Server and method for timely adjusting price of a plan voucher

• US 10,460,405 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Vetter, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alsamiri, Manal A.
• Application Number:
  US15/125,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/14 Travel agencies

Abstract

When detecting a reduction in the price of an airline ticket included in an airline ticket and plan voucher combination that does not meet any set of desired purchase conditions specified by users, a set item providing server SA notifies information to prompt reduction in the price of a plan voucher included in a combination that fails to satisfy any set of desired purchase conditions that has no hits, among combinations of the marked-down airline ticket and a plan voucher, to the facility provider that provides the plan voucher.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising:

at least one memory configured to store computer program code; and

at least one processor configured to access said at least one memory and operate as instructed by said computer program code, said computer program code including;

first registering code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to register a plurality of fare items each indicating at least a transportation fare in a first database in accordance with a registration request from a first terminal connected to the information processing device through a network, wherein the first terminal includes an airline terminal;

second registering code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to register a plurality of facility items each indicating at least a facility plan charge in a second database in accordance with a registration request from a second terminal connected to the information processing device through the network, wherein the second terminal includes a facility terminal;

obtaining code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to obtain sets of desired purchase conditions, each set indicating at least a budget specified by a user of a third terminal connected to the information processing device through the network, wherein the third terminal includes a user terminal;

detecting code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to detect a reduction in a transportation fare indicated by a first item included in a combination of the first item registered in the first database and a second item registered in the second database that satisfies none of the sets of desired purchase conditions obtained, wherein the plurality of fare items includes the first item, and the plurality of facility items includes the second item;

identification code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to identify at least one active user based on;

i) a search by the at least one active user within a predetermined time of a current time, and ii) a number of the at least one active user is less than or equal to an upper threshold value; and

notification code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to automatically notify, via;

i) an email sent to an email address, wherein the email address is stored in the second database in association with a facility identifier, or ii) a web page sent to the facility terminal, when a reduction in the transportation fare indicated by the first item is detected, information to prompt reduction in a charge indicated by the second item included in a combination that fails to satisfy any of the sets of desired purchase conditions, among combinations of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item, to a provider of the second item, through the network, wherein the provider includes a facility operator, and wherein the information to prompt reduction in a charge is received by the facility operator in a timely manner to allow promotion of purchase of the combination by the at least one active user.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising first identifying code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to identify, for each of a plurality of budget levels, how many users specified a budget indicated by one of the sets of desired purchase conditions, a combination of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item failing to satisfy a budget indicated by any one of the sets of desired purchase conditions,

wherein the notification code causes at least one of said at least one processor to notify information associating, for each budget level, a number of users identified with the budget level as the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider of the second item.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising second identifying code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to identify how many users specified a budget indicated by one of the sets of desired purchase conditions more than once, a combination of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item failing to satisfy a budget indicated by any one of the sets of desired purchase conditions,

wherein the notification code is configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to notify information associating, for each budget level, a number of users identified by the second identifying code with the budget level as the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider of the second item.

4. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising second identifying code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to identify how many users specified a budget indicated by one of the sets of desired purchase conditions a predetermined number of times or more within a predetermined period of time, a combination of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item failing to satisfy a budget indicated by any one of the sets of desired purchase conditions,

wherein the notification code is configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to notify information associating, for each budget level, a number of users identified by the second identifying code with the budget level as the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider of the second item.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising third identifying code configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to identify how many users viewed an item provided by a specific provider, among users who specified a budget indicated by one of the sets of desired purchase conditions, a combination of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item failing to satisfy a budget indicated by any one of the sets of desired purchase conditions,

wherein the notification code is configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to notify information associating, for each budget level, a number of users identified by the third identifying code with the budget level as the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the specific provider.

6. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the notification code is configured to cause at least one of said at least one processor to notify information associating, for each budget, the number of users identified by the first identifying code and a number of stocks of the first item included in a combination that fails to satisfy any of the sets of desired purchase conditions with the budget level as the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider of the second item.

7. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein only when the number of users identified by the first identifying code is less than or equal to a threshold value, the notification code causes at least one of said at least one processor to notify the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider.

8. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein only when an occupancy rate of the facility is less than or equal to a threshold value, the notification code causes at least one of said at least one processor to the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider.

9. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein only when an occupancy rate of the facility is less than an occupancy rate of a competing provider, the notification code causes at least one of said at least one processor to notify the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider.

10. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein only when a number of stocks of the first item included in a combination that fails to satisfy any of the sets of desired purchase conditions, among combinations of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item, is less than or equal to a threshold value, the notification code causes at least one of said at least one processor to notify the information to prompt reduction in the charge to the provider.

11. An information processing method performed by a computer, the method comprising:

registering a plurality of fare items each indicating at least a transportation fare in a first database in accordance with a registration request from a first terminal connected to an information processing apparatus through a network, wherein the first terminal includes an airline terminal;

registering a plurality of facility items each indicating at least a facility plan charge in a second database in accordance with a registration request from a second terminal connected to the information processing apparatus through the network, wherein the second terminal includes a facility terminal;

obtaining sets of desired purchase conditions, each set indicating at least a budget specified by a user of a third terminal connected to the information processing apparatus through the network, wherein the third terminal includes a user terminal;

detecting a reduction in a transportation fare indicated by a first item included in a combination of a first item registered in the first database and a second item registered in the second database that satisfies none of the obtained sets of desired purchase conditions, wherein the plurality of fare items includes the first item, and the plurality of facility items includes the second item;

identifying at least one active user based on;

i) a search by the at least one active user within a predetermined time of a current time, and ii) a number of the at least one active user is less than or equal to an upper threshold value;

automatically notifying via;

i) an email sent to an email address, wherein the email address is stored in the second database in association with a facility identifier, or ii) a web page sent to the facility terminal, when a reduction in a transportation fare indicated by the first item is detected, information to prompt reduction in a charge indicated by the second item included in a combination that fails to satisfy any of the sets of desired purchase conditions, among combinations of the first item whose transportation fare has been reduced and the second item, to a provider of the second item, through the network, wherein the provider includes a facility operator, and wherein the information to prompt reduction in a charge is received by the facility operator in a timely manner to allow promotion of purchase of the combination by the at least one active user.

12. A non-transitory recording medium recording an information processing program for causing a computer to:

register a plurality of fare items each indicating at least a transportation fare in a first database in accordance with a registration request from a first terminal connected to an information processing apparatus through a network, wherein the first terminal includes an airline terminal;

register a plurality of facility items each indicating at least a facility plan charge in a second database in accordance with a registration request from a second terminal connected to the information processing apparatus through the network, wherein the second terminal includes a facility terminal;

obtain sets of desired purchase conditions, each set indicating at least a budget specified by a user of a third terminal connected to the information processing apparatus through the network, wherein the third terminal includes a user terminal;

detect a reduction in a transportation fare indicated by a first item included in a combination of the first item registered in the first database and a second item registered in the second database that satisfies none of the sets of desired purchase conditions obtained, wherein the plurality of fare items includes the first item, and the plurality of facility items includes the second item;

identify at least one active user based on;

i) a search by the at least one active user within a predetermined time of a current time, and ii) a number of the at least one active user is less than or equal to an upper threshold value;

automatically notify via;

i) an email sent to an email address, wherein the email address is stored in the second database in association with a facility identifier, or ii) a web page sent to the facility terminal, when a reduction in a transportation fare indicated by the first item is detected, information to prompt reduction in a charge indicated by the second item included in a combination that fails to satisfy any of the sets of desired purchase conditions, among combinations of the first item whose fare has been reduced and the second item, to a provider of the second item, through the network, wherein the provider includes a facility operator, and wherein the information to prompt reduction in a charge is received by the facility operator in a timely manner to allow promotion of purchase of the combination by the at least one active user.