Information processing system, information processing method and program for an auction that adjusts prices according to the number of purchases desired

Abstract

To provide an information processing system, method and program for adjusting prices in an auction according to the number of items desired to be purchased. [Solution] In an information processing system, a processor of an information processing device acquires information about a trading object in a first acquisition step. The information about the trading object includes the number of items being offered for the trading object and the base unit price of the trading object. In a first reception step, input of the number of items desired to purchase for the trading object at a trading unit price based on the latest base unit price is received from each of a plurality of potential purchasers. In a unit price update step, if the sum of the numbers desired to purchase by the plurality of potential purchasers is greater than the number of items being offered for the trading object, the base unit price is updated to a higher value, and in an assignment step, if the sum of the numbers desired to purchase by the plurality of potential purchasers is equal to or less than the number of items being offered for the trading object, the desired number of items of the trading object is associated with each of the plurality of potential purchasers.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing system for an auction that adjusts the price according to the number of items desired to be purchased. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a network auction method for multiple items that is robust against fraudulent activity by setting only reservation prices. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-062387 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, there are two major areas of room for improvement in this method for trading multiple goods. First, in an auction where multiple goods are sold, there is a risk that buyers will not bid up prices as vigorously as they should. Specifically, for example, in the early stages of the bidding process, when everyone is placing low bids, the bidding may stagnate and the auction may end over time. Second, the auction operator may want to give preferential treatment to certain buyers for some of the goods. However, in a typical bidding competition, such preferential treatment is not possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information processing system comprising at least one processor configured to execute a program that performs the following steps: a first acquisition step acquires information regarding a trading object, the information regarding the trading object including the number of items of the trading object being offered and the base unit price of the trading object; a first reception step accepts input from each of a plurality of potential purchasers of the number of items they wish to purchase for a trading unit price based on the latest base unit price; a unit price update step updates the base unit price to a higher value if the sum of the numbers of items desired to purchase by the plurality of potential purchasers is greater than the number of items being offered for the trading object; and an assignment step associates the number of items desired to purchase with each of the plurality of potential purchasers if the sum of the numbers of items desired to purchase by the plurality of potential purchasers is equal to or less than the number of items being offered for the trading object.

[0006] With this configuration, prospective buyers input the number of items they wish to purchase but not the price, and the auction operator continues to raise the base price as long as the total number of items desired to purchase is greater than the number of items being offered, and then prompts the prospective buyers to enter their number of items they wish to purchase again. The operator continues to raise the base price until the total number of items desired to purchase is less than or equal to the number of items being offered, preventing a situation in which prospective buyers do not bid aggressively. Furthermore, the price each prospective buyer pays per item is not the base price itself, but an individual transaction price for each person based on the base price. The operator can encourage purchases by offering preferential treatment to specific prospective buyers at a discounted price from the base price. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an information processing system 1. FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of an information processing device 2. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a user terminal 3. [Figure 4] 1 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed in the information processing system 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a purchase request screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the flow of updating the base unit price and the desired purchase quantity. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a process for limiting the number of items to be purchased when a maximum payment amount is set. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] 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.

[0009] 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).

[0010] Furthermore, various information processing according to an embodiment may realize input and output corresponding to the input. Here, the form of information referenced in such information processing (hereinafter referred to as reference information) is not limited as long as an output is obtained as a result of the input. The reference information may be, for example, rule-based information such as a database, a lookup table, or a predetermined function (including a decision formula such as a regression formula constructed using a statistical method), a trained model that has previously learned the correlation between input and output, or a generative AI such as a large-scale language model (these models include parameters that establish the correlation between input and output) or a visual language model that can output a desired result in response to a prompt.

[0011] 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.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 1. Hardware Configuration This section explains the hardware configuration.

[0014] <Information Processing System 1> 1 is a configuration diagram showing an information processing system 1. The information processing system 1 is a so-called auction-style buying and selling system that proposes the purchase of a plurality of trading objects to a plurality of potential buyers.

[0015] The trading object can be any one or more items that can be treated as the same good, and can be a tangible, intangible, or a combination of these. Here, "same good" refers to goods that can be viewed as the same thing from the perspective of the person desiring them. For example, if there are 100 stock options with the same content from the same company, each of them is the same good. Furthermore, although 10,000-yen bill A and 10,000-yen bill B are not physically identical in the sense that they have different face numbers, people typically view them as identical 10,000-yen bills, and they are considered the same good in this context. Tangible goods are not limited to those consisting of a single item but can also be composed of a combination of multiple items. Examples of intangible goods include rights that can be treated as shared or divisible property, such as government bonds, stocks, and usage rights (e.g., rights to use radio waves used by television stations). Intangible goods can also be data (e.g., points) that function as currency for transactions within a specified community. In particular, trading objects are preferably rights that have asset properties within the group to which the potential purchaser belongs. Examples of such trading objects include stocks and stock options in a corporation. In particular, if the group is a startup company or other entity aiming to go public, granting stock options to members of the group (not limited to employees with regular employment relationships, but may include directors, contract workers, etc.) can increase the motivation of those who receive the options to work.

[0016] For example, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 2, a management terminal 3a, and a purchase terminal 3b. The management terminal 3a is a terminal for managing the buying and selling of transaction objects. The purchase terminal 3b is a terminal used by a person who wishes to purchase a transaction object. For ease of explanation, the management terminal 3a and the purchase terminal 3b may be collectively referred to as user terminals 3. The users of these user terminals 3 may belong to the same group or different groups. The information processing device 2 and each user terminal 3 are configured to be able to communicate via a telecommunications line. In one embodiment, the information processing system 1 is made up of one or more devices or components. The information processing system 1 may also be made up of only the information processing device 2. These components will be described below.

[0017] <Information processing device 2> 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the information processing device 2. The information processing device 2 includes a communication bus 20, a communication unit 21, a storage unit 22, and a processor 23, and these components are electrically connected via the communication bus 20 inside the information processing device 2. Each component will be further described below.

[0018] The communication unit 21 is preferably a wired communication means such as USB, IEEE1394, Thunderbolt (registered trademark), wired LAN network communication, etc., but may also include wireless LAN network communication, mobile communication such as 3G / LTE / 5G, BLUETOOTH (registered trademark) communication, etc. as needed. In other words, it is more preferable to implement it as a collection of multiple communication means. In other words, the information processing device 2 may communicate various information from the outside via the communication unit 21 and the network.

[0019] The storage unit 22 stores various pieces of information defined above. This can be implemented, for example, as a storage device such as a solid state drive (SSD) that stores various programs and the like related to the information processing device 2 executed by the processor 23, or as a memory such as a random access memory (RAM) that stores temporarily required information (arguments, arrays, etc.) related to the program operations. The storage unit 22 stores various programs, variables, etc. related to the information processing device 2 executed by the processor 23.

[0020] The processor 23 processes and controls the overall operations related to the information processing device 2. The processor 23 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) not shown. The processor 23 realizes various functions related to the information processing device 2 by reading out predetermined programs stored in the storage unit 22. That is, information processing by software stored in the storage unit 22 is specifically realized by the processor 23, which is an example of hardware, and can be executed as each functional unit included in the processor 23. Note that the processor 23 is not limited to being single, and multiple processors 23 may be provided for each function. The functions may be implemented by a combination of functions performed by a single processor 23 and functions performed by multiple processors 23.

[0021] The processor 23 is configured to function as an acquisition unit and acquire information from the user terminal 3 or another device. The processor 23 is configured to be able to acquire various pieces of information by reading out various pieces of information stored in a storage area that is at least a part of the memory unit 22 and writing the read information into a working area that is at least a part of the memory unit 22. The storage area is, for example, an area of ​​the memory unit 22 that is implemented as a storage device such as an SSD. The working area is, for example, an area that is implemented as a memory such as a RAM. Note that acquisition by the processor 23 includes acquiring output results from each functional unit included in the processor 23.

[0022] The processor 23 is configured to display various types of information as a display processing unit. The information can be presented to the user via a display unit 34 of the user terminal 3 (described later) or another device. In such a case, for example, the processor 23 controls the display unit 34 of the user terminal 3 to display visual information such as a screen, an image including a still image or a video, an icon, or a message. The processor 23 may generate only rendering information for displaying the visual information on the user terminal 3. Note that the processor 23 may present the output information to the user without going through the user terminal 3 or another device.

[0023] <User terminal 3> 3 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal 3. The user terminal 3 includes a communication bus 30, a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, a processor 33, a display unit 34, and an input unit 35, and these components are electrically connected via the communication bus 30 inside the user terminal 3. The description of the communication unit 31, the storage unit 32, and the processor 33 is omitted because they are the same as the description of each unit in the information processing device 2.

[0024] The display unit 34 may be included in the housing of the user terminal 3 or may be externally attached. The display unit 34 displays a screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) that can be operated by the user. The display unit 34 is preferably implemented using a display device such as a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or a plasma display, which is selected depending on the type of the user terminal 3.

[0025] The input unit 35 is configured to be able to accept input from a user. The input unit 35 may be included in the housing of the user terminal 3 or may be externally attached. For example, the input unit 35 may be implemented as a touch panel integrated with the display unit 34. The touch panel allows the user to input tapping, swiping, and the like. Of course, instead of a touch panel, a switch button, a mouse, a QWERTY keyboard, a voice recognition device, a gesture detection device, a gaze detection device, a biosignal detection device, an imaging device, and the like may be used. That is, the input unit 35 accepts an operation input made by the user. In response, the input unit 35 transfers a signal corresponding to the operation input to the processor 33 via the communication bus 30. The processor 33 may perform predetermined control or calculation as necessary.

[0026] 3. Information Processing In this section, the information processing executed in the information processing system 1 described above will be described.

[0027] 3.1. Information processing flow 4 is an activity diagram showing an example of the flow of information processing executed in the information processing system 1. Note that the information processing may include any exception processing not shown. Exception processing includes interruption of the information processing or omission of each process. Selection or input performed in the information processing may be based on a user operation or may be performed automatically without relying on a user operation.

[0028] [Action A1] First, in action A1, the management terminal 3a transmits information about the trading object. As described above, the trading object can be any type of trading object. However, for the sake of convenience, the information about the trading object includes the number of units of the trading object being offered and the initial base price of the trading object. The number of units of the trading object being offered can be a discrete value, such as an integer, if the trading object has the smallest purchasable unit. If the trading object is continuously divisible, it can be a continuous value including a decimal point. The base price of the trading object is the base price of the trading object per unit quantity. The initial base price can be set arbitrarily by the seller (which in this embodiment is also the administrator), based on a value valuation estimated through due diligence by an external organization, or set probabilistically and randomly. The information about the trading object can also include information about updates to the base price of the trading object. This information can include any information, such as the increase in the base price due to the update, the upper limit of the base price, and conditions for leaving the transaction pending (e.g., the upper limit of the number of updates and the minimum transaction quantity). In this embodiment, the management terminal 3a transmits the amount of increase in the base unit price for each update to the processor 23. Here, the amount of increase is fixed, and therefore the base unit price can change in an arithmetic progression, but this is not limiting and the amount of increase can also be variable depending on the situation each time.

[0029] [Action A2] Meanwhile, in action A2, the purchase terminal 3b accepts input of login information from the potential purchaser. The login input may be character input such as a user ID and password, or biometric authentication. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the potential purchasers belong to the above-mentioned corporation as a common group.

[0030] [Action A3] Next, in action A3, the processor 23 acquires information related to the transaction object transmitted from the management terminal 3a. The processor 23 also acquires login-related input transmitted from the purchasing terminal 3b and performs user authentication. The processor 23 authenticates the user corresponding to the successfully authenticated user ID as the intended purchaser. Each user ID is associated with information for calculating the transaction unit price of each intended purchaser based on the base unit price (e.g., information on the annual income of the intended purchaser i, for setting the transaction unit price of the intended purchaser i as (base unit price x coefficient representing the level of the annual income of the intended purchaser i = transaction unit price of the intended purchaser i)). Reference information (e.g., an employee database) including the association between the user ID and the index is stored, for example, in the storage unit 22. The reference information may also include information related to the evaluation of the intended purchaser at the company (group) (e.g., evaluation information related to work within the company (group), position information related to the position within the company, or remuneration information related to the remuneration paid to the intended purchaser at the company). With regard to the above information, the transaction price of each potential purchaser may be set based on information regarding the potential purchaser's evaluation. Examples of such settings include a setting in which the transaction price of the potential purchaser is lowered when there is information indicating that the potential purchaser has a high personnel evaluation, a high position, or low compensation compared to high expectations. With this configuration, the transaction price of each potential purchaser can be set, for example, according to the potential purchaser's evaluation within the group, position, and compensation (e.g., annual salary). For example, for a potential purchaser with low compensation, the coefficient for that person can be set low, such as 0.5, and the transaction price for that person can be set to the amount obtained by multiplying the base unit price P by the coefficient, thereby achieving a transaction price of 0.5P. Achieving this transaction price can encourage purchases by that potential purchaser. Furthermore, for a potential purchaser with high expectations for future success, setting the coefficient for that person low can encourage purchases by that person. These coefficients and the information required to calculate the coefficients can be collectively referred to as information about the potential purchaser, and processor 23 can acquire the information about the potential purchaser.

[0031] [Action A4] Next, in action A4, processor 23 sets a transaction price for each of the potential purchasers based on the base unit price and information about the potential purchasers. In other words, the transaction price can be set for each potential purchaser based on the base unit price and information about the potential purchasers. For example, processor 23 sets the transaction price by applying a coefficient to the base unit price. For example, processor 23 sets the transaction price so that a person with a lower coefficient will have a lower transaction price. However, this is not limited to this, and processor 23 may also set the transaction price so that a person with a lower coefficient will have a higher transaction price.

[0032] For example, the processor 23 calculates the transaction unit price Fi(P, Ci, CMAX) of the prospective purchaser i by inputting the base unit price P, the annual income Ci of the prospective purchaser i, and the maximum annual income CMAX within the company into the transaction unit price function Fi for i pre-stored in the memory unit 22, etc. For example, the transaction unit price function Fi for i can be expressed as "Fi(P, Ci, CMAX)=P×Ci÷CMAX".

[0033] Also, if buyer i purchases Xi units, the total payment will be "Xi x (P x Ci ÷ CMAX)". Due to the nature of the maximum value, Ci ≦ CMAX, so the buyer's transaction price P x ​​Ci ÷ CMAX will be a value less than or equal to P.

[0034] The transaction price function Fi for each potential purchaser i is not limited to a linear function, but may also be a nonlinear function or a discontinuous function. The transaction price function Fi is not limited to being defined as an explicit function, but may be defined as a lookup table or as a trained model in which input / output relationships have been trained in advance. In this way, the transaction price can be set individually for each potential purchaser based on the base price. The transaction price does not need to be set individually for all potential purchasers, but may be configured to be individually settable for some of the multiple potential purchasers. In other words, the transaction price can be configured to be individually settable for at least some of the multiple potential purchasers based on the base price.

[0035] [Action A5] Then, in action A5, the processor 23 waits until a transaction start condition is satisfied. The transaction start condition can be set arbitrarily, for example, when a command indicating the start of a transaction is received from the management terminal 3a, or when the current time reaches the transaction start time.

[0036] [Action A6] If the transaction start conditions are met, in action A6, processor 23 causes the display unit 34 of each purchasing terminal 3b to display a purchase request screen 4 (see FIG. 5). This causes processor 23 to present transaction information to the user via the purchase request screen 4. The transaction information may include, for example, the details of the transaction object, the number of items being offered for the transaction object, the latest base price, the latest transaction price (or coefficient) offered to the prospective purchaser, the latest desired purchase quantity (initial value: a real number greater than or equal to zero, or undetermined), and the maximum number of items that can be traded. At this time, processor 23 notifies the corresponding prospective purchaser of the transaction price for each prospective purchaser, but not other prospective purchasers. At this time, processor 23 may notify each prospective purchaser of the base price as a common value. This configuration can reduce, to a certain extent, the sense of unfairness caused by different transaction prices being offered to different people. The processor 23 accepts input (in other words, bids) from each of multiple potential purchasers via input by the potential purchaser on the purchase request screen 4 of the number of items they wish to purchase for the transaction, based on their respective transaction unit prices which are based on the latest base unit price.

[0037] The maximum payment amount for each potential purchaser is the maximum amount that the potential purchaser is permitted to pay in total. Typical examples of maximum payment amounts include a budget set by each potential purchaser or a maximum payment amount set by the administrator for each potential purchaser. The administrator typically sets such a maximum amount to prevent hoarding or to establish credit. If the input includes information regarding the maximum payment amount for each potential purchaser, processor 23 may acquire that information. In this case, processor 23 limits the number of purchases the potential purchaser wishes to make based on that information. Such limitations may include, for example, (1) limiting the number of purchases that can be entered so that the amount obtained by multiplying the number of purchases the potential purchaser wishes to make by the transaction price is equal to or less than the potential purchaser's budget, (2) limiting the number of purchases the potential purchaser can enter to a maximum value set by the administrator, or (3) limiting the number of purchases the potential purchaser can enter after the base price is updated to a number equal to or less than the number the potential purchaser wished to make immediately before the base price was updated. The maximum payment amount may be set by the prospective purchaser directly specifying it via the purchase request screen 4.

[0038] When the base unit price is updated, processor 23 can set the desired purchase quantity for each potential purchaser immediately after the base unit price is updated as the desired purchase quantity immediately before the base unit price is updated. After the base unit price is updated, each potential purchaser can update the desired purchase quantity set in this manner to a different quantity. For example, as in the example (3) above, the number that can be updated may be limited to a value equal to or less than the desired purchase quantity set in this manner. Note that processor 23 may restrict (e.g., prohibit) the input or change of the desired purchase quantity at a given base unit price after a certain period of time has passed. In other words, processor 23 may restrict the input of information regarding the desired purchase quantity of the transaction target so that the desired purchase quantity of the transaction target for the transaction price based on the updated base unit price is equal to or less than the desired purchase quantity of the transaction target for the transaction price based on the base unit price before the update. Without this restriction, potential purchasers could cause confusion in the competitive environment by resubmitting a desired purchase quantity that they had once withdrawn or by concealing their desired purchase quantity until the base unit price increases. The information regarding the desired purchase quantity of the transaction object may be the desired purchase quantity itself of the transaction object, the upper limit of the desired purchase quantity, or the upper limit of the payment amount.

[0039] [Action A7] Thereafter, in action A7, processor 23 determines whether the total number of items desired to be purchased by the multiple potential purchasers is greater than the number of items being put up for sale as the subject of the transaction.

[0040] [Action A8] If the total number of items desired by multiple potential buyers is greater than the number of items being offered for sale, in action A8, processor 23 updates the base unit price to a higher value. For example, processor 23 updates the base unit price by the amount of increase in the base unit price obtained in action A3. Processor 23 may also update the base unit price by suddenly increasing it midway through the auction process to expedite the completion of the auction process. In conjunction with updating the base unit price, processor 23 updates the transaction unit price for each potential buyer.

[0041] Thereafter, the process returns to action A6, and processor 23 causes purchase request screen 4 to be displayed again on display unit 34, and accepts input of a new purchase request quantity based on the updated base unit price and transaction unit price.

[0042] [Action A9] As the base price increases and new purchase quantities are accepted, the total number of purchase quantities decreases. As this process continues, a state occurs in which the total number of purchase quantities becomes less than the number of items listed for sale at action A7, and processing proceeds to action A9. At action A9, processor 23 executes a successful bid process and associates the desired number of items with each of the multiple potential buyers. The associated potential buyers are granted the right to purchase the desired number of items. The purchase of the items may be made immediately by paying the price or at a later date. In other words, processor 23 does not need to fulfill claims and obligations related to the delivery of the items within the scope of this information processing. In an auction where multiple items of the same item are being sold, bidding often fails to raise the price sufficiently. However, in a system where the operator automatically raises the price and the potential buyer simply inputs the desired number of items, as in this embodiment, the price can be raised sufficiently.

[0043] Thereafter, the information processing system 1 ends this information processing. The above information processing can be said to be a quantity announcement auction.

[0044] According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide better information processing for trading multiple goods.

[0045] For example, with this configuration, prospective buyers input the number of items they wish to purchase but not the price, and the auction operator continues to raise the base price as long as the total number of items desired is greater than the number of items offered, and then prompts the prospective buyers to enter their number of items they wish to purchase again. The operator continues to raise the base price until the total number of items desired is less than or equal to the number of items offered, preventing a situation in which prospective buyers do not actively bid upward. Furthermore, the price each prospective buyer pays per item does not have to be the base price itself, but may be a transaction price individual to each person based on the base price. The operator may encourage specific prospective buyers to purchase by applying a transaction price significantly discounted from the base price to those prospective buyers. However, the transaction price may be set to a value equal to the most recent base price.

[0046] As a result, at least one of the following situations that may arise when trading multiple goods can be improved. The first situation is that in an auction where multiple goods are bought and sold, buyers do not actively compete to raise prices. Specifically, for example, in the early stages of bidding, when everyone is placing low bids, the bidding stagnates and the auction ends as time passes. The second situation is a situation where the operator of the auction wants to give preferential treatment to a specific person in the sale of some of the multiple goods. In a normal bidding competition, such preferential treatment is not possible, but in this embodiment, such preferential treatment is possible.

[0047] 3.2. Example of Purchase Request Screen Next, an example of the configuration of the purchase request screen used in the above information processing will be described. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the purchase request screen. As shown in Fig. 5, the purchase request screen 4 is displayed on the display unit 34 of the purchase terminal 3b of the purchaser, and includes, for example, a transaction object display area 41, a purchaser area 42, an input area 43, and a decision button 44.

[0048] The trading object display area 41 displays, as an example of information about the trading object, the name of the trading object, the number of items being offered for trading, and the current base price. The trading object display area 41 may also display the current total number of items desired to be purchased (the sum of the number of items desired to be purchased). This allows each potential purchaser to compare the number of items being offered for trading with the total number of items desired to be purchased, making it easier for them to consider the number of items they wish to purchase. The display content of the trading object display area 41 may be the same for all potential purchasers.

[0049] The prospective purchaser area 42 may display information about the prospective purchaser, such as the prospective purchaser's current transaction price, the prospective purchaser's maximum payment amount, and the maximum number of items the prospective purchaser can enter. The content displayed in the prospective purchaser area 42 is different for each prospective purchaser, and is usually not visible to other prospective purchasers. The amounts displayed here may be set by an administrator of the company or the like.

[0050] The input area 43 is configured to allow the prospective purchaser to input specifications regarding the purchase he / she wishes to make. For example, the input area 43 is configured to allow the prospective purchaser to input specifications regarding the number of items he / she wishes to purchase based on his / her current transaction price, an updated value if he / she wishes to change his / her upper limit payment amount, etc.

[0051] The decision button 44 is a button for confirming the input content in the input area 43. When the decision button 44 is operated, the processor 33 of the purchasing terminal 3b sends the input content to the information processing device 2, and the processor 23 of the information processing device 2 accepts the input result sent from the processor 33 of the purchasing terminal 3b.

[0052] 3.3. Update process Next, the flow of updating the base unit price and the desired purchase quantity carried out in the above information processing will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of updating the base unit price and the desired purchase quantity. As shown at t=1 (initial state) in FIG. 6, as an example, assume that the number of items being offered is 4, the initial base unit price is 100, and the price increase amount is 50. There are three potential buyers, A, B, and C, and their respective coefficients are 1, 0.8, and 0.5. In this case, the transaction prices for potential buyers A, B, and C will be 100, 80, and 50, respectively, obtained by multiplying the base unit price by the coefficient.

[0053] Thereafter, the information processing device 2 accepts input (declaration) of the number of items desired to be purchased from each of the potential purchasers A, B, and C. For example, assume that the numbers desired to be purchased by potential purchasers A, B, and C are 3, 4, and 2, respectively. In this case, the total number of items desired to be purchased is 9, which is greater than the number of items being put up for sale, which is 4. Therefore, as a result of the determination in action A7, the base unit price is updated to 150 in action A8. Accordingly, the transaction unit prices for each of the potential purchasers A, B, and C are updated to 150×1=150, 150×0.8=120, and 150×0.5=75.

[0054] Thereafter, the information processing device 2 again accepts input of the desired purchase quantity from each of the potential purchasers A, B, and C. At this time, potential purchasers A, B, and C can usually only specify a value equal to or less than the desired purchase quantity they previously input. For example, suppose the newly input desired purchase quantities for potential purchasers A, B, and C at t=2 (quantity declaration) are 1, 2, and 1, respectively. In this case, the total desired purchase quantities are 4, and the number of items being offered is 4 or less. Therefore, the successful bid process of action A9 is executed, and 1, 2, and 1 trading object are associated with potential purchasers A, B, and C, respectively. Potential purchasers A, B, and C can obtain the desired number of trading objects by paying the amount calculated by multiplying the desired purchase quantity by their own unit price.

[0055] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the process for limiting the number of units a buyer wishes to purchase when a maximum payment amount is set for each buyer. As shown in FIG. 7, buyer C's maximum payment amount is set to 149. In this case, buyer C can bid two units at t=1 when his / her transaction price is 50, but cannot bid two units at t=2 when his / her transaction price is 75. If buyer C wishes to purchase two units, he / she can purchase them for 100 or less than 149 when the transaction price is 50. However, when the transaction price is 75, the payment amount exceeds the maximum payment amount, because 150 > 149. Therefore, at the start of t=2 when the transaction price is 75, buyer C's desired purchase quantity of 2 entered at t=1 is forcibly updated to 1 to avoid violating the maximum payment amount. Furthermore, at t=2 (quantity announcement), buyer C cannot set a desired purchase quantity greater than 1 (e.g., 2 or 3). This can prevent potential buyers from spending more than their budget.

[0056] 4.Other The above embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0057] The information processing according to the above embodiment can be used for providing incentives to business entities such as companies, but is not limited to this and can be applied to any group (community). For example, when selling collectible items in a fan community, the information processing can be set so that the greater a user's contribution to the community, the lower the transaction price.

[0058] This information processing is not limited to the real space, but may be performed in a virtual space such as the Metaverse.

[0059] The purchase of the trading object does not need to be made using securities such as Bank of Japan notes, but may be made using points used within a specific group, virtual currency, etc. The purchase of the trading object may not be exchangeable for securities such as Bank of Japan notes.

[0060] The information processing device 2 may be an on-premise type or a cloud type. As the information processing device 2 in the cloud type, the above-mentioned functions and processes may be provided in the form of, for example, SaaS (Software as a Service) or cloud computing.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the information processing device 2 performs various storage and control operations, but multiple external devices may be used instead of the information processing device 2. That is, various information and programs may be distributed and stored in multiple external devices using block chain technology or the like.

[0062] The above embodiment is not limited to the information processing system 1, and may be an information processing method or an information processing program. The information processing method includes each step of the information processing system 1. The program causes at least one computer to execute each step of the information processing system 1.

[0063] The information processing system 1 and the like may be provided in the following aspects.

[0064] (1) An information processing system comprising at least one processor configured to execute a program that performs the following steps: a first acquisition step acquires information about a trading object, the information about the trading object including the number of units of the trading object being offered and the base unit price of the trading object; a first reception step accepts input from each of a plurality of potential purchasers of the number of units they wish to purchase of the trading object for a trading unit price based on the latest base unit price; a unit price update step updates the base unit price to a higher value if the sum of the numbers of units desired to purchase by the plurality of potential purchasers is greater than the number of units being offered for the trading object; and an assignment step associates the number of units of the trading object desired to purchase with each of the plurality of potential purchasers if the sum of the numbers of units desired to purchase by the plurality of potential purchasers is equal to or less than the number of units being offered for the trading object.

[0065] With this configuration, multiple transaction objects can be appropriately purchased according to the customer's wishes.

[0066] (2) In the information processing system described in (1) above, the transaction unit price can be set individually for at least some of the multiple potential purchasers based on the base unit price.

[0067] According to this configuration, it is possible to encourage the purchase of multiple transaction objects in a manner suited to each potential purchaser.

[0068] (3) In the information processing system described in (1) or (2) above, in the second acquisition step, information about the potential purchaser is acquired, and the transaction price is set for each potential purchaser based on the base price and the information about the potential purchaser.

[0069] According to this configuration, it is possible to encourage the purchase of multiple transaction objects in a manner suited to each potential purchaser.

[0070] (4) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (3) above, when the plurality of potential purchasers belong to a predetermined group, the transaction price of the potential purchaser is set based on the evaluation of the potential purchaser in the group.

[0071] With this configuration, for example, it is possible to encourage purchases of multiple transaction targets at appropriate unit prices and quantities according to the evaluation, position, and remuneration (for example, annual salary) within the group.

[0072] (5) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (4) above, the transaction unit price is set by applying a coefficient to the base unit price, and the coefficient is set individually for each potential purchaser.

[0073] According to this configuration, it is possible to encourage the purchase of multiple transaction objects in a manner suited to each potential purchaser.

[0074] (6) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (5) above, in the second acquisition step, information regarding the maximum payment amount permitted for the purchaser is acquired, and in the quantity limiting step, the number of items desired to be purchased by the purchaser is limited so that the total purchase amount based on the latest transaction unit price for the purchaser is equal to or less than the maximum payment amount.

[0075] This configuration can prevent purchases from exceeding the budget of the prospective purchaser.

[0076] (7) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (6) above, in the second receiving step, the system receives input of information regarding the desired purchase quantity of the trading object so that the desired purchase quantity of the trading object for the transaction unit price based on the updated base unit price is equal to or less than the desired purchase quantity of the trading object for the transaction unit price based on the base unit price before the update.

[0077] This configuration can prevent confusion in the competitive environment caused by resubmitting a purchase quantity that was once withdrawn or by hiding one's own purchase quantity until the base unit price becomes higher.

[0078] (8) In the information processing system described in any one of (1) to (7) above, in the notification step, the transaction price for each of the desired purchasers is notified to the corresponding desired purchaser, but not to other desired purchasers.

[0079] With this configuration, for example, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a buyer may feel a sense of unfairness between themselves and other potential buyers due to the fact that the transaction unit price for the same quality goods varies from person to person.

[0080] (9) In the information processing system according to any one of (1) to (8) above, the transaction unit price is set to a value equal to the latest base unit price.

[0081] (10) An information processing method, comprising the steps of the information processing system according to any one of (1) to (9) above.

[0082] According to this configuration, a plurality of trading objects can be appropriately allocated and purchased according to customer's wishes.

[0083] (11) A program that causes at least one computer to execute each step of the information processing system according to any one of (1) to (9) above.

[0084] According to this configuration, a plurality of trading objects can be appropriately allocated and purchased according to customer's wishes. Of course, this is not the case.

[0085] Finally, while various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, they are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The novel embodiments may be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Such embodiments and modifications are intended to be included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the inventions and their equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 1: Information processing system 2: Information processing equipment 20: Communication bus 21: Communications Department 22: Storage section 23: Processor 3: User terminal 3a: Management terminal 3b: Purchase device 30: Communication bus 31: Communications Department 32: Storage section 33: Processor 34:Display section 35: Input section 4: Purchase request screen 41: Transaction target display area 42: Purchasing applicant area 43: Input area 44: Decision button

Claims

1. An information processing system, at least one processor; The processor is configured to execute a program that performs the following steps: In the first acquisition step, information on the transaction object is acquired; The information about the trading object includes the number of items to be put up for sale and the base price of the trading object; In the first receiving step, an input of the desired purchase quantity of the transaction object for a transaction unit price based on the latest base unit price is received from each of a plurality of potential purchasers; the transaction unit price can be set to a value different from the base unit price for each of the plurality of intended purchasers in accordance with information about the intended purchasers in a manner that cannot be changed by the plurality of intended purchasers themselves, In the unit price updating step, if the total number of purchases desired by the plurality of potential purchasers is greater than the number of items put up for sale in the transaction target, the base unit price is updated to a higher value; In the assigning step, when the total of the purchase quantities desired by the plurality of prospective purchasers is equal to or less than the number of the trading object being put up for sale, the system associates the purchase quantity of the trading object with each of the plurality of prospective purchasers.

2. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The system is configured so that the transaction unit price can be set individually for at least some of the plurality of potential purchasers based on the base unit price.

3. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, In a second acquisition step, information about the intended purchaser is acquired; The transaction unit price is set for each of the intended purchasers based on the base unit price and information about the intended purchasers.

4. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, When the plurality of potential purchasers belong to a predetermined group, the transaction price of each potential purchaser is set based on an evaluation of each potential purchaser in the group.

5. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, The transaction unit price is set by applying a coefficient to the base unit price, The coefficient is set individually for each of the potential purchasers.

6. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, In a second acquisition step, information regarding a maximum payment amount permitted to the purchaser is acquired; In the quantity limiting step, the system limits the number of items that the intended purchaser wishes to purchase so that the total purchase price based on the latest transaction unit price for the intended purchaser is equal to or less than the upper payment limit.

7. An information processing system, at least one processor; The processor is configured to execute a program that performs the following steps: In the first acquisition step, information on the transaction object is acquired; The information about the trading object includes the number of items to be put up for sale and the base price of the trading object; In the first receiving step, an input of the desired purchase quantity of the transaction object for a transaction unit price based on the latest base unit price is received from each of a plurality of potential purchasers; In the unit price updating step, if the total number of purchases desired by the plurality of potential purchasers is greater than the number of items put up for sale in the transaction target, the base unit price is updated to a higher value; In the assigning step, when the total of the purchase quantities desired by the plurality of potential purchasers is equal to or less than the number of the trading object being put up for sale, the purchase quantity of the trading object is associated with each of the plurality of potential purchasers; In the second receiving step, the system receives input of information regarding the desired purchase quantity of the trading object so that the desired purchase quantity of the trading object for the transaction unit price based on the updated base unit price is equal to or less than the desired purchase quantity of the trading object for the transaction unit price based on the base unit price before the update.

8. 2. The information processing system according to claim 1, In the notification step, the system notifies the transaction unit price for each of the intended purchasers to the corresponding intended purchaser, but not to other intended purchasers.

9. An information processing method, comprising: A method comprising the steps of the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A program, A program causing at least one computer to execute each step of the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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