JP2016146203A - Electronic coupon issuance method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology of issuing an electronic coupon for a user according to a car park use history, which enables a car park administrator who is not resident in a car park to correctly determine authenticity of a claim of a user relating to a history of a car park usage by the user, while suppressing an increase in a burden of the user.SOLUTION: The car park is installed with a ticket dispenser. The ticket dispenser prints, on a parking slip, a confirmation code in which a parking condition of the user is encrypted, and issues the parking slip. The confirmation code is not decryptable by the user but uniquely pronounceable. The user transmits the confirmation code printed on the parking slip to the car park administrator. The car park administrator refers to a decryption table to decrypt the received confirmation code, and determines, on the basis of a decryption result, whether the parking slip with the confirmation code printed thereon is valid. When the number of parking slips determined to be valid reaches a predetermined total amount, the car park administrator issues an electronic coupon for the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 18

Description

  According to the present invention, a parking lot manager who manages a parking lot is electronically notified to the user according to a history that the user uses the parking lot or another parking lot managed by the parking lot manager. The present invention relates to a technology for issuing coupons.

  Parking lots having a plurality of parking positions for vehicles are already widely used. This type of parking lot is classified in terms of the method of transporting the vehicle to the parking position. The user drives the vehicle by itself and transports it to the parking position, and mechanically moves the pallet and cage to move the vehicle. It is classified as a mechanical type that is transported to a parking position. Moreover, the parking lot may be lent to the user free of charge, or may be rented for a fee. Toll parking lots are classified into monthly and hourly lending (including “daily lending”) in terms of the length of time lending to users.

  If rented parking lots are classified in terms of a parking fee payment method, a prepayment method in which a user pays a parking fee prior to the start of parking (however, the possibility of paying a shortage of the parking fee at the time of delivery) is included. And a post-payment method in which the user pays the parking fee together at the end of parking.

  In addition, if you categorize the time-rented parking lot in terms of its management method, the person in charge who manages and monitors the parking lot is resident in the parking lot at the site, and the person who is not resident in the parking lot It is classified as an unmanned system in which a person is dispatched to a parking lot on the spot.

  As a publicly known document disclosing this type of parking lot and facilities (including a ticketing machine) installed in the parking lot, for example, Patent Literature 1 exists.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a prepaid unmanned parking lot. In this parking lot, when a parking card is inserted, a card issuing machine that issues a parking card recording the time allowed for parking for a fee, a garage gate that is always closed, and a garage entrance are installed. And a warehousing management device that opens the warehousing gate on condition that the parking card is appropriate. Furthermore, in this parking lot, an exit gate that is always closed, and an exit management device that is installed at the exit and opens the exit gate on condition that the parking card is appropriate when a parking card is inserted. And are installed.

  By the way, in order to promote the use of a parking lot by a user, a paper coupon printed on a real medium (generally paper) is used by a plurality of subscribers by using a newspaper leaflet or an advertisement field of a magazine. There has already been a promotional activity that gives users the privilege of discounted parking, for example, on the condition that they distribute and thereby bring paper coupons to the parking lot and present them.

  Patent Document 2 discloses an electronic coupon as an alternative to such a paper coupon. According to the prior art disclosed in Patent Document 2, an electronic coupon that gives a privilege such as a discount on a price when purchasing a product or service is distributed to a potential customer via a communication network such as the Internet. The The customer who acquired the electronic coupon online prints the electronic coupon on another medium, records it on a specific IC card, etc., and then provides proof that the customer owns the electronic coupon. It will be presented to the store clerk at the store.

JP 2006-146325 A JP 2002-269425 A

  The present inventors have studied a technique for increasing the frequency with which a user uses a specific unmanned parking lot using a coupon. Such coupon types include the above-mentioned paper coupons, i.e., to the potential user regardless of the history of the use of a specific unmanned parking lot in the past. Although there is a paper coupon of a kind that is unconditionally distributed, the present inventors have replaced the paper coupon with a usage history on the condition that a user has used a specific unmanned parking lot in the past. In response to this, we proposed a type of electronic coupon issued to existing users and researched it.

  As a result, the present inventors have realized that simply changing a conventional paper coupon to an electronic coupon may deteriorate user convenience. To explain the reason, in the first place, when the user wants to issue a coupon to the parking lot manager according to the past usage history about the parking lot, the user manages the usage history to the parking lot management. It is necessary to present it to the person.

  However, in an unmanned parking lot, since the parking lot manager is not resident in the unmanned parking lot at the site, the parking lot manager asks the user for a parking ticket that the user has acquired in the past. And a copy of the receipt received with it, and send the copy to the parking lot manager who is usually away from the unmanned parking lot using a communication device such as a facsimile. It is necessary to request a complicated action such as.

  Against the background of the above knowledge, the present invention is a technique for issuing an electronic coupon to the user according to the parking history, and is not resident in the parking lot while suppressing an increase in the burden on the user. An object of the present invention is to provide a parking lot manager that can accurately determine the authenticity of a user's assertions regarding the usage history of a parking lot by a user.

In order to solve the problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, a parking lot manager who manages a parking lot, the user manages the parking lot, or another parking lot managed by the parking lot manager. Is an electronic coupon issuing method for issuing an electronic coupon to the user according to the history of using
  In the parking lot, a ticketing machine that should issue a parking ticket to the user is installed,
  The ticket issuing machine includes time information for specifying a date and time when the user enters the parking lot, and time information for specifying a date and time when the user leaves the parking lot. It is a confirmation code that individually encrypts each time information type including at least one of the time information specifying the date and time when the vote is printed, and it cannot be decrypted by the user uniquely. Print and issue what can be pronounced and the time information can be restored by decryption,
  In order to request the parking lot manager to issue the electronic coupon, the user can input the confirmation code printed on the parking slip by voice input or data input via the communication device. Send it to the parking manager,
  The electronic coupon issue method is:
  A code receiving step of receiving the confirmation code transmitted by the user at a communication unit;
  The processor decodes the received confirmation code with reference to a decryption table, thereby restoring the time information from the confirmation code, compares the restored time information and the current time with each other, When the difference is within a set value, a determination step for determining that the parking slip on which the received confirmation code is printed is valid;
  For the parking slip determined to be valid by the processor, when the use history of the parking lot satisfies a setting condition, the electronic coupon is issued to the user, and the issued electronic coupon is sent to the communication A transmission step for transmitting to the user from the section;
  Can be obtained.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the parking condition includes a length of parking time in which the user continuously parks in the parking lot. In another embodiment, the verification code includes the length of the parking time and encrypted. In another embodiment, the determining step further includes the step of decrypting the confirmation code with reference to the decryption table, thereby restoring the length of the parking time from the confirmation code.

In still another embodiment of the present invention, the electronic coupon enables the user to enjoy the privilege that free parking or discount parking for the set number of times in the future by the user is possible. ,
  The user represents a date and time of parking and a parking lot desired for free parking or discount parking via the communication device to request the parking lot manager to use the issued electronic coupon. Send data to the parking manager,
  The electronic coupon issuing method further includes:
  A data receiving step of receiving the data transmitted by the user at the communication unit;
  Based on the received data, the user goes to the parking lot at the date and time when the user desires the free parking or discount parking, and the user can determine whether there is unauthorized parking or not. Providing process to provide information on the date and time of parking and the location of the parking
  including.

In yet another embodiment, a management server is used that is communicably connected to the user's communication device via a communication network and executes the electronic coupon issuing method by a computer.

  The following aspects are obtained by the present invention. Each aspect is divided into sections, each section is given a number, and is described in a form that cites other section numbers as necessary. This is to facilitate understanding of some of the technical features that the present invention can employ and combinations thereof, and the technical features that can be employed by the present invention and combinations thereof are limited to the following embodiments. Should not be interpreted. That is, it should be construed that it is not impeded to appropriately extract and employ the technical features described in the present specification as technical features of the present invention although they are not described in the following embodiments.

  Further, describing each section in the form of quoting the numbers of the other sections does not necessarily prevent the technical features described in each section from being separated from the technical features described in the other sections. It should not be construed as meaning, but it should be construed that the technical features described in each section can be appropriately made independent depending on the nature.

(1) The parking lot manager who manages the parking lot is given an electronic coupon to the user according to the history of the user using the parking lot or other parking lots managed by the parking lot manager. An electronic coupon issuing method for issuing
In the parking lot, a ticketing machine that should issue a parking ticket to the user is installed,
The ticket issuing machine prints and issues the parking slip, which is a confirmation code that encrypts the user's parking conditions and cannot be decrypted by the user but can be pronounced uniquely.
At a certain timing (for example, in order to request the parking lot manager to issue the electronic coupon, each time a single parking ticket is obtained or a plurality of set parking tickets are accumulated. The confirmation code printed on the parking slip is communicated by voice input or data input (for example, key input using a keyboard or touch screen, image input using an image reader). Sent to the parking lot manager via the device,
The electronic coupon issue method is:
A code receiving step of receiving the confirmation code transmitted by the user at a communication unit;
A determination step of determining whether or not the parking slip on which the received confirmation code is printed is valid based on the decryption result by decrypting the received confirmation code with reference to a decryption table; ,
For the parking slip determined to be valid by the processor, if the usage history of the parking lot satisfies a setting condition (for example, the number of parking slips determined to be valid reaches a predetermined total number, or When the parking time for the parking slip determined to be valid reaches a predetermined cumulative time), the electronic coupon is issued to the user, and the issued electronic coupon is sent from the communication unit to the user. An electronic coupon issuing method including a transmitting step of transmitting.

  According to this method, the confirmation code printed on the parking slip issued to the user by the ticket issuing machine is transmitted from the user to the parking lot manager. The confirmation code is obtained by encrypting the parking conditions (for example, the entry date / time, the exit date / time, and the issuance date / time of the parking slip) of the user's past parking. The confirmation code cannot be deciphered by the user, but can be deciphered by the parking lot manager. The fact that the user cannot decrypt the confirmation code leads to the fact that the user cannot forge the confirmation code. As a result, the parking lot manager authenticates the user's past actions associated with the parking slip, i.e., the parking conditions for the past parking, i.e. It is possible to accurately determine whether the claim is false or true.

  Therefore, according to this method, a copy of the parking ticket acquired in the past by the user or a receipt acquired together with the user is transmitted to the parking lot manager using a communication device such as a facsimile. It is possible to appropriately issue electronic coupons to users according to the parking lot usage history without requesting such complicated actions (do not accidentally allow or reject electronic coupons) It becomes possible.

  Throughout this specification, the term “electronic coupon” means that the user can print or display the posted items of the electronic coupon on other media in order to use the electronic coupon to enjoy specific benefits. Means a coupon that is not required to be presented to the other party. When the privilege obtained by this electronic coupon is, for example, free parking, the user is not required to purchase a normal parking ticket using this electronic coupon, and the parking lot is ticketless and cashless. Can be used.

  Throughout this specification, the term “parking slip” includes all pieces issued by a ticketing machine installed in a parking lot, including but not limited to parking tickets and receipts. .

(2) The determination step includes an authenticity determination step for determining whether or not the parking slip is authentic, and a temporal validity determination step for determining whether or not the parking slip is temporally valid. The electronic coupon issuing method according to item (1), including at least one of the above.

(3) The parking condition includes information specifying at least one of a date and time when the user enters the parking lot, a date and time when the user leaves the parking lot, and a date and time when the parking slip is printed. ,
The determination step estimates a date and time when the parking slip was used based on information obtained by decoding a confirmation code in which the parking conditions are encrypted, and based on the estimation result, the parking slip is The electronic coupon issuing method according to (1) or (2), wherein it is determined whether or not it is valid in terms of time.

(4) The parking condition includes information for specifying a length of a parking time in which the user has continuously parked in the parking lot,
The issuing step estimates the length of the parking time based on information obtained by decoding the confirmation code in which the parking conditions are encrypted, and based on the estimation result, the cumulative parking time The electronic coupon issuing method according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein it is determined whether or not a predetermined cumulative time is reached.

(5) The electronic coupon enables the user to enjoy the privilege that free parking or discount parking for the set number of times in the future by the user is possible,
The user represents a date and time of parking and a parking lot desired for free parking or discount parking via the communication device to request the parking lot manager to use the issued electronic coupon. Send data to the parking manager,
The electronic coupon issuing method further includes:
A data receiving step of receiving the data transmitted by the user at the communication unit;
Based on the received data, the user goes to the parking lot at the date and time when the user desires the free parking or discount parking, and the user can determine whether there is unauthorized parking or not. The electronic coupon issuing method according to any one of (1) to (4), including a providing step of providing information related to the date and time of parking and the location of the parking lot.

(6) A management server that is communicably connected to the user's communication device via a communication network and executes the electronic coupon issuing method according to any one of (1) to (5) by a computer.

(7) A program executed by a computer to implement the electronic coupon issuing method according to any one of (1) to (5).

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an unmanned parking lot where parking is performed, which is a condition for issuing an electronic coupon by the electronic coupon issuing method according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the ticket issuing machine shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the ticket issuing machine shown in FIG. 2 in a state where the door is open. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a component configuration of the ticket issuing machine shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart conceptually showing a ticket issuing / settlement program executed by the computer shown in FIG. 6A to 6D are front views showing a plurality of images displayed on the screen of the display shown in FIG. FIG. 7A is a front view showing an example of a parking ticket and a receipt issued after payment of a prepaid parking fee by the ticket issuing machine shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 7B is a ticket issuing shown in FIG. It is a front view which shows an example of the receipt issued after payment of an additional parking fee with a machine. Fig. 8 (a) is a longitudinal sectional view showing the parking ticket shown in Fig. 7 (a) in a state immediately after issuance, and Fig. 8 (b) is a part of the parking ticket that is peeled off and bent. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view shown in the state. Fig.9 (a) is side sectional drawing which shows the parking ticket shown in FIG.7 (a) in the state affixed on the back surface of the windshield of a parked vehicle, FIG.9 (b) shows the parking ticket. It is a perspective view shown in the state where a part of the display sheet was peeled off from the separator and bent. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the parking ticket shown in FIG. 7A is affixed to the back surface of the windshield of the parked vehicle. FIGS. 11A to 11C show examples of the configuration of encrypted data printed on the receipts shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the corresponding actual data, and the actual data to the encrypted data. It is a figure for demonstrating a conversion process. FIG. 12 shows how the user communicates the encrypted data printed on the receipts shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b) to a parking lot manager at a remote location using his / her mobile phone, It is a perspective view for demonstrating that the parking lot manager converts the received encryption data into real data. FIG. 13 is a conceptual system diagram for explaining the entire system in which the electronic coupon issuing method is implemented. FIG. 14 is a flowchart conceptually showing an electronic coupon processing program executed in the management server shown in FIG. FIG. 15A is a diagram conceptually showing the user information DB shown in FIG. 13, and FIG. 15B is a diagram conceptually showing the usage history DB shown in FIG. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an electronic coupon issued by executing the electronic coupon processing program illustrated in FIG. 14. FIG. 17 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process of member registration performed by executing the electronic coupon processing program shown in FIG. FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process of issuing an electronic coupon performed by executing the electronic coupon processing program shown in FIG. FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram for explaining a process of using an electronic coupon performed by executing the electronic coupon processing program shown in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an electronic coupon issuing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a parking lot 10 in which parking, which is a condition for issuing an electronic coupon by the electronic coupon issuing method, is performed. This parking lot 10 is prepaid and unmanned.

  The parking lot 10 has a plurality of parking positions (parking spaces) that enable simultaneous parking of a plurality of automobiles. A single ticketing machine (generally also referred to as “accounting machine”) 20 is parked in the vicinity of the only entrance / exit 12 (which is also an entrance and exit) of the parking lot 10. It is installed as a central ticketing machine in common with the location. This parking lot 10 has no full-time staff who is resident and manages it, and a user who is a driver is an unmanned system in which a parking fee is paid to the ticket issuing machine 20.

  In addition, in addition to the definition of the term “vehicle”, in this “Mode for Carrying Out the Invention” column, the term “vehicle” means only an automobile, but other parts of the present specification. In this context, the term “vehicle” should be interpreted as a term encompassing not only automobiles but also all kinds of moving bodies such as bicycles and motorcycles.

  There are two types of parking areas on the site of the parking lot 10. It is based on a premise for a section for lending a parking space to a user of each vehicle on a daily basis (a temporary storage section or a daily lending section) and for each vehicle user on a monthly basis. It is a section for renting a parking space (monthly section). The ticket issuing machine 20 is used for a temporary deposit section. Hereinafter, the term “parking lot 10” means only a temporary deposit area, that is, an area where the ticketing machine 20 is used in the parking lot 10.

  In order to use the parking lot 10, a driver who is a user drives his / her vehicle, enters the entrance / exit 12 from an adjacent road, continues to drive and passes through the ticketing machine 20, and further Drive to one of the parking spaces (parking positions) you have chosen and park there. After that, the user gets out of his / her vehicle and walks to the ticketing machine 20 at the entrance / exit 12 and pays the parking fee to the ticketing machine 20 there.

  2 is a front view of the ticketing machine 20, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the ticketing machine 20 with the door 24 open, and FIG. Twenty component configurations are shown in a block diagram. FIG. 5 conceptually shows a ticket issuing / settlement program executed by the computer 100 in the control board 34 shown in FIG. 6A to 6D are front views showing a plurality of images displayed on the screen of the display 36 shown in FIG.

  The user receives the parking ticket 80 shown in FIGS. 7A and 8 from the ticket issuing machine 20 in exchange for payment of the parking fee. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the user affixes the parking ticket 80 to the back surface of the windshield 110 of his / her own vehicle (which is an example of the “window glass” of the vehicle). Since the parking ticket 80 is placed in the room of the parked vehicle, it is not exposed to rain and wind and is not lost.

  The parking lot 10 is a prepaid unmanned parking lot having a plurality of parking positions, and is a device (for example, a delivery gate device or a wheel) for preventing the vehicle from leaving (blocking the exit from the parking lot 10). There is no stopping device (for example, a flap type or a retractable type), and the user can freely select one of the plurality of parking positions and park his / her vehicle (selection). The parked parking position is not monitored by the ticketing machine 20). The ticket issuing machine 20 is used for the parking lot 10 configured as described above.

  Here, the ticket issuing machine 20 will be described more specifically. This ticket-issuing machine 20 has a charge settlement function but does not have a change function or a communication function. This ticket-issuing machine 20 requests that the user pay the parking fee only with coins, not banknotes. In addition, the ticket issuing machine 20 can input a user identification number, input vehicle identification information (for example, a vehicle number) on the user's vehicle, and specify what a user selects from a plurality of parking positions. , Do not request.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the ticket issuing machine 20 includes a ticket issuing button 70 and a fee settlement button 74. When the user presses the ticketing button 70 after paying the prepaid parking fee prior to the start of parking, the ticketing machine 20 includes a parking ticket 80 (see FIG. 7A) indicating that parking is permitted, and prepaid parking. It has a ticket issuing function for issuing a receipt 81a (see FIG. 7A) indicating that the fee has been settled. When the user presses the charge settlement button 74 after paying the additional parking fee after the parking is completed, the ticket issuing machine 20 receives a receipt 81b (see FIG. 7B) indicating that the additional parking fee has been settled. ) Is issued.

  In the present embodiment, the two-sheet parking ticket issued after payment of the prepaid parking fee is a two-sheet parking ticket 80 and a receipt 81a, but the user uses the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a. Only the parking ticket 80 is separated from each other and placed in the parked vehicle, and the receipt 81a can be carried. As will be described later, the receipt 81a is printed with the end time of the effective parking time (the time zone in which the user is allowed to park), and the user can end the effective parking time at any time away from the parked vehicle. In order to be able to refer to the time, it is convenient for the user to carry this receipt 81a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ticket issuing machine 20 is configured such that a door 24 is attached to one side of a casing 22 that is vertically long and has a box shape so as to be openable and closable. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the ticket issuing machine 20 with the door 24 open. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the component configuration of the ticketing machine 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ticket issuing machine 20 is a printer 40 that prints and issues a coin processing unit 30, a safe 32, a control board 34, a display 36, a parking ticket 80, and receipts 81a and 81b. It is comprised so that. Of these parts, only the coin processing unit 30 is attached to the back surface of the door 24, and the remaining parts are attached to the inside of the casing 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 40 is equipped with a roller 42 on which a continuous sheet before printing is wound and stored. The printer 40 performs printing on a continuous sheet fed from the roller 42 by one length. After the printing is completed, the printer 40 cuts the continuous sheet from time to time with a cutter (not shown), and after the prepaid parking fee is paid, the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a are bound, and additional parking is performed. After payment of the fee, the receipt 81b for one sheet is cut off. However, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), a cut line 89 is formed between the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a, which are spelled in two sheets, and the user can move them along the cut line 89. The parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a can be easily separated from each other.

  The cutter has a cutting blade (not shown), and moves the cutting blade in the width direction of the continuous sheet to cut the continuous sheet in the width direction. The cutter can adopt a method of completely cutting the continuous sheet in the width direction or a method of cutting the continuous sheet in the width direction while leaving only a part in the width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the coin processing unit 30 includes a coin insertion slot 50, a return lever 52, a coin selector (determination of the type of inserted coin, and whether or not the inserted coin is a forged coin. ) 54 and a coin return port 56. Among the inserted coins, those that have not been returned to the user from the coin return slot 56 are accommodated in the safe 32. As shown in FIG. 4, a control board 34 is connected to the coin selector 54 so as to be able to perform data communication. The control board 34 is connected to the coin selector 54 by the type of coins inserted (in coin units and counterfeit coins). And a signal indicating the number of images are received.

  As shown in FIG. 2, on the front surface of the door 24, a transmission window 60 through which display light from a screen of a display 36 (for example, a liquid crystal display) is transmitted, a coin insertion slot 50, a return lever 52, and a coin return slot 56. A parking ticket 80 printed by the printer 40 and discharged, and a discharge port 64 for discharging the receipts 81a and 81b. The transmissive window 60 also has a function of mechanically protecting the display 36 by preventing direct access to the display 36 from the outside.

  The ticket issuing machine 20 is further configured to include the aforementioned ticket issuing button 70 that is pressed after the user has paid the prepaid parking fee, and the aforementioned fee settlement button 74 that is pressed after the user has paid the additional parking fee. Yes. The ticket issuing button 70 and the fee settlement button 74 are mounted on the front surface of the door 24 of the ticket issuing machine 20, as shown in FIG. The ticket issuing button 70 and the fee settlement button 74 are electrically connected to the control board 34 as shown in FIG.

  Each of the ticket issuing button 70 and the fee settlement button 74 is configured as an actual physical switch, but is not limited to this, for example, a virtual switch (displayed on the screen of the display 36) ( For example, it may be configured as a button, key, icon).

  The control board 34 is composed mainly of the computer 100. The control board 34 has a built-in clock 102 and can always acquire the current date and time (for example, the date and time when the ticketing button 70 is pressed and the date and time when the fee settlement button 74 is pressed). The control board 34 further incorporates a memory 104. The memory 104 stores an encryption table, which will be described later, in a state where only authorized persons can rewrite it.

  In addition, the control board 34 can be configured to realize the same function as the computer 100 by a sequencer (sequence control).

  In addition, the ticket issuing machine 20 has a power supply unit (not shown). The power supply unit is a power source (for example, a commercial power source, a solar cell installed in the parking lot 10, a generator such as a wind power generator, a rechargeable battery installed in the parking lot 10, And the like, and the electric power from the power source is supplied to each electrical / electronic component in the ticketing machine 20, thereby operating the ticketing machine 20. This power supply unit additionally has, for example, a backup circuit having a power storage function, and even if the power supply from the power supply is temporarily stopped, the influence thereof does not affect the operation of the ticket issuing machine 20. . As a result, the ticket issuing machine 20 is guaranteed to operate at all times.

  When the ticket issuing / settlement program shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the computer 100, first, an initial screen shown in FIG. 6A is displayed on the screen of the display 36 in step S1. Next, in step S2, based on the signal from the coin selector 54, it is determined whether or not a user has inserted coins. If no coin has been inserted, the process returns to step S2, but if a coin has been inserted, in step S3, the total amount of coins that have been inserted by the user is calculated as the amount to be inserted.

  Subsequently, in step S4, from the calculated input amount, the parking time corresponding to the input amount is the parking time (if the parking fee paid this time is a prepaid parking fee, this means an effective parking time. If the parking fee paid this time is an additional parking fee, it means an extended parking time). Since the relationship between the amount of money to be charged and the length of the parking time, that is, the time-based fee setting, is known to the computer 100, the computer 100 can calculate the parking time from the amount of money to be charged according to the fee setting. About the charge setting, for example, the parking lot manager can input each time unit individually by operating the touch panel of the display 36.

  According to the above pricing example, the continuous parking time is 300 yen for 2 hours, 400 yen for 4 hours, 500 yen for 6 hours, 1000 yen for 12 hours, 1500 yen for 24 hours. is there. Under the fee setting in this example, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the user pays 400 yen as a prepaid parking fee, the computer 100 calculates 4 hours as an effective parking time. If the user pays 300 yen as an additional parking fee, 2 hours is calculated as the extended parking time.

  Thereafter, in step S5, a coin-inserting screen shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the screen of the display 36. At this time, the calculated input amount and the length of the parking time (effective parking time or extended parking time) are displayed.

  Subsequently, in step S6, it is determined whether or not the ticket issuing button 70 has been pressed. If the ticket issuing button 70 has not been pressed yet, it is determined in step S7 whether or not the fee settlement button 74 has been pressed. If the fee settlement button 74 has not been pressed yet, the process returns to step S2.

  After the coin insertion is started, the execution of steps S2 to S7 is repeated until either the ticket issuing button 70 or the fee settlement button 74 is pressed. As a result, every time a user inserts a coin into the coin insertion slot 50, the total amount of coins inserted by the user from the start of the insertion to the present time is calculated as the input amount, and from the calculated input amount, The parking time corresponding to the amount of money to be input is calculated, and the calculated amount of money to be input and the parking time (effective parking time or extended parking time) are displayed on the screen of the display 36.

  When the ticket issuing button 70 is pressed, the parking ticket / receipt issue screen shown in FIG. 6C is displayed on the screen of the display 36 in step S8. At this time, the amount of the parking fee determined by the user operating the ticketing button 70 is displayed as the amount of the prepaid parking fee. In this case, the parking time calculated in the preceding step S4 means an effective parking time.

  Subsequently, in step S9, the time when the user enters the parking lot 10 (or the date and time when the user paid the prepaid parking fee, the time when the parking ticket 80 was issued, the start time of the parking time, etc.) and the effective parking time The actual data representing the length (or the amount of the prepaid parking fee paid by the user) that can be directly decrypted by the user can be decrypted by referring to the encryption table. It is converted into encrypted data 130 that cannot be pronounced uniquely but cannot be pronounced. Encryption is performed, whereby encrypted data 130 is created. The encrypted data 130 can be read and reproduced by a human as known characters, numbers, symbols, figures, or combinations thereof.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11A, the encrypted data 130 is defined by symbols of 9 digits arranged in a line (the number of digits may be larger or smaller than that). Has been. The symbol of each digit is selected, for example, as one of 10 numbers from 0 to 9 and a plurality of alphabets. The multi-digit symbols are divided into a plurality of groups and printed on the receipt 81a. Adjacent groups are connected with a hyphen so that the user can pronounce the multi-digit symbols at once. Instead of a few breaks, you can pronounce more easily and accurately.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, an example of a general configuration of actual data (notation of the year is omitted to reduce the number of digits in the actual data) is “goods receipt at hh hour mm on MM month DD day”. And the length of the effective parking time is TT time. " As shown in FIG. 11C, the actual data includes a number MM representing the month, a number DD representing the day, a number hh representing the hour of the time, and a number mm representing the minute of the time. , The length of parking time (if the receipt is for prepayment, it means valid parking time, whereas if the receipt is for additional parking fee, it means extended parking time) It has five elements, the number TT representing.

  As shown in FIG. 11 (c), the encryption table is referred to for encrypting a monthly encryption table referred to for encrypting a number MM representing a month and a number DD representing a day. A day-by-day encryption table, a time-unit encryption table that is referenced to encrypt the number hh that represents the time in the time, and a number mm that represents the minute in the time. And a time encryption table referred to for encrypting the number TT representing the length of the parking time. Each of the five elements described above is encrypted by referring to the corresponding encryption table, whereby nine-digit encrypted data 130 is created.

  In the present embodiment, the encryption table is updated every day, but a method of updating every time period longer than 24 hours (the encryption table is not updated within the same period) is adopted, A method in which a period longer than 24 hours is set as one period, and the encryption table is updated every day in the same period (the encryption table is updated daily between a period in one period and a period in another period). It is possible to adopt a common pattern).

  In one example, when the encryption table is updated every day in the memory 104, an encryption table set that is an encryption table for one month is updated every month. In this case, the encryption table set is updated by the administrator every time the administrator goes to the parking lot 10 every month, for example.

  In one example, for each of the five elements MM, DD, hh, mm, and TT, the relationship between the actual data and the encrypted data in the encryption table, that is, a number before encryption (for example, “2 "2" for "month") and the correspondence between the code after encryption is generated by generating a random number for each number before encryption and adopting that random number as the code after encryption Is done.

  When the encryption is completed in step S9 shown in FIG. 5, the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a are printed and issued by the printer 40 in step S10. In the receipt 81a, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the same information regarding at least one of the date and time, the amount of money, and the length of the parking time for the payment of the parking fee or the parking time can be decoded by the user. And the encrypted data 130 that cannot be deciphered by the user. This completes the current execution of this ticketing / settlement program.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 (a), the parking ticket 80 specifies the end time of the effective parking time corresponding to the amount of the prepaid parking fee paid by the user and the location of the parking lot 10. Will be printed. In addition, the receipt 81a is printed with the entry time, the amount of the prepaid parking fee paid by the user, the end time of the effective parking time, and a display for specifying the location of the parking lot 10. The receipt 81a is also printed with encrypted data 130 exemplified by “ABC-DEF-ABC”. As shown in FIG. 11 (b), the encrypted data 130 includes the warehousing time (which includes the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a, both the time when the prepaid parking fee is paid and the parking time start time). The actual data representing the time at which the ticket is issued and the length of the effective parking time (this is equivalent to the amount of the prepaid parking fee paid) are encrypted.

  On the other hand, when the fee settlement button 74 is pressed instead of the ticket issuing button 70, the settlement receipt issuance screen shown in FIG. 6 (d) is displayed on the screen of the display 36 in step S11. At this time, the amount of the parking fee determined by the user operating the fee settlement button 74 is displayed as the amount of the additional parking fee. In this case, the parking time calculated in the preceding step S4 means an extended parking time.

  Subsequently, in step S12, in the same manner as in step S9, the time when the receipt 81b is issued because the user paid the additional parking fee (this is equivalent to the time when the additional parking fee was paid) and the above. The actual data representing the length of the extended parking time (this is equivalent to the amount of the additional parking fee paid) is converted into the encrypted data 140 by referring to the encryption table.

  Thereafter, in step S13, the receipt 81b is printed by the printer 40 and issued. In the receipt 81b, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the same information regarding at least one of the date / time and the amount of money for the parking fee payment or the parking time and the length of the parking time can be decoded by the user. And the encrypted data 140 that cannot be deciphered by the user. This completes the current execution of this ticketing / settlement program.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the receipt 81b shows the date and time when the receipt 81b was issued, the amount of the additional parking fee, and a display for specifying the location of the parking lot 10. And are printed.

  Further, the encrypted data 140 exemplified by “123-456-789” is also printed on the receipt 81b. The encrypted data 140 is obtained by encrypting actual data representing the date and time when the receipt 81b is issued and the length of the extended parking time.

  FIG. 7A shows a front view of a two-sheet spelling of a parking ticket 80 and a receipt 81a, while FIG. 7B shows a receipt 81b in a front view. The double spelling of the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a corresponds to two parking tickets 80. In the double spelling, the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a have the same size and configuration. The receipt 81 b corresponds to one parking ticket 80 and has the same size and configuration as the parking ticket 80. Hereinafter, in order to simplify the description, only the configuration of the parking ticket 80 will be representatively described.

  The parking ticket 80 includes a display sheet (printing paper) 82 as a surface layer, an adhesive layer 83 (glue layer) as an intermediate layer, and a separator (separation sheet, release paper) 84 as a back layer in that order. Has been configured. The adhesive layer 83 is applied to the back surface of the display sheet 82 so as not to be easily peeled off. In the state where the display sheet 82 is peeled off from the surface of the separator 84, the adhesive of the adhesive layer 83 is the surface of the separator 84. It does not adhere to.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, in one parking ticket 80, the outer periphery of the display sheet 82 is positioned inside the outer periphery of the separator 84. The raw material wound around the roller 42 is formed by adhering a plurality of display sheets 82 (in a blank state) aligned in a row with a gap to a continuous separator 84.

  The continuous sheet (continuous separator 84) in the printer 40 is cut by the cutter, and the cutting is performed at the position of the gap between the display sheets 82, and the display sheet 82 is not cut. On the other hand, no glue is attached to the surface of the portion of the separator 84 exposed in the gap between the display sheets 82.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, when cutting a continuous sheet, the adhesive of the adhesive layer 83 is not attached to the cutting blade, and the manager (for example, dispatched to the site once or several times a day) The frequency of maintenance of the cutter by a service person, a worker who patrols a plurality of parking lots, and a patrol watchman) is reduced, and the labor cost for the manager is reduced.

  However, in this embodiment, the receipt 81b is completely cut by the cutter with a length of one sheet by the cutter, whereas the two-sheet binding is equivalent to two separators 84. Completely cut with a length of. However, as described above, as shown in FIG. 7A, the separator 84 is partially cut between the parking ticket 80 and the receipt 81a by the cutter, as shown in FIG. Thereby, a cut line 89 is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the display sheet 82 of the parking ticket 80 further includes a cutting line 90 having both ends (not closed) immediately above the character string “parking ticket”. The cut line 90 is present to allow the user to remove a portion of the display sheet 82 from the separator 84 while the remaining portion remains adhered to the separator 84. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the user peels a part of the display sheet 82 (the region surrounded by the cutting line 90) from the separator 84 and bends it along a straight line connecting both ends of the cutting line 90, The surface of the bent portion 92 formed as a result (the portion of the adhesive layer 83 that is applied to the back surface of the bent portion 92) is exposed as a glue surface. FIG. 9 (a) shows the bent portion 92 in a perspective view.

  In this embodiment, in order to prove that parking by the user is not illegal parking, the user receives the parking ticket 80 received in exchange for coin insertion, as shown in FIG. 9B. It is required to be pasted on the back surface of the glass 110. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the user locally places a designated portion (a portion surrounded by the cutting line 90 and finally a bent portion 92) in the parking ticket 80. After being peeled off and bent, the surface of the bent portion 92 is attached to the back surface of the windshield 110 of the parked vehicle as shown in FIG. 9B. Thus, as shown in FIG. 10, the contents of the parking ticket 80 (particularly, information for specifying the end time of the parking time zone permitted for the user and the parking lot 10 in which the parking ticket 80 is valid). It is possible to visually check the display) for specifying the location of the user at any time from the outside.

  The user is required to pay an additional parking fee if the actual parking time exceeds the effective parking time. However, since the parking lot 10 is unmanned as described above and does not have a device that prevents the parked vehicle from being delivered unless the necessary additional parking fee is paid, as shown in FIG. The fact that the necessary additional parking fee has been paid is notified from the parking lot 10, in-car, home, etc. to the parking lot manager in the remote management center by means of a communication device such as a mobile phone or a fixed phone. Is required to.

  At this time, the user reads out both the encrypted data 130 printed on the receipt 81a issued at the time of receipt and the encrypted data 140 printed on the receipt 81b issued at the time of delivery, and utters a voice. The voice is requested to be transmitted to the parking lot manager by the communication device.

  When receiving the voice representing the encrypted data 130, 140 issued by the user, the parking lot manager in the management center operates the input device (for example, keyboard, touch screen, mouse, etc.) of the decryptor 180. A symbol corresponding to the user's voice is input. Then, the encrypted data 130 and 140 are input. Then, the decryption device 180 is installed in the decryption device 180 with the input encrypted data 130 and 140 being a decryption table conforming to the encryption table. Restore the actual data according to the data.

  As a result, the parking lot manager can stay at the management center far away from the parking lot 10 to be managed, and the actual parking time length (for example, the time the user has actually parked) (for example, , The length of elapsed time from the warehousing time specified by the encrypted data 130 to the time when the additional parking fee is paid, which is specified by the encrypted data 140), and the parking fee paid by the user It is also possible to know the total amount (for example, the sum of the amount of the prepaid parking fee specified by the encryption data 130 and the amount of the additional parking fee specified by the encryption data 140). It is possible to correctly determine whether there is a shortage in relation to the length of the actual parking time.

  Since the decryption table accommodated in the decryption device 180 cannot be known even by a parking lot administrator unless authorized, the security of the decryption table is high.

  As is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, at the time when the receipts 81a and 81b are issued, the encrypted data 130 and 140 are displayed on the receipts 81a and 81b with symbols that can be pronounced by the user. Only by printing and further requesting the user to send the encrypted data 130 and 140 to the parking lot manager by voice, the parking manager can correctly determine whether or not the parking fee is insufficient. Therefore, the user can safely park the vehicle after the effective parking time without imposing a heavy burden, and the usability of the parking lot 10 and the operation rate are improved.

  In addition, in the present embodiment, the user transmits the encrypted data 130 and 140 by voice input. For example, instead of the voice input, the user inputs data (for example, real or virtual). Key input using a key, image input using an image reader).

  As mentioned above, although the parking lot 10 in this embodiment and the ticketing machine 20 installed in the parking lot 10 were demonstrated in detail below, by using FIG. 13 thru | or FIG. The contents of the service in which the parking manager issues an electronic coupon to the user will be described.

  This service is provided in the system 200 shown in FIG. 13 by the management server 202 performing an exemplary electronic coupon issuing method according to the present embodiment.

  In the system 200, a plurality of users and a plurality of persons in charge who perform work in accordance with instructions from the parking lot manager (each person in charge is a parking lot 10 managed by the parking lot manager and a plurality of other parking lots. And has a task of monitoring the parking lot several times a day) via a wireless or wired connection to the management server 202 via the Internet 204, which is an example of a global communication network. Yes.

  The management server 202 includes a transmission unit 210 that transmits a signal or data to an external destination and a reception unit 212 that receives a signal or data from an external transmission source in order to perform transmission / reception.

  The management server 202 further includes a processor 220 and a storage 222 (for example, ROM, RAM). In order to provide the service, the processor 220 executes an electronic coupon processing program that is exemplarily and conceptually represented in the flowchart of FIG. 14 and performs various processes. The storage 222 stores the electronic coupon processing program and data temporarily or permanently.

  The management server 202 further includes a user information database (hereinafter referred to as “DB”) illustrated in FIG. 15A and a usage history database (hereinafter referred to as “DB”) illustrated in FIG. And “DB” (same in the figure). 232 and the same decryption table 234 as the decryption table stored in the decryptor 180.

  First, the contents of this service will be schematically described. According to this service, the parking lot manager uses the user's future usage history of the parking lot 10, that is, based on the use of the set number of times in the past. An electronic coupon 240 (illustrated in FIG. 16) that enables the user to enjoy the privilege that free parking for the set number of times (even discounted parking is possible) is possible is issued to the user online. The parking lot manager further performs online processing for permitting free parking using the electronic coupon 240 by the user.

  More specifically, in this service, in order to acquire the usage qualification, the step of registering the user as a member, the step of issuing the electronic coupon 240 to the user, and the electronic coupon 240 by the user The process of permitting use is performed in that order.

  More specifically, in this service, first, as illustrated in the sequence diagram of FIG. 17, the user accesses the management server 202 to register as a member. When the user transmits user information necessary for the member registration to the management server 202, the management server 202 registers the received user information in the user information DB 230 for each user.

  Next, the user accesses the management server 202 as illustrated in the sequence diagram of FIG. 18 in order to request the parking lot manager to issue the electronic coupon 240 based on the usage history of the parking lot 10. . Thereafter, the user transmits a confirmation code (that is, the above-described encrypted data 130) printed on one or a plurality of receipts 81 a acquired as a result of using the parking lot 10 to the management server 202. The confirmation code 130 may be transmitted every time the user obtains one receipt 81a, or may be collectively performed when a plurality of receipts 81a are accumulated. In this embodiment, the confirmation code 130 is transmitted by a method in which the user inputs and transmits the confirmation code 130 to his / her communication device (for example, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal computer, etc.). You may carry out by another system, for example, a system in which a user inputs his voice and transmits it to the operator of the parking lot manager.

  When receiving the confirmation code 130, the management server 202 decrypts the confirmation code 130 by referring to the decryption table 234. Subsequently, the management server 202 determines whether or not the usage history of the parking lot 10 by the user satisfies the setting condition based on the decoding result, and if the determination is positive, The electronic coupon 240 illustrated in 16 is issued.

  Here, the determination that the management server 202 makes regarding the receipt 81a is the determination of whether or not the receipt 81a on which the received confirmation code 130 is printed is authentic, and the date and time when the receipt 81a was used (for example, , The date and time printed by the ticket issuing machine 20) includes whether or not it is within a set number of months in the past from the current time, that is, whether it is valid in terms of time.

  Further, the determination made by the management server 202 regarding the receipt 81a includes a determination as to whether or not the genuine and valid receipt 81a satisfies the setting condition. For example, the setting condition is set so as to be established when the total number of receipts 81a that are genuine and valid (that is, the total number of times the parking lot 10 is used) is equal to or greater than the set number (for example, 10). The valid parking time printed on the receipt 81a that is authentic and valid (the accumulated usage time of the parking lot 10) is set to be satisfied when it is equal to or longer than a set time (for example, 80 hours). Is possible.

  In order to use the issued electronic coupon 240, the user accesses the management server 202 as illustrated in the sequence diagram of FIG. Thereafter, the management server 202 permits the user to perform free parking using the electronic coupon 240 if a predetermined condition is satisfied.

  The permission for free parking is notified not only to the user himself / herself but also to the above-mentioned multiple persons in charge. The person in charge can be contacted by a method (active communication) in which the management server 202 individually sends an e-mail in which information on free parking permission is described for each person in charge, or can be viewed by the management server 202. Information on free parking permission is posted on a website limited to those who are limited, and information on free parking permission is communicated to the person in charge through individual access to the website. (Passive communication) may be used.

  Next, the contents of the electronic coupon processing program will be described more specifically with reference to FIG. This electronic coupon processing program is repeatedly executed by the processor 220 of the management server 202.

  In each execution of the electronic coupon processing program, first, in step S101, it is determined whether or not the user who has logged in to the management server 202 has transmitted a member registration request to the management server 202. This time, assuming that the user has transmitted a member registration request, the determination in step S101 is YES, and in step S102, the user information of the user himself / herself transmitted from the user's communication device (for example, the user's name, address, etc.) ) Is received via the receiving unit 212.

  Subsequently, in step S103, a unique user ID is given to the current user. Thereafter, in step S <b> 104, the personal identification number set by the user and transmitted from the user's communication device is received via the receiving unit 212. In this step S104, other user information additionally transmitted from the user's communication device (for example, as shown in FIG. 15 (a), the vehicle number and the model name of the vehicle that the user plans to park). , Vehicle body color, etc.) are also received via the receiving unit 212.

  Subsequently, in step S105, user information about the current user is registered in the user information DB 230, whereby the current user is registered as a member. Thereafter, in step S106, a registration completion message indicating that member registration has been completed for the current user is returned to the user via the transmission unit 210. Thus, the current execution of this electronic coupon processing program ends.

  The scenario in which the management server 202 receives a member registration request from the user has been described above. Instead, in the scenario in which the management server 202 receives an electronic coupon issue request, the determination in step S101 is NO and the determination in step S107. Becomes YES, and the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, whether or not the current user is a member, that is, provision of this service is received by collating the user ID and personal identification number of the user transmitted from the user's communication device with the user information DB 230. It is determined whether or not it has a qualification. That is, personal authentication is performed. If this personal authentication is established, in step S109, data representing one or more confirmation codes 130 transmitted from the user's communication device is received via the receiving unit 212. Received.

  As illustrated in FIG. 15B, the received confirmation code 130 is recorded in the usage history DB 232 in association with the user ID and in the same order as received. In this example, in association with the storage location of each verification code 130, a usage that indicates whether the verification code 130 has already been used to issue an old electronic coupon (used electronic coupon) 240. The completed flag is stored. The used flag indicates that the corresponding confirmation code 130 is unused in the off state, while the corresponding confirmation code 130 is used in the on state.

  Subsequently, in step S110 of FIG. 14, the counter i indicating the order of the confirmation codes 130 is set to “1” and the counter j indicating the number of valid receipts 81a is set to “0” in preparation for execution of the subsequent steps. Set each.

  Thereafter, in step S111, it is determined whether or not the i (this time “1”)-th confirmation code 130 exists in the usage history DB 232. If it is assumed that the i-th confirmation code 130 does not exist this time, a coupon issuance disapproval message indicating that the issuance of the electronic coupon 240 is not permitted is returned to the user in step S112. Thus, the current execution of this electronic coupon processing program ends.

  On the other hand, assuming that the i-th confirmation code 130 exists in the usage history DB 232 this time, in step S113, whether or not the used flag associated with the current confirmation code 130 is in an ON state, that is, Then, it is determined whether or not the current confirmation code 130 has been used. If the current confirmation code 130 has been used, the counter i is incremented by 1 in step S114, and then the process returns to step S111.

  On the other hand, if the current confirmation code 130 is unused, in step S115, the current confirmation code 130 is decrypted by referring to the decryption table 234, whereby the confirmation code 130 is changed to FIG. It is converted into the actual data exemplified in (b). The actual data represents the warehousing date and time when the current user enters the parking lot 10 when the receipt 81a printed with the current confirmation code 130 is issued. The warehousing date and time is close to the current issue date and time of the receipt 81a.

  Subsequently, in step S116, it is determined whether or not a setting condition is satisfied for the current receipt 81a. Specifically, whether the warehousing date and time represented by the actual data is within a set number of months in the past from the current time measured by a built-in timer (not shown), that is, whether it is valid in terms of time Is determined. A positive determination of this means, of course, that this receipt 81a has been used within the last few months, but in addition, it also represents that this receipt 81a is authentic. . This is because if the current receipt 81a is not authentic, the confirmation code 130 received from the current user for the receipt 81a is also not authentic. This is because it cannot be restored to actual data.

  If it is assumed that the setting condition is not satisfied this time, the process returns to step S11 via step S114. However, if it is assumed that the setting condition is satisfied this time, the current receipt 81a is authentic and valid in step S117. It is determined. Thereafter, in step S18, the counter j indicating the number of receipts 81a that have not yet been used for the issuance of a new electronic coupon (unused electronic coupon) 240 and is genuine and valid is incremented by one. Is done.

  Subsequently, in step S119, whether or not the current value of the counter j is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value jth, that is, whether or not the total number of valid receipts 81a has reached a set number (for example, 10). Is determined. This time, assuming that the current value of the counter j has not reached the threshold value jth, the process returns to step S111 via step S114, but this time, it is assumed that the current value of the counter j has reached the threshold value jth. The process proceeds to step S120.

  In this step S120, a unique coupon number is given to the electronic coupon 240 to be issued to the current user. The given coupon number is registered in the user information DB 230 in association with the user ID, as illustrated in FIG. Subsequently, in step S121 of FIG. 14, the number of valid points given to the current user is calculated. In one example, the number of valid points is calculated with reference to a predetermined conversion table so that the total number of receipts 81a determined to be valid increases according to an increment from the set number. . The calculated number of valid points is registered in the user information DB 230 in association with the user ID as illustrated in FIG.

  Then, in step S122 of FIG. 14, as illustrated in FIG. 16, an electronic coupon 240 is issued to the current user, and data representing the electronic coupon 240 is transmitted from the transmission unit 210 to the communication device of the current user. Sent. Thus, the current execution of this electronic coupon processing program ends.

  As described above, the scenario in which the management server 202 receives an electronic coupon issue request from the user has been described. Instead, in the scenario in which the management server 202 receives an electronic coupon use request, both the determination in step S101 and the determination in S107 are NO. The determination in step S123 is YES, and the process proceeds to step S124.

  In step S124, as in step S108, personal authentication is performed based on the user ID and personal identification number transmitted from the user's communication device. When this personal authentication is established, in step S125, one coupon number transmitted from the user's communication device and data for specifying the electronic coupon 240 that the user wants to use is received via the receiving unit 212. Received.

  Thereafter, in step S126, it is determined whether or not the electronic coupon 240 that the current user desires to use is authentic by comparing the received coupon number with the user information DB 230 for the current user. If the current electronic coupon 240 is not authentic, a coupon use non-permission message indicating that use of the electronic coupon 240 is not permitted is returned to the user in step S132. Thus, the current execution of this electronic coupon processing program ends.

  On the other hand, this time, assuming that the electronic coupon 240 that the user desires to use is authentic, in step S127, the desired parking condition transmitted from the user's communication device is the free charge that the user desires. Data for specifying the contents of parking is received via the receiving unit 212. The desired parking condition is, for example, a parking place desired by the user (for example, a parking lot that is the same as or different from the parking lot 10, and each parking lot is set by the same parking lot manager. And the parking date and time desired by the user (for example, date and time zone).

  Subsequently, in step S128, the number of points that need to be consumed to realize the received desired parking condition is calculated. The required number of points is calculated with reference to a predetermined conversion table so as to increase according to the length of parking time for which the user desires free parking, for example. Thereafter, in step S129, the number of valid points is updated by subtracting the calculated required number of points from the current value of the number of valid points. The update of the number of valid points is reflected in the user information DB 230.

  Subsequently, in step S130, a coupon use permission message indicating permission to use the electronic coupon 240 is returned to the user. Thereafter, in step S131, processing for notifying all the persons in charge of the received desired parking conditions is performed (for example, the desired parking conditions are notified to the persons in charge by individual e-mails, or the desired parking conditions are To the person in charge by posting on the website dedicated to the trader). Thus, the current execution of this electronic coupon processing program ends.

  As is clear from the above description, in the present embodiment, for convenience of description, step S109 shown in FIG. 14 constitutes an example of the “code receiving step” in the item (1), and is shown in FIG. Steps S115 to S117 constitute an example of the “determination step” in the same section, and steps S118 to S122 shown in FIG. 11 constitute an example of the “transmission process” in the paragraph, and the transmission unit 210 and the reception unit It can be considered that 212 are examples of the “communication unit” in the same section.

  Further, in the present embodiment, for convenience of explanation, step S127 shown in FIG. 14 constitutes an example of the “data receiving step” in the item (5), and step S131 shown in FIG. It can be considered that it constitutes an example of a “providing step”.

  As mentioned above, although one embodiment of the present invention was described in detail based on a drawing, this is an illustration, and it is various based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art including the mode described in the above-mentioned [Summary of invention] section. The present invention can be implemented in other forms that have been modified or improved.

Claims (7)

The parking lot manager who manages the parking lot issues an electronic coupon to the user according to the history of the user using the parking lot or another parking lot managed by the parking lot manager. An electronic coupon issuing method,
In the parking lot, a ticketing machine that should issue a parking ticket to the user is installed,
The ticket issuing machine includes time information for specifying a date and time when the user enters the parking lot, and time information for specifying a date and time when the user leaves the parking lot. It is a confirmation code that individually encrypts each time information type including at least one of the time information specifying the date and time when the vote is printed, and it cannot be decrypted by the user uniquely. Print and issue what can be pronounced and the time information can be restored by decryption,
In order to request the parking lot manager to issue the electronic coupon, the user can input the confirmation code printed on the parking slip by voice input or data input via the communication device. Send it to the parking manager,
The electronic coupon issue method is:
A code receiving step of receiving the confirmation code transmitted by the user at a communication unit;
The processor decodes the received confirmation code with reference to a decryption table, thereby restoring the time information from the confirmation code, compares the restored time information and the current time with each other, If the difference is within a set value, a determination step of parking slip verification code said received has been printed is determined to be valid,
For the parking slip determined to be valid by the processor, when the use history of the parking lot satisfies a setting condition, the electronic coupon is issued to the user, and the issued electronic coupon is sent to the communication An electronic coupon issuing method comprising: a transmitting step of transmitting from the section to the user.   2. The electronic coupon issuing method according to claim 1, wherein the parking condition includes a length of parking time in which the user continuously parks in the parking lot. The electronic coupon issuing method according to claim 2 , wherein the confirmation code includes the length of the parking time and an encrypted one.   4. The electronic coupon issue according to claim 3, wherein the determination step further includes the step of decrypting the confirmation code with reference to the decryption table, thereby restoring the length of the parking time from the confirmation code. Method. The electronic coupon enables the user to enjoy the privilege that free parking or discount parking for a set number of times in the future by the user is possible,
The user represents a date and time of parking and a parking lot desired for free parking or discount parking via the communication device to request the parking lot manager to use the issued electronic coupon. Send data to the parking manager,
The electronic coupon issuing method further includes:
A data receiving step of receiving the data transmitted by the user at the communication unit;
Based on the received data, the user goes to the parking lot at the date and time when the user desires the free parking or discount parking, and the user can determine whether there is unauthorized parking or not. The electronic coupon issuing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a providing step of providing information related to a date and time of parking and a location of the parking lot.   A management server that is communicably connected to the user's communication device via a communication network, and that executes the electronic coupon issuing method according to claim 1 by a computer.   A program executed by a computer to implement the electronic coupon issuing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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