Information processor, information processing system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide a service that reduces a negative impression caused by waiting time for a user who waits to use a facility.SOLUTION: An information processor for managing information related to a user who uses a facility includes: acquisition means that acquires waiting time information indicating waiting time the user waits at the facility; aggregation means that determines total waiting time of the user at the facility within a predetermined period as accumulated waiting time; and output means that outputs the accumulated waiting time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In stores, entertainment facilities, and the like, customers who wish to use the facility may have to wait in line. For example, there are methods such as having customers line up and guiding them in order from the front, having them write their names in the order in which they arrive, or distributing numbered tickets. Patent Document 1 also discloses a system that allows customers to wait in line via the Internet. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-050002 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, waiting time is generally boring for customers, and can sometimes give customers who wish to use the service a negative impression or cause stress.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure provides a technology that can provide a service to users who wait to use a facility, which alleviates the negative impression caused by the waiting time. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, the information processing device disclosed herein is an information processing device that manages information about users who have used a facility, and has an acquisition means that acquires waiting time information indicating the waiting time the user has waited at the facility, a counting means that determines the total waiting time of the user at the facility within a specified period as the cumulative waiting time, and an output means that outputs the cumulative waiting time.

[0007] Further features related to the present disclosure will become apparent from the description of this specification and the accompanying drawings. Also, aspects of the present disclosure are achieved and realized by the elements and combinations of various elements and the aspects of the following detailed description and the appended claims. The description of this specification is merely exemplary and does not limit the scope or application of the claims of the present disclosure in any way. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a service that alleviates negative impressions caused by waiting time to users who wait to use a facility. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become clear from the description of the following embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a management server 10 and a user terminal 30. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a functional configuration diagram of a management server 10 and a user terminal 30. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a sequence diagram between the management server 10 and the user terminal 30. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is an example of a UI (user interface) displayed on the user terminal 30. [Figure 6] This is a reward determination process executed by the management server 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, functionally identical elements may be designated by the same numerals. Note that the accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, but these drawings are for the purpose of understanding the present disclosure and are not to be used to interpret the present disclosure in a limiting manner. The descriptions in this specification are merely typical examples and are not intended to limit the scope or application of the present disclosure in any way.

[0011] Although the present embodiment has been described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present disclosure, it should be understood that other implementations are possible, and that changes in configuration and structure and substitutions of various elements are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the technical ideas of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following description should not be interpreted as being limited thereto.

[0012] [First embodiment] <Example of information processing system configuration> In the first embodiment, a system is described that presents a user who is waiting in line to use a facility with a ranking of the cumulative waiting time at the facility. The waiting time is determined by an operation using a terminal owned by the user (hereinafter referred to as a user terminal). In this embodiment, the facility is exemplified by an eating and drinking establishment such as a cafe or restaurant.

[0013] 1 is a configuration diagram of an information processing system 1 according to a first embodiment. The information processing system 1 includes a management server 10, a facility terminal 21, and a user terminal 30. The management server 10, the facility terminal 21, and the user terminal 30 are interconnected via a network 40 such as the Internet.

[0014] The facility 20 is provided with QR codes (registered trademark) for check-in and QR codes for check-out. For example, a board with a QR code for check-in attached is installed inside the store, along with a waiting list where customers can wait their turn by writing their name. A QR code for check-out is also attached to a table. These QR codes are two-dimensional codes that are different from each other and are converted from a URL that is uniquely set for the facility. The facility terminal 21 is an information processing device used by personnel involved with the facility 20, such as the operator or staff, and is, for example, a smartphone or tablet terminal. Persons involved with the facility 20 can use the facility terminal 21 to register various information about the facility 20 (such as the name, address, and promotional images) in the management server 10, and can also obtain and view information about customers from the management server 10.

[0015] The user terminal 30 is an information processing device with a built-in camera capable of capturing images, such as a smartphone. For convenience, only one user terminal 30 is illustrated here, but in reality, the system may be configured with many more user terminals 30. The user terminal 30 can use the system by using a pre-downloaded application or a web browser to participate in the cumulative waiting time ranking.

[0016] The management server 10 is an information processing device that stores information about facilities and information about users and manages various types of information. The management server 10 executes a process of deriving a cumulative waiting time based on information received from the user terminal 30 and a process of updating a cumulative waiting time ranking of facilities.

[0017] A user who is about to enter a facility registers their name on a waiting list to wait their turn if the facility is full, and when they use their user terminal 30 to read a check-in QR code, the user terminal 30 starts their wait time. When their turn arrives and they enter the store, they end their wait time by reading a check-out QR code displayed on their seat with their user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 counts the time from the start to the end of the wait time and sends check-out information including user information and wait time information to the management server 10.

[0018] Based on the check-out information received from the user terminal 30, the management server 10 calculates the cumulative waiting time that the user has spent waiting at the facility, updates the cumulative waiting time ranking for that facility, and transmits it to the user terminal 30. When the waiting time is over, the newly updated cumulative waiting time and the user's position in the ranking are displayed on the user terminal 30.

[0019] <Hardware Configuration of Management Server 10 and User Terminal 30> 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management server 10 and the user terminal 20. The management server 10 is an information processing device, and can be a general-purpose server computer, a personal computer, or the like. It is also possible to configure the management server 10 using multiple computers. As shown in the figure, the management server 10 physically includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) 11, which are processors, memory 12, storage 13, a communication unit 14 such as a communication interface for communicating with the network 40, and an input / output unit 15. The hardware components of the management server 10 are connected to each other via a bus.

[0020] The CPU 11 executes a program (described below) stored in advance in the storage 13, whereby each piece of hardware operates under the control of the CPU 11, and each function of the management server 10 shown in FIG. 3 is realized. The memory 12 temporarily stores programs loaded from the storage 13 and provides a work area for the CPU 11. The memory 12 also temporarily stores various data generated while the CPU 11 is executing the programs. The memory 12 includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM) and a read-only memory (ROM). The storage 13 stores various programs. The storage is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD). The communication unit 14 transmits and receives various data to and from an external information processing device via a network. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as mutual communication is possible.

[0021] The input / output unit 15 has an input device that receives inputs from various operations on the management server 10 and transmits information related to the inputs to the CPU 11, and an output device that outputs the processing results of the CPU 11. The input device is realized by a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, etc. The output device is a display, a speaker, etc. The input / output unit 15 may be an integrated input device and output device, such as a touch panel display, or may be separate input device and output device.

[0022] The hardware configuration of the user terminal 30, which includes a CPU 31, a memory 32, a storage 33, a communication unit 34, and an input / output unit 35, is similar to the CPU 11, memory 12, storage 13, communication unit 14, and input / output unit 15 of the management server 10, respectively, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. However, in this embodiment, the user terminal 30 preferably has a touch panel display as the input / output unit 35. Furthermore, the imaging unit 36 ​​in the user terminal 30 is a camera capable of acquiring images (still images) and videos. When the imaging unit 36 ​​is activated, an image of the subject to be imaged is displayed on the display through the lens, and an image can be captured by tapping an image capture button displayed in the user interface on the display.

[0023] <Management system functional configuration> 3 is a functional block diagram of the management server 10 and the user terminal 30. The functional configuration of the management server 10 will be explained first. The management server 10 includes a communication control unit 100, a management unit 110, a counting unit 120, and a storage unit 130 as software modules executed by the CPU 11 (functions configured by various programs deployed in the internal memory of the CPU 11). For convenience of description below, these modules may be described as the main operating units, but since it is the CPU 11 that actually executes these modules, the CPU 11 may also be the main operating unit.

[0024] The storage unit 140 stores a database related to facilities and users managed by the management server 10. The database includes a facility table 131, a user table 132, a waiting history table, and an accumulated waiting time table 134. In this embodiment, the facility table 141 and the user table 142 are in a table format, but are not limited to this format and may be constructed in any format as long as each piece of data is linked.

[0025] The facility table 131 is a data set that stores information about facilities. For example, one piece of facility information (i.e., one record) is information that associates a facility ID, name, address, location, genre, and opening hours.

[0026] "Facility ID" is identification information for uniquely identifying a facility. "Name" indicates the name of the facility. "Address" is information that can identify the location of the facility. "Location" is location information consisting of latitude and longitude. "Genre" is information that indicates the type of facility 20, such as a cafe or restaurant. "Opening hours" is information that indicates the hours during which the facility is open. Opening hours can also be referred to as business hours or hours when the facility is available to users. The various information stored in the facility table 131 may be registered in advance by operating the facility terminal 21.

[0027] The user table 132 is a data set that stores information about users who use this system. For example, one piece of user information is information that associates a user ID, a user name, a nickname, an icon, an address, and authentication information.

[0028] "User ID" is identification information for uniquely identifying a user. "User name" is the user's name. "Nickname" is the name used to display in user rankings, and "icon" is an image set for the user. "Address" is the user's email address, and "authentication information" is information used to authenticate the user, such as a password. The user ID, username, nickname, icon, address, and authentication information are stored in a database based on information previously registered via the user terminal 30.

[0029] The waiting history table 133 is a table that exists for each facility, and is a history of users who have waited in line at the facility 20. For example, it is information that associates a user ID, a waiting start date and time, a waiting end date and time, and a waiting time.

[0030] "User ID" is identification information for identifying a user who is waiting in line. "Waiting start date and time" is the date and time when the user started waiting in line at facility 20, and "waiting end time" is the date and time when the user finished waiting and was guided in. The waiting start date and time and waiting end time are information in seconds. "Waiting time" indicates the time it took from when the user started waiting in line at facility 20 until they were guided in.

[0031] The cumulative waiting time table 134 is a table that exists for each facility and stores the cumulative waiting time of users registered in this system. For example, it is configured by "user ID," "cumulative waiting time," and "rank."

[0032] The "user ID" is identification information for identifying a user who has recorded a queue at facility 20. The "cumulative waiting time" is the total time the user has waited in line at facility 20 up to that point. The "rank" indicates the rank sorted in descending order of the cumulative waiting time at facility 20.

[0033] Returning to Figure 3, the communication control unit 100 receives check-out information and the like transmitted from the user terminal 30, and transmits information necessary to be displayed on the user terminal 30 in response to a request from the user terminal 30.

[0034] The management unit 110 registers and updates various information by accessing the facility table 131, the user table 132, and the waiting history table 133. The aggregation unit 120 aggregates information about users who have waited in line to use the facility 20, and derives the cumulative waiting time for each user and a cumulative waiting time ranking for each facility.

[0035] Next, we will explain the functional configuration of the user terminal 30. The user terminal 30 has a communication control unit 310, a counting unit 320, a display control unit 330, and an imaging control unit 340. Each function or process of the user terminal 30 is realized by a CPU 31 provided in the user terminal 30 executing various programs.

[0036] The communication control unit 300 communicates with the management server 10, downloads predetermined programs from the management server 10, and receives various information. The communication control unit 310 also transmits information such as authentication information and check-out information (including information on the facility where the user has been waiting and waiting time information) to the management server 10. The counting unit 320 counts the elapsed time from the time when the user started waiting. The display control unit 330 generates and displays a GUI screen based on pre-stored screen data for a GUI (graphic user interface). The display control unit 22 also accepts user operations via the GUI screen. The imaging control unit 340 activates the camera, which is the imaging unit 36, and controls the imaging operation.

[0037] <Processing flow between the user terminal 30 and the management server 10> The following describes a series of steps that are taken from when a user starts queuing for a certain facility until they are guided to the end of their turn, up to when the cumulative waiting time and ranking are displayed using the information processing system of this embodiment. Figure 4 is a sequence diagram between the management server 10 and the user terminal 30 from when a user starts queuing for their turn until they end queuing. Each process (step) executed by the user terminal 30 and the management server 10 executes a program that can realize the process shown in Figure 5. Each step is represented by "S".

[0038] In S401, the imaging control unit 340 of the user terminal 30 reads a QR code for check-in. This is executed when the user joins a queue to use (enter) a certain facility, by starting an application or web browser that has been installed in advance on the user terminal 30, and reading the QR code.

[0039] In S402, the communication control unit 310 of the user terminal 30 accesses the URL indicated by the QR code and acquires information about the facility where the user starts waiting in line (such as the facility ID and name). In S403, the counting unit 320 of the user terminal 30 counts the elapsed time of waiting. In addition, in S408, the display control unit 330 generates and displays a waiting UI. Fig. 5(a) is a diagram showing an example of the waiting UI (user interface). The waiting UI 501 includes information about the facility where the user is waiting, a message indicating that waiting has begun, elapsed time 502, a button 503 for activating the camera, and a button 504 for stopping waiting.

[0040] When the user's turn comes and he or she is guided into the facility (store) by a person related to facility 20, the user taps button 503 to read the checkout QR code attached to the store (inside a seat in this case). Then, in S405, the imaging control unit 340 activates the imaging unit 36.

[0041] In S405, the imaging control unit 340 reads the QR code from the captured image, and in S406, the communication control unit 310 accesses the URL indicated by the checkout QR code, stops the counting by the counting unit 320, and determines the elapsed time (waiting time) since the counting started. In S407, the communication control unit 310 transmits to the management server 10 the user information, the facility information acquired in S402, and check-out information including waiting time information indicating the waiting time.

[0042] In S408, when the management server 10 acquires the check-out information, it updates the waiting history table 133 of the target facility 20 and executes a counting process in S409. In the counting process, it determines the total time that the user has waited at the facility 20 and a cumulative waiting time ranking for the facility 20. Details of the process in S409 will be described later. In S409, the communication control unit 100 of the management server 10 transmits to the user terminal 30 the accumulated waiting time information of the user and ranking information indicating the ranking position.

[0043] In S411, the communication control unit 310 of the user terminal 10 acquires the cumulative waiting time information and ranking information, and in S412, the display control unit 330 generates and displays a waiting completion UI based on the cumulative waiting time information and ranking information. Fig. 5(b) is a diagram showing an example of the waiting completion UI. The waiting completion UI 505 includes text indicating that the waiting time has ended, the current waiting time, the cumulative waiting time updated by the current waiting order, and the latest cumulative waiting time ranking.

[0044] <Counting process> FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the tallying process executed by the tallying unit 120 of the management server 10 in S409. In S601, the counting unit 120 identifies the user and the facility 20 where the user is waiting based on the check-out information included in the user terminal 30.

[0045] In S602, the counting unit 120 refers to the cumulative waiting time table 134 corresponding to the facility 20 identified in S601, and acquires the cumulative waiting time at the facility 20 for the user identified in S601.

[0046] In S603, the counting unit 120 adds the newly acquired waiting time in S408 to the accumulated waiting time acquired in S602, and updates the accumulated waiting time in the accumulated waiting time table 134. In S604, the counting unit 120 refers to the cumulative waiting time table 134, sorts the users in descending order of cumulative waiting time, and updates the ranking of each user. As a result of the above, the counting unit 120 determines the total time that the user has waited in line at the facility 20 and the user's rank in the facility 20 cumulative waiting time ranking.

[0047] <Summary of the First Embodiment> In this embodiment, the total waiting time of users is tallied as the cumulative waiting time and displayed on the user terminal 30 along with the ranking results. This allows users to enjoy the waiting time as if it were a game, and can alleviate negative impressions caused by the waiting time. Furthermore, by providing users with feedback on the cumulative time ranking including other users, it is expected that this will encourage them to visit their favorite facilities and increase their attachment to them.

[0048] <Modification of the first embodiment> Furthermore, it is possible to create a system in which points such as discounts or rewards are awarded to users according to their ranking in the cumulative waiting time ranking, or points are awarded exclusively to users who have exceeded a certain cumulative waiting time. Every time the management server 10 updates the cumulative waiting time based on the checkout information from the user terminal 30, it determines whether the user satisfies a predetermined condition, and transmits information related to benefits to the user terminal 30 according to the determination result.

[0049] 5, only the user's own ranking is displayed, but it may also be configured to display the cumulative waiting time ranking of the facility 20. For example, the nicknames, cumulative waiting times, and rankings of other users can be obtained from the management server 10 as ranking information and displayed on the user terminal 30. This allows the user to know the waiting time required to further improve their ranking, which can lead to encouraging them to visit the facility again.

[0050] In the above-described embodiment, the cumulative waiting time is calculated and ranked based on all waiting histories at the facility 20. However, the cumulative waiting time may be calculated based on waiting histories limited to a certain period. For example, in the tallying process, only waiting histories for a target period (e.g., within one year) of the user may be collected and added up from the waiting history table of the facility 20 corresponding to the check-in QR code to obtain the cumulative waiting time. Furthermore, each time the cumulative waiting time of any user at the facility 20 is updated, the cumulative waiting time is re-sorted and the ranking is updated. Furthermore, the management server 10 may derive multiple cumulative waiting time rankings for the facility 20. For example, the cumulative waiting time rankings may be tallied for multiple different periods, such as annually, monthly, or for the current day only.

[0051] In the above embodiment, for simplicity, the description has been given assuming that there is only one facility 20, but there may be multiple facilities 20. In this case, the management server 10 may add up all the waiting histories for a group of facilities classified into a specific genre (e.g., ramen) rather than limiting the cumulative waiting time ranking to the facility 10, and display a ranking of the time spent waiting in line at ramen restaurants over a predetermined period on the user terminal 30 or the facility terminal 21. Furthermore, the management server 10 may accept group registration of multiple users and derive a cumulative waiting time ranking for each group.

[0052] <Other embodiments> In the above embodiment, the cumulative waiting time ranking is displayed only on the user terminal 30, but the cumulative waiting time ranking for the facility 20 may also be displayed on the facility terminal 21. Persons related to the facility 20 can identify repeat customers who repeatedly use the facility 20, and can take effective marketing measures, such as offering special benefits to users ranked high in the cumulative waiting time ranking.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the start and end of the waiting period are accepted by scanning a posted QR code. However, the start and end of the waiting period can also be accepted by other methods. For example, location information of the user terminal 30 may be used to accept check-in for the waiting period on the condition that the user is actually near the facility 30. In addition to scanning the check-in QR code, fraud can also be prevented by checking the opening hours of the facility 20 and preventing the start of the waiting period when the facility 20 is closed. Furthermore, by linking with a payment application in the user terminal 30, the waiting period can be determined when payment at the facility 20 is completed (the waiting period is not determined simply by scanning the check-out QR code). Alternatively, if the average usage time at the facility is short, the end of the waiting period can be determined when payment processing is executed, instead of scanning the check-out QR code.

[0054] Alternatively, a system may be used that accepts queue requests online or from a terminal in a store and manages the queue online. In this case, users are called in order, and when the user's queue ends, facility staff ends the user's queue via a facility management terminal (such as a tablet or smartphone). In such a system, the management server that manages the queue stores the time when the queue request was accepted and the time when the queue ended, and it is possible to obtain the waiting time for each user. In this way, it is also possible to obtain the waiting time without using the user terminal 30. A system can also be used that detects users who arrive at the location using NFC, RFID, beacons, etc., or that accepts users' queues using facial recognition or fingerprint authentication, etc.

[0055] In the above embodiment, a restaurant is used as an example of facility 20, but the facility is not limited to this. For example, it may be a cash register at a retail store, a hospital or pharmacy, a government office with a counter, a polling station, or a tourist facility such as an amusement park. Note that while the above description refers to the waiting time for "waiting in line," in the case of a hospital or pharmacy, even if there are no other customers, there may be a waiting time before being shown to the counter, and such cases are also included in the waiting time.

[0056] As described above, the technology of the present disclosure can be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and run the program. Alternatively, the technology may be realized by a circuit that realizes one or more functions.

[0057] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and it is not necessary to include all of the described configurations. Furthermore, a part of one embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. Furthermore, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or substituted for a part of the configuration of another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 1. Information processing system 10...Administration server 20...Facilities 21...Facility terminal 30...User terminal 40…Network

Claims

1. An information processing device for managing information regarding users who have used a facility, an acquisition means for acquiring waiting time information indicating a waiting time the user has waited at the facility; a counting means for determining a total waiting time of the user at the facility within a predetermined period as an accumulated waiting time; and an output unit for outputting the accumulated waiting time.

2. Further, a storage means for storing waiting time information of each of a plurality of users waiting at the facility is provided, The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tallying means derives a cumulative waiting time ranking in descending order of cumulative waiting time in the facility.

3. A program for causing a computer to function as the image processing device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. An information processing method executed by an information processing device that manages information about users who have used a facility, comprising: acquiring waiting time information indicating a waiting time that the user waited at the facility; determining a cumulative waiting time as a sum of waiting times of the users at the facility within a predetermined period of time; and outputting the accumulated waiting time.

Images