JP2006127255A - Public utility charges collection method, public utility charges collection system, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To collect public utility charges in a lump from a related customer. <P>SOLUTION: A contract proxy server 20 performs access to an application information database 253, and extracts a relative user for each of registered payment users, and prescribes a service company corresponding to the extracted relevant user. The contract proxy server 20 transmits a claim information acquisition request wherein a contract number for prescribing the extracted relevant user is set to a service company server 30 of a prescribed service company. Then, the contract proxy server 20 receives the claim information to be transmitted from the service company server 30 in response to the claim information acquisition request, wherein the sum of public utility charges to be paid by the relevant user is set. The contract proxy server 20 transmits intensive claim information wherein the claim sum of the claim information is set as a payment sum to a collection company server 40. The collecting company charges a payment user for the claimed sum set in the intensive claim information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a utility charge collection method, a utility charge collection system, and a program.

The collection of public charges is performed for each contract of a service related to the public charges (hereinafter referred to as public service). Therefore, for example, when a child lives away from his / her parent, or when a company establishes a branch office, an application for a utility fee must be made at a new base. For example, in Patent Document 1, the server receives change information that should change notification information that has already been reported to a recipient, such as a change in the address of a customer or a change in name, as a means for reducing the trouble of reporting such information. An invention is described in which notification information to be notified to a notification destination is created based on the transfer information, and the notification information is notified to the notification destination. With such an invention, the burden on the customer who makes the notification is reduced.
JP 2002-92150 A

  However, even in the system described in Patent Document 1, payment of public charges at a plurality of bases must be performed for each base. Therefore, for example, when a child lives away from his / her parent, a public fee must be paid in each household of the parent and child, and the labor involved in the payment is complicated. In addition, the fact that each household has to carry out an account withdrawal procedure for each service company further complicates the payment.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and a utility charge collection method, a utility charge collection system capable of collecting a utility charge to be paid by a customer from another customer related to the customer, And to provide a program.

  The invention described in claim 1 of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is a method of collecting a public fee to be paid by a second customer related to the first customer, and collects the public fee. The company's collection company server and the service company server of the service company that provides the public service are communicatively connected, and for each of the first customers, a second customer related to the first customer is managed. A computer that is connected to each of the customer management database and a service management database that manages a service company that provides a public service provided by the second customer for each of the second customers. For each registered first customer, a second customer related to the first customer is extracted, and the service management database is accessed. The service fee corresponding to the extracted second customer is specified, and the information specifying the extracted second customer is specified, and the amount of the utility fee to be paid by the second customer A payment fee acquisition request for acquiring the payment fee is transmitted to the service company server of the specified service company, and the second customer pays from the service company server in response to the payment fee acquisition request. A collection request for instructing to collect a utility bill, receiving the amount to be received, specifying the received amount as a payment amount, and specifying the first customer corresponding to the second customer as a payer Is transmitted to the collection company server.

The relationship between the first customer and the second customer is, for example, a parent / child or a main branch. Public services include, for example, electricity, gas, water, telephone and public broadcasting.
According to the utility bill collection method of the present invention, the utility fee to be paid by the second customer can be collected from the first customer. Therefore, for example, the first customer can collectively pay public charges for a plurality of public services at a plurality of bases. Therefore, it is possible to unify the processing related to payment and perform efficient public bill payment processing.

  Further, the invention according to claim 2 of the present invention is the public fee collection method according to claim 1, wherein the collection company server of the collection company pays the public fee to be paid by the first customer. It is assumed that it is a service company server of a service company that provides such a service. Therefore, the collection company easily collects the utility fee of the second customer from the first customer by adding the utility fee to be paid by the second customer to the utility fee to be paid by the second customer. can do.

  Further, the invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is the public fee collection method according to claim 1, wherein the computer is transmitted from the service company server in response to the payment fee acquisition request. The amount is stored in a memory for each service company, the total amount of the amount stored in the memory is calculated for each service company, and the total amount of the amount for each service company is designated as a payment amount Then, a payment request instructing payment to the service company, which designates the corresponding service company as a recipient, is transmitted to the collection company server.

  Moreover, invention of Claim 4 among this invention is the utility bill collection method of Claim 1, Comprising: The said computer WHEREIN: Customer information regarding the said 2nd customer, Information which specifies a service company, Service information relating to public services provided by the service company, address information relating to the address where the second customer receives the public services, information identifying the first customer associated with the second customer, Including the customer information, the site information, and the service information, the first customer and the second customer entered in association with each other and registered in the customer management database. A service start request for instructing to start providing public services on the site of the user is sent to the service company server of the input service company. To. Therefore, it is possible to apply for the public service of the second customer only by transmitting the application information once. Therefore, since the second customer does not need to make a contract with each service company individually, the labor is reduced and it is convenient.

  In addition, the invention according to claim 5 of the present invention is the utility bill collection method according to claim 4, wherein the computer includes an information for identifying the inputted first customer. Is transmitted to the collection company server, the examination result transmitted from the collection company server in response to the examination request is received, and the service start request is transmitted to the service company server in accordance with the received examination result. I will do it. In this case, the payment ability of the first customer who pays the public charges of the second customer can be examined in advance. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the unaccrual risk related to the public charges of the second customer.

  The invention according to claim 6 of the present invention is the public fee collection method according to claim 1, wherein the computer is provided with customer information about the second customer and a public service provided by a service company. The service company management database that accepts input of change information including at least one of service information related to the service information and address information related to an address where the second customer receives public services, and information specifying the second customer; The service company corresponding to the inputted second customer is selected, and the transfer information is transmitted to the service company server of the selected service company.

  The invention according to claim 7 of the present invention is a system for collecting a public fee to be paid by a second customer related to a first customer, and is a system for collecting a public fee. A customer that is communicably connected to a collection company server and a service company server of a service company that provides a public service, and manages a second customer related to the first customer for each first customer A management database and a service management database that manages a service company that provides a public service provided by the second customer are connected to each of the second customers so as to be accessible to the customer management database. Access and extract a second customer related to the first customer for each registered first customer, and the service management database The second customer who accesses and specifies the service company specifying unit that specifies the service company corresponding to the extracted second customer and the information specifying the extracted second customer should be paid In response to the payment fee acquisition request from the service company server, a payment fee acquisition request transmission unit that transmits a payment fee acquisition request for acquiring the amount of the utility bill to the service company server of the specified service company A payment fee receiving unit that receives the amount to be paid by the second customer, designates the received amount as a payment amount, and designates the first customer corresponding to the second customer as a payer A collection request transmitting unit that transmits to the collection company server a collection request for instructing collection of the utility bill specified as.

  The invention according to claim 8 of the present invention is the utility bill collection system according to claim 7, wherein customer information relating to the second customer, information for identifying a service company, and the service company Accepts input of service information related to public services provided by, address information related to the address where the second customer receives the public services, and information identifying the first customer related to the second customer Including an input unit, a customer registration unit that associates the input first customer and the second customer and registers them in the customer management database, the customer information, the site information, and the service information. A service start request instructing to start providing public service in the second site is sent to the service company server of the input service company. And service start request transmission unit for, and be equipped with.

  The invention according to claim 9 of the present invention is a program for collecting a public fee to be paid by a second customer related to a first customer, and is a program for collecting a public fee. A customer that is communicably connected to a collection company server and a service company server of a service company that provides a public service, and manages a second customer related to the first customer for each first customer The customer management is connected to a computer that is connected to each of a management database and a service management database that manages a service company that provides a public service provided by the second customer for each second customer. Accessing a database and extracting, for each registered first customer, a second customer associated with the first customer; and the service management A database for accessing the database and specifying the service company corresponding to the extracted second customer, and specifying the information for specifying the extracted second customer, the public payable by the second customer Transmitting a payment fee acquisition request for acquiring the amount of the fee to the service company server of the identified service company, and transmitting the payment fee acquisition request from the service company server in response to the payment fee acquisition request. Receiving the amount to be paid by the second customer, specifying the received amount as the payment amount, and specifying the first customer corresponding to the second customer as the payer And a step of transmitting a collection request instructing to be performed to the collection company server.

  According to the present invention, a utility fee to be paid by a customer can be collected from other customers related to the customer.

  In the present embodiment, a certain user can collectively perform an application for a public service that a user related to the user (hereinafter referred to as a related user) is to receive and payment of a public charge of the related user. The contract agent system 1 that provides a service will be described. In the following description, a user who pays a utility bill to be paid by a related user is referred to as a paying user. The public service means a highly public service such as electricity, gas, water, telephone, and public broadcasting. Moreover, a public bill means the price paid by the person who received the above public service.

  In this embodiment, for example, when the child leaves the parent and starts living alone, a situation is assumed in which the parent collectively performs the application for the public service received by the child and the payment of the child's public fee. . Similarly, when a company establishes a new branch office, it can also be used when the head office collectively applies for public services received by the branch office and payment of public charges for the branch office.

=== System configuration ===
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a contract proxy system 1 according to the present embodiment. The contract agency system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a customer terminal 10, a contract agency server 20, a service company server 30, and a collection company server 40.

  The customer terminal 10 and the contract proxy server 20 are connected via a communication network 50 and can communicate with each other. Each of the service company server 30 and the collection company server 40 is connected to the contract proxy server 20 via the communication network 60, and is connected to be communicable with each other. The communication network 50 and the communication network 60 are communication paths such as the Internet, a public telephone line network, a frame relay network, and an ATM network.

  The customer terminal 10 is a computer operated by a paying user, such as a personal computer, a workstation, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), or a mobile phone. The paying user uses the customer terminal 10 to input information necessary for the application for the contract agency service or the application for the public service that the related user wants to receive.

  The service company server 30 is a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation installed in a service company that provides public services such as electricity, gas, water, telephone, and public broadcasting. The service company server 30 manages, for each customer who receives the public service of the service company, the price (public fee) to be paid by the customer.

  The collection company server 40 is a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation that is installed in a company that collects utility charges from a paying user. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the collection company is an electric power company that supplies electricity to the paying user. The collection company collects the related user's public charges from the paying user by adding the related user's public charges to the electricity charge collected from the paying user.

  The contract proxy server 20 is a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation that provides the contract proxy service according to the present embodiment. The contract proxy server 20 collects public service applications that related users are going to receive, accesses the service company computer 30 of each service company, makes an application, and collects the total amount of charges from each service company. The collection company server is notified, and the collection company adds the total amount to the electricity charge of the paying user.

=== Service Company Server 30 ===
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a typical computer configuration used for the service company server 30 and the collection company server 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the computer used for the service company server 30 and the collection company server 40 includes a CPU 301, a memory 302, a storage device 303, and a communication interface 304. The storage device 303 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a CD-ROM drive that stores programs and data. The CPU 301 implements various functions by reading the program stored in the storage device 303 into the memory 302 and executing it. The communication interface 304 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 60. The communication interface 304 is, for example, a modem for connecting to a public telephone line or a dedicated telephone line, an ATM adapter, an Ethernet (registered trademark) adapter, or the like.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the service company server 30. As shown in FIG. 3, the service company server 30 includes a notification information receiving unit 311, a notification processing unit 312, an acceptance information transmitting unit 313, a billing information acquisition request receiving unit 314, a billing information transmitting unit 315, a transfer information receiving unit 316, A change processing unit 317 is provided. Each functional unit described above is realized by the CPU 301 of the service company server 30 reading a program stored in the storage device 303 into the memory 302 and executing it.

  The notification information reception unit 311 receives notification information for applying for public services, transmitted from the contract proxy server 20. In the notification information, the name and address of the related user, contact information, desired start date of supply, user ID of the paying user, and the like are set.

  The notification processing unit 312 performs processing related to application reception for public services based on the notification information received by the notification information receiving unit 311. The process performed based on the notification information is a general process that is performed, for example, when applying for electricity supply to an electric power company. This process is, for example, outputting report information to an output device such as a display or a printer, or registering information set in the report information in a database.

  The reception information transmission unit 313 receives notification information and transmits reception information indicating that a public service is provided to the contract proxy server 20. In the reception information, the contract number related to the public service provided to the related user and the user ID of the paying user set in the notification information are set.

  The billing information acquisition request receiving unit 314 is a command (hereinafter referred to as a billing information acquisition request) for acquiring a bill for a public utility bill for the related user transmitted from the contract proxy server 20 (hereinafter referred to as “payment amount acquisition request” of the present invention). ”). In the billing information acquisition request, the contract number of the public service issued by the service company and the user ID of the paying user are set.

  The billing information transmission unit 315 acquires a billing amount corresponding to the contract number set in the billing information acquisition request, and sets the acquired billing amount and the user ID set in the billing information acquisition request Information is transmitted to the contract agent server 20. Here, the acquisition of the billing amount is performed, for example, by accessing a database that manages the billing amount or by accepting an input from an input device such as a keyboard.

The change information receiving unit 316 receives the change information of the related user, such as change of address or contact information, transmitted from the contract proxy server 20.
Based on the change information received by the change information receiving unit 316, the change processing unit 317 performs a process related to, for example, changing the address of a related user or changing a contact address.

=== Collection company server 40 ===
FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the collection company server 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the collection company server 40 includes an examination request reception unit 411, an examination processing unit 412, an examination result transmission unit 413, an aggregated billing information reception unit 414, and a collection processing unit 415.

  The examination request receiving unit 411 receives from the contract agency server 20 a command (hereinafter referred to as an examination request) that requests the payment user to examine whether or not the agency service can be provided. In the examination request, the user ID of the paying user and the power supply / demand contract number are set.

  The examination processing unit 412 examines, for example, whether or not the contract proxy service can be provided to the paying user set in the examination request according to the individual payment status of the past paying user or the contract condition of the electric power supply and demand. Here, the above-mentioned payment status, contract conditions, and the like can be obtained from, for example, a database managing customers, corresponding to the contract number set in the examination request. Further, the examination processing unit 412 may accept an input as to whether or not the contract proxy service can be provided to the paying user. The examination result transmission unit 413 transmits the examination result by the examination processing unit 412 to the contract proxy server 20.

  The aggregate billing information receiving unit 414 collects the total billed amount for the related users (that is, the billed amount billed to the paying user) and the sum total of the billed amounts tabulated for each service company (that is, the service). (The payment amount to be paid to the company) and billing information from each service company for each related user (hereinafter referred to as aggregate billing information) (corresponding to “collection request” of the present invention) Receive from server 20.

  The collection processing unit 415 performs processing related to collection for each paying user of the billing amount for each paying user set in the aggregate billing information. In the present embodiment, since the power company that is the collection company charges the payment user's electricity charge with the public charge for the related user, for example, the charge amount for each payment user is the amount charged for the payment user's electricity charge. The process of adding to

=== Contract Agent Server 20 ===
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the contract proxy server 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the contract proxy server 20 includes a CPU 201, a memory 202, a storage device 203, and two communication interfaces 204.

  The storage device 203 is, for example, a hard disk drive or a CD-ROM drive that stores programs and data. The CPU 201 implements various functions by reading the program stored in the storage device 203 into the memory 202 and executing it. The communication interface 204 is an interface for connecting to the communication network 50 or the communication network 60. As shown in FIG. 5, the contract proxy server 20 is connected to the communication network 50 via the communication interface 1 (204), communicates with the customer terminal 10, and communicates via the communication interface 2 (204). It connects to the network 60 and communicates with the service company server 30 and the collection company server 40.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the contract proxy server 20. As shown in the figure, the contract proxy server 20 includes a basic information receiving unit 211, a basic information registration unit 212, an examination request transmitting unit 213, an examination result receiving unit 214, an examination result transmitting unit 215, an account issuing unit 216, account information. Transmission unit 217, application information reception unit 218, application information registration unit 219, notification information transmission unit 220, reception information reception unit 221, application information update unit 222, message transmission unit 223, billing information acquisition request transmission unit 224, billing information reception Unit 225, aggregated billing information creation unit 226, aggregated billing information transmission unit 227, change information reception unit 228, change information transmission unit 229, basic information database 251, account database 252, application information database 253, billing information Each database of the database 254 is provided. Each of the functional units 211 to 229 is realized by the CPU 201 of the contract proxy server 20 executing a program stored in the storage device 203.

  The basic information database 251 is a database that stores information (hereinafter referred to as basic information) related to a paying user who applies for the contract proxy service according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of basic information stored in the basic information database 251. As shown in FIG. 7, the basic information includes an application number, the applicant's name, and the applicant's contact information. In the present embodiment, the collection company is an electric power company, and billing is performed by adding the related user's public charges to the paying user's electricity bill. Therefore, the basic information includes information on the paying user's power supply and demand service. ing. As shown in FIG. 7, the information related to the power supply / demand service includes, for example, a contracted power company (collecting company), a power supply / demand contract number, the name of the contractor, and an address where the power supply / demand is supplied.

  The account database 252 manages information for identifying a paying user (hereinafter referred to as a user ID) and a password, which are used for user authentication in the contract agency service. FIG. 8 shows a structural example of the account database 252. As shown in FIG. 8, the account database 252 stores a user ID and a password in association with the application number included in the basic information. The contract proxy server 20 can perform user authentication for access from the customer terminal 10, for example, by referring to the account database 252.

  The application information database 253 (corresponding to “customer management database” and “service management database” of the present invention) stores information (hereinafter referred to as application information) related to public services to which related users apply. The application information includes information related to related users and information related to public services received by the related users. FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the application information database 253. As shown in FIG. 9, in the application information stored in the application information database 253, the reception number for specifying the application information, the user ID of the corresponding paying user, the name of the related user, and the related user are provided with public services. The address, the contact information of the related user, the date when the supply of the public service is desired, the service company that provides the public service to which the related user is supplied, and the contract number assigned to the related user by the service company are set. The application information can be set with a plurality of service companies and contract numbers.

  The billing information database 254 stores billing information including the amount billed to the related user from each service company. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of the billing information database 254. As shown in FIG. 10, the billing information stored in the billing information database 254 includes the user ID of the paying user who pays the public charge of the related user, the contract number assigned to the related user from the service company, the service company, and the billing number. The billing flag is set to indicate whether the billing user has been billed for the billing date, billing amount, and the related user's utility bill. The billing flag is “not yet” when the paying user is not billed for the public charge of the related user, and “done” when billed.

  The basic information receiving unit 211 receives the basic information of the payment user transmitted from the customer terminal 10. The basic information registration unit 212 registers the basic information received by the basic information receiving unit 211 in the basic information database 251.

  When the basic information receiving unit 211 receives the basic information, the examination request transmitting unit 213 transmits an examination request for the paying user to the collecting company server 40.

  The examination result receiving unit 214 receives the examination result transmitted from the collection company server 40 in response to the examination request. The examination result transmitting unit 215 transmits the examination result to the customer terminal 10 when the examination result received by the examination result receiving unit 214 indicates that the contract proxy service cannot be provided to the paying user.

  The account issuing unit 216 performs an account issuing process for newly issuing a user ID and password when the examination result received by the examination result receiving unit 214 indicates that the contract proxy service can be provided to the paying user. Do. The account information transmission unit 217 transmits the account information in which the issued user ID and password are set to the customer terminal 10. The user ID and password may be sent to the paying user by mail.

  The application information receiving unit 218 receives application information transmitted from the customer terminal 10 when a related user applies for a public service. The application information registration unit 219 registers the application information received from the customer terminal 10 in the application information database 253.

  The notification information transmission unit 220 transmits the notification information to each service company server 30 of the service company set in the application information received from the customer terminal 10.

  The reception information receiving unit 221 receives reception information transmitted from the service company server 30 according to the notification information. The application information update unit 222 identifies application information from the application information database 253 using the user ID set in the reception information as a key, and the contract set in the reception information as the contract number set in the specified application information Register the number.

  The message transmission unit 223 transmits, as an e-mail, a message indicating that the application for the public service is accepted to the payment user's e-mail address set as the contact information of the basic information. Note that an e-mail may also be transmitted to an e-mail address that is a contact address of the related user set in the application information. Further, when an email address is not set in the basic information or application information, for example, a message can be notified by telephone or FAX. The message may be transmitted to the customer terminal 10 that is the transmission source of the application information.

  The billing information acquisition request transmission unit 224 transmits the above-described billing information acquisition request to the service company server 30. The billing information receiving unit 225 receives billing information transmitted from the service company server 30 in response to a billing information acquisition request. The billing information receiving unit 225 registers the received billing information in the billing information database 254. At this time, the billing information receiving unit 225 sets and registers in the billing information the service company that received the billing information and the billing flag “not yet”.

  The consolidated billing information creation unit 226 extracts billing information registered in the billing information database 254 with “not yet” set in the billing flag, and sets the extracted billing information and the extracted billing information. Aggregated billing information in which the total amount for each paying user who sums the charged amount for each user ID and the total amount for each service company which sums the billed amount for each service company is created. The aggregate billing information transmission unit 227 transmits the aggregate billing information created by the aggregate billing information creation unit 226 to the collecting company server 40.

  The change information receiving unit 228 receives related user change information transmitted from the customer terminal 10. In the transfer information, the user ID of the paying user and the name of the related user are set, and in addition, change items such as the address and contact information of the related user are set. The change information receiving unit 228 specifies application information from the application information database 253 using the user ID set in the received transfer information and the name of the related user as a key, and specifies the address and contact information of the specified application information. Update items based on transfer information.

  The change information transmitting unit 229 transmits the change information received by the change information receiving unit 228 to the service company server 30 of each service company corresponding to the related user.

  In the present embodiment, each database is constructed in a storage area provided by the memory 202, the storage device 203, etc. of the contract proxy server 20, but each database is constructed in an external database server. It may be. In this case, the contract proxy server 20 is provided with an access unit for accessing the database. The access unit is realized as driver software for connecting to a database, for example.

=== Account issuance processing ===
In this embodiment, the payment user makes an application to the contract agency server 20 in order to receive provision of the contract agency service, and if it is determined that the service can be provided by the examination of the collection company, an account is issued to the payment user.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a screen 110 displayed on the customer terminal 10 when the payment user applies for the contract proxy service. The screen 110 displays a payment user name and contact information input field 111 for applying to the contract agency service, and the payment user inputs the name and contact information in the input field 111. In addition, an input column 112 for information related to a contract relating to electricity supply and demand that is performed between the paying user and the power company that is the collecting company is displayed at the bottom of the input column 111 of the screen 110. The paying user selects a contracted power company from the pull-down menu, and inputs a contract number, a contractor's name, an address, and the like. When the paying user inputs each piece of information described above, he / she presses the application button 113 to apply for the contract proxy service. When the application button 113 is pressed, the customer terminal 10 transmits basic information in which the input information is set to the contract proxy server 20.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the flow of account issuance processing.
The customer terminal 10 receives input of basic information via the screen as shown in FIG. 11, and transmits the input basic information to the contract proxy server 20 (S701).
The contract proxy server 20 receives the basic information transmitted from the customer terminal 10, and registers the received basic information in the basic information database 251 (S702). The contract surrogate server 20 transmits an examination request in which the contract number and user ID of the basic information are set to the collection company server 40 (S703).

  Can the collection company server 40 receive the examination request transmitted from the contract agency server 20 and provide the contract agency service to the paying user based on the contract number set in the received examination request? Processing relating to the examination of whether or not is performed (S704). In the collection company, for example, the examination is performed according to the past payment status by the paying user and whether or not the paying user has a specific contract (for example, an all-electric contract). The collection company server 40 transmits the result of the examination to the contract agency server 20 (S705). Note that the user ID and password of the paying user are attached to the result of the examination.

  The contract agency server 20 receives the examination result from the collection company server 40, and if the examination result indicates that the contract agency service can be provided to the paying user (S706: NO), a message indicating the examination result. Is transmitted to the customer terminal 10 (S707), and the customer terminal 10 receiving the message outputs the message to an output device such as a display (S708), and notifies the payment user of the examination result.

  On the other hand, when the examination result indicates that the contract proxy service cannot be provided to the paying user (S706: YES), the contract proxy server 20 issues a new account (S709). The contract proxy server 20 generates a new user ID and password, and registers the generated user ID and password in the account database 252 in association with each other. The contract proxy server 20 transmits the account information in which the user ID and password are set to the customer terminal 10 (S710). The customer terminal 10 receives the account information, outputs the received account information to an output device such as a display or a printer (S711), and notifies the paying user of the user ID and password.

=== Application processing for public services ===
When the account is issued by the contract proxy server 20, the payment user can apply for the public service of the related user. FIG. 13 is an example of a screen 120 displayed on the customer terminal 10 when a paying user applies for a public service for a related user.

  The customer terminal 10 displays a screen 120 and accepts input of application information. As shown in FIG. 13, the screen 120 includes an input field 121 of a service company that provides a public service received by the related user, an address for receiving the public service, a name of the related user, a contact information of the related user, and supply of the service. An input field 122 such as a desired start date is displayed. A plurality of service companies can be entered in the service company input field 121.

  The application information input to the customer terminal 10 is transmitted to the contract proxy server 20, and application processing for public services is performed. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the flow of the application process for the public service. It is assumed that the contract proxy server 20 performs user authentication by receiving the user ID and password of the payment user from the customer terminal 10 in advance.

  The customer terminal 10 displays the screen 120 as shown in FIG. 13, receives input of application information from the payment user, and transmits the input application information to the contract agency server 20 (S721).

  When receiving the application information transmitted from the customer terminal 10, the contract proxy server 20 registers the received application information in the application information database 253 (S722). The contract proxy server 20 creates notification information to be transmitted to each designated service company based on the application information (S723). In the notification information, according to the format of each service company, the name and address of a related user who is a contractor, a contact address, a desired supply start date, and the like are described. The notification information also describes the user ID of the paying user. The contract proxy server 20 transmits the created notification information to the service company server 30 of each service company (S724).

  The service company server 30 receives the notification information transmitted from the contract agency server 20, and performs processing related to reception of the application for the public service, such as outputting the received notification information to an output device such as a display or a printer (S725). . When the service company server 30 accepts the application, the service company server 30 transmits reception information in which the user ID of the paying user set in the application information and the contract number of the received public service are set to the contract proxy server 20 ( S726).

  The contract proxy server 20 receives the reception information transmitted from the service company server 30, accesses the application information database 253, and sends the reception information transmission source to the application information corresponding to the user ID set in the reception information. And the contract number set in the reception information are set in association with each other (S727).

  Further, the contract proxy server 20 accesses the basic information database 251 to acquire an e-mail address from a contact corresponding to the user ID set in the reception information, and the service company uses the acquired e-mail address as a destination. A message in which a contract number or the like is set in a message indicating that a service application has been received is transmitted as an e-mail (S728).

  The paying user receives the e-mail using the customer terminal 10, displays the received e-mail on the customer terminal 10 (S729), and confirms the reception status of the public service related to the related user.

  In this way, the contract proxy server 20 transmits the notification information to each service company server 30 based on the application information received from the customer terminal 10. Therefore, it is possible to apply for a plurality of public services of related users by simply transmitting the application information to the contract proxy server 20 once. Therefore, since the related user does not need to make a contract with each service company individually, the labor is reduced and it is convenient. As a result, for example, when the paying user and the related user are in a parent-child relationship, the parent can apply for the public service that the child should apply for, so whether or not the child has applied for the public service. It can reduce the effort of the worried parents. In addition, for example, when the paying user and the related user are in a branch office relationship, the head office can collectively apply for public services for each branch office, thereby reducing the labor involved in office work. In addition, since it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of application information, it is possible to prevent an input error or forgetting to apply.

=== Public fee collection process ===
As described above, the public service received by the related user is applied, and the public user is billed for the public fee for the related user. In the present embodiment, the contract proxy server 20 accesses the service company server 30 to acquire the billed amount, and notifies the collection company server 40 of the acquired billed amount.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a flow of processing in which the contract proxy server 20 obtains the public utility bill amount from the service company server 30. The contract surrogate server 20 performs the following charge amount acquisition processing periodically, for example, at the end of every month. The following processing is performed for each piece of application information registered in the application information database 253.

  The contract agency server 20 obtains billing information in which the service company server 30 of each service company set in the application information is set with the contract number corresponding to the service company and the user ID set in the application information. The request is transmitted to the service company server 30 (S741).

  The service company server 30 receives the billing information acquisition request transmitted from the contract agency server 20, and acquires the billing amount for the contract number set in the received billing information acquisition request. Acquisition of the charge amount is performed, for example, by accessing a database that manages the charge fee or receiving input from a service company. The service company server 30 transmits the billing information acquired as described above, billing information in which the user ID set in the billing information acquisition request is set, to the contract proxy server 20 (S742).

  The contract proxy server 20 receives the billing information transmitted from the service company server 30, and registers the received billing information in the billing information database 254 (S743).

  When the billing information for each related user is registered in the billing information database 254, the collection company collects the billing amount based on the registered billing information from the paying user. FIG. 16 shows the flow of processing related to the collection of utility charges.

  The contract surrogate server 20 accesses the billing information database 254, and calculates the sum of billing amounts for each paying user for billing information whose billing flag is “not yet” (S761). Further, the contract agent server 20 also calculates the total amount charged for each service company (S762). The contract surrogate server 20 acquires billing information whose billing flag is “not yet” from the billing information database 254, and acquires the billing information acquired, the total billing amount for each paying user, and the billing amount for each service company The aggregate billing information is set with the total of (S763). The contract proxy server 20 transmits the created aggregate billing information to the collection company server 40 (S764).

  The collection company server 40 receives the aggregate billing information transmitted from the contract agency server 20, and performs a process of billing the paying user for the billing amount for each paying user set in the received aggregate billing information (S765). . In the present embodiment, the power company that is the collection company causes the paying user to be charged an amount obtained by adding the charged amount to the charged amount of the electricity bill to the paying user.

  Further, the collection company server 40 performs a process of paying the service company the amount charged for each service company set in the aggregate billing information (S766). Payment to the service company is performed, for example, by connecting to a computer of a financial institution and transmitting a transfer request.

  The contract surrogate server 20 accesses the billing information database 254 and updates the billing flag of the billing information set in the aggregate billing information to “completed” (S767).

  In this way, the public fee of the related user is charged to the paying user, and each service company is paid by the collecting company. Therefore, according to the contract agent system 1 of the present embodiment, a paying user can pay a plurality of public charges at a plurality of bases collectively. Thus, for example, when a child lives away from his / her parent, the parent pays the child's public charges together, so the complexity of paying the public charges can be reduced. In addition, it is possible to reduce the effort of parents who are worried about whether their children are delaying payment of public utilities. Furthermore, the parent can quantitatively grasp the life of the child by grasping the change of the child's public bill.

  In addition, for example, a company having branches all over the country can pay public charges in a lump sum at the head office or the like without paying public charges for each branch office and each public service. In other words, it is possible to unify the processing related to payment and perform efficient public bill payment processing. In addition, since the paying user can easily grasp the usage status of the public service of the related user, for example, the head office can manage the costs related to the public service of each branch office and take cost measures.

  On the other hand, for service companies, for example, when the relationship between the paying user and the related user is parent-child, etc. Since it can be collected from the user, the risk of uncollected can be suppressed. Further, since the payment user is examined by the collection company prior to the provision of the contract agency service according to the present embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the non-accrual risk for the public charges of related users.

  Furthermore, for example, when paying public utilities by conventional account transfer, etc., it was necessary to make a transfer at each of the multiple locations, so the account fee for payment increased according to the number of locations. According to the contract agent system 1 according to the embodiment, the public charges of a plurality of bases can be paid collectively from the paying user's account, so that the transfer fee can be reduced. In addition to the payment user's electricity bill, the related user's utility bill is also deducted from the paying user's account, so that the financial institution having the paying user's account can handle more funds.

  The paying user can also register the paying user himself as a related user. As a result, the paying user can also pay the public charges other than the electricity charges in a lump, so that it is possible to reduce the labor involved in paying the public charges and the fees related to the payment of a plurality of public charges.

=== Transfer information notification process ===
Next, the transfer information notification process will be described. The notification of the change information is, for example, that the change is notified to each service company when the related user changes the contact or moves. FIG. 17 shows a flow of change information notification processing.

  The customer terminal 10 receives the input of change information such as the name of the related user and the changed address and contact information, and transmits the input change information to the contract proxy server 20 (S781).

  The contract proxy server 20 receives the transfer information transmitted from the customer terminal 10 and identifies the application information from the application information database 253 using the user ID set in the received transfer information and the name of the related user as keys. Then, the specified application information is updated based on the transfer information (S782). Further, the contract agency server 20 obtains a corresponding contract number from the application information for each of the service companies set in the specified application information, and attaches the acquired contract number to the transfer information. It transmits to the company server 30 (S783).

  Upon receiving the change information, the service company server 30 of each service company performs processing based on the change information, such as changing the address of a related user or changing a contact address (S784). The process based on the transfer information is a general process performed when, for example, a service company receives a notification such as an address change.

  In this way, by transmitting the related user change information to the contract agency server 20, the transfer information is transmitted to all public service service companies to which the related user has applied. Therefore, the trouble of inputting the transfer information can be reduced and input errors can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the collecting company is an electric power company. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the collecting company may be an independent organization that specializes in collecting public charges.

  Further, in this embodiment, the service company provides only a single public service. However, for example, when providing a service of a plurality of contract forms, information on the service includes application information, transfer information, etc. It can also be set to.

  In the present embodiment, each database included in the contract proxy server 20 is constructed inside the contract proxy server 20, but the contract proxy server 20 is connected to an external database server including the database. It can also be. In this case, the external database server and the contract proxy server 20 may be connected to the network by a LAN or SAN, for example, or may be connected directly by a SCSI cable or the like.

  In the present embodiment, the contract agency server 20 collects the billing information as the aggregate billing information after the billing information about the related users related to all the paying users is registered in the billing information database 254. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, aggregate billing information in which billing information related to the paying user is set may be transmitted for each paying user. In this case, there is no need to wait for billing information for all related users, so billing can be performed efficiently.

  Moreover, the contract agency system 1 of this embodiment can also be applied to collection of charges related to transactions other than public charges.

  Although the present embodiment has been described above, the above examples are for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

It is a figure showing the whole contract agency system 1 composition concerning this embodiment by one embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the typical computer used for the service company server 30 and the collection company server 40 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the service company server 30 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the collection company server 40 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the contract proxy server 20 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the contract proxy server 20 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the basic information memorize | stored in the basic information database 251 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the account database 252 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the application information database 253 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows one structural example of the claim information database 254 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen 110 displayed on the customer terminal 10, when the payment user applies for a contract agency service by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the issuing process of the account by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen 120 displayed on the customer terminal 10, when the payment user applies for the public service about a related user by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the flow of the application process to a public service by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process in which the contract agency server 20 acquires the billing amount of a utility bill from the service company server 30 by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the process regarding the collection of a utility bill by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flow of the notification process of change information by one embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Customer terminal 110 Screen 111 Input field 112 Input field 113 Application button 120 Screen 121 Input field 122 Input field 20 Contract agency server 201 CPU 202 Memory 203 Storage device 204 Communication interface 211 Basic information receiving part 212 Basic information registration part 213 Examination request transmission Unit 214 examination result reception unit 215 examination result transmission unit 216 account issue unit 217 account information transmission unit 218 application information reception unit 219 application information registration unit 220 report information transmission unit 221 reception information reception unit 222 application information update unit 223 message transmission unit 224 Billing information acquisition request transmission unit 225 Billing information reception unit 226 Aggregated billing information creation unit 227 Aggregation billing information transmission unit 228 Change information reception unit 229 Change information transmission unit 251 Basic information database 252 Account Database 253 application information database 254 billing information database 30 service company server 301 CPU 302 memory 303 storage device 304 communication interface 40 collection company server 411 examination request reception unit 412 examination processing unit 413 examination result transmission unit 414 aggregated billing information reception unit 415 collection Processing unit 50 Communication network 60 Communication network

Claims (9)

A method of collecting utility bills to be paid by a second customer associated with a first customer, comprising:
It connects with each of the collection company server of the collection company which collects a public bill, and the service company server of the service company which provides public service so that communication is possible, and it is related to the said 1st customer for every said 1st customer A customer management database for managing the second customer, and a service management database for managing the service company that provides the public service provided by the second customer for each second customer. The computer connected to
Accessing the customer management database and extracting a second customer associated with the first customer for each registered first customer;
Accessing the service management database to identify a service company corresponding to the extracted second customer;
The service company server of the specified service company sends a payment fee acquisition request for acquiring the amount of the public fee to be paid by the second customer, specifying the information for specifying the extracted second customer. To
Receiving the amount to be paid by the second customer, transmitted from the service company server in response to the payment fee acquisition request;
The received amount is designated as a payment amount, and a collection request is issued to the collection company server instructing to collect a public bill, designating the first customer corresponding to the second customer as a payer. To do,
A utility bill collection method characterized by The utility bill collection method according to claim 1,
The collection company server of the collection company is a service company server of a service company that provides a service related to a public fee to be paid by the first customer;
A utility bill collection method characterized by The utility bill collection method according to claim 1,
The computer is
Storing the amount of money transmitted in response to the payment fee acquisition request from the service company server for each service company;
Calculating the total amount of money stored in the memory for each service company;
Sending the payment request instructing the payment to the service company, specifying the total amount of the amount for each service company as a payment amount, and specifying the corresponding service company as a recipient, to the collection company server;
A utility bill collection method characterized by The utility bill collection method according to claim 1,
The computer is
Customer information relating to the second customer, information identifying a service company, service information relating to a public service provided by the service company, address information relating to an address where the second customer receives the public service, and Accepting input with information identifying the first customer related to the second customer;
Registering the input first customer and the second customer in the customer management database in association with each other,
A service start request for instructing to start providing public service in the second site, including the customer information, the site information, and the service information, is sent to the service company server of the input service company. Sending,
A utility bill collection method characterized by The utility bill collection method according to claim 4,
The computer is
Sending the examination request including the information for identifying the input first customer to the collection company server,
Receiving an examination result transmitted in response to the examination request from the collection company server, and sending the service start request to the service company server in accordance with the received examination result;
A utility bill collection method characterized by The utility bill collection method according to claim 1,
The computer is
Transfer information including at least one of customer information regarding the second customer, service information regarding public service provided by a service company, and address information regarding an address where the second customer receives public service, and the second information Accepts information to identify customers,
Accessing the service company management database, selecting a service company corresponding to the input second customer, and transmitting the transfer information to the service company server of the selected service company;
A utility bill collection method characterized by A system for collecting utility charges to be paid by a second customer associated with a first customer, comprising:
It connects so that it can communicate with each of the collection company server of the collection company which collects a public bill, and the service company server of the service company which provides a public service,
A customer management database for managing a second customer related to the first customer for each first customer, and a public service provided by the second customer for each second customer. Connect to each of the service management databases that manage service companies,
An associated customer extractor that accesses the customer management database and extracts a second customer associated with the first customer for each registered first customer;
A service company specifying unit for accessing the service management database and specifying a service company corresponding to the extracted second customer;
The service company server of the specified service company sends a payment fee acquisition request for acquiring the amount of the public fee to be paid by the second customer, specifying the information for specifying the extracted second customer. A payment fee acquisition request transmission unit to be transmitted to,
A payment fee receiving unit for receiving the amount to be paid by the second customer, which is transmitted from the service company server in response to the payment fee acquisition request;
The received amount is designated as a payment amount, and a collection request is issued to the collection company server instructing to collect a public bill, designating the first customer corresponding to the second customer as a payer. A collection request transmitter to
A utility charge collection system characterized by comprising: The utility bill collection system according to claim 7,
Customer information relating to the second customer, information identifying a service company, service information relating to a public service provided by the service company, address information relating to an address where the second customer receives the public service, and Information identifying the first customer related to the second customer, and an input unit for receiving the input;
A customer registration unit for registering the input first customer and the second customer in the customer management database in association with each other;
A service start request for instructing to start providing public service in the second site, including the customer information, the site information, and the service information, is sent to the service company server of the input service company. A service start request transmitter to transmit;
A utility charge collection system characterized by comprising: A program for collecting utility bills to be paid by a second customer related to a first customer,
It connects with each of the collection company server of the collection company which collects a public bill, and the service company server of the service company which provides public service so that communication is possible, and it is related to the said 1st customer for every said 1st customer A customer management database for managing the second customer, and a service management database for managing the service company that provides the public service provided by the second customer for each second customer. On the computer that connects to
Accessing the customer management database and extracting, for each registered first customer, a second customer associated with the first customer;
Accessing the service management database to identify a service company corresponding to the extracted second customer;
The service company server of the specified service company sends a payment fee acquisition request for acquiring the amount of the public fee to be paid by the second customer, specifying the information for specifying the extracted second customer. Sending to
Receiving the amount to be paid by the second customer, transmitted from the service company server in response to the payment fee acquisition request;
The received amount is designated as a payment amount, and a collection request is issued to the collection company server instructing to collect a public bill, designating the first customer corresponding to the second customer as a payer. And steps to
A program for running

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