JPH05266049A - Multi-media terminal device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce cancellations just before due to mischiets or the like and the occurrence of pecuniary losses due to remaining unsold in reservation buisiness related to the reservation system in which customers themselves operate the multi-media terminal device and issue reserved-seat tickets and reserved tickets for railroad facilities and entertainments, for example. CONSTITUTION:The terminal device for issueing reserved tickets is equipped with a card inlet outlet slit 1, touch panel 2, payment slits 3, 4, and reserved-seat ticket receiving opening 5, and is provided with a function to limit the number of reservations for one operation in accordance with installed locations. This device is provided with the functions to set the deadline of settling accounts in accordance with the number and the amount of reservations, to enable to register cansellation waiting in the case that desired contents are full, and to provide cancellation information service and latent cancellation information just before the settling accounts deadline even though reservations were already made.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reservation system for issuing a seat reservation ticket or a reservation ticket operated by a customer himself / herself in, for example, a railway organization or an event.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a reservation ticket issuing terminal device only makes a reservation, a reservation fee is charged in consideration of a mischievous reservation or a last-minute cancellation, but if the last-minute cancellation occurs, the reservation money or the cancellation fee will be left unsold. There was a case that a loss was incurred. In addition, even if a reservation is not made because it is fully booked once, if the reservation is made possible by canceling the reservation, the customer may be informed of it and the unsold product may end up being unsold.

That is, the prior art has the following problems. -In the case of a terminal device installed in a place where an unspecified number of people can operate, it is possible that a large number of reservations are made by mischief and payment is not made as it is.・ In the case of reservation only, it may be canceled immediately before due to reservations with estimated number of people, schedule changes, mischief, improper purchase, etc., and unsold stock may occur.・ Once I was fully booked, I couldn't make a reservation and couldn't register to wait for cancellation.・ Customers do not know if there is a vacant seat due to cancellation. In addition, even if the seats are currently full, it is impossible to know whether there is a possibility of cancellations in the future.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and provide a reservation system capable of reducing the occurrence of unsold items and loss.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, at least one of the following (1) to (4) is provided as necessary. (1) The reservation ticket issuing terminal device has a function of limiting the number of reserved tickets per operation according to the installation location. (2) The reservation ticket issuing terminal device has a function of setting a deadline for settlement according to the number of reservations and the reservation amount. (3) The reservation ticket issuing terminal device has a function of enabling registration of a waiting list when desired contents are full. (4) The terminal device for issuing a reservation ticket has a function of providing cancellation information service and latent cancellation information immediately before the expiration of the settlement period although it is reserved.

[0006]

According to the above-mentioned (1), since the terminal device for issuing a reservation ticket has a function of limiting the number of reservations per operation according to the installation location, an unspecified number of hotels, convenience stores, general public areas, etc. For terminal devices installed in places where people can operate, up to several reservations per operation,
The number of reserved terminal devices per operation is limited depending on the installation location of the terminal devices, such as several tens of terminal devices installed in a travel agency.

According to the above (2), the terminal device for issuing the reservation ticket has a function of setting the settlement deadline according to the number of reservations and the reservation amount, so that the number of reservations and the reservation amount are set in advance or In the case of reservations exceeding the amount, the settlement deadline is limited so as to reduce the number of unsold sheets due to the cancellation immediately before the implementation date as compared with the case where they are not exceeded.

According to the above (3), the terminal device for issuing the reservation ticket has a function of enabling registration of a waiting list for cancellation when the desired contents are full, so that if a waiting list for cancellation is registered, a cancellation occurs. Then, the reservation ticket is purchased by the waiting-list registrant.

According to the above (4), since the terminal device for issuing the reservation ticket has the function of providing the cancellation information service and the latent cancellation information just before the expiration of the settlement period although it is reserved, the cancellation information and the latent cancellation are provided. The information facilitates the purchase of reservation tickets.

[0010]

EXAMPLES Examples of the reservation system of the present invention for railway trains will be described below. The reservation system for events can be implemented according to this.

A multimedia terminal device used in the first to fourth embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a master terminal of a multimedia terminal device according to the present invention. The card entry / exit 1 for inserting various credit cards in which information such as financial institution information, account information, personal identification number, etc. for automatic withdrawal of seat reservation tickets is recorded, and the operation part displayed on the screen. CR for a touch sensor (not shown) to detect this when pressed and output a corresponding signal
T / touch panel 2, bill deposit / withdrawal slot 3 for depositing bills and receiving change bills, coin deposit slot 4 for depositing coins one by one, and seat designation ticket or reservation ticket or seat designation for receiving change of coins It is provided with a ticket receiving port 5 and a handling indicator 6 for indicating whether the terminal device is operating or not operating due to the end of handling time or failure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the master terminal device of the multimedia terminal device of the present invention. A control unit 7 for controlling the entire device, a card reader 8 for reading financial institution information, account information, personal identification number, etc. from a magnetic stripe portion on a card inserted from the card entrance / exit 1, information on train operation schedules, stop stations, etc. Floppy disk 9 and disk 10 for recording fault information of terminals and terminal devices, color CR
T / touch panel 2, voice guidance 11 for guiding a customer operation by a speaker (not shown) together with the CRT, accepting a bill inserted from the bill deposit / withdrawal port 3, and paying a designated amount of bill to the bill deposit / withdrawal port 3 A bill deposit / withdrawal mechanism 12, a coin deposit / withdrawal mechanism 13 that accepts the coins inserted from the coin deposit opening 4 and dispenses a designated amount of coins to the seat designated ticket receiving opening 5 together with the seat designated ticket, seat designated ticket receiving opening 5 Printing means 14 such as a ticket-issuing printer for outputting a seat designation ticket or a reservation ticket to the control unit 7 and the central unit 1
5, a line control unit (2) 16 that is a communication unit that controls data transmission with the communication terminal 5, and a line control unit (1) 18 that is a communication unit that controls data transmission between the control unit 7 and the slave terminal device 17. An intercom 19 for conversation between a user and a staff member when a failure occurs, an internal operation panel 20 used by a staff member or a maintenance staff for a terminal device failure or maintenance,
It is configured to include a handling display unit 6 for displaying whether the terminal device is operating, or not operating due to the end of handling time or a failure, a power supply unit 21, a memory 25 for storing processing information, and the like.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an example of the slave terminal device 17 of the multimedia terminal device of the present invention, which is financial institution information for automatically deducting the purchase price of a seat reservation ticket.
Card entry / reservation ticket issuance port 2 for inserting various credit cards in which information such as account information and personal identification number is recorded
2, a touch sensor (not shown) for detecting a touch sensor (not shown) by pressing an operation portion displayed on the screen, and outputting a corresponding signal.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a slave terminal device of the multimedia terminal device of the present invention. A control unit 7 for controlling the entire apparatus, a card reader 8 for reading financial institution information, account information, personal identification number, etc. from a magnetic stripe portion on a card inserted from a card entrance / exit and reservation ticket issuing port 22, a train operation schedule, Floppy disk 9 and disk 10 for recording information such as stop station information and terminal device failure information, color CRT / touch panel 2, and the CRT
At the same time, a voice guidance 11 for guiding a customer operation through a speaker (not shown), a printing means 14 such as a ticket issuing printer for outputting a reservation ticket to a card entrance / reservation ticket issuing slot 22, a control unit 7, and a master terminal device 23. Line control unit 2 which is a communication means for controlling data transmission between
4. Interphone 19 for conversation between user and staff when trouble occurs, internal operation panel 20 used by staff or maintenance staff for trouble or maintenance of terminal device, and whether terminal device is operating A handling indicator 6, a power supply unit 21, which indicates whether or not it is operating due to the end of time or breakdown.
A memory 25 for storing processing information is included.

One or a plurality of slave terminal devices are connected to the master terminal device, and only the reservation operation and the payment function by card are provided, and the payment function by cash is not provided (the payment function by card is not particularly provided. Is also good).

The master terminal device and the slave terminal device can be installed at the same place or at a distant place, and when they are installed at a distant place, they are connected by a public line or a dedicated line and operate individually. The reservation content input at the slave terminal device communicates with the central device via the master terminal device to make a reservation. A reservation reserved by the slave terminal device can be settled by the master terminal device.

<First Embodiment> In the reservation operation of the multimedia terminal device configured as described above, it is installed in a place where an unspecified number of people can operate, for example, a station, a hotel, a convenience store or the like. In the case of a terminal device, there is a possibility that it will be reserved by mischief, and it may be canceled and eventually unsold without being settled as it is. on the other hand,
In the case of a terminal device installed in a travel center or the like, the possibility of making a reservation by mischief is low. As described above, depending on the installation location, there is a possibility that a loss will be caused by a last minute cancellation due to mischief or improper reservation. Therefore, in the terminal device installed in the former place, the reserved number of sheets per operation is made smaller than in the terminal device installed in the latter place. This reservation limit number value is stored in the above-mentioned floppy disk 9 or disk 10 and collated with the reservation number input by the user, so that the reservation number is not exceeded. The reservation limit is displayed for your attention. For example, the former is limited to 5 pieces, the latter is limited to 20 pieces, and the like, thereby reducing loss occurrence due to mischief or improper reservation. According to this embodiment, the reserved number of sheets per operation is limited depending on the installation location of the terminal device, so that the last minute cancellation due to mischief or improper reservation can be reduced, and unsold stock and loss can be reduced.

<Second Embodiment> The second embodiment relates to the deadline from the reservation of the reservation operation to the settlement. Depending on the content of the reservation, there are various things ranging from thousands of yen to hundreds of thousands of yen, but if there are many reservations or the price is high, it will be unsold after cancellation,
A large loss will be incurred. Therefore, the deadline from the reservation to the settlement is set by the reserved number of sheets and the reserved price. Specifically, a certain limit is set for the number of reservations and the reservation amount, and in the case of a reservation exceeding this limit, the deadline from the reservation to the settlement is made shorter than in the case where the predetermined limit is not exceeded. For example, when the fixed limit is not exceeded, the deadline from reservation to settlement is set to 2 weeks, and when the fixed limit is exceeded, the deadline is set to 1 week. However, the minimum deadline is set separately from the implementation date of the reservation content, and this is given priority. The table storing these deadlines is stored in the above-mentioned floppy disk 9 or disk 10 and collated with the reservation contents input by the user, and the payment deadline is printed on a reservation ticket and output. Items that are not automatically deducted from the purchase price and that are not settled after the settlement date, or items that were not automatically deducted even if they were automatically debited are canceled. If the payment deadline is approaching and the payment method is not the automatic payment payment method, the auto-dial function may be used to contact the reservation person to prompt payment. According to this embodiment, since the settlement deadline is set according to the number of reservations and the reservation amount, it is possible to prevent the last cancellation and prevent the unsold portion and the loss.

<Third Embodiment> A third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
More will be described. 5 to 9 show the operation flow of the embodiment, and the symbols A to G surrounded by ◯ in the figure indicate that the operation flows are continuous with the same symbols. Items required for reservation are guided by voice guidance and entered on the touch panel. The operation flow will be described below.

The drop-off station is selected according to the display (S1) of the drop-off station selection screen (S2). Display of train selection screen (S
A train is selected according to 3) (S4). Select a seat category according to the seat category selection display (S5) (S
6). Since the input content confirmation screen for the disembarking station, train, and seat classification is displayed (S7), it is determined whether the input content is OK, and if it is OK, the confirmation input operation is performed (S8). Next, it is input whether only the reservation is made (S9). If only reservation is made, the central communication screen is displayed before communicating with the central device (S10).
It is determined whether the reservation is OK (S11), and if the reservation is OK, a reservation ticket receiving screen is displayed (S12). Then, the reservation ticket is received and the process ends.

If it is not OK in the confirmation of the input contents (S8), an input operation for changing work is performed (S8). Then, the change item input screen is displayed (S13), and the change item is input (S14). The terminal device determines the input change item (S15), and if the train is changed, the train selection screen is displayed (S16), so that the user inputs the train to be changed (S17). If the seat category is changed, the terminal device displays the seat category selection screen (S18), and the user changes the seat category (S19). Thereafter, the operation is continued by returning to the input content confirmation screen display (S7).

If it is determined that the reservation is not made (S9), the operation proceeds to purchase a ticket. The central communication screen is displayed (S20) and the central device is communicated. It is determined whether the reservation is OK (S21), and if it is OK, it is determined whether the payment is cash (S22).
If it is a cash settlement, a cash insertion screen is displayed (S23). When cash is inserted (S24), a ticket and change receipt screen is displayed (S25), and the ticket and change are received, and the process ends.

In the case of the above-mentioned cash settlement (S22), in the case of direct debit settlement, a card insertion screen is displayed (S26). Insert the card (S27) and enter the PIN (S28) to display the ticket and change receipt screen (S2).
The operation is continued by returning to 5).

If the reservation cannot be made in the above-mentioned judgment step (S21), it is judged whether or not it is the cancellation waiting (S29). When waiting for cancellation, the cancellation waiting registration screen (S30) is displayed, and the cancellation waiting registration is performed (S31). Further, it is determined whether or not the second wish is input (S32).
Input a wish (S33). Next, a cash, card, reservation ticket receiving screen is displayed (S34), and the user finishes the operation of receiving cash, a card, a reservation ticket, and the like.

If another reservation is made in the judgment step (S29), the input operation step (S) of the change work is performed.
The operation is continued by shifting to 13).

A step (S) for judging whether or not the reservation is OK
When the reservation cannot be made in 11), it is judged whether or not it is a cancellation wait (S35). When waiting for cancellation, the cancellation waiting registration screen (S36) is displayed, and the cancellation waiting registration is performed (S37). Further, it is judged whether or not the second desire is inputted (S38), and when the second wish is made, the second wish is inputted (S39). When the cancellation waiting registration operation ends, step (S12)
The reservation ticket receiving screen is displayed and the operation is continued.

The description of the cancellation waiting registration operation will be further added. When the desired input content is full, it is possible to select whether to cancel and end the reservation operation as shown in FIG. 8 or FIG. 9, perform the reservation operation with another content, or register the waiting for cancellation with the desired input content. .. If you select Waiting for cancellation, the registration screen for waiting for cancellation is displayed, and you enter the necessary items. Required items include contact information (phone number, etc.) in case of cancellation. For the registration waiting for cancellation, it is possible to register up to the second choice. After the registration of the first choice, the presence or absence of the second choice of registration is selected and input. The registration information is stored in the memory 25, the floppy disk 9 or the disk 10. When cancellation occurs, the stored registration information is collated and the reservation is automatically secured in the order of cancellation waiting registration and the user is notified. This contact may be made to the reservation person by using the auto dial function.

According to this embodiment, since the registration for waiting for cancellation can be performed, the service to the user can be improved and the unsold stock and the loss can be reduced.

<Fourth Embodiment> The fourth embodiment relates to a cancellation information service. If you can make a reservation due to cancellation, you can contact the registrant if you have registered the waiting list for cancellation as in the third embodiment, but if you have not registered the waiting list for cancellation, notify the applicant for the cancellation Can not. In such a case, since the cancellation information is stored in the memory 25, the floppy disk 9 or the disk 10, the cancellation occurrence information is periodically read out and displayed on the CRT 2 to guide the reservation requester. You can In addition, we will improve the service to users by calculating the margin with the settlement deadline and displaying it as latent cancellation information immediately before the settlement deadline even if it is currently full It also prevents unsold items. However, it is necessary to display the occurrence of the cancellation and the potential cancellation in consideration of the cancellation waiting registration. According to this embodiment, since the cancellation information or the latent cancellation information is provided, it is possible to improve the service to users and reduce the occurrence of unsold items and losses.

[0031]

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the occurrence of unsold items and loss by performing at least one of limiting the number of reserved sheets, setting a deadline for settlement, registering for cancellation, and canceling information service.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a master terminal of a multimedia terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a master terminal device of the multimedia terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing a slave terminal device of the multimedia terminal device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a slave terminal device of the multimedia terminal device of the present invention.

[Figure 5]

FIG. 9 is an operation flow diagram of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Card entry / exit, 2 ... CRT and touch panel, 3
... banknote deposit / withdrawal port, 4 ... coin deposit / withdrawal port, 5 ... seat designation ticket receiving port, 6 ... handling indicator, 7 ... control unit, 8 ... card reader, 9 ... floppy disk, 10 ... disk, 11 ... voice guidance , 12 ... Banknote deposit / withdrawal mechanism, 13 ... Coin deposit / withdrawal mechanism, 14 ... Ticket issuing printer,
15 ... Central device 16 ... Line control unit (2), 17 ...
Slave terminal device, 18 ... Line control unit (1), 19
… Interphone, 20… Internal control panel, 21…
Power supply part, 22 ... Card entry / exit and reservation ticket issue port, 23
... master terminal device, 24 ... line control unit, 25 ... memory.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A line control unit for communicating with a central unit, input means for performing input operations such as seat designation and selection, display means capable of displaying at least guidance of input operations and input contents, and at least reservation. A issuing means capable of issuing a ticket, a medium reading means for reading recorded information of a medium on which financial institution information, course information, and personal information of a personal identification number are recorded, and a storage means for storing information necessary for reservation processing. , A line control unit, the input unit, the display unit, the issuing unit, the medium reading unit, and a control unit connected to the storage unit, and communicates with a central device, seat reservation ticket for events, trains, etc. In a multimedia terminal device that issues a reservation ticket or a reservation ticket, the storage means stores a reserved number of sheets that limits the number of sheets reserved per operation according to the installation location of the multimedia terminal device. Is stored, the control unit compares the reservation limit number value with the reservation number input from the input means, and prohibits the issuance of a reservation ticket when the reservation number exceeds the reservation limit number value. A multimedia terminal device which operates. 2. A line control unit for communicating with a central unit, input means for performing input operations such as seat designation and selection, display means for displaying at least guidance of input operations and input contents, and at least reservation. A issuing means capable of issuing a ticket, a medium reading means for reading recorded information of a medium on which financial institution information, course information, and personal information of a personal identification number are recorded, and a storage means for storing information necessary for reservation processing. , A line control unit, the input unit, the display unit, the issuing unit, the medium reading unit, and a control unit connected to the storage unit, and communicates with a central device, seat reservation ticket for events, trains, etc. In a multimedia terminal device for issuing a reservation ticket or a reservation ticket, the storage means stores a settlement deadline that is determined in advance corresponding to at least one of the reserved number of sheets and the reserved amount, and The section operates to determine the settlement deadline based on the settlement deadline and the number of reserved sheets input from the input unit, and issue the settlement deadline date on the reservation ticket by the issuing unit. Multimedia terminal device. 3. A line control unit for communicating with a central unit, input means for performing input operations such as seat designation and selection, display means for displaying at least guidance of input operations and input contents, and at least reservation. A issuing means capable of issuing a ticket, a medium reading means for reading recorded information of a medium on which financial institution information, course information, and personal information of a personal identification number are recorded, and a storage means for storing information necessary for reservation processing. , A line control unit, the input unit, the display unit, the issuing unit, the medium reading unit, and a control unit connected to the storage unit, and communicates with a central device, seat reservation ticket for events, trains, etc. In a multimedia terminal device for issuing a reservation ticket or a reservation ticket, the remaining number of reservations is stored in the storage means, and the control unit prohibits and cancels the issue of the reservation ticket when the remaining number of reservations is 0. Multimedia terminal device, wherein the operative to allow Chino registration. 4. A line control unit for communicating with a central unit, input means for performing input operations such as seat designation and selection, display means for displaying at least guidance of input operations and input contents, and at least reservation. Issuing means capable of issuing tickets, medium reading means for reading at least recorded information of a medium on which financial institution information, course information, personal information such as a personal identification number are recorded, and storage means for storing information necessary for reservation processing And the line control unit, the input unit, the display unit,
In a multimedia terminal device that includes the issuing unit, the medium reading unit, and a control unit connected to the storage unit and communicates with a central device to issue seat reservation tickets and reservation tickets for entertainment, trains, etc. The means stores the number of reservation cancellations or the number immediately before the settlement deadline, and the number of reservations canceled or the number immediately before the settlement deadline is displayed as cancellation information or latent cancellation information by the display means. And multimedia terminal equipment. 5. A master terminal device configured to make a reservation and a payment, and a slave terminal device connected to the master terminal device and configured to make only a reservation. Multimedia terminal equipment.