JP7125072B2 - electronic currency management system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to technology for managing electronic currency.

For example, it is difficult for communication equipment to always be connected to the Internet or WAN (Wide Area Network) on a ship sailing on the sea. difficult to conduct financial transactions. Therefore, it is inconvenient for crew members on board to carry cash with them.

Not only onboard, but also in an environment where it is difficult for a communication device to always connect to the Internet or a WAN (Wide Area Network), the inconvenience described above is accompanied.

Patent Document 1, for example, discloses a system for communicating between a ship and land. In Patent Document 1, a land server that manages business data including financial data, an onboard server that manages voyage-related data, etc., and the business data obtained from the land server and the voyage-related data obtained from the onboard server are used. and a context engine for performing various processes.

JP 2015-222562 A

In the ship operation management system described in Patent Document 1, the onboard server communicates with the context engine via a communication satellite. Communication becomes unstable due to the positional relationship between the communication satellite and the ship's antenna. Therefore, a system that is based on the premise that electronic money transactions individually performed by crew members on board are immediately executed via a communication satellite is not realistic.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the circumstances described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for enabling electronic money transactions in an environment where it is difficult for a communication device to be constantly connected to the Internet or WAN.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention manages the balance of electronic currency that can be used by a user's communication device by connecting to a first network for each account, and adjusts the balance of the account under management according to a transaction request. a first ledger management system that performs processing to increase or decrease by using a user's communication device, manages the balance of electronic currency that can be used without connecting to the first network for each account, and transactions the balance of the account under management and a second ledger management system that performs processing to increase or decrease in response to a request from the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system, when they can communicate with each other , the first ledger Proposed as a first aspect is an electronic currency management system that performs a process of transferring electronic currency between an account under the management of the management system and an account under the management of the second ledger management system in response to a transaction request. do.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the first aspect, it is possible to conduct electronic monetary transactions in an environment where it is difficult for a communication device to always connect to the Internet or WAN.

In the electronic currency management system according to the first aspect described above, the first ledger management system is unable to communicate with the second ledger management system. A request for a transaction between an account managed by the first ledger management system and an account managed by the second ledger management system, and between two accounts managed by the second ledger management system storing at least one of the requests for transactions to be made; A request for a transaction between an account managed by one ledger management system and an account managed by the second ledger management system, and between two accounts managed by the first ledger management system At least one of the transaction requests is accumulated, and the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system communicate between accounts in response to the accumulated unprocessed transaction requests when they are able to communicate with each other. A configuration in which the process of transferring the electronic currency may be adopted as a second aspect.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the second aspect, even when the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system cannot communicate, the user can Transactions can be requested between accounts and accounts under the control of the second ledger management system.

In the electronic currency management system according to the first or second aspect, a third aspect adopts a configuration in which the first ledger management system manages the balance of the electronic currency for each account using a distributed ledger. may be

According to the electronic currency management system according to the third aspect, there is a low risk that the ledger that manages the balance of the electronic currency that can be used by the user's communication device by connecting to the first network will be lost due to data corruption or the like.

In the electronic currency management system according to the third aspect, a configuration in which the first ledger management system manages the distributed ledger by a block chain may be employed as a fourth aspect.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the fourth aspect, there is no need for a specific manager to manage the electronic currency that can be used by connecting the user's communication device to the first network.

A fifth aspect of the electronic currency management system according to the first or second aspect is that the first ledger management system uses a central ledger to manage the balance of the electronic currency for each account. may be adopted.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the fifth aspect, the credit of the electronic currency that can be used by the user's communication device by connecting to the first network can be guaranteed by the manager of the electronic currency.

The electronic currency management system according to the first or second aspect described above includes the first ledger management system corresponding to each of a plurality of users, and the first ledger management system operates in the communication device used by the user. and managing the electronic currency balance of only the account of the user may be employed as a sixth aspect.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the sixth aspect, the contents of a transaction performed by connecting the user's communication device to the first network are not known to anyone other than the user who performed the transaction.

In the electronic currency management system according to any one of the above first to sixth aspects, the second ledger management system connects the user's communication device to a second network different from the first network. A configuration in which the balance of usable electronic currency is managed for each account may be adopted as a seventh aspect.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the seventh aspect, electronic currency transactions can be performed between communication devices via the second network.

In the electronic currency management system according to the seventh aspect, the second ledger management system uses a distributed ledger to manage the electronic currency balance for each account. good.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the eighth aspect, there is a low risk that the ledger that manages the balance of the electronic currency that can be used by the user's communication device by connecting to the second network will be lost due to data corruption or the like.

In the electronic currency management system according to the eighth aspect, a configuration in which the second ledger management system manages the distributed ledger by a block chain may be employed as a ninth aspect.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the ninth aspect, there is no need for a specific administrator to manage the electronic currency that can be used by connecting the user's communication device to the second network.

In the electronic currency management system according to the seventh aspect, the second ledger management system uses a central ledger to manage the balance of the electronic currency for each account as a tenth aspect. good too.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the tenth aspect, the credit of the electronic currency that can be used by connecting the user's communication device to the second network can be guaranteed by the manager of the electronic currency.

The electronic currency management system according to the seventh aspect described above includes the second ledger management system corresponding to each of a plurality of users, the second ledger management system operates in a communication device used by the user, and the A configuration in which the electronic currency balance of only the account of the user is managed may be adopted as the eleventh mode.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the eleventh aspect, the contents of transactions performed without the user's communication device being connected to the first network are not known to anyone other than the user who performed the transaction.

In the electronic currency management system according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system manage accounts of the same user, and the first ledger The management system stores a ledger for managing the accounts of the one user under the management of the second ledger management system in association with the ledger for managing the accounts of the one user under the management of the own device. , the second ledger management system manages the accounts of the one user under the management of the first ledger management system in association with the ledger that manages the accounts of the one user under the management of the own device may be adopted as a twelfth aspect.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the twelfth aspect, each user can use his/her own electronic currency that can be used by connecting the communication device to the first network and the communication device can be used without connecting to the first network. You can use your own electronic currency seamlessly.

In the electronic currency management system according to any one of the first to twelfth aspects above, even if the balance of the account under management is insufficient, the credit amount granted to the account is within the range of the first ledger management system. A configuration may be adopted as a thirteenth aspect in which processing is performed to reduce the balance of the account according to the transaction if it is within.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the thirteenth aspect, each user can make a transaction of an amount equal to or greater than the balance of his/her own electronic currency with respect to the electronic currency that can be used by connecting the communication device to the first network. can.

In the electronic currency management system according to any one of the above first to thirteenth aspects, the second ledger management system provides the credit amount granted to the account under management, even if the balance of the account is insufficient. A configuration may be adopted as a fourteenth aspect in which processing is performed to reduce the balance of the account according to the transaction if it is within.

According to the electronic currency management system according to the fourteenth aspect, each user can make a transaction of an amount equal to or greater than the balance of his/her own electronic currency with respect to the electronic currency that can be used without connecting the communication device to the first network. can.

According to the present invention, it becomes possible to conduct electronic monetary transactions in an environment where it is difficult for a communication device to always connect to the Internet or WAN.

The figure which showed the structure of the electronic currency management system which concerns on one Embodiment. The figure which showed the structure of the ledger used in the electronic currency management system which concerns on one Embodiment. The figure which showed the structure of the request table used in the electronic currency management system which concerns on one Embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a communication device that constitutes the electronic currency management system according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a communication device that constitutes the electronic currency management system according to one embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a screen displayed on a communication device that constitutes the electronic currency management system according to one embodiment; The figure which showed the structure of the electronic currency management system which concerns on a modification. The figure which showed the structure of the electronic currency management system which concerns on a modification.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electronic currency management system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The electronic currency management system 1 includes a plurality of communication devices 11(A), 11(B), 11(C), etc. (characters in parentheses are user identification information). Hereinafter, the communication devices 11(A), 11(B), 11(C), etc. will simply be referred to as communication devices 11 when there is no need to distinguish between them. The communication device 11 may be of any type as long as it can communicate with another communication device by at least one of wired and wireless communication. That is, the communication device 11 may be either a server device, a user terminal device, or the like.

Also, the communication device 11 may be implemented by a computer such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a slate computer, or a smart phone executing processing according to a program according to the present invention. A computer used as hardware of the communication device 11 includes a memory that stores various data, a processor that performs data processing according to a program stored in the memory, and a communication interface that performs communication with an external device. Further, a computer used as hardware of the communication device 11 used as a user terminal device incorporates a display device such as a liquid crystal display and an operating device such as a keyboard or a touch panel for accepting user operations, or these devices are connected to each other. It has an interface that

The communication device 11 includes a terminal device used by an individual user (hereinafter simply referred to as a user), a server device for managing account information of a financial institution such as a bank, and a server device for managing electronic payment such as a credit card. .

In FIG. 1, an area L is, for example, a land area, and a communication device 11 can be connected to the Internet I (an example of a first network) in the area L almost all the time. communication device.

On the other hand, the area S is, for example, on a ship, and there are times when it is possible to connect to the Internet I within the area S and times when it is not. For example, while a ship is sailing on the ocean far away from land, the communication device 11 in the area S (that is, on board) can connect to the Internet I via a communication satellite. It is unrealistic to have a constant connection to the Internet I because it is slow, expensive, and the communication connection may be interrupted due to the weather or the like.

In FIG. 1, the communication device 11(X) is shown in both area L and area S because the communication device 11 carried by the user is located in area L and area S as indicated by the double arrows. This is because you can move between them. Note that the communication device 11 that can move between the areas L and S is not limited to the communication device 11(X).

A network N (an example of a second network), which is a LAN (Local Area Network), is established within the area S, and the communication device 11 connects to the network N wirelessly or by wire, and communicates with other communication devices. can do.

The electronic currency management system 1, mainly in the area L, manages the balance of the electronic currency that can be used by the communication device 11 connected to the Internet I for each account, and increases or decreases the balance of the account under management according to the transaction. a first ledger management system for The first ledger management system uses a ledger R1, which is a distributed ledger distributedly managed by a blockchain, to manage the balance of electronic currency for each account. The substance of the first ledger management system is a plurality of communication devices 11 connected to the Internet I and each storing a ledger R1. Note that the plurality of communication devices 11 include a plurality of communication devices 11 that play the role of minors that ensure that the records of transactions included in the ledger R1 are valid.

The electronic currency management system 1 also manages the balance of electronic currency that can be used without the communication device 11 connecting to the Internet I for each account, mainly in the area S where the ship is sailing on the sea. A second ledger management system is provided for increasing or decreasing the balance according to the transaction. The second ledger management system manages the balance of the electronic currency for each account using the ledger R2, which is a distributed ledger centrally managed by the communication device 11 serving as a management device. The substance of the second ledger management system is a plurality of communication devices 11 connected to the network N and each storing a ledger R2.

Note that the plurality of communication devices 11 includes a communication device 11 (hereinafter referred to as a master communication device) that centrally manages the ledger R2. The master communication device is the communication device 11 assigned by the administrator of the second ledger management system the role of ensuring that the records of the transactions contained in the ledger R2 are valid. It is desirable that the master communication device have redundancy so that it can continue to manage the ledger R2 even in the event of a failure or the like.

Also, the master communication device serves as a gateway server device that connects the network N to the Internet I. FIG. 1 shows a case where the communication device 11(Z) is the master communication device. The communication device 11 (Z) connects the network N to the Internet I when the connection to the Internet I becomes possible due to the proximity of the ship to land, the establishment of communication via a communication satellite, or the like. In this state, all the communication devices 11 in the area S can be connected to the Internet I via the communication device 11(Z). Therefore, the second ledger management system realized by the communication device 11 in the area S can communicate with the first ledger management system realized by the communication device 11 in the area L.

The electronic currency managed by the ledger R1 and the electronic currency managed by the ledger R2 are of the same kind. That is, one unit of the electronic currency managed by the ledger R1 and one unit of the electronic currency managed by the ledger R2 are always equivalent and are not distinguished. Hereinafter, the unit of electronic currency managed by the ledger R1 and the ledger R2 is tentatively referred to as MarCO.

Ledger R1 contains a ledger of all user accounts managed by the first ledger management system. The ledgers for each account included in the ledger R1 are hereinafter referred to as ledgers r1(A), ledgers r1(B), ledgers r1(C), etc. (characters in parentheses are user identification information). Further, when there is no need to distinguish between the ledger r1(A), the ledger r1(B), the ledger r1(C), etc., these ledgers are referred to as the ledger r1.

Ledger R2 contains a ledger of all user accounts managed by the second ledger management system. The ledgers for each account included in the ledger R2 are hereinafter referred to as ledgers r2(A), ledgers r2(B), ledgers r2(C), etc. (characters in parentheses are user identification information). Further, when there is no need to distinguish between the ledger r2(A), the ledger r2(B), the ledger r2(C), etc., these ledgers are referred to as the ledger r2. The ledger r1 and the ledger r2 of the same user's account are associated with each other and stored in the communication device 11 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a ledger r1(X) (upper stage) and a ledger r2(X) (lower stage) used for managing user X's account. In addition, in FIG. 2, the ledger r1 is described as a "land ledger" for convenience, and the ledger r2 is described as a "shipboard ledger" for convenience. As shown in FIG. 2, the configuration of the ledger r1 and the ledger r2 is the same. The ledger r1(X) and the ledger r2(X) used to manage user X's account are associated with each other.

Each of the communication devices 11 stores not only a ledger r1 and a ledger r2 related to the accounts of the users of the device itself, but also a ledger R1 containing a ledger r1 related to all user accounts and a ledger R2 containing a ledger r2 related to all user accounts. is doing.

However, within the area L, the ledger R1 stored by the communication device 11 records the latest information except for the delay required for updating the ledger R1 via the Internet I, but the ledger R2 is not necessarily the latest. It does not necessarily record information. In FIG. 1, "( )" is attached to R2 stored in the communication device 11 in the area L because the ledger R2 does not necessarily record the latest information. means. Within the area L, the ledger R2 is mainly used to refer to balances and the like.

In area S, the ledger R2 stored by the communication device 11 records the latest information except for the delay required for updating the ledger R2 via the network N, but the ledger R1 is not necessarily the latest. It does not necessarily record information. In FIG. 1, "( )" is attached to R1 stored in the communication device 11 in the area S because the ledger R1 does not necessarily record the latest information. means. Within the area S, the ledger R1 is mainly used to refer to balances and the like.

The ledger R2 stored in the communication device 11 in the area L and the ledger R1 stored in the communication device 11 in the area S are changed due to the approach of the ship to the land and the establishment of communication via a communication satellite. The network N is connected to the Internet I via the master communication device in S, and updated when the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system can communicate.

That is, the communication device 11 (Z), which is the master communication device that has become connectable to the Internet I, transmits the latest ledger R2 to any communication device 11 in the area L, Receive the latest ledger R1 from the communication device 11 . After verifying the validity of the latest ledger R1 received from the communication device 11 in the area L, the communication device 11 (Z) spreads it to other communication devices 11 in the area S. As a result, the ledger R1 stored by the communication device 11 in the area S is updated. Note that since the ledger R1 is data in the form of a blockchain, the communication device 11 (Z) can verify the legitimacy of the ledger R1 by, for example, calculating a hash value according to a predetermined rule for each block included in the ledger R1. There is a method of determining that the ledger R1 is valid if all of the calculated hash values satisfy a predetermined condition (for example, a predetermined value or less).

Also, the latest ledger R2 transmitted from the communication device 11 serving as the master communication device in area S to any communication device 11 in area L is spread to other communication devices 11 in area L. . As a result, the ledger R2 stored by the communication device 11 in the area L is updated. The legitimacy of the latest ledger R2 spread in the communication device 11 in the area L is verified by the communication device 11 serving as a minor. Note that since the validity of the ledger R2 is guaranteed by the communication device 11 (Z), which is the master communication device, the communication device 11 that plays the role of the minor has the communication device 11 (Z) as the source of the ledger R2. If you verify that, you have verified the legitimacy of the ledger R2. Therefore, the communication device 11 that plays the role of the miner verifies, for example, the electronic signature attached to the ledger R2 with the private key of the communication device 11(Z) using the public key of the communication device 11(Z). By doing so, the legitimacy of the ledger R2 is verified.

The first ledger management system executes the transaction requested by the communication device 11 in area L. Also, the second ledger management system executes the transaction requested by the communication device 11 in the area S. A transaction means a financial transaction that transfers electronic currency from one account to another. In this embodiment, transactions executed by the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system are electronic currency transfers between accounts managed by the electronic currency management system 1 .

As will be described later, a user using the electronic currency management system 1 is given a credit amount for each of the account managed by the ledger r1 and the account managed by the ledger r2. In the first ledger management system, even if the balance of the account managed by the ledger r1 is insufficient after the transaction is executed, the insufficient amount is within the credit amount granted to the account managed by the ledger r1. If the shortfall exceeds the credit amount, the transaction is not executed. Similarly, even if the balance of the account managed by the ledger r2 is insufficient after the execution of the transaction, the second ledger management system can provide the account managed by the ledger r2 with the insufficient amount. If the amount is within the limit, execute the transaction; if the shortfall exceeds the credit amount, do not execute the transaction.

Hereinafter, when we say "attempt to execute a transaction", we will check whether the insufficient amount of the balance of the account after the execution of the transaction is within the credit amount granted to the account. It shall mean that the transaction will be executed only if it is within the credit amount granted to the account.

If the transaction requested by the communication device 11 in the area L is a transaction related to the movement of MarCO between the accounts managed by the two ledgers r1 included in the ledger R1, the transaction is promptly processed by the first ledger management system. is attempted to run. On the other hand, a transaction requested by the communication device 11 in the area L is between an account managed by any ledger r1 included in the ledger R1 and a ledger managed by any ledger r2 included in the ledger R2. If the transaction is related to the movement of MarCO or the movement of MarCO between accounts managed by two ledgers r2 included in ledger R2, the transaction is temporarily accumulated in the first ledger management system, Execution is attempted when the ledger management system and the second ledger management system are able to communicate. Transaction requests accumulated in the first ledger management system when the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system cannot communicate are stored in each of the communication devices 11 in the area L as a request table T1. be done.

Also, if the transaction requested by the communication device 11 in the area S is a transaction related to the movement of MarCO between the accounts managed by the two ledgers r2 included in the ledger R2, the transaction is transferred to the second ledger management system. will attempt to execute more quickly. On the other hand, a transaction requested by the communication device 11 in the area S is between an account managed by any ledger r1 included in the ledger R1 and an account managed by any ledger r2 included in the ledger R2. If the transaction is related to the movement of MarCO or the movement of MarCO between accounts managed by two ledgers r1 included in ledger R1, the transaction is temporarily accumulated in the second ledger management system, and is stored in the first Execution is attempted when the ledger management system and the second ledger management system are able to communicate. Transaction requests accumulated in the second ledger management system when the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system cannot communicate are stored in each of the communication devices 11 in the area S as a request table T2. be done.

In addition, in the electronic currency management system 1, the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system, not when the transaction is requested, when attempting to execute the transaction, the amount of the balance shortage after the execution of the transaction is credited. It confirms whether or not the amount exceeds the amount, and determines whether or not to execute the transaction according to the result. Therefore, transactions requested and accumulated during a period in which communication between the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system is not possible will be performed even if the balance shortfall is within the credit amount at the time of the request. is not executed if the balance falls short of the credit amount at the time execution is attempted.

The request table T1 and the request table T2 have the same configuration. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing configurations of the request table T1 and the request table T2.

Note that if a transaction is not successfully committed, the transaction will be rolled back and no inconsistency will occur between the ledgers.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the ledger r1 and the ledger r2 stores the credit amount granted to the accounts managed by those ledgers. When attempting to execute a transaction, the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system, even if the balance of the account managed by the ledger r1 or ledger r2 after executing the transaction is insufficient, If the balance deficit of the account managed by the ledger is within the credit amount granted to the account, the transaction is executed.

Also, as shown in FIG. 2, each of the ledger r1 and the ledger r2 stores status information indicating whether or not the accounts managed by those ledgers are in a tradable state. When the communication device 11 is connectable to the Internet I, the user operates the communication device 11 to put the account managed by the ledger r1 into a transaction-enabled state (unlock mode), and open the account managed by the ledger r2. By setting the transaction impossible state (lock mode), the transaction of the account managed by the ledger r2 can be stopped while in the area L. Further, when the communication device 11 cannot connect to the Internet I, the user operates the communication device 11 to put the account managed by the ledger r1 into a transaction-disabled state (lock mode) and the account managed by the ledger r2. By putting the account in the area S into a transaction-enabled state (unlock mode), the transaction of the account managed by the ledger r1 can be stopped while in the area S.

Instead of switching between the lock mode and the unlock mode described above in accordance with the user's operation on the communication device 11, for example, when the communication device 11 detects connection and disconnection with the Internet I, the user's It may be performed automatically without depending on the operation.

Of course, the user can also put both the account managed by ledger r1 and the account managed by ledger r2 into a tradable state (unlocked mode) at the same time. If both the account managed by the ledger r1 and the ledger r2 are in a state in which transactions are possible, for example, while the user is in the area S, the user's family uses the account managed by the ledger r1, Payment by automatic withdrawal (transactions between accounts managed by one's own ledger r1 and accounts managed by another's ledger r1) can be performed.

FIG. 4 shows, as an example, the communication device 11(X) and the communication device 11(A) used by the user A when the user X uses the communication device 11(X) to purchase a product from the user A. is a diagram showing a screen displayed in . It is assumed that user X and user A are in area S, and communication device 11(X) and communication device 11(A) cannot connect to Internet I and are connected to network N. FIG. In this case, an attempt is made to quickly execute a transaction associated with the purchase of a product between the account managed by the ledger r2(X) and the account managed by the ledger r2(A).

For example, when user X scans a QR code (registered trademark) presented on a checkout counter of a store managed by user A with communication device 11 (X), communication device 11 (X) executes a web browser, A Web page is read from the address on the network N indicated by the URL indicated by the QR code, and the purchase screen shown on the left side of FIG. 4 is displayed. The user X inputs the quantity of the product to be purchased on the purchase screen, and touches the "payment" button. In response to this operation, the communication device 11(X) pays the second ledger management system from the account managed by the ledger r2(X) to the account managed by the ledger r2(A). is sent to attempt to execute this transaction in the second ledger management system. When this transaction is executed, the balance of the account managed by the ledger r2(X) is reduced by the price of the product, and the balance of the account managed by the ledger r2(A) is reduced by the price of the product. increases by

When the above transaction is completed, the payment notification screen shown on the right side of FIG. 4 is displayed on the Web browser running on the communication device 11(A). When the user A confirms that the user X has paid for the product to his/her own account on the payment notification screen, the user A hands over the purchased product to the user X. - 特許庁

In the above example, transactions are performed between accounts managed by two ledgers r2, but such transactions may be performed between accounts managed by two ledgers r1. In other words, the user can purchase products from MarCO even on land.

In the above example, the target of the transaction is a product, but the target of the transaction may be a service. Also, the transaction target may be a currency other than MarCO (for example, a real currency such as yen or dollar, or a type of electronic currency different from MarCO). If the target of the transaction is a currency other than MarCO, the currency will be exchanged between MarCO and another currency.

FIG. 5 shows, as an example, when user X transfers MarCO between an account managed by his ledger r1(X) and an account managed by his ledger r2(X) (inter-account transfer) is a diagram showing an inter-account transfer screen displayed on the communication device 11(X) in FIG. Here, it is assumed that user X is in area S and communication device 11 (X) cannot connect to Internet I. On the inter-account transfer screen, when the user X designates the source and destination accounts, inputs the amount to be transferred, and touches the "execute" button, etc., the transaction request for the inter-account transfer is displayed in the request table T2. accumulated.

After that, when the ship approaches land and communication between the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system becomes possible, the second ledger management system receives the request table T1 from the first ledger management system and requests Attempts to execute a transaction (for example, a transaction originating from an account managed by ledger r2) in response to a transfer request between accounts stored in table T1 and request table T2 stored by itself. Then, when the transaction is executed, the balances of the ledger r1(X) and the ledger r2(X) are changed. The requests of transactions thus executed are deleted from the request table T2.

FIG. 6 shows, as an example, when user X converts an account managed by his ledger r1(X) or an account managed by his ledger r2(X) into an account managed by another user's ledger r1 or other is a diagram showing a remittance screen displayed on the communication device 11 (X) when remittance of MarCO is made to the account managed by the user's ledger r2. Here, user X is in area L, and user X transfers a specified amount of money from an account managed by his own ledger r1(X) to an account managed by another user's ledger r2. On the remittance screen, when the user X enters the remittance source account, the name and account number of the remittance destination account, and the remittance amount, and touches the "execute" button, etc., the remittance transaction request is displayed in the request table T1. stored in

After that, when the ship approaches land and communication between the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system becomes possible, the first ledger management system receives the request table T2 from the second ledger management system, and requests It attempts a transaction (for example, a transaction with the account managed by the ledger r2 as the source of remittance) in response to the remittance request stored in the table T2 and the request table T1 stored by itself. Then, when the transaction is executed, the balance of user X's ledger r1 decreases, and the balance of the remittee user's ledger r2 increases. The requests of transactions thus executed are deleted from the request table T1.

Processing performed by the communication device 11 will be described below. While connected to the Internet I, the communication device 11 constructs a known P2P (Peer to Peer) type network with other communication devices 11 connected to the Internet I. Further, while the communication device 11 is connected to the network N, it builds a known P2P type network with other communication devices 11 connected to the network N. FIG.

The communication device 11 performs the following processes while connected to the Internet I.
(1a) Generating request data indicating a transaction request according to a user's operation.
(1b) Transmit the request data generated in (1a) above to other communication devices 11 constituting neighboring nodes.
(1c) Sending various data transmitted from other communication devices 11 forming neighboring nodes to other communication devices 11 forming neighboring nodes that are not the source of the data.
(1d) Receive and store ledger data including ledger R1, ledger R2, and request table T1 transmitted directly from the communication device 11 that plays the role of a miner or via another communication device 11;

The communication device 11 serving as a miner performs the following processes in addition to the above (1a) to (1d).
(1e) Whether or not the user who received the request data transmitted from the other communication device 11 and generated the received request data is the user of the account of the remittance source of the transaction requested by the request data, Determined by verification using a known electronic signature.
(1f) Regarding the request data for which it is determined in the judgment of (1e) above that the generated user and the user of the transaction remittance account match, the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts requested by the request data are It is determined whether or not all of them are accounts managed by the ledger r1.
(1g) In the determination of (1f) above, among the request data for which both the source and destination accounts of the transaction are determined to be accounts managed by the ledger r1, the transaction requested by the request data Only the request data whose balance in the remittance source's account after execution does not fall short beyond the credit amount granted to the account is temporarily stored as request data before being grouped into blocks.
(1h) In the judgment of (1f) above, add the request data for which at least one of the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts is an account managed by the ledger r2, to the request table T1.
(1i) Receive ledger R2 and request table T2 transmitted directly or via another communication device 11 from a master communication device connected to Internet I, and receive ledger R2 and request table T2 from the master communication device. is determined by verification using a known electronic signature.
(1j) If it is determined in the determination of (1i) above that the source of the ledger R2 is the master communication device, the old ledger R2 that has been stored is deleted, and the newly received ledger R2 is stored.
(1k) In the judgment of (1i) above, if it is judged that the source of the request table T2 is the master communication device, the request data contained in the received request table T2 and the request table T1 stored at that time Of the request data, only the request data that the balance of the remittance source's account after execution of the transaction requested by the request data does not fall short of the credit amount granted to the account Temporarily stored as data.
(1l) When the ledger R2 and the request table T2 are received directly or via another communication device 11 from the master communication device connected to the Internet I, the master communication of the ledger R1 and the request table T1 stored at that time is performed. Send to device.
(1m) When the request data temporarily stored in (1g) and (1k) above reaches the amount of one block, the request data is added as a new block to the blockchain-format ledger R1. process. Note that the processing for adding a new block to the ledger R1 is executed according to a consensus algorithm such as a known PoW (Proof of Work), for example, so the description thereof will be omitted.
(1n) If there is a consensus among the communication devices 11 that play the role of other miners regarding adding a new block to the existing ledger R1, add the new block to the existing ledger R1. This means that the transaction requested by the request data contained in the block has been executed.
(1o) When any one of the stored ledger R1, ledger R2, and request table T1 is updated, the ledger data including them is transmitted to other communication devices 11 constituting neighboring nodes.

The communication device 11 performs the following processes while connected to the network N.
(2a) generating request data indicating a transaction request in accordance with a user's operation;
(2b) Transmit the request data generated in (2a) above to other communication devices 11 that constitute neighboring nodes.
(2c) Transmit various data transmitted from other communication devices 11 forming neighboring nodes to other communication devices 11 forming neighboring nodes that are not the source of the data.
(2d) Receive and store ledger data including ledger R1, ledger R2 and request table T2 transmitted directly from the master communication device or via another communication device 11;

The communication device 11 serving as the master communication device performs the following processes in addition to the above (2a) to (2d).
(2e) whether or not the user who received the request data transmitted from the other communication device 11 and generated the received request data is the user of the account from which the transaction requested by the request data was sent; Determined by verification using a known electronic signature.
(2f) Regarding the request data for which it is determined in the judgment of (2e) above that the generated user and the user of the transaction remittance account match, the transaction remittance source and remittance account requested by the request data are It is determined whether or not all of them are accounts managed by the ledger r2.
(2g) In the determination of (2f) above, out of the request data for which both the source and destination accounts of the transaction are determined to be accounts managed by the ledger r2, the transaction requested by the request data Only request data that does not fall short when the balance of the remittance source's account after execution exceeds the credit amount granted to the account is added to the existing ledger r2. This means that the transaction requested by the request data has been executed.
(2h) In the judgment of (2f) above, add the request data for which at least one of the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts is an account managed by the ledger r1 is added to the request table T2.
(2i) Receive the ledger R1 and the request table T1 transmitted from the communication device 11 that plays the role of a miner when connected to the Internet I, and determine the legitimacy of the received ledger R1 and the request table T1. For example, the legitimacy of the ledger R1 is determined by whether or not a hash value calculated according to a predetermined rule satisfies a predetermined condition. Further, the legitimacy of the request table T1 is given to the request data that the source of each request data included in the request table T1 is the user of the account from which the transaction requested by the request data is sent. It is determined by verifying the electronic signature attached.
(2j) If it is determined that the ledger R1 is valid in the determination of (2i) above, the old ledger R1 that has been stored is deleted, and the newly received ledger R1 is stored.
(2k) When it is determined that the request table T1 is valid in the determination of (2i) above, the request data included in the received request table T1 and the request table T2 stored at that time is Only request data whose balance in the account of the remittance source after execution of the transaction requested by the request data does not exceed the credit amount granted to the account is added to the ledger r2. This means that the transaction requested by the request data has been executed.
(2l) When connecting to the Internet I, the ledger R2 and the request table T2 stored at that time are transmitted to any of the communication devices 11 constructing the P2P type network in the Internet I.
(2m) When any one of the stored ledger R1, ledger R2, and request table T2 is updated, the ledger data including them is transmitted to other communication devices 11 constituting neighboring nodes.

According to the electronic currency management system 1 described above, the user can conduct transactions using electronic currency even when the communication device 11 cannot connect to the Internet I on board. Therefore, there is no need to carry cash on board, and inconvenience such as loss is less likely to occur. In addition, costs (time and effort, etc.) associated with transactions on board are reduced. In addition, since the details of transactions of goods and services on board are recorded in the ledger R2, for example, a user who operates a shop on board can obtain information for inventory management and the like from the ledger R2.

[Modification]
The above-described embodiments can be variously modified within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Examples of these modifications are shown below. Two or more of the embodiments described above and the following modifications may be combined.

(1) In the electronic currency management system 1 described above, the first ledger management system manages the distributed ledger using blockchain, and the second ledger management system centrally manages the distributed ledger by the master communication device. However, both the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system may manage distributed ledgers using blockchain, or both the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system may be distributed The ledger may be centrally managed, or the second ledger management system may use blockchain to manage the distributed ledger, and the first ledger management system may centrally manage the distributed ledger.

(2) In the electronic currency management system 1 described above, both the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system use distributed ledgers to manage the balance of the electronic currency for each account. At least one of the ledger management system and the second ledger management system may use a central ledger to manage the electronic currency balance for each account.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electronic currency management system 2 according to this modification. The electronic currency management system 2 includes a server device 21 in area L that manages ledger R1 as a central management ledger and a server device 22 in area S that manages ledger R2 as a central management ledger. It is desirable that the server device 21 has redundancy so that it can continue to manage the ledger R1 even in the event of a failure or the like. Moreover, it is desirable that the server device 22 has redundancy so that it can continue to manage the ledger R2 even if a failure or the like occurs. In the electronic currency management system 2, the communication device 11 in the area L requests the server device 21 for a transaction via the Internet I, and the communication device 11 in the area S sends the transaction to the server device 22 via the network N. make a request.

In the electronic currency management system 2, the entity of the first ledger management system is the server device 21, and the entity of the second ledger management system is the server device 22. FIG. The server device 21 stores the ledger R1, the ledger R2 and the request table T1. The server device 22 also stores a ledger R1, a ledger R2, and a request table T2. In the electronic currency management system 2, the communication device 11 does not have to store any ledger. For example, when the user wants to view the MarCO balance of his/her own account, the communication device 11 receives and displays the balance information from the server device 21 if it is in the area L, or from the server device 22 if it is in the area S. do.

In addition, when the server device 22 connects to the Internet I due to the approach of the ship to land or the establishment of communication via a communication satellite, etc., communication between the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system becomes possible, and the server device 21 and the ledger R1 stored in the server device 22 are updated, and are accumulated in the request table T1 stored in the server device 21 and the request table T2 stored in the server device 22. An attempt is made to execute the transaction in response to the request.

In the electronic currency management system 2, the communication device 11 performs the following processes while connected to the Internet I.
(1a) Generating request data indicating a transaction request according to a user's operation.
(1b) Send the request data generated in (1a) above to the server device 21 .

Further, the communication device 11 performs the following processing while being connected to the network N.
(2a) generating request data indicating a transaction request in accordance with a user's operation;
(2b) Send the request data generated in (2a) above to the server device 22 .

The server device 21 performs the following processes.
(3a) It is known whether or not the user who received the request data transmitted from the communication device 11 and generated the received request data is the user of the account from which the transaction requested by the request data is sent. Judgment is made by verification using an electronic signature.
(3b) Regarding the request data for which it is determined in the judgment of (3a) above that the generated user and the user of the transaction remittance account match, the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts requested by the request data are It is determined whether or not all of them are accounts managed by the ledger r1.
(3c) In the determination of (3b) above, among the request data for which both the account of the transaction remittance and the remittance destination are determined to be accounts managed by the ledger r1, the transaction requested by the request data Only request data that does not fall short when the balance of the account of the remittance source after execution exceeds the credit amount granted to the account is added to the existing ledger r1. This means that the transaction requested by the request data has been executed.
(3d) In the judgment of (3b) above, add the request data for which at least one of the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts is an account managed by the ledger r2 is added to the request table T1.
(3e) Receive the ledger R2 and the request table T2 transmitted from the server device 22 connected to the Internet I, and check with the ledger R2 whether or not the source of the received ledger R2 and the request table T2 is the server device 22. This determination is made by verifying the electronic signature attached to the request table T2.
(3f) If it is determined in the determination of (3e) above that the source of the ledger R2 is the server device 22, the old ledger R2 that has been stored is deleted, and the newly received ledger R2 is stored.
(3g) In the judgment of (3e) above, if it is judged that the source of the request table T2 is the server device 22, the request data contained in the received request table T2 and the request table T1 stored at that time Of these, only request data in which the balance of the account of the remittance source after execution of the transaction requested by the request data does not exceed the credit amount granted to the account is added to the ledger r1. This means that the transaction requested by the request data has been executed.
(3h) When the ledger R2 and the request table T2 are received from the server device 22 connected to the Internet I, the ledger R1 and the request table T1 stored at that time are sent to the server device 22 .

The server device 22 performs the following processes.
(4a) It is known whether or not the user who received the request data transmitted from the communication device 11 and generated the received request data is the user of the account of the remittance source of the transaction requested by the request data. Judgment is made by verification using an electronic signature.
(4b) Regarding the request data for which it is determined in the judgment of (4a) above that the generated user and the user of the transaction remittance account match, the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts requested by the request data are It is determined whether or not all of them are accounts managed by the ledger r2.
(4c) In the determination of (4b) above, among the request data for which both the source and destination accounts of the transaction are determined to be accounts managed by the ledger r2, the transaction requested by the request data Only request data that does not fall short when the balance of the remittance source's account after execution exceeds the credit amount granted to the account is added to the existing ledger r2. This means that the transaction requested by the request data has been executed.
(4d) In the judgment of (4b) above, add the request data for which at least one of the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts is an account managed by the ledger r1 is added to the request table T2.
(4e) Receive the ledger R1 and request table T1 transmitted from the server device 21 when connecting to the Internet I, and check whether or not the source of the received ledger R1 and request table T1 is the server device 21. This determination is made by verifying the electronic signature attached to R1 and the request table T1.
(4f) If it is determined in the determination of (4e) above that the source of the ledger R1 is the server device 21, the old ledger R1 that has been stored is deleted, and the newly received ledger R1 is stored.
(4g) In the judgment of (4e) above, if it is judged that the source of the request table T1 is the server device 21, the request data contained in the received request table T1 and the request table T2 stored at that time Of these, only request data in which the balance of the remittance source's account after execution of the transaction requested by the request data does not exceed the credit amount granted to the account is added to the ledger r2. This means that the transaction requested by the requested data has been executed.
(4h) When connecting to the Internet I, the ledger R2 and the request table T2 stored at that time are sent to the server device 21 .

In the electronic currency management system 2 described above, the first ledger management system or the second ledger management system is employed in the first ledger management system of the electronic currency management system 1 instead of the central management ledger. The balance of the account is managed using a distributed ledger managed using a blockchain such as good too.

(3) In the electronic currency management system 1 and the electronic currency management system 2 described above, there is one first ledger management system and one second ledger management system, and these ledger management systems are all users' ledgers to manage. Alternatively, one of the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system is provided for each of the plurality of users, operates in the communication device 11 used by each user, and manages the account of each user. A configuration that manages the balance of only electronic currency may be adopted.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of an electronic currency management system 3 according to this modification. The electronic currency management system 3 includes a server device 21 in an area L, which is the entity of the first ledger management system. The server device 21 stores a ledger R1, which is a central management ledger, and uses the ledger R1 to manage the MarCO balances of all user accounts (the MarCOs that can be used by the communication device 11 connecting to the Internet I). .

In the electronic currency management system 3, the communication device 11 used by each of a plurality of users stores a ledger r2 corresponding to the user of the own device, and MarCO (the communication device 11 is connected to the Internet I) only for the account of the user of the own device. It acts as a secondary ledger management system that manages MarCO's balances available without connection.

In the electronic currency management system 3, each user's ledger r2 is stored only in the communication device 11 of each user.

In the electronic currency management system 3, the communication device 11 stores the ledger r1 of the user of the device itself in addition to the ledger r2 of the user of the device itself. This ledger r1 is mainly used in the area S to refer to balances and the like.

For example, in area L, user X transfers a desired amount of MarCO from the account balance managed by his/her own ledger r1(X) to his/her ledger r2(X) on the inter-account transfer screen shown in FIG. Perform an operation to transfer to an account managed by This operation means charging MarCO to the communication device 11(X).

After that, when user X moves to area S and, for example, purchases a product from user A in area S, he enters the quantity of the product he wishes to purchase on the purchase screen shown in FIG. When a button is touched or the like, the balance of the ledger r2(X) stored in the communication device 11(X) is decreased by the price of the product, and the balance of the ledger r2(A) stored in the communication device 11(A) is reduced. The balance is increased by the price of the product. As in the case of the electronic currency management system 1, the user A hands over the product to the user X after checking the payment notification screen displayed on the communication device 11(A) and confirming the payment for the product.

In the electronic currency management system 3, the transaction between the accounts managed by the two ledgers r2 in the area S is, as shown in FIG. may be performed by one-to-one communication between the communication devices 11 used by the users.

In the electronic currency management system 3, transactions between the account managed by the ledger r1 and the account managed by the ledger r2 are allowed only when the users of those accounts are the same. Also, the electronic currency management system 3 permits transactions between accounts managed by ledgers r2 of different users only when the communication devices of those users can communicate with each other.

In the electronic currency management system 3, since the ledger r2 is managed by each communication device 11, the user uses the MarCO charged in the ledger r2 of the communication device 11 in the area L as in the area S. be able to. That is, even in area L, the user can attempt to execute a transaction to move MarCO managed by the ledger r2 of his own communication device 11 to the ledger r2 of another user's communication device 11 with which communication is possible. .

In the electronic currency management system 3, all transactions requested by the communication device 11 in the area L are attempted to be executed promptly. Therefore, the server device 21 does not store the request table T1. However, when the transfer source of MarCO of the transaction requested by the communication device 11 in area S is an account managed by the ledger r1 of the user who requested the transaction, or when the transfer destination of MarCO is the ledger of that user or another user In the case of accounts managed by r1, those transactions are not attempted in areas S where the communication device 11 cannot connect to the Internet I. Therefore, these transaction requests are accumulated in a request table t2(A) or the like (characters in parentheses are user identification information) stored in the communication device 11 of the request source. The configurations of the request table t2(A) and the like are the same as those of the request table T1 and the request table T2 shown in FIG.

For example, in the request table t2(X) stored in the area S by the communication device 11(X) used by the user X, MarCO Only requests that originate from are stored. The transactions corresponding to the requests stored in the request table t2(X) are processed when the ship approaches land or when the user X carries the communication device 11(X) and lands on the shore. ) connects to the Internet I.

In addition, in the electronic currency management system 3, when a transaction is requested in which the balance of the account managed by the ledger r2 is insufficient, if the insufficient amount is equal to or less than the credit amount granted to the account managed by the ledger r2 , the transaction is executed according to the request, which is the same as in the electronic currency management system 1 . Therefore, the user can use an amount equal to or greater than the MarCO balance charged in the communication device 11 .

A user can also request a transaction involving the transfer of MarCO from an account managed by his ledger r2 to an account managed by his ledger r1. Therefore, the user can transfer the MarCO charged in the communication device 11 to his account managed by the ledger r1.

In the electronic currency management system 3, the communication device 11 performs the following processes in the area L.
(1a) Generating request data indicating a transaction request according to a user's operation.
(1b) Among the request data generated in (1a) above, the request data in which at least one of the account of the remittance source and the remittance destination of the transaction requested by the request data is an account managed by the ledger r1 is sent to the server device. 21.
(1c) When receiving from the server device 21 request data requesting a transaction in which the remittance destination account is managed by the ledger r2 stored in the device itself, the request data is stored in the device itself. add to ledger r2 As a result, MarCO is charged from the account of the user of the device managed by the ledger r1 or the account of another user managed by the ledger r2 to the account of the user of the device managed by the ledger r2.

Also, in area L, the communication device 11 performs a transaction between an account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of its own device and an account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of another communication device 11 with which communication is possible. , the following processing is performed.
(1d) Among the request data generated in (1a) above, request data in which both the account of the remittance source and the remittance destination of the transaction requested by the request data are accounts managed by the ledger r2, The request data is transmitted to the communication device 11 used by the user of the account, and the request data is added to the ledger r2 stored in its own device. As a result, the MarCO charged to the account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of the own device is used.
(1e) request data transmitted from another communication device 11, in which both the account of the remittance source and the remittance destination of the transaction requested by the request data are accounts managed by the ledger r2; When it is received, it is determined by verifying the electronic signature attached to the request data whether or not the source of the request data is the user of the account from which the transaction was sent.
(1f) In the determination of (1e) above, if it is determined that the source of the request data is the user of the remittance source account, the request data is added to the ledger r2 stored in the own device. As a result, MarCO is charged from the account managed by the ledger r2 of the user who is not the user of the device itself to the account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of the device itself.

Further, the communication device 11 performs the following processing in the area S.
(2a) generating request data indicating a transaction request in accordance with a user's operation;
(2b) Among the request data generated in (2a) above, the request data in which at least one of the account of the remittance source and the remittance destination of the transaction requested by the request data is an account managed by the ledger r1 is stored in the request table. Add to t2.

In addition, in area S, communication device 11 performs transactions between accounts managed by ledger r2 of the user of its own device and accounts managed by ledger r2 of users of other communication devices 11 with which communication is possible. , the following processing is performed.
(2c) Of the request data generated in (2a) above, request data in which both the remittance source and remittance accounts of the transaction requested by the request data are accounts managed by the ledger r2 are The request data is transmitted to the communication device 11 used by the user of the account, and the request data is added to the ledger r2 stored in its own device. As a result, the MarCO charged to the account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of the own device is used.
(2d) request data transmitted from another communication device 11, in which both the account of the remittance source and the remittance destination of the transaction requested by the request data are accounts managed by the ledger r2; When it is received, it is determined by verifying the electronic signature attached to the request data whether or not the source of the request data is the user of the account from which the transaction was sent.
(2e) In the determination of (2d) above, if it is determined that the source of the request data is the user of the remittance source account, the request data is added to the ledger r2 stored in the own device. As a result, MarCO is charged from the account managed by the ledger r2 of the user who is not the user of the device itself to the account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of the device itself.

Further, when the communication device 11 moves from the area S to the area L and connects to the Internet I, the following processing is performed.
(3a) Send the stored request table t2 to the server device 21 .
(3b) Request the server device 21 for the ledger r1 that manages the account of the user of the device itself, receive the ledger r1 transmitted as a response, delete the old ledger r1 that has been stored, and newly The received ledger r1 is stored.

In the electronic currency management system 3, the server device 21 performs the following processes.
(4a) Receiving the request data and the request table t2 transmitted from the communication device 11, and regarding each of the received request data and the request data contained in the received request table t2, the user who generated the request data It is determined by verification using a known electronic signature whether or not the user is the account of the remittance source of the transaction requested by the request data.
(4b) Regarding the request data for which it is determined in the judgment of (4a) above that the generated user and the user of the transaction remittance account match, the transaction remittance source and remittance destination accounts requested by the request data are It is determined whether or not all of them are accounts managed by the ledger r1.
(4c) In the determination of (4b) above, among the request data for which both the account of the transaction remittance and the remittance destination are determined to be accounts managed by the ledger r1, the transaction requested by the request data Only request data that does not fall short when the balance of the account of the remittance source after execution exceeds the credit amount granted to the account is added to the existing ledger R1. As a result, MarCO has been remitted between the accounts managed by the two ledgers r1.
(4d) In the determination of (4b) above, the request data for which it is determined that the transaction remittance source is the account managed by the ledger r2 and the remittance destination account is the account managed by the ledger r1 is transferred to the destination. is added to the ledger r1 that manages the account of As a result, the MarCO charged to the account managed by the ledger r2 is credited to the account managed by the ledger r1.
(4e) In the judgment of (4b) above, among the request data determined that the transaction remittance source is the account managed by the ledger r1 and the remittance destination account is the account managed by the ledger r2, Only the request data that the balance of the account of the remittance source after execution of the transaction requested by the request data does not fall short beyond the credit amount granted to the account is added to the existing ledger R1, and the request The data is transmitted to the communication device 11 used by the user of the remittance destination account. As a result, MarCO is charged from the account managed by the ledger r1 to the account managed by the ledger r2.
(4f) In response to the request from the communication device 11, the ledger r1 for managing the account of the user of the communication device 11 that is the request source is sent to the communication device 11 that is the request source.

In addition, in the electronic currency management system 3 described above, the first ledger management system uses a block chain such as that adopted in the first ledger management system of the electronic currency management system 1 instead of the central management ledger. The balance of each account may be managed using a managed distributed ledger or a centrally managed distributed ledger such as that employed in the second ledger management system of the electronic currency management system 1 .

In addition, in the above-described electronic currency management system 3, transactions between an account managed by ledger r1 and an account managed by ledger r2 of a user different from the user of that account are not permitted. A configuration in which transactions are permitted may be adopted. Further, in the above-described electronic currency management system 3, transactions between accounts managed by ledgers r2 of different users are not allowed if the communication devices of those users cannot communicate with each other. A configuration in which transactions are permitted may be adopted. If these transactions are permitted, the server device 21 sends request data for a transaction whose remittance destination is an account managed by the ledger r2 of the user of the communication device that cannot communicate because it is located in area S, for example. store a request table T1 for storing Then, when the communication device of the user to whom the transaction requested by the request data accumulated in the request table T1 can communicate with the server device 21, execution of the transaction is attempted.

(4) In the electronic currency management system 1 described above, the master communication device that manages the ledger R2 serves as a gateway server device that connects the network N to the Internet I. Alternatively, the electronic currency management system 1 may have a gateway server device separate from the master communication device.

(5) In the description of the electronic currency management system 1 and the electronic currency management system 2 described above, the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system can communicate with each other. I exemplified a situation in which communication is established between two ledger management systems via a communication satellite. When communication between the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system becomes possible via a communication satellite, the positional relationship between the ship's antenna and the communication satellite improves, and the signals by radio waves between the ship's antenna and the communication satellite It is not limited to the case where the transmission/reception is changed from the state in which it is impossible to the state in which it is possible. For example, the master communication device (in the case of the electronic currency management system 1) or the server device 22 (the electronic currency management system 2) in the area S via the communication satellite every time a set predetermined time (for example, 24 hours) elapses may connect to the Internet I.

(6) In the explanation of the electronic currency management system 1 to the electronic currency management system 3 described above, requests for transactions that cannot be executed immediately are accumulated in the request table, and the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system can communicate. sometimes executed. It is not essential to accumulate requests for transactions that cannot be executed immediately. For example, the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system do not accept requests for transactions that cannot be immediately executed, and the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system can communicate regarding such requests. The user may be prompted to re-request when appropriate.

(7) In the above embodiments and modifications, the area L is on land and the area S is on a ship, but the areas L and S may be any areas. For example, area S may be an area within a particular event site, and area L may be all areas other than area S.

In this case, for example, in order to promote the use of MarCO within the event venue, before or during the event, the account managed by the ledger used in area L (ledger r1 in the embodiment) is transferred to area S When transferring between accounts to an account managed by the ledger (ledger r2 in the embodiment) used in area S, the transfer is performed at a rate more advantageous than usual, and after the event ends, the ledger used in area S (ledger r2 in the embodiment When performing inter-account transfers from the account managed by the ledger r2) in Area L to the account managed by the ledger used in area L (ledger r1 in the embodiment), the transfer is made at a rate that is more disadvantageous than usual. may

(8) The electronic currency management system 1 may automatically set the credit amounts granted to the account managed by the ledger r1 and the account managed by the ledger r2 of each user. In this modification, the electronic currency management system 1 includes a server device that stores a database that stores data indicating salaries paid in MarCO to each user who is, for example, a sailor. Hereinafter, this server device will be referred to as a "credit amount setting server device".

The amount of salary indicated by the data stored in the database stored in the credit amount setting server device may be either the amount of salary paid in the past or the amount of salary to be paid in the future.

The credit amount setting server device is connected to the Internet I. For example, when the data stored in the database is updated by an employee of a company that pays salaries to seafarers, the credit amount setting server device updates the salary of each seafarer indicated by the data stored in the updated database. Based on, according to a predetermined rule, for each seafarer's account managed by the ledger r1 and the account managed by the ledger r2, the credit amount to be granted to those accounts is determined.

For example, the total amount of salary to be paid to user X next month is 500,000 MarCO, and 400,000 MarCO is transferred to the account managed by user X's ledger r1(X), and user X's ledger r2(X) is transferred. It is assumed that the remaining 100,000 MarCO is scheduled to be transferred to an account managed by Then, it is assumed that there is a rule that 30% of these amounts are given to each account as a credit amount. In this case, 120,000 MarCO is granted as a credit amount to the account managed by the ledger r1(X), and 30,000 MarCO is granted as a credit amount to the account managed by the ledger r2(X). become.

The credit amount setting server device is authorized to update the credit amount data in the ledger R1 and the ledger R2. becomes connectable to the Internet I, the latest credit amount at that time is reflected in the ledger R2.

According to this modified example, it is easy to set the credit amount that varies according to the amount of salary paid to the user.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Electronic currency management system, 2... Electronic currency management system, 3... Electronic currency management system, 11... Communication apparatus, 21... Server apparatus, 22... Server apparatus.

Claims (14)

A first ledger management that manages the balance of electronic currency that can be used by a user's communication device by connecting to the first network for each account and increases or decreases the balance of the account under management according to a transaction request. a system;
A second ledger that manages the balance of electronic currency that can be used by the user's communication device without connecting to the first network for each account, and performs processing to increase or decrease the balance of the account under management according to a transaction request. with management system and
When the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system are communicable with each other, an account under the management of the first ledger management system and an account under the management of the second ledger management system An electronic currency management system that processes the movement of electronic currency to and from a transaction as required by the transaction. The first ledger management system, the account managed by the first ledger management system and the first Storing at least one of transaction requests between accounts managed by two ledger management systems and transaction requests between two accounts managed by the second ledger management system;
The second ledger management system, the account managed by the first ledger management system and the first accumulating at least one of transaction requests made between accounts managed by two ledger management systems and transaction requests made between two accounts managed by the first ledger management system;
When the first ledger management system and the second ledger management system are able to communicate with each other, they perform processing to transfer electronic currency between accounts in response to requests for accumulated unprocessed transactions. Item 1. The electronic currency management system according to item 1. 3. The electronic currency management system according to claim 1, wherein the first ledger management system uses a distributed ledger to manage the balance of electronic currency for each account. 4. The electronic currency management system according to claim 3, wherein said first ledger management system manages said distributed ledger by means of a blockchain. 3. The electronic currency management system according to claim 1, wherein the first ledger management system uses a central management ledger to manage the balance of the electronic currency for each account. The first ledger management system according to each of a plurality of users,
3. The electronic currency management system according to claim 1, wherein said first ledger management system operates in a communication device used by a user, and manages the balance of electronic currency only in said user's account. 7. Any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein said second ledger management system manages the balance of electronic currency usable by a user's communication device connecting to a second network different from said first network for each account. or the electronic currency management system according to item 1. 8. The electronic currency management system according to claim 7, wherein the second ledger management system uses a distributed ledger to manage the balance of the electronic currency for each account. 9. The electronic currency management system according to claim 8, wherein said second ledger management system manages said distributed ledger by means of a blockchain. 8. The electronic currency management system according to claim 7, wherein the second ledger management system uses a central management ledger to manage the balance of the electronic currency for each account. The second ledger management system according to each of a plurality of users,
8. The electronic currency management system according to claim 7, wherein said second ledger management system operates in a communication device used by a user, and manages the electronic currency balance of only said user's account. The first ledger management system and the second ledger management system manage accounts of the same user,
The first ledger management system manages the accounts of the one user under the management of the second ledger management system in association with the ledger that manages the accounts of the one user under its own device. memorize the ledger to
The second ledger management system manages the accounts of the one user under the management of the first ledger management system in association with the ledger that manages the accounts of the one user under the management of the own device. The electronic currency management system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, which stores a ledger to be managed. Even if the balance of the account under management is insufficient, the first ledger management system performs processing to reduce the balance of the account according to the transaction if it is within the credit amount granted to the account. 13. The electronic currency management system according to any one of 1 to 12. Even if the balance of the account under management is insufficient, the second ledger management system performs processing to reduce the balance of the account according to the transaction if it is within the credit amount granted to the account. 14. The electronic currency management system according to any one of 1 to 13.

Images