JP2001338254A - System and method for settlement of electronic mall, and recording medium therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a settlement system for electronic mall for facilitating the settlement of a small amount transaction. SOLUTION: Plural sub-accounts 14a, 14b and 14c for respectively managing the transaction information of plural virtual stores 10a, 10b and 10c, belonging to an electronic mall 10, are assigned to a single main account 14, the settlements in the respective sub-accounts 14a, 14b and 14c with a bank 20 are performed by the main account 14 collectively and each time the transaction exceeds preset time or transaction amount, settling processing in the main account 14 is performed. In correspondence with each transaction to become the base of settling processing, the transaction information of the respective sub-accounts 14a, 14b and 14c is updated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a settlement system and method for an electronic mall, and a recording medium therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, virtual shopping malls (a collection of a plurality of virtual stores) on a network such as the Internet called an electronic mall (cyber mall) have become widespread, and electronic commerce has become popular. This electronic mall has the advantage that the cost is lower than building a real store. Incidentally, the settlement processing of transactions at virtual stores belonging to these electronic malls is usually performed individually for each virtual store.

[0003]

However, in the above-described settlement processing, there is a problem that the smaller the transaction at each virtual store, the more complicated the settlement. In particular,
Recently, distribution of music and software has been handled in electronic malls. For example, the transaction value of one song is on the order of several hundred yen. For example, when the user wants to pay by credit card, the small payment May not be accepted. Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary to make another payment such as a cash transfer, and the user's willingness to purchase is less likely to purchase and may not be able to increase transactions at the electronic mall. Also, for each virtual store, performing such a small settlement one by one causes the business to be complicated.

[0004] Further, conventionally, since the settlement system has been separately prepared for each virtual store, the operating cost of the virtual store (electronic mall) has increased. Furthermore, in order to enable a user to make a credit card payment, the virtual store must be a credit card member store. To this end, a credit card account is provided for each virtual store, and a relatively large deposit is required. Is required, and the cost of building a virtual store (electronic mall) is increasing.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention facilitates small-scale payment at a virtual store belonging to an electronic mall.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a settlement system and method for an electronic mall in which the operating cost and the construction cost of a virtual store (electronic mall) are reduced, and a recording medium thereof.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a settlement system for an electronic mall according to the present invention comprises a main account in which a plurality of sub-accounts for managing transaction information of a plurality of virtual stores belonging to the electronic mall are one main account. , The settlement of individual transactions in each sub-account with the financial institution is performed collectively by the main account, and every time a predetermined time or transaction amount is exceeded, the main account is settled. Control means for performing a settlement process and updating transaction information of each sub-account in response to the individual transaction that is a source of the settlement process. According to such a configuration,
Since settlement with a financial institution is performed when a small amount of transactions at each virtual store have gathered to a certain extent, settlement can be easily made even with a financial institution that dislikes small amount transactions, and the complexity of processing associated with individual settlement can be prevented.

[0007] Each of the virtual stores is a member store of a credit card or a debit card based on the main account, and it is preferable that a transaction by a credit card or a debit card is possible. According to such a configuration, each virtual store can be a member store of a credit card or a debit card based on the credit of one main account, which is lower than in the case of performing a member store procedure for each virtual store. Become a member store easily at low cost. Further, since the user can make a small transaction with a credit card or a debit card, the convenience of the transaction is improved.

[0008] It is preferable that the settlement system of the electronic mall is connected to settlement means for performing settlement in a transaction between a user and the virtual store. According to such a configuration, the settlement in the transaction between the user and the virtual store can be performed by another settlement means, and the processing in the settlement system can be reduced.

Preferably, the electronic mall has a plurality of sub-electronic malls. According to such a configuration, the settlement system of the electronic mall according to the present invention can be applied to a complex electronic mall in which a plurality of electronic malls are gathered.

[0010] In the settlement method for an electronic mall according to the present invention, a step of allocating the sub-account to the main account, and a step of performing settlement processing of the main account every time a predetermined time or transaction amount is exceeded. Updating the transaction information of each sub-account in response to the individual transaction that is the basis of the settlement process.

[0011] A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to execute the settlement method for an electronic mall according to the present invention includes a process for allocating the sub-account to the main account, Or a process of performing a settlement process of the main account each time a transaction amount is exceeded, and a process of updating transaction information of each sub-account corresponding to the individual transaction that is the basis of the settlement process. I do.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic mall payment system (mall payment server) 12 according to the present invention. Mall payment server 1
2 has a main account 14 and sub-accounts 14a to 14c, which will be described later, and has a function of managing transaction information of each virtual store 10a to 10c belonging to the electronic mall 10. The electronic mall 10 (each virtual store 10a to 10c)
HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), compactH
TML, wireless markup language (WML) HDML
(Web page) described in a description language such as (handheld device markup language) and stored in a predetermined WWW (world wide web) server device.

The mall settlement server 12 communicates with the bank 20 and the settlement company (settlement means) 30 with the communication line 7 respectively.
1 and 72 so that data communication can be performed. Mall payment server 12 (that is, a management company (not shown) that manages the mall payment server 12)
Has at least one account (corresponding to the main account 14) in the bank 20 and has a communication line 71
, The same latest information as that of the bank 20 can be obtained for information such as the balance of the account held by the bank 20. The bank 20 is a financial institution whose main business is to receive deposits, exchange transactions, etc., and becomes a credit card member store for the opened account (main accounts 14, 20c described later). Tolerate. A credit card member store contract is concluded with the card company 50. As described above, each virtual store can be a credit card or debit card member store based on the credit of one main account (deposit amount equivalent to a deposit). In comparison with the above, it is possible to easily become a member store at low cost.

The virtual stores 10a to 10c (
WW server device) is the Internet (network)
100. Meanwhile, the Internet 10
With the user terminals 40 to 44 connected to 0, each user can appropriately access each of the virtual stores 10a to 10c to conduct transactions. As the user terminals 40 to 44,
PC with WWW browser, WAP (wireless
We support communication standards such as application protocol)
A mobile phone (mobile terminal) capable of browsing page b is used. Then, the user sets the WW of the user terminals 40 to 44.
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) assigned to the electronic mall 10 (virtual stores 10a to 10c) in a state where a W browser or the like is activated and the WWW can be browsed.
Specify and access.

The settlement company 30 has a communication line 73,
75, the virtual stores 10a to 10c in the electronic mall 10 are connected to the bank 20 and the card company 50.
It has a function of performing the settlement of the transaction between the user terminal 40 and the user terminals 40 to 44, and performs the authentication process and the settlement process by notifying the transaction amount to the bank 20. Here, the settlement process performed by the settlement company 30 is the settlement of the transaction between the user and the virtual store, as described above. On the other hand, the settlement process (system) of the present invention, which will be described later, corresponds to the virtual store (electronic mall). This is a settlement between banks (financial institutions). When the user requests the settlement of the transaction by a credit card, the settlement company 3
0 is to notify the card company 50 of the transaction amount,
Perform authentication and settlement processing.

The electronic mall settlement system of the present invention includes a computer, various peripheral devices such as a communication device, and the like.
It can be realized by a software program executed by the computer, and the software program executed in the payment system can be distributed via a computer-readable storage medium or a communication line.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the details of the configuration of the mall settlement server 12 and the bank 20 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. The mall settlement server 12 includes a central control device 12a
And a main account 14 which is a database having the same information as an account set in the bank 20 (hereinafter referred to as a main account). The central control device 12a is connected to the central control device 20a in the bank 20 via a communication line 71, and the settlement company 3
0 and the electronic mall 10. The main account 14 is divided into a plurality of sub-accounts 14a, 14b, 14c,... In terms of data, and constitutes a database 12b as a whole. Each sub-account 14a, 14b, 14c is a virtual store 10a
-10c are respectively managed.

On the other hand, the bank 20 has a central controller 20a connected to the card company 50 and the settlement company 30;
A database 20b including data of a main account (account) 20c set by the mall settlement server 12. The central controller 12a and the central controller 20a sequentially exchange information, and
And the data of the main account 14 in the mall settlement server 12 are managed so as to always have the same value, that is, in a mirrored state.

Based on information from the card company 50 or the settlement company 30, the bank 20 assigns a transaction amount between the user and the virtual store to the sub-account 14a corresponding to each virtual store.
It has a function of transmitting an instruction to be added to the balances of 14 to 14c to the mall settlement server 12. Mall payment server 12,
After going through the settlement process described later in detail with the bank 20,
The information of each sub-account 11c is updated based on the information sent from the bank 20.

Next, the processing contents of the settlement system of the electronic mall shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the user accesses the virtual store 10a through the user terminal 40 to purchase information (information for specifying a desired product, card company name and card number when performing credit card payment, and information on expiration date). etc)
Is input (B1). The virtual store 10a is a settlement company 3
0 or (in case of credit card) card company 50
And the authentication information of the credit card or the user is transmitted by requesting the authentication (B2, B2 '). The settlement company 30 (card company 50) notifies the virtual shop 60 of the authentication result regarding the user (B3, B3 '). The virtual store 10a transmits the authentication result to the user terminal 40 (B4), and requests payment of the transaction amount to the settlement company 30 (card company 50) (B5, B5 '). Payment company 30
(Card company 50) notifies the bank 20 of the transaction amount (B
6, B6 ′), the bank 20 records the transaction amount as data of the main account 20c and notifies the mall settlement server 12 of the transaction amount (B7). Virtual store 10a
Sends out the purchased merchandise as appropriate.

Next, the settlement processing performed by the mall settlement server 12 notified of the transaction amount from the bank 20 to and from the bank 20 will be described with reference to FIG. First, the mall settlement server 12 receives a notification of the transaction amount from the bank 20 for a certain period (C1). When a plurality of transactions (transaction A, transaction B, and transaction C shown in FIG. 1) are completed during this fixed period, the total sum of the transaction amounts is recorded as data of the main account 20c and the main account 14. . On the other hand, the user deposits an amount corresponding to the transaction amount into the main account 20c of the bank 20. Then, when the predetermined period elapses, the mall settlement server 12
Requests the bank 20 for the total payment of the transaction amount recorded in the main account 14 and performs the settlement processing (C2).
The payment from the bank 20 may be electronic transfer between accounts. Further, the mall settlement server 12
Transactions that have been settled (Transaction A, Transaction B, and Transaction C above)
, Sub-accounts 14a-1 corresponding to each transaction
4b, the transaction information is updated by transferring the transaction amount (C
3). In this case, the transaction amount data recorded in the main account 14 includes information on the transaction amount of each virtual store, and the mall settlement server 12 determines the transaction information of the corresponding sub-account based on this information. Is to be updated. As described above, the settlement with the financial institution is performed when (small amount) transactions at each virtual store have gathered to a certain extent, so that it is possible to easily settle even with the financial institution that dislikes the small amount transaction and to perform the processing associated with individual settlement. Can be prevented from being complicated.

The amount of money transferred to the sub-accounts 14a to 14c is managed on the basis of the currency unit of any country. For example, a predetermined amount set based on the currency unit of the region where the sub-account exists is described. It is managed in units (for example, units such as points). Since the bank 20 manages the transaction information based on the currency unit of any country, a conversion process based on a predetermined exchange rate is performed between the information held in the main account 20c and the information held in the main account 14 shown in FIG. Will be. In addition,
As an embodiment of the present invention, the mall settlement server 1
2. Although the bank 20 and the card company 50 may all be located in the same country, they may be located in different countries.

Also, the mall settlement server 12 gives the points corresponding to the transaction amount to the main account 20c of the bank 20.
From, the sub-accounts 14a to 14 corresponding to the virtual store
The bank 20 is requested to transfer the points corresponding to the transaction amount so as to shift to c, and the settlement process is completed by shifting (decreasing or increasing) the number of points instead of actually transferring the money. be able to.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be appropriately modified within the scope of the concept of the present invention. For example, each virtual store can be a member store of a debit card based on the main account. In this case, the user can settle a transaction at the virtual store using the debit card. Here, in the settlement by the debit card, the settlement of the transaction between the user and the virtual store is performed by the bank 20 instead of the settlement company 30.
Do directly. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the transaction transferred to the sub-account of each virtual store has been described. However, when paying from the sub-account to a predetermined destination, the main account of the mall settlement server 12 is reversed. After recording the payment information from the sub-account for a certain period, the payment processing 14 may be performed to pay the total amount of the payment to the bank 20. Then, after the payment processing is completed, the mall payment server 12 may update the transaction information of each of the sub-accounts 14a to 14c.

Further, the timing at which the mall settlement server 12 performs settlement of the main account 14 with the bank 20 is as follows.
Although it may be at the above-mentioned predetermined time, the total amount of individual transactions recorded in the main account 14 may be equal to or more than a certain amount. In addition to these, electronic mall 1
The electronic mall payment system of the present invention can also be applied to a complex electronic mall in which 0 has a plurality of sub-electronic malls.

[0026]

As described above, according to one aspect of the present invention, settlement with a financial institution is performed when (small) transactions at each virtual store have gathered to some extent, so that a financial institution that dislikes small transactions Can be easily settled, and the processing involved in individual settlement can be prevented.

Further, each virtual store can be a member store of a credit card or a debit card based on the credit of one main account, which is lower in cost and easier as compared with a case where member stores are registered for each virtual store. Can become a member store. Furthermore, since the user can make a small transaction with a credit card or a debit card, the convenience of the transaction is improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an electronic mall payment system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mall settlement server 12 and a bank 20 of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a processing procedure when conducting a transaction between a user terminal and a virtual store.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a settlement processing procedure between a virtual store and a bank.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 electronic mall 10a, 10b, 10c virtual store 12 mall settlement server 14 main account 14a, 14b, 14c subaccount 20 bank (financial institution) 30 settlement company (settlement means) 40, 42, 44 user terminal 50 card company

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G07F 17/40 G07F 17/40

Claims (6)

[Claims] A plurality of sub-accounts for managing transaction information of a plurality of virtual stores belonging to an electronic mall are allocated to one main account, and settlement of individual transactions in each sub-account with a financial institution is performed. The main account collectively performs the settlement processing of the main account every time a predetermined time or transaction amount is exceeded, and corresponds to the individual transactions that are the basis of the settlement processing. A settlement system for an electronic mall, comprising: control means for updating transaction information of each sub-account. 2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the virtual stores is a member store of a credit card or a debit card based on the main account, and can perform a transaction by a credit card or a debit card. Electronic mall payment system. 3. The settlement system for an electronic mall according to claim 1, wherein the settlement system is connected to settlement means for performing settlement in a transaction between a user and the virtual store. 4. The settlement system for an electronic mall according to claim 1, wherein the electronic mall has a plurality of sub-electronic malls. 5. A plurality of sub-accounts for managing transaction information of a plurality of virtual stores belonging to an electronic mall, respectively, to one main account for collectively performing settlement of individual transactions at each virtual store with a financial institution. Assigning, and performing a settlement process of the main account each time a predetermined time or transaction amount is exceeded; and transacting transaction information of each sub-account corresponding to the individual transaction that is a source of the settlement process. Updating the electronic mall. 6. A plurality of sub-accounts for managing transaction information of a plurality of virtual stores belonging to an electronic mall, respectively, for one main account for collectively performing settlement of individual transactions at each virtual store with a financial institution. Allocating, and performing a payment process of the main account every time a predetermined time or transaction amount is exceeded. Transaction information of each sub-account corresponding to the individual transaction that is the source of the payment process A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a settlement method for an electronic mall, comprising: updating a computer.