Reservation processing method and reservation processing system

• US 7,797,176 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2005
• Issued: 09/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Original Assignee: National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (Government of Japan)
• Inventors: Miyashita, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayes; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLYNN, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US11/547,307
• Publication Number:
  US 20070271123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,988 Days
• Field of Search: 705/5
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events

Abstract

Reservation processing is achieved whereby suitable reservation prices are presented in accordance with the reservation request of a reservation seeker and the situation regarding earlier-arriving reservations, thereby enabling the reserver to reserve the product he or she desires. When the reservation server receives reservation information from the reservation terminal, it calculates discounted reservation prices based on the number of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and the reservation fixing time designating a time limit for fixing the reservation, allocates one among the reservation alternatives as a tentative provisional reservation and further allocates the other choices as tentative backup reservations. In the case where, up to the reservation fixing time, there has been a reservation request with respect to the provisional reservation allocation from a later-arriving reservation seeker at a reservation price set at a premium, the provisional reservation allocation is switched to one of the backup reservation allocations and the original provisional reservation allocation is made a reservation allocation of the later-arriving reservation seeker.

Claims

1. A reservation processing system comprising:

a reservation terminal for accepting and transmitting reservation information on a product purchase reservation from reservation information input by a first reservation seeker; and

a reservation server for conducting reservation acceptance processing based on the reservation seeker-input reservation information received from the reservation terminal, wherein

the reservation terminal is configured to accept and transmit to the reservation server the first reservation seeker-input reservation information containing a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and a reservation fixing time that designates a time limit for fixing the reservation, the reservation alternatives including a highest priority reservation alternative and a lowest priority reservation alternative, and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative, and wherein

the reservation server has a reservation allocation function to, based on the first reservation seeker-input reservation information received from the reservation terminal, allocate the highest priority reservation alternative as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate the lowest priority reservation alternative and the at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and when later-arriving reservation information from a second reservation seeker is received up to the reservation fixing time and meets a predetermined condition, the reservation server responds to the receiving of the later-arriving reservation information by allocating the provisional reservation as a reservation with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changing one of the backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

2. The reservation processing system according to claim 1, wherein the reservation server has a reservation pricing function to calculate, with respect to first reservation seeker-input reservation information for a provisional reservation, a discounted reservation price in accordance with a number of reservation alternatives contained in the first reservation seeker-input reservation information.

3. The reservation processing system according to claim 1, wherein the reservation server has a reservation pricing function to calculate, with respect to the first reservation seeker-input reservation information for a provisional reservation, a discounted reservation price in accordance with a time allowance up to the reservation fixing time contained in the first reservation seeker-input reservation information.

4. The reservation processing system according to claim 2, wherein

the reservation pricing function calculates a premium reservation price with respect to the later-arriving reservation information, and

when the premium reservation price is accepted by the reservation seeker, the reservation allocation function, taking the fact that the premium reservation price was accepted by the second reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information to mean that the predetermined condition has been met, allocates the provisional reservation as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and change one of the backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

5. A reservation processing system that conducts processing based on reservation information received from a reservation terminal for allocating one among the reservation alternatives contained in the reservation information as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation and further allocating the remaining choices among the reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, said reservation processing system comprising:

a product inventory database for managing a suppliable quantity of products offered by a business operator and a demanded quantity of products allocated to reservation seekers,

a plurality of reservation terminals for accepting input of and transmitting reservation information containing a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products that reservation seekers desire to reserve and reservation fixing times that designate time limits for fixing the reservations, the reservation alternatives including a highest priority reservation alternative and a lowest priority reservation alternative, and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative,

a reservation database for tabulating reservation alternatives of the reservation information transmitted from the plurality of reservation terminals,

a reservation pricing unit, based on the reservation information, with respect to product prices established in view of the demanded quantity and the suppliable quantity of the products, configured to calculate discounted reservation prices with regard to the reservation information for the provisional reservations in accordance with a number of reservation alternatives and a time allowance up to reservation fixing and, with respect to later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing times, calculate premium reservation prices for cases where the provisionally reserved choices are allocated as reserved products with respect to the later- arriving reservation information, and

a reservation allocation unit configured to transmit the calculated reservation prices back to the reservation terminals that transmitted reservation information and, when acceptance of the reservation price is obtained in response, the reservation allocation unit is configured to generate a provisional reservation and backup reservations and allocate the provisional reservation to the highest priority reservation alternative and allocate the backup reservations to the lowest priority reservation alternative and the at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative, and, when, by the reservation fixing time, a reservation request is made by a later-arriving reservation seeker at the premium reservation price established by the reservation pricing unit, then, with respect to the provisional reservation allocation, the reservation allocation unit is configured to replace the provisional reservation allocation with one of the allocated backup reservations provided that a reservable backup reservation allocation exists, making the original provisional reservation allocation a reservation allocation of the later-arriving reservation seeker, and at the reservation fixing time making the provisional reservation allocation a fixed reservation with respect to the reservation seeker.

6. A reservation server that receives reservation information input by a first reservation seeker that contains a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and a reservation fixing time that designates a time limit for the reservation, the reservation alternatives including a highest priority reservation alternative and a lowest priority reservation alternative, and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative, and conducts reservation acceptance processing, said reservation server comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable medium storing a program, which when executed enables a reservation allocation function, based on the received reservation information, to allocate the highest priority reservation alternative as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocates the lowest priority reservation alternative and the at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and the reservation allocation function being configured to receive later-arriving reservation information from a second reservation seeker, such that when the later-arriving reservation information is received up to the reservation fixing time, and the later-arriving reservation information meets a predetermined condition, the reservation allocation function is configured to respond to the later-arriving reservation information by allocating the provisional reservation as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and change one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

7. The reservation server according to claim 6, further comprising

a reservation pricing function that, with respect to reservation information for a provisional reservation, calculates a discounted reservation price in accordance with the number of reservation alternatives contained in the reservation information and in accordance with the time allowance up to the reservation fixing time.

8. The reservation server according to claim 6, wherein

the reservation pricing function calculates a premium reservation price with respect to the later-arriving reservation information, and

the reservation allocation function, when the premium reservation price is accepted by the second reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information, determines that the predetermined condition has been met, and allocates the provisional reservation to a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changes one of the backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

9. A reservation processing system comprising:

a reservation server that has a reservation allocation function to, based on received reservation information from a first reservation seeker, allocate highest priority reservation alternative as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate a lowest priority reservation alternative and the at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and when later-arriving reservation information from a second reservation seeker is received up to the reservation fixing time and meets a predetermined condition, the reservation allocation function responds to the later-arriving reservation information by allocating the provisional reservation as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changing one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation; and

a reservation terminal comprising

a processor, and

a computer readable medium storing a program, which when executed enables an acceptance means to accept reservation information input by the first reservation seeker, the reservation information from the first reservation seeker containing a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and a reservation fixing time that designates a time limit for fixing the reservation, and a transmission means to transmit the reservation information from the first reservation seeker to the reservation server.

10. A reservation processing system comprising:

a reservation server that has a reservation allocation function to, based on reservation information from a first reservation seeker, allocate a highest priority reservation alternative as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate a lowest priority alternative and the at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative among the reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and when later-arriving reservation information from a second reservation seeker is received up to the reservation fixing time and meets a predetermined condition, the reservation allocation function responds to the later-arriving reservation information by allocating the provisional reservation to a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changing one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation; and

a reservation terminal comprising

a processor, and

a computer readable medium storing a program, which when executed enables display means to accept input from the first reservation seeker of reservation information, the reservation information from the first reservation seeker containing a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and a reservation fixing time that designates a time limit for fixing the reservation, and a transmission means to transmit the reservation information from the first reservation seeker to the reservation server.

11. A computer program product embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium for use by a computer to configure a reservation server that receives reservation information input by a first reservation seeker that contains a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and a reservation fixing time that designates a time limit for fixing the reservation, and conducts reservation acceptance processing, said computer program product comprising an instruction that causes the computer to:

create in the computer a reservation allocation function to, based on received reservation information, allocate highest priority reservation alternative as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate a lowest priority reservation alternative and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and when later-arriving reservation information from a second reservation seeker is received up to the reservation fixing time and meets a predetermined condition, the reservation allocation function responds to the later-arriving reservation information by allocating the provisional reservation to a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changing one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the instruction causes the computer to

create in the computer a reservation pricing function to calculate, with respect to reservation information for the provisional reservation, a discounted reservation price in accordance with the number of reservation alternatives contained in the reservation information and in accordance with the time allowance up to the reservation fixing time contained in the reservation information.

13. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein

the reservation pricing function calculates a premium reservation price with respect to later-arriving reservation information, and

the reservation allocation function, when the premium reservation price is accepted by the reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information, determines that the predetermined condition has been met, and allocates the provisional reservation to a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changes one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

14. A reservation processing method implemented by a reservation processing system equipped with a reservation terminal for accepting and transmitting the reservation information on a product purchase reservation from a first reservation seeker and a reservation server for conducting reservation acceptance processing based on the reservation information from the first reservation seeker received from the reservation terminal, said reservation processing comprising:

accepting and transmitting, with the reservation terminal, the reservation server first reservation seeker-input reservation information containing a plurality of reservation alternatives designating products desired to be reserved and a reservation fixing time that designates a time limit for fixing the reservation, the reservation alternatives including a highest priority reservation alternative and a lowest priority reservation alternative, and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative, and

allocating, with the reservation server, based on the first reservation seeker-input reservation information received from the reservation terminal, the highest priority reservation alternative to a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocating the lowest priority reservation alternative and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative to backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and when later-arriving reservation information from a second reservation seeker is received up to the reservation fixing time and meets a predetermined condition, responding to the later-arriving reservation information by allocating the provisional reservation as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changing one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

15. A reservation processing method according to claim 14, wherein

with respect to reservation information for a provisional reservation, the reservation server calculates a discounted reservation price in accordance with the number of reservation alternatives contained in the first reservation seeker-input reservation information and in accordance with the time allowance up to the reservation fixing time contained in the first reservation seeker-input reservation information.

16. A reservation processing method according to claim 14, wherein

the reservation server calculates a premium reservation price with respect to later-arriving reservation information and, when the premium reservation price is accepted by the second reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information, determines that the predetermined condition has been met, allocates the provisional reservation with respect to the earlier-arriving reservation information as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changes one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

17. A reservation processing method comprising

providing a reservation system, said reservation system comprising, in interconnection with a communications network, a plurality of reservation terminals, a product inventory database, a reservation database and a reservation server having reservation pricing means and reservation allocation means, said reservation allocation means being implemented to conduct processing for, based on reservation information received from the reservation terminals, allocating a highest priority reservation alternative contained in the reservation information as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation and further allocating a lowest priority reservation alternative and at least one priority reservation alternative between the highest priority reservation alternative and the lowest priority reservation alternative alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations,

managing, with the product inventory database, a suppliable quantity of products offered by a business operator and a demanded quantity of products allocated to reservation seekers,

upon the reservation allocation means having received via the communications network reservation information transmitted from the plurality of reservation terminals and containing reservation alternatives designating products that reservation seekers desire to reserve and reservation fixing times that designate time limits for fixing the reservations, tabulating, with the reservation database, the reservation alternatives of the reservation information transmitted from the plurality of reservation terminals,

based on the reservation alternatives of the reservation information, calculating, with the reservation pricing means, with respect to product prices suitably established in view of the demanded quantity and the suppliable quantity of the products discounted reservation prices with regard to the reservation information for the provisional reservations in accordance with the number of reservation alternatives and the time allowance up to reservation fixing and, when later-arriving reservation information is received up to the reservation fixing times, calculating premium reservation prices for cases where the provisional reservations are allocated to reserved products with respect to the later-arriving reservation information, and

transmitting, with the reservation allocation means, the calculated reservation prices back to the reservation terminals that transmitted reservation information and, in a case where acceptance of the reservation price is obtained in response, the reservation allocation means fixes the allocated reservation if the number of reservation alternatives that can be reserved is one, allocates a provisional reservation to one of the reservation alternatives and allocates backup reservations to the other reservation alternatives if the number of reservation alternatives that can be reserved is greater than one, and, in a case where there was, by the reservation fixing time, a reservation request made by a later-arriving reservation seeker at the premium reservation price established by the reservation pricing means, then, with respect to the provisional reservation allocation, the reservation allocation means replaces the provisional reservation allocation with one of the backup reservation allocations provided that a reservable backup reservation allocation exists, makes the original provisional reservation allocation a reservation allocation of the later-arriving reservation seeker, and at the reservation fixing time makes the provisional reservation allocation a fixed reservation with respect to the reservation seeker.