JP2022170941A - Use schedule management system, use schedule management program, and use schedule management method - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a use schedule management system which can manage reservations and waitlist requests flexibly, a use schedule management program, and a use schedule management method.SOLUTION: In a use schedule management system which manages a schedule for using seats, using reservations with designated seating time and waitlist requests for seats, a seat availability management apparatus 1 includes: waitlist request receiving means 11 which receives a waitlist request; reservation receiving means 12 which receives a reservation and generates a reservation slot with a designated seat in a time zone in which the seat is to be occupied; seat-open estimation means 13 which specifies expected seat-open time of occupied seats; candidate specifying means 15 which receives input to designate a waitlist, and specifies seat candidates to be used by the waitlist on the basis of, reservation slots and expected seat-open time of the seats; display means 17 which performs display processing on a seat allocation screen which displays the candidates to be selected; and allocation means 16 which associates a seat selected through the seat allocation screen with the waitlist.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a usage schedule management system, a usage schedule management program, and a usage schedule management method.

Conventionally, reservation for a seat at a store with a specified entry time, waiting for an empty seat, and the like have been performed. Using these together enables more flexible store management, so technology has been developed to combine reservation and waiting.

For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-100020 discloses a technique of calculating the estimated time of vacant seats according to the order details for each seat in a restaurant, and determining and calling seats when waiting for a turn and making a reservation.

JP-A-11-242697

On the other hand, with the technique described in Patent Document 1, although it is possible to call customers, there is a problem that it is difficult to flexibly manage both reservations and queues according to the situation of the store.

In view of the circumstances as described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel technique that enables flexible management of both reservations and queues.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is a utilization schedule management system for managing a utilization schedule of a seat using both a reservation designating an entry time and waiting for an empty seat, Waiting means for receiving the queue, Reservation receiving means for receiving the reservation and generating a reservation frame specifying a seat in a time zone in which the seat is scheduled to be used, and Predicted vacancy time of the seat in use. vacant seat prediction means for specifying; candidate specifying means for receiving an input specifying said waiting and specifying a candidate for a seat to be used by said waiting based on said reservation slot and estimated seat availability time of each seat; Display means for performing display processing of a seat assignment screen that displays candidates in a selectable manner, and assigning means for associating the seat selected via the seat assignment screen with the queue.

By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to support the determination of the seats for which the wait is guided in consideration of the reservation slots. In addition, rather than simply determining seats automatically, by displaying candidate seats and accepting input from users such as store clerks to associate waiting lines with seats, flexible store operations that reflect the user's intentions can be achieved. It becomes possible.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the waiting reception means receives an input designating a seat condition for the waiting, and the candidate specifying means satisfies the conditions for the waiting, and satisfies the predetermined seat vacancy prediction time. Seats in which the reservation slots do not overlap within the range are specified as the candidates.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to prevent customers who are waiting for their turn from being guided, for example, when there is a reservation 10 minutes after the estimated time of vacant seats.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the candidate identifying means includes a seat that is vacant among seats that satisfy the condition for waiting and the reservation slots do not overlap within a predetermined range after the vacant seat prediction time, or the vacant seat prediction. The seat with the earliest time is specified as the first candidate, and the display means displays the seat assignment screen with the seat of the first candidate selected when there is a request to display the seat assignment screen. do.
By adopting such a configuration, it becomes easy to identify a seat that has already become vacant or a seat that will become vacant next, and to guide waiting for a turn to that seat.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat assignment screen displays, among the seats that are not candidates, seats that do not overlap with the reservation slots within a predetermined range so that they can be selected separately from the candidates.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible, for example, to present a seat that can be quickly guided to the customer even if it is different from the customer's desired condition. This enables flexible guidance according to the customer's wishes and store conditions.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat allocation screen includes a number designation unit that receives designation of the number of persons for each of the candidate seats so that the total number of persons is equal to the number of people waiting for their turn, and the allocating means receives the designation of the number of persons for each of the candidate seats. A seat for which one or more people have been input via the specifying unit is considered to be selected and associated with the queue.
In addition, by accepting the designation of the number of people for each seat so that the total number of people is the number of people waiting, for example, customers who come to the store with 8 people can be divided into 4 people and guided to multiple seats. is flexibly possible.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat allocation screen includes a time designation unit for designating the scheduled use time of the seat due to the queue, and the allocating means, via the time designation unit, allows the seat to be used according to the queue The scheduled use time of the seat is received and the use limit is set.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily set the time expected to be used by customers waiting in line, and more flexible operation becomes possible.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the display means sets the current time if the designated seat is vacant, or the predicted seat vacancy time if the designated seat is not vacant, as the use start time, and the customer's standard stay is calculated from the use start time. Display processing of the seat allocation screen including the time designation portion in which the scheduled use time is designated is performed using the time based on the elapsed time as the use end time.
With such a configuration, the user can easily and appropriately set the scheduled usage time.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the seat vacancy prediction means calculates the seat vacancy prediction time on the basis of the end time of the reservation frame or the usage frame.
By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to calculate, for example, the time at which use is expected to end, or the time at which use is expected to end plus time for clean-up and preparation, as the estimated seat vacancy time. It is possible to appropriately specify the estimated time of vacant seats based on the reservation quota and usage quota.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus further comprises means for displaying a usage schedule screen including a usage schedule that displays the reservation slots and usage slots for each seat in an identifiable manner along the time axis.
With such a configuration, the user can check both the reservation quota and the usage quota in a list for each seat. As a result, the usage status of each seat, the time when usage is expected to end, and subsequent reservations can be made clear at a glance, greatly improving visibility.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the usage schedule screen further includes the waiting list, and the candidate identifying means receives the designation of the waiting schedule via the waiting list on the usage schedule screen.
By adopting such a configuration, customers waiting for their turn can be confirmed in a list along with the usage schedule. In addition, after confirming the use schedule, it is possible to guide the waiting customer to an appropriate seat.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a use schedule management program for managing a use schedule of seats using both reservations specifying a time to enter the store and waiting for an empty seat, comprising: Waiting means for receiving the queue, Reservation receiving means for receiving the reservation and generating a reservation frame specifying a seat in a time zone in which the seat is scheduled to be used, and Predicted vacancy time of the seat in use. vacant seat prediction means for specifying; candidate specifying means for receiving an input specifying said waiting and specifying a candidate for a seat to be used by said waiting based on said reservation slot and estimated seat availability time of each seat; A computer is caused to function as display means for performing display processing of a seat allocation screen that displays candidates in a selectable manner, and allocation means for associating the seat selected via the seat allocation screen with the waiting queue.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a usage schedule management method for managing a usage schedule of a seat using both a reservation designating an entry time and waiting for an empty seat, a waiting step for receiving the waiting line; a reservation receiving step for receiving the reservation and generating a reservation slot specifying a seat in a time slot in which the seat is scheduled to be used; a vacant seat prediction step for specifying; a candidate specifying step for receiving an input designating said waiting and specifying a candidate for a seat to be used by said waiting based on said reservation frame and said seat vacancy prediction time of each seat; A computer is caused to execute a display step of displaying a seat allocation screen that displays candidates in a selectable manner and an allocation step of associating the seat selected via the seat allocation screen with the waiting queue.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel technology that enables flexible management of both reservations and queues.

1 is a functional block diagram of a usage schedule management system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the seat information which database DB memorize|stores in embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the waiting information and reservation information which database DB memorize|stores in embodiment of this invention. 4 is a flowchart of a scheduled guidance time calculation process of the usage schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a new turn waiting acceptance process of the utilization schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a reception start screen of the utilization schedule management system according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a waiting screen for accepting a turn in the usage schedule management system according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a reception content confirmation screen of the usage schedule management system according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a usage schedule screen of the usage schedule management system according to the embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of a seating arrangement screen of the utilization schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention;

The usage schedule management system of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The embodiments shown below are examples of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and various configurations can be adopted.

For example, although the configuration, operation, and the like of the usage schedule management system will be described in the present embodiment, a method, device, computer program, and the like having the same configuration can also achieve the same effect. Also, the program may be stored in a recording medium. Using this recording medium, a program can be installed in a computer, for example. Here, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used in various facilities such as restaurants, beauty salons, amusement facilities, banks, medical facilities, public facilities including government offices, etc., to manage seat utilization. In this embodiment, an example of managing vacant seats in a restaurant is shown, but the facility using the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention can be used in any type of industry or business.

In this embodiment, the usage schedule management system manages the usage status and usage schedule for each seat in the store, and assists the allocation of seats to customers. In particular, the present invention accepts a reservation specifying the time to enter the store in advance, accepts a waiting time such as when the seat is full, and predicts the state of the seat, the use schedule, and the time when the seat will become vacant. Assisting with preferred guidance.

In the present invention, the standard stay time refers to a customer's standard stay time. In this embodiment, it is possible to set a usage limit based on the expected stay time of a customer who enters the store while waiting in line using the standard stay time, and based on this, the estimated time of vacant seats is calculated. For example, the length of stay of customers may be recorded and the average value thereof may be used as the standard length of stay. Also, since the average length of stay may vary depending on the day of the week, time of day, and number of customers, different standard length of stay may be set for each condition such as the date and time of use and the number of customers.

In the present embodiment, a usage limit designated on the seat assignment screen, which will be described later, is set for the seat. In other words, the usage limit refers to a time period during which customers who enter the store while waiting in line are expected to use the seats. Here, in the present embodiment, on the seat allocation screen, a usage limit is initially displayed starting from the current time or the estimated vacant seat time of the target seat and ending at the time based on the time when the standard stay time elapses.

A reservation frame is set for the reservation. A reservation slot indicates a time period during which the customer who made the reservation uses the seat. The start time of the reservation slot is specified by the customer, and the length of the reservation slot may be determined by the standard stay time, as with customers who enter the store while waiting in line, or determined according to the reservation menu specified at the time of reservation. may be Also, the customer may specify the length of the reservation frame.

The details of the process will be described later, but in this embodiment, in order to enable guidance on time for the reservation and to inform the waiting customers of the appropriate scheduled guidance time, reservations and waiting are managed so that they do not overlap. .

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the usage schedule management system of this embodiment. As shown here, the utilization schedule management system of this embodiment is configured such that a vacant seat management device 1, a reception terminal 2 that receives input from a customer at a shop front, and a management terminal 3 can communicate with each other via a network NW. , and the database DB is connected to the vacant seat management device 1 by wire or wirelessly. Note that the vacant seat management device 1, the reception terminal 2, the management terminal 3, and the database DB may be configured to be communicable via the network NW.

The vacant seat management device 1 includes an arithmetic unit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). , an auxiliary storage device such as a flash memory, various input/output devices including means for connecting to the network NW, etc., and a general computer device such as a server device can be used.

As the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3, any computer such as a tablet terminal or a PC (Personal Computer) equipped with various input/output devices including an arithmetic device, a storage device, and means for connecting to the network NW. Equipment is available. Also, by installing a browser application or a dedicated application for using a dedicated web page, a computer device for personal use such as a smartphone used by a customer or a store clerk can function as the reception terminal 2 or the management terminal 3. good too.

Here, one computer device may function as both the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3 . For example, a terminal device installed in a store functions as a reception terminal 2 that receives input from customers for waiting in line or making a reservation, and the same computer device functions as a management terminal 3 by switching to a store clerk mode. can be A plurality of reception terminals 2 and management terminals 3 may exist.

The vacant seat management device 1 includes a queue reception means 11, a reservation reception means 12, a vacant seat prediction means 13, a scheduled guidance time determination means 14, a candidate identification means 15, an allocation means 16, and a display means 17. Prepare.

A waiting order reception means 11 receives a waiting order including designation of the number of people. In addition to specifying the number of people, the waiting means 11 of this embodiment also accepts desired seat conditions, contact information, and the like, and stores them in the database DB as waiting information.

A reservation acceptance means 12 accepts a reservation specifying an entry time, and generates a reservation slot specifying a seat in a time slot in which the seat is scheduled to be used. In this embodiment, the reservation information input by the customer via the reception terminal 2 is registered in the database DB, and then the clerk who confirmed the reservation details inputs the seat designation, and the reservation reception means 12 selects the seat. Generate the specified reservation slots. In addition, the clerk asks for a reservation request by telephone or the like, and the clerk inputs the number of people, seat conditions, seat designation, etc. via the management terminal 3, so that the reservation reception means 12 registers the reservation information in the database DB. and may generate a reservation window.

The vacant seat prediction means 13 calculates the predicted vacant seat time for each seat in use based on the reservation limit or the use limit. In the present embodiment, for a seat that is currently being used by a customer who has entered the store while waiting in line, the predicted seat vacancy time based on the usage limit is calculated at the time of allocating the seat. In addition, for a seat that is being used by a customer who entered the store with a reservation, the estimated seat vacancy time is calculated based on a reservation slot that has been set in advance.

Specifically, for example, assuming that a seat becomes available when the reservation limit or usage limit expires, the end time of the reservation limit or usage limit may be used as the estimated seat vacancy time. In addition, since preparations such as cleaning up seats are usually required after the customer leaves the seat, the estimated seat vacancy time may be the time when a predetermined time has elapsed from the end time of the reservation or usage limit.

The scheduled guidance time determining means 14 determines the scheduled guidance time of each group in order from the first group based on the estimated vacant seat times of seats that can accommodate customers. For example, if the first group in the queue is a group of four, the seat that becomes available the earliest among the seats that can accommodate four people is specified based on the estimated time of vacant seats, and the seat is placed in the queue. is provisionally assigned to determine the scheduled guidance time. In addition to being able to accommodate the number of people waiting for their turn, the provisional allocation may be limited to seats that satisfy the conditions of the seats received by the waiting reception means 11 .

More specifically, for example, if the predicted seat vacancy time of the seat that will become available earliest is 12:12, the scheduled guidance time determination means 14 selects 10 minutes from the time obtained by truncating the predicted seat vacancy time. Alternatively, the scheduled guidance time may be 12:10 to 12:20. In this way, it is preferable to determine a time slot with a width including before and after the estimated vacant seat time as the scheduled guidance time.

Here, when calculating the estimated guide time for the second and subsequent queues, the update is based on the standard stay time, assuming that the waiter ahead of himself/herself is seated at the target seat at the scheduled guide time. Estimated seat availability time is used. For example, assuming that seat A will become vacant in 5 minutes and that the first person waiting in line will be seated in seat A in 10 minutes, the estimated guidance time for the second and subsequent queues is calculated as 10 minutes from now. , and the standard stay time is added to the estimated seat availability time for A seat.

Here, in the present invention, "determining the scheduled guidance time for each group in order from the first group" simply means that after the scheduled guidance time for the first group (waiting in line) is determined, This means that the next set of scheduled guide times is determined. That is, it is not necessary to continuously calculate the scheduled guidance time from the beginning to the end. The scheduled guidance time may be determined in order from .

Candidate identification means 15 receives an input designating a waiting line via a utilization schedule screen, which will be described later, and identifies a candidate for a seat to be used by the waiting line based on the reservation frame and estimated seat vacancy time of each seat. . Specifically, it specifies, as a candidate, a seat that satisfies the condition of the seat received by the waiting reception means 11 and has no overlapping reservation slots within a predetermined range after the vacant seat prediction time. Here, in this embodiment, the predetermined range is determined based on the standard stay time. In addition, it is also possible to select seats that do not have overlapping reservation slots within the time obtained by adding a fixed reserved time required for clean-up or the like.

Here, the candidate specifying means 15 preferentially specifies vacant seats as candidates, and selects seats other than vacant seats only when there are no vacant seats. On the other hand, when there is no vacant seat, the candidate specifying means 15 specifies, as a candidate, a seat for which there is no reserved seat during the period from the estimated vacant seat time of each seat to the time when the standard stay time elapses.

Further, the candidate identification means 15 identifies the first candidate to be given the highest priority among the designated waiting seat candidates. Specifically, among the seats that satisfy the conditions of the seats accepted by the waiting reception means 11 and whose reservation frames do not overlap within a predetermined range after the vacant seat prediction time, if there are vacant seats, the vacant seats are selected. If not, the seat with the earliest estimated vacant seat time is identified as the first candidate. Here, if there are multiple vacant seats among the candidates, or if there are multiple seats with no vacant seats but with the same expected vacant seat time, the The seat with the highest priority is identified as the first candidate.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a combination of multiple seats is specified as a candidate and a first candidate. For example, by storing information specifying adjacent seats that can be combined and used as seat information for each seat, a plurality of seats that can be combined can be specified as candidates. Alternatively, a combination of seats may be registered as seat information.

When a combination of a plurality of seats is considered as a candidate in this way, the latest predicted seat vacancy time among the seats included in the combination is treated as the predicted seat vacancy time of the combination. Regarding the specification of the first candidate, a seat that can be accommodated by a single seat may be prioritized, or a seat with the earliest estimated vacant seat time including combinations may be selected as the first candidate.

The allocating means 16 associates a seat selected via a seating allocation screen, which will be described later, with the queue. In this embodiment, when a seat becomes available, a store clerk guides the customer to the seat and performs input for associating the wait with the seat via the management terminal 3 . The allocating means 16 receives an input from the salesclerk via the seat allocation screen displayed on the management terminal 3, and associates the designated seat with the target waiting line.

Here, on the seat allocation screen, a number designation section for accepting designation of the number of persons for each candidate seat is displayed so that the total number of persons is equal to the designated number of persons waiting for their turn. The allocating means 16 considers that a seat for which one or more people have been input via the number of people designation unit has been selected, and associates it with waiting. For example, when a queue of 8 people is guided to 2 seats with 4 people each, by specifying 4 people for each of the target seats, it is possible to associate the queue with these 2 seats.

Here, in this embodiment, the available number of people and the minimum number of people for each seat are registered in advance in the database DB as seat information. For example, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of turnover rate to guide a group of two people to a seat that can seat six people at the time of congestion. Therefore, the allocating means 16 of this embodiment associates the waiting line with the seat when the number of people specified on the seat allocation screen described later is equal to or less than the number of available seats and does not fall below the minimum number of people. Note that the lower limit value may not be applied when one queue is associated with a plurality of seats.

In order to display various screens on the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3, the display means 17 performs display processing of the scheduled guidance time and other various information, and transmits the processing result. The display means 17 of the present embodiment displays, for example, the calculation results such as the number of seats in use and the number of customers in use, seat information, waiting information, and reservation information, and transmits them to the management terminal 3. 3, a usage schedule screen, which will be described later, is displayed. Further, the candidate of the seat specified by the candidate specifying means 15 is subjected to display processing and transmitted to the management terminal 3, and the seat allocation screen, which will be described later, is displayed on the management terminal 3. FIG. Here, when displaying the screen for starting acceptance of waiting, the display means 17 displays and processes the guidance scheduled time under the condition that the customer can enter the store earliest when lined up at the end of the waiting at that time. is preferred.

Note that it is not necessary for one computer device to have all of these means, and a plurality of computer devices may cooperate to function as the vacant seat management device 1 of the present embodiment. Also, the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3 may be configured to include some or all of the above means.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of seat master information among the seat information stored in the database DB. In this embodiment, the database DB stores seat numbers. , the number of available seats, the lower limit of the number of seats (the lower limit of the number of seats), seat conditions, seats that can be combined and used, etc. are stored as seat master information. In addition to this, the candidate specifying means 15 may further store arbitrary information such as the order of priority for specifying the first candidate.

Furthermore, although not shown, in addition to the seat master information shown in FIG. 2, transaction information relating to seats is further stored as seat information in this embodiment. As the transaction information, the seat No. Information such as the number of people using the seat, the waiting ID or reservation ID of the customer who is using the seat, the start time of use, the guidance time, and the estimated time of vacant seats, etc., linked with the seat master information is recorded. Such transaction information is recorded in the database DB each time any information is changed.

In the transaction information, information such as desired seat conditions, number of users, and contact information input by the customer in use is specified by the waiting ID or reservation ID. The number of people in use in the transaction information may be identified from the waiting information or reservation information identified by the waiting ID or reservation ID. As a result, by referring to the latest transaction information, it is possible to identify the situation of the seats, such as the number of people using each seat, the waiting list or reservations during use.

Here, in this embodiment, the time of the first order is stored. Also, the guidance time at which the customer is guided to the seat and the start time and end time of the reservation slot or usage slot are specified by the waiting information or the reservation information.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of waiting information and reservation information stored in the database DB. In this embodiment, the waiting information includes a waiting ID, a reference number used to call a customer, the number of people, desired seat conditions, status, seat number of the assigned or provisionally assigned destination. , a provisional allocation flag, a usage limit, a guidance time, a record of the time of the first order (FO), and the like are stored. In addition, the contact information such as the telephone number of the customer waiting in line, the user ID for linking with the user information registered in advance, and the like are stored. The waiting information is registered by the waiting reception means 11 based on the information input via the reception terminal 2 .

Reservation information includes a reservation ID, a reference number used to call a customer, the number of people, desired seat conditions, reservation slots, and associated seat numbers. and other information are stored. In addition to this, the database DB may store the status, guidance time, record of the first order time, customer's contact information, user ID, etc., in the same manner as the queue information. The reservation information is registered by the reservation reception means 12 based on the information input via the reception terminal 2 or the management terminal 3 .

Various other information may be recorded as the queue information and reservation information. For example, in this embodiment, when a customer waiting in line or making a reservation arrives at the store, the customer performs check-in by inputting that fact. Therefore, although not shown in FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the presence or absence of check-in and the check-in time can be stored as queue information and reservation information, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the scheduled guidance time calculation process by the scheduled guidance time determining means 14 . In the present embodiment, such processing is executed at arbitrary timing such as occurrence of vacant seats, customer guidance, new reservations, reception of queues, and the like. Also, the process shown in FIG. 4 may be repeatedly executed at predetermined intervals. As a result, even if the estimated guidance time calculated at the time of receiving a reservation or waiting in line deviates due to the customer's actual stay time differing from the standard stay time, etc., the estimated guidance time will be appropriate according to the situation. can be updated. Note that the calculation of the scheduled guidance time is performed in order from the first pair, and at the start of the process, the first waiting group is subject to the calculation of the scheduled guidance time.

First, in step S11, the estimated guidance time determination means 14 acquires the number of people from the waiting information for which the estimated guidance time is calculated. Then, in step S12, seats that can accommodate waiting lines are extracted based on the number of people acquired in step S11 and the available number of people and the minimum number of people in the seat information of each seat.

More specifically, it extracts seats for which the available number of people is greater than or equal to the number of people waiting for their turn and whose minimum number of people is less than or equal to the number of people waiting for their turn. Here, the application of the minimum number of people may be determined depending on the time zone, vacant seat status, reservation and waiting status, and the like. For example, if the number of passengers is equal to or greater than the number of people waiting for their turn, it may be considered that the seats can be accommodated in the waiting time without applying the lower limit during less crowded hours. Also, the lower limit value may be changed depending on the time period. Here, in addition to being able to accommodate the number of people waiting for their turn, only seats that satisfy the conditions of the seats accepted by the waiting reception means 11 may be extracted as seats that can accommodate waiting. .

Here, it is preferable to make it a further condition that the waiting slots do not overlap with the reservation slots. For example, in the seat with the earliest estimated vacant seat time, if the reservation slot overlaps in the range from the vacant seat forecast time to the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the vacant seat forecast time, guide the customer waiting in line to the seat in the reservation slot. can't. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in calculating the scheduled guidance time, the scheduled guidance time determining means 14 extracts the target seat on the condition that there is no overlap with the reservation frame. If the range up to the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the predicted vacant seat time overlaps with the reserved seat, the predicted vacant seat time of the relevant seat may be updated to the end time of the reserved seat.

Next, in step S13, the estimated guidance time determining means 14 identifies the seat with the earliest estimated time of vacant seats among the seats extracted in step S12, and temporarily allocates the queue to be calculated to that seat. Then, in step S14, based on the estimated seat vacancy time of the seat in question, the expected waiting time for waiting is calculated. For example, a method of 10 minutes from the time obtained by truncating the 1's digit of the vacant seat prediction time is conceivable. In addition, the scheduled guidance time may be a time period obtained by adding a predetermined time period in consideration of the time required for seat preparation. In this way, it is preferable to determine a time slot with a width including before and after the estimated vacant seat time as the scheduled guidance time. The scheduled guidance time of the waiting information is updated based on the determined scheduled guidance time.

In step S15, the estimated seat availability time of the seat identified in step S13 is updated. For example, assuming that the first waiting seat is guided to the seat with the earliest estimated vacant seat time at the time of step S13, that seat cannot be guided to the second waiting seat. Therefore, here, based on the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the estimated seat vacancy time before updating the seat provisionally assigned in step S13 (prediction of the time when the first waiting line will be announced and the seat will be withdrawn), the relevant Update the estimated seat availability time. Specifically, for example, the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the estimated seat vacancy time before updating may be used as the new estimated seat vacancy time. The time obtained by adding the time may be used as the new predicted seat vacancy time.

When the calculation of the estimated guidance time for the queue and the update of the estimated vacant seat time are completed in this way, the estimated guidance time determination means 14 confirms whether or not there is a subsequent queue in step S16. If there is a subsequent queue, the calculation target is changed to the next queue in step S17, and steps S11 to S15 are repeated. Then, when there is no more waiting for the subsequent turn, the processing ends.

In this way, by determining the estimated guidance time in order from the head of the waiting list based on the estimated seat vacancy time, it is possible to present a detailed estimated guidance time that reflects the situation inside the facility. The effect of improving accuracy can be expected. It is not essential to calculate the scheduled guidance time as shown in FIG. That is, the scheduled guidance time determining means 14 calculates the scheduled guidance time based on the estimated time of available seats at that time only when a new reservation or waiting is accepted, and thereafter, the scheduled guidance time of the accepted waiting is not updated. may be configured.

FIG. 5 is a processing flow chart when the waiting means 11 accepts input of new waiting. As described above, the process of FIG. 4 is repeatedly executed at any timing for registered queues, and at the start of the process of FIG. Predicted seat availability time is stored.

Here, the process of FIG. 5 is started when an input for starting the reception of the waiting order is received via the reception start screen as shown in FIG. On the reception start screen, "shortest scheduled guidance time" is displayed as a result of display processing of the scheduled guidance time by the display means 17. FIG. Here, in the calculation of the shortest scheduled guidance time, the scheduled guidance time determining means 14 calculates the new waiting time as a calculation object in a state where the estimated time of seat vacancy in consideration of the registered waiting time is stored. By executing only steps S12 to S14 in the process of (1), it is possible to determine the shortest scheduled guidance time in the case of waiting for one's turn from now on. Since the number of people waiting for their turn is unknown here, in the execution of step S12, the conditions for the number of people are not considered, and seats that can accommodate waiting people are extracted on the condition that there is no overlap with the reservation slots. .

Here, instead of the estimated guidance time calculated as described above, it may be more simply calculated by multiplying the number of waiting groups by the waiting time per group, and displayed. Further, whether to display the scheduled guidance time or the waiting time may be set for each store. The waiting time per group can be arbitrarily set for each store. For example, if the waiting time per group is set to 5 minutes and there are 3 waiting groups that have not been guided, the waiting time for the new group is 5 minutes. x3 = 15 minutes.

When accepting a new waiting order, first, in step S21, the input of the number of people waiting is accepted. Then, in step S22, seats that can accommodate waiting lines are extracted in the same manner as in step S12 of FIG. FIG. 7(a) is an example of a screen for accepting input of the number of people in step S21.

In step S24, the scheduled guidance time determining means 14 calculates the scheduled guidance time in the same manner as in step S14 of FIG. Then, in step S25, the display means 17 performs display processing of the scheduled guidance time in consideration of the number of people, and the reception terminal 2 displays a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. 7(b). Customers who want to wait for their turn can check the scheduled guidance time in consideration of the number of people here and choose whether or not to continue waiting for their turn.

When "next" is selected on the confirmation screen, the waiting reception continues, and in step S26, the waiting reception means 11 receives input of other waiting information. In this embodiment, input of seat conditions such as non-smoking or smoking, counter or table, window-side preference, and the customer's contact telephone number are accepted.

When the input is completed, the input information is displayed by the display means 17, and a reception content confirmation screen such as that shown in FIG. 8(a) is displayed. If "determine" is selected here, the waiting information is stored in the database DB by the waiting means 11 in step S27, and the process ends.

Here, the customer can check the scheduled guide time in the case of waiting on the confirmation screen in FIG. In this embodiment, when the customer selects the displayed scheduled guidance time, an input for making a reservation is received by the reservation receiving means 12, and candidates for available time slots are displayed.

The available reservation time slot displayed here may be determined by a range set in advance, or may be based on the estimated seat vacancy time for each seat that takes into account the registered waiting time. and the reservation frame may be determined within a range that does not overlap. In this case, it is preferable to specify a reservation-available time zone by narrowing down to seats that can be accommodated here as well.

When the time zone is selected, the input of non-smoking or smoking, seat conditions such as counter or table, and customer's contact telephone number are accepted in the same manner as the acceptance of waiting. When all inputs are completed, the display means 17 displays the input information, and a reception content confirmation screen such as that shown in FIG. 8(b) is displayed. If "determine" is selected here, the reservation receiving means 12 stores the reservation information in the database DB and terminates the process.

In the above description, the processing is performed when the customer does not designate an individual seat. accept. In this case, it is not necessary to accept input of seat conditions in both queue and reservation. That is, in this embodiment, instead of accepting seat conditions such as no smoking or smoking, a counter or a table, it is possible to set a specific seat to be specified.

If seat designation by the customer is accepted, seat selection is further accepted in step S21. Then, steps S22 and S23 are omitted, and in step S24, the scheduled guidance time is calculated based on the predicted seat vacancy time for the selected seat. Also, no seat conditions are input in step S26.

As described above, when the waiting list is accepted, the customer can move freely and visit the facility based on the scheduled guidance time. Here, if the scheduled guidance time displayed in step S25 of FIG. 5 is changed at the time of reception, it is preferable to notify the customer to that effect.

For example, in the present embodiment, when a customer who is currently using a seat scheduled to be used by a waiting group does not leave the seat even after the usage quota or reservation quota has passed, the contact information of the customer specified by the waiting information Based on this, we will notify you that there is a possibility that the guidance will be delayed. Here, in the present embodiment, the notification is given to the first queue of queues affected by the delay due to the extension of the leaving time of the relevant seat, that is, of queues to which the similar notification has not been sent. Specifically, for example, you can send a message such as "It's getting close to the time, but there is a possibility that the scheduled arrival time may be delayed due to continued congestion." Use it to send. The timing of the notification is arbitrarily determined, but for example, the end time of the customer's standard staying time, or the timing when a predetermined time has passed from the initial guidance scheduled time, etc. are assumed.

Also, if the scheduled guidance time is updated by the process of FIG. 4 and changed from the scheduled guidance time displayed in step S25 of FIG. For example, if the scheduled guidance time displayed at the time of reception has changed by a predetermined amount of time, for example, 10 minutes or more, the updated scheduled guidance time may be notified. Further, when the scheduled guidance time is further updated after that and the change occurs for a predetermined time or more, the notification may be performed again. In addition, in order to avoid sending notifications frequently, it is possible to notify only a predetermined number of groups from the beginning of the queue or groups whose time until the scheduled guidance time is within a predetermined period. good.

9 and 10, the use schedule screen and seat assignment screen on the management terminal 3 and allocation of seats to queues will be described. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the usage schedule screen W1. The usage schedule screen W1 displays a usage schedule for each seat, including a time zone display portion TT that displays the time zone on the horizontal axis and a seat display portion W12 that specifies the seat on the vertical axis. In FIG. 9, the time zone display section TT displays the time axis in units of 30 minutes, but it can be optionally changed to units of 15 minutes, 10 minutes, or the like.

In the usage schedule, the current time PT is displayed at the position of the current time on the time axis. In the seat display area W12, in addition to the seat number, the seat conditions (non-smoking/smoking), the number of available seats, and the number of people currently using the seats are displayed. For example, in the example of FIG. 9, for table A, "no smoking" indicating the condition, "table A" indicating the seat number, the number of available people in the denominator, and "4/4" indicating the number of people currently using it in the numerator, respectively. is displayed. The same applies to other seats.

A total number of seats W11 is displayed in the upper part of the seat display area W12. to display the total number of people in the The seat total W11 and the seat display portion W12 are displayed based on the sum of the seat information and the transaction information.

In the usage schedule, usage slots and reservation slots are displayed for each seat so as to be identifiable. In FIG. 9, the frames shown in dark color represent usage frames, the frames shown in solid white color represent reservation frames, and the circled numbers at the right end of each frame represent queues or reservations. represents the number of people. Each frame displays a reference number indicating the target reservation information or waiting information, or a customer name. In addition, in the usage quota and the reservation quota, arbitrary information regarding the usage quota and the reservation quota, such as waiting information and information included in the reservation information, may be further displayed. In addition, a user such as a store clerk may be able to select information to be displayed for each of the usage quota and the reservation quota. Also, when a combination of multiple seats is used, the reservation frame and usage frame are displayed over the multiple seats.

In addition, after the usage quota and the reservation quota, the reserved time is displayed as the time for cleaning up after the customer leaves and preparation for guiding the next customer. The reserved time is a fixed value that is set in advance, and is set for each number of customers and the number of store staff on shift at that time. Here, the reserved time can be set before and after the usage frame and the reservation frame, respectively, and the set reserved time is displayed on the usage schedule.

Note that in this embodiment, the history of use that has already left is also displayed, but in this case, it is preferable to display the actual use time regardless of the reservation limit or the use limit. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the provisionally allocated waiting slots are also displayed. In FIG. 9, the temporarily assigned queues are indicated by broken-line frames, and the circled numbers at the right end of each frame indicate the number of queues or reservations. Temporary allocation differs from allocation by input via a seat assignment screen, which will be described later, and refers to temporary correspondence between queues and seats, which is performed for calculating the scheduled guidance time and confirming the schedule. In this embodiment, provisional allocation is performed according to the procedure described in steps S11 to S13 of FIG. 4, and the provisionally allocated queues are displayed in a form different from the reservation quota and usage quota in the usage schedule. .

Here, in the present embodiment, it is possible to calculate more simply by multiplying the number of waiting groups by the waiting time per group instead of the scheduled guidance time. It is preferable that provisional assignment processing is performed for schedule confirmation. The procedure for provisional allocation is as shown in steps S11 to S13 in FIG. Allocate tentatively. Here, in addition to being able to accommodate the number of people waiting for a turn, only seats that satisfy the conditions for seats accepted by the waiting reception means 11 may be extracted as seats that can accommodate waiting.

Note that the provisionally allocated usage quota for waiting is displayed based on the standard stay time. For example, the time period from the estimated vacant seat time to the time when the standard stay time elapses may be used as the usage limit, or a predetermined time such as 10 minutes is added to the time when the standard stay time elapses from the predicted seat vacancy time The time period up to the time may be used as the usage limit.

A queue WL is displayed on the left side of the usage schedule screen W1. As the queue WL, a list of queues is displayed, and reference numbers, customer names, number of customers, and seat conditions are displayed. When waiting for a seat to be assigned is selected from among these, the display means 17 accepts a request to display the seat assignment screen, and the seat assignment screen is displayed by superimposing the use schedule screen on W1, and assignment is made according to the user's input. Means 16 allocate seats to queues.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the seating arrangement screen W2. The seat allocation screen W2 displays information on waiting in the upper part, and includes a time designation portion W21, a seat allocation display portion W22, a number designation portion W23, and a contact display portion W24. In the following, the arrangement of waiting seats will be described, but in the present embodiment, input is accepted on a similar screen when a clerk performs an operation of specifying a seat for reservation information. In other words, the reservation acceptance means 12 associates the reservation information with the seats via the seat allocation screen W2, and generates a reservation slot specifying the use start time and use end time of the seat.

If the designated seat is vacant, the time designation unit W21 sets the current time as the usage start time, and sets the usage end time at the time when the standard stay time has passed from the usage start time, and displays the usage frame in a selected state. be. If the designated seat is not vacant, it will be displayed with the usage limit selected, with the estimated vacancy time for that seat as the usage start time and the usage end time as the time when the standard stay time has passed from the usage start time. be. If there is a vacant seat, the usage limit may be always displayed as the time from the current time to the time when the standard stay time has elapsed.

The user can change the date, usage start time, and usage end time of the usage limit by operating the time designation part W21. Further, when the seats are changed by operating the number of people designation section W23, the selection state of the time designation section W21 is also updated in conjunction with it. It should be noted that in the allocation of waiting seats, the date of the usage quota may be made immutable.

At this time, control is performed so that a time zone in a range that overlaps with a reservation frame or a usage frame already associated with a seat selected (one or more people are input) in the number of persons designation part W23 cannot be designated. Specifically, if the user selects "Information" while a time slot that overlaps with the reservation limit or usage limit is selected, an error message is displayed. In addition, the time designation unit W21 may be controlled so that the time zone overlapping the reservation frame or usage frame associated with the originally selected seat cannot be selected.

The seat allocation display section W22 displays the seats and usage slots designated in the time designation section W21 and the number of people designation section W23 in the left column. Here, when the seating arrangement screen W2 is displayed, the candidate specifying means 15 specifies the first candidate, and the seat of the first candidate is selected in the number of people specifying section W23. Accordingly, the usage limit determined according to the vacancy status of the first candidate seat or the estimated vacancy time is initially input in the time designation section W21, and the seating arrangement display section W22 is displayed according to these contents. When "guidance" is selected on the seat allocation screen W2, the allocation means 16 receives the contents specified in the time designation part W21 and the number of people designation part W23, that is, the contents displayed in the seat allocation display part W22, and waits for a turn. is associated with the selected seat and the usage quota is set.

Here, it is assumed that an uninformed waiting line is newly guided, but it is also possible to change the reservation limit, usage limit, and seat for the already guided waiting line or reservation. In that case, the reservation limit or usage limit before change, the assigned seats, and the number of people are displayed on the right side of the seat allocation display area W22.

The number-of-persons designating part W23 separately displays candidate seats and seats other than the candidate seats that can accommodate the target queue whose reservation slots do not overlap within a predetermined range after the vacant seat prediction time. In FIG. 10, tables A to H are displayed as candidate seats that are non-smoking seats (seats that satisfy the conditions for waiting in line) and that can accommodate the number of people waiting in line.

In the example of FIG. 10, all of these seats are vacant at the present time, and are seats for which there are no reserved slots between the current time and the standard stay time. Thus, in this embodiment, the candidate identification unit 15 selects seats other than vacant seats as candidates only when there are no vacant seats. On the other hand, when there is no vacant seat, the candidate specifying means 15 specifies, as a candidate, a seat for which there is no reserved seat during the period from the estimated vacant seat time of each seat to the time when the standard stay time elapses.

In addition, in the number-of-persons designation section W23, tables I to H are designated as smoking seats that do not satisfy the waiting conditions but can accommodate the number of people waiting in a separate area from tables A to H, which are candidate seats. L etc. are displayed. Tables I to L show, among non-candidate seats, seats specified by the candidate specifying means 15 as seats for which there is no reservation slot during the period from the current time or the predicted vacant seat time to the elapse of the standard stay time. .

Even if there is a vacant seat, the candidate specifying means 15 specifies a seat that is not vacant at the present time and that does not have a reservation slot during the period from the vacant seat prediction time to the elapse of the standard stay time. It may be displayed in the number-of-persons designation portion W23 separately. At this time, it is preferable to display the estimated seat vacancy time of each seat as well.

The user can select the number of people to be guided to wait their turn for each of the seats displayed in the number of people designation section W23. In FIG. 10, it is designated to guide all four people waiting for their turn to table A. In FIG. At this time, the designation of the number of people at each seat is accepted so that the total number of people is equal to the number of people waiting for their turn. Specifically, if the total number of people at each seat is different from the number of people waiting for their turn, a warning is displayed on the seat assignment screen W2, and an error message is displayed if "guidance" is selected in that state. be.

On the other hand, for example, if 2 people are specified for table A and 2 people are specified for table B, and "guidance" is selected, the target waiting line is associated with table A and table B, and the customers are divided into two groups. You will be guided

The communication display part W24 displays notes on waiting for the target's turn or reservation, and is used for information sharing among store staff. For example, there may be a limited number of seats that can be guided to customers with strollers or wheelchairs. Assuming such a case, when a target notice is selected in the communication display section W24, a notice regarding a waiting customer or a reservation customer is registered in the waiting information or reservation information. The selected notes are displayed in an identifiable manner. In the example of FIG. 10, items of being late and stroller are registered and highlighted in the communication display section W24.

When the information on the seat assignment is input as described above, it is reflected on the usage schedule screen W1 shown in FIG. 9, and the assigned waiting list or reservation is displayed in the usage schedule with solid-line frames.

As a result, seats can be assigned flexibly via the intuitively operable seat allocation screen W2. In particular, in this embodiment, in consideration of reservation slots, candidate seats are specified within a range that does not overlap with reservations and displayed on the seat allocation screen W2, so that the user can more easily assign waiting lines to appropriate seats. can be done.

1: Vacant seat management device 2: Reception terminal 3: Management terminal 11: Reception means 12: Reservation reception means 13: Vacant seat prediction means 14: Scheduled guidance time determination means 15: Candidate identification means 16: Allocation means 17: Display means EPARK: Stock Company NW: Network PT: Current time TT: Time zone display W1: Scheduled use screen W11: Total seats W12: Seat display W2: Seat allocation screen W21: Time designation W22: Seat allocation display W23: Number of people designation W24 : Contact display

Claims (12)

A utilization schedule management system for managing a utilization schedule of a seat using both a reservation designating an entry time and waiting for an empty seat,
a waiting reception means for accepting the waiting;
Reservation receiving means for receiving the reservation and generating a reservation slot specifying the seat in the time slot in which the seat is scheduled to be used;
seat vacancy prediction means for specifying the predicted vacancy time of the seat in use;
Candidate identification means for receiving an input designating the waiting line and identifying a candidate for the seat to be used by the waiting line based on the reservation frame and estimated seat availability time of each seat;
display means for performing display processing of a seat allocation screen that displays the candidates in a selectable manner;
allocation means for associating the seat selected via the seat allocation screen with the waiting queue;
A usage schedule management system comprising: The waiting reception means receives an input designating a seat condition for the waiting,
2. The utilization schedule management system according to claim 1, wherein said candidate specifying means specifies, as said candidate, a seat that satisfies said condition for waiting and whose reservation slots do not overlap within a predetermined range after said vacant seat prediction time. The candidate specifying means selects an empty seat or a seat for which the predicted vacant seat time is earliest among the seats that satisfy the conditions for the waiting queue and do not overlap the reservation slots within a predetermined range after the predicted vacant seat time. identified as a candidate
3. The usage schedule management system according to claim 2, wherein said display means displays said seat allocation screen in a state in which said first candidate seat is selected when said display of said seat allocation screen is requested. According to claim 2 or 3, the seat assignment screen displays, among the seats that are not candidates, seats that do not overlap with the reservation slots within a predetermined range so that they can be selected separately from the seats that are not candidates. The use schedule management system described. The seat allocation screen includes a number designation unit that receives designation of the number of people for each candidate seat so that the total number of people is the number of people waiting for their turn,
5. The utilization schedule management system according to claim 1, wherein said allocating means considers that a seat for which one or more persons have been input via said number of persons designation unit has been selected and associates it with said waiting list. . The seat allocation screen includes a time designation unit for designating the scheduled time for use of the seat due to the waiting line,
6. The usage schedule management system according to claim 1, wherein said allocating means accepts a scheduled usage time of said seat due to said queue via said time specifying unit and sets a usage limit. If the designated seat is vacant, the display means sets the current time as the use start time, and if the seat is not vacant, sets the estimated seat vacancy time as the use start time. 7. The usage schedule management system according to claim 6, wherein the time is set as the usage end time, and the seating arrangement screen including the time designation section in which the scheduled usage time is designated is processed for display. 8. The utilization schedule management system according to claim 6, wherein said seat vacancy prediction means calculates said seat vacancy prediction time based on the end time of said reservation limit or use limit. 9. The method according to any one of claims 6 to 8, further comprising means for performing display processing of a usage schedule screen including a usage schedule that displays the reservation slots and usage slots for each seat in an identifiable manner along the time axis. use schedule management system. The scheduled use screen further includes the waiting list,
10. The usage schedule management system according to claim 9, wherein said candidate specifying means receives designation of said waiting list via said waiting list on said usage schedule screen. A use schedule management program for managing a use schedule for a seat using both a reservation designating an entry time and waiting for an empty seat,
a waiting reception means for accepting the waiting;
Reservation receiving means for receiving the reservation and generating a reservation slot specifying the seat in the time slot in which the seat is scheduled to be used;
seat vacancy prediction means for specifying the predicted vacancy time of the seat in use;
Candidate identification means for receiving an input designating the waiting line and identifying a candidate for the seat to be used by the waiting line based on the reservation slot and estimated seat availability time of each seat;
display means for performing display processing of a seat allocation screen that displays the candidates in a selectable manner;
allocation means for associating the seat selected via the seat allocation screen with the waiting queue;
A usage schedule management program that allows a computer to function as a A usage schedule management method for managing a usage schedule for a seat using both a reservation designating an entry time and waiting for an empty seat,
a waiting acceptance step for accepting the waiting;
a reservation reception step of receiving the reservation and generating a reservation slot specifying the seat in the time slot in which the seat is scheduled to be used;
a seat vacancy prediction step of identifying the predicted vacancy time of the seat in use;
a candidate identification step of receiving an input designating the waiting line, and identifying a candidate for the seat to be used by the waiting line based on the reservation frame and the estimated seat availability time of each seat;
a display step of displaying a seating arrangement screen that displays the candidates in a selectable manner;
an allocating step of associating the seat selected via the seat allocation screen with the waiting queue;
A usage schedule management method that causes a computer to execute

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