Reservation management system, reservation management method, and program

Abstract

To enable acknowledgment of a visiting customer meeting up with somebody.SOLUTION: A reservation management system is provided, comprising a reservation information acquisition unit for acquiring reservation information, a customer identification information acquisition unit for acquiring customer identification information of a visiting customer meeting up with somebody, and a reception processing unit configured to perform reception processing by collating the customer identification information acquired by the customer identification information acquisition unit with the reservation information acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a reservation management system, a reservation management method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known a technology that allows customers who visit a store to operate the store's reception terminal to check in and be smoothly guided to their reserved seat, or a technology that allows customers to wait in line if they come directly to the store without a reservation and all the seats are taken (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-185481 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when multiple people make a reservation and try to meet inside the store (at a seat), if the first customer to arrive registers their arrival at the store terminal, subsequent customers may not be able to check in because the reservation information is no longer stored on the store terminal (the reservation information has already been deleted). Also, even if the reservation information has not been deleted, multiple visits to the same seat number may remain, which can lead to issues such as the store staff mistaking this for a system error or incorrect guidance.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a reservation management system, a reservation management method, and a program that can accept customers who have an appointment at a store. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] (1) The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present invention is a reservation management system that includes a reservation information acquisition unit that acquires reservation information, a customer identification information acquisition unit that acquires customer identification information of customers who are waiting for an appointment, and a reception processing unit that compares the customer identification information acquired by the customer identification information acquisition unit with the reservation information acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit and executes reception processing. (2) In one aspect of the present invention, in the reservation management system described in (1) above, a display control unit is further provided that displays a store visit history list indicating the customer identification information for which the reception process has been completed, and when the customer identification information for which the reception process has been completed has already been matched with the reservation information in a previous reception process, the display control unit displays the store visit history list indicating that the visiting customer indicated by the customer identification information is waiting for an appointment. (3) In one aspect of the present invention, in the reservation management system described in (1) above, an information management unit further includes: if the reservation information includes a rendezvous identifier indicating that the reservation is a rendezvous; an information management unit sets an upper limit on the number of times the reception process is executed for the reservation information based on the number of reservations included in the reservation information; and deletes the reservation information if the number of times the reception process is executed for the reservation information exceeds the upper limit. (4) In one aspect of the present invention, in the reservation management system described in (3) above, the information management unit deletes the reservation information if a predetermined time has passed since the reservation time indicated by the reservation information, even if the number of times the reception process has been executed for the reservation information does not exceed the upper limit value. (5) In one aspect of the present invention, in the reservation management system described in (3) above, an operation reception unit is further provided that receives an operation to delete the reservation information, and the information management unit deletes the reservation information based on the operation received by the operation reception unit. (6) In one aspect of the present invention, in the reservation management system described in (1) above, the customer identification information acquisition unit acquires the number of customers visiting the store, and when the total number of customers acquired by the customer identification information acquisition unit reaches the number of reservations included in the reservation information, a notification unit is further provided that notifies that the number of customers visiting the store has reached the number of reservations. (7) One aspect of the present invention is a reservation management method having a reservation information acquisition step of acquiring reservation information, a customer identification information acquisition step of acquiring customer identification information of a visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment, and a reception processing step of matching the customer identification information acquired in the customer identification information acquisition step with the reservation information acquired in the reservation information acquisition step and executing reception processing. (8) One aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a reservation information acquisition step of acquiring reservation information, a customer identification information acquisition step of acquiring customer identification information of a visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment, and a reception processing step of matching the customer identification information acquired in the customer identification information acquisition step with the reservation information acquired in the reservation information acquisition step and executing a reception process. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to accept customers who are waiting for an appointment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seat guidance system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a reception terminal 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a management terminal 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a reservation information list B1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a store visit history list C1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a store terminal 4 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of a store reception process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a reception screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reception screen in the case of a reservation visit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reception screen in the case of visiting a store in person according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reservation details screen according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reception ticket according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a seat guide screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of a store visit notification process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reception completion notice E1 in the case of a reservation visit according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a reception completion notice E1 in the case of a store visit with a reservation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 10 shows an example of a reception completion notification E1 in the case of visiting the store in person according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] 10 shows an example of a reception completion notification E1 in the case of visiting the store in person according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen P6 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a flow of a display process according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen P7 according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen P8 in a case where the transparency of a second display region R21 according to the embodiment of the present invention has been changed to a default value. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] (Embodiment) Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a seat guidance system 1 according to this embodiment. The seat guidance system 1 is a system for managing seat reservations and guiding customers to their seats in a store. An example of the store is a restaurant. However, the store may be in an industry other than the restaurant industry.

[0010] The seat guidance system 1 includes a reception terminal 2, a management terminal 3, and a store terminal 4. The reception terminal 2, the management terminal 3, and the store terminal 4 communicate with each other via a communication network N1. The communication network N1 is, for example, a mobile communication network, the Internet, or a LAN (Local Area Network).

[0011] The reception terminal 2 accepts reception operations by customers who visit the store. The reception terminal 2 acquires reception information A1 through the reception operations. The reception terminal 2 transmits the acquired reception information A1 to the management terminal 3. The reception terminal 2 is installed, for example, near the entrance of the store. The reception terminal 2 is, for example, a tablet terminal or a stationary terminal.

[0012] The management terminal 3 performs reception processing based on the reception information A1. The management terminal 3 transmits seat information D11 to the reception terminal 2 based on the reception processing. The seat information D11 is information indicating a seat to be presented to the visiting customer. The reception terminal 2 presents a seat to the visiting customer based on the seat information D11. The management terminal 3 is, for example, a computer such as a personal computer (PC) or a server. The management terminal 3 may be realized as a cloud server.

[0013] When the reception process is completed, the management terminal 3 sends a reception completion notice E1 to the store terminal 4. The reception completion notice E1 is a notice indicating that the reception process has been completed. The store clerk confirms that the customer has arrived at the store by checking the reception completion notice E1 displayed on the store terminal 4. The store terminal 4 is installed, for example, at a predetermined location in the store hall. The store terminal 4 is, for example, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or a stationary terminal.

[0014] The seat guidance system 1 may include a plurality of reception terminals 2 and a plurality of store terminals 4. The store terminal 4 may be carried by a store clerk. A plurality of store terminals 4 may be carried by a plurality of store clerks.

[0015] [Functional configuration of reception terminal 2] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the reception terminal 2 according to this embodiment. The reception terminal 2 includes a control unit 20, a storage unit 21, a display unit 22, an operation reception unit 23, a printing unit 24, and a communication unit 25.

[0016] The control unit 20 performs various processes. The control unit 20 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 20 includes a reception information acquisition unit 200, a reception-side transmission unit 201, a presentation unit 202, and a display control unit 203. Each of these functional units is realized, for example, by the CPU loading a program read from a ROM (Read Only Memory) into a RAM (Random Access Memory) and executing processing in accordance with the program. The ROM and RAM are included in the storage unit 21.

[0017] The reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires reception information A1. The reception information A1 includes customer identification information A11 and visit type information A12. The customer identification information A11 is information for identifying a customer who has visited the store. The customer identification information A11 includes, for example, the customer name and the date and time of visit. The visit type information A12 is information indicating the type of visit. The visit type includes a visit with a reservation and a direct visit without a reservation. Therefore, the visit type information A12 is information indicating whether or not the visiting customer is a reservation customer.

[0018] The reception side transmitting unit 201 transmits the reception information A1 acquired by the reception information acquiring unit 200 to the management terminal 3.

[0019] The presenting unit 202 presents a seat to the customer based on the seat information D11 acquired from the management terminal 3.

[0020] The display control unit 203 performs various controls on the screens displayed on the display unit 22. For example, the display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display a reception screen and a seat guide screen. The reception screen is a screen for receiving reception operations by visiting customers. The seat guide screen is a screen for guiding the customers to the seats presented to them.

[0021] The storage unit 21 stores various types of information and is configured using a storage device such as a semiconductor storage device or a magnetic hard disk device.

[0022] The display unit 22 displays various types of information and includes, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic electroluminescence (EL) display.

[0023] The operation reception unit 23 receives various operations from customers. The operation reception unit 23 includes, for example, a touch panel. The operation reception unit 23 may also include an operation button, a mouse, a keyboard, or the like.

[0024] The printing unit 24 performs printing. The printing unit 24 prints a reception ticket indicating the seat that is presented to the customer. Here, the printing unit 24 has a printer function. Note that the reception terminal 2 may be connected to a printer separate from the reception terminal 2, and the printing unit 24 may cause the printer to perform printing.

[0025] The communication unit 25 transmits and receives various types of information via the communication network N1. The communication unit 25 communicates with the management terminal 3 and the store terminal 4. The communication unit 25 includes a communication interface (I / F) for wireless communication.

[0026] [Function configuration of management terminal 3] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the management terminal 3 according to this embodiment. The management terminal 3 includes a control unit 30, a storage unit 31, a display unit 32, an operation reception unit 33, and a communication unit 34.

[0027] The control unit 30 performs various processes. The control unit 30 includes, for example, a CPU. The control unit 30 includes an information management unit 300, a management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301, a reservation information acquisition unit 302, a reception processing unit 303, a notification unit 304, and a display control unit 305. Each of these functional units is realized, for example, by the CPU loading a program read from ROM into RAM and executing processing in accordance with the program. The ROM and RAM are included in the storage unit 31.

[0028] The information management unit 300 manages various types of information. The information management unit 300 manages a reservation information list B1, a visit history list C1, and a seat list D1. Managing information means registering or updating the information. The reservation information list B1 is a list in which reservation information B11 is arranged in an arbitrary order. Therefore, the information management unit 300 manages the reservation information B11. The visit history list C1 is a list in which visit information C11 is arranged in order according to the time of visit. Therefore, the information management unit 300 manages the visit information C11.

[0029] The seat list D1 is information for managing seats in the store by time. The seat list D1 indicates whether or not each seat is vacant by time. For example, the seat list D1 indicates information such as the seat number "C001" being assigned to a customer without a reservation from 1:40 PM to 3:40 PM, and being assigned to a customer "Mr. A" with a reservation from 7 PM to 9 PM.

[0030] On the other hand, seat information D11 is information indicating the seat assigned to the customer. For example, seat information D11 indicates that a customer who arrived at the store at 1:40 PM without a reservation is assigned seat number "C001" from 1:40 PM to 3:40 PM. In another example, seat information D11 indicates that a customer with a reservation, "Mr. A," is assigned seat number "C001" from 7 PM to 9 PM.

[0031] The seat information D11 and the seat list D1 are associated with each other. Therefore, the information management unit 300 manages the seat information D11. The seats include seats assigned to customers with reservations and seats assigned to customers without reservations.

[0032] The reservation information B11 is information indicating a reservation. The reservation information B11 includes, for example, items such as a reservation number, customer name, telephone number, scheduled visit date and time, number of people, seat number, order details, reservation route, special notes, and visit reception. The reservation route indicates the means by which the reservation was made, such as a webpage or telephone. If the reservation was made from a webpage, it is preferable to design the list so that it can also display which page the reservation was made through (for example, whether it was submitted from a reservation form on the store's website, or from which reservation information site that publishes information about the store). Figure 4 shows an example of the reservation information list B1. In the reservation information list B1, the reservation information B11 is sorted, for example, by reservation number. Note that the reservation numbers are issued in the order in which the reservations are made. The visit reception item stores an identifier indicating whether the customer has already visited the store.

[0033] When the information management unit 300 acquires the reservation information B11, it adds it to the reservation information list B1 stored in the storage unit 31. Here, the information management unit 300 acquires the reservation information B11 from a terminal used by the customer (not shown in FIG. 1) or an external server (not shown in FIG. 1). The external server is, for example, a server that manages a web page that accepts reservations.

[0034] The visit information C11 is generated based on the reception information A1 for which the reception process has been completed. The visit information C11 includes, for example, the visit number, customer name, visit date and time, number of people, seat number, and visit type. The customer name and visit date and time correspond to the customer identification information A11. The visit type corresponds to the visit type information A12. Figure 5 shows an example of the visit history list C1. Note that the visit information C11 may also include a telephone number as the customer identification information A11. Adding the visit information C11 to the visit history list C1 is also referred to as adding the customer identification information A11 to the visit history list C1. Therefore, the visit history list C1 indicates the customer identification information A11 for which the reception process has been completed.

[0035] The management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 acquires reception information A1 from the reception terminal 2.

[0036] The reservation information acquisition unit 302 acquires the reservation information B11. Here, the reservation information acquisition unit 302 acquires the reservation information B11 by reading the reservation information B11 from the reservation information list B1 stored in the storage unit 31.

[0037] The reception processing unit 303 executes reception processing based on the reception information A1. When the visit type information A12 indicates that the visiting customer is a customer with a reservation, the reception processing is a process of comparing the customer identification information A11 acquired by the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 with the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302. When the visit type information A12 indicates that the visiting customer is a customer with a reservation, the reception processing unit 303 executes reception processing by comparing the customer identification information A11 acquired by the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 with the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302.

[0038] On the other hand, if the visit type information A12 indicates that the visiting customer is not a reservation customer (a customer without a reservation) (a direct visit), the reception process determines whether there are any vacant seats based on the seat list D1, and if there are vacant seats, determines which seat to assign to the visiting customer from among the vacant seats. The seat list D1 is updated based on the seats indicated by the reservation information B11 included in the reservation information list B1 and the seats decided to be assigned to the visiting customer.

[0039] When the reception processing by the reception processing unit 303 is completed, the notification unit 304 transmits a reception completion notification E1 to the store terminal 4.

[0040] The display control unit 305 performs various controls on the screen displayed on the display unit 32 .

[0041] The storage unit 31 stores various types of information. The storage unit 31 is configured using a storage device such as a semiconductor storage device or a magnetic hard disk drive. The information stored in the storage unit 31 includes a reservation information list B1, a store visit history list C1, and a seat list D1.

[0042] The display unit 32 displays various types of information. The display unit 32 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 32 displays, for example, a reception completion screen, a reservation information confirmation screen, and a store visit history confirmation screen. The reception completion screen is a screen for notifying the store clerk that the reception process has been completed. The reservation information confirmation screen is a screen for checking the reservation information list B1. The store visit history confirmation screen is a screen for checking the store visit history list C1.

[0043] The operation reception unit 33 receives various operations from a store clerk or a store manager. The operation reception unit 33 includes, for example, a touch panel. The operation reception unit 33 may also include an operation button, a mouse, a keyboard, or the like.

[0044] The communication unit 34 transmits and receives various types of information via the communication network N1. The communication unit 34 communicates with the reception terminal 2 and the store terminal 4. The communication unit 34 includes a communication I / F for wireless communication.

[0045] The management terminal 3 may be realized as a single computer or as a virtual server. The functional units of the management terminal 3 may be distributed among multiple servers. In particular, the control unit 30 and the storage unit 31 may each be distributed among multiple servers. The control unit 30 and the storage unit 31 may each be realized as a cloud server.

[0046] [Functional configuration of store terminal 4] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the store terminal 4 according to this embodiment. The store terminal 4 includes a control unit 40, a storage unit 41, a display unit 42, an operation reception unit 43, and a communication unit 44.

[0047] The control unit 40 performs various processes. The control unit 40 includes, for example, a CPU. The control unit 40 includes a store terminal acquisition unit 400, a display control unit 401, and an operation detection unit 402. Each of these functional units is realized, for example, by the CPU loading a program read from a ROM into a RAM and executing processing in accordance with the program. The ROM and RAM are included in the storage unit 41.

[0048] The store terminal acquisition unit 400 acquires various types of information. For example, the store terminal acquisition unit 400 acquires a reception completion notification E1 sent from the management terminal 3. The store terminal acquisition unit 400 also periodically (for example, every five minutes) acquires a reservation information list B1 and a store visit history list C1 from the management terminal 3. The store terminal acquisition unit 400 also acquires the reservation information list B1 and the store visit history list C1 from the management terminal 3 when an operation to update the screen displayed on the display unit 42 is performed.

[0049] The display control unit 401 performs various controls on the screen displayed on the display unit 42. The display control unit 401 causes the display unit 42 to display, for example, a reception completion notification E1.

[0050] The operation detection unit 402 detects an operation by a user. The user is a store clerk. The operation is an operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 43.

[0051] The display unit 42 displays various information. The display unit 42 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display. The display unit 42 displays, for example, a reception completion screen, a reservation information confirmation screen, and a store visit history confirmation screen. The reception completion screen displays a reception completion notification E1.

[0052] The operation reception unit 43 receives various operations from a store clerk. The operation reception unit 43 includes, for example, a touch panel. The operation reception unit 43 may also include an operation button, a mouse, a keyboard, or the like.

[0053] The communication unit 44 transmits and receives various types of information via the communication network N1. The communication unit 44 communicates with the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3. The communication unit 44 includes a communication I / F for wireless communication.

[0054] [Store reception process] Next, a description will be given of a store reception process that is a process that is performed when a customer visits the seat guidance system 1. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the store reception process according to this embodiment.

[0055] Step S10: The reception terminal 2 accepts a visit operation by a visiting customer. The display control unit 203 displays a reception screen on the display unit 22. FIG. 8 shows a reception screen P21, which is an example of a reception screen. The reception screen P21 displays a reservation visit button P211 and a direct visit button P212. The reservation visit button P211 is a button for accepting a visit from a customer who has made a reservation. The direct visit button P212 is a button for accepting a visit from a customer who has not made a reservation.

[0056] The visiting customer selects either the reservation visit button P211 or the direct visit button P212. For example, the visiting customer makes the selection by tapping either the reservation visit button P211 or the direct visit button P212 on the reception screen P21. The operation reception unit 23 receives the operation of selecting either the reservation visit button P211 or the direct visit button P212.

[0057] When the reservation visit button P211 is selected, the display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display a reception screen for a reservation visit. The reception screen P22 shown in FIG. 9 is an example of a reception screen for a reservation visit. The reception screen P22 displays a form P221 and a form P222. The form P221 is a form for inputting a customer name. The form P222 is a form for inputting a phone number. The visiting customer inputs the customer name and phone number in the form P221 and the form P222, respectively.

[0058] When the visit-in-person button P212 is selected, the display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display a reception screen for a visit in person. The reception screen P23 shown in FIG. 10 is an example of a reception screen for a visit in person. A form P231 is displayed on the reception screen P23. The form P231 is a form for inputting the number of people visiting the store. The visiting customer inputs the number of people visiting the store from the form P231.

[0059] The reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires reception information A1 based on an operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 23. The reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires visit type information A12 depending on whether the reservation visit button P211 or the direct visit button P212 is selected on the reception screen P21. When the reservation visit button P211 is selected, the reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires visit type information A12 indicating a reservation visit. On the other hand, when the direct visit button P212 is selected, the reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires visit type information A12 indicating a direct visit.

[0060] In the case of a visit by reservation, the reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires the customer name and telephone number entered on the reception screen P22 as customer identification information A11. On the other hand, in the case of a visit in person, the reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires the number of visitors entered on the reception screen P23 as customer identification information A11. The reception information acquisition unit 200 also includes information indicating the date and time of the visit in the customer identification information A11.

[0061] The receiving terminal 2 transmits the reception information A1 to the management terminal 3. The reception-side transmitting unit 201 transmits the reception information A1 acquired by the reception information acquiring unit 200 to the management terminal 3.

[0062] Step S20: The management terminal 3 determines whether the visit is by appointment. The management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 acquires reception information A1 from the reception terminal 2. As described above, the reception information A1 includes customer identification information A11 and visit type information A12. If the visit type information A12 indicates a visit by appointment, the customer identification information A11 may be information about the visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment. In this case, the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 acquires the customer identification information A11 of the visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment.

[0063] The reception processing unit 303 determines whether the visit is a reservation based on the visit type information A12 included in the reception information A1 acquired by the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301. If the visit type information A12 indicates a reservation, the reception processing unit 303 determines that the visit is a reservation. If the visit type information A12 indicates a direct visit, the reception processing unit 303 determines that the visit is not a reservation. If the reception processing unit 303 determines that the visit is a reservation (step S20; YES), it executes the process of step S30. On the other hand, if it determines that the visit is not a reservation (step S20; NO), it executes the process of step S90.

[0064] Step S30: The management terminal 3 starts a reservation matching process as a reception process. The reservation information acquisition unit 302 acquires the reservation information B11. Here, the reservation information acquisition unit 302 acquires the reservation information B11 by reading the reservation information B11 from the reservation information list B1 stored in the memory unit 31. The management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 reads out the reservation information B11 included in the reservation information list B1, and reads out the reservation information B11 including the planned store visit date and time that falls within the matching target period.

[0065] The matching target period is, for example, the period from a time a predetermined time before the store arrival time to a time a predetermined time after the store arrival time. The predetermined period is, for example, one hour. In other words, as an example, reservation information B11 having a reservation time that falls within a period of one hour before and after the store arrival time is subject to the reservation matching process. Note that the matching target period may be a period other than a period of one hour before and after the store arrival time.

[0066] The reception processing unit 303 compares the customer identification information A11 acquired by the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 with the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302. The reception processing unit 303 searches the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302 for reservation information B11 indicating a customer name and telephone number that match the customer name and telephone number indicated by the customer identification information A11.

[0067] Step S40: The management terminal 3 determines whether the reservation has been verified. The reception processing unit 303 determines that the reservation has been verified if the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302 contains reservation information B11 indicating a customer name and telephone number that match the customer name and telephone number indicated by the customer identification information A11. On the other hand, the reception processing unit 303 determines that the reservation has not been verified if the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302 does not contain reservation information B11 indicating a customer name and telephone number that match the customer name and telephone number indicated by the customer identification information A11.

[0068] If the reception processing unit 303 determines that the reservation has been verified (step S40; YES), the reception processing unit 303 also updates the visit identifier included in the verified reservation information B11 from "Future store" to "Visited store". Thereafter, the reception processing unit 303 transmits a reservation verification result indicating that the reservation has been verified to the reception terminal 2. Thereafter, the reception terminal 2 executes the processing of step S50. The reception processing unit 303 transmits the reservation details together with the reservation verification result. The reservation details include, for example, the customer name, planned visit date and time, number of people, seat number, and order details from the verified reservation information B11. The seat number is an example of seat information D11.

[0069] On the other hand, if the reception processing unit 303 determines that the reservation has not been verified (step S40; NO), it transmits a reservation verification result indicating that the reservation has not been verified to the reception terminal 2. Thereafter, the reception terminal 2 executes the process of step S80.

[0070] If the matching period is set to a long period (for example, an hour and a half before or after the reservation time), and the customer arrives much earlier than the reservation time, or arrives much later than the reservation time, the reserved seat may not yet be available or may overlap with the next reservation time, but even in these cases, the customer will be guided to the reserved seat as long as the reservation can be matched. In particular, if the customer with a reservation arrives too early and is guided to the seat even though another customer is still seated in the reserved seat, this could lead to complaints.

[0071] Therefore, when the reservation is verified (step S40; YES), a process may be executed to check whether the reserved seat is vacant by checking the seat list D1 before executing the process of step S50. In this case, if it is confirmed as a result of the check that the reserved seat is vacant, the reception terminal 2 executes the process of step S50. On the other hand, if the reserved seat is not yet vacant, the management terminal 3 may display a message on the reception terminal 2 instead of executing the process of step S50. The message may be, for example, "Your seat is not yet ready."

[0072] Step S50: The reception terminal 2 displays the reservation details. The presentation unit 202 causes the display control unit 203 to display the reservation details based on the reservation details included in the reservation matching result sent from the management terminal 3. The display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display a screen showing the reservation details. The reservation details screen P24 shown in FIG. 11 is an example of a screen showing the reservation details. The reservation details include seat information D11. Therefore, the presentation unit 202 presents the seat indicated by the reservation information B11 to the visiting customer.

[0073] Step S60: The reception terminal 2 issues a reception ticket. The presentation unit 202 causes the printing unit 24 to print the reception ticket. The reception ticket has the reserved seat indicated by the seat information D11 included in the reservation details printed on it. The reception ticket T1 shown in FIG. 12 is an example of a reception ticket.

[0074] Step S70: The reception terminal 2 displays a seat guide screen. The presentation unit 202 causes the display control unit 203 to display seats based on the seat information D11 included in the reservation details. The display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display a seat guide screen for seat guidance. The seat guide screen P25 shown in Fig. 13 is an example of the seat guide screen.

[0075] Step S80: The reception terminal 2 displays a store clerk call screen. The display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display the store clerk call screen. The store clerk call screen is a screen that is displayed until a store clerk arrives at the reception terminal 2 to assist the customer. The store clerk call screen displays text such as, for example, "An attendant will be on their way, so please wait a moment." The management terminal 3 also sends a notification to the store terminal 4 to call a store clerk. Thereafter, the seat guidance system 1 ends the store reception process.

[0076] Step S90: The management terminal 3 starts the direct store visit process as the reception process. The reception process unit 303 reads out the seat list D1 stored in the storage unit 31.

[0077] Step S100: The management terminal 3 determines whether there are any vacant seats. The reception processing unit 303 determines whether there are any vacant seats based on the seat list D1 and the number of customers indicated by the customer identification information A11. The reception processing unit 303 determines whether each seat will be vacant for a predetermined length of time from the current time based on the seat list D1. The predetermined length of time is based on the sum of the reserved time for the number of customers and the waiting time. If the reception processing unit 303 determines that there is an empty seat (step S100; YES), it executes the process of step S110. On the other hand, if the reception processing unit 303 determines that there is no empty seat (step S100; NO), it executes the process of step S140.

[0078] Step S110: The management terminal 3 determines a seat to be assigned to the visiting customer and displays it on the reception terminal 2. The reception processing unit 303 determines a seat to be assigned to the visiting customer from among the vacant seats based on the seat list D1. The reception processing unit 303 determines the seat based on a predetermined algorithm. For example, the algorithm determines seats that are vacant for a predetermined length of time from the current time, equal to the number of customers, based on a predetermined priority. The reception processing unit 303 sends seat information D11 indicating the determined seat to the reception terminal 2.

[0079] The reception terminal 2 displays seats based on the seat information D11 received from the management terminal 3. The presentation unit 202 displays the seats indicated by the seat information D11 on the display unit 22 via the display control unit 203. Therefore, when it is determined by the reception process that there are vacant seats, the presentation unit 202 presents the vacant seats determined by the reception process to the visiting customer.

[0080] Step S120: The reception terminal 2 issues a reception ticket. The presentation unit 202 causes the printing unit 24 to print the reception ticket. The reception ticket has printed thereon the reserved seat indicated by the seat information D11 determined by the direct visit process.

[0081] Step S130: The reception terminal 2 displays a seat guide screen. The presentation unit 202 causes the display control unit 203 to display seats based on the seat information D11 determined by the direct visit process. The display control unit 203 causes the display unit 22 to display the seat guide screen for seat guidance.

[0082] Step S140: The management terminal 3 adds the customer identification information A11 of the customer without a reservation to the waiting list. The information management unit 300 adds the customer identification information A11 of the customer without a reservation to the waiting list based on the determination result by the reception processing unit 303 that there are no vacant seats. Therefore, when it is determined by the reception processing that there are no vacant seats, the information management unit 300 adds the customer identification information A11 of the customer without a reservation to the waiting list. The waiting list is stored in the memory unit 31.

[0083] Step S150: The reception terminal 2 displays a store clerk call screen. Note that the content displayed on this store clerk call screen may be different from the screen displayed in the processing of step S80. The content displayed on the store clerk call screen may be content other than that for calling a store clerk, such as "Your turn has been accepted. Please wait until your turn comes." The processing of step S150 is the same as the processing of step S80, so a detailed explanation will be omitted. Thereafter, the seat guidance system 1 ends the store reception processing.

[0084] Note that either the processing of step S50 or the processing of step S60 may be omitted. Either the processing of step S110 or the processing of step S120 may be omitted. If the processing of step S60 or the processing of step S120 is omitted, the printing unit 24 may be omitted from the configuration of the reception terminal 2. Furthermore, both the processing of step S70 and the processing of step S130 may be omitted.

[0085] [Store visit notification processing] Next, we will explain the store visit notification process, which is a process for notifying the store terminal 4 that the reception process has been completed in the seat guidance system 1. Fig. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the store visit notification process of this embodiment. Note that "A" and "B" in Fig. 14 indicate processes that are executed after "A" and "B" in Fig. 7, respectively.

[0086] Step S210: The management terminal 3 notifies the shop terminal 4 of a reception completion notification E1 for the reserved visit. Therefore, when the reception process based on the reception information A1 acquired by the reception information acquisition unit 200 provided in the reception terminal 2 is completed, a reception completion notification E1 indicating that the reception process has been completed is sent to the shop terminal 4. Here, when the notification unit 304 acquires information indicating that the reception process has been completed from the reception processing unit 303, it notifies the shop terminal 4 of the reception completion notification E1. The display control unit 401 causes the display unit 42 to display the reception completion notification E1 as a push notification.

[0087] The reception completion notice E1 includes, for example, the visit type indicated by the visit type information A12, the customer name and number of visitors indicated by the reservation information B11, and the seats indicated by the seat information D11. Note that in this embodiment, the number of visitors included in the reception completion notice E1 is the number of visitors indicated by the reservation information B11 and does not necessarily match the actual number of visitors.

[0088] Fig. 15 shows an example of the reception completion notification E1 displayed on the display unit 42. In Fig. 15, the push notification E41 is displayed on the standby screen P41 displayed on the display unit 42. The push notification E41 is an example of the reception completion notification E1.

[0089] The notification unit 304 may notify the store terminal 4 of the reception completion notification E1 and may also cause the reception completion notification E1 to be displayed on the management terminal 3. In this case, the notification unit 304 causes the display unit 32 to display the reception completion notification E1 via the display control unit 305.

[0090] Fig. 16 shows an example of the reception completion notification E1 displayed on the display unit 32. In Fig. 16, the push notification E31 is displayed on the standby screen P31 displayed on the display unit 32. The push notification E31 is an example of the reception completion notification E1.

[0091] Step S220: The management terminal 3 determines whether reservation matching has already been performed for the matched reservation information B11 in the same time period in a previous reception process. If the visit identifier included in the reservation information B11 indicates "already visited," the reception processing unit 303 determines that reservation matching has already been performed for the reservation information B11 in the same time period in a previous reception process.

[0092] Here, a customer with a reservation does not necessarily visit the store with all the reserved number of people. Therefore, a customer visiting the store may be a customer who is meeting another customer who has already visited the store and made a reservation. A previous reception process is a reception process that was performed before the current reception process. Therefore, when reservation matching for reservation information B11 has already been performed in a previous reception process, it means that reservation matching has been performed for the reservation information B11 two or more times, including the current reception process and one or more previous reception processes.

[0093] Two reservation matches are performed in the same time period when the difference between the times at which the two reservation matches are performed is within a predetermined time. As described above, in this embodiment, reservation matching for reservation information B11 is performed only when the reservation time is within the matching target period, that is, when the reservation time is within the period from a time a predetermined time before the store arrival time to a time a predetermined time after the store arrival time. Therefore, when the store visit identifier included in the reservation information B11 indicates "already visited the store," this means that reservation matching for the reservation information B11 has already been performed within the matching target period from the reservation time. In one example of this embodiment, the reception processing unit 303 determines that two reservation matches were performed in the same time period when the store visit identifier included in the reservation information B11 indicates "already visited the store."

[0094] In addition, the reception processing unit 303 may determine that the difference between the times at which the two reservation matches were made is within a predetermined time by directly referring to the arrival time indicated by the customer identification information A11 matched with the reservation information B11 in the current reservation matching process and the arrival time indicated by the customer identification information A11 matched with the reservation information B11 in the previous reservation matching process.

[0095] If the reception processor 303 determines that reservation matching for the matched reservation information B11 has already been performed in the same time slot in a previous reservation matching process (step S220; YES), it executes the process of step S230. On the other hand, if the reception processor 303 determines that reservation matching has not already been performed in the same time slot in a previous reservation matching process (step S220; NO), it executes the process of step S240.

[0096] Step S230: The management terminal 3 displays the visit information C11 in the visit history list C1, indicating that it is a rendezvous. The information management unit 300 adds the visit information C11 for the visiting customer indicated by the matched reservation information B11 to the visit history list C1. Therefore, even if the customer identification information A11 for which the reception process has been completed has already been added to the visit history list C1, the information management unit 300 adds the customer identification information A11 to the visit history list C1. The information management unit 300 includes an identifier (referred to as a rendezvous identifier) ​​indicating that it is a rendezvous in the visit information C11. The display control unit 305 reads the visit history list C1 from the storage unit 31 and displays it on the display unit 32. The management terminal 3 then terminates the visit notification process.

[0097] Step S240: The management terminal 3 displays the store visit information C11 in the store visit history list C1. The information management unit 300 adds the store visit information C11 for the store customer indicated by the matched reservation information B11 to the store visit history list C1. The display control unit 305 reads the store visit history list C1 from the storage unit 31 and displays it on the display unit 32. Thereafter, the management terminal 3 ends the store visit notification process.

[0098] Step S250: The management terminal 3 notifies the store terminal 4 of a reception completion notification E1 for the in-person visit. Therefore, when the reception process based on the reception information A1 acquired by the reception information acquisition unit 200 provided in the reception terminal 2 is completed, a reception completion notification E1 indicating that the reception process has been completed is sent to the store terminal 4. Here, when the notification unit 304 acquires information indicating that the reception process has been completed from the reception processing unit 303, it notifies the store terminal 4 of the reception completion notification E1. The display control unit 401 causes the display unit 42 to display the reception completion notification E1 as a push notification.

[0099] The reception completion notice E1 includes, for example, the visit type indicated by the visit type information A12, the customer name and number of customers indicated by the customer identification information A11, and the seat indicated by the seat information D11.

[0100] Fig. 17 shows an example of the reception completion notification E1 displayed on the display unit 42. In Fig. 17, a push notification E42 is displayed on a standby screen P42 displayed on the display unit 42. The push notification E42 is an example of the reception completion notification E1.

[0101] The notification unit 304 may notify the store terminal 4 of the reception completion notification E1 and may also cause the reception completion notification E1 to be displayed on the management terminal 3. In this case, the notification unit 304 causes the display unit 32 to display the reception completion notification E1 via the display control unit 305.

[0102] Fig. 18 shows an example of the reception completion notification E1 displayed on the display unit 32. In Fig. 18, a push notification E32 is displayed on a standby screen P32 displayed on the display unit 32. The push notification E32 is an example of the reception completion notification E1.

[0103] Step S260: The management terminal 3 displays the store visit information C11 in the store visit history list C1. The information management unit 300 adds the store visit information C11 for the store customer identified by the customer identification information A11 to the store visit history list C1. The display control unit 305 reads the store visit history list C1 from the storage unit 31 and displays it on the display unit 32. Thereafter, the management terminal 3 ends the store visit notification process. This is how the seat guide system 1 ends the store visit notification process.

[0104] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the visit identifier included in the reservation information B11 against which a reservation has been verified is updated in step S40 of the visit reception process shown in FIG. 7 , but this is not limiting. The reception processing unit 303 may delete the reservation information B11 against which a reservation has been verified from the reservation information list B1. When the reservation information B11 against which a reservation has been verified is deleted from the reservation information list B1, in the subsequent reservation verification process for a reservation customer who is meeting up with a customer who has already visited the store, in step S40, the reception processing unit 303 first refers to the reservation information list B1, and if there is no reservation information B11 that can be verified against the customer identification information A11, causes the reservation information acquisition unit 302 to acquire the visit information C11 included in the visit history list C1 as reservation information. The reception processing unit 303 verifies the reservation by verifying the visit information C11 acquired as reservation information by the reservation information acquisition unit 302 with the customer identification information A11.

[0105] In this case, in step S220 of the store visit notification process shown in Fig. 14, it is determined whether reservation matching has already been performed for the matched customer identification information A11 in a previous reservation matching process for the same time period. The reception processing unit 303 determines that reservation matching has already been performed for the matched customer identification information A11 in a previous reservation matching process for the same time period because the customer identification information A11 and the store visit information C11 included in the store visit history list C1 have been matched in the process of step S40.

[0106] Here, we will explain the store visit history list C1 displayed in step S230, step S240, or step S260. The store visit history list C1 is displayed on the display unit 32 of the management terminal 3. The store visit history list C1 is transmitted from the management terminal 3 to the store terminal 4 at predetermined time intervals and is also displayed on the display unit 42 of the store terminal 4.

[0107] 19 is a diagram showing an example of a management screen P6 displayed on the management terminal 3. The management screen P6 is displayed on the display unit 32. The management screen P6 includes a seat display area P61 and a store visit history display area P62. The seat display area P61 displays seat information based on the seat list D1. The visit history display area P62 displays visit histories based on the visit information C11 included in the visit history list C1. Each of the visit history Q1, visit history Q2, visit history Q3, visit history Q4, and visit history Q5 is an example of a visit history based on the visit information C11. In the seat display area P61, the visit histories are displayed from the bottom in order of earliest visit time.

[0108] Visit history Q1 and visit history Q4 are visit histories for customers who visited in person. Visit history Q2, visit history Q3, and visit history Q5 are visit histories for customers who visited by reservation. For these reservation visits, a reservation was made for three people. Visit history Q2 is the visit history of the first customer to visit of the three customers who made a reservation. Visit history Q3 is the visit history of the second customer to visit of the three customers who made a reservation. Visit history Q5 is the visit history of the last customer to visit of the three customers who made a reservation. In visit history Q3 and visit history Q5, text indicates that the visiting customers are waiting for someone.

[0109] The store visit history list C1 is displayed in the store visit history display area P62 by the display control unit 305 when the operation reception unit 33 receives an operation from the store clerk who is the user. When the customer identification information A11 for which reception processing has been completed has already been matched with the reservation information B11 in a previous reception processing, the display control unit 305 displays the store visit history list C1, indicating that the visiting customer identified by the customer identification information A11 is waiting for an appointment.

[0110] It should be noted that, at the time of making a reservation, it may be planned to meet at a seat within the restaurant. Therefore, the reservation information B11 may include a meeting identifier. The meeting identifier indicates that the reservation is a meeting. When the reservation information B11 includes a meeting identifier, the information management unit 300 may set an upper limit on the number of times the reception process (i.e., reservation matching process) is executed for the reservation information B11 based on the number of people making the reservation included in the reservation information B11. In this case, when the number of times the reception process is executed for the reservation information B11 exceeds the upper limit, the reception processing unit 303 deletes the reservation information B11 from the reservation information list B1. When an upper limit on the number of times the reception process is executed for the reservation information B11 is set, the store visit identifier may be omitted from the reservation information B11.

[0111] In addition, if a predetermined time has passed since the reservation time indicated by the reservation information B11, the information management unit 300 may delete the reservation information B11 even if the number of times the reception process has been performed for the reservation information B11 does not exceed the upper limit.

[0112] Furthermore, the operation accepting unit 33 may accept an operation to delete the reservation information B11. Based on the operation accepted by the operation accepting unit 33, the information management unit 300 deletes the reservation information list B1 from the reservation information list B1.

[0113] Furthermore, even in the case of a visit by reservation, the number of customers visiting the store may be input from the reception screen displayed on the reception terminal 2. In this case, the reception information acquisition unit 200 includes information indicating the input number of customers visiting the store in the customer identification information A11. The management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 (an example of a customer identification information acquisition unit) acquires the number of customers visiting the store. When the total number of customers visiting the store acquired by the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 reaches the reservation number included in the reservation information B11, the notification unit 304 notifies the store terminal 4 that the number of customers visiting the store has reached the reservation number.

[0114] When the store terminal 4 is notified that the number of customers visiting the store has reached the reservation number, the store staff can start taking measures in response to the fact that the number of customers visiting the store has reached the reservation number. For example, when the number of customers visiting the store has reached the reservation number, the staff can start taking measures for various courses (all-you-can-drink, etc.) or events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.).

[0115] In this embodiment, in the case of a visit by reservation, the reception terminal 2 may send a notification to the management terminal 3 indicating that the processes of displaying the reservation details, issuing a reception ticket, and displaying the seat guide screen have been completed at the reception terminal 2 before the management terminal 3 sends the reception completion notification E1 to the store terminal 4. Similarly, in the case of a visit by in-person visit, the reception terminal 2 may send a notification to the management terminal 3 indicating that the processes of issuing a reception ticket and displaying the seat guide screen have been completed at the reception terminal 2 before the management terminal 3 sends the reception completion notification E1 to the store terminal 4.

[0116] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the reservation verification process is executed by the management terminal 3, but this is not limiting. The reservation verification process may also be executed by the reception terminal 2. In this case, the reception terminal 2 acquires the reservation information list B1 from the management terminal 3 and collates the reservation information B11 included in the acquired reservation information list B1 with the customer identification information A11. When the reception terminal 2 completes the reservation verification process, it notifies the management terminal 3 that the reservation verification process has been completed. Upon receiving this notification, the management terminal 3 sends a reception completion notification E1 to the store terminal 4. When the reservation verification process is executed by the reception terminal 2, the reception terminal 2 may directly transmit the reception completion notification E1 to the store terminal 4 upon completion of the reservation verification process.

[0117] Furthermore, even when the reservation matching process is executed by the management terminal 3 as in this embodiment, the acceptance completion notice E1 may be sent from the reception terminal 2 to the store terminal 4. In this case, for example, when the reception terminal 2 receives a reservation matching result from the management terminal 3 indicating that the reservation has been matched, the reception terminal 2 sends the acceptance completion notice E1 to the store terminal 4.

[0118] The reception completion notification E1 does not have to be sent to the store terminal 4. In that case, the processes of steps S210 and S250 are omitted in the store visit notification process. In that case, the notification unit 304 may be omitted from the configuration of the management terminal 3.

[0119] It is not necessary to take into consideration the visit of customers who are waiting for a scheduled visit. In this case, the information management unit 300 may delete the reservation information B11 for which the reservation matching process has been performed by the reception processing unit 303 from the reservation information list B1.

[0120] [Display Processing] Next, we will explain the display processing that is performed when a user operates various display screens in the seat guidance system 1. Fig. 20 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of the display processing according to this embodiment. The display processing is executed by the management terminal 3 or the store terminal 4. Below, we will explain an example of the case where the display processing is executed by the store terminal 4, but the same applies when it is executed by the management terminal 3.

[0121] In the following, the management screen P7 shown in FIG. 21 will be described as an example of a display screen. The management screen P7 includes a first display area R11 and a second display area R21. In the example shown in the management screen P7, the first display area R11 is an area where a schedule based on the seat list D1 is displayed. The first display area R11 is also referred to as a schedule screen. The second display area R21 is a store visit history display area based on the store visit history list C1.

[0122] The display control unit 401 superimposes the second display area R21 on the first display area R11 and displays them on the screen displayed on the display unit 32. In the state of the management screen P7 shown in Fig. 21, the portion of the first display area R11 on which the second display area R21 is superimposed is not visible to the store clerk (the user). In other words, the transparency of the second display area R21 is zero.

[0123] The display control unit 401 repeatedly executes the display process while the screen is being displayed on the display unit 42. Step S310: The display control unit 401 determines whether the operation detection unit 402 has detected an operation by the user (store clerk). The operation detected by the operation detection unit 402 is an operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit 43. The operation detected by the operation detection unit 402 is, for example, an operation of scrolling the first display area R11 displayed on the display unit 32.

[0124] If the display control unit 401 determines that the operation detection unit 402 has detected an operation by the user (step S310; YES), it executes the process of step S320. On the other hand, if the display control unit 401 determines that the operation detection unit 402 has not detected an operation by the user (step S310; NO), it ends the display process.

[0125] Step S320: The display control unit 401 changes the display mode of the second display region R21 to improve the visibility of the first display region R11. The display control unit 401 changes the transparency of the second display region R21 to a default value. The default value is a transparency greater than zero that allows the user to view the portion of the first display region R11 on which the second display region R21 is superimposed.

[0126] FIG. 22 shows an example of the management screen P8 when the transparency of the second display area R21 has been changed to the default value. In the management screen P8, the transparency of the second display area R22 has been changed to the default value from that of the second display area R21 shown in FIG. 21. Therefore, the portion of the first display area R12 on which the second display area R22 is superimposed is transparent enough to be visible to the user. Note that in the first display area R12 shown in FIG. 22, a scroll operation displays seat information for a time slot different from that of the first display area R11 shown in FIG. 21. Therefore, the entire schedule screen displayed as the first display area R11 and the first display area R12 is long in a predetermined direction (horizontal direction) to the extent that it does not fit within the screen of the display unit 42.

[0127] The default value of the post-change transparency of the second display region R22 is stored in advance in the storage unit 31. The default value of the post-change transparency of the second display region R22 may be set by the user. The default value of the transparency may be 100 percent. In other words, the second display region R22 may be changed to a mode where it is not displayed.

[0128] Step S330: The display control unit 401 determines whether the operation detection unit 402 continues to detect an operation by the user. If the display control unit 401 determines that the operation detection unit 402 is not continuing to detect an operation by the user (step S330; NO), the display control unit 401 executes the process of step S340. On the other hand, if the display control unit 401 determines that the operation detection unit 402 is continuing to detect an operation by the user (step S330; YES), the display control unit 401 executes the process of step S330 again.

[0129] That is, the display control unit 401 changes the transparency of the second display area R21 to the default value while the operation detection unit 402 detects an operation to scroll the first display area R11 on the screen displayed on the display unit 32. Therefore, while the operation detection unit 402 detects an operation by the user, the display control unit 401 changes the display mode of the second display area R21 so as to improve the visibility of the first display area R11.

[0130] Step S340: The display control unit 401 restores the display mode of the second display region R22 to the original state, ie, the transparency of the second display region R22 is restored from the default value to zero. With this, the management terminal 3 ends the display process.

[0131] Here, the management screen P7, which is the screen displayed on the display unit 32, is a rectangle with long and short sides. The operation detected by the operation detection unit 402 may be an operation of scrolling the first display region R11 in the direction of the long side. In this case, the display control unit 401 changes the transparency of the second display region R21 to a default value while the operation detection unit 402 detects an operation of scrolling the first display region R11 in the direction of the long side on the screen displayed on the display unit 32, and does not change the transparency of the second display region R21 while the operation detection unit 402 detects an operation of scrolling the first display region R11 in the direction of the short side on the screen displayed on the display unit 32.

[0132] In addition, the operation detected by the operation detection unit 402 in order for the display control unit 401 to change the display mode of the second display area R21 may be an operation such as flicking, tapping, or clicking the first display area R11 on the screen displayed on the display unit 32.

[0133] 20, the process of changing the display mode of the second display region R21 to improve the visibility of the first display region R11 is not limited to the process of changing the transparency of the second display region R21 to the default value. The display control unit 401 may move the second display region R21 to the edge of the screen (the right edge of the management screen P7 in the example shown in FIG. 21) so that at least a part of the second display region R21 is hidden. In other words, the display control unit 401 may reduce the display area of ​​the second display region R21 compared to before changing the display mode. Note that second display region R21 may be hidden from the screen when a predetermined operation is performed by the user. When second display region R21 is moved to the edge of the screen so that at least a portion of second display region R21 is hidden as described above, the area that is hidden may be smaller than when an operation to hide second display region R21 from the screen is performed.

[0134] As described above, the second display area R21 displays the store visit history based on the store visit history list C1. The store visit history list C1 is updated each time a reception process is performed. On the management screen P7, the store visit history displayed in the second display area R21 is updated periodically (for example, every five minutes) by reflecting the store visit history list C1 stored in the storage unit 31 of the management terminal 3 in the store visit history list C1 stored in the storage unit 41 of the store terminal 4.

[0135] Note that the display control unit 401 may update the information displayed in the second display area R21 when the operation detection unit 402 detects a predetermined operation on the second display area R21. The predetermined operation is, for example, an operation of swiping the second display area R21. In this case, when the second display area R21 is swiped, the store visit history displayed in the second display area R21 is updated with the latest store visit history list C1 stored in the storage unit 31. Therefore, the second display area R21 in which the display control unit 401 changes the display mode to improve the visibility of the first display area R11 while the operation detection unit 402 detects an operation by the user is an area in which the information displayed in the second display area R21 is updated when the operation detection unit 402 detects a specified operation on the second display area R21.

[0136] If the store visit history displayed in the second display region R21 is updated while the display mode of the second display region R21 is changing to increase the visibility of the first display region R11, the display control unit 401 may change the display mode of the store visit history. For example, if the store visit history is updated while the transparency of the second display region R21 is changed to a default value, the display control unit 401 may change the background of the store visit history for a predetermined time (e.g., 0.1 seconds). In another example, if the store visit history is updated while the transparency of the second display region R21 is changed to a default value, the display control unit 401 may flash the store visit history a predetermined number of times (e.g., once). Furthermore, if the store visit history is updated while the transparency of the second display region R21 is changed to a default value, the display control unit 401 may lower the transparency of the second display region R21.

[0137] Therefore, if the information displayed in the second display area R21 is updated while the operation detection unit 402 is detecting an operation by the user, the display control unit 401 changes the display mode of the second display area R21 or the information.

[0138] The display control unit 401 may not change the display mode of the second display area R21 while the operation detection unit 402 is detecting an operation by the user.

[0139] As described above, the seat guidance system 1 according to this embodiment includes the management terminal 3, the reception terminal 2, and the store terminal 4. The management terminal 3 includes an information management unit 300. The information management unit 300 manages reservation information B11 and seat information D11. The reception terminal 2 includes a reception information acquisition unit 200, a reception side transmission unit 201, and a presentation unit 202. The reception information acquisition unit 200 acquires reception information A1 including customer identification information A11 of a customer who has visited the store and visit type information A12 indicating whether the visiting customer is a customer with a reservation. The reception side transmission unit 201 transmits the reception information A1 acquired by the reception information acquisition unit 200 to the management terminal 3. The presentation unit 202 presents a seat to the visiting customer. When the reception process based on the reception information A1 acquired by the reception information acquisition unit 200 is completed, a reception completion notice E1 indicating that the reception process has been completed is transmitted to the shop terminal 4.

[0140] With this configuration, the seat guidance system 1 according to this embodiment notifies the store staff that the customer has arrived at the store, thereby preventing delays in responding to the customer who has arrived at the store.

[0141] In addition, the reservation management system of this embodiment (in this embodiment, the seat guidance system 1) includes a reservation information acquisition unit 302, a customer identification information acquisition unit (in this embodiment, the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301), and a reception processing unit 303. The reservation information acquisition unit 302 acquires the reservation information B11. The customer identification information acquisition unit (the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301 in this embodiment) acquires the customer identification information A11 of the visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment. The reception processing unit 303 performs reception processing by comparing the customer identification information A11 acquired by the customer identification information acquisition unit (in this embodiment, the management terminal reception information acquisition unit 301) with the reservation information B11 acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit 302.

[0142] With this configuration, the reservation management system of this embodiment (in this embodiment, the seat guidance system 1) can perform reception processing by comparing the customer identification information A11 of the customer who is waiting for an appointment with the reservation information B11, and therefore can perform reception for the customer who is waiting for an appointment.

[0143] The display control device according to this embodiment (the store terminal 4 in this embodiment) includes a display control unit (the display control unit 401 in this embodiment) and an operation detection unit (the operation detection unit 402 in this embodiment). The display control unit (the display control unit 401 in this embodiment) displays the second display area R21 superimposed on the first display area R11 on a screen (the management screen P7 in this embodiment). The operation detection unit (in this embodiment, the operation detection unit 402) detects an operation by a user. The display control unit (in this embodiment, the display control unit 401) changes the display mode of the second display area R21 so as to improve the visibility of the first display area R11 while the operation detection unit (in this embodiment, the operation detection unit 402) is detecting an operation by the user.

[0144] With this configuration, the display control device of this embodiment (in this embodiment, the store terminal 4) can increase the visibility of the first display area R11 while performing operations, thereby improving work efficiency when performing operations while viewing the first display area R11 displayed on the screen.

[0145] The functions of the reception terminal 2, management terminal 3, or store terminal 4 in the above-described embodiments may be implemented by a computer. In this case, a program for implementing the control function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program may be loaded and executed by a computer system. The term "computer system" as used herein refers to a computer system built into the reception terminal 2, management terminal 3, or store terminal 4, including hardware such as an operating system (OS) and peripheral devices. The term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs (Read Only Memory), and CD-ROMs (Compact Disc-Read Only Memory), as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. The term "computer-readable recording medium" may also include media that dynamically store programs for short periods of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs via networks such as the Internet or telephone lines, or media that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within the computer system serving as the server or client. The program may be a program that implements part of the above-described functions, or may be a program that can be implemented in combination with a program already stored in the computer system. Furthermore, the reception terminal 2, management terminal 3, or store terminal 4 in the above-described embodiments may be partly or entirely implemented as an integrated circuit such as an LSI (Large Scale Integration). Each functional block of the reception terminal 2, management terminal 3, or store terminal 4 may be individually implemented as a processor, or partly or entirely integrated into a processor. The integrated circuit implementation method is not limited to LSI, and may be implemented using a dedicated circuit or a general-purpose processor. Furthermore, if an integrated circuit implementation technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology, an integrated circuit based on that technology may be used.

[0146] One embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to that described above, and various design changes and the like are possible within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0147] 1...seat guidance system, 2...reception terminal, 3...management terminal, 4...store terminal, 200...reception information acquisition unit, 201...reception side transmission unit, 202...presentation unit, 300...information management unit, 302...reservation information acquisition unit, 301...management terminal reception information acquisition unit, 303...reception processing unit, 401...display control unit, 402...operation detection unit, A1...reception information, A11...customer identification information, B11...reservation information, D11...seat information, E1...reception completion notification, R11...first display area, R21...second display area

Claims

1. a reservation information acquisition unit that acquires reservation information; a customer identification information acquisition unit that acquires customer identification information of a visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment; a reception processing unit that executes reception processing by collating the customer identification information acquired by the customer identification information acquisition unit with the reservation information acquired by the reservation information acquisition unit; A reservation management system comprising:

2. a display control unit that displays a store visit history list showing the customer identification information for which the reception process has been completed; When the customer identification information for which the reception process has been completed has already been collated with the reservation information in a previous reception process, the display control unit displays the visit history list, indicating that the visiting customer identified by the customer identification information is waiting for an appointment. The reservation management system according to claim 1 .

3. The information management unit further includes a setting unit that sets an upper limit of the number of times the reception process is executed for the reservation information based on the number of reservations included in the reservation information when the reservation information includes a rendezvous identifier indicating that the reservation is a rendezvous, and deletes the reservation information when the number of times the reception process is executed for the reservation information exceeds the upper limit. The reservation management system according to claim 1 .

4. When a predetermined time has passed since the reservation time indicated by the reservation information, the information management unit deletes the reservation information even if the number of times the reception process has been executed for the reservation information does not exceed the upper limit. The reservation management system according to claim 3 .

5. an operation receiving unit for receiving an operation to delete the reservation information; The information management unit deletes the reservation information based on the operation accepted by the operation acceptance unit. The reservation management system according to claim 3 .

6. the customer identification information acquisition unit acquires the number of customers visiting the store, The apparatus further includes a notification unit that notifies the customer that the number of customers visiting the store has reached the reserved number when the total number of customers acquired by the customer identification information acquisition unit reaches the reserved number included in the reservation information. The reservation management system according to claim 1 .

7. a reservation information acquisition step for acquiring reservation information; a customer identification information acquisition step of acquiring customer identification information of a visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment; a reception processing step of executing reception processing by collating the customer identification information acquired in the customer identification information acquisition step with the reservation information acquired in the reservation information acquisition step; A reservation management method having the above.

8. On the computer, a reservation information acquisition step for acquiring reservation information; a customer identification information acquisition step of acquiring customer identification information of a visiting customer who is waiting for an appointment; a reception processing step of executing reception processing by collating the customer identification information acquired in the customer identification information acquisition step with the reservation information acquired in the reservation information acquisition step; A program to execute.

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