Vehicle sharing system

• US 20040176969A1
• Filed: 04/01/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Fujinuma, Michio
• Application Number:
  US10/472,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20040176969A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/20 Monitoring the location of vehicles belonging to a group, e.g. fleet of vehicles, countable or determined number of vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental

Abstract

When a user accesses a control center by using a portable terminal, whether or not a “reserved rental” is available is designated according to a date in which the shared motor vehicle is used. For example, only the “non-reserved rental” is permitted from Monday through Friday in which a motor vehicle is often used for a short period of time. “Reserved rental” is compatibly employed on Saturday, Sunday, and holiday in which a motor vehicle is used on a planned schedule. It is determined whether or not the designated date indicates that a reservation is possible, thus, if the designated date indicates that a reservation is possible, a reservation is accepted. Thus, a useful motor vehicle sharing system for the user can be provided in which an operating ratio of the motor vehicles does not decrease even if the “reserved rental” and the “non-reserved rental” coexist. Also, when a user accesses a control center by using a portable terminal, a number or the motor vehicles which are parked in each port is calculated according to an inputted reservation condition. If there is a port in which it is difficult to park more motor vehicles, a reservation for using the motor vehicle which is supposed to arrive the port is stopped. The stopped reservation is allocated to the motor vehicle after the port has a vacancy for parking the shared motor vehicle; thus, a message that a reservation is completed is transmitted to the user. Also, it is determined whether or not a model of a shared motor vehicle which is actually requested to use by the user is the same as the reserved model. If the model of a shared motor vehicle which is requested to use by the user is not the same as the reserved model, the number of the motor vehicle which can be used and the number of the reserved motor vehicles are changed for both of the present model and the reserved model; thus, it is permitted that the user may enter the motor vehicle of the present model, and a rental permission transmitted to the shared motor vehicle.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle sharing system comprising a control center which is provided with a controlling device for controlling a motor vehicle which is parked in a parking area for renting the motor vehicle to a user, wherein,

the controlling device comprises:

a data storing section which stores a plurality of combinations of a motor vehicle rental form which is defined according to a time length of rental for a motor vehicle to a user and a period which is supposed to be applied for a rental data for renting the motor vehicle to the user;

a rental setting section switching the combinations of the motor vehicle rental forms periodically according to the applied period according to the rental data which is stored in the data storing section so as to rent the motor vehicle; and

a price controlling section which sets different prices according to the motor vehicle rental forms and charges a billing price to the user according to the user'"'"'s usage condition of the motor vehicle.

2. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 1, wherein the rental data contains a first setting period in which only the motor vehicle rental form for renting the motor vehicle on an hourly basis is performed, and a second setting period in which either one of the motor vehicle rental form for renting the motor vehicle on a daily basis or the motor vehicle rental form for renting the motor vehicle on an hourly basis is selectively performed.

3. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 2, wherein, in the price controlling section, a usage price for the motor vehicle rental form for renting the motor vehicle on an hourly basis increases in proportion with time, and a usage price for the motor vehicle rental form for renting the motor vehicle on a daily basis is fixed for a day.

4. A motor vehicle sharing system comprising a control center which is provided with a controlling device for controlling a motor vehicle which is parked in a parking area which is called as a port for renting the motor vehicle to a user, wherein, the controlling device comprises:

a reservation registering section which performs a rental allocation of the motor vehicle according to a reservation information which contains a departing port and an arriving port which are from the user and calculates a planned number of motor vehicle to be parked for each port; and

a reservation determining section which stops the rental and the reservation of the motor vehicle which is supposed to arrive at a port when the planned number of motor vehicle to be parked in the port calculated by the reservation registering section reaches a parking capacity of the port.

5. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 4 which is provided with a stand-by reservation setting section which lets the user select whether or not standing by a reservation via a user'"'"'s terminal when a reservation for using a motor vehicle is stopped by the reservation determining section and records a stand-by reservation data of the user when the user desires standing by the reservation.

6. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 5 which is provided with a stand-by reservation allocating section which uses the motor vehicle of which usage is stopped by the reservation determining section, cancels the reservation of the usage of the motor vehicle, and allocates the motor vehicle for the user whose stand-by reservation data is recorded in the stand-by reservation setting section preferentially wherein the planned number of motor vehicle to be parked is equal to the parking capacity in the arriving port.

7. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 6 wherein the stand-by reservation allocating section is provided with a notifying section which notifies the user who desires standing by the reservation that the motor vehicle is allocated when the motor vehicle is allocated successfully.

8. A motor vehicle sharing system comprising a control center which is provided with a controlling device for controlling a motor vehicle which is parked in a parking area which is called as a port for renting the motor vehicle to a user, wherein, the controlling device comprises:

an data storing section which stores the number of motor vehicle available to be used with reference to a motor vehicle type information;

a reservation registering section which performs a reservation registration of the motor vehicle according to an information of the departing port and a reservation information which includes a preferred motor vehicle type information which are received from the user'"'"'s terminal and updates the number of motor vehicle available to be used; and

a renting section which permits the usage of the motor vehicle in the departing port according to the information of the user which is inputted by the user and the motor vehicle type information, and

the renting section rents the motor vehicle of which type is inputted by the user as long as the motor vehicle is rentable when the motor vehicle type information which is included in the reservation information is different from the motor vehicle type information which is inputted by the user at the departing port, and the number of motor vehicle available to be used which is stored in the data storing section is greater than zero, and updates a content in the number of motor vehicle available to be used which is stored in the data storing section.

9. A motor vehicle sharing system according to claim 8 wherein the renting section rents the motor vehicle of which type is inputted by the user as long as the motor vehicle is rentable when the information of the user which is inputted at the departing port is not registered in the reservation registration which is registered by the reservation registering section when the number of motor vehicle available to be used which is stored in the data storing section is greater than zero, and updates a content in the number of motor vehicle available to be used which is stored in the data storing section.

10. A motor vehicle sharing system according to any one of claims 8 and 9 wherein the motor vehicle type information contains information which indicates at least any one of a type of a motor vehicle, a type of a driving force transmitting function, equipments, and a color of a body of the motor vehicle.