Reward system, reward method, and reward program

Abstract

To provide a privilege granting system capable of granting a privilege even to a person other than an executor of an action for which the privilege is granted.SOLUTION: In a privilege granting system 600, a recognition unit 601 recognizes a predetermined action performed by an executor 611 of the action. A privilege granting unit 602 grants a privilege to at least a person 612 other than the executor of the action when the action is recognized by the recognition unit 601. A privilege storage unit 603 stores the privilege that is granted to at least the person 612 other than the executor of the action by the privilege granting unit 602.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 53

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a privilege granting system, a privilege granting method, and a privilege granting program.

Background Art

[0002] As a mechanism for reducing the financial shortage of groups or organizations that are service providers providing services, for example, there is a Bellmark movement that can supplement the financial resources of schools providing educational services (see Non-Patent Document 1).

[0003] In the Bellmark movement, students and other service users who use the educational services of schools purchase products with the Bellmark (registered trademark) attached to collect Bellmark points (scores), and exchange the points for articles.

[0004] In addition, there are systems that grant points to users when there is an output indicating that the user has viewed advertising information from the user's mobile phone, and systems that grant points when the user's mobile terminal receives advertising information transmitted from a store, and the granted points can be consumed to purchase products at the store.

Prior Art Documents

Non-Patent Documents

[0005]

Non-Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] The aforementioned system grants points to users who perform specific actions, such as viewing advertising information. However, there was a demand to also grant points-like benefits to others (for example, individuals or organizations lacking financial resources).

[0007] Furthermore, while the aforementioned Bellmark program awards points to schools, which are service providers, there has been a demand for technology that can also award points to various other organizations that provide services, based on the actions of service users.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to provide a reward granting system and reward granting method that can grant rewards to persons other than the performer of the act to which the reward is granted.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a point management system, server device, point management method, and point management program that can award points to various organizations and other entities that provide services based on the actions of service users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, a reward granting system is provided, comprising: a recognition unit that recognizes a predetermined act; a reward granting unit that, when the act is recognized by the recognition unit, grants a reward to at least the person who performed the act; and a reward storage unit that stores the rewards granted by the reward granting unit to at least the person who performed the act.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, a reward granting method is provided, characterized by including the steps of: recognizing a predetermined act; granting a reward to at least a person other than the performer of the act when the act is recognized; and storing the reward granted to at least a person other than the performer of the act.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present invention, a point management system is provided that includes a storage unit and a point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when a terminal device of a service user or an affiliate of the service user views an advertiser site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a point management system is provided comprising a terminal device of a service user or an associate of the service user, and a server device that can be connected to the terminal device via a network, wherein the terminal device includes a communication unit that connects to an advertiser site, and the server device includes a storage unit and a point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when the terminal device views an advertiser site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present invention, a server device is provided that can be connected via a network to a terminal device of a service user or an affiliate of the service user, and is characterized by comprising: a storage unit; and a point granting unit that grants points to a service provider when the terminal device views an advertiser site, and stores the granted points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, a point management method is provided which includes the steps of: awarding points to a service provider when a terminal device of a service user or an affiliate of the service user views an advertiser site; and storing the points awarded to the service provider in a storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, a point management system comprising a point awarding unit and a storage unit is provided, and a point management program is provided to cause the point awarding unit to perform the steps of awarding points to a service provider when a terminal device of a service user or an affiliate of the service user views an advertiser site, and storing the points awarded to the service provider in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0017] According to another aspect of the present invention, a point management system is provided that includes a storage unit and a point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when a terminal device in a service user's household views an advertiser site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, a point management system is provided comprising a terminal device in the household of a service user and a server device that can be connected to the terminal device via a network, wherein the terminal device comprises a communication unit that connects to advertiser sites held by the server device, and the server device comprises an advertiser site holding unit that holds advertiser sites, a storage unit, and a point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when the terminal device views advertiser sites held by the advertiser site holding unit, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, a server device is provided that can be connected via a network to a terminal device in the household of a service user, and is characterized by comprising: an advertiser site holding unit that holds advertiser sites; a storage unit; and a point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when the terminal device views the advertiser sites held by the advertiser site holding unit, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a point management method executed by a point management system including a point granting unit and a storage unit, the method including: a step in which the point granting unit grants points generated when a terminal device of a household of a service user views an advertiser site to a service provider; and a step in which the point granting unit stores the points granted to the service provider in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

[0021] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a point management program for causing a point management system including a point granting unit and a storage unit to execute: a step in which the point granting unit grants points generated when a terminal device of a household of a service user views an advertiser site to a service provider; and a step in which the point granting unit stores the points granted to the service provider in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider.

Advantages of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, points generated by the actions of the service user side can be granted to various organizations and the like that provide services.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023] [Figure 1] It is an explanatory diagram of an outline of a business model realized in an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a point management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server device of the point management system shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an advertisement management table. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a region management table. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a school management table. [Figure 7] This is a diagram showing the user management table. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing the job management table. [Figure 9] This diagram shows a points management table. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing an item table. [Figure 11] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the controller terminal and operating terminal of the point management system. [Figure 12] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of household terminals in the point management system. [Figure 13] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the user registration process in the point management system shown. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing the QR code field for registration in the registration guide. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing the screen for reading the registration QR code. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing the registration confirmation screen. [Figure 17] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the point management system when inserting advertising QR codes into school newsletters and when viewing corporate PR pages. [Figure 18] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the point management system when inserting advertising QR codes into school newsletters and when viewing corporate PR pages. [Figure 19] This is a diagram of a school newsletter. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing the screen for reading an advertisement's QR code. [Figure 21] This is a diagram showing a company's PR page. [Figure 22] This is an explanatory diagram of the point acquisition button on a company's PR page. [Figure 23] This figure shows an example of the association between children and household devices within a household. [Figure 24] This figure shows an example of the browsing history of a company's PR page on a household device, as shown in the example in Figure 23. [Figure 25] This figure shows another example of browsing history of corporate PR pages on household devices, as in the example in Figure 23. [Figure 26] This is a diagram showing the points usage page. [Figure 27] Figure 2 is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of exchanging points for goods in the point management system shown. [Figure 28] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the point management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 29] This is an explanatory diagram illustrating the outline of the business model realized in the third embodiment. [Figure 30] This is a block diagram showing the configuration of the point management system according to the third embodiment. [Figure 31] Figure 30 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server device for the point management system. [Figure 32] This is a diagram showing the advertising management table. [Figure 33] This is a diagram showing the school management table. [Figure 34] This figure shows a class management table. [Figure 35] This is a diagram showing a child management table. [Figure 36] This is a diagram showing a parent / guardian management table. [Figure 37] This diagram shows the invitation code management table. [Figure 38] This diagram shows a points management table. [Figure 39] Figure 30 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the parent terminal for the point management system. [Figure 40] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation during user registration in the point management system of the third embodiment. [Figure 41] This is a diagram showing the class QR code section of the registration guide. [Figure 42] This is a diagram showing the parent / guardian information screen. [Figure 43] This is a diagram showing the child information screen. [Figure 44] This is a diagram showing the registration confirmation screen. [Figure 45] This is a diagram showing the error screen. [Figure 46] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation when a parent terminal is added to the point management system of the third embodiment. [Figure 47] This is a diagram showing the QR code screen for invitations. [Figure 48] This is a diagram showing the registration confirmation screen. [Figure 49] This is a diagram showing the application's home screen. [Figure 50] This is a diagram showing the ad list screen. [Figure 51] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the operation of the point management system in the third embodiment when viewing an advertiser's website. [Figure 52] This is a diagram showing the screen displaying the number of points earned. [Figure 53] This is an overview diagram of the reward granting system according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0024] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Parts and components that are identical or equivalent throughout the drawings are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted or simplified.

[0025] [Overview of the business models in the first and second embodiments] The outline of the business model realized in the first and second embodiments of the point management system described later will be explained with reference to Figure 1.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, Service Provider 1 is a group or organization that provides services. The services provided by Service Provider 1 are not internet services, but public services in the physical space. For example, Service Provider 1 could be a school providing educational services, a hospital providing medical services, etc. Service Provider 1 is not limited to public institutions; it could also be a private school, hospital, etc.

[0027] Service user 2 is a person who uses the services provided by service provider 1. For example, service user 2 may be a school child or student, or a hospital patient.

[0028] Operations Manager 3 is the operator responsible for the overall operation and management of activities under this business model. Specifically, Operations Manager 3 is responsible for granting points redeemable for goods to Service Provider 1, processing the exchange of points for goods, reviewing advertisements from Advertiser 5 (described later), and managing advertising fees.

[0029] Sponsoring Company 4 is a company that supplies goods (sponsored items) that can be exchanged for points to Service Provider 1. Sponsoring Company 4 is a company that supports the philosophy of supporting Service Provider 1's financial resources through this business model.

[0030] Advertiser 5 is a company that places advertisements in materials distributed by service provider 1 to service users 2. Advertiser 5 pays advertising fees to the operations manager 3. The advertising fees are used to pay for goods from sponsoring company 4 that are exchanged for points.

[0031] As shown in Figure 1, in this business model, service provider 1 inserts an advertising QR code (registered trademark) which allows access to advertiser 5's corporate PR page into a handout issued to service user 2, and distributes this handout to service user 2 (step S1).

[0032] Someone in the household of service user 2 scans the advertising QR code on this distributed material using a terminal device such as a smartphone and views the corporate PR page of advertiser 5 (Step S2). Once the corporate PR page of advertiser 5 is viewed, the operations manager 3 grants points that can be exchanged for goods to service provider 1 (Step S3).

[0033] Service provider 1 requests that administrator 3 exchange points for desired items (Step S4). Upon receiving this request, administrator 3 orders the requested items from sponsoring company 4 (Step S5). Administrator 3 also pays sponsoring company 4 for the items. Sponsoring company 4 delivers the items to service provider 1 (Step S6).

[0034] As described above, under this business model, when a service user's household views an advertiser's (5) corporate PR page, service provider 1 is awarded points that can be exchanged for goods. This allows service providers 1, which are various organizations providing services, to be awarded points based on the actions of service user 2. By exchanging these points for goods, it is possible to support the financial resources of service provider 1.

[0035] [First Embodiment] Next, we will describe a first embodiment of the business model described in Figure 1 above. In this first embodiment, the service provider 1 in Figure 1 is a school, which is an organization that provides educational services.

[0036] As shown in Figure 2, the point management system 11 according to the first embodiment comprises a server device 12, an operation manager terminal 13, a controller terminal 14, a printing device 15, an operation terminal 16, and a household terminal 17. The operation manager terminal 13, the controller terminal 14, and the household terminal 17 are connected to the server device 12 via a network 18 such as the Internet.

[0037] Here, the controller terminal 14, the printing device 15, and the operation terminal 16 are installed in a school 200. There may be one or more schools 200 where the controller terminal 14, the printing device 15, and the operation terminal 16 are installed. Also, there may be one or more operation terminals 16 installed in a single school 200. School 200 is an elementary school, a junior high school, etc. School 200 may be public or private.

[0038] Furthermore, household terminals 17 are terminal devices owned by households 210 of children or students attending school 200. Specifically, household terminals 17 are smartphones, tablet devices, etc., owned by the guardians (parents) or the children or students attending school 200 themselves. A single household 210 may have one or more household terminals 17. In the following, children and students attending school 200 will simply be referred to as "children." Children are those who use the educational services provided by school 200 and correspond to service user 2 in Figure 1.

[0039] Server device 12 is a server that provides a point-granting service to the school 200, where the operations manager 3 grants points that can be exchanged for goods. Server device 12 consists of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, etc. Server device 12 may also be a cloud server located on the cloud.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3, the server device 12 comprises a control unit 21, a database unit (corresponding to a storage unit) 22, a program storage unit 23, a corporate PR page holding unit (corresponding to an advertiser site holding unit) 24, and an external communication unit 25.

[0041] The control unit 21 controls the operation of the entire server device 12. The control unit 21 is configured with a CPU and the like. The control unit 21 includes a user management unit 31, a job management unit 32, and a point management unit 33. Each part of the control unit 21 is configured by the CPU executing a program stored in the program storage unit 23.

[0042] The user management unit 31 performs processing for user registration of the point awarding service provided by the server device 12. The user management unit 31 comprises a child ID issuance unit 36, a registration QR code issuance unit 37, and a user registration unit 38.

[0043] When the Child ID Issuance Unit 36 ​​receives a registration QR code issuance instruction from the school 200, it issues child IDs for the number of children specified in the registration QR code issuance instruction. A child ID is information used to uniquely identify each child.

[0044] The registration QR code issuing unit 37 issues (generates) registration QR codes for the number of children specified in the registration QR code issuance instruction. The registration QR code has the school ID, class ID, and child ID issued by the child ID issuing unit 36 ​​embedded in it. One child's child ID is embedded in each registration QR code.

[0045] Here, the school ID is information used to uniquely identify each school 200 that uses the point-granting service. The school ID is issued by the operations manager 3 to each school 200 that uses the point-granting service. The class ID is information used to uniquely identify each class within school 200. The school ID and class ID are included in the registration QR code issuance instruction that school 200 sends to the server device 12.

[0046] When the user registration unit 38 receives user information transmitted from the household terminal 17 that has read the registration QR code, it registers the user information. Specifically, the user registration unit 38 associates the child ID and terminal ID contained in the user information transmitted from the household terminal 17 and stores them in the user management table 54, which will be described later. The user registration unit 38 can associate multiple terminal IDs with a single child's child ID and store them in the user management table 54. Here, the terminal ID is information used to uniquely identify each household terminal 17. As the terminal ID, the unique identification information originally held by the household terminal 17 may be used.

[0047] The job management unit 32 processes print jobs for printing school newsletters, which are an example of materials distributed by the school 200 to the households of children 210. The job management unit 32 includes a job ID issuance unit 41, an advertising QR code issuance unit 42, and a push notification management unit 43.

[0048] When the Job ID Issuing Unit 41 receives an advertising image acquisition request from the school 200 for an advertising image and an advertising QR code to be inserted into the school newsletter, it issues a Job ID to uniquely identify the print job for printing the school newsletter.

[0049] Here, the advertisement image is an image used for advertising by advertiser 5. The advertisement image data, which is the image data of the advertisement image, is stored in the advertisement management table 51, which will be described later. As mentioned above, the advertisement QR code is a QR code for viewing the company's PR page (equivalent to the advertiser's website) that displays advertiser 5's advertisement.

[0050] When the advertising QR code issuing unit 42 receives a request from school 200 to acquire an advertising image, it issues (generates) an advertising QR code. The advertising QR code has embedded company PR page information and school ID. Here, the company PR page information is the URL of advertiser 5's company PR page.

[0051] The push notification management unit 43 sends a push notification to the household terminal 17 to inform them that the school newsletter has been delivered. As will be described later, the school newsletter is distributed to households 210 via children as a printed document, and also delivered as data to the household terminal 17. Note that any method that can send a notification to the household terminal 17 via the network 18 is not limited to push notifications.

[0052] The point management unit 33 performs processing such as awarding points to the school 200. The point management unit 33 comprises a browsing history determination unit 46, a point awarding unit 47, and a point exchange unit 48. Each part of the point management unit 33 is configured by the CPU executing a point management program stored in the program storage unit 23.

[0053] When the browsing history determination unit 46 receives a request from a household terminal 17 to display a company PR page, it determines whether at least one household terminal 17 associated with the child to which the sending household terminal 17 is associated has already viewed the company PR page that is the target of the request.

[0054] The point awarding unit 47 awards points generated when a household terminal 17 views a company's PR page to the school 200 attended by the child associated with the household terminal 17. The point awarding unit 47 then stores the awarded points in the school management table 53 of the database unit 22, which will be described later, in association with the school ID of the school 200.

[0055] When the point exchange unit 48 receives a point exchange request from school 200 to exchange points for desired goods, it performs point exchange processing and ordering processing. Point exchange processing is the process of subtracting the points corresponding to the requested goods from the number of points held by school 200 in the school management table 53, which will be described later. Ordering processing is the process of ordering goods from sponsoring company 4.

[0056] The database unit 22 stores the following tables: advertising management table 51, regional management table 52, school management table 53, user management table 54, job management table 55, point management table 56, and item table 57. The database unit 22 is composed of a hard disk or the like.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, the ad management table 51 is a table that associates ad ID, ad image data, company ID, delivery region, delivery period, company PR page information, cost per click, and ad point information.

[0058] The ad ID is information used to uniquely identify each ad registered in the server device 12. The ads registered in the server device 12 are ads that have been restricted, reviewed, and managed by the operations manager 3. One advertiser 5 may register multiple types of ads. The ad image data is, as mentioned above, image data of the ad.

[0059] The Company ID is information used to uniquely identify the advertiser company. The Delivery Region indicates the region where each advertisement will be delivered. The Delivery Period indicates the delivery period for each advertisement. The Company PR Page Information is the URL of the company's PR page where each advertisement will be displayed.

[0060] The cost per click (CPC) is the number of points generated for each view of a company's PR page. The advertising points information shows the total number of points generated from views of each advertisement.

[0061] As shown in Figure 5, the regional management table 52 is a table that associates regions with the school IDs of the 200 schools located in each region.

[0062] The school management table 53, as shown in Figure 6, is a table that associates school ID, class ID, student ID, and points held. The points held represent the number of points currently held by each school (200).

[0063] As shown in Figure 7, the user management table 54 is a table that associates child IDs with terminal IDs. The user management table 54 can store multiple terminal IDs associated with a single child ID.

[0064] As shown in Figure 8, the job management table 55 is a table that associates job ID, school ID, destination class information, document name, original image data, and delivery date and time.

[0065] The recipient class information is the class ID of the recipient (distribution destination) of the school newsletter corresponding to each print job. The document name is the name given to the school newsletter document (original). The original image data is the image data of the original school newsletter. The delivery date and time is the date and time when the school newsletter original image data is delivered to household 210 (household terminal 17). The delivery date and time is set by school 200.

[0066] The point management table 56 stores the viewing history of company PR pages by household terminals 17. Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, the point management table 56 is a table that associates the viewing date and time (the date and time when the company PR page was viewed by household terminal 17), the company PR page information of the company PR page, the terminal ID of the household terminal 17 that viewed the company PR page, the child ID associated with that terminal ID, and the school ID of the school 200 that the child with that child ID attends.

[0067] As shown in Figure 10, item table 57 is a table that associates item name, item image data, and required points.

[0068] The item name is the name of the item that can be exchanged for points in the point reward service. The item image data is an image of a photograph of each item. The required points are the number of points required to exchange each item for points. The required points for each item are predetermined according to the price of each item.

[0069] The program storage unit 23 stores various programs executed by the CPU of the server device 12. The program storage unit 23 is composed of a hard disk or the like.

[0070] The corporate PR page storage unit 24 stores data for corporate PR pages. The corporate PR page storage unit 24 is composed of a hard disk or the like.

[0071] The database unit 22, the program storage unit 23, and the corporate PR page holding unit 24 may each be composed of different storage media such as hard disks, or they may be provided on the same storage medium.

[0072] The external communication unit 25 performs communication processing with external devices via the network 18.

[0073] The administrator terminal 13 is a terminal device used by administrator 3 to perform operations related to the point awarding service. The administrator terminal 13 consists of a computer equipped with a display unit consisting of a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, LCD display panel, etc., and an input unit having a keyboard, mouse, etc. A browser for accessing the server device 12 is installed on the administrator terminal 13.

[0074] The controller terminal 14 is a terminal device that processes information related to the point awarding service at school 200. The controller terminal 14 is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, etc.

[0075] As shown in Figure 11, the controller terminal 14 includes a control unit 61, a storage unit 62, and an external communication unit 63.

[0076] The control unit 61 controls the operation of the entire controller terminal 14. The control unit 61 is configured with a CPU and the like. The control unit 61 includes a print web application unit 66 and a proxy server unit 67. Each part of the control unit 61 is configured by the CPU executing a program stored in the memory unit 62.

[0077] The print web application unit 66 performs processing for printing school newsletters, etc. The print web application unit 66 includes an advertising image composition unit 71, a distribution reservation unit 72, and a print instruction unit 73.

[0078] The advertising image synthesis unit 71 acquires advertising image data and advertising QR code image data from the server device 12, and performs image synthesis processing to combine the advertising image data and advertising QR code image data with the image data of the school newsletter manuscript.

[0079] The distribution reservation unit 72 sets the distribution date and time of the school newsletter, which is entered through an operation on the operation terminal 16.

[0080] The print instruction unit 73 issues printing instructions to the printing device 15 for school newsletters, etc.

[0081] The proxy server unit 67 functions as a proxy server for the server device 12.

[0082] The memory unit 62 stores various programs executed by the CPU of the controller terminal 14. The memory unit 62 is composed of a hard disk or the like.

[0083] The external communication unit 63 performs communication processing with external devices via the network 18.

[0084] The printing device 15 performs printing of school newsletters and the like.

[0085] The operation terminal 16 is a terminal device used by teachers at school 200 to perform operations related to the point awarding service. The operation terminal 16 is composed of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, etc. The operation terminal 16 can access the controller terminal 14 via an intranet, etc., and can access the server device 12 via the proxy server unit 67 of the controller terminal 14. The operation terminal 16 has a browser installed for accessing the controller terminal 14 and the server device 12. Alternatively, the proxy server unit 67 of the controller terminal 14 may be omitted, allowing the operation terminal 16 to access the server device 12 via the network 18 without going through the controller terminal 14.

[0086] As shown in Figure 11, the operating terminal 16 includes a control unit 81, a storage unit 82, a display unit 83, an input unit 84, and an external communication unit 85.

[0087] The control unit 81 controls the operation of the entire operating terminal 16. The control unit 81 is composed of a CPU and the like.

[0088] The memory unit 82 stores various programs executed by the CPU of the operation terminal 16. The memory unit 82 is composed of a hard disk or the like.

[0089] The display unit 83 displays various screens. The display unit 83 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel or the like.

[0090] The input unit 84 accepts input operations from the teacher. The input unit 84 includes a keyboard, mouse, etc.

[0091] The external communication unit 85 performs communication processing with external devices via the network 18.

[0092] Household terminal 17 is a terminal device used by household 210 to view corporate PR pages. As mentioned above, household terminal 17 is a smartphone, tablet, etc., owned by the guardian (parent) of a child attending school 200.

[0093] As shown in Figure 12, the household terminal 17 includes a control unit 91, a program storage unit 92, an application information storage unit 93, an imaging unit 94, a display unit 95, an input unit 96, and an external communication unit (corresponding to a communication unit) 97.

[0094] The control unit 91 controls the operation of the entire household terminal 17. The control unit 91 is configured with a CPU and the like. The control unit 91 includes a QR code acquisition unit 101, a QR code analysis unit 102, a display control unit 103, a company PR page request unit 104, a point processing unit 105, and a push notification processing unit 106. Each part of the control unit 91 is configured by the CPU executing an application program for using the point granting service, which is stored in the program storage unit 92.

[0095] The QR code acquisition unit 101 acquires registration QR codes and advertising QR codes from the video captured by the imaging unit 94.

[0096] The QR code analysis unit 102 analyzes the QR code acquired by the QR code acquisition unit 101 and obtains the information embedded in the QR code.

[0097] The display control unit 103 controls the display unit 95 to display various screens.

[0098] The Corporate PR Page Request Unit 104 sends a Corporate PR Page Display Request to the Server Device 12 to request the display of the Corporate PR Page.

[0099] The point processing unit 105 performs processes such as sending a point acquisition request (described later) to the server device 12, and acquiring acquired point information from the server device 12, which shows the points that the school 200 has earned by viewing the company's PR page using the household terminal 17.

[0100] When the push notification processing unit 106 receives a push notification from the server device 12, it performs processing such as adding the push notification to the notification list information described later.

[0101] The program storage unit 92 stores various programs, such as application programs for using the point-granting service. The program storage unit 92 is composed of flash memory or the like. Application programs for using the point-granting service can be obtained, for example, from any app store server via the network 18.

[0102] The application information storage unit 93 stores the terminal ID of the household terminal 17, the child ID of the child associated with the household terminal 17, the school ID of the school 200 that the child attends, terminal point information, notification list information, etc. The terminal point information is information showing the history of points earned by viewing corporate PR pages on the household terminal 17. The notification list information is information showing a list of push notifications from the server device 12. The notification list information includes the job ID and document name of the school newsletter print job that was sent along with each push notification received on the household terminal 17. The application information storage unit 93 is composed of flash memory or the like.

[0103] The program storage unit 92 and the application information storage unit 93 may be composed of different storage media such as flash memory, or they may be provided on the same storage medium.

[0104] The imaging unit 94 is a camera that captures images of the subject. The imaging unit 94 is used by the household terminal 17 to read the registration QR code and the advertising QR code.

[0105] The display unit 95 displays various screens. The display unit 95 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel or the like.

[0106] The input unit 96 accepts various input operations from the operator of the household terminal 17. The input unit 96 includes a touch panel (not shown). The touch panel is placed on top of the display unit 95. The touch panel detects touch operations by the operator.

[0107] The external communication unit 97 performs communication processing with external devices via the network 18.

[0108] Next, we will explain the operation of the point management system 11 during user registration.

[0109] First, in step S11 of Figure 13, the operating terminal 16 of the school 200 sends a registration QR code issuance instruction to the server device 12.

[0110] Specifically, the control unit 81 of the operating terminal 16 accesses the point-granting service site provided by the server device 12 via a browser, through the proxy server unit 67 of the controller terminal 14. When the class to which the registration QR code will be distributed and the number of children in that class are entered, and an operation is performed to request the issuance of the registration QR code, the control unit 81 sends a registration QR code issuance instruction to the server device 12. The registration QR code issuance instruction includes the school ID of the sending school 200, the class ID of the class to which the registration QR code will be distributed, and the number of children in that class (number of registration QR codes to be distributed).

[0111] When the server device 12 receives a registration QR code issuance instruction, in step S12, the child ID issuance unit 36 ​​issues child IDs for the number of children specified in the registration QR code issuance instruction (the number of registration QR codes to be distributed). The child ID issuance unit 36 ​​stores the issued child IDs in the school management table 53, associating them with the school ID and class ID.

[0112] Next, in step S13, the registration QR code issuing unit 37 issues (generates) the number of registration QR codes specified in the registration QR code issuance instruction. The number of registration QR codes issued in this way is determined by the number of students, which is information belonging to the school 200, and is not determined by the household 210 or the point management system 11. As mentioned above, the registration QR code has the school ID, class ID, and student ID embedded in it.

[0113] Next, in step S14, the registration QR code issuing unit 37 transmits image data of the registration guide containing the registration QR code for the number of people specified in the registration QR code issuance instruction to the controller terminal 14.

[0114] Next, in step S15, the print instruction unit 73 of the controller terminal 14 instructs the printer 15 to print the registration guide based on the image data of the registration guide. As a result, registration guides, each containing a different child ID embedded in a registration QR code, are printed on a printing medium such as paper, one for each child in the class.

[0115] The registration guide includes a registration QR code section 111, as shown in Figure 14. The registration QR code section 111 contains the registration QR code 112. Additionally, the registration QR code section 111 includes the school name, class name, and the pre-set expiration date of the registration QR code.

[0116] Returning to Figure 13, in step S16, the school 200 distributes registration guides to each child's household 210. For example, the school 200 distributes the registration guides to each child's household 210 by having each child take the registration guide home.

[0117] Next, in step S17, the household terminal 17 of household 210 reads the registration QR code 112 in the registration QR code field 111.

[0118] Specifically, when an operation to read the registration QR code 112 is performed, the display control unit 103 of the household terminal 17 displays the registration QR code reading screen 121 shown in Figure 15 on the display unit 95. The registration QR code reading screen 121 is provided with a registration QR code reading area 122. The registration QR code reading screen 121 displays the image captured by the imaging unit 94, and when the registration QR code 112 in the image enters the registration QR code reading area 122, the QR code acquisition unit 101 acquires the registration QR code 112.

[0119] Next, in step S18, the QR code analysis unit 102 analyzes the registration QR code 112 acquired by the QR code acquisition unit 101 and obtains the school ID, class ID, and student ID embedded in the registration QR code 112. The QR code analysis unit 102 stores the acquired school ID and student ID in the application information storage unit 93.

[0120] After following the prescribed procedure, the registration confirmation screen 123 shown in Figure 16 is displayed on the display unit 95. The registration confirmation screen 123 is provided with a completion button 124 for completing user registration.

[0121] When the completion button 124 is pressed, in step S19 of Figure 13, the QR code analysis unit 102 transmits user information, including the school ID, class ID, and student ID obtained from the registration QR code 112, and the terminal ID of the household terminal 17, to the server device 12.

[0122] Next, in step S20, the user registration unit 38 of the server device 12 registers the user information upon receiving it. Specifically, the user registration unit 38 associates the child ID corresponding to the registration QR code 112 included in the user information with the terminal ID and stores it in the user management table 54. This completes the user registration process.

[0123] In the point management system 11, it is possible to register multiple household terminals 17 for a single child. For example, two household terminals 17 owned by each parent can be registered for a single child. In other words, the user registration unit 38 of the server device 12 can associate multiple terminal IDs with a single child's child ID and store them in the user management table 54.

[0124] Next, we will explain the operation of the point management system 11 when inserting advertising QR codes into school newsletters, which are distributed materials, and when viewing corporate PR pages.

[0125] First, in step S21 of Figure 17, the operating terminal 16 of the school 200 sends an advertisement image acquisition request to the server device 12.

[0126] Specifically, the control unit 81 of the operating terminal 16 accesses the point-granting service site provided by the server device 12 via a browser, through the proxy server unit 67 of the controller terminal 14. Once the image data of the school newsletter to be distributed is selected and the document name and the class of the recipient (distribution destination) of the school newsletter are entered, the control unit 81 sends the image data to the controller terminal 14 and also sends an advertisement image acquisition request to the server device 12. The advertisement image acquisition request includes the school ID of the sending school 200 and the class ID of the recipient's class. The image data of the school newsletter is created by a teacher at the operating terminal 16.

[0127] When the server device 12 receives an advertisement image acquisition request, in step S22, the job ID issuing unit 41 issues a job ID unique to the print job for printing the school newsletter corresponding to the advertisement image acquisition request. The job ID issuing unit 41 then associates the job ID, school ID, and class ID and stores them in the job management table 55.

[0128] Next, in step S23, the advertising QR code issuing unit 42 issues (generates) an advertising QR code to be inserted into the school newsletter.

[0129] Here, the advertising QR code issuing unit 42 refers to the advertising management table 51 and selects an advertisement to be included in the school newsletter from among the advertisements currently being distributed in the region where the school 200 that sent the request to acquire the advertising image is located. The advertising QR code issuing unit 42 then generates an advertising QR code that embeds the company PR page information corresponding to the selected advertisement and the school ID of the school 200 that sent the request to acquire the advertising image.

[0130] The advertisements to be included in the school newsletter may be arbitrarily selected from advertisements currently being distributed in the area where school 200, the source of the advertisement image acquisition request, is located, or they may be selected according to, for example, school 200 or the class (grade) to which the school newsletter is addressed. In addition, one or more advertisements may be included in a single school newsletter.

[0131] Next, in step S24, the advertising QR code issuing unit 42 transmits the advertising image data of the advertisement to be published in the school newsletter, the advertising QR code image data, and the job ID issued by the job ID issuing unit 41 to the controller terminal 14 of the school 200.

[0132] Next, in step S25, the advertising image synthesis unit 71 of the controller terminal 14 performs an image synthesis process to combine the advertising image data and the advertising QR code image data with the original image data of the school newsletter.

[0133] Subsequently, through operations on the operation terminal 16, the delivery date and time (scheduled date and time) of the school newsletter is entered, and printing of the school newsletter is instructed. As a result, information indicating the delivery date and time of the school newsletter, as well as the print instruction, is transmitted from the operation terminal 16 to the controller terminal 14.

[0134] Upon receiving information indicating the delivery date and time of the school newsletter, in step S26, the distribution reservation unit 72 of the controller terminal 14 sets the delivery date and time of the school newsletter.

[0135] Next, in step S27, the print instruction unit 73 sends a print job to the printing device 15 for printing based on the image data of the school newsletter after image synthesis processing, and causes the printing of the school newsletter to be performed.

[0136] As a result, a school newsletter 131, as shown in Figure 19, is printed on a printing medium such as paper. The school newsletter 131 has an advertisement image 132 and an advertisement QR code 133 corresponding to the advertisement image 132 printed on it.

[0137] Returning to Figure 17, in step S28, the distribution reservation unit 72 of the controller terminal 14 sends a push notification instruction to the server device 12 to instruct it to send a push notification to the household terminal 17. At this time, along with the push notification instruction, the distribution reservation unit 72 also sends the job ID of the school newsletter print job, the original image data of the school newsletter after image synthesis processing, the document name of the school newsletter, and the date and time of distribution of the school newsletter.

[0138] In step S29, the push notification management unit 43 of the server device 12 sends a push notification to the household terminal 17 of each child's household 210 in the target class at the delivery date and time. Specifically, the push notification management unit 43 sends a push notification to the household terminal 17 of each terminal ID associated with the child ID of each child in the target class. At this time, along with the push notification, the push notification management unit 43 also sends the job ID of the school newsletter print job, the original image data of the school newsletter after image synthesis processing, and the document name of the school newsletter. As a result, the household terminal 17 that receives the push notification can display the image of the school newsletter on the display unit 95.

[0139] Furthermore, the push notification management unit 43 stores the image data of the school newsletter after image synthesis processing, the document name of the school newsletter, and the delivery date and time of the school newsletter in the job management table 55, associating them with the job ID.

[0140] The push notification processing unit 106 of the household terminal 17 that receives the push notification registers the job ID of the school newsletter print job and the document name of the school newsletter that were sent along with the push notification into the notification list information of the application information storage unit 93. As a result, the household terminal 17 can display a list of push notifications received so far on the display unit 95 based on the notification list information, and can also select and view past school newsletters from that list of push notifications.

[0141] Next, in step S30, the school 200 distributes the printed school newsletter 131 to the households 210 of each child in the class that are the recipients (distribution destinations) of the school newsletter. For example, the school 200 distributes the school newsletter 131 to each child's household 210 by having each child take the school newsletter 131 home. Note that the distribution of the printed school newsletter 131 may occur before the push notification mentioned above.

[0142] Next, in step S31, the household terminal 17 of household 210 reads the advertisement QR code 133 of the school newsletter 131.

[0143] Specifically, when an operation to read the advertising QR code 133 is performed on the household terminal 17, the display control unit 103 displays the advertising QR code reading screen 136 shown in Figure 20 on the display unit 95. The advertising QR code reading screen 136 is provided with an advertising QR code reading area 137. The advertising QR code reading screen 136 displays the image captured by the imaging unit 94, and when the advertising QR code 133 in the image enters the advertising QR code reading area 137, the QR code acquisition unit 101 acquires the advertising QR code 133.

[0144] Next, in step S32, the QR code analysis unit 102 analyzes the advertising QR code 133 acquired by the QR code acquisition unit 101 and obtains the school ID and company PR page information embedded in the advertising QR code 133.

[0145] Next, in step S33, the corporate PR page request unit 104 sends a corporate PR page display request to the server device 12. The corporate PR page display request includes the terminal ID of the sending household terminal 17, the child ID associated with the terminal ID, the school ID of the school 200 attended by the child with the child ID, and corporate PR page information obtained from the advertising QR code 133.

[0146] Next, in step S34, the browsing history determination unit 46 of the server device 12 determines whether the corporate PR page requested by the corporate PR page display request has already been viewed by at least one household terminal 17 associated with the child to which the household terminal 17 that sent the corporate PR page display request is associated.

[0147] Specifically, the browsing history determination unit 46 refers to the point management table 56 and determines whether there is a browsing history that includes the company PR page information and school ID included in the company PR page display request, and also includes at least one of the child IDs included in the company PR page display request. If the browsing history determination unit 46 determines that there is a browsing history that includes the company PR page information and school ID included in the company PR page display request, and also includes at least one of the child IDs included in the company PR page display request, it determines that the company PR page requested by the company PR page display request has been viewed by at least one household terminal 17 associated with the child to which the household terminal 17 that sent the company PR page display request is associated.

[0148] If it is determined that the page has already been viewed (step S34: YES), in step S35, the browsing history determination unit 46 sends data of the company PR page in which the point acquisition button 143 (see Figure 22) cannot be pressed to the household terminal 17. Specifically, the browsing history determination unit 46 sends data to the household terminal 17 in which the point acquisition button 143 of the company PR page requested by the company PR page display request is grayed out.

[0149] If it is determined that the page has not been viewed (step S34: NO), in step S36, the browsing history determination unit 46 sends data of the company PR page in which the point acquisition button 143 can be pressed to the household terminal 17. Specifically, the browsing history determination unit 46 sends data to the household terminal 17 in which the point acquisition button 143 of the company PR page requested by the company PR page display request is not grayed out.

[0150] Next, in step S37 of Figure 18, the display control unit 103 of the household terminal 17 displays the company PR page on the display unit 95 based on the data of the company PR page transmitted from the server device 12 in step S35 or step S36. As a result, the household terminal 17 is connected to the company PR page by the external communication unit 97.

[0151] As a result, a company PR page 141, as shown in Figure 21, is displayed on the display unit 95. The company PR page 141 is provided with an external site link button 142. The external site link button 142 is a button for connecting to an external site, such as the homepage of the advertiser 5 company corresponding to the company PR page 141. When the external site link button 142 is pressed, the household terminal 17 connects to the external site, and the external site is displayed on the display unit 95.

[0152] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 22, the company PR page 141 is equipped with a points acquisition button 143. The points acquisition button 143 is located at the very bottom of the company PR page 141. In other words, when the company PR page 141 is scrolled to the bottom, the points acquisition button 143 is displayed. This enhances the advertising effect because the user of the household terminal 17 will see the content of the company PR page 141 while scrolling to press the points acquisition button 143.

[0153] Returning to Figure 18, in step S38, the point processing unit 105 determines whether or not the point acquisition button 143 has been pressed.

[0154] If it is determined that the point acquisition button 143 has not been pressed (step S38: NO), in step S39, the point processing unit 105 determines whether the display of the company PR page 141 has ended. At this point, if an operation is performed on the household terminal 17 to end the display of the company PR page 141, the display of the company PR page 141 ends.

[0155] If the point processing unit 105 determines that the display of the company PR page 141 has finished (step S39: YES), the series of operations ends there.

[0156] If the system determines that the display of the company PR page 141 has not finished (step S39: NO), the point processing unit 105 returns to step S38.

[0157] If it is determined that the point acquisition button 143 has been pressed (step S38: YES), in step S40, the point processing unit 105 sends a point acquisition request to the server device 12 to acquire points.

[0158] Next, in step S41, when the point awarding unit 47 receives a point acquisition request, it awards points to the school 200 attended by the child associated with the household terminal 17 that sent the point acquisition request.

[0159] Specifically, the point awarding unit 47 obtains the cost per click (number of points) for the company's PR page for which a point acquisition request was made from the advertising management table 51. Next, the point awarding unit 47 adds the number of points obtained for the cost per click to the number of points held by the school ID of the target school 200 in the school management table 53.

[0160] Furthermore, the point awarding unit 47 updates the advertising point information in the advertising management table 51 for the company PR page for which a point acquisition request was made, to a value that adds the number of points equivalent to the cost per click for that company page.

[0161] Next, in step S42, the point awarding unit 47 registers the browsing history of the company PR page that the household terminal 17 viewed this time.

[0162] Specifically, the point awarding unit 47 adds the following information to the point management table 56: the date and time the household terminal 17 viewed the company PR page, the company PR page information of the said company PR page, the terminal ID of the household terminal 17 that viewed the company PR page, the child ID associated with the said terminal ID, and the school ID of the school 200 that the child with that child ID attends.

[0163] Here, the viewing date and time is the date and time when the point acquisition request was received. In other words, the company PR page 141 is not considered viewed simply by being displayed on the display unit 95; it is only considered viewed when the point acquisition button 143 on the company PR page 141 is pressed.

[0164] Next, in step S43, the point awarding unit 47 transmits the acquired point information, which indicates the number of points awarded to the school 200 in step S40, to the household terminal 17 that sent the point acquisition request.

[0165] Next, in step S44, the display control unit 103 displays the number of points indicated by the acquired points information on the display unit 95 as the number of points acquired by viewing the company's PR page.

[0166] Furthermore, the point processing unit 105 updates the terminal point information in the application information storage unit 93. Specifically, the point processing unit 105 adds the company PR page information and the number of points earned for the company PR page viewed to the terminal point information. This completes the series of operations.

[0167] Next, the browsing determination process, which is performed by the browsing history determination unit 46 in step S34 of Figure 17 described above, will be explained using a specific example. The browsing determination process determines whether the corporate PR page requested to be displayed by the corporate PR page display request has already been viewed by at least one household terminal 17 associated with the child to which the household terminal 17 that sent the corporate PR page display request is associated.

[0168] In this example, household 210 has two siblings, one with child ID "IDJ1" and the other with child ID "IDJ100," as shown in Figure 23. These siblings attend the same school 200, whose school ID is "IDG1." In this household 210, the parents of the siblings own two household terminals, one with terminal ID "IDT1" and the other with terminal ID "IDT2." IDJ1 is associated with both IDT1 and IDT2, while IDJ100 is associated only with IDT2.

[0169] First, we will explain the case in household 210 shown in Figure 23 where household terminal 17 of IDT1 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement with advertising ID "IDK1" before household terminal 17 of IDT2.

[0170] In this case, at the time the household terminal 17 of IDT1 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement and sends a request to display the company PR page, there is no viewing history of the company PR page corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement by either the household terminal 17 of IDT1 or the household terminal 17 of IDT2. Therefore, the viewing history determination unit 46 determines that the company PR page corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement has not been viewed by either the household terminal 17 of IDT1 or the household terminal 17 of IDT2.

[0171] Then, when the company PR page 141 corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement is displayed on the IDT1 household terminal 17 and the point acquisition button 143 is pressed, points are awarded to the IDG1 school 200. In addition, the viewing history of the company PR page corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement by the IDT1 household terminal 17, as shown in Figure 24, is registered in the point management table 56.

[0172] After this, the household terminal 17 of IDT2 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement in IDK1. As a result, the corporate PR page display request sent by the household terminal 17 of IDT2 includes IDT2 as the terminal ID, IDJ1 and IDJ100 as the child IDs, IDG1 as the school ID, and corporate PR page information corresponding to the advertisement in IDK1.

[0173] At the time that household terminal 17 of IDT2 sends a request to display the company PR page, there is a browsing history from household terminal 17 of IDT1 as shown in Figure 24, and points have already been awarded to school 200 of IDG1. The browsing history in Figure 24 includes company PR page information corresponding to advertisements for IDJ1, IDJ1 (one of IDJ100) as the child ID, IDG1 as the school ID, and IDK1.

[0174] Therefore, the browsing history determination unit 46 determines that the household terminal 17 of IDT1 associated with the child of IDJ1, to which the household terminal 17 of IDT2 is linked, has already viewed the corporate PR page corresponding to the advertisement for IDK1.

[0175] Therefore, although the company PR page 141 corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement is displayed on the IDT2 household terminal 17, the point acquisition button 143 is grayed out and cannot be pressed. Consequently, no points are awarded to the IDG1 school 200.

[0176] Furthermore, even if the household terminal 17 of IDT1 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement in IDK1 again after the browsing history in Figure 24 has been registered, the point acquisition button 143 will be grayed out, and no points will be awarded to the school 200 of IDG1.

[0177] Next, we will explain the case in household 210 shown in Figure 23 where the household terminal 17 of IDT2 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement of IDK1 before the household terminal 17 of IDT1.

[0178] In this case, at the time the household terminal 17 of IDT2 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement of IDK1 and sends a request to display the company PR page, there is no viewing history of the company PR page corresponding to the advertisement of IDK1 by either the household terminal 17 of IDT1 or the household terminal 17 of IDT2. Therefore, the viewing history determination unit 46 determines that the company PR page corresponding to the advertisement of IDK1 has not been viewed by either the household terminal 17 of IDT1 or the household terminal 17 of IDT2.

[0179] Then, when the company PR page 141 corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement is displayed on the IDT2 household terminal 17 and the point acquisition button 143 is pressed, points are awarded to the IDG1 school 200. In addition, the viewing history of the company PR page corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement by the IDT2 household terminal 17, as shown in Figure 25, is registered in the point management table 56.

[0180] After this, the household terminal 17 of IDT1 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement in IDK1. As a result, the corporate PR page display request sent by the household terminal 17 of IDT1 includes IDT1 as the terminal ID, IDJ1 as the child ID, IDG1 as the school ID, and corporate PR page information corresponding to the advertisement in IDK1.

[0181] At the time that household terminal 17 of IDT1 sends a request to display the company PR page, there is a browsing history from household terminal 17 of IDT2 as shown in Figure 25, and points have already been awarded to school 200 of IDG1. The browsing history in Figure 25 includes company PR page information corresponding to advertisements for IDJ1 as the child ID, IDG1 as the school ID, and IDK1.

[0182] Therefore, the browsing history determination unit 46 determines that the household terminal 17 of IDT2, which is associated with the child of IDJ1 to which the household terminal 17 of IDT1 is linked, has already viewed the corporate PR page corresponding to the advertisement for IDK1.

[0183] Therefore, although the company PR page 141 corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement is displayed on the IDT1 household terminal 17, the point acquisition button 143 is grayed out and cannot be pressed. Consequently, no points are awarded to the IDG1 school 200.

[0184] Furthermore, even if the household terminal 17 of IDT2 reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the advertisement in IDK1 again after the browsing history in Figure 25 has been registered, the point acquisition button 143 will be grayed out, and no points will be awarded to the school 200 of IDG1.

[0185] As described above, regardless of whether household terminal 17 (IDT1 or IDT2) reads the advertising QR code corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement first, the points awarded to school 200 of IDG1 for viewing the company PR page corresponding to the IDK1 advertisement in household 210 in Figure 23 will only occur once.

[0186] Therefore, the viewing detection process described above prevents duplicate point allocation to schools (200) due to viewing a company's PR page by a single household (210).

[0187] In the above explanation, it was assumed that the company PR page 141 was considered viewed when the point acquisition button 143 on the company PR page 141 was pressed. However, the point acquisition button 143 may be omitted, and the company PR page 141 may be considered viewed by the household terminal 17 as soon as the household terminal 17 connects to the company PR page 141.

[0188] Next, we will explain the operation of the point management system 11 when a school 200 exchanges its points for goods.

[0189] In the point management system 11, for example, once the advertising period ends, the points earned from viewing the corresponding company PR page at school 200 are finalized, and those points become available for use (exchangeable for goods). Alternatively, school 200 may use any points it holds at any time.

[0190] When school 200 uses points, the control unit 81 of the operation terminal 16 accesses the point usage page of the point granting service provided by the server device 12 via the proxy server unit 67 of the controller terminal 14, in response to the teacher's operation, using a browser.

[0191] As a result, a points usage page 151, as shown in Figure 26, is displayed on the display unit 83 of the operating terminal 16. The points usage page 151 contains photographs, item names, and the number of points required for at least some of the items stored in the item table 57 of the server device 12. From this points usage page 151, teachers at school 200 can select the items they wish to exchange for points.

[0192] When a desired item is selected and an operation is performed to exchange points for that item, in step S51 of Figure 27, the control unit 81 of the operation terminal 16 sends a point exchange request to the server device 12 to exchange the points for the selected item.

[0193] Next, in step S52, when the point exchange unit 48 of the server device 12 receives a point exchange request, it performs a point exchange process. Specifically, the point exchange unit 48 subtracts the points corresponding to the requested item from the number of points held by the school 200 that sent the point exchange request, as recorded in the point management table 56.

[0194] Next, in step S53, the point exchange unit 48 processes an order for the requested item from the sponsoring company 4 that provides the item. This completes the series of operations.

[0195] After the order processing is completed by the points exchange department 48 as described above, the sponsoring company 4 delivers the ordered goods to the school 200.

[0196] Alternatively, School 200 may contact the operations manager 3 via email or telephone to specify the items and request that points be exchanged for those items.

[0197] In this case, in response to an operation by an employee of the operations manager 3 who received a notification from school 200, the operations manager terminal 13 accesses the server device 12 and instructs it to perform the process of exchanging the points of school 200, which has been instructed to exchange points for goods, for the specified goods.

[0198] In response, the point exchange unit 48 subtracts the points corresponding to the specified item from the number of points held by the school 200 that has been instructed to exchange points for goods, as shown in the school management table 53.

[0199] Furthermore, the operations manager 3 orders the designated items from the sponsoring company 4 via email, telephone, etc. Afterward, the sponsoring company 4 delivers the ordered items to the school 200.

[0200] As explained above, in the point management system 11, the point awarding unit 47 awards points generated when a household terminal 17 views a company's PR page to the school 200 attended by the child associated with that household terminal 17. The point awarding unit 47 then stores the awarded points in the school management table 53 of the database unit 22, associating them with the school ID of the school 200. This makes it possible to award points to the school 200 based on the actions of the children, using a mechanism different from the existing Bell Mark program.

[0201] As will be described later, the point management system 11, which awards points to the school 200, is a system that can be applied to various service providers 1, not just schools. Therefore, according to the point management system 11, points generated by the actions of children can be awarded to the school 200 through a system that is applicable to various service providers 1.

[0202] Furthermore, since points can be exchanged for goods in the point management system 11, school 200 can use points to procure equipment. Therefore, the point management system 11 can support the financial resources of school 200.

[0203] Furthermore, in the point management system 11, when a household terminal 17 connects to a company PR page, if at least one household terminal 17 associated with the child to which the household terminal 17 is linked has already viewed the company PR page and points have been awarded to the school 200 attended by that child, the point awarding unit 47 will not award points to the school 200. This prevents duplicate point awarding to the school 200 due to viewing a single company PR page by a single household 210.

[0204] Furthermore, in the point management system 11, the registration QR code issuing unit 37 issues registration QR codes with the child ID embedded in them, one for each child. The user registration unit 38 can associate the terminal IDs of multiple household terminals 17 with a single child ID and store them in the user management table 54 of the database unit 22.

[0205] This allows the point management system 11 to manage each household terminal 17 associated with a single child as belonging to the same household, without having to manage the number of household members 210, which is personal information of the children. In other words, the point management system 11 can manage children on a household basis while protecting the children's privacy.

[0206] This makes it possible to manage the process to prevent duplicate point allocation to schools (200) based on a single view of a company's PR page by a single household (210), as described above.

[0207] In this system, the point management system 11 generates advertising fees for the advertiser 5 based on the number of points earned.

[0208] Therefore, if points are generated for viewing a company's PR page for each viewing on a terminal 17 in a single household 210, then a single household 210 may incur advertising fees for multiple views of the same company's PR page. In this case, the advertising fee burden for the advertiser 5 may become too large relative to the advertising effect.

[0209] In contrast, the point management system 11 prevents duplicate point awarding to schools 200 for viewing a single company PR page in a single household 210. This offers advertisers 5 the advantage of being able to control the increase in advertising costs while ensuring advertising effectiveness.

[0210] In the above-described embodiment, the case in which the household terminal 17 reads an advertising QR code printed on a print medium in order to view the company's PR page was explained. That is, in the above-described embodiment, information printed on a print medium was used as trigger information for the household terminal 17 to view the company's PR page.

[0211] In contrast, information within applications installed on the household terminal 17 may also be used as trigger information for the household terminal 17 to view the company's PR page. That is, an application program for using the point-granting service may be configured so that when an operator presses a predetermined position in the school newsletter displayed on the display unit 95 of the household terminal 17, for example, the position where an advertisement image is displayed, the company's PR page is displayed on the display unit 95.

[0212] This will allow access to the company's PR page from both print media and applications.

[0213] Here, as described above, if the household terminal 17 is able to use information printed on a print medium and information within an application as trigger information for viewing a company's PR page, the points generated by viewing the company's PR page may differ depending on whether information printed on a print medium or information within an application is used.

[0214] For example, using information within the application could result in more points being awarded than using information printed on a print medium. In this case, it would be possible to encourage more households to consider printed handouts (school newsletters) unnecessary, thereby reducing the amount of print media used.

[0215] Furthermore, the system may be designed so that using information printed on a print medium results in more points being awarded than using information within the application. In this case, it becomes possible to encourage printed handouts (school newsletters) to be more reliably taken home by households 210.

[0216] [Second Embodiment] Next, we will describe a second embodiment of the business model described in Figure 1 above. In the second embodiment, service provider 1 in Figure 1 is a hospital, which is an organization that provides medical services.

[0217] As shown in Figure 28, in the point management system 11A according to the second embodiment, the controller terminal 14, the printing device 15, and the operation terminal 16 are located in the hospital 300. The hospital 300 may be public or private.

[0218] In the point management system 11A, the operating terminal 16 is a terminal device used by hospital staff 300 to perform operations related to the point awarding service.

[0219] In the point management system 11A, patients who possess a medical card for hospital 300 are those who use the medical services provided by hospital 300, and correspond to service user 2 in Figure 1.

[0220] In the point management system 11A, the household terminal 17 is a terminal device owned by the households 210 of patients of hospital 300. Specifically, the household terminal 17 is a smartphone, tablet, etc., owned by patients of hospital 300 or their families.

[0221] The configuration and various operations of each device in the point management system 11A are the same as those in the point management system 11 described in the first embodiment. In the point management system 11A, one simply needs to replace "school" with "hospital," "class" with "department," "teacher" with "staff," "child" with "patient," and "school newsletter" with "hospital announcement" in the configuration and various operations of the point management system 11 described in the first embodiment.

[0222] [Overview of the business model in the third embodiment] Next, an overview of the business model implemented in the third embodiment of the point management system, which will be described later, will be explained with reference to Figure 29.

[0223] In Figure 29, the service provider 1, the operations manager 3, the sponsoring company 4, and the advertiser 5 are the same as those in Figure 1 mentioned above. However, in the business model of Figure 29, advertiser 5 is a company that places advertisements on applications used by the service user 6, such as smartphones, as described later.

[0224] Service user 6 refers to service user 2 or their related parties, as shown in Figure 1. Related parties of service user 2 are service user 2's family members, etc.

[0225] As shown in Figure 29, in this business model, the advertiser's advertisement is displayed in the application used by the service user's terminal device (step S61).

[0226] The service user 6 accesses the advertiser's website, such as the advertiser's company homepage, from an advertisement displayed in the application and views the advertiser's website (Step S62). As a result, the operation manager 3 grants points that can be exchanged for goods to the service provider 1 (Step S63).

[0227] Steps S64 to S66 are the same as steps S4 to S6 in Figure 1 described above.

[0228] As described above, under this business model, when an advertiser's site is viewed on the terminal device of the service user 6, points redeemable for goods are awarded to the service provider 1. This allows points to be awarded to the service provider 1, which is a variety of organizations providing services, based on the actions of the service user 2. By exchanging these points for goods, the financial resources of the service provider 1 can be supported.

[0229] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the business model described in Figure 29 above will be described. In the third embodiment, service provider 1 in Figure 29 is a school, which is an organization that provides educational services, similar to the first embodiment.

[0230] As shown in Figure 30, the point management system 11B according to the third embodiment includes a server device 401, an operation manager terminal 402, a school terminal 403, and a parent terminal (corresponding to a terminal device) 405. The operation manager terminal 402, the school terminal 403, and the parent terminal 405 are connected to the server device 401 via a network 18 such as the Internet.

[0231] Here, the school terminal 403 is installed in the school 200. The school 200 in which the school terminal 403 is installed may be one or more. Also, the school terminal 403 installed in one school 200 may be one or more. The school 200 is an elementary school, junior high school, etc., as in the first embodiment described above, and may be public or private.

[0232] Furthermore, the parent terminal 405 is a terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the parent (guardian) of a child or student who attends school 200. There may be one parent terminal 405 per student, or there may be multiple. As in the first embodiment, children and students who attend school 200 are simply referred to as "children." Children are those who use the educational services provided by school 200, and correspond to service user 2 in Figure 1, and are included in service user side 6 in Figure 29. In addition, the parent (guardian) of a child corresponds to a related party of service user 2 and is included in service user side 6.

[0233] Server device 401 is a server that provides a point-granting service to school 200, where the operations manager 3 grants points that can be exchanged for goods. Server device 401 consists of a computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, etc. Server device 401 may also be a cloud server located on the cloud.

[0234] As shown in Figure 31, the server device 401 comprises a control unit 411, a database unit (corresponding to a storage unit) 412, a program storage unit 413, and an external communication unit 414.

[0235] The control unit 411 controls the operation of the entire server device 401. The control unit 411 is configured with a CPU and the like. The control unit 411 includes a user management unit 421, an advertising management unit 422, and a point management unit 423. Each part of the control unit 411 is configured by the CPU executing a program stored in the program storage unit 413.

[0236] The user management unit 421 performs processing for user registration of the point awarding service provided by the server device 401. The user management unit 421 comprises a class code issuance unit 431, an invitation code issuance unit 432, and a user registration unit 433.

[0237] When the class code issuing unit 431 receives a class code issuance instruction from school 200, it issues the class code for the class at school 200 as instructed in the instruction. The class code issuing unit 431 also issues (generates) a class QR code with the class code embedded in it. The class code is a code that includes the class ID. The class ID is information that uniquely identifies each class at school 200.

[0238] When the invitation code issuing unit 432 receives an invitation code issuance instruction from the parent terminal 405, it issues an invitation code. The invitation code issuing unit 432 also issues (generates) an invitation QR code with the invitation code embedded in it. The invitation code is used to register other parent terminals 405 to the server device 401 by associating them with the registered parent terminals 405 via a parent terminal 405 already registered with the server device 401.

[0239] The user registration unit 433 performs the processing for user registration. Specifically, when the user registration unit 433 receives the terminal transmission information described later from the parent terminal 405 that has acquired the class code, it issues a parent ID and a terminal ID. The user registration unit 433 then associates the parent ID, the terminal ID, the class ID included in the terminal transmission information, and the child ID included in the terminal transmission information, and stores them in the parent management table 446, which will be described later. As will be described later, information such as the parent's nickname is also stored in the parent management table 446.

[0240] Here, the parent ID is information used to uniquely identify each parent. The device ID is information used to uniquely identify each parent device 405.

[0241] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the child ID is the student number in the class to which the child belongs. The student number is entered in the parent terminal 405 that obtains the class code, as will be described later.

[0242] Furthermore, if the user registration unit 433 obtains a Class ID and Child ID from terminal transmission information that are the same as those associated with any parent terminal 405 (parent ID) already registered with the server device 401, it sends an error notification to the parent terminal 405 that sent the terminal transmission information.

[0243] Furthermore, when an invitation code is entered from a different parent terminal 405 than the registered parent terminal 405, which has obtained the invitation code via the registered parent terminal 405, the user registration unit 433 stores the terminal ID of the other parent terminal 405 in the parent management table 446, associating it with the same child ID and class ID as the child ID and class ID associated with the terminal ID of the registered parent terminal 405.

[0244] Specifically, after the user registration unit 433 receives the invited terminal transmission information, including the invitation code, from the invited parent terminal 405, and then receives the registration instruction described below, it issues a parent ID and a terminal ID. The user registration unit 433 then associates the child ID and class ID associated with the terminal ID of the registered parent terminal 405 that received the invitation code from the server device 401 with the parent ID and terminal ID of the parent terminal 405 that sent the invited terminal transmission information, and stores this information in the parent management table 446. As will be described later, information such as the parent's nickname is also stored in the parent management table 446.

[0245] As a result, a common child ID and class ID are used to associate the registered parent terminal 405 with the parent terminal 405 that obtained an invitation code from the registered parent terminal 405 (i.e., the invited parent terminal 405), and these are registered with the server device 401. In addition, the child ID and class ID are synchronized between the registered parent terminal 405 and the invited parent terminal 405. Furthermore, as will be described later, information such as the child's nickname is also synchronized.

[0246] The advertising management unit 422 manages the advertisements of advertiser 5 that are displayed in a dedicated application used on the parent terminal 405. Specifically, the advertising management unit 422 distributes advertising image data to the parent terminal 405, etc.

[0247] The point management unit 423 performs processing such as awarding points to the school 200. The point management unit 423 includes a point awarding unit 436 and a point exchange unit 437.

[0248] The point awarding unit 436 awards points generated by the parent terminal 405 browsing the advertiser's website to the school 200 attended by the child associated with the parent terminal 405. The point awarding unit 436 then stores the awarded points in the school management table 443 of the database unit 412, which will be described later, in association with the school ID of the school 200.

[0249] When the point exchange unit 437 receives a point exchange request from school 200 to exchange points for desired goods, it performs point exchange processing and ordering processing. Point exchange processing is the process of subtracting the points corresponding to the requested goods from the number of points held by school 200 in the school management table 443. Ordering processing is the process of ordering the goods from sponsoring company 4.

[0250] The database unit 412 stores an advertisement management table 441, a region management table 442, a school management table 443, a class management table 444, a child management table 445, a guardian management table 446, an invitation code management table 447, a point management table 448, and an item table 449. The database unit 412 is constituted by a hard disk or the like.

[0251] As shown in FIG. 32, the advertisement management table 441 is a table that associates an advertisement ID, advertisement image data, a company ID, a distribution region, a distribution period, advertiser site information, a click unit price, and advertisement point information.

[0252] The advertiser site information in the advertisement management table 441 is the URL of an external advertiser site such as the homepage of the company of advertiser 5. The advertisement ID, advertisement image data, company ID, distribution region, distribution period, click unit price, and advertisement point information in the advertisement management table 441 are the same as those in the advertisement management table 51 shown in FIG. 4 described above.

[0253] However, the advertisement image data in the advertisement management table 441 includes the image data of the advertisement image for display in the banner advertisement area 502 (see FIG. 49) described later and the image data of the advertisement image for display in the advertisement area 504 (see FIG. 50) on the advertisement list screen 503 described later. Also, the click unit price in the advertisement management table 441 is the number of points generated by one viewing of each advertiser site.

[0254] Note that the URL stored in the advertisement management table 441 as the advertiser site information may be the URL of a flyer image. Further, the flyer image may be stored in the server device 401.

[0255] The region management table 442 is the same as the region management table 52 shown in FIG. 5.

[0256] The school management table 443 is a table that associates school IDs, school names, and the number of points held, as shown in FIG. 33.

[0257] The class management table 444 is a table that associates class IDs, class names, the number of children, and school IDs, as shown in FIG. 34. The number of children is the number of children in each class. A plurality of children belong to each class.

[0258] The child management table 445 is a table that associates child IDs, children's nicknames, and class IDs, as shown in FIG. 35.

[0259] The children's nicknames are those input on the guardian terminal 405 when registering with the server device 401 of the guardian terminal 405. The children's nicknames are different from the children's names. The children's nicknames are used for displaying children in the application used on the guardian terminal 405.

[0260] The guardian management table 446 is a table that associates guardian IDs, guardians' nicknames, guardians' ages, relationships with children, terminal IDs, terminal names, child IDs, class IDs, and invitation codes, as shown in FIG. 36. Regarding the invitation codes, only those of the guardian terminal 405 for which the invitation codes have been issued are stored in the guardian management table 446. The guardians' nicknames, guardians' ages, and relationships with children are those input on the guardian terminal 405 when registering with the server device 401 of the guardian terminal 405. The guardians' nicknames are different from the guardians' names. The guardians' nicknames are used for displaying guardians in the application used on the guardian terminal 405.

[0261] The invitation code management table 447 is a table that associates invitation codes and guardian IDs, as shown in FIG. 37.

[0262] The point management table 448 stores the browsing history of advertiser sites by the parent terminal 405. As shown in Figure 38, the point management table 448 is a table that associates the browsing date and time when the advertiser site was viewed by the parent terminal 405, the advertiser site information of the advertiser site, the terminal ID of the parent terminal 405 that viewed the advertiser site, the child ID associated with the terminal ID, the school ID of the school 200 attended by the child with that child ID, the number of times the advertiser site was viewed by the parent terminal 405, and the number of points earned by the parent terminal 405 as a result of viewing the advertiser site.

[0263] The item table 449 is similar to the item table 57 shown in Figure 10.

[0264] The program storage unit 413 stores various programs that the CPU of the server device 401 executes. The program storage unit 413 is composed of a hard disk or the like.

[0265] The external communication unit 414 performs communication processing with external devices via the network 18.

[0266] The administrator terminal 402 is a terminal device used by administrator 3 to perform operations related to the point awarding service. The administrator terminal 402 consists of a computer equipped with a display unit consisting of a CPU, ROM, RAM, hard disk, LCD display panel, etc., and an input unit having a keyboard, mouse, etc. The administrator terminal 402 has a browser installed for accessing the server device 401.

[0267] School terminal 403 is a terminal device used by teachers at school 200 to perform operations related to the point-granting service. School terminal 403 is composed of the same computer as the administrator terminal 402. School terminal 403 has a browser installed for accessing server device 401.

[0268] The printing device 404 prints registration guides and other documents, as described later.

[0269] The parent terminal 405 is a terminal device used by the child's parent or guardian to perform operations related to the point accrual service. As mentioned above, the parent terminal 405 consists of a smartphone, tablet, or the like.

[0270] As shown in Figure 39, the parent terminal 405 includes a control unit 461, a program storage unit 462, an application information storage unit 463, an imaging unit 464, a display unit 465, an input unit 466, and an external communication unit (corresponding to a communication unit) 467.

[0271] The control unit 461 controls the operation of the entire parent terminal 405. The control unit 461 is configured with a CPU and the like. The control unit 461 comprises a code acquisition unit 471, a display control unit 472, an advertising processing unit 473, and a point processing unit 474. Each part of the control unit 461 is configured by the CPU executing a dedicated application program for using the point granting service, which is stored in the program storage unit 462.

[0272] The code acquisition unit 471 acquires the class QR code when the imaging unit 94 is imaging a class QR code, analyzes it to obtain the class code, and then obtains the class ID from the class code. Also, if the imaging unit 94 is imaging an invitation QR code, the code acquisition unit 471 acquires the invitation QR code, analyzes it to obtain the invitation code.

[0273] The display control unit 472 controls the display unit 465 to display various screens.

[0274] The advertising processing unit 473 performs tasks such as sending an advertiser site information request to the server device 401 in order to request advertiser site information in order to view the advertiser site.

[0275] When the school 200 earns points by viewing the advertiser site on the self-protector terminal 405, the point processing unit 474 performs a process of updating the terminal point information in the application information storage unit 463.

[0276] The program storage unit 462 stores various programs such as an application program for using the point giving service. The program storage unit 462 is composed of a flash memory or the like. The application program for using the point giving service can be obtained from an arbitrary app store server via the network 18, for example.

[0277] The application information storage unit 463 stores the terminal ID of the self-protector terminal 405, the child ID of the child associated with the self-protector terminal 405, the school ID of the school 200 attended by the child, the terminal point information, and the like. The terminal point information is information indicating the point acquisition history by viewing the advertiser site on the self-protector terminal 405.

[0278] The imaging unit 464 is a camera that images a subject. The imaging unit 464 is used to read the class QR code and the invitation QR code on the protector terminal 405.

[0279] The display unit 465 displays various screens. The display unit 465 is composed of a liquid crystal display panel or the like.

[0280] The input unit 466 receives various input operations by the operator of the protector terminal 405. The input unit 466 includes a touch panel (not shown). The touch panel is arranged on top of the display unit 465. The touch panel detects contact operations by the operator.

[0281] The external communication unit 467 performs communication processing with an external device via the network 18.

[0282] Next, the operation at the time of user registration in the point management system 11B of the third embodiment will be described.

[0283] First, in step S71 of Figure 40, the school terminal 403 sends a class code issuance instruction to the server device 401. Specifically, when a class for which a class code is to be issued is entered and an operation to request the issuance of a class code is performed, the school terminal 403 sends a class code issuance instruction to the server device 401. The class code issuance instruction includes the class name, the number of students in the class, and the school ID of the school 200 that sent the class code issuance instruction.

[0284] When the server device 401 receives a class code issuance instruction, in step S72, the class code issuance unit 431 issues a class code including a class ID. The class code consists of, for example, a sequence of numbers. The class code issuance unit 431 stores the class ID, class name, number of students in the class, and school ID of the issued class code in the class management table 444.

[0285] Next, in step S73, the class code issuing unit 431 generates a class QR code with the class code embedded in it.

[0286] Next, in step S74, the class code issuing unit 431 transmits image data of the registration guide, including the class QR code, to the school terminal 403 that sent the class code issuance instruction.

[0287] Next, in step S75, the school terminal 403 instructs the printer 404 to print registration guides on paper or other printing media, based on the image data of the registration guides.

[0288] The registration guide includes a class QR code section 481, as shown in Figure 41. Within the class QR code section 481, there is a class QR code 482. Additionally, the class QR code section 481 includes a section 483 for student number entry. In this section, each student's student number in the class is to be handwritten. The class QR code section 481 also contains the school name, class name, the pre-set expiration date of the class QR code, and the class code.

[0289] Returning to Figure 40, in step S76, school 200 distributes registration guides to each child's home. For example, school 200 has each child take a registration guide home.

[0290] Next, in step S77, the parent terminal 405 reads the class QR code 482 in the class QR code field 481.

[0291] Specifically, the code acquisition unit 471 acquires the class QR code 482 from the video being captured by the imaging unit 464, which is displayed on a class QR code reading screen (not shown) similar to the registration QR code reading screen 121 in Figure 15 mentioned above.

[0292] Next, in step S78, the code acquisition unit 471 analyzes the class QR code 482 and obtains the class code embedded in the class QR code 482. Then, the code acquisition unit 471 obtains the class ID from the class code. The code acquisition unit 471 stores the obtained class ID in the application information storage unit 463.

[0293] Alternatively, instead of obtaining the class code by scanning the class QR code 482 printed on the registration guide, a registration URL may be sent from the server device 401 to the parent terminal 405 via email or other means, and the class code can be obtained from that registration URL.

[0294] Next, in step S79, the parent terminal 405 accepts input of parent information. Specifically, the display control unit 472 displays the parent information screen 491 shown in Figure 42 on the display unit 465. The parent who owns the parent terminal 405 then inputs parent information on the parent information screen 491. The parent information includes the parent's age, relationship to the child, and the parent's nickname. The code acquisition unit 471 stores the input parent information in the application information storage unit 463.

[0295] Once parent information is entered, in step S80, the parent terminal 405 accepts input of child information. Specifically, the display control unit 472 first displays the child information screen 492 shown in Figure 43 on the display unit 465. The parent who owns the parent terminal 405 then enters the child's class attendance number and the child's nickname on the child information screen 492. The child information screen 492 also displays the child's grade and class. This grade and class are determined from the class ID.

[0296] When the input of information to the child information screen 492 is completed, the input of child information is finished. The child information includes the child's attendance number in their class and the child's nickname. The code acquisition unit 471 stores the entered child information in the application information storage unit 463.

[0297] Subsequently, the registration confirmation screen 493 shown in Figure 44 is displayed on the display unit 465. The registration confirmation screen 493 is provided with a completion button 494 for completing user registration.

[0298] When the completion button 494 is pressed, in step S81 of Figure 40, the code acquisition unit 471 sends terminal transmission information to the server device 401. The terminal transmission information includes the class ID, child ID (attendance number), the terminal name of the parent terminal 405, the parent's age, the parent's relationship to the child, the parent's nickname, and the child's nickname. Here, the terminal name of the parent terminal 405 can be information such as the model name held by the parent terminal 405.

[0299] When the server device 401 receives terminal transmission information via the external communication unit 24, the child ID included in the terminal transmission information is obtained. Then, in step S82, the user registration unit 433 determines whether there is a registered guardian terminal 405 corresponding to the child indicated by the child ID included in the terminal transmission information. Specifically, the user registration unit 433 refers to the guardian management table 446 and determines whether a guardian terminal 405 (guardian ID) associated with the same class ID and child ID as included in the terminal transmission information is registered.

[0300] If a parent terminal 405 (parent ID) is registered with the same class ID and child ID as those included in the terminal transmission information, the user registration unit 433 determines that there is a registered parent terminal 405 corresponding to the child indicated by the child ID included in the terminal transmission information. In other words, if the user registration unit 433 obtains the same class ID and child ID as those associated with any parent terminal 405 (parent ID) registered with the server device 401 from the terminal transmission information, it determines that there is a registered parent terminal 405 corresponding to the child indicated by the child ID included in the terminal transmission information.

[0301] If it is determined that there is a registered parent terminal 405 (step S82: YES), in step S83, the user registration unit 433 sends an error notification to the parent terminal 405 that is the source of the terminal transmission information.

[0302] When the parent terminal 405 receives an error notification, in step S84, the display control unit 472 displays the error screen 496 shown in Figure 45 on the display unit 465. This completes the series of processes. As shown in Figure 45, the error screen 496 displays a message notifying the user of the proper procedure to obtain an invitation code from the registered parent terminal 405 and register.

[0303] Returning to Figure 40, if in step S82 it is determined that there are no registered parent terminals 405 (step S82: NO), then in step S85 the user registration unit 433 issues a parent ID and terminal ID to the parent terminal 405 that is the source of the terminal transmission information.

[0304] Next, in step S86, the user registration unit 433 registers the parent ID, terminal ID, and information contained in the terminal transmission information in the child management table 445 and the guardian management table 446. Specifically, the user registration unit 433 associates the child ID, child's nickname, class ID, and distribution group and stores them in the child management table 445. The user registration unit 433 also associates the parent ID, parent's nickname, parent's age, parent's relationship to the child, terminal ID, terminal name, child ID, and class ID and stores them in the guardian management table 446.

[0305] Next, in step S87, the user registration unit 433 transmits the parent ID, terminal ID, and school ID to the parent terminal 405.

[0306] Next, in step S88, the code acquisition unit 471 of the parent terminal 405 stores the parent ID, terminal ID, and school ID transmitted from the server device 401 in the application information storage unit 463. This completes the series of processes.

[0307] Next, we will explain the operation of the parent terminal 405 when it is added (invited) in the point management system 11B.

[0308] The additional registration (invitation) of a parent device 405 is the process of adding another parent device 405 corresponding to a child when there is already a registered parent device 405 corresponding to that child. For example, additional registration of a parent device 405 is performed to register the parent device 405 of one parent of a child after the parent device 405 of the other parent has already been registered.

[0309] First, in step S91 of Figure 46, the registered parent terminal 405A sends an invitation code issuance instruction to the server device 401. Specifically, when an operation is performed to request the issuance of an invitation code, the code acquisition unit 471 of the parent terminal 405A sends an invitation code issuance instruction to the server device 401. The invitation code issuance instruction includes the parent ID stored in the parent terminal 405A.

[0310] In Figure 46, a registered parent terminal 405 belonging to a child's parent is designated as parent terminal 405A, and a parent terminal 405 that is to be added (invited) to the same child's parent is designated as parent terminal 405B.

[0311] When the server device 401 receives an instruction to issue an invitation code, in step S92, the invitation code issuing unit 432 issues an invitation code. The invitation code issuing unit 432 associates the issued invitation code with the parent ID of the parent terminal 405A and stores it in the parent management table 446 and the invitation code management table 447.

[0312] Next, in step S93, the invitation code issuing unit 432 generates an invitation QR code with the invitation code embedded in it.

[0313] Next, in step S94, the invitation code issuing unit 432 transmits the image data of the invitation QR code to the parent terminal 405A.

[0314] Next, in step S95, the display control unit 472 of the parent terminal 405A displays the invitation QR code on the display unit 465. Specifically, the display control unit 472 displays the invitation QR code 498 on the invitation QR code screen 497 shown in Figure 47.

[0315] Returning to Figure 46, in step S96, the operator of the parent terminal 405A presents the invitation QR code 498 displayed on the parent terminal 405A to the parent terminal 405B.

[0316] Next, in step S97, the parent terminal 405B reads the invitation QR code 498.

[0317] Specifically, the code acquisition unit 471 of the parent terminal 405B acquires the invitation QR code 498 from the video being captured by the imaging unit 464, which is displayed on an invitation QR code reading screen (not shown) similar to the registration QR code reading screen 121 in Figure 15 mentioned above.

[0318] Next, in step S98, the code acquisition unit 471 analyzes the invitation QR code 498 and obtains the invitation code embedded in the invitation QR code 498.

[0319] Next, in step S99, the parent terminal 405B accepts input of parent information. The process in step S99 is the same as the process in step S79 in Figure 40 described above.

[0320] Next, in step S100, the code acquisition unit 471 of the parent terminal 405B transmits the invited terminal transmission information to the server device 401. The invited terminal transmission information includes the invitation code, the terminal name of the parent terminal 405B, the parent's age, the parent's relationship to the child, and the parent's nickname.

[0321] When the server device 401 receives the information sent from the invited terminal, in step S101, the user registration unit 433 sends a registration confirmation instruction to the parent terminal 405B. The registration confirmation instruction includes the child's school name, class name, and nickname, which are indicated by the child ID associated with the terminal ID of the parent terminal 405A.

[0322] When the parent terminal 405B receives a registration confirmation instruction, in step S102, the display control unit 472 displays the registration confirmation screen 499 shown in Figure 48 on the display unit 465. The registration confirmation screen 499 displays the school name, class name, and nickname of the child indicated by the child ID associated with the parent terminal 405A.

[0323] Furthermore, the registration confirmation screen 499 is provided with a completion button 500 for completing user registration. When the completion button 500 is pressed, in step S103 of Figure 46, the code acquisition unit 471 of the parent terminal 405B sends a registration instruction to the server device 401.

[0324] When the server device 401 receives a registration instruction, in step S104, the user registration unit 433 issues a parent ID and a terminal ID to the parent terminal 405B.

[0325] Next, in step S105, the user registration unit 433 registers the parent ID, terminal ID, terminal name, parent's age, parent's relationship to the child, and parent's nickname corresponding to the parent terminal 405B in the parent management table 446. At this time, the user registration unit 433 associates the child ID and class ID that are the same as those associated with the terminal ID of parent terminal 405A with the parent ID, terminal ID, terminal name, parent's age, parent's relationship to the child, and parent's nickname corresponding to parent terminal 405B and stores them in the parent management table 446.

[0326] As a result, parent terminals 405A and 405B are associated with each other and registered with the server device 401 using a common child ID and class ID. Furthermore, the child ID and class ID are synchronized between parent terminals 405A and 405B. Consequently, the child's nickname is also synchronized.

[0327] Therefore, parent terminal 405B can be registered without having to enter the child information (attendance number, child's nickname) that was entered when parent terminal 405A was registered.

[0328] Next, in step S106, the user registration unit 433 transmits the parent ID, terminal ID, and school ID to the parent terminal 405B.

[0329] Next, in step S107, the code acquisition unit 471 of the parent terminal 405B stores the parent ID, terminal ID, and school ID transmitted from the server device 401 in the application information storage unit 463. This completes the series of processes.

[0330] Next, we will explain the actions taken when viewing an advertiser's website in order to receive points through the point awarding service in the point management system 11B.

[0331] Figure 49 shows the home screen 501 of the application used to access the support service on the parent terminal 405. The home screen 501 has a banner advertisement area 502. The banner advertisement area 502 is always present on the application's display screen, not just the home screen 501.

[0332] Furthermore, the application on the parent terminal 405 can display the advertisement list screen 503 shown in Figure 50. The advertisement list screen 503 is a screen that displays a list of advertisements currently being distributed in the area where the school 200 attended by the child to which the parent terminal 405 is associated is located. The advertisement area 504 is displayed on the advertisement list screen 503. The advertisement list screen 503 also displays the point acquisition status (whether points have been acquired or not) for each advertisement.

[0333] In banner ad area 502 and ad area 504, ad images are displayed based on ad image data distributed by the ad management unit 422 of the server device 401. The ad management unit 422 distributes the ad ID along with the ad image data for each ad to the parent terminal 405. The ad image in banner ad area 502 is set to change each time the application's display screen switches.

[0334] In step S111 of Figure 51, when an operation to view an advertisement is performed by clicking on the banner ad area 502 or any of the ad areas 504, in step S112, the ad processing unit 473 of the parent terminal 405 sends an advertiser site information request to the server device 401. The advertiser site information request includes the ad ID of the advertisement displayed in the clicked banner ad area 502 or ad area 504, and the terminal ID of the parent terminal 405.

[0335] When the server device 401 receives an advertiser site information request, in step S113, the advertising management unit 422 refers to the advertising management table 441 and the point management table 448 to determine whether the number of times the requested advertiser site has been viewed by the parent terminal 405, the source of the advertiser site information request, is equal to or greater than the maximum number of times points can be earned (corresponding to a predetermined number).

[0336] The point earning limit is a pre-set maximum number of views on a single advertiser's website that can earn points on a single parent device 405. This limit can be set to one or multiple times.

[0337] If it is determined that the number of views exceeds the maximum number of times points can be earned (step S113: YES), in step S114, the advertising management unit 422 sends the advertiser site information of the requested advertiser site to the parent terminal 405.

[0338] When the parent terminal 405 receives advertiser site information, in step S115, the display control unit 472 displays the advertiser site on the display unit 465 based on the advertiser site information. This completes the series of processes.

[0339] In step S113, if the advertising management unit 422 determines that the number of views is less than the maximum number of times points can be earned (step S113: NO), in step S116, the point awarding unit 436 awards points to the school 200 attended by the child associated with the parent terminal 405 that sent the advertiser site information request.

[0340] Specifically, the point awarding unit 436 obtains the cost per click (number of points) for the advertiser site requested by the advertiser site information request from the advertising management table 441. Next, the point awarding unit 436 adds the number of points obtained for the cost per click to the number of points held by the school ID of the target school 200 in the school management table 443.

[0341] Furthermore, the point awarding unit 436 updates the advertising point information in the advertising management table 441 for the advertiser site requested by the advertiser site information request to a value obtained by adding the number of points equivalent to the cost per click of that advertiser site.

[0342] Next, in step S117, the point awarding unit 436 updates the number of views and the number of points earned for the advertiser site requested by the parent terminal 405, which is the source of the advertiser site information request. Specifically, the point awarding unit 436 adds "1" to the number of views and adds the number of points equivalent to the cost per click to the number of points earned.

[0343] Next, in step S118, the advertising management unit 422 transmits to the parent terminal 405 the advertiser site information of the requested advertiser site, and the points earned information indicating the number of points that can be earned by viewing the advertiser site in this instance.

[0344] When the parent terminal 405 receives advertiser site information and earned points information, in step S119, the display control unit 472 displays the number of earned points on the display unit 465 via a pop-up screen 505, as shown in Figure 52. The point processing unit 474 also updates the terminal point information in the application information storage unit 463.

[0345] Returning to Figure 51, in step S120, the display control unit 472 displays the advertiser site on the display unit 465 based on the advertiser site information. This completes the series of processes.

[0346] Next, we will explain the operation of the point management system 11B when school 200 exchanges its points for goods.

[0347] The operation when school 200 exchanges points for goods is the same in the point management system 11B of the third embodiment as in the point management system 11 of the first embodiment described above.

[0348] In other words, when school 200 uses points, the school terminal 403 accesses the point usage page of the point granting service provided by server device 401 via a browser, in response to the teacher's operation. As a result, the point usage page 151 shown in Figure 26 is displayed on the display unit of school terminal 403.

[0349] When a desired item is selected from the points usage page 151 and an operation is performed to exchange points for that item, the school terminal 403 sends a point exchange request to the server device 401 to exchange the points for the selected item.

[0350] Next, the point exchange unit 437 of the server device 401 performs point exchange processing upon receiving a point exchange request. Specifically, the point exchange unit 437 subtracts the points corresponding to the requested item from the number of points held by the school 200 that sent the point exchange request, as recorded in the school management table 443.

[0351] Next, the point exchange unit 437 processes an order for the requested item from the sponsoring company 4 that provides the item. This completes the series of operations.

[0352] After the order processing is completed by the points exchange department 437 as described above, the sponsoring company 4 delivers the ordered goods to the school 200.

[0353] Alternatively, School 200 may contact the operations manager 3 via email or telephone to specify the items and request that points be exchanged for those items.

[0354] In this case, in response to an operation by an employee of the operations manager 3 who received a notification from school 200, the operations manager terminal 402 accesses the server device 401 and instructs it to perform the process of exchanging the points of school 200, which has been instructed to exchange points for goods, for the specified goods.

[0355] In response, the point exchange unit 437 subtracts the points corresponding to the specified item from the number of points held by the school 200 that has been instructed to exchange points for goods, as recorded in the school management table 443.

[0356] Furthermore, the operations manager 3 orders the designated items from the sponsoring company 4 via email, telephone, etc. Afterward, the sponsoring company 4 delivers the ordered items to the school 200.

[0357] As explained above, in the point management system 11B, the point awarding unit 436 awards points generated when the parent terminal 405 views an advertiser's website to the school 200 attended by the child associated with the parent terminal 405. The point awarding unit 436 then stores the awarded points in the school management table 443 of the database unit 412, associating them with the school ID of the school 200. This makes it possible to award points to the school 200 based on the actions of the children, using a mechanism different from the existing Bell Mark program.

[0358] Here, similar to the first embodiment, the system for awarding points to the school 200 using the point management system 11B is a system that can be applied to various service providers 1 other than schools. Therefore, according to the point management system 11, points generated by the actions of children can be awarded to the school 200 using a system that is applicable to various service providers 1.

[0359] Furthermore, in the point management system 11B, as in the first embodiment, points can be exchanged for goods, so the school 200 can use points to procure equipment. For this reason, the point management system 11B can also support the financial resources of the school 200, as in the first embodiment.

[0360] Furthermore, in the point management system 11B, the point awarding unit 436 will not award points to the school 200 if the parent terminal 405 has viewed the advertiser site more times than the maximum number of times points can be earned when the parent terminal 405 connects to the advertiser site. This prevents excessive duplication of points being awarded to the school 200 by viewing a single advertiser site on a single parent terminal 405.

[0361] Furthermore, the point management system 11B uses information within the application installed on the parent terminal 405 as trigger information for the parent terminal 405 to view the advertiser's website. In other words, when an advertising image displayed in the banner advertising area 502 and advertising area 504 in the application is clicked, the parent terminal 405 displays the advertiser's website. This makes it easy for the parent terminal 405 to view the advertiser's website.

[0362] [Implementation of a reward system] Next, an embodiment of the reward system of the present invention will be described.

[0363] As shown in Figure 53, the reward granting system 600 comprises a recognition unit 601, a reward granting unit 602, and a reward storage unit 603.

[0364] The recognition unit 601 recognizes the act performed by the performer 611 of the predetermined act that will result in the reward.

[0365] The reward granting unit 602 grants a reward to at least the person 612 other than the person who performed the act when the act is recognized by the recognition unit 601.

[0366] The benefit storage unit 603 stores the benefits that the benefit granting unit 602 has granted to at least the person other than the performer of the action 612.

[0367] In the reward granting system 600, a predetermined action performed by the performer 611 is recognized by the recognition unit 601, and the fact that the action has been performed is notified from the recognition unit 601 to the reward granting unit 602 via the communication network. Upon receiving the notification, the reward granting unit 602 grants a reward to at least the non-performer 612. That is, the reward granting unit 602 may grant a reward to the non-performer 612 without granting a reward to the performer 611, or it may grant a reward to both the performer 611 and the non-performer 612. The rewards granted by the reward granting unit 602 to at least the non-performer 612 are stored in the reward storage unit 603.

[0368] According to such a reward granting system 600, it becomes possible to grant rewards to people other than the performer of the act for which the reward is granted 612.

[0369] The point management system 11 shown in Figure 2 above is an example of the reward system 600. Similarly, the point management system 11B shown in Figure 30 above is also an example of the reward system 600.

[0370] As mentioned above, in the point management system 11 shown in Figure 2, when the conditions for awarding points are met, such as viewing a company's PR page (advertiser site) on a household terminal 17, points are awarded to the school 200 to which the children of household 210 on household terminal 17 belong.

[0371] Furthermore, in the point management system 11B shown in Figure 30, when the conditions for awarding points are met, such as viewing an advertiser's website on the parent terminal 405, points are awarded to the school 200 to which the child of the parent who owns the parent terminal 405 belongs.

[0372] In other words, points in the point management systems 11 and 11B correspond to rewards in the reward granting system 600. Actions taken to fulfill the conditions for awarding points in the point management systems 11 and 11B correspond to prescribed actions in the reward granting system 600. The operator of the household terminal 17 in the point management system 11 (parent, etc.) and the operator of the parent terminal 405 in the point management system 11B (parent) correspond to the executor 611 in the reward granting system 600. The school 200 in the point management systems 11 and 11B corresponds to the non-executor 612 in the reward granting system 600.

[0373] In the point management system 11, the act of displaying a company PR page (advertiser site) on the household terminal 17, which fulfills the conditions for awarding points, is performed as an operation of the household terminal 17 by the operator of the household terminal 17. The control unit 91 of the household terminal 17 functions as the recognition unit 601 of the reward awarding system 600, recognizing that an operation (action) fulfilling the conditions for awarding points has been performed. Similarly, the control unit 461 of the guardian terminal 405 of the point management system 11B functions as the recognition unit 601 of the reward awarding system 600.

[0374] In the point management system 11, the control unit 21 of the server device 12 functions as the reward granting unit 602 of the reward granting system 600, granting points (rewards) to the school 200 to which the child of the household 210 of the operator (parent, etc.) of the household terminal 17 belongs when the company PR page (advertiser site) is displayed on the household terminal 17. Points granted to the school 200 in the point management system 11 are stored in the database unit 22 in association with the school 200, and the database unit 22 functions as the reward storage unit 603 of the reward granting system 600.

[0375] Similarly, the control unit 411 of the server device 401 in the point management system 11B functions as the reward granting unit 602 of the reward granting system 600. In addition, the database unit 412 of the point management system 11B functions as the reward storage unit 603 of the reward granting system 600.

[0376] As described above, the point management system 11 shown in Figure 2, which includes a household terminal 17 (terminal) and a server device 12, can realize the reward granting system 600. Furthermore, the point management system 11B shown in Figure 30, which includes a guardian terminal 405 (terminal) and a server device 401, can also realize the reward granting system 600.

[0377] Furthermore, the operator of the guardian terminal 405 in the point management system 11B (guardian) corresponds to the service user 6 in Figure 29 (service user 2 or a person related to service user 2 in Figure 1), and as mentioned above, corresponds to the executor 611 in the reward granting system 600. The operator of the household terminal 17 in the point management system 11 (guardian, etc.) corresponds to a member of the household of service user 2 in Figure 1, and can therefore be said to correspond to the service user 6 in Figure 29. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the operator of the household terminal 17 in the point management system 11 (guardian, etc.) corresponds to the executor 611 in the reward granting system 600. Therefore, service user 2 or a person related to service user 2 corresponds to the executor 611, and service provider 1 corresponds to non-executor 612. If non-executor 612 is the service provider, and executor 611 is service user 2 or a person related to service user 2, then the rewards generated by the actions of service user 2 or service user 2 can be granted to non-executor 612.

[0378] Furthermore, if points are awarded when a parent or guardian of a student belonging to School 200 displays (views) an advertiser's website (advertisement) on their device (household device 17, parent / guardian device 405), and the points are awarded to the School 200 group, it will be possible to support the School 200's financial resources by exchanging the points for goods.

[0379] Furthermore, the actions that result in the awarding of rewards in the reward awarding system 600 are not limited to actions that fulfill the conditions for awarding points in the aforementioned point management systems 11 and 11B, such as displaying (viewing) an advertiser's site (advertisement). For example, rewards may be awarded for actions such as purchasing goods or services on an advertiser's site, answering surveys, purchasing goods or services on websites, or using electronic money.

[0380] Incidentally, the aforementioned point management system 11,11B explains that, after identifying the user through a dedicated application, points are awarded to school 200 for displaying (viewing) the advertiser's site (advertisement).

[0381] However, this is not limited to this, nor is it limited to advertising print, nor is it limited to dedicated applications; any other method is acceptable.

[0382] In other words, even when purchasing with electronic money or cash, the user may be identified using the electronic money ID or membership number, and points may be awarded. In this case, points can be awarded without the need for a dedicated application.

[0383] In this configuration, where benefits are granted for using electronic money, the electronic money reader terminal functions as the recognition unit 601.

[0384] Furthermore, even if the executor 611 purchases goods or services with cash instead of electronic money, the purchase and the executor 611 may be recognized via the terminal by entering a membership number or detecting a membership card. In this case, even with cash, the granted benefits can be given to a person other than the executor 612.

[0385] Furthermore, the rewards in the reward system 600 are not limited to points, but may also include electronic money, crypto assets (virtual currencies), goods, services, points from other point services, or other predetermined rewards.

[0386] Furthermore, while the aforementioned point management systems 11 and 11B allow points as rewards in the reward granting system 600 to be exchanged for goods, the system is not limited to this. For example, points as rewards may be substituted for services or points in other point services. This can enhance the convenience of points as rewards.

[0387] Furthermore, the rewards generated by the actions of the performer 611 may be exchangeable for expenses paid to others 612. For example, in the point management system 11 described above, points generated by a parent of a household 210 viewing an advertisement may be exchangeable for expenses necessary for the child's school life, such as school lunch fees and textbook fees, which the parent pays to the school 200. This can increase the motivation of performers 611 to perform actions that generate rewards.

[0388] Furthermore, while the aforementioned point management systems 11 and 11B assumed that the non-executor 612 were schools 200, the non-executor 612 are not limited to schools. They may also be groups such as grades and classes within schools, nurseries, kindergartens, hospitals, companies, departments within companies, public fire departments, mutual aid organizations such as fire brigades, and public health centers. Schools also include elementary schools, junior high schools, high schools, universities, etc.

[0389] Furthermore, regarding the relationship between the perpetrator 611 and the non-perpetrator 612, as mentioned above, the relationship is not limited to the perpetrator 611 being a guardian or the like and the non-perpetrator 612 being a school. In the case of a hospital, the non-perpetrator 612 may be the hospital itself, each department, each ward, etc., and the perpetrator may be a patient, their assistant, caregiver, a person who has completed treatment, or their family. In the case of a nursery school or kindergarten, the non-perpetrator 612 may be the nursery school or kindergarten itself, each class, etc., and the perpetrator may be a child or parent, a graduate or their parent, or their family. In the case of a company, the non-perpetrator 612 may be the company, each department, etc., and the perpetrator may include employees, full-time employees, temporary employees, shareholders, retirees, alumni, or their family. If the non-perpetrator 612 is a community-based local government such as a public fire station, health center, or fire brigade, the perpetrator may be a local resident, visitor, or their family.

[0390] Furthermore, while the aforementioned point management systems 11 and 11B award points to schools 200 as non-executors 612, as mentioned above, the reward system 600 may award rewards to both the executeers 611 and non-executors 612. For example, points as rewards may be distributed and awarded in a predetermined ratio to the individual as the executeer 611 and to the group (organization) to which the individual belongs as a non-executor 612.

[0391] Furthermore, in the reward granting system 600, the reward granting unit 602 may change the reward depending on the content of the action that generates the reward. For example, in the point management system 11 described above, in addition to viewing a company PR page (advertiser site) on the household terminal 17, answering a questionnaire on the company PR page and purchasing a product may also be considered actions that grant points, and 10 points may be awarded for viewing the company PR page on the household terminal 17, 100 points for answering a questionnaire, and 500 points for purchasing a product. This can increase the motivation of the performer 611 to perform actions that can earn more rewards.

[0392] In the aforementioned point management system 11, the owner of the household terminal 17, who is the executor 611, is assumed to be a child or their guardian. When the executor 611 is a guardian, the school 200, which is the other party 612, is linked to the guardian through the guardian-child relationship. However, the other party 612 may also be the group to which the executor 611 belongs. For example, when a child views an advertisement on the terminal, a reward (points) may be awarded to the group to which the student belongs (school, grade, class, etc.). Also, similar to the relationship between the school 200 and the guardian described above, the other party 612 may be the group to which the executor 611 is linked.

[0393] In other words, the non-performer 612 can be the group to which performer 611 belongs, or a group to which performer 611 is associated. This allows for the granting of benefits to groups associated with performer 611, thereby increasing the incentive for performer 611 to perform actions that generate benefits.

[0394] Furthermore, if the other party 612 is a school, graduates of that school may be included as individuals who could become the school-linked performer 611. This makes it possible to increase the number of individuals who could become performer 611 and thus increase the rewards (points) that the school can acquire.

[0395] Furthermore, those who could become executors 611, corresponding to non-executors 612, may be divided into multiple tiers, and the size of the rewards (points) may be varied for each tier. For example, as mentioned above, when school graduates are considered as those who could become executors 611 linked to the school, current students and their guardians may be placed in different tiers than graduates. The point accrual rate corresponding to executors 611 may then be varied for each tier. In addition, the dedicated application mentioned above may change the display color of the application screen for each tier.

[0396] Furthermore, the recognition unit 601 of the reward granting system 600 is not limited to cases where the control unit 91 of the household terminal 17 recognizes a signal based on an operation on the household terminal 17, or where the control unit 461 of the guardian terminal 405 recognizes a signal based on an operation on the guardian terminal 405. It may also recognize signals sensed by a camera or the like in the actions of the performer 611 that lead to the granting of a reward.

[0397] Furthermore, in the reward granting system 600, the entities other than the executor 612 may be a group or an individual.

[0398] [Other embodiments] As described above, the present invention has been described by first to third embodiments of a point management system and embodiments of a reward granting system, but the statements and drawings that constitute part of this disclosure should not be understood as limiting the invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.

[0399] The first and third embodiments described above described the case where the service provider 1 is a school. The second embodiment described above described the case where the service provider 1 is a hospital. However, the present invention is not limited to these cases, and the service provider 1 may be, for example, a nursing care facility that provides nursing care services. The present invention is also applicable when the service provider 1 is a variety of organizations that provide services.

[0400] In the third embodiment described above, points were generated when the guardian terminal 405 browses the advertiser's website. However, the invention is not limited to this, and any device that generates points when a service user or a person related to the service user browses the advertiser's website is acceptable.

[0401] In the first and second embodiments described above, a registration QR code was used to notify users of information for registration, but other types of codes such as barcodes may also be used. The same applies to advertising QR codes. The same also applies to class QR codes and invitation QR codes in the third embodiment.

[0402] In the third embodiment described above, the server device 401 issued the terminal ID, but the parent terminal 405 may generate the terminal ID, or the parent terminal 405 may use its own unique identification information as the terminal ID.

[0403] Thus, it goes without saying that the present invention includes various embodiments and the like that are not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is determined solely by the inventive features relating to the claims that are reasonable based on the above description.

[0404] [Note] This application discloses the following invention:

[0405] (Note 1) A recognition unit that recognizes a predetermined action, When the aforementioned act is recognized by the aforementioned recognition unit, a reward granting unit grants a reward to at least a person other than the person who performed the aforementioned act, The reward granting unit stores the rewards granted by the reward granting unit to at least the person who performed the act, and A reward granting system characterized by having the following features.

[0406] (Note 2) Other than the person who performs the aforementioned act is the service provider. The benefit granting system described in Appendix 1, characterized in that the executor is a service user or a person related to the service user.

[0407] (Note 3) The benefit granting system described in Appendix 1 is characterized in that "other than the person who performed the aforementioned act" refers to the group to which the person who performed the act belongs, or the group to which the person who performed the act is associated.

[0408] (Note 4) The aforementioned action is viewing advertisements, The aforementioned perpetrator is a parent of a person belonging to the school. The aforementioned group is a school, and is a system for granting benefits as described in Appendix 3.

[0409] (Note 5) The aforementioned reward granting system comprises a terminal and a server device capable of communicating with the terminal. The terminal includes the recognition unit, The reward granting system according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, characterized in that the server device comprises the reward granting unit and the reward storage unit.

[0410] (Note 6) The reward granting unit is characterized in that it changes the reward according to the content of the act, as described in any of the appendices 1 to 5.

[0411] (Note 7) A step of recognizing a predetermined action, If the aforementioned act is recognized, the step of granting a benefit to at least someone other than the person who performed the aforementioned act, The steps include: at least the step of remembering the benefits granted to persons other than the performer of the aforementioned act; A method for granting benefits, characterized by including the following:

[0412] (Note 8) Memory unit and, A point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when a terminal device of a service user or an associate of the service user views an advertiser site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A point management system characterized by having the following features.

[0413] (Note 9) The point management system according to Appendix 8, characterized in that the terminal device uses information within an application installed on the terminal device as trigger information for the terminal device to view an advertiser's site.

[0414] (Note 10) The point management system according to Appendix 8 or 9, characterized in that the points are exchangeable for goods.

[0415] (Note 11) The point awarding unit is characterized in that, when the terminal device connects to the advertiser site, if the terminal device has viewed the advertiser site a predetermined number of times or more, the point awarding unit does not award the points to the service provider, as described in any of Appendix 8 to 10.

[0416] (Note 12) The system comprises terminal devices of service users or related parties of said service users, and server devices that can connect to said terminal devices via a network. The aforementioned terminal device is Equipped with a communication unit that connects to the advertiser's site, The server device is Memory unit and, A point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when the terminal device views an advertiser's site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A point management system characterized by having the following features.

[0417] (Note 13) A server device that can be connected via a network to a terminal device of a service user or a person related to the service user, Memory unit and, A point awarding unit that awards points to a service provider when the terminal device views an advertiser's site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A server device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

[0418] (Note 14) The steps include awarding points to the service provider when a terminal device of a service user or a person related to the service user views an advertiser's site, The steps include storing the points granted to the service provider in a storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider, and A point management method characterized by including the following.

[0419] (Note 15) A point management system comprising a point awarding unit and a point storage unit, The point awarding unit awards points to the service provider when a terminal device of a service user or a person related to the service user views an advertiser site. The point awarding unit stores the points awarded to the service provider in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A point management program to execute the program.

[0420] (Note 16) Memory unit and, A point awarding unit that awards points to the service provider when a terminal device in the service user's household views an advertiser's site, and stores the awarded points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A point management system characterized by having the following features.

[0421] (Note 17) The point management system according to Appendix 16, characterized in that information printed on a print medium and information within an application installed on the terminal device can be used as trigger information for the terminal device to view an advertiser's site.

[0422] (Note 18) The point management system according to Appendix 16 or 17, characterized in that the points are exchangeable for goods.

[0423] (Note 19) The terminal device is associated with the service user, The point awarding unit is characterized in that, when the terminal device connects to the advertiser site, if at least one of the terminal devices associated with the service user to which the terminal device is associated has already viewed the advertiser site and awarded the points to the service provider, the point awarding unit does not award the points to the service provider, as described in any of appendices 16 to 18.

[0424] (Note 20) The service comprises a terminal device in the household of a service user and a server device that can connect to the terminal device via a network. The aforementioned terminal device is The server device includes a communication unit that connects to advertiser sites, The server device is The advertiser site maintenance unit maintains the advertiser site, Memory unit and, A point granting unit grants points to a service provider when the terminal device views an advertiser site held by the advertiser site holding unit, and stores the granted points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A point management system characterized by having the following features.

[0425] (Note 21) A server device that can be connected via a network to terminal devices in the households of service users, The advertiser site maintenance unit maintains the advertiser site, Memory unit and, A point granting unit grants points to a service provider when the terminal device views an advertiser site held by the advertiser site holding unit, and stores the granted points in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A server device characterized by being equipped with the following features.

[0426] (Note 22) The steps include: awarding points to the service provider when a terminal device in a service user's household views an advertiser's website; The steps include storing the points granted to the service provider in a storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider, and A point management method characterized by including the following.

[0427] (Note 23) A point management system comprising a point awarding unit and a point storage unit, The point awarding unit includes the step of awarding points to the service provider that are generated when a terminal device in the service user's household views the advertiser's site, The point awarding unit stores the points awarded to the service provider in the storage unit in association with information indicating the service provider. A point management program to execute the program. [Explanation of symbols]

[0428] 1. Service Provider 2. Service Users 3 Operations manager 4. Sponsoring Companies 5. Advertisers 6. Service Users 11,11A,11B Point Management System 12 Server devices 13. Administrator terminal 14 Controller terminal 15 Printing device 16 Operating terminal 17 household terminals 18 Network 21 Control Unit 22 Database Section 23 Program memory unit 24 Corporate PR Page Maintenance Department 25 External Communications Department 31 User Management Department 32 Job Management Department 33. Point Management Department 36 Child ID Issuance Department 37. QR Code Issuance Department for Registration 38 User Registration Section 41 Job ID Issuance Department 42 Advertising QR Code Issuance Department 43 Push Notification Management Department 46 Browsing History Determination Unit 47 Points Award Section 48 Point Exchange Department 51 Ad Management Table 52 Regional Management Tables 53 School Management Table 54 User Management Table 55 Job Management Table 56 Point Management Table 57. Item Table 61 Control Unit 62 Storage section 63 External Communications Department 66 Print Web Application Department 67 Proxy Server Section 71 Advertising Image Composition Section 72 Distribution Reservation Department 73 Print instruction section 81 Control Unit 82 Memory section 83 Display section 84 Input section 85 External Communications Department 91 Control Unit 92 Program Storage Unit 93 Application Information Storage Unit 94 Imaging Department 95 Display section 96 Input section 97 External Communications Department 101 QR code acquisition section 102 QR Code Analysis Department 103 Display Control Unit 104 Corporate PR Page Request Department 105 Point Processing Unit 106 Push notification processing unit 111 Registration QR code field 112 Registration QR code 121 Registration QR code reading screen 122 Registration QR code reading area 123 Registration Confirmation Screen 124 Complete button 131 School Newsletter 132 advertising images 133 Advertising QR Codes 136 Advertisement QR code reading screen 137 Advertising QR code reading area 141 Company PR Pages 142 External Site Link Buttons 143 Points Earned Button 151 points usage page 200 schools 210 households 300 hospitals 401 Server Device 402 System Administrator Terminal 403 School terminals 404 Printing device 405 Parental control device 411 Control Unit 412 Database Department 413 Program Storage Unit 414 External Communications Department 421 User Management Department 422 Advertising Management Department 423 Point Management Department 431 Class Code Issuance Department 432 Invitation Code Issuance Department 433 User Registration Section 436 points awarded 437 Point Exchange Department 441 Ad Management Table 442 Regional Management Table 443 School Management Table 444 Class Management Table 445 Child Management Table 446 Parental Control Table 447 Invitation Code Management Table 448 Point Management Table 449 Item Table 461 Control Unit 462 Program Storage Unit 463 Application Information Storage Unit 464 Imaging Department 465 Display section 466 Input section 467 External Communications Department 471 Code Acquisition Section 472 Display Control Unit 473 Advertising Processing Department 474 Point Processing Unit 481 Class QR Code Field 482 Class QR Codes 483 Attendance Number Entry Field 498 Invitation QR code 502 Banner ad area 504 Advertising Area 600 Reward System 601 Recognition part 602 Special Offer Department 603 Bonus Memory Unit 611 perpetrators 612 Other than the executor

Claims

1. A step of registering, in association with, information for identifying an alumnus of the organization or a family member of an alumnus of the organization, information for identifying a terminal of an alumnus of the organization or a family member of an alumnus of the organization, and information for identifying the organization, The steps include receiving an advertiser site information request from the terminal, which includes information for identifying an advertisement and information for identifying the terminal, transmitted in response to an operation to view an advertisement. Upon receiving the advertiser site information request, the steps include granting a benefit to at least the organization associated with the terminal, The steps include: transmitting advertiser site information to the terminal for viewing the advertiser site of the advertisement indicated by the information for identifying the advertisement included in the advertiser site information request; A program that grants incentives to allow a computer to run a program.

2. The benefit granting program according to claim 1, which causes a computer to further perform the step of storing in a storage unit the benefits granted to the organization associated with the terminal, in the step of granting the benefits.

3. A terminal belonging to an alumnus of the organization or a family member of an alumnus of the organization, and a server device capable of communicating with the terminal, The aforementioned terminal is An advertising processing unit that, in response to an operation to view an advertisement, sends an advertiser site information request to the server device, which includes information for identifying the advertisement and information for identifying the terminal. Display unit and The system includes a display control unit that displays the advertiser site on the display unit based on advertiser site information for viewing the advertiser site of an advertisement indicated by the information for identifying the advertisement included in the advertiser site information request transmitted from the server device, The server device is A registration unit that registers information for identifying former members of the said organization or their families, information for identifying the terminal, and information for identifying the said organization, in association with each other. A reward granting unit that, upon receiving the advertiser site information request, grants a reward to at least the organization associated with the terminal, An advertising management unit that transmits the advertiser site information to the terminal. A reward granting system characterized by having the following features.

4. The reward granting system according to claim 3, characterized in that the organization is a company or a school.

5. The reward granting system according to claim 3 or 4, further comprising a reward storage unit that stores rewards granted to the organization associated with at least the terminal, wherein the reward granting unit further comprises a reward storage unit.

6. A method for granting benefits performed by a computer, The steps include registering information for identifying an organization's alumnus or a family member of said organization, information for identifying a terminal of said organization's alumnus or a family member of said organization, and information for identifying said organization, in association with each other. The steps include receiving an advertiser site information request from the terminal, which includes information for identifying an advertisement and information for identifying the terminal, transmitted in response to an operation to view an advertisement. Upon receiving the advertiser site information request, the steps include granting a benefit to at least the organization associated with the terminal, The steps include: transmitting advertiser site information to the terminal for viewing the advertiser site of the advertisement indicated by the information for identifying the advertisement included in the advertiser site information request; A method for granting benefits, characterized by including the following:

7. The method for granting benefits according to claim 6, further comprising the step of storing in a storage unit the benefits granted to at least the organization associated with the terminal in the step of granting the benefits.

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