer work is done manually.

[0113] Note that the payment support service provider is obligated to preserve the payer's funds even in the example of Figure 13. Therefore, the payment support server 10 may execute the above-mentioned preservation-related processing. Specifically, the payment support server 10 (an example of a calculation unit) calculates the amount of funds to be preserved by subtracting the total amount of funds transferred to the transfer destination account from the total amount of funds transferred to the relay account by the user's transfer operation (the transfer amount indicated in the transfer result report). Then, the payment support server 10 (an example of a processing unit) executes processing related to the preservation of funds based on the calculated preservation amount. Note that, as in the above example, the second bank server 42 may notify the payment support server 10 of the completion of the transfer. Even in this embodiment, operations related to the preservation of funds can be carried out more smoothly than when preservation-related processing is not executed.

[0114] <Example of variation: Variation of composition> 1 and other figures are merely examples, and other configurations may be used as long as they are not inconvenient for implementation. For example, each server (payment support server 10, collection agency server 20, data management server 30, and bank server 40) may be distributed across two or more devices, or may be provided in the form of SaaS (Software as a Service) or a cloud computing system.

[0115] Furthermore, the information processing performed by each server may be performed by another server, or may be performed collectively by a device that integrates these. For example, a screen that was previously displayed by payment support server 10 may be displayed by another server, or data that was previously managed by another server may be managed by payment support server 10. Furthermore, processing performed by a server may be performed by a user terminal, or processing performed by a user terminal may be performed by a server. In short, as long as the necessary information processing is performed throughout the entire payment support system 1, the device that performs that information processing is not limited.

[0116] The output destination of information or data (hereinafter referred to as "information, etc.") may be another device, a display, a memory unit (including an internal memory unit and an external memory unit), an email address, an account of another system, etc. Acquisition of information, etc. includes not only acquisition of information, etc. transmitted from another device, but also acquisition of information, etc. generated by one's own device.

[0117] The above-described embodiments are described as information processing devices such as the servers and terminals (payer terminal 51, approver terminal 52, and worker terminal 53), and information processing systems such as payment support system 1 that include these information processing devices. However, the embodiments may also be described as information processing methods. Such information processing methods include the same steps as those executed by the information processing system. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments may also be described as programs. Such programs cause a computer to execute the same steps as those executed by the information processing system.

[0118] <Additional Notes> Furthermore, it may be provided in the following aspects.

[0119] (1) An information processing system having one or more processors, wherein in a receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from a user, the transfer instruction including a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, the debit account being an account for which online debit instructions can be given; in a debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process to instruct online debiting from the debit account to move the funds of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a specified relay account, the relay account being an account for which online transfer instructions can be given; and in a transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process to instruct online transfer of the funds moved to the relay account to the transfer destination account.

[0120] According to this aspect, the effort required for transferring money can be reduced.

[0121] (2) In the information processing system described in (1) above, the transfer instruction includes a transfer due date, and in the debit instruction step, the processor executes the debit instruction processing so that the instruction to debit from the debit account reaches the financial institution that manages the debit account a predetermined number of days before the transfer due date.

[0122] According to this embodiment, it is possible to make it easier for the transfer deadline to be met.

[0123] (3) In the information processing system described in (2) above, the predetermined number of days is a number of days according to the financial institution that manages the withdrawal account.

[0124] According to this embodiment, payment can be made closer to the due date.

[0125] (4) In the information processing system described in (3) above, the specified number of days is the maximum number of days required for administrative processing from the time the instruction to withdraw the funds is received by the financial institution to the time the funds are transferred to the destination account.

[0126] According to this embodiment, it is possible to both prevent transfer delays and prevent funds from remaining in a bank account.

[0127] (5) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (4) above, in the amount display step, if the financial institution that manages the withdrawal account requires the funds to be transferred via another account at the financial institution, after the withdrawn funds have been transferred to the other account, the processor displays the amount of the funds on the worker terminal of the worker who performs the transfer from the other account to the relay account.

[0128] According to this aspect, it is possible to reduce the difference in the amount of funds transferred from a separate account to the relay account.

[0129] (6) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5) above, in the transfer instruction step, if the financial institution that manages the withdrawal account requires the transfer of funds to be via another account at the financial institution and the other account is capable of instructing the transfer online, after the withdrawn funds have been transferred to the other account, the processor instructs the transfer of the funds from the other account to the relay account online.

[0130] According to this embodiment, no manual intervention is required when transferring funds from a separate account to the relay account.

[0131] (7) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (6) above, in the correction display step, when the processor is notified that the transfer to the transfer destination account has failed, the processor displays a correction screen on the user terminal of the user who issued the transfer instruction to accept instructions to correct the transfer destination account, and in the transfer instruction step, the processor executes a re-transfer instruction process to instruct online the transfer of the funds to the transfer destination account corrected on the correction screen.

[0132] According to this embodiment, if a transfer fails, a retransfer can be smoothly carried out.

[0133] (8) In an information processing system described in any one of (1) to (7) above, in the billing display step, if the transfer instruction is an instruction for payment against an invoice, the processor displays billing information including a character string read from the invoice together with an appearance image showing the appearance of the invoice, and the billing information includes a billing amount, and in the receiving step, the processor receives the transfer instruction with the billing amount indicated by the billing information selected from the displayed billing information as the transfer amount.

[0134] According to this aspect, the effort required to input billing information can be reduced.

[0135] (9) In the information processing system described in (8) above, the billing information includes a payment due date, and in the copy display step, when the processor accepts an operation to copy the billing information, it displays billing information with the same billing amount as the billing information from which it was copied, with the payment due date editable, and in the deduction instruction step, the processor executes the deduction instruction process so that an instruction to debit from the deduction account is delivered to the financial institution managing the deduction account a predetermined number of days before the edited payment due date.

[0136] This can reduce the hassle of paying recurring bills.

[0137] (10) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (9) above, in the calculation step, the processor calculates the amount of funds to be preserved as the amount obtained by subtracting the total amount of funds debited from the debit account by the debit instruction processing from the total amount of funds transferred to the transfer destination account, and in the processing step, the processor executes processing related to the preservation of the funds based on the calculated amount to be preserved.

[0138] According to this embodiment, operations related to the preservation of funds can be carried out smoothly.

[0139] (11) An information processing system having one or more processors, wherein in a receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from a user, the transfer instruction including a transfer amount and a transfer destination account, the user is a user who transfers funds from his / her own account to an intermediary account, and the intermediary account is an account for which a transfer instruction can be given online, in a transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process to instruct online transfer of the funds moved to the intermediary account to the transfer destination account, in a calculation step, the processor calculates the amount of funds to be preserved as the total amount of the funds moved to the intermediary account minus the total amount of the funds transferred to the transfer destination account, and in a processing step, the processor executes processing related to the preservation of the funds based on the calculated preservation amount.

[0140] According to this aspect, the effort required for transferring money can be reduced.

[0141] (12) An information processing method, comprising the steps of any one of (1) to (11) above, executed by an information processing system.

[0142] According to this aspect, the effort required for transferring money can be reduced.

[0143] (13) A program that causes a computer to execute each of the steps described in any one of (1) to (11) above.

[0144] According to this aspect, the effort required for transferring money can be reduced. Of course, this is not the case. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined in any desired manner.

[0145] 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. The embodiments and their 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 appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0146] 1: Payment support system 2: Communication line 3: Invoice 4: Scanner 5: Management database 10: Payment support server 20: Collection agent server 30: Data management server 40: Bank server 41: First bank server 42: Second bank server 43: Third bank server 50: User terminal 51: Payer terminal 52: Approver terminal 53: Worker terminal 101: Control unit 201: Control unit 301: Control section 401: Control unit 501: Control unit

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising one or more processors, In the receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from the user, The transfer instruction includes a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, The debit account is an account for which debit instructions can be made online, In the debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process for instructing online debiting from the debit account to move the funds of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a predetermined relay account; The relay account is an account to which online transfer instructions can be made, In the transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process for instructing online the transfer of the funds moved to the relay account to the transfer destination account; In the amount display step, when the financial institution that manages the withdrawal account requires that the funds be transferred via another account at the financial institution, after the withdrawn funds have been transferred to the other account, the processor displays the amount of the funds on the operator terminal of the operator who transfers the funds from the other account to the relay account. Information processing system.

2. An information processing system comprising one or more processors, In the receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from the user, The transfer instruction includes a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, The debit account is an account for which debit instructions can be made online, In the debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process for instructing online debiting from the debit account to move the funds of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a predetermined relay account; The relay account is an account to which online transfer instructions can be made, In the transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process for instructing online the transfer of the funds moved to the relay account to the transfer destination account; In the transfer instruction step, if the financial institution that manages the withdrawal account requires that funds be transferred via another account at the financial institution and if the other account is capable of instructing transfers online, the processor instructs online the transfer of the funds from the other account to the relay account after the withdrawn funds have been transferred to the other account. Information processing system.

3. An information processing system comprising one or more processors, In the receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from the user, The transfer instruction includes a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, The debit account is an account for which debit instructions can be made online, In the debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process for instructing online debiting from the debit account to move the funds of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a predetermined relay account; The relay account is an account to which online transfer instructions can be made, In the transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process for instructing online the transfer of the funds moved to the relay account to the transfer destination account; In the bill display step, when the transfer instruction is an instruction for payment against a bill, the processor displays billing information including a character string read from the bill together with an appearance image showing the appearance of the bill; The billing information includes a billing amount, In the receiving step, the processor receives the transfer instruction, which specifies the amount to be transferred as the billing amount indicated by the billing information selected from the displayed billing information, The billing information includes a payment due date; In the copy display step, when the processor receives an operation to copy the billing information, the processor displays billing information having the same billing amount as the billing information of the copy source in an editable manner, and In the debit instruction step, the processor executes the debit instruction process so that an instruction to debit from the debit account is delivered to a financial institution that manages the debit account a predetermined number of days before the edited payment due date. Information processing system.

4. An information processing system comprising one or more processors, In the receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from the user, The transfer instruction includes a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, The debit account is an account for which debit instructions can be made online, In the debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process for instructing online debiting from the debit account to move the funds of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a predetermined relay account; The relay account is an account to which online transfer instructions can be made, In the transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process for instructing online the transfer of the funds moved to the relay account to the transfer destination account; In the calculation step, the processor calculates the amount of funds to be protected by subtracting the total amount of funds transferred to the transfer destination account from the total amount of funds debited from the debit account by the debit instruction process; In the processing step, the processor executes a process related to the preservation of the funds based on the calculated amount of the preservation target. Information processing system.

5. An information processing system comprising one or more processors, In the receiving step, the processor receives a transfer instruction from the user, The transfer instruction includes a transfer amount, a debit account, and a transfer destination account, The debit account is an account for which debit instructions can be made online, In the debit instruction step, the processor executes a debit instruction process for instructing online debiting from the debit account to move the funds of the transfer amount indicated in the received transfer instruction to a predetermined relay account; The relay account is an account to which online transfer instructions can be made, In the transfer instruction step, the processor executes a transfer instruction process for instructing online the transfer of the funds moved to the relay account to the transfer destination account; The transfer instruction includes a transfer date, In the institution identification step, the processor identifies the type of financial institution that manages the debit account; In the period calculation step, the processor calculates the period required for the transaction processing for the identified type of financial institution based on period information that associates the type of financial institution with the period required for the transaction processing; In the debit instruction step, the processor executes the debit instruction process so that an instruction to debit from the debit account is delivered to the financial institution that manages the debit account the calculated number of days before the transfer due date. Information processing system.

6. In the information processing system according to claim 5, The period required for the administrative processing includes a first administrative processing period, a second administrative processing period, and a third administrative processing period, The first administrative processing period is the period required for administrative processing carried out when making a withdrawal, The second transaction processing period is the period required for transaction processing to transfer the withdrawn funds to the second bank, The third processing period is the period required for the processing of the payment amount to be transferred to the transfer account. Information processing system.

7. In the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The transfer instruction includes a transfer date, In the debit instruction step, the processor executes the debit instruction process so that an instruction to debit from the debit account is delivered to a financial institution that manages the debit account a predetermined number of days before the transfer due date. Information processing system.

8. 8. The information processing system according to claim 7, The predetermined number of days is the number of days according to the financial institution that manages the withdrawal account. Information processing system.

9. 9. The information processing system according to claim 8, The predetermined number of days is the maximum number of days required for administrative processing from the time the instruction to withdraw the funds is received by the financial institution until the funds are transferred to the destination account. Information processing system.

10. In the information processing system according to any one of claims 1, 2, 4 and 5, In the bill display step, when the transfer instruction is an instruction for payment against a bill, the processor displays billing information including a character string read from the bill together with an appearance image showing the appearance of the bill; The billing information includes a billing amount, In the receiving step, the processor receives the transfer instruction, which specifies the amount to be transferred as the billing amount indicated by the billing information selected from the displayed billing information. Information processing system.

11. An information processing method, comprising: The method includes the steps according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which are executed by an information processing system. Information processing methods.

12. A program, A computer is caused to execute each step of any one of claims 1 to 5. program.

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