Patent ID: 8562426
Filing Date: 2013-10-22
Classification: G06Q,G07F

Abstract:
1. A charge payment system comprising: a server apparatus which is connected with a network; a charging-target terminal apparatus which is provided as a terminal apparatus for a charging target to be used by a user, and transmits to the server apparatus via the network, first transmission information including a medium ID unique to each medium, the medium ID recorded in a medium possessed by the user; a terminal apparatus for association which transmits to the server apparatus via the network, second transmission information which requires to associate a user ID unique to each user and the medium ID with each other with specifying the user ID and the medium ID, by following operations of the user; and an addition terminal apparatus for addition which transmits to the server apparatus via the network, third transmission information including the user ID or the medium ID, and an additional amount of virtual money by following operations of the user, wherein the server apparatus includes: a storage device which stores ID association data where the user ID and the medium ID are associated with each other, and account association data where the user ID and an account storing a balance of the virtual money are associated with each other; an ID association management device which updates, in a case that the second transmission information has been transmitted from the association terminal apparatus, the ID association data so that the user ID and the medium ID which are specified in the second transmission information are associated with each other; a virtual money addition device which specifies, in a case that the third transmission information has been transmitted from the addition terminal apparatus, either the user ID included in the third transmission information, or the user ID associated with the medium ID included in the third transmission information in the ID association data, specifies a virtual money account associated with the user ID specified by referring to the account association data, and adds the additional amount to a balance of the virtual money account specified; a virtual money consumption device which specifies, in a case that information including the medium ID and a consumption amount of the virtual money is transmitted from the charging-target terminal apparatus as the first transmission information, the user ID associated with the medium ID included in the first transmission information referring to the ID association data, specifies the virtual money account associated with the user ID specified, subtracts the consumption amount from the balance of the virtual money account when the balance is not less than the consumption amount, and stops the subtraction of the consumption amount when the balance is less than the consumption amount; and a transaction result transmission device which transmits to the charging-target terminal apparatus, transaction result information including information indicating whether the subtraction of the consumption amount has succeeded or not, and the charging-target terminal device includes: a charge input device through which a charge can be inputted by cash or substitute cash, and outputs a signal depending on inputted amount of charge and; a payment determination device which, when the user uses the charging-target terminal apparatus, determines whether the minimum charge which the user should pay has been paid or not by the virtual money based on the transaction result information transmitted from the transaction result transmission device; a shortage-amount input requirement device which requires the user to pay a shortage amount of the minimum charge through the charge input device, if the minimum charge has not been paid by the payment determination device; and a usage management device which executes a process for permitting the user to use the charging target on condition that if the minimum charge has been paid by the virtual money by the payment determination device, or that the shortage amount has been paid through the shortage-amount input requirement device.