Reservation server, user terminal, reservation system, and reservation method

• US 20020062236A1
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Murashita, Kimitaka, Suzuki, Shoji, Iwata, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,152,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reservation server which comprises a retaining section for retaining store/facility information including a reservation-needed service and a reservation situation, a network terminal for outputting alternative event substituting for the service, a receiving section for receiving a desired service, a reservation managing section for selectively reading out the store/facility information and the alternative event, and a transmitting section for transmitting the information and event. Accordingly, a service provider can notify a user of a service and reservation situation of a store-near the user or the start/end time of the service, and the time to be taken for the service and can suggest an alternative event in a time zone convenient to the user.

Claims

1. A reservation server comprising:

a retaining section for retaining store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service;

a receiving section for receiving a desired service or desired event which a user desires, and is transmitted from a user terminal;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store/facility in-formation retained in said retaining section and said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section on the basis of said desired service or desired event received in said receiving section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting, to said user terminal, at least one of said store/facility information and alternative event information read out in said reservation managing section.

3. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising a waiting time calculating section for calculating, as a waiting time, a difference between a start time, included in said alternative event information selected by said reservation managing section, or a reservation-needed service start time, included in said store/facility information selected by said reservation managing section, and the present time, and for outputting the calculated waiting time.

5. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising an end time calculating section for calculating, as an end time, the sum of a performance time to be taken for said event, included in said alternative event information selected by said reservation managing section, or a performance time to be taken for said reservation-needed service, included in said store/facility information selected by said reservation managing section, and the present time, and for outputting the calculated end time.

7. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising an other reservation situation notifying section for outputting, to said transmitting section, a reservation situation on a reservation-needed event requiring reservation, among said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section.

9. A reservation server according to claim 7, wherein said other reservation situation notifying section is made to output practicable information of said alternative event information as performing event information to said transmitting section.

11. A reservation server according to claim 9, wherein said other reservation situation notifying section is made to output said performing event information on the basis of a user traveling time, a user'"'"'s waiting time at an other store and an event performance time in said other store.

13. A reservation server according to claim 9, wherein said other reservation situation notifying section is made to extract a longest event taking a maximum performance time among events, included in said alternative event information, on the basis of an event end time obtained by adding said waiting time to a performance time to be taken for each of said events, for including the extracted longest event in said performing event information and outputting the longest event included performing event information.

15. A reservation server according to claim 9, wherein said alternative event information outputting section is constructed as an event information retaining section to retain and output said alternative event information according to time zone, and said other reservation situation notifying section is constructed as an event notifying section to extract said performing event information from said alternative event information outputted from said event information retaining section on the basis of the present time, and for outputting the extracted performing event information to said transmitting section.

17. A reservation server according to claim 7, wherein said alternative event information outputting section is constructed as an other reservation server interface section to output, as said alternative event information, other reservation server alternative event information retained in an other reservation server connected through a server network, and said other reservation situation notifying section is made to extract practicable other reservation server alternative event information, said other reservation server alternative event information satisfying a predetermined condition from said other reservation server alternative event information outputted from said other reservation server interface section, and to output the extracted practicable other reservation server alternative event information to said transmitting section.

18. A reservation server according to claim 17, further comprising a reservation mediating section for transmitting a reservation request from a user, received in said receiving section to said other reservation server through said other reservation server interface section.

19. A reservation server according to claim 18, further comprising a utilization situation retaining section for retaining an access log between said reservation server and said other reservation server, with said utilization situation retaining section being made to calculate an introduction charge on information provided by said other reservation server to said reservation server and an introduction charge on information provided from said reservation server to said other reservation server on the basis of said access log, and to retain both the calculated introduction charges.

20. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising a discount/value-added information generating section for generating discount information or value-added information on said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section and for outputting said discount information or said value-added information to said transmitting section.

2. A reservation server comprising:

a retaining section for retaining store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and reservation situation on the number of seats of said reservation-needed service by way of a user window or remote access means;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting alternative event information including an event substituting for said reservation-needed service and on a start/end time of said event;

a receiving section for receiving a desired service or desired event which a user desires, and is transmitted from a user terminal;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store/facility information retained in said retaining section and said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section on the basis of the desired service or desired event received in said receiving section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting, to said user terminal, at least one of said store/facility information and alternative event information read out in said reservation managing section.

4. A reservation server according to claim 2, further comprising a waiting time calculating section for calculating, as a waiting time, a difference between the start time, included in said alternative event information selected by said reservation managing section, or the reservation-needed service start time, included in said store/facility information selected by said reservation managing section, and the present time, and for outputting the calculated waiting time.

6. A reservation server according to claim 2, further comprising an end time calculating section for calculating, as an end time, the sum of a performance time to be taken for said event, included in said alternative event information selected by said reservation managing section, or a performance time to be taken for said reservation-needed service, included in said store/facility information selected by said reservation managing section, and the present time, and for outputting the calculated end time.

8. A reservation server according to claim 2, further comprising an other reservation situation notifying section for outputting, to said transmitting section, a reservation situation on a reservation-needed event requiring reservation, among said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section.

10. A reservation server according to claim 8, wherein said other reservation situation notifying section is made to output practicable information of said alternative event information as performing event information to said transmitting section.

12. A reservation server according to claim 10, wherein said other reservation situation notifying section is made to output said performing event information on the basis of a user traveling time, a user'"'"'s waiting time at an other store and an event performance time in said other store.

14. A reservation server according to claim 10, wherein said other reservation situation notifying section is made to extract a longest event taking a maximum performance time among events, included in said alternative event information, on the basis of an event end time obtained by adding said waiting time to a performance time to be taken for each of said events, for including the extracted longest event in said performing event information and outputting the longest event included performing event information.

16. A reservation server according to claim 10, wherein said alternative event information outputting section is constructed as an event information retaining section to retain and output said alternative event information according to time zone, and said other reservation situation notifying section is constructed as an event notifying section to extract said performing event information from said alternative event information outputted from said event information retaining section on the basis of the present time, and for outputting the extracted performing event information to said transmitting section.

21. A reservation server comprising:

a retaining section for retaining store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service;

a handling table for retaining handling scheme data on handling by a store or facility according to said reservation situation of said store/facility information; and

a store handling selecting section for selecting desired handling scheme data among said handling scheme data retained in said handling table on the basis of said reservation situation retained in said retaining section to notify an other store or facility of the selected handling scheme data.

22. A reservation server according to claim 21, wherein said store handling selecting section is made to read out and output said handling scheme data from said handling table on the basis of, of said reservation situation, a rate of change representative of variation in the number of reservations for a predetermined period of time.

24. A user terminal according to claim 23, further comprising a discount/value-added information retaining section for retaining discount information or value-added information transmitted from said reservation server and received in said receiving section.

27. A reservation method according to claim 26, wherein said first transmitting step includes:

an other reservation server access step in which said reservation server has access to other reservation server alternative event information retained in at least an other reservation server which is connected through a server network to said reservation server;

a performing event information extracting step in which said reservation server extracts, from said other reservation server alternative event information accessed in the other reservation server access step, performing event information practicable within a user'"'"'s waiting time to be taken until a desired service starts; and

a performing event information transmitting step in which said reservation server transmits, to said user terminal, said performing event information extracted in said performing event information-extracting step.

28. A reservation method according to claim 26, wherein said selecting step includes:

an other reservation server access step in which said reservation server gains access to other reservation server store/facility information or other reservation server alternative event information retained in an other reservation server connected through a server network to said reservation server;

a waiting time calculating step in which said reservation server calculates a user'"'"'s waiting time, to be taken until a desired service or a desired event starts, on the basis of said other reservation server store/facility information or other reservation server alternative event information accessed in said other reservation server access step; and

an extracting step in which said reservation server extracts, from the desired service or the desired event, a service or event practicable within the waiting time calculated in said waiting time calculating step.

23. A user terminal comprising:

a receiving section for receiving at least one of store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service and alternative event information an event substituting for said reservation-needed service, retained in a reservation server;

a displaying section for displaying said store/facility information or alternative event information received in said receiving section;

a selecting section for selecting a desired service or desired event which a user desires, among said store/facility information or alternative event information displayed on said displaying section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting the desired service or desired event selected in said selecting section to said reservation server.

25. A reservation system comprising:

a user terminal for transmitting and receiving data; and

a reservation server, connected through a radio network to said user terminal, for outputting at least one of store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service and alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service to said user terminal,

said reservation server including;

a retaining section for retaining said store/facility information;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting said alternative event information;

a first receiving section for receiving a desired service or desired event which a user desires, and is transmitted from said user terminal;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store/facility information, retained in said retaining section, and said alternative event information, outputted from said alternative event information outputting section, on the basis of the desired service or desired event received in said first receiving section; and

a first transmitting section for transmitting, to said user terminal, at least one of said store/facility information and alternative event information read out by said reservation managing section,

said user terminal including;

a second receiving section for receiving at least one of said store/facility information and alternative event information transmitted from said first transmitting section of said reservation server;

a displaying section for displaying said store/facility information or alternative event information received in said second receiving section;

a selecting section for selecting the desired service or desired event which the user desires, among said store/facility information or alternative event information displayed on said displaying section; and

a second transmitting section for transmitting, to said reservation server, the desired service or desired event selected by said selecting section.

26. A reservation method comprising:

a first transmitting step in which a reservation server transmits, to a user terminal connected through a radio network to said reservation server, at least one of store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service and alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service;

a reserving step in which said user terminal transmits, to said reservation server, a desired service or desired event which a user desires, among said store/facility information or alternative event information transmitted in said first transmitting step;

a selecting step in which said reservation server selects at least one of said store-/facility information and said alternative event information on said event substituting for said reservation-needed service, on the basis of the desired service or desired event transmitted in said reserving step; and

a second transmitting step in which said reservation server transmits, to said user terminal, said store/facility information or alternative event information selected by said selecting step.

29. A reservation method comprising:

a reserving step in which a user terminal makes reservation for a reservation-needed service requiring reservation to a reservation server connected through a radio network to said user terminal;

a threshold detecting step in which said reservation server detects that a rate of change of the number of reservations for said reservation-needed service reserved in said reserving step is equal to or more than a first threshold value, or equal to or less than a second threshold value;

a supernumerary dispatch staff retrieving step in which said reservation server has access to at least an other reservation server which is connected through a server network to make retrieval on supernumerary store/facility having supernumerary when said threshold detecting step detects that the rate of change thereof is equal to or more than said first threshold value, and said reservation server has access to said other reservation server to make retrieval on a dispatch requiring store/facility requiring dispatched staff when said threshold detecting step detects that the rate of change thereof is equal to or less than said second threshold value; and

a requesting/supporting step in which said reservation server issues a request for dispatch to said supernumerary store/facility retrieved in said supernumerary dispatch staff retrieving step or offers support to said dispatch requiring store/facility retrieved in said supernumerary dispatch staff retrieving step.

30. A reservation method comprising:

a communication-feasible user terminal retrieving step in which a reservation server retrieves a communication-feasible user terminal from user terminals connected to a server network to said reservation server;

a third transmitting step in which said reservation server transmits store/facility information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service to said communication-feasible user terminal retrieved in said communication-feasible user terminal retrieving step; and

a fourth transmitting step in which said communication-feasible user terminal transmits a desired service which a user desires, among said reservation-needed service included in said store/facility information transmitted in said third transmitting step, to said reservation server.

31. A reservation method comprising:

an inquiring step in which a user terminal inquires of a reservation server connected through a server network to said user terminal whether or not it is possible for a user to receive a desired service which said user desires;

a reference step in which said reservation server refers to at least one of store/facility information, including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation, and a reservation situation of said reservation-needed service and alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service, with respect to the desired service on the inquiry in said inquiring step; and

a store/facility information transmitting step in which said reservation server transmits details of the desired service to said user terminal when it is possible for said user to receive the desired service as a result of the reference in said reference step, and transmits alternative store/facility information or alternative event information to said user terminal when it is impossible for said user to receive the desired service.