Payment method and device for electronic meal coupon

Abstract

Disclosed are a payment method for an electronic meal coupon and a device therefor. According to an aspect of the present invention, provided are a payment method for an electronic meal coupon and a device therefor, wherein when a meal is paid for at an affiliated store that has already subscribed to an electronic meal coupon service, a meal fee combining corporate points issued by paying with a corporate payment means and personal points charged by paying with a personal payment means is generated, and an electronic meal coupon comprising a touch area that moves according to a specific pattern is generated in the affiliated store, and the electronic meal coupon is used in the affiliated store.

Description

Electronic meal ticket payment methods and devices

[0001] The present embodiment relates to an electronic ticket payment method and device.

[0002] The content described in this section merely provides background information for the present embodiment and does not constitute prior art.

[0003] Typically, companies issue paper or electronic meal coupons (hereinafter referred to as "users") to their employees (hereinafter referred to as "users") for use at the company cafeteria or nearby restaurants. This meal coupon system requires users to submit the coupons directly to the franchise owner, creating inconveniences for both users and franchisees in managing the coupons.

[0004] Accordingly, active research is being conducted on technology that provides users with an electronic meal coupon application to pay for electronic meal coupons.

[0005] However, the current electronic ticket application simply generates the electronic ticket as a coupon screen. When the user shows the coupon screen to the merchant, the merchant checks to see if a matching coupon is already stored on the merchant's terminal and then processes the transaction. This method causes delays in payment for both the merchant and the user, and if the payment amount exceeds the limit, additional payment must be made using a more conventional payment method, such as cash or credit card.

[0006] In addition, the validity of the electronic meal ticket is determined by the merchant by looking at the coupon screen, and since the determination must be made within a limited time, there is a risk of using an expired or forged meal ticket.

[0007] The present embodiment provides a method for paying for an electronic meal coupon at a merchant that has subscribed to the electronic meal coupon service, wherein the user pays for the meal using a combination of corporate points issued through a corporate payment method and personal points charged through a personal payment method. The electronic meal coupon includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern and generates an electronic meal coupon corresponding to the meal price. The main purpose of this embodiment is to provide a method for paying for an electronic meal coupon and a device therefor.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for paying for an electronic meal ticket using a terminal is provided, comprising: a list generation process for generating a list of member stores based on information about member stores registered for an electronic meal ticket service; a point management process for storing corporate points paid by a company and personal points paid by an individual; an electronic meal ticket payment process for combining the corporate points and the personal points to pay for a meal based on menu information provided by at least one member store selected from the list of member stores, with reference to a corporate usage limit; and an electronic meal ticket generation process for generating an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the meal price, wherein the electronic meal ticket includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium for executing the electronic meal ticket generation process, which comprises: a list generation process for generating a list of member stores based on information about member stores subscribed to an electronic meal ticket service; a point management process for storing corporate points paid by a company and personal points paid by an individual; an electronic meal ticket payment process for combining the corporate points and the personal points with reference to the corporate usage limit when paying for a meal based on menu information provided by at least one member store selected from the list of member stores; and a computer program for executing the electronic meal ticket generation process for generating an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the meal price, wherein the electronic meal ticket includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern.

[0010] In addition, according to another aspect of the present embodiment, a method for paying for an electronic meal ticket using a terminal is provided, comprising: a list generation unit for generating a list of member stores based on information about member stores that have subscribed to an electronic meal ticket service; a point management unit for storing corporate points paid by a company and personal points paid by an individual; an electronic meal ticket payment unit for combining the corporate points and the personal points to pay for a meal with reference to a corporate usage limit when paying for a meal based on menu information provided by at least one member store selected from the list of member stores; and an electronic meal ticket payment terminal characterized in that it includes an electronic meal ticket generation unit for generating an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the meal ticket, wherein the electronic meal ticket includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern.

[0011] As described above, according to this embodiment, when a user makes a payment using an electronic meal ticket at a merchant, the meal cost is paid at once by combining the corporate points paid through a corporate payment method and the personal points charged through a personal payment method, thereby achieving the effect of making the payment without an additional payment method.

[0012] Additionally, merchants can easily determine the validity of an electronic ticket by observing the touch area that moves according to the preset pattern. This can reduce the use of expired or counterfeit electronic tickets and increase the reliability of the electronic ticket system.

[0013] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electronic ticket system (10) according to the present embodiment.

[0014] FIG. 2 is an example screen diagram for representing an electronic ticket including a touch area that moves according to a pattern according to the present embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 is an example of a digital character that can be set as a pattern according to this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 4 is an example of an arbitrary pattern input by a franchisee according to this embodiment.

[0017] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an electronic ticket payment method according to the present embodiment.

[0018] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a method for extending and canceling the validity period of an electronic ticket according to the present embodiment.

[0019] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing a method for multiple users to make a payment together according to the present embodiment.

[0020] FIGS. 8A to 8D are flowcharts illustrating a method for setting a pattern according to the present embodiment.

[0021] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When designating components in each drawing, it should be noted that, where possible, identical components will be given the same reference numbers, even if they appear in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known related structures or functions will be omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0022] In addition, terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe components of the present invention. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by these terms. Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" or "have" a component, this does not mean that other components are excluded, but rather that other components may be further included, unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, terms such as "part" and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0023] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically showing an electronic ticket system (10) according to the present embodiment.

[0024] The electronic meal ticket system (10) according to the present embodiment includes all or part of a terminal (110), a merchant terminal (130), an electronic meal ticket management server (150), and a corporate terminal (160). The electronic meal ticket system (10) illustrated in FIG. 1 is according to one embodiment, and not all blocks illustrated in FIG. 1 are essential components, and some blocks included in the electronic meal ticket system in other embodiments may be added, changed, or deleted. For example, a terminal management server for managing the terminal (110) or a merchant terminal management server for managing the merchant terminal (130) may be added.

[0025] The electronic meal ticket system (10) provides an electronic meal ticket platform that enables settlement between affiliated stores and businesses when users (hereinafter, "users"), such as employees of businesses, use electronic meal tickets generated on a terminal (110). Each component included in the electronic meal ticket system (10) will be described below.

[0026] The terminal (110) can perform electronic meal coupon service by being equipped with an electronic meal coupon application (120) for generating, using, and managing electronic meal coupons. The terminal (110) operates the electronic meal coupon application (120) by a user's operation or command, and provides electronic meal coupon service on the operated electronic meal coupon application (120). The electronic meal coupon application (120) includes all or part of a merchant list generation unit (121), a point management unit (122), an expiration date renewal unit (123), a cancellation unit (124), an electronic meal coupon generation unit (125), an electronic meal coupon payment unit (126), an electronic meal coupon use unit (127), an input unit (128), and a wireless communication unit (129). However, although FIG. 1 illustrates these as components operated as components, this is not necessarily limited thereto, and each component may be implemented as a module included in the terminal (110).

[0027] The terminal (110) according to this embodiment generates an electronic meal ticket by prepaying the meal price using stored corporate points and personal points, and allows the generated electronic meal ticket to be used at a merchant. Here, the electronic meal ticket includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern.

[0028] Figure 2 is an example screen diagram for representing an electronic ticket including a touch area that moves according to a pattern according to the present embodiment. The touch area (210) of the electronic ticket according to the present embodiment moves within a portion of the electronic ticket, but is not necessarily limited to this example. For example, the touch area (210) of the electronic ticket may move within the entire portion of the electronic ticket or within a random portion of the electronic ticket.

[0029] Below, each component included in the electronic ticket system (10) will be described in detail.

[0030] The affiliated store list generation unit (121) generates an affiliated store list based on information about affiliated stores that have signed up for the electronic meal ticket service. The affiliated store list generation unit (121) extracts affiliated store information that satisfies one or more conditions among affiliated stores located within a preset area, affiliated stores located within a preset distance based on the current location of the terminal (110), affiliated stores previously selected from a corporate terminal (160), and affiliated stores available in real time based on the affiliated store's holidays or operating hours, and generates an affiliated store list based on the extracted affiliated store information.

[0031] The affiliated store list generation unit (121) sorts the affiliated store list according to a classification request signal input by the user, if present. For example, the affiliated store list generation unit (121) may sort the affiliated store list generated based on the classification request signal according to conditions such as time zone, popularity, and distance.

[0032] The point management department (122) stores and manages corporate points and individual points.

[0033] The Points Management Department (122) stores corporate points paid using corporate payment methods and regularly distributed to departments or users. Here, corporate points refer to points regularly distributed at set intervals, such as monthly or annual, according to corporate policy.

[0034] The Points Management Department (122) stores individual points purchased separately from corporate points using any personal payment method, such as a credit card, T-Money, prepaid card, or simple payment. Here, individual points refer to points that a user can personally recharge and use. Individual points can be used alone, but can also be combined with corporate points.

[0035] The point management unit (122) separately stores charging and usage records for corporate points and individual points, and when a point history request is input by a user, outputs the status of charging and usage records for each of the corporate points and individual points to a display unit (not shown) provided in the terminal (110). For example, when a point history request signal is input, the point management unit (122) can provide information such as integrated point information that combines corporate points and individual points, available point information for each of the corporate points and individual points, and used point information based on the point history request signal.

[0036] In addition, the point management department (122) modifies and manages corporate points and individual points by reflecting in real time the points deducted as meal expenses are paid.

[0037] The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) processes meal payments by combining corporate points and individual points, referring to a preset usage limit. When paying for meals, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) processes meal payments by combining corporate points and individual points, referring to a preset corporate usage limit, based on menu information provided by a selected merchant from the merchant list.

[0038] The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) pays for a meal by adding up the amount corresponding to all or part of the corporate points and individual points, respectively. When paying for a meal at an affiliated store, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) processes the meal using only the corporate points if the price of the corresponding menu item can be paid using only the corporate points. On the other hand, when paying for a meal at an affiliated store, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) adds a portion of the individual points to pay for the meal if the corporate points cannot be used due to reasons such as the corporate spending limit or if the price of the corresponding menu item exceeds the corporate spending limit. In other words, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) processes the meal payment using only the corporate points, individual points, or a combination of corporate points and individual points. Here, the corporate spending limit refers to the upper limit of the corporate points that can be used for payment of a meal, such as the daily spending limit and the maximum spending limit. Here, the daily spending limit refers to the limit set by the corporate policy on the amount of corporate points that can be used in a day, and the maximum spending limit refers to the limit set by the maximum amount of corporate points that can be used in a single payment.

[0039] If the corporate usage limit is set to a daily usage limit, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) automatically deducts an amount corresponding to the daily usage limit from the corporate points as part of the meal cost, and deducts the remaining meal cost from the individual points to process the meal cost payment. The individual points can be deducted automatically or manually based on user input.

[0040] When the corporate usage limit is set to the maximum usage limit, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) first deducts an amount corresponding to all or part of the maximum usage limit from the corporate points as part of the meal cost, and then deducts the remaining meal cost from the individual points to process the payment. Here, corporate points and individual points can be deducted based on the user's input.

[0041] The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) automatically distributes corporate points and individual points according to a preset usage ratio when combining corporate points and individual points to process meal payments. For example, if the usage ratio of corporate points and individual points is set to '6:4', the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) automatically deducts '6,000 points' from corporate points and '4,000 points' from individual points to process meal payments of '10,000 won'.

[0042] In addition, the electronic ticket payment unit (126) can process payments between multiple users or user location-based payments.

[0043] In the case of 'joint payment', that is, when one user pays first and multiple users share the cost later, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) can make a payment by linking with multiple terminals to create a single integrated meal ticket. For User 1 among multiple users who uses the joint payment mode, the electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) allows User 1 to select a member with whom he or she will participate in the joint payment. User 1 inputs the meal amount to be jointly paid into his or her terminal (110). After input, an approval request signal is sent to the individual terminals of the joint payment members requesting individual points corresponding to the divided payment amount. The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) adds up the individual points that have been approved and pays the integrated meal amount. The electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) generates an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the integrated meal amount. A specific joint payment method will be described later along with the flowchart of FIG. 7.

[0044] In the case of 'location-based payment', i.e., payment based on the user's location, the terminal (110) obtains location information (latitude, longitude, etc.) through GPS reception or other methods. It is assumed that the information for generating the merchant list includes the location information of each merchant.

[0045] The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) obtains the location information of the terminal (110) and selects a specific merchant from the generated merchant list that matches the location information of the terminal (110). If the merchant can be selected, the menu information of the selected merchant is displayed, allowing the user to immediately pay for the meal based on the menu information. If an electronic meal ticket for the selected merchant has already been created, the list of electronic meal tickets is displayed instead of the merchant's menu information. If the merchant cannot be selected, a notification indicating that selection is not possible is displayed.

[0046] The electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) includes a touch area (210) that moves according to a preset pattern and generates an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the meal price. The "pre-set pattern" refers to a pattern set by the merchant where the meal ticket is used through the merchant terminal (130) before the electronic meal ticket is generated. The "merchant side" refers to the merchant owner using the merchant terminal (130) according to the present embodiment.

[0047] The touch area (210) of the electronic ticket can be visually displayed on the display unit (not shown) of the terminal (110).

[0048] The pattern must be set before the electronic meal ticket is generated. However, in case the merchant does not set a pattern before the electronic meal ticket is generated, it is advisable to set a default pattern in the merchant terminal (130) or electronic meal ticket management server (150). In this case, this default pattern becomes the 'pre-set pattern.'

[0049] The pattern can be any arbitrary pattern created by the merchant. The pattern set at the time of electronic ticket creation can be changed at any time by the merchant even after the ticket is created. For example, the merchant can set different patterns depending on the day of the week or time of day.

[0050] Specifically, the merchant terminal (130) includes a pattern designation unit (141) that designates a pattern along which the touch area (210) of the electronic ticket moves. At this time, the pattern is designated by the merchant selecting one of the digital characters illustrated in FIG. 3 or directly inputting a pattern as illustrated in FIG. 4 through the merchant terminal (130). Notifications for pattern changes can be set to periodically change the pattern, or the pattern applied can be varied by day of the week or time.

[0051] When a franchisee selects a pattern shape setting menu on a franchise terminal (130) to set a pattern shape, a list of settable patterns is displayed on the franchise terminal (130). When a franchisee selects a specific pattern, the pattern designation unit (141) stores it in the franchise terminal (130) and sends the stored pattern information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150).

[0052] To set a pattern shape, the franchisee selects the user-created pattern setting menu and then inputs an arbitrary pattern into the franchise terminal (130). The pattern designation unit (141) stores the input pattern in the franchise terminal (130) and sends the stored pattern information to the electronic ticket management server (150).

[0053] To set a pattern shape, the franchisee selects a day-of-the-week or hour-of-the-hour setting menu, then sets a list of days or hours and a pattern to be set for each day or hour on the franchisee terminal (130). The pattern designation unit (141) stores the pattern applied to a specific day or hour on the franchisee terminal (130) and sends the stored information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150).

[0054] To set a pattern, the franchisee selects the pattern change notification setting menu and then selects a specific notification time and cycle. The pattern designation unit (141) stores the notification time and cycle information in the franchisee terminal (130) and sends the information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150).

[0055] The electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) can generate an electronic meal ticket that includes personal information such as user name, phone number, department, and position, and identification information identical to that of the affiliated store terminal (130). Here, the identification information can be the color of the electronic meal ticket, personal information, the amount of the meal paid, and the identification code number assigned when generating the electronic meal ticket.

[0056] Specifically, the electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) can generate electronic meal tickets in different colors each time an electronic meal ticket is generated. It is preferable that the electronic meal tickets be generated in a color randomly selected from a number of colors to facilitate the distinction between multiple electronic meal tickets, but this is not necessarily limited to this. Electronic meal tickets may also be generated in a color determined in response to preset criteria such as price range, franchise, and meal time (lunch or dinner, etc.).

[0057] When the electronic ticket generation unit (125) receives a payment completion signal from the merchant terminal, it adds ticket usage information to the used electronic ticket. In this case, a "Used" stamp or other indication of completion of use may be displayed on the electronic ticket.

[0058] Electronic meal tickets can have an expiration date. If a pre-set expiration date exists, the electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) generates an electronic meal ticket with the set expiration date. If an expiration date is set after the electronic meal ticket is created, the expiration date information is included in the electronic meal ticket upon receiving the information. If the expiration date changes, the expiration date of the electronic meal ticket is updated upon receiving the change information. In this case, the newly included or changed expiration date becomes the "pre-set expiration date."

[0059] When the electronic meal ticket application (120) is executed, the validity period renewal unit (123) checks which of the generated electronic meal tickets are within the renewal period. The renewal period is either a default period set in the electronic meal ticket application (120) or a period specified by the user, and is determined based on the expiration date of each meal ticket.

[0060] The validity period renewal unit (123) verifies whether the generated electronic coupons are within the extendable validity period and notifies the user of the results. If the user wishes to extend the validity period, the user inputs the relevant information, and the validity period renewal unit (123) extends the validity period of the electronic coupon. If the validity period of the electronic coupon has expired but the validity period is not extended, the cancellation unit (124) deletes the corresponding electronic coupon object within the electronic coupon application (120). The validity period renewal unit (123) and the cancellation unit (124) are described below along with the flowchart of FIG. 6.

[0061] When the electronic ticket touch area (210) receives a touch input, the electronic ticket usage unit (127) processes the electronic ticket as being used. Preferably, the person touching the touch area (210) is the franchisee. In this case, the franchisee can confirm whether the use of a valid ticket is being made by checking whether the touch area (210) of the electronic ticket moves according to a preset pattern.

[0062] Touching the touch area (210) is used to confirm the validity of the electronic ticket, and the completion of use of the electronic ticket can be achieved when the terminal (110) and the merchant terminal (130) transmit and receive signals regarding the use of the electronic ticket. In this case, the electronic ticket is processed as completed for use only when condition 1, in which the touch area (210) is touched, and condition 2, in which the terminal (110) receives a use signal from the merchant terminal (130), are simultaneously met.

[0063] The touch area (210) of the electronic ticket can be implemented as a button that receives a payment completion signal from a store owner or a store terminal (130), and at this time, a button that moves according to a preset pattern becomes a button.

[0064] The input unit (128) performs an operation of receiving or acquiring various input signals for using the electronic ticket service. The input unit (128) acquires input signals input in various forms such as touch input, voice input, text input, and button input, and transmits the input signals to the corresponding components of the terminal (110) so that an operation corresponding to the input signal is performed.

[0065] The wireless communication unit (129) performs operations of transmitting and receiving various data and signals in conjunction with terminals that are linked to the electronic meal ticket system (10). Here, the wireless communication unit (129) can change the state of the electronic meal ticket using a wireless communication method. For example, the wireless communication unit (129) can change the pattern along which the touch area (210) of the electronic meal ticket moves using one of the wireless communication methods such as NFC (Near Field Communication), BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), WIFI (Wireless Local Area Network), UWB (Ultra Wideband), Radio Frequency (Radio Frequency), IrDA (Infrared Data Association), Zigbee, QR code (Quick Response Code), etc.

[0066] The merchant terminal (130) refers to a terminal (130) installed in a merchant that has subscribed to the electronic meal ticket service in order to provide the electronic meal ticket service. Here, the merchant terminal (130) may be a terminal carried by the merchant owner, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be implemented as, for example, a POS (Point of Sale) device or a KIOSK device, as long as the manager application (140) is installed and can be operated. The merchant terminal (130) may provide the electronic meal ticket service by linking with the terminal (110) using NFC (Near Field Communication), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), wireless LAN (WIFI), Ultra Wideband (UWB), Radio Frequency (RF), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Zigbee, QR code (Quick Response Code), etc.

[0067] The merchant terminal (130) is equipped with a manager application (140) for pattern designation, settlement, and management of electronic meal tickets, and performs electronic meal ticket services. The merchant terminal (130) operates the manager application (140) according to the operation or command of the merchant owner, and provides electronic meal ticket services on the operated manager application (140). In Fig. 1, the manager application (140) is illustrated as including a pattern designation unit (141), a payment confirmation unit (142), a sales management unit (144), a payment cancellation unit (146), and a settlement processing unit (148), but this is not necessarily limited thereto, and each component may be implemented as a module included in the merchant terminal (130).

[0068] Regarding the pattern designation unit (141), it is the same as that described in the electronic ticket generation unit (125) of the terminal (110).

[0069] The payment confirmation unit (142) performs an operation of confirming and displaying whether the electronic meal ticket generated by the terminal (110) has been used. The payment confirmation unit (142) obtains and stores an electronic meal ticket for a merchant with the same identification information as when the electronic meal ticket was generated by the terminal (110), and, when the electronic meal ticket is used, changes the electronic meal ticket for the merchant to display a completed use mark. For example, the payment confirmation unit (142) can separately store and display completed and unused electronic meal tickets, and change the electronic meal ticket to display a stamp with the phrase "complete use" on it.

[0070] The sales management department (144) manages sales information for franchisees. The sales management department (144) provides sales information for manually entered periods, preset periods, monthly periods, daily periods, and other query periods. While it is preferable that the sales information be obtained through linkage with the electronic ticket management server (150), it is not necessarily limited to this.

[0071] The payment cancellation unit (146) performs payment cancellation for a previously processed electronic meal ticket. If a payment cancellation request exists due to a merchant's request from the terminal (110) or other reasons, the payment cancellation unit (146) inputs the identification code number of the electronic meal ticket to confirm whether the electronic meal ticket has been used and cancels the payment for the electronic meal ticket.

[0072] The settlement processing unit (148) provides a categorized list of completed meal expenses by company or payment method using corporate and individual points. The settlement processing unit (148) processes the amounts paid using corporate or individual payment methods to be settled on a preset date and provides unprocessed settlement details.

[0073] The electronic meal ticket management server (150) transmits and receives various data related to the electronic meal ticket service, and stores and manages various data related to the electronic meal ticket. The electronic meal ticket management server (150) can store and manage various data related to the electronic meal ticket processed between the terminal (110) and the merchant terminal (130), such as the number of electronic meal tickets generated, the number of electronic meal tickets used, the pattern of the electronic meal ticket touch area (210), meal costs, usage by company, usage by department, and usage by individual, etc.

[0074] The electronic meal ticket management server (150) registers affiliated stores that have subscribed to the electronic meal ticket service, registers detailed information about the affiliated stores (e.g., business hours, event information, etc.) as affiliated store information, and registers and manages businesses that have subscribed to the electronic meal ticket service and affiliated store owners belonging to the businesses.

[0075] The electronic meal ticket management server (150) may be implemented in the form of a database, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be implemented so that some of the functions of the components of the terminal (110) can be processed by the electronic meal ticket management server (150). For example, the electronic meal ticket management server (150) may be implemented to create a list of merchants using merchant information already registered for the electronic meal ticket service, or to store corporate points and individual points and provide only combined points to the terminal (110) according to a usage limit set in advance by the terminal (110).

[0076] The electronic meal ticket management server (150) generates statistical data for affiliated stores or businesses. When a statistics request signal is received from an affiliated store terminal (140) or a business terminal (160), the electronic meal ticket management server (150) can use data related to previously stored electronic meal tickets to generate statistical data based on conditions such as daily, monthly, periodic, company, and job level, and provide the statistical data to the affiliated store terminal (140) or business terminal (160).

[0077] The electronic ticket management server (150) registers various event information or discount information obtained from the affiliated store terminal (130) and sends the registered event information or discount information to the terminal (110) in the form of a text message, etc.

[0078] The corporate terminal (160) is linked to the electronic meal ticket management server (150), and performs operations to pay corporate points and provide them to the terminal (110), and manage various data and status regarding the electronic meal ticket service.

[0079] The corporate terminal (160) can access the electronic meal ticket management server (150) to perform employee management, point management, and settlement management, and can check the list of affiliated stores, the status of electronic meal tickets use, etc.

[0080] Fig. 2 is an exemplary diagram showing an electronic meal ticket including a touch area (210) that moves according to a pattern according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 2, the electronic meal ticket may display the name of the affiliated store to be used, the meal ticket identification code number, the date and time of generation, the meal price, etc. In addition, a barcode for communicating with the affiliated store terminal (130) may be displayed. The touch area (210) of the electronic meal ticket may move according to a specific pattern within a portion of the electronic meal ticket as shown in Fig. 2, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, the touch area may move across the entire area of ​​the electronic meal ticket, and the area that moves randomly may change each time. The electronic meal ticket may display the paid meal price as shown in Fig. 2, and the affiliated store terminal (130)

[0081] Figure 3 is an example diagram of digital characters that can be set to a preset pattern according to the present embodiment. The franchisee can select a pattern similar to the example in Figure 3 through the franchisee terminal (130), and the patterns selectable by the franchisee are not limited to the example in Figure 3.

[0082] FIG. 4 is an example diagram of an arbitrary pattern input from a franchisee through a franchise terminal, which can be set as a preset pattern according to the present embodiment. The franchisee can input a pattern like the example of FIG. 4 into the franchise terminal (130), and the patterns that the franchisee can input are not limited to the example of FIG. 4.

[0083] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic ticket payment method according to the present embodiment.

[0084] The merchant list (121) creates a merchant list using merchant information already registered for the electronic ticket service (S510), and the point management unit (122) stores corporate points paid through corporate payment methods and personal points charged through personal payment methods (S520).

[0085] The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) processes meal payment by combining corporate points and personal points based on menu information provided by at least one merchant selected from the merchant list (S530).

[0086] The electronic ticket generation unit (125) includes a touch area (210) that moves according to a preset pattern and generates an electronic ticket corresponding to the meal price (S540).

[0087] The electronic ticket usage section (127) processes the electronic ticket usage when the store owner touches the touch area (210) (S550).

[0088] The affiliated store terminal (130) performs settlement processing for the used electronic ticket (S560).

[0089] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for extending the validity period of an electronic meal ticket and canceling an electronic meal ticket when a validity period is set for an electronic meal ticket according to the present embodiment.

[0090] When the electronic meal ticket application (120) is executed, the validity period renewal unit (123) verifies whether the generated electronic meal tickets are within the validity extension period (S610). If an electronic meal ticket is within the extendable period, the unit asks the user whether to extend the validity period of the electronic meal ticket (S620). If the user does not extend the validity period of the electronic meal ticket, the unit checks whether the validity period of the electronic meal ticket has expired (S622). If the validity period has expired, the electronic meal ticket application (120) deletes the electronic meal ticket object and initiates the electronic meal ticket cancellation process, which generates a deletion notification (S624).

[0091] When a user extends the validity period of an electronic ticket, the electronic ticket generation unit (125) changes the validity period of the electronic ticket (S630).

[0092] When the validity period of an electronic meal ticket is changed or the electronic meal ticket is cancelled, the validity period renewal unit (123) transmits the relevant information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150) (S640).

[0093] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for multiple users to make a payment together according to the present embodiment.

[0094] When the electronic ticket application (120) according to this embodiment is executed, a list of affiliated stores is created (S710) and corporate points and individual points are stored (S720).

[0095] The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) checks whether the joint payment mode, in which multiple people make payments at the same time, is being used (S730). When paying for a meal using the joint payment mode, a joint payment member is selected from the member list (S740), and the meal price is input for each of the user's terminal (110) and the terminals of the joint payment members (S742). The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) transmits an approval request signal requesting individual points corresponding to the payment amount to the individual terminals of the joint payment members (S744). The electronic meal ticket payment unit (126) obtains an approval response signal including the individual points approved based on the approval request signal (S746). When approval response signals are obtained from all terminals of the joint payment members (S750), the points of the terminal (110) and the individual points included in the approval response signals of each of the terminals of the paying members are added together to pay the entire integrated meal price (S751). At this time, the electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) generates an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the integrated meal price (S752). Here, electronic voucher means an electronic voucher for all members paying together.

[0096] If an approval response signal is obtained from the terminals of some of the members who participated in the joint payment (S760), the points of the terminal (110) and the individual points included in the approval response signals of each of the terminals of the paying members are added together to pay a portion of the combined meal price (S761). At this time, the electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) generates an electronic meal ticket corresponding to a portion of the combined meal price (S762). Here, the terminals of the joint paying members whose approval response signal is missing can process the payment of the corresponding meal price on their own to generate an electronic meal ticket (S770).

[0097] Meanwhile, if the electronic meal ticket payment unit (110) fails to obtain an approval response signal from all terminals of the payment members (S760), it only pays for the meal price of the terminal (110) (S732). The electronic meal ticket generation unit (125) generates an electronic meal ticket corresponding to the meal price of the terminal (110) among the integrated meal prices (S770).

[0098] When an electronic ticket is used, an electronic ticket separately generated at a merchant terminal (130) is used (S780), and the merchant terminal (130) performs a settlement process for the used electronic ticket (S790).

[0099] Figures 8a to 8d are flowcharts illustrating a method for setting a pattern according to the present embodiment. When a franchisee selects the pattern setting menu in the administrator application (140) (S800), he or she can select any one of the pattern shape setting menu, the user-created pattern setting menu, the day-of-the-week / hour-by-hour setting menu, and the pattern change notification setting menu.

[0100] Referring to Fig. 8a, when a franchisee selects a pattern shape setting menu on a franchisee terminal (130) (S810), a list of configurable patterns is displayed on the franchisee terminal (130) (S812). If a previously set pattern exists (S813), the pattern is also displayed. When a franchisee selects a pattern (S814), the pattern designation unit (141) stores it in the franchisee terminal (130) and sends the stored pattern information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150) (S816).

[0101] Referring to Fig. 8b, when the franchisee selects the user-created pattern setting menu (S820), a window for entering a pattern is displayed on the franchisee terminal (130) (S822). The franchisee inputs an arbitrary pattern into the displayed window (S824) and sends a signal indicating that the input is complete. The pattern designation unit (141) confirms whether the franchisee will use the pattern (S826), stores the pattern in the franchisee terminal (130), and sends the stored pattern information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150) (S828).

[0102] Referring to FIG. 8c, when the franchisee selects a day-of-the-week or hour-of-the-hour setting menu (S830), the pattern setting unit (141) displays a list of configurable days or hours (S832). If the franchisee selects a specific day or hour, the pattern to be set for that day or hour is selected (S834). Once these settings are made, the pattern setting unit (141) stores the specific day or hour and the pattern to be applied at that time in the franchisee terminal (130) and sends the corresponding information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150) (S836).

[0103] Referring to FIG. 8d, when a franchisee selects a pattern change notification setting menu (S840), a list of configurable notification times and cycles is displayed on the franchisee terminal (130) (S842). When the franchisee selects a specific notification time and cycle (S844 and S846), the pattern designation unit (141) stores the notification time and cycle information in the franchisee terminal (130) and sends the corresponding information to the electronic meal ticket management server (150) (S848).

[0104] Although FIGS. 5 to 8 (FIGS. 8a to 8d) describe the steps of the process as being executed sequentially, this is merely an illustrative description of the technical idea of ​​one embodiment of the present invention. In other words, a person having ordinary skill in the art to which one embodiment of the present invention pertains may change and execute the order described in FIGS. 5 to 8 without departing from the essential characteristics of one embodiment of the present invention, or may modify and modify and apply various methods such as executing one or more of the steps in parallel, and thus the present invention is not limited to the chronological order of FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0105] Meanwhile, as described above, the operations of the terminal (110) and the merchant terminal (130) according to the present embodiment described in FIG. 1 may be implemented as a program and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium on which the program for implementing the operations of the terminal (110) and the merchant terminal (130) according to the present embodiment is recorded includes all types of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Such computer-readable recording medium may be a non-transitory medium such as a ROM, a RAM, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and may further include a transitory medium such as a carrier wave (e.g., transmission via the Internet) and a data transmission medium. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed across network-connected computer systems, so that the computer-readable code may be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0106] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein may be implemented as digital electronic circuits, integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various implementations may include implementations of one or more computer programs executable on a programmable system. The programmable system includes at least one programmable processor (which may be a special purpose processor or a general purpose processor) coupled to receive data and instructions from and transmit data and instructions to a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. Computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) include instructions for the programmable processor and are stored on a "computer-readable recording medium."

[0107] A computer-readable recording medium includes any type of recording device that stores data that can be read by a computer system. Such a computer-readable recording medium may be a non-volatile or non-transitory medium, such as a ROM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, memory card, hard disk, magneto-optical disk, storage device, and may further include a transitory medium, such as a carrier wave (e.g., transmitted via the Internet) and a data transmission medium. Furthermore, the computer-readable recording medium may be distributed across network-connected computer systems, so that the computer-readable code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0108] Various implementations of the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented by a programmable computer. The computer includes a programmable processor, a data storage system (including volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or other types of storage systems, or a combination thereof), and at least one communication interface. For example, the programmable computer can be one of a server, a network appliance, a set-top box, an embedded device, a computer expansion module, a personal computer, a laptop, a personal data assistant (PDA), a cloud computing system, or a mobile device.

[0109] The above description is merely an example of the technical idea of ​​the present embodiment, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the present embodiment. Therefore, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present embodiment, but rather to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present embodiment is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present embodiment should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of the present embodiment.

Claims

1. A method for paying for electronic tickets using a terminal, A list creation process that creates a list of merchants based on information about merchants that have signed up for the electronic ticket service; Point management process that stores corporate points paid by companies and personal points paid by individuals; An electronic meal ticket payment process in which the meal cost is paid by combining the corporate points and the individual points with reference to the corporate usage limit based on the menu information provided by at least one selected merchant from the above merchant list; and An electronic ticket generation process that generates an electronic ticket corresponding to the above meal price, wherein the electronic ticket includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern. An electronic ticket payment method characterized by including:

2. In paragraph 1, An electronic ticket payment method characterized by further including an electronic ticket use process in which use of the electronic ticket is completed by touching the touch area.

3. In paragraph 2, The above electronic ticket usage process is: An electronic ticket payment method characterized by receiving a payment completion signal from a merchant terminal.

4. In paragraph 1, The above preset pattern is, An electronic ticket payment method characterized by an arbitrary pattern set through a merchant terminal.

5. In paragraph 1, The above preset pattern is, An electronic ticket payment method characterized by being changeable on a merchant terminal.

6. In paragraph 1, The above preset pattern is, An electronic ticket payment method characterized in that it can be set differently depending on the day of the week or time zone.

7. In paragraph 1, The above electronic ticket is, An electronic ticket payment method characterized by including a preset validity period.

8. In paragraph 7, A process for renewing the validity period to extend the above-mentioned validity period; and If the above validity period is not extended, the cancellation process for canceling the generated electronic ticket An electronic ticket payment method characterized by additionally including:

9. In paragraph 1, The above electronic ticket payment process is: An electronic ticket payment method characterized in that the sum of payment amounts approved for payment from at least one terminal is paid in the above manner.

10. In paragraph 1, The above electronic ticket payment process is: An electronic meal ticket payment method characterized in that a merchant is selected based on location information obtained from the terminal and meal costs are paid based on menu information provided by the selected merchant.

11. In paragraph 1, The above electronic ticket payment process is: An electronic meal ticket payment method characterized in that the meal cost is paid by adding up the amount corresponding to all or part of the corporate points and the individual points, respectively.

12. In paragraph 1, The above electronic ticket creation process is: An electronic meal ticket payment method characterized in that the electronic meal ticket is generated by including at least one piece of identification information among the color of the electronic meal ticket, personal information, the amount of the meal paid, and the identification code number assigned when the electronic meal ticket is generated.

13. A computer program stored in a computer-readable recording medium for executing each step included in the electronic ticket payment method according to any one of paragraphs 1 to 12.

14. In a method for paying for an electronic ticket using a terminal, A list generation unit that generates a list of affiliated stores based on information about affiliated stores registered for the electronic ticket service; A point management unit that stores corporate points paid by companies and personal points paid by individuals; An electronic meal ticket payment unit that combines the corporate points and the individual points to pay for meals based on menu information provided by at least one selected merchant from the above merchant list, with reference to the corporate usage limit; and An electronic ticket generation unit that generates an electronic ticket corresponding to the above meal price, wherein the electronic ticket includes a touch area that moves according to a preset pattern. An electronic ticket payment terminal characterized by including:

Images