JP2001350999A - One-line reservation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simplify the input of a user in an on-line reservation system. SOLUTION: The system is constituted, by which access is performed from a terminal unit such as a portable telephone to a reservation server 20 via a network so as to reserve a service by on-line. The reservation server authenticates the user by using information intrinsic to the terminal, which is originated form the portable telephone in the case of communication, for example, a telephone number, etc. The user does not need to input authenticating information such as a user ID or a password in the case of log-in. A date and the number of persons, etc., are inputted in the case of reservation but a usage time is not inputted. The reservation server specifies the usage time from a free time based on a designation contents and reports it to the user. By this system, an information amount to be inputted in the case of reservation and operation quantity are reduced in the user. Besides, the usage time is specified while securing the collective free time so that equipment is effectively utilized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an online reservation system for reserving goods or services from a terminal device via data communication using a public communication line or other networks.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the spread of the Internet, the form of making reservations and ordering goods or services online has been spreading. The user can make a reservation for a product or service by accessing a predetermined Web site. In these forms, a user who does not intend to make a real reservation may make a reservation.
In many cases, member registration is required in advance to avoid the adverse effects of such reservations. When using the Web site, the user can be authenticated by inputting the user ID and password set during registration, and the Web site operator can avoid the problem of accepting useless reservations. it can.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned authentication method has significantly impaired the convenience of the online reservation system. For the user, the user I
D, it was troublesome to input the password. Also,
These user IDs and passwords had to be stored. For users who use a plurality of Web sites, confusion of user IDs and passwords may occur.

Recently, portable telephones and other portable terminals having a function of accessing the Internet have become widespread.
These portable terminals generally have a small operation unit, and are inferior in operability as compared with ordinary computers and the like. Therefore, a Web site that requires a user ID and a password has particularly reduced convenience when using these portable terminals.

[0005] Generally, when making a reservation online, it is usually necessary to input a great deal of information.
In particular, when reserving the use of some facilities, it is necessary to enter information such as date, time, number of people to use,
It was complicated. Due to the large amount of information required at the time of reservation, the convenience of the online reservation system has often been impaired. Such an adverse effect was particularly great when using a mobile terminal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and has as its object to provide a technique for improving the convenience of a system for online goods or services.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems and Their Functions and Effects In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, as a first configuration, a product or a product from a terminal device via data communication using a public communication line is used. In an online reservation system that accepts a reservation for a service, a customer database that stores terminal-specific information unique to the terminal device and customer information that can use the online reservation system in association with each other;
An acquisition unit for acquiring the terminal unique information transmitted from the terminal device, and a reservation authentication unit for receiving the reservation when the terminal unique information is data registered in the customer database.

[0008] According to the online reservation system of the first configuration, terminal-specific information transmitted from the terminal device during data communication can be used for user authentication. Information such as a user ID and a password is not required for user authentication. Although there is a restriction that online reservation must be made from a specific terminal, a user can easily make online reservation. Such an online reservation system may be configured as a single server that performs data communication with a terminal device, or may be configured as a system in which a plurality of servers cooperate to perform the above-described processing.

[0009] The online reservation system of the first configuration comprises:
When terminal-specific information not registered in the customer database is received, data communication with the terminal device can be rejected. However, in such an embodiment,
The user may not be able to specify whether access to the online reservation system has been denied due to terminal-specific information or whether access has been denied due to a communication line failure.

[0010] From this viewpoint, it is desirable that the authentication based on the terminal unique information be performed at a stage different from the establishment of the data communication between the terminal device and the online reservation system. In other words, it is desirable that the terminal device and the online reservation system be able to perform data communication regardless of the authentication using the terminal unique information, and use the terminal unique information for authentication as to whether or not to accept the reservation. Such a system is realized in the first configuration by including communication establishing means for establishing data communication between the terminal device and the online reservation system regardless of the terminal-specific information.
In this way, a user who has been denied access to the system can easily recognize that the cause is terminal-specific information and easily recognize that a procedure such as applying for registration in the customer database is required. can do. In particular, convenience for a first-time user can be greatly improved.

[0011] The online reservation system of the first configuration comprises:
A public telephone line is used as the public communication line, and a telephone number of the terminal device is used as the terminal-specific information,
The acquisition means may be configured as a means for acquiring, as the terminal-specific information, a telephone number transmitted from a terminal device having a function of transmitting its own telephone number during communication. In recent years, telephones and other devices having a so-called outgoing telephone number display function have become widespread. If this function is used as a terminal device, the system of the present invention can be constructed relatively easily. In a mode in which a computer connects to a public telephone line via a modem or the like,
Similarly, the system can be configured relatively easily.

The first configuration is not limited to such an embodiment. As the terminal-specific information, various types of information used for specifying the terminal during data communication can be used. For example, an IP address or a MAC address used in a communication protocol such as the Internet may be used as terminal-specific information. It is also possible to use a predetermined ID signal used for communication such as a mobile phone. The public communication line may use an optical fiber network, a cable television network, a wireless communication network, or the like. The communication line is not necessarily nationwide, and may be a communication line limited to an area.

In the online reservation system having the first configuration, the customer database is a database storing at least one information communication destination other than the terminal device, and stores predetermined information related to the reservation in the terminal device. Further, it is desirable to have a transmission means for transmitting to the information communication destination.

When authenticating a user with terminal-specific information,
There is a possibility that a third party may make a reservation by using the terminal without permission. According to the above configuration, the predetermined information related to the reservation is
The message is transmitted to two or more locations including the terminal device. The predetermined information related to the reservation includes confirmation that the reservation has been made, confirmation of the contents of the reservation, and the like. The transmission of this information does not necessarily need to be online, and facsimile or the like may be used. By transmitting the information related to the reservation to a plurality of locations registered in advance in this way, the original user of the terminal device can check the details of the reservation. Therefore, it is possible to avoid adverse effects such as reservations made by a third party using the terminal device without permission.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an online reservation system for receiving a service reservation including a use date and time from a terminal device via a network. An input means for inputting from the device and a use time specifying means for specifying a reservable use time based on the reservation desired information with reference to a reservation database storing a reservation state of the service are provided. Output means for outputting the specified result to the terminal device. In this case, the specified result may be output immediately after the input of the reservation request information, or the result may be output from the online reservation system to the terminal device again after the data communication is temporarily disconnected. The network is
Not limited to public communication lines, dedicated lines, LANs (Local Area
Network) can also be used.

This makes it possible to greatly simplify the input relating to the use time in a reservation in which the use date and time need to be specified. Since specifying the usage time generally requires input of morning, afternoon, hours, minutes, etc., simplification of usage time input can greatly improve the convenience of the online reservation system. it can. As the input having a degree of freedom in the use time, for example, the use time may be divided into several sections and displayed, and the user may select a desired time zone, or the most simplified example The use time may be excluded from the reservation request information.

The reservation specifying the use date and time includes reservation for use of various facilities including a golf course, reservation of a service that takes a certain time such as a restaurant and a beauty salon, reservation of swimming and other lessons, and reservation of pickup of home delivery service. And the like. Online reservation of a conference room or the like may be performed through an in-house LAN.

The online reservation system of the second configuration is:
There are also benefits for service providers. In other words, the service provider side is allowed to adjust the use time in order to receive the reservation request information with a certain degree of freedom in the use time. For example, in a reservation for the use of facilities,
By sequentially setting the reservation time of the user so that the available free time remains as much as possible, the facility can be effectively used. If you leave a lot of free time,
This is because it is possible to maintain a state capable of responding to reservations made by a group. By allowing the service provider to adjust the reservation time, efficient services can be provided for services other than the use of facilities.

[0019] In the online reservation system of the second configuration, furthermore, an approval input means for notifying the specified result to the terminal device and inputting an approval for the result from the terminal device, It is preferable to include a reservation deciding means for registering the reservation as confirmed in the reservation database.

In the second configuration, since the service provider specifies the use time, the user may not be able to acknowledge the result. Therefore, if the reservation is determined according to the approval, useless cancellation can be suppressed.

In the second configuration, the service provider side:
A function for adjusting the use time for accepting the reservation may be provided. For example, the reservation database is provided with a function of setting restriction information for restricting a reservable time zone, and a function of setting a priority for each use time. The use time may be specified in consideration of the above.

For example, by providing restriction information for limiting a time slot in which online reservations can be accepted, a time slot for online reservations and a time slot for window reservations can be separated, and confusion between the two can be easily avoided. can do.

A terminal device for accepting reservations by the online reservation systems of the first and second configurations can use a so-called general-purpose computer. In particular, the terminal device is a portable mobile terminal. High effectiveness. Such mobile terminals include mobile phones.
These mobile terminals are suitable for using terminal-specific information for user authentication in that they are often owned by individuals. In general, these mobile terminals are often small and are not suitable for complicated operations. Therefore, application of the present invention is highly effective in simplifying input operations.

In the above description, the first configuration in which the terminal-specific information is used for authentication and the second configuration in which the input relating to the use time is simplified have been described separately. In the present invention, both may be configured as separate systems, or both may be combined to form a single system. In the above description, the case of using for online reservation has been described. The reason why a large number of inputs are required is that the reservation of goods or services is often made and the usefulness of applying the present invention is high. The present invention itself can be applied not only to reservations but also to various transactions such as ordering and confirming goods or services. That is, the present invention can be configured as an online ordering system, an online confirmation system, or another online transaction system.

The present invention can be configured in various modes other than the configuration as the online reservation system described above. For example, it may be configured as an online reservation method for receiving a reservation of a product or service from a terminal device via data communication using a public communication line. A program for realizing an online reservation method, a program for causing a terminal device to make a display for making a reservation of a product or service through data communication using a public communication line, a signal form that can be regarded as similar to these programs, It may be configured in the form of a recording medium on which a program is recorded. Examples of the recording medium include a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, a magneto-optical disk, an IC card, a ROM cartridge, a punched card, a printed matter on which a code such as a barcode is printed, a computer internal storage device (a memory such as a RAM or a ROM), and Various computer-readable media such as an external storage device can be used. In addition, it is also possible to configure as a terminal device that makes a reservation using the above-mentioned online reservation system.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described by dividing them into the following items. A. Overall configuration: B. Online reservation: C. Modification: D. Other variations:

A. Overall Configuration: FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an online reservation system as an embodiment. Here, a system for making a reservation for a golf course has been exemplified. In the present embodiment, a mobile phone 10 having a network access function is used as a terminal for making a reservation. The mobile phone 10 accesses the reservation server 20 via a predetermined provider 12 that mediates access to the network,
Make a reservation for a golf course. The reservation server 20 can also be accessed from terminals OC1, OC2, and OC3 provided at each golf course via a network. By accessing the reservation server 20, each golf course can check the reservation status, change the reservation content, or cancel the reservation. In the present embodiment, the case where the reservation server 20 is constructed as a system for mediating reservations of a plurality of golf courses as described above is exemplified. However, it is needless to say that the reservation server 20 is constructed as a dedicated system for reserving a single golf course. No problem.

The reservation server 20 is provided with the following various functional blocks for realizing the function as an online reservation system. Each functional block is configured in software on the reservation server 20. It may be configured as hardware.

The input / output module 22 includes the reservation server 20
And exchanges data with external networks. The display module 21 generates data for displaying a screen for performing an operation related to a reservation on the mobile terminal 10 or the terminals OC1 to OC3 on the golf course side. In this embodiment, the HTML
(Hyper Text Markup Language) to provide data for display. When this data is transmitted to the mobile terminal 10 and the terminals OC1 to OC3 via the network, an operation screen is displayed by software such as a browser. The user and the person in charge of the golf course can perform various operations related to the reservation through the screen displayed in this manner.

In order to accept a reservation made from the portable terminal 10, the reservation server 20 has two main functions. The first function is a user authentication function,
The second function is a function for actually operating the reservation information.

The first function: a reservation authentication module 24,
It comprises a form transmission module 25 and a customer database 23. The customer database 23 is a database that the reservation authentication module 24 and the form transmission module 25 refer to when performing operations related to user authentication. Prior to the description of each module, the contents of the customer database 23 will be described.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of the customer database 23. As illustrated, the customer database 23 stores member information registered in advance. In the system of the present embodiment, only members registered in the customer database 23 can make reservations for golf courses. The information registered in the customer database 23 includes a member number, a mobile phone number, a member name, an address, a form transmission destination, and the like. The member number is a serial number unique to the registered member. The mobile phone number is a mobile phone number used when a member makes a golf course reservation. The form transmission destination is a contact for transmitting a blank form for registering the player's name from the golf course after accepting the reservation. For example, a facsimile number or the like is registered as a transmission destination.

The reservation authentication module 24 receives the telephone number of the mobile phone 10 via the input / output module 22. The mobile phone 10 is accessed by a widely used outgoing telephone number output function so that the telephone number can be notified to the destination. Reservation authentication module 2
4 receives the telephone number of the mobile phone 10, refers to the customer database 23, and accepts the reservation only when the number matches the number registered therein. Customer database 23
If the telephone number is not registered in, the reservation is rejected. The reservation authentication module 24 has a function of authenticating the user using the telephone number of the mobile phone 10 in this manner.

For the user authentication, not only the telephone number but also various information unique to the mobile phone 10 can be applied. An ID signal used at the time of communication may be used. In such a case, the ID signal is registered in the customer database 23. In order to facilitate the registration of the terminal-specific information, it is also convenient to prepare a terminal device such as a mobile phone at a golf course and lend it to members under certain conditions. In particular, when a signal that is not recognized by a general user, such as an ID signal used during communication, is used as terminal-specific information, it is operationally preferable to prepare a terminal device on the service provider side.

The form transmission module 25 has a function of transmitting a blank form for registering a player's name after accepting a reservation. In the present embodiment, a blank form is transmitted to the mobile phone 10 in a so-called electronic mail format, and also transmitted to a destination registered in the customer database 23. That is, a blank form is transmitted to a plurality of destinations. The user can use any blank form to register the player's name. The form transmission module 25 does not have a function of directly performing user authentication, but has a role of supplementing the authentication function of the reservation authentication module 24 as described below by transmitting a blank form to a plurality of destinations. Fulfill.

As described above, the reservation authentication module 2
4 uses the telephone number of the mobile phone 10 for authentication. Therefore, even a person other than a member can make a reservation for a golf course without difficulty as long as the member's mobile phone 10 is used. In particular, there is a possibility that a third party may use the mobile phone 10 when the member drops it. However, in the system of the present embodiment, after making a reservation, the above-described blank form is transmitted to a plurality of destinations by the form transmission module 25. As a result, the member can know that an unintended reservation has been made, and can avoid adverse effects caused by mischief by a third party. From such a viewpoint, the form transmission module 25 can fulfill a function of supplementing the reservation authentication module 24 in security. Of course, the form transmission module 25
Is to grasp players in advance from the viewpoint of service provision. Therefore, when it is not necessary to supplement the reservation authentication module 24, the form may be transmitted only by e-mail. If it is not necessary to know the player in providing the service, the configuration may be such that the form transmission module 25 is omitted.

The second function, that is, the function of actually operating the reservation information, comprises a use time specifying module 26, a result output module 28, a reservation fixing module 29, and a reservation database 27. The reservation database 27 is a database referred to from each module when operating reservation information. Prior to the description of the contents of each module, the contents of the reservation database 27 will be described.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of the reservation database 27. The contents of the database corresponding to a specific date are illustrated. In the reservation database 27, pairs, start times, names of representatives, names of players other than the representatives, and related pairs are registered. FIG. 3 illustrates a case where a start time is prepared every 10 minutes from 7:00 am. A set number is sequentially assigned to each start time. Representatives and players are indicated by alphabets for convenience of illustration, but names are actually registered. The related set is related information when one group is divided into a plurality of sets and plays. In the example of FIG. 3, the second set of players E, F, G and the third set of players H, I, J
Is an example of a single organization. In the second related set, the set number “3” played by a player of the same group is registered, and as the third related set, the set number “2” is registered in reverse. In the spare time that has not been reserved, the names of representatives, names of players other than representatives,
Related set data is not registered. Therefore, by referring to the presence or absence of these data, particularly the presence or absence of the name of the representative, it is possible to easily confirm the free time.

In the present embodiment, the user makes a reservation without specifying the use time of the golf course, that is, the start time. At the time of reservation, the user inputs only the date and the number of people who want to use the service. The use time specifying module 26 receives this information via the input / output module 22, refers to the reservation database 27, and extracts a reservable use time for the date specified by the user. When the usage time identification module 26 confirms the free time in this way,
The usage time is specified according to a predetermined rule described later. The usage time specified in this way is registered in the reservation database 27 as a provisional reservation.

The result output module 28 has a function of outputting the use time specified by the use time specifying module 26 to the mobile phone 10. In this embodiment, after the user inputs a date or the like and disconnects the line, the result is output again in the form of e-mail. If the use time can be specified immediately, the content of the provisional reservation may be displayed following the input screen for the date and the like. The reservation confirmation module 29 inputs the user's answer to the result output by e-mail. As described above, since the use time is specified on the reservation server 20 side, the user may or may not approve the use time. When the approval of the use time is obtained, the reservation determination module 29 accesses the reservation database 27 and determines the temporarily reserved information. If the consent cannot be obtained, the reservation database 27 is accessed to cancel the provisional reservation.

B. Online reservation: Fig. 4 shows mobile phone 10
FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example when online reservation is made from. Since various web sites can be accessed from the mobile phone 10, the user first needs to access a reservation site in order to make a golf course reservation. The display in the center of the figure shows a state where the site for making a reservation for the golf course is accessed in this manner. In this example, a menu such as “notification” and “reservation” is prepared on this site.

When the user selects the "reservation" menu, authentication using the telephone number of the mobile phone 10 is performed as described above. As a result of this authentication, when the reservation server 20 determines that the reservation can be accepted, the screen changes as indicated by a white arrow in the figure, and an input screen for a reservation request is displayed. In the present embodiment, referring to the customer database 23, the name of the member registered corresponding to the number of the mobile phone is displayed in the form of "Welcome. Thereby, the user can use the reservation server 2
At 0, you can be confident that you have been authenticated. That is, by performing this display, a certain kind of security can be given to the user. This display may be omitted in consideration of security when the mobile phone 10 is used by a third party without permission.

As the reservation request information, as shown on the right side of the figure, only the date and the number of people who want to use the golf course are input. Golf courses are usually reserved by specifying the start time, but it is not necessary to input the use time. By requesting only the minimum required date and number of people, the number of inputs at the time of reservation can be suppressed, and the operation at the time of reservation can be simplified.

On the other hand, as a result of the authentication based on the telephone number, if the user cannot accept the reservation, the screen transitions to the shaded arrow side in the figure, and a message prompting the member registration is displayed. The reservation screen may be interrupted without such display.

When the user is authenticated and the information necessary for the reservation is input, the reservation server 20 performs a process for specifying the use time. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the use time specifying process. In this process, the reservation server 20 first inputs information from the user (step S10), and then calculates the required number of sets (step S12). Since golf is usually played as a set of three or four players, the required number of pairs is determined according to this rule. If the number of users entered is 4 or less, the required number of sets is 1
Becomes In the case of 5 to 8, the required number of sets is 2. Instead of the information on the number of people, the number of sets may be directly input. In this case, the process of calculating the required number of sets can be omitted.

Next, the reservation database 27 is referred to based on the required number of sets (step S14), and it is determined whether or not the reservation has a vacancy (step S16). If there is one set of reservations, but all the reservations at the desired date and time are closed, there is no vacancy. If there is one set but there are two or more reservations, there is no free. In this way, the presence or absence of a free space is determined from both the use date and the required number of sets.

If there is no vacancy in the reservation, the effect is output as a result (step S20). If there is a vacancy in the reservation, provisional reservation is made from an early time (step S1).
8) The result is output.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a specific situation of the use time. FIG. 6A shows a processing result in the case of following the rule of the present embodiment that “provisional reservation is made from an early time”.
FIG. 6B shows, as a comparative example, a processing result in the case of following a rule of making a reservation according to a user's desired time.

As shown in FIG. 6A, it is assumed that one set of reservations is made as reservation 1. At this point, 1-10
Since all the reservations in the group are vacant, the reservation server 20
Register the reservation in the first group with the earliest start time. The hatched area in the figure is a reserved area.

It is assumed that there are two sets of reservations as reservation 2. 2 from the earliest, except for the first group that was closed by reservation 1
The reservation of the set (the second set and the third set) is registered. Thus,
Reservation is filled up from an early time sequentially. In the case of the reservation 5, although three sets of reservation requests are issued even though the vacancy is for two sets, the reservation server 20 determines that the reservation is impossible and rejects the processing for the reservation 5. In the reservation 6 made thereafter, the required number of sets is two, so the reservation server 20
Assign reservations to pairs.

On the other hand, FIG. 6B shows an example in which a reservation is made as desired by the user without following the above-mentioned rules. As an example, in reservation 1, it is assumed that the first set of times is desired. In reservation 2, it is assumed that the fifth and sixth sets of times are desired. When the operation up to reservation 2 is completed,
On the side of FIG. 6 (a), the unoccupied time from the fourth to the tenth group is secured, and it is possible to cope with up to seven groups, whereas on the side of FIG. 6 (b), It can be seen that it can only handle up to four groups. Thereafter, when the user fills in the reservation as desired, the free time is further subdivided as shown in FIG. As a result, even if the reservation is received up to 6, the reservation status of the golf course is left blank. In the present embodiment, by setting the use time in the reservation server 20 in this way, it is possible to effectively utilize the facilities of the golf course.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a screen display example of the mobile phone 10 after the use time is specified. The user, after inputting the desired date and the number of reservations, temporarily disconnects the connection and waits for a response from the reservation server 20. When the reservation server 20 can make a reservation, it sends an e-mail having the content shown in the center of FIG. 7 based on the telephone number registered in the customer database 23. That is, a message indicating that the reservation has been made at a predetermined use time is displayed, and a text prompting confirmation is displayed. "YES" and "NO" in the display are each linked to a screen display for performing a predetermined process.

If the user approves the request, "YES" is selected. The reservation server 20 performs a process for deciding the reservation in response to this, and displays a form for registering the player's name. The right side in the figure shows a state in which such a form has been transmitted. This form is also transmitted to other transmission destinations registered in the customer database 23. The user uses the mobile phone 10
Enter the player's name in the form displayed in
Reply to reservation server 20. The name of the player may be notified to the golf course using a form transmitted to a destination other than the mobile phone 10.

If the user is dissatisfied with the use time, the user can reject the use time by selecting "NO". In this case, the mobile phone 10 displays a message indicating that the reservation has been canceled.

According to the online reservation system of the present embodiment described above, since the mobile phone number is used for authentication, the input at the time of login can be simplified. By omitting the use time as the reservation information, the input at the time of reservation can also be simplified. The omission of the use time can provide a degree of freedom in specifying the use time, and as shown in FIG. 6, there is an advantage that the golf course side can effectively use the facility. In the embodiment, by transmitting the form to a plurality of transmission destinations, it is possible to avoid a problem caused by a reservation caused by using the terminal of the mobile phone 10 for mischief or the like. As described above, such a function is not essential for authentication.

C. Modified Example: In the embodiment, the online reservation is described in the case where no restriction is imposed on the golf course side such as a reservable time zone. In the modified example, the online reservation is exemplified in a case where conditions such as a restriction on a time zone in which the online reservation can be made and a priority order of reception hours are set.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a reservation setting screen.
2 is an example of a screen displayed when a person in charge of a golf course sets reservations using the terminals OC1 to OC3 in the system configuration shown in FIG. 1. In the figure, "OUT" course,
The case where the start time is set in every 20 minutes from 6:00 to 9:40 for each of the “IN” courses is illustrated.

Using this screen, restrictions on online reservation can be set. For each time column, a reservation permission box 31 is provided on the left side, and a priority order box 32 is provided on the right side. Reservation permission box 31
Is used to set a time zone in which online reservation is permitted. Online reservation is possible only for the time period checked here. In the figure, for the six time frames starting from 6:00 to 7:40 on the "OUT" course and the three time frames starting from 9:00 to 9:40 for the "IN" course,
Online booking is possible. The reservation permission is not limited to a continuous time zone.

The priority order box 32 is used to set the priority order for making a reservation for a time frame in which online reservations can be accepted. The person in charge enters a numerical value indicating the priority in each box. For the time zone in which the reservation permission box 31 is not checked, the priority box 32
Indicates that input is not possible. In the modified example, the priorities are set by serial numbers without duplication, but a mode in which the duplication of the priorities is allowed may be adopted.

The priority can be set by directly entering a numerical value in the box, or by clicking the priority box 32 in the descending order of the priority to automatically input the numerical value. In this embodiment, when no priority is set at all, clicking on the box at "OUT" 7:00 will input "1" into that box.
Next, when "OUT" is clicked on the box at 7:40, "2" is input to the box. By doing so, it is possible to avoid the setting of the duplicated priorities and the omission of the priorities.

Once the time zone restrictions and priorities are set in this way, the system specifies the use time in consideration of these restrictions. In the embodiment (see FIGS. 5 and 6),
The temporary reservation is made from an early time, but instead of this processing, a temporary reservation is made from a time with a higher priority. For example, the 7:00 frame of the [OUT] course is assigned to the first set of reservations. For the next group, 7 of the “OUT” course
Allocate a time slot of 20 minutes.

The allocation is performed in consideration of both the priority and the required number of sets. For example, consider a case where a third set of reservations requires two sets of frames. In the setting shown in FIG.
In the frame of the seventh priority “7:40”, two sets of reservations cannot be secured continuously from there. The same applies to the fourth priority. In the case of the fifth priority, two sets of frames can be secured at 6:20 and 6:40. As described above, the time zone in which the required number of sets can be continuously secured is searched according to the priority order, and the provisional reservation time is set. When two sets of reservations are made in this manner, the fourth and fifth frames are closed while the third priority time frame remains empty. Thereafter, when a reservation requiring one set of frames is made, a third frame is allocated.

As described above, by making it possible for the golf course to set the time zone and the restriction on the online reservation, the reservation can be conveniently allocated to the golf course. Further, the online reservation and the normal reservation can be separated, and confusion between them can be avoided.

In the modified example, the case where both the reservation permission box 31 and the priority order box 32 are provided is exemplified, but only one of them may be used. For example, if only the reservation permission box 31 is used, the time period in which online reservations can be accepted is limited, but time is assigned without setting a priority within the set time.
If only the priority box 32 is provided, two modes can be realized depending on how to handle a time zone in which no priority is set. As a first aspect, online reservations may not be accepted during a time period in which no priority is set. As a second aspect, it is possible to accept online reservations in a time zone in which no priority is set, with a lower priority than a time zone in which the priority is set. In other words, in online reservations, reservations are assigned from the time zone where priority is set, and after all those time zones are closed,
A reservation is assigned in a time zone in which no priority is set. Either mode may be adopted.

D. Other Modifications: In the embodiment, the reservation server 20 having the first function of authenticating a user and the second function of performing a reservation with simplified input has been exemplified.
The system may be configured by applying only one of them. If only the first function is applied, user authentication is performed using a phone number and other terminal-specific information.
When actually performing a reservation operation, the system requires that the use time and the like must be specified in detail. If only the second function is applied, a user ID and a password need to be input at the time of so-called login, but a system can be reserved with simplified information such as a use date.

The embodiment has exemplified the reservation system in which the use time is not specified at all. The present invention can be configured in various modes in which the use time has a degree of freedom. For example, a mode in which the desired time is specified in a large frame such as the seven o'clock and the eight o'clock may be adopted. In the reservation database 27 illustrated in FIG. 3 earlier, time frames are prepared so that up to 6 sets can be reserved every 10 minutes at 7 o'clock. In such a case,
If the desired time is specified in units of "7 o'clock", the time is specified with six degrees of freedom.
Therefore, the use time of the golf course can be specified so that the facility can be effectively used within the range of the degree of freedom.
There is also an advantage that the user can specify the use time to some extent. The range in which the degree of freedom is allowed can be arbitrarily set according to the reservation target within a range in which the facility can be effectively used by adjusting the use time.

In the embodiment, the method of sequentially filling the reservation from the early time with respect to the idle time has been described. The use time can be specified according to other various rules. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, since six sets of reservations can be accepted at 7 o'clock, up to six sets of reservations may be received in a time frame of 7 o'clock. For each user,
A usage time of “7:00” is notified. On the day, it will start every 10 minutes in the order of early arrival at the golf course. In addition, a mode in which the available time of the day is early and late may be alternately filled. Even in such an embodiment, since the unoccupied time is secured near the center of the available time, the facility can be effectively used as in the embodiment.

In the embodiment, the use time is specified by the reservation server 20. As usual, it may be used in combination with a reservation method in which the user specifies the use time. For example, for a group starting from 8:00 am to 9:00 am, the user can designate a use time and make a reservation, and for a time period from 7:00 to 8:00, the use time is determined by the method described in the embodiment. The information may be specified by the reservation server 20.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the mobile phone 10 is used as the terminal device has been described as an example. However, an ordinary computer or the like may be used as the terminal device. For authentication of the user, not only the telephone number but also various information unique to the terminal can be used. If there is an ID signal attached for communication other than the telephone number, it may be used. In the example,
Although the case of applying to the golf course reservation system is illustrated,
The present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to the use of various facilities such as restaurants, beauty salons, and conference rooms, and reservations for providing services. Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and it goes without saying that various configurations can be adopted without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of an online reservation system as an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of a customer database 23;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing contents of a reservation database 27;

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a display example when making an online reservation from the mobile phone 10;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a use time specifying process.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific situation of use time.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a screen display of the mobile phone after a use time is specified.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a reservation setting screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Mobile telephone 12 ... Provider 20 ... Reservation server 21 ... Display module 22 ... Input / output module 23 ... Customer database 24 ... Reservation authentication module 25 ... Form transmission module 26 ... Usage time specification module 27 ... Reservation database 28 ... Result output module 29 ... Reservation confirmation module 30 ... Reservation setting screen 31 ... Reservation permission box 32 ... Priority order box 33 ... Confirmation button 34 ... Reset button

Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat II (Reference) H04M 11/00 303 H04B 7/26 M (72) Inventor Sachi Koike 2-22-22 Higashisakura, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi Star Net F-term in Japan Co., Ltd. (reference)

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. An online reservation system for receiving a reservation of a product or service from a terminal device via data communication using a public communication line, comprising: a terminal-specific information unique to the terminal device; A customer database that stores available customer information in association with each other; an acquisition unit that acquires terminal-specific information transmitted from the terminal device; and if the terminal-specific information is data registered in the customer database, An online reservation system comprising: a reservation authentication unit for receiving the reservation. 2. The online reservation system according to claim 1, wherein said public communication line is a public telephone line, said terminal-specific information is a telephone number of said terminal device, and said obtaining means is a communication device. An online reservation system which is a means for acquiring a telephone number transmitted from a terminal device having a function of transmitting its own telephone number as the terminal-specific information. 3. The online reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the customer database is a database in which at least one information communication destination other than the terminal device is stored, and the predetermined information related to the reservation is: An online reservation system comprising a transmission unit for transmitting the terminal device and the information communication destination. 4. An online reservation system for receiving a reservation of a service including a use date and time from a terminal device via a network, wherein input means for inputting reservation request information having at least a degree of freedom in use time from the terminal device. An online reservation system comprising: a use time specifying unit that specifies a use time that can be reserved based on the reservation request information with reference to a reservation database that stores a reservation state of the service. 5. The online reservation system according to claim 4, wherein said input means inputs only predetermined information excluding use time as reservation desired information. 6. The online reservation system according to claim 4, further comprising: an approval input unit configured to notify the specified result to the terminal device and to input an approval for the result from the terminal device. An online reservation system comprising: a reservation confirmation means for registering the reservation in the reservation database as being confirmed in response to the approval. 7. The online reservation system according to claim 4, further comprising: restriction setting means for setting restriction information for restricting the reservable time zone in the reservation database; An online reservation system for performing the identification according to restriction information. 8. The online reservation system according to claim 4, further comprising: a priority setting unit configured to set a priority order for each of the use times in the reservation database; An online reservation system that takes the above into consideration in consideration. 9. The online reservation system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device is a portable mobile terminal. 10. An online reservation method for receiving a reservation of a product or service from a terminal device via data communication using a public communication line, comprising: (a) transmitting terminal-specific information specific to the terminal device to the terminal device; (B) receiving a reservation from the terminal device only when receiving terminal-specific information registered in a customer database that stores the terminal-specific information and customer information in association with each other. Online reservation method to prepare. 11. An online reservation method for accepting a service reservation including a use date and time from a terminal device via a network, comprising: (a) inputting, from the terminal device, reservation request information having at least a degree of freedom in use time; (B) referring to a reservation database storing the reservation status of the service, and
An online reservation method comprising the steps of specifying a reservable use time. 12. A recording medium in which a program for accepting a reservation of a product or service from a terminal device via data communication using a public communication line is recorded in a computer-readable manner, and a terminal unique to the terminal device. A function for receiving the unique information from the terminal device, and accepting a reservation from the terminal device only when receiving terminal unique information registered in a customer database that stores the terminal unique information and customer information in association with each other. A recording medium that stores a program that implements functions. 13. A recording medium in which a program for receiving a service reservation including a use date and time from a terminal device via a network is recorded in a computer-readable manner, and the reservation request information has at least a degree of freedom in the use time. A program for realizing a function of inputting the information from the terminal device and a function of specifying a reservable use time based on the reservation request information with reference to a reservation database storing the reservation status of the service. recoding media. 14. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing a terminal device to perform display for making a reservation of a product or service through data communication using a public communication line, wherein the terminal device comprises: A function for displaying a menu for reservation, and when the menu for reservation is selected, without displaying an input screen for information for identifying a user of the terminal device,
A recording medium on which a program for realizing a function of displaying a screen for inputting information related to the reservation is recorded.