Customer navigation system and customer navigation method

• US 20040255011A1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Miwako Doi
• Original Assignee: Miwako Doi
• Inventors: Doi, Miwako
• Application Number:
  US10/836,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255011A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0621 Item configuration or customization
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A custom navigation system is composed of a customer navigation terminal to be carried by a customer entering a facility having a memory function of information relating to the customer and a communication function with outside, a customer guide server installed at a particular point in the facility and, when the customer navigation terminal has come near, communicates with the terminal to perform a navigation of the customer. The customer navigation terminal has a nickname memory for storing a nickname of the customer, and the customer guide server has a caller for calling the nickname stored in the nickname memory and a voice synthesizer for synthesizing the called nickname as a voice.

Claims

1. A customer navigation system comprising:

a customer navigation terminal to be carried by a customer entering a facility, including;

a memory section configured to store information relating to the customer and

a communication section configured to make communication with a customer guide server; and

a customer guide server installed in the facility, including;

a communication section configured to make communication with the customer navigation terminal; and

an information management section configured to perform a customer navigation to the customer navigation terminal via the communication section of the customer guide server.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the customer navigation terminal includes an identification information memory configured to store identification information of the customer carrying the terminal,

the customer guide server includes a calling unit configured to call the identification information stored in the identification information memory, and

at least one of the customer guide server and the customer navigation terminal includes a voice synthesizer configured to synthesize the identification information called by the calling unit as a voice.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the customer navigation terminal includes a use data memory configured to store use data relating to a facility use of the customer in the facility, and

the customer navigation system includes a use data collector configured to recover the customer navigation terminal to collect the use data stored in the use data memory.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the customer navigation terminal includes a use data memory configured to store use data relating to a facility use of the customer in the facility, and

the customer navigation system includes a use data collecting device configured to recover the customer navigation terminal to collect the use data stored in the use data memory.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the use data memory stores data on a limit amount of use, a charge on use, a balance and a time of use of the customer in the facility, as the use data.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the use data memory stores data on a limit amount of use, a charge on use, a balance and a time of use of the customer in the facility, as the use data.

7. A customer navigation system comprising:

a customer navigation terminal to be carried by a customer entering a facility, including;

a memory section configured to store information relating to the customer;

a communication section configured to make communication with a customer guide server;

a positional information acquiring unit configured to acquire positional information of the customer in the facility;

a display unit configured to display the positional information on a map and facility; and

a first transmission unit configured to transmit the positional information to a service server; and

a service server directly or indirectly communicating with the customer navigation terminal, including;

a navigation planning unit configured to respond to the positional information transmitted from the customer navigation terminal to generate customer navigation information in accordance with a customer navigation method; and

a second transmission unit configured to transmit the customer navigation information to the customer navigation terminal.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein the service server includes a section configured to dynamically set a use price of the individual facility or a sales price of a particular article in the individual facility in accordance with the customer navigation method, and the navigation planning unit reflects the set use price or sales price on the customer navigation information.

9. A customer navigation method comprising the steps of:

making a customer entering a facility carry a customer navigation terminal including;

a memory section configured to store information relating to the customer, and a communication section configured to make communication with a customer guide navigation section; and

performing a customer navigation by communications between the customer navigation terminal and a customer guide server installed in the facility including;

a communication section configured to make communication with the customer navigation terminal, and an information management section configured to perform a customer navigation to the customer navigation terminal via the communication section.

10. A customer navigation method comprising the steps of:

making a customer entering a facility carry a customer navigation terminal, including;

a memory section configured to store information relating to the customer, a communication section configured to make communication with a customer guide server, a positional information acquiring unit configured to acquire positional information of the customer in the facility, and a display unit configured to transmit the positional information to a service server;

transmitting the positional information to a service server directly or indirectly communicating with the customer navigation terminal, including;

a navigation planning unit configured to respond to the positional information transmitted from the customer navigation terminal to generate customer navigation information in accordance with a customer navigation method, and a second transmission unit configured to transmit the customer navigation method to the customer navigation terminal;

having the service server respond to the positional information transmitted from the customer navigation terminal to generate customer navigation information in accordance with the customer navigation method; and

transmitting the generated customer navigation information to the customer navigation terminal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein at the service server, in accordance with the customer navigation method, a use price of the individual facility or a sales price of a particular article in the individual facility are dynamically set, and the set use price or sales price are reflected on the customer navigation information.

12. A customer navigation terminal comprising:

a customer navigation terminal to be carried by a customer entering a facility, including;

an identification information memory configured to store identification information of the customer; and

a transceiver configured to receive a call signal inputted from outside to transmit outside the identification information read from the identification information memory.

13. A customer navigation terminal to be carried by a customer entering a facility, comprising:

a use data memory configured to store use data relating to a facility use of the customer including data on a limit amount of use, a charge on use, a balance and a time of use of the customer in the facility; and

a transceiver configured to receive a call signal inputted from outside to transmit outside the use data read from the use data memory.

14. A customer navigation terminal to be carried by a customer entering a facility, comprising:

a positional information acquisition unit configured to acquire positional information of the customer in the facility;

a display unit configured display the positional information on a map and facility information relating to an individual facility of the facility; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the positional information outside.