Rental system for movable body such as vehicle

• US 20070250444A1
• Filed: 05/29/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yui, Yasuji, Ishii, Miruka
• Application Number:
  US11/807,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20070250444A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/44
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 2003/005 Supports or holders associated with means for bike rental
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00944 Details of construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• 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: G07F 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/10 for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles

Abstract

The present invention is a movable body management system which can appropriately calculate a movable body fee according to availability etc. and flexibly and effectively allow movable bodies to be used. Each of vehicles such as cars and bicycles has a GPS capability to detect a current position of its own at a specified time interval. The system transmits information indicating the detected current position to an operating company for managing current positions of respective vehicles. When each of vehicles such as bicycles is rented out to a member and is used, the system starts measuring a traveling distance and a traveling time. When the use of the vehicle ends, the system transmits the measured traveling distance and traveling time to a server apparatus in the operating company. The operating company'"'"'s server apparatus calculates the fee for settlement according to the transmitted traveling distance and traveling time.

Claims

1. A movable body rental system including a plurality of movable body apparatuses and a movable body management apparatus, wherein said movable body management apparatus manages said plurality of movable body apparatuses, and wherein

each of said plurality of movable body apparatuses comprises:

authentication information transmission means for transmitting authentication information to said movable body management apparatus;

authentication result information reception means for receiving authentication result information returned in response to said authentication information;

lock means for preventing use of a movable body apparatus;

lock control means for controlling said lock means based on said authentication result information received by said authentication result information reception means;

current position detection means for detecting a current position at a specified time interval; and

current position transmission means for transmitting current positional information, wherein said current positional information includes said current position detected by said current position detection means, and wherein

said movable body management apparatus comprises;

authentication information reception means for receiving said authentication information from said movable body apparatus;

authentication result information transmission means for transmitting said authentication result information corresponding to said authentication information received by said authentication information reception means to said movable body apparatus;

current position reception means for receiving said current positional information from said current position transmission means of said movable body apparatus;

mileage measuring means for measuring a mileage of said movable body apparatus based on said current positional information received by said current position reception means;

driving time measuring means for measuring a driving time of said movable body apparatus based on said current positional information received by said current position reception means;

fee calculation means for calculating a fee for using said movable body apparatus according to said mileage measured by said mileage measuring means and said driving time measured by said driving time measuring means; and

settlement means for performing settlement processing according to use of said movable body apparatus based on a result of said fee calculation means.

2. The movable body rental system according to claim 1, wherein

said movable body apparatus further comprises:

payable information acceptance means for accepting payable information, wherein

said authentication information transmission means transmits said payable information accepted by said payable information acceptance means as said authentication information to said authentication information reception means of said movable body management apparatus, and wherein

said lock control means controls said lock means to release a lock mechanism when receiving permission information based on said authentication result information received by said authentication result information reception means from said authentication result information transmission means of said movable body management apparatus, and wherein

said movable body management apparatus further comprises;

determination means for determining whether payment is possible based on said payable information received as said authentication information by said authentication information reception means from said authentication information transmission means of said movable body apparatus, wherein

said authentication result information transmission means transmits said permission information as said authentication result information to said authentication result information reception means of said movable body apparatus, when said determination means determines payment is possible.

3. The movable body rental system according to claim 2, wherein

said movable body management apparatus further comprises:

authentication request reception means for receiving an authentication request includes, wherein said authentication request comprises identification information about a user transmitted by a mobile communication terminal of said user of said movable body apparatus; and

authentication processing means for performing authentication processing based on said identification information included in said authentication request received by said authentication request reception means, wherein

said authentication result information transmission means of said movable body management apparatus transmits said permission information based on results determined by said authentication processing means and said determination means.

4. The movable body rental system according to claim 1, wherein

said movable body management apparatus further comprises:

authentication request reception means for receiving an authentication request, wherein said authentication request includes identification information about a user transmitted by a mobile communication terminal of said user of said movable body apparatus; and

authentication processing means for performing authentication processing based on said identification information included in said authentication request received by said authentication request reception means, wherein

said authentication result information transmission means of said movable body management apparatus transmits permission information based on results determined by said authentication processing means.

5. The movable body rental system according to claim 1, wherein said fee calculation means of said movable body management apparatus determines said fee based on a position where said movable body apparatus is returned.

6. The movable body rental system according to claim 5, wherein said fee calculation means of said movable body management apparatus sets a higher fee when said movable body apparatus is returned to a position different from a predetermined return position than when it is returned to said predetermined return position.

7. The movable body rental system according to claim 1, wherein said fee calculation means of said movable body management apparatus calculates said fee based on said driving time and an average driving time which is determined according to said mileage.

8. A movable body apparatus in a movable body rental system having a plurality of movable body apparatuses and a movable body management apparatus, wherein said movable body management apparatus manages said plurality of movable body apparatuses, and wherein said movable body apparatus comprises:

authentication information transmission means for transmitting authentication information to said movable body management apparatus;

authentication result information reception means for receiving authentication result information returned in response to said authentication information;

lock means for preventing use of said movable body apparatus;

lock control means for controlling said lock means based on said authentication result information received by said authentication result information reception means;

current position detection means for detecting a current position at a specified time interval; and

current position transmission means for transmitting current positional information, wherein said current positional information includes said current position detected by said current position detection means.

9. The movable body apparatus according to claim 8, comprising:

payable information acceptance means for accepting payable information, wherein said authentication information transmission means transmits said payable information accepted by said payable information acceptance means as said authentication information to authentication information reception means of said movable body management apparatus, and wherein

said lock control means controls said lock means to release a lock mechanism when receiving permission information based on said authentication result information received by said authentication result information reception means from authentication result information transmission means of said movable body management apparatus.

10. A movable body management apparatus in a movable body rental system including a plurality of movable body apparatuses and a movable body management apparatus, wherein said movable body management apparatus manages said plurality of movable body apparatuses, and wherein said movable body management apparatus comprises:

authentication information reception means for receiving authentication information from a movable body apparatus;

authentication result information transmission means for transmitting authentication result information corresponding to said authentication information received by said authentication information reception means to said movable body apparatus;

current position reception means for receiving current positional information from current position transmission means of said movable body apparatus;

mileage measuring means for measuring a mileage of said movable body apparatus based on said current positional information received by said current position reception means;

driving time measuring means for measuring a driving time of said movable body apparatus based on said current positional information received by said current position reception means;

fee calculation means for calculating a fee for using said movable body apparatus according to said mileage measured by said mileage measuring means and said driving time measured by said driving time measuring means; and

settlement means for performing settlement processing according to use of said movable body apparatus based on a result of said fee calculation means.

11. The movable body management apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

determination means for determining whether payment is possible based on payable information received as said authentication information by said authentication information reception means from authentication information transmission means of said movable body apparatus, wherein

said authentication result information transmission means transmits permission information as said authentication result information to said authentication result information reception means of said movable body apparatus, when said determination means determines payment is possible.

12. The movable body management apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising:

authentication request reception means for receiving an authentication request, wherein said authentication request includes identification information about a user transmitted by a mobile communication terminal of said user of said movable body apparatus; and

authentication processing means for performing authentication processing based on said identification information included in said authentication request received by said authentication request reception means, wherein

said authentication result information transmission means transmits said permission information based on results determined by said authentication processing means and said determination means.

13. The movable body management apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

authentication request reception means for receiving an authentication request, wherein said authentication request includes identification information about a user transmitted by a mobile communication terminal of said user of said movable body apparatus; and

authentication processing means for performing authentication processing based on said identification information included in said authentication request received by said authentication request reception means, wherein

said authentication result information transmission means transmits permission information based on results determined by said authentication processing means.

14. The movable body management apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said fee calculation means determines said fee based on a position where said movable body apparatus is returned.

15. The movable body management apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said fee calculation means sets a higher fee when said movable body apparatus is returned to a position different from a predetermined return position than when it is returned to said predetermined return position.

16. The movable body management apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said fee calculation means calculates said fee based on said driving time and an average driving time which is determined according to said mileage.