To prevent damage due to errors or illegality and to promote the utilization of target equipment without causing complicated operation or increasing the introduction costs of the system.

The utilization promotion system is provided with an automatic vending machine (AVM) 10 allowed to be utilized when utilization permission information is obtained and having a function for sending utilization information corresponding to user's utilization, portable terminal equipment 20 having functions for picking up an image of an AVM identification(ID) code informed of by the AVM 10 and sending the image pickup result and the terminal ID information of the terminal equipment 20 itself as utilization request information and a settlement management device 30 for sending the utilization permission information to the AVM 10 specified on the basis of acquisition information included in the utilization request information if the portable terminal equipment 20 can be specified from the terminal ID information included in the utilization request information when the utilization request information is outputted from the user's portable terminal equipment 20, and when utilization information is outputted from the AVM 10 sending the utilization permission information, performing charging processing as utilization by an owner of the specified portable terminal equipment 20.

COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO