Reservation slot management system, reservation slot management method, and computer program

Abstract

To provide a reservation slot management system, a reservation slot management method, and a computer program that enable customers to easily make reservations at their desired dates and times. [Solution] A reservation slot management system is connected via a network to a reservation-seeking user terminal operated by a user making a reservation to receive a service at a facility, and manages reservation slots, which are time slots available for reservation.When a reservation slot desired by a reservation-seeking user is filled, the reservation-seeking user makes an offer to transfer the reservation to a reserved user who has reserved the reservation slot, and if the reserved user accepts the offer to transfer the reservation, a specified profit is allocated.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a reservation slot management system, a reservation slot management method, and a computer program for managing reservation slots that can be reserved by users. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditionally, dental clinics, beauty salons, esthetic salons, telecommunications equipment stores, and other establishments that have limits on the number of people they can accommodate and require long treatment times per person, as well as public facilities such as gymnasiums and sports fields, have often operated on a reservation system.

[0003] An example of this type of conventional technology is described in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses a store reservation system that allocates the number of users among multiple candidate stores based on the number of users and the congestion status of the candidate stores, and suggests to users that they make reservations based on the allocation results. This store reservation system makes it possible to allocate users among multiple different stores and accept reservations. This prevents users from narrowing their store options even when making reservations for a large group, and prevents stores from losing profit opportunities. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-092648 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, some users may be forced to make a reservation at a predetermined date and time due to various circumstances. However, if this date and time is fully booked, the customer may give up on the reservation and consider making a reservation at another store. However, this may result in the store losing a customer. For this reason, it is desirable to have a system that increases the possibility of making a reservation at a desired date and time, even if a reservation is already booked for that date and time.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and aims to provide a reservation slot management system, reservation slot management method, and computer program that can increase the likelihood that a user will be able to make a reservation on the date and time they desire. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The reservation slot management system, reservation slot management method, and computer program of the present invention have the following configuration.

[0008] The reservation slot management system of the present invention includes: A reservation slot management system that is connected via a network to a user terminal operated by a user who makes a reservation to receive a service at a facility, and that manages reservation slots, which are time slots that can be reserved, a profit information determination means for determining profit information indicating a profit (discount amount) to be granted when a reservation is made for each of the reservation slots that are available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information generating means for generating reservation status information for re-reservation in which the profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information providing means for providing, when a reservation slot based on reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot reserved by another user, transfer request information indicating that the reserved reservation slot is desired to be transferred by the other user and the reservation status information for re-reservation to the user terminal of the reserved user who is the user who reserved the reserved reservation slot; a re-reservation request information receiving means for receiving, from the user terminal of the user who has made a reservation, re-reservation information for requesting a reservation in the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation; a profit information allocation means for, when receiving the re-reservation information, allocating the profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information from the user terminal; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0009] According to the present invention configured as described above, when a user seeking a reservation is unable to obtain a desired reservation slot, the user can offer to transfer the reservation to a user who has already reserved the desired reservation slot. In this case, the user who already reserved can accept the reservation transfer and re-book another reservation slot, thereby receiving profit information corresponding to the new reservation slot. Since the user who already reserved can receive a predetermined profit even if he or she transfers the reservation, this encourages the user to actively accept the reservation transfer offer. As a result, the store can attract customers who were unable to visit the store due to a lack of a reservation, thereby increasing sales. Furthermore, since the user who already reserved the reservation who transferred the reservation also re-booked, the store can secure sales for that amount. In this way, even if the desired reservation slot is already filled, the user seeking a reservation can easily negotiate a transfer with the user who already reserved, thereby increasing the user's chances of making a reservation at the date and time they desire.

[0010] Further, the reservation slot management system of the present invention is the reservation slot management system, The profit information determining means determines the profit information for each reservation slot that can be reserved, in accordance with the time period.

[0011] According to the present invention configured in this way, for example, on a given day, if there are many reservations (few available reservation slots), the discount amount is small, and on a day when there are few reservations (few available reservation slots), the discount amount is large. This makes it possible to guide users who make re-reservations to reservation slots with larger discount amounts, and as a result, it is possible to fill reservation slots for times when there are few reservations.

[0012] Further, the reservation slot management system of the present invention is the reservation slot management system, The profit information determining means determines the profit information in accordance with the length of time from a preset reference time to the reservation slot that can be reserved.

[0013] According to the present invention configured in this way, the discount amount decreases as the distance from the reference time increases, for example, 10 days from now, 20 days from now, etc. This makes it possible to guide users who make re-reservations to reservation slots with larger discount amounts, and as a result, future reservation slots can be filled more quickly.

[0014] The reservation slot management method of the present invention further comprises: A reservation slot management method is executed by a reservation slot management system that is connected via a network to a user terminal operated by a user who makes a reservation to receive a service at a facility, and that manages reservation slots, which are time slots that can be reserved, and includes: determining profit information indicating a profit (discount amount) to be granted when a reservation is made for each of the available reservation slots among the plurality of reservation slots; generating reservation status information for re-reservation in which the profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; When a reservation slot based on the reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot reserved by another user, providing the user terminal of the reserved user, who is the user who reserved the reserved reservation slot, with transfer request information indicating that the other user wishes to transfer the reserved reservation slot, and the reservation status information for re-reservation; receiving, from the user terminal of the reserved user, re-reservation information for requesting a reservation in the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation; When the re-reservation information is received, allocating the profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information from the user terminal; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0015] The computer program of the present invention also includes: a reservation slot management system that is connected via a network to a user terminal operated by a user who makes a reservation to receive a service at a facility and that manages reservation slots, which are time slots that can be reserved; a profit information determination means for determining profit information indicating a profit (discount amount) to be granted when a reservation is made for each of the reservation slots that are available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information generating means for generating reservation status information for re-reservation in which the profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots that are available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information providing means for providing, when a reservation slot based on reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot reserved by another user, transfer request information indicating that the reserved reservation slot is desired to be transferred by the other user and the reservation status information for re-reservation to the user terminal of the reserved user who is the user who reserved the reserved reservation slot; a re-reservation request information receiving means for receiving, from the user terminal of the user who has made the reservation, re-reservation information for requesting a reservation in the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation; a profit information allocation means for, when receiving the re-reservation information, allocating the profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information from the user terminal; The present invention is characterized in that it functions as a

[0016] According to the reservation slot management method and computer program of the present invention configured in this manner, the same effects as those of the reservation slot management system of the present invention described above can be achieved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a reservation slot management system, a reservation slot management method, and a computer program that can increase the likelihood that a user will be able to make a reservation on the date and time they desire. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a reservation slot management system 1 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a reservation slot management system 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration and a software configuration of a server control unit 11 according to the reservation slot management system 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by a server control unit 11 in the reservation slot management server 10. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of reservation status information for reservation. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by a server control unit 11 in the reservation slot management server 10. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by a server control unit 11 in the reservation slot management server 10. [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by a server control unit 11 in the reservation slot management server 10. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of operations between the terminal of a user who wishes to make a reservation and the terminal of a user who has already made a reservation. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of reservation status information. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of reservation status information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention will be described in more detail below using preferred embodiments, but the following embodiments are merely examples of realizing the present invention and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0020] The configuration of a reservation slot management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0021] [Reservation slot management system] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a reservation slot management system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the reservation slot management system 1 is configured as, for example, a reservation slot management server 10, and is connected to a user terminal 100, a reservation terminal 101, and the like via a network N.

[0023] The reservation slot management server 10 can be configured by an information processing device such as a general personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, etc. Alternatively, the reservation slot management server 10 may be configured by a cloud server.

[0024] The user terminal 100 and the reserver terminal 101 can each be configured as an information processing device such as a general personal computer, laptop computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, etc. The user terminal 100 is a terminal operated by a user when making a reservation, and the reserver terminal 101 is a terminal held by a user who has already made a reservation.

[0025] The reservation slot management server 10 is capable of communicating with each of the user terminal 100 and the reservation terminal 101 via a network N. As the network N, for example, in addition to the Internet using the communication protocol IP, networks (data communication networks) such as an intranet, an extranet, a mobile communication network, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a satellite communication network, etc. can be adopted.

[0026] [Reservation Slot Management System 1 Overview] First, an overview of the reservation slot management system 1 will be described. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the appointment slot management system 1. Here, as an example of a service, a case will be described in which the appointment slot management system 1 is introduced in a store such as a salon, a clinic, a restaurant, or a retail store of telecommunications equipment.

[0027] When making a reservation, a user who uses the store's services operates the user terminal 100 to access the reservation slot management server 10 via a homepage or the like operated by the store, acquires reservation status information from the reservation slot management server 10, and displays the current reservation status on the user terminal 100. A user who wishes to make a reservation (hereinafter referred to as a "reservation-requesting user") looks at the display on the user terminal 100, and if there are no reservations made for the reservation slot for the date and time they wish to make a reservation, the reserving user operates the user terminal 100 to make a reservation for the reservation slot for the desired date and time, thereby completing the reservation.

[0028] However, there are cases where a user wishing to make a reservation at a desired date and time, even though all the reservation slots for that date and time are filled with reservations by other users. In this case, the user wishing to make a reservation can offer to negotiate the transfer of the reservation to a user who has already made a reservation (referred to here as the "target user"). Specifically, first, the user wishing to make a reservation operates the user terminal 100 to select a reserved reservation slot for the desired date and time (hereinafter referred to as the "reserved reservation slot") from the current reservation status display screen. This selects the target user to whom the transfer negotiations will be offered (hereinafter this target user will be referred to as the "reserved user"). Note that if there are multiple target users, one target user is selected. Next, the user wishing to make a reservation sets the consideration (negotiated amount) that will be the condition for the transfer.

[0029] Then, by operating the user terminal 100, the reservation-seeking user transmits reservation request information, indicating a reservation for a desired reservation slot, to the reservation slot management server 10. The reservation slot management server 10 then transmits transfer request information, indicating that another user wishes to transfer the reserved reservation slot, to the reservation terminal 101 of the reserved user, allowing the reserved user to request transfer negotiations. At this time, the reservation slot management server 10 transmits, together with the transfer request information, to the reservation terminal 101 of the reserved user, reservation status information for re-reservation, in which consideration information indicating the consideration for the transfer of the reserved reservation slot and benefit information indicating the benefit (coupon, point, etc.) to be granted if a reservation is made for that reservation slot, for each of the multiple reservation slots that are available for reservation, are associated with the reservation request information. As a result, a pop-up is displayed on the display screen of the reservation terminal 101 of the reserved user to whom the reservation-seeking user has requested transfer negotiations, informing the reserved user of the existence of an offer to transfer the reservation, the consideration information for the transfer, and the benefit (coupon, point, etc.) for making a re-reservation.

[0030] Then, by operating the user terminal 100, the reserved user can send to the reservation slot management server 10 re-reservation information requesting a reservation in a reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation, thereby approving the reservation transfer, having the reservation re-reserved in that reservation slot, and receiving benefits (coupons, points, etc.) and compensation as a condition of the transfer.

[0031] The benefit may be a discount from the amount required to receive the service, etc., or may be given to the user who has made a reservation as, for example, a discount coupon that can be used at the reservation destination, or as valuable points. Furthermore, if a reservation fee is required to reserve a store, the user who has made a reservation (the user who approved the transfer) may be able to use the points to make a new reservation. Furthermore, when transfer negotiations are successful, a portion of the consideration, for example, the discount amount, may be paid to the store by the user who wishes to reserve.

[0032] In this way, the store can attract customers who are unable to make a reservation and are therefore unable to visit, leading to increased sales. In addition, customers who transfer their reservations can also receive a discount benefit and the payment required for the transfer, which can encourage them to actively transfer their reservations. Note that the payment setting is optional, and even if no payment is set (even if it is set to 0 yen), users who have already made a reservation can at least receive the discount benefit by transferring their reservation.

[0033] Next, the configuration of the reservation slot management system 1 will be described in detail.

[0034] [Configuration of reservation slot management server 10] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration and a software configuration of the server control unit 11 in the appointment slot management system 1 of this embodiment. The appointment slot management server 10 includes the server control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13.

[0035] The server control unit 11 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and the like.

[0036] The storage unit 12 is a device in which data and / or files are stored, and includes a data storage unit such as a hard disk, a semiconductor memory, a recording medium, and a memory card.

[0037] The storage unit 12 may have a mechanism that enables connection to a storage device or storage system such as a NAS (Network Attached Storage), a SAN (Storage Area Network), cloud storage, a file server, and / or a distributed file system via a network N.

[0038] The storage unit 12 stores a control program executed by a computer and a reservation slot management table 12a that manages reservation slots. The reservation slot management table 12a divides business hours into multiple reservation time slots corresponding to business days, and associates one or more reservation slots with each reservation time slot. A reservation is completed by registering identification information that identifies the customer with this reservation slot.

[0039] The communication unit 13 is not particularly limited as long as it connects the reservation slot management server 10 to the network N and enables communication with the user terminal 100, the reservation terminal 101, etc., and examples include a wireless device compatible with a mobile phone network, a device compliant with IEEE802.11, a short-range wireless device, and a network card compatible with the Ethernet standard.

[0040] By executing a computer program stored in the memory unit 12, the server control unit 11 cooperates with the memory unit 12 and the communication unit 13 to realize the software components of the server control unit 11, such as a reception control unit 20, a transmission control unit 21, a reservation status information providing unit 22, a reservation request information receiving unit 23, a reservation status information updating unit 24, a reservation slot determination unit 25, a price setting unit 26, a profit information determination unit 27, a reservation status information generation unit for re-reservation 28, a reservation status information providing unit for re-reservation 29, a re-reservation request information receiving unit 30, and a profit information allocation unit 31.

[0041] The reception control unit 20 controls the reception of various types of information from external terminals (user terminal 100, reserver terminal 101, etc.) via the communication unit 13. The transmission control unit 21 controls the transmission of various types of information to an external terminal via the communication unit 13 .

[0042] The reservation status information provider 22 provides the user terminal 100 with reservation status information indicating the reservation status of multiple reservation slots. The reservation status information is created based on a reservation slot management table. The reservation status information is displayed on the display screen of the user terminal 100 like a calendar, with reservation slots allocated for each date and time. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, reserved reservation slots are marked with an "X" and unreserved reservation slots are marked with an "O." Note that providing reservation status information includes not only displaying the reservation status information as an image on a browser, but also sending it in file format via email. In short, any method of providing the reservation status information is acceptable as long as it can be displayed as an electronic image. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which reservation status information is obtained from a website and displayed as an image on a browser.

[0043] The reservation request information receiving unit 23 receives reservation request information indicating a reservation request for a reservation slot from the user terminal 100. Specifically, the reservation request user operates the reservation status information display screen of the user terminal 100 and specifies the desired reservation slot, whereby the reservation request information is transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the reservation slot management server 10. The reservation request information receiving unit 23 receives this reservation request information.

[0044] When the reservation request information receiving unit 23 receives reservation request information, the reservation status information update unit 24 updates the reservation status information by associating the reservation slot with the identification information of the user requesting the reservation (e.g., name, user ID, membership number, etc.) and registering it in the reservation slot management table.

[0045] The reservation slot determination unit 25 determines whether or not a reservation slot based on the reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal 100 of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot in which a reservation has been made by a user other than the reservation requesting user.

[0046] If the reservation slot based on the reservation request information is a reserved reservation slot, the price setting unit 26 sets price information indicating a negotiated amount, that is, a price for the transfer of this reservation slot.

[0047] The benefit information determination unit 27 determines, for each of the reservation slots available for reservation among the multiple reservation slots, benefit information indicating a benefit to be granted to the reserved user when the reserved user makes a reservation for this reservation slot. According to this embodiment, a discount coupon that allows the reserved user to receive a discount benefit is granted as benefit information to be granted to the reserved user. This discount coupon is displayed on the user terminal 100. The discount amount provided by the discount coupon is determined by the benefit information determination unit 27.

[0048] The re-reservation reservation status information generating unit 28 refers to the reservation slot management table 12b and generates re-reservation reservation status information in which profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots that can be reserved among the multiple reservation slots, as shown in FIG.

[0049] When a reservation slot based on the reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal 100 of the reservation-seeking user is a reserved reservation slot, the re-reservation reservation status information providing unit 29 provides, to the reservation terminal 101 of the reserved user who reserved this reserved reservation slot, transfer request information indicating that the reservation-seeking user wishes to transfer the reserved reservation slot, the price information set in the price setting unit 26, and the re-reservation reservation status information generated in the re-reservation reservation status information generating unit 28. The reservation terminal 101 is capable of displaying this information on a display screen.

[0050] The re-reservation request information accepting unit 30 accepts, from the reserving user's terminal 101, re-reservation information requesting a reservation for a reservation slot based on the re-reservation reservation status information generated by the re-reservation reservation status information generating unit 28. Specifically, the re-reserved user operates the re-reservation reservation status information screen displayed on the reserving user terminal 101 and specifies the desired reservation slot, whereby the re-reservation information is transmitted from the reserving user terminal 101 to the reservation slot management server 10. The re-reservation request information accepting unit 30 accepts this re-reservation information.

[0051] Here, when the re-reservation request information receiving unit 30 receives re-reservation information, the reservation status information updating unit 24 changes the identification information of the reserved user associated with the reserved reservation slot in the reservation status information to the identification information of the user wishing to make a reservation, and associates the identification information of the reserved user with the reservation slot of the same time as the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation.

[0052] When the re-reservation request information receiving unit 30 receives re-reservation information, the profit information allocating unit 31 allocates profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information. This makes it possible to transmit discount information such as discount coupons from the reservation slot management server 10 to the reservation terminal 101 of the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information.

[0053] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing executed by the server control unit 11 in the reservation slot management server 10.

[0054] The server control unit 11 first performs initialization (step S1). In the initialization, past reservation slots in the reservation slot management table 12a are deleted, and a reservation slot for the date following the last day on which reservations are available is created. In addition, the server control unit 11 resets a timer that counts the time since the transfer request information, price information, and reservation status information for re-reservation were sent to the reserved user (for example, the timer is set to 0).

[0055] Next, the reservation slot management process (step S2) and the reserved reservation slot management process (step S3) are repeatedly performed. The reservation slot management process (step S2) and the reserved reservation slot management process (step S3) will be described later.

[0056] [Reservation slot management process] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of the reservation slot management process. In the subroutine of the reservation slot management process (step S2), the server control unit 11 (reservation status information providing unit 22) determines whether or not a reservation status information request has been received (step S11). The reservation status information request is transmitted from the user terminal 100 when a user wishing to make a reservation operates the user terminal 100 to, for example, designate a reservation status icon. If it is determined that the reservation status information request has been received (YES in step S11), the server control unit 11 provides (transmits) the reservation status information to the user terminal 100 (step S12). If it is not determined that the reservation status information request has been received (NO in step S11), the server control unit 11 terminates the subroutine of the reservation slot management process (step S2).

[0057] Next, the server control unit 11 (reservation request information receiving unit 23) determines whether or not the reservation request information has been received (step S13). The reservation request information is transmitted from the user terminal 100 when the reservation requesting user operates the user terminal 100 to display reservation status information and operates a desired schedule slot. If it is determined that the reservation request information has been received (YES in step S13), the reservation request information is accepted (step S14), and the schedule slot information and the identification information of the reservation requesting user included in the reservation request information are temporarily stored in the storage unit 12. If it is not determined that the reservation request information has been received (NO in step S13), the subroutine of the reservation slot management process (step S2) is terminated.

[0058] Next, the server control unit 11 (reservation slot determination unit 25) refers to the reservation slot management table 12a and determines whether the schedule slots corresponding to the schedule slot information transmitted from the reservation requesting user are fully filled with reservations by other users (step S15). If it is determined that the reservation slots are not fully filled (NO in step S15), the server control unit 11 updates the reservation status information by registering the identification information of the reservation requesting user in the reservation slot management table 12a, and transmits a result indicating that the reservation has been completed to the user terminal 100 of the reservation requesting user (step S16). If it is determined that the reservation slots are fully filled (YES in step S15), it transmits a result indicating that the reservation slots are fully filled (step S17). When the processing of step S16 is completed, the subroutine of the reservation slot management processing (step S2) is terminated.

[0059] [Reserved Reservation Slot Management Process] 7 and 8 are flowcharts showing a subroutine of the reserved appointment slot management process.

[0060] In the subroutine of the reserved reservation slot management process (step S3), as shown in FIG. 7, the server control unit 11 (price setting unit 26) determines whether or not price information has been received (step S21). When a reservation-seeking user operates the user terminal 100 to set a price (negotiated amount) that will be a transfer condition when offering to transfer a reservation to a reserved user who has already made a reservation, the price information is transmitted from the user terminal 100 to the reservation slot management server 10. If the server control unit 11 (price setting unit 26) determines that price information has been received (YES in step S21), it temporarily stores the price information in the storage unit 12 and proceeds to step S22. If it does not determine that price information has been received (NO in step S21), it terminates the subroutine of the reserved reservation slot management process (step S3).

[0061] Next, the server control unit 11 (profit information determination unit 27) performs profit information determination processing (step S22). In step S22, the server control unit 11 (profit information determination unit 27) determines profit information indicating a profit to be granted to a reservation-seeking user when the reservation-seeking user makes a reservation for an available reservation slot. Specifically, the discount amount corresponding to each available reservation slot in the reservation status information for reservation shown in FIG. 5 is determined. For example, according to FIG. 5, if a reserved user makes a reservation at 12:00 on April 5th, the discount amount is 650 yen, if the reservation is made at 13:00, the discount amount is 600 yen, if the reservation is made at 14:00, the discount amount is 400 yen, and since there are reservations for 15:00, no discount amount is determined.

[0062] The server control unit 11 (profit information determination unit 27) determines profit information (discount amount) corresponding to the reservation slot based on a predetermined algorithm. For example, the server control unit 11 (profit information determination unit 27) determines the profit information (discount amount) according to the time of the reservation slot (day of the week, time period, number of days, etc.).

[0063] Specifically, a store that has many customers on Fridays and Saturdays and few customers on Mondays and Tuesdays will offer a smaller discount on weekends. On other days, the discount amount will be smaller for reservation slots in time slots that are booked more often, and larger for reservation slots in time slots that are booked less often. Also, for example, on a given day, the discount amount will be smaller on days when there are many reservations (fewer available reservation slots), and larger on days when there are fewer reservations (more available reservation slots).

[0064] Alternatively, the server control unit 11 (profit information determination unit 27) may determine the profit information (discount amount) based on the length of time from a preset reference time (current time, the time of data update (e.g., midnight every day), etc.) to the reservation slot.

[0065] Specifically, using today as the base date, the closer to the base date, such as 1 day or 2 days from now, the larger the discount amount, and the further from the base date, such as 10 days or 20 days from now, the smaller the discount amount. This creates an incentive to make a re-booking sooner. Alternatively, the closer to the base date, the smaller the discount amount, and the further from the base date, the larger the discount amount. Since the further from the base date there is a high possibility that there will be no reservations, unbooked reservation slots can be filled by re-bookings from users who have already made reservations.

[0066] When the process of step S22 is completed, the process proceeds to step S23.

[0067] Next, in step S23, the server control unit 11 (reservation status information generation unit 28) generates reservation status information for reserving. Next, the server control unit 11 (reservation status information provision unit 29) transmits the transfer request information, price information, and reservation status information for reserving to the reservation terminal 101 of the reserved user who will negotiate to transfer the reservation (step S24). The reservation status information for reserving is displayed on the display screen of the reservation terminal 101, and as shown in FIG. 5, for reservation slots that can be reserved, a discount amount is displayed as information on the benefit of reserving that slot, and for reservation slots that have already been reserved and cannot be reserved, an "x" is displayed. When this process is completed, the process proceeds to step S25 shown in FIG. 8.

[0068] In step S25, the server control unit 11 starts counting a timer. This timer is for terminating the negotiation if there is no response from the reserved user with whom the reservation transfer negotiation is being conducted for a long time. If the server control unit 11 determines that the timer has counted for a certain period of time or more (YES in step S26), it transmits a result to the user terminal 100 of the reservation-seeking user indicating that negotiation is not possible, resets the timer (step S32), and ends the subroutine of the reserved reservation slot management process (step S3).

[0069] If the server control unit 11 does not determine that the timer has timed for a certain period of time or more (NO in step S26), it determines whether or not it has received information rejecting the offer from the reserved user with whom it is negotiating to transfer the reservation. If it determines that it has received information rejecting the negotiation (YES in step S27), it transmits a result to the user terminal 100 of the reservation-seeking user indicating that negotiation is not possible, resets the timer (step S32), and ends the subroutine of the reserved reservation slot management process (step S3).

[0070] When the server control unit 11 determines that it has not received information rejecting the negotiation (NO in step S27), it determines whether or not it has received re-reservation information (step S28). The re-reservation information is transmitted from the reserved user's reservation terminal 101 to the reservation slot management server 10 when the reserved user to whom the reservation transfer is offered accepts the reservation transfer and determines the reservation slot for the re-reservation while referring to the reservation status information for re-reservation. When the server control unit 11 determines that it has not received re-reservation information (NO in step S28), it proceeds to the processing of step S26. When the server control unit 11 determines that it has received re-reservation information (YES in step S28), it transmits a result indicating that the negotiation was successful to the user terminal 100 and resets the timer (step S29). Furthermore, the server control unit 11 (re-reservation request information receiving unit 30) accepts the re-reservation information and temporarily stores the reservation slot information included in the re-reservation information and the identification information of the reserved user who accepted the reservation negotiation. Next, the server control unit 11 (reservation status information update unit 24) registers the identification information of the reservation-seeking user whose reservation has been transferred in the reservation slot management table 12a, in which the identification information of the reserved user was registered. Furthermore, the server control unit 11 registers the identification information of the reserved user who has transferred the reservation in the reservation slot desired by the reserved user included in the re-reservation information in the reservation slot management table 12a. This updates the reservation status information (step S30).

[0071] Next, the server control unit 11 (profit information allocation unit 31) allocates profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transferred the reservation. For example, a discount coupon for the discount amount determined in the profit information table is sent from the reservation slot management server 10 to the user terminal (reservator terminal 101) of the reserved user who transferred the reservation (step S21). When the processing of step S21 is completed, the subroutine of the reserved reservation slot management processing (step S3) is terminated.

[0072] [User Instructions] Next, the operation procedure on the user side will be described. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of operations between the terminal of a user wishing to reserve and the terminal of a user who has already reserved. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of reservation status information.

[0073] The user wishing to make a reservation first operates the user terminal 100 to obtain reservation status information via the store's homepage or the like and displays it on the screen. By looking at the reservation status information shown in Fig. 10, for example, the user wishing to make a reservation can see that, among the 12:00-15:00 slots on April 1st to April 4th, only the 12:00 slot on April 2nd is open, and if the user wishes to make a reservation from 14:00-15:00 on April 1st to April 4th, for example, these slots are all filled.

[0074] Therefore, the reservation-seeking user operates the user terminal 100 to select all reserved reservation slots for which he / she wishes to make a reservation from 14:00 to 15:00 on April 1st to April 4th, sets the price (negotiated amount) to, for example, 1,000 yen, and then transmits an offer. This offer is transmitted to the reservation slot management server 10.

[0075] Based on an offer from the reservation-desiring user, the reservation slot management server 10 transmits transfer request information, price information, and reservation status information for re-reservation to the reservation terminals 101 of all reserved users who have made reservations in the reserved reservation slot selected by the reservation-desiring user.

[0076] The user who has already made a reservation checks the price and discount amount by operating the reservation terminal 101. The discount amount can be checked from the reservation status information for re-reservation.

[0077] If a reserved user who has received an offer to transfer a reservation rejects the offer, a message to that effect is sent via the reservation slot management server 10 to the user terminal 100 of the user wishing to reserve. This allows the user wishing to reserve to know that the offer has been rejected, and allows the user to select a new reserved reservation slot. Furthermore, if there is no response from the reserved user for a certain period of time or more, the reservation slot management server 10 sends a message to the user terminal 100 of the user wishing to reserve that there has been no response to the reserved user, and also sends a message to the reserver terminal 101 to the reserved user that the offer has been withdrawn. This allows the user wishing to reserve to know that there has been no response to the offer, and allows the user to select a new reserved reservation slot.

[0078] If a reserved user who has received an offer to transfer a reservation accepts the offer, the reserved user can make a new reservation by operating the reservation status information for re-reservation displayed on the screen of the reserver terminal 101. For example, if the reservation status information for re-reservation created based on the profit information table shown in Fig. 5 is displayed on the screen of the reserver terminal 101, the reserved user can use the store's services at a discounted price by making a reservation for the reservation slot at 14:00 on April 5th (making it possible to obtain a predetermined profit).

[0079] When a reserved user makes a new reservation, this information is transmitted from the reservation terminal 101 to the reservation slot management server 10, and the reservation slot management server 10 updates the reservation status information. For example, if the reserved user made a reservation for 14:00 on April 1st before re-reserving, the reservation is transferred from the reserved user to the user wishing to make a reservation, and the reservation slot management table 12a is updated so that the user wishing to make a reservation makes a reservation for 14:00 on April 1st and the reserved user makes a reservation for 14:00 on April 5th.

[0080] Furthermore, the reservation slot management server 10 transmits a notification that the negotiation has been successful to the user terminal 100 of the user wishing to make a reservation. If the negotiation is successful, the user terminal 100 performs settlement processing and pays all or part of the consideration (negotiated amount) to the user who has made a reservation. According to this embodiment, points worth 1,000 yen are awarded to the user who has made a reservation. The user wishing to make a reservation can use these points to receive services from the store.

[0081] According to the present embodiment configured as described above, when a reservation-seeking user is unable to obtain a desired reservation slot, the reservation-seeking user can offer a reservation transfer to a previously reserved user who has already reserved that reservation slot. In this case, the previously reserved user can accept the reservation transfer and re-book another reservation slot, thereby receiving benefit information (discount benefits) corresponding to the new reservation slot and compensation information (e.g., points equivalent to the compensation) offered by the reservation-seeking user. Since the previously reserved user can receive a predetermined benefit even if they transfer their reservation, this encourages the reservation-seeking user to actively accept the reservation transfer offer. As a result, the store can attract customers who were unable to visit the store due to a lack of a reservation, thereby increasing sales. Moreover, since the previously reserved user who transferred their reservation also re-booked, the store can secure the corresponding sales. In this way, even if the desired reservation slot is already filled, the reservation-seeking user can easily negotiate a transfer with the previously reserved user, thereby increasing the likelihood of obtaining the desired reservation slot.

[0082] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above. For example, according to the above-described embodiment, the price for transferring reserved reservation slots from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM on April 1st to April 4th is set at 1,000 yen for all reserved reservation slots. However, this is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 11, the price (negotiated amount) for 12:00 PM on April 1st may be 700 yen, the price for 1:00 PM may be 600 yen, and the price for 12:00 PM on April 3rd may be 550 yen. The price may also be determined taking into account the day of the week, time period, number of days since the reservation, etc. For example, by lowering the price for reserved reservation slots during times when sales are high and lowering the price for reserved reservation slots during times when sales are low, it is possible to encourage users who have made reservations to re-book reservation slots during times when sales are low, thereby reducing the burden on the store. In addition, both reservation slot status information may also be sent from the reservation slot management system 1 to the user terminal 100 so that the display screen of the user terminal 100 can switch between displaying ``○'' for available reservation slots and ``×'' for reserved reservation slots as shown in Figure 10, and displaying ``○'' for available reservation slots and discount amounts for reserved reservation slots as shown in Figure 11.

[0083] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications and improvements within the scope of achieving the object of the present invention are included in the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Reservation slot management system 10 Reservation slot management server 11 Server control unit 12 Storage section 12a Reservation slot management table 12b Reservation slot management table 13 Communications Department 20 Reception control section 21 Transmission control section 22 Reservation Status Information Department 23 Reservation Information Reception Department 24 Reservation Status Information Update Section 25 Reservation Slot Judgment Department 26 Pricing Department 27 Profit Information Determination Department 28 Re-reservation reservation status information generation unit 29 Reservation status information section for rebooking 30 Rebooking Information Reception Department 31 Profit Information Allocation Department 100 user terminals 101 Reservation terminal

Claims

1. A reservation slot management system that is connected via a network to a user terminal operated by a user who makes a reservation to receive a service at a facility, and that manages reservation slots, which are time slots that can be reserved, a profit information determination means for determining profit information indicating a profit to be granted when a reservation is made for each of the reservation slots that are available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information generating means for generating reservation status information for re-reservation in which the profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information providing means for providing, when a reservation slot based on reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot reserved by another user, transfer request information indicating that the reserved reservation slot is desired to be transferred by the other user and the reservation status information for re-reservation to the user terminal of the reserved user who is the user who reserved the reserved reservation slot; a re-reservation request information receiving means for receiving, from the user terminal of the user who has made a reservation, re-reservation information for requesting a reservation in the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation; a profit information allocation means for, when receiving the re-reservation information, allocating the profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information from the user terminal; A reservation slot management system comprising:

2. 2. The reservation slot management system according to claim 1, wherein said profit information determining means determines said profit information for each reservation slot available in accordance with its time.

3. 2. The reservation slot management system according to claim 1, wherein said profit information determining means determines said profit information in accordance with the length of time from a preset reference time until said reservation slot becomes available.

4. A reservation slot management method is executed by a reservation slot management system that is connected via a network to a user terminal operated by a user who makes a reservation to receive a service at a facility, and that manages reservation slots, which are time slots that can be reserved, and includes: determining profit information indicating a profit to be granted when a reservation is made for each of the available reservation slots among the plurality of reservation slots; generating reservation status information for re-reservation in which the profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; When a reservation slot based on the reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot reserved by another user, providing the user terminal of the reserved user, who is the user who reserved the reserved reservation slot, with transfer request information indicating that the other user wishes to transfer the reserved reservation slot, and the reservation status information for re-reservation; receiving, from the user terminal of the reserved user, re-reservation information for requesting a reservation in the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation; When the re-reservation information is received, allocating the profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information from the user terminal; A reservation slot management method comprising:

5. a reservation slot management system that is connected via a network to a user terminal operated by a user who makes a reservation to receive a service at a facility and that manages reservation slots, which are time slots that can be reserved; a profit information determination means for determining profit information indicating a profit to be granted when a reservation is made for each of the reservation slots that are available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information generating means for generating reservation status information for re-reservation in which the profit information is associated with each of the reservation slots that are available for reservation among the plurality of reservation slots; a reservation status information providing means for providing, when a reservation slot based on reservation request information transmitted from the user terminal of the reservation requesting user is a reserved reservation slot reserved by another user, transfer request information indicating that the reserved reservation slot is desired to be transferred by the other user and the reservation status information for re-reservation to the user terminal of the reserved user who is the user who reserved the reserved reservation slot; a re-reservation request information receiving means for receiving, from the user terminal of the user who has made the reservation, re-reservation information for requesting a reservation in the reservation slot based on the reservation status information for re-reservation; a profit information allocation means for, when receiving the re-reservation information, allocating the profit information associated with the reservation slot based on the re-reservation information to the reserved user who transmitted the re-reservation information from the user terminal; A computer program characterized by causing the computer to function as follows.

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