JP2002049758A - Point fund system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a point system, which is attractive for a consumer and enables the dealer to smoothly circulate operating capital. SOLUTION: A point fund manager raises a point member to give a point with the payment of a price to the purchase of an article or provision of the service by the previously designated dealer, registers members in a host computer 2, manages the point to be applied with the purchase of the article or receiving of the service due to the point member, calculates a total point by periodically summing up the point numbers of all the point members, requests the contribution of a fund purchasing capital for a service amount corresponding to the total point to the dealer, who issues the point, purchases a fund with the contributes fund purchasing capital, distributes and manages the fund for each point member corresponding to the rate of the point number of each point member to the total point.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a point system provided to a purchaser of a product or a user of a service at a fixed rate in accordance with purchase of a product or use of a service. This is a point fund system that exchanges and manages points for funds such as stocks.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a point system in which points are given at a fixed rate in accordance with purchase of goods and use of services.

[0003] In these point systems, the prices of in-house products and services are discounted by the amount of points that have been given, or exchanged for gift certificates or free service tickets when a predetermined number of points is reached. Various services are provided.

[0004]

However, in such a point system, the point digestion rate due to the actual use of points is not high, about 40%, and the remaining points are expired and the points are managed. In most cases, the card has been revoked due to loss of the card.

[0005] The fact that the digestibility of points is not high as described above means that the points are not accumulated enough to effectively use the points. In other words, the consumption behavior itself is not sufficient. Is not taken. That is, even if the point system is introduced, there is a problem that the sales corresponding to the introduction cannot be expected to be improved, and only the cost associated with the maintenance of the point system increases.

[0006] In addition, the uncertainty about the future of the Japanese economy is greatly influenced by the background that consumers do not take sufficient consumer behavior itself. In other words, the prolonged recession caused companies to cut down on staffing, and the wage system shifted from seniority-based to merit-based, resulting in a social situation in which there was only anxiety about the future. are doing.

[0007] In such a case, Japanese people are particularly likely to pass on savings except for the minimum required consumption of the profits obtained.
It was to increase money that was not returned to society. In other words, the restraint on the consumer's consumption behavior has led to a decline in corporate profits, which has caused a further vicious cycle.

In view of such a situation, the present inventors have studied how to prevent the stagnation of money and create a healthy circulation of money. The natural consequence of this was that the money needed to be saved had to be invested, rather than simply slept at a bank or post office.

[0009] However, in the case of ordinary Japanese, there is a tendency that the loss of assets is extremely feared, and it is rare to make a risky investment, so that asset management other than savings is spontaneously performed. It was very difficult.

Therefore, the inventor of the present invention does not allow a consumer to make an investment directly, but converts a point obtained through consumption into a fund such as a stock (hereinafter, referred to as a stock).
(Referred to simply as the "point fund system"). In the present invention, financial products such as stocks and bonds are collectively referred to as funds.

That is, since consumers can purchase a fund without making a direct investment, they can easily invest and, even if the purchased fund loses asset value, Since it was not a direct investment, there is no psychological damage and the fund can be purchased with confidence.

On the other hand, for a company that has introduced a point fund system, it is possible to encourage a proper operation of the fund and to increase the consumer's willingness to spend by making the fund purchase fund available for the purchase of own stock. Can improve sales.

[0013]

In the point fund system of the present invention, a point fund manager is a point member to which points are awarded in accordance with payment for the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of services by a previously designated trader. And register them in the host computer, manage the points awarded when the point member purchases products or enjoy the service, periodically totals the number of points for all point members, calculates the total points, Requesting the company that issued the fund to purchase a fund with a service amount equivalent to the total amount of points, purchase the fund with the fund purchased,
The fund will be distributed and managed for each point member according to the ratio of the number of points of each point member to the total point.

That is, a point member who is given points in connection with payment of the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of the service by a designated trader is recruited and registered in the host computer, and the registered point members purchase the goods. Or, a point awarding means for awarding points according to the enjoyment of the service, a point managing means for storing and managing the awarded points, and a point total by calculating a total number of points by periodically counting the number of points of all point members. Requesting the company that issued the fund to purchase a fund with a service amount equivalent to the total amount of points, purchase the fund with the fund purchased, and according to the ratio of the number of points of each point member to the total points To distribute the fund for each point member,
And a fund management means for managing the fund.

Further, distribution notification means for notifying each point member of the contents of the fund to be distributed, and the point member receiving the notification of the contents of the fund converts the fund into a fund if the member wishes to convert the fund. It is managed by the fund management means, and if the conversion to the fund is not desired, the conversion to the fund is not performed, and the point management means is provided with conversion selection means for managing the points as they are. Point management area for storing and managing points managed as normal points, and fund point management area for storing and managing points managed as points for fund conversion. And also manages dividends distributed to funds distributed to each point member. Those having features also be provided with a dividend management means for.

Further, a member identification card is issued to the point member, and the member identification card is inserted into a terminal device connected to the host computer via a telecommunication line to perform identity verification. There is also a feature in redeeming funds owned by point members.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The point fund system of the present invention is a service for giving points to the price paid for purchasing goods and using services.
The accumulated points are exchanged for funds instead of gift certificates.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of the point fund system of the present invention. The point fund manager who manages the point fund system recruits point members who are given points in accordance with payment for the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of services at a designated company, and registers them in the host computer 2. ing.

[0019] Here, the merchant is a merchant that introduces a point fund system, such as a retailer that gives points to a consumer who has purchased a product like a department store, a credit company, a bank, or the like. Consumers, such as service providers who give points to service users
It is a company of all types of business that has a system for giving points to users.

The host computer 2 is connected to the telecommunications line 1 via an appropriate connection device, and accesses the host computer 2 by a point input device 3 composed of a register and the like also connected to the telecommunications line 1,
The registered points can be used to enter and manage the points given as a result of purchasing goods or enjoying services.

Here, the point input device 3 is not limited to a register. For example, a terminal device used for point input only, such as a terminal device used in an airline's point service for giving points according to the use distance. It may be a device.

The terminal device 4 is connected to the telecommunication line 1 so that the host computer 2 can be accessed. As will be described later, each point member can check the contents of each accumulation point or fund, Or,
And make money from the sale of funds.

Hereinafter, the point fund system of the present invention will be described in detail step by step with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the point fund manager who manages the point fund system solicits and recruits point members who are given points in accordance with payment for the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of services at a pre-designated trader. Then, it is registered in the host computer 2 (S1).

At this time, the registered contents registered in the host computer 2 include not only personal information such as the address, name, age, gender, and contact telephone number of the point member, but also the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of services. Of the points awarded for the paid price, it is possible to accumulate as a point for fund conversion and to register the remaining points as normal points by specifying the distribution (S2). .

That is, since the conversion of the accumulated points to the fund is performed periodically, the given points are allocated to the ordinary points for the fund and the fund so that the ordinary point service can be used during that time (S12). It can be managed while sorting it for conversion.

Therefore, the connection to the host computer 2
The database which is a point management means for storing and managing the given points includes, among the given points,
A normal point management area for storing and managing points managed as normal points and a fund point management area for storing and managing points managed as points for fund conversion are provided.

Further, a database connected to the host computer 2 includes a fund management area for managing funds allocated to each point member, as will be described later, and
A dividend management area for managing dividends to be distributed to the fund is provided as a fund management means.

When a member is registered as a point member, a member identification card (hereinafter, referred to as a "point fund card") is issued. Point input device 3 which is a means for giving points to a fund card
The point member is identified by the host computer 2 and the required points are added to the point management means of the host computer 2 (S3).
At this time, as described above, the point management means adds the points to be allocated to the normal points and the funds conversion points based on a preset distribution.

Then, when a preset counting date is reached (S4), the host computer 2 activates the fund point counting means to count the number of fund points of all point members to calculate the total point. (S5).

If the counting date has not been reached, the number of points for the fund is not counted. If the ordinary point service is used based on the accumulated points (S12), the products and services are naturally It can be received (S13). Then, points are further given with the payment of the purchase of the goods or the enjoyment of the service made thereafter, so that the points can be accumulated (S
3). Alternatively, if the ordinary point service is not used (S12), the points can be further accrued with the payment of the price for the purchase of the product or the enjoyment of the service, so that the points can be accumulated. (S3).

The point fund manager confirms the service amount corresponding to the total amount of points to the company that issued the points, and calculates a fund to be purchased from the company (S6).

Next, the point fund manager selects a purchase fund according to the calculated fund purchase amount (S7). At this time, if the company that issues points and contributes funds to purchase the fund is a stock company, the company can preferentially purchase its own shares using the fund purchased. In other words, the business expenditure of the fund purchase fund can be fully recovered as an investment in the company, and can be a driving force for improving management.

Alternatively, a good fund may be purchased through an appropriate securities company or investment trust company so that the money flows into the financial market. By flowing a large amount of money into the financial market, the financial market can be activated and a healthy circulation of money can be created to improve the economy.

By the way, the reason that the points for funds are not converted to funds at any time, and are made on a regular basis, is due to procedural problems for obtaining the approval of the general meeting of shareholders accompanying the purchase of treasury stock, If possible, conversion to a fund may be performed at any time.

After the selection of the purchased fund, the point fund manager calculates the amount of funds received by each point member in accordance with the ratio of the number of fund points of each point member to the total number of points, and distributes the respective funds by the distribution notifying means. The details of the fund, such as the type of the fund and the number of shares that the point member will receive, are notified (S8). The distribution notifying means may be mailing by postcard or letter describing the required contents, contact by telephone or facsimile, or e-mail, as long as the point members can be notified of the fund contents.

Upon receiving the notification, the point member confirms the content of the notification and, if he / she wants to convert to a fund, does not want to convert to a fund, or if he does not want to convert to a fund, he / she can use the fund points. Whether to switch to the normal points or to maintain the points as the fund points as they are is notified to the point fund manager by an appropriate communication method (S9).

The communication method may be postcard or letter mail, as in the case of the distribution notifying means, or by telephone or FA.
It may be a contact by X or an e-mail.

The point fund manager recalculates only the fund points of the point members who wished to convert to funds, calculates the total points, and corresponds to the final total points for the issuer of the points. The fund purchase fund of the service amount is requested to be contributed, and the fund is purchased with the fund purchased fund (S10).

The point fund manager uses the conversion selecting means of the host computer 2 to transfer the purchased fund to the point member who wishes to convert to a fund.
The funds received according to the ratio of the number of points of each point member to the total point are distributed to each point member (S11), and are registered and managed in the fund management means of the host computer 2. On the other hand, for point members who did not wish to convert to funds, switch the fund points to normal points,
Alternatively, the fund points are directly managed by the point management means as the fund points (S9).

In the fund management unit and the point management unit, when the ordinary point service is used with the accumulated points in a state where the fund and the points are managed (S12), as described above, the product of the point service is used. The service can be received (S13). Then, points are further given with the payment of the price for the purchase of the product or the enjoyment of the service made thereafter, so that the points can be accumulated (S3). Alternatively, if the normal point service is not used (S12),
Points are further provided with the payment of the price for the purchase of the product or the enjoyment of the service thereafter, so that the points can be accumulated (S3).

Further, a dividend is naturally paid to the owned fund, and the dividend is managed by the dividend management means.

Further, when a fund owned by each point member is sold, a gain on sale is paid to each point member, and the gain on sale is managed by dividend management means. I have. In other words, monetary information such as a dividend and a gain on sale is managed collectively by the dividend management means.

As described above, when the fund owned by the point member is sold and redeemed, the terminal device 4 connected to the host computer 2 via the telecommunication line is used.
Is to be performed.

That is, the point fund card created at the time of the registration of the point member is inserted into the terminal device 4, the personal identification number or the like is entered, the personal identification is performed, and the contents of the owned fund are confirmed. The company is able to check the profits from the sale according to the stock price and other factors. However, the fee for the sale is shown in a deducted amount.

The point member operates the terminal device 4 to
Only the required amount of the displayed sales profit is sold, and the sales profit information generated by the sales is temporarily stored in the dividend management area of the dividend management means so that the cash can be exchanged.

When withdrawing money from the terminal device 4,
Further, by inputting the withdrawal amount into the terminal device 4,
With the upper limit of the amount stored in the dividend management area, money can be withdrawn and received (S13).

In the embodiment described above, the point fund card itself has only a function for personal identification, and the management of points, funds, and dividends is centrally performed by the host computer 2. However, the point fund card may be used as an IC card, and the point fund card itself may be provided with a point management means and a fund management means so that both the point fund card and the host computer 2 perform data management.

In the above-described embodiment, the point fund manager may be a company that issues points, or may be a person who manages a fund such as a securities company. Alternatively, an independent intermediate company may serve as a point fund manager to manage and operate the point fund system of the present invention.

[0050]

According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

For a consumer, by converting points that have not been effectively utilized, such as expired due to expiration, into a fund, it is possible to receive the profit of the dividend and to sell the fund. To gain a profit. Further, even if the converted fund loses its asset value, it does not make direct investment, so it has less psychological burden and can be less likely to suffer actual harm.

For a company that has introduced a point fund system, it is possible to provide consumers with an attractive service of a low-risk fund, so that consumers can be more willing to purchase and improve sales. Can be done. In addition, by giving the point members their own shares, the working capital can be properly obtained and the management can be stabilized.

With the introduction of the point fund system, a large amount of funds can flow into the financial market, so that the financial market can be activated and an effect of boosting the economy can be produced.

Distribution notification means for notifying each point member of the content of the fund to be distributed, and the point member receiving the notification of the fund content converts the fund to a fund if the member wishes to convert it to a fund. If you do not want to convert to a fund, you do not want to convert to a fund. If not, a means for rejecting the conversion can be provided to the point member, and the options of the point member can be expanded so that a better selection can be made.

The point management means stores a normal point management area for storing and managing points managed as normal points among the points given, and points managed as points for fund conversion. By providing the fund point management area for managing the funds, it is possible to receive the point service based on the given points at the same time.

By providing a dividend management means for managing a dividend distributed to a fund distributed to each point member, not only can products and services be provided by points, but also points can be valid. It can be redeemed for money.

A member identification card is issued to the point member, the member identification card is inserted into a terminal device connected to the host computer via a telecommunication line, and the personal identification is performed. By redeeming the fund assigned to the member, the point member can freely redeem the fund and the degree of freedom of the point member can be increased.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a system configuration of a point fund system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a system flow of the point fund system according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Telecommunication line 2 Host computer 3 Point input device 4 Terminal device

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Mitsutoshi Nishida 145-1 Imperial Oga 2-507, Shito, Maehara-shi, Fukuoka F-term (reference) 5B049 BB00 BB11 BB47 CC36 EE02 5B055 BB10 CA00 CC00

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A point fund manager recruits point members who are given points in accordance with payment for the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of services at a pre-designated trader and registers them in a host computer (2). It manages the points awarded in connection with the purchase of products or the enjoyment of services by point members, periodically totals the number of points of all point members, calculates the total points, and totals points for the issuer. Requesting the contribution of the fund for the purchase of the fund with the service amount equivalent to, the fund is purchased with the fund purchased, and the fund is distributed to each point member according to the ratio of the point number of each point member to the total point. A point fund system characterized by management. 2. Claiming point members who are given points for the purchase of goods or the enjoyment of services at a pre-designated trader, recruiting point members, registering them in the host computer (2), and using the registered point members. Point awarding means for awarding points for purchasing goods or enjoying services, point managing means for storing and managing the awarded points, and calculating the total points by periodically counting the number of points of all point members And asks the company that issued the points to contribute to the purchase of the fund for the service amount equivalent to the total points, purchases the fund with the fund purchased, and calculates the number of points for each point member with respect to the total points. Fund management means to distribute and manage funds for each point member according to the ratio Point fund system characterized by comprising a. 3. A distribution notifying means for notifying each point member of the contents of the fund to be allocated, and a point member receiving the notification of the contents of the fund converts the fund into a fund if the member wishes to convert the fund. 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a conversion selecting unit that manages the funds by a fund management unit, and does not convert the funds into funds when the conversion to the fund is not desired. Point fund system. 4. The point management means includes a normal point management area for storing and managing points managed as normal points among the points given, and a point managed as a point for fund conversion. 4. The point fund system according to claim 2, further comprising a fund point management area for storing and managing the point. 5. The point according to claim 2, further comprising a dividend management means for managing a dividend to be distributed to a fund distributed for each point member. Fund system. 6. A point identification card is issued to a point member, and the host computer is connected via a telecommunication line (1).
Claim 1 characterized in that after inserting the member identification card into the terminal device (4) connected to (2) and verifying the identity, the fund owned by the point member is redeemed on the terminal device. 5. The point fund system according to any one of the items 5.