Reservation method offering an alternative event

• US 7,152,038 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2001
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Murashita, Kimitaka, Suzuki, Shoji, Iwata, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US09/824,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20020062236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,086 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

The present invention relates to a reservation server which comprises a retaining section for retaining store/facility information including a reservation-needed service and a reservation situation, a network terminal for outputting alternative event substituting for the service, a receiving section for receiving a desired service, a reservation managing section for selectively reading out the store/facility information and the alternative event, and a transmitting section for transmitting the information and event. Accordingly, a service provider can notify a user of a service and reservation situation of a store-near the user or the start/end time of the service, and the time to be taken for the service and can suggest an alternative event in a time zone convenient to the user.

Claims

1. A reservation server comprising:

a retaining section for retaining store information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation information of said reservation-needed service;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting first alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service;

a receiving section for receiving desired service or desired event information which a user desires, and is transmitted from a user terminal through the communication network;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store information retained in said retaining section and said first alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section on the basis of said desired service or desired event received in said receiving section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting, through the communication network to said user terminal, at least one of said store information and said first alternative event information read out in said reservation managing section,

wherein said reservation managing section, when receiving a reservation from the user terminal, updates the store information retained in said retaining section, thereby completing the reservation, and

wherein said transmitting section, when the reservation is completed by said reservation managing section, transmits, to the user terminal, second alternative event information, which is different from the reservation-needed service and the first alternative event information and is practicable for a user of the user terminal.

2. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising a waiting time calculating section for calculating, as a waiting time, a difference between a start time, included in said alternative event information selected by said reservation managing section, or a reservation-needed service start time, included in said store information selected by said reservation managing section, and the present time, and for outputting the calculated waiting time.

3. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising an end time calculating section for calculating, as an end time, the sum of a performance time to be taken for said event, included in said alternative event information selected by said reservation managing section, or a performance time to be taken for said reservation-needed service, included in said store information selected by said reservation managing section, and the present time, and for outputting the calculated end time.

4. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising an other reservation information notifying section for outputting, to said transmitting section, a reservation information on a reservation-needed event requiring reservation, among said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section.

5. A reservation server according to claim 4, wherein said other reservation information notifying section is made to output practicable information of said alternative event information as practicable event information to said transmitting section.

6. A reservation server according to claim 5, wherein said other reservation information notifying section is made to output said practicable event information on the basis of a user traveling time, a user'"'"'s waiting time at an other store and an event performance time in said other store.

7. A reservation server according to claim 5, wherein said alternative event information outputting section is constructed as an event information retaining section to retain and output said alternative event information according to time zone, and said other reservation information notifying section is constructed as an event notifying section to extract said practicable event information from said alternative event information outputted from said event information retaining section on the basis of the present time, and for outputting the extracted practicable event information to said transmitting section.

8. A reservation server according to claim 4,

wherein said retaining section is connected, through a server network, to another reservation server which retains store information that is different from the store information retained in said retaining section, and

wherein said alternative event information outputting section is constructed as an other reservation server interface section to output, as said alternative event information, other reservation server alternative event information retained in said another reservation server connected through the server network, and said other reservation information notifying section is made to extract practicable other reservation server alternative event information, said other reservation server alternative event information satisfying a predetermined condition from said other reservation server alternative event information outputted from said other reservation server interface section, and to output the extracted practicable other reservation server alternative event information to said transmitting section.

9. A reservation server according to claim 8, further comprising a reservation mediating section for transmitting a reservation request from a user, received in said receiving section to said other reservation server through said other reservation server interface section.

10. A reservation server according to claim 9, further comprising a utilization information retaining section for retaining an access log between said reservation server and said other reservation server, said utilization information retaining section being made to calculate an introduction charge on information provided by said other reservation server to said reservation server and an introduction charge on information provided from said reservation server to said other reservation server on the basis of said access log, and to retain both the calculated introduction charges.

11. A reservation server according to claim 1, further comprising a discount information generating section for generating discount information or value-added information on said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section and for outputting said discount information or said value-added information to said transmitting section.

12. A reservation server comprising:

a retaining section for retaining store information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and reservation information of said reservation-needed service;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service;

a receiving section for receiving desired service or desired event information which a user desires, and which is transmitted from a user terminal through the communication network;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store information retained in said retaining section and said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section on the basis of said desired service or desired event received by said receiving section;

a transmitting section for transmitting, through the communication network to said user terminal, at least either one of said store information and alternative event information read out in said reservation managing section; and

an other reservation information notifying section which outputs, to said transmitting section, reservation information of a reservation-needed event which needs reservation, out of the alternative event information output from said alternative event information outputting section,

wherein said other reservation information notifying section outputs, to said transmitting section, practicable alternative event information, out of the alternative event information, as practicable event information, and

wherein said other reservation information notifying section is made to extract a longest event taking a maximum performance time among events, included in said alternative event information, on the basis of an event end time obtained by adding said waiting time to a performance time to be taken for each of said events, for including the extracted longest event in said practicable event information and outputting the longest event included in said practicable event information.

13. A reservation server comprising:

a retaining section for retaining store information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and reservation information of said reservation-needed service;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service;

a receiving section for receiving desired service or desired event information which a user desires, and which is transmitted from a user terminal through the communication network;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store information retained in said retaining section and said alternative event information outputted from said alternative event information outputting section on the basis of said desired service or desired event received by said receiving section;

a transmitting section for transmitting, through the communication network to said user terminal, at least either one of said store information and alternative event information read out in said reservation managing section; and

an other reservation information notifying section which outputs, to said transmitting section, reservation information of a reservation-needed event which needs reservation, out of the alternative event information output from said alternative event information outputting section,

wherein said other reservation information notifying section outputs, to said transmitting section, practicable alternative event information, out of the alternative event information, as practicable event information, and

wherein said other reservation information notifying section is made to extract a longest event taking a maximum performance time among events, included in said alternative event information, on the basis of an event end time obtained by adding said waiting time to a performance time to be taken for each of said events, for including the extracted longest event in said practicable event information and outputting the longest event included in said practicable event information.

14. A user terminal comprising:

a receiving section for receiving, through the communication network, at least either one of (i) store information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and reservation information of said reservation-needed service and (ii) first alternative event information about an event substituting for said reservation-needed service, retained in a reservation server;

a displaying section for displaying said store information or alternative event information received in said receiving section;

a selecting section for selecting a desired service or desired event which a user desires, among said store information or alternative event information displayed on said displaying section; and

a transmitting section for transmitting, through the communication network, the desired service or desired event selected in said selecting section to said reservation server, wherein said receiving section, after completion of reservation based on the desired service or the desired event transmitted by said transmitting section, receives second alternative event information, which is different from the reservation-needed service and the first alternative event information and is practicable for a user of the user terminal.

15. A user terminal according to claim 14, further comprising a discount information retaining section for retaining discount information or value-added information transmitted from said reservation server and received in said receiving section.

16. A reservation system comprising:

a user terminal for transmitting and receiving data; and

a reservation server, connected through a radio network to said user terminal, for outputting at least either one of (i) store information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and a reservation information of said reservation-needed service and (ii) first alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service to said user terminal,

said reservation server including;

a retaining section for retaining said store information;

an alternative event information outputting section for outputting said alternative event information;

a first receiving section for receiving, through the radio network, a desired service or desired event which a user desires, and is transmitted from said user terminal;

a reservation managing section for selectively reading out said store information, retained in said retaining section, and said first alternative event information, outputted from said alternative event information outputting section, on the basis of the desired service or desired event received in said first receiving section; and

a first transmitting section for transmitting, through the radio network to said user terminal, at least either one of said store information and alternative event information read out by said reservation managing section,

wherein said reservation managing section updates the store information retained in said retaining section, thereby accepting a reservation request from a user of the user terminal, and

wherein said first transmitting section, when the reservation is accepted by said reservation managing section, transmits, through the radio network to the user terminal, second alternative event information, which is different from the reservation-needed service and the first alternative event information and is practicable for a user of the user terminal,

said user terminal including;

a second receiving section for receiving at least either one of said store information and alternative event information transmitted from said first transmitting section of said reservation server through the radio network;

a displaying section for displaying said store information or alternative event information received in said second receiving section;

a selecting section for selecting the desired service or desired event which the user desires, among said store information or alternative event information displayed on said displaying section; and

a second transmitting section for transmitting, through the radio network to said reservation server, the desired service or desired event selected by said selecting section.

17. A reservation method comprising:

a first transmitting step in which a reservation server transmits, to a user terminal connected through a radio network to said reservation server, at least one of store information including a reservation-needed service requiring reservation and reservation information of said reservation-needed service and first alternative event information on an event substituting for said reservation-needed service;

a reserving step in which said user terminal transmits, to said reservation server, a desired service or desired event which a user desires, among said store information or alternative event information transmitted in said first transmitting step;

a selecting step in which said reservation server selects at least one of said store information and said first alternative event information on said event substituting for said reservation-needed service, on the basis of the desired service or desired event transmitted in said reserving step;

a second transmitting step in which said reservation server transmits, to said user terminal, said store information or first alternative event information selected by said selecting step;

a reservation accepting step in which the reservation server accepts a reservation from a user of the user terminal, when the user makes a reservation based on the store information and the first alternative event information transmitted in said second transmitting step; and

a third transmitting step for transmitting, to the user terminal, second alternative event information, which is different from the reservation-needed service and the first alternative event information and is practicable for the user.

18. A reservation method according to claim 17, wherein said first transmitting step includes:

an other reservation server access step in which said reservation server has access to other reservation server alternative event information retained in at least an other reservation server which is connected through a server network to said reservation server;

a practicable event information extracting step in which said reservation server extracts, from said other reservation server alternative event information accessed in the other reservation server access step, practicable event information practicable within a user'"'"'s waiting time to be taken until a desired service starts; and

a practicable event information transmitting step in which said reservation server transmits, to said user terminal, said practicable event information extracted in said practicable event information extracting step.

19. A reservation method according to claim 17, wherein said selecting step includes:

an other reservation server access step in which said reservation server gains access to other reservation server store information or other reservation server alternative event information retained in an other reservation server connected through a server network to said reservation server;

a waiting time calculating step in which said reservation server calculates a user'"'"'s waiting time, to be taken until a desired service or a desired event starts, on the basis of said other reservation server store information or other reservation server alternative event information accessed in said other reservation server access step; and

an extracting step in which said reservation server extracts, from the desired service or the desired event, a service or event practicable within the waiting time calculated in said waiting time calculating step.