JP2024055450A - Payment terminal and payment terminal program - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To more simply and reliably transmit the result of a settlement to a higher-level settlement machine. [Solution] A settlement system is composed of a higher-level settlement machine 10 such as a POS terminal, and a settlement terminal 20 that is connected to a settlement center 100 and performs various settlements. The higher-level settlement machine 10 provides transaction information, including the amount, to the settlement terminal 20. The settlement terminal 20 performs settlement processing with the settlement center 100 based on the necessary transaction information, and provides the higher-level settlement machine 10 by displaying or printing out a barcode with payment result information, including the settlement result received from the settlement center 100, embedded therein. The payment result information and/or the barcode are not deleted immediately after output, but are stored for a prescribed period of time, so that they can be reliably provided to the higher-level settlement machine 10 again. The higher-level settlement machine 10 completes the transaction as a linked system by reading the barcode of the payment result for the transaction information provided. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a payment terminal and a payment terminal program that transmits the results of a payment process based on transaction information to a higher-level payment device that has a POS function, etc.

A payment system is in use that uses a portable payment terminal specialized for payment functions and a higher-level payment machine equipped with a cash register function and a POS function.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a product sales data processing system in which a cash register (a payment host machine) and a terminal device (a payment terminal) are wirelessly connected.
In this product sales data processing system, the terminal device receives sales data corresponding to the customer from the cash register, performs credit card payment using a credit card read by a card reading means, transmits a transaction completion result received from the credit card payment center to the cash register, and the cash register registers the credit card payment in accordance with the transaction completion result received from the terminal device.

In the product sales data processing system described in Patent Document 1, the use of a terminal device makes it possible to easily carry out settlement at a location away from the register.
However, in order for the cash register to reflect the result of the settlement, it is necessary to connect to the terminal device via wireless communication and then receive the result.
In addition, if the communication with the cash register is poor, the settlement process may not be completed in the middle of the settlement process or the transmission/reception of the result, or the settlement may be completed but the result may not be transmitted or received. In particular, because wireless communication is performed for each settlement process, this occurs more frequently when multiple settlement processes are performed.
Furthermore, if a wireless connection to the terminal device cannot be established in the first place, there are cases in which the settlement process cannot be carried out or the results of the settlement cannot be received.

JP 2015-207096 A

The present invention aims to more simply and reliably transmit the results of a payment to a higher-level payment device.

The invention described in claim 1 provides a payment terminal comprising: a transaction information acquisition means for acquiring transaction information including at least a payment amount provided from a payment host machine equipped with a POS function; a payment request means for requesting a payment center to settle the acquired payment amount; a payment result acquisition means for acquiring a payment result for the requested payment from the payment center; a barcode creation means for creating a barcode embedded with payment result information including at least the acquired payment result; and a payment result providing means for outputting the created barcode and providing it to the payment host machine.

According to the invention described in claim 1, a barcode in which payment result information including at least the payment result is embedded is provided to the payment host machine, so that the result of the payment can be transmitted to the payment host machine more simply and reliably.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the created barcode and/or payment result information is stored for a predetermined period of time, so that a barcode that has already been output can be output again and provided to a higher-level payment machine.

1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the configuration and processing of a payment system using a payment terminal. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the appearance of a payment terminal. FIG. 2 is a configuration explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a payment terminal. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of transaction settlement information stored in the settlement terminal. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of a payment process using the payment terminal. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of a payment process in the second embodiment.

A preferred embodiment of the settlement terminal 20 of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to Figs.
(1) Overview of the embodiment The payment system in this embodiment is made up of a payment host machine 10 such as a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal or a tablet with POS functionality, and a payment terminal 20 connected to a payment center 100 to perform various payments.
The payment host machine 10 provides transaction information including at least the amount to the payment terminal 20, and the payment terminal 20 performs payment processing with the payment center 100 based on the necessary transaction information and provides the payment result to the payment host machine 10.
When providing transaction information to the payment terminal 20, the payment host machine 10 provides the information via wireless or wired communication, or by converting the transaction information into a two-dimensional barcode or the like and outputting it by printing or displaying it on a screen.

Meanwhile, the payment terminal 20 provides the payment host machine 10 with a barcode embedded with payment result information including the payment result (transaction status information) received from the payment center 100 by displaying or printing it on the screen of the payment terminal. The payment result information and/or the barcode are not deleted immediately after being output, but are stored in a non-volatile storage device for a predetermined period (e.g., at least one day or more), so that they can be reliably provided to the payment host machine 10 again.
The payment host machine 10 completes the transaction as an interlocking system by reading the barcode indicating the payment result for the provided transaction information.

According to this payment system, when the payment result (transaction status: successful completion) of the payment processing by the payment terminal 20 is presented to the payment host machine 10, reliable linkage processing is performed simply by reading a barcode, rather than a system-based linkage processing such as a wired or wireless connection.
Therefore, the settlement terminal 20 can reliably present and the settlement host machine 10 can reliably acquire the information, without being aware of a situation in which "linking is not possible" due to an environmental problem such as a communication state, thereby enabling linking of the systems.
Furthermore, even if the payment host machine 10 undergoes periodic OS upgrades, the payment results can be obtained by reading the barcode, so there is no need to modify (tune) the system to link it with the payment terminal 20.

In the payment terminal 20 of this embodiment, instead of deleting the payment result after providing it to the payment host machine 10, the payment terminal 20 stores transaction settlement information including at least the payment result, and preferably including the amount obtained from the payment host machine 10 and information collected by the device itself.
As a result, even if for some reason the payment result output as a barcode by the payment host machine 10 cannot be obtained, for example, if the battery in the payment terminal 20 runs out while the barcode is being displayed on the screen or printed, or if the paper with the barcode printed on it is lost, the payment terminal 20 can output the barcode again from the stored transaction settlement information, thereby more reliably linking the payment result.

The payment terminal 20 not only outputs the payment result in a barcode each time a payment process is performed, but also compiles a plurality of pieces of payment result information created from a plurality of pieces of transaction payment information stored for a plurality of payments, converts them into a barcode, and provides the barcode to the payment host machine 10. This makes it possible to provide the payment result to the payment host machine 10 efficiently.
In addition, the multiple payment result information to be converted into barcodes can be organized in the order in which the payment processing was carried out, or they can be organized into specific groups, such as by specific customer or by specific payment method.
Furthermore, when the payment host machine 10 and the payment terminal 20 output information related to the payment such as the amount and the payment result as a barcode, they can also include information other than the payment. In this case, the information other than the payment can be customer information indicating the information of the person who made the payment (for example, information indicating that the person is a regular customer) or employee information provided to the operator of the payment terminal 20 (for example, information instructing the customer to apologize, information informing that a campaign is running, etc.).

(2) Details of the embodiment FIG. 1 shows an overview of the configuration and processing of a payment system using a payment terminal 20.
As shown in FIG. 1, the present payment system comprises a payment host machine 10, a payment terminal 20, and a payment center 100.
Each of the payment host machine 10, the payment terminal 20, and the payment center 100 is an independent device as a computer system including a CPU, and constitutes part of the payment system.
Each of these devices is provided with a program for implementing the necessary functions for settlement required for each device.

The settlement host machine 10 comprises a host machine main body 11, an output function 12, and a reading function 13.
The host machine main body 11 is a device that processes and manages various settlement processes such as payments for food and drink, vehicle and real estate transactions, etc., and may be, for example, a tablet 11a equipped with a POS function or a POS system 11b.

The output function 12 is a function for providing the information necessary for the payment terminal 20 to perform payment processing in barcode format, and is composed of a display device 12a for displaying the barcode provided in the host machine main body 11 on a screen, and a printing device 12b for printing the barcode connected to the host machine main body 11 on paper.
The POS system 11b has both a display device 12a and a printer 12b as the output function 12. On the other hand, the tablet 11a has the display device 12a as the output function 12, but may also have the printer 12b.
Here, the barcode output by the output function 12 corresponds to a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode such as a QR code (registered trademark). In this embodiment, a two-dimensional barcode (hereinafter referred to as a two-dimensional BC) capable of including more information is output. When using a QR code, in addition to a normal QR code with cutout symbols (time marks) arranged at three corners, it is also possible to use a micro QR code with one cutout symbol.
In addition, the output function 12 in this embodiment outputs the transaction information converted into two-dimensional BC onto a screen or paper, but it is also possible to provide the transaction information directly to the payment terminal 20 by connecting the upper unit main body 11 and the payment terminal 20 wirelessly or via a wired connection.

Although not shown, the host machine main body 11 has a function of converting transaction information including at least the payment amount into a two-dimensional BC. In this embodiment, the payment amount and a transaction ID (identification information) for identifying the payment (transaction) are the targets of two-dimensional BC conversion by the host machine main body 11.
When outputting the two-dimensional BC from the display device 12a or the printer 12b, the host machine main body 11 can also display or print information related to the payment together. For example, the name and number of products that are the subject of payment, the amount, the date and time, etc. are output on the screen or paper together with the two-dimensional BC of the transaction information.

The reading function 13 is a function for reading various barcodes presented by the payment terminal 20 and acquiring payment result information embedded in the barcodes.
This reading function 13 is composed of a camera 13a that photographs the two-dimensional BC provided in the upper unit main body 11 and a barcode reader 13b connected to the upper unit main body 11, so that the payment terminal 20 of this embodiment outputs a two-dimensional BC as described below.
The POS system 11b has both a camera 13a and a barcode reader 13b as the reading function 13. On the other hand, the tablet 11a has the camera 13a as the reading function 13, but may also have the barcode reader 13b.
The settlement result information contained in the two-dimensional BC read by the reading function 13 is registered in the host machine main body 11 etc. as a settlement completion status or the like.

The payment terminal 20 is a portable terminal that acquires information necessary for payment from an external source, performs payment, and converts the result of the payment into a two-dimensional BC and provides it to the payment host machine 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, the payment terminal 20 has a reading function 21, a payment function 22, and an output function 23.
The reading function 21 is a function that reads various bar codes provided by the host machine main body 11 with a camera and obtains transaction information including the settlement amount (hereinafter simply referred to as the amount) embedded in the bar code. The reading function 21 of this embodiment is configured to read a two-dimensional BC provided by the host machine main body 11.

The payment function 22 is a function that collects (collection function) transaction information including the amount obtained by the reading function 21, as well as other information required for payment, such as card information and PIN (password), and works in cooperation with the payment center 100 to perform payment processing (payment of fees from the payer to the biller through payment).
In the payment process, the payment function 22 transmits payment information to the payment center 100, including the amount read from the 2D BC, the transaction ID, and credit information (in the case of credit payment) collected by the collection function, and also obtains the payment result, such as payment completion or payment failure, transmitted from the payment center 100.

The output function 23 is a function for providing the payment result information including at least the payment result received from the payment center 100 to the payment host machine 10 in the form of a barcode (two-dimensional BC in this embodiment). The payment result information included in the two-dimensional BC includes, in addition to the payment result, for example, a transaction ID, a payment method (denomination), and the like.
The payment terminal 20 of this embodiment is equipped with a display unit 231 that displays the two-dimensional BC on a screen and a printer 232 that prints the two-dimensional BC on paper 232p such as roll paper, as devices for realizing the output function 23 as described below, but it may be equipped with only one of them.

Based on the payment information transmitted from the payment terminal 20 , the payment center 100 performs various payment processes, such as credit card payment, debit card payment, electronic money payment, and other types of payment, and transmits the payment result to the payment terminal 20 .
In FIG. 1, the payment center 100 is shown as a single organization, but it is actually made up of a number of payment servers that actually perform the payments in question, and an information processing center that connects to the payment server corresponding to the payment method specified by the payment terminal 20 and performs payment processing.

2 shows the external configuration of payment terminal 20. Fig. 2(a) is a perspective view of payment terminal 20 as seen from the front side, and Fig. 2(b) is a perspective view of payment terminal 20 as seen from the back side.
As shown in FIG. 2(a), a power button 29 is provided on the side of the payment terminal 20, a printer 232 is provided at the top, and a display unit 231 having a display screen and a touch panel is provided in the center.
In addition, a magnetic card reader 241 is arranged on the underside of the front surface, a contact IC card reader 242 is arranged on the underside of the periphery, and a non-contact IC card RW (reader/writer) 243 is arranged on the back surface as devices for collecting other transaction information required for payment from various cards other than the transaction information (amount and transaction ID) received from the payment terminal 20.
The non-contact IC card RW 243 and the numeric keypad 25 arranged below it for inputting a personal identification number (password) and a payment amount are covered with a blind cover 26. The blind cover 26 is used to hold the card over the hand by opening it to one side when performing an input operation.
As shown in FIG. 2( b ), a camera 27 for photographing the two-dimensional BC outputted from the payment host machine 10 is disposed on the back side of the payment terminal 20 .

FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the payment terminal 20.
As shown in FIG. 3, the payment terminal 20 includes a CPU 200 , a ROM 210 , a RAM 220 , a memory unit 280 , a card reading unit 240 , a communication unit 250 , a display unit 231 , a printer 232 , a numeric keypad 25 , and a camera 27 .
The CPU 200 is a central processing unit, and performs electronic payment processing in accordance with a basic program (OS) stored in the ROM 210 and various programs stored in the storage unit 280, such as a payment program 281 and a two-dimensional BC program 282.
The ROM 210 is a read-only memory that stores basic programs and parameters for the operation of the CPU 200 .

The RAM 220 is a readable/writable memory and a working memory used by the CPU 200 when performing settlement processing, and in this embodiment, transaction settlement information 221 and various other data are temporarily stored therein.
FIG. 4 shows the data stored in transaction settlement information 221.
Transaction settlement information 221 is created and saved for each payment object, and data acquired at each stage of the settlement process is saved and read in sequence. The acquired and saved content differs depending on the content and method of the settlement.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the amount, transaction ID, payment method, customer ID, . . . , payment result, two-dimensional BC, etc. are saved for each transaction.
The data stored in the transaction settlement information 221 has a set number of digits for each data, such as a five-digit amount, an eight-digit alphanumeric transaction ID, a one-digit payment method (or an additional digit if a flag is added), and a one-digit payment result.

Of the transaction settlement information 221, the amount and transaction ID are stored when the two-dimensional BC provided from the settlement host machine 10 is read by the camera 27 using the reading function 21.
In addition, if a transaction ID is not embedded in the provided two-dimensional BC, the payment terminal 20 will independently assign a transaction ID, and in this case the transaction ID is a mandatory embedding target in the two-dimensional BC provided to the payment host machine 10.

If other information such as a customer ID (referred to as other information) is embedded in the two-dimensional BC provided by the settlement host machine 10 , the other information is also stored in the transaction settlement information 221 .
In this case, if the information (referred to as acquired information) that the payment terminal 20 later acquires from the card owned by the payer overlaps with the other information and the two pieces of information do not match, the payment terminal 20 will, for example, add a flag of 0 to the other information and a flag of 1 to the acquired information and then store both. In this case, it is preferable for the payment terminal 20 to convert the payment result information (described later) acquired from the card with flag 1 added into a two-dimensional BC and provide it to the payment host machine 10.
If the customer ID and other information provided by the payment host machine 10 differs from the acquired information acquired from the payment user's card or the like, the contents of the transaction payment information 221 may be overwritten with a flag of 1. In this case, it is also preferable to include the overwritten acquired information such as the customer ID in the payment result information.
Here, the customer ID is identification information for identifying the person making the payment, and is defined for each of the various payment methods on the corresponding card or the like.

The payment method is a payment method such as credit card payment, debit card payment, electronic money payment, etc., and during the payment process, the operator of the payment terminal 20 confirms the payment method from the person to be paid, such as a customer, and inputs and saves the method by operating the touch panel of the display unit 231.
The data not shown, represented by ... after the customer ID, varies depending on the payment method, and includes card information (such as personal identification information and expiration date information) obtained by the card reading unit 240 and a PIN number entered using the numeric keypad 25, etc.
In addition, the settlement result received from settlement center 100 after the settlement process is completed is stored.

The two-dimensional BC is a two-dimensional BC in which the payment result information provided by the payment terminal 20 to the payment host machine 10 is embedded. In this embodiment, the payment result and the payment method stored in the transaction payment information 221 are converted into a two-dimensional BC as payment result information.
Instead of or in addition to the 2D BC, payment result information may be stored.

Returning to FIG. 3, the memory unit 280 is a memory device composed of, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as an SSD (Solid State Drive) or a hard disk, and stores a payment program 281 for causing the CPU 200 to perform the payment function 22 of this embodiment, a two-dimensional BC program 282 for causing the reading function 21 and the output function 23, transaction payment information 283, and other information.
The transaction settlement information 283 is stored in the transaction settlement information 221 stored in the RAM 220. The transaction settlement information 283 is configured to reflect the added or changed contents each time (immediately after) the stored contents of the transaction settlement information 221 are added or changed. The transaction settlement information 283 is stored for a predetermined period of time, for example, N days (N=1, 2, 7, 30, etc.). The storage period can be changed from the operation screen of the display unit 231.
In this manner, in this embodiment, information related to the settlement result (result information, two-dimensional BC (and/or settlement result information)) is stored for a predetermined period in transaction settlement information 221 and transaction settlement information 283, so that even if the two-dimensional BC output to display unit 231 or printer 232 cannot be read by settlement host machine 10, the two-dimensional BC can be provided again.

The card reading unit 240 is a member that reads various cards for payment.
Specifically, there are a magnetic card reader 241, a contact IC card reader 242, and a non-contact IC card RW 243 arranged according to the selectable payment method, and are arranged at the respective positions described in the external view of Figure 2.

The communication unit 250 transmits and receives various data to and from the outside.
The communication unit 250 performs communication processing associated with settlement and various other communication processing with the settlement center 100 via wireless communication such as LTE (Long Term Evolution).
In addition, in the payment terminal 20 of this embodiment, transaction information including at least the amount provided by the payment host machine 10 is received via two-dimensional BC, but when transaction information is provided by the payment host machine 10 via wired or wireless communication, it is received by receiving it via the communication unit 250.

The display unit 231 is provided with a liquid crystal display screen, and displays a screen for selecting a selectable payment method such as credit card payment, electronic money payment, etc. A touch panel is arranged on the surface of the display unit 231, and an item displayed on the screen is selected according to a position on the touch panel that is pressed.
As described with reference to FIG. 1, the display unit 231 is used to display the two-dimensional BC in order to provide the settlement result information to the settlement host machine 10 .

The printer 232 is provided with paper 232p such as roll paper (not shown) and prints and outputs various information.
In this embodiment, the printer 232 , like the display unit 231 , prints a two-dimensional BC of the payment result information to be provided to the payment host machine 10 on roll paper.
As described with reference to FIG. 2, the payment terminal 20 includes a numeric keypad 25 and a camera 27 .
The settlement terminal 20 is equipped with other devices, not shown, such as a battery that supplies power to each unit.

Next, the operation of the payment process by the payment system using the payment terminal 20 configured as above will be described.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the settlement process performed by the settlement host machine 10, the settlement terminal 20, and the settlement center 100. As shown in FIG.
In the settlement system, each of the settlement host machine 10, the settlement terminal 20, and the settlement center 100 is assumed to be running a program necessary for settlement, and in the case of the settlement terminal 20, the settlement program 281.

When making a payment, the payment host machine 10 first outputs, by image or printout, a two-dimensional BC in which the amount and transaction ID are embedded (step 11).
For example, when the payment host machine 10 is a POS device installed in a restaurant and a store staff member carrying a payment terminal 20 moves to the customer to make the payment, the payment host machine 10 prints out a two-dimensional BC with the slip number (transaction ID) and amount of the payment subject embedded on the accounting slip to be presented to the customer, rather than on a screen.
In the following example, a case will be described in which a customer is the payer and a store staff member is the operator of the payment terminal 20.

When the two-dimensional BC is provided as an image or printed image from the payment host machine 10, the payment terminal 20 reads the two-dimensional BC (step 21).
That is, when the operator of the payment terminal 20 operates the display unit 231 to select the capture button (icon), the CPU 200 of the payment terminal 20 captures the two-dimensional BC with the camera 27 .

Then, the CPU 200 acquires the transaction information (step 22).
That is, the CPU 200 obtains the transaction information embedded in the two-dimensional BC image captured by the camera 27 in accordance with the two-dimensional BC program 282 , and stores it in the amount and transaction ID fields of the transaction settlement information 221 in the RAM 220 .

Next, the CPU 200 checks the payment method for settling the amount of the transaction information (step 23).
That is, first, the operator of the payment terminal 20 confirms the payment method from the payer, and selects the payment method displayed on the display unit 231 of the payment terminal 20. Upon this selection, the CPU 200 confirms the payment method, and stores the selected payment method in the transaction settlement information 221 in the RAM 220.

Next, the CPU 200 acquires a customer ID (step 25).
That is, the operator of the payment terminal 20 performs processing corresponding to the payment method confirmed by the payer, and the CPU 200 stores the customer ID and other information acquired by this processing in the transaction payment information 221 .
For example, if the payment method is credit card payment, the operator of payment terminal 20 receives a credit card from the payer and passes it through magnetic card reader 241, while opening rear cover 26 and requesting input of a PIN number from numeric keypad 25. Based on this operation and processing, CPU 200 obtains the customer ID, card number, PIN number, etc. used for the payment, and stores them in transaction settlement information 221. The card number and PIN number are encrypted before storage.

Next, the settlement terminal 20 and the settlement center 100 are connected (steps 26 and 101).
That is, the payment terminal 20 secures a connection to the payment center 100 from the communication unit 250 using a connection address stored in advance.

Then, the payment terminal 20 transmits payment information to the payment center 100 to request payment (step 27).
That is, the CPU 200 of the payment terminal 20 reads the payment method confirmed in step 23 and the payment information required for that payment method, such as the customer ID, amount, PIN number, etc., from the transaction payment information 221 and transmits them from the communication unit 250 to the payment center 100.

In response, the settlement center 100 carries out the settlement (step 102).
That is, the settlement center 100 acquires the settlement information transmitted from the settlement terminal 20, and provides the amount, customer ID, PIN, biller (business information corresponding to the settlement host machine 10), etc. to a settlement server offering the specified payment method (such as a server for the relevant bank settlement or a credit settlement server). After completing identity authentication of the person making the payment, the settlement server settles the amount, pays the fee to the biller, and transmits the settlement result to the settlement center 100.

When the payment is completed, the payment center 100 transmits the payment result received from the payment server to the payment terminal 20 (step 103).
As a result, CPU 200 of payment terminal 20 receives the transmitted payment result (step 28 ) and stores the payment result in transaction settlement information 221 .

Next, the CPU 200 creates payment result information including the payment result, the transaction ID, and the payment method (step 29), and converts it into a two-dimensional BC (step 30).
That is, the CPU 200 reads out the settlement result, transaction ID, and settlement method stored in the transaction settlement information 221, and creates a two-dimensional BC with the settlement result information embedded therein according to the two-dimensional BC program 282, using this as settlement result information.

In this embodiment, the payment host machine 10 outputs multiple two-dimensional BCs with transaction information (amount and transaction ID) embedded therein, enabling payment processing to be performed separately at multiple payment terminals 20.
For this reason, after the payment is completed, the payment result information that the payment terminal 20 converts into a two-dimensional BC and provides to the payment host machine 10 includes, in addition to the payment result and payment method, a transaction ID so that the payment host machine 10 can distinguish which transaction information the payment result is based on.
However, in a small area, such as a small private store, where a payment host machine 10 and one payment terminal 20 are used, payment processing is performed for each payment item (transaction information), and after that payment processing is completed, the next payment processing is performed.
Therefore, the payment upper machine 10 can omit the transaction ID from the target to be embedded in the two-dimensional BC in step 11, and the payment terminal 20 can omit the transaction ID from the target to be stored in the transaction settlement information 221 and the payment result information in step 29.

Next, the CPU 200 outputs the created two-dimensional BC and provides it to the payment host machine 10 (step 31), and the payment process by the payment terminal 20 is completed.
That is, the CPU 200 provides the created two-dimensional BC to the payment host machine 10 by displaying it on the display unit 231 and/or printing it on the printer 232, and also stores the created two-dimensional BC of the payment result information in the transaction payment information 221 in the RAM 220.
Furthermore, CPU 200 also stores predetermined content including at least the transaction ID of transaction settlement information 221 related to the payment, including the two-dimensional BC of the payment result information, in transaction settlement information 283 in storage unit 280. Note that for the predetermined content stored in transaction settlement information 283, default content is predefined, but the stored content can be changed as appropriate, and it is also possible to store all of the content of transaction settlement information 221.

After saving the payment information, it is also possible to output the two-dimensional BC and provide it to the payment host machine 10. For example, if the place where the payment is made using the payment terminal 20 is far from the payment host machine 10, the two-dimensional BC is output after moving to a place where it can be read by the reading function 13 (see FIG. 1) of the payment host machine 10.
In addition, the transaction settlement information 221 stores a two-dimensional BC of the settlement result information, but the settlement result information may be stored, or both may be stored. When only the settlement result information is stored, when it becomes necessary to present the settlement result information again to the settlement host machine 10, the CPU 200 reads the settlement result information from the transaction settlement information 221, converts it to a two-dimensional BC, and presents it.

In this manner, in this embodiment, after the two-dimensional BC with the embedded payment result information is provided to the payment host machine 10, it is not immediately deleted, but is stored in the transaction settlement information 221 and the transaction settlement information 283 in the memory unit 280 in a format (two-dimensional BC and/or payment result information) that allows the two-dimensional BC to be provided to the payment host machine 10 again.
Therefore, even if the payment host machine 10 is unable to acquire the payment result information embedded in the two-dimensional BC after the payment terminal 20 outputs the two-dimensional BC with the payment result information embedded therein, the payment host machine 10 can reliably acquire the payment result information by outputting the stored two-dimensional BC again.
In particular, the payment terminal 20 stores the two-dimensional BC not only in the transaction settlement information 221 in the RAM 220 but also in the transaction settlement information 283 in the non-volatile memory unit 280. Therefore, even if the battery of the payment terminal 20 runs out while the barcode is being displayed on the screen or printed, the two-dimensional BC can be read out again from the transaction settlement information 283 after the battery is replaced and can be reliably provided to the payment host machine 10.

The settlement host machine 10 reads the settlement result information embedded in the two-dimensional BC provided by the settlement terminal 20 using its reading function 13 (see FIG. 1) (step 12).
Then, the payment host machine 10 registers in its own device the payment result corresponding to the transaction ID included in the read payment result information (step 13), and ends the process corresponding to that transaction ID.

Next, a second embodiment of the payment process by the payment system using the payment terminal 20 will be described.
In the embodiment described above, the case has been described in which the payment host machine 10 embeds transaction information, including the amount and transaction ID but not the payment method, in a two-dimensional BC and provides it to the payment terminal 20 .
In contrast, in the payment system of the second embodiment, transaction information including the payment method and customer ID in addition to the amount and transaction ID is embedded in the two-dimensional BC and provided to the payment terminal 20 .
In the second embodiment, the payment method is specified by the payment host machine 10, but it is also possible to accommodate cases where the person to be paid selects another method in the actual payment situation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of a payment process in the second embodiment.
In the payment system in the second embodiment, the configurations of the payment host machine 10, the payment terminal 20, and the payment center 100 are almost the same as those described in the embodiment, so the second embodiment will be described focusing on the differences.
In addition, in the payment process in the second embodiment, the same processes as those in the embodiment are given the same step numbers and their explanations are omitted as appropriate.

In the settlement according to the second embodiment, the settlement host machine 10 outputs a two-dimensional BC in which transaction information including the settlement method in addition to the amount and transaction ID is embedded, and provides it to the settlement terminal 20 (step 11).
As a result, the CPU 200 of the payment terminal 20 reads the provided two-dimensional BC (step 21), obtains the transaction information (amount, transaction ID, payment method), and stores it in the transaction payment information 221 (step 22).

Next, the CPU 200 of the payment terminal 20 confirms the payment method from the payer in the same manner as in the embodiment (step 23).
The CPU 200 then determines whether the confirmed payment method is the same as the payment method acquired in step 22 (step 24), and if they are the same (step 24; Y), proceeds to the processing of step 25 as in the embodiment.
On the other hand, if the payment method confirmed from the payer is not the same (step 24; N), the CPU 200 acquires the customer ID, PIN, etc. by performing processing corresponding to the payment method confirmed from the payer, updates (changes) the payment method in the transaction settlement information 221, and saves the customer ID, etc. (step 252). When the payment method in the transaction settlement information 221 is updated, it is preferable to be able to determine that the method has been updated, and for example, a flag 1 indicating that the method has been updated is added.

Then, the payment terminal 20 connects to the payment center 100 and makes a payment with the payment center 100 using the transaction settlement information 221 stored in the RAM 220 (steps 26 to 28, steps 101 to 103).

Then, the CPU 200 of the payment terminal 20 creates payment result information from the transaction settlement information 221 stored in the RAM 220, as in the embodiment (step 29).
However, in the second embodiment, while the payment method is specified in the two-dimensional BC by the payment host machine 10, there are cases where the payment is made using a payment method different from the specified method.
Therefore, when creating payment result information, the CPU 200 judges whether the payment method stored in the transaction settlement information 221 has been updated based on the presence or absence of flag 1, and if it has been updated, adds the updated payment method to the payment result and transaction ID to create the payment result information.
On the other hand, if the payment method has not been updated, i.e., if payment is being made using the payment method specified by the payment host machine 10, the payment host machine 10 can know the payment method from the transaction ID, so the CPU 200 of the payment terminal 20 treats the payment result and the transaction ID as payment result information.

The CPU 200 creates a two-dimensional BC with the created settlement result information embedded therein (step 30), outputs the created two-dimensional BC to be provided to the settlement host machine 10 (step 31), and ends the process.
Meanwhile, the settlement host machine 10 reads the provided two-dimensional BC with the reading function 13 (step 12), registers the read settlement result as the settlement result for the read transaction ID (step 13), and ends the process.

Although the payment system using the payment terminal 20 of the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible.
(a) Modification 1
For example, in the embodiment described above, the case has been described where the payment terminal 20 performs the payment process for each piece of transaction information provided by the payment host machine 10. That is, in the embodiment described above, the case has been described where the payment process for the next piece of transaction information is performed after the payment for one piece of transaction information is completed and the two-dimensional BC is provided to the payment host machine 10 in step 31 (after all payment processes have been completed).
In contrast, in the payment terminal 20 of variant example 1, processing from step 21 to step 28 is performed for each piece of transaction information, and multiple pieces of payment result information corresponding to each piece of transaction information, for example, N pieces of payment result information, are compiled and embedded in a two-dimensional BC and presented to the payment host machine 10.
In this case, the CPU 200 creates N pieces of transaction settlement information 221 for each transaction information in the RAM 211. Then, in the two-dimensional BC field of each transaction settlement information 221, the settlement result information acquired (step 28) in the corresponding settlement is saved.
In this modified example, in order to be able to output the 2D BC again, multiple pieces of transaction settlement information 283 corresponding to multiple pieces of transaction settlement information 221 are saved. Each time the content of the transaction settlement information 221 is added or changed, the same content is added or updated to each piece of transaction settlement information 283.

In this modified example, the CPU 200 counts the number of payments each time a payment is made for each transaction information (steps 21 to 28), and when the count reaches N, or when an output operation is performed from the screen of the display unit 231 before counting up to N, it creates each payment result information (in the first embodiment, payment result, transaction ID, and payment method) and creates and outputs a single two-dimensional BC that embeds all of the information (steps 30, 31).
The settlement host machine 10 reads the output two-dimensional BC with the reading function 13 (step 12) and registers the settlement result for each transaction ID (step 13).

Here, the number N of pieces of payment result information that can be collectively embedded in the two-dimensional BC will be described.
For example, the minimum information is one numeric digit for the payment result, eight alphanumeric digits for the transaction ID, and if separator characters are included, the payment result information for each transaction can be expressed in 11 digits.
When the payment result information is composed of the above-mentioned minimum information, a maximum of 390 pieces of payment result information can be embedded in the two-dimensional BC.
Therefore, the value of N varies depending on the contents to be included in each payment result information, but the maximum value is N = 390. A default value (for example, N = 10 items, 100 items) is set for this value of N, and it can be changed as appropriate as long as it is 390 or less.

In this way, according to variant example 1, instead of outputting payment result information to the two-dimensional BC each time a payment process is performed, multiple pieces of payment result information are embedded in the two-dimensional BC together and output, making it possible to provide the payment result to the payment host machine 10 efficiently with a short amount of work time.

(b) Modification 2
In variant example 1, the payment results for multiple payment information items settled at the same payment terminal 20 are stored as transaction payment information 221 (283) in RAM 220 (memory unit 280), and multiple pieces of payment result information are compiled and embedded in a two-dimensional BC at a predetermined timing and output, thereby providing multiple pieces of payment result information to the payment host machine 10 at once.
In contrast to this, in the second modification, payment information for payments made at different payment terminals 20, including payment result information, is embedded collectively in a two-dimensional BC and output.

That is, in each embodiment and modification 1, each time the settlement is completed in steps 27 and 102, a settlement result is received from settlement center 100 (step 28).
In contrast, in the second modification, the payment terminal 20 requests the payment center 100 to collect a plurality of pieces of payment result information, for example, collected for the same store or the same upper level payment machine 10 .
In response to this request, the settlement terminal 20 embeds all of the pieces of settlement result information transmitted from the settlement center 100 in a two-dimensional BC and outputs it.
Then, in order to be able to output the two-dimensional BC again, the payment terminal 20 stores the multiple pieces of payment result information received from the payment center 100 and/or the two-dimensional BC with the multiple pieces of result information embedded in it in the RAM 220 and the memory unit 280.

In order to realize the processing of variant example 2, the payment center 100 adds a flag 0 to the payment result information (payment result, transaction ID, payment method) for each payment (step 102) made in response to a request from each payment terminal 20, indicates that the information has not been sent, and stores the information. In response to a request from the payment terminal 20, the payment center 100 transmits the multiple pieces of stored payment result information.
Payment center 100 changes the flag of each payment result information sent in response to a request from payment terminal 20 from 0 to 1. If payment terminal 20 makes another request, payment center 100 transmits all the payment result information with flag 1 together.

(c) Modification 3
In the first and second modified examples described above, the settlement result information to be collectively embedded in the two-dimensional BC is not particularly defined.
In contrast to this, in variant example 3, it is possible to embed a predetermined number of pieces of information in the order in which payments (steps 27, 102) were made. Furthermore, it is also possible to predefine payment groups, such as for each specific customer or payment method, and compile multiple pieces of payment result information for each payment group, embed them in the two-dimensional BC, and output them.
By grouping the payments by payment group in this manner, the payment host machine 10 can efficiently register the results of each payment (step 13).

(c) Modification 4
In this variant example 4, by repeating steps 11 and 21, the payment terminal 20 acquires multiple pieces of transaction information and creates transaction settlement information 221a, 221b, ... for each piece, and then the payment center 100 sequentially makes payments for each piece of settlement information in the transaction settlement information 221a, ....
It should be noted that the CPU 200 may transmit a plurality of pieces of transaction settlement information 221a, 221b, . . . to the settlement center 100 in a lump, rather than transmitting the settlement information to the settlement center 100 in sequence for each piece of transaction settlement information 221a, 221b, .
In this case, the CPU 200 may embed the payment result information for each item in the two-dimensional BC as described in the embodiment and provide it to the payment host machine 10, or may embed the payment result information for multiple items in the two-dimensional BC as in the above variants 1 to 3 and provide it to the payment host machine 10.

(d) Modification 5
In each of the embodiments and variants described above, the payment host machine 10 and the payment terminal 20 output a two-dimensional BC, but in all cases, the case has been described where transaction information (amount, transaction ID) and payment result information (transaction ID, payment result, payment method, etc.) required for one payment are embedded.
In variant example 5, in addition to transaction information and payment result information, a two-dimensional BC is output in which at least one of customer information about the payer making the payment and operator information to be transmitted to the operator of the payment terminal 20 is embedded, and provided to the payment terminal 20 and the payment host machine 10.
Examples of customer information include information indicating that the customer is a valued customer, and examples of operator (employee) information include information instructing the customer to apologize or information informing the customer that a campaign is running.

For example, in a restaurant or the like, there are cases where a customer (the person making the payment) needs to be treated specially, such as when the customer is a regular customer or when an apology needs to be offered to the customer.
In such a case, the payment host machine 10 embeds customer information and employee information in the two-dimensional BC along with the transaction information, so that when providing payment instructions to the customer, the employee operating the payment terminal 20 can be made aware of this information and can prompt the customer to take the necessary action (for example, saying, "Thank you for your continued patronage," or "I'm sorry for any mistakes").
Also, when running a campaign, it is possible to include information about the promotion of the campaign in the 2D BC (for example, "We are holding a strawberry fair. Please come next time") in order to increase the opportunities to communicate this to customers.

In addition, there may be cases where only the employee in charge knows information such as whether the customer is a regular customer or that an apology must be offered to the customer when operating the payment terminal 20 .
In such a case, the payment terminal 20 can embed information such as that the customer (the person who makes the payment) is a regular customer and that an apology is necessary, together with the payment result information, in the two-dimensional BC, output it, and provide it to the payment host machine 10. This makes it possible to have other employees who operate the payment host machine 10 share (recognize) the same information without expressing it verbally or through audio output, and can encourage the customer to take the necessary action (for example, a response such as "Thank you as always," or "I'm sorry for the mistake") when the customer leaves.
In this way, by embedding customer information and operator (employee) information in the transaction information and payment result information and providing it to the payment terminal 20 and the payment host machine 10, it becomes possible to communicate smoothly rather than verbally.

(a) A payment terminal 20 linked to a POS device 10 in a restaurant
In this embodiment, a POS device 10 is used as the upper settlement device 10, and settlement is carried out at the customer's table using a settlement terminal 20.
The POS device 10 prints a two-dimensional barcode, in which the slip number and transaction amount are embedded, on the transaction slip at the time of transaction.
The store staff member goes to the customer with the printed accounting slip and the payment terminal 20.
At the customer's location, the store staff presents the bill to the customer, reads the two-dimensional BC printed on the bill with the camera 27 of the payment terminal 20, and carries out the specified credit sale (payment processing by credit).
After the credit card payment process is completed, the payment terminal 20 outputs, on a screen or in print, a two-dimensional BC in which the payment result received from the payment center 100 is embedded.
The 2D BC with the payment result embedded therein is read by the same or another store staff member using the reading function 13 of the POS device 10, and the transaction status (payment completed) corresponding to the accounting slip is registered.
According to the first embodiment, it is possible to realize table payment with minimal system modifications while utilizing the existing POS device 10.

(b) A payment terminal 20 linked to an mPOS (mobile POS) device 10 in the business negotiation space
In the second embodiment, a business tablet 10 (higher-level payment machine 10) that functions as an mPOS device linked to a core system and a payment terminal 20 are used in the same place to perform payment.
In the business negotiation space, a store staff member reads the member identification information from the customer's membership card or membership app on the business tablet 10. The business tablet 10 communicates with the core system based on the member identification information and retrieves the member information. The business tablet 10 applies points or coupon discounts to the transaction and assigns a number to the transaction identification information.
A two-dimensional BC including transaction identification information and the confirmed amount is generated on the business tablet 10, which is then read by the camera 27 of the payment terminal 20, and payment processing is carried out on the spot.
In addition to the transaction identification information and amount linked to the payment terminal 20 , the payment result is stored in the payment center 100 connected to the payment terminal 20 .
At the end of the day's work, the payment terminal 20 retrieves multiple transactions that took place at the store that day from the payment center 100 (see the modified example), and collects multiple pieces of payment result information to generate and output a two-dimensional BC. This output two-dimensional BC is read by the business tablet 10 to link with the core system, and the payment results of each transaction are registered based on the transaction identification information.
According to this embodiment 2, collaboration between the payment terminal 20 and the business tablet 10 (transmission and receipt of transaction information and payment result information via two-dimensional BC) is possible without having to be aware of system modifications to keep up with periodic OS upgrades on the business tablet 10 side, etc.

(c) Daily management by the door-to-door salesperson's payment terminal 20 In this embodiment 3, instead of obtaining payment information from the company's management PC (personal computer) 10, which is the payment host machine 10, the door-to-door salesperson inputs transaction information for each door-to-door sale into the payment terminal 20 and outputs it together with the payment results as daily management.
The transaction identification information (transaction ID), salesperson code, amount, and payment result of the door-to-door salesperson's transactions for the day are stored in the payment terminal 20.
At the end of each day's work, the door-to-door salesperson outputs a two-dimensional BC using the data stored in the settlement terminal 20 as a daily total, and reads the two-dimensional BC with a scanner (reading function 13) connected to the company's management PC 10.
The management PC 10 manages sales using transaction identification information (transaction ID) contained in the read two-dimensional BC, and the salesperson's performance using the salesperson code.

The payment terminal described in this embodiment can also be configured as follows.
(1) Configuration 1: A payment terminal comprising: a transaction information acquiring means for acquiring transaction information including at least a payment amount provided from a payment host machine equipped with a POS function; a payment requesting means for requesting a payment center to settle the acquired payment amount; a payment result acquiring means for acquiring a payment result for the requested payment from the payment center; a barcode creating means for creating a barcode embedded with payment result information including at least the acquired payment result; and a payment result providing means for outputting the created barcode and providing it to the payment host machine.
(2) Configuration 2: The payment terminal according to configuration 1, further comprising a storage means for storing the generated barcode and/or the payment result information for a predetermined period of time.
(3) Configuration 3: A payment terminal as described in configuration 1 or 2, further comprising a payment method acquisition means for acquiring a payment method for the acquired payment amount, and a payment request means for requesting payment using the acquired payment method from a payment center that handles payments using a plurality of different payment methods.
(4) Configuration 4: The payment terminal according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the transaction information acquisition means acquires the transaction information by reading a barcode in which the transaction information provided by the payment host machine is embedded.
(5) Configuration 5: A payment terminal described in any one of configurations 1 to 4, characterized in that the transaction information acquisition means further acquires transaction information including a transaction ID corresponding to the payment amount from the payment host machine, and the barcode creation means further creates a barcode in which the acquired transaction ID is embedded in payment result information.
(6) Configuration 6: A payment terminal according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, characterized in that the barcode is a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode.
(7) Configuration 7: A payment terminal according to any one of configurations 1 to 6, characterized in that the barcode provided by the payment host machine has embedded therein, in addition to the transaction information, at least one of information about the payer making the payment and information to be conveyed to an operator of the payment terminal.
(8) Configuration 8: A payment terminal according to any one of configurations 1 to 7, characterized in that the barcode creation means embeds, in addition to the payment result information, at least one of information about the payer making the payment and information about the operator of the payment terminal.
(9) Configuration 9: A payment terminal program characterized by causing a computer to realize a transaction information acquisition function that acquires transaction information including at least a payment amount provided from a payment host machine equipped with a POS function, a payment request function that requests a payment center to make payment of the acquired payment amount, a payment result acquisition function that acquires a payment result for the requested payment from the payment center, a barcode creation function that creates a barcode embedded with payment result information including at least the acquired payment result, and a payment result provision function that outputs the created barcode and provides it to the payment host machine.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Upper-level settlement machine 11 Upper-level machine main body 11a Tablet 11b POS system 12 Output function 12a Display device 12b Printing device 13 Reading function 13a Camera 13b Barcode reader 20 Settlement terminal 21 Reading function 22 Settlement function 23 Output function 25 Numeric keypad 26 Cover 27 Camera 29 Power button 100 Settlement center 200 CPU
220 RAM
221 Transaction settlement information 231 Display unit 232 Printer 232p Paper 240 Card reading unit 241 Magnetic card reader 242 Contact IC card reader 243 Non-contact IC card RW
250 Communication unit 280 Storage unit 281 Settlement program 282 Two-dimensional BC program 283 Transaction settlement information

Claims (9)

a transaction information acquiring means for acquiring transaction information including at least a payment amount provided from a higher-level settlement device having a POS function;
a payment request means for requesting a payment center to settle the acquired payment amount;
a settlement result acquisition means for acquiring a settlement result for the requested settlement from the settlement center;
a barcode creating means for creating a barcode in which payment result information including at least the acquired payment result is embedded;
a settlement result providing means for outputting the created barcode and providing it to the settlement host machine;
A payment terminal comprising: Further, a storage means for storing the generated barcode and/or the payment result information for a predetermined period of time;
2. The settlement terminal according to claim 1, further comprising: A payment method acquisition means for acquiring a payment method of the acquired payment amount,
the payment request means requests a payment center which handles payments using a plurality of different payment methods to make a payment using the acquired payment method;
3. The payment terminal according to claim 1 or 2. the transaction information acquiring means acquires the transaction information by reading a barcode in which the transaction information provided by the settlement host machine is embedded.
3. The payment terminal according to claim 1 or 2. The transaction information acquisition means further acquires transaction information including a transaction ID corresponding to the payment amount from the payment host machine,
The barcode creation means further creates a barcode by embedding the acquired transaction ID in the payment result information.
3. The payment terminal according to claim 1 or 2. The barcode is a one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode.
3. The payment terminal according to claim 1 or 2. The barcode provided by the payment host machine includes, in addition to the transaction information, at least one of information about the payer of the payment and information to be conveyed to the operator of the payment terminal.
5. The payment terminal according to claim 4. The barcode creation means embeds at least one of information about a payer of the payment and information about an operator of the payment terminal in addition to the payment result information.
3. The payment terminal according to claim 1 or 2. a transaction information acquisition function for acquiring transaction information including at least a payment amount provided from a higher-level settlement device having a POS function;
a payment request function for requesting a payment center to settle the acquired payment amount;
a payment result acquisition function for acquiring a payment result for the requested payment from the payment center;
a barcode creation function for creating a barcode in which payment result information including at least the acquired payment result is embedded;
a payment result providing function for outputting the created barcode and providing it to the payment host machine;
A payment terminal program that causes a computer to execute the above steps.

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