Facility usage information processing apparatus, method for information processing thereof and portable terminal apparatus

• US 20060143036A1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Mitsugu
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,418 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Usage status in a facility is comprehended so that service information such as user waiting times is quickly offered to users and others. This is configured to comprise detection units (antennas) detecting unique information of tickets carried by visitors in areas for keeping the visitors waiting, and a calculation unit (control PC, information management center) calculating visitor information representative of congestion status of the visitors in the areas.

Claims

1. A facility usage information processing apparatus, comprising:

a detection unit detecting unique information of tickets carried by visitors in an area for keeping the visitors waiting; and

a calculation unit calculating visitor information representative of a congestion status of the visitors in the area with the use of the detected information of the detection unit.

2. The facility usage information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the visitor information contains information representative of the number of visitors and/or a waiting time in the area.

3. The facility usage information processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the detection unit is configured to detect unique information of the tickets for each of a plurality of detection ranges set by partitioning the area and to obtain position information within the detection ranges along with the detected information.

4. The facility usage information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first information accumulation unit accumulating the detected information of the detection unit; and

a second information accumulation unit accumulating the visitor information acquired by the calculation unit.

5. The facility usage information processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a display device displaying information, wherein the visitor information is displayed on the display device.

6. The facility usage information processing apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a third information accumulation unit accumulating personal information; and

an information notification unit notifying of the visitor information of the second information accumulation unit, wherein a terminal apparatus conforming to the personal information stored in the third information accumulation unit is notified of the visitor information based on a request from the terminal apparatus.

7. The facility usage information processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the information notification unit is configured to publish the visitor information on a web site on network for enabling a terminal apparatus to extract the visitor information from the web site.

8. An information processing method of a facility usage information processing apparatus, further comprising the steps of:

partitioning the area by reception ranges of the radio signals transmitted from tickets carried by visitors in an area for keeping the visitors waiting and receiving the radio signals within the partitions;

detecting unique information from the radio signals; and

calculating visitor information with the use of detected unique information.

9. A portable terminal apparatus connected to a network on which a web site publishes visitor information of a facility, the portable terminal apparatus comprising:

an input unit specifying the web site on the network;

a control unit importing the visitor information offered by the web site specified by the input unit; and

a display unit displaying the visitor information.