JP2004086582A - Rental booth as well as rental booth group management device and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently operate rental booths and improve services to be provided in the rental booths. <P>SOLUTION: This rental booth group management device allows users to connect rental booths 6, which provide available spaces for preset periods, to a group management center 7 via a communication network 8 and the group management center 7 to collectively manage and operate a number of rental booths 6. The services to be provided for the users in the rental booths 6 are based on contracts with a plurality of service providers. The group management center 7 performs the management of the users to be moved in and out and the management of schedules. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rental booth, a device for managing a group of rental booths, and a method for renting a part of a space such as a building as a rental booth.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional technology of a service for renting a space in which information devices such as a computer can be used, there is a time-rental office facility disclosed in JP-A-2002-56323. In this time-rental office facility, a computer is placed in a locked private room, the customer performs a procedure at the reception counter, receives the key of the designated private room, enters the room, and starts the computer with the ID registered in advance After that, the desired OS and application programs are transferred from the server in the facility or the management center to the computer. Accordingly, even when the user does not carry his / her own computer or recording medium when going out, office work can be performed in the same operating environment as that of a computer that is usually used by using the time-lending office facility.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, such time rental office facilities need to be handled by a person at a reception counter, which is inefficient, and there is a demand for more efficient operation of the facilities. In addition, considering the convenience of the user, it is necessary to further expand the service.
Therefore, a problem to be solved by the present invention is to efficiently operate a rental booth. Another example is to expand the services provided by rental booths.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Means for solving the above-mentioned problem include group management of a large number of rental booths. The group management is, for example, a method of centrally monitoring and managing a plurality of buildings at a remote management center, and enables a plurality of rental booths to be centrally monitored and managed from a remote location. In addition, as a result of this efficient operation, various services can be provided to users. Specific solutions will be described in detail in the following embodiments of the invention.
[0005]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a rental booth group management system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the system.
As shown in FIG. 1, a rental booth group management system 1 includes a booth manager 3 who has been entrusted with management by a booth owner 2 who is the rental booth owner, such as a building owner, to use the rental booth. , That is, a service to the booth user 4. The services provided to the user through the booth manager 3 include provision of a computer use environment, which will be described in detail later, management of reservations, and a secretary service provider 51 illustrated in FIG. Management of business data as a service, management of schedules, English conversation classrooms provided by the education service provider 52, qualification test courses, maintenance services provided by the maintenance service provider 53, maintenance services, security service providers Security management, which is a service provided by the service 54, and the like.
[0006]
Here, a rental booth is a private room installed in a part of a building or the like, in which a computer terminal etc. that can be connected to a communication network such as the Internet is installed, and a business person traveling on a business trip etc. And work in the office. In the present embodiment, it is possible to receive the above-described reservation management, secretarial service, and education service in addition to the work on the go. As a configuration of the rental booth, as shown in a rental booth 6 illustrated in FIG. 2, a control device 61, an electric lock 62 for locking an entrance / exit door of the rental booth 6, and the like inside the rental booth 6. It has a surveillance camera 63 for monitoring the outside, an authentication means 64, and a computer terminal 65 used by the booth user. By performing air conditioning management and the like, a comfortable environment can be provided to the booth user. ing.
[0007]
The authentication unit 64 is a unit for acquiring ID information of a booth user, and uses a card reader that reads predetermined information from an ID card. The computer terminal 65 includes a control unit 66 including a CPU, an input unit 67 such as a mouse and a keyboard, an output unit 68 such as a display and a printer, and a recording / reading device that reads and writes data from a recording medium. 69.
[0008]
The control device 61 for integrating and controlling the entire rental booth 6 includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like. The control device 61 includes a group management center 7 operated by the booth manager 3 and a data communication network 8 such as the Internet. , Communication control means for giving and receiving information, means for controlling unlocking and locking of the electric lock 62 based on the authentication result of the booth user, and control means for the monitoring camera 63.
[0009]
One or many rental booths 6 are provided for each building, and are connected to a group management center 7 which is set apart from each building via a communication network 8. The situation is monitored. Centrally monitoring and managing a large number of rental booths 6 installed in one building or a plurality of buildings in this manner is referred to as group management in the present embodiment.
[0010]
On the other hand, as a center operated by the booth manager 3 shown in FIG. 1, there is a group management center 7 shown in FIG. That is, the group management center 7 includes an entry / exit management unit 71 for managing the entry / exit of the booth user 4, a schedule management unit 72 for managing the schedule of the booth user 3 and the rental booth 6, and a request from the booth user 3. Service providing unit 73 for providing a service to be performed, a data input unit 74 and an output unit 75, a recording device 76 on which various data are recorded, and a communication control unit for transmitting and receiving data via the communication network 8. 77. Such a group management center 7 includes a county management device including a computer terminal and the like, and is controlled by starting a predetermined program in the county management device.
[0011]
Here, a data file recorded in the recording device 76 of the group management center 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The data file includes information on registrants of the rental booth 6 (registrant information 81), reservation information 82 on the rental booth 6, information on the service provider 5 (service provider information 83) shown in FIG. Content data (content data 84) provided as a service to the user 4. The content data 84 includes a schedule 84a created for the booth user 4, an e-mail and an e-mail 84b containing the transmission / reception record thereof, a document 84c created by the booth user 4, a video conference program 84d, a language The teaching material 84e, the qualification examination teaching material 84f, and the movie 84g are given. These types of content data 84 are examples. Also, some of the content data 84 shown in FIG. 3 may not be provided depending on the contents of the contract with the booth user 4. Here, since the content data 84 includes an application used to create an e-mail or a document, the group management center 7 of the present embodiment can also be said to have a role as an ASP (Application Service Provider).
[0012]
In the system configuration diagram shown in FIG. 2, as other elements, the owner terminal 9 used by the booth owner 2, the user terminal 10 owned by the booth user 4, and the service provider 5 use The service provider terminal 11 is illustrated. These are not essential components of the present system, but can be connected to the present system or exchange data online as needed.
[0013]
First, the owner terminal 9 is used by the booth owner 2 to check the operation status of the rental booth 6 owned by the booth owner, to check whether or not a user has made a complaint, and to check the contents. Can be The owner terminal 9 is a computer terminal or a portable information terminal having a known configuration. The reason why there are a plurality of owner terminals 9 in FIG. 2 is that the rental booth 6 is not limited to one owner.
[0014]
The user terminal 10 is a device used when the booth user 4 mainly makes a reservation for the rental booth 6, and is a computer terminal or a portable information terminal having a known configuration.
[0015]
The service provider terminal 11 allows the service provider 5 to access the group management center 7 to update the information of the booth user 6 who is provided with its own service and upload the content data 84 (see FIG. 3). This is a computer terminal or a portable information terminal having a known configuration.
[0016]
The owner terminal 9, the user terminal 10, and the service provider terminal 11 are configured to be connected to the group management center 7 as necessary or constantly, and transmit and receive data to and from the group management center 7. Is performed according to a known protocol. Also, when the booth owner 2, the service provider 5, and the booth manager 3 receive a usage fee according to their respective roles, or when the booth user 4 transfers the usage fee, these devices are used. You may do it.
[0017]
Next, the processing performed in the group management system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and the flowcharts of FIGS.
First, a general flow of the processing of the group management system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As step S1, the booth manager 3 concludes a management consignment contract with the booth owner 2. With this contract, the use of the rental booth 6, cleaning and maintenance of the equipment, the types of services that can be used in the rental booth 6, the usage fee of the rental booth 6 itself, and the like are determined. In response to the conclusion of this contract, the booth manager 3 concludes a service contract provided by the rental booth 6 (service provision contract) with the service provider 5 in step S2. In this contract, the content and period of the provided service, the number of rental booths 6 to which the service is provided, the usage fee paid for each service, and the like are determined. Then, the booth manager 3 attaches a service use contract from the booth user 4 in step S3. In this contract, information specifying the booth user 4 such as a name, contents of a service desired to be provided, a provision period, a usage fee, and the like are determined. When the service use contract is concluded, the booth manager 3 registers the contents of the service use contract in the group management center 7 as user registration information 81 (see FIG. 3), and an ID for identifying the booth user 4 Create information. Then, in step S4, the corresponding booth user 4 issues an ID card storing the ID information.
[0018]
At this point, the preparation stage is completed, and thereafter, the process proceeds to a process when the booth user 4 actually uses the rental booth 6.
[0019]
At the time of use, the booth user 4 needs to reserve the rental booth 6 in step S5 in advance. The booth manager 3 confirms the use status of the rental booth 6 requested to be reserved by the booth user 4 and the content of the service to be provided. As a result of the confirmation, if it is determined that the reservation is possible, in step S6, the booth user 4 is notified that the reservation has been accepted (reservation acceptance).
[0020]
The booth user 4 who has visited the rental booth 6 at the reserved time first makes a request for using the rental booth 6 in step S7. The use request of the rental booth 6 here means that an ID card is inserted into the authentication means 64 of FIG. 2 and a request to enter the rental booth 6 is made. If entry into the room is permitted, the booth manager 3 gives permission to use the rental booth 6 in step S8, and the electric lock 62 is unlocked.
[0021]
The booth user 4 who has entered the rental booth 6 activates the computer terminal 65 and requests the provision of a service in step S9. The booth manager 3 selects the service provider 5 in step S10 and requests the provision of the service. Then, in step S11, a service is provided to the rental booth 6 used by the booth user 4. The provision of the service in step S11 may be performed by the booth manager 3 or by the service provider 5.
[0022]
Subsequent processing is performed after the use of the service is completed. This process is performed every time the rental booth 6 is used, or every fixed period.
In step S12, the booth user 4 pays the usage fee to the booth manager 3. From the paid fee, a service fee is paid to the service provider 5 (step S13), and a booth usage fee is paid to the booth owner 2 (step S14). The remaining fee is the income of the booth manager 3.
[0023]
Further, the processing in the rental booth 6 when the booth user 4 receives the provision of the service using the rental booth 6 will be described mainly with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5 and the processing in the management center 7 mainly with the flowchart of FIG. I do.
[0024]
As shown in step S21 of FIG. 5, the rental booth 6 reads the ID information of the user. The reading of the ID information is performed by the authentication unit 64 of FIG. 2 reading the identification information (ID information) recorded on the ID card and transferring it to the control device 61. Then, the control device 61 transmits the ID information read from the ID card in step S22 to the group management center 7 using the communication network 8. At this time, the control device 61 also transmits information that can identify the rental booth 6 (ID information of the rental booth 6) at the same time as the information that has been allocated in advance. Then, the group management center 7 notifies whether the booth user 4 has permission to enter the room, and the control device 61 proceeds with the process according to the content of the received notification. That is, if the notification from the group management center 7 is to permit the booth user 4 to enter the room (Yes in step S23), the process proceeds to step S24, and the control device 61 unlocks the electric lock 62. Let it. On the other hand, if the entry of the booth user 6 is not permitted (No in step S23), the control device 61 receives an error signal in step S25, and a display (not shown) so that the booth user 4 can recognize the error signal. (Step S26).
[0025]
When the electric lock 62 of the rental booth 6 is unlocked in step S24, the booth user 4 enters the corresponding rental booth 6 and activates the computer terminal 65. When the computer terminal 65 is started, a selection screen 91 as shown in FIG. 7 is output on the display. The selection screen 91 is provided from the group management center 7, and mainly includes a provided service area 92 in which available services can be selected and displayed, a booth user 4 to a booth manager 3, and a service business. And an inquiry area 93 for selecting an inquiry to be made to the person 5 and inputting necessary information.
[0026]
In the provided service area 92, a schedule button 94 for confirming a schedule, a mail button 95 for starting a mailer for sending and receiving an e-mail, a word processing software for creating a document, and the like, or a file created up to the previous time are prepared. A document button 96 for reading a document, a video conference button 97 for starting a program and connecting a communication line for a video conference when the video conference is held, and a video conference button 97 for taking a lesson in English conversation. English conversation button 98 for outputting the content, OO qualification test button 99 used when booth user 4 studying for the "XX qualification" is studying educational materials, and for playing the movie Movie button 100. The number of buttons may be different for each rental booth 6 or may differ depending on the contract contents of the booth user 4.
[0027]
In the inquiry area 93, a content question button 101 for asking a question about the content provided as a service, an equipment failure button 102 for selecting when the equipment is out of order, and a crime prevention button for selecting when the user is uneasy about safety. A disaster prevention button 103 is arranged in a selectable manner, and when a question item is further input, a question item box 104 in which the input text is displayed and an answer box 105 in which an answer to the input question item is displayed are provided. ing. Then, a transmission button and a reception button, or a transmission / reception button for transmitting the input and displayed question item to the group management center 7 may be arranged (all are not shown).
[0028]
The selection of the buttons 94 to 103 on the selection screen 91 is performed by operation of a mouse or a keyboard, or selection by a pointing device or a finger. The display form of the selected button is changed, such as adding a shadow, inverting the color, or blinking, so that the user can easily check it visually. FIG. 7 shows a case where the schedule button 94 is selected in the provided service area 92, the content question button 101 is selected in the inquiry area 93, and the respective buttons 94 and 101 are highlighted with shadows.
Also, it is possible to display only the buttons of pre-reserved services in an active manner so that they can be selected, or to automatically switch to the output screen of the contents of reserved services without waiting for the user's selection. good.
[0029]
Then, when the booth user 4 selects the buttons 94 to 100 in the provision service area 92 of the selection screen 91, the control device 61 requests the selected service to the group management center 7 as step S27. The request includes the ID information of the booth user 4 and the rental booth 6. Then, the content data 84 of the requested service is transmitted from the group management center 7 and is received. Then, the rental booth 6 provides the service (service requested by the booth user 4) based on the received content data 84 to the booth user 4 through the computer terminal 65 in a form corresponding to the service (step S28). .
[0030]
Here, when the booth user 4 operates any of the buttons 101 to 103 in the inquiry area 93, an inquiry is transmitted to the group management center 7 (Yes in step S29). The inquiry is a kind of service request, and the data transmitted at this time includes the contents of the inquiry, ID information of the booth user 4 and the rental booth 6. As a result of the action taken by the group management center 7 or the like, an answer to the inquiry (including a service accompanying the inquiry) is received (step S30). Specifically, the result of inquiring about the schedule, the answer to the question about the operation of the content, etc., when there is a suspicious person outside the rental booth 6, contact from the security company or dispatch of people, or when the equipment breaks down And how to deal with it.
On the other hand, if there is no inquiry (No in step S29) and the booth user 4 has achieved the purpose of use, the booth user 4 is confirmed to be out of the room, locked, and the process ends.
[0031]
On the other hand, the processing of the group management center 7 is as shown in FIG.
Upon receiving the ID information of the rental booth 6 from the communication control unit 77 in step S31, the group management center 7 determines in step S32 whether the information matches the information stored in the registrant information. The ID information is the ID information of the booth user 4 and the ID information of the rental booth 6, and the entry / exit management unit 71 refers to the user registration information 81 and the reservation information 82 to group the persons specified by the ID information. It is checked whether it is registered properly in the management system 1, whether the date and time of the reservation and the rental booth 6 to be used match.
[0032]
If the entry / exit management unit 71 confirms that the user is the regular booth user 4 in the user registration information 81 and the booth user 4 uses the rental booth 6 registered in the reservation information 82 (step (Yes in S32), the process proceeds to step S33, in which a permission to enter the rental booth 6 is transmitted, and in step S34, the content data 84 corresponding to the service registered in the user registration information 81 is transmitted to the service providing unit 73. Is selected and transmitted from the communication control unit 77 to the corresponding rental booth 6. At this time, when the content of the service to be provided differs depending on the number of uses, the content of the content data 84 is selected based on the attached information registered in the user registration information 81. For example, if the user has taken the fourth lesson in English conversation, the information indicating that the next lesson is the fifth lesson is recorded in the attached information. The content of the fifth lesson of English conversation is selected from the language teaching material 84e.
On the other hand, if the contents do not match the contents of the user registration information 81 and / or the reservation information 82 (No in step S32), an error signal is transmitted in step S35 to notify the booth user 4 of the fact.
[0033]
If the booth user 3 and the reservation can be confirmed and the selected content data 84 has been transmitted (that is, if the process has proceeded to step S34), then if there is a service request such as an inquiry from the booth user 4 (step S34). (Yes in S36), and in step S37, the service providing unit 73 determines the content and determines whether the content can be automatically selected. If the content of the inquiry is categorized or falls within the range assumed in advance (Yes in step S37), the process proceeds to step S39, where the service providing unit 73 responds to the inquiry. The service provider 5 to be selected is selected from the service provider information 83 (see FIG. 3), an instruction is automatically sent, and the service provider 5 is requested to respond. On the other hand, if it is determined that the automatic selection is not possible (No in step S37), the process proceeds to step S38, where the operator of the group management center 7 determines the content, and in step S39, issues an instruction to the service provider 5 Do. The service provider 5 in step S39 may include the group management center 7 itself. This is because the group management center 7 may be able to cope independently.
[0034]
Further, processing when the booth user 4 makes a reservation for the rental booth 6 will be described.
The rental booth 6 can be reserved by first accessing the group management center 7 from the user terminal 10 owned by the booth user 4 to make a reservation. The information necessary for the reservation includes the ID information of the booth user 4, the content of the service to be used, the date and time and the place to be used (the place of the rental booth 6). The location can be specified by using a map provided by the schedule management unit 72 of the group management center 7 in which the location of the rental booth 6 is entered. Alternatively, the booth user 4 may input a station, an area name, an address, and the like, and may search for the rental booth 6 near the station. Further, in addition to this, a reservation may be made from the rental booth 6. In this case, it is preferable to provide a reservation area on the selection screen 91 (see FIG. 7) provided in the rental booth 6 or another screen (not shown) so that the booth user 4 can make a next reservation. The reservation area includes a button, a text box, and the like, and is configured so that information for the reservation can be input or selected. If the next reservation can be made in the rental booth 6, the booth user 4 does not need to have a connection with the group management center 7 each time with another device, which is very convenient.
[0035]
On the other hand, in the processing performed by the group management center 7, first, the schedule management unit 72 searches the user registration information 81 (see FIG. 3) using ID information, and authenticates the booth user 4 who wants to make a reservation. Subsequently, the reservation information 82 (see FIG. 3) is searched for the location and use time of the rental booth 6. If the reservation of the rental booth 6 has already been registered at the corresponding time and place, a notice that the reservation cannot be made is returned to the booth user 4. If there is no such reservation and the rental booth 6 can be used at the desired time, a notice that the reservation has been accepted is returned to the booth user 4. Then, the reservation information 82 is updated so that double booking does not occur, and the reservation processing ends.
[0036]
As described above, the group management system 1 for the rental booths 6 according to the present embodiment employs a group management method to provide a booth user 4 with work, study, or a rest space, and centralizes a large number of rental booths 6. By managing and managing them, efficiency can be improved. Furthermore, as a result of centralized management and operation, it is possible to provide the service with interactivity, and a better environment can be provided to the booth user 4.
[0037]
For example, when a business man on a business trip has to work on the road, he or she can reserve the nearest rental booth 6 with a mobile phone and work. If the application software is registered in advance in the user registration information 81 or registered at the time of reservation, the user can be provided with what he or she normally uses, so it is troublesome due to differences in interfaces and the like. Never. Therefore, comfort and efficiency can be improved as compared with a case where a work is performed using a notebook computer in a hotel or the like.
[0038]
When the booth user 4 is a person who takes a qualification test or a lesson in English conversation, it is possible to study at a place desired by the user. In the past, a service that could only be taken at a limited place provided by the service provider 5 can now be taken at the side of one's own office. It is also possible to take the next course at a completely different place according to the schedule of the day. Further, since the progress is managed by the group management center 7, the course to be taken next can be taken immediately without checking each time.
[0039]
The entry / exit to the rental booth 6 can be managed using the electric lock 62 and the surveillance camera 63, and the surveillance of a suspicious person can be monitored. You can use the rental booth 6 with your heart.
[0040]
The present invention can be widely applied without being limited to the above embodiment.
For example, the authentication unit 64 of the rental booth 6 may use a biometric authentication device that reads a retinal pattern or an iris pattern, a scanner that reads a two-dimensional barcode transmitted in advance to a mobile terminal, or an infrared communication technology.
Further, part or all of the service content data 84 may be transmitted from each service provider 5 to the rental booth 6. Since the group management center 7 does not directly handle the content, the load on the group management center 7 can be reduced.
[0041]
In addition, the billing performed by the booth manager 3 to the booth user 4 and the payment to the booth owner 2 and the service provider 5 are not performed by processing the fixed amount determined at the time of each contract. Processing may be performed with an amount that varies depending on the number of uses. In such a case, a money processing unit for calculating the charging fee and the payment amount may be provided in the group management center 7, and the charging amount and the payment amount may be automatically determined and notified to the corresponding person. .
[0042]
The communication network 8 connecting the group management center 7 and the rental booth 6 may use wireless communication or satellite communication. In this case, both the group management center 7 and the rental booth 6 need to be provided with a communication antenna.
Further, the service provided to the booth user 4 is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, a home delivery company may be created in the rental booth 6 in addition to the service provider 5, and the output document may be delivered to a desired company or the like. Further, only the space of the rental booth 6 is used, and there is no need to use an application or the like.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, in providing a space in which a user performs work or the like, it is possible to provide a better environment by giving a service bi-directionality or reliably performing user authentication. . In this manner, various effects such as improvement of work efficiency and improvement of learning effect can be obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration of a rental booth group management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of a rental booth group management system.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating data recorded in a recording device of a group management center.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a general flow of processing of a rental booth group management system.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating processing in a rental booth.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating processing in a group management center.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a selection screen provided in a rental booth.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 group management system
6 Rental booth
7 Group Management Center
61 Controller
62 Electric Lock
63 surveillance camera
64 Authentication means
65 Computer terminal

Claims (6)

A rental booth that provides a space that can be used by a user for a predetermined time,
Means for authenticating the user, an electric lock for managing entry into and exit from the space, and a computer terminal used by the user, wherein the computer terminal provides a service to the user And a means for receiving a request from the user. The means for providing the service includes providing, as a selection screen, a screen arranged so that the user can select available services, and the means for receiving a request from the user includes: The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a screen having an area arranged for selection by a user, an area for inputting requested contents, and an area for displaying an answer to the input request. The rental booth described in 1. 2. The rental booth according to claim 1, wherein the computer terminal also functions as a reservation unit for reserving a location and a use time of a rental booth to be used next by the user. A rental booth group management device for managing a rental booth that provides a space usable by a user for a predetermined time,
Information for identifying a person registered as a user of the rental booth, services to be provided to the user, information on the rental booth for which use is reserved, and information for contacting the service provider. A rental booth group management device, which stores information and functions as a rental booth reservation unit, a user authentication unit, and a service providing unit. 5. The rental booth group management device according to claim 4, further comprising holding, as content data, a service provided to the rental booth used by the authenticated user. A rental booth group management method for managing a rental booth that provides a space that can be used by a user for a predetermined time,
Receiving user identification information from the rental booth and determining permission to enter the rental booth;
Providing the service desired by the user to the rental booth permitted to enter the room,
When receiving a request from the user who is using the rental booth, prompting a corresponding service provider to respond;
When a rental booth reservation is received from a user, the rental booth reservation status is checked, and when the reservation is possible, the user is notified of the reservation acceptance;
A rental booth group management method comprising:

Images