Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

Provided is a program that causes a computer to execute processing of acquiring data of accounts receivable generated in one store, and immediately after the acquisition or at a designated time, adding an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store. The program further causes the computer to execute processing of allowing for selecting whether to charge the prepaid card with the data of the accounts receivable or to transfer the data of the accounts receivable to a financial institution. The program further causes the computer to execute processing of preliminarily transferring a deposit to a financial institution by a management-center-server-side company.

Description

Information processing device, information processing method, and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program.

[0002] It is known that a company can sell its accounts receivable to a factoring company to quickly turn them into cash. However, in the case of factoring, the party that holds the accounts receivable is charged a fee.

[0003] Patent document 1 also discloses that a computer executes a process to accept collaboration settings with accounting software used by a user, which creates invoices and sends them to the other party, displays on a display a list of multiple invoices issued by the user to the other party in a transaction and which are obtained from an external device that provides the accounting software, displays the fees required when purchasing accounts receivable, and outputs a purchase request to purchase the accounts receivable from the multiple invoices at a purchase price corresponding to the invoice amount of the invoice selected to apply for the purchase of the accounts receivable.

[0004] JP 2023-001390 A

[0005] However, with factoring, there was a problem in that the party holding the accounts receivable was charged a fee.

[0006] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a method that allows holders of accounts receivable to charge a prepaid card with an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable and use the amount immediately without being charged a fee.

[0007] In one aspect, the following solution is provided.

[0008] (1) A program that causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring data on accounts receivable generated at a store, and adding the amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store, either immediately upon acquisition or at a specified time.

[0009] (2) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer is further made to execute a process that allows the user to select whether to charge the data of the accounts receivable to a prepaid card or to transfer the data to a financial institution.

[0010] (3) In the configuration of (2) above, the management center server company further causes the computer to execute a process of transferring the deposit to a financial institution in advance.

[0011] (4) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer further executes a process for transmitting data on accounts receivable generated at the one store to a management center server.

[0012] (5) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer is further configured to execute a process in which the amount corresponding to the accounts receivable incurred by the one store is temporarily paid by the management center server company, and the card issuing company deposits the amount in a lump sum to the management center server company over a predetermined period of time.

[0013] (6) In the configuration of (2) above, the computer further generates a personal identification number when withdrawing money from the financial institution and adds a branch number to the personal identification number.

[0014] (7) An information processing method executed by a computer, which includes acquiring data on accounts receivable generated at a store and, immediately upon acquisition or at a specified time, adding an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store.

[0015] (8) An information processing device configured to acquire data on accounts receivable generated at a store and, upon acquisition, immediately or at a specified time, add an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store.

[0016] According to the present disclosure, the party that holds the accounts receivable can charge the amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to a prepaid card and use it immediately without being charged any fees.

[0017] It is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information processing system. It is a schematic block diagram of a user terminal, a management center server, a card issuing company, and a convenience store bank. It is an explanatory diagram explaining the operation of the information processing system. It is an explanatory diagram explaining a selection screen. It is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a processing device.

[0018] Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In these examples, a description of already known technologies will be omitted. Furthermore, the following examples illustrate devices and methods for embodying the technical concept of the invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following. Various modifications can be made to the technical concept of the present invention within the scope of the claims. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic and may differ from the actual product.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a network 60 of an information processing system 1 according to this embodiment. For example, the information processing system 1 includes a management center server 20. This management center server 20 and multiple user terminals 10, 11, 12, and 13 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via a network 60 (such as the Internet). Each of the user terminals 10-13 includes a display unit 10a, a display unit 11a, a display unit 12a, and a display unit 13a, respectively. Meanwhile, the management center server 20 includes a storage unit 20a for storing managed sales data. The management center server 20 and the user terminals 10-13 are computers, each including a central processing unit (CPU), a read-only memory (ROM) storing control programs and the like that run on the CPU, and a random access memory (RAM) for temporarily storing various data (neither of which are shown). The user terminals 10-13 may be mobile terminals or personal computers. In this example, user terminals 10 and 13 are described as mobile terminals, and user terminals 11 and 12 are described as personal computers. Although four terminals are shown as representative, in reality there are many registered user terminals.

[0020] 2 is a block diagram showing the user terminals (user terminals installed in stores) 10 to 13, the management center server 20, the card issuing company 40, and the convenience store bank 50. The convenience store bank 50 is an example of a financial institution, and the present invention can also be applied to any other bank or similar.

[0021] Each of the user terminals 10 to 13 is provided with an ATM withdrawal section 10b, a prepaid card charging section 10c, and an accounts receivable generating section 10d.

[0022] The ATM withdrawal unit 10b has a function of sending information to the management center server 20 for depositing money into an ATM (automatic teller machine) (payment terminal 51 of a convenience store bank 50 or the like) at the user's selection. The prepaid card charging unit 10c has a function of sending information to the management center server 20 for charging a prepaid card with an amount specified by the user from the amount of accounts receivable at the user's operation. The accounts receivable generation unit 10d has a function of sending information about an accounts receivable generated at the user's store to the management center server 20.

[0023] The management center server 20 includes a sales management section 20b, a charge transfer section 20c, a deposit section 20d, and a menu section 20e.

[0024] The sales management unit 20b receives accounts receivable information sent from the user terminals 10-13 and stores it in the storage unit 20a. The charge transfer unit 20c receives requests sent from the user terminals 10-13 to charge a specified amount to a prepaid card and executes the request. The deposit unit 20d deposits a predetermined amount in advance with the convenience store bank 50. The menu unit 20e creates data to display ATM withdrawals, prepaid card charges, and ATM withdrawal menus (withdrawal registration, withdrawal cancellation, and withdrawal history). These menus are linked to the execution program. In other words, selecting a menu launches the execution program.

[0025] The server 41 of the card issuing company 40 creates prepaid cards for registered users and registers related data (card ID, PIN, etc.). Any accounts receivable from a single store are temporarily paid by the management center server company. The card issuing company 40 then executes a process to collect payments for a specified period and deposit the money into the management center server company.

[0026] The convenience store bank 50 is equipped with a payment terminal 51, which notifies the user of a personal identification number so that the user can withdraw the accounts receivable in cash when requesting a withdrawal. In addition, a personal identification number may be generated when withdrawing from the convenience store bank 50, and a process may be performed in which the branch number is added to the personal identification number.

[0027] The operation of the information processing system 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Here, it is assumed that Company A (affiliated store 30 in Fig. 3) is the user. In the following description, Company A is a concept that includes employees of Company A and people commissioned by Company A.

[0028] First, in steps S1 and S3, the management center server 20 and the convenience store bank 50 are able to communicate with each other as specified by the contract. That is, payment of the billed amount can be made from the payment terminal 51 in response to a request from the sales management section 20b of the management center server 20.

[0029] In step S5, the deposit unit 20d performs a deposit process in response to a user input from Company F. That is, in step S7, the deposit unit 20d of the management center server 20 contributes the capital investment to the payment terminal 51 of the convenience store bank 50. In this example, it is assumed that Company F has deposited, for example, 5 million yen.

[0030] In step S9, Company A performs a withdrawal operation. For the withdrawal operation, the sales management unit 20b prepares to display a selection button on the user terminal 10-13 to select whether to withdraw the sales proceeds of, for example, 1 million yen from an ATM or to charge a prepaid card.

[0031] In step S11, specifically, as a withdrawal operation, Company A logs in to the portal site in the management center server 20 via a corresponding user terminal (user terminal 10 in this example). Users who can log in may be limited to users who have registered as members in advance (Company A in this case).

[0032] In step S13, Company A requests a withdrawal (entering the withdrawal amount) by pressing the selection button B1 on screen G1 via the corresponding user terminal (user terminal 10 in this example) as shown in FIG. 4. As described above, the display units 10a-13a (display unit 10a in this example) of the user terminals 10-13 (user terminal 10 in this example) display the selection buttons B1 and B2 for withdrawing money via ATM or charging a prepaid card. The following explanation assumes that withdrawing money via ATM is selected. If the user selects the selection button B2 for charging a prepaid card displayed on the display units 10a-13a (display unit 10a in this example) of the user terminals 10-13, the user inputs the amount to be charged (an amount below the accounts receivable limit) and selects the charge button to charge the card. This adds the charge amount to the prepaid card.

[0033] In step S15, registration to the ATM receiving system is performed. This registration may be achieved through API (Application Programming Interface) or manually. In this example, withdrawal registration is selected from the ATM withdrawal menu (withdrawal registration, withdrawal cancellation, withdrawal history).

[0034] In step S17, in response to the registration in step S15, the management center server 20 delivers the information necessary for withdrawal to the user terminals 10 to 13 (user terminal 10 in this example) by email. Note that email delivery may be achieved by the ATM receiving system. The necessary information includes a personal identification number. Here, it is preferable to generate a personal identification number for withdrawal from the payment terminal 51 of the convenience store bank 50 and add the branch number of the convenience store bank 50 to the personal identification number.

[0035] In step S19, company A receives the e-mail delivered by the management center server 20 via the corresponding user terminal (user terminal 10 in this example).

[0036] In step S21, when Company A receives the email, it uses the information in the email to withdraw money from payment terminal 51 (ATM) of convenience store bank 50. For example, at this time, the company enters the personal identification number sent by email to withdraw the specified amount.

[0037] At this time, a withdrawal is made from Company F's deposit (S7) via the payment terminal 51 of the convenience store bank 50 (step S23). For example, in the case of a 100,000 yen accounts receivable, if 5 million yen is initially deposited, 100,000 yen of that 5 million yen is paid to the user, leaving the remaining 4.9 million yen as the deposit. Furthermore, with credit cards, there is a process called "returns." This can result in a negative balance for accounts receivable if a large return occurs after the accounts receivable has been used. For example, if the accounts receivable balance from the 1st to the 10th is 1 million yen, 800,000 yen is charged to a prepaid card from the accounts receivable on the 14th, and 400,000 yen is returned on the 15th, the accounts receivable balance will be -200,000 yen. In this case, if the accounts receivable is negative on the closing date, it will automatically be replenished from accounts receivable from the day after the closing date. If the balance is positive on the next closing date, a transfer will be made. If it is still negative, it will be replenished until the next closing date. When the accounts receivable is negative for a defined number of n closing days, an alarm mail is sent to the management center server 20, and the management center server 20 takes action to have the member store user transfer the amount to settle the account.

[0038] In addition, the following functions and operations may be possible as other functions and operations.

[0039] In step S27, Company A is able to perform various operations and view information via the portal site. For example, Company A is able to perform withdrawals, cancel withdrawals, view withdrawal history, etc. via the withdrawal menu.

[0040] Step S27 may be implemented in cooperation with an ATM receiving system (step S29).

[0041] In step S31, as a final process, settlement is enabled. For example, if 100,000 yen is withdrawn in step S21, 100,000 yen of the accounts receivable balance of 1 million yen is transferred to Company F's bank account (see arrow R3 in Figure 3).

[0042] In step S33, the management center server 20 transfers the withdrawn amount from the accounts receivable to the bank account.

[0043] Settlements between merchant users and credit card companies (card issuing companies 40) for credit card payments are carried out on bank business days, but to allow for national holidays and the anniversary of the transferor's founding, which fall on different dates each year, a "settlement calendar" for the entire fiscal year is prepared and transfer dates are managed within the fiscal year. For settlements between merchants and credit card companies (card issuing companies 40), amounts used from the 1st to the 15th are transferred at the end of the month. For amounts used from the 16th to the end of the month, transfers are made on the 15th of the following month. If the transfer date falls on a holiday, the transfer will be made on the following business day for transfers made on the 15th. For transfers made at the end of the month, the transfer will be made on the immediately preceding business day. National holidays and special holidays for the transferor are registered in the system. The settlement closing date, transfer data creation date, and transfer date are automatically registered in the calendar, and deductions for charges, etc., from accounts receivable are also automated. For transfers made on the 15th, if the 15th is a holiday, the transfer date will be the business day immediately following. The shortest business day n searched before the 15th is set as the transfer data creation date. n-1 is set as the closing date, and the accumulated accounts receivable is used to charge the prepaid card, any amounts withdrawn at the ATM are deleted, and the data is reflected to create the transfer data. For transfers at the end of the month, if the end of the month is a holiday, the search is forward and the immediately preceding business day x is set as the transfer date. The search is forward from x and the shortest business day y is set as the transfer data creation date. y-1 is set as the closing date, and the accumulated accounts receivable is used to charge the prepaid card, any amounts withdrawn at the ATM are deducted, and the data is reflected to create the transfer data.

[0044] In Figure 3, Company A is shown as a representative user, but it is assumed that there are multiple users. Therefore, the system shown in Figure 3 applies to each user. Company F may be common to each user, common to multiple users, or may exist for each user.

[0045] Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a hardware configuration capable of realizing the various functions of this embodiment will be described.

[0046] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the processing device 100. The processing device 100 may form the above-mentioned management center server 20, or a plurality of user terminals 10, 11, 12, 13, etc.

[0047] In the example shown in FIG. 5 , the processing device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 113, an auxiliary storage device 114, a drive device 115, and a communication interface 117, all connected by a bus 119, as well as a wired transceiver unit 125 and a wireless transceiver unit 126 connected to the communication interface 117.

[0048] The auxiliary storage device 114 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD), and is a storage device that stores data related to application software, etc. The wired transceiver 125 includes a transceiver that can communicate using a wired network. Peripheral devices (not shown) are connected to the wired transceiver 125. However, some or all of the peripheral devices (not shown) may be connected to the bus 119 or the wireless transceiver 126. In the case of the processing device 100 that forms the user terminal 11 or the doctor terminal 12, the peripheral devices may include a display and an input device.

[0049] The wireless transceiver 126 is a transceiver capable of communicating using a wireless network. The wireless network may include a wireless communication network for mobile phones, the Internet, a virtual private network (VPN), a wide area network (WAN), etc. The wireless transceiver 126 may also include a near field communication (NFC) unit, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication unit, a Wi-Fi (Wireless-Fidelity (registered trademark)) transceiver unit, an infrared transceiver unit, etc.

[0050] The processing device 100 may be connectable to a recording medium 116. The recording medium 116 stores a predetermined program. The program stored in this recording medium 116 is installed in the auxiliary storage device 114 of the processing device 100 via the drive device 115. The installed predetermined program can be executed by the CPU 111 of the processing device 100. For example, the recording medium 116 may be a recording medium that records information optically, electrically, or magnetically, such as a CD (Compact Disc)-ROM, a flexible disk, or a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory that records information electrically, such as a ROM or a flash memory. The recording medium 116 does not include a carrier wave.

[0051] Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a plurality of components of the above-described embodiments.

[0052] For example, although the above-described embodiment relates to credit accounts receivable, it can be applied to any accounts receivable. For example, all payment methods other than cash, such as credit cards, electronic money, and QR codes used in stores, generate accounts receivable, and the present invention can be applied to any payment method that generates such accounts receivable.

[0053] Furthermore, when an account receivable is generated, the amount added to the balance of the prepaid card may be an amount corresponding to the account receivable, and may be the full amount of the account receivable or a portion thereof multiplied by a predetermined coefficient. In this case, the predetermined coefficient may be variable depending on a predetermined parameter (e.g., creditworthiness).

[0054] In addition, in the system shown in FIG. 3, when the deposit of company F falls below a threshold, a notification to that effect may be sent to company F.

[0055] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiments.

[0056] (Appendix 1)

[0057] (1) A program that causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring data on credit accounts receivable (e.g., accounts receivable) generated at a store, and adding an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store, either immediately upon acquisition or at a specified time.

[0058] (2) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer is further made to execute a process that allows the user to select whether to charge the data of the accounts receivable to a prepaid card or to transfer the data to a convenience store bank.

[0059] (3) In the configuration of (2) above, the management center server company further causes the computer to execute a process of transferring the deposit to a convenience store bank in advance.

[0060] (4) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer is further caused to execute a process of transmitting data on accounts receivable generated at the one store to a management center server.

[0061] (5) In the configuration of (1) above, the computer is further configured to execute a process in which the accounts receivable incurred by the one store are temporarily paid by the management center server company and then deposited in a lump sum by the card issuing company to the management center server company over a predetermined period of time.

[0062] (6) In the configuration of (2) above, the computer is further configured to generate a personal identification number when withdrawing money from the convenience store bank and to add the branch number to the personal identification number.

[0063] (7) An information processing method executed by a computer, which includes acquiring data on credit accounts receivable incurred at a store and, immediately upon acquisition or at a specified time, adding an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store.

[0064] (8) An information processing device configured to acquire data on credit accounts receivable incurred at a store and, upon acquisition, immediately or at a specified time, add an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store.

[0065] 1 Information processing system 10 to 13 User terminal 10a to 13a Display unit 20 Management center server 40 Card issuing company 50 Convenience store bank 51 Payment terminal 60 Network

Claims

1. A program that causes a computer to execute a process to acquire data on accounts receivable generated at a single store, and, immediately upon acquiring the data, or at a specified time, add an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in association with the store.

2. The program according to claim 1, further causing a computer to execute a process for selecting whether to charge the data of said accounts receivable to said prepaid card or to transfer the data to a financial institution.

3. The program according to claim 2, further causing the computer to execute a process in which the management center server company transfers a deposit to said financial institution in advance.

4. The program according to claim 1, further causing a computer to execute a process of transmitting the data on the accounts receivable generated at said one store to a management center server.

5. The program described in claim 1, further causing the computer to execute a process in which the amount corresponding to the accounts receivable incurred at said one store is paid temporarily by the management center server company, and then the card issuing company deposits the amount in a lump sum to said management center server company over a specified period of time.

6. The program according to claim 2, further causing the computer to execute a process of generating a PIN number for withdrawing money from said financial institution and adding a branch number to said PIN number.

7. An information processing method executed by a computer, comprising: acquiring data on accounts receivable generated at a store; and adding an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in correspondence with said store, either immediately after said acquisition or at a specified time.

8. An information processing device configured to acquire data on accounts receivable incurred at a store, and upon acquisition, either immediately or at a specified time, add an amount corresponding to the accounts receivable to the balance of a prepaid card registered in correspondence with the store.

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