Program, information processing device, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a program, an information processing apparatus, and an information processing method capable of reducing costs related to the settlement in making it possible to supply energy to an operating device while on the go.SOLUTION: A program causes a computer 100 to realize: a contract acquisition function 111a for acquiring contract information indicating a usage contract between a supplier for supplying energy and an energy user; a certificate acquisition function 111b for acquiring an electronic certificate for certifying the contract information; a request acquisition function 111c for acquiring a request for provision of a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from a user apparatus of the user in order to enable supply of energy to a user operating device based on the usage contract; and a provision function 113 for providing the combination to the user apparatus in response to the request for provision.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a technology for settling transactions related to the supply of energy to devices such as automobiles that operate by consuming energy (hereinafter also referred to as "operating devices"). Patent Document 1 discloses a fee billing system that bills the user of an electric vehicle, via an electronic payment system or a fee adjustment machine, a fee according to charging parameters related to the amount of power charged to the electric vehicle while parked, together with the parking fee, when the electric vehicle leaves a parking lot. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-135826 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Here, as in Patent Document 1, if a sales contract is concluded and payment is made each time energy is supplied to an operating device while the user is away from home, such as in a parking lot, costs related to payment (for example, procedures such as billing the user via a payment system and fees related to payment) will be incurred each time, posing a problem in usability for users of the operating device.

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve the above problem, the present invention aims to provide a program, an information processing device, and an information processing method that can reduce payment costs when enabling energy to be supplied to operating devices while away from home, etc. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A program according to one aspect of the present invention enables a computer to implement a contract acquisition function for acquiring contract information indicating a usage contract between an energy supply company and an energy user, a certificate acquisition function for acquiring an electronic certificate to certify the contract information, a request acquisition function for acquiring a request for provision of a combination of contract information and an electronic certificate from the user's user device in order to enable energy to be supplied to the user's operating equipment based on the usage contract, and a provision function for providing the combination to the user device in response to the provision request.

[0007] An information processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a contract acquisition unit that acquires contract information indicating a usage contract between an energy supply company and an energy user, a certificate acquisition unit that acquires an electronic certificate to certify the contract information, a request acquisition unit that acquires a request for provision of a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from the user's user device in order to enable energy to be supplied to the user's operating equipment based on the usage contract, and a provision unit that provides the combination to the user device in response to the provision request.

[0008] An information processing method according to one aspect of the present invention involves a computer acquiring contract information indicating a usage contract between an energy supplier and an energy user, acquiring an electronic certificate to certify the contract information, acquiring a request for a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from the user's user device in order to enable the supply of energy to the user's operating equipment based on the usage contract, and providing the combination to the user device in response to the request.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce costs related to payment when supplying energy to an operating device while away from home. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the system configuration of a wallet system according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 2]FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an example of a wallet system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an example of a wallet system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an example of a wallet system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an example of a wallet system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the functional configuration of a wallet server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the operation of the wallet system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a wallet server and a terminal device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an example of a wallet system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a terminal device 200a according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] A preferred embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, components with the same reference numerals have the same or similar configurations.

[0012] In this invention, the terms "unit," "means," "device," or "system" do not simply mean physical means, but also include cases where the functions of the "unit," "means," "device," or "system" are realized by software. Furthermore, the functions of one "unit," "means," "device," or "system" may be realized by a combination of two or more physical means, devices, or software modules, and the functions of two or more "units," "means," "device," or "system" may be realized by a single physical means, device, or software module.

[0013] [First embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described. The wallet system 1 according to the present embodiment is a system for making a service contract (hereinafter simply referred to as "service contract") between an energy supplier and a user of the energy or a person related to the user portable. By making the wallet system 1 portable in this way, the wallet system 1 enables the user to replenish energy through the service contract not only at a fixed location such as the user's home but also when away from home. The energy user (hereinafter simply referred to as "user") may be an individual or a corporation. For example, in the case of a service contract by a corporation, the user may be an employee, and a person related to the user may be a corporation. Furthermore, for example, in the case of a service contract by a household, the user may be a person belonging to the household, and a person related to the user may be the head of the household.

[0014] To make the service contract portable, the wallet system 1 stores contract information indicating the service contract using wallet technology (hereinafter simply referred to as "wallet"). The wallet system 1 then uses digital certificate technology to ensure the authenticity of the contract information stored in the wallet, and presents this contract information to an energy supplier to enable the supply of energy. The digital certificate for certifying the contract information will be referred to simply as "digital certificate" hereinafter. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which the wallet server 100 provides a wallet function (hereinafter simply referred to as "online wallet") that allows the service contract to be used in an online environment.

[0015] The energy is, for example, electromagnetic energy, thermal energy, chemical energy, or electromagnetic wave energy. More specifically, the energy may be electricity, gasoline, gas, or the like. In this embodiment, an example in which the energy is electricity will be described. Furthermore, for example, if the operating device 300 is a fuel cell vehicle (FCV), the energy may be a fuel such as gas if the supply device 400 is an on-site system, or may be hydrogen if the supply device 400 is an off-site system.

[0016] The contract information may include, for example, contract identification information for identifying each contract. The contract information may also include, for example, authorized user identification information for identifying an authorized user who has the authority to use energy under the usage contract, and / or target device identification information for identifying a device that uses the energy (hereinafter simply referred to as a "target device"). The contract information may also include, for example, plan information indicating the contracted plan. The plan information may include, for example, the plan name of each plan, the basic fee for each plan, the calculation method for the fee for energy use under each plan (e.g., pay-as-you-go or flat rate), and benefit information indicating the benefits of each plan.

[0017] For example, in the case of a contract for energy use for each household, the authorized users may include not only the representative (head of household) of the household but also other people who belong to the household and are allowed to use the operating devices. For example, in the case of a contract for energy use with a corporation, the authorized users may include employees of the corporation, and the target devices may include company vehicles, etc.

[0018] A digital certificate electronically certifies that the contract information is genuine to the parties or a trusted third party (e.g., a certification authority, as described below). In other words, a digital certificate may electronically certify that the contract information is authentic to a certain extent. This authenticity may, for example, indicate that the contract information was issued with legitimate authority. Authenticity may also indicate that the contract information has been prevented from being falsely entered, rewritten, erased, or confused, and may further indicate that the responsibility for issuance is clear from the perspective of a third party. A digital certificate may, for example, be a certificate in accordance with the X.509 standard format and may include the issuer or person in charge of issuance, the subject (e.g., the user, the operator or supplier of the wallet server 100), the subject's public key, the expiration date of the digital certificate, and the digital signature of the issuer or person in charge of issuance. This digital signature may, for example, be at least a portion of the contract information encrypted with a private key paired with the subject's public key.

[0019] <1. System configuration> An example of the system configuration of a wallet system 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the wallet system 1 includes a wallet server 100, a terminal device 200 used by a user, an operating device 300 that operates by consuming energy, and a supply device 400 used by the user to replenish energy to the operating device 300. The terminal device 200 and Operating equipment 300 Each of these is an aspect of a user device.

[0020] [Wallet Server] The wallet server 100 is an information processing device capable of communicating with external devices including the terminal device 200, the operating device 300, and the supply device 400 via the first network N1. By executing a predetermined program, the wallet server 100 provides users with an online wallet function for storing contract information in a system on a wide area communication network such as the Web as an online wallet. In other words, even if users do not download a wallet app to the terminal device 200 and the operating device 300 they use, they can use the wallet function of the wallet server 100 from a Web browser that is standard on the terminal device 200 or a third-party app.

[0021] [Terminal Device] The terminal device 200 is an information processing device used by a user, such as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or laptop. By executing a predetermined program, the terminal device 200 connects to the wallet server 100 to send and receive contract information, electronic certificates, combinations thereof (hereinafter simply referred to as "combinations"), or information related thereto, displays such information to the user on a screen, and receives instructions regarding the contract information, electronic certificates, and combinations. The terminal device 200 may be communicably connected to a readable medium 600 (hereinafter also referred to as "user medium 600") via, for example, a second network N2. The user medium 600 may store user identification information or operating device identification information instead of the authorized person identification information or the target device identification information. The terminal device 200 may also be communicably connected to an operating device 300 via, for example, the second network N2.

[0022] The predetermined program executed by the terminal device 200 may be, for example, an application program of a third-party system (hereinafter also referred to as a "third-party app") installed in the terminal device 200. The third-party app may be, for example, a web browser that is provided as standard in the terminal device 200, which is a general-purpose terminal device, or may be a dedicated app (for example, a native app) provided by a platform system (third-party system) that operates an EC site.

[0023] The user medium 600 may be, for example, an IC card, a magnetic card, or a key fob corresponding to the operating device 300. More specifically, the user medium 600 may be a charging authentication card for an electric vehicle.

[0024] [Operating equipment] The operating device 300 is a device that operates by consuming energy. For example, if the energy is electricity, the operating device 300 may be a vehicle, an electrically assisted bicycle, an electric kick scooter, an electric wheelchair, or the like. The operating device 300 may be a device with an information communication function, such as a so-called smart car or a connected car. The operating device 300 may be communicably connected to the supply device 400 via the second network N2.

[0025] [Feeding device] The supplying device 400 is a device for supplying energy to the operating device 300. For example, if the energy is electricity, the supplying device 400 may be a charger (including a normal charger and a rapid charger) installed at a home or a charging spot. Furthermore, the operator of the supplying device 400 (hereinafter also referred to as the "device operator") may be a different operator from the supplying operator, or may be the same operator.

[0026] [Supplier equipment] The supplier device 500 is an information processing device of a supplier that provides users with an energy supply service. The supplier device 500 provides, for example, contract information and a digital certificate to the wallet server 100. For example, if the energy is electricity, the supplier may be an electric power supplier or an electric power retailer.

[0027] [Other external devices] Devices of external systems other than the supply device 400 and the supply provider device 500 (hereinafter also referred to as "external devices") are also communicatively connected to the wallet server 100. The external devices may be an application provider device 600 (not shown) that provides a third-party application described below, a server device of a financial institution such as a credit card company or a bank that performs payment by a payment method designated by the user, a server device of a point company, etc.

[0028] [network] The first network N1 is a wide-area communication network, including the Internet, a mobile communication network, and a telephone line. The first network N1 may also use a wireless communication method using, for example, 3G (3rd Generation), 4G (4th Generation), 5G (5th Generation), or LTE (Long Term Evolution) lines.

[0029] The second network N2 is a short-range communication network, and is a communication network for establishing bidirectional or unidirectional connections between (a) the terminal device 200 or the operating device 300 and the user medium 600, (b) the terminal device 200 and the operating device 300, or (c) the operating device 300 and the supply device 400. The second network N2 includes, for example, a network that realizes wireless communication at a close distance of about 10 cm using electromagnetic induction such as near field communication (NFC), or short-range wireless communication at a distance of about 10 m such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or infrared communication. The second network N2 may also include, for example, a wireless LAN conforming to the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard, and a router (not shown) relays the communication to realize the connection between the terminal device 200 and the user medium 600.

[0030] <2. Overview> An example of an overview of the wallet system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0031] <2-1. Overall picture> An example of an overall view of the wallet system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, in the wallet system 1, contract information is combined with its digital certificate and stored in an online wallet of the wallet server 100. In this example, the wallet server 100 uses a third-party application provided in the terminal device 200 as a front function.

[0032] (0) As shown in FIG. 2, the wallet server 100 and the supplier device 500 cooperate in establishing a usage contract. For example, the supplier device 500 transmits contract information stored therein to the wallet server 100. In addition, for example, when the supplier device 500 issues a digital certificate, the supplier device 500 may transmit the digital certificate together with the contract information to the wallet server 100. The wallet server 100 acquires the contract information and / or the digital certificate from the supplier device 500.

[0033] (1) The wallet server 100 identifies an authentication method (e.g., specifying the authentication level to be adopted and specifying the authentication elements (knowledge, possession, biometrics) to be adopted) for enabling the supply of energy used under the service contract. This authentication may include, for example, (a) authenticating that the user is an authorized user under the service contract (hereinafter also referred to as "authorized user authentication"), and (b) authenticating that the operating device 300 is a target device for energy use under the service contract (hereinafter also referred to as "target device authentication"). The wallet server 100 may identify the authorized user authentication method and / or the target device authentication method based on, for example, contract information.

[0034] (2) The wallet server 100 instructs the authentication method specified in (1) above to the requesting device and the requested device of the authentication described above. The requesting device may be, for example, the terminal device 200, the operating device 300, and / or the supplying device 400 that supplies energy to the operating device 300. The requested device may also be, for example, the supplying device 400.

[0035] (3a) The user medium 600 requests user authentication from the terminal device 200 to use the third-party app, in other words, to log in to the third-party app. (4a) The terminal device 200 performs user authentication in the third-party app based on this request. (5a) A usage contract is linked between the third-party app of the logged-in terminal device 200 and the wallet server 100. Specifically, the wallet server 100 acquires a request for a combination of contract information and an electronic certificate stored in the terminal device 200 from the third-party app, and provides this combination to the third-party app in response to this request. (6a) The terminal device 200 requests the supply device 400 to supply energy based on the combination acquired by the third-party app. This supply request may also include, for example, user identification information for identifying the user for authorized person authentication. This user identification information may be, for example, an ID assigned to each user by the wallet system 1, a user ID of the third-party app assigned to the user, the user's name or corporate name, or an email address.

[0036] (3b) The user medium 600 requests authentication to use the operating device 300, in other words, authentication to log in to and operate the operating device 300. (4a) The operating device 300 performs authentication based on this request. (5b) A service contract is linked between the logged-in operating device 300 and the wallet server 100. Specifically, the wallet server 100 acquires a request from the operating device 300 for a combination of contract information and an electronic certificate stored therein, and provides this combination to the operating device 300 in response to this request. (5b') Note that the operating device 300 may acquire this combination via the terminal device 200. (6b) The operating device 300 requests the supply device 400 to supply energy based on the acquired combination. Furthermore, this supply request may include, for example, operating device identification information for identifying the operating device 300 for target device authentication. This operating device identification information may be, for example, an ID issued and assigned by the wallet system 1 for each operating device 300, or a number unique to the operating device 300 (for example, a VIN for a vehicle).

[0037] (7) The providing device 400 determines the validity of the digital certificate acquired from the terminal device 200 or the operating device 300. (8) If the providing device 400 determines that the digital certificate is valid, the providing device 400 inquires of the wallet server 100 whether a transaction under the service contract is possible. This inquiry may include user identification information or target device identification information. (9a) When the wallet server 100 acquires this inquiry through the processes (3a) to (6a) above, it compares the authorized person identification information with the user identification information and authenticates that the user is an authorized user (authorized person authentication). (9b) On the other hand, when the wallet server 100 acquires this inquiry through the processes (3b) to (6b) above, it compares the target device identification information with the operating device identification information and authenticates that the operating device 300 is an authorized device (target device authentication). In this example, authentication is successful in both the cases (9a) and (9b) above. (10) If the authentication result is successful, the wallet server 100 responds to the supplying device 400 that the transaction is possible. (11) The supplying device 400 receives the response that the transaction is possible and supplies energy to the operating device 300.

[0038] With the above configuration, when the user is supplied with energy by the supply device 400 while away from home, etc., the user does not need to conclude a sales contract with the supply device 400 (or a supply company or device company) and make a payment each time, but can have energy supplied to the operating device 300 as a transaction under a pre-concluded usage contract. Therefore, when energy can be supplied to the operating device 300 while away from home, etc., it is possible to reduce costs related to payment (for example, procedures such as billing the user via a payment system and fees related to payment).

[0039] With the above configuration, if a user is using a terminal device 200 or operating device 300 that can connect online, the user can connect to the wallet server 100 and use the combination of contract information and digital certificate stored in the online wallet. Therefore, this combination can be used without installing an app with wallet functionality on the terminal device 200.

[0040] <2-2. Overall functional configuration> An example of the overall functional configuration of the wallet system 1 will be described with reference to Figure 3. As shown in Figure 3, the functions realized by the entire wallet system 1 are classified into the following functions A) to F). In the wallet system 1, the classified functions cooperate with each other (including information cooperation and / or function cooperation; the same applies below). For example, sub-functions classified into function A) will be described by assigning consecutive numbers such as A1), A2), etc. A) User settings and inquiry functions B) Third-party apps (see Figure 3, 3 rd App (referred to as "app") destination management C) Contract linking function D) Online wallet function E)IF function

[0041] <2-3. Pre-registration> With reference to FIG. 4, a scene where various information required for using the online wallet of the wallet system 1 is registered will be described.

[0042] A1) User information registration (1) As shown in Figure 4, in order to use wallet system 1, a user requests new user registration, in other words, registration of user information, from terminal device 200. Acquisition unit 111 of wallet server 100 acquires the user information requested to be registered. (2) Registration unit 112 of wallet server 100 registers the acquired user information in storage unit 130, in other words, performs new user registration.

[0043] User information is information about a user. User information may include, for example, user identification information, the user's name or corporate name, telephone number, address, email address, contact information, date of birth, and / or biometric information (for example, facial image data, fingerprint information, etc.). User information may also include payment method information for the payment method used by the user. Details of payment method information will be described later. User information may also include, for example, device information about the operating device 300 used by the user. User information may also include, for example, device information about the terminal device 200 used by the user.

[0044] The device information may include, for example, operating device identification information, the type of the operating device 300 (for example, the model of the operating device if the operating device 300 is a vehicle), fuel consumption or power consumption of the operating device 300, information about the owner of the operating device 300, etc. If the operating device 300 is a vehicle, the operating device identification information may be, for example, a vehicle identification number (VIN).

[0045] The device information may include device identification information for identifying each terminal device 200, a product name, a MAC address, an IP address, and / or a serial number.

[0046] A2) Contract and payment method information registration (3) The user requests registration of contract information from terminal device 200 in order to receive energy supply under a usage contract in wallet system 1. Contract acquisition unit 111a of wallet server 100 acquires the contract information requested to be registered from terminal device 200. (4) Inquiry unit 114c of wallet server 100 inquires of supplier device 500 of the contracting supplier as to whether the usage contract indicated in the acquired contract information exists as a valid contract. (5) If the inquiry by inquiry unit 114c confirms that the usage contract exists as a valid contract, registration unit 112 registers the acquired contract information in memory unit 130.

[0047] (6) The issuing unit 114 of the wallet server 100 issues a digital certificate to certify the authenticity of the registered contract information. (7) The registration unit 112 registers the issued digital certificate in the storage unit 130 for storage in the online wallet for each user.

[0048] (8) The acquisition unit 111 acquires business information of an application provider that provides a third-party application from the application provider device 600 of the application provider in order to perform business registration.

[0049] The business information is information about a business. The business information may include, for example, business identification information for identifying each business, trade name, corporate name, industry, address, email address, contact information, and / or representative. Furthermore, if the business is an app provider, the business information may include information used for connecting when linking the digital certificate to a third-party app (e.g., a connection ID for the connection) and / or a connection method (e.g., an API connection or a dedicated line). Furthermore, if the business is an app provider, the business information may include app information about the linked third-party app. The app information may include app identification information for identifying each app, the app name of each app (in other words, the app title), and the type of each app (e.g., information provision, game, membership card, payment, or road service).

[0050] (9) The application provider device 600 provides the third-party application to the terminal device 200. In other words, the terminal device 200 downloads and installs the third-party application from the application provider device 600 (via an application store or the like). (10) The terminal device 200 sets up the installed third-party application.

[0051] <2-4. Using online wallets> With reference to FIG. 5, a situation in which the online wallet of the wallet system 1 is used will be described.

[0052] D1) Online wallet, D2) User interface, D3) Device interface (1) As shown in Fig. 5, wallet server 100 shares a combination of contract information and an electronic certificate with terminal device 200 and operating device 300. Specifically, request acquisition unit 111c of wallet server 100 acquires a request for providing the combination from terminal device 200 or operating device 300. In response to this request, certificate acquisition unit 111b of wallet server 100 acquires the combination of contract information and an electronic certificate from storage unit 130. In response to this request, provision unit 113 of wallet server 100 provides the acquired combination to terminal device 200 or operating device 300 that has requested it.

[0053] (2a) The terminal device 200 requests the supplying device 400 to supply energy based on the acquired combination. This request may include the combination and user identification information. (2b) The operating device 300 requests the supplying device 400 to supply energy based on the acquired combination. This request may include the combination and operating device identification information. (3) The supplying device 400 acquires the request of (2a) or (2b) above and determines the validity of the digital certificate included in the request.

[0054] (4) If it is determined that the digital certificate is valid, the supplying device 400 inquires of the wallet server 100 whether a transaction under the service contract is possible. This inquiry may include the user identification information (2a) above or the operating device identification information (2b) above. (5a) When the requester of the supply request is the terminal device 200, the authority authentication unit 116a of the wallet server 100 collates the authority identification information included in the contract information with the user identification information to authenticate that the user is an authorized user. (5b) When the requester of the supply request is the operating device 300, the device authentication unit 116b of the wallet server 100 collates the target device identification information included in the contract information with the operating device identification information to authenticate that the operating device 300 is a target device. (6) When the authentication result of (5a) or (5b) above is successful, the communication unit 120 of the wallet server 100 responds to the supplying device 400 that the transaction is possible. (7) The supplying device 400 receives the transaction-enabled response and supplies energy to the operating device 300.

[0055] (8) Supplying device 400 shares with wallet server 100 the energy supply history recorded by itself. Specifically, supplying device 400 transmits supply history information indicating this supply history to wallet server 100. Acquiring unit 111 of wallet server 100 acquires the supply history information transmitted from supplying device 400. (9) Collating unit 116c of wallet server 100 compares the acquired supply history information with the history of energy supply recorded by terminal device 200 and / or the history of energy supply recorded by supplier device 500. If the result of the collation by collation unit 116c indicates that there is an inconsistency between the histories of each device, notifying unit 118 notifies terminal device 200 and / or supplier device 500 of that fact.

[0056] With the above configuration, the wallet system 1 can supply energy to the operating device 300 as a transaction under a pre-contract when the supplying device 400 is used outside the home or the like. This reduces the cost of payment when energy can be supplied to the operating device 300 outside the home.

[0057] With the above configuration, the wallet system 1 can provide a system with higher security (particularly higher authenticity or reliability) by performing authorized person authentication and / or target device authentication.

[0058] <3. Functional configuration> The functional configuration of the wallet server 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. As shown in Fig. 6, the wallet server 100 includes a control unit 110, a communication unit 120, and a storage unit 130.

[0059] The control unit 110 includes an acquisition unit 111 and a provision unit 113. The control unit 110 may also include a registration unit 112, an issuance unit 114, a determination unit 115, an authentication unit 116, a payment processing unit 117, and / or a notification unit 118.

[0060] [Acquisition Department] The acquisition unit 111 acquires various requests and various information from the terminal device 200, the operating device 300, the supply device 400, or the supplier device 500 in a cyclical or event-driven manner. The acquisition unit 111 may acquire various information in any manner. For example, the acquisition unit 111 may receive a file indicating various information from the supplier device 500. Furthermore, for example, when various information is input by a user to a web browser screen from the terminal device 200, the acquisition unit 111 may receive a message indicating the input various information as needed. Furthermore, for example, the acquisition unit 111 may instruct an API implemented in the device from which the information is to be acquired to reference the various information, and acquire the various information as a result of the reference.

[0061] The acquisition unit 111 includes a contract acquisition unit 111a. The contract acquisition unit 111a acquires contract information from the terminal device 200, the supplier device 500, or the storage unit .

[0062] The acquisition unit 111 includes a certificate acquisition unit 111b, which acquires a digital certificate from the supplier device 500 or the storage unit .

[0063] The acquisition unit 111 includes a request acquisition unit 111c. The request acquisition unit 111c transmits a request for providing a combination of contract information and a digital certificate to the user's user device (for example, the terminal device 200 or Operating equipment 300 . Same below.)

[0064] The acquisition unit 111 may include, for example, a determination acquisition unit 111d. The determination acquisition unit 111d outputs the result of the determination on whether or not energy can be supplied based on the combination (hereinafter also referred to as "supply availability determination") as follows: Feeding device 400 Retrieved from.

[0065] The acquisition unit 111 may include, for example, a request acquisition unit 111e. For example, when the result of the supply availability determination indicates that the energy supply is not possible, the request acquisition unit 111e Feeding device 400 The billing information for requesting payment for making this supply possible (hereinafter also referred to as "supply payment") is obtained from the

[0066] For example, when the determination unit 115 determines that the digital certificate is invalid, the request acquisition unit 111e Feeding device 400 In addition, for example, if the result of authentication by the authority authentication unit 116a or the device authentication unit 116b is authentication failure, the request acquisition unit 111e may acquire the request information from Feeding device 400 The billing information may be obtained from

[0067] The billing information may include, for example, billing identification information for identifying each bill, billing date and time, the amount of energy supplied that is the subject of the billing, the payment amount for the amount supplied, and / or account information of the payee account, etc. For example, if the payee account is a bank account, the account information may include bank identification information for identifying the bank (e.g., bank name and branch name, etc.), account number, etc.

[0068] The acquisition unit 111 may include, for example, a payment acquisition unit 111f. For example, when the result of the supply availability determination indicates that energy supply is not permitted, the payment acquisition unit 111f acquires payment method information for making a payment using the user's account from the terminal device 200 or the storage unit 130.

[0069] For example, if the determination unit 115 determines that the digital certificate is invalid, the payment acquisition unit 111f may acquire payment method information to make a payment using the user's account. Also, for example, if the result of authentication by the authority authentication unit 116a or the device authentication unit 116b is authentication failure, the payment acquisition unit 111f may acquire payment method information to make a payment using the user's account. Terminal device 200 or storage unit 130 Payment method information may be obtained from the user's account to make payments using the user's account.

[0070] Payment method information includes, for example, type information indicating the type of each payment method specified by the user (e.g., credit card payment, debit card payment, electronic money payment, etc.), payment method identification information for identifying each payment method (e.g., card number, account number, etc.), payment service provider identification information that provides each payment method, security information for the security of each payment method, etc. For example, if the payment method is credit card payment, the payment method information may include the card number as payment method identification information, the account holder's name as user information of the user using the payment method, and the expiration date and security code as security information.

[0071] The acquisition unit 111 may include, for example, a user acquisition unit 111g. Terminal device 200 or supply device 400 The user identification information for identifying the user is obtained from the

[0072] The acquisition unit 111 may include, for example, a device acquisition unit 111h. The device acquisition unit 111h acquires the operating device 300 or Feeding device 400 The operating device identification information for identifying the operating device 300 is acquired from the

[0073] [Provider] The providing unit 113 provides various types of information to the terminal device 200, the operating device 300, the supplying device 400, or the supplier device 500.

[0074] The providing unit 113 provides the user device with a combination of contract information and a digital certificate in response to the provision request acquired by the request acquiring unit 111c. With this configuration, the providing unit 113 can provide the user device with a combination for supplying energy to the operating device 300 as a transaction under a pre-concluded usage contract when the supply device 400 supplies energy away from home. This makes it possible to reduce payment-related costs when enabling energy to be supplied to the operating device 300 away from home.

[0075] The providing unit 113 may provide, for example, a combination of contract information and a digital certificate to the operating device 300. The operating device 300 that has received the combination requests the supplying device 400 to supply energy based on this combination, in order to enable the supply of energy to the operating device 300 based on the usage contract.

[0076] According to the above configuration, when the supply device 400 supplies energy to the operating device 300 while the user is away from home, the providing unit 113 can provide the operating device 300 with a combination for supplying energy to the operating device 300 as a transaction under a pre-concluded usage contract. Therefore, it is possible to reduce costs related to payment when the user uses the operating device 300 without using the terminal device 200 to supply energy to the operating device 300 while the user is away from home.

[0077] [Publishing Department] The issuing unit 114 issues a digital certificate to certify the contract information based on the contract information acquired by the contract acquisition unit 111a. The issuing unit 114 may set an expiration date for the issued digital certificate. The issuing unit 114 registers the issued digital certificate in the storage unit 130 for storage in the online wallet. With this configuration, the wallet server 100 can issue the digital certificate itself. This makes it easier to prepare and provide a digital certificate when supplying energy.

[0078] The issuing unit 114 may request, for example, a certification authority device (hereinafter also referred to as a "certification authority device") to issue a digital certificate for the contract information. In this case, the issuing unit 114 obtains the digital certificate issued by the certification authority device and registers it in the storage unit 130.

[0079] [Judgment section] The determination unit 115 determines whether or not the electronic certificate is valid. For example, the determination unit 115 may determine whether or not the expiration date included in the electronic certificate is within the expiration date, and determine that the electronic certificate is valid if it is within the expiration date. On the other hand, the determination unit 115 may determine that the electronic certificate has expired if it is outside the expiration date. Furthermore, for example, in the case of an electronic certificate issued by a certification authority, the determination unit 115 may determine whether or not the electronic certificate is valid based on a certificate revocation list (CRL) obtained from the certification authority device.

[0080] The certification authority may be a public or private institution, and may be, for example, a trusted third party such as a TTP (Trusted Third Party) or a Certification Authority (CA).

[0081] [Authentication section] The authentication unit 116 performs various authentications to enable the supply of energy under the usage contract. The authentication performed by the authentication unit 116 may be, for example, authentication defined by NIST SP 800-63-3. The authentication level adopted by the authentication unit 116 may be, for example, any one of levels 1 to 3 of the AAL (Authenticator Assurance Level) defined by NIST SP 800-63B, as follows: Level 1: One or more of the three authentication factors (knowledge, possession, and biometrics) must be used, and there is a certain degree of confidence in the person's authentication. In other words, this can be achieved by performing at least single-factor authentication. Level 2: Of the three factors, multiple factors such as ID password + one-time password must be used, and there is a high degree of reliability in authenticating the person. Unlike Level 3, Level 2 can be achieved by using software as the second authentication factor. Level 3: Two-factor authentication, where the second factor must be authenticated using tamper-resistant hardware, and the authenticity of the person must be very high (specifically, a PIN code + a card with an IC chip (hereinafter also referred to as an "IC card") + My Number card, etc.).

[0082] The authentication unit 116 includes an authority authentication unit 116a. The authority authentication unit 116a compares the authority identification information included in the contract information with the user identification information acquired by the user acquisition unit 111g, and authenticates that the user is an authorized user (authority authentication).

[0083] For example, if the authority identification information and the user identification information have the same item value (e.g., the names of the user and authorized user), the authentication unit 116 may compare whether the authority identification information and the user identification information match, and if they match, may determine that the authentication is successful. For example, if the authority identification information and the user identification information have different item values ​​(e.g., a combination of the contract identification information and the name of the authorized user indicated in the contract information, and the user ID of a third-party application), the authentication unit 116 searches for a corresponding item from the user information registered in association with the contract information in the storage unit 130, using the acquired user identification information to be compared as a search key. The authentication unit 116 may compare whether the authority identification information of the contract information associated with the user information found as a result of the search matches the authority identification information to be compared.

[0084] The authentication unit 116 includes a device authentication unit 116b. The device authentication unit 116b compares target device identification information included in the contract information with the operating device identification information acquired by the device acquisition unit 111h, and authenticates that the operating device is a target device (target device authentication).

[0085] As with the above-mentioned authorized person authentication, for example, if the target device identification information and the operating device identification information have the same item value (for example, the VIN of the target device and the operating device), the authentication unit 116 may compare whether the target device identification information and the operating device identification information match, and if they match, the authentication may be successful.

[0086] The authentication unit 116 includes a collating unit 116c. The collating unit 116c collates the supply history information acquired by the acquiring unit 111 with the history of energy supply recorded by the terminal device 200 and / or the history of energy supply recorded by the supplier device 500.

[0087] For example, the collation unit 116c may compare the contract information with the supply history information and extract history that may not be energy usage by an authorized user or a target device. For example, the collation unit 116c may extract history that indicates energy supply in another area that is outside a predetermined range from the area where a normally used supply device 400, i.e., a supply device 400 used a predetermined number of times or with a predetermined frequency, is installed. Furthermore, for example, the collation unit 116c may extract histories that indicate energy supply in two areas during the same time period, even though only one target device is specified in the contract information.

[0088] When the above-described history is extracted, the collating unit 116c may (temporarily) invalidate the electronic certificate corresponding to the extracted history. Furthermore, when the above-described history is extracted, the collating unit 116c may increase the authentication level of the authentication unit 116 (for example, change from level 2 to level 3). With this configuration, the collating unit 116c can provide a highly reliable wallet function.

[0089] [Payment processing section] The payment processing unit 117 executes processing for settling the supply payment based on the billing information acquired by the bill acquisition unit 111 e and the payment method information acquired by the payment acquisition unit 111 f. For example, when the result of the supply availability determination is that the supply of energy is not permitted, the payment processing unit 117 may execute processing for settling the supply payment.

[0090] If only transactions under the usage contract are possible, and there is some abnormality or mistake on the part of the user requesting the supply, such as an invalid digital certificate or a failure to authenticate the authorized user or target device, the supply of energy will immediately become impossible. With the above configuration, even in such cases, it is possible to provide a more flexible wallet function by enabling payment settlement using the payment method indicated in the payment method method as a backup means.

[0091] [Notification Department] The notification unit 118 may notify the user device and / or the supplier device 500 that there is an inconsistency between the histories, so that the user and / or the supplier can confirm the result of the determination by the determination unit, the result of the authentication by the authentication unit 116, and / or the result of the matching by the matching unit 116c.

[0092] For example, if there is a mismatch between the histories recorded by the devices as a result of the comparison by the comparison unit 116c, the notification unit 118 notifies the user and / or the supplier of the following: Terminal device 200 And / or the supplier device 500 may be notified that there is an inconsistency between the histories.

[0093] For example, if the matching unit 116c extracts history that may not be energy usage by an authorized user or target equipment, the notification unit 118 may notify the user device and / or supplier device 500 that this history has been extracted so that the user and / or supplier can confirm it.

[0094] [Communications Department] The communication unit 120 transmits and receives various information such as digital certificates or contract information to and from the terminal device 200, the operating device 300, the supply device 400, or the supplier device 500 via the first network N1. Feeding device 400 The communication unit 120 may receive an inquiry from the user about whether or not the transaction under the service contract is possible. Feeding device 400 Send to.

[0095] [Storage] The storage unit 130 stores various information such as a combination of contract information and digital certificates stored in the online wallet, user information, and / or business information. The storage unit 130 may store user information of a user, contract information related to the user, and device information of the user's operating device 300 in association with each other. The storage unit 130 may store each piece of information using a database management system (DBMS) or a file system. When a DBMS is used, the storage unit 130 may provide a table for each piece of information and manage each piece of information by associating the tables.

[0096] <4. Example of operation> An example of the operation of the wallet system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a sequence diagram showing interactions from the acquisition of contract information to the supply of energy in the wallet system 1. Note that the order and grouping of processes shown below are merely examples and may be changed as appropriate. Also, the flow of processes shown below does not have to be continuous.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 7, in response to a user's operation on a third-party application, terminal device 200 transmits a combination provision request to wallet server 100 (step S10). Request acquisition unit 111c of wallet server 100 acquires the combination provision request from terminal device 200 (step S11). Contract acquisition unit 111a of wallet server 100 acquires contract information (step S12). Certificate acquisition unit 111b of wallet server 100 acquires a digital certificate for the acquired contract information (step S13). Provision unit 113 of wallet server 100 provides the combination of contract information and digital certificate to terminal device 200 in response to the acquired provision request (step S14).

[0098] The terminal device 200 acquires the combination provided by the wallet server 100 (step S15). The terminal device 200 transmits an energy supply request to the supply device 400 based on the acquired combination (step S16). The supply device 400 determines the validity of the electronic certificate based on the supply request (including the user identification information) transmitted from the terminal device 200 (step S17).

[0099] If the result of the above determination by providing device 400 is that the digital certificate is valid, terminal device 200, wallet server 100, and providing device 400 execute the processing in the upper part of the area indicated by combined fragment alt1 (alternative1). Specifically, providing device 400 sends an inquiry (including user identification information) to wallet server 100 asking whether the transaction under the usage contract is possible (step S18). When acquisition unit 111 of wallet server 100 receives this inquiry, authority authentication unit 116a of wallet server 100 compares the authority identification information in the contract information with the user identification information included in the inquiry, and authenticates that the user is an authorized user (step S19).

[0100] If the result of the authentication by the supplying device 400 is successful, the terminal device 200, wallet server 100, and supplying device 400 execute the processing in the upper part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt2 (alternative2). Specifically, the authority authentication unit 116a of the wallet server 100 transmits a response to the supplying device 400 indicating that the transaction under the service contract is possible (step S20). Upon receiving this response, the supplying device 400 executes processing for supplying to the operating device 300 (step S21).

[0101] If the result of the authentication by the supplying device 400 is authentication failure, the terminal device 200, wallet server 100, and supplying device 400 execute the processing in the lower part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt2. Specifically, the authority authenticating unit 116a of the wallet server 100 sends a response to the supplying device 400 indicating that the transaction under the service contract is impossible (step S22). The wallet server 100 and supplying device 400 execute the processing in steps S23 to S26, which will be described later. Note that in this case, the result of the determination of the validity of the digital certificate is not sent in the processing in step S23.

[0102] If the result of the above determination by the supplying device 400 is that the digital certificate is invalid, the terminal device 200, wallet server 100, and supplying device 400 execute the processing in the lower part of the area indicated by the combined fragment alt2. Specifically, the supplying device 400 transmits the result of the determination of the validity of the digital certificate (invalid) and billing information for requesting payment to enable energy supply to the wallet server 100 (step S23). The billing acquisition unit 111e of the wallet server 100 acquires the transmitted billing information from the supplying device 400 (step S24). The payment acquisition unit 111f of the wallet server 100 acquires payment method information from the storage unit 130 (step S25). The payment processing unit 117 of the wallet server 100 executes processing for settling the payment to enable supply based on the billing information and payment method information (step S26).

[0103] <5. Hardware Configuration> 8, an example of a hardware configuration in which the above-described wallet server 100 and terminal device 200 are realized by a computer 800 will be described. Note that the functions of each device can also be realized by dividing them into multiple devices.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 8, a computer 800 includes a processor 801, a memory 803, a storage device 805, an input I / F unit 807, a data I / F unit 809, a communication I / F unit 811, and a display device 813.

[0105] Processor 801 controls various processes in computer 800 by executing programs stored in memory 803. For example, each functional unit provided in control unit 110 of wallet server 100 or a control unit (not shown) of terminal device 200 can be realized by processor 801 executing programs temporarily stored in memory 803.

[0106] The memory 803 is a storage medium such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The memory 803 temporarily stores the program code of the program executed by the processor 801 and data required when the program is executed.

[0107] The storage device 805 is a non-volatile storage medium such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or flash memory. The storage device 805 stores an operating system and various programs for implementing the above-mentioned configurations. In addition, the storage device 805 can also store tables for registering contract information and / or user information, and a DB for managing the tables. Such programs or data are loaded into the memory 803 as needed and can be referenced by the processor 801.

[0108] The input I / F unit 807 is a device for receiving input from a user. Specific examples of the input I / F unit 807 include a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, various sensors, and a wearable device. The input I / F unit 807 may be connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

[0109] The data I / F unit 809 is a device for inputting data from outside the computer 800. A specific example of the data I / F unit 809 is a drive device for reading data stored in various storage media. The data I / F unit 809 may be provided outside the computer 800. In this case, the data I / F unit 809 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB.

[0110] The communication I / F unit 811 is a device for performing data communication via the Internet N, either wired or wirelessly, with devices external to the computer 800. The communication I / F unit 811 may be provided outside the computer 800. In this case, the communication I / F unit 811 is connected to the computer 800 via an interface such as a USB.

[0111] The display device 813 is a device for displaying various types of information. Specific examples of the display device 813 include a liquid crystal display, an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display, and a display of a wearable device. The display device 813 may be provided outside the computer 800. In this case, the display device 813 is connected to the computer 800 via, for example, a display cable. Furthermore, when a touch panel is adopted as the input I / F unit 807, the display device 813 can be configured as an integral part of the input I / F unit 807.

[0112] The above-described embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. Furthermore, the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, those skilled in the art can adopt embodiments in which the elements described below are replaced with equivalents, and such embodiments are also within the scope of the present invention.

[0113] The components of wallet server 100 described in the above embodiment are assumed to implement predetermined processing in cooperation with other hardware when processor 801 executes a program stored in storage device 805. In other words, these components can be considered as software or firmware, or as corresponding hardware, and in both of these concepts, they can also be referred to as "functions," "means," "parts," "processing circuits," "units," or "modules," and can be interpreted as such.

[0114] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described. In the present embodiment, the wallet system 1 according to the first embodiment stores the combination in an online wallet, whereas in the present embodiment, the combination is stored in a wallet of the terminal device 200a or the operating device 300a, that is, a so-called local wallet. The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, an example will be described in which the operating device 300a is a vehicle.

[0115] An example of an overview of the wallet system 1a according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. As shown in Fig. 9, in the wallet system 1a, contract information is stored in combination with its digital certificate in a local wallet created by an application program (hereinafter also referred to as a "wallet app") dedicated to the wallet system 1 that is installed in the terminal device 200a, or in a local wallet created by software for the in-vehicle OS of the operating device 300a (hereinafter also referred to as "in-vehicle software").

[0116] (0) As shown in FIG. 9 , the terminal device 200a or the operating device 300a according to this embodiment and the supplier device 500 cooperate to form a service contract. For example, the supplier device 500 transmits contract information stored therein to the wallet application of the terminal device 200a or the in-vehicle software of the operating device 300a. For example, when the supplier device 500 issues a digital certificate, the supplier device 500 may transmit the digital certificate together with the contract information to the wallet application of the terminal device 200a or the in-vehicle software of the operating device 300a. The wallet application of the terminal device 200a or the in-vehicle software of the operating device 300a acquires the contract information and / or the digital certificate from the supplier device 500.

[0117] (1a) The user medium 600 requests user authentication to use the wallet app of the terminal device 200a, in other words, user authentication to log in to the wallet app. (2a) The terminal device 200a performs user authentication in the wallet app based on this request. (3a) The wallet app of the terminal device 200a requests the supply device 400 to supply energy based on the combination acquired from the supplier device 500. This supply request may also include user identification information for identifying the user.

[0118] (1b) The user medium 600 requests authentication to use the operating device 300a, in other words, authentication to log in to and operate the in-vehicle OS of the operating device 300a. (2a) The operating device 300a performs authentication based on this request. (3b) The operating device 300a requests the supply device 400 to supply energy based on the acquired combination. This supply request may also include, for example, operating device identification information for identifying the operating device 300a.

[0119] (4) The supplying device 400 determines the validity of the electronic certificate acquired from the terminal device 200a or the operating device 300a. (5a) If the determination result indicates that the electronic certificate is valid, and if the processes (1a) to (3a) above have been performed, the supplying device 400 compares the authorized person identification information with the user identification information and authenticates that the user is an authorized user. (5b) On the other hand, if the determination result indicates that the electronic certificate is valid, and if the processes (1b) to (3b) above have been performed, the supplying device 400 compares the target device identification information with the operating device identification information and authenticates that the operating device 300a is a target device. In this example, authentication is successful in both the cases (5a) and (5b) above. (6) The supplying device 400 supplies energy to the operating device 300a based on the result of this authentication (authentication success).

[0120] An example of the functional configuration of the terminal device 200a according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10. As shown in Fig. 10, the terminal device 200a includes a terminal control unit 210, a terminal communication unit 220, and a terminal storage unit 230. The terminal communication unit 220 may have the same function as the communication unit 120 of the wallet server 100. The terminal storage unit 230 may have the same function as the storage unit 130 of the wallet server 100.

[0121] The terminal control unit 210 includes an acquisition unit 211 and a provision unit 213. The control unit 110 may also include a registration unit 212, an issuance unit 214, a determination unit 215, an authentication unit 216, and / or a payment processing unit 217. Functional units with the same names as those of the control unit 110 of the wallet server 100 of the first embodiment may have the same functions as those of the control unit 110. The terminal control unit 210 realizes these functional units by executing a predetermined program (for example, a wallet application).

[0122] The operating device 300a according to this embodiment may have the same functional configuration as the terminal device 200a described above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0123] 1...wallet system, 100...wallet server, 110...control unit, 111...acquisition unit, 111a...contract acquisition unit, 111b...certificate acquisition unit, 111c...request acquisition unit, 112...registration unit, 113...providing unit, 114...issuing unit, 115...determination unit, 116...authentication unit, 117...payment processing unit, 118...notification unit, 120...communication unit, 130...storage unit, 200...terminal device, 300...operating equipment, 400...supplying device, 500...supply provider device, 600...application provider device, 800...computer, 801...processor, 803...memory, 805...storage device, 807...input I / F unit, 809...data I / F unit, 811...communication I / F unit, 813...display unit.

Claims

1. On the computer, a contract acquisition function that acquires contract information indicating a usage contract concluded in advance between a supply company that supplies energy and a user of the energy or a person related to the user, the contract information including authorized person identification information for identifying an authorized person to use the energy in the usage contract, and / or target device identification information for identifying a target device that is the target of using the energy in the usage contract; a certificate acquisition function for acquiring an electronic certificate for certifying the contract information; a request acquisition function that acquires a request for providing a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from a user device including a terminal device of the user in order to enable the supply of the energy to the operating device of the user based on the usage contract; a provision function for providing the combination to the user device in response to the provision request; a user acquisition function for acquiring user identification information for identifying the user; a device acquisition function for acquiring operating device identification information for identifying the operating device; When the contract information includes the authorized person identification information, an authentication function is realized in which the authorized person identification information is compared with the user identification information to authenticate that the user is an authorized user under the usage contract, and / or, when the contract information includes the target device identification information, an authentication function is realized in which the target device identification information is compared with the operating device identification information to authenticate that the operating device is an object device for the energy supply, program.

2. On the computer, a contract acquisition function for acquiring contract information indicating a usage contract between a supplier that supplies energy and a user of the energy or a person related to the user; a certificate acquisition function for acquiring an electronic certificate for certifying the contract information; a request acquisition function that acquires a request for providing a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from the user device of the user in order to enable the supply of the energy to the operating device of the user based on the usage contract; a provision function for providing the combination to the user device in response to the provision request; a determination acquisition function that acquires a result of a determination on whether or not to supply the energy based on the combination from a supply device that supplies the energy to the operating device; a billing acquisition function that acquires, from the supply device, billing information requesting payment to enable the supply, if the result of the determination indicates that the supply of energy is not possible; a payment acquisition function that acquires payment method information for making a payment using the user's account when the result of the determination is that the supply of the energy is not permitted; a payment processing function for executing a process for settling the payment based on the billing information and the payment method information; program.

3. On the computer, a contract acquisition function for acquiring contract information indicating a usage contract between a supplier that supplies energy and a user of the energy or a person related to the user; a certificate acquisition function for acquiring an electronic certificate for certifying the contract information; a billing acquisition function that acquires, when the result of determining whether the acquired electronic certificate is valid indicates that the electronic certificate is invalid, billing information requesting payment for enabling the supply from a supply device that supplies the energy to the user's operating equipment; a payment acquisition function that acquires payment method information for making a payment using the user's account when the result of the determination is that the electronic certificate is invalid; a payment processing function for executing a process for settling the payment based on the billing information and the payment method information; program.

4. On the computer, a contract acquisition function for acquiring contract information indicating a usage contract between a supply company that supplies energy and a user of the energy or a person related to the user, the contract information including authorized person identification information for identifying an authorized person to use the energy under the usage contract; a user acquisition function that acquires user identification information for identifying the user from the user's terminal device or from a supply device that supplies energy to the user's operating equipment; an authority authentication function that verifies that the user is the authorized user by comparing the authority identification information with the user identification information; a billing acquisition function for acquiring, from the supply device, billing information requesting payment for enabling the supply, if the authentication result is authentication failure; a payment acquisition function that acquires payment method information for making a payment using the user's account if the authentication result is unsuccessful; a payment processing function for executing a process for settling the payment based on the billing information and the payment method information; program.

5. On the computer, a contract acquisition function that acquires contract information indicating a usage contract between a supply company that supplies energy and a user of the energy or a person related to the user, the contract information including target device identification information for identifying a target device that is a user of the energy in the usage contract; a device acquisition function that acquires operating device identification information for identifying the operating device from the operating device of the user or from a supply device that supplies the energy; a device authentication function for verifying that the operating device is the target device by comparing the target device identification information with the operating device identification information; a billing acquisition function for acquiring, from the supply device, billing information requesting payment for enabling the supply, if the authentication result is authentication failure; a payment acquisition function that acquires payment method information for making a payment using the user's account if the authentication result is unsuccessful; a payment processing function for executing a process for settling the payment based on the billing information and the payment method information; program.

6. the providing function provides the combination to the operating device; the operating device requests the supply device to supply the energy based on the combination in order to enable the supply of the energy to the operating device based on the usage contract; The program according to claim 2.

7. further realizing an issuing function in the computer to issue the digital certificate based on the acquired contract information and store the issued digital certificate in a storage unit; The certificate acquisition function acquires the digital certificate from the storage unit. The program according to claim 6.

8. a contract acquisition unit that acquires contract information indicating a usage contract concluded in advance between a supply company that supplies energy and a user of the energy, the contract information including authorized person identification information for identifying an authorized person to use the energy under the usage contract, and / or target device identification information for identifying a target device that is the target of using the energy under the usage contract; a certificate acquisition unit that acquires an electronic certificate for certifying the contract information; a request acquisition unit that acquires a request for providing a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from a user device including a terminal device of the user in order to enable the supply of the energy to the operating device of the user based on the usage contract; a providing unit that provides the combination to the user device in response to the provision request; a user acquisition unit that acquires user identification information for identifying the user; a device acquisition unit that acquires operating device identification information for identifying the operating device; an authentication unit that performs an authority authentication for comparing the authority identification information with the user identification information to authenticate that the user is an authorized user under the usage contract when the contract information includes the authority identification information, and / or performs a target device authentication for comparing the target device identification information with the operating device identification information to authenticate that the operating device is a target device for the energy supply when the contract information includes the target device identification information; Information processing device.

9. The computer acquire contract information indicating a usage contract concluded in advance between a supply company that supplies energy and a user of the energy, the contract information including authorized person identification information for identifying an authorized person to use the energy under the usage contract, and / or target device identification information for identifying a target device that is the target of using the energy under the usage contract; Obtain an electronic certificate to certify the contract information; obtaining a request for providing a combination of the contract information and the electronic certificate from a user device including a terminal device of the user in order to enable the supply of the energy to the operating device of the user based on the usage contract; providing the combination to the user device in response to the provision request; acquiring user identification information for identifying the user; acquiring operating device identification information for identifying the operating device; When the contract information includes the authorized person identification information, performing authorized person authentication by comparing the authorized person identification information with the user identification information to authenticate that the user is an authorized user under the usage contract, and / or when the contract information includes the target device identification information, performing target device authentication by comparing the target device identification information with the operating device identification information to authenticate that the operating device is an object device for the energy supply. Information processing methods.

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