Terminal providing system

• US 7,216,799 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2002
• Issued: 05/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Amemiya, Kanae
• Primary Examiner(s): WALSH, DANIEL I
• Application Number:
  US10/480,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 235/379, 235/381, 235/385, 705/5, 705/6, 705/10, 705/28
• US Class Current: 235/379
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

A plurality of terminals (40) that are provided to users, and a providing device (20) are placed at a providing place (2). The providing device includes a memory that stores information concerning the plurality of terminals (40). The providing device (20) specifies a terminal (40) that includes the application software that the user designates from the plurality of terminals (40) by applying information in the memory, and provides the terminal (40) to the user. A collecting device (30) is placed at a collecting place (3) for collecting terminals that are returned by the users, and collects terminals (40) returned by the users.

Claims

1. A terminal providing system comprising:

a plurality of terminals placed at a providing place for providing terminals to users, and comprising one or more application software;

a providing device placed at the providing place, and that carries out processing for providing to a user, a terminal which comprises the application software that the user designates, from the plurality of terminals; and

a collecting device placed at a collecting place for collecting the terminals provided to the users, and that carries out processing for collecting terminals which are returned by the users;

wherein

the providing device comprises a memory which stores information concerning the plurality of terminals which are placed at the providing place, a specifying unit which specifies a terminal which comprises the application software that the user designated, applying the information that said memory stores, a calculating unit which calculates a possible time and date when said terminal specified by said specifying is provided to the user, a presenting unit which presents to the user, the terminal specified by the specifying unit at the possible time and date calculated by the calculating unit, and a time and date obtaining unit which obtains a next possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles.

2. A terminal providing system according to claim 1, wherein said collecting device comprises:

a determining unit which determines whether the user who received providing of the terminal and the user who returns the terminal is the same;

a collecting unit that carries out processing for collecting the terminal in a case where it is determined that the user is the same, and stops the processing for collecting the terminal in a case where it is determined that the user is not the same.

3. The terminal providing system according to claim 1, wherein said collecting device comprises a deleting unit which deletes data that is stored in the returned terminal.

4. The terminal providing system according to claim 1, further comprising an output device that is provided at the collecting place, wherein said output device acquires data stored in the terminal and outputs said data in a case where said determining unit determines that the user who received the terminal and the user who returned the terminal are the same.

5. The terminal providing system according to claim 4, wherein said output device comprises at least one of a printer that prints data to paper, a recorder that records data to a recording medium, and a sending device that sends data to external terminals by a communication network.

6. The terminal providing system according to claim 5, further comprising a charging device which charges the user according to an amount of data output by the output device.

7. The terminal providing system according to claim 1, further comprising a management device which manages the providing of the plurality of terminals, wherein the management device comprises a reservation reception unit which receives reservation of terminals.

8. The terminal providing system according to claim 7, wherein said management device comprises a charging unit which obtains a utility fee of the terminal, based on at least one of the model of the terminal, a kind of application software the terminal has, and a utility time of the terminal.

9. A terminal providing system comprising:

a plurality of terminals placed to each of a plurality of providing/collecting places, which are provided to a plurality of stations of vehicles, for providing terminals to users and collecting the terminals that are returned by the users, and that include one or more application software; and

a plurality of providing/collecting devices placed at the plurality of providing/collecting places;

wherein each of the plurality of providing/collecting devices comprises a providing unit which carries out processing for providing to a user, a terminal that has the application software that the user designates, a calculating unit which calculates a possible time and date when said terminal is provided to the user and a next possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles, and a collecting unit which carries out processing for collecting the terminal that is returned from the user.

10. The terminal providing system according to claim 9, wherein said providing/collecting device comprises a determining unit which determines whether the user who is provided the terminal is the same as the user who is returning the terminal, and the collecting unit may carry out processing for collecting the terminal in a case where the determining unit determines that the user is the same, and may stop the processing for collecting the terminal in a case where the determining unit determines that the user is not the same.

11. The terminal providing system according to claim 9, wherein said providing/collecting device comprises a deleting unit which deletes data stored in the returned terminal.

12. The terminal providing system according to claim 10, further comprising a plurality of output devices placed at the plurality of providing/collecting places, wherein said output device acquires data stored in the terminal and outputs said data in a case where said determining unit determines that the user who received the terminal and the user who returned the terminal are the same.

13. The terminal providing system according to claim 12, wherein each of the output devices comprises at least one of a printer that prints data to paper, a recorder that records data to a recording medium, and a sending device that sends data to external terminals by a communication network.

14. The terminal providing system according to claim 12, further comprising a charging device which charges the user of a utility fee in accordance with an amount of data output by the plurality of output devices.

15. The terminal providing system according to claim 9, further comprising a management device which manages the providing of the plurality of terminals, wherein the management device comprises a reservation reception unit which receives reservation of terminals.

16. The terminal providing system according to claim 15, wherein said management device comprises a first specifying unit which specifies a terminal that has the application software that the user designates, from the terminals which are placed at the station where the user is to ride a vehicle, wherein the reservation reception unit receives reservation of the terminal specified by said first specifying unit.

17. The terminal providing system according to claim 16, wherein said management device comprises a second specifying unit which specifies terminals in which the possible time and date is before the time and date that the user rides the vehicle, from the terminals placed at the station where the user is to ride the vehicle, wherein the first specifying unit specifies the terminal that comprises the application software that the user designated, from the terminals specified by the second specifying unit.

18. The terminal providing system according to claim 15, wherein said management device comprises a charging unit which obtains a utility fee of the terminal, based on at least one of a model of terminal, a kind of application software the terminal has, and a utility time of the terminal.

19. The terminal providing system according to claim 14, further comprising an electric power unit provided at a seat of the vehicle, and that provides electric power to the terminal, wherein said terminal is possible to be provided electric power only from said electric power unit.

20. The terminal providing system according to claim 19, wherein said electric power unit comprises an indicator which indicates a remaining amount of electric power that is possible to be provided.

21. The terminal providing system according to claim 19, wherein said electric power unit provides electric power to said terminal, in accordance with an amount of money paid by the user.

22. A terminal providing device provided at a providing place for providing terminals to users, and which carries out processing for providing terminals to users and comprises:

a memory which stores information concerning a plurality of terminals which comprise one or more application software;

a specifying unit which specifies one of said terminals which comprises an application software that is designated by a user, by applying information that said memory stores;

a calculating unit which calculates a possible time and date when said terminal specified by said specifying is provided to the user;

a presenting unit which presents to the user the terminal specified by the specifying unit at the possible time and date calculated by the calculating unit; and

a time and date obtaining unit which obtains a next possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles.

23. A terminal management device placed in each of a plurality of providing/collecting places provided at a plurality of stations of vehicles, to provide terminals to users and collect terminals returned by the users, which manages the providing of the plurality of terminals which comprise one or more application software, and comprises:

a first memory which stores information concerning the plurality of terminals;

a second memory which stores information concerning the providing/collecting places;

a first specifying unit which specifies one of the terminals that comprise an application software that a user designated from the terminals that are placed at stations where the user rides the vehicle, based on the information stored in the first memory;

a calculation unit which calculates a possible time and date when said terminal specified by said first specifying unit is provided to the user, based on the information stored in said second memory;

a reservation receiving unit which receives reservation for the user to be provided with the terminal that is specified by said first specifying unit at the possible time and date calculated by said calculation unit; and

a time and date obtaining unit which obtains a possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles.

24. The terminal management device according to claim 23, further comprising a second specifying unit which specifies terminals in which said possible time and date is before the time and date that the user rides the vehicle, from the terminals placed at the station where the user is to ride the vehicle, wherein said first specifying unit specifies the terminal that comprises the application software that the user designated, from the terminals specified by the second specifying unit.

25. A terminal providing method comprising:

a providing step which carries out processing for providing a terminal to a user; and

a collecting step which carries out processing for collecting the terminal that is returned by the user,

wherein said providing step comprises,

a first specifying step of specifying a terminal which includes an application software designated by a user, from the plurality of terminals which can be provided to users, and comprise one or more application software,

a calculating step of calculating a possible time and date when said terminal specified by said specifying step is provide to the user, and

a presenting step of presenting to the user said terminal specified by said first specifying step at the possible time and date calculated by said calculating step, and

a time and date obtaining step of obtaining a next possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles.

26. The terminal providing method according to claim 25, wherein the first specifying step comprises a second specifying step of specifying terminals in which said possible time and date is before the time and date that the user rides the vehicle, from the terminals placed at the station where the user is to ride the vehicle, wherein said first specifying step comprises a third specifying step of specifying the terminal that comprises the application software that the user designated, from the terminals specified by the second specifying step.

27. A computer readable recording medium that stores a program to function as a terminal providing device provided at a providing place for providing terminals to users, and which carries out processing for providing terminals to users, and comprises:

a memory which stores information concerning a plurality of terminals which comprise one or more application software;

a specifying unit which specifies the terminal which comprises an application software that is designated by a user, by applying information that said memory stores;

a calculating unit which calculates a possible time and date when said terminal specified by said specifying is provided to the user;

a presenting unit which presents to the user the terminal specified by said specifying unit at the possible time and date calculated by the calculating unit; and

a time and date obtaining unit which obtains a next possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles.

28. A computer readable recording medium that stores a program for controlling a computer to function as a terminal management device which manages a providing situation of a plurality of terminals including one or more application software, which are placed at each of a plurality of providing/collecting places, which are provided to a plurality of stations of vehicles, for providing terminals to users and collecting the terminals that are returned by the users, said terminal management device comprising:

a first memory which stores information concerning the plurality of terminals;

a second memory which stores information concerning the providing/collecting places;

a specifying unit which specifies a terminal that has an application software that a user designates, from the terminals that are placed at a station where the user is to ride a vehicle, based on the information stored in the first memory;

a calculation unit which calculates a possible time and date when said terminal specified by said specifying unit is provided to the user, based on the information stored in said second memory;

a reservation reception unit which receives reservation for the user to be provided with the terminal that is specified by said specifying unit at the possible time and date calculated by said calculation unit; and

a time and date obtaining unit which obtains a next possible time and date when the terminal provided to the user becomes possible to be provided to another user, by applying a time table that shows arrival and departure time of each station of the vehicles.