WO2014014212A1 - Apparatus for accumulating points and method therefor - Google Patents

Description

Device and method for earning points

The present invention relates to a point earning service, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing a point earning service in conjunction with a payment operation according to the purchase of a customer's goods or services.

This application claims the priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0077101 filed on July 16, 2012, all the contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of that application are incorporated in this application.

In order to secure customers and increase sales in on / off-line commerce, one of the measures is to earn points such as stamps or mileage. Point earning service allows customers who purchase more than a certain amount of goods or a certain number of items to earn points instead of cashing a portion of the payment, and the customer can use the accumulated points as cash. It is a service.

By using the point earning service, the seller can obtain the effect of increasing sales, securing regular customers, and differentiating from other sellers, and the customer has the advantage of discounting a certain amount. This conventional point earning service is typically done in two ways. The first is a method in which the seller provides a paper point earning card to a customer and stamps the paper point earning card when the customer purchases the product. Second, the seller provides the plastic credit card to the customer, and the customer earns the points online by presenting the plastic credit card to the seller after purchasing the product.

However, the above-described conventional point earning method has a disadvantage in that points cannot be earned when a point earning card is lost or an error occurs in the point earning card, and in addition, if each point provides a point earning service independently for each store, Since the credit card must be carried at all times, it is not easy to manage on the customer side and the frequency of actual use is not high. In addition, the method of using a plastic credit card of the conventional point earning method can earn points by presenting the social security number or phone number to the seller when there is no point earning card, security problems may occur due to the exposure of personal information.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the device for enabling to earn points for the purchase without having to present the personal information or points earning card to the seller after purchasing goods or services from the seller and The purpose is to provide a method.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. Also, it will be readily appreciated that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

Point earning device connected to the merchant terminal and the customer terminal according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object through the communication network, earning points, earning to receive an earning code request including transaction history information from the merchant terminal Code request receiving unit; An earning code generating unit for generating an earning code and storing it in a storage means together with the transaction history information and transmitting the earning code to the affiliated store terminal; An earning request receiving unit for receiving a request for earning points including customer identification information and the earning code from the customer terminal; And extracting the transaction history information from the storage means by using the earning code received by the earning request receiving unit, calculating points using the extracted transaction history information, and calculating the points using the customer identification information. It includes; Earn points earned in the storage means.

The point earning device may further include a sharing group checking unit for identifying a point sharing group in the storage means, wherein the point earning unit may equally accumulate the calculated points to all members belonging to the point sharing group. .

The point earning device may further include a point earning notification unit for transmitting a point earning notification message to the customer terminal and the terminal of the member.

The point accumulation notification unit may push the point accumulation notification message to the point accumulation management application installed in the customer terminal and the terminal of the member.

The earning code transmitted to the affiliated store terminal is generated as an image code and printed on a receipt by the affiliated store terminal, and the point earning request is received to the earning request receiving unit as the image code is scanned by the customer terminal. Can be.

The image code may be any one of a QR code or a barcode.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a point earning method by a point earning server connected through a communication network with an affiliated store terminal and a customer terminal includes: receiving a request for an accumulation code including transaction history information from the affiliated store terminal; ; Generating an earning code and storing it in a storage means together with the transaction history information and transmitting the earning code to the affiliated store terminal; Receiving a point earning request including the customer identification information and the earning code from the customer terminal; And extracting the transaction history information from the storage means using the received earning code, calculating points using the extracted transaction history information, and storing the calculated points in the storage means using the customer identification information. It includes; step.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object, the merchant device connected to the point earning server via a communication network to provide a point earning service, the point earning server requesting the earning code request including the transaction history information of the customer Earning code request unit for transmitting to and receiving a one-time earning code from the point earning server in response thereto; And a receipt output unit which generates an image code including the earning code received from the earning code request unit and prints the image code and the payment amount of the customer on a receipt.

The receipt output unit may record the access address (URL) of the point earning server in the image code.

The present invention can protect the personal information by preventing the exposure of the personal information by allowing the customer to earn points even without presenting the personal information to the seller.

In addition, the present invention solves the hassle of having to carry a point earning card by allowing the customer to earn points without presenting the point earning card to the seller.

In addition, the present invention provides convenience to the seller side by allowing the points to be automatically accumulated to the customer even if the seller only performs a normal credit card payment or cash payment.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a point earning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a signal flowchart illustrating a point earning method in the point earning system of FIG. 1.

3 is a view showing the configuration of a point earning system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a process of earning points in the point earning system of FIG. 3.

5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a point earning server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The above objects, features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereby those skilled in the art may easily implement the technical idea of the present invention. There will be. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, it means that it can further include other components, without excluding other components unless specifically stated otherwise. In addition, the terms “… unit”, “module”, etc. described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

1 is a view showing the configuration of a point earning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the point earning system according to the present embodiment includes an affiliated store terminal 110, a customer terminal 120, a point earning server 150, and a communication network 170.

The merchant terminal 110 is a payment terminal of a service merchant that sells goods or services and provides a point earning service according to the present invention, and is a terminal having a credit card payment function and a cash payment function. The affiliated store terminal 110 may be a point of sales (POS) terminal. Here, the cash payment function means storing transaction details of cash payment. The merchant terminal 110 may be understood to include not only an offline payment terminal such as the POS terminal, but also a payment system for online payment, for example, a payment system for a seller in an online electronic commerce.

The merchant terminal 110 processes credit card payments in connection with a card company server at the time of credit card payment, stores transaction information at the time of cash payment, and outputs a receipt. Merchant terminal 610 outputs a QR code for receipt of points when cash payment or credit card payment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the affiliated store terminal 110 includes a payment processing unit 111, a earning code request unit 113, and a receipt output unit 115.

The payment processing unit 111 reads the credit card of the customer, extracts the credit card information, and performs the credit payment in connection with the card company server. In addition, the payment processing unit 111 receives an input relating to the customer's cash payment from the merchant owner and stores the cash transaction history.

The earning code requesting unit 113 receives the earning code request including transaction details and merchant information transmitted from the payment processing unit 111 at the time of payment processing using a credit card or cash payment processing to the point earning server 150. Send and receive the earning code in response. The transaction history information may include only a payment amount or may include a payment amount / product name / product code / purchase product number.

The receipt output unit 115 outputs a receipt at the time of credit card payment or cash payment. At this time, the receipt output unit 115 outputs the QR code including the earning code and the access address (URL) of the point earning server 150 to the receipt. Here, the QR code is taken as an example, but an image code, for example, a barcode, may be used to record the access address and the earning code.

Since the receipt output unit 115 has to print a QR code on the credit card payment receipt when the credit card is settled, when the payment approval message is received from the card company server 630, the point credit server 150 does not immediately output the payment details as a receipt. Wait until you receive the earning code from, and when the earning code is received, generates a QR code to output the receipt.

The customer terminal 120 is a terminal of a customer who has purchased goods or services from a merchant, and can scan information by scanning a QR code and have a built-in communication modem to access the point earning server 150 through the communication network 170. The terminal may receive a point earning notification message from the point earning server 150. Representative examples thereof include a CDMA mobile communication terminal, a WCDMA mobile communication terminal, and an LTE mobile communication terminal. Here, the point accumulation notification message may be an SMS or MMS message, or a push message pushed to the point accumulation management application installed in the customer terminal 120.

Specifically, the customer terminal 120 has a scan program for scanning the QR code printed on the receipt output from the merchant terminal 110 and using the access address (URL) recorded in the QR code points earning server (150). In addition, the customer terminal 120 is connected to the point earning server 150 and requests to earn points by transmitting customer identification information such as a phone number or PIN number and the earning code extracted from the QR code.

In the above description, the QR code has been described as including an access address (URL) of the point earning server 150, but the above-described point earning management application is installed in the customer terminal 120 and the point earning management application is a QR code. If the scanning address and the access address (URL) of the point earning server 150 is set in the point earning management application, the QR code may not include the access address (URL).

The communication network 170 is a network connecting the affiliated store terminal 110, the customer terminal 120, and the point earning server 150, a mobile communication network such as a value added network (VAN), CDMA / WCDMA / LET, a WiFi network, and a dedicated line. The combination is not limited thereto, and any network can be used as long as it can transmit and receive data between the components.

The point earning server 150 accumulates points of a customer who purchases goods or services at a merchant. Here, the points include stamps, coupons or miles. Specifically, the point earning server 150 receives a request for earning codes including the transaction details and merchant information of the customer from the merchant terminal 110, and generates the earning code according to the request, the transaction history information and merchant information And stored in the point database 160, and returns the generated earning code to the affiliated store terminal (110).

The earning code may be understood as distinguishing a payment transaction, and is generated for one time when a payment transaction occurs, and when the point accumulation is completed, the corresponding earning code is deleted.

Point earning server 150, after scanning the QR code including the earning code and the access address (URL) printed on the receipt from the customer terminal 120 connected using the access URL, customer identification information (for example, Phone number or PIN code) and the credit code scanned from the QR code.

Point earning server 150, using the earning code received from the customer terminal 120, checks the transaction history information and merchant information previously received and stored from the merchant terminal 110 in the point database 160, After calculating the point according to the transaction history information provided by the merchant and stores in the point database 160 using the customer identification information received from the customer terminal 120.

For example, if merchant A provides one stamp for every 1,000 won, and the customer buys the product for 3,000 won, the customer earns three stamps for the customer, or if merchant A buys two donuts, If a customer purchases 4 donuts, 2 stamps will be awarded to the customer.

The point database 160 divides and stores points of customers who have subscribed to the point earning service for each affiliate store. Here, the reference of the customer information may be the customer identification information, and the point includes the stamp or mileage described above. Table 1 below is a table showing point information for each customer stored in the point database 160.

Table 1 Point earning linkage identification information Merchant Information point 010-1111-1111 Merchant 1 2 stamps Merchant 2 1 stamp Merchant 3 Mileage 1000 ... ... Merchant N Mileage 2000 010-2222-1111 Merchant 1 Stamp 5 ... ... ... ... ...

In the example in Table 1, a telephone number is used as 'customer identification information'. Points are accumulated for each merchant for each customer, and the type of the points is either stamp or mileage.

According to the embodiment described with reference to Figure 1, the customer does not have to present the personal information or points earning card to the seller to earn points. All you have to do is scan the QR code printed on your receipt and you will automatically earn points. Therefore, it is possible to protect personal information, the customer has the advantage of not having to carry a point earning card.

FIG. 2 is a signal flowchart illustrating a point earning method in the point earning system of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 2, the merchant terminal 110 performs a payment processing or a cash payment processing using a credit card (S201), and requests a credit code request including a transaction history information and merchant information of a customer to the point earning server 150. It transmits (S203). The transaction detail information may include only a payment amount or may include a payment amount / product name / product code / purchase product number.

The point earning server 150 receiving the request for the earning code generates a earning code according to the request, stores it in the database along with the transaction history information and the affiliated store information, and stores the generated earning code to the affiliated store terminal 110. (S205, S207).

The affiliated store terminal 110 outputs a QR code including the earning code and the access address of the point earning server 150 on a receipt (S209). Here, the QR code is taken as an example, but an image code, for example, a bar code, etc., capable of recording an access address and an earning code may be used, but is not limited thereto.

The customer terminal 120 extracts the access address by scanning the QR code printed on the receipt and accesses the point earning server 150 using the extracted access address. And the customer terminal 120 transmits a point earning request including the customer identification information (for example, a phone number) and the earning code extracted from the QR code to the point earning server 150 (S211, S213).

In this embodiment, the QR code has been described as including the access address (URL) of the point earning server 150, but the point earning management application is installed on the customer terminal 120 and the point earning management application scans the QR code When the access address (URL) is set in the point accumulation management application, the QR code may not include the access address (URL).

Point earning server 150, using the earning code received from the customer terminal 120, transaction history information and merchant information previously received and stored from the merchant terminal 110, that is, the transaction stored in step S205 described above After confirming the details information and the affiliated store information, calculating points according to the transaction history information provided by the affiliated store and accumulating in the point database 160 using the customer identification information received from the customer terminal 120 (S213). ). That is, the point database 160 searches for the point accumulation table of the corresponding customer using the customer identification information and records the calculated points.

In addition, the point earning server 150 notifies the point earning fact to the customer terminal 120 after earning the point (S215). The point accumulation notification may be made through SMS / MMS message, email, or push notification message to the point accumulation management application.

3 is a view showing the configuration of a point earning system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, the same reference numerals as those of FIG. 1 include all the functions and operations described with reference to FIG. 1.

In the embodiment with reference to FIG. 3 compared to FIG. 1, the customer terminals are grouped into a point sharing group. For example, the customer terminal 1 (120), the terminal 2 (120-1), the customer terminal 3 (120-2) is grouped into a point sharing group 1, other customer terminals are also grouped into several point sharing group. These point sharing groups are bound with customer agreement and the point sharing group information is stored in the point database 160.

Point earning server 150, using the earning code received from the customer terminal 120, the transaction history information and merchant information previously received and stored from the merchant terminal 110 in the point database 160, and The points that can be used in the affiliated store according to the transaction history information are calculated.

The point earning server 150 checks the point sharing group to which the user of the corresponding customer terminal 120 belongs in the point database 160 using the customer identification information received together with the earning code from the customer terminal 120 and shares the point. The same points are earned for members of the group.

Point earning server 150 after earning points to all members belonging to the point sharing group and notifies the points earned to the terminal of all the corresponding members. Point accumulation notifications include SMS, MMS messages, emails, or push notification messages to point accumulation management applications. Phone numbers and the like of the members may be confirmed in the point database 160.

According to the embodiment of FIG. 3, when one customer purchases an item, the affiliate store may attract more customers by earning the same points not only for the customer but also for all members in the point sharing group to which the customer belongs. And more benefits from the customer's perspective. However, the number of members constituting the point sharing group may be limited.

4 is a signal flow diagram illustrating a process of earning points in the point earning system of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, the merchant terminal 110 transmits a credit code request including transaction history information and merchant information to the point earning server 150 while performing payment processing or cash payment processing using a credit card (S401). (S403). The transaction detail information may include only a payment amount or may include a payment amount / product name / product code / purchase product number.

The point earning server 150 receiving the request for the earning code generates a earning code according to the request, stores it in the database along with the transaction history information and the affiliated store information, and stores the generated earning code to the affiliated store terminal 110. It returns (S405, S407).

Merchant terminal 110 outputs a QR code including the earning code and the access address of the point earning server 150 on the receipt (S409). Here, the QR code is taken as an example, but an image code, for example, a bar code, etc., capable of recording an access address and an earning code may be used, but is not limited thereto.

The customer terminal 120 extracts the access address by scanning the QR code printed on the receipt and accesses the point earning server 150 using the extracted access address. And the customer terminal 120 transmits a point earning request including the customer identification information (for example, the phone number) and the earning code extracted from the QR code to the point earning server 150 (S411, S413).

Point earning server 150, using the earning code received from the customer terminal 120, transaction history information and merchant information previously received and stored from the merchant terminal 110, that is, the transaction stored in step S405 described above The details information and the affiliated store information are checked, and points used in the affiliated store according to the transaction details information are calculated (S415). In addition, the point earning server 150 checks the point sharing group in the point database 160 using the customer identification information received from the customer terminal 120 (S417).

Point earning server 150 accumulates the calculated points to the user of the customer terminal 120 and all the members in the identified point sharing group (S419). That is, the point earning server 150 records the points in the point database 160.

For example, merchant A earns one stamp for 1,000 won, but if customer 1 with a phone number of 010-111-1111 purchased 3000 won at the merchant A, the point earning server 150 is a customer. 1 and 3 members will each earn 3 stamps for all members in the point sharing group that are assigned to share points with Customer1.

The point earning server 150 that has accumulated the points notifies the point accumulation to all of the members belonging to the customer terminal 120 and the point sharing group (S421). Point accumulation notifications include SMS / MMS messages, emails, or push notification messages to point accumulation management applications.

5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a point earning server according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the point earning server 150 according to the present embodiment includes an earning code request receiving unit 510, an earning code generating unit 520, an earning request receiving unit 530, a point sharing group checking unit 540, It includes a point earning unit 550 and a point earning notification unit 560.

The earning code request receiving unit 510 receives an earning code request including transaction details and affiliated store information from the affiliated store terminal 110. The transaction history information may include only a payment amount or may include a payment amount, a trade name, and a quantity.

The earning code generator 520 generates an earning code for the transaction history information according to the earning code request, stores the earning code with the transaction history information and the affiliated store information in the point database 160, and stores the generated earning code. Transmit to the merchant terminal 110.

As described above, the earning code transmitted to the affiliated store terminal 110 is printed on the receipt as a QR code together with the access address of the point earning server 160, and the customer terminal 120 scans the QR code printed on the receipt for points. Access to the earning server 160 will request to earn points.

The earning request receiving unit 530 scans a QR code including an earning code and an access address (URL) printed on the receipt, and then accesses the customer identification information (from the customer terminal 120 that is connected using the access URL). For example, a phone number or a PIN code) and a point earning request including the earning code scanned from the QR code.

The point sharing group checking unit 540 checks the point sharing group in the point database 160 using the customer identification information included in the point earning request.

Point earning unit 550, using the earning code included in the point earning request received from the customer terminal 120, the transaction history information and merchant information previously received and stored from the merchant terminal 110 points database ( In step 160, after calculating points that can be used in the affiliated store according to the transaction history information, the points are equally accumulated to the user of the customer terminal 120 and all members of the identified point sharing group. do. Here, the credit means recording the points in the point database 160.

When the points are accumulated by the point earning unit 550, the point earning notification unit 560 notifies the fact that the points are accumulated to all the members of the customer terminal 120 and the point sharing group. The point accumulation notification unit 560 notifies the point accumulation facts through SMS / MMS message, email, or push notification message to the point accumulation management application.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above to earn points to the customer for each merchant, but is not limited to this, unified if you purchase the goods from any merchants agreed to the point earning service without the distinction of merchants, such as okcashback (okcashback) It is also possible to earn points to customers according to established rules. That is, it is also possible to apply a method of earning points in proportion to the transaction amount. According to this, the transaction history information sent when the merchant terminal 110 requests the earning code may include only a payment amount and does not need to include the merchant information.

As described above, the method of the present invention may be implemented as a program and stored in a recording medium (CD-ROM, RAM, ROM, floppy disk, hard disk, magneto-optical disk, etc.) in a computer-readable form.

While this specification includes many features, such features should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention or the claims. Also, the features described in the individual embodiments herein can be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in a single embodiment herein can be implemented in various embodiments individually or in appropriate subcombination.

In addition, it should be understood that the division of various system components in the above-described embodiments does not require such division in all embodiments. The program components and systems described above may generally be packaged in a single software product or multiple software products.

The present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications, and changes without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention for those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited by the drawings.

Claims (15)

In the point earning device for earning points connected to the merchant terminal and the customer terminal through a communication network, An earning code request receiving unit for receiving an earning code request including transaction history information from the affiliated store terminal; An earning code generating unit for generating an earning code and storing it in a storage means together with the transaction history information and transmitting the earning code to the affiliated store terminal; An earning request receiving unit for receiving a request for earning points including customer identification information and the earning code from the customer terminal; And The transaction history information is extracted from the storage means using the accumulation code received by the accumulation request receiving unit, and the points are calculated using the extracted transaction history information, and the calculated points are stored using the customer identification information. Point earning unit that accumulates in the means. The method of claim 1, And a sharing group checking unit for checking a point sharing group in the storage unit. The point earning unit, Point earning device, characterized in that the same points earned to all the members belonging to the point sharing group. The method of claim 2, Point earning device further comprises a point earning notification unit for transmitting a point earning notification message to the customer terminal and the terminal of the member. The method of claim 3, wherein The point accumulation notification unit, Point earning device, characterized in that for pushing the point earning notification message to the point earning management application installed in the customer terminal and the terminal of the member. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The earning code sent to the merchant terminal, Generated as an image code and printed on the receipt by the merchant terminal, The points earning request, Point earning device, characterized in that received as the credit request receiving unit as the image code is scanned by the customer terminal. The method of claim 5, The image code is, Point earning device, characterized in that any one of a QR code or a barcode. In the point earning method by the point earning server connected to the merchant terminal and the customer terminal and the communication network, Receiving an accumulation code request including transaction history information from the affiliated store terminal; Generating an earning code and storing it in a storage means together with the transaction history information and transmitting the earning code to the affiliated store terminal; Receiving a point earning request including the customer identification information and the earning code from the customer terminal; And Extracting the transaction history information from the storage means using the received earning code, calculating points using the extracted transaction history information, and accumulating the calculated points in the storage means using the customer identification information; How to earn points, including. The method of claim 7, wherein Identifying a point sharing group in the storage means; And And accumulating the calculated points equally to all members belonging to the point sharing group. The method of claim 8, And transmitting a point accumulation notification message to the customer terminal and the terminal of the member. The method of claim 9, The step of transmitting the point accumulation notification message, Point earning method characterized in that for pushing the point earning notification message to the point earning management application installed in the customer terminal and the terminal of the member. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, The earning code sent to the merchant terminal, Generated as an image code and printed on the receipt by the merchant terminal, Receiving the point earning request, The point earning method, characterized in that for receiving the point earning request from the customer terminal as the image code is scanned by the customer terminal. The method of claim 11, The image code is, Point earning method characterized in that any one of a QR code or a barcode. In the merchant device connected to the point earning server through a communication network to provide a point earning service, An earning code request unit which transmits an earning code request including a transaction history information of a customer to the point earning server and receives a one time earning code from the point earning server in response thereto; And And a receipt output unit which generates an image code including an earning code received from the earning code request unit and prints the image code and the payment amount of the customer on a receipt. The method of claim 13, The receipt output unit, Merchant device, characterized in that for recording the access address (URL) of the point earning server in the image code. The method according to claim 13 or 14, The receipt output unit, If the approval response of the credit card payment of the customer is received before the earning code, the receipt wait according to the approval response until the earning code is received, and upon receiving the earning code according to the approval response with the image code Merchant device, characterized in that for outputting a receipt.

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