Article lending device and article lending method

Abstract

To provide users of an article lending service with the joy of encountering articles that they did not know about.SOLUTION: An article lending device 10 that provides a lending service for articles used by being worn on the body includes a management unit 111, an acquisition unit 112, a narrowing unit 113, and a selection unit 114. The management unit 111 manages, using a first management table TBL1, for each of a plurality of articles being lending targets, first information indicating at least the appearance features and size of the article and status information indicating whether or not the article can be lent. The acquisition unit 112 acquires second information indicating at least the appearance features and size of articles preferred by a user who desires to borrow an article. The narrowing unit 113 compares the second information with the first information to narrow down, from among the articles that can be lent, candidate articles to be lent to the user. The selection unit 114 selects an article to be lent to the user through a lottery from among the candidate articles narrowed down by the narrowing unit 113.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an article lending device and an article lending method.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system for recommending articles to be lent to users has been used. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for managing the lending of rental umbrellas based on user information of members of an SNS.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Users who use an article lending service generally select an article to be lent according to their own preferences regarding the appearance of the article. However, when the user selects an article to be lent, the same design or type of article is always selected, lacking in interest.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an article lending device that can give a user of an article lending service the joy of encountering an article they do not know.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An article lending device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a management unit that manages first information representing the appearance and size of an article, an acquisition unit that acquires second information representing the appearance and size of an article preferred by a user who desires to lend the article, and a selection unit that selects, by lottery, an article to be lent to the user from among candidate articles narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information.

[0007] The article lending method according to one aspect of the present disclosure manages first information representing the appearance and size of an article, obtains second information representing the appearance and size of an article preferred by a user who desires to lend the article, and selects, by lottery, an article to be lent to the user from among the candidate articles narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to lend an article unexpected by the user while satisfying the conditions that the size fits and the appearance matches the user's preference, so that the user can be given the joy of encountering an article unknown to himself / herself.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] (A. Embodiment) (A-1: System Configuration) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a system 1 according to an embodiment. The system 1 includes an article lending device 10 and a plurality of user terminals 20 (20-1 to 20-n, where n is an integer of 2 or more). The user terminal 20 is used by a user U (U-1 to U-n). The article lending device 10 and the user terminal 20 are connected via a network N.

[0011] The article lending device 10 is installed by a lending business operator B who conducts an article lending business. The lending business operator B lends articles to the user U and earns profits by receiving a consideration (lending fee) for the lending from the user U. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the article lent from the lending business operator B to the user U (hereinafter referred to as "lending target article") is a shoe. A shoe is an article used for walking while being worn on the foot. There are various types of shoes, such as sneakers, dress shoes, pumps, sandals, slippers, geta, straw sandals, trekking shoes, hiking boots, and ski boots. In this embodiment, the case where mainly sneakers are the lending target articles will be described.

[0012] The lending business operator B installs a website related to the lending business (hereinafter referred to as "lending website"). In this embodiment, the article lending device 10 has a function as a web server that provides the lending website. Further, the article lending device 10 has a function of receiving a lending application from the user U through the lending website and a function of managing the actual lending status of sneakers.

[0013] The user terminal 20 is an information processing terminal such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. The user U connects to the article lending device 10 using the user terminal 20 and applies for the lending of sneakers from the lending website. At the time of applying for the lending, the consideration for the lending may be paid from the user U to the lending business operator B, or the consideration for the lending may be paid monthly, such as "X yen per month".

[0014] In this embodiment, attention is paid to user U-1 among a plurality of users U-1 to U-n. User U-1 uses user terminal 20-1.

[0015] (A-2: User Terminal 20) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of user terminal 20. Since the configurations of the plurality of user terminals 20-1 to 20-n are substantially the same, the configuration of user terminal 20-1 will be described as an example in FIG. 2. User terminal 20-1 includes a processing device 21, a communication device 22, a storage device 23, an input device 24, a display device 25, and a bus 26 that interconnects these devices.

[0016] Display device 25 is a display device that displays information to the outside (for example, various display panels such as a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL display panel). Input device 24 is an input device that receives input from the outside (for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, or a sensor). Note that display device 25 and input device 24 may have an integrated configuration (for example, a touch panel). Communication device 22 includes an interface connectable to network N and communicates with other devices connected to network N using wireless communication or wired communication.

[0017] Storage device 23 is a recording medium readable by processing device 21. Storage device 23 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM (Read Only Memory), EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). The volatile memory is, for example, RAM (Random Access Memory). Storage device 23 stores program PG2. Program PG2 is a program for operating user terminal 20.

[0018] The processing device 21 includes one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units). The one or more CPUs are an example of one or more processors. Each of the processor and the CPU is an example of a computer.

[0019] The processing device 21 reads the program PG2 from the storage device 23. By executing the program PG2, the processing device 21 functions as the website access unit 211. The website access unit 211 may be configured by circuits such as a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), and an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0020] The website access unit 211 is a so-called web browser and realizes functions such as displaying web pages and following hyperlinks. The website access unit 211 mainly communicates with the server via HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and acquires data for displaying the website. Also, the website access unit 211 performs syntax analysis on the acquired data according to its type (HTML (HyperText Markup Language) / XHTML (Extensible HyperText Markup Language) / XML (Extensible Markup Language), document, image, etc.). Further, the website access unit 211 appropriately arranges characters and images based on the result of the syntax analysis, or adjusts the size of the characters, colors them, etc., and then performs drawing.

[0021] (A-3: Article Lending Device 10) Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the article lending device 10. The article lending device 10 includes a processing device 11, a communication device 12, a storage device 13, and a bus 16 that interconnects these devices.

[0022] The communication device 12 is provided with an interface connectable to the network N and communicates with other terminals connected to the network N using wireless communication or wired communication.

[0023] The storage device 13 is a recording medium readable by the processing device 11. The storage device 13 includes, for example, a non-volatile memory and a volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. The volatile memory is, for example, RAM. The storage device 13 stores the program PG1. The program PG1 is a program for operating the article lending device 10.

[0024] Also, the storage device 13 stores website data SD. The website data SD is data for displaying a lending website. The website data SD includes, for example, a photo of the sneaker which is an article to be lent, text explaining the lending service, and structure data indicating the structure of the lending website.

[0025] Also, the storage device 13 stores a first management table TBL1. The first management table TBL1 is a table for managing the lending status of lending target articles (sneakers in this embodiment) held by the lending business operator.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the content of the first management table TBL1. The first management table TBL1 is an aggregate of records composed of identification information N1, feature information N2, charge information N3, and status information N4. The identification information N1 is information for uniquely identifying each of a plurality of lendable items. The feature information N2 represents the manufacturer name (manufacturer or seller) N21, model name N22, appearance features (color in this embodiment) N23 and size N24 of the lendable item identified by the identification information N1. The feature information N2 is an example of the first information in the present disclosure. Note that the appearance features are not limited to color, and may be shape features (for example, basketball shoes or tennis shoes, etc.), or a combination of shape features and color features. The charge information N3 represents the lending charge of the lendable item identified by the identification information N1. The charge information N3 is an example of the third information in the present disclosure. The status information N4 indicates whether the lendable item indicated by the identification information corresponding to the status information is lendable (in this embodiment, if the status information N4 is 1, it is lendable, and if the status information is 0, it is not lendable). For example, the sneakers with the identification number "0001" have a manufacturer name: Aaa, model name: Pp, appearance feature: blue, and size 25.0 cm. Note that there may be a plurality of sneakers with the same manufacturer name N21, model name N22, appearance feature N23, and size N24. In this case, each of the plurality of sneakers with the same manufacturer name N21, model name N22, appearance feature N23, and size N24 is given a separate identification information N1.

[0027] The processing device 11 includes one or more CPUs. The one or more CPUs are an example of one or more processors. Each of the processor and the CPU is an example of a computer. The processing device 11 functions as a management unit 111, an acquisition unit 112, a narrowing-down unit 113, a selection unit 114, a display control unit 115, and a communication control unit 116 by executing the program PG1. At least a part of these functions may be configured by circuits such as DSP, ASIC, PLD, and FPGA.

[0028] The communication control unit 116 controls the communication device 12 to transmit and receive various types of information. In the present embodiment, the communication control unit 116 transmits data (such as HTML, images, and scripts) for displaying a rental website to the client device in response to an access from the client device (for example, the user terminal 20). The user terminal 20 that has received the data displays a screen G1 for allowing the user U to specify the characteristics of the appearance of the preferred sneakers, the size, and the budget amount of the rental fee according to the data. Hereinafter, the case where the user U-1 accesses the rental website using the user terminal 20-1 will be described.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the screen G1. The screen G1 includes a pull-down menu M1, a pull-down menu M2, and a pull-down menu M3. The user U-1 who has visually recognized the screen G1 specifies the characteristics of the appearance of the preferred sneakers by operating the pull-down menu M1. The user U-1 who has visually recognized the screen G1 specifies the size of the sneakers for which rental is desired by operating the pull-down menu M2. The user U-1 who has visually recognized the screen G1 specifies the budget amount of the rental fee by operating the pull-down menu M3. In the present embodiment, the case where the application for renting sneakers is made in single-unit increments will be described, but a batch application for multiple units may also be possible. Then, the user U-1 causes the user terminal 20-1 to execute a process of transmitting application data representing the contents specified by operating the pull-down menus M1 to M3 by operating the virtual operator B1 to the article rental device 10.

[0030] The management unit 111 manages the feature information N2 using the first management table TBL1 for each of the plurality of articles to be rented, and manages the status information N4 by updating the status information N4 according to the rental status.

[0031] The acquisition unit 112 receives application data and accepts the specification of the appearance features (color) of the sneakers preferred by the user who has applied for the rental of sneakers, the size of the sneakers for which rental is desired, and the budget amount of the rental fee. The acquisition unit 112 acquires, from the received application data, second information representing the appearance features (color) and size preferred by the user who desires the rental of sneakers, and fourth information indicating the budget amount of the rental fee.

[0032] The narrowing-down unit 113 narrows down candidates for the sneakers to be lent to the user U-1 from among the sneakers that can be lent (i.e., the sneakers for which the status information N4 is 1) based on the second information and fourth information acquired by the acquisition unit 112 and the feature information N2 and price information N3 included in each record of the first management table TBL1. The narrowing-down unit 113 compares the second information acquired by the acquisition unit 112 with the feature information N2 included in each record of the first management table TBL1, and further takes into account the second information acquired by the acquisition unit 112 and the price information N3 to narrow down the candidates for the sneakers to be lent to the user U-1. For example, when narrowing down M (an integer of 2 or more) lending candidates, the narrowing-down unit 113 selects, from among the sneakers with status information of 1, the sneakers with the same appearance features and size as the appearance features and size indicated by the second information, and whose rental price is less than or equal to the budget amount indicated by the fourth information, and narrows down at most M - 1 sneakers in descending order of rental price. Further, at least one lending candidate is narrowed down from among the sneakers whose rental price exceeds the budget amount indicated by the fourth information (hereinafter, "winning sneakers").

[0033] For example, assume that the appearance feature indicated by the second information is "white", and the size indicated by the second information is "25.0 cm". Also assume that the budget amount indicated by the fourth information is "500 yen". In this case, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, sneakers that satisfy the conditions that the appearance feature is "white", the size is "25.0 cm", the rental fee is "500 yen" or less, and the status information N4 is "1" are the sneakers with identification information "0002" and the sneakers with identification information "0004". Therefore, the sneakers with identification information "0002" and the sneakers with identification information "0004" become rental candidates. Also, since the rental fee of the sneakers with identification information "0005" is "10,000 yen", it does not satisfy the condition regarding the rental fee. However, since the appearance feature of the sneakers is "white" and the size is also "25.0 cm", the narrowing-down unit 113 adds the sneakers with identification information "0004" as the "winning sneakers" to the rental candidates.

[0034] The selection unit 114 selects, from among the rental candidates narrowed down by the narrowing-down unit 113, one pair of sneakers to be lent to the user U-1 by lottery using, for example, pseudo-random numbers. When rental applications for multiple pairs of sneakers are made in a batch, the selection unit 114 selects, by lottery, the sneakers to be lent to the user U-1 for the number of pairs applied. Also, when the "winning sneakers" are selected as the sneakers to be lent to the user U-1, the management unit 111 sets the rental fee for the "winning sneakers" to the amount indicated by the aforementioned fourth information.

[0035] The display control unit 115 causes the user terminal 20 to display information about the sneakers selected by the selection unit 114 (for example, a character string representing the manufacturer name and model name of the sneakers) on the screen G2 by transmitting data for causing the user terminal 20 to display the screen G2 using the communication control unit 116. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the screen G2. FIG. 6 illustrates the case where the sneakers to be lent to the user U-1, that is, the sneakers with the identification number "00005", are selected as the "winning sneakers". The user U-1 can grasp the sneakers lent to himself / herself by visually recognizing the manufacturer name and model name displayed on the user terminal 20 according to the data.

[0036] In addition, the processing device 11 operating according to the program PG1 executes an article lending method that prominently shows the features of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in this article lending method. The processing device 11 waits until there is an access from the user terminal 20 to the lending website (denoted as "website" in the figure) (step S100: NO). When there is an access from the user terminal 20 to the lending website (step S100: YES), it functions as the communication control unit 116 and transmits website data SD (denoted as "site data" in the figure) for displaying the screen G1 to the user terminal 20 (step S102).

[0037] When the user terminal 20-1 receives the website data SD, it displays the screen G1 on the display device 25 according to the website data SD. When the user U-1 who has visually recognized this screen G1 operates the pull-down menus M1 to M3 and the virtual operator B1 to specify the appearance features, size, and budget amount of the lending fee of the sneakers desired to be lent, application data representing this specified content is transmitted from the user terminal 20 to the article lending device 10. When the processing device 11 receives the application data (step S104), it functions as the acquisition unit 112. In step S106 following step S104, the second information and the fourth information described above are acquired from the application data.

[0038] In step S108 following step S106, the processing device 11 functions as a narrowing-down unit 113, and based on the second information and the fourth information acquired in step S106, and the feature information N2 and the price information N3 included in each record of the first management table TBL1, it narrows down candidates for M sneakers to be lent to the user U-1 from among the lendable sneakers (that is, sneakers for which the status information N4 is 1). In step S110 following step S108, the processing device 11 functions as a selection unit 114, and selects, by lottery, sneakers to be lent to the user U-1 from among the narrowed-down candidates.

[0039] In step S112 following step S110, the processing device 11 functions as a display control unit 115, and by transmitting to the user terminal 20 data for displaying information about the sneakers selected in step S110 on the user terminal 20, it displays the information about the sneakers on the user terminal 20. When a batch application for a plurality of pairs is made, in step S112, the processing device 11 displays information about each of the selected plurality of pairs of sneakers on the user terminal 20. Thereafter, the processing device 11 functions as a management unit 111 upon lending of the sneakers selected in step S110 (for example, shipping to the borrowing user), updates the status information N4 regarding the sneakers from 1 to 0, and upon return of the sneakers, updates the status information regarding the sneakers from 0 to 1 again. Note that when a batch application for a plurality of pairs is made, each of the plurality of sneakers selected in step S110 is periodically shipped to the user U-1, for example, every week.

[0040] As described above, according to the article lending device 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to lend out unexpected sneakers to the user while taking into account the user's budget, satisfying the conditions of being the right size and matching the user's preference regarding the appearance. Therefore, it is possible to give the user the joy of encountering sneakers that the user does not know. In addition, according to the present embodiment, since there may be a case where a "winning sneaker" that cannot be borrowed with the user's budget is lent out, it is possible to provide a surprise to the user.

[0041] (B: Variation) Each of the above-described embodiments may be modified as follows. Also, two or more aspects arbitrarily selected from the following modified aspects may be appropriately combined within a range where they do not conflict with each other. (B-1: Variation Example 1) In the above-described embodiment, the article lending device 10 has a function as a web server that provides a lending business website, a function of receiving a lending application from the user U through the lending website, and a function of managing the actual sneaker lending situation. However, the article lending device 10 only needs to be able to realize the functions of the management unit 111, the acquisition unit 112, the narrowing-down unit 113, the selection unit 114, and the display control unit 115. For example, separately from the article lending device 10, a web server that provides a lending business website may be provided in the system 1. Also, the display control unit 115 is not essential and may be omitted. Even if the display control unit 115 is omitted, the user can recognize the lent sneakers when receiving them, and in particular, the surprise when a "winning sneaker" is lent out can be made greater. Also, the narrowing-down unit 113 may be integrated into the selection unit 114. In short, the article lending device of the present disclosure only needs to include a management unit that manages first information representing the appearance and size of an article, an acquisition unit that acquires second information representing the appearance and size of an article preferred by a user who desires to lend the article, and a selection unit that selects, by lottery, an article to be lent to the user from among the candidate articles narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information.

[0042] (B-2: Variation Example 2) In addition to the characteristics of the appearance of the preferred sneakers, the user U may also specify the manufacturer name of the item. Also, specifying the budget amount is not essential. As long as at least the characteristics of the appearance and size of the preferred sneakers are specified, it becomes possible to lend out unexpected sneakers for the user while satisfying the condition that the size fits and matches the user's preference regarding the appearance. Note that in the mode of omitting the specification of the budget amount, it is not necessary to include "average sneakers" in the lending candidates.

[0043] (B-3: Modification Example 3) Although the lending target item in the above embodiment was sneakers, it may be shoes other than sneakers such as high heels, or ornaments (for example, accessories such as rings, necklaces, etc.), or clothing including hats, or automobiles.

[0044] (B-4: Modification Example 4) In the above embodiment, the selection unit 114 narrowed down the lending candidates from among the lending target items that were lendable when the second information and the fourth information were acquired by the acquisition unit 112, but regardless of whether they are lendable or not, the lending candidates may be narrowed down. This is because it is possible to accept a reservation for lending even for items that are not lendable at the time of acquisition of the second information and the fourth information.

[0045] (B-5: Modification Example 5) In the above embodiment, the program PG1 was stored in the storage device 13 of the item lending device 10, but the program PG1 may be manufactured or sold alone. Examples of the mode of providing the program PG1 to the purchaser when selling the program PG1 include a mode of writing the program PG1 on a computer-readable recording medium such as a flash ROM and distributing it, or a mode of distributing it by downloading via a telecommunication line.

[0046] (C: Others) (1) In the above-described embodiments, ROM, RAM, etc. were exemplified as the storage device 13 and the storage device 23. However, the storage device 13 and the storage device 23 may be a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc-ROM), a register, a removable disk, a hard disk, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, a database, a server, or other appropriate storage medium.

[0047] (2) In the above-described embodiments, the information, signals, etc. described may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0048] (3) In the above-described embodiments, the input / output information, etc. may be stored in a specific location (e.g., memory) or may be managed using a table. The input / output information, etc. may be overwritten, updated, or appended. The output information, etc. may be deleted. The input information, etc. may be transmitted to other devices.

[0049] (4) In the above-described embodiments, the determination may be made based on a value represented by 1 bit (0 or 1), a truth value (Boolean: true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0050] (5) In the above-described embodiments, the processing procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. exemplified may be reordered as long as there is no contradiction. For example, for the methods described in the present disclosure, the elements of various steps are presented using an exemplary order and are not limited to the specific order presented.

[0051] (6) Each function illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is implemented by any combination of at least one of hardware and software. Also, the implementation method of each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be implemented using one physically or logically combined device, or two or more physically or logically separated devices may be directly or indirectly connected (e.g., using wired, wireless, etc.), and these multiple devices may be used for implementation. The functional block may be implemented by combining software with the above one device or the above multiple devices.

[0052] (7) The program exemplified in the above-described embodiments should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program codes, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, execution threads, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether it is called a software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other names.

[0053] Also, software, instructions, information, etc. may be transmitted and received via a transmission medium. For example, when software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using at least one of wired technologies (coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), etc.) and wireless technologies (infrared, microwave, etc.), at least one of these wired and wireless technologies is included within the definition of the transmission medium.

[0054] (8) In each of the above-described embodiments, the terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably.

[0055] (9) The information, parameters, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using absolute values, relative values from a predetermined value, or using corresponding other information.

[0056] (10) In the above-described embodiments, the mobile device includes the case where it is a mobile station (MS: Mobile Station). A mobile station may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terms. Also, in this disclosure, terms such as "mobile station", "user terminal", "user equipment (UE)", "terminal", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0057] (11) In the above-described embodiments, the terms "connected" and "coupled", or any variations thereof, mean any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and can include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "accessed". As used in this disclosure, two elements can be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using at least one of one or more electric wires, cables, and printed electrical connections, and, as some non-limiting and non-inclusive examples, electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency region, microwave region, and optical (both visible and invisible) region, etc.

[0058] In the above-described embodiments, unless otherwise specified, the description "based on" does not mean "based only on". In other words, the description "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on".

[0059] (13) The terms "determining" and "deciding" as used in this disclosure may encompass a wide variety of operations. "Determining" and "deciding" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or another data structure), and considering something as having "determined" or "decided" what has been ascertained. Also, "determining" and "deciding" may include considering something as having "determined" or "decided" what has been received (e.g., receiving information), transmitted (e.g., transmitting information), input, output, accessed (e.g., accessing data in memory), etc. Further, "determining" and "deciding" may include considering something as having "determined" or "decided" what has been resolved, selected, chosen, established, compared, etc. That is, "determining" and "deciding" may include considering something as having "determined" or "decided" some operation. Also, "determining (deciding)" may be read as "assuming", "expecting", "considering", etc.

[0060] (14) In the above-described embodiments, when terms such as "include", "including" and their variants are used, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising". Further, the term "or" used in the present disclosure is not intended to be an exclusive disjunction.

[0061] (15) In the present disclosure, for example, when articles are added by translation, such as a, an and the in English, the present disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0062] (16) In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other". Note that the term may also mean "A and B are each different from C". Terms such as "separate", "coupled", etc. may also be interpreted in the same way as "different".

[0063] (17) Each aspect / embodiment described in the present disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched for use during execution. Also, the notification of predetermined information (for example, the notification of "being X") is not limited to being explicitly performed, and may be performed implicitly (for example, without performing the notification of the predetermined information).

[0064] (D: Aspects understood from the above-described embodiments or variations) As described above in detail, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and changed forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is for illustrative purposes and has no restrictive meaning for the present disclosure. The following aspects can be understood from at least one of the above-described embodiments or variations.

[0065] The article lending device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a management unit that manages first information representing the appearance and size of an article, an acquisition unit that acquires second information representing the appearance and size of an article preferred by a user who desires to lend the article, and a selection unit that selects, by lottery, an article to be lent to the user from among the candidate articles narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information. According to the first aspect, it is possible to lend an article unexpected by the user while satisfying the conditions of matching the size and conforming to the user's preference regarding the appearance.

[0066] In the second aspect (an example of the first aspect) of the present disclosure, the first information may further represent at least one of the manufacturer and the seller of the article. Further, in the second aspect, the second information may represent at least one of the manufacturer and the seller of the article preferred by the user in addition to the appearance and size of the article preferred by the user. According to the second aspect, it is possible to lend an article unexpected by the user while satisfying the conditions of matching the size and conforming to the user's preference regarding the appearance, and further satisfying the condition that at least one of the manufacturer and the seller matches the user's preference.

[0067] In the third aspect (an example of the first aspect or an example of the second aspect) of the present disclosure, the management unit may manage third information representing a lending fee associated with the article. Further, in the third aspect, the acquisition unit may acquire fourth information indicating the budget amount of the user regarding the lending fee of the article. Further, in the third aspect, the selection unit may narrow down the candidate articles in consideration of the third information and the fourth information. According to the third aspect, it is possible to lend an article unexpected by the user while satisfying the condition of matching the size and conforming to the user's preference regarding the appearance, and further taking into account the user's budget.

[0068] In the fourth aspect (an example of the third aspect) of the present disclosure, the selection unit may narrow down the candidate articles such that at least one of the articles per rental fee exceeding the budget amount indicated by the fourth information is included. Further, in the fourth aspect, when the article per rental fee is selected by the selection unit, the management unit may set the rental fee for the article per rental fee to be equal to or less than the amount indicated by the fourth information. According to the fourth aspect, it is possible to provide a surprise to the user while satisfying the conditions of fitting in size and matching the user's preference regarding the appearance.

[0069] The article lending device according to the fifth aspect (an example of the first aspect, an example of the second aspect, an example of the third aspect, or an example of the fourth aspect) of the present disclosure may further include a display control unit that displays information regarding the article selected by the selection unit. According to the fifth aspect, the user can confirm the result of the lottery.

[0070] The article lending method according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure manages first information representing the appearance and size of an article, obtains second information representing the appearance and size of an article preferred by a user who desires to lend the article, and selects, by lottery, an article to be lent to the user from among the candidate articles narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information. According to the sixth aspect, similar to the first aspect, it is possible to lend an unexpected article to the user while satisfying the condition of fitting in size and matching the user's preference regarding the appearance.

Explanation of Signs

[0071] 1... System, 10... Article lending device, 20... User terminal, 11, 21... Processing device, 111... Management unit, 112... Acquisition unit, 113... Narrowing-down unit, 114... Selection unit, 115... Display control unit, 116... Communication control unit, 211... Web access unit, 12, 22... Communication device, 13, 23... Storage device, 24... Input device, 25... Display device, 16, 26... Bus.

Claims

1. A management unit that manages first information representing the appearance and size of an item; An acquisition unit that acquires second information representing the appearance and size of an item preferred by a user who desires to rent the item; A selection unit that selects, by lottery, an item to be lent to the user from among the candidate items narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information; An item lending device having the above.

2. The first information further represents at least one of the manufacturer and the seller of the item, The second information represents at least one of the manufacturer and the seller of the item preferred by the user, in addition to the appearance and size of the item preferred by the user, The item lending device according to Claim 1.

3. The management unit manages third information representing a rental fee associated with the item, The acquisition unit acquires fourth information indicating the budget amount of the user regarding the rental fee of the item, The selection unit narrows down the candidate items in consideration of the third information and the fourth information, The item lending device according to Claim 1.

4. The selection unit narrows down the candidate items such that at least one of the items pertains to an item whose rental fee exceeds the budget amount indicated by the fourth information, When an item pertains is selected by the selection unit, the management unit sets the rental fee for the item pertains to an amount equal to or less than the amount indicated by the fourth information, The item lending device according to Claim 3.

5. The item lending device according to Claim 1, further comprising a display control unit that displays information regarding the item selected by the selection unit. The item lending device according to Claim 1.

6. Manage first information representing the appearance and size of an item; Acquire second information representing the appearance and size of an item preferred by a user who desires to rent the item; Select, by lottery, an item to be lent to the user from among the candidate items narrowed down by comparing the first information and the second information. An item lending method.

Images