Apparatus and method for ballot ticket price calculation

• US 7,333,959 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2001
• Issued: 02/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kawamura, Yuya, Sogabe, Akio
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu; Rutao
• Application Number:
  US09/797,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,542 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.14, 705/26, 705/400, 705/27, 705/37, 705/1, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

In the selling price calculation apparatus the request receiving unit receives from the purchaser information concerning the ballot tickets the purchaser wants to purchase. The sales information acquisition unit acquires from the discount DB information concerning the ballot tickets. The sales information includes the accumulated number of purchasers and the predicted number of purchasers. The discount rate calculation unit calculates the accuracy of statistical odds based upon the accumulated number of purchasers and the predicted number of purchasers, and calculates the discount rate based upon the accuracy of statistical odds. The selling price calculation unit calculates the selling price of the ballot tickets based upon the discount rate. The problem that the sale of pre-sale ballot tickets becomes concentrated immediately before the time of stopping the sales of the ballot tickets is relieved or solved by a series of processes thereof.

Claims

1. A selling method for selling a ballot ticket, comprising:

receiving, by a computer, a request for a ballot ticket of a race from a terminal;

acquiring ticket sales information about the race by referring to a database using an identification information of the race as a search key;

calculating a discount rate according to both an accumulated number of purchasers of the ballot ticket and a predicted number of purchasers of the ballot ticket stored in the database;

calculating the selling price of the ballot ticket based upon a standard unit price of the ballot ticket and the calculated discount rate; and

issuing the ballot ticket.

2. The method described in claim 1, further comprising:

lowering the discount rate gradually until the sales of the ballot ticket is terminated.

3. A selling price acquisition method for acquiring a selling price of a racing ballot ticket, comprising:

transmitting identification information to identify a race;

receiving the selling price of the ballot ticket of the identified race, the selling price of the ballot ticket being calculated based upon a standard unit price of the ballot ticket and a discount rate, the discount rate being calculated according to both an accumulated number of purchasers of the ballot ticket and a predicted number of purchasers of the ballot ticket stored in the data base; and

outputting the received selling price of the ballot ticket.

4. A computer readable recording medium which records a program to make a computer perform the control for calculating a selling price of a racing ballot ticket, the program to make said computer perform the processes of:

calculating a discount rate based upon both an accumulated number of purchasers of the racing ballot ticket and a predicted number of purchasers of the racing ballot ticket;

calculating the selling price of the racing ballot ticket based upon a standard unit price of the ballot ticket and the calculated discount rate; and

outputting the calculated selling price of the racing ballot ticket.

5. A computer readable recording medium which records a program to make a computer perform the control for acquiring a selling price of a racing ballot ticket, the program to make said computer perform the processes of:

transmitting identification information to identify a race;

receiving the selling price of the ballot ticket of the identified race, the selling price of the ballot ticket being calculated based upon a standard unit price of the ballot ticket and a discount rate, the discount rate being calculated according to both an accumulated number of purchasers of the ballot ticket and a predicted number of purchasers of the ballot ticket stored in the data base; and

outputting the received selling price of the ballot ticket.

6. A selling price calculation apparatus that calculates a selling price of a ballot ticket, comprising:

a discount rate calculation unit calculating a discount according to both of an accumulated number of purchasers of the ballot ticket and a predicted number of purchasers of the ballot ticket; and

a selling price calculation unit calculating the selling price of the ballot ticket based upon a standard unit price of the ballot ticket and the discount rate.

7. A method of selling a racing ticket, comprising:

calculating a discount responsive to a number of racing tickets sold and a predicted number of racing tickets to be sold;

setting, using a computer, a selling price for the racing ticket based upon a standard unit price of the racing ticket and responsive to the discount; and

outputting the set selling price of the racing ticket.