JP2003219057A - Information providing method and system thereof, terminal and server thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information providing terminal with high convenience, a system, a method and a server thereof by directly applying connection from the information providing terminal so as to search for a service and decide the service to be utilized when a contact is desired to a provider of a service searched by the information providing terminal thereby smoothly implementing a series of economical activities until settlement of charge accounts. <P>SOLUTION: This invention provides an information providing terminal, an information providing method and system thereof, and the information providing server characterized in that the information providing terminal is provided with an entry means for accepting operation entry, a display means for displaying service information with respect to service provision stored in a storage means of its own terminal or/and other terminal, and a speech means capable of making a speech with a preset speech destination, and a service information providing source is provided with a destination switching means for revising the destination when the service information is specified by the entry means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention
Information providing method and system for providing information on services such as accommodation facilities, sightseeing spots, public institutions, and transportation facilities,
The terminal and the server.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as such an information providing terminal, there is an information providing terminal for displaying the service information on the display means based on the user's input through the input means. This information terminal is mainly used at convenience stores,
It is located in shopping centers, post offices, government offices, banks, stations, etc. By using the information providing terminal, the user searches for information on meals and accommodation facilities, for example, even on unfamiliar land, and searches for a target section when there is a requirement for a government office that is not normally used. It can be said that it is used conveniently.

[0003]

However, although the above-mentioned information providing terminal is convenient in that it can be searched for and obtains information, it is possible to inquire detailed information from the searched facility (for example, a restaurant or a section of a government office). If you are going to contact us for reservations, please use the phone number included in the service information,
It was necessary to enter the number separately using a public phone or mobile phone.

On the other hand, such an information providing terminal is provided with a handset for dealing with troubles, and when the information providing terminal is out of order, just by holding the handset, it is connected to a maintenance center for dealing with the trouble. However, it was not possible to contact the facility using the handset due to functional problems and billing of telephone charges.

According to the present invention, when it is desired to contact a service provider searched by an information providing terminal, the information providing terminal can be directly called to search for a service and determine a service to be used. The purpose of the present invention is to propose a highly convenient information providing terminal, a system thereof, a method thereof and a server thereof, which can smoothly carry out a series of economic activities until the settlement of charges.

[0006]

According to the present invention, there are provided an input means for receiving an operation input, a display means for displaying service information related to a service provided by the storage in a storage means of its own device and / or another device, and preset. An information providing terminal or an information providing method comprising a call destination capable of making a call and an information providing method,
When the service information is specified by the input unit, the information providing terminal or the information providing method includes a callee switching unit that changes the callee to the service information provider. The own machine includes being the information providing terminal. The other machine includes an information management server that allows a device on the network to access the service information, a database server connected to the information management server, and / or another device on the network. .

The display means includes a liquid crystal display and a cathode ray tube display. The input device includes a touch panel, a keyboard, a numeric keypad, and a mouse type input device. The service information is provided by restaurants, hotels, facilities such as theme parks, services such as sales, accommodation and use, services provided by government offices such as acceptance of procedures at each section, transportation and distributors. Including that it is information about services related to the movement of goods or people. The information providing terminal,
This includes being an information providing terminal installed in a station, a convenience store, or the like, or an ATM (automatic cash dispenser) installed in a bank or the like. The call destination switching unit includes a control device that switches a call destination of the call unit.

With the above structure, the user searches the service information with the information providing terminal to extract the desired service, and provides the information to the provider (for example, the telephone reception desk in the case of a public office) that provides the service. You can make inquiries, make reservations, and make purchases by directly calling from the terminal.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the information providing terminal may include a search means for searching for any service information from the storage means. The search means includes a control device that searches the service information stored in the storage means for service information that matches the condition based on the input condition. With the above configuration, the user can search for desired service information.

As a preferred embodiment, the information providing terminal may be an information providing terminal provided with a server for managing the service information and having a communication means for communicating with the server to obtain the service information. it can. The server includes a server such as an internet server and a database server. With the above configuration, for example, service information can be obtained from a server connected to the Internet, and if there is a plurality of information providing terminals and the service information is maintained in the server, any information providing terminal can be updated without maintenance. You can use the service information of.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the information providing terminal may include a settlement means for collecting the service information providing fee and / or the call fee of the call means. The provision fee includes an information provision fee for service information, a service information listing fee, and an advertisement fee. The call fee includes a fee charged according to a call time. The payment means is a credit card system,
A card processing device for processing a medium such as an IC card or a magnetic card used in a cash card system, a debit card system, a prepaid card system, an electronic money system, and / or a cash settlement system, and / or It includes a cash processing device that directly processes cash by a cash settlement method or the like.

[0012] With the above configuration, since it is possible to collect call charges, information provision charges, commissions, advertising charges, etc. from users, service providers, etc., call the telephone number at which the call charge is generated, not the toll-free number. At the same time, the information providing fee can be collected from the user to increase the profit.

Further, the present invention comprises a storage means for storing service information relating to service provision, an information management server for connecting to a network by a communication means, and permitting devices on the network to access the service information. The service information is accessed by the communication means and is displayed on the display means, the input means is allowed to specify the service information, and the call destination of the call means is the specified service information from a preset call destination. It is possible to provide an information providing system in which an information providing terminal that is changed by a call destination switching unit is provided at the provider of the information.

The network is the Internet, an intranet, a LAN (local area network).
Including that. The service information includes service information stored in the information management server, service information stored in a device such as a database server connected to the information management server, service information stored in a device on the network, and the like.

The access is permitted by, for example, storing the service information in the information management server or a database server connected to the information management server and permitting access, for example, storing the service information in the database server or a device on the network. The service management method includes a method of allowing the information management server to access the service information each time and permitting access from the information providing terminal.

Thus, the information providing terminal can obtain the service information from the information management server, and the service information stored in the information management server is stored in the database server connected to the information management server. Service information, for example, service information stored in another server on the Internet (for example, a server of a service provider) can be included.

As a preferred embodiment, the information providing terminal and / or the information management server may be provided with a settlement means for collecting the service information providing fee from the user and / or the service information provider. The payment means processes a card such as an IC card or a magnetic card used in a credit card system, a cash card system, a debit card system, a prepaid card system, an electronic money system, and / or a cash payment system. It includes a device and / or a cash processing device that directly processes cash by a cash settlement method or the like.

With the above configuration, it is possible to make a call to a telephone number for which a call charge is incurred, and collect an information provision charge from the user to make a profit. In addition, for example, the information management server can pay the telephone charges and make payment so that the user can call the telephone number at which the call charge is generated free of charge.

Further, the present invention can be an information providing server including communication means for connecting to and communicating with a network, and permitting an apparatus on the network to access service information regarding service provision. The service information includes service information stored in the information providing server, service information stored in a database server connected to the information providing server, service information stored in another server connected to the network, and the like. With the above configuration, the service information can be centrally managed by the information providing server, and, for example, even when a plurality of information providing terminals are provided, the latest service information can be obtained on all the information providing terminals under the same condition.

[0020]

According to the present invention, the user can retrieve service information and contact the service provider by simply operating the information providing terminal, and the convenience of the information providing terminal is surely improved. .

For example, if a server that manages a plurality of service information, such as a service provider, communicates with the management server and the service information can be retrieved by the information providing terminal, the amount of service information that the user can retrieve increases. To do.
At this time, the service provider who manages the service information increases the fees and advertisement charges for the provider of the managed service and increases the access means to the service information (that is, in addition to the access from the Internet, It is possible to make an appeal (such as enabling access from the information providing terminal), and expect an increase in income.

Further, by providing the settlement means, the call charge,
Service information provision fees, commissions, advertisement fees, etc. can be collected from users, service providers, etc., and the call method that was conventionally used only for dealing with trouble such as breakdown of information providing terminal with autophone, It is possible to make a call to a telephone number at which a call charge is generated and improve the utility value as a call means.

Further, by making it possible to retrieve service information and to call the provider of the service with one information providing terminal, it is possible to perform detailed analysis of the number of times of browsing and the number of calls of individual service information. Information can be stored.
The service provider who received this analysis information can use it for examining the content of the service information and analyzing the effect, and can obtain detailed information when considering the advertising means, which is one of the management issues. It is possible to make highly accurate judgments.

[0024]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of the information providing system 1. In the present embodiment, a restaurant exists as a provider that provides a service, and the user also uses the service information that the provider manages independently. Collect or distribute calling charges and fees to telecommunications carriers and restaurants.

The information providing system 1 is the Internet 2
The information providing terminal 30, the provider server 50, and the management server 60 connected to the management server 60, and the bank servers 58, 68, 88, 98 connected to the management server 60.

The information providing terminal 30 is a terminal used by the user, and carries out input of operations, display of service information, calling and settlement processing. The provider server 50 has a provider DB (database) 51, and the service information B (described later) managed by the provider is stored in the provider DB 51. The management server 60 is an information DB
61, and the service information A (described later) managed by the management company is stored in the information DB 61.

The bank server 58 is a server of a bank in which the provider has an account, and has an account DB 59.
In addition, the account information including the provider is stored in the account DB 59. Similarly, the bank server 68 is an account of the management company, the bank server 88 is an account of a communication company that collects call charges by connecting telephones, and the bank server 98 is an account of a restaurant that provides services. It has the account DBs 69, 89 and 99 stored therein.

The restaurant requests the management company in advance to register service information such as usage budget and telephone number, and the service information is added to the service information A and stored in the information DB 61. ing.

Further, each of the servers (50, 58, 60,
68, 88, 98) internally includes a control device (not shown) and a communication device (not shown), and can communicate between each of the servers and the information providing terminal 30 as necessary. .

With the above configuration, when the user operates the information providing terminal 30 to search for service information, the management server 60 causes the service information A stored in the information DB 61 and the service stored in the provider DB 51 of the provider server 50. Service information that matches the search condition can be extracted from the information B and transmitted to the information providing terminal 30. The user can obtain the information by looking at the display of the transmitted service information, call the service provider, for example, a restaurant, and make a reservation or the like. You can settle fees and information provision fees.

Next, the appearance of the information providing terminal 30 will be described with reference to the perspective view shown in FIG. Information providing terminal 30
Is a vertically long, generally rectangular prism with a height that allows ordinary people to operate it in a standing position. The upper third of the front face is tilted slightly upward from the vertical. A surface and a downwardly inclined surface slightly inclined downward from the vertical, and are formed in this order from above.

At the center of the upward slope, a customer service operation /
The display unit 33 is provided, and the customer service operation / display unit 33 is formed by stacking a touch panel 33a for detecting coordinates touched with a finger on a display 33b displaying an image such as a character or a picture. An operation panel 37 is provided directly below the customer service operation / display section 33.
Is provided to form an input device for inputting a personal identification number or the like.

On the left side of the customer service operation / display unit 33, a receiver 32a for making a call is provided. In the normal operation, it is set to call the maintenance center by simply raising the handset 32a. In the maintenance center, a staff member such as a maintenance staff member who maintains the information providing terminal 30 is generated by the ATM function, for example. We are on standby to handle phone calls in case of trouble.

At the lower right of the customer service operation / display unit 33, there is provided a keyhole 48 for locking the case so that the clerk cannot open the case except when the inside of the information providing terminal 30 is maintained.

Speakers 47, 47 for producing a sound are provided on both sides on the upper side of the downward slope, and a statement slip discharge port 38a for discharging a detailed slip is provided at the center of the downward slope. A card insertion slot 35a for inserting the card 3 storing information such as the amount of money is provided on the right side. A slight inclined surface facing upward is formed in the lower part of the downward inclined surface, and a coin inlet / outlet 34 is provided on the left side near the center of the inclined surface.
a, a bill inlet / outlet 34b is provided on the right side.

With the above configuration, the user operates the touch panel 33a or the operation panel 37 to browse the service information displayed on the customer service / display section 33 (display 33b), and touch the touch panel to the provider of the target service. Three
3a or the operation panel 37 is operated to call and receive the handset 32a
Call to insert a coin into the coin inlet / outlet 34a, insert a banknote into the banknote inlet / outlet 34b, or insert the card insertion slot 35a.
Pay the call charge and the information provision charge by inserting the card 3 into.

Next, the internal structure of the information providing terminal 30 will be described with reference to the circuit block diagram shown in FIG. CPU
The main control unit 41 configured by is stored inside the information providing terminal 30 and executes control of each processing unit based on a program. In addition, the storage device 44 that executes control for retrieving service information based on user input and control for changing the call destination is composed of a hard disk, and the main control unit 41 executes each control process. The program is stored, and necessary information is read and written under the control of the main controller 41. The interface 31 connects each processing unit to the main control unit 41, transmits a control signal from the main control unit 41 to each processing unit, and sends a processing signal from each processing unit to the main control unit 41. introduce.

The call control unit 32 transmits / receives a communication signal to / from the main control unit 41, and normally, when the receiver 32a is picked up, the maintenance center is called to enable communication with the maintenance center. When the call destination is switched to No. 41, the call can be made to the switched call destination. The customer service operation / display unit 33 is
As described above, the touch panel 33a and the display 3
3b, and sends an input signal touched by the user to the main control unit 41. Further, an image such as a picture or a character is displayed according to the display signal received from the main control unit 41. The cash processing unit 34 is connected to the coin inlet / outlet 34a and the banknote inlet / outlet 34b, and discriminates between the coin inserted into the coin inlet / outlet 34a and the banknote inserted into the banknote inlet / outlet 34b, and the denomination. Then, the deposit process is executed to transmit the amount as a deposit signal to the main control unit 41. In addition, when there is a withdrawal of change or the like, a withdrawal process for paying out coins from the coin inlet / outlet 34a and bills from the banknote inlet / outlet 34b is also executed based on a withdrawal signal from the main control unit 41.

The card processing section 35 has the card insertion port 3
Read the information stored in the card 3 inserted from 5a,
The read signal is transmitted to the main control unit 41, and based on the write signal from the main control unit 41, the information stored in the card 3 is overwritten with the amount of money or the like to update the information of the card 3.

The communication control unit 36 communicates with the management server 60 based on the communication signal from the main control unit 41, and executes the communication processing required for information retrieval and payment. In addition to this, communication with the provider server 50 is also executed, and access to service information B (described later) stored in the provider DB 51 of the provider server 50 is enabled.

The operation panel 37 receives an input such as a personal identification number from the user and sends the input signal to the main storage unit 41. The statement slip processing unit 38 receives the print control signal from the main control unit 41, prints the usage statement such as the call charge and the information provision fee, and discharges the statement from the statement slip discharge port 38a.

The journal processing unit 39 receives the print control signal from the main control unit 41, and uses the detailed information such as the call charge and the information provision charge by the user, the browsing history of the service information,
Information such as call history and payment history is stored and accumulated.

With the above structure, when the user operates the information providing terminal 30, the customer service operation / display section 33 recognizes an input signal, and based on the input signal, the main control section 41.
The communication control unit 36 receives service information from the management server 60 via the Internet 2. When the user searches for a desired service and gives a call instruction on the customer service operation / display unit 33, the main control unit 41 changes the call destination from the maintenance center to the service provider in response to the call instruction. Then, the call control unit 32 makes a call, and when the call ends, the cash processing unit 34 or the card processing unit 35 settles the call charge and the information providing charge.

Next, together with the circuit block diagram shown in FIG.
The structure of the management server 60 will be described. Since the management server 60 is a host computer, description of its external appearance is omitted.

The management server 60 is internally provided with a control device 62 including a CPU and a storage device (not shown), and the control device 62 controls each device by the CPU based on a program stored in the storage device. Then, the storage device is used as a temporary storage area to control each device. Whether or not each device such as the information providing terminal 30 that accesses the management server 60 via the Internet 2 is checked for proper access and whether access to the service information A (described later) is permitted or not Determine whether or not.

The input device 63 is composed of a keyboard and a mouse (not shown), and transmits the input of the system administrator or the like to the control device 62 as an input signal. The communication device 64 is
The communication with each device connected to the Internet 2 is enabled, and the communication is performed by the communication signal of the control device 62.

The display 65 displays an image containing information according to a display control signal from the control device 62. The information DB 61 internally stores the service information A, and the service information A is stored in accordance with an access signal from the control device 62.
Read and write.

With the above structure, the management server 60 executes addition, modification, and deletion of the access information A in the information DB 61 based on the input of the input device 63, etc., and the information providing terminal 30 connected to the Internet 2. For each device such as, the access to the service information A is permitted if the access is normal. Further, the service information B is browsed by accessing the provider server 50 (FIG. 1), and when the access of the service information A is permitted, the access of the service information B is also permitted.

Next, the service information A stored in the information DB 61 of the management server 60 will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram shown in FIG. The service information A stores information about restaurants and tourist destinations that provide services,
The data structure represents: ID: a single identification number assigned to each service. Genre: Represents genres such as meal (restaurant), sightseeing, and lodging. Category: Represents a category (Japanese, French, etc.) to be further classified within the genre. Prefecture: Shows the prefecture where the service is provided. Municipalities: Shows the municipalities of the service providers. Budget: Indicates the budget for receiving services. Rank: Indicates the priority determined by the advertisement fee paid by the service provider. Name: Indicates the name of the facility that provides the service. TEL: Indicates a contact point of the service provider or a representative contact point. Others: In addition, detailed information about service providers is stored (not shown). It is formed by items (fields) such as.

The service information B stored in the provider DB 51 of the provider server 50 is also formed with the same items as the service information A, but detailed description thereof will be omitted. With the above data structure, it becomes possible to search service information by genre, division, prefecture, city, city, budget, and the like.

Next, the operation of the information providing system 1 will be described with reference to the process flow diagram of the information providing system 1 shown in FIG. 6 and the screen image explanatory diagrams of the information providing terminal 30 shown in FIGS. First, in the customer service operation / display unit 33 (display 33b) of the information providing terminal 30, as shown in (A) of FIG. 7, operation guidance displaying six selection buttons 33a for selecting a service genre such as shopping and meals. A screen is displayed to allow the user to select (step n1).

If the user selects, for example, a meal, the customer service operation / display unit 33 displays a search screen as shown in FIG. 7B, and the user can input search conditions.
Selection is made (step n2).

Here, on the search screen, a combo box 33b for selecting a prefecture, a combo box 33c for selecting a city, a combo box 33d for selecting a type (classification) such as French food or Japanese food, a budget A combo box 33e for selecting a range is displayed, and by pressing an OK button 33f after selecting a desired item, the process moves to the next information search / extraction process.
In addition, when the return button 33g is pressed, the screen returns to the previous screen (that is, step n1), but this time, French cuisine in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, budget 1,000 to 15,000.
It is assumed that the search is performed with a search condition of yen.

The main control unit 41 of the information providing terminal 30 transmits the search condition to the management server 60, and the management server 60 receiving the search condition receives the service information A stored in the information DB 61.
Then, the service information B stored in the provider DB 51 of the provider server 50 is accessed, the service information corresponding to the search condition is extracted and transmitted to the information providing terminal 30 (step n3).

The information providing terminal 30, which has received the extracted service information, displays a list of five pieces of the service information as shown in FIG. 7C (step n4). At this time, the display order is the highest rank, that is, the rank A is displayed first. In addition, the above-mentioned rank sets a fee depending on which rank the contract is made when making a contract to publish service information with a provider, a restaurant, etc.
If the payment fee is high, register it in a higher rank. The user touches the display change button 33h to perform operations such as confirming the 6th to 10th items, touches the displayed French restaurant name, and details shown in (D) of FIG. The detailed information of the French restaurant is displayed as on the screen, and the user selects the French restaurant that suits his / her preference (step n5).

The user decides to call the selected French restaurant and calls button 3 on the detailed screen.
When 3i is touched (step n6), the main control unit 41 responds (responds) to the operation of the user, changes the call destination from the maintenance center to the French restaurant, and sends a communication signal to the call control unit 32. Send and call the French restaurant (step n7).

At this time, the customer service operation / display section 33 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (E) of, the message box 33k displays "Please pick up the handset."
2a is taken (step n8).

When the telephone is connected, a conversation between the user and the clerk of the French restaurant for inquiries about detailed information, reservation, etc. is carried out (step n9), and the main control unit 41 finishes the conversation and receives the handset. Wait until 32a is put back in place (step n10).

When the handset 32a is placed in the original place, the main control section 41 calculates the information providing charge and the call charge (step n11). Based on the calculation result, the main control unit 41
Causes the customer service operation / display unit 33 to display a payment method selection screen for allowing the user to select the payment method of the call charge and the information provision charge as shown in FIG. 8F (step n12).

When the user touches the cash payment button 33l to select cash payment (step n1)
4), coin inlet / outlet 34a (FIG. 1) and bill inlet / outlet 34b
The lid is opened to allow cash to be input, and upon receipt of the user's cash, cash payment processing such as amount calculation and change calculation is performed (step n15).

When the user selects the card payment button 33m, the user inserts the card 3 into the card insertion slot 35a, and the card payment process is performed (step n).
16).

The main control unit 41 ejects the statement sheet in which the statement sheet processing unit 38 prints the usage fee and the balance of the card 3 from the statement sheet outlet 38a (FIG. 1), and the journal processing unit 3
The information such as the service information (that is, the French restaurant displayed in detail) searched and browsed in 9 and the service information that is called (that is, the French restaurant that is called) is stored and printed (step n17). . As described above,
The user can retrieve the service information, call the provider who provides the desired service, and settle the charge.

Next, the flow of distributing the settled charges to the communication companies and the like will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram shown in FIG. The management company collects the fee and advertisement fee for posting the service information from the provider and the restaurant,
The user collects telephone charges and information provision charges and pays the telephone charges to the telephone company.

The fee collected from the provider is a fixed amount system in which a fixed amount of money is collected every month, and the management server 60 manages the account DB 5 of the bank server 58 (FIG. 1) every month.
The account is withdrawn from the provider's account stored in No. 9 and deposited into the account of the management company in the account DB 69 of the bank server 68.

The fees and advertisement fees collected from the restaurant are also deducted from the restaurant account (account DB 99) as a fixed rate system and deposited in the management company's account, as in the case of the provider.

The telephone fee paid to the telecommunications carrier is a management server 60 once a month as a pay-as-you-go system by accumulating the telephone call fee determined by the call duration and the call distance in the call control unit 32.
Transfer from the account of the management company (account DB 69) to the account of the communication company (account DB 89). When paying the provider usage fee to the provider from the management company, the provider usage fee required for internet connection is transferred from the management company's account (account DB 69) to the provider's account (account DB 59) as a flat rate system.

When paying the information providing fee to the restaurant from the management company, the information providing fee due to the disclosure of useful information is fixed as a fixed amount from the management company's account (account DB 69) to the restaurant's account (account DB). Transfer to DB99). Through the above processing, the collection and distribution of each fee is executed by the management server 60, and the payment to the related company is automatically performed.

The billing method for each of the above charges may be replaced by the metered rate system and the flat rate system. Further, the information provision fee may be reduced from the fee paid by the user to only the call fee, or the call fee may be free without being collected. At this time, the call charge may be covered by the fee or advertisement revenue from the provider and the restaurant, or the call charge may be collected from the account of the callee such as the provider and the restaurant and transferred to the telecommunications carrier.

On the contrary, the information providing fee may be paid to the provider from the management company so that the service information can be easily collected. Further, the card 3 is a magnetic card that stores information by magnetism, or an IC card (contact IC card or non-contact IC card) that stores information by an IC internal element, and the card processing unit 35 uses the magnetic card or the IC. The information on the card may be read and written. In the case of the non-contact type IC card, an antenna for transmitting and receiving information, an EEPROM for storing programs and information, a CPU for executing control processing
It is composed of a non-contact card equipped with, etc., and performs an operation by obtaining an electromotive force by communication through an antenna.

As a settlement method, an IC card,
A credit card system, a cash card system, a debit card system, a prepaid card system, an electronic money system, and / or a cash settlement system, and / or cash directly using a card processing unit 35 for processing a medium such as a magnetic card. A cash payment method using the cash processing unit 34 for processing may be used. In the case of the payment method using the card processing unit 35 such as the credit card method, the bank server in which the user's account is connected to the management server 60, and the cash is used when the user pays the call charge and the information provision charge. A medium such as a card or a credit card may be used.

Further, as shown by a virtual line in FIG. 6, the user may be required to insert the card 3 before calling.
In this case, the button 33 to call in step n6 described above
After touching i, the card 3 is requested to be presented (step n6a), and after the card 3 is presented, the call is carried out and the subsequent processing is executed with the card 3 held, and the card settlement processing is completed and step n17 The card 3 may be returned after the statement / journal printing process (1) is completed, or after the cash payment process is completed in step n15 (step n17a).

As a result, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to pay the telephone charges and the like, and to reliably collect (settlement) the telephone charges and the information charges. When the card 3 is a magnetic card, the card 3 inserted into the card insertion slot 35a is returned (discharged) to step n17a.
If the card 3 is composed of a non-contact IC card, the IC card may be locked and held up to the step n17a.
As a result, even if the remaining amount of value information such as the amount information and the frequency information stored in the card 3 is insufficient and the card payment cannot be made, the card 3 will not be returned until the cash payment is made.

Further, the server storing the service information accessed by the management server 60 is not limited to the provider server 50, but may be the server of the telephone number publishing company that issues the telephone directory or the intermediary company that manages the recruitment information. It may be configured to access a server or the like.

Further, a plurality of provider servers 50 and a plurality of provider DBs 51 may be formed by contracting with a plurality of providers or the like, and providers that provide various services other than restaurants may be registered in the service information A. . Also,
For example, if the restaurant has its own restaurant server, the management server 60 may access the service information stored in the restaurant server via the Internet 2. Further, the Internet 2 may be composed of an intranet or a LAN (local area network).

Further, the service information B stored in the provider DB 51 is registered in the service information A stored in the information DB 61 of the management server 60, and the management server 60 may handle only the service information A as service information. good. As a result, there is no need to communicate with the provider server 50 when the user searches for service information, and the search speed can be increased. Further, at this time, if the management server 60 is provided with a maintenance function of the server information A so that it can be accessed by a password from a terminal such as the provider server 50, the provider can obtain the service information A.
Can be updated directly.

Further, the information providing terminal 30 is the management server 6
0 is configured to access the information service A stored in 0 and / or the information service B stored in the provider server 50 by the communication control unit 36, and the information providing terminal 30 directly acquires the service information matching the search condition. You may.

The search items may also be configured to include the nearest station, name, detailed address, and the like. In addition, for example, when making a reservation at the accommodation facility listed in the service information, the user operates the information providing terminal 30 to make a direct online reservation, and the information providing terminal 30 is configured so that the accommodation fee can be prepaid. Then, the settlement business may be performed on your behalf. At this time, the cash processing unit 34 or the card processing unit 35 may settle the accommodation fee, transmit the reservation information and the deposit information to the server of the accommodation facility, and transfer the accommodation fee to the account of the accommodation facility. Along with this, in the case of payment by card 3,
If personal information such as name and address is read from the card 3 and the personal information is also transmitted, there is an advantage that the check-in procedure can be shortened.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the network of the present invention corresponds to the Internet 2 of the embodiment, and hereinafter, similarly, the own device corresponds to the information providing terminal 30 and makes a call. The means corresponds to the call control section 32, the communication means corresponds to the communication device of the management server 60 and the communication control section 64, and the display means corresponds to the customer service operation / display section 3.
3, the input means corresponds to the customer service operation / display section 33 and the operation panel 37, and the settlement means corresponds to the cash processing section 34,
Corresponding to the card processing unit 35, the control unit, the call destination switching unit, and the search unit correspond to the main control unit 41, the other devices and servers correspond to the provider server 50 and the management server 60, and the information management server. Corresponds to the management server 60,
The storage means corresponds to the information DB 61, but the present invention
The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment,
Many embodiments are available.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an information providing system.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an information providing terminal.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram of the information providing terminal.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of a management server.

FIG. 5 is a data structure diagram of service information.

FIG. 6 is a processing flowchart of the information providing system.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a screen image of the information providing terminal.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a screen image of the information providing terminal.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of charge settlement of the information providing system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Information provision system 2 ... Internet 30 ... Information providing terminal 32 ... Line control unit 33 ... Customer service operation / display 33b ... display 34 ... Cash processing unit 34 35 ... Card processing unit 35 36 ... Communication control unit 36 41 ... Main control unit 50 ... Provider server 60 ... Management server 61 ... Information DB 64 ... Communication device

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Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An input means for accepting an operation input, a display means for displaying service information regarding service provision of a storage in a storage means of its own device and / or another device, and communication with a preset call destination. An information providing terminal including a call means, the information providing means including a callee switching means for changing the callee to a provider of the service information when the service information is specified by the input means. Terminal. 2. An input means for accepting an input of an operation, a display means for displaying service information regarding service provision of the storage in a storage means of the own device and / or another device, and a call with a preset call destination. An information providing terminal including a calling means, wherein when the service information is specified by the search means for searching for any service information from the storage means and the input means, the service information provider is provided with the service information. An information providing terminal including a call destination switching means for changing a call destination. 3. The information providing terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a server that manages the service information, and a communication unit that communicates with the server and acquires the service information. 4. The information providing terminal according to claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a settlement means for collecting the service information providing fee and / or the call fee of the call means. 5. The input means accepts an operation input, and the display means displays the service information regarding the service provision of the storage in the storage means of the own device and / or another device, and the preset call destination and the call means. A method of providing information capable of making a call by means of an information providing method, wherein the call destination switching means changes the call destination to the service information provider identified by the input means. 6. Storage means for storing service information related to service provision, an information management server for connecting to a network by a communication means to allow a device on the network to access the service information, and the service information. To the display means, access to the display means, the input means to allow the specification of the service information, and the call destination of the call means from the preset call destination is the provider of the specified service information. An information providing system provided with an information providing terminal for changing the call destination switching means. 7. The information provision according to claim 6, wherein the information provision terminal and / or the information management server is provided with a settlement means for collecting the service information provision fee from the user and / or the service information provider. system. 8. An information providing server, comprising communication means for connecting to and communicating with a network, and permitting devices on the network to access service information regarding service provision.