JP2022147219A - Point management system, point management method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a point management system for allowing a protected user to use a point stored by a protecting user up to an upper limit of use set to the protected user, a point management method, and a program.SOLUTION: A point management system 100 manages a group point held by a group including a plurality of users. A recording unit 101 records an upper limit of use of a point set for a protected user included in a group. When the protected user attempts to use a point of a first allocation quantity less than or equal to the upper limit of use for payment, a payment unit 102 reduces both the upper limit of use and a quantity of the group point by the first allocation quantity used for payment to perform payment when the first allocation quantity is equal to or less than the quantity of the group point.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a point management system, point management method and program.

A service is known in which when a user purchases a sale target such as a product or service, the user is given points that can be used for payment in the same manner as money. For example, in Patent Document 1, based on the point issuance criteria set by the seller, the consumer uses the points granted by purchase to acquire the product of the point issuer, and the seller issues points. A system is disclosed for providing points to users based on criteria.

JP 2009-193553 A

There is a service in which points such as those described above are given to a group such as a family including a user who has purchased an object for sale, and members of the group can use the points. There is a demand for a protected user such as a parent to give the points given to a group to a protected user such as a child like pocket money so that the protected user can use the points.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and provides a point management system that allows a protected user to use the points accumulated by the protected user up to the usage limit set for the protected user. It aims at providing a method and a program.

A point management system according to a first aspect of the present invention includes:
A point management system for managing group points held by a group including a plurality of users,
a recording unit that records the upper limit of point usage set for the protected users included in the group;
When the protected user attempts to use a first allocation amount of points for payment that is less than or equal to the recorded usage limit, if the first allocation amount is less than or equal to the group point amount, the recorded usage a payment unit that reduces both the upper limit and the amount of the group points by a first allocation amount used for the payment, and executes the payment;
characterized by comprising

In addition, in the point management system according to the above viewpoint,
a notification unit that sends a notification to the protected users included in the group that the group point quantity should be increased if the group point quantity is less than the recorded upper usage limit. .

In addition, in the point management system according to the above viewpoint,
The method further comprises an increasing unit for increasing the recorded upper limit of use by the amount of points to be transferred set to the protected user at the time of transferring the points set to the protected user.

In addition, in the point management system according to the above viewpoint,
The notification unit
If the group point quantity is less than the sum of the recorded usage limit and the transfer quantity before the transfer time, the notification is further sent to the protected user.

In addition, in the point management system according to the above viewpoint,
The payment unit
If the first allocation quantity is greater than the quantity of the group points and there are points scheduled to be granted in the future to the group, calculating the quantity of borrowed points in advance that is equal to or less than the quantity of the scheduled points to be granted;
If the first allocation quantity is equal to or less than the sum of the group point quantity and the borrowed point quantity, both the recorded upper usage limit and the group point quantity are used for the payment. is reduced by the first allocation quantity, and the payment is performed.

In addition, in the point management system according to the above viewpoint,
When the protected user attempts to use a second allocation amount of points that is less than the group point amount for payment, the value obtained by reducing the group point amount by the second allocation amount is less than the recorded usage limit. If less, a warning unit for warning the protected user that the number of used group points is less than the recorded upper usage limit.

A point management method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes:
A point management method executed by a point management system that manages group points owned by a group including a plurality of users,
The point management system
When a protected user included in the group attempts to use a first allocated amount of points for payment that is equal to or less than the upper usage limit of points set for the protected user and is less than the upper usage limit recorded in the recording unit, If the first allocation amount is less than or equal to the group point amount, both the recorded usage limit and the group point amount are reduced by the first allocation amount used for the payment. , to carry out said payment.

A program according to a third aspect of the present invention comprises
a computer that manages group points held by a group containing multiple users;
a recording unit that records an upper limit of point usage set for protected users included in the group;
When the protected user attempts to use a first allocation amount of points for payment that is less than or equal to the recorded usage limit, if the first allocation amount is less than or equal to the group point amount, the recorded usage a payment unit that reduces both the upper limit and the amount of the group points by a first allocation amount used for the payment and executes the payment;
It is characterized by functioning as

The program may be recorded on a non-transitory recording medium. Non-transitory recording media can be distributed and sold independently of computers. Here, a non-temporary recording medium refers to a tangible recording medium. Examples of non-temporary recording media include compact discs, flexible discs, hard discs, magneto-optical discs, digital video discs, magnetic tapes, and semiconductor memories. Also, a transitory recording medium indicates a transmission medium (propagating signal) itself. Temporary recording media are, for example, electrical signals, optical signals, electromagnetic waves, and the like. A temporary storage area is an area for temporarily storing data and programs, and is, for example, a volatile memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a point management system, a point management method, and a program that allow the protected user to use the points accumulated by the protected user up to the usage limit set for the protected user. .

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship among the point management system, the protected user terminal, the protected user terminal, and the store terminal according to the embodiment; It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the server which implement|achieves the point management system which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure showing functional composition of a point management system concerning an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining group point information according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an image displayed on the screen of the protected user terminal according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an image displayed on the screen of the protected user terminal according to the embodiment; FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining payment processing performed by the point management system according to the embodiment; 7 is a flowchart for explaining increase processing performed by the point management system according to the embodiment;

(1. Overall configuration)
The point management system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.

The point management system 100 manages group points owned by a group including multiple users.

Here, a user is a person who purchases a sale target at a real store or a virtual store. Sales targets include goods and services. Purchasing a sale target means purchasing goods and services. The multiple users include protected users and protected users. A protected user is a person who protects a protected user, for example, a guardian such as parents or grandparents. A protected user is a person protected by a protected user, for example, a minor such as a child. A group is a collection of users, including protected users and protected users, such as a family. A group includes one or more protected users and one or more protected users. In this embodiment, members of the group are protected users other than protected users.

A group point is a point that can be used for payment in the same way as money when purchasing an object for sale, and is given to a group.

When a protected user and a protected user purchase an object for sale, the point management system 100 gives group points to groups to which the protected user and the protected user belong according to the purchased object for sale. Group points can be used by users who belong to a group other than those who have purchased the sales target. Also, when point payment is made, the point management system 100 reduces the group points by the amount used for the payment. In addition, the point management system 100 records information on the use history of group points.

The point management system 100 is realized by one or more servers. For example, the point management system 100 is implemented by a database server that stores group point information and a settlement server that performs settlement based on information transmitted from the shop terminal 400 .

Protected user terminal 200 is a terminal used by a protected user. The protected user terminal 200 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or the like.

A protected user terminal 300 is a terminal used by a protected user. The protected user terminal 300 is, for example, a smart phone, a tablet computer, or the like. For example, the protected user terminal 300 is installed with an application for enabling payment with points, and the protected user uses the application to pay with points at a real store or a virtual store. The protected user can also pay using a point card for using group points without using the protected user terminal 300 .

The store terminal 400 is a terminal used in a store that sells items to be sold. The store terminal 400 is, for example, a POS (Point of sale) terminal, a tablet computer, a personal computer, or the like.

The network 500 may be of any type, such as the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a VPN (Virtual Private Network), a telephone line network, or the like.

(2. Server hardware configuration)
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 10 that implements the point management system 100. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM 13, a recording medium 14, an output device 15, a communication device 16, and an input device 17. And prepare. Each component is connected by a bus 18 .

The CPU 11 controls the overall operation of the server 10, is connected to each component, and exchanges control signals and data.

The ROM 12 stores an operating program and various data necessary for controlling the operation of the entire server 10 .

The RAM 13 is for temporarily recording data and programs, and holds programs and data read from the recording medium 14 and other data necessary for communication.

The recording medium 14 is composed of a hard disk, a flash memory, or the like, and records data processed by the server 10 .

The output device 15 includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and a backlight, and an audio output device such as a speaker. The output device 15 outputs, for example, data output from the CPU 11 under the control of the CPU 11 .

The communication device 16 includes a communication interface for connecting the server 10 to a computer communication network such as the Internet, and communicates with other information processing devices and the like via the communication device 16 .

The input device 17 includes input devices such as buttons, keyboards, touch panels, microphones, cameras, and optical scanners. The input device 17 receives an operation input from the user of the server 10 and outputs a signal corresponding to the received operation input to the CPU 11 .

(3. Functional configuration of point management system of embodiment)
A functional configuration of the point management system 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

The point management system 100 functionally includes a recording unit 101 , a payment unit 102 , a notification unit 103 , an increase unit 104 and a warning unit 105 . In this embodiment, the recording medium 14 functions as the recording unit 101, the CPU 11 and the communication device 16 cooperate to function as the payment unit 102, the notification unit 103 and the warning unit 105, and the CPU 11 functions as the increase unit 104. Function. For example, the recording unit 101 is implemented by a database server, and the payment unit 102, notification unit 103, increment unit 104, and warning unit 105 are implemented by a settlement server.

The recording unit 101 records the upper limit of point usage set for the protected users included in the group.

The upper limit of use indicates the upper limit of the number of group points that can be used by the protected user.

For example, the recording unit 101 records group point information shown in FIG. The group point information includes a group ID, a protected user ID, a protected user ID, a group point quantity, a use limit, a transfer time, a transfer quantity, a scheduled grant date, and a scheduled grant quantity of points. Included in correspondence.

A group ID is identification information for identifying a group that holds group points. A protected user ID is identification information for identifying a protected user included in a group. A protected user ID is identification information for identifying a protected user included in a group. The group point quantity is the quantity of points held by the group. The group point quantity is reduced by the quantity used as points are used by protected and protected users included in the group. The transfer time is the time when the points are transferred to the protected user. The transfer quantity is the quantity of points transferred to the protected user. The transfer time and transfer quantity values are arbitrarily set by the protected user. When it is time to transfer, the number of points transferred is added to the upper limit of use. The scheduled grant date is the date on which the points will be granted if points are scheduled to be granted to the group in the future. The planned amount of points to be given is the amount of points to be given to the group. When the scheduled date of granting comes, the points of the scheduled granting point quantity are added to the group point quantity. The amount of borrowed points is the amount of points calculated by the payment unit 102, which will be described later, when the amount of group points is less than the amount appropriated for payment.

The record on the first line in FIG. 4 indicates that protected users with protected user IDs "P1-1" and "P1-2" (hereafter protected user P1- 1 and P1-2) and a protected user with a protected user ID "C1-1" (hereinafter referred to as protected user C1-1), and the group point quantity owned by group G1 is "5000". The usage limit set for protected user C1-1 is "700", the transfer time is "1st of every month", the transfer quantity is "1000", and the scheduled grant date is "2021" for group G1. This indicates that the number of points to be granted on April 5th is 500 points to be granted, and that there is no advance borrowing point amount.

The recording unit 101 also records user information such as addresses, names, telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the protected user and the protected user.

If the protected user attempts to use the first allocated amount of points for payment that is less than the recorded upper limit of use, the payment unit 102 will determine if the first allocated amount is equal to or less than the amount of group points, Both the upper limit and the amount of group points are reduced by the first allocation amount used for payment, and the payment is made.

The first allocation quantity is the quantity of points that the protected user intends to allocate to the payment for purchasing the sale object.

For example, when protected user C1-1 attempts to use the protected user terminal 300 to apply the first allocation amount of “300” points to the purchase of product X at a physical store, store terminal 400 transmits to point management system 100 the user information of protected user C1-1, information such as the amount of product X, and information of the first allocation amount “300”. Based on the received information and the group point information of FIG. 4, the payment unit 102 of the point management system 100 determines whether or not the first allocation amount "300" is a value equal to or less than the upper limit of usage for the protected user C1-1. to judge. The payment unit 102 notifies the store terminal 400 that the payment cannot be made when the first allocated quantity "300" is larger than the upper limit of usage for the protected user C1-1.

When the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "300" is equal to or less than the upper usage limit "700" of the protected user C1-1, the payment unit 102 next refers to the group point information in FIG. ” is less than or equal to the group point quantity of group G1. Then, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "300" is equal to or less than the group point amount "5000" of the group G1, the group point information shown in FIG. The first appropriation amount of "300" is reduced from the group point amount of "5000" of the group G1, and the payment for the product X is executed with group points. Then, the payment unit 102 notifies the store terminal 400 that the first allocation quantity "300" has been allocated to the payment for the product X. When the payment unit 102 executes the payment, the upper limit of use of protected user C1-1 in the group point information of FIG. 4 is updated to "400", and the group point amount of group G1 is updated to "4700".

Also, if the first allocation amount is greater than the amount of group points and there are points scheduled to be granted in the future to the group, the payment unit 102 calculates the amount of borrowed points that is equal to or less than the amount of points scheduled to be granted. Then, if the first allocated quantity is equal to or less than the sum of the quantity of group points and the quantity of borrowed points in advance, the payment unit 102 uses both the recorded usage limit and the quantity of group points for payment. decrement by the first allocation quantity to be paid and make the payment.

For example, a protected user with a protected user ID “C2-1” (hereinafter referred to as “protected user C2-1”) uses the protected user terminal 300 to pay for the purchase of product Y at a physical store. When trying to allocate the points to be allocated "2000", the user information of the protected user C2-1, information such as the price of the product Y, and the first allocation amount "2000" are sent from the store terminal 400 of the store selling the product Y. ” is transmitted to the point management system 100 . Based on the received information and the group point information of FIG. 4, the payment unit 102 of the point management system 100 determines whether or not the first allocation amount "2000" is a value equal to or less than the upper usage limit of the protected user C2-1. to judge. When the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "2000" is equal to or less than the upper usage limit "2500" of the protected user C2-1, the payment unit 102 next refers to the group point information in FIG. ” is less than or equal to the group point quantity of the group with the group ID “G2” (hereinafter referred to as group G2). When the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "2000" is larger than the group point amount "1700" of the group G2, the payment unit 102 determines whether or not the group G2 has points to be given. Since the group G2 has points to be given, the payment unit 102 calculates the amount of borrowed points that is equal to or less than the amount of points to be given "500". For example, the payment unit 102 calculates the amount of points to be given “500” as the amount of points to be borrowed in advance.

Next, the payment unit 102 determines whether or not the first allocation amount "2000" is equal to or less than the sum of the group point amount and the advance borrowing point amount of the group G2. If the first allocation amount "2000" is greater than the sum of the group point amount and the advance borrowing point amount of group G2, the payment unit 102 notifies the shop terminal 400 that payment cannot be made.

When the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "2000" is equal to or less than the sum "2200" of the group point amount "1700" and the advance borrowing point amount "500" of the group G2, the protected user C2-1 The upper limit of use "2500" and the group point quantity "1700" of the group G2 are reduced by the first appropriated quantity "2000", and the payment for the product Y is executed with group points. Then, the payment unit 102 notifies the store terminal 400 that the first allocation quantity "2000" has been allocated to the payment for the product Y. When the payment unit 102 executes the payment, the upper limit of use of protected user C2-1 in the group point information of FIG. 4 is updated to "500", and the group point quantity of group G2 is updated to "-300".

If the amount of group points is less than the recorded upper usage limit, the notification unit 103 sends a notification that the amount of group points should be increased to the protected users included in the group.

For example, if the notification unit 103 determines that the group point quantity “−300” of the group G2 is smaller than the use limit “500” of the protected user C2-1 after the purchase of the product Y by the protected user C2-1, By referring to the user information recorded in the recording unit 101, to the mail addresses of the protected users with protected user IDs "P2-1" and "P2-2" (hereinafter referred to as protected users P2-1 and P2-2), Send a message requesting an increase in the amount of Group Points. FIG. 5 shows how an image 610 including a message is displayed on the screen of protected user terminals 200 of protected users P2-1 and P2-2. In the image 610 of FIG. 5, there are a message 611 notifying the use of group points by the protected user, a message 612 notifying the use of points to be given, and a message 613 requesting an increase in the amount of group points. included.

It should be noted that if the quantity of group points is less than the recorded usage limit, the protected user may use group points up to the balance of the group points. However, the balance of group points is limited to a value of 1 or more.

The increasing unit 104 increases the recorded usage upper limit by the amount of points to be transferred set to the protected user at the point transfer time set to the protected user.

For example, the increasing unit 104 periodically refers to the group point information in FIG. 4 at a predetermined timing to determine whether or not the current time coincides with the transfer timing of each group. For example, the current time is "April 5, 2021", and the increasing unit 104 determines the transfer time set for the protected user with the protected user ID "C3-1" (hereinafter referred to as protected user C3-1). , the upper limit of use "1000" for the protected user C3-1 is increased by the transfer quantity "1000" set for the protected user C3-1. The upper usage limit of protected user C3-1 in the group point information of FIG. 4 is updated to the value of "2000". This allows, for example, a parent to give a child a predetermined number of points each month as pocket money.

Also, the notification unit 103 further sends a notification to the protected user if the amount of group points is less than the sum of the recorded usage limit and the transfer amount before the transfer time.

For example, if the current time is “April 2, 2021” and the increase unit 104 determines that it is before the transfer time of each group, the notification unit 103 determines that the group point quantity for each group is the upper limit of use. It is determined whether or not it is less than the sum with the transfer quantity. For example, when the notification unit 103 determines that the group point quantity “1500” of the group with the group ID “G3” (hereinafter referred to as “group G3”) is smaller than the sum of the upper limit of use “1000” and the transfer quantity “1000”, By referring to the user information recorded in the recording unit 101, a message requesting an increase in the amount of group points is sent to the email address of the protected user with the protected user ID "P3-1" (hereinafter referred to as protected user P3-1). Send.

If the protected user tries to use the second allocation amount that is less than the group point amount for payment, the warning unit 105 warns that if the value obtained by reducing the group point amount by the second allocation amount is smaller than the recorded usage upper limit. , alert the protected user that the amount of group points after use is less than the recorded usage limit.

For example, when protected user P3-1 attempts to use the protected user terminal 200 to apply the points of the second allocation amount “1200” to payment for the purchase of product Z at the virtual store, the product Z is sold through an electronic commerce transaction. The server transmits to the point management system 100 the user information of the protected user P3-1, the information such as the price of the product Z, and the information of the second allocation amount “1200”. Based on the received information and the group point information of FIG. 4, the warning unit 105 of the point management system 100 determines that the value obtained by reducing the group point quantity of the group G3 by the second allocation quantity "1200" is is less than the upper limit of use. When the warning unit 105 determines that the value "300" obtained by decreasing the group point amount "1500" of the group G3 by the second allocation amount "1200" is smaller than the upper limit of use "1000" of the protected user C3-1, the protected user A warning is displayed on the screen of the protected user terminal 200 in P3-1 to the effect that the amount of group points after allocation is less than the upper limit of use. FIG. 6 shows how an image 620 including a warning message is displayed on the screen of protected user terminal 200 of protected user P3-1. An image 620 in FIG. 6 is displayed on the screen when performing a procedure for using points in a purchase procedure. When the warning unit 105 determines that the value obtained by subtracting the second allocated quantity from the group point quantity is smaller than the upper limit of use, a message 621 warning that the quantity of group points after the points are used is less than the upper limit of use is displayed on the screen. Is displayed.

(4. Operation of Point Management System of Embodiment)
A payment process executed by the point management system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. For example, the point management system 100 starts the payment process shown in FIG. 7 when the user starts the purchase procedure of the sale target.

The payment unit 102 determines whether the user who pays for the purchase of the sale target is a protected user (step S101). When the payment unit 102 determines that the user who pays for the purchase of the item to be sold is the protected user (step S101; YES), the payment unit 102 collects the first point that the protected user intends to use for payment. It is determined whether or not the allocated amount is equal to or less than the upper usage limit set for the protected user (step S102). On the other hand, when the payment unit 102 determines that the user who pays for the purchase of the sale target is not the protected user (step S101; NO), the process proceeds to step S112.

For example, when the protected user C1-1 tries to apply the points of the first allocation amount “300” to the payment for the purchase of the product X at the physical store, the payment unit 102 receives the store terminal of the store where the product X is sold. Based on the user information transmitted from 400 and the user information recorded in recording unit 101, it is determined that protected user C1-1 is the protected user. Then, the payment unit 102 refers to the group point information of FIG. 4 and determines whether or not the first allocation amount "300" is equal to or less than the upper limit of use for the protected user C1-1.

In step S102, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocated quantity is equal to or less than the upper usage limit (step S102; YES), it determines whether the first allocated quantity is equal to or less than the group point quantity (step S103 ). On the other hand, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount is larger than the upper limit of use (step S102; NO), it notifies that payment cannot be made (step S106).

For example, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount “300” is equal to or less than the upper limit “700” of use for the protected user C1-1, the payment unit 102 refers to the group point information in FIG. is less than or equal to the group point quantity of group G1. On the other hand, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "300" is greater than the upper limit of usage for the protected user C1-1, the payment unit 102 notifies the shop terminal 400 that payment cannot be made.

In step S103, when it is determined that the first allocation amount is equal to or less than the group point amount (step S103; YES), the first allocation amount is decreased from the group point amount and the upper limit of use (step S104). Then, the payment unit 102 executes payment (step S105). On the other hand, in step S103, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount is larger than the group point amount (step S103; NO), it determines whether or not the group has points to be given (step S107).

For example, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount "300" is equal to or less than the group point amount "5000" of the group G1, the group point information in FIG. The first appropriation amount "300" is reduced from the group point amount "5000" of the group G1, and the payment of the product X by the group points is executed. On the other hand, for example, when protected user C2-1 attempts to allocate the first allocation quantity “2000”, which is less than the upper limit of use, to the purchase of product Y, the payment unit 102 is larger than the group point quantity "1700" of the group G2, and it is judged whether or not the group G2 has points to be given.

In step S107, when the payment unit 102 determines that the group has points to be given (step S107; YES), it calculates the amount of borrowed points less than the amount of points to be given (step S108). On the other hand, when the payment unit 102 determines that the group does not have points to be given (step S107; YES), the process proceeds to step S106.

For example, when the payment unit 102 determines that the group G2 of the protected user C2-1 has points to be given to the group G2, the payment unit 102 calculates the amount of borrowed points "500" which is the same as the amount of points to be given "500". On the other hand, when the payment unit 102 determines that the group G2 of the protected user C2-1 has no points to be given, the payment unit 102 notifies the store terminal 400 that the payment cannot be made.

When the borrowed points are calculated in step S108, the payment unit 102 determines whether or not the first allocation quantity is equal to or less than the sum of the group point quantity and the borrowed advance point quantity (step S109). When the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount is equal to or less than the sum of the group point amount and the advance borrowing point amount (step S109; YES), the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocated amount is greater than the sum of the group point amount and the borrowed point amount (step S109; NO), the process proceeds to step S106.

For example, if the payment unit 102 determines that the first allocation amount “2000” is equal to or less than the sum “2200” of the group point amount “1700” of the group G2 and the borrowed point amount “500”, the protected user C2 -1's upper limit of use "2500" and the amount of group points of group G2 "1700" are reduced by the first allocation amount "2000", and payment for product Y is executed. On the other hand, if the first allocation amount “2000” is greater than the sum of the group point amount and the advance borrowed point amount of group G2, the payment unit 102 notifies the shop terminal 400 that payment cannot be made.

After the payment is made in step S105, the notification unit 103 determines whether or not the amount of group points is less than the upper limit of use (step S110). If the notification unit 103 determines that the group point amount is smaller than the upper limit of use (step S110; YES), it sends a notification to the protected users included in the group to the effect that the group point amount should be increased (step S111). On the other hand, when the notification unit 103 determines that the amount of group points is equal to or greater than the upper limit of use (step S110; NO), the processing ends.

For example, if the notification unit 103 determines that the group point quantity “−300” of the group G2 is smaller than the use limit “500” of the protected user C2-1 after the purchase of the product Y by the protected user C2-1, A message as shown in FIG. 5 requesting an increase in the amount of group points is sent to the mail addresses of the protected users P2-1 and P2-2. On the other hand, when the notification unit 103 determines that the group point amount of the group G2 is equal to or greater than the upper usage limit of the protected user C2-1, the payment processing in FIG. 7 is terminated.

In step S101, when the payment unit 102 determines that the user who pays for the purchase of the sale target is not the protected user, that is, is the protected user (step S101; NO), the warning unit 105 sets the group point amount to the second It is determined whether or not the value reduced by the appropriated quantity is smaller than the upper limit of use (step S112). When the warning unit 105 determines that the value obtained by reducing the group point quantity by the second allocation quantity is smaller than the upper limit of use (step S112; YES), the warning unit 105 informs the protected user that the group point quantity after allocation is less than the upper limit of use. is warned (step S113). After that, the process proceeds to step S104. On the other hand, when the warning unit 105 determines that the value obtained by reducing the group point amount by the second allocation amount is equal to or greater than the upper limit of use (step S112; NO), the process proceeds to step S104.

For example, when protected user P3-1 attempts to use the protected user terminal 200 to apply the points of the second allocation amount “1200” to the purchase of product Z at the virtual store, the warning unit 105 , and determines that the value "300" obtained by subtracting the group point amount "1500" of the group G3 by the second allocation amount "1200" is smaller than the upper limit of usage "1000" of the protected user C3-1. do. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the warning unit 105 displays on the screen of the protected user terminal 200 of the protected user P3-1 a warning to the effect that the amount of group points after allocation is less than the upper limit of use. Then, the payment unit 102 reduces the second allocation amount "1200" from the group point amount "1500" of the group G3, and executes payment for the product Z with group points. On the other hand, if the warning unit 105 determines that the value obtained by reducing the group point amount of group G3 by the second allocation amount is greater than or equal to the upper usage limit of protected user C3-1, the payment unit 102 determines that the group point amount of group G3 is reduced by the second allocation quantity, and payment is made with group points for product Z.

Next, the increase processing executed by the point management system 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. For example, the point management system 100 periodically starts the increasing process shown in FIG. 8 at a predetermined timing.

The increase unit 104 determines whether or not the current time coincides with the transfer time (step S201). When the increasing unit 104 determines that the current time coincides with the transfer time (step S201; YES), it increases the upper limit of use by the transfer quantity (step S202). On the other hand, when the increasing unit 104 determines that the current time does not match the transfer timing (step S201; NO), the notification unit 103 determines whether the group point quantity is less than the sum of the upper limit of use and the transfer quantity. (Step S203).

For example, the increasing unit 104 determines whether or not the current time coincides with the transfer timing of each group included in the group point information of FIG. When the increase unit 104 determines that the current time is "April 5, 2021" and matches the transfer time set for the protected user C3-1, the upper limit of use "1000" for the protected user C3-1 is increased to The transfer quantity set for the protected user C3-1 is increased by "1000". On the other hand, when the warning unit 105 determines that the current time is “April 2, 2021” and that it is before the transfer time set for each group, the notification unit 103 determines that the group point amount of each group is It is determined whether or not it is less than the sum of the upper limit and the transfer quantity.

In step S203, if the notification unit 103 determines that the group point amount is less than the sum of the upper limit of use and the transfer amount (step S203; YES), the protected users of the group whose group point amount is determined to be less than the sum , a notice to the effect that the amount of group points should be increased (step S204). On the other hand, when the notification unit 103 determines that the group point amount is equal to or greater than the sum of the upper limit of use and the transfer amount (step S203; NO), the process ends.

For example, when the notification unit 103 determines that the group point quantity “1500” of group G3 is smaller than the sum of the upper limit of use “1000” and the transfer quantity “1000”, the notification unit 103 sends group point Send a message requesting a quantity increase. On the other hand, when the notification unit 103 determines that each group point quantity is equal to or greater than the sum of the upper limit of use and the transfer quantity, the processing of FIG. 8 ends.

According to this embodiment, protected users belonging to the group can use the group points held by the group up to a predetermined upper limit. Therefore, the points accumulated by protected users such as parents can be used by protected users such as children. In addition, the use of points is more limited than that of cash, and the use history of points is recorded in the point management system, so that the protected user can safely let the protected user use the points. In general, since protected users do not use credit cards, they do not accumulate points and use points less frequently. It is possible to prompt the user to use points.

Further, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to increase the upper limit of use of the protected user by a predetermined amount of transfer at a predetermined transfer timing. This allows the protected user to systematically give points to the protected user like pocket money.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, if the amount of group points is less than the upper limit of use set for the protected user, and if it is less than the sum of the upper limit of use and the transfer amount, the amount of group points is sent to the protected user. to be increased. This can prompt the protected user to increase the amount of group points.

Further, according to this embodiment, if a protected user uses group points to pay for a purchase on sale, if the used group points fall below the usage limit set for the protected user, the You will be warned that your group points are below the usage limit. As a result, it is possible to prevent the protected user from using too many group points and the protected user not being able to use the points up to the upper limit, and secure the number of group points that the protected user can use.

(5. Modification)
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications and applications are possible in carrying out the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the recording unit 101 is implemented by the database server, and the payment unit 102, the notification unit 103, the increment unit 104, and the warning unit 105 are implemented by the settlement server, but the present invention is not limited to this. The recording unit 101, the payment unit 102, the notification unit 103, the increase unit 104, and the warning unit 105 may be realized by one server.

In the above embodiment, the payment unit 102 calculates the amount of points to be given as the amount of borrowed points in advance, but the method of calculating the amount of points to be borrowed in advance is not limited to this. For example, when the protected user C2-1 intends to use the first allocation amount of “2000” points, which is less than the upper limit of use “2500”, to pay for the purchase of the product Y, the payment unit 102 The value "300" obtained by subtracting the group point amount "1700" of the group G2 from the first allocated amount "2000", which is less than the amount "500", may be calculated as the amount of borrowed points. Alternatively, the payment unit 102 may calculate the amount of borrowed points based on the length of time until the scheduled grant date or the creditworthiness of the protected user. The creditworthiness is determined, for example, by the number of times credit card payments are delinquent, the number of times purchases for sale are canceled, and the like. For example, the payment unit 102 may calculate the amount of advance borrowed points to be smaller as the length of the scheduled grant date from the current time is longer. Also, the payment unit 102 may calculate a larger amount of borrowed points as the credit rating of the protected user is higher.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the warning to the effect that the amount of group points after allocation is less than the upper limit of use is given by displaying the message 621 on the purchase procedure screen, but this is not restrictive. For example, the alert may be sent by email, SMS (Short Message Service), text chat, or the like.

Further, in the above embodiment, the warning to the effect that the amount of group points after allotment is less than the upper limit of use is given to the protected user P3-1 who is about to allot the points, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the group includes multiple protected users, the alerting unit 105 alerts all protected users, including the protected user who is trying to redeem points. As a result, for example, when protected users such as parents use group points and the amount of group points does not reach the usage limit, a warning is sent to protected users such as grandparents to encourage them to add group points. can be done.

The present invention is capable of various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention. Moreover, the embodiment described above is for explaining the present invention, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and within the meaning of equivalent inventions are considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a point management system, a point management method, and a program that allow the protected user to use the points accumulated by the protected user up to the usage limit set for the protected user. .

10 server 11 CPU
12 ROMs
13 RAM
14 recording medium 15 output device 16 communication device 17 input device 18 bus 100 point management system 101 recording unit 102 payment unit 103 notification unit 104 increase unit 105 warning unit 200 protected user terminal 300 protected user terminal 400 store terminal 500 network 610, 620 Image 611, 612, 613, 621 Message

Claims (8)

A point management system for managing group points held by a group including a plurality of users,
a recording unit that records the upper limit of point usage set for the protected users included in the group;
When the protected user attempts to use a first allocation amount of points for payment that is less than or equal to the recorded usage limit, if the first allocation amount is less than or equal to the group point amount, the recorded usage a payment unit that reduces both the upper limit and the amount of the group points by a first allocation amount used for the payment, and executes the payment;
A point management system comprising: a notification unit that sends a notification to the protected users included in the group that the group point quantity should be increased if the group point quantity is less than the recorded upper usage limit. The point management system according to claim 1. 2. The apparatus further comprises an increasing unit for increasing the recorded upper usage limit by a point transfer amount set for the protected user at the point transfer timing set for the protected user. The point management system described in . The notification unit
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising sending the notification to the protected user if, prior to the transfer time, the group point quantity is less than the sum of the recorded usage limit and the transfer quantity. Point management system as described. The payment unit
If the first allocation quantity is greater than the quantity of the group points and there are points scheduled to be granted in the future to the group, calculating the quantity of borrowed points in advance that is equal to or less than the quantity of the scheduled points to be granted;
If the first allocation quantity is equal to or less than the sum of the group point quantity and the borrowed point quantity, both the recorded upper usage limit and the group point quantity are used for the payment. 5. The point management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the payment is performed by reducing the first allocation amount. When the protected user attempts to use a second allocation amount of points that is less than the group point amount for payment, the value obtained by reducing the group point amount by the second allocation amount is less than the recorded usage limit. If less, a warning unit for warning the protected user that the number of used group points is less than the recorded usage limit. The point management system described in . A point management method executed by a point management system that manages group points owned by a group including a plurality of users,
The point management system
When a protected user included in the group attempts to use a first allocated amount of points for payment that is equal to or less than the upper usage limit of points set for the protected user and is less than the upper usage limit recorded in the recording unit, If the first allocation amount is less than or equal to the group point amount, both the recorded usage limit and the group point amount are reduced by the first allocation amount used for the payment. , and executing the payment. a computer that manages group points held by a group containing multiple users;
a recording unit that records an upper limit of point usage set for protected users included in the group;
When the protected user attempts to use a first allocation amount of points for payment that is less than or equal to the recorded usage limit, if the first allocation amount is less than or equal to the group point amount, the recorded usage a payment unit that reduces both the upper limit and the amount of the group points by a first allocation amount used for the payment and executes the payment;
A program characterized by functioning as

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