Vehicle managing system and vehicle managing method

• US 6,657,556 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Terada, Naoki, Watanabe, Toshiyasu, Yano, Shunji, Ogura, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): TONG, NINA C
• Application Number:
  US10/050,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20020101363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 340/932.2, 705/5, 705/6, 705/13, 705/9, 705/10
• US Class Current: 340/932.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/025 Coordination of plural reservations, e.g. plural trip segments, transportation combined with accommodation
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/02 taking into account a variable factor such as distance or time, e.g. for passenger transport, parking systems or car rental systems G07B15/06 takes precedence; taximeters G07B13/00; parking meters per se G07F17/24; car rental systems per se G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00309 operated with bidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/23 by means of a password
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

A vehicle managing system including a vehicle to be lent to a user and a plurality of ports used for parking the vehicle. The plurality of ports include a first port which is located in the vicinity of a station of a transportation facility, and a second port which is located in the vicinity of both a residential area where a first user who uses the station resides and a place of destination for a second user who uses the station. In the vehicle managing system, the users are divided into a plurality of groups based on a direction of the vehicle between the first port and second port and a time zone using the vehicle, and the vehicles are alternately assigned to a group that moves to the station and another group that moves from the station based on the order of the time zone using the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle managing system comprising:

a vehicle to be lent to a user;

a plurality of ports used for parking said vehicle including;

a first port which is located in the vicinity of a station of a public or private transportation facility, and

a second port which is located in the vicinity of both a residential area where a first user who uses said station resides and a place of destination for a second user who uses said station;

a customer information storing unit in which a plurality of said first user and said second user, respectively, are divided into a plurality of groups and registered based on a direction of said vehicle between said first port and said second port and in a time zone using said vehicle, and

a vehicle use controlling unit which assigns said vehicle alternately to one of said plurality of groups that moves to said station and one of said plurality of groups that moves from said station, said plurality of groups being recorded in said customer information storing unit, based on the order of the time zone using said vehicle.

2. A vehicle managing system according to claim 1, wherein

said vehicle use controlling unit assigns a third user to a time zone in which neither said first user nor said second user uses said vehicles so that said third user uses said vehicle from an arbitrary port where said vehicle is parked.

3. A method for managing a vehicle used in a vehicle managing system including a vehicle to be lent to a user and a plurality of ports used for parking the vehicle, said plurality of ports including a first port which is located in the vicinity of a station of a public or private transportation facility, and a second port which is located in the vicinity of both a residential area where a first user who uses said station resides and a place of destination for a second user who uses said station, comprising the steps of:

registering a plurality of said first user and said second user by dividing said plurality of said first user and said second user, respectively, into a plurality of groups based on a direction of said vehicle between said first port and said second port and a time zone using said vehicle, and

assigning said vehicle alternately to one of said plurality of groups that moves to said station and one of said plurality of groups that moves from said station based on the order of the time zone using said vehicle.

4. A method for managing a vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a step of:

assigning a third user to a time zone in which neither said first user nor said second user uses said vehicles so that said third user uses said vehicle from an arbitrary port where said vehicle is parked.