Congestion state management device and congestion state management system

• US 20050152273A1
• Filed: 01/07/2005
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NEC Infrontia Corporation (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Mimaki, Tadashi
• Application Number:
  US11/030,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20050152273A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/235
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 11/00 Arrangements, systems or apparatus for checking, e.g. the occurrence of a condition, not provided for elsewhere

Abstract

In response to receipt of an identification code of a user and a past date that have been input by the user into a congestion state display terminal and transmitted from the congestion state display terminal, a congestion state management device causes the congestion state display terminal to display, as a past graph, congestion rates on that date stored in a memory. The congestion state management device further causes the congestion state display terminal to display, as a using time zone of the user, a period from an entrance time to an exit time of the user on that date stored in the memory.

Claims

1. A congestion state management device comprising a processor and a memory that stores a program for causing said processor to execute predetermined processing and also operates as a temporary storage during execution of said program by said processor, wherein said processor executes, as said predetermined processing:

a first step of storing in advance a user capacity number of a facility into said memory as a stored user capacity number;

a second step of, responsive to receipt of an entrance time of a user into said facility, an exit time of the user from said facility, and an identification code of the user transmitted from a facility terminal when the user uses said facility, storing said entrance time, said exit time, and said identification code of the user into said memory as stored data by associating them with each other;

a third step of processing said stored data by the use of said stored user capacity number to thereby prepare momentary congestion rates of said facility, storing said prepared momentary congestion rates along with a date into said memory, and causing a congestion state display terminal to display said prepared momentary congestion rates along with said date as a graph; and

a fourth step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory and further causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a using time zone of the user a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory.

2. A congestion state management device according to claim 1, wherein said fourth step is a step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory and further causing said congestion state display terminal to display a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory, as a using time zone of the user in said past graph.

3. A congestion state management device according to claim 1, wherein said fourth step is a step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory, further causing said congestion state display terminal to display a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory, as a using time zone of the user in said past graph and, when said using time zone of the user includes a time zone exceeding a predetermined congestion rate, adding into said past graph an indication recommending use of a non-congested time zone.

4. A congestion state management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said processor further executes a step of, when there is on a certain date a time zone where the congestion rate of said facility exceeds a predetermined congestion rate, automatically transmitting, on a later date, a notification recommending use of a non-congested time zone to each of congestion state display terminals of at least part of users who used such a time zone on that certain date, by attaching image data in which an indication recommending use of a non-congested time zone is added in a graph showing a congestion state of said facility on that certain date along with a using time zone of said users.

5. A congestion state management system comprising a facility terminal provided in a facility, a congestion state management device connected to said facility terminal, and a congestion state display terminal connected to said congestion state management device,

said congestion state management device comprising a processor and a memory that stores a program for causing said processor to execute predetermined processing and also operates as a temporary storage during execution of said program by said processor,

wherein said processor executes, as said predetermined processing:

a first step of storing in advance a user capacity number of a facility into said memory as a stored user capacity number;

a second step of, responsive to receipt of an entrance time of a user into said facility, an exit time of the user from said facility, and an identification code of the user transmitted from a facility terminal when the user uses said facility, storing said entrance time, said exit time, and said identification code of the user into said memory as stored data by associating them with each other;

a third step of processing said stored data by the use of said stored user capacity number to thereby prepare momentary congestion rates of said facility, storing said prepared momentary congestion rates along with a date into said memory, and causing a congestion state display terminal to display said prepared momentary congestion rates along with said date as a graph; and

a fourth step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory and further causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a using time zone of the user a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory.

6. A congestion state management system according to claim 5, wherein said fourth step is a step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory and further causing said congestion state display terminal to display a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory, as a using time zone of the user in said past graph.

7. A congestion state management system according to claim 5, wherein said fourth step is a step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory, further causing said congestion state display terminal to display a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory, as a using time zone of the user in said past graph and, when said using time zone of the user includes a time zone exceeding a predetermined congestion rate, adding into said past graph an indication recommending use of a non-congested time zone.

8. A congestion state management system according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein said processor further executes a step of, when there is on a certain date a time zone where the congestion rate of said facility exceeds a predetermined congestion rate, automatically transmitting, on a later date, a notification recommending use of a non-congested time zone to each of congestion state display terminals of at least part of users who used such a time zone on that certain date, by attaching image data in which an indication recommending use of a non-congested time zone is added in a graph showing a congestion state of said facility on that certain date along with a using time zone of said users.

9. A recording medium in which a program has been recorded, said program being for a congestion state management device comprising a processor and a memory that stores the program and for causing said processor to execute predetermined processing, wherein said predetermined processing executed by said program comprises:

a first step of storing in advance a user capacity number of a facility into said memory as a stored user capacity number;

a second step of, responsive to receipt of an entrance time of a user into said facility, an exit time of the user from said facility, and an identification code of the user transmitted from a facility terminal when the user uses said facility, storing said entrance time, said exit time, and said identification code of the user into said memory as stored data by associating them with each other;

a third step of processing said stored data by the use of said stored user capacity number to thereby prepare momentary congestion rates of said facility, storing said prepared momentary congestion rates along with a date into said memory, and causing a congestion state display terminal to display said prepared momentary congestion rates along with said date as a graph; and

a fourth step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory and further causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a using time zone of the user a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory.

10. A recording medium according to claim 9, wherein said fourth step is a step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory and further causing said congestion state display terminal to display a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory, as a using time zone of the user in said past graph.

11. A recording medium according to claim 9, wherein said fourth step is a step of, responsive to receipt of said identification code of the user and a past date that have been input by the user into said congestion state display terminal and transmitted from said congestion state display terminal, causing said congestion state display terminal to display as a past graph the congestion rates on said past date stored in said memory, further causing said congestion state display terminal to display a period from said entrance time to said exit time of the user on said past date stored in said memory, as a using time zone of the user in said past graph and, when said using time zone of the user includes a time zone exceeding a predetermined congestion rate, adding into said past graph an indication recommending use of a non-congested time zone.

12. A program according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein said predetermined processing further comprises a step of, when there is on a certain date a time zone where the congestion rate of said facility exceeds a predetermined congestion rate, automatically transmitting, on a later date, a notification recommending use of a non-congested time zone to each of congestion state display terminals of at least part of users who used such a time zone on that certain date, by attaching image data in which an indication recommending use of a non-congested time zone is added in a graph showing a congestion state of said facility on that certain date along with a using time zone of said users.