Event invitation method and system

• US 20020138325A1
• Filed: 03/06/2002
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hatta, Hiroyuki, Haseda, Hisashi, Ikematsu, Kuniaki, Mashimo, Seiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,406,433 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An event invitation method according to this invention comprises the steps of acquiring position information of a customer registered in advance; judging whether or not information concerning an invitation to an event to a terminal of the customer based on at least a positional relationship between the customer and a site of the event; and sending information concerning the invitation to the event to the terminal of the customer if it is judged that the invitation to the event should be sent to the customer. With this method, for example, by sending event invitation information to customers who can reach the event site by the opening time or ending time of the event, collection of customers who attend the event and resale of canceled tickets can be performed efficiently.

Claims

1. An event invitation method, comprising the steps of:

acquiring position information of a customer registered in advance;

judging whether or not an invitation to an event is to be sent to a terminal of said customer based on at least a positional relationship between said customer and a site of the event; and

sending information concerning said invitation to said event to said terminal of said customer if it is judged that said invitation to said event should be sent to said customer.

2. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said judging step comprises a step of judging whether or not said customer exists in such an area as to be able to attend said event based on said positional relationship between said customer and said site of said event and time of said event.

3. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said judging step comprises the steps of:

judging whether or not said customer exists in an area from said site of said event, said area determined in accordance with a time to one of start time and end time of said event; and

if it is judged that said customer exists in said area, further judging whether estimated time taken by said customer to reach said site of said event is within a time to one of said start time and said end time of said event.

4. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said acquiring step, said judging step, and said sending step are executed in accordance with a time to one of start time and end time of said event.

5. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a step of sending information of a movement route to said site of said event to said terminal of said customer based on said position information of said customer and a position of said site of said event.

6. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether or not an entrance ticket can be assigned to a customer who has requested attendance in response to said invitation to said event; and

if it is judged that an entrance ticket can be assigned to at least said customer who has requested attendance, sending information concerning said entrance ticket to a terminal of said customer who has requested attendance.

7. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from a terminal of a customer, an attendance request for a plurality of persons, said attendance request including information of respective destinations to which information concerning an entrance ticket should be sent;

judging whether or not entrance tickets can be assigned to said plurality of persons for said attendance request; and

if it is judged that said entrance tickets can be assigned to at least said plurality of persons, sending said information concerning said entrance ticket to respective terminals of said plurality of persons according to said information of said respective destinations.

8. The event invitation method as set forth in claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

receiving cancellation of a ticket from a customer; and

performing processing of refunding a corresponding amount of money to said customer who canceled said ticket in response to an issuance of a ticket corresponding to said canceled ticket to another customer.

9. A program embedded on a medium for causing a computer to perform a processing for invitation to an event, said program comprising the steps of:

acquiring position information of a customer registered in advance;

judging whether or not an invitation to an event is to be sent to a terminal of said customer based on at least a positional relationship between said customer and a site of the event; and

sending information concerning said invitation to said event to said terminal of said customer if it is judged that said invitation to said event should be sent to said customer.

10. The program as set forth in claim 9, wherein said judging step comprises a step of judging whether or not said customer exists in such an area as to be able to attend said event based on said positional relationship between said customer and said site of said event and time of said event.

11. The program as set forth in claim 9, wherein said judging step comprises the steps of:

judging whether or not said customer exists in an area from said site of said event, said area determined in accordance with a time to one of start time and end time of said event; and

if it is judged that said customer exists in said area, further judging whether estimated time taken by said customer to reach said site of said event is within a time to one of said start time and said end time of said event.

12. The program as set forth in claim 9, wherein said acquiring step, said judging step, and said sending step are executed in accordance with a time to one of start time and end time of said event.

13. The program as set forth in claim 9, further comprising a step of sending information of a movement route to said site of said event to said terminal of said customer based on said position information of said customer and a position of said site of said event.

14. The program as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

judging whether or not an entrance ticket can be assigned to a customer who has requested attendance in response to said invitation to said event; and

if it is judged that an entrance ticket can be assigned to at least said customer who has requested attendance, sending information concerning said entrance ticket to a terminal of said customer who has requested attendance.

15. The program as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from a terminal of a customer, an attendance request for a plurality of persons, said attendance request including information of respective destinations to which information concerning an entrance ticket should be sent;

judging whether or not entrance tickets can be assigned to said plurality of persons for said attendance request; and

if it is judged that said entrance tickets can be assigned to at least said plurality of persons, sending said information concerning said entrance ticket to respective terminals of said plurality of persons according to said information of said respective destinations.

16. The program as set forth in claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

receiving cancellation of a ticket from a customer; and

performing processing of refunding a corresponding amount of money to said customer who canceled said ticket in response to an issuance of a ticket corresponding to said canceled ticket to another customer.

18. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said means for judging comprises means for judging whether or not said customer exists in such an area as to be able to attend said event based on said positional relationship between said customer and said site of said event and time of said event.

19. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said means for judging comprises:

means for judging whether or not said customer exists in an area from said site of said event, said area determined in accordance with a time to one of start time and end time of said event; and

means for judging whether estimated time taken by said customer to reach said site of said event is within a time to one of said start time and said end time of said event, if it is judged that said customer exists in said area.

20. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said means for acquiring, said means for judging, and said means for sending operates in accordance with a time to one of start time and end time of said event.

21. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 17, further comprising means for sending information of a movement route to said site of said event to said terminal of said customer based on said position information of said customer and a position of said site of said event.

22. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:

means for judging whether or not an entrance ticket can be assigned to a customer who has requested attendance in response to said invitation to said event; and

sending information concerning said entrance ticket to a terminal of said customer who has requested attendance, if it is judged that an entrance ticket can be assigned to at least said customer who has requested attendance.

23. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 17, further comprising:

means for receiving from a terminal of a customer, an attendance request for a plurality of persons, said attendance request including information of respective destinations to which information concerning an entrance ticket should be sent;

means for judging whether or not entrance tickets can be assigned to said plurality of persons for said attendance request; and

sending said information concerning said entrance ticket to respective terminals of said plurality of persons according to said information of said respective destinations, if it is judged that said entrance tickets can be assigned to at least said plurality of persons.

24. The event invitation system as set forth in claim 22, further comprising:

means for receiving cancellation of a ticket from a customer; and

means for performing processing of refunding a corresponding amount of money to said customer who canceled said ticket in response to an issuance of a ticket corresponding to said canceled ticket to another customer.

26. The method as set forth in claim 25, wherein said receiving step comprises a step of receiving information concerning invitation to said event from a server if said customer exists in a predetermined area that is determined in accordance with a distance from a site of said event and a time to one of start time and end time of said event.

17. An event invitation system, comprising:

means for acquiring position information of a customer registered in advance;

means for judging whether or not an invitation to an event is to be sent to a terminal of said customer based on at least a positional relationship between said customer and a site of the event; and

means for sending information concerning said invitation to said event to said terminal of said customer if it is judged that said invitation to said event should be sent to said customer.

25. A method for requesting attendance to an event by using a terminal of a customer, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving information concerning invitation to said event from a server if said customer exists in a predetermined area that is determined in accordance with at least a distance from a site of said event; and

in response to the received information, sending an attendance request to said server.

27. A ticket cancellation method comprising the steps of:

requesting cancellation of a ticket included in a customer terminal; and

receiving refund of a corresponding amount of money in response to an issuance of a ticket corresponding to said canceled and invalidated ticket in said customer terminal to another customer.