JP2002318959A - Empty information providing system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a system capable of providing empty information in a restaurant, karaoke store, parking lot or the like to a cellular phone user through the Internet in real time. SOLUTION: This empty information providing system 10 comprises a center server 12, and a store-side personal computer 14 connected to the center server 12 through the Internet 16. The center server 12 comprises a member store database 44 for storing the empty information and attribute information of each store transmitted from the store-side personal computer 14, a means for transmitting a retrieval Web page to the cellular phone 22 of the user in the output of a retrieval request of store from the cellular phone 22 through the Internet 16, and a member store retrieval part 38 for retrieving the member store database 44 to extract a corresponding store, and transmitting the retrieval result to the cellular phone 22 together with the empty information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0101]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vacancy information providing system, and more particularly to a vacancy information of a restaurant, a parking lot, a karaoke shop, a hotel, etc., for a mobile phone, a PDA, and a personal computer having an Internet connection function. The present invention relates to a system that enables distribution.

[0092]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the penetration rate of portable telephones (including PHS) has exploded, and the proportion of portable telephones having an Internet connection function has been increasing. Since mobile phone users literally carry their mobile phones on a daily basis and can connect to the Internet more easily than personal computers, they use their free time to check e-mails and browse websites. As described above, as a result of a mobile phone having an Internet connection function in addition to a call function, it is a matter of course that a request to effectively utilize this function as a means for acquiring various information necessary for daily life arises. Various information providing services are being developed.

For example, there is a “gourmet information” providing service that extracts restaurant information stored in a database of a server in accordance with a search request transmitted from a user's mobile phone and returns the information to the user's mobile phone. In this case, the user specifies a region and a genre (different of Japanese, Western, Chinese, etc.) via the input key of the mobile phone, and lists candidate restaurants on the display, and selects one of them. By doing so, it is possible to obtain information such as recommended menus and price ranges of the restaurant, regular holidays, business hours, locations, telephone numbers, and the like. In addition, mobile phones have an auto dial function (Ph
Since one-to-one function is provided, a call can be made to the corresponding restaurant by selecting the display part of the telephone number, and a reservation can be made using the call function of the mobile phone. In addition, hotels, karaoke boxes,
A service for providing information on movies and the like is being implemented.
Mobile phones have small displays and numeric keys, so they have less information display volume than personal computers and PDAs, and require more time for inputting. It can be said that it is extremely useful as a means for searching for detailed information closely related to daily life.

[0093]

However, in a conventional information providing system using a mobile phone, provided information is general information of the restaurant or facility (past,
Or static information), and it was not possible to provide live information occurring in the store in real time. For this reason, the most important current "vacancy information" regarding the restaurant cannot be displayed on the display of the mobile phone, and the user calls each restaurant individually to inquire the availability or make a reservation. Needed. On Friday night, the streets are full of people and brilliant shops are full of places, so it is necessary to repeat the "search → telephone" work endlessly to find a venue for the second party.

The present invention was devised in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional information providing system using a mobile phone, and is mainly intended for users of mobile phones at restaurants and karaoke shops. It is an object of the present invention to realize a system capable of providing empty information in a parking lot or the like in real time via the Internet.

[0086]

In order to achieve the above object, an empty information providing system according to claim 1 comprises a center server and a store-side communication terminal connected to the center server via a communication network. A vacancy information providing system having vacancy information storage means for storing vacancy information transmitted from a communication terminal on the store side in association with a code of the store, and attribute information of each store. Is stored in association with the code of the store, and a store search request is output from the user's communication terminal having an Internet connection function, and a search Web page is stored in the user's communication terminal. Means for transmitting, and when a search condition is transmitted from the communication terminal of the user, searches the store information storage means to extract a corresponding store. Means, means for transmitting a search result to the user's communication terminal, and means for searching the space information storage means and transmitting the extracted space information of the store to the user's communication terminal. I have.

As a result, the user can obtain, in real time, the vacancy information on each store searched through the communication terminal. As the “user communication terminal”,
“I-mode” (registered trademark) of NTT DOCOMO (registered trademark)
“Ezweb” (registered trademark) of “au” (registered trademark), “J-Pho
A mobile phone having an Internet connection function such as “JSky” (registered trademark) of “ne” (registered trademark) is typical, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a Palm (registered trademark) terminal, a Windows CE (registered trademark) terminal, a ZAURUS (registered trademark) terminal (hereinafter referred to as “PDA”) connected to a mobile phone, a mobile personal computer, or the like may be used. Furthermore, it can also be used with a desktop personal computer or an "L mode" (registered trademark) terminal of NTT (registered trademark). The “store” is a concept including a karaoke shop, a restaurant, a parking lot, a hotel, and the like.

There is no particular limitation on the method of searching for a store, but for example, it is performed as follows. That is, when "nearest station" is set as one of the attribute information of each store, and when information for specifying the station name is output as a search condition from the user's communication terminal, the station name is determined as the nearest station. Stores that have been set are extracted. Alternatively, when location information is set as one of the attribute information of each store, the distance and time from the current location (“10 minutes on foot”, “100 m
If the information that specifies “within” is output from the user's communication terminal as a search condition, a store having location information that matches the condition is extracted.

The vacancy information providing system according to claim 2 is
When there are a plurality of extracted shops, a list arranged and arranged in descending order of the number of available spaces is generated, and the list is transmitted to the user's communication terminal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacancy information providing system, wherein when a vacancy information notification request relating to a specific store is output from a user's communication terminal, a web page (compact) for requesting the user's communication terminal to input an e-mail address is provided. HTM
Means for transmitting the e-mail address from the communication terminal of the user, storing the e-mail address in the empty information notification storage means in association with the code of the store, Means for referring to the storage means to determine whether or not there is free information on the store; and, if free information exists, generating an e-mail describing the free information, and storing the free information notification means. And means for transmitting the mail to the mail address stored in the mail address. As a result, the user can be notified by e-mail when a vacancy occurs, even if the target store currently has no vacancy.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when a request for a reservation application for a specific store is output from the user's communication terminal, the vacancy information providing system transmits a Web page requesting the user's communication terminal to input reservation information. Means for transmitting;
Means for storing, when the reservation information such as the name of the reservation person, the reservation date and time, and the number of reservation persons is transmitted from the communication terminal of the user, associating the reservation information with the code of the corresponding store in the reservation information storage means; Means for generating an e-mail in which is described, and transmitting the e-mail to the mail address of the store stored in the store information storage means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vacancy information providing system in which one or a plurality of vacancy information input terminals are provided in each store, and the store side communication terminal is network-connected to the vacancy information input terminal. Further, there is provided a means for totalizing the vacancy information of the store based on the input from the vacancy information input terminal, and automatically or manually transmitting the total to the center server. As a result,
Labor saving and transmission of vacant information at each store is saved.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an overall image of a free space information providing system 10 according to the present invention. PC as a communication terminal on the store side managed by restaurants such as restaurants, karaoke stores, and parking lots
14 are connected to the network via the Internet 16 or a dedicated line (not shown). In addition, a mobile phone 22 having an Internet connection function possessed by each user 18 and staff 20 of each member store is connected to the Internet via a packet communication network 24 and a gateway server 26 of a communication carrier.
Connected to 16. Further, a personal computer 28 and a PDA (not shown) having a communication function possessed by the user 18 are also connected to the center server 12 via the Internet 16.
The mobile phone 22 of each user 18 is connected to a public line network of a communication carrier.
An incoming call can also be made to the telephone 32 at the store via 30.

The center server 12 has a WWW (World Wid
e Web) It has a server function, a mail server function, a DNS server function, an application server function, a database server function, etc., and is actually configured by connecting a plurality of workstations and personal computers to a network.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration of the system 10. The center server 12 includes a mail processing unit 34, a reservation processing unit 36, a member store search unit 38, and member store information registration. The database includes a section 40, a database 42 for notification of free space, and a member store database 44. The above mail processing unit
34, reservation processing part 36, member store search part 38, member store information registration part
40 is the CP of the computer constituting the center server 12
U executes the necessary processing according to the OS and the dedicated program. In addition, the free space information notification database 42 and the member store database 44 are stored in the hard disk of the computer.

FIG. 3 shows an example of data items set in the member store database 44. A store user name, a password, a store name, a store classification, a search classification, a location, Distance from the nearest station (1 minute walk)
), A store manager, a telephone number, a mail address, a FAX number, a nearest station, map information, an outline of a store, vacant information, and reservation information. Of course, these items can be distributed and arranged in a plurality of tables, and the store codes can be linked to each other by using the keys. Above "store classification"
Describes a code for identifying the type of business such as “restaurant”, “karaoke store”, and “parking lot”. The "classification at the time of search" is a feature item of a store specified by the user when searching for a store. For a restaurant, "Japanese food", "Chinese food", "Western food", "Italian food", "French food", and "yaki meat" , Etc. are described. In the case of a karaoke shop, a code indicating characteristics such as "optimal for a secondary party", "enriched meals" and "suitable for joint party" is described. In addition, in the case of parking lot, "multilevel parking lot""underground parking lot"
A code indicating "24-hour response" is described. FIG.
This is an example of data items set in the availability information notification database 42, and items such as a user's mail address, store code, registration date and time, presence / absence of notification, and notification date and time are provided with a case code at the top. I have. It goes without saying that the data items in each database can be increased or decreased as necessary.

A business operator of a store wishing to use the system 10 has previously concluded a member store contract with the system operator, and has made space in the member store database 44 for storing his / her own information. Reserve it. At this time, each business operator submits basic data such as the store name and location, the nearest station, the store manager, map information, and the outline of the store to the system operator in writing. The system operator registers this information in the member store database 44. When registration is completed, authentication information including a combination of a store user name and a password is issued from the system operator to each business operator. If the registered items are changed after the member store registration, the personal computer 14 of each store can access the Web site of the center server 12 via the Internet 16 and make corrections as needed. When a business that operates a large number of stores in a chain joins this system, it is possible to collectively perform the registration procedure for each store or change registered items in a lump.

As described above, it is required for each business operator who has joined the system 10 to transmit the latest free space information in the store to the system 10 in a timely manner. Hereinafter, an example of a karaoke shop will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, a staff member such as a store manager or a manager of a karaoke store accesses a Web site of the system 10 from the personal computer 14 or the mobile phone 22 in the store via the Internet 16 and displays a service menu of the system on a display. Next, "registration of free information" is selected from the service menu. Upon receipt of the request (S10 in FIG. 5), a Web page requesting entry of the store user name and password is transmitted (S11) and displayed on the screen (not shown). On the other hand, when the staff inputs the user name and password of the store, the center server 10 receiving the input (S12) determines whether or not the input password matches the registered password (S13). .

When the authentication step is completed, the center server 10 transmits a web page for registering free information (S14), and displays the web page on the display of the personal computer 14 or the mobile phone 22. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the registration web page 45 is displayed on the display of the mobile phone 22. The staff of the karaoke shop uses the numeric keypad of the mobile phone 22 to set specific numerical values (for example, room “8”). Enter the center server
Reply to 12. In the center server 12 receiving this (S15), the member store information registration unit 40 is activated, and stores the free information in the member store database 44 in association with the store (S16). And when a new customer comes in,
The registration Web page 45 is called up on the display of the mobile phone 22 again, and the update registration for reducing the number of available rooms is performed. Of course, if the guest returns and a karaoke room is vacant, update registration for increasing the number of vacant rooms is performed. As described above, whenever the karaoke room availability changes, the availability information is transmitted to the center server 10 without delay, so that the member store database 44 always reflects the latest availability information.

Next, a procedure when a user obtains free information using the system 10 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. First, the user uses the Internet connection function of his mobile
Access 10 mobile phone-only websites. As a result, a web page indicating a service menu for general users is transmitted from the center server 12 (S20 in FIG. 7), and a store category selection page 46 shown in FIG. 8A is displayed on the display of the mobile phone 22. . When the user selects "2. Karaoke vacancy information" from among these, the Web server 47 for selecting a karaoke shop search method shown in FIG. 8B is transmitted from the center server 12 (S21). Is performed (S22). When the user selects "1. Search for station name", the member store search unit 38 of the center server 12 searches for the station name shown in FIG.
The Web page 48 is transmitted (S23, S24).

Here, when the user operates the numeric keypad of the mobile phone 22 to enter "Mita" station and selects "1. Search start", the member store search unit 38 of the center server 12 receiving the request inputs (S25). ), Search the member store database 44 and extract all karaoke stores for which "Mita Station" is registered as the nearest station (S26). This extraction result is transmitted to the user's mobile phone (S27), and as shown in FIG. 9 (a), the names of the karaoke shops that match the search conditions are displayed in a list on the display.

When the user selects "Pig Echo Tamachi Store" from this list, the center server 12 receiving the selection.
From (S28), We for selecting detailed information about the store
Page b is transmitted (S29), and the screen shown in FIG. 9B is displayed. Here, "1.Location", "2.Phone number", "3.
When the user selects "shop summary", the corresponding information is entered into the affiliated store database 44 by the affiliated store search unit 38 in response to the selection.
From the inside and transmitted to the user's mobile phone 22 (S
30, S31).

On the other hand, when "4. Availability information / reservation" is selected, the member store search unit 38 receiving the selection (S32) extracts the availability information of the store with reference to the member store database 44 (S32). S33), and transmits the free information / reservation page of FIG. 9C to the user's mobile phone 22 (S34). In this page,
The vacancy information of the target store is displayed at the beginning, such as “current vacancy: 3”. When the user selects "1. Click here for the map", the member store search unit 38 receiving this extracts the schematic data around the store from the member store database 44 and sends it to the user's mobile phone 22 (S35, S36). ). As a result, a schematic diagram 52 shown in FIG. 10 is displayed on the screen of the mobile phone 22.

As a result of referring to the vacancy information and the map information, the user who decides to go to the karaoke store,
Select "3. Make a call". Since the telephone number of the karaoke store is linked to this character in advance, a call is made from the user's mobile phone 22 to the telephone 32 of the karaoke store by the automatic dial function of the mobile phone 22. After that, it is only necessary to talk with the staff of the karaoke shop using the call function of the mobile phone 22 to make a reservation or to obtain detailed information.

When the user uses the paid service of the system 10 for the first time, a billing confirmation screen indicating a monthly amount or the like is displayed (not shown). The free information / reservation page 9 (c) is displayed on the screen.

If there is no vacancy in the store desired by the user, it is sufficient to return to the screen of FIG. 9 (a) and check the vacancy information of another similar store. In this case, the free space notification function of the system 10 can be used. Hereinafter, the processing procedure in the free space notification function will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The user who wants to notify the free information first selects "4. Free mail request" on the screen of FIG. 9C. From the center server receiving this, (S in FIG. 11)
40), as shown in FIG. 12, an empty mail reservation Web page requesting the user to input a mobile phone mail address is transmitted (S41). When the user inputs his / her mobile phone e-mail address and selects "Send" on the free e-mail reservation page, the reservation processing unit receiving this (S42) receives the e-mail address of the user and the store code. After associating, the database 42 for notification of free space information
(S43).

When a vacant mail transmission item is registered in the vacancy information notification database 42, the mail processing unit 34 recognizes this and matches the vacancy information with the vacancy information of the store set in the member store database 44. This is performed (S44). If the vacancy information is registered in the record of the store (S45), the mail address in the vacancy information notification database 42 is read by the mail processing unit 34,
An e-mail describing the free information is transmitted to the address (S46). This e-mail is delivered to the user's mobile phone 22 through the packet communication network 24 of the communication carrier. Since the phone number of the store is described in the empty mail, the user can immediately select the phone number, make a call using the automatic dial function of the mobile phone 22, and make a reservation. Become. As a result, for example, when trying to use a karaoke shop as a secondary party, time can be spent in the shop of the primary party until a vacant mail arrives, and it is not necessary to wander around the city without sending a mail.

This system also has a reservation function. In other words, if it is desired to hold a box of a certain karaoke shop, it is a rule to make a telephone call and apply directly as described above on the day, but in the case of a reservation at a later date, FIG.
By selecting "5. Reserve" in the service menu of (c), a reservation can be made in the center server 12. Hereinafter, the processing procedure in the reservation function will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in the center server that has received the reservation request from the user's mobile phone 22 (S50), the reservation processing unit 36 transmits a web page for inputting reservation information shown in FIG. 14A (S51). Will be displayed on the display. On the other hand, when the user inputs the name, the reservation date and time (the date and time of the reservation day is input by default), the number of users, and selects “Send”, the reservation information is transmitted to the center server 12. At the same time, the mobile phone number of the user is also notified to the center server 12 by the caller number transmission function of the mobile phone 22. The reservation processing unit 36 receiving this (S52)
The reservation item confirmation page shown in FIG. 14B is transmitted (S
53), displayed on the display. The user who has checked the displayed contents selects the "confirm" button. The reservation processing unit 36 receiving this (S54) registers the reservation information (reservation person name, date and time, number of people, mobile phone number of the user) in the “reservation information” item of the store in the member store database 44 ( S55).

When the reservation information is registered in the "reservation information" item, the mail processing unit 34 recognizes this, and describes the mail address of the store in the destination field, and also displays the electronic mail with the reservation information described in the text. A mail is generated (S56) and transmitted to the mail server of the store via the Internet 16 (S56).
57). At the store receiving this, after checking the reservation status at the relevant date and time, a notification as to whether or not the reservation can be made is made to the user's mobile phone 22 by e-mail or voice call.

In the above description, an example in which detailed vacancy information of each store is individually displayed, but a simple list of vacancy information of each store can be displayed. For example, FIG.
When the user designates "Mita" station in FIG.
As shown in (a), displaying a list of karaoke shops specifying "Mita Station" as the nearest station and displaying the current vacancy information (the number of vacancies) at each store in a simple manner correspond to this. As a result, the user can first examine the detailed information in order from the store with the largest number of vacancies (FIG. 15B).

In the above description, an example in which a station name search is performed has been described. However, if the user selects "2. Store name search" on the screen shown in FIG.
The member store search unit 38 transmits a store name search Web page (not shown), and karaoke stores that match the inputted store name are displayed in a list on the display of the mobile phone 22. Alternatively, if the user selects “3. Best for a second party”, “4. Enriched meals”, or “5.
The karaoke store to which the corresponding search classification code is added is extracted by the member store search unit 38. Of course, it is also possible to operate so that a plurality of search conditions can be combined and input.

Furthermore, it is possible to search for a karaoke shop that matches the conditions by designating a certain geographical range based on the current position of the user. For example, the user may select “within a 10-minute walk from the current position” or “5
If you select a search condition of "
38 performs a route search and time calculation for an area that can meet the condition, and extracts stores within the condition. For this purpose, the location information of each store must be registered in the member store database 44 in advance.

The current position of the user is, for example, GPS (Global
Positioning System).
That is, radio wave arrival time information from satellites (three or more) detected by the GPS receiving unit built in the mobile phone 22 is transmitted to the center server 12 via the mobile phone network. The center server 12 recognizes the current position of the mobile phone 22 by adding information obtained from the GPS ground station to information obtained from the mobile phone 22. When the user connects to the center server 12 from the PHS having the Internet connection function, the location data can be obtained by using the location information providing service of the PHS. In this case, the center server 12 obtains the position data of the user from the computer system of the position information service center operated by the communication carrier or the like, and based on this, the member store search unit 38 extracts the relevant store.

Alternatively, by setting a popular landmark as the user's current position for convenience, a search system can be constructed more easily. For example, in Shibuya, "Hachiko", "109", "Tokyu Hands",
In the case of Yokohama, famous places such as "Yokohama Stadium" and "Gaijin Cemetery" are displayed on the display of the mobile phone 22 as choices of the current position, and the user is allowed to select the nearest landmark. After that, the distance condition selected by the user based on the landmark (“within 10 minutes walk from current position”)
Etc.), the member store search unit 38 searches for a store satisfying the above conditions. In this case, the time (distance) from each landmark is registered in advance in the member store database 44 for each store ("1 minute walk from Hachiko", "10 minutes from foreign graveyard", etc.), and this data If the search is performed based on the information, it is possible to more easily extract the target store.

In the above description, an example was shown in which the vacancy information of the karaoke shop is displayed by the number of rooms such as "8 rooms", but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is also possible to display the number of vacant rooms in units of the number of occupants in the room, such as "5 rooms for 3 rooms" or "2 rooms for 8 people". On the contrary, it is also possible to simplify the system configuration by omitting the number display such as “vacant room” or “no vacant room”. The method of inputting the vacancy information is not limited to manual input by the store staff as described above. For example, if a system for detecting vacant room information already exists in the karaoke store, the system 10 can be implemented by interposing appropriate interface means.
It is also possible to link the karaoke store and the existing system of the karaoke store so that the vacancy information is automatically reflected in the member store database 44.

In the above description, an example of searching for vacancy information of a karaoke shop has been described. However, basically, when "1. Restaurant vacancy information" is selected on the search target selection screen of FIG. In a similar procedure, services such as browsing free information and receiving free mail can be enjoyed.

This system can also be used for searching for parking lot availability information. That is, the user
When “3. Parking information” is selected on the search target selection screen of (a), a “station name search page” is displayed on the display of the mobile phone 22, although not shown. Here, when "Shimbashi Station" is input and a search request is output, a search process for the member store database 44 is executed by the member store search unit 38, and a parking lot in which Shimbashi Station is registered as the nearest station is extracted. This search result is transmitted to the user's mobile phone 22 via the Internet 16 and displayed on the screen.
FIG. 16 (a) shows an example of this, in which the names of parking lots and the number of vacant spaces that currently have vacant spaces around Shimbashi Station are displayed in a list. As a premise, the staff at each parking lot is obliged to access the center server 12 from the personal computer 14 or the mobile phone 22 via the Internet 16 and upload the latest available information as needed.

When the user selects an arbitrary parking lot from the above, a detailed information request page such as map information and location of the parking lot is displayed on the display of the mobile phone 22 as shown in FIG. Is done. After confirming the location by looking at the location and the map, the user can select "4. Make a call" to call the nearest parking lot and make a reservation.
Since the number of available parking lots is also displayed on the search result display page of FIG. 16A, a user who is familiar with the parking lot situation in the Shimbashi area should check detailed information of each parking lot one by one. You can also go straight to a parking lot with a lot of vacancies without having to make a telephone reservation. FIG.
In FIG. 6 (a), an example is shown in which the search results by the member store search unit 38 are arranged in descending order of the number of vacant vehicles. However, based on the “distance from the nearest station” of each parking lot, the order is ascending from Shimbashi station. They can also be aligned.

In the above description, an example was described in which the store manager and other staff members transmitted the latest vacancy information at each store via the personal computer 14 or the mobile phone 22, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, a mechanism can be provided so that the center server 12 can automatically control the free space information at each store. FIG. 17 shows an example in which the center server 12 and the vacancy information transmitting servers 60 and 62 arranged in the parking lot and the restaurant are connected to the Internet.
Networked via 16

A plurality of parking management terminals 64 are connected to the parking lot availability server 60 via a LAN. The parking management terminal 64 has a space information transmitting function in addition to a parking ticket issuing function and a cash handling function. Specifically, it includes a CPU as a control means, a storage device containing a control program, a sensor for detecting the presence / absence of a vehicle, a communication interface, and the like. It has a function to output to For this reason, the vacancy information transmission server 60 constantly grasps the transition of the vacancy information of the entire parking lot,
The total value can be automatically transmitted to the center server 12 in real time. In the center server 12 receiving this, the transition of the availability information is reflected in the member store database 44 by the member store information registration unit 40.

In a restaurant, a plurality of order input terminals 65 possessed by a customer service clerk (a waiter or a waitress) and a vacancy information transmission server 62 are network-connected by a wireless LAN. Then, at the same time as the customer sits on the seat in charge, each customer clerk inputs to the order input terminal 65 information indicating that the seat has been filled. In addition, when the customer has finished a meal and left a seat, the user inputs information indicating that the seat is vacant. As a result, the vacancy information transmission server 62 can always grasp the transition of the vacancy information in the restaurant, and can transmit the transition to the center server in real time. In the center server 12 receiving this, the transition of the availability information is reflected in the member store database 44 by the member store information registration unit 40.

As described above, the vacancy information transmitting servers 60 and 62 automatically grasp the vacancy information in the store based on the output from the parking management terminal 64 and the order input terminal 65, and recognize this in real time on the center server. By transmitting the information to the center server 12, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of the store manager or staff in each store transmitting the latest available information to the center server 12.

In the above description, it is assumed that the user accesses the Web site of the center server 12 from the mobile phone 12 and retrieves the vacancy information of each store.
Naturally, it is also possible to access the website of the center server 12 via the Internet 16 from a personal digital assistant (PDA) 28 having a communication function and browse the free information of each store.

[0044]

According to the vacancy information providing system according to the present invention, each user can obtain, in real time, vacancy information on each store searched through a mobile phone or the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overall image of a free space information providing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main functional configuration of the system.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data items set in a member store database.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of data items set in a free space information notification database;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a process of registering free information.

FIG. 6 is a layout diagram showing a state in which a web page for free information registration is displayed on the screen of the mobile phone.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure when a user obtains free information.

FIG. 8 is a layout diagram showing a screen display example when a user obtains free information.

FIG. 9 is a layout diagram illustrating a screen display example when a user obtains free information.

FIG. 10 is a layout diagram showing a state where a schematic diagram of a store is displayed on a screen of a mobile phone.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a free space notification function of the system.

FIG. 12 is a layout diagram showing a state in which an empty mail reservation Web page is displayed on the screen of the mobile phone.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a reservation function of this system.

FIG. 14 is a layout diagram showing a state in which a web page for inputting reservation information is displayed on a screen of a mobile phone.

FIG. 15 is a layout diagram showing a screen display example when a user obtains free information.

FIG. 16 is a layout diagram showing a screen display example when a user obtains parking space information.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a system configuration in which a center server automatically controls free information at each store.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Availability information providing system 12 Center server 14 PC 16 Internet 18 Users 22 Mobile phone with Internet connection function 28 PC with communication function 34 Mail processing unit 36 Reservation processing unit 38 Merchant search unit 40 Merchant information registration unit 42 Availability information notification database 44 Member store database 45 Registration Web page 46 Store category selection page 47 Karaoke store search method selection Web page 48 Station name search Web page 60 Empty information transmission server 62 Empty information transmission server 64 Parking management terminal 65 Order input terminal

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06F 17/60 ZEC G06F 17/60 ZEC 17/30 110 17/30 110G 170 170Z (72) Inventor Yoshiko Wakai 5-17-9 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Actis Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Ei Sugimoto 5-17-9 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Actis Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Sho Naraoka Jiro 5-17-9 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Actis Inc. (72) Inventor Keita Kurimoto 5-17-9 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Actis Inc. (72) Inventor Murakami Kazuyuki 5-17-9 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Stock (72) Inventor Fumihiko Morita 5-17-9 Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Actis Inc. (72) Inventor Yoshiharu Oyama 5-17-9, Higashi-Nippori, Arakawa-ku, Tokyo Imas Nippori Building Shares F-term in the company Actis (reference) 5B075 KK07 ND20 NK02 PP12 PP13 PP22 PQ02 PQ46

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A vacancy information providing system comprising a center server and a store-side communication terminal connected to the center server via a communication network, wherein the center server is transmitted from the store-side communication terminal. A vacancy information storage unit for storing vacancy information in association with the store code, a store information storage unit for storing attribute information of each store in association with the store code, and an internet connection function. When a store search request is output from the user's communication terminal, the search Web
Means for transmitting a page to the user's communication terminal; means for searching the store information storage means to extract a corresponding store when search conditions are transmitted from the user's communication terminal; A vacancy information providing system comprising: means for transmitting to a user's communication terminal; and means for searching the vacancy information storage means and transmitting the extracted vacancy information of the store to the user's communication terminal. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when there are a plurality of extracted stores, a list arranged and arranged in descending order of the number of empty spaces is generated, and the list is transmitted to a communication terminal of the user. Availability information provision system. 3. A means for transmitting a web page requesting an input of an e-mail address to a communication terminal of the user when a request for notification of vacancy information relating to a specific store is output from the communication terminal of the user. When the e-mail address is transmitted from, the means for associating the e-mail address with the code of the store and storing it in the free space information storage means, and referring to the free space information storage means to confirm the presence or absence of free information regarding the store Means for generating an e-mail describing the free information when the free information exists, and transmitting the generated e-mail to the mail address stored in the free information notification storage means. 3. The free space information providing system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. A means for transmitting a web page requesting input of reservation information to a communication terminal of the user when a request for a reservation application for a specific store is output from a communication terminal of the user. A means for storing the reservation information in the reservation information storage means in association with the code of the store when the reservation information such as the name of the reservation person, the date and time of the reservation, the number of persons to be reserved is transmitted from the terminal; A means for generating an e-mail and transmitting the generated e-mail to the mail address of the store stored in the store information storage means, the free information provision according to any one of claims 1 to 3, system. 5. Each store is provided with one or a plurality of empty information input terminals, and the store-side communication terminal is connected to the empty information input terminal via a network. 5. The vacancy information providing system according to claim 1, further comprising means for totalizing the vacancy information of the store based on the input, and transmitting the total to the center server.