KR20160109402A - Operating method of server and user terminal for providing digital coupon service - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for operating a server and a user terminal to provide a digital coupon service, which issues a digital coupon, and gradationally decreases a benefit of the digital coupon based on setting information related to a decrease in the benefit of the digital coupon and a passed time from an issuing point of the digital coupon.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a digital coupon service, and more particularly,

The following embodiments relate to a server and a method of operating a user terminal for providing a digital coupon service.

Due to the recent economic downturn, a variety of customer attraction and promotion methods are being considered to increase the sales of offline stores. For example, coupons and stamps are often difficult to store and manage and are often lost. In addition, promotional activities through separate applications for each offline store require a lot of cost and effort to develop, install and activate the applications.

Accordingly, there is a need for a more efficient technique for attracting new customers more efficiently for offline stores and inducing returning of existing customers.

According to one embodiment, a method of operating a server includes issuing a digital coupon; And gradually reducing the benefits of the digital coupon based on setting information related to the reduction of benefits of the digital coupon and the time elapsed from the time of issuance of the digital coupon.

Wherein the setting information includes a period during which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases; And a quantity or a rate at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases according to the period.

The setting information includes at least one of a type of an affiliate shop in which the digital coupon is used; And a behavior pattern of a user associated with the type of merchant.

The method of operating the server may further include providing information related to the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon to the user terminal.

The method comprising: receiving a request signal for requesting use of the digital coupon; And processing the request signal based on the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon.

The method comprising: providing an interface to a user terminal to extend the validity period of a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon; And extending the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon when the extension of the validity period is requested through the interface.

The interface may be associated with a function of recommending the digital coupon to another user.

The method of operating the server includes receiving identification information of a recognized user based on a beacon signal transmitted by a merchant of the digital coupon; Determining whether the user joins the service based on the identification information; And providing information for inducing a service subscription to the user terminal according to the determination that the user has not been previously registered.

The method of operating the server includes receiving beacon information associated with a beacon signal from a user terminal and user information associated with the user, wherein the user terminal transmits the beacon information and the user information in response to receiving the beacon signal from the merchant step; Identifying the franchisee based on the beacon information; Identifying the user based on the user information; Confirming a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the user corresponding to the merchant; And providing the merchant with information related to the benefit currently being applied.

Wherein the beacon information is received from a plurality of user terminals, wherein the plurality of user terminals transmit the beacon information in response to receiving a beacon signal of an affiliate shop, Selecting one of the plurality of user terminals based on the strength of the received beacon signal; Confirming a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the selected user corresponding to the merchant; And providing the merchant with information related to the benefit currently being applied.

According to one embodiment, a method of operating a user terminal comprises: receiving a digital coupon; And displaying information related to the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon. The benefit of the digital coupon may be reduced step by step based on the setting information related to the benefit reduction of the digital coupon and the elapsed time from the point of issue of the digital coupon.

Wherein the step of receiving the digital coupon comprises transmitting beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signal to the server in response to receiving the beacon signal transmitted by the merchant; Displaying an interface provided by the server according to an identification result based on the user information, the interface leading to a service subscription associated with a digital coupon; And receiving a digital coupon issued in response to the service subscription being accepted through the interface, wherein the merchant-merchant is identified based on the beacon information.

Displaying an interface that extends the validity period of a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon; And forwarding to the server an extension request for the validity period received via the interface, wherein the interface may be associated with a function of recommending the digital coupon to another user.

The method comprising: transmitting beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signal to a server in response to receiving a beacon signal transmitted by an affiliate; And issuing a new digital coupon. The new digital coupon can be issued by automatically using a digital coupon identified by the server according to a first identification result based on the user information and a second identification result based on the beacon information.

1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a server according to an exemplary embodiment;
2 is a diagram for explaining a method for gradually reducing the benefits of a digital coupon according to an exemplary embodiment;
3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a server according to another embodiment;
4 is a diagram for explaining a method of inducing a service subscription when a user first visits a merchant where a digital coupon is used according to an exemplary embodiment.
5 is a diagram illustrating a method for a server to issue a digital coupon for the first time to a user terminal according to an exemplary embodiment;
6 is a diagram for explaining a method of using a digital coupon according to an embodiment at the request of a user.
7 is a view for explaining a method in which a digital coupon is automatically recognized and used according to an embodiment;
8 is a diagram illustrating a method in which a digital coupon according to an exemplary embodiment is used in a plurality of user terminals.
9 is a diagram illustrating a method for extending the validity period of a benefit currently applied to a digital coupon according to an embodiment;
10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a user terminal according to an exemplary embodiment;

In the following, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements. Various modifications may be made to the embodiments described below. It is to be understood that the embodiments described below are not intended to limit the embodiments, but include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives to them.

The terms used in the examples are used only to illustrate specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the embodiments. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this embodiment belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

In the following description of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant explanations thereof will be omitted. In the following description of the embodiments, a detailed description of related arts will be omitted if it is determined that the gist of the embodiments may be unnecessarily blurred.

1 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a server according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the server issues a digital coupon (110). Here, the digital coupon is a coupon implemented in the form of digital data, for example, a coupon or a stamp provided for promoting sales of an offline store. Digital coupons can be implemented online. For example, digital coupons can be issued and used online through a variety of networks including wired and wireless Internet, cellular networks, and peer-to-peer networks.

The digital coupon may be issued or used in response to a merchant providing the digital coupon service. A digital coupon can be issued to a user terminal, and a user having a user terminal that has issued a digital coupon can receive various benefits based on predefined benefits and cumulative number of visits at the merchant. The digital coupon may include various information such as information on a merchant that can use the digital coupon, a period of use of the digital coupon, and information on a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon.

The server gradually reduces (120) the benefits of the digital coupon issued at step 110 based on the configuration information and the time elapsed from the time of issue of the digital coupon. The benefits of the digital coupon according to one embodiment can be reduced stepwise over time. To maximize the benefits of a digital coupon, the user must use the digital coupon before the benefit is reduced. Thus, the cycle in which the user visits the merchant can be reduced, and the sales of the merchant can be increased.

Hereinafter, embodiments in which the benefit of the digital coupon is reduced by the server for the convenience of explanation will be described, but the benefit of the digital coupon may be reduced by the user terminal in some cases. In this case, the user terminal can update the server with information related to the benefit of the digital coupon currently being applied at the appropriate time.

The configuration information may include information related to the reduction of benefits of the digital coupon. The information associated with the reduction of the benefits of the digital coupon may include information such as, for example, the frequency at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases and the amount or percentage at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases according to the period. The frequency at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases may be, for example, one week, ten days, or one month. For example, the amount of decrease in the benefits of digital coupons may be 5,000 won, 3,000 won, and 1,000 won. The rate at which the benefits of the digital coupon decrease may be, for example, 30%, 20%, or 10%.

Depending on the embodiment, the benefit of the digital coupon may be based on the type of service provided by the digital coupon or the manner in which the service is offered differently (for example, the free food, A method of reducing the number of food or products), and the like.

The server may determine the type of merchant where the digital coupon is used (e.g., a restaurant, a coffee shop, a hair shop, a bar, etc.), a user's behavior pattern associated with that type of merchant (e.g., Etc.), or various combinations thereof.

According to the embodiment, the server may determine the setting information based on the statistical information of the users according to the type of the merchant. The statistical information of the users according to the type of the merchant may include, for example, the number of statistical visits of the user to the merchant, the number of visits per month, the number of visits per predetermined period, the ratio of male and female visitors, Such statistical information may be stored in a database or memory accessible to the server.

Hereinafter, a method by which the server gradually reduces the benefits of the digital coupon will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method of gradually reducing the benefits of a digital coupon according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, a screen of a user terminal displaying a digital coupon according to an embodiment is shown.

The digital coupon may contain information relating to the validity of the benefit currently in effect. Information related to the validity period of the currently applied benefit may include, for example, information about how much of the benefit from the in-store (merchant) will be available for which service, For example, days, hours, etc.). Alternatively, the information related to the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon is stored in the server, and the server may process the use request using the stored information in response to the use request of the digital coupon.

The server according to an exemplary embodiment may provide a differentiated benefit to a user who has issued a digital coupon according to a user's return visit time to an online store, i.e., an affiliate store of the digital coupon service. For example, suppose a server issues a digital coupon for a coffee shop. The digital coupon may be stored in a storage medium of the user terminal or the like. In addition, if a user visits the A coffee shop within 7 days of the first issuance of the digital coupon, a discount of 30% can be provided by the digital coupon.

Such a discount may be reduced as the date increases from the date the user first receives the digital coupon. For example, if the user visits the coffee shop within 8 to 14 days from the date of first issuance of the digital coupon, the server will return 20% to the coffee shop within 15 to 21 days. Can reduce the benefits of digital coupons to provide a 10% discount. Digital coupons may expire 21 days after they were first issued.

The frequency with which the benefits of the digital coupon are reduced and / or the final expiration date of the digital coupon may be determined, for example, by statistical information such as the number of visits of the general user to the merchant and similar types of stores or merchant policies, , Contract duration, and the like.

The server can determine the cycle in which the benefit of the digital coupon is reduced, and the amount or the rate at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases, depending on the type of merchant. For example, the server can determine a shorter period in which the benefit of the digital coupon is reduced, when the type of the merchant is a coffee shop, compared to when the merchant type is a hair salon.

In addition, the server may be configured to determine the frequency at which the benefit of the digital coupon is reduced according to the user's behavior pattern (e.g., visit within a certain period of time) for a particular type of merchant (e.g. coffee shop) The amount or rate of decay can be determined. Depending on the embodiment, the benefit of the digital coupon may be increased as the date increases from the date the user first issues the digital coupon at the merchant, or as the cumulative issue count of the digital coupon increases from the day the digital coupon was first issued .

For example, suppose the server issues a digital coupon for a hair shop. The server is a shop where a digital coupon is used as a hair shop, and a cycle of decreasing the benefit of the digital coupon based on a user's behavior pattern related to a hair shop (for example, the number of visits, Or 2 months, or set the amount (amount) or rate at which the benefits of the digital coupon decrease.

For example, if user A is female and visits hair shop every three months to get a permanent (e.g., 100,000 won), user B is male and cuts (e.g., Let's say you visit the hair shop once a month to get the necessary information.

The server can determine the setting information to give the user A a discount of 20,000 won for a return visit within 50 days and a discount of 10,000 won for a return visit within 70 days. In addition, the server may determine the setting information to give the user B a discount of 3,000 won when returning within 25 days, and a discount of 1,000 won when returning within one month.

As described above, the server may determine the period in which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases for each user and the amount or the rate at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases depending on the service or consumption amount consumed at the previous visit by the user at the merchant.

According to the embodiment, the server can determine the setting information by considering the user's sex, age, occupation, etc. in addition to the behavior pattern of the user related to the type of the merchant.

The user terminal may display an interface that extends the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon and may transmit an extension request of the validity period received via the interface to the server. Here, the interface means a user interface (UI), and may include at least one of an icon and an icon for providing visual information to the user.

The interface for extending the validity period may be, for example, an " extend " button or icon shown in the screen of Fig. An interface that extends the validity period may be associated with the ability to recommend the digital coupon to other users. A method of recommending a digital coupon to another user and extending the validity period of the benefit being applied to the digital coupon will be described with reference to FIG.

3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a server according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, a server according to an exemplary embodiment may receive identification information of a recognized user based on a beacon signal transmitted by a merchant of a digital coupon (310). Here, the beacon signal may be generated by broadcasting identification information recognizable by a user terminal (e.g., a smartphone) using, for example, Bluetooth low energy (BLE) Can be understood as a signal of a device (merchant terminal in this case). The beacon signal can be variously classified into a sound based low frequency beacon signal, an LED beacon signal, a Wi-Fi beacon signal, and a Bluetooth beacon signal according to a method of transmitting a signal.

The server may determine whether the user joins the service based on the identification information received in step 310 (320). If it is determined that the user has not been registered (330), the server may provide information to the user terminal to guide the service subscription (340). The information leading to the service subscription may be, for example, an interface that leads to a service subscription associated with the digital coupon.

The server may receive 350 the beacon information associated with the beacon signal and the user information associated with the user from the user terminal if the user determines 330 that the user is a previously registered user. At this time, the user terminal can transmit beacon information and user information to the server in response to receiving the beacon signal from the merchant terminal.

The server identifies (360) the merchant based on the beacon information received in step (350), and identifies the user based on the user information received in step (350) (370). The server can identify (380) the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the user in response to the merchant identified in step 360 and provide the merchant with information related to the benefit currently applied (390).

In addition, the server reminds the user before the expiration date (for example, two days or one day before) of the expiration date of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon, recognizes whether the user holds the digital coupon, To return to. The reminder can be performed through a push message. The push message may be an electronic message transmitted in a push manner, for example, a mobile instant message, a short message, an e-mail, or the like.

According to one embodiment, the merchant terminal can automatically recognize the issuance or holding of the digital coupon to the user terminal by the low-power Bluetooth (BLE). When the fact that the digital coupon is held is recognized, the screen of the user terminal displays information such as "the coupon has been confirmed" or the " Icon or a " use coupon " button may be displayed.

The digital coupon can be used at the request of the user, for example, by touching the " use coupon " button. At the same time, information on the digital coupon held by the user can be displayed on the screen of the merchant terminal together with the user information of the user who visited the merchant. At this time, the user information may be provided from the server. According to an embodiment, the digital coupon may be used by the merchant terminal automatically recognizing the user terminal by low power Bluetooth (BLE) even if there is no request from the user terminal.

4 is a diagram for explaining a method of inducing service subscription when a user first visits a merchant where a digital coupon is used according to an embodiment. At this time, the user may be, for example, a user having a user terminal such as a smart phone.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a configuration of a system in which a method for deriving a service subscription according to an embodiment is performed. The system may include a server 401, a network 403, a user terminal 405, and a merchant terminal 407.

The server 401 may be, for example, a single server computer or similar system, or a plurality of servers arranged in one or more server banks or other arrangements. The server 401 may be located in a single facility or may be a server "cloud " distributed across many different geographic locations. The network 403 may be, for example, the Internet, intranets, extranets, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wired networks, wireless networks, And may include any combination of two or more of the networks.

The user terminal 405 may be, for example, a terminal, a personal computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a wearable device, Can be implemented.

The merchant terminal 407 may be a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal of the merchant where the digital coupon is used. The user terminal 405 communicates with the merchant terminal 407 through, for example, Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth®, WiFi, LED communication, or RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) .

The user terminal 405 can move to a position where the beacon signal can be received at a position where the beacon signal transmitted from the merchant terminal 407 can not be received. In this case, the user terminal 405 transmits beacon information and user information related to the beacon signal to the server 401 via the network 403 in response to receiving the beacon signal transmitted from the merchant terminal 407 (410) (420).

The server 401 can confirm whether the user of the user terminal 405 joins the service based on the beacon information and the user information (430). The server 401 identifies the affiliated merchant by the beacon information, identifies the user by the user information, and confirms whether the user is a subscriber to the service for the merchant.

If it is determined in step 430 that the user is not a pre-registered user, the server 401 may transmit a message to the user terminal 405 through the network 403 to induce the service subscription (step 440). At this time, the message for inducing the service subscription may include, for example, a "sign up" button or an icon together with a phrase such as "Would you like to join the coupon service at a coffee shop?" When the user selects the 'subscribe' button displayed on the screen of the user terminal 405, the server 401 may provide a separate subscription screen for the digital coupon service.

5 is a diagram illustrating a method for a server to issue a digital coupon for the first time to a user terminal according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 5, an example in which a server issues a digital coupon for the first time in response to a request from a user at an affiliated store is shown. The operation of 510 and 520 in FIG. 5 is the same as that of 410 and 420 of FIG. 4, and therefore, the description of the corresponding portion will be referred to.

The server 501 may request the merchant terminal 507 to confirm the user of the user terminal 505 based on the beacon information and the user information received from the user terminal 505 in operation 530. At this time, the confirmation request for the user may be, for example, a request for confirming whether or not the result of prediction by the server 501 is correct.

The merchant terminal 507 can receive an input for confirming whether or not the prediction result of the server 501 is correct. For example, the merchant terminal 507 can receive the prediction result of the server 501 and provide the information to the clerk so that the identity of the actual user can be confirmed based on the prediction result. The merchant terminal 507 can receive, from the clerk, whether or not the prediction result of the server 501 is correct.

Alternatively, the confirmation request for the user may be a confirmation of whether the user of the user terminal 505 has previously visited, that is, whether the user has been previously registered with the corresponding merchant. The merchant terminal 507 can confirm whether the user is a transaction based on the user information (540). At this time, the merchant terminal 507 can store history information about who visited and when. In some cases, the history information may be stored in the server 601 or stored in the user terminal 605. [

The merchant terminal 507 may request the server 501 to issue a digital coupon (550) according to the result of the check in step 540. In response to the request of step 550, the server 501 may issue a digital coupon to the user terminal 505 (560).

6 is a diagram for explaining a method of using a digital coupon according to an embodiment by a user's request. Referring to FIG. 6, an example in which a digital coupon is used in a merchant terminal 607 in response to a request from a user terminal 605 is shown.

The server 601 may receive a signal requesting the use of the digital coupon from the user terminal 605 (610). The signal requesting the use of the digital coupon can be delivered to the server 601 by the user selecting an interface (e.g., use button) for using the digital coupon displayed on the screen of the user terminal 605. [ According to the embodiment, the server 601 may receive a signal requesting use of the digital coupon from the merchant terminal 607 rather than the user terminal 605. [

The server 601 can confirm the benefits currently applied to the digital coupon (620). At this time, the information about the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon can be updated in real time on the server 601 or stored in the data store of the server 601 upon issuance of the digital coupon. The server 601 may process the request signal requesting the use of the coupon received from the user terminal 605 or the merchant terminal 607 based on the benefit identified in step 620. [

The server 601 may transmit coupon information for the digital coupon to the merchant terminal 607 (630). The merchant terminal 607 can apply the digital coupon according to the coupon information (640).

The server 601 may receive the application of the digital coupon from the merchant terminal 607 (650). The server 601 can cumulatively store and manage information related to the application of the digital coupon (for example, information on the application point of the digital coupon, applicable benefits, information on the affiliated merchant, etc.).

The server 601 can learn the visit period of the user based on the information related to the application of the digital coupon. The server 601 can determine, for example, a period in which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases by shortening the learned visit period by a certain rate. Through this, the server 601 can attract or promote the user's return visit cycle to be accelerated.

The server 601 may issue a new digital coupon to the user terminal 605 (660). At this time, the new digital coupon to be issued may include the same benefit as the previously issued digital coupon, or may include an advantage over the previously issued digital coupon according to the cumulative use of the digital coupon.

7 is a view for explaining a method in which a digital coupon according to an embodiment is automatically recognized and used. 7, an example in which a digital coupon is automatically used by the merchant terminal 707 through confirmation of the server 701 without a separate request from the user terminal 705 is shown.

The user terminal 705 may transmit the beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signal to the server 701 via the network 703 in response to receiving 710 the beacon signal transmitted from the merchant terminal 707 720). The server 701 can check whether the user of the corresponding user terminal 705 is subscribed to the service and whether there is a digital coupon available based on the beacon information and the user information (730).

If it is determined in step 730 that the user of the corresponding user terminal 705 is subscribed to the service and that the digital coupon available in the user terminal 705 exists, the server 701 transmits the user confirmation to the merchant terminal 707 (740). The merchant terminal 707 that received the user confirmation request from the server 701 confirms whether the user is a registered user in the merchant, that is, whether the user is a returning user, a visiting user, etc., and transmits a result to the server 701 (750). Depending on the embodiment, the steps of step 740 and step 750 may be omitted.

In response to the response from the merchant terminal 707, the server 701 confirms the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the user in response to the merchant (760), and provides the coupon information to the merchant terminal 707 (770). For example, the coupon information may include information on whether the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon is a 30% or 20% discount, a 10,000 won discount service, a side menu providing service, and the like. According to the embodiment, the coupon information may be provided to the user terminal 705 in addition to the merchant terminal 707. [

The coupon information and information on the corresponding user are displayed on the screen of the merchant terminal 707 according to the coupon information received in step 770 and the merchant terminal 707 applies the coupon at the time of payment for the corresponding user (780).

8 is a diagram for explaining a method in which a digital coupon according to an embodiment is used in a plurality of user terminals. 8, a server 801 selects one of a plurality of user terminals (a first user terminal 803, a second user terminal 805, and a third user terminal 807) And an example in which the digital coupon of the selected user terminal is automatically used at the merchant terminal 809 is shown.

The merchant terminal 809 may transmit a beacon signal to the plurality of user terminals 803, 805, and 807 (810). In response to receiving the beacon signal transmitted from the merchant terminal 809, the plurality of user terminals 803, 805, and 807 transmits beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signals received by the user terminals 803, 805, and 807 to the server 801 (820).

For example, the first user terminal 803 may transmit the first beacon information and the first user information to the server 801. The second user terminal 805 may transmit the second beacon information and the second user information to the server 801. [ The third user terminal 807 may transmit the third beacon information and the third user information to the server 801. At this time, each beacon information may include the intensity of the beacon signal received at each of the plurality of user terminals 803, 805, and 807. For example, if the strength of the beacon signal is large, it means that the distance between the user terminal and the merchant terminal 809 is close to a small value. That the beacon signal strength is small means that the distance between the user terminal and the merchant terminal 809 is long Can be understood.

The server 801 may select one of the user terminals (e.g., the third user terminal 807) based on the beacon information and the user information received from the plurality of user terminals 803, 805, ). In step 830, the server 801 may select a user terminal having the largest received signal strength indication (RSSI), for example, beacon signal strength included in the beacon information received from the plurality of user terminals 803, 805, have.

The server 801 can confirm whether the third user is subscribed to the service and whether there is a digital coupon available based on the beacon information and the user information of the third user terminal 807. [ If the user of the third user terminal 807 is subscribed to the service and it is confirmed that the digital coupon available to the third user terminal 807 exists, the server 801 requests the merchant terminal 809 to confirm the user (840).

The merchant terminal 809 receiving the user confirmation request from the server 801 confirms whether the third user is the registered user at the merchant and may reply the confirmation result to the server 801 (850). Depending on the embodiment, the steps of step 840 and step 850 may be omitted.

In response to the response from the merchant terminal 809, the server 801 can confirm the benefits currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the selected third user in response to the merchant (860). For example, the server 801 can confirm whether the current discount discount is 30% discount or 20% discount in the digital coupon issued to the third user.

As a result of the check in step 860, the server 801 may provide the coupon information related to the benefit currently applied to the third user to the merchant terminal 809 (870). The merchant terminal 809 may apply the digital coupon according to the coupon information received in step 870 (880). The server 801 may issue a new digital coupon to the third user terminal 807 to which the digital coupon has been applied (890).

9 is a diagram for explaining a method of extending the validity period of a benefit currently applied to a digital coupon according to an exemplary embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, screens 910, 930, and 950 according to each process performed by the user are shown to extend the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the user terminal through recommendation of a friend.

The server may provide an interface to the user terminal that extends the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon. If an extension of the validity period is requested through the interface, the server may extend the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon.

An interface (e.g., an extend button 915) may be displayed on the screen of the user terminal 910 to extend the validity period, together with an instruction to extend the expiration date of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon. At this time, the interface may be associated with a function of recommending a digital coupon to another user.

For example, you might have a phrase like "30% discount is an hour left, introduce your company's coupon and extend the discount period". If the extend by user button 915 is selected, a list of buddies connected to the user terminal 930 may be displayed on the screen 930 of the user terminal.

When the user selects at least one friend from the list of friends and recommends the digital coupon, information on the extended period (for example, two days) is displayed on the screen 930 of the user terminal together with information on the selected friend . At this time, a screen 950 may be displayed on the terminal of a friend recommended for the digital coupon. The screen 950 may display a guide for the digital coupon recommended by the user and an advantage (for example, a use button) for using the digital coupon that has been recommended along with the benefits of the next re-visit.

10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a user terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 10, a user terminal according to an exemplary embodiment may receive a beacon signal transmitted by a merchant (1010).

In response to receiving the beacon signal in step 1010, the user terminal transmits beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signal to the server (1020). The user terminal displays (1030) an interface that leads to a service subscription associated with the digital coupon. At this time, the interface for inducing the service subscription may be provided to the user terminal based on the identification result of the user based on the user information transmitted in step 1020. [

If the service subscription is accepted through the interface displayed in step 1030, the user terminal receives the digital coupon issued corresponding to the merchant (1040). The digital coupon may be stepwise reduced in terms of benefits based on the setting information associated with the reduction of benefits of the digital coupon and the time elapsed from the time of issue of the digital coupon.

Although not shown in the drawings, a server according to an embodiment includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver. The processor may include a issuing unit and a changing unit issuing a digital coupon. The issuing unit can issue a digital coupon. The changing unit can reduce the benefits of the digital coupon step by step based on the setting information and the elapsed time from the point of issue of the digital coupon. The transmitting and receiving unit may receive beacon information and user information from the user terminal, and may transmit the issued digital coupon to the user terminal or the merchant terminal. The memory may store beacon information and user information. In addition, the memory may store statistical data used to determine the configuration information, the user terminal requesting the use of the digital coupon, and the accumulated information for the merchant terminal.

A user terminal according to one embodiment includes a transmitter, a display, and a receiver. In response to receiving the beacon signal transmitted by the merchant terminal, the transmitting unit may transmit beacon information and user information related to the beacon signal to the server. The display may display an interface that leads to a service subscription associated with the digital coupon. At this time, the digital coupon can be provided by the server according to the identification result based on the user information. The display may be, for example, a touch display or a flexible display. If the service subscription is accepted through the interface displayed on the display, the receiving unit can receive the digital coupon issued corresponding to the merchant. At this time, the franchisee can be identified based on the beacon information.

The embodiments described above may be implemented in hardware components, software components, and / or a combination of hardware components and software components. For example, the devices, methods, and components described in the embodiments may be implemented within a computer system, such as, for example, a processor, a controller, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), a digital signal processor, such as an array, a programmable logic unit (PLU), a microprocessor, or any other device capable of executing and responding to instructions. The processing device may execute an operating system (OS) and one or more software applications running on the operating system. The processing device may also access, store, manipulate, process, and generate data in response to execution of the software. For ease of understanding, the processing apparatus may be described as being used singly, but those skilled in the art will recognize that the processing apparatus may have a plurality of processing elements and / As shown in FIG. For example, the processing unit may comprise a plurality of processors or one processor and one controller. Other processing configurations are also possible, such as a parallel processor.

The software may include a computer program, code, instructions, or a combination of one or more of the foregoing, and may be configured to configure the processing device to operate as desired or to process it collectively or collectively Device can be commanded. The software and / or data may be in the form of any type of machine, component, physical device, virtual equipment, computer storage media, or device , Or may be permanently or temporarily embodied in a transmitted signal wave. The software may be distributed over a networked computer system and stored or executed in a distributed manner. The software and data may be stored on one or more computer readable recording media.

The method according to an embodiment may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions to be recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiments or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiments, and vice versa.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. For example, it is to be understood that the techniques described may be performed in a different order than the described methods, and / or that components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, Lt; / RTI > or equivalents, even if it is replaced or replaced. Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (15)

Issuing a digital coupon; And
The step of decreasing the benefit of the digital coupon based on setting information related to the benefit reduction of the digital coupon and the elapsed time from the point of time of issuing the digital coupon
Gt; a < / RTI > server. The method according to claim 1,
The setting information
A period in which the benefits of the digital coupon decrease; And
The amount or rate at which the benefit of the digital coupon decreases according to the period
Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
The setting information
The type of merchant where the digital coupon is used; And
A behavior pattern of a user associated with the above-mentioned type of merchant
/ RTI > is determined based on at least one of < RTI ID = 0.0 > The method according to claim 1,
Providing information related to the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon to the user terminal
Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Receiving a request signal requesting use of the digital coupon; And
Processing the request signal based on a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon
Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Providing an interface to a user terminal to extend the validity period of a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon; And
Extending the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon when the expiration of the validity period is requested through the interface
Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 6,
The interface
And recommending the digital coupon to another user. The method according to claim 1,
Receiving identification information of a recognized user based on a beacon signal transmitted by a merchant of the digital coupon;
Determining whether the user joins the service based on the identification information; And
Providing information for inducing a service subscription to the user terminal in accordance with the determination that the user is not previously registered
Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Receiving beacon information related to a beacon signal from a user terminal and user information associated with the user; receiving the beacon information and the user information in response to receiving the beacon signal from a merchant;
Identifying the franchisee based on the beacon information;
Identifying the user based on the user information;
Confirming a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the user corresponding to the merchant; And
Providing information related to the currently applied benefit to the merchant
Lt; / RTI > The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the beacon information received from the plurality of user terminals, the plurality of user terminals transmits the beacon information in response to receiving the beacon signal of the merchant, and the beacon information includes information of the beacon signal received from the plurality of user terminals Selecting a user of any one of the plurality of user terminals based on at least one of the plurality of user terminals;
Confirming a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon issued to the selected user corresponding to the merchant; And
Providing information related to the currently applied benefit to the merchant
Lt; / RTI > Receiving a digital coupon; And
Displaying information related to the validity period of the benefit currently applied to the digital coupon;
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the benefit of the digital coupon is reduced step by step based on setting information related to the reduction of benefits of the digital coupon and the time elapsed from the time of issue of the digital coupon. 12. The method of claim 11,
The step of receiving the digital coupon
Transmitting beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signal to the server in response to receiving the beacon signal transmitted by the merchant;
Displaying an interface provided by the server according to an identification result based on the user information, the interface leading to a service subscription associated with a digital coupon; And
Receiving the digital coupon issued in response to the service subscription being accepted through the interface, the merchant being identified based on the beacon information;
≪ / RTI > 12. The method of claim 11,
Displaying an interface that extends the validity period of a benefit currently applied to the digital coupon; And
Transmitting an extension request of the validity period received through the interface to a server
≪ / RTI > 12. The method of claim 11,
Transmitting beacon information and user information associated with the beacon signal to the server in response to receiving the beacon signal transmitted by the merchant; And
A new digital coupon, wherein the new digital coupon is issued by automatically using a digital coupon identified by the server according to a first identification result based on the user information and a second identification result based on the beacon information,
≪ / RTI > 15. A computer program stored on a medium for executing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 in combination with hardware.

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