Coupon providing device, coupon providing method, and coupon providing system

Abstract

The coupon providing device 1 has a memory unit 12 that stores digital coupons in association with obtainable locations where the user can obtain the digital coupons, a map data providing unit 132 that creates map data indicating the obtainable locations and provides the map data to an information terminal 3 used by the user, and a coupon providing unit 133 that provides the digital coupon stored in the memory unit 12 in association with the obtainable locations to the information terminal 3, on the condition that the location of the information terminal 3 indicated by the location information obtained from the information terminal 3 is within a predetermined range from the obtainable locations and that predetermined data has been received from the information terminal 3.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a coupon providing device, a coupon providing method, and a coupon providing system for providing digital coupons. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, systems that provide digital tokens have been known. Patent Document 1 discloses a system that provides a digital token when a user is in a predetermined location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7204272 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional systems, users were unable to know where they could receive digital tokens, making it difficult to motivate them to acquire digital tokens.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and aims to make it easier for users to be motivated to acquire digital tokens. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A coupon providing device of a first aspect of the present invention has a memory unit that stores a digital coupon in association with an obtainable location where the digital coupon can be obtained by a user; a map data providing unit that creates map data indicating the obtainable location and provides the map data to an information terminal used by the user; and a coupon providing unit that provides the digital coupon stored in the memory unit in association with the obtainable location to the information terminal, on the condition that the location information obtained from the information terminal indicates that the location of the information terminal is within a predetermined range from the obtainable location when predetermined data is received from the information terminal.

[0007] The memory unit may store coupon acquisition data associated with the digital coupon, and the coupon providing unit may provide the digital coupon to the information terminal when it receives the coupon acquisition data from the information terminal that has read code information including the coupon acquisition data located at the acquisition location.

[0008] When the map data providing unit receives an operation from the information terminal to search for a location where the digital coupon is to be provided, it may provide the information terminal with the map data indicating an area including the obtainable location that the user can reach most quickly from the location indicated by the location information.

[0009] The map data providing unit may estimate the attainable position that allows the user to reach the position indicated by the position information most quickly, based on a means of transportation specified from the information terminal.

[0010] The map data providing unit may provide the information terminal with the map data indicating a route from the location indicated by the location information to the attainable location that the user can reach most quickly.

[0011] When the map data providing unit receives an operation from the information terminal to search for a location where the digital coupon is to be provided, it may provide the information terminal with the map data indicating an area that includes a predetermined number or more of the obtainable locations within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information.

[0012] The memory unit may store attributes of the user in association with the user, and store attributes of stores where the digital coupon can be used in association with the digital coupon, and when the map data providing unit receives an operation from the information terminal to search for a location where the digital coupon is provided, it may provide to the information terminal the map data indicating an area including the acquisition location corresponding to the digital coupon associated with the attributes of the store that has a predetermined relationship with the attributes of the user corresponding to the information terminal.

[0013] The memory unit may store the date, time or day of the week on which the digital coupon can be acquired in association with the digital coupon, and the map data providing unit may provide the map data indicating the area including the acquisition location to the information terminal on the date, time or day of the week associated with the digital coupon.

[0014] The memory unit may further store registered businesses that can issue the digital coupons, and the coupon providing device may further have a coupon registration unit that, when it receives the digital coupon and the location where the coupon can be obtained from the registered business, associates the registered business, the digital coupon, and the location where the coupon can be obtained and stores them in the memory unit.

[0015] The memory unit may further store registered businesses that can issue the digital coupons, and the coupon provision device may further have a history data acquisition unit that acquires usage history data indicating that the digital coupons have been used, and a history data provision unit that provides the registered business with the usage history data of the digital coupons associated with the registered business in response to a request from the registered business.

[0016] The memory unit may store information regarding the digital coupons acquired by the users in association with the users, and the coupon provision device may further have an information provision unit that, when a first user requests information regarding the digital coupons acquired by a second user, provides the information regarding the digital coupons acquired by the second user to the information terminal of the first user, provided that the first user and the second user have a predetermined relationship.

[0017] When a first user acquires the digital coupon, the coupon providing unit may associate the digital coupon with a second user who has a predetermined relationship with the first user and provide the digital coupon acquired by the first user to the second user.

[0018] A second aspect of the present invention provides a coupon provision method, executed by a computer, comprising the steps of: associating a digital coupon with an obtainable location where a user can obtain the digital coupon and storing the associated digital coupon in a memory unit; creating map data indicating the obtainable location and providing the map data to an information terminal used by the user; and providing the digital coupon stored in the memory unit in association with the obtainable location to the information terminal, on the condition that the location information obtained from the information terminal indicates that the location of the information terminal is within a predetermined range from the obtainable location when predetermined data is received from the information terminal.

[0019] A coupon provision system of a third aspect of the present invention comprises a coupon provision device that provides digital coupons and an information terminal that acquires the digital coupons, wherein the coupon provision device has a memory unit that stores the digital coupons in association with acquireable locations where the user can acquire the digital coupons, a map data providing unit that creates map data indicating the acquireable locations and provides the map data to the information terminal used by the user, and a coupon provision unit that provides the digital coupon stored in the memory unit in association with the acquireable location to the information terminal, on the condition that the location information acquired from the information terminal indicates that the location of the information terminal is within a predetermined range from the acquireable location when predetermined data is received from the information terminal, and the information terminal has a location information transmitting unit that transmits the location information indicating the location of the information terminal to the coupon provision device, and a display unit that displays the digital coupon provided from the coupon provision device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] The present invention has the effect of making it easier for users to be motivated to acquire digital tokens. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a coupon providing system S. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information terminal 3. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of map data displayed on a display unit 35. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a coupon providing device 1. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of coupon management data. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the coupon providing device 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] [Coupon Provision System S Overview] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a coupon providing system S. The coupon providing system S is a system for providing digital coupons to users U. Digital coupons are used to receive discounts or prizes at stores, public facilities, event venues, etc., and are, for example, non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The coupon providing system S includes a coupon providing device 1, a business operator terminal 2, and an information terminal 3.

[0023] The coupon providing device 1 is a server that executes a process for providing a digital coupon to a user U. The business operator terminal 2 is a computer used by a business operator that issues digital coupons. The information terminal 3 is a terminal used by the user U, such as a smartphone or tablet. While one business operator terminal 2 and one information terminal 3 are shown in FIG. 1, the coupon providing system S may have multiple business operator terminals 2 and multiple information terminals 3.

[0024] The coupon providing device 1 acquires information about the digital coupon to be issued from the business operator terminal 2, and transmits the digital coupon to the information terminal 3 in response to a request from the information terminal 3. Below, an overview of the operation of providing a digital coupon in the coupon providing system S will be explained with reference to FIG.

[0025] First, a business that issues a digital coupon registers the digital coupon in the coupon providing device 1 via the business terminal 2. At this time, the business registers the location (hereinafter referred to as the "acquirable location") or time period (hereinafter referred to as the "acquirable time period") in which the user U can acquire the digital coupon as the conditions for acquiring the digital coupon (hereinafter referred to as the "acquirable conditions") ((1) in FIG. 1). The coupon providing device 1 stores the digital coupon in association with the acquisition conditions.

[0026] Next, the coupon providing device 1 creates map data showing locations where digital coupons can be acquired. The map data may show acquisition locations corresponding to multiple types of digital coupons issued by multiple businesses, or may show only acquisition locations corresponding to the type of digital coupon specified by the user U. The coupon providing device 1 transmits the map data to the information terminal 3 in response to a request from the information terminal 3 ((2) in FIG. 1). The information terminal 3 displays the received map data.

[0027] Although details will be described later, the user U may search for the type of digital coupon they wish to acquire using application software that displays map data. In this case, the coupon providing device 1 transmits map data indicating the locations where the digital coupon corresponding to the type set by the user U can be acquired, and the information terminal 3 displays the received map data. As an example, the user U can specify a digital coupon for a store they wish to acquire, and in that case, the map data indicates the locations where the digital coupon that can be used at the specified store can be acquired.

[0028] At the acquisition location, user U can obtain information necessary for user U to acquire the digital coupon. As an example, a panel is installed at the acquisition location on which a code (e.g., a QR code (registered trademark)) containing coupon acquisition data used to acquire the digital coupon is printed. The coupon acquisition data includes, for example, a coupon ID for identifying the digital coupon. The coupon acquisition data may be a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating the location where the digital coupon is stored, or may be data written in HTML (HyperText Markup Language).

[0029] When user U reads the QR code with information terminal 3 ((3) in FIG. 1), information terminal 3 extracts the coupon acquisition data included in the QR code. Information terminal 3 transmits the coupon ID included in the coupon acquisition data together with location information indicating the location of information terminal 3 to coupon providing device 1 ((4) in FIG. 1). Information terminal 3 may transmit the location information to coupon providing device 1 by accessing a URL included in the coupon acquisition data and transmitting the location information to an address corresponding to the URL.

[0030] When the coupon providing device 1 receives the location information and coupon acquisition data, it references the acquisition conditions of the digital coupon corresponding to the coupon acquisition data and determines whether the location indicated by the location information is within a predetermined range from the acquisition location indicated by the acquisition conditions. If the location indicated by the location information is within a predetermined range from the acquisition location indicated by the acquisition conditions, the coupon providing device 1 transmits the digital coupon to the information terminal 3 ((5) in FIG. 1). The coupon providing device 1 may transmit the digital coupon to the information terminal 3 on the condition that the time when the coupon acquisition data is received is within the acquisition time period.

[0031] By configuring the coupon provision system S in this way, the user U knows where to go to get a digital coupon, which motivates the user U to acquire a digital token. The user U is also motivated to acquire a digital token because he or she can enjoy searching for a panel displaying data for acquiring a coupon near a location where the coupon can be acquired. The following describes in detail the configurations of the coupon providing device 1 and the information terminal 3. First, the configuration of the information terminal 3 will be described.

[0032] [Configuration of Information Terminal 3] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal 3. The information terminal 3 has a GPS receiver 31, an operation unit 32, an imaging unit 33, a communication unit 34, a display unit 35, a storage unit 36, and a control unit 37. The control unit 37 has a map data acquisition unit 371, a location information transmission unit 372, and a coupon acquisition unit 373.

[0033] The GPS receiver 31 receives radio waves from GPS satellites that emit radio waves to identify a position. Based on the received radio waves, the GPS receiver 31 identifies the latitude and longitude of the position of the information terminal 3. The GPS receiver 31 inputs data indicating the identified latitude and longitude to the map data acquisition unit 371.

[0034] The operation unit 32 is a device, such as a touch panel, for accepting an operation by the user U. The operation unit 32 inputs operation position data indicating the position touched by the user U to the map data acquisition unit 371 and the position information transmission unit 372.

[0035] The imaging unit 33 is a camera that captures an image of a predetermined range in response to an operation by the user U. For example, when the operation unit 32 receives an operation to capture an image of a subject, the imaging unit 33 executes an imaging operation based on an instruction from the position information transmission unit 372 and inputs the captured image data to the position information transmission unit 372.

[0036] The communication unit 34 includes a communication interface for transmitting and receiving various data to and from the coupon provision device 1 via a network. The communication unit 34 transmits, for example, location information and coupon acquisition data input from the location information transmission unit 372 to the coupon provision device 1. The communication unit 34 inputs map data received from the coupon provision device 1 to the map data acquisition unit 371, and inputs digital coupons received from the coupon provision device 1 to the coupon acquisition unit 373.

[0037] The display unit 35 is, for example, a display that displays various types of information. For example, the display unit 35 displays map data input from the map data acquisition unit 371. The display unit 35 displays digital coupons provided by the coupon providing device 1 and input from the coupon acquisition unit 373.

[0038] The storage unit 36 ​​includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The storage unit 36 ​​stores programs executed by the control unit 37. The storage unit 36 ​​temporarily stores map data and digital coupons transmitted from the coupon providing device 1.

[0039] The control unit 37 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 37 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 36 ​​to function as a map data acquisition unit 371, a location information transmission unit 372, and a coupon acquisition unit 373.

[0040] The map data acquisition unit 371 acquires map data from the coupon providing device 1 via the communication unit 34. The map data acquisition unit 371 acquires map data by requesting map data from the coupon providing device 1 in response to the launch of application software for acquiring a digital coupon, for example. The map data acquisition unit 371 may request map data from the coupon providing device 1 when it determines, based on operation position data input from the operation unit 32, that an operation to acquire map data has been performed while the application software is running. The map data acquisition unit 371 causes the display unit 35 to display a map image based on the acquired map data.

[0041] Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of map data displayed on the display unit 35. The star in Fig. 3 indicates the center position of the area where a digital coupon can be obtained. By viewing such a map, the user U can move to a location where a digital coupon can be obtained. The map data may also display information indicating the range in which a digital coupon can be obtained.

[0042] A search area for searching for an area to be displayed is provided at the bottom of the screen shown in Fig. 3. By setting, for example, the attributes of the digital coupon that the user U wants to acquire in the search area, a map of the area in which the digital coupon corresponding to the attributes can be acquired can be displayed on the information terminal 3. The attributes of the digital coupon can be, for example, the type of product sold at a store where the digital coupon can be used, the type of product or service that can be obtained with the digital coupon, or the period during which the digital coupon can be used.

[0043] The location information transmission unit 372 transmits location information indicating the location of the information terminal 3 to the coupon providing device 1. For example, when the location information transmission unit 372 determines, based on operation location data input from the operation unit 32, that an operation to obtain a digital coupon has been performed, the location information transmission unit 372 transmits location information indicating the latitude and longitude input from the GPS receiver 31 to the coupon providing device 1 via the communication unit 34.

[0044] Specifically, when it is determined that an operation to obtain a digital coupon has been performed, the location information transmission unit 372 activates the imaging unit 33 to have the user U photograph a QR code, and transmits the location information together with the coupon acquisition data included in the QR code to the coupon providing device 1. The location information transmission unit 372 may transmit the location information to an address of the coupon providing device 1 stored in advance in the storage unit 36, or may transmit the location information to an address included in the QR code.

[0045] The coupon acquisition unit 373 acquires a digital coupon from the coupon provision device 1 via the communication unit 34. The coupon acquisition unit 373 displays the acquired digital coupon on the display unit 35. The coupon acquisition unit 373 may store the acquired digital coupon in the memory unit 36, read out the digital coupon stored in the memory unit 36 ​​in response to an operation performed on the operation unit 32, and display the read digital coupon on the display unit 35.

[0046] If the digital coupon is an NFT, the coupon acquisition unit 373 may acquire the digital coupon as follows: User U downloads a Web 3.0 wallet corresponding to user U to the information terminal 3, and the coupon acquisition unit 373 may acquire the digital coupon using the downloaded wallet.

[0047] [Configuration of coupon provision device 1] Next, we will explain the configuration and operation of the coupon providing device 1. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the coupon providing device 1. The coupon providing device 1 has a communication unit 11, a memory unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 has a coupon registration unit 131, a map data providing unit 132, a coupon providing unit 133, an information providing unit 134, a performance data acquisition unit 135, and a performance data providing unit 136.

[0048] The communication unit 11 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data between the business operator terminal 2 and the information terminal 3. For example, when the communication unit 11 receives a digital coupon to be registered from the business operator terminal 2, the communication unit 11 inputs the received digital coupon to the coupon registration unit 131. The communication unit 11 transmits map data input from the map data providing unit 132 to the information terminal 3. The communication unit 11 inputs location information received from the information terminal 3 to the coupon providing unit 133, and transmits the digital coupon input from the coupon providing unit 133 to the information terminal 3.

[0049] When the communication unit 11 receives request data indicating a request for the usage history of the digital coupon from the business operator terminal 2, the information terminal 3, or another terminal, the communication unit 11 inputs the received data to the usage history data acquisition unit 135. When the usage history data indicating the usage history of the digital coupon is input from the usage history data provision unit 136, the communication unit 11 transmits the usage history data to the business operator terminal 2 or the information terminal 3 that sent the request data.

[0050] The storage unit 12 has storage media such as a ROM, a RAM, and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 12 stores, for example, a program executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 also stores a digital coupon received from the business operator terminal 2 in an area corresponding to a coupon ID for identifying the digital coupon. The storage unit 12 stores coupon management data including various information related to the digital coupon in association with the coupon ID.

[0051] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of coupon management data. In the coupon management data shown in Fig. 5, a coupon ID, a business ID, a coupon acquisition range, an expiration date, an acquisition time period, the number of issued coupons, the number of remaining coupons, and store attributes are associated with each other.

[0052] The business ID is information for identifying the business that issued the digital coupon. The acquisition range is information indicating the range of locations where user U can acquire the digital coupon, and is expressed, for example, by the latitude and longitude of the acquisition location, which is the center position of a circular range, and the radius of the acquisition range. The acquisition range may be a range of a shape other than circular. If the acquisition range is polygonal, the acquisition range may be indicated by the latitude and longitude of the vertex positions of the polygon. In this case, the acquisition location is, for example, the center of gravity of the polygon.

[0053] The expiration date is the date by which the user U can use the digital coupon. The acquisition time period is the time period during which the user U can acquire the digital coupon at the acquisition location. The acquisition time period may be expressed by the date, time, or day of the week during which the digital coupon can be acquired.

[0054] The number of issued coupons is the number of users U who can acquire each digital coupon. The remaining number is the number of users U who have acquired each digital coupon minus the number of issued coupons. The store attributes are the types of products or services available at stores or facilities where the digital coupons can be used. The acquisition range, expiration date, acquisition time period, number of issued coupons, and store attributes are set, for example, by the business operator that registers the digital coupon.

[0055] The storage unit 12 may further store registered businesses that can issue digital coupons. The registered businesses are, for example, whitelist businesses that have been selected in advance by the administrator of the coupon providing device 1 as trustworthy businesses.

[0056] The storage unit 12 may further store attributes of the user U in association with the user U. The attributes of the user U include, for example, the age, gender, hobbies, interests, and attributes of frequently visited stores of the user U. The attributes of the user U are set by the user U via the information terminal 3, for example.

[0057] The storage unit 12 may store information about a digital coupon acquired by the user U, in association with the user U. For example, the storage unit 12 stores the coupon ID of the digital coupon provided to the user U by the coupon providing unit 133 and the date and time the digital coupon was provided, in association with the user ID. The storage unit 12 may also store usage history data indicating the usage history of the digital coupon by the user U, which the history data acquisition unit 135 has acquired from a terminal of a store or the like, in association with the user U. The usage history data includes, for example, information for identifying the store where the digital coupon was used and information indicating the date and time the digital coupon was used.

[0058] The control unit 13 includes, for example, a CPU. The control unit 13 executes the programs stored in the storage unit 12 to function as a coupon registration unit 131, a map data providing unit 132, a coupon providing unit 133, an information providing unit 134, a performance data acquisition unit 135, and a performance data providing unit 136.

[0059] In response to receiving a digital coupon registration request from the business operator terminal 2 via the communication unit 11, the coupon registration unit 131 registers the digital coupon by storing the digital coupon received from the business operator terminal 2 in the memory unit 12. For example, when the coupon registration unit 131 receives a digital coupon and an acquisition location from a registered business operator, the coupon registration unit 131 associates the business ID of the registered business operator with the digital coupon and the acquisition location and stores them in the memory unit 12.

[0060] As an example, the coupon registration unit 131 receives from the business operator terminal 2 the available location, expiration date, available time period, number of issues, and store attributes in association with the digital coupon, and associates this information with the coupon ID and stores it in the storage unit 12, thereby creating the coupon management data shown in Fig. 5. The coupon registration unit 131 updates the coupon management data every time a new digital coupon registration request is received. When the expiration date of a digital coupon has passed or the remaining number of coupons reaches zero, the coupon registration unit 131 may delete data related to the digital coupon from the coupon management data.

[0061] The coupon registration unit 131 may create coupon acquisition data (e.g., a QR code) corresponding to the digital coupon and provide it to the business operator terminal 2. The coupon registration unit 131 may also receive a request from the business operator terminal 2 to change the digital coupon corresponding to the provided coupon acquisition data. This allows the business operator that provides the digital coupon to change the content of the digital coupon or the time period during which the digital coupon can be acquired, without changing the QR code displayed at the location where the digital coupon can be acquired.

[0062] If the digital coupon is an NFT, when the coupon registration unit 131 receives a request to register the digital coupon from a registered business, it may register the digital coupon by posting the NFT to a posting feed of a social network service (SNS) dedicated to the registered business, which is managed by an EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) address.

[0063] The map data providing unit 132 creates map data indicating the acquisition location and provides the map data to the information terminal 3 used by the user U. For example, in response to the coupon registration unit 131 receiving a registration request for a digital coupon, the map data providing unit 132 creates map data in which information indicating that the digital coupon can be acquired (for example, ★ in FIG. 3 ) is added to a location corresponding to the acquisition location included in the registration request. In response to receiving a request for map data from the information terminal 3, the map data providing unit 132 transmits the created map data to the information terminal 3.

[0064] When the map data providing unit 132 receives an operation from the information terminal 3 to search for a location where a digital coupon is to be provided, the map data providing unit 132 may provide the information terminal 3 with map data indicating an area including an available location that the user U can reach most quickly from the location indicated by the location information transmitted from the information terminal 3. This enables the user U to quickly obtain a digital coupon when he or she wishes to obtain one. Furthermore, the user U can more easily obtain a nearby digital coupon without missing out on it.

[0065] Even if the location where a digital coupon can be obtained is near user U, user U may not be able to obtain the digital coupon if he or she is traveling by train or bus. Therefore, the map data providing unit 132 may estimate the available location that will allow user U to reach the location indicated by the location information most quickly, based on the means of transportation specified by the information terminal 3, and provide map data indicating the area including the estimated available location.

[0066] As an example, the map data providing unit 132 identifies which of the following means of transportation the user U is traveling by: walking, bicycle, car, train, or bus, based on the rate of change in the user U's location information or the user U's travel route identified based on multiple pieces of location information. The map data providing unit 132 estimates the attainable position that the user U can reach earliest by comparing the time it takes the user U to reach the attainable position while traveling by the identified means of transportation. Note that the map data providing unit 132 may also estimate the attainable position that the user U can reach earliest based on the means of transportation set by the user U via the information terminal 3.

[0067] The map data providing unit 132 may provide the information terminal 3 with map data indicating a route from the location indicated by the location information to the acquisition-available location that the user U can reach earliest. In this case, the map data providing unit 132 may estimate the time at which the user U will arrive at the acquisition-available location, and provide the information terminal 3 with map data including the acquisition-available location or indicate a route, on the condition that the estimated time is included in the acquisition time period for the digital coupon that can be acquired at the acquisition-available location. Configuring the map data providing unit 132 in this manner prevents the occurrence of a problem in which the user U is unable to acquire a digital coupon even though they have traveled to the acquisition-available location.

[0068] When the map data providing unit 132 receives an operation from the information terminal 3 to search for a location where a digital coupon is to be provided, the map data providing unit 132 may provide the information terminal 3 with map data indicating an area that includes a predetermined number or more of obtainable locations within a predetermined range from the location indicated by the location information. The predetermined range is set by the user U via the information terminal 3, and is, for example, a range that can be reached within 30 minutes from the location of the user U. The predetermined number is also set by the user U via the information terminal 3, and is, for example, 3. Configuring the map data providing unit 132 in this way makes it easier for the user U to obtain multiple digital coupons efficiently.

[0069] When the map data providing unit 132 receives an operation from the information terminal 3 to search for a location where a digital coupon is provided, the map data providing unit 132 may provide the information terminal 3 with map data indicating an area including acquisition locations corresponding to digital coupons associated with attributes of a store that have a predetermined relationship with attributes of the user U corresponding to the information terminal 3. The predetermined relationship is a relationship in which the similarity between the attributes is at or above a reference level. As an example, a store attribute of "women's clothing" has a predetermined relationship with the user U's attribute of being a woman who frequently visits clothing stores. The map data providing unit 132 may provide map data indicating an area including at least a predetermined number of acquisition locations for digital coupons that suit the attributes of the user U. This allows the user U to efficiently acquire digital coupons that suit them.

[0070] The attributes of a plurality of stores may be stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the attributes of a plurality of users U, respectively. In this case, the map data providing unit 132 may identify, in the storage unit 12, a coupon ID corresponding to the attribute of the store associated with the attribute of the user U, and provide map data indicating an area including an acquisition position corresponding to the identified coupon ID.

[0071] The map data providing unit 132 may provide the information terminal 3 with map data indicating an area including an acquisition position on the date, time or day of the week indicated by the acquisition time period associated with the digital coupon. By referring to the coupon management data, the map data providing unit 132 identifies a digital coupon whose acquisition time period includes the time at which the map data request is received from the information terminal 3, and provides map data indicating an area including an acquisition position for the identified digital coupon.

[0072] The map data providing unit 132 may calculate the travel time between the current location of the user U indicated by the location information acquired from the information terminal 3 and the available location, and identify a digital coupon whose available time period is included in the time when the travel time is added to the current time. By operating in this manner, the map data providing unit 132 can provide map data indicating available locations where the user U may be able to acquire a digital coupon.

[0073] The coupon providing unit 133 provides the information terminal 3 with the digital coupon stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the acquisition location, on the condition that the location of the information terminal 3 indicated by the location information acquired from the information terminal 3 is within a predetermined range from the acquisition location and that predetermined data has been received from the information terminal 3. The predetermined data is, for example, data indicated by a QR code posted at the acquisition location, and is a coupon ID for identifying the digital coupon. In other words, as an example, the coupon providing unit 133 provides the information terminal 3 with the digital coupon when it receives coupon acquisition data from an information terminal 3 that has read code information including coupon acquisition data provided at the acquisition location.

[0074] The predetermined data may include data indicating the attributes of user U. In this case, the coupon providing unit 133 may provide the information terminal 3 with a digital coupon that corresponds to the attributes of a store that has the above-mentioned predetermined relationship with the attributes of user U indicated in the received predetermined data. The coupon providing unit 133 may select a digital coupon that corresponds to the attributes of a store that has the above-mentioned predetermined relationship with the attributes of user U from a plurality of digital coupons associated with the acquisition position, and provide the selected digital coupon to the information terminal 3. By operating in this manner, the coupon providing unit 133 provides a digital coupon that is suitable for user U, thereby increasing the probability that the digital coupon will be used effectively.

[0075] The coupon providing unit 133 may store the digital coupon acquired by the user U in the storage unit 12 in association with the user ID. In this case, the storage unit 12 functions as a wallet for the user U, and the digital coupon stored in the storage unit 12 can be displayed on the information terminal 3 by the user U inputting his / her user ID and password into the information terminal 3. If the digital coupon is an NFT, the coupon providing unit 133 may store the digital coupon associated with the user ID of the user U on the blockchain.

[0076] When a first user U acquires a digital coupon, the coupon providing unit 133 may associate the digital coupon with a second user who has a predetermined relationship with the first user U, and provide the digital coupon acquired by the first user U to the second user U. The predetermined relationship may be, for example, a relationship in which the first user U has registered the second user U as a close friend in advance. By operating in this manner, the coupon providing unit 133 provides the digital coupon to the second user U who may visit a store where the digital coupon can be used together with the first user U, thereby increasing the probability that the digital coupon will be used effectively.

[0077] The information providing unit 134 provides information about digital coupons acquired by the user U. For example, when a first user U requests information about digital coupons acquired by a second user U, the information providing unit 134 provides the information about the digital coupons acquired by the second user U to the information terminal 3 of the first user U, on the condition that the first user U and the second user U have a predetermined relationship.

[0078] The information about the digital coupon is, for example, information about the benefits that can be obtained with the digital coupon or information about stores where the digital coupon can be used. The information about the digital coupon may be information indicating a location where the digital coupon can be obtained, and the information providing unit 134 may instruct the map data providing unit 132 to provide map data indicating the location where the digital coupon can be obtained to the second user U. By the information providing unit 134 operating in this manner, the second user U who wants to go to a store or the like with the first user U is motivated to obtain the digital coupon.

[0079] The history data acquisition unit 135 acquires usage history data indicating that a digital coupon has been used. The history data acquisition unit 135 acquires the usage history data, for example, from a store terminal installed in a store where the digital coupon can be used or from a computer managed by the store's operating company. As described above, the usage history data includes, for example, the user ID of the user U who used the digital coupon, information for identifying the store where the digital coupon was used, and information indicating the date and time the digital coupon was used. The history data acquisition unit 135 stores the acquired usage history data in the memory unit 12.

[0080] If the digital coupon is an NFT, the history data acquisition unit 135 may acquire the results of tracking the digital coupon by accessing the blockchain as usage history data. The history data acquisition unit 135 acquires, for example, transaction data on the blockchain as usage history data.

[0081] In response to a request from a registered business, the performance data providing unit 136 provides the registered business with usage performance data of the digital coupon associated with the registered business. For example, the performance data providing unit 136 provides information for identifying the store where the digital coupon was used and information indicating the date and time the digital coupon was used, in association with the attributes of user U. By operating in this manner, the registered business can verify the validity of the digital coupon.

[0082] As an example, the performance data provider 136 provides the business terminal 2 with a dashboard that enables registered businesses to check transaction data on the blockchain. This allows registered businesses to track the usage status of digital coupons in real time. As a result, registered businesses can analyze in detail the progress and effectiveness of digital coupon distribution and optimize their marketing strategies.

[0083] [Processing flow in coupon provision device 1] 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the coupon providing device 1. The flowchart shown in FIG. 6 starts from the point when a business operator who is newly registering a digital coupon performs a registration operation for the digital coupon on the business operator terminal 2.

[0084] The coupon registration unit 131 receives registration request data for a digital coupon transmitted from the business terminal 2 (S11). The coupon registration unit 131 determines whether or not the business ID included in the registration request data is stored in the storage unit 12 as a white business (S12). If the business ID is not stored in the storage unit 12 as a white business (NO in S12), the coupon registration unit 131 transmits a registration denial notice to the business terminal 2 (S13). The registration denial notice may include information indicating a method for registering as a white business.

[0085] If the business ID is stored in the storage unit 12 as a white business (YES in S12), the coupon registration unit 131 associates the digital coupon sent from the business terminal 2 together with the registration request data with the business ID and stores it in the storage unit 12, thereby newly registering the digital coupon (S14). If the business ID is stored in the storage unit 12 as a white business, the coupon registration unit 131 may obtain the digital coupon by requesting the digital coupon from the business terminal 2.

[0086] The coupon registration unit 131 notifies the map data providing unit 132 that a new digital coupon has been registered, and the map data providing unit 132 updates the map data to indicate the location where the newly registered digital coupon can be obtained (S15). Thereafter, the map data providing unit 132 provides the map data when the map data is requested by the information terminal 3.

[0087] The coupon providing unit 133 monitors whether a request for a digital coupon has been made (S16). Until the coupon providing unit 133 receives a request for a digital coupon (NO in S16), the coupon registration unit 131, map data providing unit 132, and coupon providing unit 133 repeat the processes from S11 to S16. When the coupon providing unit 133 receives a request for a digital coupon (YES in S16), the coupon providing unit 133 determines whether the user U who requested the digital coupon meets the conditions for obtaining the digital coupon.

[0088] Specifically, the coupon providing unit 133 determines whether the location of the user U indicated by the location information transmitted from the information terminal 3 is within a predetermined range from the acquisition location (S17). The coupon providing unit 133 also determines whether the time when the request for the digital coupon was transmitted is included in the acquisition time period for the digital coupon (S18). Furthermore, the coupon providing unit 133 determines whether the remaining number of the digital coupon is one or more (S19).

[0089] If all the determination results from S17 to S19 are YES, the coupon providing unit 133 provides the digital coupon to the information terminal 3 (S20). If any of the determination results from S17 to S19 are NO, the coupon providing unit 133 does not provide the digital coupon to the information terminal 3, and sends an error notice to the information terminal 3 (S21). The error notice includes information indicating the reason why the digital coupon cannot be acquired, such as that the location of the user U is not included in the acquisition range, that the current time is not within the time period when the digital coupon can be acquired, and that the remaining number of digital coupons has reached 0.

[0090] [Variations] In the above explanation, the user U requests a digital coupon from the coupon providing device 1 by performing an operation to acquire the digital coupon within a predetermined range from the acquisition location, but the information terminal 3 may automatically request a digital coupon from the coupon providing device 1 when its own location is within the predetermined range from the acquisition location. This eliminates the need for the user U to perform an operation to acquire the digital coupon, making it even easier for the user U to acquire the digital coupon.

[0091] [Effects of coupon provision device 1] As explained above, the map data providing unit 132 creates map data indicating locations where digital coupons can be acquired and provides the map data to the information terminal 3 used by the user U, and the coupon providing unit 133 provides the information terminal 3 with the digital coupon stored in the storage unit 12 in association with the acquisition location, on the condition that predetermined data corresponding to the digital coupon has been received from an information terminal 3 within the acquisition range of the digital coupon. By having the map data providing unit 132 and coupon providing unit 133 that operate in this way, the user U can easily grasp locations where digital tokens can be acquired, and this motivates the user U to acquire digital tokens.

[0092] In addition, since the digital coupons are NFTs, it is possible to prevent the digital coupons from being illegally copied and to track the usage of the digital coupons.

[0093] The present invention has been described above using embodiments, but the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by functionally or physically distributing or integrating any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination also have the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 1 Coupon providing device 2. Operator terminal 3. Information terminals 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 31 GPS receiver 32 Operation section 33 Imaging unit 34 Communications Department 35 Display section 36 Memory section 37 Control Unit 131 Coupon Registration Section 132 Map Data Provider 133 Coupon Department 134 Information Provision Department 135 Performance Data Acquisition Department 136 Performance Data Department 371 Map Data Acquisition Unit 372 Location information transmission unit 373 Coupon Acquisition Department

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores a digital coupon and an acquisition location, which is a location where a user can acquire the digital coupon, in association with each other. A coupon registration unit registers the digital coupon by storing the digital coupon received from the business terminal in the storage unit in response to receiving a registration request from the business terminal indicating the acquisition location. A map data provision unit creates map data indicating the acquisition locations and provides the map data to the information terminal used by the user. A coupon providing unit provides the digital coupon stored in the storage unit in association with the acquireable location to the information terminal, provided that the location of the information terminal indicated by the location information acquired from the information terminal is within a predetermined range from the acquireable location and that predetermined data has been received from the information terminal; A coupon dispensing device having the following features.

2. The coupon registration unit stores coupon management data in the storage unit, which is associated with the expiration date of the digital coupon and a coupon ID for identifying the digital coupon, and deletes the data relating to the digital coupon from the coupon management data when the expiration date of the digital coupon has passed or when the number of remaining digital coupons becomes zero. The coupon dispensing device according to claim 1.

3. The coupon registration unit creates coupon acquisition data corresponding to the digital coupon and provides the created coupon acquisition data to the business operator terminal. The coupon dispensing device according to claim 1.

4. The coupon registration unit receives a request from the business operator terminal to change the digital coupon corresponding to the coupon acquisition data. The coupon dispensing device according to claim 3.

5. The digital coupon is a non-fungible coupon, and the coupon registration unit registers the digital coupon when it receives a registration request for the digital coupon from a registered business operator that has been registered in advance, by posting the non-fungible coupon to a dedicated SNS (Social Network Service) posting feed managed by the registered business operator using an EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) address. The coupon dispensing device according to claim 1.

6. The storage unit further stores registered businesses that can issue the digital coupon, When the coupon registration unit receives the digital coupon and the acquisition location from the registered business operator, it associates the registered business operator, the digital coupon, and the acquisition location and stores them in the storage unit. The coupon dispensing device according to claim 1.

7. The storage unit further stores registered businesses that can issue the digital coupon, The coupon dispensing device includes a performance data acquisition unit that acquires performance data indicating that the digital coupon has been used, A performance data provision unit that, in response to a request from the registered business operator, provides the registered business operator with the performance data of the digital coupon associated with the registered business operator, It further possesses, The coupon dispensing device according to claim 1.

8. A computer executes The steps include: registering a digital coupon by associating it with the acquisition location and storing it in a storage unit in response to receiving a digital coupon and a registration request indicating an acquisition location where a user can acquire the digital coupon from a business terminal; The steps include creating map data showing the acquisition locations and providing the map data to the information terminal used by the user, The steps include providing the digital coupon stored in the storage unit in association with the acquireable location to the information terminal, provided that the location of the information terminal indicated by the location information acquired from the information terminal is within a predetermined range from the acquireable location and that predetermined data has been received from the information terminal, A method of providing coupons that includes the following.

9. The system comprises a coupon distributing device that provides digital coupons, and an information terminal for acquiring said digital coupons. The aforementioned coupon dispensing device is A storage unit that stores the digital coupon and the location where the user can obtain the digital coupon in association with each other. A coupon registration unit registers the digital coupon by storing the digital coupon received from the business terminal in the storage unit in response to receiving a registration request from the business terminal indicating the location where the digital coupon can be obtained. A map data provision unit creates map data indicating the acquisition locations and provides the map data to the information terminal used by the user. A coupon providing unit provides the digital coupon stored in the storage unit in association with the acquireable location to the information terminal, provided that the location of the information terminal indicated by the location information acquired from the information terminal is within a predetermined range from the acquireable location and that predetermined data has been received from the information terminal; It has, The aforementioned information terminal is A location information transmission unit that transmits the location information indicating the location of the information terminal to the coupon dispensing device, A display unit that displays the digital coupon provided by the coupon dispensing device, A coupon distribution system that includes the following features.

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