JP7447413B2 - Benefit management device, computer program and benefit management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a privilege management device , a computer program, and a privilege management method for managing privileges of users belonging to a specific group.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, in order to encourage customers to visit stores and make purchases, benefits such as discount coupons have been given to customers. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of communication terminal devices such as smartphones, it has become common to provide benefits to customers by electronic means.

In Patent Document 1, other members belonging to a member group in which one member is included are identified, members who have expiration points that are due to expire within a predetermined period are detected from among the other members, and one's There is a point management device that presents information on expiring points and other members who hold them on a web page viewed by a member, and allows one member to use all or part of the expiring points when purchasing a product. Proposed.

International Publication No. 2016/157373

Benefits granted to users include so-called employee discounts, which permanently or permanently entitle employees of a particular company to receive a discount on the purchase price. Previously, in order to receive employee discounts, employees had to go through procedures such as presenting their employee ID card to a salesperson when purchasing a product, but it is not convenient for users to present their employee ID card each time they purchase a product. The problem is that it takes time. Further, for example, if different benefits are granted to multiple companies, the salesperson must judge the benefits based on the employee ID card presented, which poses a problem of placing a heavy burden on the salesperson's work.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a privilege management device , a computer program, and a privilege management system that can realize privilege management with less burden on users, sales staff, etc. The purpose is to provide a method.

A privilege management device according to the present invention is a privilege management device that manages privileges of users belonging to a specific group, and includes a generation unit that generates privilege identification information that is information for identifying the privilege, and a generation unit that generates privilege identification information that is information for identifying the privilege, and a generation unit that generates privilege identification information that is information for identifying the privilege. an identification information acquisition unit that acquires user identification information that is information that identifies the user and the benefit identification information from the user; and the user identification information and the benefit identification information that the identification information acquisition unit has acquired. a storage unit that stores the information in association with each other, a usage information acquisition unit that acquires the user identification information from the user when the user uses the benefit, and a usage information acquisition unit that refers to the storage unit. and an extraction unit that extracts a benefit related to the benefit identification information stored in association with the acquired user identification information.

Further, the benefit management device according to the present invention includes an output unit that outputs the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit to a store terminal device of a store.

Further, in the privilege management device according to the present invention, the storage section stores the privilege identification information and the expiration date in association with each other, and the expiration date associated with the content of the privilege extracted by the extraction section. The present invention includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the benefit is within its expiration date based on the validity period.

Further, in the privilege management device according to the present invention, the storage unit stores the privilege identification information and location information in association with each other, and when the identification information acquisition unit acquires the user identification information and the privilege identification information, a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a user who has instructed to associate the user identification information and the benefit identification information; the location information stored in the storage unit; and the location acquired by the location information acquisition unit. and a determination unit that determines whether or not the user identification information and the benefit identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit are to be stored in the storage unit, based on the information.

Further, in the benefit management device according to the present invention, the storage unit stores the benefit identification information in association with information about a store, and the store is associated with the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit. The present invention includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the benefit can be used based on information related to the benefit.

Further, in the benefit management device according to the present invention, the storage unit stores the benefit identification information in association with information related to the target product of the benefit, and stores the benefit identification information in association with the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit. The apparatus further includes a determination unit that determines whether or not the benefit can be used based on the information regarding the target product that has been received.

Further, the computer program according to the present invention generates benefit identification information, which is information for identifying benefits of users belonging to a specific group, in a computer, and identifies the user from the user before using the benefit. The acquired user identification information and the benefit identification information are stored in a storage unit in association with each other, and when the user uses the benefit, the user From there, the user identification information is acquired, the storage section is referred to, and a process of extracting a benefit related to the benefit identification information stored in association with the acquired user identification information is executed.

Further, the terminal device according to the present invention includes a storage unit that stores user identification information that is information that identifies a user, and a reception desk that receives input of benefit identification information that is information that identifies benefits of users belonging to a specific group. a transmission unit that transmits the user identification information stored in the storage unit and the benefit identification information received by the reception unit to the benefit management device; and an output unit that outputs user identification information.

Further, the computer program according to the present invention receives input of benefit identification information, which is information that identifies benefits of users belonging to a specific group, into the computer, and inputs the user identification information, which is information that identifies the user, and the received The privilege identification information is transmitted to the privilege management device, and when the privilege is used, a process of outputting the user identification information stored in the storage unit is executed.

In addition, the benefit management method according to the present invention generates benefit identification information that is information that identifies benefits of users belonging to a specific group, and generates information identifying the user from the user before using the benefit. The user identification information and the benefit identification information are acquired, the acquired user identification information and the benefit identification information are stored in a storage unit in association with each other, and when the user uses the benefit, from the user, The user identification information is acquired, the storage unit is referred to, and a benefit related to the benefit identification information stored in association with the acquired user identification information is extracted.

In the present invention, a common benefit is given to one or more users belonging to a specific group. The benefit management device generates benefit identification information that identifies this benefit. First, before the user uses the benefit, when granting the benefit to the user, the benefit management device acquires the user's user identification information and benefit identification information from the user, and the acquired user identification information and benefit identification The information is associated and stored in the storage unit. Thereafter, when a user uses a benefit, the benefit management device acquires user identification information from the user, refers to the storage section, and extracts benefits related to the benefit identification information corresponding to the user identification information. This allows the user to use benefits by presenting user identification information. Further, by acquiring user identification information, a seller or the like can provide benefits granted to this user.

Further, in the present invention, the content of the benefits extracted by the benefit management device is output to the store terminal device of the store. This allows the store clerk operating the store terminal device to determine the content of the benefit given to the user.

Further, in the present invention, the benefit identification information of a benefit and the expiration date of this benefit are stored in association with each other in the storage unit. The benefit management device determines whether the extracted benefit is within its expiration date.
This can prevent, for example, benefits such as employee discounts given to a specific company from being continuously applied to employees who have left the company.

Further, in the present invention, the privilege identification information and position information of the privilege are stored in association with each other in the storage section. This location information can be, for example, location information corresponding to a specific group. When granting a benefit, the benefit management device acquires the user's location information and determines whether the benefit can be granted based on the user's location information and the group's location information. Thereby, the privilege management device can determine whether the user who requests the granting of a privilege belongs to a specific group, and can grant the privilege. When it is determined that the user belongs to a specific group, the user identification information and the benefit identification information are stored in the storage unit in association with each other, and the benefit is granted to the user.
For example, when giving benefits to employees of a specific company, the location of this company can be stored as location information. Employees of this company are permitted to receive benefits only in limited locations such as the company's location and its surroundings, and benefits are not granted in other locations.
Thereby, it is possible to suppress granting of benefits using benefit identification information common to users of the group to users other than the group.

Further, in the present invention, the benefit identification information of the benefit and the information regarding the store where the benefit can be used are stored in association with each other in the storage unit. When a user uses a benefit, the benefit management device determines whether the store is a store where the benefit can be used. As a result, for example, in a chain store having multiple stores, it is possible to impose restrictions on the use of benefits, such as allowing benefits only at stores near the company that gave the benefits.

Further, in the present invention, the identification information of the benefit and the information regarding the target product of this benefit are stored in association with each other in the storage unit. When a user uses a benefit, the benefit management device determines whether the product is eligible for the benefit. As a result, for example, for a privilege that allows books to be purchased at a discounted price at a bookstore, the eligible products can be limited to specific books such as academic books or specialized books. This is suitable, for example, for student discounts for students belonging to a specific school.

Further, in the present invention, the terminal device used by the user stores user identification information of this user and receives input of benefit identification information. The terminal device transmits the stored user identification information and the acquired privilege identification information to the privilege management device, and requests that the privilege be granted to this user. In response to this, the privilege management device can store the user identification information and privilege identification information received from the terminal device in association with each other in the storage unit, and provide the privilege to the user. Further, when the user uses the benefit, the terminal device outputs the stored user identification information and does not need to output the benefit identification information. At retail stores, etc., services related to benefits are provided to users by acquiring user identification information output from a terminal device, and having a benefit management device determine the presence or absence of benefit identification information associated with the acquired user identification information. can do.

According to the present invention, it is expected that privilege management can be realized with less burden on users, sales staff, etc.

It is a schematic diagram for explaining the outline of the privilege concerning this embodiment. It is a schematic diagram for explaining an outline of a privilege management system concerning this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a server device according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a structure of a privilege DB. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a configuration of a user DB. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a smartphone according to the present embodiment. It is a block diagram showing the composition of the store terminal device concerning this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the privilege code generation process performed by the server apparatus based on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the privilege provision request process performed by the smart phone based on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the privilege granting process performed by the server apparatus based on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the privilege determination process performed by the store terminal device based on this Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of privilege judgment processing performed by the server device concerning this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the privilege provision request process performed by the smart phone based on Embodiment 2. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of privilege granting processing performed by the server device according to Embodiment 2. FIG.

A specific example of a privilege management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to these examples, but is indicated by the scope of the claims, and is intended to include all changes within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

<System overview>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of benefits according to the present embodiment. The privilege management system according to the present embodiment provides, when a user purchases a product such as a book at a store such as a bookstore, the user has the right to receive a specific service such as a discount on the payment price or an increase in the point return rate for the payment. This is a system that provides benefits to users. The benefits according to this embodiment have a fixed expiration date, such as one month or one year, but the user can continue to use a specific service any number of times within this expiration date. It is something that can be received.

Further, in the benefit management system according to the present embodiment, for example, for a group such as company A, company B, or school C that exists in the vicinity of a bookstore, users such as employees or students belonging to this group can obtain benefits. Distribute benefit codes (benefits identification information). The content of the benefits may be different for each group, and in this example, we will distribute a benefit code to company A to get a 10% discount, and give a benefit to company B with a point return rate + 10%. They are distributing a benefit code to get a 20% discount to School C. In this embodiment, the benefit code is distributed to each group from the store where the benefit can be used. The benefit code is, for example, a combination of letters or numbers, and may be converted into a two-dimensional code or the like. One benefit code is assigned to each benefit in each group, and multiple users belonging to each group use a common benefit code.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining an overview of the privilege management system according to the present embodiment. In this figure, the exchange of information regarding the provision of benefits is shown by solid line arrows, and the exchange of information about specific usage is shown by dashed-dotted arrows. The privilege management system according to the present embodiment includes a server device 1 that manages privileges, a smartphone 3 used by a user, and a store terminal device 5 provided in a store such as a bookstore. The server device 1 has a function of generating a benefit code to be distributed to a company, etc., a function of granting a benefit related to the benefit code in response to a request from a user, and a function of granting a benefit to a user in response to a request from a store. It is equipped with functions such as determining whether or not the The server device 1 may be managed and operated by a store such as a bookstore, or may be managed and operated by an organization other than the store. The smartphone 3 has a function of requesting the server device 1 to grant a benefit using a benefit code, and a function of outputting user identification information such as the user's user ID when purchasing a product at a store, etc. There is. The store terminal device 5 has a function of reading information such as a user ID outputted by the user's smartphone 3, a function of inquiring the server device 1 about the presence or absence of a benefit given to the user, and a function of inquiring the server device 1 about the presence or absence of a benefit given to the user, and a function of reading information such as a user ID outputted by the user's smartphone 3. It is equipped with functions to provide services such as:

First, the procedure for granting benefits to users will be briefly explained. In the benefit management system according to this embodiment, one benefit code is distributed to company A from a bookstore, for example. Company A can, for example, write a benefit code in an internal bulletin or mailing list, and distribute the benefit code to employee users. User a, who is an employee of company A, can use the benefits associated with the benefit code by registering the benefit code distributed by the company using his/her smartphone 3, for example, before using the benefit. becomes. The smartphone 3 of the user a communicates with the server device 1 that manages benefits, transmits the pre-registered user ID of the user a and the entered benefit code to the server device 1, and sends the benefits to the user a. Request for grant of. Note that the user ID is not an ID managed by company A, such as an employee number, but an ID managed by the bookstore, such as a bookstore membership number. The user ID may be determined, for example, when a point card is issued to the user at a bookstore, or when the user downloads a bookstore app (application program) to a smartphone, and the user's email address is determined at these times. etc. may be registered as a user ID. The server device 1 provides a privilege to the user a by linking (corresponding to) a user ID and a privilege code and storing them in a DB (database) in response to a request from the user a's smartphone.

Next, the procedure for the user to use the benefits will be briefly explained. User a, who has completed the registration of the benefit code, can use the benefit by presenting the user ID at the bookstore. The user ID may be presented, for example, by presenting a point card or the like on which the user ID is printed, but in this embodiment, the user ID is displayed on the user's smartphone as a two-dimensional code, and this is sent to the bookstore. It is assumed that the store terminal device 5 reads the information. The store terminal device 5 transmits the user ID acquired from the user a to the server device 1, and inquires whether there is a benefit. In response to an inquiry from the store terminal device 5, the server device 1 determines whether there is a benefit code linked to the user ID. If there is a benefit code linked to the user ID, the server device 1 further acquires the content of the benefit corresponding to the benefit code from the DB. The server device 1 outputs (notifies) the contents of the obtained benefit to the store terminal device 5 that made the inquiry, and the store terminal device 5 applies the contents of the benefit and provides services such as discounts related to the benefit to the user a. is provided. If there is no benefit code linked to the user ID, the server device 1 notifies the store terminal device 5 of this fact, and the service related to the benefit is not provided to the user a.

In this embodiment, an expiration date is set for a benefit, and when the expiration date has passed, the server device 1 cancels the association between the user ID and the expired benefit code. As a result, a benefit whose expiration date has passed will no longer be applied to user a. User a who wishes to use the benefit needs to register a new benefit code distributed by company A, for example, and receive the new benefit. By setting an expiration date for benefits, for example, after an employee of company A resigns, the benefits will continue to be applied as long as the expiration date is still within the expiration date, but the retired employee will not be able to use the benefits after the expiration date has passed. become unable to do so. Therefore, the server device 1, the bookstore, the company A, etc. do not need to manage the resignation of the user after giving the benefit.

<Device configuration>
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the server device 1 according to this embodiment. The server device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a processing section (processor) 11, a storage section (storage) 12, a communication section (transceiver) 13, and the like. The processing unit 11 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro-Processing Unit). The processing unit 11 reads and executes the server program 12a stored in the storage unit 12, thereby performing various processes related to granting and managing benefits.

The storage unit 12 is configured using a large-capacity storage device such as a hard disk, for example. The storage unit 12 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 11 and various data necessary for processing by the processing unit 11. In this embodiment, the storage unit 12 stores a server program 12a executed by the processing unit 11. The storage unit 12 is also provided with a benefit DB 12b that stores information regarding benefits, and a user DB 12c that stores information regarding users who are members of the bookstore.

In this embodiment, the server program 12a is provided in a form recorded on a recording medium 99 such as a memory card or an optical disk, and the server device 1 reads the server program 12a from the recording medium 99 and stores it in the storage unit 12. However, the server program 12a may be written into the storage unit 12, for example, during the manufacturing stage of the server device 1. Further, for example, the server program 12a may be distributed by another remote server device, and the server device 1 may obtain it through communication. For example, the server program 12 a may be recorded on the recording medium 99 by a writing device and written into the storage unit 12 of the server device 1 . The server program 12a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or may be provided in the form of being recorded on the recording medium 99.

The benefit DB 12b is information regarding benefits given to users. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the benefit DB 12b. The benefit DB 12b is configured to include information such as a benefit name, validity period, and benefit content, which are associated with benefit codes, for example. The benefit code is identification information that uniquely identifies a benefit given to a group such as a company or school. The benefit name is a name given to a benefit such as "company A employee discount" or "university C student discount", and is information such as a character string that can be identified by the administrator of the server device 1 or the like. The validity period is the period during which this benefit can be used, for example from October 2018 to March 2019, from April 2019 to September 2019, or from April 2019 to March 2020. The period is set as a combination of years and months, such as until. The benefit content is the specific content of the service that the user to whom the benefit is granted can receive, and is, for example, information such as "10% discount" or "20% discount".

The user DB 12c is information regarding users registered as members at the bookstore. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the user DB 12c. The user DB 12c is configured to include information such as a user ID and a benefit code, and is information in which the user ID and the benefit code are linked. In this example, the user ID "U0001" and the benefit code "A000001" are linked, and it is shown that the benefit of the benefit code "A000001" is granted to the user with the user ID "U0001." It is also shown that the user ID "U0003" and the privilege code "A000001" are linked, and the privilege of the privilege code "A000001" is given to the user ID "U0003". However, for users who have not been granted a benefit, the benefit code corresponding to their user ID is not stored, and in this example, the user with the user ID "U0002" is not granted a benefit. In this embodiment, a state in which a user ID and a benefit code are linked in the user DB 12c is referred to as a state in which a benefit is granted to the user.

The communication unit 13 communicates with various devices via a network N including the Internet, wireless LAN, mobile phone communication network, and the like. In this embodiment, the communication unit 13 communicates via the network N with the user's smartphone 3 and a store terminal device 5 provided in a store such as a bookstore. The communication unit 13 transmits data provided from the processing unit 11 to other devices, and also provides data received from other devices to the processing unit 11.

Note that the storage unit 12 may be an external storage device connected to the server device 1. Further, the server device 1 may be a multicomputer including a plurality of computers, or may be a virtual machine virtually constructed by software. Further, the server device 1 is not limited to the above configuration, and may include, for example, a reading unit that reads information stored in a portable storage medium, an input unit that accepts operation input, a display unit that displays an image, etc. .

In addition, the processing unit 11 of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a privilege code generation unit 11a, an identification information acquisition unit 11b, and a privilege code generation unit 11a and an identification information acquisition unit 11b. , a benefit code linking unit 11c, a usage information acquisition unit 11d, a benefit extraction unit 11e, a benefit determination unit 11f, a benefit information output unit 11g, etc. are realized as software-like functional units. Note that these functional units are functional units related to processing for managing benefits for users, and illustrations and descriptions of other functional units will be omitted.

The benefit code generation unit 11a performs processing to generate a benefit code for a benefit provided by a bookstore to a member user. For example, after the content of the benefit and the conditions such as the validity period are determined between the bookstore and the company, the system administrator of the bookstore uses the server device 1 to generate the benefit code. A benefit code is generated by the unit 11a. At this time, the administrator inputs conditions such as the name of the benefit, the content of the benefit, and the validity period to the server device 1, and the benefit code generation unit 11a that receives the input of the necessary information uniquely identifies the benefit. Generate a benefit code to get. The benefit code generation unit 11a stores the generated benefit code and information regarding the benefit input from the administrator in the benefit DB 12b of the storage unit 12. The benefit code generation unit 11a outputs the generated benefit code by displaying it on the display device of the server device 1, for example. The manager of the bookstore can distribute the benefit code to the company by sending the outputted benefit code to the person in charge at the company, for example, in printed matter or by e-mail. Alternatively, the server device 1 may perform a process of transmitting the benefit code to a terminal device used by a person in charge of the company.

When granting a benefit to a user, the identification information acquisition unit 11b performs processing to acquire the user identification information of this user and the benefit code of the benefit. The identification information acquisition unit 11b receives a privilege grant request transmitted from the smartphone 3 owned by the user. In the present embodiment, the grant request transmitted by the smartphone 3 is data, a message, or the like that includes an instruction code requesting grant of a benefit, and information on a user ID and a benefit code. The identification information acquisition unit 11b acquires the user ID and benefit code included in the received grant request.

The privilege code linking unit 11c performs a process of providing a privilege to this user by linking the user ID and the privilege code. The benefit code linking unit 11c searches the user DB 12c for the user ID acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 11b, associates the benefit code acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 11b with the user ID, and registers the association in the user DB 12c. Then, link the user ID and benefit code. Through this linkage, benefits are granted to the user.

The usage information acquisition unit 11d performs processing to acquire the user ID of the user who uses the benefit. In this embodiment, when purchasing a product at a bookstore or the like, the user displays the user ID on his or her smartphone 3 and presents it to the store staff, and the user who Perform the task of reading the ID. The store terminal device 5 sends the user ID acquired from the smartphone 3 to the server device 1 to inquire about the presence or absence of benefits. The inquiry sent by the store terminal device 5 includes an instruction code for inquiring about the availability of benefits, and a user ID obtained from the user. The usage information acquisition unit 11d acquires the user ID included in the inquiry received from the store terminal device 5.

The benefit extracting unit 11e performs a process of extracting the details of a benefit granted to a user who intends to use the benefit. The benefit extraction unit 11e extracts the benefit code associated with the user ID acquired by the usage information acquisition unit 11d from the user DB 12c. Further, the benefit extraction unit 11e extracts information such as the content of the benefit corresponding to this benefit code from the benefit DB 12b.

The benefit determination unit 11f performs processing to determine conditions such as the expiration date set for the benefit. The benefit determining unit 11f determines whether or not the time point at which the benefit is to be used is within the expiration date, for example, when an expiration date is set for the benefit extracted by the benefit extraction unit 11e. Additionally, the benefit determination unit 11f may determine conditions related to the location information of the user who intends to use the benefit, the store where the user attempts to use the benefit, the product where the user attempts to use the benefit, and the like.

The benefit information output unit 11g transmits (outputs) information such as the benefit details extracted from the benefit DB 12b by the benefit extraction unit 11e to the store terminal device 5 that is the source of the inquiry. Note that if there is no privilege code linked to the user ID, the privilege information output unit 11g transmits a notification to the store terminal device 5 that the privilege has not been granted to this user. Based on the response from the server device 1 to the inquiry, the store terminal device 5 provides the user with services such as discounts according to the content of benefits.

In this embodiment, each benefit code has a defined validity period. In this embodiment, the server device 1 cancels the association between the user ID and the benefit code in the user DB 12c regarding the benefit whose expiration date has expired. In the present embodiment, the server device 1 checks the expiration date of a benefit once a day, for example, and cancels the association of the expired benefit. In addition, the server device 1 checks whether there is a benefit linked to the user ID in response to an inquiry from the store terminal device 5, and if the benefit has expired at this time, the user ID and benefit code are checked. Remove the link. However, even for benefits that have expired, the association between the user ID and the benefit code may be maintained, and in this case, the benefit determination unit 11f determines the presence or absence of the benefit in response to an inquiry from the store terminal device 5. When doing so, it is sufficient to determine each time whether or not the linked benefit is within its expiration date.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the smartphone 3 according to this embodiment. The smartphone 3 according to the present embodiment includes a processing section (processor) 31, a storage section (storage) 32, a communication section (transceiver) 33, a display section (display) 34, an operation section 35, and the like. The processing unit 31 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or an MPU. The processing unit 31 reads and executes a program 32a stored in the storage unit 32, thereby performing various processes related to receiving a benefit code, requesting a benefit, and the like.

The storage unit 32 is configured using, for example, a nonvolatile memory element such as a flash memory. The storage unit 32 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 31 and various data necessary for processing by the processing unit 31. In this embodiment, the storage unit 32 stores a program 32a executed by the processing unit 31 and a user ID 32b assigned to the user of the smartphone 3. In the present embodiment, the program 32a is distributed by a remote server device or the like, and the smartphone 3 acquires it through communication and stores it in the storage unit 32. However, the program 32a may be written into the storage unit 32 during the manufacturing stage of the smartphone 3, for example. For example, the program 32a may be stored in the storage unit 32 by reading the program 32a recorded on a recording medium such as a memory card or an optical disk. For example, the program 32a may be recorded on a recording medium, read by a writing device, and written into the storage unit 32 of the smartphone 3. The program 32a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or may be provided in the form of being recorded on a recording medium.

The user ID 32b is an ID assigned to a user who is a member of a bookstore or the like that provides benefits according to this embodiment. The user ID 32b is assigned to the user of the smartphone 3, for example, when an application (program 32a) provided by a bookstore or the like is installed on the smartphone 3. The user ID may be generated by, for example, the server device 1 or the smartphone 3, or may be input by the user. For example, the user ID 32b may be shared with the user's email address, SNS (Social Networking Service) account, or the like.

The communication unit 33 communicates with various devices via a network N including a public mobile phone communication network, the Internet, and the like. In this embodiment, the communication unit 33 communicates with the server device 1 via the network N. The communication unit 33 transmits data provided from the processing unit 31 to the server device 1 and also provides data received from the server device 1 to the processing unit 31.

The display section 34 is configured using a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images, characters, etc. based on the processing of the processing section 31. The operation unit 35 receives a user's operation using an input device such as a mechanical button or a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 34, and notifies the processing unit 31 of the accepted operation.

In addition, the smartphone 3 according to the present embodiment has a privilege code receiving section 31a, an identification information transmitting section 31b, a user ID outputting section 31c, etc., by having the processing section 31 read out and execute the program 32a stored in the storage section 32. is realized as a software-like functional part. The benefit code reception unit 31a performs a process of accepting input of a benefit code by the user. The benefit code reception unit 31a receives the input of the benefit code by, for example, displaying a benefit code input screen on the display unit 34 and accepting input of characters, numbers, etc. constituting the benefit code using the operation unit 35. However, if the privilege code is provided to the user in the form of a two-dimensional code, for example, the privilege code reception unit 31a photographs the two-dimensional code with the camera of the smartphone 3 (not shown), and stores the photographed two-dimensional code. The input of a benefit code may be accepted by converting the following into a benefit code.

The identification information transmitting unit 31b transmits to the server device 1 a request for granting a benefit that includes the privilege code input by the privilege code receiving unit 31a and information on the user ID 32b of the user stored in the storage unit 32. . As a result, the server device 1 executes the privilege granting process, and the processing result of the granting process is provided from the server device 1 to the smartphone 3 as a response. Based on the response from the server device 1, the identification information transmitting unit 31b displays on the display unit 34 whether or not the privilege can be granted.

The user ID output unit 31c performs a process of displaying (outputting) the user ID on the display unit 34 in order to present it to a store clerk when the user purchases a product at a bookstore or the like. The user ID output unit 31c displays the user ID 32b stored in the storage unit 32 on the display unit 34, for example, when an item for displaying a user ID is selected on a menu screen of an application provided by a bookstore. At this time, the user ID output unit 31c may display the user ID 32b as a string of letters and numbers, for example, or may convert the user ID 32b into a two-dimensional code and display it.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the store terminal device 5 according to this embodiment. The store terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment includes a processing section (processor) 51, a storage section (storage) 52, a communication section (transceiver) 53, a reading section 54, an operation section 55, and the like. The processing unit 51 is configured using an arithmetic processing device such as a CPU or an MPU. The processing unit 51 reads and executes the program 52a stored in the storage unit 52 to perform various processes related to payment of products, provision of benefits, etc.

The storage unit 52 is configured using, for example, a nonvolatile memory element such as a flash memory. The storage unit 52 stores various programs executed by the processing unit 51 and various data necessary for processing by the processing unit 51. In this embodiment, the storage unit 52 stores a program 52a executed by the processing unit 51. In this embodiment, the program 52a is written into the storage unit 52 during the manufacturing stage of the store terminal device 5. However, for example, the program 52a may be distributed by a remote server device or the like, or the store terminal device 5 may acquire it via communication and store it in the storage unit 52. For example, the program 52a may be recorded on a recording medium such as a memory card or an optical disc, or the store terminal device 5 may read the program 52a from the recording medium and store it in the storage unit 52. For example, a writing device may read the program 52a recorded on a recording medium and write it into the storage unit 52 of the store terminal device 5. The program 52a may be provided in the form of distribution via a network, or may be provided in the form of being recorded on a recording medium.

The communication unit 53 communicates with various devices via a network N including the Internet, a public mobile phone communication network, and the like. In this embodiment, the communication unit 53 communicates with the server device 1 via the network N. The communication unit 53 transmits data provided from the processing unit 51 to the server device 1 and also provides data received from the server device 1 to the processing unit 51.

The reading unit 54 is configured using, for example, an optical sensor or the like, and reads the user ID displayed on the user's smartphone 3. The reading unit 54 notifies the processing unit 51 of the read user ID. The operation unit 55 receives a user's operation using an input device such as a mechanical button or a touch panel provided on the surface of the display unit 34, and notifies the processing unit 51 of the accepted operation.

In addition, the store terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment has a user ID acquisition section 51a, a privilege inquiry section 51b, and a privilege application section 51c, when the processing section 51 reads out and executes the program 52a stored in the storage section 52. etc. are realized as software-like functional parts. The user ID acquisition unit 51a performs a process of acquiring the user ID of the user by reading the user ID displayed on the user's smartphone 3 using the reading unit 54.

The benefit inquiry unit 51b performs a process of inquiring the server device 1 about whether or not a benefit is granted for the user associated with the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit 51a. The benefit inquiry unit 51b transmits an inquiry including user ID information to the server device 1 through the communication unit 53, and receives a response including the result of the inquiry from the server device 1. In this embodiment, the inquiry that the benefit inquiry unit 51b sends to the server device 1 is data or a message that includes information about an instruction code to transmit the presence or absence of a benefit as a response and the user ID acquired by the user ID acquisition unit 51a. etc.

The benefit application unit 51c performs a process of applying a service related to the benefit to a user to whom the benefit is granted. If it is determined based on the inquiry from the benefit inquiry unit 51b that a benefit has been granted to the user associated with the acquired user ID, the benefit application unit 51c applies information on the benefit content included in the response from the server device 1. get. The benefit application unit 51c automatically provides a service according to the acquired benefit content. For example, when the benefit content is a discount, the benefit application unit 51c automatically applies the discount rate related to the benefit to the user's purchase amount. Further, for example, if the benefit content is a premium on the point return rate, the benefit application unit 51c automatically applies the premium rate related to the benefit when calculating the points to be provided to the user. For example, if the benefit content requires the work of a limited number of staff, such as the presentation of a free gift, the benefit application unit 51c displays the benefit content on the display unit of the store terminal device 5, etc. Encourage the clerk to perform the task.

<Benefit granting process>
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the privilege code generation process performed by the server device 1 according to the present embodiment. The benefit code generation unit 11a of the processing unit 11 of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment receives input of information such as a benefit name, expiration date, and benefit content regarding a new benefit from an administrator or the like (step S1). The benefit code generation unit 11a generates a benefit code for the received benefit according to a predetermined generation rule (step S2). The benefit code may be generated as a serial number, for example, based on date and time information at the time of generation, or may be generated based on a random number. The benefit code may be information that does not overlap in the benefit DB 12b. The benefit code generation unit 11a associates the generated benefit code with the input information and registers (stores) it in the benefit DB 12b of the storage unit 12 (step S3). Further, the benefit code generation unit 11a outputs the generated benefit code to the administrator by displaying it on the display unit of the server device 1 (step S4), and ends the process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the privilege grant request process performed by the smartphone 3 according to the present embodiment. The privilege code reception unit 31a of the processing unit 31 of the smartphone 3 according to the present embodiment displays an input screen for inputting a privilege code on the display unit 34 (step S11). The privilege code reception unit 31a receives the input of a privilege code by the user on the input screen using the operation unit 35 (step S12).

Next, the identification information transmitting section 31b of the processing section 31 reads out the user ID 32b stored in the storage section 32 (step S13). The identification information transmitting unit 31b transmits a privilege grant request including the user ID read in step S12 and the privilege code received in step S12 to the server device 1 (step S14). After that, the identification information transmitter 31b determines whether or not a response from the server device 1 to the request has been received (step S15). If a response has not been received (S15: NO), the identification information transmitter 31b waits until it receives a response from the server device 1.

When receiving a response from the server device 1 (S15: YES), the identification information transmitting unit 31b determines whether the award is correct or not by checking the information included in the received response (Step S16). If the server device 1 succeeds in granting the benefit (S16: YES), the identification information transmitting unit 31b notifies the user that the benefit has been granted by displaying a message or the like on the display unit 34 ( Step S17), the process ends. If the server device 1 fails to grant the benefit (S16: NO), the identification information transmitting unit 31b notifies the user of the error regarding the granting of the benefit by displaying a message or the like on the display unit 34 (Step S18). , ends the process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the privilege granting process performed by the server device 1 according to the present embodiment. The identification information acquisition unit 11b of the processing unit 11 of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not a request for granting a benefit transmitted from the smartphone 3 has been received (step S31). If a request for awarding a privilege has not been received (S31: NO), the identification information acquisition unit 11b waits until receiving a request for awarding a privilege. When receiving a request for granting a benefit from the smartphone 3 (S31: YES), the identification information acquisition unit 11b acquires the user ID and benefit code included in the received request (Step S32). The identification information acquisition unit 11b determines whether the received benefit code is the correct benefit code by determining whether the acquired benefit code is a benefit code registered in the benefit DB 12b of the storage unit 12. (Step S33).

If it is determined that the benefit code is correct (S33: YES), that is, if the received benefit code is registered in the benefit DB 12b, the benefit code linking unit 11c uses the user ID and the information obtained in step S32. The privilege code is linked (step S34). That is, the privilege code linking unit 11c searches the user DB 12c for the user ID included in the request for award granting, and stores the privilege code included in the request for award granting in association with the searched user ID. Link the user ID and benefit code. The privilege code linking unit 11c notifies the requesting smartphone 3 that the user ID and the privilege code have been linked, that is, that the privilege has been granted to the user (step S35), and ends the process. Further, if it is determined that the code is not correct (S33: NO), that is, if the received benefit code is not registered in the benefit DB 12b, the benefit code linking unit 11c informs the requesting party that an error has occurred regarding granting the benefit. The smartphone 3 is notified (step S36), and the process ends.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of benefit determination processing performed by the store terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment. The user ID acquisition unit 51a of the processing unit 51 of the store terminal device 5 according to the present embodiment acquires the user ID of the user by reading the user ID displayed on the smartphone 3 using the reading unit 54 (step S51 ). The benefit inquiry unit 51b of the processing unit 51 inquires as to whether there are any benefits for this user by transmitting an inquiry including the user ID acquired in step S51 to the server device 1 (step S52). The benefit inquiry unit 51b determines whether or not a response from the server device 1 to this inquiry has been received (step S53). If a response has not been received (S53: NO), the benefit inquiry unit 51b waits until it receives a response.

When receiving a response from the server device 1 (S53: YES), the benefit inquiry unit 51b determines whether or not a benefit has been granted to the user regarding the inquiry, based on the information included in the received response. Determination is made (step S54). If no benefit has been granted (S54: NO), the processing unit 51 ends the benefit determination process and performs payment processing, etc. in the case where there is no benefit. If a benefit is granted S (S54: YES), the benefit application unit 51c of the processing unit 51 acquires information on the benefit content included in the response from the server device 1 (step S55). The benefit application unit 51c provides services such as discounts to the user according to the acquired benefit details (step S56), and ends the benefit determination process.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the benefit determination process performed by the server device 1 according to the present embodiment. The usage information acquisition unit 11d of the processing unit 11 of the server device 1 according to the present embodiment determines whether or not it has received an inquiry about the presence or absence of benefits from the store terminal device 5 (step S71). If the inquiry has not been received (S71: NO), the usage information acquisition unit 11d waits until it receives the inquiry. When receiving an inquiry from the store terminal device 5 (S71: YES), the usage information acquisition unit 11d acquires the user ID included in the inquiry (Step S72).

Next, the benefit extraction section 11e of the processing section 11 refers to the user DB 12c of the storage section 12 using the user ID acquired in step S72, and extracts the benefit code based on whether or not the benefit code corresponding to the user ID is stored. It is determined whether there is a benefit related to the user (step S73). If it is determined that there is no benefit for this user (S73: NO), that is, if the benefit code for the user ID is not registered in the benefit DB 12b, the benefit extraction unit 11e informs the inquiring store terminal device 5 that there is no benefit. Notification is made (step S74), and the process ends.

If it is determined that there is a benefit for this user (S73: YES), that is, if the benefit code corresponding to the user ID is registered in the benefit DB 12b, the benefit extraction unit 11e extracts the benefit from the storage unit 12 based on this benefit code. Information regarding benefits is extracted with reference to the DB 12b (step S75). The benefit determination unit 11f of the processing unit 11 determines whether or not the benefit associated with this benefit code is within its expiration date, based on the validity period information registered in the benefit DB 12b (step S76). If it is within the expiration date (S76: YES), the benefit information output unit 11g of the processing unit 11 notifies the inquiring store terminal device 5 of the information such as the benefit content extracted from the benefit DB 12b in step S75 ( Step S77), the process ends.

If the benefit is not within the expiration date (S76: NO), the benefit determination unit 11f cancels the association between the benefit code and the user ID (step S78). The benefit information output unit 11g notifies the inquiring store terminal device 5 that there is no benefit (step S79), and ends the process.

<Summary>
The benefit management system according to the present embodiment configured as described above grants the user the right to continuously receive a specific service as a benefit. When granting a benefit to a user, the server device 1 acquires the user ID of the user requesting the grant and a benefit code that identifies the benefit, and links the acquired user ID and benefit code to the user DB 12c. Attach and memorize. Note that the benefit code is not issued to each user individually, but is a code that can be used in common by multiple users. After that, when the user uses the granted benefit, the server device 1 acquires the user ID of the user who requests the use of the benefit, and determines whether there is a benefit code linked to the acquired user ID. . If a benefit code linked to the user ID exists, the server device 1 acquires the contents of the benefit related to the benefit code from the benefit DB 12b, and transmits the information such as the acquired benefit contents to the store terminal device 5, etc. By doing so, a specific service corresponding to the content of the benefit is provided to the user associated with the user ID. Thereby, the user can receive the service related to the benefit by presenting the user ID. Further, by reading the user ID using the store terminal device 5 or the like, a bookstore clerk or the like can provide a service related to the benefit without having to judge the content of the benefit granted to the user himself.

Further, in the privilege management system according to the present embodiment, a privilege has a fixed expiration date, and the user is given the right to continuously receive a specific service within the expiration date as a privilege. If there is a benefit code linked to the user identification information, the server device 1 determines whether or not the benefit related to this benefit code is within the expiration date, and if it is within the expiration date, the server device 1 provides the service related to the benefit. provide. If the expiration date has passed, the server device 1 cancels the association between the user ID and the benefit code. These can prevent, for example, benefits such as employee discounts given to a specific company from being continuously applied to employees who have left the company.

In addition, in the benefit management system according to the present embodiment, instead of generating individual benefit codes for each user, for a specific group such as a company or school to which multiple users belong, a benefit code common to the users of the group is generated. Generate code. This facilitates the generation and management of benefit codes.

Further, in the benefit management system according to the present embodiment, the smartphone 3 used by the user stores the user ID of this user and accepts input of a benefit code. The smartphone 3 transmits the stored user ID and the entered benefit code to the server device 1, and requests the provision of a benefit to this user. In response to this, the server device 1 stores the user ID and benefit code received from the smartphone 3 in a linked manner, and provides a benefit to the user. Furthermore, when the user uses a benefit, the smartphone 3 outputs the stored user ID, but there is no need to output the benefit code. At a bookstore, etc., the store terminal device 5 acquires the user ID output by the smartphone 3, and the server device 1 determines whether there is a benefit code linked to the acquired user ID, thereby providing services related to the benefit to the user. can be provided.

Note that in this embodiment, the explanation has been given using discounts, increases in point return rates, etc. as examples of benefits given to users, but the benefits may be any other benefits. Further, although the explanation has been given using a bookstore as an example of a store, the present invention is not limited to this, and any store may be used. Further, although the explanation has been given using companies and schools as examples of groups to which users belong, the present invention is not limited to these, and the groups may be of any type. In addition, the store may include not a physical store but an electronic store such as online shopping. In the case of an electronic store, for example, when a user enters a user ID and password to perform a login process, the server device 1 can acquire the user ID.

Further, in this embodiment, the device used by the user is the smartphone 3, but the device is not limited to this. The device used by the user may be a portable information processing device such as a mobile phone, a tablet terminal device, a game machine, or a laptop personal computer (PC). Further, the device used by the user may not be a device owned by the user, but may be a device installed in a store or the like, for example, a terminal device installed in the store for the user to search product inventory. Furthermore, the user may present, for example, a membership card or the like on which the user ID is printed as a two-dimensional code to the store clerk, and the store clerk may read the user ID printed on the membership card or the like using the store terminal device 5.

(Modification 1)
Further, as a restriction on the benefits, restrictions on stores where the benefits can be received may be set. For example, if the bookstore is a chain store with multiple stores, benefits given to employees of company A can be limited to only stores in the vicinity of company A. In this case, identification information of a store where this benefit can be used is registered in the benefit DB 12b in association with the benefit code. The store terminal device 5 transmits to the server device 1 the user ID acquired from the smartphone 3 and identification information for identifying the store where the store terminal device 5 is installed. The server device 1 acquires the privilege code associated with the user ID received from the store terminal device 5 from the user DB 12c, and acquires the identification information of the store corresponding to this privilege code from the privilege DB 12b. The server device 1 determines whether or not the store identification information received from the store terminal device 5 matches the store identification information acquired from the benefit DB 12b, and if the two pieces of identification information match, the benefit is not used. and disallow use of benefits if they do not match.

(Modification 2)
Further, as a restriction on the benefit, a restriction on products that can use the benefit may be set. For example, instead of applying a benefit to all books sold at a bookstore, it is possible to limit the benefit to products of a specific genre, such as academic books, medical books, or reference books. In this case, information on products for which this benefit can be used is registered in the benefit DB 12b in association with the benefit code. The product information may be, for example, identification information for each product, or may be information indicating, for example, the type of product. The store terminal device 5 transmits to the server device 1 the user ID acquired from the smartphone 3 and information on the product for which the user wants to use the benefit. The server device 1 acquires a benefit code associated with the user ID received from the store terminal device 5 from the user DB 12c, and acquires information on the product corresponding to this benefit code from the benefit DB 12b. The server device 1 determines whether the product information received from the store terminal device 5 and the product information acquired from the benefit DB 12b match or not, and if both pieces of information match, permit the use of the benefit. , if they do not match, the benefit will not be allowed to be used.

<Embodiment 2>
Furthermore, instead of setting restrictions on when a user uses a benefit, restrictions may be placed when giving a benefit to a user. In the benefit management system according to the second embodiment, based on the location information of the smartphone 3, restrictions are placed on the process of granting a benefit, that is, the process of linking a user ID and a benefit code. The smartphone 3 according to the second embodiment acquires its own position information based on GPS (Global Positioning System) when receiving the input of the benefit code. The smartphone 3 transmits the user ID, the benefit code, and the location information to the server device 1 to request grant of the benefit.

In the benefit DB 12b of the server device 1 according to the second embodiment, location information is stored in association with the benefit code. The location information can be, for example, the location of the company providing the benefit. The location information stored in the benefit DB 12b may be information indicating a certain range instead of information indicating one point. The server device 1 that has received the request for granting a benefit from the smartphone 3 acquires the user ID, benefit code, and location information included in this request. The server device 1 refers to the privilege DB 12b based on the obtained privilege code, and acquires the position information corresponding to this privilege code. The server device 1 compares the location information acquired from the benefit DB 12b and the location information acquired from the smartphone 3. Based on both location information, the server device 1 determines whether the smartphone 3 exists within a predetermined location range such as a predetermined location of a company, and only if the smartphone 3 exists within the predetermined location range. , links the user ID and benefit code related to the request.

By restricting the granting of benefits based on such location information, the benefit management system according to the second embodiment makes it possible to ensure that the user requesting the granting of benefits belongs to a group such as a company or school that is eligible for the benefit. It is possible to indirectly determine whether or not there is.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of a benefit grant request process performed by the smartphone 3 according to the second embodiment. The benefit code reception unit 31a of the processing unit 31 of the smartphone 3 according to the second embodiment displays an input screen for inputting a benefit code on the display unit 34 (step S101). The privilege code reception unit 31a receives the input of a privilege code by the user on the input screen using the operation unit 35 (step S102).

Next, the identification information transmitting unit 31b of the processing unit 31 uses the GPS function of the smartphone 3 to obtain location information of the smartphone 3 (step S103). The identification information transmitting unit 31b reads the user ID 32b stored in the storage unit 32 (step S104). The identification information transmitting unit 31b transmits to the server device 1 a privilege grant request including the user ID read in step S104, the privilege code received in step S102, and the location information acquired in step S103 ( Step S105). After that, the identification information transmitting unit 31b determines whether or not a response from the server device 1 to the request has been received (step S106). If a response has not been received (S106: NO), the identification information transmitter 31b waits until it receives a response from the server device 1.

When receiving a response from the server device 1 (S106: YES), the identification information transmitting unit 31b determines whether the award is correct or not by checking the information included in the received response (Step S107). If the server device 1 succeeds in granting the benefit (S107: YES), the identification information transmitting unit 31b notifies the user that the benefit has been granted by displaying a message or the like on the display unit 34 ( Step S108), the process ends. If the server device 1 fails to grant the benefit (S107: NO), the identification information transmitting unit 31b notifies the user of the error regarding the granting of the benefit by displaying a message or the like on the display unit 34 (Step S109). , ends the process.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the privilege granting process performed by the server device 1 according to the second embodiment. The identification information acquisition unit 11b of the processing unit 11 of the server device 1 according to the second embodiment determines whether or not a request for granting a benefit transmitted from the smartphone 3 has been received (step S121). If a request for awarding a privilege has not been received (S121: NO), the identification information acquisition unit 11b waits until receiving a request for awarding a privilege. If a request for granting a benefit is received from the smartphone 3 (S121: YES), the identification information acquisition unit 11b acquires the user ID and benefit code included in the received request (Step S122). The identification information acquisition unit 11b determines whether the received benefit code is the correct benefit code by determining whether the acquired benefit code is a benefit code registered in the benefit DB 12b of the storage unit 12. (Step S123). If it is determined that the code is not correct (S123: NO), that is, if the received benefit code is not registered in the benefit DB 12b, the benefit code linking unit 11c of the processing unit 11 requests that an error has occurred regarding granting the benefit. The original smartphone 3 is notified (step S127), and the process ends.

If it is determined that the benefit code is correct (S123: YES), that is, if the received benefit code is registered in the benefit DB 12b, the benefit code linking unit 11c uses the location information included in the request for granting the benefit. By acquiring the information and comparing it with the location information registered in the benefit DB 12b, it is determined whether the location of the smartphone 3 is the correct location (step S124). If it is not the correct position (S124: NO), the benefit code linking unit 11c notifies the requesting smartphone 3 that an error has occurred regarding granting the benefit (step S127), and ends the process.

When the position of the smartphone 3 is the correct position (S124: YES), the benefit code linking unit 11c links the user ID and the benefit code included in the request for granting a benefit (Step S125). The privilege code linking unit 11c notifies the requesting smartphone 3 that the user ID and the privilege code have been linked, that is, that the privilege has been granted to the user (step S126), and ends the process.

In the benefit management system according to Embodiment 2 having the above configuration, location information corresponding to a specific group such as a company or school is stored in the benefit DB 12b in association with a benefit code. When granting a benefit, the server device 1 acquires the location information of the user's smartphone 3, and determines whether or not the benefit can be granted based on the acquired location information and the stored location information. Thereby, the server device 1 can determine whether the user who requests the granting of a benefit belongs to a group such as a specific company or school, and can grant the benefit. If the user belongs to a specific group, the server device 1 can link the user ID and the benefit code to provide a benefit to this user. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the granting of a benefit using a benefit code that can be used in common by a plurality of users belonging to a group to users other than the group.

In the second embodiment, the server device 1 indirectly determines whether the user belongs to a specific group such as a company or school that has been given a benefit based on the location information of the smartphone 3. However, whether or not a user belongs to a group may be determined using another method. For example, by reading the benefit code with the smartphone 3 and accepting input of the user's employee number, etc., the server device 1 can determine whether the employee number, etc. is correct. In this case, the server device 1 determines whether the employee number input on the smartphone 3 is correct or not by providing a database etc. in which the employee number is registered or by inquiring the company's server device etc. about the correctness of the employee number. can do.

Further, the other configurations of the privilege management system according to the second embodiment are the same as those of the privilege management system according to the first embodiment, so similar parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed explanations are omitted.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered restrictive. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the above-mentioned meaning, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all changes within the scope.

1 Server device (benefits management device)
3 Smartphone (terminal device)
5 Store terminal device 11 Processing section 11a Privilege code generation section 11b Identification information acquisition section 11c Privilege code linking section 11d Usage information acquisition section 11e Privilege extraction section 11f Privilege judgment section 11g Privilege information output section 12 Storage section 12a Server program (computer program )
12b Benefits DB
12c User DB
13 communication section 31 processing section 31a benefit code reception section 31b identification information transmission section 31c user ID output section 32 storage section 32a program (computer program)
32b User ID
33 Communication section 34 Display section 35 Operation section 51 Processing section 51a User ID acquisition section 51b Benefit inquiry section 51c Benefit application section 52 Storage section 52a Program 53 Communication section 54 Reading section 55 Operation section N Network

Claims (7)

A privilege management device that manages privileges of users belonging to a specific group,
a generation unit that generates benefit identification information that is information for identifying the benefit;
an identification information acquisition unit that acquires user identification information that is information for identifying the user from the user and the benefit identification information before using the benefit;
a storage unit that stores the user identification information and the benefit identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit in association with each other;
a usage information acquisition unit that acquires the user identification information from the user when the user uses the benefit;
an extraction unit that refers to the storage unit and extracts a benefit related to the benefit identification information stored in association with the user identification information acquired by the usage information acquisition unit ;
The storage unit stores the benefit identification information and position information regarding the specific group in association with each other,
a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a user who has given an instruction to associate the user identification information and the benefit identification information when the identification information acquisition unit acquires the user identification information and the benefit identification information;
Based on the location information regarding the specific group stored in the storage unit and the location information acquired by the location information acquisition unit, the user identification information and the benefit identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit are a determination unit that determines whether or not to store the information in the storage unit;
A privilege management device further comprising : comprising an output unit that outputs the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit to a store terminal device of a store;
The privilege management device according to claim 1. The storage unit stores the benefit identification information and the expiration date in association with each other,
comprising a determination unit that determines whether the benefit is within the expiration date based on the expiration date associated with the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit;
The privilege management device according to claim 1 or claim 2. The storage unit stores the benefit identification information and store information in association with each other,
comprising a determination unit that determines whether or not the benefit can be used based on information regarding the store associated with the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit;
The privilege management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The storage unit stores the benefit identification information and information related to the product eligible for the benefit in association with each other,
comprising a determination unit that determines whether or not the benefit can be used based on information related to the target product that is associated with the content of the benefit extracted by the extraction unit;
The privilege management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . to the computer,
Generate benefit identification information that is information that identifies benefits of users belonging to a specific group,
Prior to using the benefit, obtain user identification information that is information that identifies the user from the user and the benefit identification information,
storing the acquired user identification information and the benefit identification information in a storage unit in association with each other;
When the user uses the benefit, acquiring the user identification information from the user,
Referring to the storage unit, extracting benefits related to benefit identification information stored in association with the acquired user identification information ;
The benefit identification information and the location information regarding the specific group are stored in the storage unit in association with each other,
When acquiring the user identification information and the benefit identification information, obtain location information of a user who has instructed that the user identification information and the benefit identification information be associated;
Based on the location information regarding the specific group stored in the storage unit and the acquired location information, it is determined whether the acquired user identification information and the benefit identification information are to be stored in the storage unit.
A computer program that executes a process. Generate benefit identification information that is information that identifies benefits of users belonging to a specific group,
Prior to using the benefit, obtain user identification information that is information that identifies the user from the user and the benefit identification information,
storing the acquired user identification information and the benefit identification information in a storage unit in association with each other;
When the user uses the benefit, acquiring the user identification information from the user,
Referring to the storage unit, extracting benefits related to benefit identification information stored in association with the acquired user identification information ;
The benefit identification information and the location information regarding the specific group are stored in the storage unit in association with each other,
When acquiring the user identification information and the benefit identification information, obtain location information of a user who has instructed that the user identification information and the benefit identification information be associated;
Determining whether or not the acquired user identification information and the benefit identification information are to be stored in the storage unit based on the position information regarding the specific group stored in the storage unit and the acquired position information; How to manage benefits.

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