JP4707852B2 - Batch ticketing system - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a ticket issuing system that issues tickets for transportation facilities, admission tickets for event venues, and the like in a lump.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In general, when moving from one station to the destination station, the route from the departure station to the destination station is examined in advance, and if the movement is a long distance, not only railways but also airplanes and express buses As one of the options, after being included in the route options, the route is selected according to its own purpose such as the shortest time or the cheapest fare, and then the route is actually moved.
At that time, it is necessary to check the route map and fare table for railroads, or go to the station and ask directly at the window. In recent years, there is an airline boarding reservation service provided at a railway institution, so it is possible to check directly there, but in any case, the route, fare table, and time of each transportation It is troublesome because it is necessary to examine the table.
Recently, software for searching for a transfer route has been widely used. This software is a database that can be installed on a server on the Internet or an intranet and can search for a route by access from a terminal device. When the departure station and arrival station are input, a plurality of boarding routes between the departure and arrival stations are presented, and the boarding time and fare are also displayed. If the departure date is entered, the estimated arrival time is also displayed based on the timetable and considering the transit time. By using this transfer route search software, it is possible to easily check in advance the optimal transfer route, transportation costs, required time to the destination, and the like.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even when using such route search software, use this software to select a route in advance and make a reservation for a ticket for each transportation facility, or for each transfer It had to be purchased and was very troublesome. Even if it is possible to purchase tickets and tickets in advance, the tickets are independent of each other, and it is troublesome to handle a plurality of tickets at the time of departure.
In addition, there are cases where vehicles are used in the adjacent railway agencies, and the tickets are shared, and you can purchase a transit ticket after transit at the boarding station. In some cases, it is possible to pass through an automatic ticket gate with a ticket, but it is often necessary to purchase a new ticket at a transit station, such as when there is no mutual entry.
In addition, there are many cases where adjacent railway institutions are entering each other, so there are cases where the ticket is shared and one ticket can pass through the automatic ticket gate, but in general, Every time the boarding engine is changed, it is necessary to purchase a new ticket at the transit station, which is troublesome. In particular, when the means of transportation is different, such as trains, airplanes, and buses, it is necessary to have independent boarding tickets, and the arrangement and handling is troublesome.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a ticket vending machine and a collective ticketing system capable of issuing a plurality of tickets for each transportation facility in a batch with a simple system configuration. Objective.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Invention]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention of the collective ticketing system according to claim 1 includes means for inputting a departure station name and an arrival station name, means for searching for a route between the departure and arrival stations, and a plurality of results obtained from the search result. When one route is selected from the routes, means for requesting acquisition of ticketing information of each transportation necessary for moving along the route, and recording the plurality of acquired ticketing information on the IC card A ticket vending machine provided with means, a means for providing ticketing information of its own transportation system based on a request from the ticket vending machine, and one of the ticketing information is issued from another ticketing agency A ticketing management device comprising means for requesting the other transportation means to acquire the ticketing information, and provided for each transportation means, connected to the ticketing management device and a communication network, and the ticketing management device. Key from Wherein the ticket information providing apparatus for providing ticket information other ticketing agency, made, the ticket machine, the venue nearest station when Venue instead of the input of the arrival station name is input on the basis of The ticketing management device searches for the route between the departure and arrival stations with the nearest station as the arrival station, and obtains ticketing information for the ticket vending machine to enter the venue for each transportation facility. It is recorded on an IC card together with ticketing information.
[0006]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a collective ticketing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this system, for example, for the purpose of collective issuance of tickets for railway agencies, etc., a plurality of ticket machines 101 provided at each station (a, b. The ticket issuing management device 102X manages ticketing status of the machine and obtains ticketing information from other transportation systems. The ticketing management device 102X is communicably connected to the ticketing information providing devices 103Y and 103Z of other railway organizations Y and Z so that ticketing information and the like can be transmitted and received with each other via the Internet 104.
The ticketing information providing devices 103Y and 103Z of the respective transportation facilities Y and Z have a function of providing ticketing information to the ticketing management device 102 of the transportation facility X. That is, when a ticketing request is made from the ticketing management device 102X via the Internet 104 for tickets in the boarding sections of other railway organizations Y and Z, each ticketing management device 103Y and 103Z responds to the ticketing request from the ticketing management device 102X. Providing ticketing information for a given boarding section.
[0007]
FIG. 2 is a front view showing an external configuration of the ticket vending machine 101. A touch panel type operation display unit 202 that displays boarding ticket purchase guidance, fare buttons, and the like is displayed on the customer service surface, which is the front surface of the ticket vending machine main body 201, and a child fee and a plurality of sheets are purchased at the bottom of the operation display unit 202. And a setting button 203 for setting a fare / station name designation mode and the like. Furthermore, in the lower stage, there are a coin insertion slot 204 and a bill insertion slot 205 for collecting charges, an SF card insertion slot 206 for inserting a magnetic SF card, and a credit card insertion slot 207 for inserting a credit card. An IC card reader / writer antenna unit 208 that reads / writes data from / to the IC card, a monetary amount display unit 209 that displays the input amount, and a speaker 210 that performs voice guidance output and calls with a staff member And a microphone 211, a ticket outlet 212 for issuing a ticket using a ticket, and a change outlet 213 for returning the change to cash.
[0008]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of the ticket vending machine 101. The ticket vending machine 101 includes a touch panel type operation display unit 202, a setting button 203 for setting a child fee, purchasing a plurality of sheets, and the like, a cash processing unit 301 for performing processing such as identification and conveyance of inserted bills and coins, and the like. A credit processing unit 302 that processes a credit card inserted when purchasing a ticket with a credit card, an SF card processing unit 303 that processes an SF card when purchasing a ticket with an SF card, and a ticket to be issued A printing unit 304 that performs printing processing on paper, a magnetic recording unit 305 that records ticket issuing information on the back side of a ticket, and an IC card reader / writer (R) that performs information reading or writing processing in a contact or non-contact manner with an IC card / W) 306, a communication control unit 307 which is an interface for connecting to the Internet, ticket issue information, transfer information, timetable information, etc. A data recording portion and 308 for recording a database, and a main control unit 309 for controlling the respective components 202,203,301 to 307.
[0009]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the basic operation of the ticket vending machine 101. On the operation screen of the operation display unit 202, an operation screen in a fare designation mode for purchasing tickets by fare as shown in FIG. 5 is initially displayed as a basic screen. The operation is performed as it is according to the display guidance.
The ticket can be purchased with cash, credit card, SF card, or IC card. When purchasing a ticket with cash, the user first inserts cash (banknotes or coins) for the fare to the destination station (S401Y). At this time, the cash processing unit 301 calculates the input amount (S402), the input amount is displayed on the amount display unit 209, and a fare button that can be purchased within the amount range is highlighted on the operation display unit 202. (S403).
When purchasing with a credit card instead of cash, the user inserts the credit card into the credit card insertion slot 207 (S404Y). At this time, the credit processing unit 302 reads out the credit information and performs a collation process with the credit center (S405). After the authentication, the fare button that can be purchased is highlighted on the operation display unit 202 (S403).
When purchasing with an SF card, the user inserts the SF card into the SF card insertion slot 206 (S406Y). At this time, the SF card processing unit 303 reads the remaining amount information (S407), the remaining amount is displayed on the amount display unit 209, and a fare button that can be purchased within the amount range is highlighted on the operation display unit 202. (S403).
The user can also purchase with an IC card. When purchasing a ticket, using an IC card (non-contact type) with a usable amount increased in advance, this IC card is brought close to the antenna part of the IC card R / W 207 (S408), so that the balance from the IC card is obtained. Information and personal information such as identification ID are read out (S409), the remaining amount is displayed on the amount display unit 209, and a fare button is highlighted on the operation display unit 201 within the range of the available amount (S409). S403).
When the user clicks one of the highlighted fare buttons in this way (S410), the ticket is usually issued with a ticket (S411N). In this ticketing operation, necessary ticketing information is read from the data recording unit 309, the printing unit 309 prints a boarding section or the like on the surface of the ticket, and the magnetic recording unit 305 is applied to the back of the ticket. After ticketing information such as fare information is recorded on the magnetic recording surface (S412), a ticket is issued from the ticketing slot (S413).
[0010]
It is also possible to write ticketing information on an IC card instead of ticketing (S411Y). When payment is made with cash, credit card or SF card, ticket is issued in principle, but by switching in advance by pressing an IC card ticketing button provided on the operation screen (not shown), or First, when the IC card is used for payment (S408Y), the ticket issuing process for the IC card is performed as it is. In this case, when the IC card is brought close to the antenna unit 208 of the IC card R / W after the fare button is clicked, the ticket issuing information is written on the IC card and the ticket issuing is completed (S408). In this way, users who have an IC card with ticketing information recorded will be able to read the ticketing information in a contactless manner when passing through the ticket gate for IC card-compatible automatic ticket gates. There is no need to put it in the mouth, and it is possible to pass through the ticket gate smoothly.
In the embodiment described above, the ticketing information database is recorded in the data recording unit 308 of the ticket vending machine 101. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ticketing management device 102 centrally manages the ticketing information, and each ticket vending machine It is good also as a structure which 101 obtains ticketing information as needed.
[0011]
Next, the batch ticketing operation of the ticket vending machine will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing selectable boarding routes in the boarding section from the boarding station (station a) to the exit station (station d). The user is assumed to move from station a to station d, and is operated and managed by railway organization X from station a to station b, railway organization Y from station b to station c, and railway organization Z from station c to station d. It is assumed that station b, station c, station e, station f and station g are transit stations. In this case, the user can take three courses: (1) a course via bc station, (2) a course via ef station, and (3) a course via eg station.
[0012]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the collective ticketing operation of the ticket vending machine 101. First, a user purchases a ticket with the ticket vending machine 101 at a station, which is the boarding station. At that time, since the operation screen of the fare designation mode described above is initially displayed on the operation screen of the operation display unit 202 of the ticket vending machine 101, the station name designation button, which is one of the setting buttons 203, is pressed to enter the station name. The operation screen is switched to the designated mode (S701). When the station name designation mode is selected, as shown in FIG. 8, the operation screen of the operation display unit 201 displays a departure station name and an arrival station name input field, an input field for designating the departure date and time or arrival date and time, a 50 sound arrangement, and the like. The entered character input button is displayed.
In this station name designation mode, for example, when the arrival date and time is designated and the boarding station name is designated as “a station” and the arrival station name is designated as “d station”, the main control unit 304 of the ticket vending machine displays the diagram recorded in the data recording unit 308. The route between the departure and arrival stations is searched based on the information. As a result, all the possible routes in the section from the station a to the station d are displayed on the operation display unit 202 as shown in FIG. 9 (S703). Here, in addition to course (1) passing through station b-station c, course (2) via e station-station f and course (3) via station e-g are also applicable. Displayed as available routes.
Here, section bc of course {circle around (1)} is an express train, and a message to that effect is displayed. In addition, the contents are shown not only in the limited express but also in special cases such as a bed and a reserved seat. Among courses (1) to (3), a course with the shortest required time (shortest time course) and a course with the lowest fare (lowest fare course) are shown. Here, it is shown that the required time is the shortest when passing through the bc station, and the fare is the cheapest when passing through the ef station.
When the user presses the selection button 901 to select the course {circle around (1)} via the bc station that is the shortest time course on the operation screen, a settlement procedure guide is displayed (S504). Since the fare necessary for moving on the selected course is formally displayed on the operation display unit 102, the amount is displayed in cash, credit card, SF card, or IC card in the same manner as in the fare designation mode. Or pay by
When the settlement process is performed in this way, the ticket issuing process for each railway organization required in the selected course (1) is performed. In the ticket issuing process, the ticket vending machine 101 first extracts ticket information between a and b stations from its own database, and writes it into the IC card (S705). Next, the ticket vending machine 101 requests the ticket information providing devices 103Y and 103Z of the other railway organizations Y and Z to obtain ticket information between the bc stations and ticket information between the cd stations.
[0013]
The ticketing management device 102X requests ticketing information between the stations bc to the ticketing information providing device 103Y of the transportation facility Y via the communication network (S706), and provides the ticketing information of the transportation facility Y in response to this request. The ticket issuing information provided from the device 103Y is input to the ticket vending machine 101 via the ticket processing device 102X of the transportation facility X. The ticket vending machine 101 performs a process of writing the ticket issuing information on the IC card. In addition, since it is a limited express between bc, the information regarding a limited express ticket is recorded together as ticket issue information.
Further, the ticket management apparatus 102X requests ticket information between the cd stations to the ticket information providing apparatus 103Z of the transportation facility Z via the communication network (S707), and issues the transportation facility Z in response to this request. The ticket issuing information provided from the information providing apparatus 102Z is input to the ticket vending machine 101 via the ticket processing apparatus 102X of the transportation facility X. The ticket vending machine 101 performs a process of writing the ticket issuing information on the IC card. As described above, ticketing information on the course (1) of each railway organization X to Z is recorded on one IC card.
When actually boarding, connecting and getting off at the selected course (1), if you pass through the automatic ticket gates of each railway organization using the IC card in which these ticketing information is recorded, the automatic ticket gates Since the ticketing information of the railway organization recorded on the IC card is read out in a non-contact manner and the refusal of passage is judged, the user can easily handle the ticket without using a plurality of tickets. In addition, it is possible to get on and off and transfer smoothly. In this way, ticketing information issued by a plurality of transportation facilities X, Y, and Z is recorded on one IC card, which is substantially the same as when three tickets are issued at once. Result.
In the embodiment described above, the route search is performed in the ticket vending machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ticket issuing management device 102 centrally manages the diagram information, and each ticket vending machine 101 performs the route search as necessary. It may be configured to request and retrieve the search result. Further, a configuration may be used in which a route search database system that manages diagram information is accessed via the Internet to search between departure and arrival stations, and the result is used.
[0014]
In the embodiment described above, the case where the railway is used consistently as an example of the transportation has been described as an example. However, it is possible to incorporate other means of transportation other than the railway. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a case where the aircraft M and the express bus N are included as means of transportation in the boarding section from the departure station (station a) to the arrival station (station d).
When the arrival date and time is designated in the station name designation mode and the boarding station name “a station” and the arrival station name “d station” are entered in the ticket vending machine 102 at the a station which is the boarding station, the search result is as shown in FIG. In addition to all the courses (1) to (3) that can be considered in the railway section from the station to the station d, the course (4) via the ajk-d that uses the airplane M and the high-speed bus The course (5) via ah-id is displayed. When the user selects the course (4), the ticketing management device 102 of the railway organization X requests the ticketing information providing device 103 of the aircraft organization M to issue the ticketing information, thereby providing the ticketing information of the aircraft organization M. The ticket issuing reservation information is provided from the device 103, and the ticket vending machine 101 writes the ticket issuing reservation information of the aircraft on the IC card. When the user selects the course (5), the ticket management device 102 of the railway organization X requests the ticket information from the ticket information providing device 103 of the express bus organization N, thereby issuing the ticket of the express bus organization N. The ticket issuing information is sent from the information providing apparatus 103 to the ticket vending machine 101, and the ticket vending machine 101 writes the ticket issuing information of the express bus on the IC card.
In this way, by providing a course including other transportation options as one of the options and carrying out the ticketing process, users of the transportation system can only select the optimum route according to their travel plan. Or, it is very convenient that the ticketing can be performed at once.
[0015]
In addition to the tickets issued by transportation, the collective ticketing system described above includes admission tickets to event venues, concert venues, amusement parks, theme parks, exhibition facilities, etc. (hereinafter referred to as “venues”). It is also possible to issue a batch ticket. These event venues, their nearest stations, event contents, and entrance fees are compiled into a database and recorded in the data recording unit 308 of the ticket vending machine. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when participating in an event held at a certain event venue p, the event venue name is used instead of the station name in the arrival station input field provided on the operation screen of the operation display unit 202. By inputting, as shown in FIG. 11, the nearest station d of the event venue is displayed on the operation screen of the operation display unit 202, and the event contents and the entrance fee at the event venue are selected and displayed.
When the selection button 1101 is pressed to select the event content according to the display on the operation screen, the course from the boarding station a to the nearest station d of the event venue is displayed on the operation screen of the operation display unit in the same manner as in FIG. Therefore, by selecting one of them, the ticket issue information of the selected course is written on the IC card. Furthermore, the ticketing management device 102X not only requests the ticketing information providing devices 103Y and 103Z of other transportation facilities Y and Z but also issues the ticketing information providing device P at the event venue. Request acquisition. The ticketing information of each transportation facility and the ticketing information of the entrance ticket to the event venue are written on the IC card by the ticket vending machine 101.
In this way, by performing the ticketing process including the admission ticket for the target event venue etc. in a batch, users of transportation facilities do not have to purchase each ticket or admission ticket individually, which is very Convenient. Although the database of the venue, its nearest station, event contents, and entrance fee is recorded in the data recording unit of the ticket vending machine, the database is not limited to this, and is recorded in the ticket management device 102X. You may search a station etc., and the structure which accesses the database system which manages the event site via the internet, makes it search, and uses the result may be sufficient. Further, the case where the ticket issuing management device 102 and the ticket issuing information providing device 103 are connected by the Internet has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be connected by various communication networks such as LAN and WAN.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
As described above , according to the collective ticketing system of the first aspect, the means for inputting the departure station name and the arrival station name, the means for searching for the route between the departure and arrival stations, and the search result are obtained. When one route is selected from a plurality of routes, means for requesting acquisition of ticketing information of each transportation necessary for moving along the route, and recording the plurality of acquired ticketing information on an IC card A ticket vending machine provided with means for providing, means for providing ticketing information of its own transportation system based on a request from the ticket vending machine, and one of the ticketing information is issued from another ticketing agency A ticketing management device provided with a means for requesting acquisition of the ticketing information to the other transportation means, and provided for each transportation means, connected to the ticketing management device and a communication network, and the ticketing management. From the equipment And a ticketing information providing device that provides ticketing information of the other ticketing agencies based on a request, and the ticket vending machine records the ticketing information issued by the ticketing machine and the other ticketing agencies in a lump on the IC card. Therefore, the user does not need to arrange a ticket or admission ticket for each ticketing institution, and a plurality of ticket information is recorded on one IC card, so that a plurality of tickets can be substantially bundled. As a result, the ticket can be handled easily, and the ticket gate can be smoothly passed.
The ticket vending machine includes means for requesting a search for the nearest station of the venue when a venue name is entered instead of entering the arrival station name, and the ticket management device determines the nearest station as the arrival station. And the ticketing information for the ticket vending machine to enter the venue together with the ticketing information of each transportation facility is recorded on the IC card. It is very convenient that you can issue tickets to the venue in a lump without checking each time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a collective ticketing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing an external configuration of the ticket vending machine 101. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the ticket vending machine 101. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the basic operation of the ticket vending machine 101.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation screen in a fare designation mode.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing selectable boarding routes in a boarding section from a boarding station (a station) to a getting-off station (d station).
FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a collective ticketing operation of the ticket vending machine 101;
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation screen in a station name designation mode.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation screen for a route search result.
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a case where an aircraft M and a high-speed bus N are included as means of transportation in a boarding section from a departure station (station a) to an arrival station (station d).
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an operation screen for selecting the nearest station of the event venue and the event content and entrance fee at the event venue.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Ticket vending machine, 102 Ticket issuing management apparatus, 103 Ticket issuing information provision apparatus, 104 Communication network (Internet), 201 Ticket vending machine main body, 202 Operation display part, 203 Setting button, 204 Coin insertion slot, 205 Banknote insertion slot 206 SF card insertion slot 207, credit card insertion slot, 208 IC card reader / writer antenna section, 209 amount display section, 210 speaker, 211 microphone, 212 ticketing slot, 213 change outlet, 301 cash processing section, 302 credit processing section, 303 SF card processing , 304 printing unit, 305 magnetic recording unit, 306 IC card reader / writer (R / W), 307 communication control unit, 308 data recording unit, 309 main control unit

Claims (1)

Means for inputting a departure station name and an arrival station name, a means for searching for a route between the departure and arrival stations, and a route selected when a route is selected from a plurality of routes obtained from the search result; A ticket vending machine comprising means for requesting acquisition of ticketing information of each transportation necessary for the vehicle, and means for recording the acquired plurality of ticketing information on an IC card,
A means for providing ticketing information of its own transportation system based on a request from the ticket vending machine, and when one of the ticketing information is issued from another ticketing agency, A ticketing management device comprising means for requesting acquisition of the ticketing information;
A ticketing information providing device provided for each transportation facility, connected to the ticketing management device and a communication network, and providing ticketing information of the other ticketing organizations based on a request from the ticketing management device;
The ticket vending machine comprises means for requesting a search for the nearest station of the venue when the venue name is entered instead of entering the arrival station name, and the ticketing management device arrives at the nearest station A collective ticketing system characterized by searching a route between arrival and departure stations as a station and recording ticketing information for the ticket vending machine to enter the venue together with ticketing information of each transportation facility on an IC card.

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