JP7556520B2 - Funds transfer management system, funds transfer management method using said system, and program for executing said method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention generally relates to a funds transfer management system, a funds transfer management method using said system, and a program for executing said method.

A money transfer business is a business that involves small-amount (less than the equivalent of 1 million yen) exchange transactions conducted by entities other than banks (Article 2 of the Payment Services Act (hereinafter referred to as the "Payment Services Act"). In Japan, money transfer businesses are subject to the restrictions of the Payment Services Act. For example, anyone wishing to conduct a money transfer business must be registered with the Prime Minister in advance (Article 37 of the same Act). In addition, money transfer business operators must preserve assets of at least 100% of the amount of funds that are in the process of being transferred and are currently held up (Article 43 of the same Act).

Under the Payment Services Act, consider the case where a money transfer business operator receives a request for a money transfer service, for example a request from user A to move or remit X yen of user A's funds to user B. In this case, the money transfer business operator confirms that there is a balance of at least X yen in user A's fund management account (customarily sometimes referred to in katakana as an "account." Hereinafter, unless a special distinction is required, it will be referred to as "account") managed by the money transfer business operator, and performs a process to transfer X yen of funds to user B's account. As a result, the balance of user A's account is reduced by X yen, and the balance of user B's account is increased by X yen, thus realizing what is known as a money transfer.

For example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a deposit system that uses a card that allows for safe receipts by having a receiving ID that can only be used for receiving money and a consumable use ID that can be used for consuming use, and that when a bank account management server device that manages bank accounts for deposits receives remittance request information including the receiving ID and the remitter ID, it executes a remittance process to the account of the management company of the card, and accordingly changes the card's spending limit as appropriate, thereby enabling withdrawals to be made using a card that uses a consumable use ID.

WO2013/186931

When processing remittances using a system such as that shown in Patent Document 1, the initial deposit by the remitter to request a remittance, and the withdrawal of the received amount by the receiver, require procedures to go through a financial institution such as a bank.

In other words, when a user uses a fund transfer service provided by a fund transfer business operator, the user must first transfer funds from a deposit account in the user's name at a bank to an account in the user's name at the fund transfer business operator (even when charging an account with a credit card, etc., a deposit must ultimately be made into a deposit account designated for credit settlement). Similarly, the user as the recipient cannot cash out (i.e., withdraw) funds until the funds have been transferred from the account in which the user received the funds to a deposit account in the user's name. Thus, while transferring funds between accounts in a fund transfer service provided by a fund transfer business operator is easy and convenient for users (and the fees are generally cheaper than bank remittance services), from the perspective of the origin of funds and final cashing out, the user must transfer funds between deposit accounts, which is a hassle for the user.

Furthermore, under the Payment Services Act, as mentioned above, unless the entire amount of funds is withdrawn from the recipient's account and deposited into a deposit account, the account balance is considered to be outstanding funds (unreceived debt) during the funds transfer, and the funds transfer business operator is obligated to deposit an amount equal to or greater than the outstanding funds with a depository in order to protect the user's assets. Therefore, even in the system shown in Patent Document 1 above, unless the recipient withdraws funds from his or her own account at the card management company, the card management company is required to deposit an amount equivalent to the balance of the recipient's account in accordance with the Payment Services Act, which poses the problem of an extremely large financial burden for the funds transfer business operator.

In particular, when a user tries to receive monthly salary payments through a money transfer business operator's account, the balance of the user's account will increase dramatically on a specific day, such as the salary payment date, and the money transfer business operator will need to make a corresponding deposit. This creates a huge financial burden for the money transfer business operator, whose capital base is far inferior to that of banks.

In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a money transfer service (funds transfer service) provided by a funds transfer business operator under the Payment Services Act that is highly convenient for users.

More specifically, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a funds transfer scheme that makes it possible to omit the actual transfer of funds between deposit accounts.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a funds transfer scheme that enables funds transfer businesses to be relieved of the deposit obligations that depend on account balances under the Payment Services Act.

The present invention, which aims to solve the above problems, is composed of the following invention-specific matters and technical features:

That is, the present invention according to one aspect may be a funds transfer management method realized by a funds transfer management system providing a funds transfer service related to funds transfer between user accounts. The method includes a funds transfer business system in the funds transfer management system managing, for each user who uses the funds transfer service, a pair of a user's account and a deposit account in a financial institution for the user, and, when a request for a predetermined amount of funds transfer from a first user's account to a second user's account is received, acquiring from the financial institution system a status of a remittance process between the deposit account managed in a pair with the first user's account and the deposit account managed in a pair with the second user's account;
If the acquired status of the remittance process indicates completion of the remittance, completing the fund transfer process between the accounts in accordance with the fund transfer request.

The method may further include the funds transfer business system acquiring user information of the user, making a request to the financial institution system to open a deposit account for the user at the financial institution based on the acquired user information, and acquiring account information regarding the deposit account opened at the financial institution in response to the request to open the deposit account. Here, managing as a pair may include managing as a pair the user's account and the deposit account indicated by the acquired account information.

Completing the funds transfer process may also include recording a transaction history relating to the funds transfer in a transaction history database relating to the funds transfer service.

The method may further include the money transfer business system issuing an email address for the user based on the user information.

Furthermore, obtaining the status of the remittance process may include receiving the status of the remittance process sent by the financial institution system to the user's email address.

Furthermore, obtaining the status of the remittance process may include obtaining the status of the remittance process via an application programming interface (API) connection with the financial institution system.

In addition, according to another aspect, the present invention may be a funds transfer business system that realizes a funds transfer service related to funds transfer between user accounts. The system may include a user information database that manages, for each user who uses the funds transfer service, a pair of the user's account and the user's deposit account at a financial institution, and a transaction management unit that accepts the funds transfer request and executes a funds transfer process between the user's accounts in accordance with the funds transfer request. When the transaction management unit accepts a request to transfer a predetermined amount of funds from a first user's account to a second user's account, the transaction management unit may operate to obtain from the financial institution system the status of a remittance process between the deposit account managed in a pair with the first user's account and the deposit account managed in a pair with the second user's account, and to complete the execution of the funds transfer process when the obtained status of the remittance process indicates that the remittance has been completed.

The system may further include an account management unit for managing the user's account. The account management unit may generate a request to open a deposit account for the user indicated by the user information based on the user information transmitted from the terminal device, transmit the generated request to open a deposit account to the financial institution system, and acquire account information relating to a deposit account opened at the financial institution in response to the request to open a deposit account. The account management unit may also store the user's account and the deposit account indicated by the acquired account information as a pair in the user information database.

The system may further include a transaction history database that stores transaction history. The transaction management unit may record the transaction history regarding the fund transfer in the transaction history database based on the status of the remittance process.

The account management unit may also issue an email address (shadow email address) for the user based on the user information.

The transaction management unit may also receive the status of the remittance process sent by the financial institution system to the user's email address.

The transaction management unit may also obtain the status of the remittance process via an application programming interface connection with the financial institution system.

In another aspect, the present invention may be a computer program for executing a fund transfer management method on a computer to realize a fund transfer service related to fund transfer between user accounts, or a recording medium having the same non-temporarily recorded thereon. The program may cause a computer in a fund transfer management system to manage, for each user who uses the fund transfer service, a pair of the user's account and the user's deposit account in a financial institution, and, when a request for a predetermined amount of fund transfer from a first user's account to a second user's account is received, to acquire from the financial institution system the status of a remittance process between the deposit account managed as a pair with the first user's account and the deposit account managed as a pair with the second user's account, and, when the acquired status of the remittance process indicates that the remittance has been completed, to complete the fund transfer process between the accounts in accordance with the fund transfer request.

In addition, according to another aspect, the present invention may be a funds transfer management system that provides a funds transfer service related to funds transfer between user accounts. The system may include a financial institution system that manages users' deposit accounts at a financial institution, and a funds transfer business system including a transaction management unit that manages transaction history related to funds transfers according to the funds transfer service. Here, the user's account may be managed in the funds transfer business system so as to form a paired relationship with the user's deposit account. Then, when a request for a transfer of a predetermined amount of funds from the account of a first user who is a remitter to the account of a second user who is a recipient is made via a terminal device, the financial institution system may be configured to execute a remittance process of the predetermined amount from the deposit account of the first user to the deposit account of the second user based on a remittance request corresponding to the request for funds transfer, transmit the status of the remittance process to the funds transfer business system, and in response, the transaction management unit may be configured to complete the funds transfer process between the accounts according to the request for funds transfer based on the status of the remittance process.

The funds transfer business system may further include an account management unit that manages the user's account, and a user information database that manages the user's account and the user's deposit account at the financial institution as a pair. The account management unit may generate a request for opening a deposit account for the user indicated by the user information based on the user information transmitted from the terminal device, and transmit the generated request for opening a deposit account to the financial institution system. The financial institution system may open a deposit account in accordance with the request for opening a deposit account,
The account management unit may transmit account information related to the opened deposit account to the funds transfer business system. The account management unit may then store the user's account and the deposit account indicated by the account information in the user information database as a pair.

The money transfer business system may also control the display of a remittance request screen on the user interface of the terminal device when the money transfer request is received from the terminal device.

In addition, when the financial institution system receives a redirect request based on the request for the funds transfer from the funds transfer business system, it can transmit data related to the remittance request screen to the terminal device, and execute the remittance process based on the request for the funds transfer transmitted from the terminal device.

In this specification, the term "means" does not simply mean physical means, but also includes cases where the functions of the means are realized by software. The functions of one means may be realized by two or more physical means, or the functions of two or more means may be realized by one physical means. Furthermore, the term "system" refers to a logical collection of multiple devices (or functional modules that realize specific functions), and it does not matter whether each device or functional module is contained within a single housing.

According to the present invention, a funds transfer service that is highly convenient for users will be provided by a funds transfer business operator under the Payment Services Act.

The present invention also allows users to omit the need to physically transfer funds between deposit accounts.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, it becomes possible to relieve money transfer business operators from the obligation to make deposits that depend on the account balance under the Payment Services Act.

Other technical features, objects, effects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a funds transfer management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a financial institution system of a funds transfer management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of an information communication terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a money transfer business system according to one embodiment of the present invention. A figure showing an example of the data structure of a user information database of a funds transfer business system in one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a process for opening an account for a user to use an electronic money service provided by a funds transfer management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a user registration screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a deposit account opening request screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a user registration completion confirmation screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating an example of a scheme of a funds transfer service in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a funds transfer request screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a remittance request screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a remittance completion screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in the funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a receipt completion screen displayed on an information communication terminal device in the funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing related to a fund transfer service in a fund transfer business system according to one embodiment of the present invention. A figure showing an example of a user information database of a fund transfer business system in one embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart for explaining a remittance service process related to a funds transfer service in a financial institution system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram for illustrating an example of a scheme of a funds transfer service in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a funds transfer business system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment described below is merely an example, and there is no intention to exclude the application of various modifications and techniques not specified below. The present invention can be implemented with various modifications (for example, combining the various embodiments) without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition, in the description of the drawings below, the same or similar parts are represented by the same or similar reference numerals. The drawings are schematic and do not necessarily correspond to actual dimensions, ratios, etc. The drawings may also include parts with different dimensional relationships and ratios.

[First embodiment]
Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the funds transfer management system 1 of this embodiment may be configured to include, for example, a financial institution system 20 and a funds transfer business system 30 that are communicatively connected to each other via a communications network 10. The funds transfer management system 1 may also include an information communication terminal device 40 that is communicatively connected to the communications network 10. Furthermore, the funds transfer management system 1 may include a service terminal device 50 that is communicatively connected to the communications network 10. In the present disclosure, the information communication terminal device 40 and the service terminal device 50 are aspects of terminal devices operated by a user.

The communication network 10 may include, for example, an IP-based computer network 12 and a mobile communication network 14 that complies with a mobile communication system standard. In this disclosure, the computer network 12 is used in a broad sense to include the Internet constructed by an IP network, but is not limited to an IP network and may be any network of any protocol that enables communication between nodes. For example, a dedicated network may be used to connect specific nodes, such as between the financial institution system 20 and another financial institution system not shown. Furthermore, the financial institution system 20 may include, for example, the communication network 10 as an intranet. The computer network 12 may also include a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) constructed by a wireless base station not shown. The computer network 12 and the mobile communication network 14 are connected, for example, via a gateway 16 or the like.

The financial institution system 20 is a so-called banking system managed and operated by a financial institution or a person entrusted by the financial institution. In this disclosure, a "financial institution" refers to a financial institution that manages or handles deposit accounts or savings accounts (hereinafter collectively referred to as "deposit accounts") that are subject to the deposit insurance system and are regulated by the Banking Act and laws equivalent thereto. For example, ordinary banks and credit unions are included in the financial institutions in this disclosure. Also, a "bank account" is one form of a deposit account. In this disclosure, a "deposit account" may be referred to simply as an "account" or "bank account" for convenience or convention, but please note that it is distinguished from an "account" managed by a money transfer business operator.

The financial institution system 20 may generally include various host computers and database systems that are systematized and organized according to financial institution functions or operations, such as a channel system 22, an accounting system 24, and an information system 26, as shown in FIG. 2. These systems may be connected via a backbone network that includes, for example, a hub or an ESB (Enterprise Service Bus). The backbone network is one aspect of the communications network 10. The financial institution system 20 may also include an open system that uses general-purpose computing devices.

A financial institution typically has a head office and several branches that manage the deposit accounts of each user. Such a head office and/or branches (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as "branches") may be virtual stores rather than physical stores, and may be something like a so-called Internet bank. Alternatively, a financial institution may have a branch dedicated to a fund transfer business that provides the fund transfer service in this disclosure. Such a business-dedicated branch is a form of a branch as long as it is capable of various transactions in relation to the fund transfer business. A user may open such a deposit account, for example, by an online procedure. In this disclosure, as an example, the fund transfer management system 1 realizes a fund transfer service provided by a fund transfer business by utilizing a remittance (transfer) process by the financial institution system 20 from a remitter's deposit account in a branch to a recipient's deposit account in the same branch.

The channel system 22 controls connections corresponding to various channels such as systems of business offices (including branches and business-only branches; the same applies below), ATMs, and Internet banking services. The accounting system 24 manages transactions (deposit account ledgers) of deposit accounts of customers or depositors (users), such as companies and individuals. The accounting system 24 is responsible for one of the core businesses of the financial institution, and is sometimes referred to as a core system including other core businesses. The information system 26 manages a data warehouse or database that holds information on customers and information on transactions on a transaction basis, as well as management information of the financial institution. In this disclosure, the information system 26 provides various functions of Internet banking services to users via the channel system 22. Note that the system configuration of the financial institution system 20 as described above is one example, and the definition or scope may differ depending on the system vendor and financial institution, and this should not affect the interpretation of the present invention.

Returning to FIG. 1, the money transfer business system 30 is a computer system managed and operated by a money transfer business operator or an entity entrusted by the money transfer business operator. In this disclosure, a money transfer business operator refers to an entity registered by the Prime Minister pursuant to Article 37 of the Payment Services Act. In this sense, a money transfer business operator is a business entity distinct from a financial institution. A money transfer business operator may use the money transfer business operator system 30 to provide a money settlement service (hereinafter referred to as an "electronic money service") based on electronic monetary value (electronic money or points). The hardware configuration of the computing device that constitutes the money transfer business operator system 30 is shown, for example, in FIG. 19, but as such a configuration is known, details thereof will be omitted.

The funds transfer business system 30 manages the balance of the customer or member's (i.e., user's) account and may provide the user with an electronic money service up to the balance. Typically, for such electronic money services, the user may be provided in advance with a unique physical or virtual medium (e.g., a card or pass) associated with the account. The electronic money may be managed, for example, in a so-called stored value system in which the electronic money is stored in a physical card or an IC chip mounted on the information and communication terminal device 40, or in a server-managed system in which the electronic money is managed centrally on a server. A service for sending and receiving money between user accounts, i.e., a funds transfer service, is one aspect of an electronic money service. For example, when a user who is a remittance sender operates the information communication terminal device 40 or the service terminal device 50 to request a remittance by specifying the account of the user who is the remittance destination (recipient) and the amount to be remitted, the money transfer business system 30 subtracts the amount indicated in the remittance request from the balance of the remittance sender's account and at the same time increases the balance of the recipient's account by the amount indicated in the remittance request, thereby realizing the remittance from the remittance sender to the recipient. The "amount" referred to here is typically the "amount of electronic money," but is not limited to this and may be points, etc. In this disclosure, the money transfer business system 30 cooperates with the financial institution system 20 to realize the money transfer service, as described later. Note that, in the case of the money transfer service, two types of IDs, namely, a remittance ID and a consumption use ID, may be used as accounts, as shown in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. In addition, the following description will be given taking as an example a mode in which the money transfer business system 30 does not manage the balance of the user's account.

Hereinafter, remittances by a money transfer business operator may be referred to as "fund transfers" to distinguish them from "remittances" by financial institutions. In this disclosure, in order to provide a money transfer service, the money transfer business system 30 manages, for example, information regarding a user's deposit account that is paired with the user's account. Here, "pair" means that in the money transfer service, one account and one deposit account are in a paired relationship. Therefore, if an account is identified based on some information about the user, one deposit account is identified from there, and conversely, if a deposit account is identified, one account is identified.

The information and communication terminal device 40 is a terminal device operated by a user to use electronic money services. The information and communication terminal device 40 is typically a mobile or portable computing device carried by a user, and may be, for example, a feature phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, or other intelligent devices. In this disclosure, the information and communication terminal device 40 is assumed to be a smartphone.

The information and communication terminal device 40 is typically composed of hardware resources such as a CPU (processor), chipset and memory, a communication module, a user interface (e.g., a display or touch panel, a speaker and a vibrator), and software resources such as an operating system (e.g., a kernel, various device drivers, a standard library, etc.) (hereinafter referred to as "OS") (see FIG. 5). The information and communication terminal device 40 executes various application programs on the OS under the control of the processor to realize desired functions. In this disclosure, the information and communication terminal device 40 implements an application program (hereinafter referred to as "electronic money application program") as one of the application programs for realizing electronic money service functions (e.g., deposit (charge) and withdrawal of electronic money, payment by electronic money, sending and receiving electronic money, etc.) in the information and communication terminal device 40. In other words, the information and communication terminal device 40 can provide users with functions for electronic money services such as funds transfer services and settlement services by executing the electronic money application program under the control of the processor. Therefore, in a funds transfer service, a user can, for example, input the recipient account and the amount to be transferred via the user interface of the information and communication terminal device 40, and make a request to transfer funds. In addition, for example, when making an electronic money payment, the user can make a payment with electronic money by displaying a geometric pattern on the user interface of the information and communication terminal device 40 and having the geometric pattern read by a payment terminal device (not shown) of a store or the like, or by having the information and communication terminal device 40 read a geometric pattern presented by the store or the like. The geometric pattern can be, for example, a barcode or a QR code (registered trademark). As another example, the user can make a contactless payment with electronic money, for example, by bringing the information and communication terminal device 40 close to or holding it over the payment terminal device.

The service terminal device 50 is, for example, a terminal device that a user can operate to use a service provided by the financial institution system 20 and/or the funds transfer business system 30. As an example, the service terminal device 50 may be an ATM, a kiosk terminal with an ATM function, a multi-function ticket machine, or the like installed in a store such as a bank, a convenience store, or a station. Alternatively, the service terminal device 50 may be a point of sale information management terminal device (POS register) operated not by the user himself, but by a clerk at a convenience store, for example. The service terminal device 50 typically includes a user interface for providing interactive operations to the user. In addition, the service terminal device 50 may communicate with the financial institution system 20 and/or the funds transfer business system 30 via the communication network 10 (e.g., a dedicated line) to exchange various information. In addition, the service terminal device 50 may be configured to deposit money into a customer's account in the funds transfer business system 30 and withdraw money from the account via the user's deposit account in the financial institution system 20. The service terminal device 50 may also be configured to realize functions equivalent to the electronic money service functions provided by the information and communication terminal device 40.

The fund transfer management system 1 configured as above provides a fund transfer service that enables a user to transfer a predetermined amount of electronic money to another user. That is, a user (sender) can operate the information communication terminal device 40 or the service terminal device 50 to request a transfer of a predetermined amount of electronic money to the account of another user (receiver), thereby transferring a predetermined amount of electronic money from the sender's own account to the account of the receiver. In the present disclosure, the fund transfer business system 30 manages, for each user, a pair of the user's account and a deposit account in a branch of a financial institution. In addition, the fund transfer business system 30 seamlessly guides the user who is the sender to the Internet banking service of the financial institution system 20, so that the remittance (transfer) service between deposit accounts in the financial institution can be made to look like a fund transfer service between accounts to the user. In addition, the fund transfer business system 30 can recognize that the remittance process between deposit accounts in the financial institution has been completed by acquiring or receiving the status of the remittance process (e.g., a remittance completion notice) from the financial institution system 20, and can correctly record the transaction history of the user's (i.e., the remitter and the recipient's) account according to the completion notice of the remittance process. In particular, since remittance between deposit accounts within a financial institution or within the same branch generally does not incur a transfer fee, the fund transfer business does not need to charge the user or bear the financial institution's fee when providing the fund transfer service, and can eliminate or minimize the cost of the fund transfer. In addition, while the fund transfer business records the transaction history or accounting transactions of the user's account, the fund transfer business does not hold the cash itself, but rather it remains deposited in the user's deposit account in the financial institution's branch, so it is not considered to be retained funds (undelivered debt). Therefore, in accordance with the Payment Services Act, money transfer businesses will not be required to deposit funds with a depository, or will only need to deposit the minimum amount, freeing them from excessive financial burdens.

In this disclosure, the sender and receiver in a funds transfer service are described as being end users (individuals), but this is not limited to the above. For example, the sender may be an end user and the receiver may be a business operator, such as a physical or virtual store, or vice versa. Alternatively, both the sender and receiver may be businesses. When the sender is an end user and the receiver is a business operator, the transfer of funds to the business operator may be a so-called payment of consideration. When the sender is a business operator and the receiver is an end user, the transfer of funds to the end user may be, for example, a salary payment, expense settlement, a cashback service based on some kind of campaign, a refund process, etc.

Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a money transfer business system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the money transfer business system 30, in relation to the money transfer service in this disclosure, may be broadly configured to include, for example, a business management database 310, an account management unit 320, and a transaction management unit 330. These components are connected, for example, via a LAN. In addition, although not shown, the money transfer business system 30 may include a mail server.

The business management database 310 is a database system for managing data related to the overall business of the funds transfer business operator, and may include, for example, a user information database 312 and a transaction history database 314.

The user information database 312 is a database that stores information about users (hereinafter referred to as "user information"). The user information includes information necessary for providing electronic money services such as fund transfer and electronic money settlement. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the user information database 312 may include personal attribute information (e.g., name, date of birth, address, telephone number, personal number, etc.) for each user, account attribute information (e.g., account ID, first email address (hereinafter referred to as "first email address") and second email address (hereinafter referred to as "second email address"), etc.), and financial institution attribute information (e.g., financial institution number, branch number, account type, account number, account holder name, etc.). As described above, the account ID may be composed of, for example, a receiving ID that can only be used for receiving funds and a consuming use ID that can only be used for consuming use (settlement). In addition, as described later, the second email address is an email address used between the financial institution and the fund transfer business in the fund transfer service. Although not shown, the user information database 312 may have a balance of the user calculated based on the user's transaction history in the transaction history database 314. The user information shown in the figure is configured to identify individual users by user IDs, but any information that uniquely identifies a user may be used, and for example, an account ID or email address may be used as the user ID. User information is typically managed securely, for example, by hashing or encryption.

The transaction history database 314 is a database that records all or part of the data of transactions by users in the electronic money service (hereinafter referred to as "transaction history data") as history. The transaction history data may be managed, for example, by blockchain technology. The user's transaction history data may be managed, for example, in association with a user ID in the user information database 312. The transaction history data is recorded, for example, for each predetermined account item (e.g., deposits, withdrawals, etc.). Alternatively or additionally, the funds transfer business system 30 may have an account database that records the user's account transactions.

The account management unit 320 is a component that comprehensively manages the accounts of users registered with the funds transfer business operator. The account management unit 320 may be configured to include, for example, a deposit account opening request unit 322 that requests the opening of a deposit account at a branch of a financial institution. In this example, the deposit account opening request unit 322 is configured as part of the account management unit 320, but is not limited to this and may be configured separately from the account management unit 320.

For example, a new user who wishes to use an electronic money service provided by a fund transfer business operates an information communication terminal device 40 to access the fund transfer business system 30 and register as a member, i.e., to request (apply for) account opening. In the request to open an account, for example, personal attribute information and an email address are requested. The account management unit 320 judges whether or not the account can be opened under the predetermined account opening conditions according to the request to open an account sent from the information communication terminal device 40. If the account management unit 320 permits the account opening, it issues or generates a second email address and registers the user information in the user information database 312. In addition, when the account management unit 320 receives a request from a user to change the user information, it updates the user information in the user information database 312 according to the change request. In the electronic money service disclosed herein, it is assumed that the user of the fund transfer business has a deposit account in his/her own name in a branch of the financial institution. Therefore, in the account opening procedure, a procedure is also performed to open a deposit account in the user's name in the head office or branch of the financial institution, as described below.

The deposit account opening request unit 322 performs processing to open a deposit account in the user's name in a branch of the financial institution in conjunction with the account opening described above. That is, the opening of a deposit account is performed by the financial institution (financial institution system 20), but the deposit account opening request unit 322 relays the user's request to open a deposit account and transfers it to the financial institution system 20. In this case, the opening of a deposit account is not a procedure between the user and the financial institution, but is performed as if it were part of the user's registration with the fund transfer business. This provides the user with an environment or experience in which a deposit account is opened at the same time as the user registers with the fund transfer business. As an alternative example, with the user's consent, the fund transfer business may request the financial institution to open a deposit account for the user in a branch on behalf of the user. In the present disclosure, the opening of a deposit account may include registration for use of so-called Internet banking services (sometimes referred to as online banking services). Internet banking services are various transaction services provided by financial institutions via the Internet. The user who is permitted to open a deposit account may separately register for use of the Internet banking service.

For example, the deposit account opening request unit 322 requests a deposit account opening request screen from the financial institution system 20 based on the account opening request received from the user, and when it receives this, for example, it displays it on the user interface unit 430 of the information communication terminal device 40 as a deposit account opening request screen configured to look like a deposit account opening request screen provided by the fund transfer business operator. For example, the user interface unit 430 controls so that the deposit account opening request screen prepared by the fund transfer business operator is displayed on the upper (front) layer of the layer of the deposit account opening request screen of the financial institution. For example, when the user interface unit 430 receives an operation action on the deposit account opening request screen of the upper layer that the user is viewing, it converts it into an operation action on the deposit account opening request screen of the lower layer through the control of the OS, and thereby the processing for the operation action is executed. That is, the deposit account opening request unit 322 generates a request for opening a deposit account based on the information necessary for opening a deposit account received through the user interface unit 430, and transmits it to the financial institution system 20. The request to open a deposit account includes a second email address that is generated based on the email address (first email address) received with the request to open the account. The second email address is, for example, an email address that includes the domain name of the money transfer business and can be managed by the mail server of the money transfer business system 30. The second email address is used for communication between the money transfer business system 30 and the financial institution system 20, and is typically an email address that the user himself/herself does not know about. In this sense, in this disclosure, the second email address is sometimes referred to as a shadow email address.

When the financial institution system 20 receives a request to open a deposit account from the funds transfer business system 30, it determines (examines) whether or not the deposit account can be opened under the specified deposit account opening conditions based on the request, and transmits the result of the determination to the deposit account opening request unit 322. If the financial institution system 20 permits the user to open a deposit account, it opens the deposit account and transmits account registration information including the account number, etc. to the deposit account opening request unit 322.

The deposit account opening request unit 322 transmits the received result of whether or not the deposit account is opened to the user's information communication terminal device 40. In addition, if the deposit account opening is permitted, the deposit account opening request unit 322 registers the account number, etc. in the user information database 312 based on the account registration information. As a result, the user's account (i.e., account ID) and the deposit account (i.e., account number, etc.) are managed as a pair. In this example, the deposit account opening request unit 322 receives a request to open a deposit account and transfers it directly to the financial institution system 20, but this is not limited to this. For example, the deposit account opening request unit 322 may determine whether or not the deposit account is opened under the funds transfer business's own predetermined deposit account opening conditions separately from the financial institution, and transmit the request to the financial institution system 20 only if the deposit account opening is permitted. Alternatively, the deposit account opening request unit 322 may be configured to guide the user who is in the process of opening a deposit account to the Internet banking service provided by the financial institution system 20, and obtain the information entered there for opening the deposit account from the financial institution system 20.

The transaction management unit 330 uses the transaction history database 314 to record and manage user transactions as transaction history. The transaction management unit 330 may be configured to include, for example, a funds transfer management unit 332 that executes fund transfer processing between user accounts. In this example, the funds transfer management unit 332 is configured as part of the transaction management unit 330, but is not limited to this and may be configured separately from the transaction management unit 330.

As an example, when the transaction management unit 330 receives a payment inquiry from a payment terminal device at a store or the like in response to a user's request to make a payment (settlement) with electronic money using the information and communication terminal device 40, it inquires with the financial institution system 20 to confirm (commit) the user's balance, and if there is a balance available for settlement, it works with the financial institution system 20 to carry out the payment process (account transaction) and sends a payment approval to the payment terminal device. As a result, the payment terminal device sends a payment approval to the information and communication terminal device 40, completing the payment.

The funds transfer management unit 332 performs a funds transfer process between user accounts based on a request from one user to another user using the information communication terminal device 40. Specifically, when the funds transfer management unit 332 receives a request to transfer a funds transfer request amount (requested remittance amount) from the account of the user who is the remitter to the account of the user who is the recipient, it generates a redirect request and sends it to the financial institution system 20. The redirect request may include, for example, a deposit account associated with the account of the user who is the remitter, a deposit account associated with the account of the user who is the recipient, and/or the requested funds transfer amount (requested remittance amount). When the financial institution system 20 receives the redirect request, it guides the user to a remittance request screen (see FIG. 12) in the Internet banking service (i.e., displays the remittance request screen in the Internet banking service on the user interface unit 430 of the information communication terminal device 40), and accepts a remittance request from the user via the remittance request screen.

The financial institution system 20 performs a remittance (transfer) process of the remittance request amount indicated in the remittance request from the deposit account of the user who is the remitter to the deposit account of the user who is the recipient according to the remittance request sent from the user. When the financial institution system 20 completes the remittance process, it sends a remittance completion email to the second email address of the user who is the remitter and to the second email address of the other user who is the recipient. When the funds transfer management unit 332 receives each of the remittance completion emails, it determines that the remittance process in the financial institution system 20 is completed, and performs a process of deducting the requested amount of funds transfer from the account of the user who is the remitter in the transaction history database 314 and at the same time increasing the balance of the account of the user who is the recipient by the requested amount of funds transfer. In the present disclosure, the completion of the remittance is notified by email to the second email address, but is not limited to this, and may be notified by other protocol means other than email (e.g. messaging, API, etc.).

As mentioned above, the transfer of funds from an end user to a business operator can also be seen as one aspect of payment (settlement), and therefore the funds transfer management unit 332 can be seen as part of the transaction management unit 330 (or vice versa).

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an information communication terminal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. That is, as shown in the figure, the information communication terminal device 40 is configured to include, for example, a control unit 410, a storage unit 420, a user interface unit 430, and a communication interface unit 440. In the figure, of the various components of the information communication terminal device 40, those components that are particularly related to the present disclosure are shown. Such components can be realized as hardware components themselves, or, for example, by the processor of the information communication terminal device 40 executing an electronic money application program on an OS in cooperation with various hardware resources.

The control unit 410 is a component for comprehensively controlling the information communication terminal device 40 so that the information communication terminal device 40 functions as a terminal device for electronic money services, and is typically configured to include the processor 412 and OS (including, for example, various device drivers) of the information communication terminal device 40. In other words, the processor 412 executes an electronic money application program to cause the information communication terminal device 40 to function as a terminal device for electronic money services.

The input/output control unit 414 is a component embodied, for example, by a function of the OS, and controls, for example, input/output access with each of the memory unit 420, the user interface unit 430, and the communication interface unit 440.

The storage unit 420 is a component that stores various programs and data sets, and typically includes a memory device that is used by the processor 412 of the information communication terminal device 40. As an example, the storage unit 420 stores an OS, an electronic money application program, a user profile, and the like. The electronic money application program is, for example, downloaded from a specific website or the like, or is pre-installed in advance. The electronic money application program may include an application program body for using an electronic money service and a subprogram or module for realizing the fund transfer management method of the present disclosure. Alternatively, the electronic money application program may be composed only of a subprogram or module for realizing the fund transfer management method of the present disclosure. The user profile may include, for example, at least a part or all of personal attribute information, account information, and account information as data related to the electronic money service of the present disclosure.

The user interface unit 430 is a component that enables the user to interactively operate the information communication terminal device 40, and may be configured to include, for example, an input/output device consisting of a touch panel that integrates a display and a position input mechanism. In addition, a microphone, a camera, etc. may be provided as other input/output devices. The user interface unit 430 may be configured to have all or part of the functions of the input/output control unit 414, for example. As one example, in response to a specific operation on the user interface unit 430 by the user, the user interface unit 430 displays a specific screen (for example, a login screen, a funds transfer request screen, a remittance request screen, etc.). As another example, the user interface unit 430 displays a geometric pattern for electronic money payment, or reads the geometric pattern via a camera.

The communication interface unit 440 is a component that transmits and receives various data between the money transfer business system 30 and other external devices, such as the financial institution system 20, via the communication network 10, and is typically configured to include a communication interface circuit or chipset. In this disclosure, the communication interface unit 440 is used to access the money transfer business system 30 and/or the financial institution system 20, and to receive emails regarding the completion of the remittance process.

Figure 6 is a sequence diagram for explaining an example of a user's account opening process for using an electronic money service provided by a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown below, a user can carry out the procedure for opening an account using an information communication terminal device 40.

That is, a user who wishes to use an electronic money service provided by a funds transfer business operates the information and communication terminal device 40 to start an electronic money application program. If the user has not yet registered, the information and communication terminal device 40 presents the user with a user registration screen 700, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, to prompt the user to register, i.e., to open an account (S601). The user inputs the necessary information, such as personal attribute information including name, date of birth, email address, and password, into the user registration screen 700. The email address input here is the first email address. When the user inputs the necessary information into the user registration screen 700 and selects the "Send" button, the information and communication terminal device 40 creates a request for account opening based on the input information and transmits this to the funds transfer business system 30 (S602).

When the money transfer business system 30 receives a request to open an account from the information and communications terminal device 40, it starts the account opening procedure (S603). For example, the money transfer business system 30 determines whether or not the user can open an account according to certain account opening conditions. If the money transfer business system 30 permits the user to open an account, it provisionally registers the user's account in the user information database 312, and then sends a request to the financial institution system 20 to open a deposit account for the user in order to request the financial institution to open a deposit account at a branch on behalf of the user (S604).

When the financial institution system 20 receives a request to open a deposit account from the funds transfer business system 30 (S605), it generates data related to a deposit account opening request screen and transmits this to the user's information communication terminal device 40 (S606).

When the information and communication terminal device 40 receives the data on the deposit account opening request screen, it displays the deposit account opening request screen 800 prepared by the funds transfer business operator on the user interface unit 430, for example, as shown in FIG. 8 (S607). That is, the information and communication terminal device 40 displays the deposit account opening request screen 800 prepared by the funds transfer business operator in a display layer above (forward of) the display layer of the deposit account opening request screen 800' based on the screen data transmitted from the financial institution system 20. Therefore, only the deposit account opening request screen 800 prepared by the funds transfer business operator, which is the upper layer, is visible to the user. As an example, objects such as input fields and buttons on the deposit account opening request screen 800 are associated with corresponding objects on the deposit account opening request screen 800'. The information and communication terminal device 40 temporarily holds the information entered on the user registration screen 700, and when displaying the deposit account opening request screen 800, it inputs this information and presents the deposit account opening request screen 800 to the user. This omits the input of information that is duplicated between opening an account and opening a deposit account. When the user inputs the necessary information into the displayed upper layer deposit account opening request screen 800, the information communication terminal device 40 converts it into input for the lower layer deposit account opening request screen 800' through the control of the OS. For example, when the user inputs the necessary user information into the upper layer deposit account opening request screen 800 and selects the send button, the information communication terminal device 40 converts it into input for the lower layer deposit account opening request screen 800' and sends the user information for opening a deposit account to the financial institution system 20 (S608).

When the financial institution system 20 receives the user information for opening a deposit account from the information and communication terminal device 40, it performs the account opening process based on the received user information (S609). For example, the financial institution system 20 determines whether or not the user can open a deposit account at a branch office according to the specified deposit account opening conditions. As a result, the financial institution system 20 transmits the determination result of whether or not the deposit account can be opened to the funds transfer business system 30 (S610). For example, if the financial institution system 20 does not permit the opening of a deposit account, it transmits a denial notice to the funds transfer business system 30. In response, if the financial institution system 20 permits the opening of a deposit account, it transmits account registration information including the account number, etc., to the funds transfer business system 30 as an account opening completion notice. Alternatively or additionally, the financial institution system 20 may transmit the determination result of whether or not the deposit account can be opened to the information and communication terminal device 40.

Based on the account opening completion notification sent from the financial institution system 20 in response to the account opening request, the funds transfer business system 30 officially registers the provisionally registered user information in the user information database 312, and also creates a transaction history file for the user in the transaction history database 314 (S611). Through this official registration, the user's account is managed in association with a deposit account.

After completing the user registration, the funds transfer business system 30 transmits an account opening completion notification to the information communication terminal device 40 (S612). When the information communication terminal device 40 receives the account opening completion notification, it displays it as a user registration completion confirmation screen 900 as shown in FIG. 9, for example (S613). If the funds transfer business system 30 does not permit the account opening, it transmits a denial notification to the information communication terminal device 40.

Figure 10 is a diagram for explaining an example of a scheme for a funds transfer service in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Below, an example is explained in which user A transfers a predetermined amount of electronic money to user B. In other words, this is an electronic money funds transfer service provided by a funds transfer business operator between the accounts of users A and B. It is assumed that users A and B have each already opened an account to use the funds transfer business operator's electronic money service, and have also each already opened a deposit account in a branch of a financial institution.

As shown in the figure, first, the remitter, user A, operates the information communication terminal device 40A, for example, inputs a user ID (or account ID, etc.) and password to receive login authentication, and then inputs the account ID of user B, the remittee (receiver), and the requested amount of funds transfer, etc., on the funds transfer request screen 1100 as shown in FIG. 11. As described above, when two types of IDs consisting of a receipt ID and a consumption use ID are used, the account ID of user B is the receipt ID. In response to this, the information communication terminal device 40A transmits a request for funds transfer to the funds transfer business system 30 (S1001). When the funds transfer business system 30 receives a request for funds transfer from the information communication terminal device 40A of user A, it refers to the user information database 312 and acquires account information on the deposit accounts of users A and B, respectively (S1002). Next, the funds transfer business system 30 generates a redirect request based on the request for funds transfer and the acquired account information, and transmits this to the financial institution system 20 (S1003).

When the financial institution system 20 receives a redirect request from the funds transfer business system 30, it generates data related to a remittance request screen based on the redirect request and transmits it to the information communication terminal device 40A (S1004). In response to this, the information communication terminal device 40A displays a remittance request screen 1200, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, on the user interface unit 430. That is, the information communication terminal device 40A displays the remittance request screen 1200 prepared by the funds transfer business in a display layer above the display layer of the remittance request screen (not shown) based on the screen data transmitted from the financial institution system 20 as described above (recognized as a remittance confirmation screen by user A). As an example, the remittance request screen provided by the financial institution system 20 may be a remittance request screen in an Internet banking service. As a result, user A is seamlessly guided from the funds transfer request screen 1100 of the funds transfer business shown in FIG. 11 to the remittance request screen 1200 associated with the remittance request screen in the Internet banking service of the financial institution. For example, when the remittance request screen 1200 is presented to user A, the user may be requested to input a login ID and password for the Internet banking service. In addition to the remittance request amount included in the redirect request, the remittance request screen 1200 may include information on the account of user A who is the remitter and/or the account of user B who is the recipient. The remittance request screen 1200 may also include information on the account of user A who is the remitter and/or the deposit account of user B who is the recipient instead of or in addition to the account information. User A may input a transaction password, for example, as additional authentication, to the remittance request screen 1200. As described above, the information communication terminal device 40A converts the information input by user A to the remittance request screen 1200 into input information for the remittance request screen of the Internet banking service, and then transmits a remittance request to the financial institution system 20 (S1005).

When the financial institution system 20 receives a remittance request from the information communication terminal device 40A, it executes a remittance (transfer) process of the requested remittance amount from the deposit account of user A to the deposit account of user B (S1006). When the financial institution system 20 completes the remittance process, it sends a remittance completion email using the second email addresses of users A and B, respectively (S1007). The remittance completion email is a remittance completion email for user A, the remittance sender, and a remittance completion email (received email) for user B, the remittance receiver. In addition, if another email address of user A and/or B is registered for the Internet banking service, the financial institution system 20 may also send the remittance completion email to that email address. As another example, the second email addresses of users A and B may be registered in a mailing list, and the remittance completion email may be sent according to the mailing list.

When the money transfer business system 30 receives the remittance completion email addressed to the second email addresses of users A and B, it updates the transaction history database 314 based on the request for the funds transfer and the remittance completion email (S1008). The money transfer business system 30 may also generate a remittance completion email addressed to users A and B based on the remittance completion email addressed to the second email addresses of users A and B, and send this to the first email address. FIG. 13 shows an example of a remittance completion email displayed on the user interface unit 430 of the information communication terminal device 40A of user A, the remitter, and FIG. 14 shows an example of a receipt completion email displayed on the user interface unit 430 of the information communication terminal device 40B of user B, the receiver. As another example, the money transfer business system 30 may forward the remittance completion email received via the second email address to the first email address.

As described above, in the fund transfer management system 1 of the present disclosure, when a fund transfer request is received from a user who is a remitter, the fund transfer business system 30 can seamlessly guide the user to the Internet banking service of the financial institution system 20 without the user being aware that it is a remittance request screen of Internet banking. Therefore, the fund transfer business can realize a remittance request in the financial institution system 20 via the remittance request screen 1200 in the Internet banking service under the user's operation. When the financial institution system 20 completes the remittance process between the deposit accounts of the user (i.e., the remitter and the recipient) based on the remittance request, it sends a remittance completion email to the fund transfer business system 30 using the second email address, so that the fund transfer business system 30 can recognize that the remittance process has been completed within the financial institution system 20. Then, the fund transfer business system 30 can correctly record the transaction history of the account of the user who made the fund transfer request based on the remittance completion email.

Figure 15 is a flowchart for explaining an example of processing related to a funds transfer service in a funds transfer business system according to one embodiment of the present invention. The processing is realized, for example, by a processor of a computing device constituting the funds transfer business system 30 executing a specified funds transfer management program. Prior to the processing, user information such as that shown in Figure 16 is assumed to be registered in the user information database 312 in the funds transfer business system 30. Note that, for ease of understanding, the figure selectively shows data items stored in the user information database 312 shown in Figure 4 that are particularly relevant to the processing.

As shown in FIG. 15, the funds transfer management unit 332 of the funds transfer business system 30 waits until it receives a funds transfer request from the information communication terminal device 40 of the user (S1501). Now, assuming that the funds transfer management unit 332 receives a funds transfer request from the information communication terminal device 40A of the user A who is the remitter (Yes in S1501), the funds transfer management unit 332 judges whether funds can be transferred based on the funds transfer request (S1502). Whether funds can be transferred can be judged, for example, based on whether an account of the user B who is the recipient exists. When the funds transfer management unit 332 judges that funds cannot be transferred (No in S1502), it generates, for example, an error message indicating the reason and transmits the error message to the information communication terminal device 40A of the user A (S1507). For example, if the account of the user B does not exist, the funds transfer management unit 332 generates an error message to the effect that the recipient does not exist and transmits the error message to the information communication terminal device 40A of the user A. In this disclosure, when funds cannot be transferred due to insufficient balance of user A, the money transfer business system 30 will rely on the financial institution system 20 to determine that remittance processing is not possible, but this is not limited thereto, and in a mode in which the money transfer business system 30 holds the balance of user A, it may check this in advance.

When the funds transfer management unit 332 determines that funds can be transferred (Yes in S1502), it refers to the user information database 312 based on the funds transfer request to identify the respective deposit accounts of users A and B (S1503). For example, the respective deposit accounts of users A and B are identified from the account IDs associated with the pair. Next, the funds transfer management unit 332 sends a redirect request including deposit account information indicating the identified deposit accounts to the financial institution system 20 (S1504), and waits until it receives a status notification of the remittance process (remittance completion email) sent from the financial institution system 20 (S1505).

When the financial institution system 20 receives the redirect request, it guides user A to the remittance request screen of the Internet banking service and controls the information communication terminal device 40A to display the remittance request screen 1200 as described above. When the financial institution system 20 executes the remittance process in accordance with the remittance request received from the information communication terminal device 40A via the remittance request screen 1200, it sends a remittance completion email to the funds transfer business system 30. This process in the financial institution system 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 17.

When the funds transfer management unit 332 receives a remittance completion email (notification of the status of the remittance process) corresponding to the request for funds transfer from the financial institution system 20 via the second email address (Yes in S1506), it updates the transaction history database 314 based on the contents of the funds transfer request and the remittance completion email (S1506). For example, when the funds transfer management unit 332 confirms that the remittance process is completed by matching the funds transfer request with the remittance completion email, it adds new transaction data to the transaction history data of user A in the transaction history database 314. Alternatively or additionally, when the funds transfer business system 30 has an account database, the funds transfer management unit 332 may be configured to subtract the remittance request amount from the balance of the account upon completion of the remittance process, and add the remittance request amount to the balance of user B's account. In this way, the funds transfer business system 30 can match the balances of the accounts of users A and B with the balances of the deposit accounts of users A and B in the financial institution system 20.

Figure 17 is a flowchart for explaining remittance service processing related to a funds transfer service in a financial institution system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This processing is realized, for example, by a processor of an information system server of the financial institution system 20 executing, for example, a remittance service processing program.

As shown in the figure, the financial institution system 20 waits until it receives a redirect request from the funds transfer business system 30 in a remittance service related to the funds transfer service (S1701). When the financial institution system 20 receives a redirect request from the funds transfer business system 30 (Yes in S1701), it generates data related to a remittance request screen in the Internet banking service based on the redirect request and transmits this to the user's information communication terminal device 40 (S1702). As a result, a remittance request screen 1200 in the Internet banking service is displayed on the user interface unit 430 of the information communication terminal device 40. When the remittance request screen 1200 is presented, the user may be required to enter, for example, a login ID and login password for the Internet banking service.

The financial institution system 20, which has transmitted the data on the remittance request screen, waits until it receives a remittance request from the user's information communication terminal device 40 (S1703). When the financial institution system 20 receives the remittance request from the information communication terminal device 40 (Yes in S1703), it executes the remittance process and the associated accounting process based on the remittance request (S1704). When the remittance process is completed, the financial institution system 20 generates a remittance completion email for the remittance request and transmits it to the funds transfer business system 30 (S1705), and ends the remittance process. The remittance completion email includes a remittance completion email for the user who is the remittance sender and a remittance completion email (receipt completion email) for the user who is the remittance receiver. That is, the financial institution system 20 transmits a remittance completion email to the second email address of the user who is the remittance sender indicating that the remittance of the remittance request amount has been completed, and transmits a receipt completion email to the second email address of the user who is the receiver indicating that an amount equivalent to the remittance request amount has been received. The money transfer business system 30 receives the remittance completion email addressed to the second email address at a mail server (not shown), and the money transfer management unit 332 acquires the remittance completion email that has arrived at the mail server. As described above, upon receiving the remittance completion email, the money transfer business system 30 recognizes that the remittance process between the user's deposit accounts has been completed, and updates the transaction history database 314.

As described above, according to this embodiment, one user (sender) can operate the information and communication terminal device 40 or the service terminal device 50 to request a transfer of a predetermined amount of electronic money to the account of another user (receiver), thereby transferring a predetermined amount of electronic money from the sender's own account to the receiver's account. In particular, since the funds transfer business system 30 manages each user's account as a pair with a deposit account in a branch of a financial institution, when a request for funds transfer is received from a user who is a sender, the user can be seamlessly guided to the Internet banking service of the financial institution system 20, and a remittance request in the Internet banking service can make the remittance (transfer) service between deposit accounts in a financial institution appear to the user as if it were a funds transfer service between accounts.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the funds transfer business operator can receive notifications from the financial institution regarding the status of the remittance process, and can therefore recognize that a remittance between deposit accounts at the financial institution has been completed, and can correctly record the transaction history of the user's (i.e., the remitter and recipient's) accounts according to the notifications regarding the status of the remittance process.

In addition, according to this embodiment, the remittance process at the financial institution is carried out within the financial institution or within the same branch, so the user and/or the money transfer business operator does not need to pay fees to the financial institution or can keep the fees low.

In addition, according to this embodiment, when a user's account transaction occurs at the money transfer business operator, the cash is not held by the money transfer business operator itself, but remains deposited in the user's deposit account at the branch, so it is not considered to be retained funds (unreceived debt), and the money transfer business operator is not required to deposit the cash at a deposit office in accordance with the Payment Services Act, or it is sufficient to deposit the minimum amount, thereby freeing the business operator from excessive financial burdens.

(Variation 1)
In the above embodiment, the money transfer business system 30 recognized the completion of the money transfer process between deposit accounts in the financial institution system 20 based on the remittance completion email received from the financial institution system 20, but the status of the money transfer process may also be confirmed, for example, via an API (application programming interface) connection between the money transfer business system 30 and the financial institution system 20.

For example, the financial institution system 20 provides a reference system API connection that allows reference to the status of remittance processing in the database of the accounting system 24. When remittance processing is executed by the financial institution system 20 in accordance with a funds transfer request, the funds transfer management unit 332 of the funds transfer business system 30 references the database of the accounting system 24 at a predetermined timing (e.g., every set time such as 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes) via the reference system API connection to obtain the status of the remittance processing.

Alternatively, the financial institution system 20 provides an update system API connection that enables the status of the remittance process to be updated in the database of the accounting system 24. When the financial institution system 20 executes the remittance process in accordance with the request for a fund transfer, the fund transfer management unit 332 of the fund transfer business system 30 accesses the database of the accounting system 24 at a predetermined timing (e.g., every set time such as 30 seconds, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, or 10 minutes) via the update system API connection to obtain the status of the remittance process.

As described above, the money transfer business system 30 can check the status of the remittance processing in the financial institution system 20 in response to a remittance request made in accordance with a user's fund transfer request via an API connection, and when it confirms that the remittance processing has been completed, it can record the transaction history in the transaction history database 314 and also notify the user that the remittance processing has been completed.

In addition to checking the status of the remittance process as described above, the financial institution system 20 may provide an update API that allows it to accept requests for remittance processes. For example, the funds transfer management unit 332 of the funds transfer business system 30 may be configured to directly request a remittance request accepted on the funds transfer request screen (or remittance request screen) to the financial institution system 20 via an update API connection.

(Variation 2)
The fund transfer business system 30 may be configured, for example, such that when a user opens a deposit account, the account management unit 320 sends a redirect request to the financial institution system 20 to guide the user to a deposit account opening request screen of the Internet banking service provided by the financial institution system 20. After opening a deposit account for the user based on a user's request to open a deposit account, the financial institution system 20 notifies the fund transfer business system 30 that the deposit account has been opened, and then transmits information regarding the deposit account to the fund transfer business system 30 so that the fund transfer business system 30 can complete the registration of the user.

Second Embodiment
This embodiment is a funds transfer service in which, when a funds transfer business operator receives a funds transfer request, it sends a remittance request based on the funds transfer request directly to a financial institution on behalf of the user who is the remitter, without going through the remittance request screen of an Internet banking service, and receives a notification of completion of the remittance process.

Figure 18 is a diagram for explaining an example of a scheme for a funds transfer service in a funds transfer management system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, first, user A, the remitter, operates information communication terminal device 40A, for example, inputs a user ID and password to be authenticated, and then inputs the account ID of user B, the remittee (receiver), and the requested amount of funds transfer, etc., on the funds transfer request screen 1100 as shown in FIG. 11. In response, information communication terminal device 40A transmits a funds transfer request to the funds transfer business system (S1801). When the funds transfer business system 30 receives the funds transfer request from user A's information communication terminal device 40A, it refers to the user information database 312 and acquires the deposit accounts of users A and B, respectively (S1802). Next, the funds transfer business system 30 generates a transmission request based on the funds transfer request and the acquired deposit accounts, and transmits this to the financial institution system 20 (S1803).

When the financial institution system 20 receives the remittance request from the funds transfer business system 30, it executes the remittance (transfer) process of the requested remittance amount from the deposit account of user A to the deposit account of user B (S1804). When the financial institution system 20 completes the remittance process, it sends a remittance completion email to the second email addresses of users A and B, respectively (S1805).

When the funds transfer business system 30 receives the remittance completion emails addressed to the second email addresses of users A and B, it updates the transaction history database 314 based on the funds transfer request and the remittance completion emails (S1806). In addition, if another email address of users A and/or B is registered for the Internet banking service, the financial institution system 20 may also send a remittance completion email to that email address.

As described above, in the funds transfer management system 1 of the present disclosure, the funds transfer business system 30 directly transmits a remittance request based on a funds transfer request from the user who is the remitter to the financial institution system 20, so that the user can save the trouble of inputting information on the remittance request screen in the Internet banking service. Also, in this embodiment, when the financial institution system 20 completes the remittance process between the deposit accounts of the users (i.e., the remitter and the recipient) based on the remittance request, it sends a remittance completion email to the funds transfer business system 30 using the second email address, so that the funds transfer business system 30 can recognize that the remittance process has been completed within the financial institution system 20. Then, the funds transfer business system 30 can correctly record the transaction history of the account of the user who made the funds transfer request based on the remittance completion email.

In this embodiment, the funds transfer management system 1 may also be configured so that the funds transfer business system 30 checks the status of the remittance process from the financial institution system 20 via an API connection.

The above embodiments are merely examples for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention to these embodiments. The present invention can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

For example, in the methods disclosed herein, steps, operations, or functions may be performed in parallel or in a different order, provided that the results are not inconsistent. The steps, operations, and functions described are provided merely as examples, and some of the steps, operations, and functions may be omitted or combined into one, or other steps, operations, or functions may be added, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In addition, although various embodiments are disclosed in this specification, specific features (technical matters) in one embodiment can be added to or replaced with specific features in another embodiment, with appropriate modifications, and such forms are also included in the gist of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Funds transfer management system 10...Communication network 20...Financial institution system 22...Channel system 24...Accounting system 26...Information system 30...Funds transfer business system 310...Business management database 312...User information database 314...Transaction history database 320...Account management unit 322...Deposit account opening request unit 330...Transaction management unit 332...Funds transfer management unit 40...Information communication terminal device 410...Control unit 420...Memory unit 430...User interface unit 440...Communication interface unit 50...Service terminal device

Claims (23)

A fund transfer management method implemented by a fund transfer management system that provides a fund transfer service related to fund transfer between accounts for managing electronic monetary value of a user, comprising:
A fund transfer business system in the fund transfer management system,
managing, for each user who uses the funds transfer service, a pair of the user's account and the user's deposit account at a financial institution;
when a request for transferring a predetermined amount of funds from a first user's account to a second user's account is accepted, acquiring from a financial institution system a status of a remittance process between a deposit account managed in a pair with the first user's account and a deposit account managed in a pair with the second user's account;
and when the acquired status of the remittance process indicates completion of the remittance, completing the fund transfer process between the accounts in accordance with the fund transfer request.
Funds transfer management methods. The money transfer business system,
Obtaining user information of a user;
Sending a request to the financial institution system to open a deposit account for the user at the financial institution based on the acquired user information;
obtaining account information for a deposit account opened at the financial institution in response to the request to open the deposit account;
The managing in pairs is
managing the user's account and the deposit account indicated by the acquired account information as a pair;
The method of claim 1 . the funds transfer business system acquires account information relating to the deposit account when the opening of the deposit account is permitted by the financial institution system in accordance with predetermined deposit account opening conditions;
The method of claim 2 . the money transfer business system further authorizing the opening of the account in accordance with predetermined account opening conditions;
The method of claim 3. completing the funds transfer process includes recording a transaction history for the funds transfer in a transaction history database for the funds transfer service;
A method for managing funds transfer according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The method further includes the step of: the fund transfer business system issuing an email address of the user based on the user information.
A method for managing funds transfer according to any one of claims 2 to 4 and claim 5 which cites claim 2 . obtaining the status of the remittance process includes receiving the status of the remittance process sent by the financial institution system to an email address of the user;
The method of claim 6 . obtaining a status of the remittance transaction via an application programming interface connection with the financial institution system;
A method for managing funds transfer according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A funds transfer business system that realizes a funds transfer service related to funds transfer between accounts for managing electronic monetary value of a user, comprising:
a user information database for managing, for each user who uses the funds transfer service, the user's account and the user's deposit account at a financial institution in a pair;
a transaction management unit that receives the request for the fund transfer and executes a fund transfer process between the accounts of users who comply with the request for the fund transfer;
The transaction management unit:
when a request for a transfer of a predetermined amount of funds from a first user's account to a second user's account is received, obtain from a financial institution system a status of a remittance process between a deposit account managed in a pair with the first user's account and a deposit account managed in a pair with the second user's account;
When the acquired status of the remittance process indicates completion of the remittance, completing the execution of the funds transfer process.
Funds transfer business system. further comprising an account management unit for managing the user's account;
The account management unit
generating a request for opening a deposit account for a user identified by the user information based on the user information transmitted from the terminal device, and transmitting the generated request for opening a deposit account to the financial institution system;
acquiring account information relating to a deposit account opened at the financial institution in response to the request to open the deposit account;
storing said user's account and the deposit account indicated by said acquired account information in said user information database as a pair;
The funds transfer business system according to claim 9. the account management unit acquires account information relating to the deposit account when the opening of the deposit account is permitted by the financial institution system in accordance with predetermined deposit account opening conditions;
The funds transfer business system according to claim 10. The account management unit permits the opening of the account in accordance with predetermined account opening conditions.
The funds transfer business system according to claim 11. A transaction history database for storing transaction history is further provided,
the transaction management unit records a transaction history relating to the fund transfer in the transaction history database based on the status of the remittance process;
13. A funds transfer business system according to any one of claims 9 to 12. The account management unit issues an email address for the user based on the user information.
A funds transfer business system according to any one of claims 10 to 12 and claim 13 which cites claim 10. The transaction management unit receives the status of the remittance process sent by the financial institution system to the user's email address.
15. The funds transfer business system according to claim 14. the transaction manager obtains the status of the remittance transaction via an application programming interface connection with the financial institution system;
16. A funds transfer business system according to any one of claims 9 to 15. A program for executing a funds transfer management method for realizing a funds transfer service related to funds transfer between accounts for managing electronic monetary value of a user, comprising:
The program is installed in a computer in a funds transfer management system.
managing, for each user who uses the funds transfer service, a pair of the user's account and the user's deposit account at a financial institution;
when a request for transferring a predetermined amount of funds from a first user's account to a second user's account is accepted, acquiring from a financial institution system a status of a remittance process between a deposit account managed in a pair with the first user's account and a deposit account managed in a pair with the second user's account;
If the acquired status of the remittance process indicates completion of the remittance, completing the fund transfer process between the accounts in accordance with the fund transfer request.
program. A funds transfer management system that provides a funds transfer service related to funds transfer between accounts for managing electronic monetary value of a user, comprising:
a financial institution system for managing a user's deposit account at a financial institution;
a money transfer business system including a transaction management unit that manages transactions related to money transfers in accordance with the money transfer service,
The user's account is managed in the funds transfer service provider system so as to form a paired relationship with the user's deposit account;
When a request is made via a terminal device to transfer a predetermined amount of funds from an account of a first user who is a remitter to an account of a second user who is a recipient,
the financial institution system executes a remittance process of the predetermined amount from the deposit account of the first user to the deposit account of the second user based on a remittance request corresponding to the request for funds transfer, and transmits a status of the remittance process to the funds transfer business system;
the transaction management unit completes the fund transfer process between the accounts in accordance with the fund transfer request based on the status of the remittance process;
Funds transfer management system. The money transfer business system includes:
an account management unit for managing the user's account;
a user information database for managing the user's account and the user's deposit account at the financial institution in a pair;
The account management unit
generating a request for opening a deposit account for a user identified by the user information based on the user information transmitted from the terminal device, and transmitting the generated request for opening a deposit account to the financial institution system;
The financial institution system includes:
Open a deposit account in accordance with the request to open a deposit account,
Transmitting account information regarding the opened deposit account to the funds transfer business system;
The account management unit
storing said user's account and the deposit account indicated by said account information in said user information database as a pair;
The funds transfer management system according to claim 18. the money transfer business system controls so that a remittance request screen is displayed on a user interface of the terminal device when the money transfer request is received from the terminal device;
20. A funds transfer management system according to claim 18 or 19. when the financial institution system receives a redirect request based on the request for the funds transfer from the funds transfer business system, the financial institution system transmits data regarding the remittance request screen to the terminal device;
execute the remittance process based on the remittance request transmitted from the terminal device;
The funds transfer management system according to claim 20. the financial institution system determines whether or not the deposit account can be opened in accordance with predetermined deposit account opening conditions, and opens the deposit account if it determines that the opening of the deposit account is permitted;
The funds transfer management system according to claim 19. the account management unit determines whether or not the account can be opened in accordance with a predetermined account opening condition, and opens the account if it determines that the account opening is permitted;
23. The funds transfer management system according to claim 22.

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