JP4060636B2 - Ticket center system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ticket center system.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a user has made a reservation or application as a system for selling a ticket for using a service such as a boarding pass for boarding a vehicle such as an airplane, train or ship. A ticket center system capable of automatically issuing tickets for using the service and managing ticketing information is provided.
[0003]
In this case, for example, a user who applies for a ticket for boarding an airplane goes to a sales branch such as a travel agency as a service sales agent, or calls the sales branch to obtain a desired ticket. Apply for an airline ticket. Then, the person in charge of the sales branch applies for the ticket by telephone or online to a ticket center of an airline company as a service provider. When information such as the destination of the airplane and the flight number is input at the ticket center, the ticket center system processes the information, and a predetermined ticket for boarding the airplane is issued by the ticket issuing machine.
[0004]
Subsequently, the ticket is sent to the sales branch and delivered to the user at the sales branch.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional ticket center system, an individual system is independently constructed for each service provider. The information processed by each ticket center system is not compatible. Therefore, it is necessary for the service sales agent to deal individually with the ticket center system of each service provider.
[0006]
For example, since airlines as service providers issue airplane tickets using a dedicated ticket center system, ticketing machines are also different from each other. Therefore, in order for a travel agent as a service sales agent to be able to issue tickets for each airline at their sales branch, all the ticketing machines dedicated to each airline are distributed to the sales branch. In addition, it is necessary to connect to the ticket center system of each airline, which increases the cost. Furthermore, a space for arranging a large number of ticket issuing machines is required. Further, when the ticket issuing machine is not arranged at the sales branch, it is necessary to go to the airline for picking up the ticket that has been issued, or to have it sent to it, which is labor intensive and reduces work efficiency.
[0007]
On the other hand, airlines as service providers also need to maintain and manage dedicated ticketing machines, which increases costs. In particular, when the ticketing machine is installed at the sales branch, maintenance management becomes complicated. In addition, if a ticketing machine is not installed at the branch, the travel agent may give priority to the sale of tickets from other airlines where the ticketing machine is installed, which may reduce the business performance. .
[0008]
The present invention solves the problems of the conventional ticket center system, integrates the systems of a plurality of service providers, streamlines the ticketing operations of each service provider and service sales agent, and reduces costs. It is an object of the present invention to provide a ticket center system that can be used.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Therefore, in the ticket center system of the present invention, in the ticket center system connected to the service providing host system for creating ticket issuing data and the ticket issuing machine for issuing the ticket via the network, the service providing Ticket issuing information receiving means for receiving ticket issuing data in accordance with a protocol for each host system, ticket face editing means for editing the ticket face according to the type of the ticket to create ticket face editing data, and ticket issuing including the ticket face editing data in the ticket issuing machine. Ticketing data transmission means for transmitting data; and The information transmitting means for transmitting information, and the information transmitting means, when a ticket issued by a ticketing machine provided in the ticket center is sent out from the ticket center, the ticket is sent out Send information to service sales agent .
[0012]
The present invention Other In the ticket center system, the information transmitting means further transmits completion of the ticket issuance to the information receiving means of the user.
[0013]
In still another ticket center system of the present invention, it further comprises ticketing data management means for collecting and managing the ticketing data, the ticketing data management means managing the settlement information of the ticket, and the information transmitting means Transmits the ticket settlement information to the service sales agent.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a ticket center system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0016]
In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes a service provider, and 11 denotes a service provider host system as a computer system used by the service provider 10 for performing business. In the present embodiment, the service provider 10 includes, for example, theaters, movie theaters, theme parks, stadiums, exhibition halls, amusement parks, stations, airfields, airplanes, trains, buses, ships, etc. If you are a person who operates sports facilities such as transportation facilities, hotels, inns and other accommodation facilities, drinks, restaurants, golf courses, ski resorts, etc. It can be anything such as an individual, a corporation, a for-profit company, or a public interest group.
[0017]
Here, there are a plurality of the service provider 10, and the service provider 10 includes a service provision host system 11 constructed exclusively for use in performing each business. The service provider 10 may be a person who performs the same kind of work or a person who performs a different kind of work. For example, all of the service providers 10 may be airlines, some of the service providers 10 may be airlines, and some may be railway companies. The service providing host system 11 includes a computing unit such as a CPU and an MPU, a storage unit such as a semiconductor memory and a magnetic disk, a server as a computer having an input / output interface and the like, a host device and the like, and a network connected to the host device. A computer having a computing unit such as a CPU and an MPU, a storage means such as a semiconductor memory and a magnetic disk, an input means such as a keyboard and a mouse, a display means such as a CRT and a liquid crystal display, a printer, an input / output interface, etc. As a business terminal.
[0018]
In the present embodiment, the service providing host system 11 accepts a reservation, application, etc. of a ticket for using a service provided by the service provider 10 and creates data for issuing the ticket. . In addition, the ticket may be a vacant seat such as a seating boarding pass for a vehicle such as an airplane, a train, a bus, or a ship, an entrance ticket for a facility such as a theater or a movie theater, or a use ticket for a hotel or an inn. In the case of a service with a limited number of vacancies or the like, that is, a ticket for using a service with a limited quantity that can be provided, the service providing host system 11 provides at the present time as the number of available seats. The number of possible services, that is, the stock status of the service is checked, and data for issuing a ticket is generated according to the stock status.
[0019]
Reference numeral 40 denotes a user who uses the service, which is generally an individual, but may be any entity such as a corporation, a for-profit company, or a public interest group. The user 40 has an information receiving device 41 as information receiving means such as a stationary telephone, a cellular phone, a facsimile machine, an internet connection terminal such as a personal computer, and acquires information such as the ticketing status of the ticket. be able to. The information receiving device 41 may have a function of transmitting information. In the figure, only one user 40 is shown, but a plurality of users may be used.
[0020]
Reference numeral 50 denotes a service sales agent such as a travel agent or a ticket agency, and a contract is made in advance with each of the service provider 10 and the service provided by the service provider 10 is used. To issue a ticket for delivery to the user 40. In addition, the service sales agent 50 can accept the reservation, application, etc. of the ticket, and can perform a service for the service provider 10. In the figure, only one service sales agent 50 is shown, but a plurality of service sales agents 50 may be provided.
[0021]
In the present embodiment, the service sales agent 50 includes a ticketing machine 51. The ticket issuing machine 51 can handle all of the tickets for using the service provided by the service provider 10 with a single machine. That is, it is possible to issue tickets that are made of paper media of various sizes and quality and that have various printing forms. Therefore, it is desirable that the ticket issuing machine 51 is composed of a multi-hopper type printing machine provided with a plurality of hoppers for individually storing paper media and capable of storing a plurality of types of paper media.
[0022]
In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a ticket center for issuing tickets, and includes a ticket center system including a ticketing control server 21, a ticketing data management server 22, a CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) server 23, and a ticketing machine 24. Here, the ticketing control server 21, the ticketing data management server 22 and the CTI server 23 are servers as computers each having a computing means such as a CPU and an MPU, a storage means such as a semiconductor memory and a magnetic disk, and an input / output interface, respectively. They are connected so that they can communicate with each other. The ticketing control server 21, the ticketing data management server 22, and the CTI server 23 may be configured independently or may be configured integrally. For example, each of the ticketing control server 21, the ticketing data management server 22, and the CTI server 23 may be a part of a plurality of systems built on a large-scale computer. May be a distributed server in which a plurality of servers are organically combined.
[0023]
The ticketing machine 24 is connected to the ticketing control server 21, the ticketing data management server 22, and the CTI server 23, and uses the service provided by the service provider 10 like the ticketing machine 51. All of the tickets can be handled with a single unit. The ticketing machine 24 is preferably a multi-hopper type printing machine, and may have the same configuration as the ticketing machine 51.
[0024]
The person who operates the ticket center 20 may be any person, corporation, for-profit company, public interest group, etc., and has previously concluded a contract with each of the service provider 10 and the service sales agent 50. ing. The person who operates the ticket center 20 may be the same person as the service provider 10 or the service sales agent 50.
[0025]
In the present embodiment, the ticket center system is communicably connected to each service providing host system 11 via the network 31 and receives data for issuing a ticket created by the service providing host system 11. It is supposed to be. Here, the network 31 may be any wireless or wired dedicated communication network or public communication network, the Internet, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), and the like. The network 31 is preferably a dedicated network, but may be a VPN (Virtual Private Network) using a public communication network.
[0026]
And the ticket issuing control server 21 is based on the data for issuing the ticket received from the service providing host system 11 according to the type of ticket for using the service provided by each service provider 10. It controls electronic documents, edits the ticket form as a ticket form, and manages ticketing. The ticketing data management server 22 manages data for issuing tickets. Further, the CTI server 23 controls a message to the user 40 corresponding to the information receiving device 41. For example, when the information receiving device 41 is a stationary phone, a mobile phone, or the like, the message is transmitted in the form of a voice call. When the information receiving device 41 is a facsimile device, the message is transmitted according to a facsimile protocol. When the information receiving device 41 is an Internet connection terminal such as a personal computer, control is performed so that the information is transmitted in the form of an e-mail. The CTI server 23 may function as a web server. In this case, it is possible to access the web page established in the CTI server 23 from the information receiving device 41 and browse the message to the user 40 posted on the web page.
[0027]
The data for issuing the ticket is transmitted according to a protocol that differs for each service providing host system 11. Therefore, the ticket center 20 has ticket issue information receiving means (not shown) that can receive data for issuing the ticket in accordance with a protocol for each service providing host system 11. In addition, it has ticketing information transmission means (not shown) for transmitting ticketing data.
[0028]
The ticket issuing machine 51 of the service sales agent 50 is communicably connected to the ticket center system via the network 32, receives a command from the ticketing control server 21, and issues a ticket according to the command. Here, like the network 31, the network 32 may be any network such as a wireless or wired dedicated communication line network or a public communication line network, the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or a VPN. Further, the network 32 may be the same as the network 31.
[0029]
On the other hand, the information receiving device 41 of the user 40 is communicably connected to the ticket center system via the network 33 and receives a message from the CTI server 23. Here, like the network 31, the network 33 may be any wireless or wired dedicated communication network or public communication network, the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, a VPN, or the like, but a wired or wireless telephone. It may be a line network.
[0030]
Next, the operation of the ticket center system configured as described above will be described.
[0031]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the operation of the ticket center system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
[0032]
First, the service providing host system 11 of each service provider 10 transmits ticket issuing data as data for issuing a ticket to the ticket center center 20 as indicated by an arrow (1) in FIG. The service provider 10 accepts ticket reservations, applications, etc. from the user 40 in advance and inputs them to the service provider host system 11. Here, reservation, application, etc. of the ticket may be received directly from the user 40 or may be received through the service sales agent 50. In the present embodiment, the method of accepting ticket reservation, application, etc. and inputting it to the service providing host system 11 is a normal method, and the description thereof is omitted. The service providing host system 11 creates data for issuing the ticket when the reservation, application, etc. of the ticket are input. Here, when the ticket is a ticket for using a service with a limited quantity that can be provided, the service providing host system 11 checks the stock status of the service, and according to the stock status. Although the ticket issuing data is created, the method of creating the ticket issuing data is a normal method, and the description thereof is omitted.
[0033]
Subsequently, when the ticketing data is received from the service providing host system 11 at the ticket center 20, the ticketing control server 21 uses the service provided by each service provider 10 based on the ticketing data. The electronic document is controlled according to the type of ticket, the ticket surface as a ticket form is edited, and the ticket issuance is managed. In this case, even ticketing data transmitted by a protocol different for each service providing host system 11 can be received by ticketing information receiving means (not shown). The ticket issuing control server 21 functions as a ticket face editing unit that edits the ticket face according to the type of ticket for using the service provided by each service provider 10 and creates the ticket face editing data. The received ticketing data is managed by the ticketing data management server 22.
[0034]
Subsequently, the ticket data edited by the ticket issuing control server 21 is transmitted to the ticket issuing machine 51 of the service sales agent 50 as shown by the arrow (2) in FIG. . Then, the ticket issuing machine 51 issues a ticket by printing a predetermined item in a predetermined form on a predetermined paper medium in accordance with the ticket-edited ticket data.
[0035]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the ticket issuing data created by the service providing host system 11 of each service provider 10 is received by the ticket center 20 and the ticket face is edited, and then the ticket is issued by the service sales agent 50. A ticket corresponding to the type of ticket for using the service provided by the service provider 10 is issued by the ticket issuing machine 51. Therefore, since the ticket issuing machine 51 can be shared, the cost of the service provider 10 can be reduced, and the ticketing operation can be made more efficient. Moreover, the cost of the service sales agent 50 can be reduced, the installation space of the ticketing machine 51 can be reduced, and ticketing work can be made efficient.
[0036]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that description of the same structure and the same operation as those of the first embodiment is omitted.
[0037]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the ticket center system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[0038]
In the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 manages consumables such as paper media and ink ribbons used by the ticket issuing machine 51 included in the service sales agent 50. In this case, first, each service provider 10 has a sufficient number of paper media having a size, paper quality, and the like necessary for issuing their ticket as indicated by an arrow (1) in FIG. 3 in advance. The ticket center 20 is supplied. Then, the paper medium is supplied from the ticket center 20 to the service sales agent 50 and set in the ticket issuing machine 51, as indicated by an arrow (2) in FIG. In this case, a paper medium of a type corresponding to each service provider 10 is individually stored in each hopper of the ticket issuing machine 51. The consumables such as the paper medium and the ink ribbon are also set in the ticket issuing machine 24 of the ticket center 20.
[0039]
Subsequently, the ticket issue data edited by the ticket issue control server 21 is transmitted to the ticket issuing machine 51 of the service sales agent 50 as shown by the arrow (3) in FIG. Then, the ticket issuing machine 51 issues a ticket by printing a predetermined item in a predetermined form on a predetermined paper medium in accordance with the ticket-edited ticket data. In the present embodiment, the ticketing data management server 22 functions as a consumable management unit that manages consumable data used by the ticket issuing machine 51. The ticket issuing data management server 22 updates the consumable data based on the ticket issuing data, and issues an alarm when the consumable becomes less than a predetermined quantity.
[0040]
Here, the ticketing data management server 22 manages the number of tickets issued for each ticketing machine 51 of each service sales agent 50. In this case, the number of tickets issued in each ticket issuing machine 51 is managed for each type of ticket. When the number of tickets issued is close to the number of paper media stored in the hopper, that is, when the paper media stored in the hopper is almost exhausted, the ticket issuing data management server 22 Then, it is determined that the quantity of paper media is near-end, and an alarm (warning) is issued ((4) in FIG. 3). The same applies to other consumables such as ink ribbons.
[0041]
Subsequently, the consumables such as paper media and ink ribbons are supplied from the ticket center 20 to the service sales agent 50 as shown by the arrow (5) in FIG. The Since other operations are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.
[0042]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 manages consumables such as paper media and ink ribbons, which has been conventionally performed by the service sales agent 50. Therefore, the business burden on the service sales agent 50 can be reduced. Furthermore, it is not necessary to place an order for consumables such as paper media and ink ribbons, and the consumables are automatically supplied when the number of consumables is reduced.
[0043]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The description of the same structure and the same operation as those of the first and second embodiments will be omitted.
[0044]
FIG. 4 shows the operation of the ticket center system in the third embodiment of the present invention.
[0045]
In the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 sends a ticket issued on behalf of the service sales agent 50 to the user 40, that is, performs a ticket delivery agency. In this case, the service providing host system 11 of each service providing company 10 firstly issues ticketing data as data for issuing a ticket applied by the user 40 as indicated by an arrow (1) in FIG. To the ticket center 20.
[0046]
Subsequently, the ticket issue data edited by the ticket issue control server 21 is transmitted to the ticket issuing machine 24 of the ticket center 20. Then, the ticket issuing machine 24 issues a ticket by printing a predetermined item in a predetermined form on a predetermined paper medium in accordance with the ticket-edited ticket data ((2) in FIG. 4). Then, the ticket is sent to the user 40 as shown by the arrow (3) in FIG. 4 together with an attached document such as a document describing the cancellation conditions. The ticket center 20 may receive a receipt confirmation of the ticket sent by the user 40.
[0047]
Further, the ticket center 20 includes an information transmission unit (not shown) that transmits information. The information transmitting unit may be the CTI server 23. When the ticket issued by the ticketing machine 24 provided in the ticket center 20 is sent out from the ticket center 20, the information transmitting means sends information indicating that the ticket has been sent out as a service sales agent. The information is transmitted to the vendor 50. For this reason, the information transmission means notifies the service sales agent 50 that the ticket has been sent out as indicated by the arrow (4) in FIG. Since other operations are the same as those in the first and second embodiments, description thereof will be omitted.
[0048]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 performs the dispatch of the ticket which has been conventionally performed by the service sales agent 50. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the business of the service sales agent 50 and reduce the cost.
[0049]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that description of the same structure and the same operation as those of the first to third embodiments is omitted.
[0050]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the operation of the ticket center system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
[0051]
In the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 notifies the user 40 of the completion of ticket issuance on behalf of the service sales agent 50, that is, acts as a substitute for ticket issuance completion notification. In this case, first, the service providing host system 11 of each service providing company 10 indicates the ticket issuing data as data for issuing the ticket applied by the user 40 as indicated by the arrow (1) in FIG. To the ticket center 20.
[0052]
Subsequently, the ticket issuing data edited by the ticket issuing control server 21 is transmitted to the ticket issuing machine 51 of the service sales agent 50 as indicated by the arrow (2) in FIG. Then, the ticket issuing machine 51 issues a ticket by printing a predetermined item in a predetermined form on a predetermined paper medium in accordance with the ticket-edited ticket data.
[0053]
On the other hand, as shown by the arrow (3) in FIG. 5, the user 40 is notified that the ticket has been issued. In this case, a message that the ticket issuance has been completed is transmitted from the CTI server 23 functioning as an information transmitting means to the information receiving device 41 of the user 40 via the network 33. For example, when the information receiving device 41 is a stationary phone, a mobile phone or the like, the message is transmitted as a voice. When the information receiving device 41 is a facsimile device, the message is transmitted as text by a facsimile. When 41 is an internet connection terminal such as a personal computer, the message is transmitted as an e-mail. The CTI server 23 may function as a web server. In this case, it is possible to access the web page established in the CTI server 23 from the information receiving device 41 and browse the message to the user 40 posted on the web page.
[0054]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 notifies the ticket issue completion notification that has been conventionally performed by the service sales agent 50. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the business of the service sales agent 50 and reduce the cost.
[0055]
Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. The description of the same structure and the same operation as those of the first to fourth embodiments will be omitted.
[0056]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the operation of the ticket center system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
[0057]
In the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 collects ticket settlement information on behalf of the service sales agent 50 and notifies the service sales agent 50, that is, a ticket settlement information provision service is provided. Yes. In this case, first, the service providing host system 11 of each service providing company 10 indicates the ticket issuing data as data for issuing the ticket applied by the user 40 as indicated by the arrow (1) in FIG. To the ticket center 20. Here, the ticketing data management server 22 functions as ticketing data management means for collecting and managing ticketing data. The ticket issuing data management server 22 collects and manages ticket settlement information included in the ticket issuing data ((2) in FIG. 6). Then, the settlement information is periodically provided to the service sales agent 50 as indicated by the arrow (3) in FIG. In this case, the payment information is sorted for each service provider 10 and sent to the service sales agent 50 by the information transmission means in an organized state.
[0058]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the ticket center 20 collects and organizes the ticket settlement information, which has been performed by the service sales agent 50 in the past. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the business of the service sales agent 50 and reduce the cost.
[0059]
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change variously based on the meaning of this invention, and does not exclude them from the scope of the present invention.
[0060]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, it is possible to integrate the systems of a plurality of service providers to improve the efficiency of ticketing operations for the service providers and the service sales agents, and to reduce costs. it can.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a ticket center system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation of the ticket center system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the ticket center system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of a ticket center system according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation of a ticket center system in a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an operation of a ticket center system in a fifth embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
11 Service providing host system
20 Ticket Center
21 Ticketing control server
22 Ticketing data management server
23 CTI Server
24, 51 ticketing machine
31, 32, 33 network
40 users
41 Information receiving device
50 Service sales agent

Claims (3)

(A) In a ticket center system connected via a network to a service providing host system that creates ticketing data for a ticket and a ticketing machine that issues the ticket,
(B) ticket issuing information receiving means for receiving ticket issuing data in accordance with a protocol for each service providing host system;
(C) a ticket surface editing means for editing the ticket surface according to the type of the ticket and creating ticket surface editing data;
(D) ticketing data transmitting means for transmitting ticketing data including the ticket face editing data to the ticketing machine ;
(E) having information transmitting means for transmitting information,
(F) When the ticket issued by the ticketing machine provided in the ticket center is sent out from the ticket center, the information transmitting means sends information indicating that the ticket is sent out to the service sales agent. A ticket center system characterized by transmitting . The ticket center system according to claim 1 , wherein the information transmitting unit transmits completion of the ticket issuance to a user information receiving unit. The ticket issuing data management means collects and manages the ticket issuing data, the ticket issuing data management means manages the ticket settlement information, and the information transmission means transmits the ticket settlement information to the service sales agent. The ticket center system according to claim 1 or 2 .

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