Patent ID: 11880816
Assignee: NTT COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION
Field: IT methods for management (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 3:
4. A settlement method implemented by a settlement system comprising a server, a mobile terminal apparatus of a user, and a merchant device, the method comprising:
at the server:
storing, at a memory, a first exchange rate applicable to the user for a predetermined period of time, sales information reported by the merchant device, and a second exchange rate applicable for a time except for the predetermined period of time, wherein the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate are associated with a user;
reporting, at a predetermined occasion, one of the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate to the merchant device based on whether or not the predetermined occasion is included in the predetermined period of time, and
performing control to
determine an amount of payment to be made to the merchant device, based on the sales information reported by the merchant device and the one of the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate,
pay the determined amount to the merchant device in a currency of a second country, the currency of the second country being a home currency for the merchant device, and
fix an amount of settlement for the user to a price in a currency of a first country, the price being displayed on a mobile terminal apparatus of the user at a time of purchase, the currency of the first country being designated by the user, the mobile terminal apparatus communicating with the server and the merchant device, the mobile terminal apparatus being owned by the user,

at the merchant device:
storing, at a memory, the one of the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate reported by the server; and
performing control to cause the mobile terminal apparatus of the user to display an article that the user wishes to purchase, and to cause the mobile terminal apparatus of the user to display, based on an exchange rate selected from the first exchange rate and the second exchange rate according to whether the time of purchase is included in the predetermined period of time, an amount of payment for purchase of the article in the currency of the first country designated by the user, wherein the article that the user wishes to purchase, the amount of payment for purchase of the article in the currency of the first country are contained in an image, the article is sold in a merchant shop, and the merchant device is set in the merchant shop, and
if the user purchases the article, notifying the server of the sales information in the currency of the first country, the sales information being calculated by the merchant based on the selected exchange rate,

at the mobile terminal apparatus:
capturing the image containing the article to be purchased in the second country,
transmitting the image to the merchant device, and

the merchant device performs control to
identify, upon receipt of the image that contains the article that the user wishes to purchase from the mobile terminal apparatus, a price in the currency of the second country of the article, and
calculate the amount of payment for purchase of the article in the currency of the first country based on the price in the currency of the second country of the article and the selected exchange rate.