TWI849671B - Electronic apparatus for providing information of pay-later service and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of providing payment information by a first electronic apparatus related to an item sales service, the method comprising, receiving a first request for information on an item from a terminal of a user, identifying whether the user is a target for providing pay-later service-related information based on information of the user and the information on the item, and if the user is a target for providing the pay-later service-related information, providing, in response to the first request, the terminal of the user with a first page including first information related to a pay-later service.

Description

Electronic device and method for providing information of postpaid service

The present invention relates to an electronic device and a method for providing information of a post-paid service. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic device and a method for processing information for providing a post-paid service based on information of a user and information about an item in electronic commerce and providing information related to the post-paid service to the user based on the processed information.

Recently, communication networks and computer technologies such as the Internet have developed rapidly, which has brought many changes to business transactions. Now, e-commerce using the Internet has been actively developed, instead of the existing purchasing option in which a buyer visits an offline store to view the actual items and purchase the items.

Currently, payment options provided for purchasing an item in e-commerce include instant account transfer, credit card payment, mobile phone payment, and the like. However, for instant account transfer, there is a problem that the instant account transfer may not be used when the passbook balance is insufficient. In addition, for credit card payment and mobile phone payment, there is a problem that a user who has difficulty in issuing a credit card and opening a mobile phone may not be able to use credit card payment and mobile phone payment. To compensate for the above problems, a post-paid system has been introduced. However, the currently available post-paid system has problems caused by applying a uniform payment limit and payment options.

In this regard, reference may be made to prior documents such as KR1020150016794A and KR1020190049094A.

[Technical objectives]

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electronic device and method for processing information for providing a postpaid installment service using information obtained based on a user's activity information in a service and information about an item, and providing the user with postpaid service-related information based on the processed information.

Furthermore, the present invention provides an electronic device for providing a user with postpaid service information reflecting various promotions related to an item, and a method thereof. [Technical Solution]

According to one aspect of the present invention, a method for providing payment information via a first electronic device related to an item sales service is provided, the method comprising: receiving a first request for information about an item from a terminal of a user; identifying whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service based on the information of the user and the information about the item; and if the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service, providing a first page containing first information related to a postpaid service to the terminal of the user in response to the first request.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the method for providing payment information further includes identifying whether the user is a target for providing installment payment service information in the postpaid service, wherein if the user is a target for providing installment payment service information in the postpaid service, the first information includes installment payment service related information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the installment payment service-related information includes at least one of information about an installment period and information about an installment interest, and the information about the installment period and the information about the installment interest are determined based on user activity information related to the item sales service, user activity information related to the postpaid service, user credit information, and at least a portion of the information about the item.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the user activity information related to the item sales service includes at least one of the user's usage level of the item sales service, the user's usage category of the item sales service, the user's usage time zone of the item sales service, the user's subscription history for the item sales service, the user's item purchase history in the item sales service, and a payment option used by the user when the user used the item sales service.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the user activity information related to the postpaid service includes at least one of a usage frequency of the postpaid service by the user, a usage category of the postpaid service by the user, an amount spent by the user on the use of the postpaid service, and a repayment history of the user for the postpaid service.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the installment period is determined as a larger value based on a first time period derived from the user activity information related to the item sales service, the user activity information related to the postpaid service and the user credit information, and a second time period derived from the information about the item.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the identification of whether the user is a target for providing the postpaid service-related information includes identifying whether the user subscribes to the postpaid service, and if the user subscribes to the postpaid service, identifying whether the user is a target for providing the postpaid service-related information based on the user's remaining available credit limit for the postpaid service and a value of the item.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service includes, if the user has not subscribed to the postpaid service, identifying whether the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service based on a score determined based on the user activity information related to the item sales service and the value of the item.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the identification of whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service-related information includes identifying the user as a target for providing the postpaid service-related information if the value of the item is less than or equal to the remaining available credit limit of the user for the postpaid service.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the identification of whether the user is a target for postpaid service-related information includes identifying whether the item is a target for promotion if the value of the item is greater than the user's remaining available credit limit for the postpaid service, and if the item is a target for promotion, identifying the user as a target for providing the postpaid service-related information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the item is intended for a promotion, the first information includes information related to the promotion.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the information related to the promotion includes at least one of credit limit information and installment payment information modified in response to applying the promotion.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the identification of whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service-related information further includes determining whether an additional credit limit will be allowed to the user based on at least a portion of the user's activity information related to the item sales service, the user's activity information related to the postpaid service, the user's credit information, and the information about the item if the value of the item exceeds the user's remaining available credit limit for the postpaid service.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the additional credit limit is to be allowed to the user, the additional credit limit is determined as a larger value of a first credit limit derived based on the user activity information related to the item sales service, the user activity information related to the postpaid service, and the user credit information, and a second credit limit derived based on the information about the item.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the identification of whether the user is a target for providing the postpaid service-related information includes, if the item belongs to a first category, identifying the user as a target for providing the postpaid service-related information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the item belongs to a second category, the first information includes the installment service related information.

According to an exemplary embodiment, if the item belongs to a third category, the method further includes excluding the user from a target for providing the postpaid service-related information.

According to another aspect, an electronic device for managing the sale of goods in a service is provided, which includes a transceiver, a memory configured to store instructions, and a processor, wherein the processor is connected to the transceiver and the memory and is configured to: receive a first request for information about an item from a terminal of a user; identify whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service based on the information of the user and the information about the item; and if the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service, provide a first page containing first information related to a postpaid service to the terminal of the user in response to the first request. [Effect]

According to the present invention, an electronic device for providing postpaid service information and a method thereof can provide a user with postpaid service related information based on user activity information in a service and information about an item, and thus can facilitate providing personalized information to each user.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, an electronic device for providing postpaid service information and a method thereof can provide a user with intuitive payment options and thus can encourage the user to purchase items.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail to the extent that those skilled in the art can easily practice the exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, the terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the exemplary embodiments are used as the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art in the field to which the present invention belongs, but these may be changed according to the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technologies, and the like.

In addition, unless otherwise defined in this application, commonly used predefined terms should not be interpreted as having ideal or excessive meanings. In certain cases, there are also terms that are arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, the meanings will be described in detail in the corresponding description. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the content of the present invention rather than the simple names of the terms.

Throughout the present invention, when a part is stated to "include" or "comprise" a particular component, this means that other components may be further included and other components are not excluded unless otherwise stated. As used herein, the singular forms "a/an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, the expression "at least one of a, b, and c" described throughout the present invention may include "only a", "only b", "only c", "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "all a, b, and c".

Although the terms "first", "second" and the like are used to explain various components, the components are not limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. For example, within the scope of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, or similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component.

In addition, terms such as "...portion" and "...module" described in the exemplary embodiments indicate a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which can be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In addition, the exemplary embodiments can be represented by functional block components and various processing steps. Functional blocks can be implemented in any number of hardware and/or software configurations that perform a particular function. For example, an exemplary embodiment can use integrated circuit configurations such as memory, processing, logic and/or lookup tables, which can perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices.

Similarly, the components can be implemented as software programming or software components. Exemplary embodiments can be implemented with a programming or script language such as C, C++, Java, assembly language, etc., including various algorithms implemented as a combination of data structures, procedures, routines or other programming constructs. Functional aspects can be implemented in an algorithm running on one or more processors. In addition, exemplary embodiments can use existing technology to perform electronic environment settings, signal processing and/or data processing. Terms such as "mechanism", "component", "component" and "configuration" can be widely used and are not limited to mechanical and physical components. These terms can include the meaning of a series of software routines associated with a processor or the like.

Each block of the flowchart and/or block diagram, and the combination of blocks in the flowchart and/or block diagram can be implemented by computer program instructions. The computer program instructions can be embodied in a processor of a general-purpose computer or a special-purpose computer, or can be embodied in a processor of other programmable data processing equipment. Therefore, the instructions executed by a processor of a computer or other programmable data processing equipment can produce a portion of the functions described in the flowchart blocks.

Computer program instructions that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a specific manner may also be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory so that the instructions stored in the non-transitory computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture that embeds instruction components that implement the functions specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram.

Computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device to cause a series of operations to be performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide steps for implementing the functions/actions specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram.

In addition, each block diagram may depict a module, segment or portion of a program code that includes at least one or more executable instructions for performing (some) specific logical functions. In addition, it should be noted that the functions of the blocks can be executed in a different order in several modifications. For example, two consecutive blocks may be executed substantially in parallel, or may be executed in reverse order according to their functions.

In the present invention, an "electronic device" or a "terminal" may be implemented as, for example, a computer or a portable terminal capable of accessing a server or another terminal via a network. Here, the computer may include, for example, a notebook computer, a desktop computer and/or a laptop computer equipped with a web browser. The portable terminal may be a wireless communication device that ensures portability and mobility, and includes any type of handheld wireless communication device, such as a tablet PC, a smart phone, a terminal based on communication, such as International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), W-Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE) or the like. In addition, an "electronic device" or a "terminal" according to the exemplary embodiments described above may include a processor, a memory for storing and executing program data, permanent storage (such as a disk drive), a communication port for communicating with external devices, and UI devices (such as a touch panel, keys and buttons).

In the present invention, the method implemented as a software module or algorithm can be stored in a computer-readable recording medium as a computer-readable program code or program instruction that can be executed on a processor. Here, the computer-readable recording medium includes a magnetic storage medium (e.g., ROM, RAM, floppy disk and hard disk) and an optically readable medium (e.g., CD-ROM and DVD). The computer-readable recording medium can be distributed on computer systems connected to each other via a network.

Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When describing the exemplary embodiments, the description of the technical contents that are well known in the technical field to which the present invention belongs and are not directly related to the present invention will be omitted. This is to convey the main idea of the present invention more clearly without blurring the main idea of the present invention by omitting unnecessary descriptions. For the same reason, some elements are exaggerated, omitted or schematically drawn in the accompanying drawings. In addition, the size of each element does not fully reflect the actual size. In the present invention, the same or corresponding elements are assigned the same element symbols.

FIG1 is a diagram showing a system 10 for providing information of a postpaid service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG1 , the system 10 for providing information of a postpaid service may include a user terminal 110, an electronic device 120, a first server 130, and a second server 140. In the system 10 for providing information of a postpaid service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the user terminal 110, the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 may communicate with each other and exchange information through a network.

The user terminal 110 can communicate with the electronic device 120 and the first server 130. A communication mode of the user terminal 110 is not particularly limited, and can include not only a communication mode using a communication network that can be included in a network, but also a local wireless communication network between devices. As an example, the network can include at least one of a personal area network (PAN), a local area network (LAN), a campus area network (CAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a wide area network (WAN), a broadband network (BBN), and the Internet. In addition, the network can include at least one of a bus network, a star network, a ring network, a mesh network, a star bus network, and a network topology including a tree or hierarchical network.

Each of the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 included in the system 10 for providing postpaid service information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a transceiver, a memory, and a processor. In addition, each of the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 may refer to a unit that performs at least one function or operation, which may be implemented through hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the electronic device 120 and the first server 130 are described as separate configurations, but may also be in a logically divided structure, which may be implemented based on separate functions in a single server. However, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the second server 140 refers to a server physically separated from the electronic device 120 and the first server 130 .

According to an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 may include a plurality of computer systems or computer software implemented by a network server. For example, at least a portion of the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 may refer to a computer system or computer software, which is connected to a lower-level device that can communicate with another network server through a computer network (such as an intranet or the Internet), receives a task execution request, executes an operation corresponding to the task execution request, and provides an execution result. In addition, at least a portion of the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 can be broadly understood to include a series of applications that can be operated on a network server and various databases built therein. For example, at least a portion of the electronic device 120, the first server 130, and the second server 140 can be implemented using various network server programs provided according to an operating system (such as a disk operating system (DOS), Windows, Linux, Unix, or Mac operating system (MacOS)).

The electronic device 120 may configure each piece of information into a web page and provide the web page as a service to the user terminal 110. For example, a service provided by the electronic device 120 may be a service for selling items. The electronic device 120 may receive a user's request for item information via the user terminal 110, and the user's request for item information may include user identification information and user item selection information. In response to the user's request for item information, the electronic device 120 may provide information related to the item selected by the user via the user terminal 110. For example, the information related to the item may include at least one of the type of item selected by the user, options related to the corresponding item, a value of the corresponding item, and information related to payment.

The first server 130 may store information about a user who uses a service provided by the self-electronic device 120. The user information may include an application score (AS) of the user, and the AS of the user refers to an internal score of the user in a service determined by reflecting information related to the user's usage history of the service provided by the self-electronic device 120. Information related to the user's usage history of the service may include at least one of a user's usage level of the service, a user's usage category of the service, a user's usage time zone of the service, a user's subscription history to the service, a user's item purchase history in the service, and a payment option used by the user. In an exemplary embodiment, if the number or amount of item purchases by the user in the service is high, and the user mainly uses reliable payment options, the user's AS may be determined to be high.

An AS of a user may be determined by data analysis or machine learning based on information related to a user's usage history. In an exemplary embodiment, if an AS is determined by data analysis based on information related to a user's usage history, the first server 130 may give a score to each item included in the information related to the user's usage history of the service, and determine the AS by adding up the scores given to the items. Alternatively, the first server 130 may determine the AS by comparing each of the items included in the information related to the user's usage history of the service with a threshold value and collecting the comparison results of each item.

At the same time, in an exemplary embodiment, if an AS is determined by machine learning, the machine learning used to determine the AS can be performed based on information related to the user's usage history of the service, and the first server 130 can use one of the machine learning models of an artificial neural network (ANN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recursive neural network (RNN), a feedforward neural network (FNN), decision tree learning, a support vector machine, a genetic algorithm, reinforcement learning, and an autoencoder to determine the AS.

In addition, the user information stored in the first server 130 may include a behavior score (BS) of the user. The BS of the user refers to an internal score of the user in a service determined by reflecting information related to the user's usage history of a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service provided by the electronic device 120. The information related to the user's usage history of a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service may include at least one of a usage frequency of the postpaid service or postpaid installment service by the user, a usage category of the postpaid service or postpaid installment service by the user, an amount spent by the user on the use of the postpaid service or postpaid installment service, and a repayment history of the user for the postpaid service or postpaid installment service. In an exemplary embodiment, if the number of times a user uses a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service or the amount of money spent by the user on the postpaid service or the postpaid installment service is high and there is no overdue history, the user's BS may be determined to be high.

A BS of a user may be determined by data analysis or machine learning based on information related to a user's usage history of a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service. In an exemplary embodiment, if a BS is determined by data analysis based on information related to a user's usage history of a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service, the first server 130 may give a score to each item included in the information related to the user's usage history of a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service, and determine the BS by adding up the scores given to the items. Alternatively, the first server 130 may determine the BS by comparing each of the items included in the information related to the user's usage history of a postpaid service or a postpaid installment service with a threshold value and collecting comparison results for each item.

In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, if a BS is determined by machine learning, the machine learning used to determine the BS can be performed based on information related to the user's usage history of postpaid services or postpaid installment services, and the first server 130 can determine the BS by using one of the machine learning models of an ANN, a CNN, an RNN, an FNN, decision tree learning, a support vector machine, a genetic algorithm, reinforcement learning, and an autoencoder.

In addition, the user information stored in the first server 130 may include user credit information. The user credit information may be provided from the second server 140 at the request of the electronic device 120 or the first server 130. The user credit information may include information about at least one of the user's financial transaction information, a financial transaction period of the user, the user's debt level, the user's loan repayment history, and the user's credit card usage history, and may include quantitative information calculated based on the above information. The first server 130 may provide the electronic device 110 with the stored user information to provide payment information about the item selected by the user.

The second server 140 may include at least one computer device that provides user credit information. For example, the second server 140 may be a server associated with a service for scoring personal credit information. The second server 140 may provide the user credit information to the electronic device 120 or the first server 130 in response to a request for user credit information received from the electronic device 120 or the first server 130. At the same time, the provision of user credit information may be performed from the second server 140 to the electronic device 120 or the first server 130 based on an authorization of the user, and the authorization of the user may be obtained from the user through the user terminal 110. The user's authorization may be transmitted to the second server 140 through the electronic device 120 and the first server 130, or may be directly transmitted from the user terminal 110 to the second server 140.

Providing postpaid service information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been proposed to solve a problem in which a uniform credit limit and options are applied to postpaid services regardless of the user's financial activity history. The postpaid service-related information provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be derived based on the user's personal credit score. In addition, postpaid service information after applying credit limits and installment payment terms that are temporarily adjusted based on various promotions can be provided, which can encourage users to purchase items. A method for implementing the provision of postpaid service information provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining a method for providing information of a postpaid service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In a method of providing postpaid service information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in operation S21, the user terminal 110 may transmit a request for item information input from a user to the electronic device 120. The request for item information may include at least one of user identification information and user item selection information. If the user's request for information about the item is received, in operation S22, the electronic device 120 may request the first server 130 to provide user information. For example, the user information corresponds to the user identification information included in the user's request for information about the item received in the electronic device 120, and specifically, may be at least one of the user's AS, the user's BS, and the user's credit information stored in the first server 130. In operation S23 , the first server 130 may provide the electronic device 120 with the user information in response to the request for the user information from the electronic device 120 .

In operation S24, the electronic device 120 may identify whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service related information based on the user information obtained from the first server 130 and the user item selection information obtained from the user terminal. Whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service related information may be identified through a procedure for viewing individuals and a procedure for viewing items. Viewing individuals is to identify whether a postpaid service is available to a user, and viewing items is to identify whether the postpaid service is available to items selected by the user. In providing postpaid service information provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a specific procedure for viewing individuals and items related to postpaid services will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In operation S25, if the user is identified as a target for providing postpaid service related information, the electronic device 120 may provide payment related information including information about an item selected by the user and postpaid service related information to the user terminal 110. Meanwhile, if the user is not identified as a target for providing postpaid service related information, the electronic device 120 may provide the user terminal 110 with the remaining payment information excluding information about the item selected by the user and postpaid service related information.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining a method for providing information of a postpaid service according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, in a method for providing information of a postpaid service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 illustrates an operation for providing information related to a postpaid installment service to a user if an installment service is applicable. Hereinafter, a detailed description of the configuration and operation overlapping with the content described with reference to FIG. 2 will be omitted.

In a method for providing postpaid service information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, in operation S31, the user terminal 110 may transmit a request for information about an item input from a user to the electronic device 120. In operation S32, if the user's request for information about the item is received, the electronic device 120 may request the first server 130 to provide user information. In operation S33, the first server 130 may provide the electronic device 120 with user information in response to the request for user information from the electronic device 120.

In operation S34, the electronic device 120 may identify whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service related information based on the user information obtained from the first server 130 and the user item selection information obtained from the user terminal. Whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service related information may be identified through a procedure for viewing and items. In providing postpaid service information provided according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a specific procedure for viewing individuals and items related to postpaid services will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

In operation S35, if the user is identified as a target for providing postpaid service related information, the electronic device 120 can identify whether the user is a target for providing installment payment service information based on the user information obtained from the first server 130 and the user item selection information obtained from the user terminal. Whether the user is a target for providing installment payment service information can also be identified by checking a procedure for individuals and items. In providing postpaid service information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a specific procedure for checking individuals and items related to whether to apply installment payment will be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 4 and 5.

In operation S36, if the user is identified as a target for providing information related to the installment payment service, the electronic device 120 may determine an installment payment application condition based on the user information obtained from the first server 130 and the user item selection information obtained from the user terminal. Meanwhile, if the user is not identified as a target for providing information related to the installment payment service, the electronic device 120 may provide the user terminal 110 with payment information that excludes information about an item selected by the user and the installment payment related information but includes post-paid service information.

The installment payment application conditions can also be determined by a process of viewing individuals and items, and a specific process of viewing individuals and items related to the installment payment application conditions will also be described in more detail below with reference to Figures 4 and 5. In operation S37, if an installment payment condition to be provided to the user is determined, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with information about an item selected by the user and information related to the postpaid service and information related to the installment payment service.

FIG4 is a flow chart for explaining a method for identifying whether a user is a target for providing postpaid service information based on user information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, when identifying whether a user is a target for providing postpaid service-related information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG4 is a flow chart for explaining an operation for viewing an individual based on user information.

In operation S410, the electronic device 120 (see FIG. 1 ) may determine whether the user has subscribed to a post-paid service. Whether the user has subscribed to a post-paid service may be determined based on user information stored in the electronic device 120 or the first server 130 (see FIG. 1 ). If the user has subscribed to a post-paid service, the process may proceed to operation S420, and if the user has not subscribed to a post-paid service, the process may proceed to operation S430.

In operation S420, the electronic device 120 may determine whether a user who is an existing member of the postpaid service can use the postpaid service. Whether the user can use the postpaid service may be determined by whether the remaining available credit limit allowed for the user is equal to or greater than a value of an item selected by the user. The remaining available credit limit allowed for the user refers to the remaining portion after subtracting an amount previously paid by the user for using the postpaid service from a credit limit allowed for the user, and the credit limit allowed for the user may be derived based on the user's AS, the user's BS, and at least a portion of the user's credit information.

If the remaining available credit limit allowed for the user is equal to or greater than the value of the item selected by the user, it can be determined that the user can use the postpaid service, and if the remaining available credit limit allowed for the user is less than the value of the item selected by the user, it can be determined that the user cannot use the postpaid service.

Meanwhile, although not shown, if the remaining available credit limit allowed to the user is less than the value of the item selected by the user, the electronic device 120 can determine whether an additional credit limit can be allowed to the user based on the user's AS, the user's BS and at least a portion of the user's credit information. If the additional credit limit can be allowed to the user, the electronic device 120 can compare the sum of the remaining available credit limit and the additional credit limit with the value of the item selected by the user. If the sum of the remaining available credit limit and the additional credit limit is equal to or greater than the value of the item selected by the user, the electronic device 120 can determine that the user can use the postpaid service, and if the sum of the remaining available credit limit and the additional credit limit is less than the value of the item selected by the user, the electronic device 120 can determine that the user cannot use the postpaid service.

In operation S420, if it is determined that the user can use the postpaid service, the process may proceed to operation S440. In contrast, if it is determined that the user cannot use the postpaid service, the process may proceed to operation S470.

Meanwhile, in operation S430, the electronic device 120 may determine whether the user who has not subscribed to the postpaid service can subscribe to the postpaid service. Whether the user who has not subscribed to the postpaid service can subscribe to the postpaid service may be determined based on the user's AS. In addition, the credit limit of the user who has not subscribed to the postpaid service may also be derived based on the user's AS. If it is determined that the user who has not subscribed to the postpaid service can subscribe to the postpaid service, the procedure may proceed to operation S440. In contrast, if it is determined that the user who has not subscribed to the postpaid service cannot subscribe to the postpaid service, the procedure may proceed to operation S470.

In operation S440, the electronic device 120 may determine whether an installment payment is applicable to the user based on the user information. If the user is an existing member of the postpaid service, the electronic device 120 may determine whether the installment payment is applicable based on the user's AS, the user's BS, and at least a portion of the user's credit information. At the same time, for users who have not yet subscribed to the postpaid service, the electronic device 120 may determine whether the installment payment is applicable based on the user's AS. If it is determined that the installment payment service is not applicable to the user, the process may proceed to operation S450, and if it is determined that the installment payment service is applicable to the user, the process may proceed to operation S460.

In operation S450, the electronic device 120 may classify the corresponding user into a first group. The first group is a user group that can use a postpaid service to which installment payment is not applicable. In operation S460, the electronic device 120 may classify the corresponding user into a second group. The second group is a user group that can use a postpaid service to which installment payment is applicable. In operation S470, the electronic device 120 may classify the corresponding user into a third group. The third group is a user group that does not use postpaid services and to which installment payment is not applicable. When the user is classified into one of the first to third groups through operation S450, S460, or S470, and when it is identified whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service-related information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the operation for viewing an individual based on user information ends.

FIG5 is a flowchart for explaining a method for identifying whether a user is a target for providing postpaid service information based on information about an item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, when identifying whether a user is a target for providing postpaid service information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG5 is a flowchart for explaining an operation for viewing an item based on information about the item.

In operation S510, the electronic device 120 (see FIG. 1 ) may determine whether the item selected by the user is a target for applying a postpaid service. For example, the electronic device 120 may determine whether the item corresponds to a target for applying a postpaid service based on the classification of a target for applying a postpaid service stored in the electronic device 120 or the first server 130 (see FIG. 1 ). Specifically, if a promotion related to the corresponding item is run, the corresponding item may be classified as a target for applying a postpaid service. Alternatively, the electronic device 120 may determine that an item with a price of a predetermined amount or more is a target for applying a postpaid service. If the item selected by the user corresponds to a target for applying a postpaid service, the procedure may proceed to operation S520. In contrast, if the item selected by the user does not correspond to a target for applying a postpaid service, the process may proceed to operation S550.

In operation S520, the electronic device 120 may determine whether the item selected by the user is a target for applying the installment payment. For example, the electronic device 120 may determine whether the item corresponds to a target for applying the installment payment based on the classification of the target for applying the installment payment stored in the electronic device 120 or the first server 130. Specifically, if a promotion related to the corresponding item is run, the corresponding item may be classified as a target for applying the installment payment. Alternatively, the electronic device 120 may determine that an item with a price of a predetermined amount or more is a target for applying the installment payment. If the item selected by the user is not a target for applying the installment payment, the program may proceed to operation S530. In contrast, if the item selected by the user is a target for applying the installment payment, the process may proceed to operation S540.

In operation S530, the electronic device 120 may classify the corresponding item into a first category. The first category is an item category for which postpaid service is applicable but installment payment is not applicable. In operation S540, the electronic device 120 may classify the corresponding item into a second category. The second category is an item category for which both postpaid service and installment payment are applicable. In operation S550, the electronic device 120 may classify the corresponding item into a third category. The third category is an item category for which postpaid service and installment payment are not applicable. The items are classified into one of the first to third groups through operation S530, S540 or S550, and when it is identified whether the user is a target for providing postpaid service-related information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the operation for viewing the item based on the information about the item is completed.

When identifying whether a user is a target for providing postpaid service information as described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the electronic device 120 can simultaneously or sequentially perform the individual based on the user information and the item based on the information about the item. At the same time, through the viewing process described with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 , the following situations described in Table 1 may occur. [Table 1] Case 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3 Case 4 Case 5 Case 6 Case 7 Case 8 Case 9 user Group 1 Group 1 Group 1 Group 2 Group 2 Group 2 The third group The third group The third group thing First Category Second Category The third category First Category Second Category The third category First Category Second Category The third category

In case 1 of Table 1, the user is classified into a first group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a first category. Therefore, only one postpaid service is applicable to the user and the item. In this case, the electronic device 120 can provide payment information including postpaid service related information to the user terminal 110 (see FIG. 1).

In case 2 of Table 1, users are classified into a first group, and items selected by the users are classified into a second group. Therefore, only a postpaid service is applicable to the user, but both a postpaid service and an installment payment are applicable to the item. In this case, the corresponding user may be classified as a target for providing postpaid service-related information and installment payment service-related information due to the application of installment payment based on information about an item, and the electronic device 120 may provide the user terminal 110 with payment information including installment payment service-related information in addition to postpaid service-related information.

In this case, the installment payment service information may include installment payment period information and installment payment interest information that can be provided to the user, and the application of the installment payment in case 2 is based on information about an item, and thus an installment payment application condition corresponding to the information about the item can be applied. For example, if the application of the installment payment in case 2 is due to a promotion that can be applied to the item selected by the user, the installment payment application condition can be determined by the installment payment period and installment payment interest provided by the promotion.

In case 3 of Table 1, the user is classified into a first group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a third category. Therefore, a postpaid service is applicable to the user, but neither a postpaid service nor an installment payment is applicable to the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with the remaining payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

In case 4 of Table 1, the user is classified into a second group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a first category. Therefore, both a postpaid service and an installment payment service are applicable to the user, but only a postpaid service is applicable to the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information including at least one of the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

In this case, the installment payment service information may include installment payment period information and installment payment interest information that can be provided to the user, and the application of the installment payment in case 4 is based on the user information, and therefore an installment payment application condition corresponding to the user information can be applied. For example, the installment payment application condition can be determined based on the user's AS, the user's BS, and at least a portion of the user's credit information, and the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with information on the installment payment application condition determined based on the postpaid service information and the user information. Alternatively, if it is impossible to apply the installment payment to the corresponding item regardless of the user information, the electronic device 120 can only provide the user terminal 110 with the postpaid service information.

In case 5 of Table 1, the user is classified into a second group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a second category. Therefore, both a postpaid service and an installment payment service can be applied to both the user and the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information including postpaid service information and installment payment service information.

In this case, the installment payment service information may include information related to the installment payment period and the installment payment interest, and the installment payment service information derived based on the user information or the installment payment service information derived based on the information about an item may be provided to the user terminal 110. For example, if the installment payment period derived based on the user information (the user's AS, the user's BS, and at least a portion of the user's credit information) is a first time period, and the installment payment period derived based on the information about the item (applied for promotion of the corresponding item) is a second time period, then the user terminal 110 may be provided with information of the larger value of the first time period and the second time period.

In case 6 of Table 1, the user is classified into a second group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a third category. Therefore, a postpaid service and an installment payment service are applicable to the user, but the postpaid service and the installment payment service are not applicable to the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information including the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information, or payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

In this case, the installment payment service information may include information about the installment payment period and installment payment interest that can be provided to the user, and the application of the installment payment in case 6 is based on the user information, and therefore an installment payment application condition corresponding to the user information can be applied, and the electronic device 120 may provide the user terminal 110 with the postpaid service information and the information of the installment payment application condition determined based on the user information. Alternatively, if it is impossible to provide the postpaid service and apply the installment payment to the corresponding item regardless of the user information, the electronic device 120 may provide the user terminal 110 with only the remaining payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

In case 7 of Table 1, the user is classified into a third group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a first category. Therefore, a postpaid service and an installment payment service are not applicable to the user, but the postpaid service is applicable to the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information including postpaid service information, or payment information excluding postpaid service information and installment payment service information.

The application of the postpaid service in Case 7 is based on information about an item, and the postpaid service information corresponding to the information about the item can be provided to the user terminal 110 by the electronic device 120. Alternatively, if it is impossible to provide the postpaid service regardless of the information about the item, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment service information.

In case 8 of Table 1, the user is classified into a third group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a second category. Therefore, a postpaid service and an installment payment service are not applicable to the user, but the postpaid service and the installment payment service are applicable to the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information including the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information, or payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

The application of the postpaid service in Case 8 is based on information about an item, and the postpaid service information corresponding to the information about the item may be provided to the user terminal 110 through the electronic device 120. For example, if the postpaid service is applied due to a promotion applied to the item selected by the user, the postpaid service-related information and the installment service-related information may be provided to the user terminal 110 through the electronic device 120. In addition, information indicating that the postpaid service and the installment service have been applied based on the information about the item may be provided to the user terminal 110 through the electronic device 120. Alternatively, if it is impossible to provide the postpaid service regardless of the information about the item, the electronic device 120 may provide the user terminal 110 with payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

In case 9 of Table 1, the user is classified into a third group, and the item selected by the user is classified into a third category. Therefore, a postpaid service and an installment payment service are not applicable to the user, and the postpaid service and the installment payment service are also not applicable to the item. Therefore, the electronic device 120 can provide the user terminal 110 with payment information excluding the postpaid service information and the installment payment service information.

6A to 6D are diagrams each showing a UI provided to the user terminal 110 (see FIG. 1 ) to provide payment information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

6A is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 (see FIG. 1 ) to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's (if the user is not a target for applying a postpaid service and installment payment) request for information about an item. Referring to FIG. 6A , information about the item corresponding to the user's request and a first payment information 610 are displayed on the page, and the first payment information 610 may include only the remaining payment information excluding the postpaid service and installment payment service.

6B is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's request for information about an item (if the user is a target for applying a postpaid service rather than a target for applying installment payment). Referring to FIG. 6B, information about the item and a second payment information 620 corresponding to the user's request are displayed on the page, and the second payment information 620 may include other payment information including the postpaid service.

6C is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's request for information about an item (if the user is a target for applying a postpaid service and installment payment). Referring to FIG. 6C, information about the item corresponding to the user's request and a third payment information 630 are displayed on the page, and the third payment information 630 may include other payment information including postpaid service related information and installment payment related information.

6D is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's request for information about an item (if the user is a target for applying a postpaid service and installment payment). Referring to FIG. 6D, information about the item and a fourth payment information 640 corresponding to the user's request are displayed on the page, and the fourth payment information 640 may include information about a monthly installment to be paid by the user in addition to other payment information including postpaid service related information and installment payment related information.

7A to 7C are diagrams each showing a UI provided to the user terminal 110 (see FIG. 1 ) for providing payment information based on information about an item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG7A is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 (see FIG1 ) to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's request for information about an item (if the user is identified as a target for applying a postpaid service based on information about the item (such as a promotional application)). Referring to FIG7A , information about the item and a first payment information 710 corresponding to the user's request are displayed on the page, and the first payment information 710 may include a logo indicating that the postpaid service is provided through the promotional application in addition to the postpaid service related information.

FIG7B is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's request for information about an item if the user is identified as a target for applying a postpaid service and an installment payment service based on information about the item (such as a promotional application). Referring to FIG7B , information about the item and a second payment information 720 corresponding to the user's request are displayed on the page, and the second payment information 720 may include a logo prompting that the postpaid service is provided through the promotional application in addition to the postpaid service related information and the installment payment related information.

7C is a page for displaying information provided from the electronic device 120 to the user terminal 110 in response to a user's request for information about an item if the user is identified as a target for applying a postpaid service and an installment payment service based on information about the item (such as a promotional application). Referring to FIG. 7C , information about the item and a third payment information 730 corresponding to the user's request are displayed on the page, and the third payment information 730 may include information about monthly installments to be paid by the user in addition to postpaid service-related information and installment payment-related information.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, the present invention may also include embodiments that can be simply changed or easily changed in design. In addition, the present invention will also include techniques that can be easily modified and implemented using the exemplary embodiments described above. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but should be defined by the equivalents of the invention application scope and the invention application scope described in the accompanying description.

10: System 110: User terminal 120: Electronic equipment/electronic device 130: First server 140: Second server 610: First payment information 620: Second payment information 630: Third payment information 640: Fourth payment information 710: First payment information 720: Second payment information 730: Third payment information S21: Operation S22: Operation S23: Operation S24: Operation S25: Operation S31: Operation S32: Operation S33: Operation S34: Operation S35: Operation S36: Operation S37: Operation S410: Operation S420: Operation S430: Operation S440: Operation S450: Operation S460: Operation S470: Operation S510: Operation S520: Operation S530: Operation S540: Operation S550: Operation

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a system for providing information of a postpaid service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow chart for explaining a method for providing information of a postpaid service according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flow chart for explaining a method for providing information of a postpaid service according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flow chart for explaining a method for identifying whether a user is a target for providing information of a postpaid service based on user information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flow chart for explaining a method for identifying whether a user is a target for providing information of a postpaid service based on information about an item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D are diagrams each showing a user interface (UI) provided to a user terminal to provide payment information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7A to FIG. 7C are diagrams each showing a UI provided to a user terminal to provide payment information based on information about an item according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

110: User terminal

120: Electronic equipment/electronic devices

130: First server

S21: Operation

S22: Operation

S23: Operation

S24: Operation

S25: Operation

Claims (18)

A method for providing payment information through a first electronic device related to an item sales service, the method comprising: receiving a first request for information about an item from a terminal of a user; identifying whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service based on the information of the user; if the user is not identified as a target for providing information related to the postpaid service based on the information of the user, then requesting the user to provide information related to the item based on the information of the user. The information about the item in the promotional information identifies whether the user is a target for providing the postpaid service-related information, and provides a first page containing the information about the item to the user's terminal. If the user is identified as a target for providing the postpaid service-related information based on at least one of the information about the user and the information about the item, the first information related to a postpaid service is included in the first page. The method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to a product sales service as claimed in claim 1 further includes: identifying whether the user is a target for providing installment payment service information in the postpaid service, wherein if the user is a target for providing installment payment service information in the postpaid service, the first information includes information related to the installment payment service. A method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to a product sales service as in claim 2, wherein the information related to the installment payment service includes at least one of information about an installment payment period and information about an installment payment interest, and the information about the installment payment period and the information about the installment payment interest are determined based on at least a portion of the user activity information related to the product sales service, the user activity information related to the postpaid service, the user credit information, and the information about the product. A method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to an item sales service as in claim 3, wherein the user activity information related to the item sales service includes at least one of the following: a usage level of the item sales service by the user; a usage category of the item sales service by the user; a time zone of use of the item sales service by the user; a subscription history of the user to the item sales service; a history of item purchases by the user in the item sales service; and a payment option used by the user when the user uses the item sales service. A method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to a product sales service as in claim 3, wherein the user activity information related to the postpaid service includes at least one of the following: a frequency of use of the postpaid service by the user; a category of use of the postpaid service by the user; an amount spent by the user on the use of the postpaid service; and a repayment history of the user for the postpaid service. A method of providing payment information via a first electronic device related to a product sales service as in claim 3, wherein the installment period is determined as a larger value of a first time period derived based on the user activity information related to the product sales service, the user activity information related to the postpaid service, and the user credit information, and a second time period derived based on the information about the product. The method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to a product sales service as claimed in claim 1, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for providing the postpaid service-related information includes: identifying whether the user subscribes to the postpaid service; and if the user subscribes to the postpaid service, identifying whether the user is a target for providing the postpaid service-related information based on the user's remaining available credit limit for the postpaid service and a value of the product. As in claim 7, the method for providing payment information by a first electronic device related to an item sales service, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service includes: if the user has not subscribed to the postpaid service, then identifying whether the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service based on a score determined based on the user activity information related to the item sales service and the value of the item. In the method of claim 7 for providing payment information by a first electronic device related to a product sales service, the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service includes: If the value of the product is less than or equal to the remaining available credit limit of the user for the postpaid service, the user is identified as a target for providing information related to the postpaid service. The method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to an item sales service as claimed in claim 7, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for postpaid service-related information includes: if the value of the item is greater than the remaining available credit limit of the user for the postpaid service, then identifying whether the item is a target for promotion; and if the item is a target for promotion, then increasing the remaining available credit limit of the user for the postpaid service based on the promotional information related to the item. A method of providing payment information through a first electronic device related to an item sales service as claimed in claim 10, wherein if the item is used for a promotional purpose, the first information includes information related to the promotion. A method of providing payment information via a first electronic device associated with a product sales service as claimed in claim 11, wherein the information associated with the promotion includes at least one of credit limit information and installment payment information modified in response to applying the promotion. The method of providing payment information by a first electronic device related to an item sales service as in claim 7, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service further includes: If the value of the item exceeds the remaining available credit limit of the user for the postpaid service, then based on the user activity information related to the item sales service, the user activity information related to the postpaid service, the user credit information and at least a portion of the information about the item, determine whether to allow an additional credit limit to the user. As in claim 13, a method for providing payment information through a first electronic device related to a product sales service, wherein if the additional credit limit is allowed to the user, the additional credit limit is determined as a larger value of a first credit limit derived based on the user activity information related to the product sales service, the user activity information related to the postpaid service and the user credit information, and a second credit limit derived based on the information about the product. A method for providing payment information via a first electronic device related to an item sales service as in claim 1, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service includes: identifying the category of the item; and if the item belongs to a first category, identifying the user as a target for providing information related to the postpaid service. A method for providing payment information via a first electronic device related to an item sales service as in claim 1, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service includes identifying the category of the item, wherein if the item belongs to a second category, the first information includes the installment payment service related information. As in claim 1, the method for providing payment information through a first electronic device related to an item sales service, wherein the identification of whether the user is a target for providing information related to a postpaid service includes: identifying the category of the item; and if the item belongs to a third category, excluding the user from being a target for providing information related to the postpaid service. An electronic device for managing the sale of goods in a service, the electronic device comprising: a transceiver; a memory configured to store instructions; and a processor, wherein the processor is connected to the transceiver and the memory and is configured to: receive a first request for information about an item from a terminal of a user; identify the user as a target for providing information related to a postpaid service based on the information of the user; if the user is not identified as a target for providing the postpaid service based on the information of the user If the user is a target for providing information related to the postpaid service, then based on the information about the item including promotional information related to the item, the user is identified as a target for providing information related to the postpaid service, and a first page including the information about the item is provided to the terminal of the user. If the user is identified as a target for providing information related to the postpaid service based on at least one of the information about the user and the information about the item, first information related to a postpaid service is included in the first page.