JP7242953B1 - Information processing device and information processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to prevent a user from worrying about the amount of data communication compared to a pay-as-you-go billing system in which charges increase in proportion to the amount of data communication. A first information processing device (2) is a receiving unit that receives notification information from a management device (1) that manages communication capacity of data communication corresponding to a user subscribing to a charge plan for data communication. , indicates that the relationship between the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity allocated to the user at the time of receiving the notification information, and the data communication volume, which is the amount of data communication performed by the user, satisfies a predetermined condition. When the receiving unit 231 receives the notification information, and when the receiving unit 231 receives the notification information, the additional communication capacity, which is the communication capacity newly allocated to the user, is the allocation status of the additional communication capacity already allocated in the unit period. and an instruction unit 234 for instructing the management device 1 to allocate the additional communication capacity based on the user. [Selection drawing] Fig. 4

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device and an information processing method.

Conventionally, a flat-rate billing method that allows unlimited data communication by paying a fixed fee for a unit period, or a pay-as-you-go billing method that pays a fee according to the amount of data communication. is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2000-101574

In the case of the flat-rate billing system, although unlimited data communication is possible, there is a problem that the fee paid by the user is high. On the other hand, in the case of the pay-as-you-go system, since the charge increases in proportion to the amount of data communication, there is a problem that the user is concerned about how much data communication is performed at the present time and how much the charge is.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and is intended to prevent the user from worrying about the amount of data communication compared to the pay-as-you-go billing system in which charges increase in proportion to the amount of data communication. for the purpose.

An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a receiving unit that receives notification information from a management device that manages communication capacity of data communication corresponding to a user subscribing to a charge plan for data communication. and the relationship between the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity allocated to the user at the time of receiving the notification information, and the data communication volume, which is the data communication volume performed by the user, satisfies a predetermined condition. a receiving unit that receives the notification information indicating that the notification information is satisfied, and an additional communication capacity that is a communication capacity newly allocated to the user when the receiving unit receives the notification information, and is already allocated in the unit period and an instruction unit that instructs the management device to allocate additional communication capacity to the user based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity.

When the receiving unit receives the notification information, the information processing device determines the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit in the unit period. A capacity determination unit may be further provided, and the instruction unit may instruct the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity determined by the additional capacity determination unit to the user.

The additional capacity determination unit may determine the additional communication capacity based on the number of times the additional communication capacity is allocated in the unit period.
The additional capacity determination unit may determine the additional communication capacity based on the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information.

The notification information includes user identification information for identifying the user, and the instruction unit instructs the user corresponding to the user identification information included in the notification information and the user corresponding to the user identification information to provide the additional communication capacity. The number of times the allocated communication capacity or the additional communication capacity has been allocated after the allocation is instructed is associated with and stored in a storage unit as allocation history information, and the additional capacity determining unit, in the allocation history information, The additional communication capacity may be determined based on the number of times the allocated communication capacity or the additional communication capacity associated with the user identification information included in the received notification information has been allocated.

The information processing device further includes a specifying unit that specifies, when the receiving unit receives the notification information, a price plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed, from among a plurality of price plans, The additional capacity determining unit refers to the additional amount determining information indicating the relationship between the allocation status of the additional communication capacity and the additional communication capacity corresponding to each of the plurality of billing plans, and the information specified by the specifying unit The additional communication capacity corresponding to the charge plan and the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit may be determined as the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user.

The rate plans include a first rate plan in which an allowable communication capacity, which is a communication capacity allowed per unit period, is set, and a second rate plan in which the allowable communication capacity is not set. may be
In the information processing device, when the receiving unit receives the notification information, the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed to one of a plurality of price plans including the first price plan and the second price plan. further comprising a specifying unit that specifies a billing plan specified by the specifying unit, the instructing unit, when the billing plan specified by the identifying unit is the second billing plan, the allocated at the time of receiving the notification information When the size of the communication capacity is a predetermined size, or when the allocation of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is the last allocation determined in the unit period, the data communication volume is measured. You may instruct|indicate to the said management apparatus not to carry out.

When the billing plan identified by the identifying part is the first billing plan, the instructing unit causes the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information to be the same as the size of the allowable communication capacity. or when the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information has reached the upper limit of the number of allocations determined in the unit period, allocating the additional communication capacity to the user It is not necessary to instruct the management device.

The information processing device further includes a specifying unit that specifies, when the receiving unit receives the notification information, a price plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed, from among a plurality of price plans, The instruction unit may instruct the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity on condition that the price plan identified by the identification unit is a predetermined price plan.

The information processing device notifies the user of information indicating that the additional communication capacity has been newly allocated in response to the instruction unit instructing the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity to the user. You may further have a notification part to do.

The information processing apparatus may further include a fee determination unit that determines a fee to be paid by the user based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit in a unit period.

An information processing method according to a second aspect of the present invention is executed by a computer and receives notification information from a management device that manages the communication capacity of the data communication corresponding to a user subscribing to a charge plan for data communication. wherein the relationship between the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity allocated to the user at the time of receiving the notification information, and the data communication volume, which is the volume of the data communication performed by the user a step of receiving the notification information indicating that a predetermined condition is satisfied; and upon receiving the notification information, an additional communication capacity, which is a communication capacity newly allocated to the user, which has already been allocated in the unit period. and instructing the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity to the user based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, compared with the pay-as-you-go billing system in which the fee increases in proportion to the amount of data communication, it is possible to prevent the user from worrying about the amount of data communication.

It is a figure which shows the outline|summary of an information processing system. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a management apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of communication capacity management information. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a 1st information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of subscription plan information. It is a figure for demonstrating a predetermined charge plan. It is a figure which shows an example of allocation log|history information. It is a figure which shows an example of the information for additional capacity determination. It is a figure which shows the functional structure of a 2nd information processing apparatus. 4 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the first information processing apparatus; FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the information processing system when the first information processing apparatus cannot instruct the management apparatus to allocate additional communication capacity;

[Overview of information processing system S]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an information processing system S. As shown in FIG. The information processing system S is a system that manages data communication of users who use data communication services provided by a predetermined communication carrier. The information processing system S has a management device 1 , a first information processing device 2 and a second information processing device 3 .

The management device 1 is a server that manages the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity allocated to the user, and also manages the amount of data communication that is the data communication performed by the user. In this embodiment, data communication includes data communication by a communication terminal used by a user, data communication by tethering in which the communication terminal relays data communication of another communication terminal, and data communication service providers are affiliated. Data communications by international roaming, in which data communications are performed using the communications networks of other telecommunications carriers that provide data communications services in foreign countries, shall be included. When the amount of data communication exceeds the allocated communication capacity and the remaining amount of communication capacity available to the user with respect to the allocated communication capacity is exhausted, the management device 1 suppresses the communication speed during data communication. to control.

The first information processing device 2 manages the allocation status of the already allocated communication capacity to the user in a unit period, and requests the management device 1 to allocate additional communication capacity, which is communication capacity newly allocated to the user. It is the server to direct. The second information processing device 3 is a server that functions as a backup for the first information processing device 2, and when the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2 ( For example, it is a server that instructs allocation of additional communication capacity when a failure occurs in the first information processing apparatus.

When the difference between the communication capacity allocated to the user and the data communication volume, which is the amount of data communication performed by the user, becomes equal to or less than a predetermined capacity, the management device 1 sends notification information to that effect to the first information processing device. 2 ((1) in FIG. 1).

Upon receiving the notification information, the first information processing apparatus 2 determines additional communication capacity based on the allocation status of the allocated communication capacity for the unit period for the user ((2) in FIG. 1). The first information processing device 2 instructs the management device 1 to allocate the determined additional communication capacity to the user ((3) in FIG. 1). The management device 1 updates the allocated communication capacity based on the allocation instruction from the first information processing device 2 .

In this way, when the difference between the allocated communication capacity and the data communication volume becomes equal to or less than the predetermined capacity, the first information processing device 2 performs addition based on the allocation status of the allocated communication capacity in the unit period. It instructs the management device 1 to allocate communication capacity. As a result, since the user's allocated communication capacity changes stepwise, when the charge for data communication is determined according to the allocated communication capacity, the charge for data communication can also be changed stepwise. . By doing so, the first information processing apparatus 2 can prevent the user from worrying about the amount of data communication compared to the pay-as-you-go billing system in which the charge increases in proportion to the amount of data communication.

The management device 1 transmits notification information to the second information processing device 3 when it cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2 due to a failure of the first information processing device 2 or the like. ((4) in FIG. 1). Upon receiving the notification information, the second information processing device 3 instructs the user to allocate additional communication capacity that is not based on the allocation status of the allocated communication capacity in the unit period ((5) in FIG. 1). The management device 1 updates the allocated communication capacity based on the allocation instruction from the second information processing device 3 .

When the remaining amount of communication capacity usable by the user with respect to the allocated communication capacity managed by the management device 1 runs out, control is performed so that the communication speed during data communication is suppressed. On the other hand, when the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2, the information processing system S allocates additional communication capacity from the second information processing device 3. The management device 1 is instructed. Thereby, the information processing system S can increase the allocated communication capacity without any trouble.

[Functional configuration of management device 1]
Next, the configuration of the information processing system S will be described. First, the configuration of the management device 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the management device 1. As shown in FIG. The management device 1 has a communication section 11 , a storage section 12 and a control section 13 .

The communication unit 11 exchanges data with external devices such as the first information processing device 2 and the second information processing device 3 via a communication network such as the Internet or a communication network provided for providing data communication services. It is a communication interface for sending and receiving.

The storage unit 12 is a storage medium that stores various data, and includes a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk, and the like. The storage unit 12 stores programs executed by the control unit 13 . The storage unit 12 stores programs that cause the control unit 13 to function as a communication capacity management unit 131 , a communication capacity update unit 132 , and a communication control unit 133 .

In addition, the storage unit 12 stores a user ID as user identification information for identifying a user who uses the data communication service, an allocated communication capacity that is the communication capacity assigned to the user, It stores communication capacity management information that associates the data communication amount, which is the amount of data communication. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of communication capacity management information. As shown in FIG. 3, it can be confirmed that the user ID, the allocated communication capacity, and the data communication volume are associated in the communication capacity management information. Here, the unit period is, for example, one month, and is the period for calculating the usage fee of the user for the data communication service.

The control unit 13 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 13 functions as a communication capacity management unit 131 , a communication capacity updating unit 132 , and a communication control unit 133 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 12 .

The communication capacity management unit 131 manages the amount of data communication, which is the amount of data communication performed by the user using the data communication service. For example, the communication capacity management unit 131 receives the user ID of the user and measurement information indicating the data communication volume from a measuring device or the like that measures the data communication volume corresponding to the data communication performed by the user using the data communication service. do. When receiving the measurement information, the communication capacity management unit 131 adds the data communication amount indicated by the measurement information to the data communication amount associated with the user ID in the communication capacity management information.

Further, the communication capacity update unit 132 receives from the first information processing device 2 measurement unnecessary information that includes the user ID and indicates that measurement is unnecessary. is controlled so as not to add the data communication amount indicated by the measurement information to the data communication amount associated with the . For example, the measurement information includes information identifying whether data communication is data communication by a communication terminal used by a user, data communication by tethering, or data communication by international roaming. When the measurement information indicates data communication by the communication terminal used by the user, the communication capacity update unit 132 does not add the data communication amount indicated by the measurement information to the data communication amount associated with the user ID, When the measurement information indicates data communication by tethering or data communication by international roaming, the data communication amount indicated by the measurement information is added to the data communication amount associated with the user ID.

The communication capacity update unit 132 updates the allocated communication capacity. Specifically, the communication capacity updating unit 132 updates the allocated communication capacity to the initial value at the beginning of the unit period. Since the initial value differs for each of the plurality of charge plans, the communication capacity updating unit 132 identifies the user's charge plan and updates the initial value based on the identified charge plan.

The communication capacity update unit 132 refers to the communication capacity management information, and if the relationship between the allocated communication capacity corresponding to the user and the data communication volume satisfies a predetermined condition, updates the allocated communication capacity and the data communication volume. Notification information is transmitted to the first information processing apparatus 2 indicating that the relationship with the traffic has satisfied a predetermined condition. The predetermined condition is, for example, that the difference between the allocated communication capacity and the data communication volume is equal to or less than a predetermined value, that is, the remaining data communication capacity that the user can use with respect to the allocated communication capacity is specified. is below the value of It is also assumed that the notification information includes a user ID.

After transmitting the notification information to the first information processing device 2, the communication capacity updating unit 132 instructs the user to allocate additional communication capacity, which is the communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user, from the first information processing device 2. receive instruction information to It is assumed that the instruction information includes the user ID and the value of the additional communication capacity. When receiving the instruction information, the communication capacity update unit 132 updates the additional communication capacity included in the instruction information to the allocated communication capacity associated with the user ID included in the instruction information in the communication capacity management information. Add the value of Thereby, the allocated communication capacity corresponding to the user ID is updated.

If the communication capacity updating unit 132 does not receive the instruction information within a predetermined time after the notification information is transmitted to the first information processing apparatus 2, the communication capacity update unit 132 cannot receive the instruction information from the first information processing apparatus 2. Determine whether or not there is For example, when an ACK signal corresponding to the notification information is not received from the first information processing device 2 , it is determined that the instruction information cannot be received from the first information processing device 2 . When the communication capacity updating unit 132 determines that the instruction information cannot be received from the first information processing device 2 , it transmits notification information to the second information processing device 3 .

After transmitting the notification information to the second information processing device 3, the communication capacity update unit 132 instructs the second information processing device 3 to allocate additional communication capacity, which is the communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user. Receives instruction information to It is assumed that the instruction information includes the user ID and the value of the additional communication capacity. When receiving the instruction information, the communication capacity update unit 132 updates the additional communication capacity included in the instruction information to the allocated communication capacity associated with the user ID included in the instruction information in the communication capacity management information. Add the value of Thereby, the management device 1 can update the allocated communication capacity even in a situation where the instruction information cannot be received from the first information processing device 2 .

The communication control unit 133 refers to the communication capacity management information, and relays the data communication in the communication network for providing the data communication service in response to the user's data communication volume exceeding the allocated communication capacity. Information for limiting the communication speed of the user is transmitted to the relay device.

[Functional Configuration of First Information Processing Device 2]
Next, the details of the configuration of the first information processing device 2 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the first information processing device 2. As shown in FIG. The first information processing device 2 has a communication section 21 , a storage section 22 and a control section 23 .
The communication unit 21 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external device such as the management device 1 via the Internet or a communication network provided for providing data communication services.

The storage unit 22 is a storage medium that stores various data, and includes a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, and the like. The storage unit 22 stores programs executed by the control unit 23 . The storage unit 22 stores a program that causes the control unit 23 to function as a receiving unit 231 , a specifying unit 232 , an additional capacity determination unit 233 , an instruction unit 234 , a notification unit 235 and a charge determination unit 236 .

The storage unit 22 also stores subscription plan information in which the user ID of the user is associated with plan information indicating the fee plan to which the user has subscribed. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of subscription plan information. As shown in FIG. 5, it can be confirmed that the plan information is associated with the user ID.

Here, the price plan will be explained. In the rate plan, the allocated communication capacity is gradually increased until the user's data communication volume reaches the communication capacity specified in the unit period, and the user is charged based on the allocated communication capacity at the end of the unit period. and other rate plans that allocate a fixed allocated communication capacity for a unit period and limit the communication speed when the user's data communication volume exceeds the allocated communication capacity. and are included. Other rate plans are called fixed rate plans.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a predetermined charge plan. The predetermined price plans include a first price plan and a second price plan. FIG. 6(a) is a diagram showing the first rate plan. The first price plan is a price plan in which an allowable communication capacity, which is a communication capacity allowed per unit period, is set. In the example of the first rate plan shown in FIG. 6A, when the allocated communication capacity is 1 GB, that is, when the data communication amount is 1 GB or less, the first rate P1 is applied. Further, when the allocated communication capacity is 3 GB, that is, when the data communication volume is greater than 1 GB and less than or equal to 3 GB, the second charge P2 higher than the first charge P1 is applied. Further, when the allocated communication capacity is 7 GB, that is, when the data communication volume is greater than 3 GB and equal to or less than 7 GB, the third charge P3 higher than the second charge P2 is applied. Also, in the first rate plan, the allowable communication capacity is set to 7 GB, and when the data communication volume exceeds 7 GB, the communication speed of data communication is controlled to be suppressed.

FIG. 6(b) is a diagram showing a second rate plan. The second rate plan is a rate plan in which no allowable communication capacity is set, in other words, a rate plan in which there is no restriction on the communication capacity that can be used per unit period. As shown in FIG. 6B, in the second rate plan, when the allocated communication capacity is 1 GB, that is, when the data communication volume is 1 GB or less, the fourth rate P4 is applied. Further, when the allocated communication capacity is 3 GB, that is, when the data communication volume is greater than 1 GB and less than or equal to 3 GB, the fifth charge P5 higher than the fourth charge P4 is applied. Further, when the allocated communication capacity is 7 GB, that is, when the data communication volume is greater than 3 GB and equal to or less than 7 GB, the sixth charge P6 higher than the fifth charge P5 is applied. In addition, in the second rate plan, the allowable communication capacity is not set, and if the data communication amount exceeds 7 GB, the seventh rate P7 higher than the sixth rate P6 is applied regardless of the data communication amount. .

The description is returned to the storage unit 22 . The storage unit 22 stores allocation history information indicating the allocation status of the additional communication capacity to the user when the charge plan to which the user subscribes is a predetermined charge plan. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of allocation history information. As shown in FIG. 7, the allocation history information includes a user ID, plan information indicating a rate plan, the number of steps indicating the number of times additional communication capacity has been allocated to the user in a unit period, and the number of times the additional communication capacity has been allocated. This is information associated with date and time. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the number of steps when the additional communication capacity was allocated to the user and the date and time when the additional communication capacity was allocated are stored in association with the user ID. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the first additional communication capacity is allocated on 9/1/2022 and the second additional communication capacity is allocated on 9/7/2022 to the user with the user ID "U0001". can be confirmed.

The storage unit 22 also stores additional capacity determination information indicating the relationship between the allocation status of the additional communication capacity to the user and the additional communication capacity, corresponding to each of the plurality of charge plans. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of additional capacity determination information. In the additional capacity determination information shown in FIG. 8, it can be confirmed that the charge plan, the number of steps at the time when the additional communication capacity is allocated to the user, and the additional communication capacity are associated with each other.

The control unit 23 is, for example, a CPU. The control unit 23 functions as a reception unit 231 , a specification unit 232 , an additional capacity determination unit 233 , an instruction unit 234 , a notification unit 235 and a charge determination unit 236 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 22 .

The receiving unit 231 receives the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity assigned to the user, and the , the notification information indicating that the relationship between the amount of data communication performed by the user and the data communication amount satisfies a predetermined condition is received. The receiving unit 231 receives notification information indicating that the relationship between the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information and the amount of data communication satisfies a predetermined condition.

In addition, the receiving unit 231 transmits the additional communication capacity to the user from the communication terminal used by the user at a timing irrespective of whether or not the relationship between the allocated communication capacity and the data communication volume satisfies a predetermined condition. Receive assignment requests for new assignments. The allocation request received from the user's communication terminal corresponds, for example, to allocation of communication capacity that is possible by the user charging separately from the charge of the rate plan, or free allocation of communication capacity accompanying a predetermined campaign. , in response to a user's operation via a web screen such as a data charge site. It is assumed that the allocation request includes capacity information indicating the size of additional communication capacity to be newly added to the user, and the user ID.

When the receiving unit 231 receives the notification information, the identifying unit 232 identifies, among a plurality of price plans including the first price plan and the second price plan, the price plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed. do. For example, the identification unit 232 refers to the subscription plan information stored in the storage unit 22, and determines the price plan associated with the user ID included in the received notification information to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed. Identifies as a rate plan that

When the receiving unit 231 receives the notification information from the management device 1, the additional capacity determination unit 233 newly assigns the additional communication capacity (first additional communication capacity).

The additional capacity determination unit 233 determines the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user based on the number of times the additional communication capacity is allocated in the unit period. For example, in the allocation history information stored in the storage unit 12, the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines the number of times the additional communication capacity has been allocated ( number of steps) to determine the additional communication capacity.

In this case, the additional capacity determining unit 233 identifies the number of steps associated with the user ID included in the notification information received by the receiving unit 231 in the allocation history information. If the user ID included in the received notification information is associated with a plurality of step numbers, the additional capacity determining unit 233 identifies the largest step number as the step number at the time of receiving the notification information. Then, the additional capacity determining unit 233 refers to the information for determining the additional capacity stored in the storage unit 12, and determines the additional communication capacity associated with the price plan specified by the specifying unit 232 and the specified number of steps. , the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user.

Although the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines the additional communication capacity based on the number of times the additional communication capacity is allocated in the unit period, the additional communication capacity is not limited to this. The additional capacity determination unit 233 may determine the additional communication capacity based on the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information.

In this case, the allocated communication capacity is included in the allocation history information shown in FIG. 7 and the additional capacity determination information shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the allocated communication capacity included in the allocation history information and the additional capacity determination information does not include the additional communication capacity associated with the allocation request received from the communication terminal used by the user.

The additional capacity determination unit 233 determines the additional communication capacity based on the allocated communication capacity associated with the user ID included in the received notification information in the allocation history information. Specifically, the additional capacity determination unit 233 refers to the allocation history information to identify the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information, and the identification unit 232 identifies in the additional capacity determination information The additional communication capacity associated with the specified price plan and the identified allocated communication capacity is determined as the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user.

Further, when the charge plan specified by the specifying unit 232 is the first charge plan, the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines that the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is equal to the size of the allowable communication capacity. At some point, or when the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is the upper limit of the number of allocations determined in the unit period, the additional communication capacity may not be determined. Here, when the rate plan is the first rate plan, the upper limit of the number of times of allocation determined in the unit period is the number of times of allocation when the size of the allocated communication capacity becomes the size of the allowable communication capacity. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6A, the instructing unit 234 sets the upper limit of the number of assignments to two.

Further, when the charge plan specified by the specifying unit 232 is the second charge plan, the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines that the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is the number of allocations determined in the unit period. , the additional communication capacity may not be determined. Here, when the charge plan is the second charge plan, the upper limit of the number of allocations determined in the unit period is three times in the example shown in FIG. 6(b).

When the receiving unit 231 receives the notification information, the instructing unit 234 instructs the management device 1 to allocate additional communication capacity to the user based on the allocation status of the communication capacity already allocated in the unit period. The instructing unit 234 instructs the management device 1 to allocate the additional communication capacity determined by the additional capacity determining unit 233 to the user on condition that the rate plan specified by the specifying unit 232 is a predetermined rate plan.

For example, when the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines the additional communication capacity, the instruction unit 234 transmits to the management device 1 instruction information including the user ID of the user and instructing to allocate the additional communication capacity to the user. , instructs the management device 1 to allocate additional communication capacity to the user.

In addition, the instruction unit 234 instructs the user ID included in the received notification information and the allocation of the additional communication capacity to the user corresponding to the user ID to the management device 1, and the allocated communication capacity or the additional communication capacity is The assigned times (number of steps) are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 12 as assignment history information.

Further, when the charge plan specified by the specifying unit 232 is the first charge plan, the instruction unit 234 determines that the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is the same as the size of the allowable communication capacity. or when the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information has reached the upper limit of the number of allocations determined in the unit period, do not instruct the management device 1 to allocate the additional communication capacity to the user. Control.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 6A, when the allocated communication capacity is 7 GB or when the number of steps is 2, the instruction unit 234 instructs the management device 1 to allocate additional communication capacity to the user. control not to By doing so, the first information processing device 2, in the first rate plan, when the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information reaches the size of the allowable communication capacity, It is possible to prevent the additional communication capacity from being newly allocated and to allow the management device 1 to limit the communication speed.

Further, when the charge plan specified by the specifying unit 232 is the second charge plan, the instruction unit 234 determines whether the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is a predetermined size, or If the number of allocations of additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is the number of allocations determined in the unit period - 1 (that is, if the allocation of additional communication capacity is the last allocation), manage not to measure the amount of data communication. Instruct device 1.

For example, when the allocated communication capacity is 7 GB or the number of steps is 2 in the example shown in FIG. The management device 1 is instructed not to measure the traffic. For example, the instruction unit 234 transmits to the management device 1 measurement unnecessary information including the user ID and indicating that measurement is unnecessary. By doing so, the first information processing device 2, in the second rate plan, when the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information reaches a predetermined size, the management device 1 does not measure the data communication volume, the user's data communication volume does not exceed the allocated communication capacity, and the data communication communication speed is not restricted.

In addition, when the user's billing plan is the second billing plan, the instruction unit 234 receives the notification information when the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is a predetermined size, or when the notification information is received. When the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the time point of time is equal to the number of allocations determined in the unit period minus one, the management device 1 is instructed not to measure the amount of data communication, but the present invention is not limited to this. The instruction unit 234 may instruct the management device 1 not to suppress the communication speed even if the data communication volume exceeds the allocated communication capacity. In this case, the communication control unit 133 of the management device 1 performs control so as not to suppress the communication speed even if the data communication volume exceeds the allocated communication capacity after the instruction is issued.

In addition, when the user's billing plan is the second billing plan, the instruction unit 234 receives the notification information when the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is a predetermined size, or when the notification information is received. If the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the point in time is equal to the number of allocations determined in the unit period minus one, the additional communication capacity may be allocated to the user. In addition, the management device 1 does not measure the amount of data communication when data communication is performed by the communication terminal used by the user. good. Then, when the amount of data communication measured after the additional communication capacity is newly allocated exceeds the additional communication capacity, the communication control unit 133 of the management device 1 cancels data communication by tethering and data communication by international roaming. Control may be performed to limit the communication speed.

Further, in response to reception of the allocation request by the receiving unit 231, the instruction unit 234 instructs the management device 1 to allocate additional communication capacity corresponding to the allocation request to the user. Since the allocation of the additional communication capacity corresponding to the allocation request is an allocation unrelated to the number of steps of the rate plan, the instruction unit 234 instructs the storage unit 12 not to store the allocation history as allocation history information. Control.

The notification unit 235 notifies the user of information indicating that the additional communication capacity has been newly allocated in response to the instruction unit 234 instructing the management device 1 to allocate the additional communication capacity to the user. For example, the storage unit 22 stores the user ID in association with at least one of individual identification information for identifying the communication terminal used by the user who uses the data communication service, a telephone number, and an e-mail address. ing. When the additional communication capacity is newly allocated to the user, the notification unit 235 sends the individual identification information of the communication terminal used by the user, the telephone number, and the e-mail address associated with the user ID of the user. Specify at least one of Then, the notification unit 235 provides information indicating that additional communication capacity has been newly allocated to the communication terminal used by the user based on at least one of the specified individual identification information, telephone number, and e-mail address. to notify you. By doing so, the user can recognize that the additional communication capacity has been newly allocated.

Information notified to the user when additional communication capacity is newly allocated is not limited to information indicating that additional communication capacity has been newly allocated. For example, the user's data communication volume in a unit period, the number of steps that is the number of times additional communication capacity is allocated, the usage fee corresponding to the number of steps, the additional communication capacity newly allocated to the user corresponding to the current number of steps At least one of the information may be notified as the notification information when the additional communication capacity is newly allocated.

The charge determination unit 236 determines the charge to be paid by the user for using the data communication service in the unit period based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit 234 in the unit period. For example, when the unit period ends, the charge determination unit 236 refers to the allocation history information and identifies the maximum number of steps among the number of steps associated with the user ID. For example, the storage unit 12 stores fee information that associates the number of steps with the usage fee for the data communication service, and the fee determining unit 236 determines the usage fee associated with the specified number of steps to the user. determined as the fee to be paid by The fee determining unit 236 transmits usage fee information including the user ID and the specified usage fee to the billing server that performs the billing process. By doing so, the first information processing apparatus 2 can have the billing server bill the usage fee based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity.

[Functional Configuration of Second Information Processing Device 3]
Next, the details of the configuration of the second information processing device 3 will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the functional configuration of the second information processing device 3. As shown in FIG. The second information processing device 3 has a communication section 31 , a storage section 32 and a control section 33 .
The communication unit 31 is used for transmitting and receiving data to and from external devices such as the management device 1 and the first information processing device 2 via a communication network such as the Internet or a communication network provided for providing data communication services. Communication interface.

The storage unit 32 is a storage medium that stores various data, and includes a ROM, a RAM, a hard disk, and the like. The storage unit 32 stores programs executed by the control unit 33 . The storage unit 32 stores a program that causes the control unit 33 to function as the receiving unit 331 , the identifying unit 332 and the instructing unit 333 .

Further, similarly to the storage unit 22, the storage unit 32 stores subscription plan information in which the user ID of the user is associated with plan information indicating the price plan to which the user has subscribed. It is assumed that the subscription plan information stored in the storage unit 22 and the subscription plan information stored in the storage unit 32 are consistent.

The control unit 33 is, for example, a CPU. By executing a program stored in the storage unit 32, the control unit 33 functions as a receiving unit 331 as a second receiving unit, a specifying unit 332, and an instruction unit 333 as a second instruction unit. Since the second information processing device 3 operates only when the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2, the first information processing device 2 may not have all the functions provided by For example, the control unit 33 may not have the function of allocating additional communication capacity corresponding to the allocation request to the user in response to receiving the allocation request. By doing so, it is possible to reduce the cost associated with implementing the functions in the second information processing apparatus 3 .

Next, the details of the functions of the control unit 33 will be described.
The receiving unit 331 receives notification information when the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2 . For example, the receiving unit 331 receives notification information from the management device 1 . The case where the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2 means that a failure has occurred in the first information processing device 2, or that the management device 1 and the first information processing device This is a case where a failure has occurred in the communication network between the information processing device 2 of . Although the receiving unit 331 receives the notification information from the management device 1, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an external device (not shown) that manages the notification information transmitted by the management device 1 when the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2 receives the notification information. may receive.

The identifying unit 332 identifies a billing plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed. For example, the specifying unit 332 refers to the subscription plan information stored in the storage unit 32, and determines the price plan associated with the user ID included in the received notification information to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed. Identifies as a rate plan that

When the receiving unit 331 receives the notification information, the instruction unit 333 specifies additional communication capacity indicating the communication capacity newly allocated to the user, which is not based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity in the unit period (second additional communication capacity) to the user. The additional communication capacity allocated by the second information processing device 3 is called emergency additional communication capacity.

Specifically, when the receiving unit 331 receives the notification information, the instructing unit 333 instructs the user to provide the emergency additional communication capacity on the condition that the charge plan specified by the specifying unit 332 is a predetermined charge plan. By transmitting additional instruction information instructing the allocation to the management device 1, the management device 1 is instructed to allocate the additional communication capacity in emergency to the user. It is assumed that the emergency additional communication capacity has a predetermined size and is a communication capacity smaller than the additional communication capacity that the first information processing device 2 transmits to the management device 1 .

By allocating the emergency additional communication capacity in this way, the second information processing device 3 can prevent the communication speed from being restricted when the remaining communication capacity available to the user runs out. . Further, by setting the emergency additional communication capacity to a predetermined capacity that is not based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity in the unit period, the second information processing device 3 can receive the allocation history information (FIG. 7) and the information for determining the additional capacity. (FIG. 8) can be reduced, and the processing load associated with determining the additional communication capacity can be reduced. The emergency additional communication capacity prevents the user from consuming the newly allocated communication capacity at an early stage and suppresses an increase in the frequency of receiving notification information, while the user loses the opportunity to purchase additional communication capacity. It is desirable to use a capacity (for example, about 0.1 GB to 0.3 GB) that can suppress this.

[Operation flow]
Next, the processing flow of the information processing system S will be described. First, the flow of processing for allocating additional communication capacity by the first information processing device 2 will be described. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the flow of processing of the first information processing apparatus 2. As shown in FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 10 starts when the receiving unit 231 of the first information processing device 2 receives notification information from the management device 1 .

First, when the receiving unit 231 receives the notification information, the identifying unit 232 identifies the charge plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed (S1).
Subsequently, the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines whether the specified price plan is a predetermined price plan (S2). When the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines that the identified price plan is the predetermined price plan (YES in S2), the process proceeds to S3, and when it determines that the identified price plan is not the predetermined price plan ( NO in S2), the process according to this flowchart is terminated. Here, if the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines that the identified price plan is not the predetermined price plan, that is, the identified price plan is a fixed price plan, the notification unit 235 Even if the user is notified of information indicating that the communication speed will be restricted due to the lack of remaining capacity and information indicating that the communication speed restriction will be lifted by purchasing additional communication capacity. good.

In S3, the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines whether or not the number of times additional communication capacity has been allocated in the unit period has not reached the upper limit number of times. If the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines that the upper limit number of times has not been reached (YES in S3), the process proceeds to S4, and the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines the number of times the additional communication capacity is allocated in the unit period. , determines the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user.

Subsequently, the instruction unit 234 instructs the management device 1 to allocate the determined additional communication capacity to the user corresponding to the received notification information (S5).
Subsequently, the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines whether the specified price plan is the second price plan and whether or not the allocation of the additional communication capacity is the final allocation (S6). When the additional capacity determination unit 233 determines that the specified price plan is the second price plan and that the allocation of the additional communication capacity is the last allocation (YES in S6), the process proceeds to S7, and so on. (the specified rate plan is the first plan, or the specified rate plan is the second rate plan and the allocation of the additional communication capacity is not the last allocation) (NO in S6), S8 to process.

In S7, the instruction unit 234 instructs the management device 1 not to measure the amount of data communication related to data communication by the communication terminal used by the user. As a result, the communication speed of data communication by the communication terminal used by the user can be prevented from being restricted in the second rate plan.
Subsequently, the notification unit 235 notifies the user corresponding to the received notification information of information indicating that the additional communication capacity has been newly allocated (S8).

On the other hand, in S3, when the additional capacity determining unit 233 determines that the upper limit number of times has been reached (NO in S3), the processing related to this flowchart is terminated.
Note that, when the determination in S3 is NO, the notification unit 235 may determine whether or not the specified price plan is the first price plan. Then, when the notification unit 235 determines that the specified price plan is the first price plan, information indicating that the communication speed is limited due to the lack of remaining communication capacity that the user can use. , and information indicating that the restriction on the communication speed is lifted by purchasing additional communication capacity may be notified to the user.

FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of processing in the information processing system S when the first information processing device 2 cannot instruct the management device 1 to allocate additional communication capacity. Here, it is assumed that the user's charge plan is a predetermined charge plan.

First, the receiving unit 231 of the first information processing device 2 receives, from the management device 1, notification information indicating that the difference between the allocated communication capacity and the data communication volume has become equal to or less than a predetermined value (S11 ). The additional capacity determination unit 233 of the first information processing device 2 determines the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity (S12).

The instructing unit 234 transmits to the management device 1 instruction information instructing to allocate the additional communication capacity determined by the additional capacity determining unit 233 to the user (S13). Here, it is assumed that a failure occurs in the communication network that relays communication between the management apparatus 1 and the first information processing apparatus 2, and instruction information cannot be transmitted from the first information processing apparatus 2 to the management apparatus 1. FIG.

In this case, the communication capacity updating unit 132 transmits notification information to the second information processing device 3 (S14). The receiving unit 331 of the second information processing device 3 receives notification information from the management device 1 when the management device 1 cannot receive an instruction to allocate additional communication capacity from the first information processing device 2 .

When the receiving unit 331 receives the notification information, the instructing unit 333 allocates an additional communication capacity indicating a communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user, which is an emergency additional communication capacity not based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity in the unit period. Instruction information instructing to do so is transmitted to the management device 1 (S15).
Upon receiving the instruction information, the communication capacity updating unit 132 of the management device 1 updates the allocated communication capacity based on the instruction information (S16).

[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the storage unit 22 and the storage unit 32 store subscription plan information in which the user ID of the user and the plan information indicating the price plan to which the user has subscribed are associated. Not exclusively.

For example, the subscription plan information may be stored in an external device different from the management device 1, the first information processing device 2, and the second information processing device 3. FIG. Then, the identification unit 232 of the first information processing device 2 and the identification unit 332 of the second information processing device 3 refer to the subscription plan information stored in the external device, and the user corresponding to the received notification information is You may specify the billing plan to which you are subscribed.

In addition, the allocation history information indicating the allocation status of the additional communication capacity to the user, and the allocation status of the additional communication capacity to the user corresponding to each of the plurality of charge plans, and the additional communication capacity indicating the relationship between the additional communication capacity and the storage unit 22 Although the capacity determination information is stored, the information may be stored in an external device. Then, the additional capacity determination unit 233 of the first information processing device 2 may refer to the allocation history information and additional capacity determination information stored in the external device to determine the additional communication capacity.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described embodiment, when the receiving unit 331 receives the notification information, the instruction unit 333 of the second information processing device 3 confirms that the price plan specified by the specifying unit 332 is the predetermined price plan. Although the additional instruction information for instructing the user to allocate the emergency additional communication capacity is transmitted to the management device 1 under the condition, the present invention is not limited to this. When the user's billing plan is the first billing plan, the instruction unit 333 receives the notification information when the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is equal to the size of the allowable communication capacity. The additional instruction information may not be transmitted to the management device 1 when the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity reaches the upper limit of the number of allocations determined in the unit period. By doing so, when the user's billing plan is the first billing plan, and the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity reaches the upper limit of the number of allocations set in the unit period, the communication speed is reduced as usual. is limited, and loss of opportunity for the user to purchase additional communication capacity can be suppressed.

[Effects of First Information Processing Device 2]
As described above, the first information processing apparatus 2 according to the present embodiment receives from the management apparatus 1 the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity allocated to the user, and the amount of data communication performed by the user. is the additional communication capacity that is the communication capacity newly allocated to the user when notification information indicating that the relationship with the data communication volume satisfies a predetermined condition, the additional communication capacity that has already been allocated in the unit period The management device 1 is instructed to allocate additional communication capacity to the user based on the allocation status of . By doing so, the first information processing apparatus 2 can prevent the user from worrying about the amount of data communication compared to the pay-as-you-go system.

The present invention makes it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) led by the United Nations, "Industry and technological innovation."

Although the present invention has been described above using the embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. be. For example, all or part of the device can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in arbitrary units. Further, new embodiments resulting from arbitrary combinations of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment caused by the combination has the effect of the original embodiment.

1 management device 2 first information processing device 3 second information processing device 11 communication unit 12 storage unit 13 control unit 131 communication capacity management unit 132 communication capacity update unit 133 communication control unit 21 communication unit 22 storage unit 23 control unit 231 Reception unit 232 Identification unit 233 Additional capacity determination unit 234 Instruction unit 235 Notification unit 236 Fee determination unit 31 Communication unit 32 Storage unit 33 Control unit 331 Reception unit 332 Identification unit 333 Instruction unit

Claims (13)

A receiving unit that receives notification information from a management device that manages the communication capacity of the data communication corresponding to a user subscribing to a rate plan related to data communication, and is assigned to the user at the time of receiving the notification information. a receiving unit for receiving the notification information indicating that the relationship between the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity allocated, and the data communication amount, which is the amount of data communication performed by the user, satisfies a predetermined condition; ,
When the receiving unit receives the notification information, the additional communication capacity, which is the communication capacity newly allocated to the user, based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity already allocated in the unit period, an instruction unit that instructs the management device to assign to a user;
Information processing device having Further comprising an additional capacity determination unit that determines the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user, when the receiving unit receives the notification information, based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit in the unit period. death,
The instruction unit instructs the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity determined by the additional capacity determination unit to the user.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . The additional capacity determination unit determines the additional communication capacity based on the number of times the additional communication capacity is allocated in the unit period.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The additional capacity determination unit determines the additional communication capacity based on the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information.
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The notification information includes user identification information for identifying the user,
The instruction unit determines whether the allocated communication capacity or the additional communication capacity after instructing the user identification information included in the notification information and the user corresponding to the user identification information to allocate the additional communication capacity associate the number of allocations with the number of allocations and store them in the storage unit as allocation history information;
The additional capacity determination unit determines, in the allocation history information, based on the number of times the allocated communication capacity or the additional communication capacity associated with the user identification information included in the received notification information is allocated, determine additional communication capacity,
The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 or 4. further comprising a specifying unit that specifies, when the receiving unit receives the notification information, a price plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed, from among a plurality of price plans;
The additional capacity determination unit refers to the additional amount determination information indicating the relationship between the allocation status of the additional communication capacity and the additional communication capacity corresponding to each of the plurality of billing plans, and the identification unit identifies determining the additional communication capacity corresponding to the rate plan and the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit as the additional communication capacity to be newly allocated to the user;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. The rate plans include a first rate plan in which an allowable communication capacity, which is a communication capacity allowed per unit period, is set, and a second rate plan in which the allowable communication capacity is not set. to be
The information processing apparatus according to claim 2. When the receiving unit receives the notification information, it specifies a price plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed, among a plurality of price plans including the first price plan and the second price plan. further having a specific part for
When the charge plan specified by the specifying unit is the second charge plan, and the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is a predetermined size, Alternatively, when the allocation of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information is the final allocation determined in the unit period, instructing the management device not to measure the data communication volume;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 7. When the billing plan identified by the identifying part is the first billing plan, the instructing unit causes the size of the allocated communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information to be the same as the size of the allowable communication capacity. or when the number of allocations of the additional communication capacity at the time of receiving the notification information has reached the upper limit of the number of allocations determined in the unit period, allocating the additional communication capacity to the user do not instruct the management device,
Information processing apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising a specifying unit that specifies, when the receiving unit receives the notification information, a price plan to which the user corresponding to the notification information has subscribed, from among a plurality of price plans;
The instruction unit instructs the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity on condition that the price plan identified by the identification unit is a predetermined price plan.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . further comprising a notification unit configured to notify the user of information indicating that the additional communication capacity has been newly allocated in response to the instruction unit instructing the management device to allocate the additional communication capacity to the user. ,
The information processing device according to claim 1 . further comprising a fee determination unit that determines a fee to be paid by the user based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity by the instruction unit in a unit period;
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the computer runs
A step of receiving notification information from a management device that manages the communication capacity of the data communication corresponding to a user subscribing to a rate plan related to data communication, wherein the notification information is assigned to the user at the time of receiving the notification information. a step of receiving the notification information indicating that the relationship between the allocated communication capacity, which is the communication capacity used by the user, and the data communication amount, which is the amount of data communication performed by the user, satisfies a predetermined condition;
Allocating to the user, upon receiving the notification information, additional communication capacity, which is communication capacity newly allocated to the user, based on the allocation status of the additional communication capacity already allocated in the unit period. to the management device; and
An information processing method comprising:

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