JP2002245316A - Point returning method, center device, store device and point return program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To purchase commodities on the shopping site other than a service site giving points by using the relevant points. SOLUTION: In the method for returning points on a system connecting a user terminal, the center device for holding the points for every user and the store device for vending commodities to a network, the store device receives information on the purchase of an article from the user terminal and transmits information containing a store ID, a transaction ID and an amount or number of points required for purchasing commodities through the user terminal to the center device, and the center device requests a user ID to the user terminal, receives the user ID, subtracts the number of points required for purchasing commodities from the number of points held corresponding to the user ID and repots the completion of processing concerning the transaction ID to the store device corresponding to the store ID.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a technology for purchasing a product such as software using a point in a system for giving points to a user on a network such as the Internet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a method of paying for a product when purchasing the product on an online shopping site,
Conventionally, there are a credit card, a SET method, a debit method, a payment at a convenience store, and the like.

On the other hand, in recent years, a service for giving points when a product is purchased or a service for giving points when browsing an advertisement is becoming widespread. There are bank transfer of cash and purchase of goods in closed form on the service site.

[0004]

However, the points accumulated in the service for giving points cannot be used at other shopping sites, the use range of the accumulated points is limited, and the convenience of the user is reduced. There is a problem that it is not enough. Although it is possible to obtain cash by the above-mentioned bank transfer and freely purchase goods with the cash, the method using the bank transfer usually requires a fee, and there is a problem that the accumulated points cannot be fully utilized.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a method and apparatus for enabling the use of points when shopping for goods at a shopping site other than the service site to which points are given. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention can be configured as follows.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, a user terminal includes:
A method of redeeming points on a system in which a center device holding points for each user and a store device for selling products are connected to a network, wherein the store device relates to purchase of a product from a user terminal. Receiving the information, the store device transmitting information including a store ID, a transaction ID, and an amount or points required for purchasing the product to the center device via the user terminal; and Requesting the user ID, receiving the user ID, and subtracting the number of points required to purchase the product from the number of points held in correspondence with the user ID; Notifying that the processing relating to the transaction ID has been completed.

[0008] According to the present invention, payment of a product purchased from a shopping site provided by a store device can be performed using points related to the point service provided by the center device.

[0009] According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the store apparatus receives information on the purchase of the product from the user terminal, and transmits a mail including predetermined information to the user terminal. And receiving an access from a user terminal based on the predetermined information. According to the present invention, after the purchase application, the URL
It is possible to send a confirmation e-mail with embedded URL, access the URL, and then start payment processing.

[0010] The invention described in claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2.
In the above description, the method further includes the step of the center device assigning a processing attribute according to a processing state to the transaction ID.

According to the present invention, the processing state of each transaction can be grasped by referring to the processing attribute, and the consistency of the processing of the center apparatus and the store apparatus for a certain transaction can be maintained. For example,
Double payment can be prevented.

[0012] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a user terminal includes:
A center device in a system in which a center device that holds points for each user and a store device for selling products are connected to a network, and a store device that has received information on purchase of a product from a user terminal. I
D, means for receiving, via the user terminal, information including the transaction ID, the amount required for purchasing the product or the number of points, and requesting the user ID from the user terminal, receiving the user ID, It has means for subtracting the number of points required to purchase the product from the number of points held correspondingly, and means for notifying the store apparatus corresponding to the store ID that the processing relating to the transaction ID has been completed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, there is further provided means for assigning a processing attribute to the transaction ID according to a processing state.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in accordance with the fifth aspect, the information processing apparatus further includes a transaction ID and information including a store ID, a user ID, and a processing attribute corresponding to the transaction ID. A means for receiving the input and displaying predetermined information on the transaction corresponding to the shop ID is further provided.

According to the present invention, it is possible to confirm information such as a processing attribute related to a transaction from the store side.

[0016] According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, a user terminal includes:
A center device for holding points for each user, and a store device in a system in which a store device for selling a product is connected to a network, a means for receiving information on purchase of a product from a user terminal, and a store ID. Means for transmitting information including a transaction ID, an amount required for purchasing the product, or the number of points to the center device via the user terminal.

According to the present invention, it is possible to purchase a product using points by notifying a store ID, a transaction ID, an amount required for purchasing the product, and the like to a center device for redeeming points. .

The invention according to claim 8 is a communication device according to claim 7, wherein the means for receiving the information on the purchase of the product from the user terminal and transmitting an e-mail including predetermined information to the user terminal; Means for receiving an access from the user terminal based on the information of (1).

The invention according to claims 9 to 11 is a program for causing a computer to execute processing as a center device. The invention according to claims 12 and 13 is a program for causing a computer to execute processing as a store device. It is.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below. There are various services for giving points to users on the Internet. In this embodiment, a service for giving points when a user browses an advertisement will be described as an example. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to purchase various products from various sites using points, but in the present embodiment, description will be made by taking software purchase at a software sales site as an example. Items sold by the store device, including information such as software, are referred to as products.

FIG. 1 shows a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the user's terminal 1 and the center device 3 are connected via the Internet.
To access the center device 3 to browse the advertisement with a WWW browser. In addition, the user obtains points by browsing the advertisement. Advertising information from advertisers is stored in the center device. It also has a table for storing the number of points for each user. The user is identified by the user ID.

The store apparatus provides a homepage for online shopping, and a user can purchase a product such as software by accessing the homepage using a terminal.

In the case of this embodiment, the center device 3
It is composed of WW servers 7, 9, mail server 11, database servers 13, 15, and firewall 17,
Each device is connected by a LAN. Two WWW servers are provided for load balancing of access from the Internet, and both WWW servers 7 and 9 operate in operation, and the firewall 17 distributes access to one of the WWW servers. The two database servers are in a working and standby relationship. Therefore, normally, only the active database server operates, and in the event of a trouble in the active database server, the spare database server operates. The processing operation of the present invention in the center device is realized by the CGI program on the WWW servers 7 and 9 and the mail distribution program on the mail server.

The store apparatus can be configured using a WWW server, and a mail server, a data server, and the like may be used as needed.

In this specification, the term "device" in the term "center device" is used to mean a group of a plurality of devices or a single device. That is, when the center device has a configuration in which a plurality of devices are connected via a LAN or the like as described above, the “device” in the “center device” means a group of a plurality of devices. Further, the “center device” is not limited to the above configuration, and can be realized by, for example, one computer. In this case, the “device” in the “center device” means a single device. is there.

The LAN in the center device is divided into a global segment and a private segment as shown in FIG.
Access to PS and SMTP is permitted, and TELNET and FTP are used between a business processing terminal or a verification device provided outside the center device or the like and the private segment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a software configuration of a user terminal (client), a WWW server and a database server in the center device. As shown in the figure, in a user terminal, a WWW browser exchanges data with an HTTP server of a WWW server to obtain points and the like. In the WWW server, HTTP
The server and the Web application server exchange data with the user terminal and the database server, and perform various processes according to the processing program. The processing program is, for example, a program utilizing JAVA (registered trademark) or the like.
The database server has a database processing program and a database, and the database is accessed from the Web application server.

Regarding the software configuration of the store device,
A configuration similar to that of the WWW server shown in FIG. 2 can be employed. A product can be purchased from a WWW browser or the like of a user terminal at a shopping site in a store device.

In the system according to the present embodiment, the user registers as a member by registering an attribute, a field of interest, or the like from the terminal 1, and the center device 3 sends an e-mail to the terminal 1 in a predetermined case. The user browses the advertisement by accessing the URL embedded in the email, and obtains points by answering a questionnaire or the like.

Next, using the sequence chart of FIG.
A description will be given of the processing of the entire system when a product is purchased using the accumulated points.

First, the user terminal accesses the store apparatus, which is a software sales site, determines the software to be purchased by referring to the software introduction page and the like, and requests the software application screen by clicking the application button ( Step 1). The price of the software is displayed on the introduction page of the software.
The price of the software is displayed in units of yen, but when paying using points (also called bits), the number of points corresponding to the price is paid. Therefore, the number of points may be described in the store device together with the price of the product. By setting 1 yen = 1 point, the price becomes the number of points to be paid as it is.

Subsequently, the store apparatus displays an application screen on the user terminal (step 2), and the user inputs his / her last name, first and last name kana, gender, mail address and the like according to the screen. Also, select the payment method. The payment method is selected from, for example, a credit card, a SET credit, a debit, a convenience store, and points. here,
Select payment by points (step 3).

When the store device receives the application information,
Check your email address, etc., and prepare to issue a license key with your first and last name, date of birth, etc. Then, an e-mail in which the URL for purchase confirmation is described is transmitted to the user terminal (step 4).

When the user accesses the URL (step 5), the store apparatus checks the store ID, transaction ID, application date, and price (in the case of 1 yen = 1 bit,
The price is the number of points required for purchasing the software, and this is the case in this embodiment).
A falsification is prevented by adding a hash value using D5.
The hashed information is sent to the center device by the redirect function via the user terminal (step 6). From the user terminal, it appears that the user clicks the URL to access the site of the center device.

The above-mentioned store ID is an ID for identifying the store device, and is predetermined in correspondence with the store device.
The transaction ID is information generated by the store apparatus to identify each application.

When the transaction is new, the center device sends an authentication input screen to the user terminal (step 7). Subsequently, the user inputs the user ID and the password to the user terminal, and the user terminal transmits the user ID and the password to the center device (Step 8). The user ID and password used here are those registered when the user enrolled in the point giving service.

The center device authenticates the user ID and password, and checks whether the user has sufficient points. Then, the final intention confirmation screen is sent to the user terminal (step 9). In response to the user's final intention input, the user terminal transmits the final intention to the center device (step 10), and the center device performs point redemption processing. Thereafter, the processing bureaucracy regarding the transaction is notified to the store device, and a completion message screen is sent to the user terminal (steps 11 and 12).

As will be described in detail later, in the above-described processing, a processing attribute is given to each transaction, and the center device and the store device grasp what state each transaction is currently at.

Hereinafter, the processing of the center device and the store device in the above sequence will be described in detail.

First, the processing operation of the center device will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

After the center device receives the store ID, the transaction ID, the application date, and the required number of points (or price) in step 6 above, it checks whether the transaction ID is new (step 6). 21). The center device holds a table as shown in FIG. 7 and manages each transaction.
If there is no transaction ID that matches the transaction ID in this table, it is determined that the transaction is new. The member number in FIG. 7 is a member number in the point giving service provided by the center device.

If the transaction ID is new,
The processing attribute is set to "accept" (step 22), and a processing record is newly created. If the transaction ID is not new and the processing attribute is "processing completed", a completion message is displayed and the processing is terminated (steps 23 and 24). When the processing attribute is “processing completed”, the processing is terminated.
Heavy payment can be prevented.

If the transaction ID is new,
Next, it is checked whether the password is locked (step 25). If locked, the process attribute is set to "password lock" and the process is terminated.

If not locked, an authentication input screen (user ID, password, cancel input screen) is displayed on the user terminal (step 26). When an input from the user terminal is detected (step 27), the content is determined, and in the case of cancellation (step 28), a cancel screen is displayed on the user terminal (step 29 in FIG. 5). In the case of cancellation, the processing attribute is set to "cancel" (step 30), and the fact is notified to the store apparatus (step 31).

When the input is not canceled, the user I
D, It is checked whether the authentication using the password is successful (step 32 in FIG. 4). If the authentication fails, the processing attribute is set to “authentication failure” (step 33), and the number of failures is a predetermined number (this embodiment). (5 times) is checked (step 34), and if not, the authentication screen is displayed again. If the predetermined number of times has been exceeded, authentication failure is notified to the store apparatus (step 35).

Next, the balance of the points is checked and it is checked whether there are enough points that can be exchanged (step 36). In addition, the price of the product is converted into the number of points as necessary. If the points are insufficient, a screen indicating that the points are insufficient is displayed on the user terminal (step 37), the processing attribute is set to "insufficient points" (step 38), and the store device is notified (step 37). 39). If there are enough points, the current number of points, the number of points exchanged by this transaction, and the number of remaining points after exchange are displayed on the user terminal, and the user confirms the final intention (step 40).

If the input from the user terminal is cancelled, a cancel screen is displayed and the processing of steps 29 to 31 is performed (step 42). If the purchase intention is confirmed, a point redemption process is performed (step 43).
The processing attribute is set to "processing completed" (step 44), and a processing end screen is displayed on the user terminal (step 45).
Then, an e-mail for confirmation is transmitted to the user (step 46), and the completion of the processing is notified to the store apparatus (step 4).
7). In the point redemption process, the point number obtained by subtracting the point number used in the current purchase from the original point number of the user is set as a new point number.

It should be noted that cancellation, authentication failure, insufficient balance,
The notification to the store apparatus such as the processing completion is made together with the corresponding transaction ID, and the store apparatus notified of the cancellation, the authentication failure, the balance shortage, the processing completion, and the like performs necessary processing corresponding to each state. For example, in the case of cancellation, authentication failure, or insufficient balance, the transaction is deleted.

Next, the processing operation of the store apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a process from receiving an application for software purchase to sending out an e-mail, and FIG.
FIG. 10 shows a process from clicking L to accessing the center device, and FIG. 10 shows a process from the completion of the process of the center device to the issuance of a license or the like.

First, a description will be given with reference to FIG. After the user selects the software, upon receiving the request for the application screen in step 1 in FIG. 3, the application screen for the software is displayed on the user terminal (step 51). The user inputs his / her first and last name, first and last name, gender, e-mail address and the like, and selects "payment by point" as a payment method (step 52).

When the store device receives the information input by the user, it performs authentication (input determination) of the mail address and the like (step 53), and displays an image of the error (step 54) in the case of an error.

Then, the application date and the number of points (or price) required to purchase the software are obtained.
A transaction ID is set (step 55). Further, an e-mail in which a URL for purchase confirmation is described is transmitted to the user terminal (step 56). The store apparatus also prepares to issue a license key using the first and last name, date of birth, and the like.

In FIG. 9, when the user accesses the URL, the information related to the access is received (step 61), and an application confirmation screen is displayed (step 6).
2). Here, if the user cancels, a cancel screen is displayed (steps 63 and 64), and if the purchase intention is confirmed, the store ID and the transaction I
A hash value using MD5 is added to information consisting of D, the application date, and the number of points required for software purchase to prevent tampering, and the information is sent to the center device by a redirect function via the user terminal. (Step 64).

In FIG. 10, the store device determines whether or not the processing has been completed in the center device for each transaction. For example, if the processing is not completed within a predetermined time, the recovery processing is performed (step 72), and if the processing completion is confirmed, a license is issued (step 73). If the thing to be sold is a physical product, prepare for shipping. The recovery processing is performed, for example, when the processing is interrupted in the middle or when the user drops the browser, and performs processing such as erasing the transaction.

Next, the management function in the system of the present invention will be described.

First, purchasing information can be searched by accessing a predetermined page in the center device. At the time of search, the screen shown in FIG. 11 is displayed,
By inputting predetermined items, it is possible to search for the corresponding transaction. FIG. 12 shows an output example. Change the attributes of a particular transaction,
According to an instruction from the store, the transaction of processing completion can be canceled.

The center apparatus has a function of creating a monthly report. For example, the center apparatus sorts the transactions for which processing has been completed last month by application date and time and displays a list. Also, the total number of points and the total number of points are displayed. FIG. 13 shows a display example. The store can verify by comparing the total of the prices of the products related to the purchase using the points with the monthly report data. Alternatively, a request may be made to the center apparatus operation side based on only the monthly report data.

Further, the center device has a function of grasping the processing attribute of the user from the store side, and it is possible to access a predetermined page in the center device and search by inputting the store ID and the password. become. For example, using the transaction ID as a key, the result shown in FIG. 14 can be displayed. Further, the transaction ID and the number of used points whose processing attributes are processing completion can be displayed using the payment date as a key.

The processing in the present invention is executed by a program installed in the center device and the store device. The program can be transferred and stored in a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or the program can be transferred via a network.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be variously modified and applied within the scope of the claims. For example, the center device can handle transactions in a plurality of store devices. In that case, the store device is identified by the store ID.

[0062]

According to the present invention, it is possible to use the points when purchasing a product at a shopping site other than the service site to which the points are given. In particular, in the present invention, the processing attribute is changed according to the state of the processing in the transaction, and the processing attribute can be checked at any time by the center device and the store device. Processing consistency can be ensured even if the device (center device) is a separate device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of a user terminal (client), a WWW server and a database server in a center device.

FIG. 3 is a sequence chart for explaining processing of the system.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing of a center device (part 1).

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing processing of the center device (part 2).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing processing of the center device (part 3).

FIG. 7 is an example of a table held by the center device.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing of the store device (part 1).

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a process of the store device (part 2).

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing processing of the store device (part 3).

FIG. 11 is an example of an input screen in purchasing information search.

FIG. 12 is an example of an output screen in purchasing information search.

FIG. 13 is an output example of a monthly report.

FIG. 14 is an example of a display screen by an attribute search.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Terminal 3 Center apparatus 5 Store apparatus 7, 9 WWW server 11 Mail server 13, 15 Database server 17 Firewall

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification FI FI Theme Court ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 332 G06F 17/60 332 (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Hiura 6-1, Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo No. 11 NTT Communications Corporation (72) Inventor Eiji Wakamura 6-11-11 Shimbashi Minato-ku, Tokyo NTT Communications Corporation (72) Inventor Watanabe Tetsuya 6-11-11 Shinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo Inside NTT TPC Communications Inc. (72) Inventor Yukio Ouchi 6-11-11 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo NTT TIP Corporation・ Within Sea Communications

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A method for redeeming points on a system in which a user terminal, a center device for holding points for each user, and a store device for selling goods are connected to a network. Receiving information related to the purchase of a product from the user terminal; and transmitting the information including a store ID, a transaction ID, an amount required for the purchase of the product or the number of points to the center device via the user terminal. A center device requesting a user ID from a user terminal, receiving the user ID, and subtracting the number of points required for purchasing the product from the number of points held in correspondence with the user ID; Notifying the store device corresponding to the store ID that the process related to the transaction ID has been completed. Wherein the door. 2. A step in which a store device receives information related to the purchase of a product from a user terminal and transmits an e-mail including predetermined information to the user terminal, and an access from the user terminal based on the predetermined information. Receiving. 3. The transaction apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of giving a processing attribute to D according to a processing state. 4. A center device in a system in which a user terminal, a center device for holding points for each user, and a store device for selling a product are connected to a network, the center device relating to the purchase of a product from the user terminal. Means for receiving, via a user terminal, information including a store ID, a transaction ID, an amount required for purchasing the product or the number of points from a store device having received the information, and requesting the user ID from the user terminal for the user. Means for receiving the ID and subtracting the number of points required for the purchase of the product from the number of points held in correspondence with the user ID;
Means for notifying that processing relating to D has been completed. 5. The center apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising means for giving a processing attribute according to a processing state to said transaction ID. 6. A transaction ID and information including a store ID, a user ID, and a processing attribute corresponding to the transaction ID, and a predetermined store ID is received in response to an input of a specific store ID. 6. The center apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: means for displaying the information of (1). 7. A store device in a system in which a user terminal, a center device for holding points for each user, and a store device for selling a product are connected to a network, the store device relates to purchase of a product from the user terminal. A store apparatus comprising: means for receiving information; and means for transmitting information including a store ID, a transaction ID, and an amount or points required for purchasing the product to a center device via a user terminal. 8. A means for receiving information related to the purchase of a product from a user terminal, transmitting a mail including predetermined information to the user terminal, and receiving an access from the user terminal based on the predetermined information. The store apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: 9. A program for causing a computer to execute processing as a center device in a system in which a user terminal, a center device for holding points for each user, and a store device for selling products are connected to a network. Receiving, via the user terminal, information including the store ID, the transaction ID, and the amount or points required for the purchase of the product from the store device that has received the information on the purchase of the product from the user terminal. A procedure for requesting a user ID from a user terminal, receiving the user ID, and subtracting the number of points required for purchasing the product from the number of points held corresponding to the user ID; and a store apparatus corresponding to the store ID The transaction I
And a procedure for notifying that processing relating to D has been completed. 10. The program according to claim 9, further comprising the step of giving a processing attribute to the transaction ID according to a processing state. 11. The center apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transaction ID and the store I corresponding to the transaction ID
The program according to claim 10, further comprising a step of receiving information including a specific shop ID and displaying predetermined information related to a transaction corresponding to the shop ID, the information having information including D, a user ID, and a processing attribute. . 12. A program for causing a computer to execute a process as a store device in a system in which a user terminal, a center device for holding points for each user, and a store device for selling products are connected to a network. And transmitting, to the computer, information including a store ID, a transaction ID, an amount required to purchase the product, or the number of points, to the computer via the user terminal. A program that causes the steps to be performed. 13. A procedure for receiving information related to the purchase of the product from the user terminal, transmitting a mail including predetermined information to the user terminal, and receiving an access from the user terminal based on the predetermined information. 13. The program according to claim 12, further causing the program to execute.