JP2002042251A - Point exchange system among enterprises - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a point exchange system used among enterprises of differ ent business types and conditions. SOLUTION: Terminal devices 1a, 1b, 1c,..., and 1n are disposed in the different multiple enterprises A, B, C,..., N and outputs enterprise IDs, customer IDs, and information related to purchasing amounts. A control center 6 is provided with a customer control file 8 controlling the point determined according to the purchasing amounts for every customer, a totaling file 10 totaling the point issuing quantity and using quantity according to enterprises, and a balance calculation file 11 calculating the balance for every enterprise based on the totaling.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a point system and, more particularly, to a point exchange system between a plurality of companies that can be used between different companies.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Heretofore, a point system in which points are given according to a purchase price and a product can be purchased using the accumulated points has been widely used. As a result, new customers can be easily obtained, and old customers can be established.

[0003]

However, in the conventional point system, points can be used only within the same company or group of companies, and the range of use is limited. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a point exchange system that can be used not only within the same company or company group but also among different companies.

[0004]

In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, a plurality of companies are arranged,
Terminal means for outputting information on the company, customer and purchase price, customer-specific management means for managing points determined according to the purchase price for each customer, and issue amount and use amount of the points for each company A point system was constructed by a totaling means for totaling and a balance calculating means for calculating a balance for each company based on the totaling.

[0005]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a point exchange system according to the present invention. This system is arranged in a plurality of different companies, ie, companies A, B, C,. , 1n, and a personal computer 1x in a private home. Terminal devices 1a, 1b, 1
.., 1n are connected to the management center 6 via the network 5.
, And the personal computer 1x is connected to the management center 6 via the Internet 50.

[0006] The plurality of different companies are companies of different business types and business types, for example, company A is a general store, company B is a restaurant, company C is an apparel company, and so on. Terminal device 1a, 1
For b, 1c,..., 1n, a commercially available card reading terminal can be used and includes, for example, a display unit, a key input unit, a printing unit, a data communication unit, a magnetic card reader unit, an IC card reader unit, and the like. ing. The point card used in the present system can be used as, for example, a credit card and a debit card. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the magnetic stripes 3 and 4 on which credit card information and debit card information (credit / debit number, ID, account number, etc.) are recorded at the upper end and the lower end of the point card 2, respectively. Are affixed respectively. Point card information is recorded on the latter half portions 3a and 4a of the magnetic stripes 3 and 4, respectively. As the point card information, customer information such as a customer ID is recorded. The point card 2 is not limited to a magnetic card, and may be an IC card.

[0007] One of the upper and lower ends of the point card 2 in FIG. 2 is passed through the slot of the magnetic card reader section of the terminal device 1a, 1b, 1c,. Enter
At the same time, customer information (customer ID and the like) recorded in the second half portions 3a and 4a of the magnetic stripe is input. These data are input by a single operation that only requires one pass through the slit. Also, the terminal devices 1a, 1b, 1c,.
By operating the 1n key input unit, the amount of the purchased product is input. Terminal devices 1a, 1b, 1c, ..., 1
n, credit or debit card information, customer I
D, the purchase price, and the company ID are sent to the management center 6 via the network 5.

The management center 6 includes a control device 7, a management file 8 for each customer, a management file 9 for each company, a tally file 10, and a balance calculation file 11. The control device 7 includes a CPU, a storage unit, an input / output device, a communication control device, and controls the operation of the present system. In the management file 8 for each customer, for example, as shown in FIG.
D13, the customer's name 14, the current point remaining 15, the expiration date 16 of the point card 2, and the like are recorded. As shown in FIG. 4, the company-specific management file 9 records a customer ID 13, a customer name 14, a purchase date 17, a purchase amount 18, and points 19 for each company.

[0009] As shown in FIG.
The system includes an issuance point tally file 10a for counting points issued by each company for each company, and a use point tally file 10b for counting points used by customers in each company for each company. The issue point totalization file 10a records a company name 20, an issue point 21 issued by each company, and a date 22 at which the point was issued. The usage point tally file 10b contains the company name 2
0 and use points 23 used by the customer in each company
And the date 22 using the points. The income and expenditure calculation file 11 records a company name 20, an income and expenditure result 24 indicating either collection or payment, and an amount 25 thereof.

The management center 6 is connected to partner banks 28 and a credit financing information system (CAFIS) via communication lines 26 and 27. CAFIS2
9 is connected to a bank 30, credit companies 31, 32, and the like by a communication line.

The outline of the above system is as follows. Since the points issued by each company are used as resources for the customer to purchase at another company, the company pools the amount corresponding to the issued points in the management center 6 and, when the customer uses the points, the management center 6. Get paid from. Then, the issue amount and the use amount of the points are totaled for each company, and the balance of each company is calculated based on the total. The management center 6 collects or pays each company according to the balance.

Hereinafter, the operation of the system will be described separately for (1) when issuing points, (2) when using points, and (3) when calculating the balance of each company. As an example, assume the following case. That is, a customer purchases 1000 yen at Company A, and Company A issues 100 points (point conversion rate of 10
%), Company B purchases 1,000 yen and Company B
Issue 0 points (point conversion rate 5%). afterwards,
Using the total issued points of 150 points, purchase 150 yen at Company C (conversion rate 1 point = 1 point)
Circle).

(1) Issue of Points To be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, first, a company ID, a purchase amount, a customer ID, and the like are transmitted from the terminal device 1a to the management center 6 (step 601). At this time, when the payment is made by a credit card or a debit card, the credit or debit information is stored in the financial institution 28,3.
It is sent to 0, 31, and 32, where the credit check is performed, and the trade is settled. On the other hand, the management center 6 converts the purchase amount into points at a conversion rate determined for each company and records the points in the customer-specific management file 8 (step 602). The point conversion is performed by the control device 7, and the conversion rate is recorded in a company information management file (not shown) of the control device 7, and can be set and changed for each company.
Needless to say, the terminal devices 1a, 1b, 1c,..., 1n may perform setting and changing of the point conversion and the point conversion rate. In the above example, 100 points and 50 points are issued from Company A and Company B, respectively, for a total of 150 points.
Points are recorded in the customer-specific management file 8 (see FIG. 3). At the same time, as shown in FIG. 4, each point is also recorded in the company-specific management file 9 (step 603). Next, as shown in FIG. 5, each point is recorded in the issued point total file 10a (step 604).

(2) When Using Points Explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
From a, a company ID, a purchase amount, a customer ID, and the like are transmitted to the management center 6 (step 701). On the other hand, the management center 6 refers to the current point remaining 15 from the customer-specific management file 8 and compares it with the purchase amount at the conversion rate of points and amount (1 point = 1 yen in the above example) (step 702). If the current point remaining 15 is equal to or larger than the purchase amount, the purchase amount is subtracted from the current point remaining 15 and recorded (step 703). If the current point remaining 15 is not enough for the purchase amount, the current point remaining 15 is cleared to “0” and recorded (step 703), and the shortfall is settled (step 705). Next, the purchase price is recorded in the company-specific management file 9 (step 706), and the used points are recorded in the used point total file 10b as shown in FIG. 5 (step 707).

(3) At the time of calculating the balance. Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 8, the issue points recorded in the issue point aggregation file 10a are counted for each company at regular intervals (for example, every month) (step 8).
01) Also, the use points recorded in the use point total file 10b are totaled for each company (step 8).
02). Calculate the balance of each company based on the above aggregation,
The information is recorded in the income and expenditure calculation file 11 (step 804), and finally, the management center 6 collects or pays each company (step 804). In the case of the above example, the management center 6
Collects 100 yen and 50 yen from Company A and Company B, respectively.
Pay 150 yen to Company C. The management center 6
Collect fees from each company. For example, a certain percentage of the usage points recorded in the usage point totalization file 10b is set as the fee. That is, use point 23
The total is calculated by subtracting the commission from the total, and the balance result 24 and the amount of money 25 are calculated. However, the fee collection method is not limited to this. For example, a fixed amount may be collected every month as a commission regardless of the usage amount.

With the above system, the point exchange system can be smoothly operated between different companies. As a result, each company can not only keep existing customers, but also expand sales by acquiring customers of other industries and business formats. In addition, the provision of the company-specific management file 9 enables each company to conduct effective business development by analyzing customer purchase data. In particular, conventionally, data could not be obtained for cash settlement customers, but using this system, it is also possible to obtain data for cash settlement customers. The convenience of the company-specific management file 9 is further improved by allowing each member company to browse the file via the Internet or the like. Use point total file 1
By calculating the commission using 0b, the commission of the management center 6 can be collected smoothly and without difficulty. Further, the terminal device 1 of the point exchange system
a, 1b, 1c,..., 1n can output the point card information and the credit card information or the debit card information by a single operation, and smoothly introduce the point exchange system into the credit or debit system. be able to.

In general, the results of points differ from company to company. For example, the amount of issued points may be significantly larger than the amount of use. In such a case, the point issued amount may be adjusted for each company. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the adjusted issuance point 34 is obtained by multiplying the issuance point 21 by the adjustment rate 33, and the balance of each company is calculated using the adjusted issuance point 34. This makes it possible to achieve fairness between companies when the balance of each company is uneven, and it is possible to involve more companies in the point exchange system even for companies with different types of business and business types. .

By the way, although the issued points may not be used by the customer and are left behind, such unused points can be collected. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of this. A website exclusively for members of the point exchange system is opened on the Internet, and a purchase site 35 is provided therein. The point purchase procedure at the purchase site 35 is, for example, as follows. (1) Enter a member ID and password to switch to the personal page. (2) The remaining points are displayed on the personal page. The control device 7 of the management center 6 is also connected to the Internet, and the data of the personal page is linked to the data of the file 8 for each customer of the management center 6 so that the remaining points are displayed as described above. (3) If the customer 36 wishes to purchase, the customer 36
Enter the member ID, password, purchase instruction, and remittance destination such as a bank account from x. This information is available on the Internet 5
0 to the management center 6. Upon receiving the purchase instruction, the management center 6 converts the target points into money, calculates the remainder after subtracting the commission 37 (for example, 10%), and remits it to the remittee of the customer 36. Commission 37
Management center 6 receives a part (3%) and the rest (7%)
Is distributed among the point issuing companies 38 according to the issuance point ratio. The allocated points may be settled in cash, or the usage point total file 10b (FIG. 5)
May be added to the use point 23. By forming the point return route as described above, it is possible to improve service for customers and reduce burden on member companies. In addition, a shopping site 39 is provided in addition to the purchase site 35, and the customer 36 uses the remaining points to use the point exchange system member companies 38, 40.
May be purchased.

Further, the advertisement of the member company can be posted on the purchase site 35. That is, the purchase site 35
Is a portal site for members and a campaign site for member companies.
Members can easily know the points they have accumulated, and with regard to these accumulated points, they can use the advertising company to digest the points or instruct them to buy points, so in any case The distribution of points is activated, and as a result, the sales of the member companies can be improved. Note that the point purchase instruction is not limited to the Internet purchase site 35, and the terminal devices 1a, 1
b, 1c,..., 1n.

[0020]

According to the present invention, there is obtained an effect that a point exchange system can be introduced even among a plurality of companies having different business types and business types.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a point exchange system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a point card.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a management file for each customer.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of a company-specific management file.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of an issue point total file, a use point total file, and a balance calculation file.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating point issuance.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating point use.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a balance calculation.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of another example of an issue point totalization file.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a method of collecting unused points.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b, 1c,..., 1n Terminal device 2 Point card 3, 4 Magnetic stripe 6 Management center 8 Customer-specific management file 9 Company-specific management file 10a Issued point total file 10b Usage point total file 11 Balance calculation file

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 410 G06F 17/60 410Z 420 420 428 428 F Term (Reference) 2C005 HB09 HB14 JA02 LB36 LB55 MB08 MB10 SA03 3E042 AA01 CC03 CD03 CD04 EA07 5B055 CB00 CC10 KK01 KK05

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. Terminal means arranged at a plurality of different companies and outputting information on the companies, customers and purchase amounts, and customer-specific management means for managing points determined according to the purchase amounts for each customer. A totaling means for totalizing the issued and used amounts of the points for each company; and a balance calculating means for calculating the balance of the issued and used amounts for each company based on the totalized. Point exchange system between multiple companies. 2. A customer-specific management means for managing points determined according to a purchase amount for each customer in response to information from a terminal, and a totaling means for totalizing the issued and used amounts of the points for each company. And a balance calculating means for calculating the balance of each company based on the total. 3. The point exchange system according to claim 1, further comprising company-specific management means for managing the customer and purchase price information for each company. 4. The point exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the tallying unit calculates a fee according to a usage amount of the points. 5. The point exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the tallying unit adjusts the amount of issued points for each company. 6. The point exchange system according to claim 1, further comprising means for outputting a purchase instruction for unused points recorded in said customer-specific management means. 7. A point system capable of performing settlement using a credit card or a debit card and transmitting point card information by means of a terminal device, wherein the terminal device performs the point card information and the credit card operation in a single operation. A point exchange system for outputting card information or debit card information. 8. Receiving information from the terminal device, the points determined according to the purchase amount are managed for each customer, the issued amount and the used amount of the points are totaled for each company, and each point is calculated based on the total. A terminal device used in a point system between a plurality of companies for calculating the balance of each company, wherein the terminal device is arranged in a plurality of different companies and outputs information on the company, the customer, and the purchase price. 9. A card characterized in that credit card information or debit card information and point card information can be recorded together.