JP7319932B2 - Payment support system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a payment assistance system that assists users in selecting payment means.

Payment methods other than cash, such as credit cards and QR code payments, are spreading. Such payment means may give benefits to the payer (hereafter referred to as a user) by means of points reduction, cash back, or the like. In addition to payment methods, various point grant programs are provided in the form of point cards, etc., and users can receive benefits from the point grant program by using the point grant program together at the time of payment. .

When the user has a plurality of payment methods and point giving programs, the user can select which payment method and point giving program to use when making a payment. At this time, it is thought that the user evaluates the payment method and the point-giving program from the viewpoint of the number of points to be given and the ease of payment, and selects them at the time of payment.

Patent Literature 1 below describes a technique for recommending a payment method suitable for a user. The document states that ``receiving the first payment method information applicable at the store from the first device, comparing the first payment method information with the second payment method information usable by the user, and comparing the result of the comparison. is a transaction-related service providing method for recommending a second payment method based on (see abstract).

Patent Literature 2 listed below describes a technique for searching for a reward program or the like acquired by a user. The document states, "This disclosure tracks purchases and rewards for users of credit cards, debit cards, or other trackable accounts. When a user is ready to purchase an item (eg, a retail item), the store terminal queries the system for information regarding the user's credit card, debit card and other accounts. Information in the store reveals the category and price of the item. The system then calculates potential rewards for the user depending on the card or other account used to pay for the item. The user or clerk at the store then selects a card or other account (credit card or user account with the store or item seller) to pay for the item. Similar methods are available for online purchases, obtaining pricing information, and verifying rewards. (see abstract).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-522028 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-511101

Patent Literature 1 identifies available payment methods for each store and recommends a suitable payment method for the user. It is considered that which payment method is recommended is based on the number of benefits obtained by the user. However, the user does not necessarily select the payment method based only on the number of benefits. For example, if each user has a favorite payment method, they may try to select it. It is considered that Patent Literature 1 does not give sufficient consideration to properly reflecting such unique preferences of each user. In addition, the user may use a point-giving program other than the payment method, and it is considered that Patent Document 1 does not sufficiently consider such a combination of the payment method and the point-giving program.

US Pat. No. 6,200,000 searches for reward programs that users can obtain. The user can select a payment method with a large reward from among the search results. In the same document, the search results can also be ranked (see claim 10 of the same document, etc.). This ranking is considered to be based on the amount of reward (see claim 13 of the same document). However, payment methods and point-giving programs preferred by users are not necessarily based solely on the amount of rewards. Patent Document 2 does not seem to give sufficient consideration to properly reflecting such unique preferences of each user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a settlement support system that assists a user in appropriately selecting a settlement method and a point-giving program.

The payment support system according to the present invention learns in advance the tendency of payment methods and point-giving programs in payments made by users in the past, and estimates the payment method suitable for the user according to the learning result.

According to the settlement support system according to the present invention, the user can appropriately select the settlement method and the point granting program by studying in advance the tendency of the settlement method and the point granting program in the settlements executed by the user in the past. can support

1 is a configuration diagram of a settlement support system 10 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a processing flow diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the settlement support system 10; FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a settlement support system 10 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a processing flow diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the settlement support system 10 in Embodiment 2; FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a settlement support system 10 according to Embodiment 3; FIG. 10 is a processing flow diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the settlement support system 10 according to Embodiment 3; It is an example of a screen on which the user terminal 200 displays a response to a payment method presentation request. It is another screen example in which the user terminal 200 displays a response to the payment method presentation request. It is another screen example in which the user terminal 200 displays a response to the payment method presentation request.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a settlement support system 10 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The settlement support system 10 is a system that assists the user 300 in selecting a settlement method to be used when purchasing a product or service. The settlement means here are, for example, credit cards, QR code settlement, debit cards, carrier settlement (settlement using mobile terminals of mobile phone providers), and other settlement means other than cash.

The settlement support system 10 includes a server 100 and user terminals 200 . When the user 300 selects a payment method, the user terminal 200 is instructed to present an appropriate payment method. The user terminal 200 transmits a request to present a payment method suitable for the user 300 (payment method presentation request) to the server 100 . When the server 100 receives the request, it selects a payment method suitable for the user 300 and responds with the result.

The server 100 includes a payment method selection unit 110 , a payment method identification unit 121 , a point giving program identification unit 122 , a point calculation unit 130 , a store identification unit 150 , a learning device 170 and a storage unit 180 . The storage unit 180 is a storage device that stores each data used by the server 100 .

The payment method selection unit 110 receives from the user terminal 200 a request to present a payment method suitable for the user 300 . The settlement method selection unit 110 selects a settlement method suitable for the user 300 using the other function unit and the learning device 170 and responds to the user terminal 200 with the result.

The shop identification unit 150 identifies the shop where the user 300 intends to use the settlement means. For example, when the user terminal 200 transmits a payment method presentation request, it also transmits location information of a GPS (Global Positioning System) of the user terminal 200 . The store identification unit 150 can identify the store by comparing the position information with the previously held position information of each store. If the store is a chain store, the chain name (for example, the company name of a convenience store chain) may be specified instead of or in combination with the store. For convenience of description, only stores are specified below.

The payment method identification unit 121 acquires a list of payment methods owned by the user 300 . For example, the user 300 himself/herself registers a list of payment methods in advance in the user terminal 200, and when the user terminal 200 issues a payment method presentation request to the server 100, the registered contents are transmitted together. , the payment method owned by the user 300 can be acquired. Alternatively, the ID of the user 300 and a list of payment methods corresponding to the ID (list of payment methods owned by the user) are stored in advance in the storage unit 180, and the ID of the user 300 is sent from the user terminal 200 to the server 100. By transmitting it to the user 300, the payment method owned by the user 300 can be acquired. Other appropriate techniques may be used.

The payment method specifying unit 121 may narrow down only payment methods owned by the user 300 that can be used at the store specified by the store specifying unit 150 . For example, along with the location information of the store, the settlement means that can be used at the store may be recorded in advance. As a result, when the payment method selection unit 110 returns a selection result in response to a payment method presentation request, it is possible to narrow down and present only the selection results of payment methods that can be used at the store. In the following explanation, the payment means that can be used at the store will be narrowed down.

The point giving program identification unit 122 acquires a list of point giving programs to which the user 300 has subscribed. The acquisition procedure is the same as the procedure for acquiring the payment method owned by the user 300 . The point-giving program specifying unit 122 may also narrow down only those that can be used at the store specified by the store specifying unit 150, similarly to the settlement means. The point granting program is typically provided together with the point card possessed by the user 300, but is not limited to this, and is any service that can acquire points or other accumulable benefits by presenting it together with payment means. may be

The point calculation unit 130 determines whether the payment method owned by the user 300 (identified by the payment method identification unit 121) and the point giving program to which the user 300 has subscribed (specified by the point giving program identification unit 122). The number of points that the user 300 can acquire by the combination is calculated. The number of points for each combination of payment means and point giving program may be stored in the storage unit 180 in advance. For example, the number of points for each standard unit price (eg, 1 point for every 100 yen) may be stored for each combination and used to calculate the number of points.

If the number of points acquired by the user 300 varies depending on the payment amount, it is necessary to transmit the payment amount to the server 100 together with a payment method presentation request. Therefore, the user 300 needs to input the settlement amount into the user terminal 200 . If it is desired to omit this time and effort, for example, the number of acquired points per ¥1 settlement amount (0.01 points/yen in the above example) can be treated as equivalent to the number of points. This is because, in this case as well, the number of points acquired by the user 300 is represented. In the following description, they will be referred to as the number of points without distinguishing between them.

The learning device 170 (a) the payment method used in the past payment by the user 300, the point giving program used by the user 300 in combination with the payment method in the payment, and (c) the combination of the payment method and the point giving program The number of acquired points is learned in advance. When the learner 170 receives a new combination of payment means/point-giving program/number of points as an input, the learning device 170 determines the probability (or certainty, hereinafter the same) that the user 300 will select that combination based on the pre-learned result. configured to estimate

The payment method selection unit 110 selects (a) the payment method owned by the user 300 (specified by the payment method identification unit 121), and (b) the point giving program to which the user 300 has subscribed (the point giving program identification unit 122 specified), and (c) the number of points obtained by combining these (calculated by the point calculation unit 130 ) are input to the learning device 170 . If there are multiple combinations (input value sets) of (a) to (c), input for each combination. The learner 170 estimates the probability that the user 300 will select the combination corresponding to the input value set according to the pre-learned result, and outputs the estimated result. The payment method selection unit 110 returns the estimation result obtained from the learning device 170 as a response to the payment method presentation request. Specifically, for each set of input values, the probability that the user 300 selects that combination is returned.

The user terminal 200 presents the response from the payment means selection unit 110 to the user 300 . For example, combinations of payment methods and point giving programs can be arranged and displayed on the screen in descending order of probability that the user 300 will select them. The content of the response may be presented to the user 300 by other appropriate means.

FIG. 2 is a processing flow diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the settlement support system 10. As shown in FIG. The operation procedure when each functional unit of the payment support system 10 and the user terminal 200 processes the payment method presentation request will be described below with reference to FIG.

A user 300 starts an application used to use the payment assistance system 10 on the user terminal 200 . The application requests the store identifying unit 150 for information on the store where the user 300 intends to use the settlement means (FIG. 2: (1) store data acquisition). For example, the current location of the user terminal 200 can be used as a request parameter. The shop identification unit 150 returns the ID of the shop corresponding to the current position. If one store cannot be specified, an ID list of candidate stores may be returned.

The user terminal 200 displays the store name corresponding to the store ID on the screen. If there are multiple store candidates, the user 300 may be allowed to select one. If the store to be used does not match the store name on the screen, the user 300 selects the correct store from other store candidates.

The process of specifying the store by the store specifying unit 150 does not necessarily have to be performed at the beginning of this flow, and the store can also be specified while processing the payment method presentation request. However, in order for the user 300 to select the correct store on the user terminal 200, it is necessary to specify the store before issuing the payment method presentation request. An example is shown in FIG.

The user 300 instructs the application to present payment methods suitable for the user 300 . According to the instruction, the user terminal 200 transmits a settlement method presentation request to the server 100 (FIG. 2: (2) settlement method presentation request). At this time, the request parameter includes the ID of the store where the user 300 intends to use the payment method.

The payment method selection unit 110 receives a payment method presentation request. The payment method specifying unit 121 uses the store ID specified in the request to acquire the payment method that the user 300 can use at the store (FIG. 2: (3) Acquisition of payment method). Similarly, the point giving program identification unit 122 acquires a point giving program that can be used at the store (FIG. 2: (4) Point giving program acquisition). The payment method selection unit 110 acquires all combinations of available payment methods and point giving programs.

The point calculation unit 130 calculates the number of points that the user 300 can acquire for each combination of the payment means and the point giving program (FIG. 2: (5) point calculation). Payment method selection unit 110 acquires the probability that user 300 selects the combination (input value set) of payment method/point giving program/number of points by inputting it to learning device 170 (FIG. 2). : (6) Estimation result acquisition). The payment method selection unit 110 returns the estimation result obtained from the learning device 170 to the user terminal 200 ( FIG. 2 : (7) response).

<Embodiment 1: Summary>
The payment support system 10 according to the first embodiment learns in advance the history of payment methods/point-giving programs/number of points acquired in payments made by the user 300 in the past, and according to the learning result, provide a means of payment. As a result, it is possible to assist the user 300 in selecting a payment method that matches the preferences of the user 300 without relying only on the number of points obtained by the combination of the payment method/point giving program.

The payment support system 10 according to the first embodiment specifies in advance the payment means and the point giving program that can be used at the store where the user 300 intends to use the payment means, and calculates the probability that the user 300 will select the combination. presume. Thereby, it is possible to narrow down in advance the candidates for the payment method and the point-giving program to be presented to the user 300 . Therefore, the user 300 can appropriately select a combination of these suitable for himself.

<Embodiment 2>
User 300 typically subscribes to the point award program by possessing a point card, but there are cases where the payment business operator that provides the payment means also provides its own point award program. In addition to these points, both the payment business operator and the point granting program business operator may provide temporary additional points in the form of campaigns or the like. In Embodiment 2 of the present invention, a configuration example will be described in which a combination of payment means and a point awarding program is presented to the user 300 when these are provided.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the settlement support system 10 according to the second embodiment. In the second embodiment, the server 100 includes a payment method point acquisition unit 141 and an additional point acquisition unit 142 in addition to the configuration described in the first embodiment. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, the differences regarding these will be mainly described below.

The payment method point acquisition unit 141 acquires points (payment method points) provided by the payment operator of the payment method owned by the user 300 . At this time, only the points that can be used at the store specified by the store specifying unit 150 may be narrowed down and specified. The payment method point acquisition unit 141 further acquires temporary points (eg, payment method campaign points) provided by the payment business operator. Similarly, only items that can be used at the store may be narrowed down. Since all of these are provided by the payment business operator, they can be collectively processed as payment method points.

The additional point acquisition unit 142 acquires additional points temporarily provided by the point giving program to which the user 300 is subscribed (eg, campaign points of the point giving program) in addition to normal points. At this time, only the points that can be used at the store specified by the store specifying unit 150 may be narrowed down and specified.

For the points provided by the payment means, the points temporarily provided by the payment means, and the points temporarily provided by the point-giving program, data describing combinations that can be used for each store, for example, is stored in the storage unit 180 in advance. The data is stored, and the payment method point acquiring unit 141 and the additional point acquiring unit 142 may acquire each point by referring to the data.

The point calculation unit 130 adds up the points acquired by the payment method point acquisition unit 141 and the additional point acquisition unit 142 in addition to the points obtained by combining the payment method owned by the user 300 and the point giving program. The user 300 can acquire the total number of points.

The learning device 170 (a) the payment method used in the past payment by the user 300, the point giving program used by the user 300 in combination with the payment method in the payment, and (c) the combination of the payment method and the point giving program In addition to the number of points acquired, (d) the number of payment method points provided by the payment method used in the payment (if there were campaign points, the number of temporary points), (e) in the payment The correspondence relationship between the number of additional points temporarily provided by the point giving program used in combination with the settlement means is learned in advance.

FIG. 4 is a processing flow diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the settlement support system 10 according to the second embodiment. New steps (4-1) and (4-2) are added between steps (4) and (5). The payment method point acquisition unit 141 uses the store ID specified in the payment method presentation request to acquire payment method points that the user 300 can use at the store (FIG. 4: (4-1) Payment method points). At this time, campaign points temporarily provided by the payment means are also obtained. Similarly, the additional point acquisition unit 142 acquires additional points temporarily provided by the point giving program available at the store (FIG. 4: (4-2) Acquisition of additional points).

Payment method selection unit 110 acquires the probability that user 300 selects the combination by inputting a combination of payment method/point giving program/number of points/payment method points/additional points to learning device 170 ( Fig. 4: (6) Estimation result acquisition). The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 2: Summary>
The payment support system 10 according to the second embodiment acquires payment method points provided by the payment business operator of the payment method owned by the user 300 for each available shop. The learning device 170 learns in advance the payment method points used in the past payments made by the user 300, and presents payment methods suitable for the user 300 according to the learning result. As a result, when the payment business operator offers a campaign or the like that encourages the use of the payment means, it is possible to reflect the preferences of the user 300 for the campaign. Campaigns provided by the point subscription program can similarly reflect the preferences of the user 300 .

<Embodiment 3>
Payment service providers may provide temporary points through campaigns or the like to encourage the use of their own payment methods. However, even if the campaign points are added, the probability that the user 300 will select the payment method may not be sufficiently increased. In this case, the payment provider may wish to provide additional additional points to improve the ranking of their payment instrument. Therefore, in Embodiment 3 of the present invention, a configuration example for the payment business operator to provide the additional points will be described. Other configurations are the same as those of Embodiments 1 and 2, so the differences in these will be mainly described below.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the settlement support system 10 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the server 100 includes a settlement operator point setting unit 160 in addition to the configuration described in the first and second embodiments. FIG. 5 shows an example in which a settlement operator point setting unit 160 is added to the configuration of the second embodiment.

The settlement company point setting unit 160 additionally gives predetermined settlement company points to the company's own settlement means when the estimation result by the learning device 170 satisfies a predetermined condition. Typically, among the estimation results output by the learning device 170, when the probability that the company's own payment method is selected is low (eg, 6th or lower out of 10 combinations), payment operator points Give. Other suitable conditions may be determined. For example, the amount of additional points can be made variable according to the ranking. It is desirable to set the maximum number of times (for example, once) that payment operator points can be additionally given so that payment operator points are not given infinitely.

The settlement operator points mentioned here are different from the points acquired by the settlement means point acquiring unit 141 in the second embodiment, and are given only when the estimation result satisfies the conditions. It is considered that the further addition of settlement operator points will increase the ranking of the settlement method and increase the possibility that the user 300 will select it. The settlement company point setting unit 160 can also be provided for each settlement company desiring to give settlement company points. For the sake of convenience, only one payment service provider will be considered below.

FIG. 6 is a processing flow diagram for explaining the operation procedure of the settlement support system 10 according to the third embodiment. Steps (1)-(6) are the same as in the first and second embodiments. Steps (6-1) to (6-3) are newly added between steps (6) and (7).

The settlement operator point setting unit 160 acquires the estimation result from the learning device 170 and determines whether or not the estimation result satisfies a predetermined condition (eg, the ranking of the settlement means of the company is low). If it satisfies the conditions, additional settlement company points are granted according to the prescribed rules (Fig. 6: (6-1) settlement company point grant).

The point calculation unit 130 assigns payment operator points, and then calculates the number of points acquired by the user 300 for each combination of payment method and point award program (FIG. 6: (6-2) Point recalculation ). The payment method selection unit 110 replaces the number of points input to the learning device 170 in step (6) with the recalculated points, and then inputs the payment method and the like to the learning device 170 again. Acquire the estimation result (FIG. 6: (6-3) Reacquire estimation result). The rest is the same as in the first embodiment.

<Embodiment 3: Summary>
The payment support system 10 according to the third embodiment additionally provides payment operator points unique to the payment operator according to the condition when the estimation result by the learning device 170 satisfies the condition. As a result, the payment business operator can increase the probability that the user 300 will select its own payment method.

<Embodiment 4>
In Embodiments 1 to 3, the learning items learned by the learning device 170 include (a) the payment method used by the user 300 in past payments, the point-giving program used by the user 300 in combination with the payment method in the payment, (c) the number of points acquired by the combination of the payment method and the point grant program (above, Embodiment 1); is the number of temporary points), and (e) the number of additional points temporarily provided by the point granting program used in combination with the payment means in the payment (above, Embodiment 2). In Embodiment 4 of the present invention, examples of other possible learning items and actions that can be performed by learning the items will be described. Other configurations are the same as those of Embodiments 1 to 3, and therefore the differences regarding these will be mainly described below.

Which payment method/points program combination the user 300 selects may be influenced by the date and time of payment. For example, it is conceivable that there is a tendency to use a specific payment method/points program combination in a specific month or time period. Alternatively, additional points such as campaigns provided by payment methods or point-giving programs may depend on specific dates and times. For example, there may be a campaign such as "Points are awarded only on days with 5 every month (5th, 15th, 25th)". Therefore, the learning device 170 may learn in advance the date and time (year/month/day, day of the week, time, etc.) of payments made in the past by the user 300 . The payment method selection unit 110 inputs the reception date and time of the payment method selection request to the learning device 170 . This makes it possible to present combinations that are highly likely to be selected by the user 300 at the current date and time.

Among the combinations of payment methods/point-giving programs that the user 300 presented in payment method presentation requests in the past, those with a high selection probability are likely to be selected in future payments as well. . Also, a combination selected even if the order of selection probability is low may be selected even if the order is low among the estimation results in subsequent payment method presentation requests. In other words, it is considered that the ranking in the estimated result of the past payment method presentation request has some correlation with the payment method/point awarding program selected by the user 300 in subsequent payments. Therefore, the learning device 170 may learn in advance the ranking of combinations of payment means/point giving programs that the user 300 has presented in past payment means presentation requests.

In this case, the payment method selection unit 110 first selects the payment method/point giving program/number of points obtained by the payment method identification unit 121/point giving program identification unit 122/payment method point acquisition unit 141/additional point acquisition unit 142. Get all the combinations and sort the combinations according to the number of points (that is, in descending order of points). The payment method selection unit 110 inputs the order obtained by the rearrangement to the learning device 170 . Thereby, the learning device 170 can output the estimation result according to the ranking in the past payment method presentation requests learned in advance.

The number of points that the user 300 acquires at the time of payment may vary depending on the payment amount. Therefore, the learning device 170 may learn in advance the amount of payment made by the user 300 in the past. The payment method selection unit 110 can acquire an estimation result according to the pre-learned payment amount by inputting the amount that the user 300 intends to pay to the learning device 170 . In this case, however, the user 300 needs to input the payment amount to the user terminal 200 when issuing the payment method presentation request, and the user terminal 200 must transmit the input amount together with the payment method presentation request.

<Embodiment 5>
In Embodiments 1 to 4, the user terminal 200 presents the user 300 with a response to the payment method presentation request. Various conveniences can be provided to the user 300 depending on what kind of information is presented at this time. Therefore, in Embodiment 5 of the present invention, an example of a screen presented to the user 300 by the user terminal 200 will be described. Since other configurations are the same as those of Embodiments 1 to 4, the screen on the user terminal 200 will be mainly described below.

FIG. 7 is an example of a screen on which the user terminal 200 displays a response to the payment method presentation request. The payment means selection unit 110 returns the combination of the payment means/point giving program and the probability that the user 300 will select the combination. The user terminal 200 can display the combinations on the screen in descending order of probability.

The user terminal 200 may present useful information for the user 300 in addition to the combination. For example, it is possible to present how many yen the points acquired by the user 300 by the combination are converted to. FIG. 7 shows an example in which the points obtained by paying 1000 yen are converted into monetary amounts for the second-place combination. Similar information may be presented for all combinations, or, for example, when the user selects the arrow in FIG. 7, the converted amount may be presented.

The amount obtained by converting the number of points into money can be calculated, for example, based on information used when the point calculation unit 130 calculates the number of points (eg, the number of points for each standard unit price). In this case, the payment method selection unit 110 transmits the information to the user terminal 200 together with the response. The user terminal 200 can use the information to present information as shown in FIG.

When there are multiple store candidates specified by the store specifying unit 150, the user terminal 200 can display the store candidates in the selection column at the top of FIG. The user 300 can select the correct store from among the stores displayed in the selection column. The user terminal 200 can notify the server 100 of the ID of the selected store in the payment method presentation request.

FIG. 8 is another example of a screen on which the user terminal 200 displays a response to the payment method presentation request. The payment method selection unit 110 may return the number of points acquired by the user 300 for both the payment method/point giving program combination and the cash/point giving program combination together with a response. The user terminal 200 can also present on the screen the combination of the cash/point giving program. For example, after ranking according to the number of points for each standard unit price, the combination of cash/point giving program can be presented in the ranking of other combinations. In the case where only cash settlement is used and the point award program is not used, the same can be presented together. Accordingly, the user 300 can easily grasp how much profit can be obtained by comparing the case of cash settlement and the case of using other settlement means.

FIG. 9 is another example of a screen on which the user terminal 200 displays a response to the payment method presentation request. The payment method selection unit 110 returns the result estimated by the learning device 170 as a response to the payment method presentation request. (or only the number of points may be returned and the ranking may be performed by the user terminal 200). In this case, the user terminal 200 obtains the result of ranking according to the number of points and the result of estimation by the learning device 170 . The user terminal 200 may present these two results to the user 300 together.

FIG. 9 shows an example in which two results are presented in the same display format (order for each combination of payment method/point awarding program), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is conceivable to present the result of ranking by the number of points using visual information such as an icon image. The two results may be presented side by side by any other suitable method. By presenting the two results together, the user 300 can verify the validity of the result presented by the payment assistance system 10 .

<Regarding Modifications of the Present Invention>
In the above embodiment, the payment method selection unit 110, the payment method identification unit 121, the point grant program identification unit 122, the point calculation unit 130, the store identification unit 150, the payment method point acquisition unit 141, the additional point acquisition unit 142, the payment business The user point setting unit 160 can be configured by hardware such as a circuit device implementing these functions, or by executing software implementing these functions by an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) Can also be configured.

In the above embodiment, the learning device 170 can be composed of data describing learning results and a program for estimating payment methods and the like suitable for the user 300 according to the data. As the learning algorithm of the learner 170, any learning method such as a neural network or other machine learning method can be used.

In the above embodiment, the learning device 170 may learn the past payment history for each user to generate a learning model for each user, or may learn the payment history of a plurality of users collectively to create one learning model. may be generated. Since there is a possibility that the tendency of users to prefer payment methods is similar, even if the payment histories of a plurality of users are combined into one learning model, a reasonable effect can be obtained. When generating a learning model for each user, the ID of the user 300 may be transmitted together with the payment method presentation request, and the learning model corresponding to the user ID may be used.

In the above embodiment, a configuration example in which the server 100 includes each functional unit has been described, but these functional units can be distributed and implemented in a plurality of computers. In that case, each computer can mutually acquire necessary data by mutually transmitting and receiving, for example, a store ID.

10: Payment support system 100: Server 110: Payment method selection unit 121: Payment method identification unit 122: Point giving program identification unit 130: Point calculation unit 141: Payment method point acquisition unit 142: Additional point acquisition unit 150: Store identification unit 160: Settlement provider point setting unit 200: User terminal 300: User

Claims (15)

A payment support system that assists a user in selecting a payment method,
a payment method identification unit that identifies a payment method owned by the user;
a point-giving program identification unit that identifies a point-giving program to which the user has subscribed;
a point calculation unit that calculates points obtained by combining the payment means and the point giving program;
A learner that has learned in advance the correspondence between payment methods used in past payments made by the user, the point awarding program used in the payment, and the points acquired in the payment;
a payment method selection unit that receives a request from the user to select a payment method, and selects at least one of payment methods suitable for the user and a point award program in response to the request;
with
The payment means selection unit selects the payment means owned by the user, the point giving program to which the user has subscribed, and the points obtained by combining the payment means and the point giving program to the learning device. by inputting an estimation result of estimating a payment method suitable for the user as an output of the learning device,
The payment support system, wherein the payment method selection unit returns the payment method acquired from the learning device as a response to the request. The payment support system further comprises a payment means point acquisition unit that acquires payment means points provided by the payment means owned by the user separately from the point giving program,
In addition to the corresponding relationship among the payment means used in past payments made by the user, the point granting program used in the payment, and the points acquired in the payment, the learning device also stores the payment means used in the payment. has learned in advance the correspondence between the payment method points provided by
In addition to the payment means owned by the user, the point giving program to which the user has subscribed, and the points obtained by combining the payment means and the point giving program, the payment means 2. The settlement support system according to claim 1, wherein a result of estimating a settlement method suitable for said user is obtained as an output of said learning device by inputting points into said learning device. The payment support system further comprises an additional point acquiring unit that acquires additional points provided separately from the point granting program by the point granting program to which the user has subscribed,
In addition to the corresponding relationship among the payment means used in the payment made by the user in the past, the point giving program used in the payment, and the points obtained in the payment, the learning device stores the points given in the payment. I have learned in advance the correspondence between the additional points provided by the program,
The payment means selection unit selects the payment means owned by the user, the point giving program to which the user has subscribed, and points obtained by combining the payment means and the point giving program, in addition to the additional points. to the learning device, and acquires a result of estimating a payment method suitable for the user as an output of the learning device. The payment support system further comprises a store identification unit that identifies a store that the user intends to use when issuing the request,
The payment method identification unit identifies available payment methods that can be used at the store, among the payment methods owned by the user,
The point-giving program identification unit identifies a usable point-giving program that can be used at the store, among the point-giving programs to which the user has subscribed,
The payment means selection unit inputs, as inputs to the learning device, the usable payment means, the usable point giving program, and the points obtained by combining the usable payment means and the usable point giving program. 2. The settlement support system according to claim 1, wherein a result of estimating a settlement method suitable for said user is obtained as an output of said learning device. The payment support system further comprises a store identification unit that identifies a store that the user intends to use when issuing the request,
The payment method point acquisition unit specifies usable payment method points that can be used at the store, among the payment method points,
The payment method selection unit inputs the usable payment method points to the learning device as the payment method points, thereby acquiring a result of estimating a payment method suitable for the user as an output of the learning device. 3. The settlement support system according to claim 2, characterized by: The payment support system further comprises a store identification unit that identifies a store that the user intends to use when issuing the request,
The additional point acquisition unit identifies usable additional points that can be used at the store, among the additional points,
The payment method selection unit inputs the usable additional points as the additional points to the learning device, thereby obtaining a result of estimating a payment method suitable for the user as an output of the learning device. 4. The settlement support system according to claim 3, characterized by: The payment support system further comprises a payment operator point setting unit that sets payment operator points provided separately from the point granting program by the payment operator of the payment means owned by the user,
The payment method point acquisition unit identifies a result of adding the payment method points and the payment operator points as the new payment method points,
The payment method selection unit inputs the new payment method points to the learning device, thereby obtaining a result of estimating a payment method suitable for the user as an output of the learning device. The settlement support system according to claim 2. The payment support system further comprises a storage unit that stores payment operator point condition data describing conditions for setting the payment operator points,
The payment operator point condition data describes the amount of the payment operator points to be given according to the order in which the payment method provided by the payment operator is positioned in the estimation result output from the learning device,
8. The settlement support system according to claim 7, wherein said settlement company point setting unit sets the amount of said settlement company points to be given in accordance with the description of said settlement company point condition data. In addition to the corresponding relationship among the payment means used in past payments made by the user, the point granting program used in the payment, and the points acquired in the payment, has learned in advance the correspondence between
The payment method selection unit selects, in addition to the payment method owned by the user, the point giving program to which the user has subscribed, and the points obtained by combining the payment method and the point giving program, 2. The payment method according to claim 1, wherein by inputting the issued date and time to the learning device, a result of estimating a payment method suitable for the user at that date and time is obtained as an output of the learning device. support system. In addition to the corresponding relationship among the payment means used in past payments by the user, the point giving program used in the payment, and the points acquired in the payment, learning in advance the correspondence relationship between the ranking of the payment means that has been selected and the ranking of the estimated result,
The point calculation unit ranks combinations of the payment means and the point giving program according to the calculated amount of points,
In addition to the payment means owned by the user, the point giving program to which the user has subscribed, and the points obtained by combining the payment means and the point giving program, the point calculation 2. The settlement support according to claim 1, wherein a result of estimating a settlement method suitable for the user is obtained as an output of the learning device by inputting the result of ranking by the unit to the learning device. system. The payment means selection unit includes an input value set composed of payment means owned by the user, a point giving program to which the user is a member, and points obtained by combining the payment means and the point giving program. to the learner, and
The learning device outputs, for each input value set, a degree of certainty as to whether or not the payment method is suitable for the user,
2. The settlement support system according to claim 1, wherein said settlement method selection unit returns said certainty factor for each said input value set in addition to said settlement method acquired from said learning device in said response. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the payment method selection unit returns, as the contents of the response, a profit amount provided to the user by points obtained by a combination of the payment method and the point giving program. Payment support system. The payment method selection unit, as the content of the response, determines how much profit the points obtained by combining the payment method and the point giving program compares to the case of cash payment without using the payment method. 2. The settlement support system according to claim 1, wherein a value indicating whether or not the service is provided to the user is returned. The payment support system further comprises a store identification unit that identifies a store that the user intends to use when issuing the request,
The payment assistance system further comprises a user terminal used by the user to issue the request,
The shop identification unit transmits data describing a shop candidate list obtained by estimating the shop to be used and its estimation accuracy to the user terminal,
2. The settlement support according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal has a user interface that allows the user to select the shop from the list of shop candidates by presenting the shop candidate list to the user. system. The payment assistance system further comprises a user terminal used by the user to issue the request,
The point calculation unit ranks combinations of the payment means and the point giving program according to the calculated amount of points,
2. The settlement support system according to claim 1, wherein the user terminal includes a user interface that allows the user to compare the ranking result of the point calculation unit and the estimation result of the learning device.

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