JP7512786B2 - Fee collection agent device, program, fee collection agent method, and fee collection agent system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a payment collection agent device, a program, a payment collection agent method, and a payment collection agent system.

Conventionally, sports organizations affiliated with sports associations operate their organizations using membership fees paid by registered members. Members pay membership fees, for example, annually, to an account designated by the sports organization in an amount designated by the organization.
Each organization spends a lot of time and effort on managing the organization, including managing the membership fees paid by members. In addition, there are few organizational staff members involved in management, so there was a need to streamline management operations.

In order to deal with this situation, a system for collecting membership fees and other fees on behalf of an organization's administrator, such as that described in Patent Document 1, is disclosed. Patent Document 1 describes a "payment collection agency system for collecting membership fees and other fees on behalf of an organization's administrator, characterized in that it comprises: a first registration means for registering organization information including at least the organization's transfer account and payment collection method from the organization's administrator's terminal via a network; a second registration means for registering personal information including at least the organization's withdrawal account from the organization's member's terminal via a network; a withdrawal means for withdrawing the payment from the member's account based on the personal information registered in the second registration means; and a transfer means for transferring the payment withdrawn by the withdrawal means to a specified account based on the organization information registered in the first registration means."

JP 2003-162681 A

When collecting membership fees and other charges, it is desirable to have a system that corresponds to the actual payment of membership fees and other charges. In particular, sports organizations are often structured in a hierarchical structure with the central sports organization at the top, and membership fees are specified for each layer, so members are required to pay membership fees at multiple layers. This makes the management of membership fees more complicated in practice.

The present invention aims to provide a fee collection agent device, program, fee collection agent method, and fee collection agent system that can efficiently collect fees even from organizations with complex structures.

The present invention solves the above problems by the following solving means.
The first invention is a fee collection agent device that collects fees, including membership fees, paid by a member to each organization that constitutes a hierarchical structure on behalf of each organization, and is equipped with: an organization information storage unit that stores associations between each organization; a fee information storage unit that stores the fees paid to each organization; a group extraction means that refers to the organization information storage unit to extract a specified group that includes higher-level organizations that are hierarchically related to an organization to which the member belongs; an amount calculation means that refers to the fee information storage unit to identify the fees associated with each organization belonging to the specified group extracted by the group extraction means and calculates a collection amount from the identified fees; an output means that outputs the specified group extracted by the group extraction means and the collection amount calculated by the amount calculation means; and a fee collection means that, when a payment instruction from the member is received, collects the collection amount calculated by the amount calculation means from the member.
A second invention is a payment collection agency device according to the first invention, wherein the payment information storage unit further associates a category indicating a collection method with each organization and stores the payment for the category, and the amount calculation means refers to the payment information storage unit to identify the payment corresponding to the attributes of the member from the payment corresponding to the category associated with each organization belonging to the specified group extracted by the group extraction means, and calculates the amount to be collected from the identified payment.
A third invention is a fee collection agency device according to the first or second invention, further comprising a combination generation means for generating a plurality of combinations according to specified conditions from among the organizations included in the specified group extracted by the group extraction means, wherein the amount calculation means calculates the collection amount for each of the plurality of combinations generated by the combination generation means, and the output means outputs the plurality of combinations generated by the combination generation means and the collection amount corresponding to the plurality of combinations.
A fourth invention is a fee collection agency device in any of the first to third inventions, which is equipped with a collected amount distribution means for distributing the collected amount collected by the fee collection means to each organization included in the specified group corresponding to the collected amount.
A fifth invention is a payment collection agency device which is any of the first to fourth inventions, and which is provided with an input receiving means for receiving input of selection information from the member, and the output means outputs the specified group and the collection amount calculated by the amount calculation means based on the selection information received by the input receiving means.
The sixth invention is a fee collection agency device according to any of the first to fifth inventions, comprising a collection history memory unit which stores collection information including the amount collected by the fee collection means in correspondence with the member, and a confirmation means which confirms the collection status in the specified group extracted by the group extraction means by referring to the collection history memory unit, and the amount calculation means calculates the amount of uncollected as the amount to be collected when the confirmation means confirms that there is an amount uncollected.
A seventh invention is a fee collection agency device in which, in any of the first to sixth inventions, the organizational information storage unit is provided for each member organization, and the group extraction means identifies the organizational information storage unit based on the designation of the member organization, and refers to the identified organizational information storage unit to extract the specified group including the higher-level organization hierarchically related to the one organization to which the member belongs.
An eighth aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to function as any one of the fee collection agent devices according to the first to seventh aspects of the present invention.
A ninth invention is a fee collection agency method in which a computer collects fees, including membership fees, paid by a member to each organization that constitutes a hierarchical structure on behalf of each organization, the method including: a group extraction step in which the computer refers to an organization information storage unit that stores the associations of each organization, and extracts a specified group that includes higher-level organizations that are hierarchically related to an organization to which the member belongs; an amount calculation step in which the computer refers to a fee information storage unit that stores the fees to be paid to each organization, and identifies the fees associated with each organization belonging to the specified group extracted by the group extraction step, and calculates a collection amount from the identified fees; an output step in which the computer outputs the specified group extracted by the group extraction step and the collection amount calculated by the amount calculation step; and a fee collection step in which the computer, when it receives a payment instruction from the member, collects the collection amount calculated by the amount calculation step from the member.
A tenth invention is a payment collection agency system comprising a payment collection agency device according to any one of the first to seventh inventions, and an account management device communicatively connected to the payment collection agency device and managing the funding account of each member, wherein the payment collection means of the payment collection agency device notifies the account management device of the collected amount calculated by the amount calculation means and the member's account information, and the account management device, upon receiving notification from the payment collection agency device, transfers the collected amount from the member's funding account to the funding account of the payment collection agency device.

The present invention provides a fee collection agent device, program, fee collection agent method, and fee collection agent system that can efficiently collect fees even from organizations with complex structures.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fee collection agency system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a fee collection agency server according to the present embodiment. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage unit of a fee collection agency server according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage unit of a fee collection agency server according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a storage unit of a fee collection agency server according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an organizational chart of an organization that uses the fee collection agency service according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the flow of payment in a payment collection agency service according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a payment collection agency process in a payment collection agency server according to the present embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a payment calculation process in a payment collection agency server according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example on a member terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example on a member terminal according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a display example on a member terminal according to the embodiment. 11 is a flowchart showing a payment distribution process in a payment collection agency server according to the embodiment; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example on a member terminal according to a modified embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that this is merely an example, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to this example.
(Embodiment)
<Payment collection agent system 100>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a fee collection agency system 100 according to this embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the fee collection agency server 1 according to this embodiment.
3 to 5 are diagrams showing examples of the storage unit 30 of the fee collection agency server 1 according to this embodiment.

The fee collection agency system 100 is a system that, for example, acts on behalf of sports organizations (membership organizations) of each sport to collect fees, such as membership fees, from members. Here, the service provided by the fee collection agency system 100 is called a fee collection agency service. An organization refers to each of the components that make up an organization. The organizations that make up an organization are structured in a hierarchical manner.

The payment collection agency system 100 comprises a payment collection agency server 1 (payment collection agency device), a member terminal 5 of each member, and a fund account management server 7 (account management device). The payment collection agency server 1, the member terminal 5, and the fund account management server 7 are each connected to each other so as to be able to communicate with each other via a communication network N.

<Payment collection agent server 1>
The fee collection agent server 1 is, for example, a server operated by a company that acts as an agent for collecting fees from members on behalf of each organization. In the following description, this company is also referred to as the operating company.
The fee collection agent server 1 may be configured, for example, by one server, or by multiple servers, or may be a cloud.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fee collection agency server 1 includes a control unit 10 , a storage unit 30 , and a communication interface unit 39 .
The control unit 10 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire fee collection agency server 1. The control unit 10 appropriately reads and executes the OS (Operating System) and application programs stored in the storage unit 30, thereby cooperating with the above-mentioned hardware and executing various functions.

The control unit 10 includes an input reception unit 11 (input reception means), a group extraction unit 12 (group extraction means), a collection status confirmation unit 13 (confirmation means), an amount calculation unit 14 (amount calculation means), an information output unit 15 (output means), a payment instruction reception unit 16, a payment collection processing unit 17 (payment collection means), a collection history update unit 18, and a collected amount distribution processing unit 21 (collected amount distribution means).

The input receiving unit 11 receives input for payment by a member from the member terminal 5 .
Here, the fee collection agency system 100 is premised on the fact that the user, etc., has registered in advance with the organization to which he or she belongs and is a member of that organization. The fees paid by members include membership fees, operating fees, and fees for participating in competitions, but the following explanation will be given for the case where a fee related to an annual membership fee is paid.
Input for payment can be made, for example, by the member selecting (specifying) from one or more options displayed on a screen for making payment (described later) output to the member terminal 5, and in this case the input receiving unit 11 receives the selected information.

The group extraction unit 12 refers to the organization information storage unit 33 described later, and extracts a predetermined group including the organization to which the member belongs and organizations higher than the organization, based on the input received by the input receiving unit 11.
The collection status confirmation unit 13 confirms the collection status of a predetermined group extracted by the group extraction unit 12 by referring to the collection history storage unit 36 described later. The collection status confirmation unit 13 confirms when, to which organization, and how much was collected from the member.

The amount calculation unit 14 refers to the payment information storage unit 34 described later, identifies the payment associated with each organization belonging to the predetermined group extracted by the group extraction unit 12, and calculates the amount to be collected from the identified payment. Since the payment information storage unit 34 associates a payment with each organization, the amount calculation unit 14 can calculate the amount to be collected by extracting the payment corresponding to each organization belonging to the predetermined group from the payment information storage unit 34 and adding them up.
In addition, if the payment information storage unit 34 stores the payment by further associating each organization with a classification indicating the collection method, the amount calculation unit 14 identifies the payment corresponding to the member classification and then calculates the amount to be collected.

Here, when the collection status confirmation unit 13 confirms that there is an uncollected amount, the amount calculation unit 14 calculates the uncollected amount as the amount to be collected. Normally, when a member pays a fee, the fees corresponding to all organizations included in the specified group are uncollected. Therefore, as described above, the amount calculation unit 14 identifies the fees associated with each organization belonging to the specified group and calculates the amount to be collected from the identified fees. On the other hand, for example, if the specified group is changed during the year due to a member moving, some organizations included in the specified group may overlap, and in such a case, only the fees corresponding to the different organizations are uncollected. Therefore, the amount calculation unit 14 calculates the amount to be collected only for the different organizations that are uncollected.

The information output unit 15 outputs information on the specific group extracted by the group extraction unit 12 and the collected amount calculated by the amount calculation unit 14 to the member terminal 5. The member can check the information on the specific group and the collected amount output to the member terminal 5.

The payment instruction receiving unit 16 receives, from the member terminal 5, a payment instruction for the collected amount output to the information output unit 15.
When the payment instruction receiving unit 16 receives a payment instruction, the payment collection processing unit 17 collects from the member the amount to be collected calculated by the amount calculation unit 14. More specifically, the payment collection processing unit 17 transmits the amount to be collected and the member's account information to the fund account management server 7 and requests a payout, so that the fund account management server 7 collects the amount to be collected from the member's account.

The collection history update unit 18 registers the collection information, including the amount collected by the fee collection processing unit 17, in the collection history storage unit 36 (described later) in association with the member. Here, the collection information includes the date and time of collection, information on the organization designated as the payee, etc.
The collected amount distribution processing unit 21 distributes the collected amount collected by the fee collection processing unit 17 to each organization included in a predetermined group corresponding to the collected amount.

The storage unit 30 is a storage area such as a hard disk, a semiconductor memory device, etc. for storing programs, data, etc. required for the control unit 10 to execute various processes.
The memory unit 30 includes a program memory unit 31 , an organization information memory unit 32 , an organization information memory unit 33 , a payment information memory unit 34 , a member information memory unit 35 , and a collection history memory unit 36 .
The program storage unit 31 is a storage area for storing programs. The program storage unit 31 stores various programs including programs for executing various functions of the control unit 10.

The organization information storage unit 32 is a storage area for storing organization information. Here, an organization refers to an entire organization with a hierarchical structure, and in the case of a sports organization, for example, it may be "XXX Association" (where "XXX" is the name of the sport).
3A stores the name of an organization and various information related to the organization using an organization ID (IDentification) as a key. The organization ID is identification information that uniquely identifies an organization.

The organization information storage unit 33 is a storage area that stores organization information including the association of each organization.
The organization information storage unit 33 illustrated in FIG. 4 stores organization information for each organization ID, and stores organization information for a plurality of organizations.
The organization information storage unit 33 stores, for each organization ID, the organization name, the higher-level organization ID, and various information related to the organization, using the organization ID as a key. The organization ID is identification information that uniquely identifies an organization. The combination of the organization ID and the organization ID can uniquely identify an organization of an organization. The organization name is the name of the organization. In this example, the organization is divided into units such as Japan, prefectures, and cities, wards, towns, and villages. The higher-level organization ID is identification information that identifies the organization located immediately above the organization in question.

The payment information storage unit 34 is a storage area for storing payment information to be collected from members.
The fee information storage unit 34 illustrated in FIG. 3B stores an organization ID, an organization ID, a category ID, a category name, and a membership fee in association with each other.
The group ID identifies the group, and the organization ID is identification information that identifies the organization. The category ID is identification information that identifies a category that indicates the collection method, which is further subdivided within the organization. The category identifies the amount of the membership fee, and in this example, the category corresponds to the attributes of the member, such as elementary school student, junior high school student, and working adult. The membership fee is the amount of the annual membership fee.

The member information storage unit 35 is a storage area that stores information about members.
The member information storage unit 35 illustrated in FIG. 5A uses a member ID as a key to store member attribute information such as name, age, and address in association with account information, an organization ID, an organisation ID, etc.
The member ID is identification information that identifies a member. A member's attribute information may include information such as name, age, address, and email address. The account information is information related to the member's account through which membership fees and other charges are paid. The account information is, for example, an account number at a financial institution such as a bank, but may also be a credit card number or other electronic money number. The organization ID and organisation ID are identification information that identify the group and organisation to which a member belongs.

The collection history storage unit 36 is a storage area for storing collection history information.
The collection history storage unit 36 illustrated in FIG. 5(B) stores the collection date and time, the member ID, the collection category, the collected amount, and the distribution processing date in association with each other.
The collection date and time may be, for example, the date and time when the instruction to pay the fee was received, or the date and time when the fund account management server 7 was instructed to collect the fee from the member's account. The member ID is identification information that identifies the member. The collection category is the category of the collected fee, and includes, for example, an organization ID, an organization ID, and a category ID. The collected amount is the amount of the collected fee. The distribution processing date is the date when the collected fee was paid to each organization.

The communication interface unit 39 is an interface for communicating with the member terminal 5, the fund account management server 7, etc. via the communication network N.

<Member Terminal 5>
1 is a terminal used by a member. A member uses the member terminal 5 to perform operations such as member registration and payment to the organization to which the member belongs.
The member terminal 5 is, for example, a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, etc. In Fig. 1, the member terminal 5 is illustrated as a notebook PC.
Although not shown, the member terminal 5 includes a control unit, a storage unit, an input unit, a display unit, and a communication interface unit. The member terminal 5 may include a touch panel display in which the input unit and the display unit are integrated.

<Fund Account Management Server 7>
The fund account management server 7 is a server that manages accounts necessary for fund transfer, such as the member's account, the account of each organization, and the operating company's account. The fund account management server 7 may be, for example, a server that processes the accounts of each financial institution, or an intermediary server that issues instructions to the server that processes the accounts of each financial institution. Based on a request from the payment collection agency server 1, the fund account management server 7 pays out the payment from the member's account and temporarily deposits it into the operating company's account. Then, based on a request from the payment collection agency server 1, the fund account management server 7 pays out the amount to be paid to each organization from the operating company's account and deposits it into each organization's account.
The fund account management server 7 comprises a control unit, a storage unit, and a communication interface unit, which are not shown.
In addition, in FIG. 1, the fund account management server 7 is shown as a single server, but it may be composed of multiple servers. For example, if it is a server that processes accounts for each financial institution, it may be multiple servers belonging to different financial institutions.

Here, a computer refers to an information processing device equipped with a control unit, a memory device, etc., and the fee collection agency server 1, the member terminal 5, and the fund account management server 7 are each information processing devices equipped with a control unit, a memory device, etc., and are included in the concept of a computer.

<Processing Description>
Next, an outline of the process of collecting the fee and distributing it to each organization in response to the member's selection operation will be described.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an organization chart 61 of an organization that uses the fee collection agency service according to this embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the flow of payment in the payment collection agency service according to this embodiment.

Fig. 6 shows an organizational chart 61 shown in a tree form for the organization with the organization ID D1 in the organizational information storage unit 33 shown in Fig. 4. The organizational information storage unit 33 stores data in advance based on the organizational chart 61 when the organization uses the fee collection agency service.
For example, when a member (e.g., member A) who has an address in Shinjuku Ward and belongs to the "Shinjuku Ward XX Association" uses this payment collection agency service to pay a fee, the control unit 10 (group extraction unit 12) extracts a predetermined group 62. The predetermined group 62 includes organization 61c which is the "Shinjuku Ward XX Association," organization 61b which is a higher-level organization of organization 61c, "Tokyo XX Association," and organization 61a which is a higher-level organization, "Japan XX Association."

Then, the control unit 10 (information output unit 15) of the payment collection agency server 1 outputs the details confirmation screen 81 shown in FIG. 7 to the member terminal 5 of member A. The details confirmation screen 81 includes a button 81a for proceeding with the process, an area 81b showing the total amount, and an area 81c showing the details. Area 81c shows the amounts of items 34a, 34b, and 34c of the payment information storage unit 34 (FIG. 3(B)) which correspond to organizations 61a, 61b, and 61c in FIG. 6, respectively. Area 81b is the total amount of each amount in area 81c.

When member A selects button 81a to instruct payment, the control unit 10 (fee collection processing unit 17) processes the total amount from member A's account and deposits the total amount into the operating company's account 71. Member A's account information is stored in advance in the member information storage unit 35 (see FIG. 5(A)).

After that, at a predetermined timing, funds are distributed from the operating company's account 71 to accounts 72 to 74 corresponding to each of organizations 61a to 61c. Here, the predetermined timing may be every time a deposit is made from member A's account to the operating company's account 71, but it is more efficient and desirable to distribute the funds all at once, for example, on a predetermined date once a month.

<Payment collection agency processing>
Next, the details of the process will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the payment collection agency process in the payment collection agency server 1 according to this embodiment.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the fee calculation process in the fee collection agency server 1 according to this embodiment.
10 to 12 are diagrams showing examples of displays on the member terminal 5 according to this embodiment.

The payment collection agency process shown in Figure 8 is a process that, when a member attempts to pay at the member terminal 5, causes the member's personal page screen (not shown) to be output to the member terminal 5 and is initiated by the member's selection operation.
8 (hereinafter, "step S" will be simply referred to as "S") 11, the control unit 10 (input receiving unit 11) of the payment collection agency server 1 receives input for payment. For example, a member's dedicated page screen (not shown) is output to the member terminal 5, and when the member selects an option for paying the membership fee, the selection information is sent from the member terminal 5 to the payment collection agency server 1, and the control unit 10 can receive the input for payment.
In S12, the control unit 10 performs a fee calculation process.

Here, the price calculation process will be described with reference to FIG.
9, the control unit 10 (group extraction unit 12) extracts a predetermined group including an organization to which the member belongs. In the example of member A described above (FIG. 6), member A belongs to organization 61c, and group 62 including organization 61c is extracted from organization 61a.
In S22, the control unit 10 (collection status confirmation unit 13) refers to the collection history storage unit 36 and checks the collection of each organization included in the extracted specified group, thereby checking whether or not there are any duplicate collections.

In S23, the control unit 10 (collection status confirmation unit 13) determines whether there is any duplicate collection. If there is any duplicate collection (S23: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S25. On the other hand, if there is no duplicate collection (S23: NO), the control unit 10 moves the process to S24. For example, if the fee has already been collected from each organization included in the extracted specified group, the control unit 10 determines that there is any duplicate collection. Note that in this example, the fee is an annual membership fee, so the annual membership fee from the previous year is excluded from the duplicate collection.

In S24, the control unit 10 (amount calculation unit 14) acquires the amount corresponding to each organization in the predetermined group by referring to the amount information storage unit 34. Thereafter, the control unit 10 moves the process to S26.
On the other hand, in S25, the control unit 10 (amount calculation unit 14) identifies an unpaid organization among the organizations in the specified group, and obtains the amount corresponding to the identified organization by referring to the payment information storage unit 34.
In S26, the control unit 10 (amount calculation unit 14) adds up the acquired charges to calculate the collected amount. After that, the control unit 10 shifts the process to S13 in FIG.

In S13 of FIG. 8, the control unit 10 (information output unit 15) outputs the payment amount information to the member terminal 5, whereby the payment amount (collected amount) is displayed.
As described above, when a member's personal page screen (not shown) is displayed on the member terminal 5 and the member selects an option regarding payment of membership fees, the member terminal 5 displays, for example, a screen 91 shown in Figure 10 on the display unit.

Screen 91 displays a selectable list of predetermined groups including the organization to which the member belongs. When the member selects option 91a on screen 91, the member terminal 5 displays, for example, screen 92 shown in FIG. 11 on the display unit.
The screen 92 includes a classified amount section 92a. The classified amount section 92a shows selectable categories of organizations included in the selected group and the collected amount corresponding to the category. When the member selects an option 92b on the screen 92, the member terminal 5 displays, for example, a screen 93 shown in FIG. 12 on the display unit.
The screen 93 includes a breakdown amount section 93a. The breakdown amount section 93a corresponds to the selected category and shows the amount for each organization included in the specified group. When the member checks the screen 93 and selects the button 93b, the member terminal 5 will display a confirmation screen (not shown) for payment on the display unit.

In S14 of FIG. 8, the control unit 10 (payment instruction receiving unit 16) judges whether or not a payment instruction has been received from the member terminal 5. When button 93b is selected on screen 93 shown in FIG. 12 described above, the control unit 10 may judge that a payment instruction has been received. When a payment instruction has been received (S14: YES), the control unit 10 moves the process to S15. On the other hand, when a payment instruction has not been received (S14: NO), the control unit 10 remains in this process until a payment instruction is received. Note that when the member does not make a payment, for example, when the "Back" button on screen 93 shown in FIG. 12 is selected, the control unit 10 ends this process.

In S15, the control unit 10 (payment collection processing unit 17) instructs the fund account management server 7 to withdraw the collected amount from the member's account as the payment amount.
In S16, the control unit 10 (payment collection processing unit 17) instructs the fund account management server 7 to deposit the paid-out amount into the operating company's account. The control unit 10 (payment collection processing unit 17) may perform the processes of S15 and S16 simultaneously.
In S17, the control unit 10 (collection history update unit 18) adds a record to the collection history storage unit 36 and registers the collection information including the collected amount. The control unit 10 registers the information up to the collected amount in the collection history storage unit 36. Thereafter, the control unit 10 ends this process.

<Price distribution processing>
Next, the payment distribution process in the payment collection agency server 1 will be described.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the payment distribution process in the payment collection agency server 1 according to this embodiment.
This payment distribution process distributes the payment that has been temporarily deposited in the operating company's account to each organization, and is carried out at a predetermined time, for example once a month.

13, the control unit 10 (collected amount distribution processing unit 21) refers to the collection history storage unit 36 and extracts records for which distribution processing has not been performed. More specifically, the control unit 10 extracts records for which the distribution processing date has not been input from among the records stored in the collection history storage unit 36.
In S32, the control unit 10 (collected amount distribution processing unit 21) calculates the amount to be distributed to each organization based on the extracted record. The control unit 10 calculates the amount to be distributed by adding up the amount paid to each organization for each organization.

In S33, the control unit 10 (collected amount distribution processing unit 21) instructs the fund account management server 7 to transfer the calculated distribution amount from the operating company's account to the account of the relevant organization.
In S34, the control unit 10 (collected amount distribution processing unit 21) updates the extracted records in the collection history storage unit 36. Specifically, the control unit 10 registers the date and time of processing on the distribution processing date for the records to be processed stored in the collection history storage unit 36. Thereafter, the control unit 10 ends this process.
In addition, in order to make it possible to refer to a list of members who have paid the fee from a terminal (not shown) of each organization that can be connected via the communication network N, the control unit 10 may refer to the collection history memory unit 36 and the member information memory unit 35 to generate a list showing the collection status of each member.

As described above, the fee collection agency system 100 of this embodiment has the following advantages.
(1) The fee collection agency server 1 refers to the organization information storage unit 33 to extract a predetermined group including higher-level organizations hierarchically related to an organization to which the member belongs, refers to the fee information storage unit 34 to identify the fees associated with each organization belonging to the extracted predetermined group, calculates the amount to be collected, and outputs the extracted predetermined group and the calculated amount to be collected to the member terminal 5. Furthermore, when a payment instruction is received from the member terminal 5, the calculated amount to be collected is collected from the member.
Therefore, the fee collection agency server 1 can collect fees from members on behalf of each organization. Even if the organizations include organizations with complex hierarchical structures, the fee collection agency server 1 can manage the collection of fees collected by each organization and efficiently collect fees. In addition, because a predetermined group is extracted from the organization to which the member belongs, it is possible to reliably collect fees to be paid to each organization to which the member belongs, without leaving out any organization.

(2) The payment information storage unit 34 further associates each organization with a category indicating the collection method and stores the payment for the category. The payment collection agency server 1 refers to the payment information storage unit 34 and calculates the amount of payment to be collected corresponding to the member's attributes from the fees for the categories associated with each organization belonging to the extracted specified group.
Therefore, even within the same organization, different fees can be set depending on the member's attributes (for example, whether they are an elementary school student, a junior high school student, etc.), and the amount to be collected can be calculated according to the member's attributes, allowing for more detailed settings.

(3) The fee collection agent server 1 distributes the collected amount to each organization included in a predetermined group corresponding to the collected amount.
Therefore, the amount collected from the member can be distributed in the correct amount to the organization to which the member belongs and related organizations, etc.

(4) The fee collection agency server 1 accepts input of selection information from the member, extracts a specified group based on the accepted selection information, calculates the amount to be collected, and outputs it to the member terminal 5.
Therefore, by inputting information by the member, the organization to which the member belongs and organizations in a specified group related to the organization can be extracted and provided to the member including the collected amount. Therefore, the member can check the specified group to which the member belongs and the fee from the member terminal 5 in response to his/her own operation.

(5) The fee collection agency server 1 checks the collection status for a given group by referring to the collection history memory unit 36, and if it finds that there is an uncollected amount, it calculates the uncollected amount as the amount to be collected.
Therefore, if the organization to which a member belongs changes, for example, due to the member moving, only the part of the organization before and after the move that is different from the part before the move is considered uncollected and the uncollected amount needs to be paid, eliminating the need to collect duplicate amounts.

(6) The fee collection agency server 1 identifies the organization information storage unit 33 by referring to the organization information storage unit 32 based on the designation of a sports organization that is a membership organization, and extracts a specified group including higher-level organizations that are hierarchically related to the organization to which the member belongs by referring to the identified organization information storage unit 33.
Therefore, the fee collection agency server 1 is compatible with a plurality of organizations, and each organization can use the fee collection agency server 1 to easily and accurately collect membership fees and other payments from its members.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Furthermore, the effects described in the embodiments are merely a list of the most favorable effects resulting from the present invention, and the effects of the present invention are not limited to those described in the embodiments. Note that the above-mentioned embodiments and the modified forms described below can be used in appropriate combinations, but detailed explanations will be omitted.

(Modifications)
(1) In the present embodiment, the member pays the membership fee for each organization of the group by using the member terminal, and the payment is collected from the member, but the present invention is not limited to this. The member may pay the annual membership fee and other fees for the club on a club basis, where multiple members are gathered. In this case, for example, a record for the club organization may be added to the organization information storage unit, and the organization above the club may be associated with the city, ward, town, or village organization as described above. In addition, the organization ID in the member information storage unit may be set to the club ID. In this way, the payment can be collected from the members on various units. Furthermore, if the membership fee of the club is not paid, the club manager or the like may pay the unpaid membership fee of the members to the organization in a lump sum.
It can also be used when a club manager or the like pays membership fees as a corporation instead of a member. In that case, a corporation classification can be set in the fee information storage unit, and the club manager or the like can perform the operations for payment that were previously performed by members.

(2) In this embodiment, a specific group including the organization to which the member belongs and its higher-level organizations is extracted, and the fee within the specific group is collected, but this is not limited to the above example. For example, a group of organizations that are combinations that include some of the organizations included in the specific group may be generated, and the member may select from the combinations. In this case, the combination generation means of the fee collection agency server generates multiple combinations from the organizations included in the specific group in accordance with specified conditions, and transmits the group of organizations (plans) included in each combination and the amount to be collected to the member terminal. In this way, the member can pay the fee for the combination selected from the combinations.

(3) In the present embodiment, the collection of fees, such as membership fees, has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a process for participating in an event may be performed for a member for whom a fee has been collected.
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of a display on the member terminal 5 according to a modified embodiment, and is an example of a screen related to a search for events in which a member can participate.
The event screen 95 shown in FIG. 14 includes a search section 95a and a result section 95b.
The search section 95a is an area for specifying search conditions for extracting events for members. In this example, it is possible to specify whether to perform a simple search by limiting the search to events that can be applied for, or to search all current events. It is also possible to perform a detailed search by specifying a date, region, etc.
The result section 95b is an area where the search results are output.
Here, when a member specifies something that can be applied for, the control unit of the fee collection agency server may check whether or not the member's fee has been collected by referring to the collection history memory unit, and output to the result unit 95b may be limited to cases in which the fee has been collected.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Fee collection agency server 5 Member terminal 7 Fund account management server 10 Control unit 11 Input reception unit 12 Group extraction unit 13 Collection status confirmation unit 14 Amount calculation unit 15 Information output unit 16 Payment instruction reception unit 17 Fee collection processing unit 18 Collection history update unit 21 Collected amount distribution processing unit 30 Memory unit 31 Program memory unit 32 Group information memory unit 33 Organization information memory unit 34 Fee information memory unit 35 Member information memory unit 36 Collection history memory unit 61 Organization chart 61a, 61b, 61c Organization 62 Group 71, 72, 73, 74 Account 100 Fee collection agency system

Claims (10)

A fee collection agent that collects fees, including membership fees, paid by members to each organization constituting a hierarchical structure on behalf of each organization,
an organization information storage unit that stores associations between organizations;
a payment information storage unit that stores the payment to each organization;
a group extraction means for extracting a predetermined group including a higher-level organization hierarchically related to the organization to which the member belongs by referring to the organization information storage unit;
an amount calculation means for referring to the fee information storage unit, identifying the fee associated with each organization belonging to the predetermined group extracted by the group extraction means, and calculating a collection amount from the identified fee;
an output means for outputting the predetermined group extracted by the group extraction means and the collected amount calculated by the amount calculation means;
a payment collection means for collecting the amount calculated by the amount calculation means from the member when a payment instruction from the member is received;
A fee collection agent device comprising: 2. The payment collection agent device according to claim 1,
The fee information storage unit further associates each organization with a category indicating a collection method, and stores the fee for the category;
The amount calculation means, by referring to the payment information storage unit, identifies the payment corresponding to the attributes of the member from the payment corresponding to the category associated with each organization belonging to the specified group extracted by the group extraction means, and calculates the amount to be collected from the identified payment, a payment collection agency device. In the payment collection agent device according to claim 1 or 2,
a combination generating means for generating a plurality of combinations according to a predetermined condition from among the organizations included in the predetermined group extracted by the group extracting means,
The amount calculation means calculates the collected amount for each of the plurality of combinations generated by the combination generation means,
The output means outputs the plurality of combinations generated by the combination generating means and the collected amounts corresponding to the plurality of combinations. In the fee collection agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The fee collection agent device includes a collected amount distribution means for distributing the collected amount collected by the fee collection means to each organization included in the predetermined group corresponding to the collected amount. In the payment collection agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
an input receiving means for receiving an input of selection information from the member;
The output means outputs the predetermined group and the collected amount calculated by the amount calculation means based on the selection information accepted by the input acceptance means. In the payment collection agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
a collection history storage unit that stores collection information including the amount collected by the fee collection means in association with the member;
a confirmation means for confirming the collection status of the predetermined group extracted by the group extraction means by referring to the collection history storage unit;
Equipped with
The amount calculation means, when it is confirmed by the confirmation means that there is an uncollected amount, calculates the uncollected amount as the amount to be collected. In the fee collection agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The organizational information storage unit is provided for each membership organization,
The group extraction means identifies the organizational information storage unit based on the designation of a membership organization, and by referring to the identified organizational information storage unit, extracts the specified group including the higher-level organization that is hierarchically related to the one organization to which the member belongs, a fee collection agency device. A program for causing a computer to function as a fee collection agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A method for collecting fees, including membership fees, paid by members to each organization constituting a hierarchical structure by a computer on behalf of each organization, comprising the steps of:
a group extraction step in which the computer refers to an organization information storage unit that stores associations between organizations, and extracts a predetermined group including a higher-level organization that is hierarchically related to the organization to which the member belongs;
an amount calculation step in which the computer refers to a fee information storage unit that stores the fee to be paid to each organization, identifies the fee associated with each organization belonging to the predetermined group extracted in the group extraction step, and calculates a collection amount from the identified fee;
an output step in which the computer outputs the predetermined group extracted in the group extraction step and the collected amount calculated in the amount calculation step;
a payment collection step of collecting the amount calculated by the amount calculation step from the member when the computer accepts a payment instruction from the member;
A method of collecting payment on behalf of the customer. A fee collection agent device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
an account management device that is communicatively connected to the payment collection agent device and manages the fund accounts of each member;
A fee collection agency system comprising:
the payment collection means of the payment collection agent device notifies the account management device of the collected amount calculated by the amount calculation means and the member's account information;
A payment collection agency system, wherein the account management device transfers the collected amount from the member's funding account to the funding account of the payment collection agency device in response to receiving a notification from the payment collection agency device.

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