FR2890449A1 - Unit e.g. deep-sea sail boat, site managing method for e.g. marina, involves calling central server that identifies unit from personal code and provides availability proposals based on physical parameters, and invoicing based on parameters - Google Patents

Abstract

The method involves inputting, in a central server (10), physical parameters e.g. size, related to a navigation unit (UN) e.g. deep-sea sail boat, and attributing a personal code (CP) for the unit. A user (11) calls a telephone number (NT) of the server using a portable telephone, and the server identifies the unit from the code (CP). The server responds with availability proposals according to the physical parameters related to the unit. The user accepts one of the proposals, and invoicing is executed based on the parameters related to the unit. An independent claim is also included for a device for implementing a unit e.g. navigation unit, site managing method.

Description

2890449 1

  METHOD FOR MANAGING LOCATIONS OF UNITS, IN PARTICULAR

  NAVIGATING UNITS AND ASSOCIATED DEVICE

  The present invention relates to a method for managing the locations of units, including air units.

  The invention also relates to the associated device.

  The crisis of availability of the sites, especially for the air units, becomes a real problem.

  The berths are very limited in number in relation to the demand and the incessant development of the nautical market leads to delicate situations.

  In addition, at a berth are usually associated services such as water supply, electricity, sewage disposal, but also use of sanitary dock, often with access controls.

  The problem of the ports is also related to the fact that the air units regulate different costs according to at least one physical parameter the length, even according to two parameters length and width and possibly on the type of engine propulsion or sail, or both.

  There is also a paradox, namely the lack of places on one side and the empty spaces in the ports.

  Indeed, when a navigation unit for example an ocean going yacht leaves its location for a cruise of several days, the corresponding location remains free.

  It would therefore be necessary to ensure a more optimized management of the port locations including vacation periods and therefore intensive use of navigation units.

  Currently, although the users are equipped with a complete electronic navigation and communication structure, the arrival in a port remains rather archaic. The term "complete electronic communication structure" means at least one device capable of accessing the telephone network by the satellite channel and / or by a specific terrestrial network.

  Currently and in general, the navigation unit temporarily berths at an "arrival" wharf and one of the crew members goes to the harbor master's office to benefit from a numbered location and also to have associated or optional services financial supplements.

  The manager of the port, for the most recent installations, manually enters the coordinates and the necessary information on a computer system, grants a location and cashes the corresponding payment.

  This same port official is unable to predict arrivals and to determine in advance his offers or needs, not even 24 hours in advance. This is unfortunate because it would be possible to offer attractive rates for certain periods with lower attendance to which would be added additional promotional services and inform in parallel of some attractive points ashore at given dates, media events, sports, cultural.

  The flight unit is then moved to the pontoon or "catway" of the corresponding wharf that has been designated to which it is finally moored.

  It is also known that port equipment such as a shower, toilet, telephone room and waste disposal facility are locked by access means equipped with codes in order to prevent access and use by anyone traveling on the platforms, generally public.

  Also, when taking location, it is indicated to the user, in addition to the location number, an access code to the different equipment. As this code is unique and rarely modified, users can provide it to each other, leading to a loss of revenue for the port and a non-amortization of its facilities.

  However, a marina port facility is extremely expensive to implement requiring heavy investments depreciable over long periods that can be shortened especially as profitability is high. For ring owners finally, it is necessary to know that the charges are distributed not proportionally but generally distributed among all the owners. As much this is understandable for common expenses but becomes less understandable for water, energy and / or access to certain services which some boaters have no interest and which represent important positions.

  For boaters who own a ring, it would also be wise to optimize loads.

  The present invention therefore aims to optimize the general management of the unit locations, more particularly the navigating units of a marina, but more broadly the management of any location for units for which at least one physical parameter of this unit , such as a dimension, width, length, draft or weight is involved in the billing. Other additional parameters such as the following pollution index that the navigation unit is powered by motor or sail, can also be taken into account.

  It is the same for other applications such as the location of open market stalls of variable occupied surfaces, possibly with a supply of electricity and / or water, that of locations for electric cars which must be recharged. accumulators, or that of camping pitches or motorhome parking areas.

  In order to overcome the problems mentioned with regard to the known prior art, the method according to the present invention and the associated device propose a preferred embodiment requiring simple and easy means to implement.

  These method and device are described with reference to the attached drawing showing in its single figure a device for carrying out the method according to the present invention.

  The example adopted is that of a marina knowing that the method is applicable to any management of a location of units whose pricing is associated with a physical parameter of said unit such as a dimension, a surface, a place, a characteristic, and / or a period, a date, to name only these parameters.

  This device comprises at least one central server 10 associated with at least one port 12. This central server 10 comprises a suitable management software having the functionalities that will be described below.

  This central server 10 is equipped with an integrated electronic telephone card 13 capable of establishing exchanges over the telephone network.

  Services such as access to premises 14 or power supplies 16 such as water and / or electricity are protected by coding means or their provisioning is managed directly by the server. These coding means can be interactive and benefit from an activatable and personalized code. Thus, a door lock is operable with a dedicated code for a given period, period after which the code becomes available to be assigned to another person with the same prerogatives or other prerogatives.

  In the case of electricity and / or water supply means, it is also possible to associate counting and measuring means in order to determine the actual consumption, either on a time basis or on a real consumption. There is also a storage of information on the central server, resulting from an initial registration to this service that includes all the physical characteristics and related features.

  In addition, each unit carries on its hull the references of the manufacturer and the model, which also allows to have means of verification, if necessary. In some cases, the users themselves may have an identifier affixed to the unit and / or present during a check.

  Preferably, the device provides to provide the responsible of each port concerned portable means 18 for on-site verification. These portable means may be for example of the PbA (Personal Digital Assistant) type, able to be linked to the central server 10.

  The central server 10 also includes in its software the billing portion as indicated below.

  Thus, to benefit from the service according to the present invention, the method provides the following steps.

  A user 11 registers to the service in order to have a personal CP code, code 20 which can be simply the mobile phone number of the user, issued by the server which itself has a telephone number NT .

  To this personal code CP is attached a UN navigation unit whose characteristics are entered in a complete way, physical parameters such as length, width, draft, engine, sailboat, port of attachment, but also annexed parameters like name of the owner , skipper holder, phone number available for rating only these.

  Similarly and preferentially, it is also attached to this personal code a CB account for financial transactions, a bank type account or a specific deposit account.

  The method according to the present invention provides for the user to call the NT telephone number of the central server 10.

  The server requires the personal code CP or recognizes the user directly by the registered mobile number, in order to identify the corresponding navigation unit UN.

  Once the navigation unit UN recognized, the server offers different 10 services with responses from the user 11.

  These exchanges can be made vocally or by pressing the telephone keys. Any other means for transferring information such as a memory card to be inserted into the phone can also be used.

  These benefits range from the desired date of arrival and departure date to the supply of electricity and / or water, or access to certain additional services.

  In return, by 5MS for example or by voice mail, the user receives confirmation of the possibility of calling, the allocation of a number of a place adapted to the navigation unit because a monohull is different from a catamaran and the additional services to which the user will have access.

  In addition, in case of additional services, it is provided, for those who require it, the allocation of an access code dedicated to the operation of the locking means of the doors and / or power supplies.

  For power supplies, the server can also commission these remote power supplies by triggering a controlled electric switch disposed on the power supply upstream of the plug or a solenoid valve, disposed upstream of the water tap.

  This has the advantage of having power supplies in use only when they are used by a user occupying the associated location, these power supplies remaining inaccessible to any third party the rest of the time.

  Depending on the choice of the user, it is possible to provide in case of presence of measuring and counting means, a choice of a package and / or a payment to the real, depending on the exact consumption, which is much more just. The amount of the services is billed and paid by debiting the CB account linked to the CP personal code. This account is pre-provisioned and can be replenished by any known means.

  This amount of benefits is linked at least to a physical parameter but also to other necessary parameters such as duration.

  The control can be carried out by the authority in charge of managing the locations by means of the portable means 18, of the PbA type, into which all the data of the central server 10, remotely interrogated by this same PbA, are input, if necessary. The introduction of the data and the update in this portable means 18 are performed synchronously with those of the data of the central server 10.

  Thus, the user can choose his port and know in advance if he can be accepted without risk of being diverted for nothing and can know in advance the cost of this stopover.

  The user can access his location directly, as well as any additional services. This is all the more important as the arrival time is difficult to predict and the harbor master's office may not be open 24 hours a day. The necessary port staff is reduced and the essential work is related to the reception and / or or the control and operation of the port and not the seizure, billing, management and site availability check.

  The owner of the ring may be partially compensated for the rental of his location during his absence or receive compensation. The actual payment of the charges related to the consumption of fresh or energetic water is more accurate both for the transit user and for the owner of the ring, but also for the other users and owners of the port.

  It should be noted that yachting is becoming more and more democratized and that cost management is becoming a major problem, even more so when some users live year-round aboard their boat.

  The device and the implementation of the method according to the present invention are easy to implement and can be expanded in their applications.

  Indeed, it is possible to provide a CG management center in computer connection with the central server 10 of each port. In this case, a user can benefit from the same service in all the affiliated ports, with the same personal code CP, debiting the same bank account CB.

  In this case, the management server centralises the transactions and allows each central server to receive an update of the new or corrected data.

  It is understood that for market stalls, the situation is strictly the same but also for vehicles that would like to reserve a parking space with a possible recharge of their accumulators and whose pricing is subject at least to the dimensions of the vehicle, or even to any other physical characteristic, in particular the non-polluting character.

2890449 9

Claims (7)

  A method of managing unit locations, in particular a navigating unit in a port, a market stall or a vehicle parking, from at least one physical parameter linked to these units, between a central server (10) equipped with communication means having an access number such as a telephone number NT, for a user (11) himself provided with communication means such as a mobile phone, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - initial entry in the central server (10) of at least one physical parameter linked to the unit UN, assignment of a personal code CP for said unit, - call by the user (11) the NT access number of the central server (10) by means of its mobile phone, - identification of the unit UN by the central server (10) from the personal code CP, - response of the central server with availability proposals according to the physical parameters related to said unit, - acceptati at least one of the proposals of availability by the user, and - billing at least according to the at least one physical parameter linked to said unit.   2. Device location management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the central server (10) also provides in response to the identification of the user (11) by its personal code CP additional services.   3. Unit location management method according to claim 2, characterized in that, in the case of supplementary services, the central server (10) sends the user (11) the access codes to these services. .   4. Device location management method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the central server (10) has in memory physical parameters related to the unit such as dimensions: length, width, draft, surface, type of propulsion.   5. Unit location management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the personal code is the mobile phone number of the user (11).   6. Device location management method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the exchanges between the central server (10) and the user are made by voice mail and / or SMS.   7. Device for implementing the method according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that it comprises: - a central server (10) equipped with an integrated electronic telephone communication card with an NT number having in memory of the physical parameters of a UN unit such as a navigation unit, equipped with location management software, - at least one portable control means 18, of the PbA type, into which all the data are introduced. the central server 10, the portable control means 18 being able to remotely interrogate said central server (10).