Guidance information supply system, guidance information supply method, customer management system, customer management method and program for making computer implement the methods

• US 20030083052A1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Hosaka, Toshiyuki
• Application Number:
  US10/176,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20030083052A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A guidance information supply system 10 comprises mobile terminals 11 to 13, a computer 32 for acceptance for accepting identification information outputted using a radio wave therefrom, acceptance information accumulation means 51 for accumulating the identification information and guidance information supply means 42 for supplying guidance information to the mobile terminals 11 to 13, an image display device 36 and a projection system 37, all of which are available to a user, based on the accumulated identification information. When the user operates the mobile terminals 11 to 13 to output an ID, a server supplies various guidance information to the user and therefore, the user is able to obtain the guidance information indicative of items of services the user requests without submitting a consultation ticket, whereby the system is able to provide comfortable environment in which the user easily enjoy services.

Claims

1. A guidance information supply system for supplying guidance information to a user by utilizing at least one display device installed within a management area, said system comprising:

a mobile terminal held by said user for outputting identification information for identifying said user by using a radio wave;

acceptance means for accepting said identification information outputted using a radio wave from said mobile terminal held by said user;

accepted information accumulation means for accumulating said identification information accepted by said acceptance means; and

guidance information supply means for supplying guidance information to be delivered to said user to said at least one display device based on said identification information accumulated in said accepted information accumulation means.

2. The guidance information supply system according to claim 1 further comprising location information collection means for collecting location information indicative of location of the mobile terminal held by the user, wherein a plurality of said display devices are installed in said management area and said guidance information supply means includes:

a display device selection section for selecting at least one display device, adapted to receive said guidance information to be delivered, from a said plurality of display devices based on location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal held by said user, said location information being collected in accordance with said location information collection means; and

a delivery information output section for delivering said guidance information to said at least one display device selected by said display device selection section.

3. The guidance information supply system according to claim 2, wherein said guidance information transmitted to said specific display device is guidance instruction information to guide said user to move from a location of said display device to a predetermined location.

4. The guidance information supply system according to claim 1, wherein said guidance information supply means has a delivery information output section therein for delivering said guidance information to said mobile terminal held by said user and said mobile terminal has notification means therein for notifying said user of acquisition of said guidance information outputted from said delivery information output section.

5. The guidance information supply system according to claim 4, wherein said guidance information supply means is configured to again deliver guidance information to said mobile terminal held by said user and further, deliver guidance information to nearly all of said plurality of said display devices in the event said user has not responded to said guidance information transmitted to said mobile terminal.

6. The guidance information supply system according to claim 4 (one of claims 4 and 5), wherein said guidance information transmitted to said mobile terminal is a schedule for said user and available within said management area.

7. The guidance information supply system according to claim 1 further comprising user information accumulation means for accumulating personal information about said user, wherein said user information accumulation means has a guidance information preparation section therein for searching said user information accumulation means to find personal information about said user having said identification information based on said identification information accepted by said acceptance means and preparing guidance information to be transmitted to said display device and/or said mobile terminal based on said found personal information.

8. The guidance information supply system according to claim 1, wherein said acceptance means has a service selection operation section therein available to said user for selecting an item of a service to be received by said user within said management area and said guidance information preparation section prepares guidance information to be transmitted to said display device and/or said mobile terminal based on said item of a service selected by said user through said service selection operation section.

9. A guidance information supply method for supplying guidance information to a user by utilizing at least one display device installed within a management area, said method comprising:

an acceptance procedure for accepting identification information outputted using a radio wave from a mobile terminal held by said user and adapted to output identification information for identifying said user by using a radio wave;

an accepted information accumulation procedure for accumulating identification information accepted by said acceptance means; and

a guidance information supply procedure for supplying guidance information to be delivered to said user to a display device based on identification information accumulated in accordance with said accepted information accumulation procedure.

10. The guidance information supply method according to claim 9 further comprising a location information collection procedure for collecting location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal held by said user, wherein said guidance information supply procedure including:

a display device selection procedure for selecting at least one display device, adapted to receive said guidance information to be delivered, from a plurality of display devices based on location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal held by said user, said location information being collected in accordance with said location information collection procedure; and

a delivery procedure for display device, said procedure being adapted to deliver said guidance information to said at least one display device selected in accordance with said display device selection procedure.

11. The guidance information supply method according to claim 10, wherein said guidance information transmitted to said at least one display device in accordance with said delivery procedure for display device is guidance instruction information used to guide said user to move from a location of said at least one display device to a specific location.

12. The guidance information supply method according to claim 9, wherein said guidance information supply procedure comprises a delivery procedure for mobile terminal, said procedure being adapted to deliver said guidance information to said mobile terminal held by said user, and said mobile terminal informs said user of acquisition of said guidance information delivered in accordance with said delivery procedure for mobile terminal in the event said mobile terminal receives said guidance information.

13. The guidance information supply method according to claim 12, wherein said guidance information supply procedure is constructed such that in the event said user has not responded to said guidance information transmitted to said mobile terminal, guidance information is again transmitted to said mobile terminal held by said user and further, guidance information is delivered to nearly all of said plurality of display devices.

14. The guidance information supply method according to claim 12, wherein guidance information transmitted to said mobile terminal in accordance with said delivery procedure for mobile terminal is a schedule for said user and available within said management area.

15. The guidance information supply method according to claims 9 further comprising a user information accumulation procedure for accumulating personal information about a plurality- of users, wherein said guidance information supply procedure has a guidance information preparation procedure therein for searching personal information about said plurality of users accumulated in accordance with said user information accumulation procedure to find personal information about a user having said identification information based on identification information accepted in accordance with said acceptance procedure and preparing guidance information to be transmitted to said at least one display device and/or said mobile terminal based on said found personal information.

16. The guidance information supply method according to claims 9 further comprising a service selection procedure available to said user for selecting at least one item of a service to be received by said user within said management area, wherein guidance information to be transmitted to said at least one display device and/or said mobile terminal is prepared based on said at least one item of a service, said at least one item of a service being selected in accordance with said service selection procedure, in said guidance information preparation procedure.

17. A program adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 9.

18. A program according to claims 17 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 10.

19. A program according to claims 18 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 11.

20. A program according to claims 17 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 12.

21. A program according to claims 20 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 13.

22. A program according to claims 20 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 14.

23. A program according to claims 17 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 15.

24. A program according to claims 17 further adapted to implement said guidance information supply method described in claim 16.

25. A customer management system for supplying a service to a customer by managing store-utilization records corresponding to said customer registered as a member of store, said system comprising:

identification information acceptance means for accepting identification information for identifying said customer and outputted using a radio wave from a mobile terminal held by said customer;

utilization records collection means for collecting store-utilization records corresponding to said customer accepted by said identification information acceptance means; and

utilization records accumulation means for accumulating said store-utilization records corresponding to said identification information for identifying said customer.

26. The customer management system according to claim 25 further comprising:

point calculation means for calculating service points corresponding to said customer based on said store-utilization records corresponding to said customer; and

point accumulation means for accumulating said service points calculated by said point calculation means.

27. The customer management system according to claim 26 further comprising entrance/exit detection means for detecting each of events indicating said customer has entered and exited from a store, wherein said point calculation means is further configured to calculate service points in proportion to stay time between two events indicating said customer enters and then exits from a store.

28. The customer management system according to claim 25 further comprising:

location information collection means for collecting location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal held by said customer; and

guidance information supply means for supplying guidance information to said mobile terminal held by said customer based on said location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal and collected by said location information collection means.

29. The customer management system according to claim 28 further comprising personal information generation means for generating personal information about said customer corresponding to said identification information based on information indicative of said store-utilization records accumulated in said utilization records accumulation means, wherein said guidance information supply means generates said guidance information based on said personal information about said customer generated by said personal information generation means.

30. The customer management system according to claim 28 further comprising at least one display device adapted to display said guidance information and installed within said store, wherein said guidance information supply means is further configured to deliver said guidance information to at least one of said at least one display device.

31. The customer management system according to claim 30, wherein said guidance information supply means specifies a customer holding said mobile terminal based on said identification information for identifying said mobile terminal provided with said guidance information and then, directs said at least one of said at least one display device to display said guidance information.

32. A customer management method for managing store-utilization records corresponding to a customer registered as a member of store by using a computer, thereby supplying a service to said customer, said method comprising:

an identification information acceptance procedure for accepting identification information for identifying said customer and outputted using a radio wave from a mobile terminal held by said customer;

a utilization records collection procedure for collecting store-utilization records corresponding to a customer accepted by said identification information acceptance means by using a computer; and

a utilization records accumulation procedure for accumulating store-utilization records corresponding to said identification information for identifying said customer by using a computer.

33. The customer management method according to claim 32 further comprising:

a point calculation procedure for calculating service points corresponding to said customer based on store-utilization records corresponding to said customer by using a computer; and

a point accumulation procedure for accumulating said service points calculated in accordance with said point calculation procedure by using a computer.

34. The customer management method according to claim 33 further comprising an entrance/exit detection procedure for detecting each of events indicating said customer has entered and exited from a store by using a computer, wherein said point calculation procedure is further configured to calculate service points in proportion to stay time between two events indicating said customer enters and then exits from a store.

35. The customer management method according to claim 32 further comprising:

a location information collection procedure for collecting location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal held by said customer by using a computer; and

a guidance information supply procedure for supplying guidance information to said mobile terminal held by said customer by using a computer based on said location information indicative of location of said mobile terminal and collected in accordance with said location information collection procedure.

36. The customer management method according to claim 35 further comprising a personal information generation procedure for generating personal information about a customer corresponding to said identification information by using a computer based on information indicative of store-utilization records accumulated in accordance with said utilization records accumulation procedure, wherein said guidance information supply procedure generates said guidance information based on said personal information about said customer generated in accordance with said personal information generation procedure.

37. The customer management method according to claim 35, wherein said guidance information supply procedure is further configured to deliver said guidance information to at least one of said one display device installed within said store.

38. The customer management method according to claim 37, wherein said guidance information supply procedure specifies a customer having a mobile terminal based on identification information for identifying said mobile terminal provided with said guidance information and then, directs said at least one of said at least one display device to display said guidance information thereon.

39. A program for directing a computer to implement said customer management method described in claim 32.

40. A program according to claims 39 further adapted to implement said customer management method described in claim 33.

41. A program according to claims 40 further adapted to implement said customer management method described in claim 34.

42. A program according to claims 39 further adapted to implement said customer management method described in claim 35.

43. A program according to claims 42 further adapted to implement said customer management method described in claim 36.

44. A program according to claims 42 further adapted to implement said customer management method described in claim 37.

45. A program according to claims 42 further adapted to implement said customer management method described in claim 38.