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

Abstract

To enable users to be notified of the status of their credit card at the moment they attempt to use it. [Solution] An information processing device that can communicate with a user terminal device operated by a user, comprising: a reception unit that receives an authorization request from a credit processing terminal installed in a store when the user uses a credit card; a determination unit that determines the status of the credit card triggered by the authorization request; and a notification unit that notifies the user terminal device of the status of the credit card.

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, when a user falls into a state where they cannot use a credit card due to, for example, a delay in paying the usage fee of the credit card, a credit card usage notification system that notifies the user to that effect has been proposed (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] However, the notification from the credit card company in the above prior art mainly consists of regular reminders by e-mail or the like, and does not notify in real time at the timing when the user tries to use the credit card.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and one of the objectives is to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program that can notify the user of the status of the credit card at the timing when the user tries to use their own credit card.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] One aspect of the present invention is an information processing device that can communicate with a user terminal device operated by a user, and comprises: a reception unit that receives an authorization request from a credit processing terminal installed in a store when the user uses a credit card; a determination unit that determines the status of the credit card triggered by the authorization request; and a notification unit that notifies the user terminal device of the status of the credit card. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect 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 notify a user of the status of their credit card at the time the user attempts to use their credit card. [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 the configuration of credit server 200. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the contents of card information 272. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the contents of unpaid history information 274. [Figure 10] This diagram shows an example of the home screen of payment app 20. [Figure 11]This figure shows an example of the billing status guidance screen for Mini App 22. [Figure 12] This sequence diagram shows an example of the processing involved in a card payment using credit card C when the status is "normal". [Figure 13] This sequence diagram shows an example of the processing involved in a card payment using credit card C when the status is "Unpaid for this month". [Figure 14] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying the content of a push notification when the status of credit card C is "Unpaid for the current month." [Figure 15] This sequence diagram shows an example of the processing involved in a card payment using credit card C when the status is "temporarily suspended". [Figure 16] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying the content of a push notification when the status of credit card C is "temporarily suspended". [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes embodiments of the information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and program of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Various devices such as "servers" that appear below, which provide services to users or perform internal analysis, may be implemented by a distributed group of devices, and the operators of each device may be different. Furthermore, the owner of the hardware of the devices (the provider of the cloud server) and the operator that actually operates them may also be different. An example of an information processing device is a credit server that provides card payment services. An electronic payment service is a service that supports payment for the purchase of goods and services at a store. A store is, for example, a physical store (real store) that exists in the real world, but it may also include a virtual store for e-commerce. A virtual store may include one provided by an entity different from the electronic payment service provider. In that case, when settling a purchase at a virtual store, the user is controlled to transition to the interface screen of the electronic payment service. In an electronic payment service, a store is treated as belonging to, for example, a merchant (brand), and processing such as payment when a purchase is made at a store is mainly carried out between the user and the merchant. Alternatively, processing such as payment may be carried out between the user and the store.

[0010] [Electronic payment service] Figure 1 shows an example of a configuration for realizing an electronic payment service. The electronic payment service is realized with a payment server 100 at its center. The payment server 100 communicates with, for example, one or more user terminal devices 10, one or more first store terminal devices 50, one or more credit processing terminals 55, one or more second store terminal devices 70, a credit server 200, and a payment processing server 300 via a network NW. The network NW includes, for example, the internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless base station, and provider equipment.

[0011] Some or all of the functional components included in the electronic payment system may be distributed among multiple devices in any form or integrated into any device. For example, some or all of the functional components of the payment server 100, the credit server 200, and the payment agency server 300 may be included in other devices.

[0012] [User terminal device] The user terminal device 10 is, for example, a portable terminal device such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The user terminal device 10 is a computer device having at least an optical reading function, a communication function, a display function, an input reception function, and a program execution function. In the following description, the configurations for realizing these functions are respectively referred to as a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), etc. In the user terminal device 10, a payment application (hereinafter referred to as a payment app) 20 is executed by a processor such as a CPU, and it operates to provide an electronic payment service to the user in cooperation with the payment server 100. The payment app 20 is installed in the user terminal device 10 from, for example, an application store, and controls a camera, a communication device, a touch panel, etc. Further, a mini-application (hereinafter referred to as a mini-app) 22 is incorporated in the payment app 20. Details of the mini-app 22 will be described later.

[0013] [First store terminal device] 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 includes a so-called POS (Point of Sale) device, and the product price acquisition function and the 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 such as a QR code (registered trademark) printed on a paper or plastic medium. Note that the store code image 60 may be displayed by a display placed in the store (which may be a display of a terminal device such as a smartphone).

[0014] [Credit card processing terminal] The credit processing terminal 55 is installed in the store, similar to the first store terminal device 50. The credit processing terminal 55 includes, for example, a credit payment terminal (credit card reader) and a POS device. The credit payment terminal reads the PIN (Personal Identification Number) from the inserted or held-up credit card C and verifies it against the PIN entered by the user, or transmits the information read from the credit card C to the credit server 200 via the POS device. The POS device works in cooperation with the credit payment terminal to transmit information such as the payment amount to the credit server 200. A payment intermediary server (acquirer) may be interposed between the credit processing terminal 55 and the credit server 200. For the sake of simplicity, the description of the payment intermediary server will be omitted below.

[0015] Credit card C is, for example, a card in which a communication chip is embedded in the card base material. The communication chip contains a storage medium that stores the PIN and communicates with an external device via a contactor (or wireless antenna). Alternatively, credit card C may be a magnetic card.

[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] [Credit Server] Credit Server 200 is a server for providing card payment services to users. The card payment service is a service that makes payments using credit card C. Credit Server 200 may be a server operated by, for example, a group company (affiliated credit card company) of the electronic payment service provider that operates Payment Server 100. The affiliated credit card company may be a different business from the external credit card company that provides credit cards as a fund source for charging the charge balance.

[0019] [Payment processing server] The payment processing server 300 is a computer that provides payment processing services to a payment processing company and communicates with the payment server 100 via a network (NW). The payment processing service is a service that settles outstanding credit card payments on behalf of credit card companies, for example, by using methods such as convenience store payments. As will be described in detail later, the payment processing server 300 issues convenience store payment code information and payment numbers in response to requests from the credit server 200.

[0020] 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.

[0021] In the case of Pattern 1 shown in Figure 2 (hereinafter referred to as User Scan), the user terminal device 10, with the payment application 20 running, 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 the 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 placed in the store, 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.

[0022] 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).

[0023] 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 identifies the user corresponding to the account ID instead of identifying the user corresponding to the one-time code.

[0024] [Payment Server] 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 payment content provision unit 115, a payment processing unit 120, an information management unit 125, 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 an LSI (Large Scale Integration), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), 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 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.

[0025] 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 that can be accessed by the payment server 100 via the network. The storage unit 170 stores information such as user information 172, payment content information 174, and merchant / store information 176.

[0026] 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.

[0027] The payment content provision unit 115, 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 payment content provision unit 115 reads the necessary content from the payment content information 174 as appropriate and provides it to the user terminal device 10. The user terminal device 10 receives various inputs from the user while the content is being played by the payment application 20 and transmits the aforementioned payment information, etc., to the payment server 100.

[0028] The payment processing unit 120 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 120 performs payment processing while referring to the user information 172.

[0029] [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, electronic money balance, credit payment settings, credit payment limit, credit payment amount, available credit payment amount, payment method settings, bank account, credit card, 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.

[0030] The electronic money balance is information indicating the balance of electronic money that the user has set up by sending money to their account in advance. The electronic money balance may also include the balance of electronic money received from other users. Methods of sending money include sending from an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) of a designated provider (bank), sending from a registered bank account, etc. Sending from a bank account may also be done via direct debit. When charging electronic money, the charge amount is automatically debited from the user's bank account and transferred to the electronic payment service provider's account. The electronic payment service provider charges the user's electronic money upon receipt of the transfer to their account. Multiple bank accounts may be registered by the user. In this case, the user may select the bank account from which to send the charge. The credit payment setting indicates whether or not the settings for enabling electronic payments via credit card have been completed, and is set to either "Completed" or "Not Completed". The credit limit is the monthly limit on credit payments that can be made. The credit payment amount is the amount already used for credit payments in the current month. 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 limit. Although the diagram shows only one credit limit, in reality there are also daily limits, etc., and the lower of these may be set as the credit limit. Further details on credit payments will be described later. The payment method setting is setting information that indicates whether the user will make an electronic payment using their electronic money balance or an electronic payment using a credit card at that time. The bank account is information about a bank account that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service (store number, account number, etc.). The credit card is information about a credit card that can be used to deposit funds into the electronic payment service (card number, etc.). The charge history information is a history of when the user has previously sent money to the electronic payment service to increase their electronic money balance. The payment history information shows the breakdown of payments made by the user (date and time, store ID of the store where the purchase was made, payment amount, payment method, etc.) for each payment.Furthermore, the account ID in user information 172 may be associated with a one-time code issued to the user (for example, the most recently issued one-time code).

[0031] [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 merchant IDs and store IDs are associated with store URLs, a second table 176B in which merchant names and sales figures are associated with merchant IDs, and a third table 176C in which store names are associated with store IDs. In addition to this information, the merchant / store information 176 may also include information such as the merchant or store category, store location, and payment patterns.

[0032] The information management unit 125 manages user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176 based on information obtained from the user terminal device 10 and the second store terminal device 70. For example, the information management unit 125 adds, edits, deletes, etc., new records for user information 172 and affiliated store / store information 176.

[0033] [Electronic payment] When payment information is obtained from the user terminal device 10 or the first store terminal device 50, the payment processing unit 120 refers to the user information 172 to obtain the user's "payment method setting". For users whose "payment method setting" is set to "electronic money balance", the payment processing unit 120 performs electronic payment as follows. For example, the payment processing unit 120 performs electronic payment by decreasing the electronic money balance managed in association with the account ID in the user information 172 and increasing the value of the merchant's sales amount managed in association with the merchant ID in the second table 176B of the merchant / store information 176. The value of the merchant's sales amount is not used as electronic money itself, for example, but the amount corresponding to the value of the merchant's sales amount is transferred to the merchant's bank account in a cycle according to the agreement between the merchant and the electronic payment service. The merchant may receive the sales amount as electronic money. In this case, the information management unit 125 may store the merchant wallet information, in which the merchant's electronic money balance is recorded, in the storage unit 170.

[0034] The payment processing unit 120 performs electronic payment as follows for users whose "payment method setting" is set to "credit card payment". Credit card payment is a payment method that cooperates with a credit card company, which is a separate entity from the electronic payment service provider, and allows electronic payment that does not depend on the electronic money balance within the credit limit. In order to use the credit card payment service, it may be required to obtain a credit card provided by the electronic payment service provider. The amount used by credit card payment is settled by requesting the credit server 200. In this case, the payment processing unit 120 sends the payment amount to the credit server 200 to settle the credit card payment and updates the credit card payment information in the user information 172. Specifically, the payment processing unit 120 adds the payment amount to the credit card usage amount in the user information 172 and subtracts the same amount from the available credit card payment amount. If the payment amount exceeds the available credit card payment amount, an error notification is sent back to the payment application 20.

[0035] [Credit Server] Figure 7 shows an example of the configuration of the credit server 200. The credit server 200 includes, for example, a communication unit 210, a card payment processing unit 215, an information management unit 220, a reception unit 225, a determination unit 230, a notification unit 235, a screen generation unit 240, an analysis unit 245, and a storage unit 270. Components other than the communication unit 210 and the storage unit 270 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 circuit parts) such as LSIs, ASICs, FPGAs, and GPUs, 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.

[0036] The storage unit 270 can be an HDD, flash memory, RAM, etc. The storage unit 270 may also be a NAS device accessible by the credit server 200 via a network. The storage unit 270 stores card information 272 and unpaid history information 274, etc.

[0037] The communication unit 210 is a communication interface for connecting to a network NW. The communication unit 210 is, for example, a network interface card.

[0038] The card payment processing unit 215 performs card payments using credit card C. Details of the card payment process will be described later.

[0039] Figure 8 shows an example of the contents of card information 272. Card information 272 is a collection of information such as credit card number, cardholder name, expiration date, bank account, card payment history information, status, and account ID. The credit card number is the number of credit card C (e.g., PAN). The cardholder name is the name of the cardholder of credit card C. The expiration date is the expiration date of credit card C. The bank account is information about the bank account from which the billing amount incurred from the use of credit card C will be withdrawn. The card payment history information shows the breakdown of card payments made by the user, transaction by transaction. The status is information that shows the status of credit card C (e.g., normal, outstanding for the current month, temporarily suspended, etc.). "Normal" indicates that credit card C can be used normally. "Outstanding for the current month" indicates that the usage fee for credit card C for the current month is unpaid because the usage fee for credit card C could not be withdrawn on the payment date for the current month. Even if the usage fee for the current month is outstanding, the use of credit card C is not immediately suspended, and it is possible to use credit card C for a while. "Temporarily suspended" indicates that the use of credit card C has been suspended because the outstanding balance on credit card C has not been paid and the payment deadline has passed. The account ID is the same information as the account ID included in user information 172 in Figure 5, and is information used to identify the user's account in the electronic payment service. When account linking is performed between the payment server 100 and the credit server 200, the information management unit 220 links the user's credit card number and account ID and records it in card information 272. If account linking is not performed between the payment server 100 and the credit server 200, the account ID field will be blank.

[0040] Figure 9 shows an example of the contents of the unpaid history information 274. The unpaid history information 274 is a collection of information such as credit card number, unpaid year and month, unpaid amount, payment deadline, and payment date. The credit card number is the same information as the credit card number included in the card information 272 in Figure 9, and is the credit card C number (e.g., PAN). The unpaid year and month indicates the year and month in which the amount used by the credit card was unpaid. The unpaid amount indicates the amount of the credit card that is unpaid. The payment deadline indicates the payment deadline for the unpaid amount of the credit card. The payment date indicates the date on which the unpaid amount of the credit card was paid by the user.

[0041] In the example shown in Figure 9, for the credit card whose last four digits are 1111, all outstanding amounts have been paid by the user. Therefore, in the card information 272 in Figure 8, the status of this credit card is "Normal". On the other hand, for the credit card whose last four digits are 2222, although the outstanding amount for May 2025 has not yet been paid by the user, the payment deadline (July 10, 2025) has not passed. Therefore, in the card information 272 in Figure 8, the status of this credit card is "Outstanding for the current month". Furthermore, for the credit card whose last four digits are 3333, the outstanding amount for April 2025 has not yet been paid by the user, and the payment deadline (June 10, 2025) has passed. Therefore, in the card information 272 in Figure 8, the status of this credit card is "Temporarily Suspended". When the status becomes "Temporarily Suspended", credit card C cannot be used.

[0042] For example, the card payment processing unit 215 requests the bank to debit the user's bank account for the January usage fee of credit card C on the payment due date of the following month (for example, February 27th). However, if the user's bank account balance is insufficient to cover the usage fee of credit card C, the debit will fail. In this case, the card payment processing unit 215 adds information about the unsuccessful debit of credit card C to the unpaid history information 274 and changes the status of credit card C in card information 272 to "Unpaid for this month". Even if the status is changed to "Unpaid for this month", the use of credit card C is not immediately suspended. Furthermore, if the usage fee for credit card C is not paid by the user by the payment deadline of the following month (for example, March 10th), the card payment processing unit 215 changes the status of credit card C in card information 272 to "Temporarily suspended". As a result, credit card C becomes unusable.

[0043] The information management unit 220 manages the card information 272 and unpaid history information 274 stored in the storage unit 270. For example, the information management unit 220 adds, edits, deletes, etc., new records for the card information 272 and unpaid history information 274.

[0044] [Credit card status notification service] Next, the credit card status notification service in this embodiment will be described. Conventionally, if a user was unable to use their credit card due to delays in payment of credit card charges, the user was notified of this. However, even if the current month's credit card charges could not be debited due to insufficient funds in the user's bank account, the credit card was not immediately suspended, so there was no error notification, and it was difficult for the user to realize that their credit card was unpaid. As a result, the user may have continued to be late without realizing it, potentially incurring disadvantages such as late payment penalties. Furthermore, notifications from credit card companies were mainly periodic reminders via email or SMS (Short Message Service), and were not real-time notifications at the time the user attempted to use their credit card. In other words, the conventional technology had the following problems: (1) to (2).

[0045] (1) Unconscious continuation of non-payment When a card is still usable and the payment is overdue for the current month, users are less likely to realize they have outstanding payments, which can lead to the suspension of their credit card or a significant increase in late payment penalties. (2) Decreasing recovery rate and increased costs Because users often become aware of unpaid balances late, credit card companies experience delays in collecting outstanding payments, contributing to lower collection rates. Furthermore, an increase in user inquiries regarding unexplained payment errors has increased customer support costs.

[0046] Therefore, in this embodiment, an information processing system is provided that, depending on the payment status of the credit card user (e.g., outstanding payment for the current month, temporary suspension, etc.), triggers an authorization (credit check) event when the card is used and notifies the user in real time with appropriate guidance (error reason, warning, solution, etc.) according to the user's situation via the payment app 20 or mini-app 22. Specifically, when a user attempts to make a card payment at a store, the credit server 200 detects the authorization request. The credit server 200 immediately determines the user's payment status in response to the authorization request and dynamically generates the optimal notification message based on the combination of that status and the authorization result (approved or rejected). The generated message is sent as a push notification to the payment app 20 or mini-app 22 or as a notification to a linked external messaging platform. This allows the user to immediately understand the status of their credit card and seamlessly resolve the problem, such as transitioning from the notification to the payment screen. This point will be explained in detail below.

[0047] [Payment app home screen] Figure 10 shows an example of the home screen of the payment app 20. As shown in Figure 10, the home screen of the payment app 20 includes areas A1 to A4. Area A1 displays code images such as barcodes and QR codes (registered trademarks) used for smartphone payments. Area A2 displays icons for instructing major smartphone payment operations such as scanning, sending money, points, transaction history, and credit cards. Area A3 displays action banners, which will be described later.

[0048] Area A4 displays various icons for launching various mini-applications that can be executed with the payment application 20. Specifically, area A4 displays icons for launching various mini-applications (such as coupons, point management, bill payment, and credit cards). For example, when a user selects (taps) the IC icon labeled "○○ Card," the payment application 20 launches the credit card mini-application 22 and displays the home screen of the mini-application 22 on the display of the user terminal device 10. Area A4 may also display a favorites icon to show a list of the user's pre-set favorite mini-applications, or a function list icon to show a list of all mini-applications.

[0049] A payment button is displayed at the bottom of the home screen of the payment app 20. When the user selects (tap) the payment button, a payment screen (not shown) is displayed. The user takes a picture of the store code image 60 from the payment screen, thereby performing the user-scan electronic payment described above. Alternatively, the first store terminal device 50 reads the code image displayed on the payment screen, thereby performing the store-scan electronic payment described above.

[0050] The payment application 20 may also obtain payment history information from the payment server 100 and display it on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. This allows the user to easily check their payment history.

[0051] In the example shown in Figure 10, the action banner displayed in area A3 shows a message indicating that there is an outstanding payment (unpaid for the current month) for the credit card usage. Specifically, area A3 displays the message, "We cannot confirm your card payment." When the user selects (tap) the action banner displayed in area A3, the payment app 20 launches the credit card mini-app 22 and displays the billing status guidance screen of the mini-app 22 (Figure 11) on the display unit of the user terminal device 10.

[0052] [Mini-app billing status guidance screen] Figure 11 shows an example of the billing status guidance screen of mini-app 22. As shown in Figure 11, the billing status guidance screen of mini-app 22 includes areas A5 to A6 and buttons B1 to B3. The billing status guidance screen is an example of a selection screen that allows the user to choose a payment method from several payment methods to use for paying outstanding debts.

[0053] Area A5 displays a message indicating that there is an outstanding payment (unpaid for the current month) for your credit card usage. Specifically, Area A5 displays the message: "You have an outstanding payment. You can pay using one of the following methods."

[0054] Area A6 displays the outstanding balance for the current month on the credit card. Specifically, area A6 displays "46,000 yen" as the outstanding balance for the current month (May).

[0055] Buttons B1 to B3 are displayed at the bottom of area A6. Buttons B1 to B3 allow the user to select a payment method from several options (bank transfer, electronic money payment, and convenience store payment) to pay off outstanding credit card balances. Specifically, button B1 is for selecting bank transfer, button B2 is for selecting electronic money payment, and button B3 is for selecting convenience store payment.

[0056] If the user selects button B1, the mini-application 22 displays a bank transfer screen (not shown) on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. The user selects or enters the bank account information to be used for payment of outstanding debts from the bank transfer screen and issues a bank transfer instruction, at which point the outstanding debts are transferred from the user's bank account to the credit card company's bank account.

[0057] If the user selects button B2, the mini-application 22 displays an electronic money payment screen (not shown) on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. When the user instructs the electronic money payment screen to send electronic money equivalent to the outstanding amount, the outstanding amount is deducted from the user's electronic money balance, and the outstanding amount is transferred from the electronic payment service provider's bank account to the credit card company's bank account. The credit card company may also receive the outstanding amount in electronic money. For example, the credit card company may store wallet information containing its electronic money balance in the storage unit 170, and the amount of electronic money sent by the user may be added to the credit card company's electronic money balance recorded in the wallet information.

[0058] If the user selects button B3, the mini-application 22 displays the convenience store payment screen on the display unit of the user terminal device 10. For example, the screen generation unit 240 sends a code issuance request to the payment processing server 300 in response to the user selecting button B3, and obtains the payment number and code information for convenience store payment from the payment processing server 300. The screen generation unit 240 also generates a convenience store payment screen including the payment number and code information for convenience store payment and displays it on the user terminal device 10 (mini-application 22). Subsequently, the user pays the outstanding amount in cash at a convenience store and presents the convenience store payment screen to complete the payment of the outstanding amount at the convenience store. For example, the first store terminal device 50 or credit processing terminal 55 installed in the convenience store reads the code information to obtain the payment number for convenience store payment and sends the payment number to the payment processing server 300. The payment processing server 300 executes the payment processing corresponding to the received payment number for convenience store payment.

[0059] In this embodiment, the action banner is displayed in area A3 of the home screen of the payment app 20 (Figure 10), but this is not limited to this. For example, the action banner may be displayed on the home screen of the mini-app 22 (not shown), and when the action banner is selected (tapped), the billing status guidance screen of the mini-app 22 (Figure 11) may be displayed on the user terminal device 10.

[0060] [Optimization of the billing status guidance screen] The screen generation unit 240 may optimize the billing status guidance screen shown in Figure 11 to be more suitable for the user. For example, the screen generation unit 240 may prioritize displaying the payment method that the user has used most frequently in the mini-app 22 on the billing status guidance screen. Also, if the user has set up charging from a bank account, the screen generation unit 240 may prioritize displaying "Bank Transfer" on the billing status guidance screen. Furthermore, if the user's electronic money balance is greater than a predetermined amount, the screen generation unit 240 may prioritize displaying "Electronic Money Payment" on the billing status guidance screen. Also, if the user's frequency of card payments at convenience stores is higher than a predetermined amount, the screen generation unit 240 may prioritize displaying "Convenience Store Payment" on the billing status guidance screen. This allows the display of the billing status guidance screen to be automatically customized according to the user's information.

[0061] The screen generation unit 240 may optimize the display of the billing status guidance screen shown in Figure 11 using AI (Artificial Intelligence). For example, the screen generation unit 240 may derive a recommendation level for each of the multiple payment methods (bank transfer, electronic money payment, convenience store payment) by analyzing the user's past credit card payment history, electronic money balance, and credit card usage status using AI (Artificial Intelligence). Specifically, the screen generation unit 240 may generate a trained model by machine learning with the user's past credit card payment history, electronic money balance, and credit card usage status as explanatory variables and the recommendation level for each of the multiple payment methods as the dependent variable. The screen generation unit 240 may also derive a recommendation level for each of the multiple payment methods by inputting the user's past credit card payment history, electronic money balance, and credit card usage status into the trained model. Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may change the display of the billing status guidance screen (Figure 11) according to the recommendation level for each of the multiple payment methods. This allows the display of the billing status guidance screen to be automatically customized according to the user's past credit card payment history, electronic money balance, and credit card usage status.

[0062] Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may highlight the payment method with the highest degree of recommendation on the billing status guidance screen. For example, the screen generation unit 240 may highlight the button corresponding to the payment method with the highest degree of recommendation among buttons B1 to B3 on the billing status guidance screen. This allows the user to easily understand the recommended payment method.

[0063] Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may personalize the display order of multiple payment method options according to the degree of recommendation for each payment method (bank transfer, electronic money payment, convenience store payment) to the user. For example, the screen generation unit 240 may change the order of buttons B1 to B3 on the billing status guidance screen so that payment methods with a high degree of recommendation are displayed preferentially. This allows the user to easily select the recommended payment method.

[0064] Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may display the fees that may be incurred for each of the multiple payment methods (bank transfer, electronic money payment, convenience store payment) on the billing status guidance screen. For example, the storage unit 270 may store in advance the fees that may be incurred for each of the multiple payment methods. The screen generation unit 240 may also display the fees that may be incurred for each of the multiple payment methods stored in the storage unit 270 on the billing status guidance screen. For example, the screen generation unit 240 may display on the billing status guidance screen that the fee for bank transfer is 200 yen, the fee for electronic money payment is 0 yen, and the fee for convenience store payment is 110 yen. This makes it easy for the user to understand the fees for each of the multiple payment methods.

[0065] Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may display, on the billing status guidance screen, the points that can be used with the electronic payment service that will be awarded to the user when they select electronic money payment from among multiple payment methods. For example, the user can use points in electronic payment at a rate of 1 point = 1 yen. This allows the user to easily understand the points that will be awarded to them when they select electronic money payment.

[0066] Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may display the time required for each payment method (bank transfer, electronic money payment, convenience store payment) until the outstanding payment is resolved on the billing status guidance screen. For example, the storage unit 270 may store in advance information for calculating the time required for each payment method until the outstanding payment is resolved. For example, in the case of bank transfers, the storage unit 270 may store information such as "transfers made by 3 PM will be treated as same-day payments, and transfers made after 3 PM will be treated as payments made at 5 AM the following morning." Similarly, in the case of convenience store payments, the storage unit 270 may store information such as "payments made by 7 PM will be treated as same-day payments, and payments made after 7 PM will be treated as payments made at 5 AM the following morning." Furthermore, in the case of electronic money payments, the storage unit 270 may store information such as "payment will be completed within 1 minute of the transfer procedure." Based on this information stored in the storage unit 270, the screen generation unit 240 may calculate the time required for each payment method until the outstanding payment is resolved and display it on the billing status guidance screen. This allows users to easily understand the time it will take to resolve outstanding payments for each of their payment methods.

[0067] Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may rearrange the display order of multiple payment methods (bank transfer, electronic money payment, convenience store payment) on the billing status guidance screen according to the time required to resolve the outstanding payment for each payment method. For example, the screen generation unit 240 may change the order of buttons B1 to B3 so that payment methods with shorter processing times are displayed preferentially. This allows users to easily select a payment method that can resolve outstanding payments in a short amount of time.

[0068] [Sequence diagram of card payment when the status is "Normal"] Figure 12 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing related to card payment using credit card C when the status is "normal". The sequence diagram shown in Figure 12 is executed when the user inserts or holds credit card C to the credit processing terminal 55 at the time of payment in the store.

[0069] First, the credit processing terminal 55 sends an authorization request (hereinafter referred to as "authorization") to the credit server 200 (S101). The authorization request includes the payment amount and the credit card number. The payment amount is the amount entered into the credit processing terminal 55 by the store clerk. The credit card number is the number read from credit card C.

[0070] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 checks the status of the user's credit card C based on the authorization request (payment amount, credit card number) received from the credit processing terminal 55 (S102). Specifically, the card payment processing unit 215 checks the status of credit card C linked to the credit card number included in the authorization request by referring to the card information 272.

[0071] In addition, in S102, the card payment processing unit 215 may check whether the amount of the card payment made will exceed the available credit limit of credit card C for the current month, based on the payment amount included in the authorization request. For example, the available credit limit of credit card C and the amount used for the current month may be stored in the storage unit 270, and the card payment processing unit 215 may determine whether the amount will exceed the available credit limit of credit card C for the current month by referring to this information stored in the storage unit 270.

[0072] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 transmits the authorization result to the credit processing terminal 55 (S103). In the example shown in Figure 12, the status of credit card C is "normal," and the current card payment will not exceed the available credit limit for credit card C for the current month. Therefore, the authorization result includes information indicating that the card payment is approved.

[0073] Next, when the credit processing terminal 55 receives an authorization result from the credit server 200 indicating approval of the card payment, it transmits payment information to the credit server 200 (S104). The payment information includes the payment amount, the credit card number, and the merchant ID. The merchant ID is an identification number used to identify the merchant where the card payment was made.

[0074] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 performs card payment based on the payment information (payment amount, credit card number, merchant ID, etc.) received from the credit processing terminal 55 (S105). Specifically, the card payment processing unit 215 transfers the payment amount included in the payment information to the merchant's bank account. It is assumed that information regarding the merchant's bank account (store number, account number, etc.) is stored in the storage unit 270, linked to the merchant ID. The payment amount for card payments is settled in a lump sum for the month on the payment date of the following month by being debited from the user's bank account.

[0075] Next, the information management unit 220 updates the card payment history information linked to the credit card number included in the payment information in the card information 272 stored in the storage unit 270 (S106). Specifically, the information management unit 220 adds information related to the current card payment (date and time, merchant ID of the merchant where the card payment was made, payment amount, etc.) to the card payment history information linked to the credit card number included in the payment information in the card information 272.

[0076] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 sends a payment completion notification to the credit card processing terminal 55 (S107). The credit card processing terminal 55 displays that the card payment has been completed in response to the payment completion notification. This allows the store clerk and the user to understand that the card payment has been completed.

[0077] [Sequence diagram of card payment when the status is "Unpaid for this month"] Figure 13 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing for a card payment using credit card C when the status is "Unpaid for the current month". The sequence diagram shown in Figure 13 is executed when the user inserts or holds credit card C to the credit processing terminal 55 at the time of payment in the store.

[0078] First, the credit processing terminal 55 sends an authorization request to the credit server 200 (S201). Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 checks the status of the user's credit card C based on the authorization request received from the credit processing terminal 55 (S202). The card payment processing unit 215 also checks whether the payment amount included in the authorization request exceeds the available credit limit of credit card C for the current month. Note that the processes S201 and S202 in Figure 13 are the same as the processes S101 and S102 in Figure 12, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0079] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 transmits the authorization result to the credit processing terminal 55 (S203). In the example shown in Figure 13, the status of credit card C is "Out of Account for the Current Month," and it is assumed that even if this card payment is made, the available credit limit for credit card C for the current month will not be exceeded. As mentioned above, even if the status becomes "Out of Account for the Current Month," the use of credit card C is not immediately suspended, and it is possible to use credit card C for a while. For this reason, the authorization result includes information indicating that the card payment is approved.

[0080] Next, when the credit processing terminal 55 receives an authorization result from the credit server 200 indicating approval of the card payment, it transmits payment information to the credit server 200 (S204). The payment information includes the payment amount, the credit card number, and the merchant ID. The merchant ID is an identification number used to identify the merchant where the card payment was made.

[0081] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 performs a card payment based on the payment information (payment amount, credit card number, merchant ID, etc.) received from the credit processing terminal 55 (S205). Subsequently, the information management unit 220 updates the card payment history information linked to the credit card number included in the payment information in the card information 272 stored in the storage unit 270 (S206). Note that the processes S205 and S206 in Figure 13 are the same as the processes S105 and S106 in Figure 12, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0082] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 sends a payment completion notification to the credit card processing terminal 55 (S207). The credit card processing terminal 55 displays that the card payment has been completed in response to the payment completion notification. This allows the store clerk and the customer to understand that the card payment has been completed.

[0083] Next, the notification unit 235 notifies the payment application 20 of the status of credit card C (unpaid for the current month) (S208). For example, the notification unit 235 may use push notifications to notify the payment application 20. The notification unit 235 may send a push notification directly to the payment application 20, or it may request the payment server 100 to send a push notification.

[0084] For example, if the status of credit card C is "unpaid for the current month" (status 1), the notification unit 235 may notify the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) of at least one of the following: that credit card C is unpaid for the current month, that its use will be suspended if it remains unpaid for the current month, and a warning regarding late payment penalties. This allows the user to be aware of the information regarding their credit card C's unpaid balance for the current month at the time they attempt to make a card payment.

[0085] [Content of push notification when the status is "Unpaid for this month"] Figure 14 shows an example of a screen displaying the content of a push notification when the status of credit card C is "Unpaid for this month". When the payment app 20 receives a push notification from the credit server 200, it displays the content of the push notification on the user terminal device 10. For example, the payment app 20 may display the content of the push notification on the lock screen or standby screen of the user terminal device 10. For example, as shown in Figure 14, the lock screen of the user terminal device 10 includes area A7.

[0086] Area A7 displays the content of the push notification. In the example shown in Figure 14, if the status of credit card C is "Unpaid for this month," a push notification stating, "You currently have outstanding payments. If payments are not made by the due date, your card may be suspended," will be displayed in area A7.

[0087] When the user selects (tap) the push notification displayed in area A7 (S209), the payment app 20 displays a billing status guidance screen (Figure 11) on the user terminal device 10 (S210). This allows the user to pay the outstanding balance on credit card C through the billing status guidance screen.

[0088] For example, the notification unit 235 may include a link to a billing status guidance screen (Figure 11) in the notification content sent to the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) in S208, allowing the user to select a payment method to use for paying off outstanding balances on credit card C. Furthermore, the screen generation unit 240 may generate the billing status guidance screen and display it on the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) when the user accesses the link. This allows the user to pay off outstanding balances on credit card C through the billing status guidance screen.

[0089] Furthermore, the notification unit 235 may include a link to a transaction details screen (not shown) that displays the transaction details of credit card C in the notification content sent to the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) in S208. Also, the screen generation unit 240 may generate the transaction details screen and display it on the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) when the user accesses the link. This allows the user to easily understand the usage status of credit card C through the transaction details screen.

[0090] Furthermore, if the status of credit card C is "Unpaid for the current month" (Status 1), the notification unit 235 may switch whether or not to send a notification depending on the period until the payment deadline for the outstanding balance of credit card C. For example, the notification unit 235 may not send a notification if the period until the payment deadline for the outstanding balance of credit card C is a predetermined number of days (e.g., 5 days) or more, but may send a notification if it is less than the predetermined number of days. This ensures that notifications are only sent when the payment deadline is approaching, thus preventing the user from receiving an unnecessarily large number of notifications.

[0091] Furthermore, if the status of credit card C is "unpaid for the current month" (status 1), the notification unit 235 may switch whether or not to send a notification depending on the number of times credit card C has been used within a certain period. For example, the notification unit 235 may not send a notification if the number of times credit card C has been used within a certain period is a predetermined number (e.g., 2 times) or more, but may send a notification if it is less than the predetermined number. This prevents a notification from being sent every time credit card C is used, thus preventing the user from receiving an unnecessarily large number of notifications.

[0092] [Sequence diagram of card payment when the status is "Temporarily Suspended"] Figure 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the processing related to card payment using credit card C when the status is "temporarily suspended". The sequence diagram shown in Figure 15 is executed when a user inserts or holds credit card C to the credit processing terminal 55 at the time of payment in the store.

[0093] First, the credit processing terminal 55 sends an authorization request to the credit server 200 (S301). Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 checks the status of the user's credit card C based on the authorization request received from the credit processing terminal 55 (S302). The card payment processing unit 215 also checks whether the payment amount included in the authorization request exceeds the available credit limit of credit card C for the current month. Note that the processes in S301 and S302 in Figure 15 are the same as the processes in S101 and S102 in Figure 12, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0094] Next, the card payment processing unit 215 of the credit server 200 transmits the authorization result to the credit processing terminal 55 (S303). In the example shown in Figure 15, the status of credit card C is assumed to be "temporarily suspended". As mentioned above, when the status becomes "temporarily suspended", credit card C cannot be used. Therefore, the authorization result includes information indicating that the card payment will be rejected. When the credit processing terminal 55 receives an authorization result from the credit server 200 indicating that the card payment will be rejected, it displays a message indicating that the card payment has been rejected.

[0095] Next, the notification unit 235 of the credit server 200 notifies the payment application 20 of the status of credit card C (temporarily suspended) (S304). For example, the notification unit 235 may use push notifications to notify the payment application 20. The notification unit 235 may send a push notification directly to the payment application 20, or it may request the payment server 100 to send a push notification.

[0096] For example, if the status of credit card C is temporarily suspended (second status), the notification unit 235 may notify the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) that credit card C is unavailable due to unpaid usage fees. This allows the user to easily understand the reason why their credit card C is unavailable at the time they attempt to make a card payment.

[0097] [Content of push notification when the status is "Temporarily Suspended"] Figure 16 shows an example of a screen displaying the content of a push notification when the status of credit card C is "temporarily suspended". When the payment app 20 receives a push notification from the credit server 200, it displays the content of the push notification on the user terminal device 10. For example, the payment app 20 may display the content of the push notification on the lock screen or standby screen of the user terminal device 10. For example, as shown in Figure 16, the lock screen of the user terminal device 10 includes area A8.

[0098] Area A8 displays the content of the push notification. In the example shown in Figure 16, if the status of credit card C is "temporarily suspended," a push notification such as "Your payment has not been confirmed, so you cannot use your card. Please check your payment methods here." will be displayed in area A8.

[0099] When the user selects (tap) the push notification displayed in area A8 (S305), the payment app 20 displays a billing status guidance screen (Figure 11) on the user terminal device 10 (S306). This allows the user to pay the outstanding balance on credit card C through the billing status guidance screen.

[0100] For example, the notification unit 235 may include a link to a billing status guidance screen (Figure 11) in the notification content sent to the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) in S304, allowing the user to select a payment method to use for paying off outstanding balances on credit card C. The screen generation unit 240 may also generate the billing status guidance screen and display it on the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) when the user accesses the link. This allows the user to pay off outstanding balances on credit card C through the billing status guidance screen.

[0101] Furthermore, the notification unit 235 may include a link to a transaction details screen (not shown) that displays the transaction details of credit card C in the notification content sent to the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) in S304. Also, the screen generation unit 240 may generate the transaction details screen and display it on the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) when the user accesses the link. This allows the user to easily understand the usage status of credit card C through the transaction details screen.

[0102] Furthermore, if the status of credit card C is temporarily suspended (second status), the notification unit 235 may identify the merchant where the card payment was attempted and include in the notification sent to the payment app 20 (user terminal device 10) that the card payment at the identified merchant could not be completed. For example, the notification unit 235 may add specific information such as, "Card payment could not be completed at XX (store name)." This allows the user to more clearly understand the circumstances under which the card payment could not be completed.

[0103] As described above, the information processing device (credit server 200) of this embodiment is a device that can communicate with a user terminal device 10 operated by a user, and comprises a reception unit 225, a determination unit 230, and a notification unit 235. The reception unit 225 receives authorization requests from a credit processing terminal 55 installed in a store when a user uses their credit card. The determination unit 230 determines the status of credit card C triggered by the authorization request. The notification unit 235 notifies the user terminal device 10 of the status of credit card C. Thus, according to the information processing device of this embodiment, the status of credit card C can be notified to the user at the moment the user attempts to use their credit card.

[0104] Furthermore, the information processing system of this embodiment includes an application program (payment app 20) installed on a user terminal device 10 operated by the user, and an information processing device (credit server 200) capable of communicating with the application program. The information processing device includes a reception unit 225, a determination unit 230, and a notification unit 235. The reception unit 225 receives authorization requests from a credit processing terminal 55 installed in the store when a user uses their credit card. The determination unit 230 determines the status of credit card C triggered by the authorization request. The notification unit 235 notifies the application program (payment app 20) of the status of credit card C. Thus, according to the information processing system of this embodiment, the status of credit card C can be notified to the user at the moment the user attempts to use their credit card.

[0105] Furthermore, if the authorization request is rejected and the user's electronic money balance is greater than the payment amount included in the authorization request, the notification unit 235 may notify the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) that payment using the electronic money balance is possible. For example, the notification unit 235 may obtain the user's electronic money balance by querying the payment server 100. Also, if the notification unit 235 determines that the authorization request is rejected and the user's electronic money balance is greater than the payment amount included in the authorization request, it may notify the payment application 20 with a message such as, "You cannot use your card, but you can pay with your electronic money balance." This makes it easy for the user to understand that electronic payment using their electronic money balance is possible even if card payment is not possible.

[0106] Furthermore, the notification unit 235 may not only send push notifications to the payment application 20 installed on the user terminal device 10, but also send notifications to the user using an external messaging platform. The external messaging platform may be, for example, email, or a messaging app such as LINE®, WhatsApp®, or KakaoTalk®. By notifying the user through multiple channels in this way, the status of credit card C can be more reliably communicated to the user.

[0107] Furthermore, the analysis unit 245 may optimize at least one of the notification timing and method to users by analyzing the user's past payment history of credit card C, response rate to notifications, application usage trends, and usage trends of external messaging platforms. This makes it possible to optimize and deliver notifications (push notifications, email, messaging apps, etc.) that are most likely to lead to payment actions for each user.

[0108] Furthermore, if the difference between the amount used by credit card C and the credit limit falls below a predetermined value due to a card payment, the notification unit 235 may notify the payment application 20 (user terminal device 10) of the available credit limit. For example, the notification unit 235 may notify the payment application 20 of a message such as, "You can pay an additional XX yen by card this month." This allows the user to more accurately understand the usage status of credit card C.

[0109] Furthermore, while the information processing device in this embodiment is a credit server 200 that provides card payment services to users, it is not limited to this. For example, the information processing device may be a payment server 100 that provides electronic payment services to users, or an integrated server that combines the payment server 100 and the credit server 200. Also, the functions included in the credit server 200 (for example, the reception unit 225, the determination unit 230, the notification unit 235, the screen generation unit 240, and the analysis unit 245) may be provided in the payment server 100, or in an integrated server that combines the payment server 100 and the credit server 200. In other words, these functions in this embodiment may be executed in any of the payment server 100, the credit server 200, or the integrated server.

[0110] 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 present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0111] 10. User terminal device 20 Payment Apps 22 Mini Apps 50. First store terminal device 55 Credit Processing Terminal 70. Second store terminal device 100 Payment Servers 110 Communications Department 115 Payment Content Provision Department 120 Payment Processing Unit 125 Information Management Department 170 Storage section 200 credit server 210 Communications Department 215 Card Payment Processing Unit 220 Information Management Department 225 Reception Department 230 Judgment section 235 Notification Department 240 Screen generation section 245 Analysis Department 270 Storage section 300 Payment Processing Servers 400 bank servers

Claims

1. An information processing device that can communicate with a user terminal device operated by a user, A reception area that receives authorization requests from the user when using their credit card via a credit processing terminal installed in the store, A determination unit that determines the status of unpaid credit card charges triggered by the authorization request, A notification unit that notifies the user terminal device of the status regarding unpaid credit card charges, Equipped with, The aforementioned status includes a first status where payment is outstanding for the current month but the service is available, and a second status where the service is unavailable due to a temporary suspension. Information processing device.

2. If the status regarding the non-payment of the credit card usage fees is the first status, the notification unit notifies the user terminal device of at least one of the following: that the credit card is unpaid for the current month, that if the payment remains unpaid for the current month, the card will be suspended, and a warning regarding late payment penalties. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. If the status regarding the non-payment of the credit card usage fees is the first status, the notification unit switches whether or not to send a notification depending on the period until the payment deadline for the outstanding amount on the credit card. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. If the status regarding the non-payment of the credit card usage fees is the first status, the notification unit switches whether or not to send a notification depending on the number of times the credit card has been used within a certain period. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. If the status regarding the non-payment of the credit card usage fees is the second status, the notification unit notifies the user terminal device that the credit card is unavailable due to non-payment of the usage fees. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. If the status regarding the non-payment of the credit card usage fee is the second status, the notification unit identifies the merchant where the card payment was attempted and includes in the notification to the user terminal device that the card payment at the identified merchant could not be completed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

7. The notification unit includes in the content of the notification sent to the user terminal device a link to a selection screen that allows the user to select a payment method to be used for paying off the outstanding balance on the credit card. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The system further includes a screen generation unit that generates the selection screen and displays it on the user terminal device when the user accesses the link. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The notification unit includes in the content of the notification sent to the user terminal device a link to the usage details screen that displays the usage details of the credit card. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The system further includes a screen generation unit that generates the usage details screen and displays it on the user terminal device when the user accesses the link. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9.

11. If the authorization request is rejected and the user's electronic money balance is greater than the payment amount included in the authorization request, the notification unit notifies the user terminal device that payment using the electronic money balance is possible. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The notification unit performs push notifications to applications installed on the user terminal device and notifications to the user using an external messaging platform. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

13. The system further includes an analysis unit that optimizes at least one of the notification timing and notification method to the user by analyzing the user's past credit card payment history, response rate to notifications, application usage trends, and external messaging platform usage trends. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12.

14. The notification unit notifies the user terminal device of the available credit limit of the credit card when the difference between the amount used and the credit limit of the credit card falls below a predetermined value due to a card payment. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

15. The information processing device is a payment server that provides electronic payment services to the user, a credit server that provides card payment services to the user, or an integrated server that combines the payment server and the credit server. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

16. An application program installed on a user terminal device operated by the user, An information processing device capable of communicating with the aforementioned application program, An information processing system comprising, The aforementioned information processing device is A reception area that receives authorization requests from the user when using their credit card via a credit processing terminal installed in the store, A determination unit that determines the status of unpaid credit card charges triggered by the authorization request, A notification unit that notifies the application program of the status regarding unpaid credit card charges, Equipped with, The aforementioned status includes a first status where payment is outstanding for the current month but the service is available, and a second status where the service is unavailable due to a temporary suspension. Information processing system.

17. A user terminal device operated by a user and an information processing device capable of communicating with each other, The credit card processing terminal installed in the store receives the authorization request from the user when using their credit card. The authorization request triggers the determination of the status regarding unpaid credit card charges. The status regarding the unpaid charges for the aforementioned credit card is notified to the user terminal device. The aforementioned status includes a first status where payment is outstanding for the current month but the service is available, and a second status where the service is unavailable due to a temporary suspension. Information processing methods.

18. A user terminal device operated by a user and an information processing device that can communicate with each other, The process involves receiving authorization requests from the credit card processing terminal installed in the store when the user uses their credit card, The authorization request triggers a process to determine the status of unpaid credit card charges, A process to notify the user terminal device of the status regarding the unpaid usage fees of the aforementioned credit card, Make it run, The aforementioned status includes a first status where payment is outstanding for the current month but the service is available, and a second status where the service is unavailable due to a temporary suspension. program.

Images