Vacant seat reservation system

• US 20070078691A1
• Filed: 06/21/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Wakabayashi, Masaki
• Application Number:
  US11/471,647
• Publication Number:
  US 20070078691A1
• 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 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

With using a boarding planned station name 211 registered by a portable information terminal 2, an information processing apparatus 4 produces vacant seat forecast information 410, including an alighting planned station name therein. While displaying this vacant seat forecast information on a terminal display portion 22, a seat-setup vacant seat information display portion 33, or a vacant seat display portion 34, a user of public transportation facilities can foresee a vacant seat. Also, she/he can reserve the seat by transmitting a user ID 215 to the communicator portion 40. Further, by changing constituent elements of the vacant seat forecast information into, not the alighting planned station name, but an arrival estimation time 420 or an alighting order 421, it is possible to promote the goodwill of providing the information for forecasting the vacant seat. Also, by use of a device, which can easily change the contents of display, as the display portion, the system can be diverted into other route, easily.

Claims

1. A vacant seat reservation system, for reserving a seat of a public transportation facility, like a bus, comprising:

a portable information terminal having alighting planned station name register means for registering an alighting planned station name into a terminal memory portion, and means for reading out the alighting planned station name from said terminal memory portion, so as to transmitting it through a terminal communicator portion;

a communicator portion for receiving the alighting planned station name; and

a display portion for displaying the alighting planned station name thereon.

2. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 1, further comprising:

a portable information terminal, having an alighting planned station name registering means for registering an alighting planned station name therein, and a communicator portion for transmitting the alighting planned station name registered into said alighting planned station name registering means;

a communicator portion for receiving the alighting planned station name; and

a display portion for displaying the alighting planned station name thereon, whereby providing information for forecasting a vacant seat.

3. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 1, wherein said display portion is provided, at least any one of positions, in an inside of a bus, in an outside of the bus, of each seat in the bus, or of said portable information terminal.

4. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 3, further comprising:

an information processing apparatus, having a stopping station name detecting means for detecting a stopping station name, which the bus is new stopping or passed through just before, and an arrival time estimating means for calculating an arrival estimation time up to the alighting planned station name, separately, with using the alighting planned station name that said stopping station name detecting means and said communicator portion receive, wherein said display portion display said arrival estimation time thereon.

5. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 4, further comprising:

an information processing apparatus having an individual boarding/alighting information integrating means for generating vacant seat forecast information by integrating the alighting planned station name relating to each of the seat of the bus and the arrival estimation time, in relation to all of the seats within a specific area, and an alighting order calculating means for calculating an order of becoming vacant for the vacant seat forecast information, relatively, wherein the order is transmitted through a communicator portion of said information processing apparatus, so that said order is displayed on said display portion.

6. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 4, further comprising:

a portable information terminal having an alighting planned station name registering means for registering the alighting planned station name therein, a communicator for receiving route stopping station names of the bus, and an output portion for outputting an audio or information; and

an alighting planned station stoppage deciding means for deciding on whether the said alighting planned station name is included or not, within stations that the boarding bus stops at, by comparing the alighting planned station name, which is registered by said alighting planned station name registering means, and the route stopping station names of the bus, which is received through said communicator portion, wherein a result of said alighting planned station stoppage deciding means is outputted on said output portion.

7. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 6, wherein said information processing apparatus has a communicator portion for receiving the alighting planned station name registered in said portable information terminal, a memory portion for storing the route stopping station names of the bus, and an alighting planned station stoppage deciding means for deciding on whether the said alighting planned station name received through said communicator portion is included or not, within the route stoppage station names stored within said memory portion, wherein a result of said alighting planned station stoppage deciding means is transmitted through said communicator portion of said information processing apparatus or is outputted on said display portion of the bus.

8. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 3, wherein said communicator portion for receiving the alighting planned station name is provided, at least any one of a bus stop, a bus entrance, the seats within the bus, or said information processing apparatus.

9. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 8, wherein the alighting planned station name registering means is transmitted by at least any one of the bus stop, the bus entrance, the seats in the bus, said information processing apparatus, or a computer on a network, and is received by said portable information terminal.

10. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 1, further comprising:

a portable information terminal having a boarding planned station name registering means for registering a boarding planned station name into said terminal memory portion, and a means for reading out the boarding planned station name from said terminal memory portion to transmit it through said terminal communicator portion;

a communicator portion for receiving the boarding planned station name; and

a display portion for displaying the boarding planned station name thereon.

11. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 10, wherein said display portion is provided, at least any one of positions, in an inside of a bus, in an outside of the bus, of each seat in the bus, or of said portable information terminal.

12. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 11, wherein said portable information terminal further comprises an alighting planned station name registering means fore registering the alighting planned station name therein, and a fare calculating means for calculating a fare necessary for riding from the boarding planned station to the alighting planned station, and said portable information terminal calculates the fare by said fare calculating means to be outputted on the display portion.

13. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 12, further comprising an information processing apparatus having a communicator portion, wherein said information processing means has a fare calculating means for calculating a necessary fare relating to riding of a section, from a start point determined to be either the boarding planned station name received through said communicator portion, or that of a stopping station name detecting means for detecting a station name, which the bus is now stopping at or the bus passed through just before, to an end point determined to be the alighting planned station name received through said communicator portion, or an alighting determined station name obtained by said stopping station name detecting means, wherein the fare calculated by said fare calculating means is transmitted through said communicator portion, or displayed on a display portion.

14. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 11, wherein said portable information terminal comprises a vacant seat reservation means for transmitting a user ID enabling to uniquely identify a bus user, through said terminal communicator portion to the communicator portion of said information processing apparatus, and further depending upon necessity thereof, transmitting at least one of a public transportation facility ID enabling to uniquely identify a bus, on which seat reservation is made, a seat position information enabling to uniquely discriminate a seat, or the boarding planned station name registered by said boarding planned station name registering means, through the communicator portion of said portable information terminal to the communicator portion of said information processing apparatus, thereby conducting reservation for a seat.

15. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 14, wherein said information processing apparatus comprises a seat reservation display means for receiving said boarding planned station name, said public transportation facility ID and said seat position information, through said communicator portion, wherein said display portion displays the boarding planned station name about the seat corresponding to said seat position information, if said public transportation facility ID stored in said memory portion is same to said public transportation facility ID received upon comparison thereof, or displays an effect that the reservation is made, while storing said user ID into said memory portion.

16. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 14, wherein said portable information terminal comprises an output portion for outputting an audio and/or information, and a route determining means for determining on whether the bus that the user will ride on provides a facility same to that the user intends to ride on, or is that of the same route, wherein a result of said route determining means is outputted to an output portion of said portable information terminal or said display portion.

17. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 16, wherein said information processing apparatus comprises a route determining means for comparing the public transportation facility ID received through said communicator portion and the public transportation facility ID stored in the memory portion of said information processing apparatus, wherein a result of said route determining means is transmitted to the communicator of said portable information terminal through the communicator portion, or is outputted to the display portion.

18. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 13, wherein said information processing apparatus comprises a user determining means for receiving said user ID through the communicator, so as to determine on whether it is coincident with the user ID stored in said memory portion, wherein a result of said determination is transmitted through the communicator, or said determination is displayed on said display portion.

19. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 18, wherein said information processing apparatus comprises an application producing means for producing an application installing therein, at least one of vacant seat forecast information, which is produced said individual boarding/alighting integrating means, alighting order, which is calculated by said alighting order calculating means, said public transportation facility ID, said alighting planned station name registering means, said boarding planned station name registering means, said fare calculating means, said route determining means, and said alighting planned station stoppage determining means, whereby renewing the application produced by said application producing means, or present condition data to be used by said application, and distributing said application or said present condition data through said communicator portion.

20. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 19, wherein said portable information terminal comprises an application executing means for executing said application, a present condition obtaining means for receiving said application or said present condition data through the communicator portion of said portable information terminal, whereby executing said application renewed, or renewing an output on the display portion by using said present condition data renewed.

21. The vacant seat reservation system, as defined in the claim 20, wherein said information processing apparatus renews either said vacant seat forecast information or said present condition data, at least one of instances when the user makes the seat reservation, cancels the reservation, takes a seat, leaves the seat, rides on the bus, gets off the bus, depending on distance which the bus travels, or accompanying with elapsing of traveling time, and the communicator portion of said information processing apparatus transmits said vacant seat forecast information or said application, which is renewed.