System and method for providing regional community-based membership service

• US 8,117,133 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2008
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jeju Hi-Tech Industry Development Institute
• Original Assignee: Jeju Hi-Tech Industry Development Institute
• Inventors: Suh, In Soo, Kang, Geun-Young, Ko, Hyug Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Thein, M.
• Application Number:
  US12/267,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131376A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/325
• 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: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a system and method for providing a regional community-based membership service. The method includes registering a customer visiting a certain region as a membership service customer through classification of the customer according to a degree of private relation with the region or according to whether the customer is a foreigner; authenticating a membership of the customer by a service terminal linked to a membership service system server via on-line communication, processing provision of various services by the service terminal, the various service including reservation and commodity purchase ordered from the authenticated customer, and settling or storing details of the services provided to the membership service customer in a database of the service system server. The method enables establishment of a variety of regional community-based businesses and an increase in number of visitors to the region by providing specified regional services to members of the membership service.

Claims

1. A method for providing a regional community-based membership service, comprising:

registering customers visiting a certain region as a membership service customer such at least one customer is a native and customers other than the at least one customer are classified into at least one of a regional resident, a quasi-regional resident, and a foreigner according to a degree of private relation with the region or according to whether the customer is a foreigner;

authenticating a membership of the membership service customer by a service terminal linked to a membership service system server via on-line communication;

processing provision of various services by the service terminal, the various service including reservation and commodity purchase ordered from the authenticated membership service customer; and

settling or storing details of the services provided to the membership service customer in a database of the service system server;

wherein, if the customer is a native, the registering step comprises;

sending customer information input by the customer to the database of the service system;

registering the customer as a regional resident membership service customer of the region by analyzing an address and a postal code among the customer information; and

registering the customer as a quasi-regional resident membership service customer of the region or as a native membership service customer by analyzing a resident registration number among the customer information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the customer is a foreigner, the registering step comprises:

sending customer information input by the customer to the database of the service system;

analyzing a language code among the customer information; and

registering the customer as a European language, English, Chinese or Japanese speaking membership service customer according to a result of analyzing the language code.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the authenticating step comprises:

allowing the service terminal to receive a membership number input by the membership service customer;

sending a query of the input membership number from the service terminal to the service system server to confirm whether the membership service customer is a membership service member;

determining whether the membership service member is an authenticated member;

releasing a locked screen of the service terminal; and

displaying a service menu corresponding to a result of the classification of the customer on the screen of the service terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the authenticating step further comprises guiding the customer to join the membership service if the membership service customer is not a membership service member.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the authenticating step further comprises:

sending a password from the service system server to a mobile terminal of the membership service customer by means of an SMS if the membership service customer is not an authenticated member;

allowing the service terminal to receive the password input by the membership service customer; and

sending the password from the service terminal to the service system server to authenticate the membership service customer.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing step comprises:

analyzing a member classification code for classifying the membership service customer;

displaying commodity information and discount/reserve point information to the classified membership service customer;

receiving settlement and shipment information input by the membership service customer with respect to the provision of the services;

determining whether the membership service customer has a requested membership service password; and

receiving the requested membership service password input by the membership service customer.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the determining step further comprises sending the membership service password from the service system server to a mobile terminal of the membership service customer by means of an SMS if the membership service customer does not have the requested membership service password.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, in the displaying step and in the step of receiving settlement and shipment information, if the classified membership service customer is the foreigner, a window for outputting the commodity information and discount/reserve point information, and a window for inputting the settlement and shipment information are provided in English, Japanese, Chinese, or European languages.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if tourist information is purchased via the service terminal, the processing step comprises:

connecting a storage unit including a memory card or a USB card to a predetermined port of the service terminal;

performing upload/download of the tourist information or selecting a folder management function by using the service system server;

downloading the tourist information purchased from service system server or storing the tourist information in a private directory on an FTP server; and

managing a file storage space of the memory card.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the certain region is a specific region of a country and not the entire country.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the regional resident is a person living in the specific region and the quasi-regional resident is a person who has a private relation with the specific region but who does not live in the specific region.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the person who has a private relation with the specific region is a person who was born in the specific region.

13. A system for providing a regional community-based membership service, comprising:

a membership service system server configured to register customers visiting a certain region as a membership service customer such that at least one customer is a native and customers other than the at least one customer are classified into at least one of a regional resident, a quasi-regional resident and a foreigner according to a degree of private relation with the region or according to whether the customer is a foreigner, to store information of the customer, and to provide information of various commodities and services to the membership service customer;

an information providing terminal configured to provide information of various commodities and other contents to the membership service system server;

a plurality of service terminals linked to the membership service system server via on-line communication, each service terminal being configured to perform membership authentication when a membership service customer terminal of the membership service customer accesses the service terminal and to perform provision of various services including reservation and commodity purchase; and

a service terminal management server configured to control and manage the service terminals;

wherein, if the customer is a native, the membership service system server sends customer information input by the customer to a database of the service system, and registers the customer as a regional resident membership service customer of the region by analyzing an address and a postal code among the customer information, and registers the customer as a quasi-regional resident membership service customer of the region or as a native membership service customer by analyzing a resident registration number among the customer information.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the system terminals are constituted by kiosks disposed at predetermined places.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein each of the kiosks is provided with a reservation confirmation module, a membership management module, an entrance ticket purchase module, a tourist information module, a telephone/SMS module, and a convenient facility module to perform the provision of various services including the reservation and the commodity purchase.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein each of the kiosks comprises a touch screen, an internet phone, a USB port, a card reader, a heat transfer printer, and a flash memory reader.

17. The system according to claim 13, wherein the membership service system server comprises:

a web-server configured to allow the membership service customer terminal to access thereto via the Internet;

a database server configured to store data sent from the service terminals and the information providing terminal; and

application processing modules configured to process control instructions and information from the web-server, the service terminals and the information providing terminal, and to process provision of various services ordered from the membership service customer in connection with the database server.

18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the information providing terminal comprises a tourist information providing terminal, a commodity provider terminal, a package tourist information providing terminal, a tourist information database, and an exterior-linked database.