JP2018060300A - Purchase management system - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a credit management system that enables a credit within the range of credit amount for each customer even when the balance of the customer's purchase with electronic money is insufficient. A purchase management system 1 that allows for a purchase in response to an application for purchase of goods using electronic money by a customer 4, wherein the electronic money corresponding to an IC card 40 held by the customer 4 is obtained. When the information indicating that the balance is insufficient for the price of the merchandise and the like and allows the sales is detected, the balance of the electronic money corresponding to the IC card 40 is updated to a negative amount for the shortage of the balance. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a payment technique for individual purchases at retail stores and the like, and more particularly to a technique effective when applied to a purchase management system that manages payment for a wallet using electronic money.

  There is an image that the convenience store (which may be abbreviated as “convenience store” in the following), which is widely used, is mainly used by young people, but in reality the young people are moving away from convenience stores. There are statistics. In recent years, the income situation of young people has been severe, and it has been analyzed that similar products such as supermarkets and discount stores can be purchased at lower prices.

  On the other hand, the ratio of senior citizens among convenience store users is increasing, and it seems that there are many senior citizens visiting convenience stores on the 15th of the even month, which is the day of public pension payment. Elderly people withdraw their pensions at banks and post offices, pay utility bills and purchase daily necessities at convenience stores, so sales of daily necessities and miscellaneous goods on the 15th are likely to increase significantly. is there. On the other hand, the elderly households often have a deficit in their monthly household income, and the fact is that they save their savings and are living. In the second half of the month after the pension is paid, the cost per day is reduced. There is also a statistic that people are living with expenses within 1000 yen.

  In this situation, if the elderly who is a pensioner can simply borrow a small amount of money at a time when the household budget is severe, such as the second half of the month after the pension is paid, the minimum living environment is required. It is thought that it contributes to maintenance. In this regard, senior citizens often do not have credit cards, and for example, current card loans provided by banks and consumer finance companies often cannot be borrowed with only pension income. On the other hand, it is conceivable to provide a service (payment) for purchase of a relatively small amount of daily necessities.

  Regarding the establishment of purchase even when the money held by a customer is insufficient in a store such as a retail store, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-115435 (Patent Document 1) lacks the balance of electronic money. It is described that even when the product purchase price cannot be settled, it is possible to perform the settlement without performing the charge operation or using the credit card function. Here, on the assumption that the customer will purchase the product in the future, the points to be granted will be lent in advance, and the granted points (specifically, this is converted into the value of electronic money) ) Can be used for the shortage.

JP 2005-115435 A

  By using the technology described in Patent Document 1, for example, when an elderly person makes a payment with electronic money in a purchase at a convenience store, even if the balance of the electronic money is insufficient, a smooth charge operation is not performed. Payment can be made and daily necessities can be purchased.

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, when the balance of electronic money is insufficient, the point to be given in the future is focused on aiming to continue settlement smoothly while avoiding complicated processing. It is intended to lend, and it does not actively recommend customers a mechanism for lending points or purchasing using credit. In addition, the collection of lent points depends on the future purchase of the customer, and how the value related to the point is collected when the customer does not make any repayment (future purchase) is considered. Not.

  In addition, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, there is no particular mention of a method for determining the credit limit of points, but in the first place, points given by purchase are insignificant (about 0.5% to 1%) In general, the amount is not enough to be used for paying bills. On the other hand, for example, when a common fixed amount can be lent, an excessive amount may be lent depending on the customer. It is also assumed that if the balance is insufficient, points and value itself are given to customers in the form of loans, the points granted or surplus points will be leaked to other stores and services. Is done.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a purchase management system that enables sales within the amount credited for each customer even when the balance of the customer's purchase with electronic money is insufficient. There is.

  The above and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

  Of the inventions disclosed in this application, the outline of typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  A purchase management system according to a representative embodiment of the present invention is a purchase management system that allows a store to make a purchase for an application for purchasing a product or the like using electronic money by a customer at a store, When the balance of the electronic money corresponding to the electronic money card held by the customer is insufficient for the price of the product or the like and information indicating that the sales are allowed is detected, the balance corresponding to the electronic money card is handled. The electronic money balance is updated to a negative amount.

  Among the inventions disclosed in the present application, effects obtained by typical ones will be briefly described as follows.

  In other words, according to the representative embodiment of the present invention, even if the balance is insufficient in the purchase by the customer's electronic money at the store, it is possible to make a purchase within the range of the credit amount for each customer. It becomes.

It is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the structural example of the purchase management system which is one embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the example of the flow of the credit process in one embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the example of the flow of the process of the sales in the minus balance system (1st system) in one embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the outline | summary about the example of the flow of the payment process in the automatic loan system (2nd system) in one embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that components having the same function are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings for describing the embodiment, and the repetitive description thereof will be omitted. On the other hand, parts described with reference numerals in some drawings may be referred to with the same reference numerals although not illustrated again in the description of other drawings.

<Overview>
A purchase management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is an information processing system that realizes a wallet (payment) when a customer makes a purchase using electronic money at a store such as a convenience store. Here, the electronic money function may be implemented by, for example, an IC card or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone. In this embodiment, an electronic money function (electronic money card) using an IC card will be described as an example. Further, in addition to general electronic money (“prepaid payment method”) used by charging money (value) to an IC card or the like, it can also be applied to a debit card that pays directly from a bank deposit account. .

  In addition, as a method of fund settlement in the “prepayment payment method”, a type of “self-paid payment method” (so-called point payment method) in which the points that can be used by the customer are limited to the case where goods or services are purchased directly from the point issuer Card), and “Third Party Prepaid Payment Methods” (“Nanaco (registered trademark, the same shall apply hereinafter)” and “ It can be applied to any of so-called electronic money (such as Suica (registered trademark, the same shall apply hereinafter)). In the present embodiment, for example, “nanaco” is an electronic money card that can be used by charging money (value) and accumulating points (can be exchanged for value) given by purchasing products. Is targeted.

  The purchase management system according to the present embodiment does not require charging even when the balance of electronic money is insufficient at the time of purchase by a customer at a store (including the case where the bank's deposit balance is insufficient in a debit card). To make a purchase. After that, for example, when the customer has income from the payment of an annuity, the customer will use the cash register at the store or an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) to charge the money equivalent to the accounts payable. Repay with. When purchasing a new product or the like at a store, payment and charging may be performed together with the consideration for the product or the like. In addition, the customer may be allowed to use the sales only at a specific store, and any store within a specific group (for example, a chain of convenience stores) can be used for sales and repayment. May be.

  In order to allow credit (credit), for example, it is based on the application at the store where the customer normally uses, and at the store based on the identity verification document submitted by the customer or the document proving the income, etc. A store clerk or store manager approves the product by verifying the identity or performing a simple review. If it is a store clerk or store manager of a store that a customer normally uses, it is often familiar to some extent, and it is possible to make only a formal and simple examination as a substantial examination has already been performed.

  There is no technical limitation on the amount of credit that can be credited (credit limit), but in this embodiment, for example, about 30,000 yen (1000 yen x 1 month) assuming daily meal purchases, etc. ). As the usage record of electronic money is accumulated, the limit may be increased step by step from the initial small credit. There are no particular restrictions on interest, but since the customer's use of funds is limited to actual demand such as food expenses, credit risk is considered lower than card loans, etc., so attribute information such as customer usage results and income For example, a relatively low interest rate of about 0% to 15% can be obtained. This interest may be collected, for example, when the customer charges the electronic money for repayment by offsetting the charge amount, or the interest is not collected from the customer, and the store (for example, convenience store chain) May be borne by the headquarters.

  When a customer who purchases merchandise at a store makes a settlement with electronic money, the payment destination is the store, and the settlement between the customer and the store is performed by the financial institution or business operator that issued the electronic money card ( Hereinafter, these may be collectively referred to as “financial institutions”). Here, there are several options for realizing the sales when the balance of electronic money (value) is insufficient, as shown below, but the purchase management system of the present embodiment is basically It can be applied to any pattern.

  When the balance of electronic money is insufficient, it is conceivable to simply allow a negative balance and perform settlement as it is (negative balance method, first method). In this case, a person who provides funds to the customer (that is, a creditor) is a store such as a convenience store that sells products. The legal nature of the receivable is receivable (installment). In addition, although the entity that provides credit to customers is a store, the receipt of repayment, collection of receivables, and the like are entrusted to a financial institution that issues an electronic money card, for example. It is also possible to transfer and transfer the receivables themselves to financial institutions.

  Although detailed processing contents of the first method will be described later, this method has an advantage of being able to cope with the existing electronic money settlement mechanism. On the other hand, it has a demerit that each store bears credit risk to customers. For example, in the case of a franchise store such as a convenience store chain, it may be difficult to develop a mechanism that bears the burden on the store side. In addition, a negative balance is written on the receipt issued for the purchase of goods, etc., so that customers can understand and recognize that the sales were made, but it can also be seen by third parties. From the point of view, it can be a problem to describe the negative balance on the receipt itself.

  On the other hand, when the balance is insufficient, a method of automatically giving a certain amount of value instead of a negative balance is also conceivable (automatic loan method, second method). In this case, the creditor is not a store but a financial institution that issues an electronic money card, and the legal nature of the credit is a loan (installment placement). And “collectively”. In addition, the entity that provides credit to customers is also a financial institution or the like, and stores are generally non-parties and only provide a place for customers to make payments using electronic money. Therefore, in principle, the store does not bear the risk of default on the customer's default, but in certain cases, the store may bear a part of the risk in cooperation with the financial institution.

  Although detailed processing contents of the second method will be described later, this method has an advantage that the mechanism is simple because it is an automatic loan for a shortage of balance. On the other hand, since it is a loan, it has a demerit that it is different from existing electronic money (prepaid payment means) and it is necessary to assemble a new mechanism as a separate payment means. In addition, since it is an automatic loan, it is difficult for customers to grasp and recognize that it is a sale. In this method, it is also possible to give exchangeable points to value instead of giving value. Thereby, although it becomes complicated, it can be made easy for a customer to grasp and recognize that it is a sale through an operation of exchanging points for value.

<System configuration>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a configuration example of a purchase management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The purchase management system 1 is installed in each store 2 connected via a network 50 to a purchase management server 10 composed of, for example, a server device or a virtual server built on a cloud computing service. The store terminal 20 is an information processing apparatus.

  The purchase management server 10 is a server system that centrally manages information relating to sales for a customer 4 who has an IC card 40 that is an electronic money card. The purchase management server 10 executes middleware such as an OS (Operating System) and a DBMS (DataBase Management System) developed on a memory and software running on the CPU (Central Processing Unit) (not shown). Various functions to be described later are realized.

  The purchase management server 10 includes, for example, each unit such as a user management unit 11, a credit processing unit 12, a balance management unit 13, and a charge management unit 14 implemented as software. Each data store includes a user database (DB) 15, a certification material DB 16, a balance DB 17, and a transaction history DB 18 recorded in an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) (not shown) or an external database server.

  The user management unit 11 has a function of managing information unique to each user recorded in the user DB 15 such as account information and attribute information of each customer 4 who is a user of the electronic money function and information related to credit. For example, as account information, identification information such as an ID for uniquely identifying each customer 4 and identification information such as an ID or serial number for uniquely identifying an IC card 40 held by each customer 4 are associated with the user DB 15. Hold. Further, as information related to credit, attribute information of each customer 4 that is a parameter when credit is performed in the credit processing unit 12 described later is also held.

  The credit processing unit 12 receives a request from the store terminal 20 when the customer 4 makes an application for enabling the sale at the store 2 for the first time, and whether or not to allow the sale. It has the function to perform the credit processing which determines the limit amount in the case of doing and responds to the store terminal 20. If the credit is allowed, information to that effect and the credit limit is recorded on the IC card 40 via an IC card reader / writer (not shown) provided in the store terminal 20 or the POS (Point Of Sale) terminal 31. It may be.

  In the present embodiment, in consideration of the convenience of the customer 4 such as an elderly person, the identity of the credit processing is performed by the store clerk 5 (or store manager) through the customer service terminal 32 such as a tablet terminal at the store 2. Shall be. As described above, the entity that credits the customer 4 may be the store 2 or the financial institution 3 that has issued the IC card 40. In any case, the credit determination process is performed by the credit processing unit 12. Can be done.

  In the present embodiment, the customer 4 to be credited is basically a customer such as an elderly person who regularly purchases a product or the like at the target store 2 or another store 2 in the group. Therefore, the transaction history in the past store 2 (or group of stores 2) of the customer 4 recorded in the transaction history DB 18 is also taken into consideration as reference information at the time of credit. In addition to the initial credit, it is also possible to automatically perform an on-the-go credit (expansion / shrinkage of the credit frame) according to the contents stored thereafter in the transaction history DB 18.

  At the time of credit, the basic attribute information of the customer 4 recorded in the user DB 15 and the transaction information stored in the transaction history DB 18 can be used. Specifically, for example, attribute information and performance information related to the electronic money service, and factors to consider for these, such as service subscription time (immediately before credit processing, several years ago, etc.), charge frequency (charge at each purchase) , Whether you are charging once every several months), charge unit price (thousand yen, tens of thousands of yen, etc.), charging time (indeterminate, specific time such as mid-even months), It is possible to use information such as the balance transition of electronic money (whether there is always a sufficient balance, whether it is near zero for a certain period, etc.).

  In addition, as performance information and consideration factors related to the purchase of products at the store 2 (or a group such as a chain), for example, the purchase frequency of the product (every day or once every several months), the purchase time (whether it is the immediate credit processing, Information such as whether it is several months ago, average purchase amount (several tens of yen or thousands of yen, etc.), distribution of purchase amount (approximately the same amount each time, whether the amount is different each time), etc. can be used . In addition, information on purchases of specific products (cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, horse newspapers, soccer lotteries, etc.) and usage results of specific services (charge storage agents such as electricity, gas, water, and communication costs) can also be used. . Further, it is also possible to use information on basic attributes (age, gender, address, etc.) and asset status (annual income, financial asset balance, home form, etc.) of the customer 4.

  Based on the various attribute information and transaction record information of the customer 4 as described above, the credit processing unit 12 uses the known method such as decision tree analysis or neural network analysis, for example, to perform the default of the customer 4. Is statistically calculated to determine whether the customer 4 is allowed to sell. Further, when allowance is allowed, for example, the credit limit amount to the customer 4 is calculated by substituting the data related to the customer 4 into the derived decision tree. Information relating to these credits is also recorded in the user DB 15 in association with the customer 4.

  The balance management unit 13 has a function of managing electronic money and point balance information relating to each user (customer 4) recorded in the balance DB 17. That is, when each customer 4 uses electronic money or points in the store 2 or the like, or is charged / acquired, the information is acquired via the store terminal 20 and recorded in the balance DB 17 based on this information. Update the information on the balance of electronic money and points. In the present embodiment, when the above-described minus balance method (first method) is used as a method of sales, even if the balance of electronic money becomes negative due to settlement, the minus balance is recorded without being settled. Note that the use of electronic money, points, charges, and acquisition events are separately recorded in the transaction history DB 18.

  When the customer 4 purchases a product or the like at the store 2 and pays with the electronic money recorded on the IC card 40, the customer management unit 14 allows the customer 4 to accept the sale when the balance is insufficient. If it is, it has a function of processing the sales based on a request from the store terminal 20. Here, in accordance with a method for realizing the sale, information relating to the sale is exchanged in accordance with an information processing system (not shown) of the financial institution 3 according to a procedure described later. It is determined on behalf of the store terminal 20 whether the sale is necessary because the balance is insufficient, whether the sale is allowed, whether the sale is possible within the credit limit, etc. 14 may be performed.

  The store terminal 20 installed in each store 2 includes an information processing terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer), for example, and operates on middleware such as an OS or DBMS developed on a memory by a CPU (not shown). Various functions to be described later are realized by executing the software. You may comprise as a server system by the virtual server etc. which were constructed | assembled on the server apparatus and the cloud computing service. The store terminal 20 includes various units such as a settlement processing unit 21, a charge processing unit 22, and a bill application processing unit 23 implemented as software.

  The payment processing unit 21 performs, for example, a payment process related to the purchase of the customer 4 at the store 2 in cooperation with the POS terminal 31 of the cash register. In particular, when the customer 4 makes a payment using the electronic money recorded on the IC card 40, for example, balance information 41 recorded in the IC card 40 by an IC card reader / writer (not shown) provided in the POS terminal 31 or the like. The information related to the electronic money is read and payment is made. When the settlement is completed, the balance information 41 in the IC card 40 is updated. In general, in electronic money services, balance information 41 recorded on the IC card 40 held by the customer 4 is positive information, and the balance information recorded in the financial institution 3 or the purchase management server 10 is The reference information is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the balance information recorded in the financial institution 3 or the purchase management server 10 may be handled as positive. In this case, the balance information may not be recorded on the IC card 40.

  When the balance of electronic money is insufficient for the purchase price of goods, etc., and information indicating that credit is allowed on the IC card 40 of the customer 4 or credit limit (receivable frame) information is recorded In this case, the purchase management server 14 of the purchase management server 10 is requested to execute settlement by credit. The details of the processing at the time of the sale will be described later.

  The charge processing unit 22 performs, for example, processing related to charging of money (value) to the electronic money of the IC card 40 by the customer 4 in cooperation with the POS terminal 31 or an ATM (not shown). That is, when the electronic money of the IC card 40 is charged, for example, the contents are recorded in the transaction history DB 18 of the purchase management server 10 and notified to the financial institution 3. In particular, after the customer 4 has made a purchase by means of sales, when the customer 4 is charged as a repayment of the accounts payable, the contents are transmitted to the sales management unit 14 of the purchase management server 10 and processing related to the repayment. May be executed.

  When the customer 4 first applies for a sale, the charge application processing unit 23 collaborates with the customer service terminal 32 used by the store clerk 5 (or the store manager) through the screen of the customer service terminal 32. And the status of income, etc., and obtains image data related to various certificates using a camera (not shown). The confirmed / acquired information is transmitted to the credit processing unit 12 of the purchase management server 10 and credit processing is performed. The determination result by the credit processing unit 12 may be automatically set as the credit content for the customer 4 as it is. Further, for example, when the determination result in the credit processing unit 12 is once displayed on the customer service terminal 32 and the store manager or the like finally approves it including the subjective evaluation, the credit content is set. Good.

  In the example of FIG. 1, the store terminal 20, the POS terminal 31, and the customer service terminal 32 are configured as individual information processing apparatuses, but if possible, all or some of these functions are the same information processing. You may be comprised by the apparatus. Further, the store terminal 20 and the purchase management server 10 are also configured as individual information processing devices, but if possible, all or some of these functions may be configured by the same information processing device. .

<Processing flow (credit processing)>
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of an example of the flow of credit processing in the present embodiment. Here, the target customer 4 already has an IC card 40 by subscribing to an electronic money service that can be used in the store 2, and the user DB 15, balance DB 17, and transaction history DB 18 of the purchase management server 10 are informed to the customer 4. It is assumed that such information has already been recorded.

  When the customer 4 first applies for credit at the store 2 (S01), the store clerk 5 (or the store manager) uses the application installed in the customer service terminal 32, etc. to determine the identity and attribute information. (S02), an answer from the customer 4 (S03) is obtained, and this is input to the customer service terminal 32. Further, the store clerk 5 requests the submission of a document (eg, pension receipt certificate) for verifying the identity or proof of income in the case of an elderly person (S04), and the document (S05) submitted by the customer 4 Then, the image is taken and read by the camera function of the customer service terminal 32 (S06). If possible, the contents of the certification material may be automatically converted into text by the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function.

  When the store clerk 5 (or the store manager) gives an instruction to allow the sale (for example, by pressing the “approval” button on the customer service terminal 32 by tapping or the like), the purchase application is performed by the purchase application processing unit 23 of the store terminal 32. A request for credit processing is transmitted to the credit processing unit 12 of the server 10 (S07).

  In the credit processing unit 12 that has received the credit request, the attributes of the customer 4 recorded in the user DB 15, balance DB 17, transaction history DB 18, etc. based on the account information of the electronic money service related to the IC card 40 held by the target customer 4. With reference to the information and transaction result information, credit judgment processing is performed by the predetermined method as described above (S08). When the above-described minus balance method (first method) is used as a method for making a sale, it is the store 2 that becomes a creditor by accommodating the purchase funds for goods and the like to the customer 4 and the store 2 Becomes the subject of credit. On the other hand, when using the automatic loan method (second method), the creditor is the financial institution 3, and the financial institution 3 becomes the credit subject. In this case, it is also possible to acquire credit information using a credit information organization such as “National Bank Credit Information Center” during credit processing.

  If there is image data of certification material acquired from the customer 4 or data converted into text by OCR, this is recorded in the certification material DB 16 in association with the customer 4 (S09). Then, information on the result of the credit processing (acceptance of credit sales, limit amount when allowing, etc.) is returned to the store terminal 20 (S10). The store terminal 20 records the credit result information on the IC card 40 of the customer 4 via an IC card reader / writer provided in the POS terminal 31 (S11, S12). With the above processing, the customer 4 can purchase by credit even when the balance is insufficient in the subsequent purchase using the electronic money of the IC card 40.

<Processing flow (debiting with negative balance)>
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of the flow of processing of sales in the minus balance method (first method) in the present embodiment. Here, the customer 4 is already allowed to make a sale by the procedure shown in FIG. 2 described above, and when purchasing a product or the like at the store 2, the electronic money stored in the IC card 40 is used for the purchase amount. It is assumed that the money balance is insufficient.

  When the customer 4 applies to the store clerk 5 for purchase of a product or the like by payment with electronic money of the IC card 40 at the cash register of the store 2 (S21), for example, the payment processing unit 21 of the store terminal 20 receives the POS at the cash register. The balance information 41 recorded on the IC card 40 is read by the IC card reader / writer provided in the POS terminal 31 via the terminal 31, and the balance of electronic money is confirmed (S22). When it is detected that the balance of electronic money is insufficient with respect to the purchase amount of the product, etc., the information on whether or not the sale is permitted is further read and confirmed (S23), and the sale is allowed. If so, the sale of the product etc. to the customer 4 is carried out by credit sales (S24). In this case, in particular, the store clerk 5 and the customer 4 do not need any special processing or the like, and can be processed in the same manner as the purchase using ordinary electronic money.

  At this time, the settlement processing unit 21 of the store terminal 20 subtracts the purchase amount of the product etc. from the balance of the electronic money recorded in the balance information 41 in the IC card 40 by the IC card reader / writer provided in the POS terminal 31 or the like. Then, the balance information 41 is updated. In the example of FIG. 3, since the balance of electronic money is insufficient, a negative balance is recorded in the balance information 41 (S25).

  On the other hand, information (for example, information specifying the date and time, the amount of money, the store 2, etc.) related to the executed sales is transmitted to the purchase management server 10, and the balance DB 17 and transaction history DB 18 are processed by the sales management unit 14 as necessary. Etc. (S26) and transmitted to the information processing system of the financial institution 3 that issued the IC card 40 (S27, S28).

  In the negative balance method, as described above, legally, the creditor who has made available the purchase funds for goods to the customer 4 is the store 2, and the store 2 communicates the information relating to the sales to the financial institution 3. Then, it will be in the form of requesting an agency for debt collection. It is also possible to transfer the receivable itself. Then, the financial institution 3 performs the recording operation by a method such as recording a negative balance on the IC card 40 to the effect that the sale has been made. In other words, the IC card 40 in this case is used as a medium for holding information on whether or not the sales are permitted in a specific store 2 (or a group of stores 2), and is a mediating means for transmitting the sales information with the financial institution 3. It is used as

  At a later date (for example, when an annuity is paid on the 15th of an even month), the customer 4 charges money for repayment at the store 2 (the store 2 may be different from the store 2 where the sale was made) (S30), the financial institution 3 once receives this (payment agency) (S31). Then, based on the sale information acquired in step S28, the sale amount is offset and the balance of the electronic money is returned to plus, and the amount of the sale amount is deposited into the store 2 (S32). Through the series of processes described above, it is possible to realize the sales in the negative balance method.

  In the example of FIG. 3, it is described that the money charged to the IC card 40 in step S30 is directly received by the financial institution 3, but actually, for example, by the POS terminal 31 of the store 2 The contents of the received charge (charge amount) are recorded in the balance information 41 in the IC card 40 by the IC card reader / writer, and the financial institution 3 via the charge processing unit 22 of the store terminal 20 and the purchase management server 10. May be sent to and received.

<Processing flow (payment by automatic loan method)>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of an example of the flow of payment processing in the automatic financing method (second method) in the present embodiment. Here, as in the case of FIG. 3 described above, the customer 4 has already been allowed to sell, and when purchasing a product or the like at the store 2, the balance of the electronic money in the IC card 40 with respect to the purchase amount is It is assumed that the situation is insufficient.

  As in the case of FIG. 3 described above, when the customer 4 applies to the store clerk 5 for purchase of goods or the like by payment with electronic money of the IC card 40 at the cash register of the store 2 (S41), for example, the store terminal 20 The payment processing unit 21 reads the balance information 41 recorded on the IC card 40 by the IC card reader / writer included in the POS terminal 31 via the POS terminal 31 of the cash register, and confirms the balance of the electronic money (S42). ). And when it detects that the balance of electronic money is insufficient with respect to the purchase amount of goods etc., the information of the credit frame (credit limit) recorded on IC card 40 is further read and confirmed (S43).

  When a credit limit is set, information related to the credit to be implemented (for example, date, amount, information for specifying the store 2 etc.) is transmitted to the purchase management server 10, and the credit management unit as required 14 is recorded in the balance DB 17 and the transaction history DB 18 (S44). Then, the bill management unit 14 transmits a loan request to the financial institution 3 (S45).

  In the information processing system of the financial institution 3, the customer 4 is provided with a necessary amount (for example, an amount equivalent to a product purchase price) within the sales credit frame, and this is charged to the IC card 40 (S 46, S 47). In the example of FIG. 4, it is described that the financial institution 3 directly charges the IC card 40, but actually, for example, the POS of the store 2 via the purchase management server 10 and the store terminal 20. Charge is made by recording the loan amount in the balance information 41 in the IC card 40 by an IC card reader / writer provided in the terminal 31. Thereafter, payment can be made in the same manner as in purchasing with ordinary electronic money (S48).

  In the automatic financing method, as described above, the creditor who legally financed the purchase funds for the product etc. to the customer 4 is the financial institution 3, and the customer 4 determines the shortage of the purchase price from the financial institution 3. Settlement after receiving an immediate loan. The store 2 merely provides a place for settlement using electronic money. That is, the IC card 40 in this case is used as a settlement means having a sales credit frame that can be used in a specific store 2 (or a group of stores 2).

  At a later date, when the customer 4 charges money for repayment at the store 2 (the store 2 may be different from the store 2 that performed the credit sale) (S50), the financial institution 3 directly receives this (S51). At this time, the balance of the electronic money is returned to plus by canceling the portion of the loan loaned in step S45. Through the series of processes described above, it is possible to realize the sales by the automatic financing method.

  In the example of FIG. 4, it is described that the money charged to the IC card 40 in step S50 is directly received by the financial institution 3. However, as in the case of FIG. The charge contents (charge amount) received by the POS terminal 31 of the store 2 are recorded in the balance information 41 in the IC card 40 by the IC card reader / writer, and the charge processing unit 22 and purchase management of the store terminal 20 are recorded. It may be transmitted to the financial institution 3 via the server 10 and received.

  3 and FIG. 4, for example, whether or not the purchase management server 10 determines whether or not the customer 4 has repaid within a predetermined period after purchasing a product or the like by credit sales. The sales management unit 14 or the like may periodically check and if there is no repayment, the store 2 or its group (for example, the headquarters of a convenience store chain), the financial institution 3 or the like may be notified / warned.

  As described above, according to the purchase management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the customer 4 uses the electronic money at the store 2 to purchase, the balance of the electronic money is insufficient. Even so, it is possible to realize the sales within the amount credited for each customer 4 without charging.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to the one having all the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, and replace other configurations for a part of the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, a case in which sales are made to a customer 4 at a store 2 such as a convenience store is described as an example. It is also possible to make purchases not only on actual stores and facilities but also on the Internet.

  Each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, and the like may be realized by hardware by designing a part or all of them with, for example, an integrated circuit. Each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function by the processor. Information such as programs, tables, and files for realizing each function can be stored in a recording device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a recording medium such as an IC card, an SD card, or a DVD.

  Moreover, in each said figure, the control line and the information line have shown what is considered necessary for description, and do not necessarily show all the control lines and information lines on mounting. Actually, it may be considered that almost all the components are connected to each other.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a purchase management system that manages settlement of bills using electronic money.

1 ... Purchase management system, 2 ... Store, 3 ... Financial institution, 4 ... Customer, 5 ... Clerk,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Purchasing management server, 11 ... User management part, 12 ... Credit processing part, 13 ... Balance management part, 14 ... Account management part, 15 ... User DB, 16 ... Proof material DB, 17 ... Balance DB, 18 ... Transaction History DB,
20 ... store terminal, 21 ... settlement processing unit, 22 ... charge processing unit

Claims (5)

It is a purchase management system that enables credit sales in response to an application for purchasing products using electronic money by a customer,
When the balance of the electronic money corresponding to the electronic money card held by the customer is insufficient for the price of the product or the like and information indicating that the sales are allowed is detected, the balance corresponding to the electronic money card is handled. A purchasing management system that updates the balance of electronic money to a negative amount. A purchase management system that enables payment by a loan from a third party for an application for purchase of products using electronic money by a customer,
When the balance of the electronic money corresponding to the electronic money card held by the customer is insufficient for the price of the product etc. and the information on the credit line is detected, the loan to the customer within the range of the credit line is A purchase management system that requests three parties and reflects the result in the balance of electronic money of the electronic money card. In the purchasing management system according to claim 1,
Upon receiving the customer attribute information from the information processing terminal, the credit for credit is made based on the attribute information and the electronic money usage status and transaction history information recorded for the customer. A purchasing management system that records information related to results. In the purchasing management system according to claim 2,
Upon receiving the customer attribute information from the information processing terminal, the third party is credited based on the attribute information and the electronic money usage and transaction history information recorded for the customer. A purchase management system that records information related to credit results. In the purchase management system according to claim 3 or 4,
A purchase management system that acquires from the information processing terminal image data taken by a photographing device included in the information processing terminal of certificates relating to the identity verification and / or income status of the customer, and records the data in association with the customer .

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