Electronic payment management device, payment terminal, and electronic payment management method

Abstract

An electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method are provided that can prevent fraudulent payments. [Solution] The electronic payment system includes a payment terminal management server, a vending machine, a payment terminal, an information storage medium, a payment provider server, and a user terminal. The payment terminal management server acquires payment terminal identification information and the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal via communication, and acquires information storage medium identification information that the user terminal reads from the information storage medium via communication from the user terminal. The payment terminal management server compares the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and allows the payment of the price of the item to be paid via the payment terminal only if the comparison is successful.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method. [Background technology]

[0002] Vending machines that allow electronic payments (see, for example, Patent Document 1) are becoming more common. The vending machine in Patent Document 1 has a built-in function for using electronic payment services provided by payment service providers. Vending machines can provide users with a convenient payment method.

[0003] The vending machine in Patent Document 1 is equipped with an ID storage medium. In Patent Document 1, an information processing device that communicates with the vending machine receives, when a product is purchased, purchase information including a vending machine identifier and a product identifier corresponding to the product purchase instruction, as well as the identifier of the ID storage medium, determines whether vending machine management information indicating a correspondence between the vending machine identifier and the ID storage medium identifier is present in the vending machine management unit, and if the vending machine management information is present in the vending machine management unit, performs a payment process to have the settlement person pay the amount corresponding to the product identifier. This allows the vending machine in Patent Document 1 to perform appropriate payment using a user terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7309999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] There are electronic payment systems that allow users to use electronic payment services simply by introducing a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium (an information storage medium associated with the payment terminal) such as a QR code (registered trademark) or an NFC (Near Field Communication) tag into the object (e.g., a vending machine) or location where electronic payment is to be made, and that provide the function / location to perform electronic payments inexpensively.

[0006] In an electronic payment system in which a payment terminal and an information storage medium are installed in a vending machine, when a product is purchased, a payment request for the product is made when the user performs a product purchase operation on the vending machine and an operation to read information from the information storage medium (an information storage medium associated with the payment terminal) using a user terminal. When a payment request for the product is made, the information necessary for the payment is sent from each of the payment terminal and the user terminal to a payment terminal management server, and the payment terminal management server requests a payment business server to determine whether or not the payment is possible (authorization), receives a determination result from the payment business server that the payment is possible, sends the determination result to the payment terminal, and the payment is completed by the payment terminal.

[0007] In an electronic payment system, it is necessary to prevent fraudulent payments by allowing only legitimate payment requests based on appropriate operations to be accepted.

[0008] In Patent Document 1, an information processing device uses a vending machine identifier stored in the vending machine to make a determination to ensure proper payment, whereas the present invention can prevent fraudulent payments without using the vending machine identifier. In electronic payment systems, the business that provides the vending machine is typically different from the business that provides the payment terminal and information storage medium, and there is no guarantee that the business that provides the payment terminal and information storage medium will necessarily know the vending machine identifier. Therefore, in order to provide a function to prevent fraudulent payments simply by introducing a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium, a mechanism is needed to prevent fraudulent payments without using the vending machine identifier.

[0009] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1, the information processing device receives a product identifier corresponding to a purchase instruction from a vending machine as purchase information necessary for payment. Therefore, in order for the information processing device to know the price of the product to be paid for, the information processing device needs to have management information for the price of the product corresponding to the product identifier. However, for the same reasons as above, there is no guarantee that the business operator that provides the payment terminal and the information storage medium will be able to know the product identifier and the price corresponding to the product identifier, and it may be difficult to prepare management information for the price of the product corresponding to the product identifier.

[0010] In contrast, the present invention can be applied to existing devices because it only requires obtaining price information for the payment object of a product or service from a device that provides the product or service. Also, since the price of the payment object is sent from the payment terminal to the payment terminal management server, the payment terminal management server does not need to have management information for the price of the product corresponding to the product identifier (i.e., management information for identifying the price of the payment object).

[0011] Furthermore, when the present invention is attached to an attachment target such as a vending machine that has a payment terminal attached, the attachment target does not need to be configured in a special way to transmit the product identifier assigned to the product corresponding to the purchase instruction to the payment terminal.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, the attachment object only needs to have a simple configuration capable of transmitting the price of the payment object to the payment terminal.

[0013] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method that do not require management information for specifying the price of the payment object.

[0014] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic payment management device, payment terminal, and electronic payment management method that can be applied to an object to be attached (such as a currently used vending machine) and have a simple configuration that can transmit the price of the payment object to the payment terminal.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic payment management device, a payment terminal, and an electronic payment management method that can prevent fraudulent payments. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] In order to solve the above problems, the electronic payment management device of the present invention is an electronic payment management device that includes a calculation device and a memory device and is configured to be able to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the calculation device is configured to acquire payment terminal identification information and the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal via communication, acquire information storage medium identification information that the user terminal reads from an information storage medium via communication from the user terminal, compare the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and enable the payment terminal to pay the price of the item to be paid only if the comparison is successful.

[0017] The electronic payment management device of the present invention includes a calculation device and a memory device, and is configured to be able to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the calculation device acquires payment terminal identification information and the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal via communication, acquires information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from an information storage medium via communication from the user terminal, requests the payment terminal to match the payment terminal identification information with the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment terminal to pay the price of the item to be paid only if the match performed by the payment terminal is successful.

[0018] The electronic payment management device of the present invention includes a calculation device and a memory device, and is configured to be able to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the calculation device obtains the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal, and when it obtains information storage medium identification information that the user terminal has read from an information storage medium via communication from the user terminal, it requests the payment terminal to inquire whether a payment request has been made, and is configured to allow the payment terminal to pay the price of the item to be paid only if the inquiry result indicates that a payment request has been made.

[0019] The payment terminal of the present invention includes a computing device and a memory device, is configured to be able to communicate with an electronic payment management device, and is communicatively connected to an automatic product provision device or an automatic service provision device, wherein the computing device acquires the price of the item to be paid from the automatic product provision device or the automatic service provision device and transmits it to the electronic payment management device, and upon receiving a request for matching determination from the electronic payment management device, the electronic payment management device determines whether it has acquired payment terminal identification information from the payment terminal via communication, and whether it has acquired information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from an information storage medium via communication from a user terminal, and if the electronic payment management device has acquired the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, it compares the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information and transmits the matching determination result to the electronic payment management device.

[0020] The payment terminal of the present invention includes a computing device and a memory device, is configured to be able to communicate with an electronic payment management device, and is communicatively connected to an automatic product provision device or an automatic service provision device, wherein the computing device is configured to obtain the price of the item to be paid from the automatic product provision device or the automatic service provision device and send it to the electronic payment management device, and upon receiving an inquiry request from the electronic payment management device, determine whether a payment request has been made to the electronic payment management device or not, and send the determination result to the electronic payment management device as the inquiry result.

[0021] The electronic payment management method of the present invention is an electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to be able to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device acquires payment terminal identification information and the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal via communication, acquires information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from an information storage medium via communication from the user terminal, compares the correspondence between the payment terminal identification information and the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment terminal to pay the price of the item to be paid only if the comparison is successful.

[0022] The electronic payment management method of the present invention is an electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to be able to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device acquires payment terminal identification information and the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal via communication, acquires information storage medium identification information read by the user terminal from an information storage medium via communication from the user terminal, requests the payment terminal to match the payment terminal identification information with the information storage medium identification information, and enables the payment terminal to pay the price of the item to be paid only if the match performed by the payment terminal is successful.

[0023] The electronic payment management method of the present invention is an electronic payment management method using an information processing device configured to be able to communicate with a payment terminal and a user terminal, wherein the information processing device obtains the price of the item to be paid from the payment terminal, and when it obtains information storage medium identification information that the user terminal has read from an information storage medium via communication with the user terminal, it requests the payment terminal to inquire whether a payment request has been made, and only if the inquiry result indicates that a payment request has been made, allows the payment terminal to pay the price of the item to be paid. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, it is not necessary to have management information for identifying the price of the payment object, and it is possible to prevent fraudulent payments. Note that the effects described herein are not necessarily limited to those described herein, and may be any of the effects described in this disclosure. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic payment system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the payment terminal management server. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining terminal ID management information. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a vending machine. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the payment terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the collation determination executed by the payment terminal management server. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the mischief operation warning process. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart for explaining the verification determination executed by the payment terminal. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. [Figure 22]FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in all drawings of the embodiments, the same or corresponding parts may be assigned the same reference numerals. In the following description, various information may be described using expressions such as "record," but the various information may be expressed using other data structures. When describing identification information, the expression "ID" is used, but other expressions are possible. In the following description, processing may be described using a device as the subject, but the subject of the processing may be a CPU, a controller, or the like instead of a device.

[0027] <<First Embodiment>> Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic payment system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the electronic payment system includes a payment terminal management server 100, a vending machine 200, a payment terminal 300, an information storage medium 400, and a payment service provider server 500. The electronic payment system may also include a user terminal 600, and, although not shown, may also include a terminal of an administrator who manages the vending machine 200.

[0028] Payment terminal management server 100, payment terminal 300, payment operator server 500, and user terminal 600 are communicably connected to each other via network NW1. Vending machine 200 and payment terminal 300 are communicably connected to each other via a communication line (not shown).

[0029] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of payment terminal management server 100. Payment terminal management server 100 is sometimes referred to as an "electronic payment management device." As shown in Figure 2, payment terminal management server 100 has a non-volatile storage device 110 that can read and write data, memory 120 (e.g., RAM), CPU 130, input / output interface 140, and network interface 150. CPU 130, storage device 110, memory 120, input / output interface 140, network interface 150, and bus 160 are connected via a bus.

[0030] A device including the CPU 130, the storage device 110, the memory 120, the input / output interface 140, the network interface 150, and the bus 160 may be referred to as an "information processing device." The information processing device may be a virtual information processing device constructed on multiple information processing devices or a cloud. The CPU 130 may be referred to as an "arithmetic device."

[0031] Storage device 110 holds (memorizes, stores) program 111 and database 112. CPU 130 loads program 111 stored in storage device 110 into memory 120. CPU 130 executes program 111 loaded into memory 120 to realize various functions of payment terminal management server 100.

[0032] Database 112 includes terminal ID management information 112a. Terminal ID management information 112a is sometimes referred to as "management information." FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating terminal ID management information 112a. As shown in FIG. 3, terminal ID management information 112a includes payment terminal ID 112a1 and sticker ID 112a2 as columns for storing information (values). In terminal ID management information 112a, information corresponding to each column regarding payment terminal 300 and information storage medium 400 installed in vending machine 200 together with payment terminal 300 is associated with each other and stored as row-based information (records). Specifically, payment terminal ID 112a1 stores payment terminal identification information (payment terminal ID) for identifying (specifying) payment terminal 300. Sticker ID 112a2 stores information storage medium identification information (sticker ID) for identifying (specifying) information storage medium 400.

[0033] Referring back to FIG. 2, the program 111 executed by the CPU 130 is loaded into the memory 120 as described above, and data used when the CPU 130 executes the program 111 is temporarily stored therein.

[0034] Input / output interface 140 is an interface for connecting operation devices such as a keyboard and a mouse, a display, etc. Network interface 150 is an interface for connecting payment terminal management server 100 to network NW1.

[0035] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of vending machine 200. Vending machine 200 has a controller 210, a storage device 220, a cash handling unit 230, a product storage unit 240, a communication unit 250, a display unit 260, a product selection button 270, and a voice guidance unit 280.

[0036] The controller 210 controls the operation of the vending machine 200. The controller 210 includes a CPU, a ROM, a memory (e.g., a RAM), and an IF. The CPU, ROM, memory, and IF are connected via a bus. The controller 210 is connected via the bus to a storage device 220, a cash handling unit 230, a product storage unit 240, a communication unit 250, a display unit 260, a product selection button 270, and a voice guidance unit 280.

[0037] The CPU loads programs stored in the storage device 220 or ROM into memory. The CPU executes various processes by executing the programs loaded into memory. The storage device 220 and ROM store programs for controlling the operation of the vending machine 200.

[0038] The storage device 220 is a non-volatile storage device that can read and write data. The storage device 220 stores (memorizes, holds) price management information 221, which includes the prices of each product offered by the vending machine 200, programs, and the like.

[0039] The money handling unit 230 is a cash handling unit that has an input slot for coins and banknotes, a change slot, a coin sorting unit, a banknote validator, a coin or banknote dispensing unit, etc. Under the control of the controller 210, the money handling unit 230 performs operations such as determining the authenticity of inserted money (coins, banknotes), calculating the amount of money to be deposited, and dispensing change.

[0040] The product storage unit 240 has a product storage unit, a product discharge unit, a product take-out port, a temperature adjustment unit, etc. A product storage unit is provided for each product selection button 270, and stores the product corresponding to the product selection button 270. Under the control of the controller 210, the product storage unit 240 discharges the product selected via the product selection button 270.

[0041] The communication unit 250 is a communication interface for communicating with external devices and the payment terminal 300. The communication unit 250 communicates with the external devices and the payment terminal 300 under the control of the controller 210.

[0042] The display unit 260 is configured with a display device such as a liquid crystal display, etc. The display unit 260 displays various information such as amount information.

[0043] The product selection button 270 accepts the selection input of a product to be sold by the vending machine 200.

[0044] The voice guidance unit 280 generates voices in response to operations on the vending machine 200, operations of the vending machine 200, and the like.

[0045] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of payment terminal 300. Payment terminal 300 has a CPU 310, memory 320, storage device 330, first communication unit 340, and second communication unit 350. CPU 310, memory 320 (e.g., RAM), storage device 330, first communication unit 340, and second communication unit 350 are connected via a bus.

[0046] The CPU 310 loads the programs stored in the storage device 330 into the memory 320. The CPU 310 executes various processes by executing the programs loaded into the memory 320. The storage device 330 stores programs for controlling the payment terminal 300 and the like. The storage device 330 is a non-volatile storage device that can read and write data. The storage device 330 stores (memorizes, holds) programs and the like.

[0047] First communication unit 340 is a communication interface used for communication with controller 210 of vending machine 200. First communication unit 340 is connected to controller 210 of vending machine 200 via a communication line (not shown). Second communication unit 350 is a communication interface used for communication with external payment terminal management server 100 via network NW1. Second communication unit 350 is connected to payment terminal management server 100 via network NW1.

[0048] Information storage medium 400 is a medium that stores information and allows the information to be read by a specific device (e.g., user terminal 600, etc.). Information storage medium 400 stores information necessary for executing electronic payment, such as information indicating the location of payment terminal management server 100 and payment processor server 500 on network NW1 (URL (Uniform Resource Locator)), and identification information for information storage medium 400 (referred to as a "sticker ID"). Specific examples of information storage medium 400 include codes (codes printed on paper, etc.) such as two-dimensional codes such as QR Code (registered trademark), and NFC tags.

[0049] The payment processor server 500 provides electronic payment services. The payment processor server 500 can have the same hardware configuration as the payment terminal management server 100 shown in FIG.

[0050] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a user terminal 600. The user terminal 600 has a CPU 610, a memory 620, a storage device 630, various sensors 640, a touch panel 650, a communication unit 660, an NFC communication unit 670, and an imaging unit 680. The CPU 610, memory 620, storage device 630, various sensors 640, touch panel 650, communication unit 660, NFC communication unit 670, and imaging unit 680 are connected via a bus. An example of the user terminal 600 is a smartphone.

[0051] The CPU 610 controls the operation of the user terminal 600. The CPU 610 loads programs stored in the storage device 630 into the memory 620. The CPU 610 executes various processes by executing the programs loaded into the memory 620. The storage device 630 is a non-volatile storage device that can read and write data. The storage device 630 stores (memorizes, holds) programs for controlling the user terminal 600, applications for using electronic payment services, and the like.

[0052] The various sensors 640 include various sensors such as a position sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a distance sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. These sensors make it possible to detect the position, orientation, direction of movement, movement, tilt, etc. of the user terminal 600. The user terminal 600 may also be equipped with other sensors such as an illuminance sensor and a proximity sensor.

[0053] The touch panel 650 is a display device that can display images and also functions as an input device.

[0054] Communication unit 660 is a communication interface connectable to network NW1. Communication unit 660 communicates with external devices connected to network NW1 under the control of CPU 610. For example, communication unit 660 communicates with external devices such as payment terminal management server 100 and payment processor server 500.

[0055] The NFC communication unit 670 performs NFC communication when in proximity to a compatible reader / writer. The NFC communication unit 670 includes an encoding circuit, a decoding circuit, an antenna, etc. The NFC communication unit 670 reads information from an NFC tag via NFC communication.

[0056] The communication unit 660 may further include other communication units such as a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit or an infrared communication unit.

[0057] The imaging unit 680 is an imaging device having an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary MOS). For example, the imaging unit 680 is used to capture an image of a two-dimensional code. In this case, the user terminal 600 reads information from the image of the two-dimensional code included in the captured image.

[0058] <Summary> An overview of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system of the present invention can be used to provide electronic payment functions / locations at low cost by simply installing a set of a payment terminal 300 and an information storage medium 400 in an object (e.g., a vending machine 200) or location where electronic payment is to be made, thereby making it possible to use electronic payment services provided by an electronic payment business operator (payment business server 500).

[0059] An example of an electronic payment system shown in Figure 1 is a system in which a set of a payment terminal 300 and an information storage medium 400 (an information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300) is attached to a vending machine 200, and payment is made for the cost of products when a user purchases products at the vending machine 200 using a user terminal 600.

[0060] In the electronic payment system, when a user purchases a product, the user performs a product selection operation on the vending machine 200 (for example, pressing the product selection button 270). The vending machine 200 instructs the user to use the user terminal 600 to read the information necessary for payment from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user performs an operation on the user terminal 600 to read the information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user terminal 600 sends the read information to the payment terminal management server 100. Thereafter, processing to execute the payment proceeds in the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment operator server 500, and once the payment is completed, the product is provided from the vending machine 200.

[0061] In an electronic payment system, it is possible that only a product selection operation is performed on the vending machine 200 without the intention of purchasing a product, or that only a product selection operation is performed by mistake, or that only an information reading operation is performed by the user terminal 600. For such operations, it is necessary to prevent fraudulent payments by disallowing electronic payments.

[0062] Therefore, the electronic payment system uses the payment terminal management server 100 to perform a verification determination to determine whether a payment request is appropriate, and based on the determination result, allows only valid payment requests based on appropriate operations to be settled (i.e., an authorization request is made, the necessary processing for settlement is carried out, and settlement by the payment terminal 300 is made possible). This allows the electronic payment system to prevent fraudulent payments.

[0063] <Operation> FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system.

[0064] S701: In the vending machine 200, the user performs a product selection operation.

[0065] S702: The vending machine 200 transmits the price corresponding to the selected product to the payment terminal 300.

[0066] S703: Upon receiving the price, the payment terminal 300 transmits a payment request, the price, and the payment terminal ID to the payment terminal management server 100. Note that since the price of the item to be paid is sent from the payment terminal 300, the payment terminal management server 100 does not need to have management information for identifying the price of the item to be paid.

[0067] S704: The user terminal 600 reads the sticker ID from the information storage medium 400 to obtain the sticker ID.

[0068] S705: Upon acquiring the sticker ID, the user terminal 600 transmits the sticker ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0069] S706: The payment terminal management server 100 performs a matching determination. The matching determination is performed to prevent the payment process from proceeding due to an unauthorized payment request. The matching determination determines whether the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID from the user terminal 600 have been acquired, and performs a matching between the payment terminal ID acquired from the payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID acquired from the user terminal 600. Matching the matching means confirming whether the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID are associated in the terminal ID management information 112a. Specifically, the matching between the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID is performed by referring to the terminal ID management information 112a, identifying the sticker ID corresponding to the payment terminal ID acquired from the payment terminal 300, and determining whether the identified sticker ID matches the sticker ID acquired from the user terminal 600. If the identified sticker ID matches the sticker ID acquired from user terminal 600, payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching is successful, and if the identified sticker ID does not match the sticker ID acquired from user terminal 600, it determines that the matching is unsuccessful. Note that when matching the association between the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, terminal ID management information 112a may be referenced, the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID may be identified from the sticker ID acquired from user terminal 600, and it may be determined whether the identified payment terminal ID matches the payment terminal ID acquired from payment terminal 300.

[0070] Details of the collation will be described later with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 7 explains the operation when the collation is judged to be successful.

[0071] S707: The payment terminal management server 100 requests authorization from the payment service provider server 500. Authorization is a process of determining whether electronic payment is permitted for a purchaser (user). Authorization is sometimes referred to as "authorization." When authorization is performed, the payment terminal management server 100 sends the information required for authorization (such as price) received from the payment terminal 300 and the information required for authorization (such as information to identify the user) received from the user terminal 600 together with the request.

[0072] S708: When the payment service provider server 500 receives the authorization request and the information required for authorization from the payment terminal management server 100, it performs the authorization and sends the authorization result (information indicating whether electronic payment is possible or not) to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0073] S709: Upon receiving the authorization result, the payment terminal management server 100 transmits the authorization result to the payment terminal 300.

[0074] S710: When the payment terminal 300 receives the authorization result from the payment terminal management server 100, the payment for the product (payment of the fee for the product) is completed.

[0075] S711: When the payment terminal 300 completes the payment for the product, it transmits a payment completion (information indicating the payment completion) to the vending machine 200.

[0076] S712: Upon receiving a notification of payment completion from the payment terminal 300, the vending machine 200 performs a product providing operation to provide the product.

[0077] S713: When the payment terminal 300 completes the payment for the product, it transmits a payment completion (information indicating the completion of the payment) to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0078] S714: Upon receiving a notification of payment completion from the payment terminal 300, the payment terminal management server 100 transmits the payment result to the payment operator server 500.

[0079] S715: Upon receiving the payment result from the payment terminal management server 100, the payment operator server 500 performs processing according to the payment result and transmits the payment result to the user terminal 600.

[0080] S716: Upon receiving the payment result from the payment business operator server 500, the user terminal 600 notifies the user of the completion of the payment by, for example, displaying information indicating the completion of the payment on the touch panel 650.

[0081] 8 is a flowchart for explaining the matching determination performed by payment terminal management server 100. Payment terminal management server 100 starts processing at step 800 and proceeds to step 805, where it determines whether or not at least one of the payment terminal ID from payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID from user terminal 600 has been acquired.

[0082] If neither the payment terminal ID nor the sticker ID has been acquired, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 805 and executes the processing of step 805 again.

[0083] If at least one of the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID has already been acquired, payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 805 and proceeds to step 810.

[0084] When payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 810, it determines whether or not both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID have been acquired.

[0085] If both the payment terminal ID and sticker ID have not been acquired, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 810 and proceeds to step 815, where it starts measuring time and determines whether the measured time exceeds a predetermined time (i.e., whether the predetermined time has passed since acquiring either the payment terminal ID or the sticker ID). If the measured time is less than the predetermined time, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 815 and returns to step 810, where it executes the process of step 810 described above again.

[0086] If both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID have been acquired, payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 810 and proceeds to step 820.

[0087] When payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 820, it refers to terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the sticker ID that corresponds to the payment terminal ID.

[0088] Thereafter, payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 825 and determines whether the sticker ID identified in step 820 matches the sticker ID acquired from user terminal 600.

[0089] If the sticker ID identified in step 820 matches the sticker ID acquired from the user terminal 600, it can be said that the payment terminal 300 that sent the payment request corresponds to the information storage medium 400 from which the user terminal 600 acquired the sticker ID, and that an appropriate payment request has been generated. Therefore, in this case, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 825 and proceeds to step 830, determines that the verification was successful, and proceeds to step 895, where the verification is temporarily terminated.

[0090] If the sticker ID identified in step 820 does not match the sticker ID acquired from the user terminal 600, it can be said that the payment terminal 300 that sent the payment request does not correspond to the information storage medium 400 from which the user terminal 600 acquired the sticker ID, and that the payment request is not appropriate. Therefore, in this case, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 825 and proceeds to step 835, determines that the verification has failed, and proceeds to step 895 to temporarily end the verification determination.

[0091] For example, if only a product selection operation is performed on the vending machine 200, or if only an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400 is performed by the user terminal 600, after either the payment terminal ID or the sticker ID is acquired ("YES" in step 805), it may be possible that the other of the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID cannot be acquired. In this case, after either the payment terminal ID or the sticker ID is acquired, the payment terminal management server 100 repeatedly returns "NO" in the processing of step 810 and "NO" in the processing of step 815 until a predetermined time has passed, and once the predetermined time has passed, the payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 815 and proceeds to step 835. When the payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 835, it determines that the verification has failed, proceeds to step 895, and temporarily ends the verification determination.

[0092] 9 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system in the first case where the verification is determined to be unsuccessful. The first case can occur when the payment terminal ID received by the payment service provider server 500 from the payment terminal 300 does not match the sticker ID received by the payment service provider server 500 from the user terminal 600.

[0093] Steps S701 to S705 are the same as those described in Fig. 7. In the example of Fig. 9, in step S910, the sticker ID identified from the payment terminal ID does not match the sticker ID, and therefore the matching is determined to have failed. The operation in this case will be described below.

[0094] S910: Payment terminal management server 100 determines that the verification has failed.

[0095] S911: If payment terminal management server 100 determines that the verification has failed, it transmits a notice that payment is not possible to user terminal 600. Furthermore, payment terminal management server 100 instructs user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is not possible, thereby causing user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is not possible, and informing the user that payment is not possible. This allows the user to recognize that payment is not possible.

[0096] S912: The payment terminal management server 100 notifies the payment terminal 300 that the payment is not possible.

[0097] S913: Upon receiving the notice of payment denial from the payment terminal management server 100, the payment terminal 300 transmits the notice of payment denial to the vending machine 200.

[0098] S914: When the vending machine 200 receives the payment disapproval notice from the payment terminal 300, it stops the product provision operation.

[0099] S915: The vending machine 200 notifies the user that the product cannot be provided by using a voice generated by the voice guidance unit 280, an image displayed on the display unit 260, or the like.

[0100] 10 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system in the second case where the verification is determined to be unsuccessful. The second case can occur when the payment service provider server 500 receives the sticker ID from the user terminal 600, but the product selection operation on the vending machine 200 is not performed, and the payment service provider server 500 is therefore unable to receive the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300.

[0101] S1001: The user terminal 600 reads the sticker ID from the information storage medium 400 to obtain the sticker ID.

[0102] S1002: Upon acquiring the sticker ID, the user terminal 600 transmits the sticker ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0103] S1003: Payment terminal management server 100 performs the matching determination in Fig. 8. Payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching has failed.

[0104] S1004: If payment terminal management server 100 determines that the payment has failed, it transmits a notice that the payment is not possible to user terminal 600. Furthermore, payment terminal management server 100 instructs user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that the payment is not possible, thereby causing user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that the payment is not possible, and notifying the user that the payment is not possible. This allows the user to recognize that the payment is not possible.

[0105] 11 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the third case in which the verification is determined to be unsuccessful in the electronic payment system. The third case can occur when a product selection operation is performed on the vending machine 200, causing the payment service provider server 500 to receive the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300, but the payment service provider server 500 does not receive the sticker ID from the user terminal 600 because the user terminal 600 does not perform an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400, or because an operation to read information is performed on a counterfeit information storage medium such as a counterfeit QR Code (registered trademark) whose access destination has been tampered with.

[0106] S1101: In the vending machine 200, the user performs a product selection operation.

[0107] S1102: The vending machine 200 transmits the price of the selected product to the payment terminal 300.

[0108] S1103: Upon receiving the price, the payment terminal 300 transmits a payment request, the price, and the payment terminal ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0109] S1104: Payment terminal management server 100 performs the matching determination of Fig. 8. Payment terminal management server 100 determines that the matching has failed.

[0110] S1105: Payment terminal management server 100 transmits to payment terminal 300 a notice that payment is not possible.

[0111] S1106: When the payment terminal 300 receives the payment denial from the payment terminal management server 100, it transmits the payment denial to the vending machine 200.

[0112] S1107: When the vending machine 200 receives the payment denial from the payment terminal 300, it stops the product provision operation.

[0113] S1108: The vending machine 200 notifies the user that the product cannot be provided by using a voice generated by the voice guidance unit 280 or an image displayed on the display unit 260. If the user is notified that payment is not possible despite having performed an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400, the user can recognize that an operation to read information may have been performed on a counterfeit information storage medium such as a counterfeit QR code (registered trademark).

[0114] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment can prevent fraudulent payments by allowing only legitimate payment requests based on appropriate operations to be paid.

[0115] Furthermore, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment can be applied to an attachment (such as a currently used vending machine 200) that has a simple configuration that allows it to transmit the price of the payment object to the payment terminal 300. Therefore, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment does not need to provide the identifier of the vending machine 200 or the like to the payment terminal management server 100, and does not need to have management information for identifying the price of the payment object.

[0116] For example, the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only needs to acquire price information of the payment object of a product or service from a device that provides the product or service, as has been conventionally used. In the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment, the payment terminal management server 100 does not need to acquire information for identifying the device that provides the product or service, and instead uses the price of the payment object sent from the payment terminal 300, so it does not need to have management information for the price of the product corresponding to the product identifier (i.e., management information for identifying the price of the payment object).

[0117] Furthermore, when the electronic payment system of the first embodiment is attached to an attachment target such as a vending machine 200 to which a payment terminal 300 is attached, the attachment target does not need to be configured in a special manner to transmit to the payment terminal 300 a product identifier assigned to the product corresponding to the purchase instruction.

[0118] <<Second embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the second embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in the following respects.

[0119] In the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment, payment terminal management server 100 notifies the administrator when a failure in the matching determination (a determination result of failure) occurs a predetermined threshold number of times or more within a predetermined time period. The following description will focus on this difference.

[0120] <Summary> Electronic payment systems are required to take measures against mischievous operations. Mischievous operations include operations in which product selection operations are repeatedly performed on vending machine 200 for the purpose of mischief, and operations in which user terminal 600 repeatedly reads information required for payment from information storage medium 400 without selecting a product. Mischievous operations place unnecessary load on payment terminal management server 100, so measures to prevent mischievous operations are required.

[0121] Therefore, in the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment, if such failures due to mischief occur multiple times, the system notifies the administrator to warn the administrator that mischief is being performed and issues an alert (warning) to the user, thereby preventing mischief.

[0122] <Operation> 12 is a flowchart for explaining the tampering warning process executed by payment terminal management server 100. Payment terminal management server 100 starts the process from step 1200 and determines whether or not a failure has occurred in the verification determination.

[0123] If the verification has not resulted in a failure, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1205 and executes the process of step 1205 again.

[0124] If a failure occurs in the matching determination, payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1205 and proceeds to step 1210. When payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 1210, it starts counting the number of failure determinations. That is, payment terminal management server 100 assigns "1" to the number of occurrences N.

[0125] Thereafter, payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 1215 and determines whether or not a failure determination has occurred again in the matching determination. If a failure determination has not occurred again in the matching determination, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1215 and proceeds directly to step 1225.

[0126] If a failure judgment occurs again in the matching judgment, the payment terminal management server 100 judges "YES" in step 1215 and proceeds to step 1220, assigns the current number of occurrences N plus "1" to the number of occurrences N, and proceeds to step 1225.

[0127] When payment terminal management server 100 proceeds to step 1225, it determines whether or not the occurrence count N is equal to or greater than the threshold count Nth.

[0128] If the occurrence count N is smaller than the threshold count Nth, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1225 and proceeds to step 1230 to determine whether the measured time is within a predetermined time. Note that this predetermined time is set to a time longer than the predetermined time in step 815 of FIG. 8.

[0129] If the measured time is within the predetermined time, payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1230, returns to step 1215, and starts processing again from step 1215. If the measured time is longer than the predetermined time, the number of occurrences N is smaller than the threshold number of occurrences Nth ("NO" in step 1225), and the measured time from the time the failure occurred the first time exceeds the predetermined time. In this case, it is estimated that there is little possibility of tampering. Therefore, in this case, payment terminal management server 100 determines "NO" in step 1230, proceeds to step 1295, and temporarily ends the tampering warning processing.

[0130] If the number of occurrences N is equal to or greater than the threshold number of times Nth, failures have occurred the threshold number of times Nth or more within a predetermined measurement time ("YES" in step 1230), so it is estimated that there is a high possibility that a tampering operation is being performed. Therefore, in this case, payment terminal management server 100 determines "YES" in step 1225, proceeds to step 1235, and notifies the administrator that a tampering operation has occurred by, for example, sending a message to the administrator's terminal (not shown). This allows the administrator to recognize that a tampering operation is being performed and to take measures against the tampering operation.

[0131] In addition, in step 1235, the payment terminal management server 100 may instruct the user terminal 600 and / or the payment terminal 300 to perform an alarm operation (such as emitting an alarm sound, emitting a voice, displaying a warning image, etc.), and thereby issue an alarm (warning) via the user terminal 600 and / or the vending machine 200 using voice or image, etc., to warn the user to stop any mischievous operations.

[0132] In other words, if the payment terminal management server 100 is unable to obtain the payment terminal ID within a predetermined time period after obtaining the sticker ID and the matching is determined to have failed more than a threshold number of times within the predetermined time period, the payment terminal management server 100 may instruct the user terminal 600 to perform an alarm operation, and may issue a warning (alert) via the user terminal 600 using audio, images, etc. to warn the user to stop any mischievous operations.

[0133] If the payment terminal management server 100 is unable to obtain the sticker ID within a predetermined time period after obtaining the payment terminal ID and the matching is determined to have failed more than a threshold number of times within the predetermined time period, the payment terminal management server 100 may instruct the payment terminal 300 to perform an alarm operation, and the payment terminal 300 may instruct the vending machine 200 to perform an alarm operation, and a warning (alert) may be issued via the vending machine 200 using audio, images, etc. to warn the user to stop any mischievous operations.

[0134] In addition, in step 1235, if the prank operation is an operation on the user terminal 600 (i.e., if only the sticker ID is obtained from the user terminal 600 and the payment terminal ID cannot be obtained, resulting in a failure judgment being made more than the threshold number of times), the payment terminal management server 100 may prevent access to the payment terminal management server 100 from the user terminal 600.

[0135] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment has the same effects as those of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the electronic payment system according to the second embodiment can prevent mischievous operations.

[0136] <<Third Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the third embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in that the verification is performed by the payment terminal 300. The following description will focus on this difference.

[0137] <Summary> When the payment terminal management server 100 receives at least one of the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, it sends a determination request (matching determination request) to the payment terminal 300. When the payment terminal 300 receives the determination request, it performs a matching determination. The payment terminal 300 sends the determination result to the payment terminal management server 100. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives a success as the determination result, it allows the payment. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure as the determination result, it does not make an authorization request, thereby disallowing the payment.

[0138] <Operation> FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system when the verification is judged to be successful.

[0139] Steps S701 to S705 in FIG. 13 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

[0140] S1310: Upon receiving the payment terminal ID from the payment terminal 300, payment terminal management server 100 transmits a determination request to payment terminal 300.

[0141] S1311: Upon receiving the determination request, the payment terminal 300 executes a verification determination. In the example of Fig. 13, the verification determination results in a determination of success. Details of the verification determination will be described later with reference to Fig. 14.

[0142] S1312: The payment terminal 300 transmits success as the determination result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0143] S1313: When the payment terminal 300 receives success as the determination result, it requests authorization from the payment service provider server 500.

[0144] The subsequent steps S708 to S716 are the same as the operations described with reference to FIG.

[0145] 14 is a flowchart for explaining the matching determination performed by payment terminal 300. Payment terminal 300 starts processing at step 1400 and proceeds to step 1405, where it communicates with payment terminal management server 100 and determines whether payment terminal management server 100 has already acquired both the payment terminal ID from payment terminal 300 and the sticker ID from user terminal 600.

[0146] If the payment terminal management server 100 has not yet acquired both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 determines "NO" in step 1405 and proceeds to step 1410, starts measuring time, and determines whether the measured time is longer than a predetermined time.

[0147] If the measured time is equal to or less than the predetermined time, the settlement terminal 300 determines "NO" in step 1410, returns to step 1405, and executes the process of step 1405 described above again.

[0148] If payment terminal management server 100 has already acquired both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID, payment terminal 300 determines "YES" in step 1405 and proceeds to step 1415 to acquire the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID from payment terminal management server 100.

[0149] Thereafter, the payment terminal 300 proceeds to step 1420, and refers to terminal ID management information 112a of payment terminal management server 100 to identify the sticker ID that corresponds to the payment terminal ID. Note that the payment terminal 300 may have terminal ID management information 112a, in which case the payment terminal 300 refers to terminal ID management information 112a of the payment terminal 300 to identify the sticker ID that corresponds to the payment terminal ID.

[0150] Thereafter, payment terminal 300 proceeds to step 1425 and determines whether the sticker ID identified in step 1420 matches the sticker ID acquired from payment terminal management server 100.

[0151] If the sticker ID identified in step 1420 matches the acquired sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 judges "YES" in step 1425 and proceeds to step 1430, where it judges the verification successful and proceeds to step 1495, where it temporarily terminates the matching judgment.

[0152] If the sticker ID identified in step 1420 does not match the acquired sticker ID, the payment terminal 300 judges "NO" in step 1425 and proceeds to step 1435, judges it as a failure, proceeds to step 1495, and temporarily ends the matching judgment.

[0153] Note that, for example, if only a product selection operation is performed on the vending machine 200, or if only an operation to read information from the information storage medium 400 is performed by the user terminal 600, it may be possible that the payment terminal management server 100 is unable to obtain both the payment terminal ID and the sticker ID. In this case, the payment terminal 300 repeats "NO" in the processing of step 1410 and "NO" in the processing of step 1405 described above until a predetermined time has elapsed, and once the predetermined time has elapsed, it determines "YES" in step 1410 and proceeds to step 1435. When the payment terminal 300 proceeds to step 1435, it determines that the verification has failed, proceeds to step 1495, and temporarily ends the verification determination.

[0154] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system in the first case where the verification is determined to be unsuccessful.

[0155] Steps S701 to S705 in FIG. 15 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

[0156] S1510: Upon receiving the payment terminal ID, payment terminal management server 100 transmits a determination request to payment terminal 300.

[0157] S1511: Upon receiving the determination request, the payment terminal 300 executes the collation determination of FIG. 14 and determines that the result is a failure.

[0158] S1512: The payment terminal 300 transmits a failure as the determination result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0159] S1513: Upon receiving a notification of failure from payment terminal 300, payment terminal management server 100 transmits a notice of payment being impossible to user terminal 600. Furthermore, payment terminal management server 100 instructs user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is impossible, thereby causing user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is impossible, and informing the user that payment is impossible. This allows the user to recognize that payment is impossible.

[0160] The subsequent steps S912 to S915 are the same as the operations described with reference to FIG.

[0161] FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system in the second case where the verification is determined to be unsuccessful.

[0162] S1001 and S1002 in FIG. 16 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

[0163] S1610: Upon receiving the sticker ID, payment terminal management server 100 transmits a determination request to payment terminal 300.

[0164] S1611: Upon receiving the determination request, the payment terminal 300 executes the verification determination of FIG. 14 and determines that the verification has failed.

[0165] S1612: The payment terminal 300 transmits a failure as the determination result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0166] S1613: When payment terminal management server 100 receives a notification of failure from payment terminal 300, it transmits a notification of payment failure to user terminal 600. Furthermore, payment terminal management server 100 instructs user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is not possible, thereby causing user terminal 600 to display information (message) indicating that payment is not possible, and informing the user that payment is not possible.

[0167] Fig. 17 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system in the third case where the verification is determined to be unsuccessful in the electronic payment system.

[0168] S1101 to S1103 in FIG. 17 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

[0169] S1710: Upon receiving the payment terminal ID, payment terminal management server 100 transmits a determination request to payment terminal 300.

[0170] S1711: Upon receiving the determination request, the payment terminal 300 executes the verification determination of FIG. 14 and determines that the verification has failed.

[0171] S1712: The payment terminal 300 transmits a failure as the determination result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0172] The subsequent operations from S1105 to S1108 are the same as those described with reference to FIG.

[0173] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the third embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0174] <<Fourth Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the fourth embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in the following respects.

[0175] When the payment terminal management server 100 receives the sticker ID, it requests the payment terminal 300 indicated by the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID to inquire whether a payment request has been made, and makes an authorization request based on the inquiry result. The following description will focus on this difference.

[0176] <Summary> When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a sticker ID from the user terminal 600, it refers to the terminal ID management information 112a and sends an inquiry request to the payment terminal 300 to confirm whether the payment terminal 300 indicated by the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID has made a payment request.

[0177] When payment terminal 300 receives the inquiry request, it checks whether or not a payment request has been made to payment terminal management server 100 (whether or not a payment request has been made).

[0178] Payment terminal 300 determines that the transaction is successful when it confirms that a payment request has been made to payment terminal management server 100 (payment request completed). Payment terminal 300 sends success as an inquiry result to payment terminal management server 100.

[0179] If the payment terminal 300 cannot confirm that a payment request has been made to the payment terminal management server 100 (payment request completed), the payment terminal 300 transmits a failure as a result of the inquiry to the payment terminal 300.

[0180] If payment terminal management server 100 receives a success as the inquiry result, it allows the payment. If payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure as the inquiry result, it does not make an authorization request.

[0181] The inquiry request is executed when the sticker ID is received from the user terminal 600. If the payment terminal management server 100 receives the payment terminal ID before the sticker ID, it starts measuring time. If the payment terminal management server 100 does not receive the sticker ID thereafter and the measured time exceeds a predetermined time, it will not make an authorization request.

[0182] <Operation> FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system when the verification is judged to be successful.

[0183] 18 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system. Steps S701 to S705 in FIG. 18 are the same as those described in FIG.

[0184] S1810: Upon receiving the sticker ID in S705, payment terminal management server 100 refers to terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID. Payment terminal management server 100 then sends an inquiry request to payment terminal 300 to confirm whether the payment terminal 300 indicated by the identified payment terminal ID has made a payment request.

[0185] S1811: Upon receiving the inquiry request, the payment terminal 300 confirms that the payment request has been made and determines that the request has been successful.

[0186] S1812: The payment terminal 300 transmits success as the inquiry result to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0187] S1813: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives success as the inquiry result, it sends an authorization request to the payment processor server 500.

[0188] The subsequent steps S708 to S716 are the same as the operations described with reference to FIG.

[0189] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system in the second case where the verification is determined to be unsuccessful.

[0190] S1001 and S1002 in FIG. 19 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

[0191] S1910: Upon receiving the sticker ID in S1002, payment terminal management server 100 refers to terminal ID management information 112a and identifies the payment terminal ID corresponding to the sticker ID. Payment terminal management server 100 sends a query request to payment terminal 300.

[0192] S1911: When the payment terminal 300 receives the inquiry request, it cannot confirm that the payment request has been made and determines that the request has failed.

[0193] S1912: When the payment terminal management server 100 receives a failure as the inquiry result, it sends an authorization request to the payment processor server 500.

[0194] The subsequent operation in S1004 is the same as that described in FIG.

[0195] FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system in the third case where the verification is judged to be unsuccessful.

[0196] S1101 to S1103 in FIG. 20 are the same as the operations described in FIG.

[0197] S2000: Upon receiving the payment terminal ID in S1103, payment terminal management server 100 starts measuring time. When the measured time exceeds a predetermined time, the process proceeds to S1105.

[0198] The subsequent steps S1105 to S1108 are the same as the operations described with reference to FIG.

[0199] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the fourth embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0200] <<Fifth Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the fifth embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the first embodiment only in the following respects.

[0201] In the electronic payment system, when a user purchases a product, the user operates the user terminal 600 to read information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user terminal 600 transmits the read information to the payment terminal management server 100. Next, the user performs a product selection operation on the vending machine 200. Thereafter, the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment business operator server 500 perform the processing required to authorize the payment, and once the payment is authorized, the product is provided from the vending machine 200. The following description will focus on this difference.

[0202] <Operation> FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the electronic payment system when the verification is judged to be successful.

[0203] S2101: The user terminal 600 reads the sticker ID from the information storage medium 400 to obtain the sticker ID.

[0204] S2102: Upon acquiring the sticker ID, the user terminal 600 transmits the sticker ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0205] S2103: In the vending machine 200, the user performs a product selection operation.

[0206] S2104: The vending machine 200 transmits the price of the selected product to the payment terminal 300.

[0207] S2105: Upon receiving the price, the payment terminal 300 transmits a payment request, the price, and the payment terminal ID to the payment terminal management server 100.

[0208] The subsequent steps S706 to S716 are the same as the operations described with reference to FIG.

[0209] The operation in the first case where the collation is determined to be unsuccessful is the same as that in FIG. 9, except that S701 to S705 are replaced with S2101 to S2105.

[0210] The operation in the second case where the collation is determined to be unsuccessful is the same as that in FIG. 10, except that S1001 and S1002 are replaced with S2101 and S2102.

[0211] The operation in the third case where the collation is determined to be unsuccessful is the same as that in FIG. 11, except that S1101 to S1103 are replaced with S2103 to S2105.

[0212] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the fifth embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0213] <<Sixth Embodiment>> An electronic payment system according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The electronic payment system according to the sixth embodiment differs from the electronic payment system according to the third embodiment only in the following respects.

[0214] In the electronic payment system, when a user purchases a product, the user operates the user terminal 600 to read information from the information storage medium 400 (the information storage medium 400 associated with the payment terminal 300). The user terminal 600 transmits the read information to the payment terminal management server 100. Next, the user performs a product selection operation on the vending machine 200. Thereafter, the payment terminal management server 100 and the payment business operator server 500 perform the processing required to authorize the payment, and once the payment is authorized, the product is provided from the vending machine 200. The following description will focus on this difference.

[0215] <Operation> Figure 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the electronic payment system. Steps S1601 to S1605 are the same as those described in Figure 16. Steps S1311 to S1313 are the same as those described in Figure 13. Steps S708 to S716 are the same as those described in Figure 7.

[0216] The operation in the first case where the collation is determined to be unsuccessful is the same as that in FIG. 15, except that S701 to S705 and S1510 in FIG. 15 are replaced with S1601 to S1605.

[0217] The operation in the second case where the collation is determined to be unsuccessful is the same as that in FIG. 16, except that S1001 to S1002 and S1510 in FIG. 16 are replaced with S1601 and S1602.

[0218] The operation in the third case where the collation is determined to be unsuccessful is the same as that in FIG. 17, except that S1101 to S1103 are replaced with S1603 to S1605.

[0219] <Effects> As described above, the electronic payment system according to the sixth embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment.

[0220] <<Modifications>> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the features of the second embodiment may be applied to the third to sixth embodiments.

[0221] In the above embodiments, an electronic payment system has been described in which a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium is installed in an object for electronic payment (e.g., an automatic service product providing device such as a vending machine 200 that sells products) to provide the object with a function / place for electronic payment. However, the electronic payment system to which the present invention is applied is not limited to this example. For example, the object may be an automatic service providing device that automatically provides a service (e.g., a massage machine). For example, the electronic payment system may be an electronic payment system in which a set of a payment terminal and an information storage medium is installed in a place where electronic payment is made, where products are sold, or where a service is provided, to provide the place where products are sold or where a service is provided with a function / place for electronic payment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0222] 100...Payment terminal management server, 110...Storage device, 111...Program, 112...Database, 112a...Terminal ID management information, 120...Memory, 130...CPU, 140...Input / output interface, 150...Network interface, 160...Bus, 200...Vending machine, 300...Payment terminal, 400...Information storage medium, 500...Payment business operator server, 600...User terminal

Claims

1. A payment terminal installed in an automatic product dispenser, the payment terminal including a computing device and a storage device, The computing device acquiring a price to be paid from the automated product dispenser and transmitting the price to an information processing device; When receiving an inquiry request from the information processing device, it determines whether a payment request has been made to the information processing device for electronic payment of the price; transmitting the determination result to the information processing device; It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

2. The payment terminal according to claim 1, The computing device If a payment request has been made to the information processing device, it is determined to be successful. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

3. The payment terminal according to claim 2, The computing device If a payment request has not been made to the information processing device, it is determined to be a failure. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

4. The payment terminal according to claim 3, The computing device If a failure occurs more than the threshold number of times within a predetermined period, an alarm is issued. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

5. The payment terminal according to claim 4, The predetermined period is a time range that starts from the time when the determination of failure occurs for the first time and ends when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start point. Payment terminal.

6. The payment terminal according to claim 1, The computing device when receiving information indicating that the electronic payment for the price is possible from the information processing device, transmitting a signal to the automatic product provision device to have the product that is the subject of payment provided; It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

7. In the payment terminal according to claim 1, the inquiry request is a request by the information processing device to identify a payment terminal based on the received information storage medium identification information when the information processing device receives information storage medium identification information from a user terminal, and to confirm with the payment terminal whether the identified payment terminal has made a payment request to the information processing device, and the information storage medium identification information is read by the user terminal from an information storage medium included in the automatic product provision device, the computing device transmits the determination result indicating success when a payment request has been made to the information processing device, and transmits the determination result indicating failure when a payment request has not been made to the information processing device. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

8. A payment terminal attached to an automated product dispenser, the payment terminal including a computing device and a storage device, The computing device acquiring a price to be paid from the automated product dispenser and transmitting the price to an information processing device; When receiving an inquiry request from the information processing device, it determines whether a payment request has been made to the information processing device for authorization of the price; transmitting the determination result to the information processing device; It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

9. The payment terminal according to claim 8, The computing device If a payment request has been made to the information processing device, it is determined to be successful. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

10. 10. The payment terminal according to claim 9, The computing device If a payment request has not been made to the information processing device, it is determined to be a failure. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

11. The payment terminal according to claim 10, The computing device If a failure occurs more than the threshold number of times within a predetermined period, an alarm is issued. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

12. The payment terminal according to claim 11, The predetermined period is a time range that starts from the time when the determination of failure occurs for the first time and ends when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start point. Payment terminal.

13. The payment terminal according to claim 8, The computing device When an authorization result indicating that electronic payment for the price is possible is received from the information processing device, a signal is sent to the automated product provision device to have the automated product provision device provide the product that is the subject of payment. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

14. In the payment terminal according to claim 8, the inquiry request is a request by the information processing device to identify a payment terminal based on the received information storage medium identification information when the information processing device receives information storage medium identification information from a user terminal, and to confirm with the payment terminal whether the identified payment terminal has made a payment request to the information processing device, and the information storage medium identification information is read by the user terminal from an information storage medium included in the automatic product provision device, the computing device transmits the determination result indicating success when a payment request has been made to the information processing device, and transmits the determination result indicating failure when a payment request has not been made to the information processing device. It was configured as follows: Payment terminal.

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