Reservation Processing Method and Reservation Processing System

• US 20070271123A1
• Filed: 04/05/2005
• Published: 11/22/2007
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 7,797,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 10 receives reservation information from the reservation terminal 11, 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 equipped with a reservation terminal for accepting and transmitting reservation information on a product purchase reservation from a reservation seeker and a reservation server for conducting reservation acceptance processing based on the reservation information received from the reservation terminal, which reservation processing system is characterized in that:

the reservation terminal has a function to accept and transmit to the reservation server 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, and

the reservation server has a reservation allocation function to, based on the reservation information received from the reservation terminal, allocate one among the reservation alternatives as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate/manage the remaining choices among the reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and on condition that later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing time meets a predetermined condition, to respond thereto 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, which reservation processing system is characterized in that the reservation server allocates the highest priority choice among the reservation alternatives as the provisional reservation, in accordance with the reservation seeker'"'"'s choice priority assignments contained in the received reservation information.

3. The reservation processing system according to claim 1, which reservation processing system is characterized in that the reservation server has a reservation pricing function to calculate, with respect to reservation information for a provisional reservation, a discounted reservation price in accordance with the number of reservation alternatives contained in the reservation information.

4. The reservation processing system according to claim 1, which reservation processing system is characterized in that the reservation server has a reservation pricing function to calculate, with respect to reservation information for a provisional reservation, a discounted reservation price in accordance with the time allowance up to the reservation fixing time contained in the reservation information.

5. The reservation processing system according to claim 3, which reservation processing system is characterized in that

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

the reservation allocation function, taking the fact that the premium reservation price was accepted by the 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.

6. 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, which reservation processing system is characterized in comprising

a product inventory database for managing the suppliable quantity of products offered by the business operator and the 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,

a reservation database for tabulating reservation alternatives of the reservation information transmitted from the plurality of reservation terminals reservation pricing means for, based on the reservation information, with respect to product prices established in view of the demanded quantity and the suppliable quantity of the products, calculating 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, with respect to later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing times, calculating premium reservation prices for cases where the provisionally reserved choices are allocated as reserved products with respect to the later-arriving reservation information, and

reservation allocation means for transmitting 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, allocating a reservation fixedly if the number of reservation alternatives that can be reserved is one, allocating a provisional reservation to one of the reservation alternatives and allocating backup reservations to the other reservation alternatives if the number thereof 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, replacing the provisional reservation allocation with one of the backup reservation allocations provided that a reservable backup reservation allocation exists, making the original provisional reservation allocation a reservation allocation of the later-arriving reservation seeker, and when the reservation fixing time arrives making the provisional reservation allocation a fixed reservation allocation with respect to the reservation seeker.

7. A reservation server that receives reservation information input by a 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, which reservation server is characterized in having

a reservation allocation function that, based on the received reservation information, allocates one among the reservation alternatives as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocates/manages the remaining reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and on condition that later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing time meets a predetermined condition, responds thereto by allocating the provisional reservation as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changes one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

8. The reservation server according to claim 7, which reservation server is characterized in having

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.

9. The reservation server according to claim 7, which reservation server is characterized in that

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

the reservation allocation function, taking the fact that the premium reservation price was accepted by the reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information to mean that the predetermined condition has been met, 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.

10. A reservation terminal for constituting a reservation processing system together with a reservation server that has a reservation allocation function to, based on received reservation information, allocate one among reservation alternatives as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate/manage the remaining reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and on condition that later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing time meets a predetermined condition, respond thereto 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, which reservation terminal is characterized in having

a function to accept and transmit to the reservation server reservation information input by a 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.

11. A reservation terminal for constituting a reservation processing system together with a reservation server that has a reservation allocation function to, based on reservation information, allocate one among reservation alternatives as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate/manage the remaining choices among the reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and on condition that later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing time meets a predetermined condition, respond thereto 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, which reservation terminal is characterized in having

a function to display a screen for accepting input from a reservation seeker of reservation information for supply to the reservation server, 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.

12. A program for by use of a computer configuring a reservation server that receives reservation information input by a 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, which program is characterized in that

execution thereof by the computer of the reservation server creates in the computer a reservation allocation function to, based on received reservation information, allocate one among reservation alternatives as a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocate/manage the remaining reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and on condition that later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing time meets a predetermined condition, respond thereto 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.

13. The program according to claim 12, which program is characterized in that

execution thereof by the computer of the server creates in the computer a reservation pricing function to calculate, with respect to reservation information for a 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.

14. The program according to claim 12, which program is characterized in that

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

the reservation allocation function, taking the fact that the premium reservation price was accepted by the reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information to mean that the predetermined condition has been met, 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.

15. 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 reservation seeker and a reservation server for conducting reservation acceptance processing based on the reservation information received from the reservation terminal, which reservation processing method is characterized in that

the reservation terminal accepts and transmits to the reservation server 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, and

the reservation server allocates, based on the reservation information received from the reservation terminal, one among the reservation alternatives to a provisional reservation that is a tentative reservation, allocates/manages the remaining reservation alternatives to backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, and on condition that later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing time meets a predetermined condition, responds thereto by allocating the provisional reservation as a reserved product with respect to the later-arriving reservation information and changes one of backup reservations to the provisional reservation.

16. A reservation processing method according to claim 15, which reservation processing method is characterized in that

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 reservation information and in accordance with the time allowance up to the reservation fixing time contained in the reservation information.

17. A reservation processing method according to claim 15, which reservation processing method is characterized in that

the reservation server calculates a premium reservation price with respect to later-arriving reservation information and, taking the fact that the premium reservation price was accepted by the reservation seeker who input the later-arriving reservation information to mean 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.

18. A reservation processing method that, in a 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, is implemented to conduct processing for, based on reservation information received from the reservation terminals, 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 reservation alternatives as backup reservations that are auxiliary tentative reservations, which reservation processing method is characterized in that it conducts processing whereby

the product inventory database manages the suppliable quantity of products offered by the business operator and the 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, the reservation database tabulates reservation alternatives of the reservation information transmitted from the plurality of reservation terminals,

based on the reservation alternatives of the reservation information, the reservation pricing means calculates 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, with respect to later-arriving reservation information received up to the reservation fixing times, calculates premium reservation prices for cases where the provisional reservations are allocated to reserved products with respect to the later-arriving reservation information, and

the reservation allocation means transmits 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, fixes the reservation allocation 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 thereof 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, 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 when the reservation fixing time arrives makes the provisional reservation allocation a fixed reservation allocation with respect to the reservation seeker.