Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To improve user convenience. [Solution] An information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires issuance request information from a first external device that manages user benefits in a predetermined external service, including user identification information for identifying the user in an electronic payment service, and gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the electronic payment service and usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the external service, and is a gift certificate based on the benefits; and an granting unit that grants the specific gift certificate to the user in accordance with the issuance request information.

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in an electronic payment service using code information, it has been disclosed to manage and use vouchers available at a predetermined store (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the conventional technology, there may have been a situation where it was not possible to provide a more convenient gift certificate for users. A user is, for example, a user who uses a gift certificate in an electronic payment service, or a provider of goods and / or services for which the user uses the gift certificate.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of its objects is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that can improve the convenience for users.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires issuance request information from a first external device that manages user benefits in a predetermined external service, including user identification information for identifying the user in an electronic payment service, and gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the electronic payment service and usable only for goods and / or services of the provider of the external service, and is a gift certificate based on the benefits; and an granting unit that grants the specific gift certificate to the user in accordance with the issuance request information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the above aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that can improve user convenience. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of a configuration for implementing an electronic payment service. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram (part 1) illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram (part 2) illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the configuration of payment server 100. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of the contents of user information 172. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the contents of merchant / store information 176. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of application information 178. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows an example of the processing flow for using gift certificates. [Figure 9] This is a diagram showing application information 178A. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates an example of when products become ineligible. [Figure 11] This is a diagram for explaining the granting of merchandise vouchers. [Figure 12] This is a diagram for explaining the merchandise voucher information managed in the user information 172. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing an example of an interface screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing an example of merchandise voucher usage history information. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the specific merchandise voucher management unit 200 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the external server 300 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] This is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process related to the granting of specific merchandise vouchers executed by the user terminal device 10, the settlement server 100, and the external server 300 in the first embodiment. [Figure 18] This is a diagram showing an example of the content of the issuance request information R1 and the specific process based thereon in the first embodiment. [Figure 19] This is a diagram showing an example of the interface screen provided to the user terminal device 10 in the granting of specific merchandise vouchers in the first embodiment. <​​​​​​​​​​​​​ [Figure 25] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the specific merchandise ticket management unit 200B according to the third embodiment. [Figure 26] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the external server 300B according to the third embodiment. [Figure 27] It is a sequence diagram showing an example of processing related to the display of information indicating the balance of a specific merchandise ticket, which is executed by the user terminal device 10, the settlement server 100, and the external server 300B in the third embodiment. [Figure 28] It is a diagram showing an example of an interface screen provided to the user terminal device 10 in the third embodiment.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and program of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Various devices such as "servers" that appear below for providing services to users or performing internal analysis may be realized by a distributed group of devices, and the operators of each device may be different. Also, the holder of the hardware of the device (provider of the cloud server) and the operator who actually operates the device may be different. The application program and the settlement server cooperate to provide an electronic payment service. In the following description, the application program is referred to as a settlement application. The electronic payment service is a service that supports the settlement related to the purchase of goods and services in a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (actual store) existing in the real space, but may include a virtual store for e-commerce. The virtual store may include those provided by a subject different from the operator of the electronic payment service. In that case, when settling a purchase in the virtual store, it is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In the electronic payment service, a store is, for example, treated as belonging to a franchise (brand), and processing such as settlement when a purchase action is performed in the store is mainly carried out between the user and the franchise. Instead of this, processing such as settlement may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] This specification describes several embodiments (first to third embodiments) of the information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and program of the present invention. In the following description, the configurations and processes common to these multiple embodiments will be described first, and then each embodiment will be described in detail.

[0011] <Common> [Electronic payment service] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of an electronic payment system that implements electronic payment services. The electronic payment service is implemented with a payment server 100 at its center. An electronic payment system that implements electronic payment services includes, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more second store terminal devices 70, and a payment server 100. These devices communicate with each other, for example, via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, provider equipment, etc.

[0012] Some or all of the functional components included in an electronic payment system may be distributed across multiple devices in any form, or integrated into any device. For example, some or all of the functional components of payment server 100 may be included in other devices.

[0013] One or more external servers 300 are also connected to the network NW. The external servers 300 do not necessarily have to contribute to the realization of electronic payment services. The external servers 300 contribute to the realization of services related to specific gift certificates, as will be described in each embodiment below. Details of the external servers 300 will be described in each embodiment.

[0014] [User terminal device] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least optical reading function, communication function, display function, input reception function, and program execution function. In the following description, the components for realizing these functions will be referred to as a camera, communication device, touch panel, CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, the payment application 20 is executed by a processor such as the CPU, and it operates in cooperation with the payment server 100 to provide electronic payment services to the user. The payment application 20 is installed on the user terminal device 10, for example, from an application store, and controls the camera, communication device, touch panel, etc.

[0015] [Store Terminal Device #1] The first store terminal device 50 is installed, for example, in a store. The first store terminal device 50 is a computer device having at least a product price acquisition function, an optical reading function, a program execution function, and a communication function. The first store terminal device 50 may include a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and optical reading function may be realized by the POS device. The store code image 60 is placed in the store and is a code image (code information) such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. The store code image 60 may also be displayed on a display placed in the store (which may be the display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0016] [Second store terminal device] The second store terminal device 70 is used by the operator of the affiliated store. The second store terminal device 70 is a smartphone, tablet, personal computer, etc. The affiliated store interface 72 operates on the second store terminal device 70. The affiliated store interface 72 may be an affiliated store application or a browser. The affiliated store interface 72 accepts coupon settings etc. from the affiliated store operator and transmits them to the payment server 100. The second store terminal device 70, which is a smartphone, has the function of displaying a code image corresponding to a store code image by running the affiliated store application, or reading a code image displayed by the user terminal device 10.

[0017] [Payment Server] The payment server 100 implements electronic payment based on payment information received from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The first store terminal device 50 may include a POS device and a merchant server, in which case payment information is transmitted from the POS device to the payment server 100 via the merchant server. In the following description, this distinction will not be made, and it will be assumed that payment information is transmitted from the first store terminal device 50.

[0018] Figures 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams illustrating the general flow of electronic payments. There may be two patterns for electronic payments: Pattern 1 and Pattern 2.

[0019] In the case of Pattern 1 shown in Figure 2 (hereinafter referred to as user scan), the user terminal device 10 decodes the store code image 60 using its optical reading function (S1). The store code image 60 contains information about the store URL (Uniform Resource Locator). This store URL is an electronic payment service domain to which information that can identify the store has been added, and is associated with the merchant ID and store ID, etc., at the payment server 100 (described later). The payment application 20 sends first payment information, including the store URL and account ID, to the payment server 100 (S2). The payment server 100 searches for store information (described later) from the merchant ID and store ID corresponding to the store URL, obtains the merchant name and store name information (S3), and sends it to the payment application 20 (S4). The user enters the payment amount into the user terminal device 10 on the screen where the merchant name and store name are displayed (S5). The user terminal device 10 then generates second payment information, including at least the payment amount, and sends it to the payment server 100 (S6). The payment server 100 performs electronic payment based on the received second payment information (S7). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notification (information for displaying the payment completion screen) to the payment application 20 (S8), and the payment application 20 displays the payment completion screen (S9). If the store code image 60 is displayed on a display in the store or on the display unit of the first store terminal device 50, the store code image 60 may include payment amount information as well as the store URL. In this case, the procedure for the user to enter the payment amount is omitted, and the payment amount information is included in the first payment information and sent to the payment server 100. Merchant name and store name information may be included and displayed on the payment completion screen.

[0020] In the case of Pattern 2 shown in Figure 3 (hereinafter referred to as Store Scan), when the payment app 20 is launched, when a payment operation is performed in the payment app 20, when it is time for an automatic update (for example, every minute), and at other times, the payment app 20 sends a request to the payment server 100 to issue a one-time code (S11). The payment server 100 generates a one-time code (S12) and sends it to the payment app 20 (S13). The payment app 20 displays a code image such as a QR code or barcode that was generated based on the one-time code (S14). The user holds the display surface of the user terminal device 10 over the first store terminal device 50 (presents it), and the first store terminal device 50 decodes the code image using its optical reading function and obtains the one-time code, etc. (S15). Then, the first store terminal device 50 generates payment information including the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, etc., and sends it to the payment server 100 (S16). The payment amount information is obtained in advance by barcode scanning or manual input. Based on the received information, the payment server 100 identifies the user corresponding to the one-time code and performs the electronic payment (S17). The payment server 100 then sends a payment completion notification to the payment app 20 (S18), and the payment app 20 displays a payment completion screen (S19).

[0021] Furthermore, electronic payment may be performed using only one of the above patterns. Also, the "account ID" explained in Figure 2 may be other information that can be used as user identification information (for example, a phone number). In addition, the issuance of a one-time code may be omitted during store scanning, and the payment app 20 may display a code image generated based on the user's account ID. In that case, the payment server 100 will identify the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0022] [Payment Server Functional Configuration] Figure 4 is a diagram of the configuration of the payment server 100. The payment server 100 includes, for example, a communication unit 110, a content provision unit 120, a payment processing unit 130, an information management unit 140, and a storage unit 170. Components other than the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 170 are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and SOC (System On Chip), or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or flash memory (a storage device with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device. Furthermore, the payment server 100 is further equipped with a specific gift certificate management unit 200. Details of the specific gift certificate management unit 200 will be described in each embodiment.

[0023] The storage unit 170 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The storage unit 170 may also be a NAS (Network Attached Storage) device accessible by the payment server 100 via a network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, content information 174, merchant / store information 176, and application information 178 (details described later). Some of this information may also be stored in the storage unit of the user terminal device 10. The gift certificate information in user information 172 and the application information 178 are managed using the gift certificate ID as the key, and the gift certificate ID is associated with the user's identification information. In this way, the user's identification information in user information 172 and the application information 178 are associated using the gift certificate ID as the key.

[0024] The communication unit 110 is a communication interface for connecting to a network NW. The communication unit 110 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0025] The content provider unit 120, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of the electronic payment service to the user terminal device 10. The content provider unit 120 reads the necessary content from the content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 accepts various inputs from the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20 and transmits the aforementioned payment information to the payment server 100. The above content may also be generated by the payment application 20. In this case, the content provider unit 120 provides the payment application 20 with the information necessary for generating the content.

[0026] The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing based on payment information transmitted by the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50. The payment processing unit 130 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0027] [User information] Figure 5 shows an example of the contents of User Information 172. User Information 172 is an example of user registration information. User Information 172 includes, for example, user URL, account ID, telephone number, password, as well as information such as email address, user ID, name, address, date of birth, registration date, charge balance, credit payment settings, credit payment limit, credit payment amount, available credit payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card number, charge history information, and payment history information. The user URL is used for money transfer processing between users. When registering for a new electronic payment service, registration of a telephone number and password is mandatory. The account ID is issued to the user by the payment server 100, and the user ID is an ID that the user can set at will (or does not have to set). Similarly, the email address and name, address, and date of birth are also information that the user can set at will (or does not have to set). The registration date is the date the user registered for the electronic payment service (the date the account was created). Hereafter, the user instance (electronic payment account) to which this information is associated will be referred to as an account.

[0028] The charge balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money set by the user by sending money to their account in advance. Methods of sending money include sending from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated provider (bank) and sending from a registered bank account. The credit payment setting indicates whether or not the user has completed the settings to enable electronic payments by credit card, and is set to either "Completed" or "Not Completed". The credit payment limit is the monthly limit for credit payments, the credit payment amount is the amount already used for credit payments in the current month, and the available credit payment amount is the amount available for credit payments in the current month, calculated by subtracting the credit payment amount from the credit payment limit. While the diagram shows only one credit payment limit, in reality there are also daily limits, and the lower of these may be set as the credit payment limit. Further details on credit payments will be described later. The payment method setting indicates whether the user will use electronic payment with the charge balance or payment by credit card at that time. The bank account and credit card number information, respectively, refers to the bank account or credit card number (account number, card number) to which funds can be deposited into the electronic payment service. The charge history information is a record of when the user has previously sent money to the electronic payment service to increase the charge balance. The payment history information shows the details of each payment made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.).

[0029] Furthermore, if a user possesses an electronic gift certificate (voucher), the URL used in user information 172 is associated with the gift certificate information. This gift certificate information includes, for example, the gift certificate ID used to identify the gift certificate and the remaining balance of the gift certificate.

[0030] [Franchise / Store Information] Figure 6 shows an example of the contents of the merchant / store information 176. The merchant / store information 176 includes, for example, a first table 176A in which the merchant ID and store ID are associated with the store URL, a second table 176B in which the merchant name and sales amount (as described above) are associated with the merchant ID, and a third table 176C in which the store name is associated with the store ID. In addition to this information, the merchant / store information 176 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, the store's location, and payment patterns.

[0031] [Electronic payment] When the payment processing unit 130 obtains payment information from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, it refers to the user information 172 to obtain the user's "payment method setting". For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "charge balance", the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment by decreasing the charge balance, which is managed in association with the user ID, and increasing the value of the merchant's sales proceeds item. The merchant's sales proceeds item value is not used as electronic money itself, for example, but the amount corresponding to the sales proceeds item value is transferred to the bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the merchant and the electronic payment service. The merchant may receive the sales proceeds as electronic money. In this case, the payment server 100 manages the account (wallet) corresponding to the merchant ID, the electronic money balance of the account, and the sales proceeds history for each payment method in association.

[0032] The payment processing unit 130 performs electronic payment as follows for users whose "settings information" is set to "credit payment". Credit payment is a payment method in cooperation with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the operator of the electronic payment service, and allows electronic payment that does not depend on the charge balance within the credit limit. In order to use the credit payment service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the operator of the electronic payment service. The payment processing unit 130 adds the payment amount to the credit payment usage amount in the user information 172 and subtracts the above payment amount from the available credit payment amount. If the payment amount exceeds the available credit payment amount, an error notification is sent back to the payment app. The amount used by credit payment is settled, for example, in a lump sum for one month on the payment date of the following month, for example, by direct debit from a bank account. This processing is performed by the operator of the credit card company.

[0033] The Information Management Unit 140 acquires information provided by other server devices and terminal devices. Based on the information acquired from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70, the Information Management Unit 140 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176. The Information Management Unit 140 performs operations such as adding, editing, and deleting new records for user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176.

[0034] [Gift certificate] The payment server 100 obtains payment information from the first store terminal device 50 (the store's terminal device), including user identification information (e.g., account ID), which is the user's identification information used for electronic payments of the electronic payment service, product identification information for identifying the goods, etc. related to the payment, and payment amount for the electronic payment. The term "goods, etc." means goods and / or services. If the user possesses an electronic gift certificate that is limited to goods, etc. that can be used with the electronic payment service and is applicable to the product identification information in the payment information, the payment server 100 uses the balance of the gift certificate to settle the payment amount.

[0035] For example, in an electronic payment service, the electronic gift certificate associated with the user identification information in the payment information is managed (e.g., user information 172, applicable information 178 described later). The payment server 100 settles the payment amount in the payment information using the balance of the electronic gift certificate if the electronic gift certificate is an electronic gift certificate that can be used for the product or service of the product ID (product identification information) included in the payment information.

[0036] A gift certificate is a voucher that can be used for goods or services provided by a specific external service provider (such as a manufacturer). A manufacturer is a company that produces goods or a company that manages and operates the brand of goods or services. Hereafter, unless otherwise specified, the external service provider will be considered a manufacturer, and will simply be referred to as "manufacturer" in the explanation. However, if the provider of goods or services that can be purchased through an electronic payment service is a different entity from the provider of the electronic payment service, the external service provider does not have to be a manufacturer. In this case, "manufacturer" in the following explanation should be read as that provider.

[0037] In this embodiment, the payment server 100 is not limited to directly obtaining payment information from the first store terminal device 50, but may also obtain payment information via an intermediary server. The intermediary server may convert the payment information and provide the converted information to the payment server 100. In this case, the payment server 100 uses the converted information (identification information) to perform various processes.

[0038] [Applicable information] Applicable information 178 is information used to identify the goods or services to which the gift certificate can be used. Figure 7 shows an example of applicable information 178. Applicable information 178 is information to which a product ID (product identification information), which is the identification information of the goods or services to which the gift certificate can be used, is associated with the gift certificate ID.

[0039] [Using gift certificates] The payment server 100 determines whether the gift certificate can be used based on the application information 178 and the payment information obtained from the first store terminal device 50, and executes the payment according to the determination result. Figure 3 above illustrates the general flow of electronic payment processing. Refer to Figure 8 for a detailed explanation of the processing related to the use of gift certificates.

[0040] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing flow related to the use of gift certificates. The payment information in S16 of Figure 3, as mentioned above, includes the one-time code, payment amount, merchant ID, store ID, and product ID. Before processing in S100, it is assumed that the payment server 100 has acquired the payment information.

[0041] First, the payment server 100 determines whether the user possesses a gift certificate that can be used for the product with the product ID (S100). For example, in the application information 178, the payment server 100 identifies the gift certificate ID to which the product ID can be used. If the identified gift certificate ID is associated with the user information 172, the payment server 100 determines that the user possesses a gift certificate that can be used for the product with the product ID.

[0042] If the user possesses a gift certificate usable for the product with the product ID, the payment server 100 executes a payment using the gift certificate (S102). If the balance of the gift certificate is insufficient to cover the payment amount, the payment using the gift certificate is executed for the portion of the payment amount corresponding to the balance of the gift certificate, and the remaining amount is settled in the processes from S104 onwards. Alternatively, if the balance of the gift certificate is insufficient to cover the payment amount, the payment using the gift certificate may not be executed (processing S102 may be skipped). Also, if the payment is completed in the process of S102 (the balance of the gift certificate is equal to or greater than the payment amount), the processes from S104 onwards are skipped.

[0043] If the user does not possess a gift certificate that can be used for the product with the product ID, if the user possesses a gift certificate but the balance on the gift certificate is insufficient for the payment amount, or if the process in S102 is skipped, the payment server 100 determines whether the user possesses any other gift certificates that can be used for payment (S104). Other gift certificates include, for example, gift certificates issued by local governments or by affiliated stores that are not limited to specific products.

[0044] If the user possesses other gift certificates that can be used for payment, the payment server 100 executes the payment using those other gift certificates (S106). If the balance of the other gift certificates is insufficient to cover the payment amount, the payment server 100 executes the payment using those other gift certificates for the portion of the payment amount corresponding to the balance of the other gift certificates, and the payment for the remaining amount is executed according to the user's payment method settings (see Figure 5). Alternatively, if the balance of the other gift certificates is insufficient to cover the payment amount, the payment server 100 may execute the payment according to the user's payment method settings for the entire payment amount.

[0045] If the user does not possess any other gift certificates that can be used for payment, the payment server 100 executes the payment based on the user's payment method settings (S108). The use of other gift certificates may be omitted. For example, if a gift certificate is not permitted to be used in conjunction with other gift certificates, the payment will be executed based on the balance of the gift certificate and the payment method set by the user.

[0046] As described above, the payment server 100 can process payments using gift certificates that are limited to specific goods or services. Gift certificates can be used for multiple payments until the balance on the gift certificate runs out. If a user possesses a specific gift certificate, as described later, the payment server 100 may prioritize using that specific gift certificate for payment. Furthermore, if payment cannot be made using a specific gift certificate or other gift certificate, the payment server 100 will execute a payment based on the user's payment method settings. Similarly, for payments of goods or services other than those covered by the gift certificate, payment will be made using other gift certificates or other payment methods.

[0047] In the user information 172 described above, a product ID to which the gift certificate can be applied may be associated. In this case, the payment server 100 refers to the user information 172 to determine whether or not the gift certificate can be used.

[0048] [Other examples of application information] The payment server 100 identifies the manufacturer ID included in the product ID included in the payment information. The payment server 100 determines whether or not there is a product ID containing the manufacturer ID in the applicable information 178A, and determines whether or not an electronic gift certificate can be used for the product of the product ID in the payment information.

[0049] Figure 9 shows the application information 178A. The application information 178A associates, for example, a gift certificate ID, an inapplicable product ID (or an applicable product ID), and a manufacturer ID. The manufacturer ID is an ID represented by a part of the product ID. The payment server 100 determines whether the manufacturer ID of the product ID in the payment information matches the manufacturer ID in the application information 178A to identify the gift certificate ID. If the user possesses a gift certificate with the gift certificate ID, the payment server 100 determines that the gift certificate cannot be used for payment for the product ID in the payment information if the product ID in the payment information matches an inapplicable product ID associated with the identified gift certificate ID (i.e., it falls under the blacklist). By using the manufacturer ID in this way, the eligibility of gift certificates can be easily determined, and the processing load is reduced. The same approach is used when an applicable product ID is associated in the application information 178A.

[0050] In this embodiment, gift certificates may be usable for all products of a given manufacturer. In this case, a manufacturer ID is used, and gift certificates associated with that manufacturer ID are used.

[0051] [Limited to participating stores] The merchants that accept electronic gift certificates may be limited. For example, an electronic gift certificate is associated with a merchant ID (or store ID), which is the identification information of the merchant that accepts the electronic payment service. The payment server 100 executes a payment using the electronic payment service that accepts the gift certificate if the merchant ID in the payment information matches the merchant ID of the electronic gift certificate held by the user. The merchants that accept the gift certificate may be associated with the gift certificate ID in the user information 172. Alternatively, information on merchants that do not accept the gift certificate may be associated instead of information on merchants that accept it.

[0052] In the application information 178B shown in Figure 9, for example, a gift certificate ID is associated with an inapplicable product ID (or an applicable product ID), a manufacturer ID, and a merchant ID. The payment server 100 executes a payment using the gift certificate for a merchant ID specified in the application information 178B. Note that the manufacturer ID may be omitted in the application information 178B. The same approach is used when an applicable product ID is associated in the application information 178B.

[0053] Furthermore, the manufacturer ID or merchant ID may be specified in the gift certificate information held by the user in the user information 172. For example, when the payment server 100 obtains payment information, it may compare the manufacturer ID or merchant ID included in the payment information with the manufacturer ID or merchant ID in the gift certificate information of the user information 172 to determine whether or not the payment can be used.

[0054] [Limited Terms of Use] Electronic gift certificates may have conditions attached to their use. The payment server 100 may execute a payment on the condition that the information included in the payment information satisfies the conditions. For example, in the applicable information 178, 178A, and 178B, conditions other than product identification may be specified. Other conditions include the merchant ID of the merchant where the gift certificate can be used, the store ID of the store where the gift certificate can be used, the payment amount (payment of XX yen or more), the period during which it can be used, and the days of the week. For example, a gift certificate may be usable for the purchase of eligible products worth XX yen or more.

[0055] [Add Product ID] If a new product ID is added to the application information 178, the payment server 100 refers to the application information 178 after the product ID has been added and determines whether or not electronic gift certificates can be used for payment of the product or service with the product ID included in the payment information.

[0056] When products that can be purchased with the gift certificate or products that cannot be purchased with the gift certificate are added, the product ID is added to the application information 178. Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of adding products that cannot be purchased with the gift certificate. For example, product "J0000114", which cannot be purchased with the gift certificate ID "001", is added to the application information 178. This restricts the use of gift certificate "001" for payment of product ID "J0000114". In this embodiment, an example of adding products that cannot be purchased with the gift certificate has been described, but products that can be purchased with the gift certificate may also be added to the application information 178A, or merchant IDs may be added.

[0057] As described above, it is possible to add or remove restrictions on the products for which gift certificates can be used, allowing for more flexible operation. For example, it is possible to temporarily increase the number of products that can be used during campaigns, or to remove restrictions on products for which use was previously limited.

[0058] If a product ID is added, the payment server 100 may provide the user via the payment app 20 with information about products that can now be purchased using the gift certificate, or products that can no longer be purchased using the gift certificate. This allows the user to easily identify products that can be purchased using the gift certificate.

[0059] Application information 178, 178A, and 178B may differ for each user. For example, user A may be able to use the gift certificate for products A and B, while user B may not be able to use the gift certificate for product A but can use it for product B. For example, a campaign could be run to encourage the use of gift certificates by targeting specific users who have not yet used them.

[0060] [Gift certificate issuance] Figure 11 is a diagram illustrating the distribution of gift certificates. The method of distributing gift certificates to users can be either purchase-based or reward-based. In the purchase-based method, users purchase gift certificates. For example, gift certificates may have a premium added to them, where the usable amount is greater than the purchase price. This incentivizes users to purchase gift certificates. The purchase-based method is further subdivided into internal purchase type and external purchase type.

[0061] The internal purchase method is a system in which users purchase gift certificates using their balance in an electronic payment service or by using credit card payments. In this case, the user operates the payment app 20 and selects the gift certificate they wish to purchase on the gift certificate purchase screen, thereby executing the purchase of the gift certificate. The payment server 100 makes the purchased gift certificate available to the user by associating it with the user's identification information in the user information 172.

[0062] The external purchase type is a system in which users purchase gift certificates using benefits (e.g., points) provided by the manufacturer. In the external purchase type, it is possible to purchase gift certificates that can only be used for the manufacturer's products. In this specification, "electronic gift certificates that can be used in electronic payment services, that can only be used for the manufacturer's products, and that are based on the manufacturer's benefits" are referred to as "specific gift certificates." Gift certificates that can be purchased in the external purchase type are specific gift certificates. Details of specific gift certificates based on the external purchase type will be explained in each embodiment described below.

[0063] The reward-based system involves users applying for the awarding of gift certificates, and receiving or being awarded gift certificates based on their application. Applications can be made on a webpage provided by the manufacturer or on a webpage provided by an electronic payment service. If the application is made by the manufacturer, the manufacturer's server sends an email or similar message to the user, and by following the instructions in the email, the system links with the electronic payment service and associates the gift certificate with the user's identification information.

[0064] As described above, gift certificates can be easily provided to consumers. For example, manufacturers can easily provide gift certificates to consumers through campaigns and other means.

[0065] Furthermore, the payment server 100 may award gift certificates to users when they purchase specific products or make payments using electronic payment services at specific merchants.

[0066] [Regarding the source of funds] Regarding the above-mentioned gift certificates, the manufacturer bears the cost of the usage fee or premium. For example, when a user performs an operation to purchase a product, the payment server 100 associates the usage fee and premium with the manufacturer and records the amount. For example, the payment server 100 bills the manufacturer for the total amount of costs recorded for a predetermined period. Alternatively, the manufacturer may provide the amount of costs to the operator of the electronic payment service in advance. In this case, for example, the payment server 100 may stop selling the gift certificates when the total amount of costs incurred as a result of users performing operations to purchase products reaches the amount of costs provided in advance by the manufacturer. Even in the case of a reward type, the system may be such that the source of funds is borne or recorded when a user performs an operation to acquire a gift certificate, as described above.

[0067] [Management of gift certificates] Figure 12 is a diagram illustrating the gift certificate information managed in user information 172. For example, if a user purchases the same gift certificate ID multiple times, these may be managed in different records. For example, gift certificates may have different expiration dates, and the payment server 100 manages gift certificate IDs with the same ID purchased at different times in different records, as shown in Figure 12. For example, one gift certificate and another gift certificate may have different expiration dates, so they are managed as described above.

[0068] When the payment server 100 provides information about gift certificates to a user, it may either integrate the information from multiple records (for example, by summing up the available amounts) and present it to the user via the payment app 20, or it may present the information to the user separately. For example, if presented separately, it may show that 4,000 yen is valid until March 30, 2025, and 3,000 yen is valid until April 30, 2025. If displayed as a sum, it may show that the user possesses a gift certificate worth 7,000 yen. In this case as well, it may also show that 4,000 yen expires on March 30, 2025.

[0069] The payment server 100 prioritizes the use of gift certificates with shorter expiration dates when a user possesses gift certificates with different expiration dates. This improves user convenience.

[0070] [Participating stores where gift certificates can be used] The payment server 100 may display the merchants where the user's gift certificates can be used on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Figure 13 shows an example of an interface screen displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. For example, the payment server 100 may display merchants where the gift certificates can be used on a map, as shown in Figure 13, or it may display a list of merchants. In the interface screen of Figure 12, for example, the location of merchants where the gift certificates can be used on a map based on the user's current location is shown.

[0071] As described above, the payment server 100 can provide users with information on merchants where the gift certificates can be used, so that users can easily recognize the merchants where the gift certificates can be used.

[0072] [Payment History] In the electronic payment service, historical information on the use of electronic gift certificates is managed. The payment server 100 extracts at least a list of information on the merchants where the gift certificates were used. In addition to the merchant information, the payment server 100 may also extract a list that includes information on the goods, etc., that were electronically paid for with the electronic gift certificates at the merchants, and the amount of the electronic payment made with the electronic gift certificates. Specifically, the payment server 100 generates gift certificate usage history information using the payment history information of the user information 172. Figure 14 is a diagram showing an example of gift certificate usage history information. Gift certificate usage history information is, for example, information that associates the merchant identification information, product identification information, amount, and the date and time of purchase of the product where the gift certificate was used. Gift certificate usage history information may be generated for each user, or for each user attribute. For example, gift certificate usage history information for user A (a user with predetermined attributes) may be generated, or gift certificate usage history information for a man in his 30s may be generated. In addition, user information (user attributes) may be associated with one record of the gift certificate usage history information. The above attributes may also be user attribute information managed or held within the electronic payment service. Specifically, the above attribute information may be personal identification information (Know Your Customer information) such as gender, age, and place of residence (e.g., address).

[0073] As described above, the payment server 100 can extract information indicating which of the manufacturer's products are being purchased through which sales channels (convenience stores, drugstores, supermarkets, etc.) based on the usage history of gift certificates in the electronic payment service. For example, manufacturers can refer to this information to consider sales channels and sales strategies for their products. Information on sales channels across stores for a particular user or a user with certain attributes is valuable information that cannot be obtained otherwise. The payment server 100 can provide such information. For example, in the case of coupons, once they are used at a store, information from other stores cannot be obtained, but in the case of reusable gift certificates, it is possible to obtain user purchase behavior across sales channels. For example, as described above, it becomes possible to track the purchase history of the manufacturer's products in chronological order, making it possible to understand which stores or sales channels users are purchasing which products, and how they differentiate their store usage. Furthermore, since it becomes possible to understand the participating stores, the products for which gift certificates were used, and the amounts, it is possible to understand how much each participating store is selling the manufacturer's products for, as well as the actual selling price range of the products purchased using gift certificates. For example, since each store is expected to conduct its own unique sales and promotions, it becomes possible to understand what price range is most popular for a particular product. As described above, information that could not be obtained through previous systems can be obtained by analyzing the usage history of the aforementioned gift certificates.

[0074] [Services related to specific gift certificates] The following describes the services related to specific gift certificates based on the first to third embodiments.

[0075] [overview] In the first to third embodiments, the external server 300 receives information on the user's desired acquisition from the device used by the user. The desired acquisition information is information relating to the acquisition of a specific gift certificate based on the user's benefits. Here, the benefits are benefits from the manufacturer. The external server 300 transmits issuance request information to the payment server 100 in response to the desired acquisition information. The issuance request information includes user identification information for identifying the user in the electronic payment service and gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire the specific gift certificate. The payment server 100 grants the user the specific gift certificate in response to the issuance request information. In this way, in the first to third embodiments, the user can purchase a specific gift certificate in the electronic payment service based on their own benefits from the manufacturer. This facilitates the provision of gift certificates (specific gift certificates) from manufacturers to users. Furthermore, by limiting the use of the specific gift certificate to the manufacturer's products, it is possible to prevent losses for manufacturers, such as when a manufacturer's benefits are used to purchase products from other manufacturers. Therefore, the convenience of users (users and manufacturers) can be improved.

[0076] The information regarding the acquisition of gift certificates includes, for example, one or more of the information from (1) to (8). (1) First identification information regarding the manufacturer (external service), (2) Second identification information of the specified gift certificate, (3) Amount of the specified gift certificate, (4) Number of units of specific gift certificates (5) Indicative information showing the value of the benefits, (6) The third identification information which is one or both of the first identification information and the second identification information, and the amount of the specified gift certificate, (7) The third identification information which is one or both of the first and second identification information, and the number of units of the specified gift certificate, (8) Third identification information which is one or both of the first and second identification information, and index information indicating the value of the benefit. Here, the first identification information is information that can identify the manufacturer in the electronic payment service, for example, the manufacturer ID mentioned above. The second identification information is information that can identify a specific gift certificate in the electronic payment service, for example, the gift certificate ID mentioned above. The amount of the specific gift certificate indicates the payment amount that can be settled when using the specific gift certificate in the electronic payment service.

[0077] In the following description, the first embodiment corresponds to the case where the gift certificate acquisition information includes the information described in (1), (2), (3) and / or (6) above, and the second embodiment corresponds to the case where the gift certificate acquisition information includes the information described in (1), (5) and / or (8). The third embodiment relates to the processing after a specific gift certificate has been granted to a user or after the user has used the specific gift certificate.

[0078] <First Embodiment> First, the first embodiment will be described. As mentioned above, the first embodiment corresponds to the case where the gift certificate acquisition information includes the information of (1), (2), (3) and / or (6).

[0079] [Specified gift certificate management department] Figure 15 shows an example of the functional configuration of the specific gift certificate management unit 200 according to the first embodiment. The specific gift certificate management unit 200 includes, for example, an acquisition unit 210, an granting unit 220, a notification unit 230, and a storage unit 290. Components other than the storage unit 290 (including the point conversion unit 240 and display control unit 250 in the second embodiment, and the provisioning unit 260 in the third embodiment) are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, GPUs, and SOCs, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance in a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored in a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed in the storage device when the storage medium is mounted on a drive device.

[0080] The storage unit 290 may be an HDD, flash memory, RAM, etc. The storage unit 290 may also be a NAS device accessible by the specific gift certificate management unit 200 via a network. The storage unit 290 stores information such as user response information 292. Some or all of the information stored in the storage unit 290 may be stored in the storage unit 170 described above, and some or all of the information stored in the storage unit 170 may be stored in the storage unit 290. The storage unit 170 and the storage unit 290 may be implemented with the same configuration.

[0081] [External Server] Figure 10 shows an example of the functional configuration of an external server 300 according to the first embodiment. The external server 300 is used by a manufacturer (provider of external services). When multiple external servers 300 are connected to a network NW (see also Figure 1), the manufacturers (providers of external services) using each external server 300 may be different from each other. The external server 300 is an example of a "first external device". The external server 300 includes, for example, a communication unit 310, a benefit management unit 320, a content provision unit 330, a reception unit 340, an issuance request unit 350, and a storage unit 390. Components other than the communication unit 310 and the storage unit 390 (including the information acquisition unit 360 in the third embodiment) are realized, for example, by a hardware processor such as a CPU executing a program (software). Some or all of these components may be realized by hardware (including circuitry) such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, GPUs, and SOCs, or by the cooperation of software and hardware. The program may be stored in advance on a storage device such as an HDD or flash memory (a storage device equipped with a non-transient storage medium), or it may be stored on a removable storage medium such as a DVD or CD-ROM (a non-transient storage medium) and installed on the storage device when the storage medium is inserted into a drive device. The content provision unit 330 is an example of a "second display control unit".

[0082] The storage unit 390 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM, etc. The storage unit 390 may also be a NAS device accessible by an external server 300 via a network. The storage unit 390 stores information such as user benefit information 392 and a list of provided gift certificates 394. Some or all of the information stored in the storage unit 390 may be stored in the storage units 170 and 290 described above, and some or all of the information stored in the storage units 170 and 290 may be stored in the storage unit 390.

[0083] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for connecting to a network NW. The communication unit 310 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0084] The benefits management unit 320 manages user benefits information 392.

[0085] User benefit information 392 is information indicating the benefits a user receives at a manufacturer using the external server 300. Benefits include, for example, points that can be used to purchase products offered by the manufacturer. The manufacturer, not the electronic payment service, is the entity that manages the benefits. Benefits are different from charge balances or points in electronic payment services. User benefit information 392 is, for example, information linking the user ID used as user identification information on the external server 300 with the benefits held by that user. The user ID may be other information that can be used as user identification information (for example, a telephone number).

[0086] The rewards management unit 320 adjusts the value of the rewards (e.g., the amount of points) held by each user in the user rewards information 392 based on predetermined conditions. For example, if a user purchases a manufacturer's product using a payment method other than rewards, the rewards management unit 320 may increase the value of the rewards held by that user by a predetermined amount. Also, if a user purchases a manufacturer's product using rewards, the rewards management unit 320 may decrease (consume) the value of the rewards held by that user by a predetermined amount corresponding to the purchase amount.

[0087] The content provision unit 330, for example, has the functionality of a web server and provides information (content) for displaying various screens of a predetermined service provided by the manufacturer to a device used by the user (such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer).

[0088] The user's device to which the content is provided by the content provision unit 330 (external server 300) may be, for example, the user terminal device 10 described above. In this case, the user terminal device 10 corresponds to the "second external device". The user's device to which the content is provided by the content provision unit 330 may be a device other than the user terminal device 10, in which case that device corresponds to the "second external device". In the following explanation, the user's device to which content is provided by the content provision unit 330 (external server 300) will be assumed to be the user terminal device 10.

[0089] The content provision unit 330 reads the necessary content as appropriate from the content information (not shown) stored in the storage unit 390 and provides it to the user terminal device 10. For example, the user terminal device 10 may have an application installed for playing the content provided by the content provision unit 330. Alternatively (or in addition to this), the content provision unit 330 may have the browser launched on the user terminal device 10 play the content.

[0090] The list of provided gift certificates 394 is a list of information indicating specific gift certificates provided by manufacturers using the external server 300. The list of provided gift certificates 394 may, for example, be information that associates a gift certificate ID with a product ID of a product to which the gift certificate can or cannot be applied, similar to the application information 178 described above. In the list of provided gift certificates 394, the information for each gift certificate may be associated with information indicating the value of the benefits (points) required to exchange the gift certificate, the amount of the gift certificate, and / or the conversion rate between them.

[0091] [detail] Figure 17 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process related to the issuance of specific gift certificates, which is executed by the user terminal device 10, the payment server 100 (specific gift certificate management unit 200), and the external server 300 in the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the functional configurations and processes in the first embodiment will be specifically described in accordance with this sequence diagram.

[0092] (Step S21) First, the reception unit 340 of the external server 300 receives information from the user terminal device 10 regarding the acquisition of specific gift certificates based on the benefits held by the user. For example, the reception unit 340 may, through the content provision unit 330, display a reception indicator on the display unit of the user terminal device 10 to receive the acquisition request information. For example, the display unit of the user terminal device 10 may display information such as the benefits currently held by the user, the types of specific gift certificates that can be acquired based on those benefits, the amount of the specific gift certificates, and / or the conversion rate for the amount of the benefits. The reception unit 340 receives acquisition request information for specific gift certificates included in the provided gift certificate list 394, for example. The reception unit 340 may only accept acquisition request information for specific gift certificates that can be acquired based on the benefits held by the user. The reception unit 340 may only display a reception indicator on the user terminal device 10 for specific gift certificates that can be acquired based on the benefits held by the user.

[0093] (Step S22) Next, based on the user's operation of the user terminal device 10 (reception display), the user terminal device 10 transmits the information to be acquired to the payment server 100. The information to be acquired includes, for example, information that can identify the user who wishes to acquire a specific gift certificate, as well as the type and amount of the specific gift certificate.

[0094] (Step S23) Next, the reward management unit 320 of the external server 300 checks the rewards held by the user. For example, the reward management unit 320 identifies the user based on the acquisition request information and checks the rewards held by the identified user based on the user reward information 392. Then, the reward management unit 320 consumes the value of the rewards held by the user in the user reward information 392 according to the amount of the specific gift certificate in the acquisition request information. If the amount of the specific gift certificate in the acquisition request information exceeds the value of the rewards held by the user, the external server 300 may display an error on the user terminal device 10 or display a message indicating that there are insufficient rewards.

[0095] (Step S24) After the user has finished using their benefits, the issuance request unit 350 of the external server 300 sends issuance request information to the payment server 100 according to the information to be obtained.

[0096] Figure 18 shows an example of the contents of the issuance request information R1 and the identification process based thereon in the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 18, the issuance request information R1 in the first embodiment includes a user ID, a gift certificate ID, a manufacturer ID, and the amount of the specific gift certificate. The user ID is an example of user identification information. The gift certificate ID is an example of second identification information. The manufacturer ID is an example of first identification information. The combination of the gift certificate ID and the manufacturer ID is an example of third identification information. In addition, in the issuance request information R1, the gift certificate ID, manufacturer ID, and the amount of the specific gift certificate correspond to gift certificate acquisition information.

[0097] The issuance request unit 350 determines, for example, the user ID, gift certificate ID, and amount to be included in the issuance request information R1, in response to the issuance request information from the user terminal device 10. The manufacturer ID is information uniquely assigned to each manufacturer by the electronic payment service, and the storage unit 390 of the external server 300 may have information indicating the manufacturer ID of the manufacturer using the external server 300 pre-stored. The issuance request unit 350 determines the manufacturer ID to be included in the issuance request information R1 based on the information stored in the storage unit 390.

[0098] (Step S25) Returning to Figure 17, the acquisition unit 210 of the payment server 100 acquires the issuance request information. Subsequently, the granting unit 220 of the payment server 100 performs authentication processing and identification processing based on the issuance request information.

[0099] For example, the granting unit 220 uses user correspondence information 292 to authenticate and identify the user. As shown in Figure 18, user correspondence information 292 is information that associates the user ID at the manufacturer with the account ID at the electronic payment service. In the example in Figure 18, the specific gift certificate management unit 200 searches for the user ID "2345678" in the issuance request information R1 in the user correspondence information 292, identifies the user's account ID "002" associated with it, and performs authentication based on this identification. If the user ID included in the issuance request information R1 does not exist in the user correspondence information 292, the granting unit 220 may notify the external server 300 of the authentication failure. Alternatively (or in addition to) using the issuance request information R1 to authenticate and / or identify the user, the user terminal device 10 (e.g., payment application 20) may perform user authentication and / or identification by having the user log in to the electronic payment service.

[0100] Furthermore, the user correspondence information 292 may be stored in the storage unit 390 of the external server 300 instead of (or in addition to) the storage unit 290. In this case, the external server 300 may perform a conversion process from user ID to account ID, and the account ID may be included in the issuance request information R1. Also, the gift certificate ID and manufacturer ID managed by the external server 300 may be different from the gift certificate ID and manufacturer ID managed by the payment server 100. In this case, information linking the correspondence between these IDs may be stored in the storage unit 290 and / or the storage unit 390, and the payment server 100 and / or the external server 300 may perform an ID conversion process. This applies to all information exchanged between the payment server 100 and the external server 300.

[0101] Furthermore, the granting unit 220 uses the application information 178A to identify the specific gift certificate to be granted from among multiple specific gift certificates. In the example in Figure 18, the granting unit 220 searches for the combination of gift certificate ID "003" and manufacturer ID "J20" in the issuance request information R1 in the application information 178A, identifies the found specific gift certificate as the specific gift certificate to be granted, and performs authentication based on this identification. If the gift certificate ID, manufacturer ID, or combination thereof in the issuance request information R1 is not found in the application information 178A, the granting unit 220 may notify the external server 300 of the authentication failure.

[0102] (Step S26) Returning to Figure 17, the granting unit 220 grants the specified gift certificate identified in step S25 to the user identified in step S25, for the amount specified in the issuance request information R1. For example, the granting unit 220 associates the gift certificate information (e.g., gift certificate ID and amount information) of the specified gift certificate with the account ID in the user information 172.

[0103] (Step S27) Once the processing in step S26 completes the granting of the specific gift certificate based on the issuance request information, the notification unit 230 of the settlement server 100 sends a notification to the external server 300.

[0104] (Step S28) Next, in response to the notification in step S27, the content provision unit 330 of the external server 300 causes information indicating the completion of the granting of the specific gift certificate to be displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0105] [Interface screen] Figure 19 shows an example of an interface screen provided to the user terminal device 10 in the granting of specific gift certificates in the first embodiment. In the process of step S21 described above, the interface screen IF11 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Interface screen IF11 is an example of the reception display described above. Interface screen IF11 is a screen displayed in the manufacturer's app or on the manufacturer's website displayed on a browser. In the example in Figure 19, interface screen IF11 includes information indicating the benefits currently held by the user (2500P), the types of specific gift certificates that can be obtained based on them (gift certificate A, gift certificate B, gift certificate C), the amount of the specific gift certificate (2000 yen, 1000 yen), and the conversion rate of the amount for the benefits (2000P → 2000 yen, 1000P → 1000 yen). When a user selects a specific gift certificate they wish to acquire and presses the button labeled "Exchange," the acquisition request information based on that selection is sent to the external server 300 (corresponding to step S22), and the processes from steps S23 to S28 are executed sequentially thereafter.

[0106] In step S28, interface screen IF12 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Interface screen IF12 is an example of "information indicating the completion of the granting of a specific gift certificate." Here, the display unit on which interface screen IF12 is displayed is the same as the display unit on which interface screen IF11 is displayed. Users are provided with the experience of performing an operation on interface screen IF11 on the manufacturer's app or website to receive the reception display, and then transitioning directly to interface screen IF12 to complete the acquisition of the specific gift certificate. This provides users with a seamless experience from operating on the reception display to acquiring the specific gift certificate.

[0107] The payment server 100 may provide the payment application 20 with information about the specific gift certificates granted to the user. Figure 20 shows an example of an interface screen provided to the payment application 20 after the granting of the specific gift certificates is complete. Interface screen IF21 includes information about the specific gift certificates granted to the user, such as the manufacturer where the gift certificates can be used (XX service, YY service), the type of gift certificate (gift certificate A, gift certificate C, gift certificate X), the amount of the gift certificate (2000 yen, 1000 yen), and the expiration date of the gift certificates.

[0108] [Differentiation] In the example interface screen IF11 in Figure 19, the required benefits and the amount received were fixed for each gift certificate, but this is not limited to this. For example, multiple options for benefits and amounts may be displayed for each gift certificate, and the benefits and amounts may be determined according to the user's selection. Alternatively, the benefits and amounts may be freely entered by the user. In these cases, the information to be obtained will include information on the amount corresponding to the user's selection or input.

[0109] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the specific gift certificate may have a predetermined unit amount that can be issued (for example, in units of 1,000 yen). In this case, the gift certificate acquisition information may include information indicating the number of units of the specific gift certificate instead of (or in addition to) information indicating the amount of the specific gift certificate. The granting unit 220 may then grant the user a specific gift certificate for an amount corresponding to the number of units. Specifically, the granting unit 220 may grant a specific gift certificate for an amount obtained by multiplying the unit amount by the number of units. This modification corresponds to the case where the gift certificate acquisition information includes the information of (1), (2), (4) and / or (8). On the interface screen IF11, multiple options may be displayed for the number of units of the specific gift certificate, or the number of units may be freely input. In these cases, the acquisition request information includes information on the number of units according to the user's selection or input.

[0110] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the amount of the specific gift certificate granted to the user may be fixed. In this case, the gift certificate acquisition information does not need to include information indicating the amount or number of units of the specific gift certificate, and the granting unit 220 may grant the user a specific gift certificate for a fixed amount. Also, if the manufacturer provides only one type of specific gift certificate via the payment server 100, the gift certificate acquisition information does not need to include the second identification information (gift certificate ID) of the specific gift certificate. In this case, the granting unit 220 may identify the specific gift certificate to be granted based on the manufacturer ID. Also, if there is only one manufacturer providing specific gift certificates via the payment server 100, the gift certificate acquisition information does not need to include the first identification information related to the manufacturer.

[0111] Furthermore, in the flowchart of Figure 17, the consumption of benefits held by the user occurred before the transmission of the issuance request information (processing in step S24), but this is not limited to this. For example, instead of the consumption (deduction) of benefits being performed in the processing of step S23, the consumption (deduction) of benefits may be performed when the payment server 100 notifies that the granting of the specific gift certificate has been completed (processing in step S27). Alternatively, in the processing of step S23 (after the processing of step S22 related to the transmission of the information to be acquired), the benefit management unit 320 may temporarily reserve (provisionally consume) the portion of benefits held by the user corresponding to the amount of the specific gift certificate in the information to be acquired, and then execute (confirm) the consumption (deduction) of the reserved benefits when the payment server 100 notifies (processing in step S27). On the other hand, if processing is canceled after step S23, the benefit management unit 320 may return the reserved benefits to the user. Examples of cases where processing is terminated after step S23 include when a user cancels the transaction and a cancellation notification is sent from the payment server 100 to the external server 300, or when authentication fails during the processing in step S25 and an authentication failure notification is sent from the payment server 100 to the external server 300.

[0112] <Second Embodiment> Next, the second embodiment will be described. As described above, the second embodiment corresponds to the case where the gift certificate acquisition information includes information (1), (5), and / or (8). Since the basic configuration is the same between the second embodiment and the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for similar components, and their descriptions are omitted. Only the differences will be described.

[0113] [Specified gift certificate management department] Figure 21 shows an example of the functional configuration of the specific gift certificate management unit 200A according to the second embodiment. The specific gift certificate management unit 200A according to the second embodiment differs from the specific gift certificate management unit 200 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes a point conversion unit 240 and a display control unit 250, and rate information 294 is further stored in the storage unit 290. The display control unit 250 is an example of the "first display control unit".

[0114] [detail] Figure 22 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process related to the issuance of specific gift certificates, which is executed by the user terminal device 10, the payment server 100 (specific gift certificate management unit 200A), and the external server 300 in the second embodiment. Hereinafter, the functional configurations and processes in the second embodiment will be specifically described in accordance with this sequence diagram.

[0115] (Step S31) First, the same process as in step S21 is performed. However, the content of the reception display may differ between the first and second embodiments. For example, the reception display in the second embodiment may not include information such as the benefits currently held by the user, the types of specific gift certificates that can be obtained based on those benefits, the amount of the specific gift certificates, and / or the conversion rate for the amount of the benefits.

[0116] (Step S32) Next, the same process as in step S22 is performed. However, the content of the information to be acquired may differ between the first and second embodiments. For example, the information to be acquired in the second embodiment may not include information that can identify the type and / or amount of the gift certificate.

[0117] (Step S33) Next, similar to the process in step S23, the reward management unit 320 checks the rewards held by the user. In the process in step S33, for example, the reward consumption process as in step S23 does not necessarily have to be performed.

[0118] (Step S34) Next, the issuance request unit 350 sends issuance request information to the settlement server 100 according to the information to be acquired.

[0119] Figure 23 shows an example of the contents of the issuance request information R2 and the identification process based thereon in the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 23, the issuance request information R2 in the second embodiment includes a user ID, a manufacturer ID, and index information indicating the value of the benefit (2500P). The user ID is an example of user identification information. The manufacturer ID is an example of first identification information and third identification information. In addition, in the issuance request information R2, the manufacturer ID and index information correspond to the gift certificate acquisition information. Thus, the gift certificate acquisition information in the issuance request information R2 in the second embodiment does not necessarily have to include information on the gift certificate ID or the amount of the specific gift certificate.

[0120] The issuance request unit 350 determines the user ID and manufacturer ID to be included in the issuance request information R2, similar to the processing in step S24. The issuance request unit 350 also determines the index information to be included in the issuance request information R2 based on the confirmation results in the processing in step S23. The issuance request unit 350 may include index information in the issuance request information R2 that corresponds to the value of all the benefits held by the user. Alternatively, the reception display described above may be configured to allow the user to select or input the value of the benefits to be used to acquire a specific gift certificate. In this case, index information corresponding to the value of the benefits selected or input by the user may be included in the issuance request information R2.

[0121] (Step S35) Returning to Figure 22, similar to the process in step S25, the payment server 100 obtains the issuance request information, and authentication and identification processes are performed based on the issuance request information.

[0122] For example, the granting unit 220 authenticates and identifies the user in the same way as in the first embodiment (see Figures 18 and 23). The granting unit 220 also identifies specific gift certificates that are candidates for granting using the application information 178A. In the example in Figure 23, there are three specific gift certificates corresponding to the manufacturer ID "J20" in the issuance request information R2, so these three specific gift certificates are identified as candidate gift certificates for granting. In other words, in the second embodiment, multiple specific gift certificates may be identified in the identification process based on the issuance request information R2. If the manufacturer ID in the issuance request information R2 is not present in the application information 178A, the granting unit 220 may notify the external server 300 of the authentication failure.

[0123] (Step S36) Returning to Figure 22, the point conversion unit 240 of the payment server 100 obtains the number of specific points obtained when the value of the reward in the issuance request information R2 is converted to specific points based on a predetermined conversion rate. The point conversion unit 240 provisionally converts the value of the reward in the issuance request information R2 to specific points based on a predetermined conversion rate. Here, the specific points are points of an electronic payment service and are points that can be used to purchase specific gift certificates. The specific points may be points that can only be used to purchase specific gift certificates. For example, the point conversion unit 240 may obtain the number of specific points obtained by the conversion based on rate information 294 stored in the storage unit 290. Rate information 294 is information that shows the conversion rate of specific points to the manufacturer's reward. The conversion rate may differ for each manufacturer.

[0124] (Step S37) Next, the display control unit 250 of the payment server 100 displays information (acquisition display) of specific gift certificates that can be awarded to the user based on the specific points obtained through the conversion on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. For example, the display control unit 250 may, through the content provision unit 120, cause the payment application 20 to display an acquisition display related to the acquisition of specific gift certificates that can be awarded. Alternatively, the display control unit 250 may, if necessary, launch a browser on the user terminal device 10 and display the acquisition display on the browser.

[0125] (Step S38) When a user performs an operation to acquire a specific gift certificate (an operation on the acquisition display) on the user terminal device 10, the user terminal device 10 transmits information corresponding to that operation to the payment server 100. This information includes, for example, information that can identify the type of specific gift certificate and the value of the benefits and / or specific points that the user uses to acquire the specific gift certificate. The acquisition display may also be configured to allow the user to cancel the acquisition of the specific gift certificate. If the user cancels the acquisition, the payment server 100 may send a cancellation notification to the specific gift certificate management unit 200 and skip subsequent processing.

[0126] (Step S39) Next, the point conversion unit 240 requests the external server 300 to consume the user's rewards. Specifically, it requests the consumption of rewards equivalent to the value obtained through the processing in step S38.

[0127] (Step S40) Next, the benefits management unit 320 consumes the benefits held by the user in the amount requested in step S39.

[0128] (Step S41) After the reward has been used, the reward management unit 320 notifies the payment server 100 that the reward has been used.

[0129] (Step S42) After notification of the completion of reward consumption, the point conversion unit 240 performs the conversion of rewards to specific points. The point conversion unit 240 converts the rewards to specific points in an amount corresponding to the value of the rewards acquired in step S38 and / or the specific points. This ensures that the conversion from rewards to specific points is performed when the user performs an acquisition display operation on the user terminal device 10 (step S38) and the external server 300 consumes the rewards (step S49). Therefore, in the process of step S42, the conversion from rewards to specific points is performed in accordance with the user's instructions. Furthermore, this prevents inconsistencies between the reward information managed by the external server 300 and the conversion (consumption) of rewards at the settlement server 100. Note that the processes of steps S39 to S41 may be omitted. Also, the processes of steps S39 to S41 may be executed after the process of step S42.

[0130] (Step S43) After the rewards are converted to specific points, the granting unit 220 grants specific gift certificates based on the specific points obtained through the conversion. The granting unit 220 grants the specific gift certificates specified in step S38 to the user identified in step S35 for an amount corresponding to the converted specific points. For example, the granting unit 220 associates the gift certificate information (e.g., gift certificate ID and amount information) of the specific gift certificate with the account ID in the user information 172.

[0131] (Step S44) Next, similar to the process in step S27, the notification unit 230 sends a notification to the external server 300.

[0132] (Step S45) Next, similar to the process in step S28, the content provision unit 330 causes the display unit of the user terminal device 10 to display information indicating the completion of the granting of the specific gift certificate.

[0133] [Interface screen] Figure 24 shows an example of an interface screen provided to the user terminal device 10 in the granting of a specific gift certificate in the second embodiment. In the process of step S31 described above, the interface screen IF31 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Interface screen IF31 is an example of a reception display in the second embodiment. Interface screen IF31 is a screen displayed in the manufacturer's app or on the manufacturer's website displayed on a browser. In the example in Figure 24, interface screen IF31 includes information indicating the benefits (2500P) currently held by the user. When the user operates the button labeled "Exchange", the information to be acquired is sent to the external server 300 (corresponding to step S32), and the processes of steps S33 to S37 are executed sequentially thereafter.

[0134] In step S37, the interface screen IF32 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. The interface screen IF32 is an example of the acquisition display described above. The interface screen IF32 is a screen displayed on the payment application 20 or on the website of the electronic payment service displayed on a browser. In the example in Figure 24, the interface screen IF32 contains information showing the rewards the user currently possesses (2500P), the types of specific gift certificates that can be acquired based on those rewards (gift certificate A, gift certificate B, gift certificate C), the amount of the specific gift certificates (2000 yen, 1000 yen), and the conversion rate for the amount of the rewards (2000P → 2000 yen, 1000P → 1000 yen). When the user selects the specific gift certificate they wish to acquire and operates the button labeled "Exchange", information based on that selection is sent to the payment server 100 (corresponding to step S38), and the processes from steps S39 to S44 are executed sequentially thereafter.

[0135] In step S44, interface screen IF33 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. Interface screen IF33 is an example of "information indicating the completion of the granting of a specific gift certificate." Here, the display unit on which interface screens IF31 to IF33 are displayed is the same for all of them. When the user performs an operation on interface screen IF31 on the manufacturer's app or website in response to the reception display, they are redirected to the payment app 20 or the electronic payment service website where interface screen IF32 is displayed. When they perform an operation for acquisition there, they are redirected back to the manufacturer's app or website, interface screen IF32 is displayed again, and the acquisition of the specific gift certificate is completed. This provides the user with a seamless experience from the operation in response to the reception display to the acquisition of the specific gift certificate.

[0136] [Differentiation] In the example of interface screen IF32 in Figure 24, the required benefits and the amount received were fixed for each gift certificate, but this is not limited to this. Similar to the interface screen IF11 in the first embodiment, the benefits and amounts may be selectable or input by the user. In this case, the information transmitted to the payment server 100 in the processing of step S38 includes information on the amount corresponding to the user's selection or input.

[0137] Furthermore, if the manufacturer provides only one type of specific gift certificate via the payment server 100, the granting unit 220 may identify the specific gift certificate to be granted based on the manufacturer ID.

[0138] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the value of the reward (specific points) used to acquire the specific gift certificate may be fixed. In this case, the gift certificate acquisition information does not need to include indicator information showing the value of the reward, and the granting unit 220 may grant the user a specific gift certificate for a fixed amount corresponding to the fixed reward.

[0139] Furthermore, in the flowchart of Figure 22, the consumption of the rewards held by the user occurred before the conversion was executed by the payment server 100 (processing in step S42), but this is not limited to this. For example, instead of the consumption of the rewards being executed in the processing of step S40, the consumption of the rewards may be executed when the payment server 100 notifies the user of the completion of granting the specific gift certificate (processing in step S44). In this case, the notification of completion of granting includes information indicating the value of the rewards that the external server 300 should consume (the value of the rewards obtained by the processing in step S38), and the reward management unit 320 may consume the rewards based on this information. Alternatively, in the processing of step S40, the reward management unit 320 may temporarily reserve the portion of the rewards held by the user that was requested in the processing of step S39, and then consume the reserved rewards when the payment server 100 notifies the user (processing in step S44). On the other hand, if processing is canceled after step S40, the reward management unit 320 may return the reserved rewards to the user. An example of a case where "processing is aborted after step S40" is when a user cancels the transaction and a cancellation notification is sent from the payment server 100 to the external server 300.

[0140] If the manufacturer offers only one type of specific gift certificate via the payment server 100, and the value of the reward used to obtain that specific gift certificate is fixed, the processing in steps S37 and S38, as well as the display of the interface screen IF32 to the user terminal device 10, may be skipped. In this case, instead of performing the processing in steps S39 to S41, the fixed reward may be consumed in the processing of step S33, etc. Alternatively, in the processing of step S33, the reward management unit 320 may temporarily reserve the fixed reward from the rewards held by the user, and when there is a notification from the payment server 100 (processing in step S44), it may consume the reserved reward. On the other hand, if processing is canceled after step S33, the reward management unit 320 may return the reserved reward to the user. Examples of cases where processing is terminated after step S33 include when a user cancels the transaction and a cancellation notification is sent from the payment server 100 to the external server 300, or when authentication fails during the processing in step S35 and an authentication failure notification is sent from the payment server 100 to the external server 300.

[0141] Furthermore, if there is only one manufacturer providing specific gift certificates via the payment server 100, the gift certificate acquisition information does not need to include the first identification information related to the manufacturer.

[0142] Furthermore, the reception display in step S31 may include information such as the type of specific gift certificate that can be obtained based on the benefits held by the user, the amount of the specific gift certificate, and / or the conversion rate of the amount to the benefit. In step S31, a screen similar to the interface screen IF11 in the first embodiment may be displayed on the user terminal device 10. Then, the acquisition request information in step S32 may include the type of specific gift certificate, the amount of the specific gift certificate, and / or the value of the benefit used to acquire the specific gift certificate. In this case, the gift certificate acquisition information in the second embodiment may further include information on the gift certificate ID (an example of second identification information) and / or the amount of the specific gift certificate. In this case, the processing in steps S37 and S38 and the display of the interface screen IF32 on the user terminal device 10 may be skipped, and the granting unit 220 may identify the type and amount of the specific gift certificate to be granted based on the gift certificate ID and amount included in the gift certificate acquisition information. Even in this case, the processing from step S39 onward may be executed, causing the payment server 100 to perform the conversion of rewards to specific points and the granting of specific gift certificates based on those specific points.

[0143] Furthermore, in the process of step S36, a conversion may be performed instead of a provisional conversion from the reward to specific points. Also, if the granting of the specific gift certificate is canceled after the conversion in the process of step S36 due to a cancellation operation by the user, the user may continue to hold the specific points. In this case, the user may be able to acquire the specific gift certificate at any time based on their subsequent actions (the user may request the execution of the process from step S43 onwards at any time). If a conversion is performed in the process of step S36, and the type and amount of the specific gift certificate to be granted can be determined without performing the processes of steps S37 and S38 as described above, the granting of the specific gift certificate may be performed in the process of step S36.

[0144] Furthermore, in the first and / or second embodiments, the gift certificate acquisition information may include information on merchants that accept the specific gift certificates for electronic payment services. In this case, the granting unit 220 may grant the user a specific gift certificate that is limited to use at the merchant.

[0145] Furthermore, in the first and / or second embodiments, instead of (or in addition to) the external server 300 notifying the user terminal device 10 of the completion of granting the specific gift certificate, the payment server 100 may make the notification to the user terminal device 10 (payment application 20, etc.).

[0146] Furthermore, in the first and / or second embodiments, the manufacturer bears the cost of the specific gift certificates. If a fee (usage fee) is charged for granting the specific gift certificates, the manufacturer may also bear the usage fee. Also, in the second embodiment, if a fee (conversion fee) is charged for converting the rewards to specific points, the manufacturer may also bear the conversion fee. For example, when the granting of specific gift certificates to users is completed, the payment server 100 accounts for the cost of the specific gift certificates and the amount of the above-mentioned fees with the manufacturer. For example, the payment server 100 bills the manufacturer for the total amount of costs incurred over a predetermined period. The manufacturer may provide the amount of costs to the electronic payment service operator in advance. In this case, for example, the payment server 100 may stop granting specific gift certificates when the total amount of costs incurred in response to granting specific gift certificates to users reaches the amount of costs provided in advance by the manufacturer.

[0147] Furthermore, in the first and / or second embodiments, there may be an upper limit on the amount (e.g., monetary value) of specific gift certificates that can be given to a user. The suspension of granting specific gift certificates when the burden amount is reached, as described above, is one example of such an upper limit. In addition, the upper limit may be arbitrarily set by the settlement server 100 or the external server 300. If the amount of specific gift certificates reaches the upper limit, the settlement server 100 and / or the external server 300 may stop the processing related to the granting of specific gift certificates at any timing in the processing of steps S21 to S26 and / or at any timing in the processing of steps S31 to S43, and may notify the user terminal device 10.

[0148] <Third Embodiment> Finally, the third embodiment will be described. As described above, the third embodiment relates to the processing after the granting of specific gift certificates to users and the use of specific gift certificates by users. Since the basic configuration is the same between the third embodiment and the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for the same components and their descriptions are omitted, and only the differences will be described.

[0149] [Specified gift certificate management department] Figure 25 shows an example of the functional configuration of the specific gift certificate management unit 200B according to the third embodiment. The specific gift certificate management unit 200B according to the third embodiment differs from the specific gift certificate management unit 200 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes a provision unit 260. The provision unit 260 is an example of a "balance provision unit" and a "history provision unit".

[0150] [External Server] Figure 26 shows an example of the functional configuration of the external server 300B according to the third embodiment. The external server 300B according to the third embodiment differs from the external server 300 according to the first embodiment in that it further includes an information acquisition unit 360. The content provision unit 330 of the third embodiment is an example of an "information provision unit".

[0151] [detail] Figure 27 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the process related to displaying information indicating the balance of a specific gift certificate, which is executed by the user terminal device 10, the payment server 100 (specific gift certificate management unit 200B), and the external server 300B in the third embodiment. Hereinafter, the functional configurations and processes in the third embodiment will be specifically described in accordance with this sequence diagram.

[0152] (Step S51) First, the user logs in to a designated service provided by the external server 300B (manufacturer) using an application installed on the user terminal device 10 or a browser running on the user terminal device 10.

[0153] (Step S52) Next, the content provision unit 330 requests the payment server 100 to send balance information. This request includes, for example, the user ID information of the user who logged into the manufacturer's service in step S51.

[0154] (Step S53) Next, the provision unit 260 of the payment server 100 provides the external server 300B with balance information indicating the balance of the specific gift certificate held by the user, in response to the request in step S52. This provision is made so that the external server 300 can provide the information indicating the balance of the specific gift certificate to the user terminal device 10 (so that the external server 300 can execute the processing in the next step S54). For example, the provision unit 260 identifies the user's account ID by referring to the user ID and user correspondence information 292. The provision unit 260 may then search for the account ID identified in the user information 172 and generate the balance information by referring to the gift certificate information associated with the searched account ID. The balance information includes information on the balance of the specific gift certificate of that manufacturer (the manufacturer that requested the transmission of balance information in the processing of step S52). The generation of the balance information may be carried out, for example, as explained in Figure 12.

[0155] (Step S54) Next, the information acquisition unit 360 of the external server 300 acquires the balance information provided by the provision unit 260. Based on the acquired balance information, the content provision unit 330 provides the user terminal device 10 with information indicating the balance of the specific gift certificate held by the user. For example, the content provision unit 330 displays information indicating the balance of the specific gift certificate of that manufacturer held by the user on the screen of the service to which the user logged in during the process of step S51.

[0156] Figure 28 shows an example of an interface screen provided to the user terminal device 10 in the third embodiment. In the process of step S54 described above, the interface screen IF41 is displayed on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. In the example in Figure 28, the interface screen IF41 includes information about the specific gift certificates of the manufacturer granted to the user, including the type of gift certificate (gift certificate A, gift certificate C, gift certificate X), the amount of the gift certificate (2,000 yen, 1,000 yen), and the expiration date of the gift certificate.

[0157] Furthermore, the timing at which the provisioning unit 260 provides balance information to the external server 300 is not limited to the timing at which a user logs in to the service provided by the external server 300, but can be changed as appropriate. For example, the balance information may be sent to the external server 300 and stored in the storage unit 390 each time the payment server 100 completes the issuance of a specific gift certificate. In this case, each time a user logs in to the service, the issuance request unit 350 may provide balance information to the user terminal device 10 based on the balance information stored in the storage unit 390. Also, the timing at which the balance information of the specific gift certificate is provided to the user terminal device 10 is not limited to the time of login, but can be changed as appropriate.

[0158] Furthermore, the provisioning unit 260 may also provide the external server 300 used by the manufacturer with usage history information relating to the history of the use of the manufacturer's specific gift certificates in the electronic payment service. The usage history information may include information about the goods and participating stores for which the user used the specific gift certificate. The usage history information may be generated for each user or for each user's attributes. For example, usage history information for user A (a user with predetermined attributes) may be generated, or usage history information for a man in his 30s may be generated. In addition, user information (user attributes) may be associated with one record of the usage history information. The above attributes may be user attribute information managed or held in the electronic payment service. Specifically, the above attribute information may be identity verification information (Know Your Customer information) such as gender, age, and place of residence (e.g., address). The provisioning unit 260 may, for example, generate usage history information using the payment history information of user information 172, or it may generate usage history information using the gift certificate usage history information explained in Figure 14. The usage history information may include the results of analysis performed by the payment server 100 based on the history of use of specific gift certificates. By providing the usage history information to the external server 300, the manufacturer can enjoy the same benefits as the benefits of providing gift certificate usage history information (described above).

[0159] Furthermore, the features of the third embodiment described above are applicable not only to the first embodiment but also to the second embodiment. That is, the specific gift certificate management unit 200A and the external server 300 according to the second embodiment may further include the components of the third embodiment, and may further perform the processing described in the third embodiment.

[0160] <Summary> According to the embodiment described above, the payment server 100 (an example of an information processing device) includes an acquisition unit 210 that acquires issuance request information from an external server 300 (an example of a first external device) that manages user benefits in a predetermined external service, which includes user identification information for identifying a user in an electronic payment service, and gift certificate acquisition information for a user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in an electronic payment service and is a benefit-based gift certificate usable only for goods and / or services of the provider of the external service, and which includes an granting unit 220 that grants the specific gift certificate to the user in accordance with the issuance request information. This improves user convenience.

[0161] Although embodiments for carrying out the present invention have been described above using examples, the present invention is not limited in any way to these embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, the above embodiments may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0162] 10...User terminal device 100... Payment Server 210…Acquisition Department 220... Assignment section 230…Notification department 240...Point conversion unit 250...Display Control Unit 260…Providing Department 300…External Server 320... Special Offers Management Department 330…Content Provision Department 340... Reception Department 350... Issuance Request Department 360…Information acquisition department R1, R2... Issuance Request Information

Claims

1. From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, An acquisition unit that acquires issuance request information including, The system includes a granting unit that grants the specified gift certificate to the user in accordance with the issuance request information by associating the information of the specified gift certificate corresponding to the gift certificate acquisition information with the user information corresponding to the user identified by the user identification information stored in the memory unit, Information processing device.

2. The aforementioned gift certificate acquisition information includes one or more of the information from (1) to (8), (1) First identification information relating to the external service, (2) The second identification information of the specified gift certificate, (3) The amount of the specified gift certificate, (4) Number of units of the specified gift certificates (5) Indicative information showing the value of the aforementioned benefits, (6) A third identification information which is one or both of the first identification information and the second identification information, and the amount of the specified gift certificate, (7) A third identification information which is one or both of the first identification information and the second identification information, and the number of units of the specified gift certificate. (8) Third identification information which is one or both of the first identification information and the second identification information, and index information which indicates the value of the benefit, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. From a first external device that manages user benefits in a predetermined external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, An acquisition unit that acquires issuance request information including, The system includes a granting unit that grants the specified gift certificate to the user in accordance with the issuance request information, The gift certificate acquisition information includes a third identification information which is either or both of the first identification information relating to the external service and the second identification information of the specified gift certificate, and the amount and / or number of units of the specified gift certificate. The granting unit identifies the specific gift certificate to be granted from among the plurality of specific gift certificates based on the third identification information, The specified gift certificates are provided to the user in amounts corresponding to the specified amount and / or the number of units. Information processing device.

4. From a first external device that manages user benefits in a predetermined external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, An acquisition unit that acquires issuance request information including, A granting unit grants the user the specified gift certificate in accordance with the issuance request information, The system includes a point conversion unit that converts the aforementioned benefits into specific points, which are points for the electronic payment service and can be used to purchase the aforementioned specific gift certificates, based on a predetermined conversion rate. The issuance request information includes indicator information showing the value of the aforementioned benefit, The granting unit grants the specified gift certificates based on the specified points. Information processing device.

5. The information processing device further includes a first display control unit that causes the information of the specific gift certificate that can be awarded to the user based on the specific points obtained by the conversion to be displayed on the display unit of a second external device used by the user. When an operation to acquire the specified gift certificate is performed on the second external device, the point conversion unit performs the conversion. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The system further includes a notification unit that transmits a notification to the first external device when the granting of the specified gift certificates is completed. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The first external device further includes a balance provision unit that provides balance information indicating the balance of the specified gift certificate to the first external device used by the user, so that the first external device can provide the first external device with information indicating the balance of the specified gift certificate. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The electronic payment service further includes a history provision unit that provides usage history information relating to the history of use of the specified gift certificates to the first external device. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. The aforementioned gift certificate acquisition information includes information on merchants that accept the aforementioned specific gift certificates for the aforementioned electronic payment service. The granting unit grants the user the specified gift certificate, which is limited to use at the affiliated store. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, The first external device comprises, The first external device is A reception unit receives information from the second external device used by the user regarding the user's desire to acquire the specified gift certificates based on the benefits the user possesses, The system includes an issuance request unit that transmits the issuance request information to the information processing device in accordance with the information to be acquired. Information processing system.

11. The aforementioned information processing device further comprises a notification unit, The first external device further comprises a second display control unit, The reception unit causes the display unit of the second external device to display a reception indicator for receiving the requested information. The issuance request unit transmits the issuance request information corresponding to the information to be acquired to the information processing device. The notification unit sends a notification to the first external device when the issuance of the specified gift certificate based on the issuance request information is completed. The second display control unit, in response to the notification, causes the display unit to display information indicating the completion of the granting of the specified gift certificate. The information processing system according to claim 10.

12. The information processing device further includes a balance provision unit that provides balance information indicating the balance of the specified gift certificate to the first external device so that the first external device can provide this balance information to the second external device used by the user. The first external device further includes an information providing unit that provides the second external device with information indicating the balance of the specified gift certificate based on the balance information. The information processing system according to claim 10.

13. Computers From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Information for acquiring a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, Obtain issuance request information including, By associating the user information corresponding to the user identified by the user identification information stored in the memory unit with the information of the specific gift certificate corresponding to the gift certificate acquisition information, the specific gift certificate is granted to the user in accordance with the issuance request information. Information processing methods.

14. A computer, From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, Obtain issuance request information including, In accordance with the issuance request information, the specified gift certificate is granted to the user. The gift certificate acquisition information includes a third identification information which is either or both of the first identification information relating to the external service and the second identification information of the specified gift certificate, and the amount and / or number of units of the specified gift certificate. In granting the aforementioned specific gift certificates, the specific gift certificate to be granted is identified from among the multiple specified gift certificates based on the third identification information. The specified gift certificates are provided to the user in amounts corresponding to the specified amount and / or the number of units. Information processing methods.

15. A computer, From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, Obtain issuance request information including, In accordance with the issuance request information, the specified gift certificate is granted to the user. Based on a predetermined conversion rate, the aforementioned benefits are converted into specific points, which are points for the electronic payment service and can be used to purchase the aforementioned specific gift certificates. The issuance request information includes indicator information showing the value of the aforementioned benefit, In granting the aforementioned specific gift certificates, the gift certificates are granted based on the aforementioned specific points. Information processing methods.

16. On the computer, From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Information for acquiring a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, To obtain issuance request information including, By associating the user information corresponding to the user identified by the user identification information stored in the memory unit with the information of the specific gift certificate corresponding to the gift certificate acquisition information, the specific gift certificate is granted to the user in accordance with the issuance request information. program.

17. A computer, From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, To obtain issuance request information including, In response to the issuance request information, the user is given the specified gift certificate. The gift certificate acquisition information includes a third identification information which is either or both of the first identification information relating to the external service and the second identification information of the specified gift certificate, and the amount and / or number of units of the specified gift certificate. In granting the aforementioned specific gift certificate, the recipient of the grant is identified from among a plurality of the aforementioned specific gift certificates based on the third identification information. The specified gift certificates are to be given to the user in amounts corresponding to the specified amount and / or the number of units. program.

18. A computer, From the first external device that manages user benefits in a specified external service, In an electronic payment service, user identification information for identifying the user, Gift certificate acquisition information for the user to acquire a specific gift certificate, which is an electronic gift certificate usable in the aforementioned electronic payment service and is usable only for the goods and / or services of the provider of the aforementioned external service, and is a gift certificate based on the aforementioned benefits, To obtain issuance request information including, In response to the issuance request information, the user is given the specified gift certificate. Based on a predetermined conversion rate, the aforementioned benefits are converted into specific points, which are points for the electronic payment service and can be used to purchase the aforementioned specific gift certificates. The issuance request information includes indicator information showing the value of the aforementioned benefit, In granting the aforementioned specific gift certificates, the gift certificates are granted based on the aforementioned specific points. program.

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