Ticket management system, management server, control method for the ticket management system, and control program for the management server

Abstract

This provides a ticket management system that suppresses the increase in processing load on station equipment and can easily adapt to changes in the ticket management system being used. [Solution] The ticket management system includes station equipment and a management server. The station equipment has an inquiry processing unit and a result processing unit. The specific management server included in the management server includes a determination unit that determines whether or not it holds ticket validity information associated with an information code inquired from the station equipment, a linked inquiry processing unit that, if the specific management server does not hold the ticket validity information, queries a linked management server other than the specific management server to obtain linked response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is held, and if the linked management server holds the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information and a determination result based on the ticket validity information in the linked management server as linked response information, and a response processing unit that transmits response information, including whether or not the ticket validity information is held, to the station equipment that made the inquiry.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a ticket management system, a management server, a control method for the ticket management system, and a control program for the management server.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, at ticket gates in stations and the like, a ticket checker is installed as station equipment for checking and managing the validity of boarding tickets (usage tickets) by separating the inner area and the outer area of the ticket gate. Similarly, in terminal equipment, which is station equipment that can be operated by station staff, it is also possible to check and manage the validity of boarding tickets. Also, in automatic ticket vending machines and automatic ticket dispensers installed in stations as station equipment, processing and management related to the validity of boarding tickets are performed.

[0003] In recent years, as a non-rewritable information code, for example, the use of QR codes (registered trademarks) has been put into practical use in various fields. Also, in boarding tickets handled by station equipment, boarding tickets using QR codes are being used or considered for use. For example, in the case of a method called the ABT (Account Based Ticketing) method, only an ID code is recorded in the QR code, and boarding ticket validity (information such as valid intervals and expiration dates) is recorded in a server linked to the ID code. Then, based on an inquiry from the station equipment using the ID code, the server determines the validity of the boarding ticket. Then, the server provides the determination result to the station equipment, and the station equipment executes ticket processing (entry / exit processing, settlement processing, etc.) based on the provided determination result. In the case of such an ABT method, each operator (for example, a railway operator) stores the validity of the issued boarding ticket in a server or the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The ABT method described above requires the station equipment that reads the QR code to query a server that records ticket validity. However, some stations have through services or mutual through services with other operators. In such cases, they may have implemented ABT ticketing systems provided by different operators. When systems from multiple operators are implemented, for example, the ticket validity associated with a QR code read by station equipment at station A may be managed on a server used by station A, or on a server used by another operator involved in through services or mutual through services, such as station B. As a result, it becomes necessary to determine which server to query when reading a QR code at station A, which is one of the causes of the complexity of processing at station equipment. Furthermore, each time the number of operators that need to be supported by station equipment increases or decreases, it may be necessary to modify the large number of station equipment units at each station or change processing programs, which increases the effort and cost required for response and may not be rational. Therefore, it would be beneficial to provide a ticket management system that can suppress the increase in processing load on station equipment even when multiple ticket management systems are in use, and that can easily adapt to changes in the ticket management system being used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The ticket management system of the embodiment includes station equipment capable of reading the information code of a ticket having an unrewritable information code issued by each operator, regardless of the operator that issued the information code, and a plurality of management servers that manage ticket validity information associated with the information code. The station equipment has an inquiry processing unit that executes an inquiry based on the information code read from the ticket to a predetermined specific management server among the management servers, and a result processing unit that executes ticket processing in accordance with the ticket validity information based on the response information to the inquiry returned from the specific management server. Furthermore, the specified management server includes a determination unit that determines whether or not it holds the ticket validity information associated with the information code for which the inquiry was made by the station equipment; a cooperation inquiry processing unit that, if the specified management server does not hold the ticket validity information associated with the information code, queries a cooperation management server, which is one of the management servers other than the specified management server, to obtain cooperation response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is held; and if the cooperation management server holds the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information and a determination result based on the ticket validity information in the cooperation management server as the cooperation response information; and a response processing unit that transmits the response information, including whether or not the ticket validity information is held, to the station equipment that made the inquiry. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an illustrative and schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of the ticket management system according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is an illustrative sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the ticket management system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is an exemplary flowchart showing the processing flow of the first pattern, mainly involving a specific management server of the ticket management system according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an exemplary flowchart showing the processing flow of a second pattern, mainly involving station equipment, of the ticket management system according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the embodiments described below, as well as the operations and results (effects) brought about by said configurations, are merely examples and are not limited to the following descriptions.

[0009] Figure 1 is an exemplary and schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of the ticket management system 10 according to the embodiment. The ticket management system 10 consists of station equipment 12 and a plurality of management servers 14. The station equipment 12 is equipment that reads a QR code, which is an example of an information code attached to a ticket, and processes ticket validity information linked to that QR code, and includes automatic ticket gates operated at each station, terminal devices that can be operated by station staff, automatic fare adjustment machines, etc. The station equipment 12 may also include automatic ticket vending machines. As the management servers 14, a server provided by the operator (for example, a railway operator, etc.) may be used, or a server provided by the manufacturer that provides the ABT-type ticket management system 10 may be used. Alternatively, a cloud server provided by a server rental company, etc. may be used as the management server 14.

[0010] In this embodiment, the ticket management system 10 makes an inquiry based on the QR code read by the station equipment 12 to a predetermined management server 14 (a specific management server 14A, described later). If the specific management server 14A to which the inquiry was made does not hold the ticket validity information associated with the QR code, the specific management server 14A makes an inquiry to other management servers 14 to search for the ticket validity information. In other words, the station equipment 12 performs the inquiry process with only one management server 14 to search for the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information associated with the QR code, and reflects it in the control of the station equipment 12.

[0011] The automatic ticket gate, as station equipment 12, is installed at the ticket gates of each station, separating the inside and outside of the gate, and processing the entry and exit of users (passengers) by reading the information attached to the ticket. In this embodiment, the automatic ticket gate is shown as processing the entry and exit of users by reading the QR code attached to the ticket, but it may also use a function that processes entry and exit based on information read from other ticket media (for example, magnetic tickets, IC cards, mobile terminals equipped with IC functions, etc.).

[0012] The terminal device operated by station staff, etc., as station equipment 12, is, for example, a device that reads a QR code at a ticket window or reads a QR code with a mobile terminal carried by a station staff member, thereby acquiring ticket validity information linked to the QR code and processing tickets. This terminal device may also be capable of processing using magnetic tickets, IC cards, mobile terminals, etc., similar to automatic ticket gates.

[0013] The automatic fare adjustment machine, designated as station equipment 12, is a device that reads the QR code attached to the ticket to perform fare adjustments for exceeding the intended fare zone. This automatic fare adjustment machine may also be capable of processing magnetic tickets, IC cards, mobile terminals, etc., similar to automatic ticket gates.

[0014] The automatic ticket vending machine issues tickets with QR codes based on operations by users (passengers) or station staff. The automatic ticket vending machine may also issue magnetic tickets without QR codes and provide ticket validity information to IC cards and mobile devices. Furthermore, QR codes can be issued not only by the automatic ticket vending machine, but also by terminal devices operated by station staff, or via the user's mobile device or personal computer. The issued QR code can be attached to an email sent to the user's registered email address, displayed on a logged-in webpage, or read by station equipment 12 when displayed on the user's mobile device screen.

[0015] The QR codes handled by the ticket management system 10 of this embodiment record only an ID code. The ID code is a code that uniquely identifies the ticket (sometimes called a QR ticket) to which the QR code is attached, and includes the operator, date of issue, ticket vending machine number, ticket number, etc., but does not include information on the ticket's validity (valid section, expiration date, etc.). The QR code is information that can be issued by each operator (e.g., Railway A, Railway B, Transportation C, etc.), and can be managed by one of several management servers 14 managed by the operator, the manufacturer providing the ticket management system 10, or a manufacturer with which they have a business partnership. For example, when inter-operator services or mutual through-services are in place between different operators, automatic ticket gates can accept tickets issued by any operator and can process entry and exit. In this case, the ticket validity information linked to the QR code attached to the ticket is managed by a management server 14 set up by the operator when introducing or operating the ticket management system 10. Therefore, in order for station equipment 12 (for example, an automatic ticket gate) to process entry and exit, it is necessary to obtain ticket validity information from one of the management servers 14, which manages the ticket validity information linked to the QR code of the read ticket. Similarly, when processing tickets using terminal devices that can be operated by station staff, etc., or when settling fares using automatic fare adjustment machines, it is also necessary to obtain ticket validity information from one of the management servers 14. Details regarding the acquisition of ticket validity information will be described later.

[0016] The station equipment 12 includes a QR reader 16, a processing unit 18, a specific management server I / F unit 20, a non-cooperative management server I / F unit 22, etc. In the case of Figure 1, the station equipment 12 is described as an automatic ticket gate as an example.

[0017] The QR reader 16 can be any well-known device, and a detailed explanation is omitted, but for example, a laser scanning method, an image sensing method, or a camera method can be used. The QR reader 16 can read the QR code attached to the ticket, regardless of the issuing company of the ticket. The QR reader 16 provides the read QR code to the processing unit 18.

[0018] The processing unit 18 executes processing based on the QR code. The processing unit 18 includes, for example, an inquiry processing unit 18a, a result processing unit 18b, and the like.

[0019] The inquiry processing unit 18a executes an inquiry based on the QR code of the ticket read by the QR reader 16 to a predetermined specific management server 14A among the plurality of management servers 14.

[0020] When the result processing unit 18b acquires response information (for example, ticket validity information) for the inquiry of the inquiry processing unit 18a from the management server 14 (specific management server 14A), it causes the station equipment 12 (for example, an automatic ticket gate) to execute ticket processing.

[0021] In the case of FIG. 1, the illustration of the control unit that realizes the basic functions of the automatic ticket gate as the station equipment 12 is omitted. The omitted control unit is, for example, an opening / closing control unit for the passage gate of the automatic ticket gate, a display control unit for a display unit that shows whether passage is permitted or not and ticket information based on the reading of the ticket, an alarm notification control unit that notifies non-passage, and the like. Further, it includes a conveyance control unit that controls the conveyance and collection of tickets on paper media other than QR tickets, a reading processing unit for information possessed by the paper media ticket, and the like.

[0022] The station equipment 12 also has a specific management server I / F unit 20 and a non-linked management server I / F unit 22 as interfaces for inputting / outputting (transmitting / receiving) information to / from the management server 14. As will be described later, the ticket management system 10 of the present embodiment includes a linked management server and a non-linked management server as the management server 14. The specific management server I / F unit 20 is an interface for transmitting and receiving information to / from a specific management server 14A that is one of the linked management servers among the management servers 14. The non-linked management server I / F unit 22 is an interface for transmitting and receiving information to / from a non-linked management server 14Y that does not cooperate with the linked management server among the management servers 14.

[0023] As described above, the ticket management system 10 of this embodiment includes a cooperation management server and a non - cooperation management server as the management server 14. The cooperation management server is a management server 14 capable of mutually obtaining information (information inquiries and responses to inquiries) among the management servers 14 via a communication line. In the case of FIG. 1, the cooperation management servers include a specified specific management server 14A and cooperation management servers 14B - 14E etc. that can cooperate with the specific management server 14A. On the other hand, the management server 14 that does not cooperate with the specific management server 14A and the cooperation management servers 14B - 14E becomes the non - cooperation management server 14Y. In the case of FIG. 1, five cooperation management servers are shown including the specific management server 14A, but the number can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the number of operators who can issue tickets available for use at the station where the station equipment 12 is installed. Also, as the non - cooperation management server 14Y, one is shown, but the number can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the number of non - cooperation operators who can issue tickets available for use at the station where the station equipment 12 is installed. That is, when the tickets available for use at the station where the station equipment 12 is installed do not handle the tickets issued by the operator who manages the non - cooperation management server 14Y, the non - cooperation management server 14Y can be omitted.

[0024] As described above, the specific management server 14A included in the management server 14 is one of the cooperation management servers and is a management server that can be selected from among the cooperation management servers.

[0025] The cooperation management servers 14B - 14E including the specific management server 14A can be composed of computer resources such as general PCs, for example. For example, the specific management server 14A and the cooperation management servers 14B - 14E include a management server I / F unit 24, a storage device 26, a server processing unit 28, etc. The configurations of the cooperation management servers 14B - 14E including the specific management server 14A are substantially the same and can function similarly.

[0026] The management server interface unit 24 (24A) of the designated management server 14A sends and receives inquiries and responses based on QR codes with the station equipment 12 via the designated management server interface unit 20. In addition, the management server interface unit 24A sends and receives inquiries and responses based on QR codes via the management server interface units 24 (24B, etc.) of the other cooperating management servers 14B to 14E. Note that the management server interface units 24 (24B, etc.) of the cooperating management servers 14B to 14E that are not designated as the designated management server 14A in the station equipment 12 only send and receive inquiries and responses based on QR codes with the management server interface unit 24A.

[0027] The storage device 26 (26A, 26B, etc.) is composed of an HDD (hard disk drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), and stores ticket validity information linked to the QR code attached to tickets issued by each operator at the automatic ticketing machine, which is the station equipment 12. The storage device 26 (26A, 26B, etc.) also records ticket validity information linked to the QR code attached to tickets reserved on the operator's website or through a dedicated application installed on a mobile terminal, etc. The ticket validity information in the storage device 26 (26A, 26B, etc.) can be stored for a predetermined period, including the ticket's validity period. Furthermore, the ticket validity information in the storage device 26 (26A, 26B, etc.) may be changeable by the operator that issued the ticket through changes made to the automatic ticketing machine or changes made on the operator's website.

[0028] The server processing unit 28 (28A, 28B, etc.) is composed of, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD or SSD. The CPU constituting the server processing unit 28 (28A, 28B, etc.) reads a control program installed and stored in, for example, the ROM or SSD, and implements various modules according to the control program. Modules such as a determination unit 28a (28Aa, 28Ba, etc.), a linked inquiry processing unit 28b (28Ab, 28Bb, etc.), and a response processing unit 28c (28Ac, 28Bc, etc.) are implemented in the server processing unit 28 (28A, 28B, etc.).

[0029] The determination unit 28Aa of the designated management server 14A searches the storage device 26A of its own device (designated management server 14A) and determines whether or not the ticket validity information associated with the QR code acquired via the management server I / F unit 24A is stored in the storage device 26A.

[0030] The linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab queries the linked management servers 14B to 14E, which are management servers 14 other than the specific management server 14A among the management servers 14, if the device's storage device 26A does not hold the ticket validity information associated with the QR code, and obtains linked response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is held. In other words, if the determination unit 28Aa determines that the storage device 26A does not contain the ticket validity information associated with the QR code being queried, it makes a query based on the QR code to the other linked management servers 14B to 14E. Also, if the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab holds the ticket validity information in the linked management servers 14B to 14E, it obtains the held ticket validity information.

[0031] If the response processing unit 28Ac of the specific management server 14A obtains ticket validity information linked to the QR code in the storage device 26A as a result of the determination unit 28Aa, it provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the specific management server 14A to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry via the management server I / F unit 24A. Also, if the response processing unit 28Ac obtains ticket validity information based on a QR code queried by the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab from other linked management servers 14B to 14E, it provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the linked management servers 14B to 14E, etc., to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry via the management server I / F unit 24A. Furthermore, if the response processing unit 28Ac cannot obtain ticket validity information linked to the QR code from its own storage device 26A or the storage device 26 of other linked management servers 14B to 14E, it provides the response information to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry indicating that no ticket validity information corresponding to the QR code exists in the specific management server 14A or linked management servers 14B to 14E.

[0032] As mentioned above, the collaborative management server 14B has basically the same configuration as the specific management server 14A, but it does not send queries based on QR codes to other collaborative management servers 14C to 14E, etc. In other words, the specific management server 14A, which receives a query directly from the station equipment 12, can send queries based on QR codes to other collaborative management servers 14B to 14E, etc., but a collaborative management server 14B, for example, which does not receive a query directly from the station equipment 12, does not send queries to other collaborative management servers. Thus, the management server 14 that receives a query from the station equipment 12 becomes the specific management server, and the management server 14 that does not receive a query from the station equipment 12 becomes the collaborative management server. Furthermore, the collaborative management server can only send and receive query-related information with the specific management server. In the case of Figure 1, an example is shown in which a management server 14 designated in advance by the operator of a certain station (management server 14 indicated by code 14A) is designated as the specific management server, and the other management servers 14 (management servers 14 indicated by codes 14B to 14E) are collaborative management servers. If another business operator designates a management server 14 (for example, management server 14 indicated by code 14B) as a specific management server, then the other management servers 14 (management servers 14 indicated by code 14A, 14C to 14E) become collaborative management servers. Note that the collaborative inquiry processing unit (28Bb, etc.) of the management servers 14 that become collaborative management servers (in the case of Figure 1, collaborative management servers 14B to 14E, etc.) will not function.

[0033] When the determination unit 28Ba of the linked management server 14B receives an inquiry based on a QR code from the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A, it searches its own storage device 26B to determine whether or not ticket validity information associated with the QR code is stored there.

[0034] The response processing unit 28Bc of the linked management server 14B provides (transmits) response information to the response processing unit 28Ac of the specific management server 14A, indicating whether or not ticket validity information associated with the QR code queried by the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A exists in the storage device 26B, based on the search results of the determination unit 28Ba. That is, if ticket validity information associated with the queried QR code exists in the storage device 26B, the response processing unit 28Ac provides that ticket validity information and the determination result from the linked management server 14B. If ticket validity information associated with the queried QR code does not exist in the storage device 26B, the response processing unit 28Ac provides a determination result indicating that ticket validity information does not exist. In this case, the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab queries other linked management servers 14C to 14E, etc.

[0035] When the linked management servers 14C to 14E receive a QR code inquiry from the specific management server 14A, they perform the same processing as the linked management server 14B described above and provide the determination result of the determination unit 28a (28Ca, etc.) to the answer processing unit 24Ac of the specific management server 14A. In other words, the answer processing unit 24Ac of the specific management server 14A can provide (transmit) the answer information, which is the determination result obtained from the linked management servers 14C to 14E, to the station equipment 12, which is the source of the QR code inquiry.

[0036] Furthermore, if the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A does not have ticket validity information associated with a QR code in its own storage device 26A, and it queries the linked management servers 14B to 14E for ticket validity information based on the QR code, it may make the queries simultaneously or sequentially.

[0037] When the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab simultaneously sends queries based on QR codes to all linked management servers 14B to 14E, it becomes possible to quickly obtain the determination result (response information) of whether or not ticket validity information linked to the QR code exists in the storage devices 26 of the linked management servers 14B to 14E. As a result, ticket processing at the station equipment 12 can be performed smoothly.

[0038] On the other hand, when the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab sequentially makes inquiries based on QR codes to the linked management servers 14B to 14E, it executes individual inquiry processing, making individual inquiries in an order according to a predetermined priority. Then, the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab decides whether or not to make an inquiry to the next linked management server 14C, etc., based on the linked response information from the queried linked management server 14B, etc. In this case, although the time it takes to obtain the result of the determination of whether or not ticket validity information linked to the QR code exists in the storage device 26 of the linked management servers 14B to 14E (response information) may be longer than in the case of simultaneous inquiries described above, once the ticket validity information linked to the QR code is obtained, there is no longer a need to make inquiries to other linked management servers 14D, etc. As a result, the communication cost for obtaining ticket validity information can be reduced compared to the case of simultaneous inquiries described above.

[0039] When the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab executes individual inquiry processing based on QR codes to the linked management servers 14B to 14E according to a predetermined priority order, the priority order may be determined according to a predetermined fixed order. In this case, analysis of ticket usage trends at stations becomes unnecessary, and for example, the processing program on the specific management server 14A can be simplified.

[0040] When the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab executes individual inquiry processing based on QR codes to the linked management servers 14B to 14E according to a predetermined priority order, the priority order may be determined according to the business operator ranking, which indicates the business operator that issues the most QR codes. In this case, it becomes possible to query the linked management server 14B, etc., which has a large amount of ticket validity information recorded, first, and queries to the management server 14 (linked management server 14B, etc.) become possible in order of the probability of obtaining ticket validity information. In other words, the possibility of obtaining ticket validity information linked to the QR code early increases, and it is possible to effectively shorten the processing time and reduce communication costs for obtaining ticket validity information.

[0041] Furthermore, when the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab performs individual inquiry processing based on QR codes to the linked management servers 14B to 14E according to a predetermined priority, the priority may be determined according to the past handling record of the operators that have installed the station equipment 12 from which the QR code inquiry originates. In other words, it becomes possible to perform inquiries in order of the probability of obtaining ticket validity information linked to the QR code, taking into account the characteristics of the operators that have installed the station equipment 12 from which the inquiry originates. For example, if through transport or mutual through transport is being conducted, it becomes possible to efficiently make inquiries to those operators.

[0042] Furthermore, when the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab performs individual inquiry processing based on QR codes to the linked management servers 14B to 14E according to a predetermined priority, the priority may be determined according to the station-specific performance of stations with a high past handling record of QR codes at the station where the station equipment 12 that is the source of the QR code inquiry is installed. In other words, in the case of a business operator (station) connected to multiple business operators, it is possible to query other linked management servers in order of probability, according to the past handling record at that station (handling record over several hours, weeks, months, etc.). For example, at station x, which has through service with another business operator X, it is possible to query the linked management server 14B etc. used by business operator X first, and at station z, which has a connecting ticket gate with another business operator Z, it is possible to query the linked management server 14C etc. used by business operator Z first. In other words, when connecting transport or through service (mutual direct transport) is performed, it becomes possible to query the business operator in question more efficiently.

[0043] As described above, the ticket management system 10 of this embodiment includes multiple management servers 14 (operators) that can cooperate, but some management servers 14 may not cooperate with other management servers 14. That is, the ticket validity information stored in the management server 14 may be managed only by the non-cooperative management server 14Y and provided to the station equipment 12. Therefore, if the ticket management system 10 of this embodiment cannot obtain the ticket validity information linked to the QR code from the specific management server 14A, it determines that the ticket validity information linked to the QR code may be stored in the non-cooperative management server 14Y, and sends an inquiry based on the QR code read by the QR reader 16 to the non-cooperative management server 14Y again via the non-cooperative management server I / F 22.

[0044] The non-cooperative management server 14Y, like the other cooperative management servers 14B, can be configured using computer resources such as a general-purpose PC. For example, the non-cooperative management server 14Y includes a management server I / F unit 30, a storage device 32, a server processing unit 34, etc.

[0045] The management server I / F unit 30 of the non-cooperative management server 14Y sends and receives inquiries and responses based on QR codes to and from the station equipment 12 via the non-cooperative management server I / F unit 22.

[0046] The storage device 32 is composed of an HDD, SSD, etc., and stores ticket validity information linked to the QR code attached to tickets issued by the operator managing the non-cooperative management server 14Y in the automatic ticketing device, which is the station equipment 12. The storage device 32 can also store ticket validity information linked to the QR code attached to tickets issued by the operator that has through transport or mutual direct transport agreements with the operator managing the non-cooperative management server 14Y. Furthermore, the storage device 32 records ticket validity information linked to the QR code attached to tickets reserved on the website of the operator using the non-cooperative management server 14Y. The ticket validity information in the storage device 32 can be stored for a predetermined period, including the validity period of the ticket. In addition, the ticket validity information in the storage device 32 may be changeable by the operator that issued the ticket through changes made to the automatic ticketing machine or changes made on the website of the operator that issued the ticket.

[0047] The server processing unit 34 is composed of, for example, a CPU, ROM, RAM, and an HDD or SSD. The CPU constituting the server processing unit 34 reads a control program installed and stored in, for example, the ROM or SSD, and implements various modules according to the control program. Modules such as the determination unit 34a and the response processing unit 34b are implemented in the server processing unit 34.

[0048] The determination unit 34a of the non-cooperative management server 14Y searches its own storage device 32 and determines whether or not the ticket validity information associated with the QR code acquired via the management server I / F unit 30 is stored in the storage device 32.

[0049] If the non-cooperative management server 14Y obtains ticket validity information linked to the QR code from the storage device 32 as a result of the determination unit 34a's determination, the response processing unit 34b provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the non-cooperative management server 14Y to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry via the management server I / F unit 30. If the response processing unit 34b cannot obtain ticket validity information linked to the QR code from the storage device 32, it provides the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry with response information indicating that no ticket validity information corresponding to the QR code exists.

[0050] The processing procedure of the ticket management system 10 configured in this way will be explained using the illustrative sequence diagram shown in Figure 2.

[0051] First, we will describe the first pattern P1 in which the ticket management system 10 does not include the non-cooperative management server 14Y.

[0052] When the station equipment 12 reads a QR code via the QR reader 16, the inquiry processing unit 18a makes an inquiry to the specific management server 14A based on the QR code (S10).

[0053] If the designated management server 14A has stored ticket validity information associated with the QR code in its own storage device 26A in response to an inquiry, it returns the ticket validity information and the decision result from the designated management server 14A to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry as a result of the decision on the inquiry (S12). As a result, the result processing unit 18b of the station equipment 12 performs ticket processing (such as opening and closing the gates of automatic ticket gates or processing the fare adjustments of automatic fare adjustment machines) based on the ticket validity information.

[0054] On the other hand, if the specific management server 14A does not have the ticket validity information associated with the QR code stored in its own storage device 26A in response to a query, it will, for example, make a query to the linked management servers 14B to 14E in order of priority based on the QR code. For example, it will make a query to the linked management server 14B (S14). The specific management server 14A will then obtain the determination result from the linked management server 14B (S16).

[0055] When the specific management server 14A obtains ticket validity information associated with a QR code from the linked management server 14B, it provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the linked management server 14B to the station equipment 12 that initiated the inquiry as a result of the decision in response to the inquiry (S12).

[0056] On the other hand, if the specific management server 14A is unable to obtain the ticket validity information associated with the QR code from the linked management server 14B, it queries the linked management server 14C, which has the next highest query priority (S18). The specific management server 14A then obtains the determination result from the linked management server 14C (S20).

[0057] When the specific management server 14A obtains ticket validity information associated with a QR code from the linked management server 14C, it provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the linked management server 14C to the station equipment 12 that initiated the inquiry as the determination result for the inquiry (S12).

[0058] On the other hand, if the specific management server 14A is unable to obtain the ticket validity information associated with the QR code from the linked management server 14C, it queries the linked management server 14D, which has the next priority for inquiries (S22). The specific management server 14A then obtains the determination result from the linked management server 14D (S24). If the specific management server 14A obtains the ticket validity information associated with the QR code from the linked management server 14D, it provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the linked management server 14D to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry as the determination result for the query (S12).

[0059] Similarly, if the specific management server 14A is unable to obtain the ticket validity information associated with the QR code from the linked management server 14D, it queries the linked management server 14E, which has the next highest query priority (S26). The specific management server 14A then obtains the determination result from the linked management server 14E (S28). If the specific management server 14A obtains the ticket validity information associated with the QR code from the linked management server 14E, it provides the ticket validity information and the determination result from the linked management server 14E to the originating station equipment 12 as the determination result for the query (S12).

[0060] At this point, if ticket validity information cannot be obtained from either the specific management server 14A or any of the linked management servers 14B to 14E, the station equipment 12 determines that the ticket with the read QR code is invalid and performs invalidation processing.

[0061] Next, we will describe the second pattern P2 in which the ticket management system 10 includes a non-cooperative management server 14Y.

[0062] In the second pattern P2, first, the processes from S10 to S28 of the first pattern P1 are executed. If there is no ticket validity information associated with the QR code read by the QR reader 16 in the specific management server 14A and the linked management servers 14B to 14E, a query based on the QR code is sent again to the non-linked management server 14Y (S30). If the ticket validity information associated with the QR code is stored in the device's memory device 32 in response to the query, the ticket validity information and the result of the determination by the non-linked management server 14Y are sent back to the station equipment 12 that initiated the query as a result of the determination of the query (S32). As a result, the station equipment 12 executes ticket processing (such as opening and closing the gates of the automatic ticket gates or settling the fare in the automatic fare adjustment machine) based on the ticket validity information and the result of the determination by the non-linked management server 14Y.

[0063] At this point, if the non-cooperative management server 14Y also cannot obtain ticket validity information, the non-cooperative management server 14Y informs the station equipment 12 of this fact. As a result, the station equipment 12 determines that the ticket with the scanned QR code is invalid and performs the invalidation process.

[0064] Next, using the exemplary flowchart shown in Figure 3, we will explain the processing flow of the first pattern P1, which is primarily handled by the specific management server 14A of the ticket management system 10.

[0065] When the special management server 14A receives an inquiry based on a QR code from the station equipment 12 (S100), the determination unit 28Aa of the special management server 14A determines whether or not there is a record of ticket validity information in its own storage device 26A (S102). If there is a record of ticket validity information (Yes in S102), the determination unit 28Aa makes a determination regarding the ticket validity information (S104). For example, if the ticket gate (station equipment 12) is making an inquiry regarding entry processing, it determines whether or not entry is possible with the read QR code (ticket). Also, if the ticket gate (station equipment 12) is making an inquiry regarding exit processing, it determines whether or not exit is possible with the read QR code (ticket). Then, as the determination result, the special management server 14A returns the information that there is a record of ticket validity information and the determination result from the special management server 14A to the station equipment 12 that made the inquiry (S106), and terminates this flow for the time being.

[0066] In the process of S102, if there is no record of ticket validity information in the storage device 26A (No in S102), the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A makes a query based on the QR code to the first linked management server (for example, linked management server 14B) based on priority and receives the result of the determination (S108). If there is a record of ticket validity information in the first linked management server (for example, linked management server 14B) (Yes in S110), the specific management server 14A proceeds to S106 and returns the determination result that there is a record of ticket validity information (the determination result of the ticket validity information and the ticket validity information at the first linked management server) to the station equipment 12 that made the query, and terminates this flow for the time being.

[0067] Furthermore, in the processing of S110, if ticket validity information is not obtained (No in S110), the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A makes a query based on the QR code to the second linked management server (for example, linked management server 14C) based on priority and receives the result of the determination (S112). If the second linked management server (for example, linked management server 14C) has a record of ticket validity information (Yes in S114), the specific management server 14A moves to S106 and returns the determination result that ticket validity information is recorded (the determination result between the ticket validity information and the ticket validity information at the second linked management server) to the station equipment 12 that made the query, and terminates this flow for the time being. If there are third or subsequent linked management servers 14C, etc., the same processing is repeated.

[0068] In the process of S114, if ticket validity information is not available (No. in S114), the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A returns a determination result indicating that there is no record of ticket validity information in the source station equipment 12 (S116), and terminates this flow for the time being.

[0069] Next, using the example flowchart shown in Figure 4, we will explain the processing flow of the second pattern P2, which mainly involves the station equipment 12 of the ticket management system 10.

[0070] The station equipment 12 reads the QR code of the ticket held over the QR reader 16 (S200).

[0071] The station equipment 12 queries the specific management server 14A and receives a determination result from the specific management server 14A (S202). In this case, if ticket validity information can be obtained from the specific management server 14A, that is, if ticket validity information exists in either the specific management server 14A or the linked management servers 14B to 14E (Yes in S204), the station equipment 12 refers to the result of the ticket validity determination based on the QR reader 16 in either the specific management server 14A or the linked management servers 14B to 14E and, for example, makes a determination on whether the passenger can pass through the automatic ticket gate (S206).

[0072] If the pass-through determination is OK (Yes in S206), the result processing unit 18b of the station equipment 12 (automatic ticket gate) grants permission for the user to pass through (S208). For example, if the ticket validity information indicates that the ticket is valid within the valid period and within the valid section, the station equipment 12 opens the passage gate, processes the entry or exit of the user who holds their ticket over the QR reader 16, and then terminates this flow.

[0073] If the pass-through determination is not OK (No. in S206), the station equipment 12 (automatic ticket gate) prevents the user from passing through (S210). For example, if the ticket validity information indicates that the validity period has expired or that the valid section is outside the valid area, the station equipment 12 closes the passage gate and terminates this flow. If the station equipment 12 is an automatic fare adjustment machine or a terminal that can be operated by station staff, it processes the fare adjustment for the user who holds their ticket over the QR reader 16 and terminates this flow. If the station equipment 12 is a terminal that can be operated by station staff, it processes a forced exit from a passage where station staff are present and terminates this flow.

[0074] In the process of S204, if the station equipment 12 cannot obtain ticket validity information from the specific management server 14A (No. in S204), that is, if ticket validity information does not exist in either the specific management server 14A or the linked management servers 14B to 14E, the station equipment 12 queries the non-linked management server 14Y for the QR code of the ticket held over the QR reader 16 and receives a determination result from the non-linked management server 14Y (S212).

[0075] If ticket validity information exists in the storage device 32 of the non-cooperative management server 14Y (Yes in S214), the process proceeds to S206, and based on the determination result of the validity of the ticket validity information in the non-cooperative management server 14Y, the result processing unit 18b of the station equipment 12 (automatic ticket gate) executes the process of allowing passage in S208 or blocking passage in S210, and then terminates this flow.

[0076] If ticket validity information does not exist in the storage device 32 of the non-cooperative management server 14Y (No. in S214), the process moves to S210, and the result processing unit 18b of the station equipment 12 (automatic ticket gate) executes the process to prevent passage and terminates this flow.

[0077] As described above, when the ticket management system 10 of this embodiment makes an inquiry based on a QR code from the station equipment 12, it first makes an inquiry to the specific management server 14A. If the specific management server 14A does not store the ticket validity information associated with the QR code, the specific management server 14A makes an inquiry based on the QR code to other linked management servers 14B to 14E, etc. As a result, if the station equipment 12 needs to support tickets issued by multiple operators, including newly introduced tickets, or if an operator needs to be removed, there is no need to modify or update the functions of the multiple station equipment 12s at the station; only the functions of the specific management server 14A need to be updated. In other words, this can be handled simply by adding or removing inquiry destinations in the linked inquiry processing unit 28Ab of the specific management server 14A. As a result, the amount of work and costs incurred when there is a change in the supported operators can be significantly reduced. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the processing load of the station equipment 12 and to easily respond even if there is a change in the ticket management system 10 being handled.

[0078] Furthermore, even if there is a non-cooperative management server 14Y that does not cooperate with other management servers 14 (specific management server 14A or cooperative management servers 14B-14E), the station equipment 12 can individually query the non-cooperative management server 14Y for the QR code. In this case, if there is no ticket validity information associated with the QR code in the specific management server 14A or cooperative management servers 14B-14E, the system can query the possible management server 14 (non-cooperative management server 14Y) with the minimum necessary query processing, efficiently confirming whether or not the ticket validity information exists and processing the ticket based on that information.

[0079] Furthermore, the control program executed by the management server 14 in this embodiment may be configured to be provided as a file in an installable or executable format, recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, CD-R, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or flash memory.

[0080] Furthermore, the control program executed by the management server 14 in this embodiment may be stored on a computer connected to a network such as the Internet and provided by downloading it via the network. Alternatively, the control program executed by the management server 14 in this embodiment may be provided or distributed via a network such as the Internet.

[0081] In the embodiment described above, the designated management server 14A was shown as an example where the management server 14 managed by the business operator supplying the station equipment 12, but the designated management server can be selected as appropriate. For example, based on the station usage trends, a management server 14 different from the business operator supplying the station equipment 12 may be designated as the designated management server, and the same effects as in this embodiment can be obtained.

[0082] The above-described case of applying the ticket management system 10 of this embodiment to an automatic ticket gate among the station equipment 12 is explained. When an existing automatic ticket gate is incorporated into the ticket management system 10, only the addition of a QR reader 16 and a control board that controls the QR reader 16 is required, and the ticket management system 10 can be easily constructed. In the case of station equipment 12 such as a terminal device or automatic fare adjustment machine that can be operated by station staff, etc., it may already be equipped with a device capable of reading (imaging) QR codes, such as a camera. In this case, the existing camera, etc. can be used as the QR reader 16, and the ticket management system 10 can be easily constructed.

[0083] Furthermore, although this embodiment primarily demonstrates the application of the ticket management system 10 to railway transportation, it can also be applied to other transportation systems (such as aircraft and ships) where multiple operators engage in through transport or reciprocal service (mutual direct transport), and similar effects can be obtained.

[0084] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The above embodiments can be implemented in various forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above embodiments are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims of the invention and its equivalents. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0085] 10. Ticket Management System 12 Station equipment 14 Management Server 14A Designated Management Server 14B~14E Integration Management Server 14Y Non-integrated management server 16 QR Reader 18 Processing Unit 18a Inquiry Processing Unit 18b Result Processing Unit 20. Designated Management Server I / F Section 22 Non-cooperative Management Server I / F Section 24,30 Management Server I / F Section 26,32 Storage device 28,34 Server Processing Unit 28a,34a Judgment section 28b Collaboration Query Processing Unit 28c, 34b Answer Processing Unit

Claims

1. Station equipment that can read the information code of a ticket having an unrewritable information code issued by each operator, regardless of the operator that issued the information code, Multiple management servers that manage ticket validity information linked to the aforementioned information code, A ticket management system including, The aforementioned station equipment is A query processing unit that executes a query based on the information code read from the aforementioned ticket to a predetermined specific management server among the management servers, A result processing unit that performs ticket processing in accordance with the ticket validity information based on the response information to the inquiry returned from the specified management server, It has, The aforementioned designated management server is A determination unit that determines whether or not the machine holds the ticket validity information associated with the information code for which the inquiry was made from the station equipment, A linked query processing unit that, if the machine does not possess the ticket validity information associated with the information code, queries a linked management server, which is a management server other than the specified management server among the management servers, to obtain linked response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is possessed, and if the linked management server possesses the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information and the determination result based on the ticket validity information in the linked management server as the linked response information. A response processing unit that transmits the response information, including whether or not the ticket validity information is available, to the station equipment that made the inquiry, A ticket management system, including a ticket management system.

2. When the specified management server makes a query to the linked management server based on the information code, it executes a simultaneous query process that queries all of the linked management servers at the same time. The ticket management system according to claim 1.

3. When the specified management server makes a query to the linked management server based on the information code, it executes individual query processing, making queries individually in an order according to a predetermined priority, and decides whether or not to make a query to the next linked management server based on the linked response information received from the queried linked management server. The ticket management system according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned designated management server determines the priority order in a predetermined fixed order. The ticket management system according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned designated management server determines the priority according to the ranking of businesses that have issued the most information codes. The ticket management system according to claim 3.

6. The designated management server determines the priority order according to the past handling record of the information code of the operator that installed the station equipment that is the source of the information code query. The ticket management system according to claim 3.

7. The designated management server determines the priority order according to the station-specific performance data of the station where the station equipment that is the source of the information code is installed, based on the station's past handling history of the information code. The ticket management system according to claim 3.

8. The inquiry processing unit of the station equipment, in the case where there is a non-cooperative management server that does not cooperate with the specified management server, and when it obtains the response information from the specified management server indicating that the ticket validity information does not exist, executes an inquiry to the non-cooperative management server based on the information code read from the ticket. The ticket management system according to claim 1.

9. A management server for managing ticket validity information associated with the information code of a ticket that has an unrewritable information code issued by each operator, Of the aforementioned management servers, the predetermined specific management server is: A determination unit that determines whether or not the machine holds the ticket validity information associated with the information code in response to an inquiry from station equipment capable of reading the information code, A linked query processing unit that, if the machine does not possess the ticket validity information associated with the information code, queries a linked management server, which is a management server other than the specified management server among the management servers, to obtain linked response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is possessed, and if the linked management server possesses the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information and the determination result based on the ticket validity information in the linked management server as the linked response information. A response processing unit that transmits response information, including whether or not the ticket validity information is available, to the station equipment that made the inquiry, A management server, including the management server.

10. Station equipment that can read the information code of a ticket having an unrewritable information code issued by each operator, regardless of the operator that issued the information code, Multiple management servers that manage ticket validity information linked to the aforementioned information code, A control method for a ticket management system, including, The aforementioned station equipment, A query processing step in which a query based on the information code read from the aforementioned ticket is executed against a predetermined specific management server among the management servers, A result processing step in which ticket processing is performed in accordance with the ticket validity information based on the response information to the inquiry returned from the specified management server, Includes, The aforementioned designated management server A determination step of determining whether the station equipment has the ticket validity information associated with the information code for which the inquiry was made, A linkage query processing step that, if the machine does not possess the ticket validity information associated with the information code, queries a linked management server, which is a management server other than the specified management server among the management servers, to obtain linked response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is possessed, and if the linked management server possesses the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information and a determination result based on the ticket validity information in the linked management server as the linked response information. A response processing step which includes transmitting the response information, including whether or not the ticket validity information is available, to the station equipment that made the inquiry, A control method for a ticket management system, including [the following].

11. A control program for a management server that manages ticket validity information associated with an information code of a ticket having an unrewritable information code issued by each operator, Among the aforementioned management servers, a predetermined specific management server: A determination step in which station equipment capable of reading the information code asks whether or not it holds the ticket validity information associated with the information code, and determines whether or not the machine itself holds the ticket validity information. A linkage query processing step that, if the machine does not possess the ticket validity information associated with the information code, queries a linked management server, which is a management server other than the specified management server among the management servers, to obtain linked response information indicating whether or not the ticket validity information is possessed, and if the linked management server possesses the ticket validity information, obtains the ticket validity information and a determination result based on the ticket validity information in the linked management server as the linked response information. A response processing step that transmits the response result, including whether or not the ticket validity information is available, to the station equipment that made the inquiry, To execute Control program for the management server.

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