How to determine reserved seats

Abstract

This invention provides a seat selection method that determines assigned seats for the entire journey, under the condition that seats will be swapped with other vacant seats along the way. [Solution] The method involves selecting reserved seats on public transportation by dividing the entire reserved section into at least two or more sections, thereby selecting and determining reserved seats that satisfy the preferences of the person making the reservation, with at least one seat change allowed along the way.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for determining reserved seats in a public transportation vehicle having reserved seats.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, the purpose has been achieved by determining a reservation for a reserved seat for a reservation applicant only when there is an empty seat with the same seat available in the entire section specified by the reservation applicant.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Conventionally, the purpose has been achieved by determining a reservation for a reserved seat for a reservation applicant only when there is an empty seat with the same seat available in the entire section specified by the reservation applicant. However, even when the same seat cannot be designated throughout the entire section, there has been a situation where, even within the entire section, if the section is divided, there are empty seats and it is possible to combine and designate those empty seats. In this state, it does not necessarily satisfy the demands of reserved seat applicants and has the drawback of a decrease in the operation rate of reserved seats.

[0005] Similarly, when booking two adjacent seats, the objective was achieved by only allowing the booking of the same seats for the entire specified route if those seats were available and unbooked. Even in this case, if it was not possible to book identical adjacent seats for the entire route, it was possible to divide the route into sections and find adjacent available seats that could be combined for booking. However, this did not necessarily satisfy the needs of those booking reserved seats and had the drawback of lowering the occupancy rate of reserved seats. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a method for determining reserved seats, characterized by selecting reserved seats for the entire designated section, with the selection condition being that the entire section be divided, and allowing for seat changes along the way. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] A typical example is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3. Figure 1 shows a general seat selection method where there are vacant seats a(A-3) for all sections of the journey for which a seat is requested. In this case, vacant seat a(A-3) is designated as the reserved seat for the person making the reservation.

[0008] Figure 2 shows a portion of the desired reserved seating for the entire journey, for example, vacant seat b(A-3) in the first half, and Figure 3 shows vacant seat c(B-5) in the second half. In this case, under the conventional reserved seating selection method, no reserved seats would be available, making it impossible to secure a reserved seat. However, under the condition of switching from vacant seat b(A-3) to vacant seat c(B-5) midway through the journey, it became possible to determine reserved seats for the entire journey. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a representative example of a situation where there are available seats for all segments of the desired booking route. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a representative example of a situation where there are vacant seats in some sections of the desired booking route. [Figure 3]Figure 3 is a representative example of a situation where there are vacant seats in some sections of the desired booking route. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a representative example of a situation where there are vacant seats in distant locations throughout the entire route for two people wishing to make reservations. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a typical example of a situation in a section where, compared to the state shown in Figure 4, there are two adjacent empty seats in some sections for a desired reservation of two seats. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The present invention is a seat assignment method that, in addition to the conventional method of selecting vacant seats for the entire designated section, adds the vacancy status of some sections within the designated section as a selection criterion, thereby selecting assigned seats for the entire section or some sections while allowing for seat changes along the way. [Examples]

[0011] Figure 1 shows a typical seat selection method where there are vacant seats a(A-3) for all sections of the journey for which a seat is requested. In this case, vacant seat a(A-3) is assigned as the reserved seat for the person making the reservation.

[0012] Figure 2 shows a portion of the desired reserved seating for the entire journey, for example, vacant seat b(A-3) in the first half, and Figure 3 shows vacant seat c(B-5) in the second half. In this case, under the conventional reserved seating selection method, no reserved seats would be available, making it impossible to secure a reserved seat. However, under the condition of switching from vacant seat b(A-3) to vacant seat c(B-5) midway through the journey, it became possible to determine reserved seats for the entire journey.

[0013] Figure 4 shows an example of a case where two people wish to reserve adjacent seats. If the desired seats are part of the entire journey, for example, if there are non-adjacent vacant seats d(A-3) and e(B-5) in the first half, they cannot be designated as adjacent seats. However, if the desired seats are part of the entire journey, for example, if there are vacant seats d(A-3) and e(B-5) in the first half, and in Figure 5 there are adjacent vacant seats f(A-7) and g(B-7) in the second half, then under the conventional seat selection method, no seats would be available, and it would not be possible to secure reserved seats. However, under the condition that seats are changed from vacant seat d(A-3) to vacant seat f(A-7) and from vacant seat e(B-5) to vacant seat g(B-7) along the way, it has become possible to determine reserved seats for the entire journey. [Industrial applicability]

[0014] By adding the requirement to divide the entire designated section as a selection criterion, it became possible to determine reserved seats for all or part of the section, allowing for seat changes along the way. This improves customer satisfaction for those who have reserved seats, while also allowing for improved revenue by avoiding a decline in the occupancy rate of reserved seats. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0015] 1 Reserved Seat 2 vacant seats

Claims

1. A method for selecting reserved seats on public transportation involves dividing the entire reserved seating section into at least two or more sections, thereby ensuring that the seat assignment satisfies the preferences of the passengers throughout the entire section, and allowing at least one seat change during the journey.

2. A method for selecting reserved seats on public transportation involves dividing the entire reserved seating section into at least two or more sections, thereby selecting and determining seats that satisfy the preferences of those wishing to reserve seats, including unreserved seats, and allowing at least one seat change along the way.

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