U.S. patent application number 14/140311 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-26 for personal account management devices, methods, programs and media.
This patent application is currently assigned to Sony Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Sony Corporation. Invention is credited to Tetsuya ANNO, Motoshi ASANO, Yoshinori KOMAI, Shinsuke YOSHIOKA.
Application Number | 20140180887 14/140311 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 26604576 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140180887 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ASANO; Motoshi ; et
al. |
June 26, 2014 |
Personal Account Management Devices, Methods, Programs and
Media
Abstract
This invention relates to an apparatus for managing personal
accounts. The apparatus comprises a database (C), a
database-updating section (D). The a database (C) stores at least
personal IDs allocated to individuals, respectively, payment data
associated with each personal ID, receipt data associated with each
personal ID, and rank data associated with each personal ID. The
database updating section (D) determines a rank for each personal
ID, from the payment data and the receipt data, and records the
rank as the rank data. The apparatus reliably determines the state
of the financial transaction of each client, i.e., the receipt data
and payment data about the transaction, correctly evaluates the
contribution of the client, and provides special services to the
client, by setting interests and charges that are as favorable as
possible to the client.
Inventors: |
ASANO; Motoshi; (Tokyo,
JP) ; YOSHIOKA; Shinsuke; (Tokyo, JP) ; ANNO;
Tetsuya; (Tokyo, JP) ; KOMAI; Yoshinori;
(Tokyo, JP) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Sony Corporation |
Tokyo |
|
JP |
|
|
Assignee: |
Sony Corporation
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
26604576 |
Appl. No.: |
14/140311 |
Filed: |
December 24, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10182016 |
Nov 29, 2002 |
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PCT/JP2001/010280 |
Nov 26, 2001 |
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14140311 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/35 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 20/102 20130101;
G06Q 40/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/35 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 40/00 20060101
G06Q040/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 24, 2000 |
JP |
2000-358560 |
Nov 21, 2001 |
JP |
2001-356574 |
Claims
1.-12. (canceled)
13. An apparatus for providing special services to clients,
comprising: condition-setting means for setting conditions for
offering special services; rank-setting means for setting ranks of
the clients on the basis of the conditions which have been set by
the condition-setting means; rank-holding means for holding the
ranks of the clients, which have been set the rank-setting means;
and special-service content determining means for determining the
contents of special services to offer to the clients, from the
ranks of the clients which have been set by the rank-setting
means.
14. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, further comprising condition-notifying means
for notifying to the clients the conditions for offering special
services, which have been set by the condition-setting means.
15. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 14, wherein the condition-setting means sets the
conditions for offering special services in accordance with what
kinds of financial services the clients have bought hitherto.
16. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, wherein the condition-setting means sets
profit values concerning the clients, as the conditions for
offering special services.
17. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, wherein the condition-setting means sets
loss values concerning the clients, as the conditions for offering
special services.
18. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, wherein the condition-setting means sets P/L
values concerning the clients, as the conditions for offering
special services.
19. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, further comprising special-service rejecting
means for rejecting special services to particular clients.
20. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 19, wherein the clients to whom special services
are rejected are those who have delayed repayment of loans.
21. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, further comprising default-rank setting
means for setting default ranks to new clients in connection with
service items.
22. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, further comprising special-service notifying
means for notifying to the clients the contents of the special
services determined by special-service content determining
means.
23. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, wherein the contents of the special services
determined by special-service content determining means are the
interests on the financial services, which are more favorable to
the clients than before.
24. The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to claim 13, wherein the contents of the special services
determined by special-service content determining means are charges
on various financial transactions, which are more favorable to the
clients than before.
25. A method of providing special services to clients, comprising
the steps of: setting conditions for offering special services;
setting ranks of the clients on the basis of the conditions which
have been set in the step of setting conditions for offering
special services; holding the ranks of the clients, which have been
set in the step of setting ranks of the clients; determining the
contents of special services to offer to the clients, from the
ranks of the clients which have been set in the step of setting the
ranks of the clients; and offering special services to the clients
in accordance with the contents of special services, which have
been determined in the step of determining the contents of special
services.
26. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 13.
27. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 15.
28. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 18.
29. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 13.
30. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 15.
31. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 18.
32. An apparatus for providing special services to clients
identified by personal IDs which are necessary for the clients to
perform financial transactio us, comprising: receiving means for
receiving service IDs assigned to service items, when the clients
perform the financial transactions; rank-outputting means for
outputting rank data items corresponding to the clients, in
accordance with the service IDs received by the receiving means and
the personal IDs; special-service content determining means for
determining the contents of special services to offer to the
clients, from the rank data items output by the rank-outputting
means; and special-service offering means for offering the clients
the contents of special services, which have been determined by the
special-service content determining means.
33. The apparatus for providing special services, according to
claim 32, further comprising an upper-rank outputting means for
outputting the highest of the a plurality of rank data items which
the rank-outputting means outputs and which correspond to a service
ID and a personal ID.
34. A method of providing special services to clients identified by
personal IDs which are necessary for the clients to perform
financial transactions, comprising the steps of: receiving service
IDs assigned to service items, when the clients perform the
financial transactions; outputting rank data items corresponding to
the clients, in accordance with the service IDs received in the
step of receiving the service IDs and the personal IDs; determining
the contents of special services to offer to the clients, from the
rank data items output in the step of outputting the rank data
items; and offering the clients the contents of special services,
which have been determined by the step of determining the contents
of special services.
35. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 32.
36. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 33.
37. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 32.
38. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 33.
39. An apparatus for providing special services, comprising: a
database storing at least personal IDs allocated to individuals,
respectively, profit data associated with each personal 10, loss
data associated with each personal ID, and rank data associated
with each personal ID, said profit data and said loss data
representing the profit and lass of a financial institution; and a
database-updating section for determining a rank for each personal
ID, from the profit data and the loss data of a financial
institution, and for recording the rank as the rank data.
40. The apparatus for providing special services, according to
claim 39, wherein the rank data includes at least one data item
composed of a service ID and rank data paired with the service
ID.
41. An apparatus for providing special services, comprising: a
database storing at least personal IDs allocated to individuals,
respectively, profit data associated with each personal ID, loss
data associated with each personal 10, and rank data associated
with each personal ID, said profit data and said loss data
representing the profit and loss of a financial institution; a
candidate-selecting section for determining a plurality of rank
candidates from the profit data and loss data of a financial
institution associated with each personal ID and for selecting at
least one of the rank candidates; and a database-updating section
for recording, as the rank data, the rank candidate selected by the
candidate-selecting section.
42. The apparatus for providing special services, according to
claim 39, wherein the rank is determined from the contribution of
each individual, which has been calculated from the profit and loss
of the financial institution.
43. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 39.
44. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 40.
45. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 41.
46. A recording medium recording a program for performing the
function of the apparatus according to claim 42.
47. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 39.
48. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 40.
49. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 41.
50. A program for performing the function of the apparatus
according to claim 42.
51. (canceled)
52. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the rank is determined from
the contribution of each individual, which has been calculated from
the profit and loss of the financial institution.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 10/182,016, filed Nov. 29, 2002, which is a national stage
application of International Application No. PCT/JP2001/010280,
filed Nov. 26, 2001, which claims the benefit of Japanese
Application No. 2001-356574, filed Nov. 21, 2001, and Japanese
Application No. 2000-358560, filed Nov. 24, 2000. The contents of
all of the above-listed applications are incorporated herein by
reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to an apparatus for managing
personal accounts and a method for managing the same, both of which
can record the particulars of financial transactions of each client
and the history of the transactions between the client and the
service provider and can improve the service in the financial
transactions of the client. The invention also relates to a
recording medium recording a program for managing personal
accounts, an apparatus for providing special services to clients, a
method of providing special services to clients, a recording medium
recording a program for providing special services to clients, and
a program for providing special services to clients.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] Hitherto financial institutions applied the same interest on
the deposit and the same charge for each service, to all their
clients. They did not apply different interest or a different
charge, from one client to another.
[0004] The advance in the computer technology, achieved in recent
years, has made it easy for the financial institutions to manage
the transactions with their clients. It is proposed that the detail
of a service to offer to each client be determined from the
particulars of the transaction with the client, as is disclosed in,
for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 10-214299
and Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 10-240832.
[0005] Jpn. Pat Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 10-214299 and Jpn.
Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 10-240832 disclose the
technique of setting points for each client in regard to a specific
service and changing the content of the service in accordance with
the points set for the client. However, the points are not set
based on the profit and loss concerning all transactions with the
client and do not mirror the client's contribution to the financial
institution. Even a client who has transacted many times with the
institution and therefore paid a great amount of charges to the
institution cannot be a client much contributing to the financial
institute. The client may often uses the call center, thus imposing
a high labor cost on the financial institution. With this technique
it is impossible to determine each client's contribution to the
institution, both rationally and objectively.
[0006] Further, with this technique the financial institution
cannot be said to always offer a special service that the client
desires. Different clients want to receive different types of
services. A client who frequently deposits and withdraw money into
and from his or her account wants the financial institution to
reduce the charges for using the ATM system of the financial
institution. On the other hand, a client who rarely withdraws money
from the account wishes the institution to increase the interest on
the deposit.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention has been made in view of the
foregoing. An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus, a
method and a recording medium, which helps financial institutions
to determine each client's contribution, both rationally and
objectively, from the profit and loss concerning all transactions
with the client and to offer a special service the client really
wants, in accordance with the client's contribution thus
determined.
[0008] To achieve the object, a apparatus for managing personal
accounts, according to the invention, comprises: a database storing
at least personal IDs allocated to individuals, respectively,
payment data associated with each personal ID, receipt data
associated with each personal ID, and rank data associated with
each personal ID; and a database-updating section for determining a
rank for each personal ID, from the payment data and the receipt
data, and for recording the rank as the rank data. The rank for
each personal ID is determined from the payment data and the
receipt data, i.e., the contribution of the client to the financial
institution. Therefore, the apparatus can help the financial
institution to determine each client's contribution, both
rationally and objectively, from the profit and loss concerning the
client. Based on the evaluation of the client the financial
institution can set interest and charges at special rates, which
are applied to the client.
[0009] The rank data may include at least a service ID and rank
data paired with the service ID, and the rank data is associated
with one service item. This makes it possible to evaluate the
client with regard to each service item.
[0010] An apparatus for managing personal accounts, according to
the present invention, comprises: a database storing at least
personal IDs allocated to individuals, respectively, payment data
associated with each personal ID, receipt data associated with each
personal ID, and rank data associated with each personal ID; a
candidate-selecting section for determining a plurality of rank
candidates from the payment data and receipt data associated with
each personal ID and for selecting at least one of the rank
candidates; and database-updating section for recording the rank
candidate selected by the candidate-selecting section, as the rank
data. The rank may be determined from the contribution of each
individual to the profit calculated from the payment data and the
receipt data. Thus, the rank reliably reflects the client's
contribution to the profit, calculated from the payment data and
the receipt data. Based on the contribution, the services to the
client can be improved.
[0011] As specified above, the apparatus for managing personal
accounts includes a candidate-selecting section. The
candidate-selecting section determines a plurality of rank
candidate, i.e., a plurality of service items that are set at ranks
and can be selected. Therefore, the client can select any one of
these ranked service items, in accordance with his will and
intention. Further, the rank the client has acquired can be raised
in accordance with his needs and can be applied to the service
items of different financial transactions.
[0012] An apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to the present invention, comprises: condition-setting
means for setting conditions for offering special services;
rank-setting means for setting ranks of the clients on the basis of
the conditions which have been set by the condition-setting means;
rank-holding means for holding the ranks of the clients, which have
been set by the rank-setting means; and special-service content
determining means for determining the contents of special services
to offer to the clients, from the ranks of the clients which have
been set by the rank-setting means.
[0013] The apparatus for providing special services to clients may
further comprises condition-notifying means for notifying to the
clients the conditions for offering special services, which have
been set by the condition-setting means. The condition-setting
means sets the conditions for offering special services in
accordance with what kinds of financial services the clients have
bought hitherto.
[0014] The condition-setting means may set profit values concerning
the clients, as the conditions for offering special services.
[0015] The condition-setting means may set loss values concerning
the clients, as the conditions for offering special services.
[0016] The condition-setting means may set P/L values concerning
the clients, as the conditions for offering special services.
[0017] The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to the invention, may further comprise special-service
rejecting means for rejecting special services to particular
clients. In the apparatus, the clients to whom special services are
rejected are those who have delayed repayment of loans.
[0018] The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to this invention, may further comprise default-rank
setting means for setting default ranks to new clients in
connection with service items.
[0019] The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to this invention, may further comprise default-rank
setting means for setting default ranks to new clients in
connection with service items.
[0020] The apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to the invention, may further comprise special-service
notifying means for notifying to the clients the contents of the
special services determined by special-service content determining
means.
[0021] In the apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to the invention, the contents of the special services
determined by special-service content determining means may be the
interests on the financial services, which are more favorable to
the clients than before.
[0022] In the apparatus for providing special services to clients,
according to the invention, the contents of the special services
determined by special-service content determining means may be
charges on various financial transactions, which are more favorable
to the clients than before.
[0023] A method of providing special services to clients, according
to the present invention, comprises the steps of: setting
conditions for offering special services; setting ranks of the
clients on the basis of the conditions which have been set in the
step of setting conditions for offering special services; holding
the ranks of the clients, which have been set in the step of
setting ranks of the clients; and determining the contents of
special services to offer to the clients, from the ranks of the
clients which have been set in the step of setting the ranks of the
clients; and offering special services to the clients in accordance
with the contents of special services, which have been determined
in the step of determining the contents of special services.
[0024] An apparatus according to the present invention is designed
to provide special services to clients identified by personal IDs
that are necessary for the clients to perform financial
transactions. This apparatus comprises: service-ID receiving means
for receiving service IDs assigned to service items, when the
clients perform the financial transactions; rank-outputting means
for outputting rank data items corresponding to the clients, in
accordance with the service IDs received by the service-ID
receiving means and the personal IDs; special-service content
determining means for determining the contents of special services
to offer to the clients, from the rank data items output by the
rank-outputting means; and special-service offering means for
offering the clients the contents of special services, which have
been determined by the special-service content determining
means.
[0025] The apparatus for providing special services may further
comprise an upper-rank outputting means for outputting the highest
of the a plurality of rank data items which the rank-outputting
means outputs and which correspond to a service ID and a personal
ID.
[0026] A method according to the invention is designed to provide
special services to clients identified by personal IDs that are
necessary for the clients to perform financial transactions. The
method comprises the steps of: receiving service IDs assigned to
service items, when the clients perform the financial transactions;
outputting rank data items corresponding to the clients, in
accordance with the service IDs received in the step of receiving
the service IDs and the personal IDs; determining the contents of
special services to offer to the clients, from the rank data items
output in the step of outputting the rank data items; and offering
the clients the contents of special services, which have been
determined by the special-service content determining means.
[0027] An apparatus for providing special services, according to
the present invention, comprises: a database storing at least
personal IDs allocated to individuals, respectively, profit data
associated with each personal ID, loss data associated with each
personal ID, and rank data associated with each personal ID, said
profit data and said loss data representing the profit and loss of
a financial institution; and a database-updating section for
determining a rank for each personal ID, from the profit data and
the loss data, and for recording the rank as the rank data. The
rank data may include at least one data item composed of a service
ID and rank data paired with the service ID.
[0028] An apparatus for providing special services, according to
the invention, comprises: a database storing at least personal IDs
allocated to individuals, respectively, profit data associated with
each personal ID, loss data associated with each personal ID, and
rank data associated with each personal ID; a candidate-selecting
section for determining a plurality of rank candidates from the
profit data and loss data associated with each personal ID and for
selecting at least one of the rank candidates; and a
database-updating section for recording, as the rank data, the rank
candidate selected by the candidate-selecting section. In this
apparatus, the rank is determined from the contribution of each
individual, which has been calculated from the profit and loss of
the financial institution.
[0029] In the present invention, the "personal ID" may be, for
example, an account number that can identify a client uniquely. The
personal ID may be a combination of the account number and the
branch number. Alternatively, it may be the ID number assigned to
the client, instead of the account number.
[0030] The other objects of the invention and the specific
advantages of the invention will be more apparent from the
following description of the embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the entire
construction of a personal-account managing apparatus according to
the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 2 is a table showing the receiving and paying of money,
which is acquired from the transaction-service log database
provided in the personal-account managing apparatus of the present
invention;
[0033] FIG. 3 is a table showing the balance in a client's account,
which is acquired from the present-state database incorporated in
the personal-account apparatus of the invention;
[0034] FIG. 4 is a table showing the information about clients,
which is acquired from the present-state database incorporated in
the personal-account managing apparatus according to this
invention;
[0035] FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting the major components of
the personal-account managing apparatus, including the client P/L
calculating section of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 6 is a table acquired from the rank-up item extracting
section provided in the personal-account managing apparatus
according to the invention;
[0037] FIG. 7 is a table for explaining how the rank-updating
section of the personal-account managing apparatus updates the
ranks of items;
[0038] FIG. 8 illustrates a special service table recorded in the
personal-account managing apparatus of the present invention;
[0039] FIG. 9 is a table that shows the standard of allocating the
profit values to clients in the personal-account managing apparatus
according to the invention;
[0040] FIG. 10 is a table that shows the standard of allocating the
loss values to clients in the personal-account managing apparatus
according to the invention;
[0041] FIG. 11 is a table acquired from the rank database provided
in the personal-account managing apparatus and showing the latest
ranks of the clients;
[0042] FIG. 12 is a table showing various financial transaction
models for use in calculating the P/L values for the clients;
[0043] FIG. 13 shows a history of the financial transactions made
with a client, which is used to calculate the P/L value for the
client;
[0044] FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C depict the P/L values for the client
that have been calculated in accordance with P/L-allocating
standard tables;
[0045] FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing the entire construction
of a special-service providing apparatus according to the present
invention;
[0046] FIG. 16 is a table acquired from the analysis database
incorporated in the special-service providing apparatus according
this invention; and
[0047] FIG. 17 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the
special-service providing apparatus according to the invention.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
[0048] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with
reference to the accompanying withdrawing. FIG. 1 is a block
diagram showing the entire construction of a personal-account
managing apparatus A according to the present invention. The
personal-account managing apparatus A of the invention is connected
directly to the Internet B or indirectly thereto by a gateway. The
apparatus can therefore exchange information with the data
terminals 12a, 12b, . . . of the clients. The personal-account
managing apparatus A may be connected to the Internet in whichever
mode, by radio or by a cable.
[0049] The personal-account managing apparatus A of the invention
has at least a database C and a database-updating section D. The
database C comprises at least a transaction-service log database 1
and a rank database 7, which contain at least the personal ID
identifying each client and the payment data, receipt data and rank
data all associated with the personal ID.
[0050] As FIG. 2 shows, the transaction-service log database 1
stores the data that is necessary in the process of allocating P/L
(Profit/Loss) values to clients. That is, the data is used to
allocate the P/L values that the financial institution has
accumulated, in accordance with a log or a similar record of the
transactions and services that the institution has made with and
offered to the clients.
[0051] In the embodiment of the invention, the contribution that
each client provides to the financial institution (an enterprise
performing financial business) during a preset period shall be
called, for the sake of convenience, "P/L value," i.e., the ratio
of the profit to the loss, all concerning the client.
[0052] When the table shown in FIG. 2 is used, the
transaction-service log database 1 records an ID that corresponds
to the ID recorded in the client-data table provided in the
present-state database 2, which will be described later. The record
describes the personal ID, receipt data and payment data.
Preferably, the record describes the reason for receiving or paying
money and the date of receiving or paying the money. The word
"reason" is the action the client has made, such as depositing or
withdrawing money, into or from his account.
[0053] The rank database 7 records the latest rank data about each
client identified by a personal ID. The database 7 may store, for
example, the table shown in FIG. 3.
[0054] The transaction-service log database 1 is related to the
present-state database 2, with a service-content referring section
3. The present-state database 2 records at least the personal ID
assigned to each client, the account number of the client and the
balance of the account, which are associated with one another (sec
the table of FIG. 3). It is desired that the present-state database
2 should have a client-data table (see FIG. 4). The client-data
table shows the name, address, account number and the like of each
client, which identify the client. These data items are extracted
in response to an inquiry request supplied from the service-content
referring section 3 and are then supplied to the
transaction-service log database 1. Note that the
transaction-service log database 1 and the present-state database 2
may be identical in system configuration.
[0055] As FIG. 1 shows, the database-updating section D comprises a
client P/L calculating section 4, a rank-up item extracting section
6, a rank-up item determining section 9, and a rank-updating
section 10. The client P/L calculating section 4 calculates the
ratio of profit to the loss (P/L), which are recorded for a preset
period in connection with each client. The rank-up item extracting
section 6 extracts any service that can be raised in terms of rank
in accordance with the relation between its ID (service ID) and a
reference P/L value. The rank-up item determining section 9
presents at least one service ID, or a candidate service that has
been extracted by the section 6 and can have its rank raised. The
section 9 determines at least one service ID from the user's
decision. The rank-updating section 10 raises the rank of the
service item the rank-up item determining section 9 has
determined.
[0056] The personal-account managing apparatus A according to this
invention has a candidate-selecting section E that determines a
plurality of candidate ranks for each personal ID, from the receipt
data and the payment data. The candidate-selecting section E is a
conceptual entity that is incorporated in the database-updating
section D.
[0057] A direct-mail printing section 11 is connected to the
rank-up item determining section 9.
[0058] The client P/L calculating section 4 will be described
below. The section 4 receives data from the transaction-service log
database 1 and data from an P/L-allocating standard table 5, which
will be described later. The section 4 determines losses and
profits made for the preset period in connection with each client,
from the data supplied from the transaction-service log database 1
and the data supplied from an P/L-allocating standard table 5 as is
illustrated in FIG. 5. (The losses are the costs a financial
institution needs to bear, and the profits are the incomes the
institution obtains.) The section 4 then calculates the ratio of
total profit (P) to total loss (L), i.e., a P/L value for each
client.
[0059] The P/L-allocating standard table 5, which plays an
important role in the client P/L calculating section 4, will be
described in detail. The P/L-allocating standard table 5 is a table
that shows a method (i.e., standard) of allocating the P/L values
concerning all activities the financial institution performs, to
the clients of the financial institution. The table 5 can be
replaced by a table of functions.
[0060] The P/L-allocating standard table 5 is composed of two
sub-tables illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, respectively. The
sub-table of FIG. 9 shows the standard of allocating to the clients
the profits (P) the financial institution has obtained. The
sub-table of FIG. 10 shows the standard of allocating to the
clients the losses (L) the institution needs to bear. Either
sub-table records items to be allocated, service items, and
calculation formulae, and the like.
[0061] First, the standard of allocating the profits (P) to the
clients will be explained. The profits to be allocated include, for
example, the income resulting from the deposits, the interest on
loans and the charges for various services.
[0062] Among the income resulting from the deposits are, for
example, ordinary deposits in the yen, fixed deposits in the yen,
ordinary deposits in any foreign currency, and fixed deposits in
any foreign currency, and the like. Specific formulae are
prescribed to calculate these items of income.
[0063] More specifically, the income resulting from an ordinary
yen-deposit is calculated by using the formula of "latest
balance.times.latest in-house rate O/N (Over Night), for each
month." The income resulting from a fixed yen-deposit is obtained
by using the formula of "principal H contracted date PV (Present
Value) of the rate applied to the period." The income resulting
front an ordinary deposits in any foreign currency is calculated by
using the formula of "the latest balance H latest in-house rate O/N
H latest TTB (Telegraphic Transfer Rate)." The income resulting
from a fixed deposit in any foreign currency is calculated by using
the formulate of "principal H contract date PV (Present value) of
the rate applied to the period H TTB for the contract date."
[0064] The interest of loans and the charges for various services
are calculated by applying the various calculation formulae that
have been prepared for the respective service items.
[0065] That is, the interest on a loan is calculated by using the
formula of "latest balance H latest interest rate applied to the
client" that has been prepared for an item "card loan." Further,
the interest on a housing loan to which a fixed rate is applied,
the interest on a housing loan to which a floating rate is applied,
and the like are calculated by using the formulae written for the
respective service items.
[0066] Among the charges for various services to which P/L values
will be allocated are: charge for remittance, charge for using an
ATM (Automatic Teller Machine), charge for issuing an transaction
statement, and the like. Particular data items have been formulated
to calculate "actual charges", respectively.
[0067] The standard of allocating the loss (L) to the clients will
be explained. The losses to be allocated include, for example, the
payment of the interests on the deposits, the payment of interests
on loans, the costs related to assets, the labor costs, the
system-running costs, the facility costs, the communications line
costs, and the like.
[0068] Among the interests, which the financial institution needs
to pay, are, for example, the interests on ordinary deposits in the
yen, those on ordinary deposits in any foreign currency, and the
like. Particular data items formulated to calculate these interests
are "interest multiplier" and "If total amount: erase PL value for
the service item; if a partial amount: erase the total amount
temporarily."
[0069] The interests on loans, which the financial institution must
play, include the fixed interests on loans and the floating
interests on loans. Specific data items have been formulated to
calculate these interests.
[0070] The costs related to assets include the reserve at the Bank
of Japan, premiums for deposits, guarantee fee, premiums for
collective insurance, credit-related costs. Specific data items
have been formulated to calculate these asset-related costs.
[0071] Among the labor costs are: the cost involving the credit
examination, the payment to the operators at call centers, the
system cost in the system department, the legal cost at compliance,
the cost in the general-affair department, the cost in the
accounting department, the cost of market research, the cost of
calculating risk in risk management, the cost of using assets in
the market, and the like. Particular data items have been formulate
to calculate these labor costs.
[0072] The system-running costs (cost of developing hardware and
software, cost of maintaining the system) are classified into major
categories, such as channel cost, business cost, market cost,
service cost, examination cost, credit cost, and EC cost. Each
major category is divided into minor categories. The channel cost,
for example, is divided into costs for member Web, i-mode
(trademark of KK NTT Docomo), mails, received databases, call
centers, ATMs and the like. Specific data items have been
formulated to calculate these costs.
[0073] The data item for calculating the cost for the member Web,
for example, is "number of accesses to Web.times.charge (calculated
at 70% of the data-processing capacity)." The cost for i-mode is
"number of i-mode accesses H charge." The cost for ATMs is "number
of uses H charge (inducting the charge for checking the
balance)."
[0074] The facility costs relate to, for example, all facilities in
the head office. Specific data items have been formulated to
calculate the various facility costs, respectively.
[0075] The communication line costs include the cost for channels
dedicated for Web hosting and i-mode and the in-house use of public
lines. The communication line costs further include minor
categories, such as advertisement fee, the cost of ATMs, foreign
exchange fee, statement fee, admittance fee, card fee, examination
data fee, fees involving loans, credit fee, information fee,
personnel costs, fees paid for particular service, taxes, and the
like. Specific data items have been formulated to calculate these
costs.
[0076] The rank-up item extracting section 6 will be described. The
rank-up item extracting section 6 receives data from the client P/L
calculating section 5 and exchanges information with a rank-up
table 8 and the rank database 7.
[0077] The rank-up table 8 is a table that shows the relation
between the service items (service IDs), on the one hand, and the
reference P/L value used to raise the ranks of these service items.
The table 8 can be replaced by a table of functions. The reference
P/L value indicates the lowest rank any service item may have, from
which the service item will be raised to a higher rank.
[0078] The rank-up item extracting section 6 retrieves the contents
of the rank-up table 8, in accordance with the client P/L values,
and extracts the services that can be raised to higher ranks for
the clients, respectively.
[0079] More precisely, the rank-up item extracting section 6 refers
to the rank-up table 8 that records service IDs and reference P/L
values, which are associated with one another as is illustrated in
FIG. 6. The rank-up table 8 records the ranks valid at present for
the respective clients and the "to ranks" to which the services
should be raised.
[0080] The service IDs can each identify a financial service and
the charge for financial service. Various financial services are
offered to clients. Among these services are: one-month fixed
deposit, two-month fixed deposit, three-month fixed deposit and so
on, all in the yen; one-month fixed deposit, two-month fixed
deposit, three-month fixed deposit and so on, all in any foreign
currency; card loans; loans for specific purposes; and housing
loans. There are various charges, which are foreign exchange
commission, domestic exchange commission, ATM-use charge
(deposit-withdrawing charge), annual fee for credit card, issuance
fee, account-maintaining fee, investment trust commission, and the
like. The term "services" used here means not only the so-called
"financial services," but also various commissions.
[0081] The rank-up item determining section 9 will be described.
The section 9 is connected to the rank-up item extracting section
6. It is also connected to a special service table 13, too. The
section 9 first refers to the special service table 13 (to be
described later), with regard to any service item that the rank-up
item extracting section 6 has extracted for any client. The section
9 then shows the contents of the service items extracted, including
the interest, charge and the like for each item that are offered at
special rates. Seeing the contents of the service items, the client
selects at least one of the service items. The section 9 records
any service item that the client has selected.
[0082] The rank-up item determining section 9 can be connected to
the client side data terminals 12a, 12b, . . . via the Internet or
the like. If this is the case, the section 9 can send e-mails to
the clients, showing each client the service items that can be
raised in terms of their rank or the charges that the client must
pay for these service items. Assume that the client selects one of
the service items shown to him or her and sends an e-mail. Then,
the rank-up item determining section 9 receives the e-mail and
records the service item the client has selected.
[0083] The rank-up item determining section 9 is connected to the
present-state database 2 and the direct-mail printing section 11,
too. The section 9 retrieves the name and address associated with
the personal ID, in accordance with the information recorded in the
client-data table (see FIG. 4) incorporated in the present-state
database 2. Based on the data retrieved, the direct-mail printing
section 11 prints the name and address. The section 11 also prints
said at least one of the service items, which have been extracted
by the rank-up item extracting section 9 and which may be raised in
terms of their rank. Thus, the section 11 can send a direct
mail.
[0084] In this case, the rank-up item determining section 9 has an
input means. The input means can receive the mail from the client,
whereby the section 9 can record the contents of the mail (at least
one service item, and the like) send from the client.
[0085] The rank-updating section 10 will be described. The
rank-updating section 10 is connected to the rank-up item
determining section 9. It is connected to the rank database 7, too.
The section 10 updates the data stored in the rank database 7,
raising the rank of the service item identified by at least one
service ID that is contained in the mail the rank-up item
determining section 9 has received from the client.
[0086] The service-content referring section 3 will be explained.
The service-content referring section 3 is connected to the
transaction-service log database 1 and the present-state database
2. The section 3 is connected to the rank database 7 and the
special service table 13, as well. The section 3 stores transaction
information concerning each client, including the service item ID,
rank, interest, charge and the like.
[0087] As seen from FIG. 8, the special service table 13 is a table
that shows the interests, charges and the like related to the
service items that are offered to the client at special rates. The
table 13 can be replaced by a table of functions.
[0088] The special service table 13 shows the interests, charges
and the like, in one-to-one relation to the service items of
various ranks. The interest and charge that the client needs to pay
for each service he or she receives are determined in accordance
with the rank of the service.
[0089] How the personal-account managing apparatus A operates will
be explained below.
[0090] Assume that a client, Mr. Taro Sone, has a transaction with
the financial enterprise that utilizes the personal-account
managing apparatus A. (In this instance, the transaction is an
ordinary yen-deposit.) Then, the present-state database 2 stores
the personal ID of Taro Sone, the client, and the present balance
of his account.
[0091] The personal ID of Mr. Taro Sone is "12331." The
transaction-service log database 1 stores data about the financial
transaction Mr. Taro Sone (having personal ID of "12331"). (The
data includes the date of transaction, type thereof, deposit or
withdrawing, and the reason therefor, and like.) The client P/L
calculating section 4 demands that the data about any transaction
Mr. Taro Sone, whose personal ID is "12331," had during a preset
period (e.g., November) should be extracted from the
transaction-service log database 1.
[0092] In response to the demand, record Nos. 1101 and 1102 are
extracted from the transaction-service log database 1.
[0093] The personal ID, "12331," exists in the record No. 1104,
too. However, the client P/L calculating section 4 does not
pertains to the preset period. The personal ID is therefore
excluded.
[0094] Assume that Mr. Taro Sone who has the personal ID of "12331"
deposits or withdraws money via an ATM during the ordinary
transaction hours, and no charge is imposed on the use of the ATM.
Let us further assume that he does not anything else during these
hours, for example, not asking any questions to the operator at the
call center.
[0095] Hence, the client P/L calculating section 4 calculates the
P/L value for the client whose personal ID is "12331" from various
data items recorded in the P/L-allocating standard table 5. These
data items include: the formula of "latest balance H latest
in-house rate O/N, for each month" for calculating the ordinary
yen-deposit, i.e., a standard of allocating the profits (P) to the
clients; the "interest multiplier" for calculating the ordinary
yen-deposit, i.e., a standard of allocating the loss (L) to the
clients; the "number of uses H charge" for calculating the charge
for the use of ATM lines, i.e., another a standard of allocating
the loss (L) to the clients; and the "unit charge" applied to all
accounts.
[0096] FIG. 2 shows only the data items relating to the amounts
actually deposited and withdrawn. Therefore, nothing but the record
Nos. 1101 and 1102 can be extracted. Nevertheless, other data items
can be extracted, if necessary. This is because the
transaction-service log database 1 stores all transaction history
data that is indispensable to the calculation of the P/L value for
each client. That is, the client P/L calculating section 4 can
obtain the data necessary for calculating the P/L value, from the
transaction-service log database 1, P/L-allocating standard table 5
and present-state database 2, and can therefore calculate the P/L
value for the client.
[0097] Assume that the client P/L calculating section 4 has
calculated a P/L value of "125" for the client whose personal ID is
"12331," and that the rank database 7 records rank "C" for the
personal ID "12331" at present. Let us further assume that the
ordinary yen-deposit, which the client, Mr. Taro Sone whose
personal ID is "12331" has at present, has service ID of "1."
[0098] In this case, the rank-up item extracting section 6 refers
to the rank database 7 and extracts therefrom the data showing that
the service that the client having personal ID of "12331" is
receiving has rank "C" at present. The section 6 refers to the
rank-up table 8, too, and extracts the IDs of all service items
that can be raised in terms of rank, as is illustrated in FIG.
6.
[0099] FIG. 6 shows two records. The first record indicates that
the service item having the ID of "1" is set at rank "C" and that a
standard P/L value of "20" must be applied to raise the service
item to rank "B." The second record indicates that the service item
having the ID of "1" is set at rank "C" and that a standard P/L
value of "50" must be applied to make the rank of the service item
jump to rank "A."
[0100] The table has the information about the service item having
ID of "2," in addition to the information about the service item
having ID of "1." This enables the client to select a candidate
rank from more choices than otherwise, in order to change, for
example, an ordinary yen-deposit to a fixed yen-deposit.
[0101] As table shows, the When Mr. Taro Sone who is a client
having the personal ID of "12331" receives the service having ID of
"2" for the first time, the service is at rank "C" based on the
present P/L value for this client. To raise the service item to,
for example, rank "B," it is necessary to apply a standard P/L
value of "50." In order to receive the service at rank "A" from the
beginning, it is necessary to apply a standard P/L value of
"120."
[0102] The rank-up item extracting section 6 thus extracts the IDs
of the service items that can be raised to any higher rank. The
rank-up item determining section 9 receives the IDs of these
service items. If the section 9 is connected to the client side
data terminals 12a, 12b, . . . via the Internet or the like, it
transmits at least one of the service items that can be raised to
higher ranks. The display device on any data terminal that receives
the service items displays the service items.
[0103] Seeing the service items thus displayed, the client selects
at least one of the service items. The client then sends an e-mail
to the rank-up item determining section 9. The section 9 receives
the e-mail.
[0104] As described above, the rank-up item determining section 9
is connected to the direct-mail printing section 11. The
direct-mail printing section 11 retrieves the name and address
associated with the personal ID and some other data, in accordance
with the information recorded in the present-state database 2 (see
FIG. 4). Based on the data retrieved, the direct-mail printing
section 11 prints the name and address and the other data. The name
and address and the other data are sent in the form of an
e-mail.
[0105] In this case, the input means provided in the rank-up item
determining section 9 inputs the data sent from the client who has
read the direct mail (i.e., the data representing at least one
service item the client has selected). Thus, the rank-up item
determining section 9 receives the data sent from the client.
[0106] The rank-updating section 10 updates said at least one
service ID based on the data that the rank-up item determining
section 9 has received from the client. The section 10 updates the
latest rank data associated with said at least one service ID and
stored in the rank database 7. (See FIG. 7.)
[0107] How the client P/L calculating section 4 calculates P/L
values for the respective clients will be explained in detail, with
reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. More precisely, it will be described
how the section 4 calculates P/L values for a one-moth period from
October 1 to October 31.
[0108] FIG. 12 is a table showing various financial transaction
models that are used to calculate P/L values for the respective
clients. In the case shown in FIG. 12, three events are assumed.
First, a client who has already opened an account for an ordinary
yen-deposit enters into a contract for a fixed 3-million yen
deposit at an interest rate of 2%. Second, the client gets a
card-loan of 0.2 million yen. Third, the client has used the ATM,
made inquiries at the call center and accessed the Web site
provided by the financial institution, as is indicated in FIG. 12.
Note that these states of using the ATM, the call center and the
Web site are the parameters that influence the P/L value for this
client
[0109] FIG. 13 shows the history of the transactions that the
client has made for the one-month period, in the manner illustrated
in FIG. 12. The P/L values are calculated for the respective
clients on the basis of the history for the period from October 1
to October 31. Nonetheless, they may be calculated based on an
transaction history for a period either shorter or longer than the
one-month period.
[0110] The transaction history illustrated in FIG. 13 is composed
of events, each identified by the date of transaction, the type of
transaction and a data item related to the transaction. As the
history shows, on October 1 the client deposited 10 million yen on
October 1 at the ATM into his ordinary deposit account. On October
1, the client accessed the membership site provided by the
financial institution. On October 1, too, the client got a
card-loan of 0.2 million yen. The data representing these events
can be acquired from a transaction-statement database 105, a
client-balance database 106 and an operation log database 107.
[0111] How to calculate a P/L value for a client will be explained
with reference to FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C.
[0112] FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C show the results of the calculation
performed on the data items which have been extracted from the
tables shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 and which concern the financial
transactions specified in FIG. 12. It should be recalled that the
table of FIG. 9 shows the standard of allocating to the clients the
profits (P), whereas the table of FIG. 10 shows the standard of
allocating to the clients the losses (L).
[0113] The formulae shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C have been
prepared to calculate the profit and loss the financial institution
has in the transactions with the client and to add the profits and
the losses the institution has during the preset period. Note that
the profit and loss are calculated day by day, on the assumption
that every year has 365 day.
[0114] The calculations are not limited to the formulae shown here.
Rather, the financial institution that offers special service to
the client can use any other formulae desired.
[0115] A method of calculating a profit from each client will be
explained with reference to FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C.
[0116] The "profit from each client" is the profit that the
financial institution obtains from the transactions performed with
the client during the preset period, in contrast to the P/L value
for client that the sum of the total profit and the total loss:
each recorded for that preset period.
[0117] As mentioned above, the client has opened an account for an
ordinary yen-deposit. The financial institution uses the money the
client has deposited for the period from October 1 to October 31,
in various ways, making a profit for the financial institution. The
profit that the client enables the institution to make can be
calculated from the day-by-day deposit at the client's account.
Namely, the "profit from each client" can be thus calculated.
[0118] As FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C show, the "interest on an ordinary
yen-deposit" is calculated by the following formula (1):
Latest balance.times.in-house rate O/N H (last day of the
calculation period-first day thereof) (1)
[0119] The profit from each client, regarding the service item
"interest on an ordinary yen-deposit," is calculated by multiplying
the balance during a period from October 1 to October 31, by the
rate applied to this deposit. The balance is obtained from the
transaction history shown in FIG. 13. Thus, the profit is found as
follows:
( 10 million yen .times. 0.0001 % ) .times. ( Oct . 10 - Oct . 22 )
+ ( 7 million yen .times. 0.001 % ) .times. ( Oct . 15 - Oct . 11 )
+ ( 5 million yen .times. 0.001 % ) .times. ( Oct . 20 - Oct . 16 )
+ ( 4.7 million yen .times. 0.001 % ) .times. ( Oct . 31 - Oct . 21
) = 175 yen ( 2 ) ##EQU00001##
[0120] That is, the profit the institution earns from the service
item "interest on an ordinary yen-deposit" is 175 yen.
[0121] Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C, the service
item "interest on a fixed yen-deposit" is calculated by the
following formula (3):
(Principal.times.in-house annual rate agreed on the contract
date-365).times.(last day of the calculation period-first day
thereof) (3)
[0122] The profit from each client, regarding the service item
"interest on a fixed yen-deposit," is calculated by using the
formula (3), in accordance with the transaction history shown in
FIG. 13. Thus, this profit is given as follows:
(3 million yen.times.3%+365).times.(October 31-October 11)=4,932
yen (4)
[0123] That is, the profit the institution cams from the service
item "interest on a fixed yen-deposit" is 4,932 yen. Note that the
annual rate of interest presented to the client is 2%, whereas the
in-house annual rate applied to this deposit is 3%.
[0124] Similarly, the profit from each client, regarding the
service item "card loan" is, for example, 36 yen, if calculated in
accordance with the formulas shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C.
[0125] Of the profit from each client, any service charge is
regarded as a pure profit.
[0126] The charge for using the ATM may be set at 105 yen. The
transaction history of FIG. 13 shows that the client has used the
ATM three times. Hence, the profit from the service item "charge
for the use of ATM" is given as follows:
105 yen.times.3=315 yen (5)
[0127] The profits from each client, regarding the various service
items, are added together. The total profit from each client is
thereby calculated. In this particular instance, the total profit
is 5,458 yen.
[0128] A method of calculating a loss from each client will be
explained with reference to FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C.
[0129] The "loss due to each client" is the loss made during the
pre-set period, in contrast to the P/L value for client, i.e., the
sum of the total profit and the total loss, each recorded for that
preset period.
[0130] The client has already opened an account for an ordinary
yen-deposit. The financial institution needs to pay the client an
interest on the money that the client has deposited and remained in
the client's account for the period from October 1 to October 31.
The interest paid is a loss to the financial institution. The
interest to be paid to the client can be calculated from the amount
deposited, day by day, at the client's account.
[0131] Like the profit from each client, the loss due to each
client can be calculated by the formula shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C,
with reference to the transaction history shown in FIG. 13. That
is, this loss is calculated from the formula for calculating the
service items "interest on ordinary yen-deposits," "interest on
fixed yen-deposits" and "card loans."
[0132] As shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C, the loss due to each client
may be allocated to the total loss of the financial institution or
a part thereof. Of the cost related to the reserve at the Bank of
Japan (one of the asset-related costs), for example, the cost
related to the fixed deposit is allocated to the client at a fixed
ratio. Since the client uses a card loan, the guarantee fee paid
for the card loan is allocated to the client, too.
[0133] The labor cost at the financial institution may be allocated
to the clients. As the transaction history of FIG. 13 reveals, the
client makes an inquiry to the call center on October 30. Hence,
the loss due to the client is calculated for the service item "the
operator at the call center" as is illustrated in FIGS. 14B and
14C.
[0134] The cost concerning the service item "the operator at the
call center" is calculated by the following formula that is shown
in FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C: Telephoning time (ACD+ACW) H (unit cost
of operator+SV fee) H correction coefficient
Example
[0135] Unit cost of operator=5000 yen
SV fee=1000 yen
Correction coefficient=1.1 (6)
[0136] Hence, the cost concerning the operator at the call center
is given by the following equation (7):
(30 min.+10 min.).times.(5000 yen+1,000 yen).times.1.1=4,400
(7)
[0137] The loss due to the client in connection with the service
item "interest on a fixed yen-deposit" is therefore 4,400 yen.
[0138] The telephoning time ACD is the time the operator is talking
with the client over telephone. The telephoning time ACW is the
time the operator spends on a clerical work after talking with the
client, thereby to meet the client's request.
[0139] The unit cost of operator is the payment by the hour to the
operator. The SV (SuperVisor) fee is a part of the payment by the
hour to a supervisor who gives technical advises to, for example,
ten operators including the operator in question.
[0140] The correction coefficient is applied to adjust the cost
concerning the operator minutely.
[0141] The system-running cost at that the financial institution
may be allocated to the clients, too.
[0142] As shown in FIGS. 14A, 14B and 14C, the cost of the accesses
to the membership Web site of the financial institution, the cost
for using of IVR (Interactive Voice Response), the cost for using
the ATM, and similar costs are allocated to the clients. These
costs are therefore calculated as losses due to the clients.
[0143] The losses due to each client, which have been calculated as
described above, are added together. The loss value due to each
client is thereby obtained. In this specific case, the loss value
due to the client is 31,047 yen.
[0144] The profit and the loss, both calculated regarding the
client, are added as shown in the following equations (8) and (9),
thereby to calculate the P/L value for the client:
Profit+loss=P/L value (8)
5,458 yen+(-31,047 yen)=-25,589 yen (9)
[0145] As in this particular case, the P/L value for each client
may be of a negative value, depending on the standard the financial
institution adopts to allocate P/L value to the clients and the
current management state the financial institution assumes at
present.
[0146] In the present embodiment, the yen is used as standard
currency for the P/L values. Hence, the P/L value for any client
who has an ordinary or fixed deposit in a foreign currency may be
first calculated in terms of the foreign currency and then
converted to the equivalent value in the yen, by applying the
prescribed exchange rate.
[0147] The P/L value may be calculated in the dollar or the euro
used as standard currency.
[0148] Hitherto, a method of calculating the P/L value for each
client has been explained in conjunction with the present
embodiment. The rank of any special service item may be determined
from only the profit and loss that have been calculated in the
process of obtaining the P/L value.
[0149] The service items that are used to calculate the P/L value
for each client are not limited to those disclosed in this
specification. Rather, other service items can be utilized to
calculate the P/L value.
[0150] The second embodiment of the present invention will be
described. Generally it is demanded that banks should offer
different special service items, not the same special service item,
to different clients in accordance with the personal information
about the clients and the history of financial transactions
concerning each client. Even today, banks offer a special service
to a client on the birthday of the client, in accordance with the
birthday data acquired when the client opened an account at the
bank. They add a special service when they recommend a new
financial service to a person who is coming of age. They increase
the rate of interest on the deposit of a client if the transaction
history of the client shows that his or her deposit exceeds a
preset value.
[0151] In view of this, the present invention provides a
special-service providing apparatus. The special-service providing
apparatus, which is the second embodiment of the invention, can
offer a special service to any client, based not only on the P/L
value for the client, but also on the personal data items about the
client and the history of financial transactions with the
client.
[0152] How the second embodiment offers special services to clients
will be explained, with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17.
FIG. 15 is a function-block diagram of the special-service
providing apparatus according to the second embodiment.
[0153] The special-service providing apparatus 201 comprises a bank
client terminal 203 and a bank server 202. The bank client terminal
203 designs special services to offer to clients and offer the
special services designed. The bank server 202 manages various
databases and the like.
[0154] The bank server 202 comprises a storage section, a ROM (Read
Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an input/output
section, a central control section and a communications control
section, which are not shown in FIG. 15. The central control
section unit executes the program stored in the storage section,
whereby the bank server 202 has such function blocks as are shown
in FIG. 15.
[0155] The storage section is a fixed disk or the like. It stores a
database, an updating program, a communications program, and other
programs for proving special services to the clients. The database
records the personal information of the clients and the balances of
the clients' accounts. The updating program updates the log file of
transactions (depositing and withdrawing at and from each account)
and the balances at the accounts, which are recorded in the
database. The communications program enables the bank system to
communicate with the systems of other banks, processes the
transmitting remittance data transmitted from the other banks and
transmits remittance data to the other banks.
[0156] The ROM stores the operating system (OS) and other basic
programs.
[0157] The RAM reads any program from stored in the storage
section, stores the same temporarily and provides a working memory
to enable the central control section (CPU) to operate.
[0158] The central control section incorporates a CPU and controls
the other components of the special-service providing apparatus 201
in accordance with the programs stored in the storage section. More
specifically, the central control section controls the input/output
section, causing the same to input and output data, and rewrites or
updates the account balances recorded in the database, and
maintains the communication between the apparatus 201 and any
external system.
[0159] The communications control section connects the apparatus
201 to the system of any other bank through the communication line
available. The communications control section cooperates with the
central control section to make the apparatus 201 communicate with
any external system, receive receipt data, transmit remittance data
and inform each client of the special service that can be offered
to the client.
[0160] The special-service providing apparatus 201 acquires
transaction statements, the operation logs of the clients, the data
about the clients, and the like. As mentioned above, the apparatus
201 comprises a bank client terminal 203 and a bank server 202. The
bank server 202 can analyze the data items acquired, calculate the
PL values for the respective clients and update the ranks of the
clients in accordance with the PL values. Additionally, the bank
server 202 can determine the contents of special services to be
offered to the respective clients and can inform the clients of the
special services determined. The bank client terminal 203 can
perform clerical works. More precisely, the bank client terminal
203 can examine the data to be stored in the bank server 202 and
can register, change and delete the contents of special service
that the bank offers to the clients. The bank client terminal 203
can record the history of the transactions with the clients, so
that the history may be used in marketing. Moreover, the bank
client terminal 203 can prepare and register newsletters showing
the special services in detail.
[0161] The bank server 202 comprises a transaction-statement
database 105, The transaction-statement database 105 is a database
that records a log of all financial transactions performed between
the clients and the bank.
[0162] Any client may perform a financial transaction with the bank
by accessing Web 101, by using an IVR (Interactive Voice Response)
102 or by using an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) 103. The IVR is a
computer system that can automatically make oral responses through
the telephone. It reproduces recorded oral messages when the caller
operates the telephone dial, thus receiving a transaction
request.
[0163] The transaction-statement database 105 acquires all data
about the financial transaction, which indicates how the
transaction request has been made, by accessing Web 101, by using
the IVR or by using the ATM.
[0164] The client-balance database 106 stores the balance data that
represents the account balances of the clients identified by
personal IDs. The balance data of each client includes data items
that represent the balances of an ordinary yen-deposit, a fixed
yen-deposit, an ordinary foreign-currency deposit, a fixed
foreign-currency deposit, and any other financial service. These
data items are updated as the bank performs financial transactions
with the client.
[0165] The operation log database 107 records what operations each
client has performed to the financial institution. More
specifically, the section 107 records how many times the client
accesses the bank server 202 during a preset period, which screen
the client accesses after the log-in, what operation the client
performs on the screen accessed and how long the total cession time
is.
[0166] Moreover, the section 107 records the number of times the
client uses the call center and how long the client uses the call
center each time during a preset period. The bank can therefore
acquire not only receipt data and payment data, but also other data
indispensable for calculating the P/L value for the client.
[0167] The bank server 202 further comprises a client-information
database 108. The section 108 records the personal information
about each client, which was acquired when the client opened an
account at the bank. The main items of the personal information are
the account number, branch number, name, address, telephone number,
sex, mail address, occupation and the like.
[0168] The transaction-statement database 105, client-balance
database 106, operation log database 107 and client-information
database 108 record the data items of the types that are stored in
the transaction-service log database 1 and present-state database 2
of the
First Embodiment
[0169] The bank server 202 has an analysis database 109. This
database 109 collects the data items recorded in the
transaction-statement database 105, client-balance database 106,
operation log database 107 and client-information database 108. In
the analysis database 109, the data items are managed in
association with the respective clients.
[0170] The data items recorded in the analysis database 109 are
used, mainly for marketing analysis. The database 109 contains
tables corresponding to the clients, respectively. The tables are
of the type shown in FIG. 16. As FIG. 16 shows, each table contains
various items. Among these items are; the number of accesses to the
WEB; the WEB-cession time; the number of times the client has used
the credit card; the number of times the client has used the ATM;
the number of transactions on the ordinary foreign-currency
account; and the number of times the client has failed to repay
loan by the due date.
[0171] The contents of the analysis database 109 can be displayed
by a client-transaction displaying section 151, which will be
described later.
[0172] The bank server 202 has a client PL database 110. The client
PL database 110 stores the P/L values for the clients, which have
been calculated from the data items recorded in the
transaction-statement database 105, client-balance database 106,
operation log database 107 and client-information database 108.
[0173] The bank server 202 further comprises a special-service
rank-updating section 112. The section 112 updates the rank of each
client in accordance with the data items stored in the analysis
database 109 and client PL database 110. The client's rank, thus
updated by the special-service rank-updating section 112, is stored
in a rank database 113 that will be described later. The client's
rank is updated in some cases, at regular intervals on the basis of
the client P/L value. It may be also updated if the client
purchases a campaigned financial service or if the balance of the
client's account exceeds a prescribed amount.
[0174] The rank database 113 is equivalent to the rank database 7
incorporated in the first embodiment. The database 113 contains
tables of the type illustrated in FIG. 11.
[0175] The rank database 113 stores the clients' ranks that the
special-service rank-updating section 112 has updated. The clients'
ranks may be over-written to the latest ones. Alternatively, the
latest rank of each client may be stored, along with the previously
stored ones. In the case where the rank database 113 stores a
plurality of ranks of each client, which can be applied during a
preset period, the special service corresponding to the highest
rank stored can be offered to the client.
[0176] The bank server 202 has a special-service table 114. This
table 114 is equivalent to the special service table 13 that is
shown in FIG. 1. The table 114 is of the type illustrated in FIG.
8.
[0177] The special-service table 114 is a table that shows the
relation between the rank of each service item and the contents of
a special service associated with the service item. The
special-service table 114 can be replaced by a table of
functions.
[0178] As can be seen from FIG. 8, the special-service table 114
shows the interests, charges and the like related to the service
items that are offered to the client at special rates. The
interests and charges to be applied to the transactions with each
client are determined from the rank of the client, by referring to
the special-service table 114.
[0179] The numerical data held in the special-service table 114 may
represent, for example, the profit the client can get in terms of
interest, i.e., the difference between the special rate of interest
and the standard rate of interest. Alternatively, the numerical
data may represent the absolute value of interest calculated by
applying that special rate.
[0180] The bank server 202 further comprises a special-client
database 115, which stores the information about clients to whom no
special services can be offered for specific reasons, such as
failure in repaying loan by the due date. Thus, the bank will not
offer special services to any client who is registered in the
special-client database 115. Nor will the bank inform such clients
of the special services that can be offered to other clients.
[0181] Clients can be registered in the special-client database 115
via a client-data designating section 151 (later described), by
using the information stored in the analysis database 109 and the
like.
[0182] The bank server 202 has a default content database 116. This
database 116 holds the contents of service (e.g., interest rates
and charges) offered to new clients and special clients at default
rank. The clients at the default rank are unable to receive any
special service. The special-service table 114 and the default
content database 116 may be combined to form a single database.
[0183] The bank server 202 further comprises a special-service
determining section 117. The section 117 refers to the
special-service table 114 and determines the special service that
can be offered to each client, from the rank which is stored in the
rank database 113 and which the client holds in connection with
each service ID.
[0184] The special-service determining section 117 performs a
process to specify information about any client who cannot receive
special service specified by the special-client database 115, so
that no special service is offered to such a client.
[0185] The special-service determining section 117 apply the
default rank registered in the default content database 116, to any
client who has not ever transacted with the bank. Based on this
default rank and the contents of the default content database 116,
the section 117 determines the special service that can be offered
to the new client.
[0186] The bank server 20 has a mail-transmitting section 118. This
section 118 transmits main messages about a campaigned special
service, to the mail addresses of the clients who can meet the
qualifications and receive the special service in advertising
campaign.
[0187] The section 118 can acquire a specific mail message from a
mail message database 119 and transmits the same to the mail
address of the client, thereby to inform the client of the contents
of a special service that the client can receive.
[0188] The bank client terminal 203 installed in the bank comprises
a CPU, a storage section, a RAM, a ROM, a communications control
section, a keyboard, a display and the like, not shown in FIG. 15.
The CPU executes a particular program stored in the storage section
so that the bank client terminal 203 has the function blocks shown
in FIG. 15.
[0189] In the bank client terminal 203, a service-content
designating section 150 can register, change and delete the data
held in the rank database 113, special-service table 114,
special-client database 115 and default content database 116.
[0190] For example, the service-content designating section 150 may
registers a new special service item in the special-service table
114. Further, the section 150 may set the date on which the bank
starts applying the interest rate brackets for the respective
ranks, the maximum number of times each client can receive the
special service, the charges for the special services, and the
like. The section 150 may input personal IDs, each identifying a
client. The section 150 can therefore delete the name of the client
from the list of clients who cannot receive any special service.
Moreover, the service-content designating section 150 can change
the contents of the special services, which are stored in the
default content database 116 and which can be offered to the
clients at the default rank.
[0191] The client-transaction displaying section 151 can register,
change and delete the data that is held in the analysis database
109 or the client PL database 110.
[0192] The client-transaction displaying section 151 can look into
the analysis database 109 to achieve market researches and can sort
the data items in association with the various table items.
Therefore, the section 151 can help analyze the trend of client
demands. In addition, the section 151 can change the contents of
the analysis database 109 on the basis of the results of
analysis.
[0193] The bank server 202 further comprises a special-service
notifying section 152. The section 152 can register, change and
delete the data that is held in a mail message database 119.
[0194] The special-service notifying section 152 can prepare, for
example, an advertisement for use in a campaign for special
services and can register the advertisement into the mail message
database 119.
[0195] Special services can be notified to the clients not only by
transmitting mail messages, but also by displaying the messages on
membership Web screens (no shown) or on the bill of the ATM
transactions.
[0196] The special-service providing apparatus operates as will be
explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 17. FIG. 17
illustrates two processes. One is a transaction process, and the
other is a special-service process. It will be described how the
apparatus 201 determines whether a financial institution should
offer a special service to a client when the client makes a
transaction with the financial institution.
[0197] At Step S210, the special-service providing apparatus 201
receives an inquiry of a client who logged himself at the
membership site after entering into a contract concerning a service
item. The inquiry may be as to whether the financial institution
may offer him a special treat in connection with the service item.
The apparatus 201 can receive an inquiry about a possible reduction
of charge for the use of an ATM, from a client who has used the
ATM.
[0198] At Step S220, the special-service determining section 117
refers to the data held in the special-client database 115 by using
the personal ID of the client, thereby determining whether the
client is one of the special clients. As indicated above, "special
clients" are those who cannot receive any special service because,
for example, he has delayed repayment of a loan.
[0199] At Step S230, the special-service determining section 117
determines, from the result of the decision made at Step S220,
whether the client is listed in the special-client database 115. If
the client is listed in the database 115 (that is, if YES at Step
S230), the process jump to Step S260. At Step S260, the section 117
refers to the special service, if any, that can be offered to the
client. If the client is not listed in the database 115 (that is,
if NO at Step S230), the process goes to Step S240. At Step S240,
the section 117 refers to the rank of the client.
[0200] At Step S240, the special-service determining section 117
refers to the rank database 113. The section 117 can extract the
data item representing the rank the client holds at present,
because the rank database 113 stores the service IDs and the ranks
associated to these IDs as is illustrated in FIG. 11.
[0201] At Step S250, the special-service determining section 117
sets a rank for the service item stored in the rank database 113.
If the database 113 stores a plurality of ranks for the service
item, the section 117 selects and sets the highest rank. The
section 1.17 may set, for the client, different ranks regarding the
same service ID, each being valid for only a specific period. In
such a case, the highest of the ranks will be applied.
[0202] The rank determined from the P/L value calculated for the
client and valid for a specific period may differ from the rank
determined from the conditions for offering a special service
during the specific period. If this is the case, the section 117
sets the higher of these ranks.
[0203] At Step S260, the special-service determining section 117
searches for the special service that corresponds to the rank of
the client. That is, based on the rank of the client, the section
117 refers to the contents of the special-service table 114, which
are shown in FIG. 8, or searches the default content database 116
for a default rank. As for new clients and the special clients, the
section 117 refers to the default content database 116.
[0204] At Step S270, the results obtained at the special-service
providing apparatus 201 are applied to the transaction process.
[0205] At Step S280, the contents of the special service item
contracted, which have been inquired about, are obtained.
[0206] At Step S290, it is determined whether the contents of the
special service should be notified to the client. If it is
determined that the contents should be notified (that is, if YES at
Step S290), the process goes to Step S300. At Step S300, the
contents of the special service (i.e., reduced interest and reduced
charge) are calculated. If it is determined that the contents
should not notified (that is, if NO at Step S290), the process goes
to Step S310. At Step S310, the contents of a non-special service
(i.e., standard interest and standard charge) are calculated, and
the process is terminated.
[0207] The criterion for the decision made at Step S290 is not
limited. Nonetheless, any client cannot receive any special service
if he has used the ATM three times, free of charge, during the
special-service period, though he is still a client entitled to
special services. That is, the decision made at Step S290 is NO,
and the contents of a non-special service are calculated.
[0208] Thus, the special-service providing apparatus 201 according
to this embodiment can provide special services of different types
to different clients, in accordance with the personal information
and transaction history of each client.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0209] As has been described, the present invention makes it
possible to reliably record the financial transactions of each
client, the history of operations the client has performed to a
financial institution and the like, correctly evaluate the
contribution of each client to the financial institution in terms
of profit, and to offer each client services as much advantageous
to the client as possible, such as a special interest rate and a
reduction in charges, thereby to meet various needs of the
client.
* * * * *