Rental system for movable body such as vehicle

• US 20070239478A1
• Filed: 06/01/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yui, Yasuji, Ishii, Miruka
• Application Number:
  US11/809,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20070239478A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/307
• CPC Class Codes: B62H 2003/005 Supports or holders associated with means for bike rental
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/127 Shopping or accessing services according to a time-limitation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0284 Time or distance, e.g. usage of parking meters or taximeters
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00944 Details of construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/27 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0042 for hiring of objects
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0057 for the hiring or rent of vehicles, e.g. cars, bicycles or wheelchairs car rental G07B15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/10 for means for safe-keeping of property, left temporarily, e.g. by fastening the property
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/06 by returnable containers , i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles

Abstract

The present invention is a movable body management system which can appropriately calculate a movable body fee according to availability etc. and flexibly and effectively allow movable bodies to be used. Each of vehicles such as cars and bicycles has a GPS capability to detect a current position of its own at a specified time interval. The system transmits information indicating the detected current position to an operating company for managing current positions of respective vehicles. When each of vehicles such as bicycles is rented out to a member and is used, the system starts measuring a traveling distance and a traveling time. When the use of the vehicle ends, the system transmits the measured traveling distance and traveling time to a server apparatus in the operating company. The operating company'"'"'s server apparatus calculates the fee for settlement according to the transmitted traveling distance and traveling time.

Claims

1. A movable body apparatus in a movable body management system including a plurality of movable body apparatuses and a movable body management apparatus, wherein said movable body management apparatus manages said plurality of movable body apparatuses, and wherein said movable body apparatus comprises:

retrieval information reception means for receiving movable body retrieval information from a mobile communication terminal; and

notification means for notifying a user of a nearby movable body apparatus position when said retrieval information reception means receives said movable body retrieval information addressed to a nearby movable body apparatus.

2. The movable body apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

authentication information transmission means for transmitting authentication information to said movable body management apparatus;

authentication result information reception means for receiving authentication result information returned in response to said authentication information;

lock means for preventing use of a movable body apparatus;

permission information reception means for receiving permission information based on said authentication result information received by said authentication result information reception means from authentication result information transmission means of said movable body management apparatus; and

lock control means for releasing a lock mechanism by controlling said lock means when receiving said permission information from permission information reception means.

3. The movable body apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

payable information acceptance means for accepting payable information, wherein said authentication information transmission means transmits said payable information accepted by said payable information acceptance means as said authentication information to authentication information reception means of said movable body management apparatus, and wherein

said lock control means controls said lock means to release said lock mechanism when receiving said permission information based on said authentication result information received by said authentication result information reception means from authentication result information transmission means of said movable body management apparatus.