JP7479325B2 - Information processing system for selling energy sources to users - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to data processing technology, and in particular to information processing systems.

A service has been proposed that allows a lease contract holder to receive a discount on fuel costs when refueling a vehicle leased to the lease contract holder by a car leasing company using the lease holder's own credit card (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2018-200711 A

Various ancillary procedures, such as maintenance package contracts, may be carried out in connection with vehicles provided to users through vehicle provision services such as car leasing. The inventors believed that by providing benefits to users that take into account the content of such ancillary procedures, it would be possible to effectively promote the use of vehicle provision services.

This disclosure has been made in light of these circumstances, and one of its objectives is to provide technology that effectively promotes the use of vehicle provision services such as car leasing.

In order to solve the above problem, an information processing system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a service management unit that manages information about a user who uses a specified vehicle provision service, and a sales management unit that manages the sale of products at a service station. The service management unit includes a storage unit that stores the contents of ancillary procedures performed in relation to a vehicle provided to a user by a vehicle provision service, a determination unit that determines whether the contents of the ancillary procedures satisfy the discount conditions for the product price at the service station, and a notification unit that notifies the sales management unit of discount information about the user when the contents of the ancillary procedures satisfy the discount conditions. The sales management unit includes a storage unit that stores information about the user's credit card, a reception unit that receives information indicating that a product at the service station has been purchased using the credit card, and a derivation unit that derives the amount to be charged to the user according to the amount of the product purchased at the service station by the credit card and a specified discount rule when the discount information about the user is notified from the service management unit.

In addition, any combination of the above components, or any conversion of the expressions of this disclosure between devices, computer programs, recording media on which computer programs are recorded, etc., are also valid aspects of this disclosure.

This disclosure can effectively promote the use of vehicle provision services such as car leasing.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a fuel sales system according to a related art. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of a fuel sales management system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of fuel sales information stored in a fuel sales information storage unit; 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a fuel sales system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of the service management system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing functional blocks of a sales management system. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fuel sales system according to a second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fuel sales system according to a third embodiment.

The subject of the device or method of the present disclosure includes a computer. The computer executes a computer program to realize the functions of the subject of the device or method of the present disclosure. The computer includes, as its main hardware configuration, a processor that operates according to a computer program. The type of processor is not important as long as it can realize the functions by executing a computer program. The processor is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC, LSI, etc.). The computer program is recorded on a non-transitory recording medium such as a computer-readable ROM, optical disk, or hard disk drive. The computer program may be stored in advance on the recording medium, or may be supplied to the recording medium via a wide area communication network including the Internet.

The technology of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings based on preferred embodiments. The embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the invention, and all features and combinations thereof described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the invention. The same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in each drawing are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated descriptions are omitted as appropriate. In addition, the scale and shape of each part shown in each drawing are set for convenience to facilitate explanation, and are not to be interpreted as being limiting unless otherwise specified. In addition, when terms such as "first" and "second" are used in this specification or claims, they do not represent any order or importance, but are intended to distinguish one configuration from another, unless otherwise specified.

First, related art related to the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described, and then the embodiments will be described.
<Related Technology>
First, an overview of the related technology will be described. Conventionally, a service has been proposed that allows a discount on fuel costs to be received when a vehicle (hereinafter also referred to as a "lease vehicle") rented from a car leasing company to a contract holder of a car leasing contract (hereinafter also referred to as a "user") is refueled using the contract holder's own credit card. However, the fuel cost discount is limited to leased vehicles. In addition, since refueling using the credit card of the contract holder of a car leasing contract by anyone other than the user is a violation of the credit card terms and conditions, in order to receive the discount on fuel costs, the user himself/herself had to refuel.

In the fuel sales system of the related technology, the scope of the fuel price discount is expanded, and the fuel price discount is applied to the entire household of the car lease contract holder (the user household, described below). Specifically, the fuel price discount is not limited to cases where fuel is pumped with the credit card of the user who is the car lease contract holder (hereinafter also referred to as the "personal card"), but is also applied when fuel is pumped with a family card attached to the personal card. A family card is an additional card issued in association with the personal card based on the user's application, and is used by the user's family members (for example, the user's spouse, children over 18 years old, or parents after retirement). Usually, the amount used on the family card is treated as one with the personal card.

For example, if a family member of a user, rather than the user who signed the car lease contract, fills up a leased vehicle at a service station, and purchases fuel using a family card, the user can receive a discount on the fuel price even when the user is not present. This increases convenience for car lease users.

A service station (hereinafter also referred to as "SS") is a store that sells energy sources as products. An energy source is a resource used to drive a power source, and is provided, for example, to drive a moving body such as an automobile. Energy sources include vehicle fuel (gasoline, diesel, hydrogen, etc.), as well as kerosene and electricity. Examples of service stations include gas stations, hydrogen stations, charging stations, etc. A product is any tangible or intangible thing that is traded for or without payment, and is a concept that includes the provision of services. In the related art, an example of purchasing fuel for a vehicle at a service station is shown, but the technical concept of the present disclosure is broadly applicable to the purchase of products (for example, the various energy sources mentioned above) sold at service stations.

In addition, in the fuel sales system of the related technology, the vehicles eligible for the fuel price discount are not limited to leased vehicles. For example, if the user who has signed a car lease contract uses his/her personal card, and if the user's family member uses a family card, the fuel price discount is not limited to refueling leased vehicles, but also applies to refueling vehicles other than leased vehicles (for example, vehicles owned by the user's household, hereinafter also referred to as "non-leased vehicles"). This further increases convenience for car lease users. Also, since non-leased vehicles, in addition to leased vehicles, visit SSs more frequently, opportunities for fuel and non-oil sales at SSs can be expanded.

The related technology will now be described in detail. Figure 1 shows the configuration of a fuel sales system 10 of the related technology. The fuel sales system 10 comprises a store system 20, a fuel sales management system 22, a car lease management system 24, and a billing management system 26. These devices are connected via a communication network including a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, etc.

A leased vehicle 12 and a non-leased vehicle 14 are used in the household of a user who has entered into a car leasing contract with a car leasing company. The user holds a personal card 16, and the user's family members, the spouse and children, hold family cards 18a and 18b (collectively referred to as "family cards 18"). The user, spouse and children use their own credit cards (personal card 16, family card 18a, family card 18b) to purchase fuel for the leased vehicle 12 and non-leased vehicle 14 at a gas station.

A store system 20 is installed in the SS. The store system 20 is an information processing system that manages sales and other matters at the SS. The store system 20 transmits refueling data relating to fuel purchased by a user using the personal card 16, or refueling data relating to fuel purchased by the user's family using the family card 18, to a fuel sales management system 22. Note that while FIG. 1 shows one SS (store system 20), an actual fuel sales system 10 will have multiple SSs (store systems 20).

The car lease center is provided with a car lease management system 24. The car lease management system 24 is an information processing system that processes data related to car lease contracts and fuel benefit applications. The car lease management system 24 transmits fuel benefit information related to fuel benefit recipients who have applied for a fuel benefit (in other words, a fuel price discount benefit) to the fuel sales management system 22.

The credit card company is provided with a billing management system 26. The billing management system 26 is an information processing system that manages billing to credit card contract holders.

The fuel sales management system 22 is an information processing system that manages information related to the sale of fuel at a gas station, in other words, manages information related to purchasers who purchase fuel at a gas station, and also manages the billing of fuel fees to purchasers. The fuel sales management system 22 transmits fuel billing data to the billing management system 26 to bill the user collectively for the cost of fuel purchased by the user and his/her family.

There are no limitations on the physical configuration of the store system 20, fuel sales management system 22, car lease management system 24, and billing management system 26 in FIG. 1. For example, each system may be realized by a single information processing device, or may be realized by multiple information processing devices working together.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the fuel sales management system 22 in Figure 1. The fuel sales management system 22 includes a control unit 30, a memory unit 32, and a communication unit 34. The control unit 30 executes various data processing. The memory unit 32 stores data referenced or updated by the control unit 30. The communication unit 34 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The control unit 30 transmits and receives data to and from the store system 20, the car lease management system 24, and the billing management system 26 via the communication unit 34.

The storage unit 32 includes a fuel sales information storage unit 36 and a discount rule storage unit 38. The fuel sales information storage unit 36 stores fuel sales information. The fuel sales information includes information about the personal card, which is the credit card of the user who entered into the car lease contract, and information about the family card linked to the personal card. Figure 3 shows an example of fuel sales information stored in the fuel sales information storage unit 36. The fuel sales information is information that associates a customer number, a parent number, a credit card number, a date of birth, a fuel purchase quantity, and a fuel purchase price.

The customer number can also be called a customer identification number, and is a number specific to each individual (for example, each of the user and his/her family). The customer number can also be called a number that is unique to each individual. The customer number of a car lease contract holder (personal card holder) and the customer number of his/her family (family card holder) have different values in the last digit, but the values of the other digits are the same. The parent number is information for linking the personal card and the family card, and is specifically the customer number of the personal card holder corresponding to the family card holder. Records 50 and 56 in FIG. 3 are records related to the car lease contract holder (personal card holder). Meanwhile, records 52, 54, and 58 in FIG. 3 are records related to the family members (family card holders) of the car lease contract holder.

The credit card number is the card number of the personal card and the family card. The date of birth is the birth date of each individual. The fuel purchase quantity is the quantity of fuel (in liters) purchased by each individual using either the personal card or the family card. The fuel purchase amount is the purchase amount (in yen) of fuel purchased by each individual using either the personal card or the family card. The fuel purchase quantity and fuel purchase amount may be cumulative values of the unbilled fuel cost, and may be cleared when the fuel cost is billed.

Returning to FIG. 2, the discount rule storage unit 38 stores a first discount rule regarding fuel costs for the household of the user who has signed a car lease contract (in other words, the user and his/her family). The first discount rule stipulates that the discount applies to the total amount of fuel purchased using the user's personal card and the amount of fuel purchased using the family card, up to a predetermined upper limit of the purchase quantity. The upper limit is, for example, 100L.

The control unit 30 includes a card information reception unit 40, a refueling data reception unit 42, a fuel bonus information reception unit 44, a billing amount derivation unit 46, and a billing unit 48. The functions of these multiple functional blocks may be implemented in a computer program. This computer program may be stored on a recording medium, or may be installed in the storage of the fuel sales management system 22 via the recording medium. Alternatively, the computer program may be installed in the storage of the fuel sales management system 22 via a network. The CPU of the computer of the fuel sales management system 22 may perform the functions of the multiple functional blocks of the control unit 30 by reading the computer program into main memory and executing it.

The card information acceptance unit 40 accepts card information related to credit cards issued by credit card companies, sent from the credit card company's device. The card information includes customer number, parent number, credit card number, and date of birth as information related to the principal's card and family card. The card information acceptance unit 40 stores the accepted card information in the fuel sales information storage unit 36.

The refueling data reception unit 42 receives refueling data transmitted from the SS store system 20, including information indicating that fuel for a vehicle has been purchased using a personal card or a family card. The refueling data includes various data read from the customer's credit card by the SS's information terminal, including at least the customer number, the fuel purchase quantity (also referred to as the fuel sales quantity), and the fuel purchase price (also referred to as the fuel sales price). The refueling data reception unit 42 refers to the fuel sales information storage unit 36 to identify a record of fuel sales information including the customer number indicated by the refueling data, and increases the values of the fuel purchase quantity and fuel purchase price of the identified record by the fuel purchase quantity and fuel purchase price indicated by the refueling data.

The fuel bonus information reception unit 44 receives fuel bonus information sent from the car lease management system 24 of the car lease center. The fuel bonus information includes information about each car lease contract holder who is to receive a discount on the fuel price, and in the related art, includes a customer number, date of birth, and a set of second discount rules. The second discount rules may include a discount rate or discount amount. For example, the second discount rules may stipulate a discount of 5 to 10 yen per liter of fuel. The second discount rules may also include a different discount rate or discount amount for each car lease contract holder (in other words, for each customer number).

The billing amount derivation unit 46 derives the billing amount for fuel to each car lease contract holder. The billing amount derivation unit 46 derives the sum of the fuel purchase quantity by the personal card and the fuel purchase quantity by the family card stored in the fuel sales information storage unit 36 for each user's household (a set of the personal card and the family card) (hereinafter also referred to as the "household fuel purchase quantity"). The billing amount derivation unit 46 also derives the sum of the fuel purchase amount by the personal card and the fuel purchase amount by the family card stored in the fuel sales information storage unit 36 for each user's household (a set of the personal card and the family card) (hereinafter also referred to as the "household fuel purchase amount").

The billing amount derivation unit 46 derives the billing amount for the user for each user household based on the household fuel purchase quantity, the household fuel purchase amount, the first discount rule stored in the discount rule storage unit 38, and the second discount rule indicated by the fuel benefit information.

The billing unit 48 executes a process of billing the user for the fuel cost billed to the user derived by the billing amount derivation unit 46. Specifically, the billing unit 48 transmits fuel cost billing data including the credit card number of the user's personal card and the fuel cost billed to the user derived by the billing amount derivation unit 46 to the billing management system 26.

The operation of the fuel sales system 10 having the above configuration will now be described with reference to FIG.
A user applies to a credit card company for issuance of a credit card (personal card and family card), and the credit card company issues a personal card 16 for the user, a family card 18a for the user's spouse, and a family card 18b for the user's child. The user enters into a car lease contract with a car lease company, and at that time also applies for a fuel benefit (fuel price discount benefit). A leased vehicle 12 is provided to the user household based on the car lease contract. In addition to the leased vehicle 12, the user household also owns a non-leased vehicle 14.

The credit card company's device transmits card information relating to the issued principal card 16, family card 18a, and family card 18b to the fuel sales management system 22. The card information reception unit 40 of the fuel sales management system 22 receives the card information and stores the contents of the card information (e.g., customer number, parent number, credit card number, date of birth) in the fuel sales information storage unit 36.

The user uses the personal card 16 at an SS to purchase fuel and refuel the leased vehicle 12. The user also uses the personal card 16 at an SS to purchase fuel and refuel the non-leased vehicle 14. Similarly, the user's spouse (or child) uses the family card 18a (or family card 18b) at an SS to purchase fuel and refuel the leased vehicle 12. The user's spouse (or child) also uses the family card 18a (or family card 18b) at an SS to purchase fuel and refuel the non-leased vehicle 14.

Each time fuel is purchased at a gas station, the gas station store system 20 transmits refueling data including the fuel purchase quantity, fuel purchase price, and card information (customer number, etc.) used to purchase the fuel to the fuel sales management system 22. The refueling data reception unit 42 of the fuel sales management system 22 receives the refueling data and identifies a record in the fuel sales information storage unit 36 specified by the card information indicated by the refueling data. The refueling data reception unit 42 adds the values indicated by the refueling data to the values of the fuel purchase quantity and fuel purchase price of the identified record.

Record 50 in FIG. 3 is a record related to the user in FIG. 1 (personal card 16). Record 50 indicates that 50 L of fuel was purchased using personal card 16 for a purchase amount of 7,000 yen. Record 52 in FIG. 3 is a record related to the spouse (family card 18a) of the user in FIG. 1. Record 52 indicates that 30 L of fuel was purchased using family card 18a for a purchase amount of 4,200 yen. Record 54 in FIG. 3 is a record related to the child (family card 18b) of the user in FIG. 1. Record 54 indicates that 40 L of fuel was purchased using family card 18b for a purchase amount of 5,600 yen.

The car lease management system 24 of the car lease center periodically transmits fuel benefit information regarding the recipients of fuel price discounts (car lease contract holders in the related art) to the fuel sales management system 22 at predetermined timing. The fuel benefit information reception unit 44 of the fuel sales management system 22 receives the fuel benefit information. The fuel benefit information here includes the customer number of the user in FIG. 1, and also sets a discount of 10 yen per liter as the second discount rule.

The billing amount derivation unit 46 of the fuel sales management system 22 derives the household fuel purchase quantity, which is the sum of the fuel purchase quantity by the personal card and the fuel purchase quantity by the family card stored in the fuel sales information storage unit 36, for each user's household (a pair of corresponding personal card and family card). The billing amount derivation unit 46 also derives the household fuel purchase amount, which is the sum of the fuel purchase amount by the personal card and the fuel purchase amount by the family card stored in the fuel sales information storage unit 36, for each user's household (a pair of corresponding personal card and family card).

The billing amount derivation unit 46 identifies the user household in FIG. 1 as eligible for the discount based on the customer number of the user in FIG. 1 indicated in the fuel benefit information. The billing amount derivation unit 46 derives 120L, which is the sum of the fuel purchase quantities in records 50, 52, and 54 in FIG. 3, as the household fuel purchase quantity for the user household in FIG. 1. The billing amount derivation unit 46 also derives 16,800 yen, which is the sum of the fuel purchase amounts in records 50, 52, and 54 in FIG. 3, as the household fuel purchase amount for the user household in FIG. 1.

Here, the first discount rule stored in the discount rule storage unit 38 of the fuel sales management system 22 specifies that the discount applies up to an upper limit of 100 L of fuel. The billing amount derivation unit 46 specifies that 100 L of fuel out of the household fuel purchase quantity of 120 L of the user household in FIG. 1 is subject to the discount. Also, as described above, the discount unit price determined by the fuel benefit information is 10 yen/L. The billing amount derivation unit 46 derives 15,800 yen, which is the amount obtained by discounting 1,000 yen (i.e., the discount unit price of 10 yen/L x 100 L) from the household fuel purchase amount, as the billing amount for the user in FIG. 1.

Note that record 56 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the personal card of the car lease contract holder not shown in FIG. 1, and record 58 in FIG. 3 corresponds to the family card of the family of the car lease contract holder. In this case, the billing amount derivation unit 46 derives 70L as the household fuel purchase quantity of the car lease contract holder, and derives 9,800 yen as the household fuel purchase amount. The billing amount derivation unit 46 subjects the entire household fuel purchase quantity (70L) to the discount. The billing amount derivation unit 46 derives 9,100 yen, which is the amount obtained by deducting 700 yen (i.e., discount unit price 10 yen/L x 70L) from the household fuel purchase amount, as the billing amount to be paid to the car lease contract holder.

The billing unit 48 of the fuel sales management system 22 transmits fuel billing data, including the credit card number of the user's personal card 16 and the billing amount to the user derived by the billing amount derivation unit 46, to the billing management system 26 of the credit card company. The billing management system 26 executes a process of billing the user for the total amount of the billing amount indicated by the fuel billing data and other billing amounts according to the use of the personal card 16 and the family card 18.

According to the fuel sales system 10 of the related technology, the discount on the fuel price is applied when the family of the car lease contract holder uses a family card to purchase fuel, and also when refueling a non-leased vehicle. This further increases the convenience of the car lease user. It also reduces the risk of a person other than the car lease contract holder using the car lease contract holder's credit card, resulting in a violation of the credit card terms and conditions. In other words, it reduces the risk of the car lease contract holder reusing or misusing the credit card. In addition, since the frequency of non-leased vehicles in addition to leased vehicles visiting SSs increases, it is possible to expand the opportunities for fuel sales and non-oil sales at SSs. In addition, by setting an upper limit on the amount of fuel purchased to which the discount is applied, it is possible to prevent the discount from being applied indefinitely and ensure the feasibility of the fuel price discount.

Next, the process will be described when the user in FIG. 1 enters into multiple car lease contracts (here, a first car lease contract and a second car lease contract). In the fuel sales system 10, a first principal card and a first family card corresponding to the first car lease contract are issued, and a second principal card (a principal card different from the first principal card) and a second family card (a family card different from the first family card) corresponding to the second car lease contract are also issued. The fuel sales information storage unit 36 of the fuel sales management system 22 stores information on the first principal card and the first family card, and information on the second principal card and the second family card. For example, the fuel sales information storage unit 36 stores two sets of records corresponding to records 50, 52, and 54 in FIG. 3.

The billing amount derivation unit 46 of the fuel sales management system 22 derives a first billing amount to the user based on the total amount of fuel purchased by the first principal card and the first family card, and in accordance with the first discount rule and the second discount rule. The billing amount derivation unit 46 also derives a second billing amount to the user based on the total amount of fuel purchased by the second principal card and the second family card, and in accordance with the first discount rule and the second discount rule. That is, the billing amount derivation unit 46 applies a discount up to a predetermined upper limit (e.g., 100 L) to the fuel purchases by the principal card and the family card corresponding to each contract for each car lease contract.

The billing unit 48 of the fuel sales management system 22 transmits first fuel billing data including the credit card number of the first principal card and the first billing amount to the billing management system 26. The billing unit 48 also transmits second fuel billing data including the credit card number of the second principal card and the second billing amount to the billing management system 26. This causes the user to be billed for the discounted billing amount for the fuel purchase using the first principal card and the first family card, and the discounted billing amount for the fuel purchase using the second principal card and the second family card.

According to this embodiment, the more car lease contracts a car lease user enters into, the greater the fuel price discount he or she can enjoy. For example, if the fuel price discount is 100L when one car lease contract is entered into, the fuel price discount increases to 200L when two car lease contracts are entered into. This provides users with an incentive to enter into many car lease contracts, and promotes the use of car leases.

A modified example will be described. In the above related technology, when a user enters into multiple car lease contracts, a discount up to a predetermined upper limit is applied to fuel purchases made with the personal card and family card corresponding to each contract for each car lease contract. As a modified example, even when a user enters into multiple car lease contracts, there may be only one set of the personal card held by the user and the family card held by the user's family. In this case, the first discount rule stored in the discount rule storage unit 38 may stipulate that the upper limit of the fuel purchase quantity subject to discount is increased according to the number of car lease contracts entered into by the user.

In this variant, the fuel bonus information sent from the car lease management system 24 of the car lease center to the fuel sales management system 22 may include the number of car lease contracts concluded by the user. The billing amount derivation unit 46 of the fuel sales management system 22 may increase the upper limit of the fuel purchase quantity subject to discount the greater the number of car lease contracts concluded by the user indicated by the fuel bonus information. For example, the upper limit may be 100L when there is one car lease contract, 200L when there are two car lease contracts, and 300L when there are three car lease contracts.

For example, if a certain user has two car lease contracts and the user's household fuel purchase quantity is 200L, the billing amount derivation unit 46 may discount all of the household fuel purchase quantity (200L). The billing amount derivation unit 46 may deduct 2,000 yen (i.e., discount unit price 10 yen/L x 200L) from the user's household fuel purchase amount. Even in this modified fuel sales system 10, the more car lease users enter into car lease contracts, the greater the fuel price discount they can enjoy. This provides users with an incentive to enter into many car lease contracts, and promotes the use of car leases.

Another modified example will be described. In the above related technology, the first discount rule is stored in the discount rule storage unit 38 of the fuel sales management system 22, and the second discount rule is set in the fuel bonus information sent from the car lease management system 24 to the fuel sales management system 22, but the location (device, area) where the first discount rule and the second discount rule are stored or set is not limited to this. The first discount rule and the second discount rule may be stored or set in a location (device, area) that can be referenced when the billing amount derivation unit 46 of the fuel sales management system 22 derives the billing amount. For example, both the first discount rule and the second discount rule may be stored in the discount rule storage unit 38 of the fuel sales management system 22.

First Example
The first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with a focus on differences from the related art, and descriptions of commonalities will be omitted as appropriate. The features of the first embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the features of the related art and its modified examples. Components of the first embodiment that are the same as or correspond to those of the related art will be appropriately denoted with the same reference numerals.

Figure 4 shows the configuration of a fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment. In the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, similar to the fuel sales system 10 of the related art, a customer (hereinafter also referred to as "user") who uses a mobility service (hereinafter also simply referred to as "mobility service") provided by a specific company receives a discount on the price of fuel purchased at an SS. A mobility service can also be called a vehicle provision service, which is a service that provides a vehicle and its usage rights (or ownership) to a user and receives payment from the user. Mobility services include, for example, car leasing services, vehicle sales services with residual value credit, and used car sales services.

As in the related art, a leased vehicle 12 and a non-leased vehicle 14 are used in the user's household in the first embodiment. The leased vehicle 12 in the first embodiment refers to a vehicle provided to the user by a mobility service, and is not limited to car leasing, and may be a vehicle sold to the user by a vehicle sales service using residual value credit, or a vehicle sold to the user by a used car sales service. The non-leased vehicle 14 refers to a vehicle acquired by a method other than using a mobility service, and is, for example, a vehicle purchased or rented by the user without using a mobility service.

The fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment differs from the fuel sales system 10 of the related art in the conditions for discounting the fuel price. In the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, the fuel price is discounted when the contents of the ancillary procedures carried out in relation to the vehicle provided to the user by the mobility service satisfy the specified discount conditions. The ancillary procedures are not procedures related to the use of the vehicle itself, but additional procedures such as vehicle registration and maintenance. The conditions for discounting the fuel price in the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment are that the user has both concluded a maintenance pack contract and applied for a fuel benefit as the above-mentioned ancillary procedures.

The fuel sales system 60 includes a store system 20, a service management system 62, a sales management system 64, and a billing management system 26. These devices are connected via a communication network including a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, etc.

The service management system 62 corresponds to the car lease management system 24 of the related technology. The service management system 62 is installed in a mobility center, which is an organization/facility that manages mobility services. The service management system 62 manages information about users who use mobility services. The sales management system 64 corresponds to the fuel sales management system 22 of the related technology. The sales management system 64 manages the sales of products (fuel in the first embodiment) at the gas station.

The service management system 62 and the sales management system 64 work together to realize an information processing system 66 that provides users with the benefit of a discount on fuel prices. Each of the service management system 62 and the sales management system 64 may be realized by a single computer, or may be realized by multiple computers working together. Similarly, the information processing system 66 may be realized by a single computer, or may be realized by multiple computers working together.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the service management system 62. Each block shown in the block diagram in this specification can be realized in hardware terms by computer processors, CPUs, memory and other elements, electronic circuits, and mechanical devices, and in software terms by computer programs, etc., but here we depict functional blocks realized by the cooperation of these. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various ways by combining hardware and software.

The service management system 62 includes a control unit 70, a storage unit 72, and a communication unit 74. The control unit 70 executes various data processing operations. The storage unit 72 stores data referenced or updated by the control unit 70. The communication unit 74 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The control unit 70 transmits and receives data to and from the sales management system 64 via the communication unit 74.

The storage unit 72 includes a user information storage unit 76. The user information storage unit 76 stores multiple pieces of user information related to multiple users who use the mobility service. Each piece of user information includes a customer number, which is the user's identification number. Furthermore, each piece of user information includes the contents of ancillary procedures carried out in relation to a vehicle provided to the user by the mobility service, as information for determining whether or not a fuel price discount has been applied for. The contents of the ancillary procedures include (1) information indicating that a maintenance package contract has been concluded, (2) information indicating that a vehicle damage compensation service contract has been concluded, (3) information indicating that vehicle registration on the vehicle inspection certificate by the mobility service has been completed, and (4) information indicating that a fuel benefit application has been made.

(1) A maintenance pack is, for example, a service that includes vehicle inspections, regular inspections, oil changes, and replacement of consumables. (2) A vehicle damage compensation service is, for example, a service that compensates for vehicle damage up to a specified amount (for example, 50,000 yen) by paying a fixed amount (for example, 100 yen) per month. (3) is information that is registered when a mobility service (a person in charge of the service) carries out the vehicle registration procedure (for example, the procedure at the Land Transport Bureau) on the vehicle inspection certificate and the vehicle registration is completed.

The control unit 70 includes a user information registration unit 80, a discount determination unit 82, and a discount information provision unit 84. The functions of these multiple functional blocks may be implemented in a computer program. This computer program may be stored on a recording medium, or may be installed in the storage of the service management system 62 via the recording medium. Alternatively, the computer program may be installed in the storage of the service management system 62 via a network. The CPU of the computer of the service management system 62 may perform the functions of the multiple functional blocks of the control unit 70 by reading the computer program into main memory and executing it.

The user information registration unit 80 stores user information based on data input from a terminal (not shown) of an operator at the mobility center in the user information storage unit 76. The discount determination unit 82 determines whether the content of the incidental procedure indicated by the user information stored in the user information storage unit 76 satisfies the discount conditions for the product price of the SS.

The discount information providing unit 84, as a notification unit, notifies the sales management system 64 of discount information regarding the user when the discount determination unit 82 determines that the content of the above-mentioned incidental procedure satisfies the discount conditions. The discount information includes the same content as the fuel benefit information described in the related art. For example, the discount information includes the customer number, date of birth, and second set of discount rules of the user who is to receive a discount on the fuel price.

Figure 6 is a block diagram showing the functional blocks of the sales management system 64. The sales management system 64 includes a control unit 90, a memory unit 92, and a communication unit 94. The control unit 90 executes various data processing operations. The memory unit 92 stores data referenced or updated by the control unit 90. The communication unit 94 communicates with external devices according to a predetermined communication protocol. The control unit 90 transmits and receives data to and from the store system 20, the billing management system 26, and the service management system 62 via the communication unit 94.

The storage unit 92 includes a sales information storage unit 96 and a discount rule storage unit 98. The sales information storage unit 96 corresponds to the fuel sales information storage unit 36 of the fuel sales management system 22 of the related art, and stores the fuel sales information configured as shown in FIG. 3. The discount rule storage unit 98 corresponds to the discount rule storage unit 38 of the fuel sales management system 22 of the related art, and stores the first discount rule.

The control unit 90 includes a card information reception unit 100, a refueling data reception unit 102, a discount information reception unit 104, a billing amount derivation unit 106, and a billing unit 108. These functional blocks correspond to the card information reception unit 40, the refueling data reception unit 42, the fuel bonus information reception unit 44, the billing amount derivation unit 46, and the billing unit 48 of the fuel sales management system 22 of the related technology, and perform the same functions as the corresponding functional blocks.

For example, the sales information storage unit 96 stores fuel sales information including information about the user's credit card. The refueling data receiving unit 102 receives information indicating that a SS product has been purchased using the user's credit card. When the service management system 62 notifies the billing amount derivation unit 106 of discount information about the user, the billing amount derivation unit 106 derives the amount to be billed to the user based on the amount of SS products purchased with the user's credit card and on predetermined discount rules. The above-mentioned user's credit card may be a credit card related to the user's household, i.e., it may include both a personal card 16 and a family card 18.

More specifically, the sales information storage unit 96 stores fuel sales information including information on the credit card (personal card 16) of the user who uses the vehicle provision service, and information on an additional card (family card 18) that is an additional card that is issued in association with the personal card 16 and is used by the user's family. The refueling data reception unit 102 receives information (refueling data) indicating that a product from an SS has been purchased using the personal card 16 or the family card 18. When discount information related to the user is notified from the service management system 62, the billing amount derivation unit 106 derives the billing amount to be paid to the user based on the total amount of the product from the SS purchased using the personal card 16 and the amount of the product from the SS purchased using the family card 18, and on the specified discount rules (first discount rule and second discount rule).

The operation of the fuel sales system 60 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG.
A user acquires a vehicle by using a mobility service provided by a specific company. Various incidental procedures may be carried out in relation to the vehicle (hereinafter referred to as leased vehicle 12) provided to the user by the mobility service. Information indicating that these incidental procedures have been carried out (e.g., an application form, a copy of the vehicle inspection certificate, etc.) is sent from the user or the SS to the mobility center.

For example, a user may enter into a maintenance pack contract for a leased vehicle 12. When an application form indicating that the user has entered into a maintenance pack contract arrives at the mobility center, an operator at the mobility center inputs the contents of the application form from his/her own terminal into the service management system 62. The user information registration unit 80 of the service management system 62 stores the user information indicating that a maintenance pack contract has been entered into the user information storage unit 76.

The user may also enter into a vehicle damage compensation service contract for the leased vehicle 12. When an application form indicating that the user has entered into a vehicle damage compensation service contract is received by the mobility center, an operator at the mobility center inputs the contents of the application form from his/her own terminal into the service management system 62. The user information registration unit 80 of the service management system 62 stores user information indicating that a vehicle damage compensation service contract has been entered into in the user information storage unit 76.

The mobility service may also carry out procedures (agency services) for registering the leased vehicle 12 on its vehicle inspection certificate. When the mobility center receives a copy of the vehicle inspection certificate indicating that the mobility service has completed the vehicle registration of the leased vehicle 12 on its vehicle inspection certificate, the mobility center operator inputs the contents of the copy of the vehicle inspection certificate from his or her own terminal into the service management system 62. The user information registration unit 80 of the service management system 62 stores in the user information storage unit 76 the user information indicating that the mobility service has completed the vehicle registration of the leased vehicle 12 on its vehicle inspection certificate.

In addition, a user may apply for a fuel benefit when using a mobility service (in other words, when acquiring a leased vehicle 12). When a fuel benefit application form arrives at the mobility center, an operator at the mobility center inputs the contents of the application form from his/her own terminal into the service management system 62. The user information registration unit 80 of the service management system 62 stores user information indicating that a fuel benefit application has been made in the user information storage unit 76.

As described in the related technology, a user applies to a credit card company for issuance of a credit card (personal card and family card), and the credit card company issues a personal card 16 for the user, a family card 18a for the user's spouse, and a family card 18b for the user's child. As in the related technology, card information regarding the personal card 16, family card 18a, and family card 18b is notified from the credit card company to the sales management system 64 and stored in the sales information storage unit 96 of the sales management system 64.

The user purchases fuel at the SS using the personal card 16 and refuels the leased vehicle 12. The user also purchases fuel at the SS using the personal card 16 and refuels the non-leased vehicle 14. Similarly, the user's spouse (or child) purchases fuel at the SS using the family card 18a (or family card 18b) and refuels the leased vehicle 12. The user's spouse (or child) also purchases fuel at the SS using the family card 18a (or family card 18b) and refuels the non-leased vehicle 14. As described in the related art, each time fuel is purchased at the SS, refueling data (including the customer number) is sent from the SS store system 20 to the sales management system 64. The refueling data receiving unit 102 of the sales management system 64 adds the fuel purchase quantity and fuel purchase price to the record of the user (or the user's spouse or child) in the sales information storage unit 96 based on the refueling data.

The discount determination unit 82 of the service management system 62 periodically (e.g., once a month) determines whether the contents of the incidental procedures recorded in each of the multiple user information corresponding to the multiple users stored in the user information storage unit 76 satisfy the discount conditions for the fuel price. The discount determination unit 82 identifies the users who satisfy the discount conditions as users eligible for the discount. In the first embodiment, when the user information records, as incidental procedures, (1) the user's conclusion of a maintenance pack contract and (2) the user's application for a fuel benefit, the discount determination unit 82 determines that the discount conditions for the fuel price are satisfied, and extracts the user indicated by the customer number of the user information as a user eligible for the discount.

When a discount eligible user is extracted by the discount determination unit 82, the discount information providing unit 84 of the service management system 62 transmits discount information including the customer number, date of birth, and second discount rule of the discount eligible user to the sales management system 64.

The discount information receiving unit 104 of the sales management system 64 receives the discount information sent from the service management system 62. The billing amount deriving unit 106 of the sales management system 64 derives the billing amount for each user for each of a plurality of user households (a pair of a corresponding personal card and a family card), as in the related art. In addition, for the discount target user indicated by the discount information, the billing amount deriving unit 106 derives the billing amount for the discount target user according to the household fuel purchase quantity and household fuel purchase amount of the user household, the first discount rule stored in the discount rule storage unit 98, and the second discount rule indicated by the discount information. The detailed method of deriving the billing amount and the billing process for the user have already been explained in the related art, so an explanation will be omitted here.

According to the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, a fuel discount benefit is provided to the user, taking into account the content of the ancillary procedures carried out in connection with a vehicle provided to the user through a mobility service such as car leasing. This fosters a sense of belonging among the user to the mobility service, and effectively promotes continued use of the mobility service.

Furthermore, the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment achieves the same effect as the fuel sales system 10 of the related art. For example, in the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, the discount on the fuel price is applied not only to the mobility service user himself/herself, but also to the case where the family member purchases fuel using the family card 18, and is also applied to the refueling of the non-leased vehicle 14. This can further increase the convenience of households using the mobility service.

Second Example
The second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with a focus on the differences from the related art and the first embodiment, and explanations of the commonalities will be omitted as appropriate. The features of the second embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the features of the related art, the first embodiment, and the modified examples. Components of the second embodiment that are the same as or correspond to those of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as appropriate.

Figure 7 shows the configuration of the fuel sales system 60 of the second embodiment. Like the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, the fuel sales system 60 of the second embodiment also provides a discount on the price of fuel purchased at an SS by a user who uses a mobility service provided by a specified company. Also, like the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, the fuel sales system 60 of the second embodiment also provides a discount on the price of fuel when the contents of the incidental procedures performed in connection with a vehicle (e.g., leased vehicle 12) provided to the user by the mobility service meet specified discount conditions.

However, the conditions for discounting the fuel price in the fuel sales system 60 of the second embodiment differ from those in the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment in that the user has both concluded a vehicle damage compensation service contract and applied for a fuel benefit as the above-mentioned additional procedures.

The functional blocks provided in the service management system 62 of the second embodiment are the same as the functional blocks provided in the service management system 62 of the first embodiment. In addition, the functional blocks provided in the sales management system 64 of the second embodiment are the same as the functional blocks provided in the sales management system 64 of the first embodiment.

When the user information in the user information storage unit 76 records, as an incidental procedure, (1) the user's conclusion of a vehicle damage compensation service contract and (2) the user's application for a fuel benefit, the discount determination unit 82 of the service management system 62 determines that the fuel price discount conditions are met and extracts the user indicated by the customer number in the user information as a user eligible for the discount. The other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described. The fuel sales system 60 of the second embodiment also achieves the same effects as the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment.

<Third Example>
The third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with a focus on the differences from the related art and the first embodiment, and a description of the commonalities will be omitted as appropriate. The features of the third embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the features of the related art, the first embodiment, and the modified example. Among the components of the third embodiment, components that are the same as or correspond to the components of the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals as appropriate.

Figure 8 shows the configuration of the fuel sales system 60 of the third embodiment. Like the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, the fuel sales system 60 of the third embodiment also provides a discount on the price of fuel purchased at an SS by a user who uses a mobility service provided by a specified company. Also, like the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment, the fuel sales system 60 of the third embodiment also provides a discount on the price of fuel when the contents of the incidental procedures carried out in connection with a vehicle (e.g., leased vehicle 12) provided to the user by the mobility service meet specified discount conditions.

However, the condition for a discount on the fuel price in the third embodiment is that both of the following additional procedures are met: the vehicle registration on the vehicle inspection certificate of the vehicle (e.g., leased vehicle 12) has been completed by the mobility service, and the user has applied for a fuel benefit. In this respect, it differs from the fuel sales system 60 in the first embodiment.

The functional blocks provided in the service management system 62 of the third embodiment are the same as the functional blocks provided in the service management system 62 of the first embodiment. In addition, the functional blocks provided in the sales management system 64 of the third embodiment are the same as the functional blocks provided in the sales management system 64 of the first embodiment.

When the user information in the user information storage unit 76 records, as an additional procedure, that (1) the vehicle registration on the vehicle inspection certificate of the leased vehicle 12 has been completed by the mobility service, and (2) that the user has applied for a fuel benefit, the discount determination unit 82 of the service management system 62 determines that the conditions for a discount on the fuel price are met, and extracts the user indicated by the customer number in the user information as a user eligible for the discount. The other processes are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described. The fuel sales system 60 of the third embodiment also achieves the same effects as the fuel sales system 60 of the first embodiment.

The present disclosure has been described above based on the first to third embodiments. These embodiments are merely illustrative, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications are possible in the combination of each component or each processing process, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present disclosure.

In the above first to third examples, examples of purchasing fuel for a vehicle at a gas station are shown, but as with related technologies, the technical ideas described in the first to third examples can be widely applied to the purchase of products sold at gas stations (e.g., various energy sources such as gasoline, diesel, hydrogen, kerosene, and electricity).

In the first embodiment, the discount condition is that the user has concluded a maintenance pack contract and applied for a fuel benefit, but as a modified example, the discount condition may be only that the user has concluded a maintenance pack contract. In the second embodiment, the discount condition is that the user has concluded a vehicle damage compensation service contract and applied for a fuel benefit, but as a modified example, the discount condition may be only that the user has concluded a vehicle damage compensation service contract. In the third embodiment, the discount condition is that the vehicle registration on the vehicle inspection certificate has been completed by the mobility service and the user has applied for a fuel benefit, but as a modified example, the discount condition may be only that the vehicle registration on the vehicle inspection certificate has been completed by the mobility service.

As described above, the technical ideas described in the related art are applicable to the first to third embodiments. That is, the first discount rule stored in the discount rule storage unit 98 of the sales management system 64 may stipulate that the discount is applied to the total amount of the purchases of the SS's merchandise made by the principal's card and the purchases of the SS's merchandise made by the family card, up to a predetermined upper limit of the purchase amount.
The sales information storage unit 96 of the sales management system 64 may store information on the first principal card and the first family card corresponding to the first car lease contract concluded by the user, and information on the second principal card and the second family card corresponding to the second car lease contract concluded by the user. The billing amount derivation unit 106 of the sales management system 64 may derive a first billing amount to the user in accordance with the sum of the amount of merchandise purchased by the SS using the first principal card and the amount of merchandise purchased by the SS using the first family card, and the discount rules. At the same time, the billing amount derivation unit 106 may derive a second billing amount to the user in accordance with the sum of the amount of merchandise purchased by the SS using the second principal card and the amount of merchandise purchased by the SS using the second family card, and the discount rules.
In addition, the first discount rule stored in the discount rule memory unit 98 of the sales management system 64 may stipulate that the upper limit of the purchase amount of products at the SS that are subject to the discount is increased depending on the number of car lease contracts concluded by the user.

In the related technology and each embodiment, (1) data linked to the principal card is identified (or can be said to be identified) based on the customer number of the principal card, and data linked to the family card is identified based on the customer number of the family card. As a variation, (2) both data linked to the principal card and data linked to the family card may be identified based on the customer number of the principal card. Also, (3) both data linked to the principal card and data linked to the family card may be identified based on the customer number of the family card.

The above examples (2) and (3) will be described.
(A) An application form (e.g., a fuel benefit application form) containing the customer number of a car lease contract holder may be linked from the SS to a mobility center. The customer number linked to the mobility center may be the customer number on the contract holder's card or the customer number on a family card.
(B) The operator of the mobility center may register the contents of the application form (customer number, date of birth, etc.) in the service management system 62.
(C) The service management system 62 may transmit information including the customer number, date of birth, and special offer code (the special offer code corresponds to the discount rule of the embodiment) of the discount recipient to the sales management system 64. This information corresponds to the fuel special offer information of the related art and the discount information of the first embodiment.
(D) After receiving the customer number from the service management system 62, the sales management system 64 may automatically link the refueling data from the personal card or family card linked to that customer number, and provide a discount on the usage (fuel purchases) of all credit cards of the car lease contract holder's household. This makes it possible to provide a discount on the fuel price without obtaining the customer numbers of the personal cards of persons other than the car lease contract holder or the customer numbers of the family cards of persons other than the car lease contract holder.
(E) The discounted amount in (D) above may be linked to a credit card company, and the credit card company may then bill the car lease contract holder for the credit card usage fee.

Any combination of the above-mentioned examples and modifications is also useful as an embodiment of the present disclosure. A new embodiment resulting from the combination will have the combined effects of each of the examples and modifications. It will also be understood by those skilled in the art that the functions to be performed by each of the constituent elements recited in the claims can be realized by each of the components shown in the examples and modifications alone or in combination with each other.

60 Fuel sales system, 62 Service management system, 64 Sales management system, 76 User information storage unit, 82 Discount determination unit, 84 Discount information provision unit, 96 Sales information storage unit, 102 Refueling data reception unit, 106 Billing amount derivation unit.

Claims (5)

a service management unit that manages information regarding users who use a predetermined vehicle provision service;
a sales management department that manages sales of products at service stations;
Equipped with
The service management unit
A storage unit that stores details of ancillary procedures performed in relation to a vehicle provided to the user by the vehicle provision service;
a determination unit that determines whether the content of the incidental procedure satisfies a discount condition for the product price of the service station;
a notification unit that notifies the sales management unit of discount information regarding the user when the content of the incidental procedure satisfies the discount condition;
The sales management department:
a storage unit for storing information regarding the user's credit card;
a reception unit that, when the user uses the credit card at the service station to purchase an energy source for a vehicle provided to the user through the vehicle provision service, receives information indicating that the energy source for the vehicle has been purchased using the credit card, and also receives information indicating that the energy source for the vehicle has been purchased using the credit card even when the user uses the credit card at the service station to purchase an energy source for the vehicle that was obtained by a method other than using the vehicle provision service ;
a derivation unit that, when discount information related to the user is notified from the service management unit, derives an amount to be charged to the user in accordance with an amount of the energy source purchased by the credit card and a predetermined discount rule;
the derivation unit derives an amount to be charged to the user based on the discount rule, with a discount being applied to an amount of the energy source purchased using the credit card up to a predetermined upper limit of the purchase amount;
An information processing system for selling energy sources to users . a determination unit of the service management unit determines that a discount condition for the product price of the service station is satisfied when a maintenance package is contracted as the incidental procedure;
An information processing system for selling an energy source to a user according to claim 1. a determination unit of the service management unit determining that a discount condition for the product price at the service station is satisfied when a vehicle damage compensation service is contracted as the incidental procedure;
An information processing system for selling an energy source to a user according to claim 1. a determination unit of the service management unit determining that a discount condition for the product price at the service station is satisfied when a vehicle registration on a vehicle inspection certificate in the vehicle provision service is performed as the incidental procedure;
An information processing system for selling an energy source to a user according to claim 1. the storage unit of the sales management unit stores information on a principal card, which is a credit card of the user , and information on a family card, which is an additional card that is associated with the principal card and issued and used by a family member of the user;
a reception unit of the sales management department receives information indicating that a product at a service station has been purchased using the principal card or the family card;
the derivation unit of the sales management unit, when notified of discount information regarding the user from the service management unit, derives an amount to be charged to the user in accordance with the sum of the amount of merchandise purchased at the service station by the principal card and the amount of merchandise purchased at the service station by the family card, and the discount rules;
An information processing system for selling an energy source to a user according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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