JP7467018B2 - Information processing device and information processing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing device and information processing method for processing information related to product purchases in a virtual space.

Patent document 1 describes a system that displays products in a virtual space, and when a user selects a product in the virtual space, sells the selected product to the user.

JP 2014-139842 A

There can be many stores in a virtual space. Even if a user has shopped at a particular store in the virtual space, there is no guarantee that the user will shop at that store again out of the many other stores available. When a user purchases an item at a particular store in the virtual space, it is desirable to use this opportunity to further stimulate the economy of the economic sphere associated with that store.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and aims to revitalize the economy in the economic sphere associated with the virtual store where the user purchased the product.

The information processing device of the first aspect of the present invention has a reception unit that receives a purchase request from a purchase requester to purchase a product at a virtual store, which is a virtual store within an area in a virtual space, and an output unit that outputs, on condition that the reception unit has received the purchase request, a first instruction to provide the product to the purchase requester, a second instruction to have the purchase requester pay the price of the product to the virtual store, and a third instruction to grant the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in at least one of the area or a real-space area associated with the area.

The output unit may output the third instruction based on at least one of the product, the price of the product, the purchase date and time of the product, and the virtual store.

The output unit may output the third instruction on the condition that the purchase requester uses a specified coupon when purchasing the product.

The output unit may output the third instruction on the condition that the purchase requester has a predetermined relationship with the region or a store in the region associated with the virtual store.

The output unit may further output instructions for the virtual store to pay the operator of the area a price for the purchase requester's purchase of the product at the virtual store.

The information processing device may further include an identification unit that identifies the area as being associated with the area, on condition that the area is operated by a local government having jurisdiction over the area or a business within the area.

The information processing device may further include an identification unit that identifies the area as being associated with the region on the condition that the operator of the virtual store and the operator of a store in the area are the same or have a specified relationship.

Payment by the purchase requester in the virtual store and payment by the purchase requester in the real-world store may be performed using common or mutually associated user identification information for identifying the purchase requester.

The cryptocurrency or the source of the points may be provided by a local government having jurisdiction over the area or a business within the area.

The cryptocurrency or the source of the points may be provided by the local government or business operator that operates the area.

The output unit may further output instructions to grant the cryptocurrency or the points to the purchase requester on the condition that the purchase requester purchases a product at a store in the area.

Payment using the cryptocurrency or the points may be possible in stores within the area in the real world, but may not be possible in stores outside the area in the real world.

Payment using the cryptocurrency or the points may be possible in stores within the area in the virtual space, but may not be possible in stores outside the area in the virtual space.

The second instruction may be an instruction to transfer the cryptocurrency corresponding to the price of the product from the purchase requester's account to the virtual store's account.

The information processing method of the second aspect of the present invention includes the steps of: accepting, by a processor, a purchase request from a purchase requester to purchase a product at a virtual store, which is a virtual store within an area in a virtual space; and outputting, on condition that the purchase request has been accepted in the accepting step, a first instruction to provide the product to the purchase requester, a second instruction to have the purchase requester pay the price of the product to the virtual store, and a third instruction to grant the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in at least one of the area or a real-space area associated with the area.

The present invention has the effect of revitalizing the economy in the economic sphere associated with the virtual store where the user purchased the product.

1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment. A schematic diagram to explain how an information processing system manages crypto assets and points. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining association information. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a user terminal displaying a virtual space. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between a purchase requester, a virtual store, and a manager. 1 is a sequence diagram of an exemplary information processing method executed by an information processing system according to an embodiment.

[Overview of Information Processing System S]
1 is a schematic diagram of an information processing system S according to this embodiment. The information processing system S includes a management server 1 and a user terminal 2. The information processing system S may also include other devices such as servers and terminals.

The management server 1 (information processing device) is a computer that manages information related to the virtual space as well as information related to crypto assets and points that can be used for payment. The management server 1 can communicate with the user terminal 2 via a network.

The virtual space is a virtual space formed on a computer. The virtual space is displayed on the user terminal 2 as an area having an area or volume. The virtual space is divided, for example, into one or more virtual areas. Each virtual area is associated with an operator such as a specific local government or business operator, and is operated by that operator. Within each virtual area, one or more virtual stores are located.

On the other hand, the actual space in which a user lives is called a real space, and a store located in an area in the real space (e.g., a prefecture or a city, ward, town, or village) is called a real store. A virtual area may be associated with a specific area. In this case, the virtual area is operated, for example, by a local government that has jurisdiction over the area or a business within the area.

Using the user terminal 2, a user can access the virtual space via a network such as the Internet and purchase goods at a virtual store using crypto assets, points, or other payment methods. Goods bought and sold at a virtual store include, for example, digital data, services, goods, etc. When a user purchases an item at a virtual store, the virtual store may deliver the item to the user's address in the real world. When a product is sold between two users, the individual user selling the product may be treated as the store.

Crypto assets and points are electronic assets that can be used to pay for goods, etc. Crypto assets and points are electronic assets that are different from legal currency (Japanese yen, US dollars, etc.). Crypto assets and points are associated with a user who holds the crypto assets and points in, for example, a storage device, and are transferred from one user to another when used for payment. Crypto assets and points are issued to users, for example, by a specified local government or business. Crypto assets may be electronic assets backed by legal currency, for example, electronic assets that have the same value and guarantee as legal currency. Crypto assets include, for example, stable coins and digital currencies. Points include, for example, municipal points issued by a specified local government and business points issued by a specified business.

Crypto assets and points are, for example, electronic assets managed by a blockchain. Furthermore, crypto assets and points are not limited to blockchains and may be electronic assets managed by a database or the like. Crypto assets and points are managed in asset units, which are predetermined units used for settlement (for example, circulating units). Hereinafter, the asset unit of crypto assets will be referred to as coins, and the asset unit of points will be referred to as points, but they may be called other names.

The user terminal 2 is an information terminal used by a user who is a purchase requester. The purchase requester is, for example, a user who wishes to purchase a product in a virtual store. The user terminal 2 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The user terminal 2 has an operation unit such as a touch panel or a keyboard for accepting operations, and a display unit such as an LCD display for displaying information. The user terminal 2 is capable of communicating with the management server 1 via a network.

The processing executed by the information processing system S according to this embodiment is outlined below. The management server 1 transmits display information for displaying information about virtual stores in a virtual space to the user terminal 2 (1). The display information includes store information of one or more virtual stores in each virtual area. The user terminal 2 displays the store information of the virtual store in the virtual area in the virtual space on the display unit.

The purchase requester uses the user terminal 2 to specify the product he or she wishes to purchase in the virtual store. The management server 1 accepts a purchase request to purchase the product in the virtual store from the user terminal 2 used by the purchase requester (2).

On the condition that a purchase request is received from the user terminal 2, the management server 1 outputs a provision instruction (3) to provide the product to the purchase requester, a payment instruction (4) for the purchase requester to pay the price of the product to the virtual store, and an assignment instruction (5) to assign cryptocurrency or points usable for payment in the economic sphere associated with the virtual store to the purchase requester. The economic sphere associated with the virtual store is, for example, at least one of the virtual area in which the virtual store is located and an area in real space associated with the virtual area. The virtual store provides the product to the purchase requester in accordance with the provision instruction. The user can use the assigned cryptocurrency or points to purchase the product in the economic sphere associated with the virtual store.

In this way, in response to a purchase requester's purchase of a product at a virtual store in a virtual space, the information processing system S grants the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in at least one of the virtual area in which the virtual store is located and the area in real space associated with the virtual area. This allows the information processing system S to encourage the purchase requester to purchase products again in the economic zone associated with the virtual store where the purchase requester purchased the product, thereby revitalizing the economy in that economic zone.

[Configuration of information processing system S]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an information processing system S according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the arrows indicate the main data flows, and there may be data flows other than those shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, each block indicates a functional configuration, not a hardware (device) configuration. Therefore, the blocks shown in FIG. 2 may be implemented in a single device, or may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data may be exchanged between blocks via any means, such as a data bus, a network, or a portable storage medium.

The management server 1 has a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The management server 1 may be configured by connecting two or more physically separate devices via a wired or wireless connection. The management server 1 may also be configured by a cloud, which is a collection of computer resources.

The communication unit 11 has a communication controller for transmitting and receiving data to and from the user terminal 2 via the network. The communication unit 11 notifies the control unit 13 of data received from the user terminal 2 via the network. The communication unit 11 also transmits data output from the control unit 13 to the user terminal 2 via the network.

The storage unit 12 is a storage medium including a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a hard disk drive, etc. The storage unit 12 pre-stores a program executed by the control unit 13. The storage unit 12 also stores store information for one or more virtual stores in each virtual area in the virtual space. The storage unit 12 also pre-stores association information that associates a virtual area in the virtual space with a region in the real space. The storage unit 12 also pre-stores usable information indicating crypto assets or points that can be used in each of a plurality of virtual areas in the virtual space and a plurality of regions in the real space. The storage unit 12 may be provided outside the management server 1, in which case data may be exchanged between the storage unit 12 and the control unit 13 via a network.

The control unit 13 has a display control unit 131, a reception unit 132, an acquisition unit 133, an identification unit 134, an output unit 135, and an asset processing unit 136. The control unit 13 is a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and functions as the display control unit 131, the reception unit 132, the acquisition unit 133, the identification unit 134, the output unit 135, and the asset processing unit 136 by executing a program stored in the storage unit 12. The processing performed by each of the display control unit 131, the reception unit 132, the acquisition unit 133, the identification unit 134, the output unit 135, and the asset processing unit 136 will be described later.

[Account Description]
First, a method in which the information processing system S manages crypto assets and points will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method in which the information processing system S manages crypto assets and points. The management server 1 manages the crypto assets held by each of a plurality of users in a crypto asset account. The crypto asset account of each of the plurality of users is associated with user identification information (user ID (Identification)) for identifying the user. The management server 1 manages the crypto assets by depositing and withdrawing crypto assets from the crypto asset accounts, or transferring crypto assets between a plurality of crypto asset accounts.

The management server 1 manages crypto assets using, for example, a blockchain with coins as asset units. The management server 1 stores data (blocks) that associate, for example, a user's user ID with the details of transactions in the user's crypto asset account as a blockchain on one or more storage devices on the network. Each block contains one or more transactions indicating that crypto assets have been transferred between users' crypto asset accounts. Each block in the blockchain contains a hash value generated according to specific rules, and the accuracy of the entire blockchain is guaranteed by checking the consistency of the hash values between blocks.

The management server 1 is not limited to a blockchain, and may, for example, store data associating a user's user ID with the crypto assets managed in the user's crypto asset account as a database on the storage unit 12 of the management server 1.

The management server 1 manages the points held by each of the multiple users in a point account. The point account of each of the multiple users is associated with the ID of that user. The management server 1 manages the points by adding and deducting points from the point accounts, or transferring points between the multiple point accounts.

The management server 1 stores, for example, data associating a user's ID with the content of one or more transactions in the user's point account as a database on the storage unit 12 of the management server 1.

Payments using crypto assets or points may be possible in physical stores within a specified area in the real world, but not possible in physical stores outside that area in the real world. Furthermore, payments using crypto assets or points may be possible in stores within a specified virtual area in the virtual world, but not possible in stores outside that virtual area in the virtual world. This allows the information processing system S to restrict the use of crypto assets or points granted to users.

[Description of Association Information]
Next, a description will be given of the association information stored in the storage unit 12. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the association information. The association information is information indicating that a virtual area in a virtual space is associated with a region in a real space.

In the example of FIG. 4, a virtual area in virtual space is associated with a region in real space. The association information indicates that the virtual area is associated with the region, for example, by indicating that the virtual area is operated by a local government that has jurisdiction over the region in real space, or that the virtual area is operated by a business within the region in real space. In this case, the local government that has jurisdiction over the region or the business within the region is, for example, the entity that provides the source of cryptocurrency or points.

Operating a virtual area includes, for example, holding the rights to the virtual area, being granted business rights by the person who holds the rights to the virtual area, being a business operator that operates all the stores located in the virtual area, etc. The association information may be recorded on the blockchain as an NFT (Non-Fungible Token). One virtual area may be associated with multiple regions. Also, multiple virtual areas may be associated with one region.

The association information may also indicate that the virtual area and the region are associated with each other by indicating, for example, that the business operator operating the virtual store in the virtual area and the business operator operating the physical store in the region are the same or have a specified relationship (partnership, control, etc.).

The association information is not limited to the specific relationship described above, but may indicate that the virtual area and the region are associated by a predetermined relationship. For example, when the virtual space is associated in advance with the real space by the virtual space simulating the real space, the association information may indicate that the virtual area and the region are associated by the virtual area (coordinates, etc.) and the region (city, ward, town, village, etc.) being in a predetermined positional relationship.

[Purchase Process Description]
The configuration for the information processing system S to execute a process for allowing a purchase requester to purchase a product from a virtual store will be described below. In the management server 1, the display control unit 131 acquires store information of one or more virtual stores in each virtual area in the virtual area, which is pre-stored in the storage unit 12. The store information includes, for example, the coordinates in the virtual space where the virtual store is located, and information such as the contents and prices of products sold by the virtual store. For example, if the coordinates in the virtual space where a virtual store is located are included in a specific virtual area, the virtual store is located within that virtual area.

The display control unit 131 transmits display information including the acquired store information to the user terminal 2, thereby causing the user terminal 2 to display the store information of the virtual store within a virtual area. The user terminal 2 displays the store information of the virtual store within a virtual area in the virtual space on the display unit according to the display information received from the management server 1.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a user terminal 2 displaying a virtual space. A purchase requester specifies a virtual store by using the operation unit to operate an image (avatar, icon, etc.) corresponding to the purchase requester in the virtual space. The user terminal 2 displays the contents and prices of products sold by the virtual store specified by the purchase requester, based on the store information included in the display information received from the management server 1.

The user terminal 2 accepts the designation of the product that the purchase requester wishes to purchase at the virtual store designated by the purchaser and the payment method (cryptocurrency, points, legal currency, etc.) to be used to purchase the product. In response to a specified operation being performed by the purchase requester, the user terminal 2 transmits a purchase request to the management server 1 to purchase the designated product at the designated virtual store. The purchase request is information indicating, for example, the user ID of the purchase requester, store identification information (store ID) for identifying the virtual store, the product designated by the purchase requester, and the payment method designated by the purchase requester.

In the management server 1, the reception unit 132 receives a purchase request from the user terminal 2. The acquisition unit 133 acquires association information and usable information pre-stored in the memory unit 12. The association information is information indicating that a virtual area in the virtual space is associated with a region in the real space, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The usable information is information indicating crypto assets or points that can be used in each of multiple virtual areas in the virtual space and multiple regions in the real space.

Based on the association information and usable information acquired by the acquisition unit 133, the identification unit 134 identifies crypto assets or points that the output unit 135, described below, will grant to the purchase requester and that can be used for payment in an economic zone related to the virtual store. The economic zone related to the virtual store is, for example, at least one of the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located or a region in real space associated with the virtual area. The identification unit 134 may identify crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in only one of the virtual area or the region.

The identification unit 134, for example, identifies in the availability information the cryptocurrency or points that can be used for payment in the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located.

The identification unit 134 also identifies an area as being associated with a virtual area when, for example, the association information indicates that the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located is operated by a local government that has jurisdiction over the specified area or by a business operator within the specified area. The identification unit 134 also identifies an area as being associated with a virtual area when, for example, the association information indicates that the business operator that operates the virtual store in the virtual area indicated by the purchase request and the business operator that operates the physical store in the specified area are the same or have a specified relationship.

The identification unit 134 may determine whether or not a virtual area in the virtual space is associated with a region in the real space using other criteria, not limited to the specific criteria shown here. For example, the identification unit 134 identifies, in the available use information, crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in a region in the real space associated with the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located.

On the condition that the reception unit 132 has received a purchase request from the user terminal 2, the output unit 135 outputs a provision instruction (first instruction) to provide the product to the purchase requester, a price payment instruction (second instruction) to have the purchase requester pay the price of the product to the virtual store, and an assignment instruction (third instruction) to assign cryptocurrency or points usable for settlement in the economic zone related to the virtual store to the purchase requester. In addition to the provision instruction, price payment instruction, and assignment instruction, the output unit 135 may also output a consideration payment instruction (fourth instruction) to have the virtual store pay the consideration for the purchase requester's purchase of the product in the virtual store to the operator of the virtual area.

Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the purchase requester, the virtual store, and the operator. The provision instruction is, for example, information indicating the product specified by the purchase requester and the user ID of the purchase requester. If the product is an item, the provision instruction may indicate information (such as an address) entered in the user terminal 2 for sending the product to the purchase requester. The output unit 135, for example, transmits the provision instruction to an information terminal associated with the virtual store. In accordance with the provision instruction output by the output unit 135, the virtual store transmits the product, which is digital data, to the purchase requester, provides the product, which is a service, to the purchase requester, or sends the product, which is an item, to the purchase requester.

The payment instruction is, for example, information indicating the amount of the payment method specified by the purchase requester that corresponds to the price of the product specified by the purchase requester, the user ID of the purchase requester, and the user ID of the virtual store (the business that operates the virtual store). The output unit 135, for example, notifies the asset processing unit 136 of the payment instruction. In accordance with the payment instruction output by the output unit 135, the asset processing unit 136 transfers assets (cryptocurrency, points, legal tender, etc.) of the payment method specified by the purchase requester from the account of the purchase requester to the account of the virtual store.

When the payment method specified by the purchase requester is a cryptocurrency, the asset processing unit 136, for example, adds to the blockchain a transaction indicating that one or more coins corresponding to the price of the product will be transferred from the purchase requester's cryptocurrency account to the virtual store's cryptocurrency account.

The grant instruction is, for example, information indicating the cryptocurrency or points that can be used for payment in the economic zone related to the virtual store identified by the identification unit 134, the amount of the cryptocurrency or points, and the user ID of the purchase requester. The output unit 135, for example, calculates the amount of cryptocurrency or points to be granted to the purchase requester from the price of the product specified by the purchase requester using a predetermined calculation formula, and outputs a grant instruction indicating the calculated amount of cryptocurrency or points. For example, the output unit 135 increases the amount of cryptocurrency or points to be granted to the purchase requester as the price of the product increases.

The output unit 135 may output the grant instruction based on at least one of the product specified by the purchase requester, the price of the product, the purchase date and time of the product, and the virtual store specified by the purchase requester. The output unit 135 outputs the grant instruction on the condition that, for example, the product specified by the purchase requester is a predetermined product that has been preset as a target for which cryptocurrency or points are to be granted. The output unit 135 also outputs the grant instruction on the condition that, for example, the price of the product specified by the purchase requester is within a predetermined range (e.g., a predetermined value or more) that has been preset as a target for which cryptocurrency or points are to be granted.

The output unit 135 also outputs the grant instruction on condition that, for example, the purchase date and time of the product specified by the purchase requester is within a predetermined period (such as a campaign period) that has been set in advance as a target for granting cryptocurrency or points. The purchase date and time may be included in the purchase request sent by the user terminal 2, or may be the date and time when the reception unit 132 receives the purchase request. The output unit 135 also outputs the grant instruction on condition, for example, that the virtual store specified by the purchase requester is a predetermined store that has been set in advance as a target for granting cryptocurrency or points. This allows the management server 1 to flexibly adjust the conditions for granting cryptocurrency or points to the purchase requester.

The output unit 135 may output a grant instruction on the condition that the purchase requester has used a specified coupon when purchasing the product. The coupon is, for example, a coupon for receiving cryptocurrency or points, and is granted in advance to a purchase requester who meets specified conditions (for example, having a specified contract, having previously paid at a specified store, having previously purchased a specified product, etc.). The coupon may have a set number of times that it can be used. When purchasing a product, the purchase requester specifies whether or not to use the coupon on the user terminal 2. This allows the management server 1 to switch whether or not to grant cryptocurrency or points to the purchase requester depending on the purchase requester's wishes.

The output unit 135 may output the grant instruction on the condition that the purchase requester has a predetermined relationship with the area associated with the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located, or with the physical store associated with the virtual store. The output unit 135 outputs the grant instruction on the condition that, for example, the purchase requester is a resident of the area associated with the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located. In this case, the output unit 135 determines whether the purchase requester is a resident of the area based on, for example, whether an address previously associated with the user ID of the purchase requester is within the area. This allows the management server 1 to switch whether to grant crypto assets or points to the purchase requester depending on the relationship between the purchase requester and the area associated with the virtual area.

The output unit 135 also outputs the grant instruction on the condition that, for example, the purchase requester has registered as a member at a physical store that is previously associated with the virtual store indicated by the purchase request, or has previously made a payment at the physical store. In this case, the output unit 135 determines, for example, based on the membership registration information or payment information associated with the user ID of the purchase requester, whether or not the purchase requester has registered as a member at a physical store, or whether or not they have previously made a payment at the physical store. This allows the management server 1 to switch whether or not to grant crypto assets or points to the purchase requester, depending on the relationship between the purchase requester and the physical store associated with the virtual store.

The output unit 135, for example, notifies the asset processing unit 136 of a grant instruction. When granting crypto assets to the purchase requester, the asset processing unit 136 transfers the crypto assets from a specified source account in which the original funds of the crypto assets are stored to the crypto asset account of the purchase requester in accordance with the grant instruction output by the output unit 135. The asset processing unit 136, for example, adds to the blockchain a transaction indicating that one or more coins corresponding to the amount to be granted to the purchase requester are transferred from the source account to the crypto asset account of the purchase requester.

When granting points to a purchase requester, the asset processing unit 136 transfers the points from a specified resource account in which the resource of the points is stored to the point account of the purchase requester in accordance with the granting instructions output by the output unit 135. The asset processing unit 136, for example, adds data to the database indicating that one or more points corresponding to the amount to be granted to the purchase requester are to be transferred from the resource account to the point account of the purchase requester.

The source of the cryptocurrency or points stored in the source account is provided, for example, by a local government or business that operates the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located. The source of the cryptocurrency or points stored in the source account may also be provided, for example, by a local government that has jurisdiction over the area associated with the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located, or a business within that area.

As a result, the management server 1 can grant the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in the economic sphere related to the virtual store where the purchase requester purchased the product, thereby encouraging the purchase requester to repurchase the product in that economic sphere.

The output unit 135 may further output a grant instruction to grant the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in at least one of the virtual area or the region, on the condition that the purchase requester purchases a product in a physical store in the region associated with the virtual area. In this way, even if the purchase requester purchases a product in a real-space region associated with the virtual area, the management server 1 can grant the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in the economic sphere related to the virtual store in the virtual area, thereby encouraging the purchase requester to purchase products again in the economic sphere.

The consideration payment instruction is, for example, information indicating the consideration paid by the virtual store to the operator of the virtual area, the user ID of the virtual store, and the user ID of the operator of the virtual area. The consideration is, for example, a specified cryptocurrency or legal tender such as Japanese yen. The output unit 135 calculates the consideration from the price of the product specified by the purchase requester using, for example, a specified calculation formula, and outputs a consideration payment instruction indicating the calculated consideration. For example, the output unit 135 increases the consideration paid by the virtual store to the operator of the virtual area the higher the price of the product.

When the consideration is a cryptocurrency, the output unit 135, for example, notifies the asset processing unit 136 of a consideration payment instruction. The asset processing unit 136 transfers the cryptocurrency from the virtual store's cryptocurrency account to the virtual area operator's cryptocurrency account in accordance with the consideration payment instruction output by the output unit 135. The asset processing unit 136, for example, adds to the blockchain a transaction indicating the transfer of one or more coins corresponding to the consideration from the virtual store's cryptocurrency account to the virtual area operator's cryptocurrency account.

When the consideration is a legal currency, the output unit 135, for example, notifies a bank server of a bank that handles legal currency of a consideration payment instruction. The bank server transfers the consideration from the bank account of the virtual store to the bank account of the operator of the virtual area in accordance with the consideration payment instruction output by the output unit 135.

In this way, the management server 1 can provide compensation to the operator of the virtual area in response to the purchase requester's purchase of a product at the virtual store, thereby increasing the operator's motivation to operate the virtual area.

It is desirable that payment by the purchase requester in the virtual store and payment by the purchase requester in the real store are performed using a common or mutually associated user ID to identify the purchase requester. In this case, payment in the real store is performed using the user ID used for payment in the virtual store or a user ID associated with that user ID, and payment in the virtual store is performed using the user ID used for payment in the real store or a user ID associated with that user ID. In other words, the purchase requester can purchase products in the virtual store using a user ID in the virtual space, and can also purchase products in the real store using that user ID in the real space. This allows the purchase requester to easily purchase products without having to manage user IDs separately in the virtual space and the real space.

[Sequence of information processing method]
7 is a sequence diagram of an exemplary information processing method executed by the information processing system S according to the present embodiment. In response to a predetermined operation being performed by a purchase requester in the virtual space, the user terminal 2 transmits a purchase request for purchasing a specified product in a specified virtual store to the management server 1 (S11).

In the management server 1, the reception unit 132 receives a purchase request from the user terminal 2. The acquisition unit 133 acquires the association information and available information pre-stored in the storage unit 12 (S12).

Based on the association information and usability information acquired by the acquisition unit 133, the identification unit 134 identifies crypto assets or points that the output unit 135 will grant to the purchase requester and that can be used for payment in an economic zone related to the virtual store (S13). The economic zone related to the virtual store is, for example, at least one of the virtual area in which the virtual store indicated by the purchase request is located or a region in real space associated with the virtual area. The identification unit 134 may identify crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in only one of the virtual area or the region.

The output unit 135 outputs a provision instruction to provide the product to the purchase requester on condition that the reception unit 132 has received a purchase request from the user terminal 2 (S14). The output unit 135, for example, transmits the provision instruction to an information terminal associated with the virtual store. In accordance with the provision instruction output by the output unit 135, the virtual store transmits the product, which is digital data, to the purchase requester, provides the product, which is a service, to the purchase requester, or sends the product, which is an item, to the purchase requester.

The output unit 135 also outputs a payment instruction for the purchaser to pay the price of the product to the virtual store (S15). The output unit 135, for example, notifies the asset processing unit 136 of the payment instruction. In accordance with the payment instruction output by the output unit 135, the asset processing unit 136 transfers assets of the payment method specified by the purchaser from the purchaser's account to the virtual store's account.

The output unit 135 also outputs an assignment instruction to assign crypto assets or points usable for payment in the economic zone related to the virtual store to the purchase requester (S16). The output unit 135, for example, notifies the asset processing unit 136 of the assignment instruction. When assigning crypto assets to the purchase requester, the asset processing unit 136 transfers the crypto assets from a specified resource account in which the crypto assets' raw materials are stored to the crypto assets account of the purchase requester in accordance with the assignment instruction output by the output unit 135. When assigning points to the purchase requester, the asset processing unit 136 transfers the points from a specified resource account in which the points' raw materials are stored to the point account of the purchase requester in accordance with the assignment instruction output by the output unit 135.

The output unit 135 also outputs a consideration payment instruction for the virtual store to pay the consideration for the purchase requester's purchase of the product at the virtual store to the operator of the virtual area (S17). If the consideration is cryptocurrency, the output unit 135, for example, notifies the asset processing unit 136 of the consideration payment instruction. The asset processing unit 136 transfers the cryptocurrency from the cryptocurrency account of the virtual store to the cryptocurrency account of the operator of the virtual area in accordance with the consideration payment instruction output by the output unit 135. If the consideration is legal tender, the output unit 135, for example, notifies the bank server of a bank that handles legal tender of the consideration payment instruction. The bank server transfers the consideration from the bank account of the virtual store to the bank account of the operator of the virtual area in accordance with the consideration payment instruction output by the output unit 135.

[Effects of the embodiment]
According to the information processing system S of this embodiment, in response to a purchase requester's purchase of a product at a virtual store in a virtual space, the management server 1 grants the purchase requester crypto assets or points that can be used for payment in at least one of the virtual area in which the virtual store is located and the area in real space associated with the virtual area. In this way, the information processing system S encourages the purchase requester to purchase products again in the economic zone associated with the virtual store where the purchase requester purchased the product, thereby revitalizing the economy in that economic zone.

Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and promote innovation and infrastructure."

Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. For example, all or part of the device can be configured by distributing or integrating functionally or physically in any unit. In addition, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effect of the new embodiment resulting from the combination also has the effect of the original embodiment.

S Information Processing System 1 Management Server 11 Communication Unit 12 Storage Unit 13 Control Unit 131 Display Control Unit 132 Reception Unit 133 Acquisition Unit 134 Identification Unit 135 Output Unit 136 Asset Processing Unit 2 User Terminal

Claims (13)

a reception unit that receives, from a purchase requester, a purchase request to purchase a product at a virtual store located at predetermined coordinates indicating a virtual area having an area or volume generated by dividing a virtual space having an area or volume ;
an output unit which, on condition that the reception unit has received the purchase request, sends a first instruction to a device associated with the virtual store to provide the product to the purchase requester, notifies a device which transfers the payment of a second instruction to have the purchase requester pay the price of the product to the virtual store, and notifies a device which transfers the cryptocurrency or the points of a third instruction to grant the purchase requester cryptocurrency or points which can be used for payment at a plurality of stores located within an area having an area or volume which is part of the virtual space and which is indicated by the specified coordinates;
An information processing device having the above configuration. the output unit outputs the third instruction based on at least one of the product, a price of the product, a purchase date and time of the product, and the virtual store.
The information processing device according to claim 1 . the output unit outputs the third instruction on the condition that the purchase requester has used a predetermined coupon when purchasing the product.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. the output unit outputs the third instruction on the condition that the purchase requester has a predetermined relationship with a real-space area associated with the predetermined coordinates or with a store in the area associated with the virtual store.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The output unit further outputs an instruction for the purchase requester to pay a price for the purchase of the product at the virtual store from the virtual store to a manager of the area indicated by the predetermined coordinates .
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The cryptocurrency or the points are provided by a local government having jurisdiction over the area in real space associated with the specified coordinates or by a business operator within the area.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The cryptocurrency or the source of the points is provided by a local government or business operator that operates the area indicated by the specified coordinates .
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The output unit further outputs an instruction to grant the crypto asset or the points to the purchase requester on the condition that the purchase requester purchases a product at a store in a real-space area associated with the predetermined coordinates .
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. A payment using the cryptocurrency or the points can be made at a store located at the predetermined coordinates in the virtual space, but cannot be made at a store that is not located at the predetermined coordinates in the virtual space.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The second instruction is an instruction to transfer the cryptocurrency corresponding to the price of the product from the account of the purchase requester to an account of the virtual store.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. the reception unit receives the purchase request transmitted from the information terminal in response to the purchase requester operating an image corresponding to the purchase requester in the virtual space displayed on the information terminal;
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. and an asset processing unit that pays the price indicated by the second instruction from an account associated with the purchase requester to an account associated with the virtual store, and grants the cryptocurrency or the points indicated by the third instruction to the account associated with the purchase requester.
3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. The processor executes
receiving, from a purchase requester, a purchase request for purchasing a commodity at a virtual store located at a predetermined coordinate indicating a virtual area having an area or volume generated by dividing a virtual space having an area or volume;
transmitting, on condition that the purchase request has been accepted in the accepting step, a first instruction to provide the product to the purchase requester to a device associated with the virtual store;
a step of notifying a device that transfers the payment of a second instruction for the purchase requester to pay the price of the product to the virtual store, on condition that the purchase request has been accepted in the accepting step;
a step of notifying a device that transfers the crypto asset or the points of a third instruction for granting to the purchase requester crypto asset or points that can be used for payment at a plurality of stores located within an area having an area or volume that is a part of the virtual space and that is indicated by the specified coordinates, on the condition that the purchase request has been accepted in the accepting step;
An information processing method comprising the steps of:

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