USE SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, USE SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND USE SCHEDULE MANAGEMENT METHOD

Abstract

To provide a usage schedule management system and method for accepting waiting orders by reflecting the seat usage status of a store and taking into consideration the time when customers can enter the store. [Solution] A vacancy management system for managing seat usage schedules for a store, the vacancy management device comprises: an opening hours setting means for setting the store's available entry times based on input from the store; a waiting acceptance means for accepting requests to wait in line for a vacant seat and registering the waiting information; an allocation means for registering a usage slot specifying a time period during which a customer will use the seat in association with the seat; a vacancy prediction means for calculating a predicted vacancy time for each seat based on the usage slot; an entry time determination means for calculating the expected entry time of a customer who wishes to wait in line based on the predicted vacancy time; and a determination means for determining whether to accept the customer's request for queue based on the expected entry time and the available entry time. The waiting acceptance means accepts the customer when the determination means determines that the request is acceptable.

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, there have been cases where customers have been waiting in line for vacant seats at stores. However, stores often have set business hours, and cannot accept customers waiting in line indefinitely. For these reasons, technology has been developed to accept customers waiting in line while taking into account the business hours of the store.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that calculates an expected waiting time based on the number of people waiting on the waiting list, and if the current time plus the expected waiting time falls outside the facility's business hours, displays a message indicating that waiting has ended. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-004390 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] On the other hand, the technology described in Patent Document 1 simply uses waiting time based on the number of people waiting on the waiting list, and is therefore unable to reflect the number of seats in the store or the seat usage status.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a new technology for accepting waiting orders while reflecting the seating availability of a store and taking into account the store's business hours. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a usage schedule management system for managing usage schedules for seats in a store, comprising: a business hours setting means for setting a possible entry time for the store based on input by the store; a waiting order acceptance means for accepting a waiting order for a vacant seat and registering the waiting order information; an allocation means for registering a usage slot specifying a time period during which a customer will use a seat in association with the seat; a vacant seat prediction means for calculating a predicted vacant seat time for each seat based on the usage slot; a planned entry time determination means for calculating a planned entry time for a customer who wishes to wait in line based on the predicted vacant seat time; and a judgment means for judging whether the customer's request to wait in line can be accepted based on the planned entry time and the possible entry time, and the waiting order acceptance means accepts the waiting order when the judgment means judges that the request can be accepted.

[0008] With this configuration, the customer's expected entry time is calculated based on the estimated seat availability time calculated based on the availability of each seat, and whether or not to accept the customer on the waiting list is determined based on the available entry time. This allows the customer to accept the customer on the waiting list while taking into account the available entry time, taking into account the actual seating situation in the store.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the system further includes a reservation receiving means for receiving a reservation specifying a time for use of the seat and registering the reservation information, and the allocation means registers the usage slot in association with the seat, linking it to the waiting list information or reservation information. With this configuration, it is possible to calculate the predicted vacancy time for each seat, taking into account both reservations that specify a time and waiting in line. This allows both reservations and waiting in line to be accepted, and it is possible to determine whether or not to accept a waiting request based on the available entry time, taking into account the availability of reservations. This solves the problem of accepting a waiting request even when there is actually a reservation and sufficient service cannot be provided by the available entry time.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the scheduled entry time determination means acquires desired conditions of a customer, identifies the seat that satisfies the desired conditions, and calculates the scheduled entry time based on the predicted vacant time of the seat. With this configuration, the estimated entry time can be calculated based on the predicted vacancy time of seats that meet the customer's desired seating conditions, such as non-smoking seats, table seats, etc. This makes it possible to provide guidance that more accurately reflects the customer's wishes, and even when sufficient service cannot be provided by the entry time depending on the conditions, it is possible to determine whether or not to accept the customer into the waiting line, taking the conditions into account appropriately.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the determination means determines that the waiting order is acceptable when the time from the scheduled store entry time to the possible store entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value. With this configuration, by setting the reference value appropriately, it is possible to solve the problem of accepting a customer to wait even when there is only a short time between the scheduled entry time and closing time. Also, if the reference value can be set arbitrarily by users such as store staff, it becomes possible to respond in a detailed manner, such as accepting a customer to wait when it is expected that there will be enough time to provide the service, in accordance with the operation of each store and the time it takes to provide the service.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the determination means identifies the number of seats for which the time from the predicted seat vacancy time to the available entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value, and determines this number as the available waiting number. With this configuration, it is possible to determine how many more groups are able to wait in line; for example, by displaying this to customers, it can help them decide whether to wait at that store or go to another store, or by displaying this to store staff, it can provide them with appropriate guidance.

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention is a usage schedule management program for managing usage schedules for seats in a store, which causes a computer to function as: a business hours setting means for setting a possible entry time for the store based on input by the store; a waiting order acceptance means for accepting a waiting order for a vacant seat and registering the waiting order information; an allocation means for registering a usage slot specifying a time period during which a customer will use a seat in association with the seat; a vacant seat prediction means for calculating a predicted vacant seat time for each seat based on the usage slot; a planned entry time determination means for calculating a planned entry time for a customer who wishes to wait in line based on the predicted vacant seat time; and a judgment means for judging whether the customer's request to wait in line can be accepted based on the planned entry time and the possible entry time, and the waiting order acceptance means accepts the waiting order when the judgment means judges that the request can be accepted.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, the present invention is a usage schedule management method for managing usage schedules for seats in a store, which has a computer execute the following steps: a business hours setting step for setting a possible entry time for the store based on input by the store; a waiting order acceptance step for accepting a waiting order for a vacant seat and registering the waiting order information; an allocation step for registering a usage slot specifying a time period during which a customer will use the seat in correspondence with the seat; a vacant seat prediction step for calculating a predicted vacant seat time for each seat based on the usage slot; a planned entry time determination step for calculating a planned entry time for a customer who wishes to wait in line based on the predicted vacant seat time; and a judgment step for judging whether the customer's request to wait in line can be accepted based on the planned entry time and the possible entry time, and in the waiting order acceptance step, the waiting order is accepted if it is judged that the request can be accepted in the judgment step. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a novel technique for accepting waiting orders while reflecting the seating availability of a store and taking into consideration the available entry times of the store. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a usage schedule management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of seat information stored in a database DB in an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of waiting list information and reservation information stored in a database DB in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart of a scheduled store entry time calculation process in the usage schedule management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart of a new waiting acceptance process of the utilization schedule management system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing a display example of a reception start screen of the utilization schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen display of a utilization schedule management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a waiting reception screen of the utilization schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display of a reception content confirmation screen of the utilization schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a usage schedule screen of the usage schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a display example of a seating arrangement screen of the utilization schedule management system in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The following describes the usage schedule management system of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment described below is an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below, and various configurations can be adopted.

[0018] For example, the configuration, operation, etc. of the utilization schedule management system will be described in this embodiment, but methods, devices, computer programs, etc. with similar configurations can also achieve similar effects. The program may be stored in a recording medium. By using this recording medium, the program can be installed in, for example, a computer. Here, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0019] The present invention can be used to manage seat usage status in various facilities, such as restaurants, beauty salons, amusement facilities, banks, medical facilities, public facilities including government offices, etc. In this embodiment, an example of managing vacant seats in a restaurant is shown, but the facilities using the present invention are not limited to this, and the present invention can be used in any type of business.

[0020] In this embodiment, the usage schedule management system manages the usage status and usage schedule for each seat in the store, and calculates the scheduled entry time of the customer based on the usage status and the usage schedule. In particular, the present invention relates to a technology for appropriately accepting a customer's waiting order, taking into account the available entry time, by determining whether or not to accept the customer's waiting order based on the scheduled entry time and the available entry time of the store. Here, the available entry time in the present invention is the time used to determine the end of the waiting order acceptance, and is the upper limit of the time when the customer can enter the store. In this embodiment, the store accepts input of the opening time and closing time of business from the store, and sets the available entry time based on the closing time. In this embodiment, the available entry time is set to the same time as the closing time of business hours, but the available entry time may be set to the time of the last order, for example, a predetermined time (for example, 30 minutes) before the closing time of business hours.

[0021] In addition, in this embodiment, in addition to waiting in line, reservations that specify the entry time in advance are accepted, and by using the predicted vacancy time that takes into account the utilization limit for reservations, reservations and waiting in line can be optimally combined and the acceptance of waiting in line can be appropriately restricted.

[0022] In this embodiment, the system is configured to be able to set a usage limit that assumes a customer's stay time using the standard stay time, and calculates the predicted vacant seat time based on that. In the present invention, the standard stay time refers to a standard stay time of a customer. For example, the stay time of a customer may be recorded, and the average value may be used as the standard stay time. In addition, since the average stay time may differ depending on the day of the week, time of day, and number of customers, different standard stay times may be set for each condition such as the date and time of use and the number of customers.

[0023] In this embodiment, the usage limit specified on the seating arrangement screen described later is set for the seat. In other words, the usage limit refers to the time period during which a customer who has entered the store is predicted to use the seat. Here, in this embodiment, on the seating arrangement screen, a usage limit is initially displayed, starting from the current time or the predicted vacancy time of the target seat, and ending at the time based on the time when the standard stay time has elapsed.

[0024] The time slot for a reservation is hereinafter referred to as a reservation slot. A reservation slot refers to the time period during which a customer who has made a reservation uses a seat. The start time of the reservation slot is specified by the customer, and the length of the reservation slot may be determined by the standard stay time, as with customers who enter the restaurant after waiting in line, or may be determined according to the reserved menu specified at the time of reservation. The length of the reservation slot may also be specified by the customer.

[0025] The details of the process will be described later, but in this embodiment, reservation slots and waiting slots are managed so as not to overlap, allowing for guidance at the reserved time, accepting customers on a waiting list within the range of possible entry times, and informing waiting customers of the appropriate scheduled entry time.

[0026] 1 is a functional block diagram of the utilization schedule management system of this embodiment. As shown in this figure, the utilization schedule management system of this embodiment is configured such that a vacant seat management device 1, a reception terminal 2 that accepts input from customers at the store, and a management terminal 3 are capable of communicating with each other via a network NW, and a database DB is connected to the vacant seat management device 1 by wire or wirelessly. Note that the vacant seat management device 1, the reception terminal 2, the management terminal 3, and the database DB may be configured to be capable of communicating with each other via the network NW.

[0027] The vacant seat management device 1 can be a general computer device such as a server device equipped with an arithmetic device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a main memory device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), an auxiliary memory device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory, and various input / output devices including a means for connecting to a network NW.

[0028] The reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3 may each be any computer device, such as a tablet terminal or a PC (Personal Computer), equipped with various input / output devices including a computing device, a storage device, and a means for connecting to the network NW. Also, a personal computer device, such as a smartphone used by a customer or a store clerk, may function as the reception terminal 2 or the management terminal 3 by installing a browser application or a dedicated application for using a dedicated web page.

[0029] Here, one computer device may function as both the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3. For example, a terminal device installed in a store may function as the reception terminal 2 that receives input from customers for waiting in line or making a reservation, and the same computer device may also function as the management terminal 3 by switching to the store clerk mode. Also, there may be multiple reception terminals 2 and multiple management terminals 3.

[0030] The vacant seat management device 1 includes a business hours setting means 11, a waiting list reception means 12, a reservation reception means 13, an allocation means 14, a vacant seat prediction means 15, a scheduled entry time determination means 16, a judgment means 17, and a display means 18.

[0031] The business hours setting means 11 sets the store entry time based on input from users such as store staff. Here, the store entry time in the present invention is the time used to determine when waiting for a turn has ended. In this embodiment, the store receives input of the opening and closing times of business, and the business hours setting means 11 sets the store entry time based on the closing time. In this embodiment, the store entry time is set to the same time as the closing time of business hours, but the store entry time may also be set to match the time of last orders, for example, a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes) before the closing time of business hours.

[0032] The waiting reception means 12 accepts a waiting request including the number of people as a customer's desired conditions, and registers the waiting information in the database DB. Here, the waiting reception means 12 passes the customer's desired conditions to the scheduled entrance time determination means 16, receives a judgment result from the judgment means 17 as to whether the customer's waiting request can be accepted, and if it can be accepted, accepts the waiting request and registers the waiting information in the database DB. In addition to the number of people, the waiting reception means 12 of this embodiment also accepts conditions related to the type of seat, such as non-smoking or smoking, table or counter, and the customer's contact information, and stores them in the database DB as waiting information.

[0033] The reservation receiving means 13 receives reservations that specify an entry time, and registers the reservation information in a database DB.

[0034] The allocation means 14 registers a usage frame in which the selected seats are associated with the waiting and reservation. The allocation performed by the allocation means 14 here includes both provisional allocation of accepted waiting for calculation of the scheduled entrance time, and allocation of seats to which the waiting or reservation customers are guided. Provisional allocation will be explained in detail in the explanation of the process of determining the scheduled entrance time.

[0035] As for the process of associating the seat to which the customer has been guided, in the case of a waiting list, when a seat becomes available, the staff guides the customer to the seat and performs an input for associating the waiting list with the seat via the management terminal 3. The allocation means 14 accepts the input from the staff via the seating arrangement screen displayed on the management terminal 3, links it to the target waiting list information, and registers the usage quota associated with the designated seat in the database DB.

[0036] Regarding reservations, reservation information input by a customer via reception terminal 2 is registered in database DB, and then a waiter confirms the reservation details and inputs a seat designation, causing allocation means 14 to register a reservation slot associated with the seat in database DB linked to the reservation information. Alternatively, a waiter may ask about a reservation request over the phone or the like, and input the number of people, seat conditions, seat designation, etc. via management terminal 3, causing the reservation reception means 13 to register the reservation information in database DB and the allocation means 14 to generate a reservation slot.

[0037] Here, on the seating arrangement screen, a number designation section is displayed that accepts designation of the number of people for each candidate seat so that the total number of people becomes the designated number of people on the waiting list. The allocation means 14 considers a seat for which a number of people of 1 or more is input via the number designation section to be selected, and associates it with a reservation or waiting list. For example, when 8 people are reserved or waiting for, and 4 people are to be guided to two seats, by designating 4 people for each of the target seats, it is possible to associate the reservation or waiting list with these two seats.

[0038] In this embodiment, the number of people available for each seat and the minimum number of people are registered in advance in the database DB as seat information. For example, when it is crowded, it is not preferable from the viewpoint of turnover to guide a group of two people to a seat that can seat six people. Therefore, the allocation means 14 in this embodiment associates a waiting person with a seat when the number of people specified on the seating arrangement screen described later is equal to or less than the number of people available for the seat and is not below the minimum number of people. Note that the minimum value may not be applied when one waiting person is associated with multiple seats.

[0039] The vacant seat prediction means 15 calculates the predicted vacant seat time for each seat in use based on the usage quota. In this embodiment, for a seat in use by a customer who has entered the restaurant on a waiting list, the predicted vacant seat time is calculated based on the usage quota when the seat is assigned. For a seat in use by a customer who has entered the restaurant by reservation, the predicted vacant seat time is calculated based on the reservation quota set in advance.

[0040] Specifically, for example, assuming that a seat becomes available when the usage limit is ended, the end time of the usage limit may be set as the predicted vacant seat time. Also, since preparations such as clearing up the seat are usually required after a customer leaves the seat, the predicted vacant seat time may be set as a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the end time of the usage limit.

[0041] The estimated entry time determination means 16 calculates the estimated entry time of customers who are about to start waiting based on the predicted vacant seat time. The estimated entry time determination means 16 of this embodiment also calculates the estimated entry time for already accepted waiting orders. Specifically, the estimated entry time of each waiting order is determined, starting from the first group, based on the predicted vacant seat time of the seat that satisfies the customer's desired conditions, which is included in the waiting order information. For example, if the group at the head of the waiting order is a group of four people, the seat that will become vacant earliest among the seats that can accommodate four people is identified based on the predicted vacant seat time, and the waiting order is provisionally assigned to the seat and the predicted vacant seat time is determined. The provisional assignment may be limited to seats that can accommodate the number of people waiting and also satisfy the conditions related to the type of seat accepted by the waiting order acceptance means 12.

[0042] More specifically, for example, if the predicted vacant seat time of the seat that will become vacant the earliest is 12:12, it is assumed that the scheduled entry time determination means 16 determines the scheduled entry time of the target customer as 12:12, which is the same as the predicted vacant seat time. Alternatively, the scheduled guide time may be calculated as 10 minutes from the time when the predicted vacant seat time is rounded down to the nearest 1, such as 12:10 to 12:20, and the end of this scheduled guide time may be set as the scheduled entry time. Alternatively, any time within the range of the scheduled guide time, such as 12:10, which is the start of the scheduled guide time, or 12:15, which is in the middle, may be set as the scheduled entry time. In this way, it is preferable to determine a time period with a range including before and after the predicted vacant seat time as the scheduled guide time and inform the customer of it.

[0043] Here, when calculating the expected entry time for the second and subsequent queue members, the predicted vacancy time updated based on the standard stay time is used, assuming that the person in front of them will sit at the target seat at the expected entry time. For example, assuming that seat A will become vacant in 5 minutes and the first person in line will sit at seat A in 10 minutes, the predicted entry time for the second and subsequent queue members can be calculated by adding the standard stay time to the time 10 minutes from now.

[0044] Here, in the present invention, the scheduled entrance time is determined for each group starting from the group with the earliest order, but this simply means that after the scheduled entrance time is determined for the group with the earliest order (waiting in line), the scheduled entrance time for the next group is determined. In other words, it is not necessary to continuously calculate the scheduled entrance times from the first to the last, and for example, the scheduled entrance times may be determined for each newly accepted group at the time of acceptance, starting from the group with the earliest order.

[0045] The determination means 17 determines whether or not to accept a customer who is about to enter the store based on the customer's scheduled entry time and available entry time, and passes the determination result to the waiting acceptance means 12. Specifically, the time from the scheduled entry time determined by the scheduled entry time determination means 16 to the available entry time set by the business hours setting means 11 is compared with a preset reference value, and if it is equal to or greater than the reference value, it is determined that the customer is allowed to enter the store. This solves the problem of accepting a customer who is waiting even though there is only a short time between the scheduled entry time and the available entry time.

[0046] The determination means 17 also identifies the number of seats for which the time from the predicted vacant seat time to the available entry time is equal to or greater than the above-mentioned reference value, and determines that number as the number of waiting seats that can be accepted. This makes it possible to identify the upper limit of the number of waiting seats that can be newly accepted by comparing the predicted vacant seat time with the available entry time.

[0047] The display means 18 displays and processes the scheduled guide time and various other information and transmits the processing results in order to display various screens on the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3. The display means 18 of this embodiment displays and transmits to the management terminal 3, for example, the number of seats in use, the number of customers in use, the calculation results such as the upper limit number specified by the determination means 17, seat information, waiting list information, and reservation information, and a scheduled use screen described below is displayed on the management terminal 3. Here, when displaying the screen for starting to accept queuing, it is preferable that the display means 18 displays the scheduled guide time under the conditions that allow the earliest entry if the customer is lined up at the end of the waiting list at that time, and the upper limit number of new waiting orders that can be accepted.

[0048] It is not necessary for one computer device to have all of these means, and multiple computers may work together to function as the vacant seat management device 1 of this embodiment. Also, the reception terminal 2 and the management terminal 3 may be configured to have some or all of the above-mentioned means.

[0049] 2 is a diagram showing an example of seat master information among the seat information stored in the database DB. In this embodiment, the database DB stores, as the seat master information, a seat number, the number of available seats, a lower limit of the number of available seats (lower limit of the capacity), seat conditions, and a combination of available seats that indicate seats that can be combined and used.

[0050] Furthermore, although not shown, in this embodiment, transaction information related to seats is further stored as seat information in addition to the seat master information shown in Fig. 2. The transaction information is recorded as information such as the number of people using the seat, the waiting ID or reservation ID of the customer using the seat, the start time of use, the time of guidance, and the predicted time of seat vacancy, all linked to the seat master information by the seat number, etc. Such transaction information is recorded in the database DB every time any information is changed.

[0051] In the transaction information, the waiting ID or reservation ID identifies information input by the customer, such as the desired type of seat, desired conditions including the number of people using the seat, and contact information. The number of people currently using the seat in the transaction information may be identified from the waiting information or reservation information identified by the waiting ID or reservation ID. This makes it possible to identify the seat status, such as the number of people currently using each seat, and the waiting status or reservation, by referring to the latest transaction information.

[0052] In this embodiment, the time of the first order is stored. The time when the customer was seated and the start and end times of the reservation or usage slot are specified by the queue information or reservation information.

[0053] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the waiting information and reservation information stored in the database DB. In this embodiment, the waiting information stored includes a waiting ID, a serial number used to call a customer, the number of people, the desired seating conditions, the status, the assigned or provisionally assigned seat number, a provisional allocation flag, a usage limit, the introduction time, and a record of the time of the first order (FO). In addition, contact information such as the telephone number of the customer who is waiting, and a user ID for linking with user information (customer information) registered in advance are stored. The waiting information is registered by the waiting reception means 12 based on information input via the reception terminal 2.

[0054] As reservation information, information such as a reservation ID, a serial number used to call the customer, number of people, desired seating conditions, reservation slots, and associated seat numbers are stored. In addition, similar to waiting list information, the database DB may store records of status, guided time, and first order time, customer contact information, user ID, etc. Reservation information is registered by the reservation reception means 13 based on information input via the reception terminal 2 or management terminal 3.

[0055] As the waiting-line information and reservation information, various other information may be recorded. For example, in this embodiment, when a customer who is waiting in line or has made a reservation arrives at the store, the customer checks in to input that fact. Therefore, although not shown in Fig. 3, in this embodiment, the presence or absence of check-in and the check-in time can be stored as the waiting-line information and reservation information, respectively.

[0056] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the process of calculating the estimated entry time for an accepted waiting order, performed by the estimated entry time determination means 16. In this embodiment, such a process is executed at any timing, such as when a vacant seat occurs, when a customer is guided, when a new reservation or waiting order is accepted, etc. Also, the process shown in FIG. 4 may be executed repeatedly at a predetermined interval. This allows the estimated entry time to be updated to an appropriate one depending on the situation, even if the estimated entry time calculated when accepting a reservation or waiting order, which will be described later, is shifted because the actual stay time of the customer differs from the standard stay time, etc. Note that the calculation of the estimated entry time is performed in order from the group that is the earliest in line, and at the start of the process, the first waiting order is the subject of calculation of the estimated entry time.

[0057] First, in step S11, the scheduled entry time determination means 16 acquires the number of people from the waiting list information for which the scheduled entry time is to be calculated. Then, in step S12, seats that can accommodate the waiting list are extracted based on the number of people acquired in step S11 and the available number of people and the minimum number of people in the seat information for each seat.

[0058] More specifically, seats are extracted that have an available capacity equal to or greater than the number of people on the waiting list and a lower limit capacity equal to or less than the number of people on the waiting list. The application of the lower limit capacity may be determined based on the time period, seat availability, reservation and waiting list status, etc. For example, the lower limit may not be applied to less crowded time periods, and if the number of people using the seat is equal to or greater than the number of people on the waiting list, the seat may be considered capable of accommodating people on the waiting list. The lower limit may also be varied depending on the time period. Note that only seats that meet the seating conditions accepted by the waiting list acceptance means 12 in addition to being capable of accommodating people on the waiting list may be extracted as seats capable of accommodating people on the waiting list.

[0059] Here, it is preferable to set a further condition that the predicted usage slot for the target waiting does not overlap with the reservation slot. For example, for a seat with the earliest predicted vacant time, if the reservation slot overlaps with the range from the predicted vacant time to the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the predicted vacant time, the waiting customer cannot be guided to the seat. Therefore, in this embodiment, in calculating the scheduled entrance time, the scheduled entrance time determination means 16 extracts the target seat on the condition that there is no overlap with the reservation slot. Note that, if the range from the predicted vacant time to the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the time obtained by adding the standard stay time overlaps with the reservation slot, the predicted vacant time of the seat may be updated to the end time of the reservation slot. In addition, taking into account the time required for cleaning up and preparing the seat, the predicted vacant time may be set to the time when a predetermined securing time has elapsed from the end time of the reservation slot.

[0060] Next, in step S13, the allocation means 14 identifies the seat with the earliest predicted vacant time from among the seats extracted in step S12, and provisionally allocates the waiting person to be calculated to that seat. Then, in step S14, the scheduled entry time of the waiting person is calculated based on the predicted vacant time of the seat. In this case, for example, it is assumed that the scheduled guide time is set to 10 minutes from the time when the predicted vacant time is rounded down to the nearest 10 minutes. In addition, the scheduled guide time may be set to a time period that is further increased by a predetermined time, taking into account the time required for preparing the seat. In this way, it is preferable to determine a time period with a certain range, including both before and after the predicted vacant time, as the scheduled guide time. Based on the determined scheduled entry time, the scheduled entry time of the waiting information is updated.

[0061] In step S15, the allocation means 14 registers a provisional usage frame that specifies the time period during which the seat is used in association with the seat. The usage frame here is preferably a time period from the predicted vacant seat time until the standard stay time has elapsed. The predicted vacant seat time is then updated based on this usage frame. For example, assuming that the seat with the earliest predicted vacant seat time is to be guided to the first person on the waiting list at the time of step S13, the second person on the waiting list cannot be guided to that seat. Therefore, here, the predicted vacant seat time of the seat provisionally allocated in step S13 is updated based on the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the predicted vacant seat time before the update, that is, the end of the provisional usage frame. Specifically, for example, the new predicted vacant seat time may be the time obtained by adding the standard stay time to the predicted vacant seat time before the update, or a predetermined time may be added to the new predicted vacant seat time, taking into account the time required for clearing out the seat and preparing it.

[0062] When the calculation of the estimated entry time for the waiting list and the update of the predicted vacant seat time are completed in this way, in step S16, the estimated entry time determination means 16 checks whether there is a subsequent waiting list. If there is a subsequent waiting list, in step S17, the calculation target is changed to the next waiting list, and steps S11 to S15 are repeated. Then, when there is no subsequent waiting list, the process ends.

[0063] In this way, by determining the scheduled entry time starting from the head of the queue based on the predicted seat vacancy time, it becomes possible to present a detailed scheduled entry time that reflects the situation in the facility, and the effect of improving the accuracy of the scheduled entry time can be expected. Note that it is not essential to calculate the scheduled entry time as shown in FIG. 4 except when accepting a new reservation or waiting in line, which will be described later. In other words, the scheduled entry time determination means 16 may be configured to calculate the scheduled entry time based on the predicted seat vacancy time at that time only when accepting a new reservation or waiting in line, and thereafter not to update the scheduled entry time for waiting lines that have already been accepted.

[0064] Fig. 5 is a process flow chart when the waiting reception means 12 receives input of a new waiting order. As described above, the process of Fig. 4 is repeatedly executed at any timing for registered waiting orders, and at the start of the process of Fig. 5, the predicted vacancy time for each seat is stored in the latest transaction information, taking into account registered waiting orders.

[0065] The process of FIG. 5 starts when an input for starting the waiting reception is received via a reception start screen as shown in FIG. 6. On the reception start screen, the "shortest expected guide time" is displayed as a result of the display means 18 performing a display process of the guided guide time. In calculating the shortest expected guide time, the expected entry time determination means 16 executes only steps S12 to S14 in the process of FIG. 4 with the new waiting as the calculation target, in a state where the predicted vacant seat time considering the registered waiting is stored, so that the shortest expected guide time for the case of waiting from now on can be determined. Note that, since the number of people waiting is unknown here, in the execution of step S12, the number of people is not taken into consideration, and seats that can accommodate the waiting are extracted under the condition that there is no overlap with the reservation slot.

[0066] Instead of the estimated guide time calculated as above, it may be calculated and displayed more simply by multiplying the number of groups waiting by the waiting time per group. Also, it may be possible to set for each store whether to display the estimated guide time or the waiting time. The waiting time per group can be set arbitrarily for each store. For example, if the waiting time per group is set to 5 minutes and there are 3 groups waiting yet to be guided, the waiting time for the new group will be 5 x 3 = 15 minutes.

[0067] In addition, it is preferable that the upper limit number of newly accepted waiting requests (number of waiting requests that can be accepted) determined by the determination means 17 is also displayed on the reception start screen.

[0068] In accepting a new waiting order, first in step S21, the waiting order acceptance means 12 accepts the customer's desired conditions, including the number of people waiting, and passes them to the scheduled entry time decision means 16. Then in step S22, the scheduled entry time decision means 16 uses the received desired conditions to extract seats that satisfy the desired conditions in the same manner as in step S12 of Fig. 4, and in step S23 identifies the seat with the earliest predicted vacancy time. Fig. 8(a) is an example of a screen for accepting input of the number of people as the desired conditions in step S21.

[0069] In step S24, the scheduled store entry time determination means 16 calculates the scheduled store entry time in the same manner as in step S14 in FIG. 4. Then, in step S25, the determination means 17 determines whether or not the time from the scheduled store entry time to the possible store entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value. Specifically, it is sufficient to determine whether or not the value obtained by subtracting the scheduled store entry time from the possible store entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value. The reference value here can be arbitrarily set by a user such as a store staff member, and is preferably set to the time required for the provision of a service. In this embodiment, the standard stay time is initially set as the reference value.

[0070] If the time from the scheduled entry time to the available entry time is less than the reference value (N in step S25), the process proceeds to step S29 where the display means 18 displays a message that the waiting order cannot be accepted, and the waiting order acceptance is terminated.

[0071] On the other hand, if the time from the scheduled entry time to the available entry time is equal to or longer than the reference value (Y in step S25), the process proceeds to step S26, where the display means 18 displays the scheduled entry time or scheduled guidance time taking into account the desired conditions (the calculation result in step S24), and a confirmation screen such as that shown in Fig. 8(b) is displayed on the reception terminal 2. A customer who wishes to wait in line can now confirm the scheduled guidance time taking into account the desired conditions, and choose whether or not to continue accepting the queue. Note that displaying the confirmation screen in step S25 is not essential, and may be omitted.

[0072] When "Next" is selected on the confirmation screen, the waiting acceptance continues, and in step S27, the waiting acceptance means 12 accepts the input of other waiting information. In this embodiment, the input of the customer's contact phone number and

[0073] When the input is completed, the display means 18 displays the input information, and a reception content confirmation screen as shown in Fig. 9(a) is displayed. If "OK" is selected here, the waiting reception means 12 stores the waiting information in the database DB in step S28, and the process ends.

[0074] Here, the customer can check the scheduled guide time in the case of waiting in line on the confirmation screen of Fig. 8(b), and can interrupt the waiting and make a reservation. In this embodiment, when the customer selects the displayed scheduled guide time, the reservation reception means 13 accepts the input for making a reservation, and candidates for available time slots for reservation are displayed.

[0075] The available time slots displayed here may be determined based on a preset range, or may be determined based on the predicted vacancy time of each seat taking into account registered waiting lists, within a range that does not overlap with the available slots for waiting lists. In this case, it is preferable to specify the available time slots by narrowing down to seats that meet the desired conditions.

[0076] Once the time slot has been selected, input of non-smoking or smoking, seating conditions (counter or table, etc.), and the customer's contact phone number is accepted in the same way as for waiting in line reception. Then, once all input is completed, the display means 18 displays the input information, and a reservation details confirmation screen like that shown in Fig. 9(b) is displayed. If "OK" is selected here, the reservation reception means 13 stores the reservation information in the database DB, and the process ends.

[0077] In the above explanation, the process is described when the customer does not specify an individual seat, but in this embodiment, the waiting list acceptance means 12 and the reservation acceptance means 13 accept the seat specification by the customer by changing the settings. In this case, it is not necessary to accept the input of seat conditions for both waiting list and reservation. That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to set so that a specific seat can be specified instead of accepting desired conditions such as the number of people, non-smoking or smoking, counter or table, etc.

[0078] If a seat designation by a customer is accepted, a seat selection is further accepted in step S21. Then, steps S22 and S23 are omitted, and in step S24, a planned entrance time is calculated based on the predicted vacant seat time at the seat selected in step S21.

[0079] Once the customer's turn has been accepted, the customer can move freely and visits the facility based on the estimated time of entry. If the estimated time of entry displayed in step S26 of Fig. 5 at the time of reception changes, it is preferable to notify the customer of this change.

[0080] For example, in this embodiment, when a customer currently using a seat (a seat provisionally assigned to a waiting group) that is scheduled to be used by the waiting group does not leave the seat even after the usage limit has passed, a notification is sent to the customer's contact information specified by the waiting information that the guidance may be delayed. Here, in this embodiment, the notification is sent to the waiting group that is affected by the delay caused by the delayed leaving time of the seat, that is, the first waiting group among the waiting groups to which a similar notification has not been sent. Specifically, for example, a message such as "The time was approaching, but the scheduled guidance time may be delayed due to continued congestion" may be sent using a message function such as email, SMS, or other SNS. The timing of the notification is determined arbitrarily, but it is assumed that, for example, the end time of the standard stay time of the customer currently using the seat or the timing when a predetermined time has passed since the initial scheduled guidance time, etc.

[0081] Also, if the store entry schedule is updated by the process of FIG. 4 and is changed from the scheduled store entry time displayed in step S25 of FIG. 5 at the time of reception, it is preferable to notify the user of the change. For example, if the scheduled store entry time displayed at the time of reception varies by a predetermined time, for example, 10 minutes or more, the updated scheduled store entry time may be notified. If the scheduled store entry time is further updated thereafter and varies by more than a predetermined time, a notification may be sent again. In addition, in order to avoid sending notifications frequently, the change in the scheduled store entry time may be notified only to a predetermined number of groups from the head of the queue or to groups within a predetermined time until the scheduled store entry time.

[0082] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accept a waiting order that reflects the seat usage status and takes into account the available entry time. Also, by accepting reservations in addition to waiting, and calculating the predicted vacant seat time based on the usage frame, and calculating the expected entry time based on that, it is possible to realize an appropriate waiting order by using both waiting and reservations.

[0083] In this embodiment, the upper limit number of new waiting orders to be accepted is displayed on the screen of Fig. 6 that is displayed when the reception starts, but if the number of waiting orders that can be accepted specified by the determination means 17 is 0, that is, if a new waiting order cannot be accepted, it is preferable to indicate this before the reception. Fig. 7 is an example of a screen display when the number of waiting orders that can be accepted becomes 0 because the scheduled store entry time when a new waiting order is accepted passes the store entry time. Thus, in this embodiment, when the number of waiting orders that can be accepted is 0, a message is displayed that the reception has ended.

[0084] Next, the use schedule screen and seat allocation screen on the management terminal 3 and seat allocation for waiting will be described with reference to Fig. 10 and Fig. 11. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of the use schedule screen W1. The use schedule screen W1 displays a use schedule for each seat, including a time zone display section TT that displays time zones on the horizontal axis, and a seat display section W12 on the vertical axis that identifies seats. Note that, although the time zone display section TT displays the time axis in 30-minute increments in Fig. 10, this can be changed arbitrarily to 15-minute increments, 10-minute increments, etc., depending on the settings.

[0085] In the usage schedule, the current time PT is displayed at the position of the current time on the time axis. In addition to the seat number, the seat display section W12 displays the seat condition (non-smoking / smoking), the number of available seats, and the number of people currently using the seat. For example, in the example of Fig. 10, for table A, "non-smoking" indicating the condition, "table A" indicating the seat number, the number of available seats in the denominator, and "4 / 4" indicating the number of people currently using the seat in the numerator are displayed. The same is true for the other seats.

[0086] The seat total W11 is displayed at the top of the seat display section W12, and displays the total number of seats, the number of seats currently in use, the total number of available seats at all seats, and the total number of people currently using them. The seat total W11 and the seat display section W12 are displayed based on the aggregated values ​​of the seat information and transaction information.

[0087] In the usage schedule, waiting slots and reservation slots are displayed in a distinguishable manner for each seat. In FIG. 10, the boxes shown in dark colors represent waiting slots, the boxes shown in solid white represent reservation slots, and the numbers in circles at the right end of each box represent the number of people waiting or making reservations. In each slot, a serial number indicating the target reservation information or waiting information, or a customer name is displayed. In addition, in the usage slot, any information related to the usage slot, such as information included in the waiting information or reservation information, may be further displayed. In addition, in the usage slot, a user such as a store clerk may be able to select the information to be displayed. In addition, when a combination of multiple seats is used, the reservation slot is displayed across multiple seats.

[0088] After the usage slot, the reservation time is displayed as the time required to clean up after a customer leaves and prepare to serve the next customer. The reservation time is a fixed value that is set in advance, and is set according to the number of customers and the number of store staff on shift at that time. The reservation time can be set before or after the waiting usage slot and the reservation slot, and the set reservation time is displayed on the usage schedule.

[0089] In this embodiment, the history of use of seats that have already been left is also displayed, but in this case, it is preferable to display the actual usage time regardless of whether the usage slot is based on waiting or reservation. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the usage slot of the provisionally allocated waiting is also displayed. In FIG. 10, the provisionally allocated waiting is shown in a dashed frame, and the number surrounded by a circle at the right end of each frame indicates the number of people waiting or making a reservation. The provisional allocation is different from the allocation by input via the seating arrangement screen described later, and refers to a provisional correspondence between the waiting and the seats performed for calculating the scheduled entry time or confirming the schedule. In this embodiment, the provisional allocation is performed according to the procedure described in steps S11 to S13 of FIG. 4, and the provisionally allocated waiting is displayed in a form different from the usage slot even in the usage schedule.

[0090] In this embodiment, instead of using the scheduled entry time, it is possible to calculate the waiting time by simply multiplying the number of groups waiting by the waiting time per group, but even in this case, it is preferable to perform a provisional allocation process to confirm the schedule. The provisional allocation procedure is as shown in steps S11 to S13 in Fig. 4, and based on the number of people waiting and the number of available seats, the seats that become vacant first among those that can accommodate the waiting are provisionally allocated to the waiting. Here, it is preferable to extract only seats that can accommodate the waiting number of people and that further meet the seating conditions accepted by the waiting reception means 12 as seats that can accommodate the waiting.

[0091] The provisionally allocated waiting time slot is displayed based on the standard stay time. For example, the time slot may be a time period from the predicted vacancy time to the time when the standard stay time has elapsed, or a time period from the predicted vacancy time to the time when the standard stay time has elapsed plus a predetermined time, such as 10 minutes, may be used as the usage slot.

[0092] The waiting list WL is displayed on the left side of the usage schedule screen W1. As the waiting list WL, a list of each waiting list is displayed, and each list shows the reference number, customer name, number of customers, and seating conditions. When a waiting list to which a seat is to be assigned is selected from the list, the display means 18 accepts a request to display the seating arrangement screen, and the seating arrangement screen is displayed with the usage schedule screen superimposed on W1, and the allocation means 14 allocates seats to the waiting list in response to input from the user, such as a store staff member.

[0093] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the seating arrangement screen W2. The seating arrangement screen W2 displays information on waiting in line at the top, and includes a time designation section W21, a seating arrangement display section W22, a number of people designation section W23, and a contact display section W24. Note that although seating arrangement for waiting in line will be described below, in this embodiment, input is also accepted on a similar screen when a waiter performs an operation to designate a seat for reservation information. That is, the allocation means 14 associates reservation information with seats via the seating arrangement screen W2, and generates a reservation slot that specifies the start time and end time of use of the seat.

[0094] When the specified seat is vacant, the time designation section W21 displays the usage frame selected with the current time as the usage start time and the time when the standard stay time has elapsed from the usage start time as the usage end time. When the specified seat is not vacant, the time designation section W21 displays the usage frame selected with the predicted vacancy time of the seat as the usage start time and the time when the standard stay time has elapsed from the usage start time as the usage end time. Note that when there is a vacant seat, the usage frame may always be displayed as the time from the current time to the time when the standard stay time has elapsed.

[0095] The store staff can change the date, start time, and end time of the usage slot by operating the time designation section W21. When the seats are changed by operating the number of people designation section W23, the selection state of the time designation section W21 is updated accordingly. When allocating seats for waiting, the date of the usage slot may be set not to be changeable.

[0096] At this time, the system is controlled so that a time slot that overlaps with a reservation slot or usage slot already associated with a seat selected in the number-of-persons designation section W23 (one or more people have been input) cannot be specified. Specifically, if "Guide" is selected when a time slot that overlaps with a reservation slot or usage slot is selected, an error message is displayed. In addition, the system may be controlled so that a time slot that overlaps with a reservation slot or usage slot associated with a selected seat cannot be selected in the time designation section W21.

[0097] The seating arrangement display section W22 displays the seats and the usage slots specified in the time designation section W21 and the number of people designation section W23 in the left column. Here, when the seating arrangement screen W2 is displayed, the allocation means 14 specifies the first candidate, and the first candidate seat is selected in the number of people designation section W23. Therefore, the usage slot determined according to the vacancy status or the predicted vacancy time of the first candidate seat is initially input in the time designation section W21, and the seating arrangement display section W22 is displayed according to these contents. When "Guide" is selected on the seating arrangement screen W2, the allocation means 14 accepts the contents specified in the time designation section W21 and the number of people designation section W23, i.e., the contents displayed in the seating arrangement display section W22, associates the waiting list with the selected seat, and sets the usage slot.

[0098] In this example, we assume that a new waiting list that has not yet been announced is to be announced, but it is also possible to change the usage frame and seat for an already announced waiting list or reservation. In that case, the reservation frame or usage frame before the change, the assigned seat, and the number of people are displayed on the right side of the seating arrangement display section W22.

[0099] The number-of-persons designation unit W23 separately displays candidate seats and seats other than the candidate seats that can accommodate the number of people on the waiting list and do not overlap with the reservation slots in a predetermined range after the predicted seat vacancy time. In Fig. 11, tables A to H are non-smoking seats (seats that satisfy the conditions for waiting) and are displayed as candidate seats that can accommodate the number of people on the waiting list.

[0100] In the example of Fig. 11, all of these seats are currently vacant, and no reservation slots exist between the current time and the standard stay time. Thus, in this embodiment, the allocation means 14 selects seats other than vacant seats as candidates only when no vacant seats exist. On the other hand, when no vacant seats exist, the allocation means 14 identifies as candidates seats that do not have reservation slots between the predicted vacant seat time and the standard stay time.

[0101] In addition, in the number-of-persons designation section W23, tables I to L are displayed in an area separate from the candidate seats A to H as smoking seats that do not satisfy the conditions for waiting but can accommodate the number of people waiting. Tables I to L are seats that were not candidates and were specified by the allocation means 14 as seats for which no reservation slots exist between the current time or the predicted vacant seat time and the standard stay time.

[0102] In addition, even if there are vacant seats, the allocation means 14 may specify seats that are not currently vacant but have no reservation slots between the predicted vacant seat time and the standard stay time, and display them in the number of people designation section W23 in distinction from vacant seat candidates. At this time, it is preferable to display the predicted vacant seat time for each seat as well.

[0103] The store staff or the like can select the number of people to be guided to for each seat displayed in the number of people designation section W23. In FIG. 11, it is designated that all four people waiting their turn are guided to table A. At this time, the designation of the number of people for each seat is accepted so that the total number of people is the number of people waiting their turn. Specifically, if the total number of people at each seat is different from the number of people waiting their turn, a warning is displayed on the seating arrangement screen W2, and if "Guide" is selected in this state, an error message is displayed.

[0104] On the other hand, if, for example, two people are specified for table A and two people are specified for table B and "Guide" is selected, the target queue will be associated with tables A and B, and customers will be guided in pairs.

[0105] The contact display section W24 shows notes about the target waiting line or reservation, and is used to share information among store staff. For example, there may be cases where seats that can be provided to customers with strollers or wheelchairs are limited. In anticipation of such cases, when a note about the target is selected in the contact display section W24, notes about the waiting line or reservation customer are registered in the waiting line information or reservation information. The selected note is then displayed in an identifiable manner. In the example of FIG. 11, the items about lateness and strollers are registered and highlighted in the contact display section W24.

[0106] When information regarding seat allocation is input as described above, it is reflected in the usage schedule screen W1 shown in FIG. 10, and the assigned waiting list or reservation is displayed in a solid line frame on the usage schedule.

[0107] This allows flexible seat allocation via the intuitively operable seating arrangement screen W2. In particular, in this embodiment, candidate seats are identified and displayed on the seating arrangement screen W2 in a range that does not overlap with reservations, taking into consideration reservation slots, so that users such as store staff can more easily allocate waiting lists to appropriate seats. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1: Vacant seat management device 2: Reception terminal 3: Management terminal 11: Business hours setting method 12: Reception method 13: Reservation acceptance method 14: Allocation method 15: Seat vacancy prediction method 16: Means for determining scheduled entry time 17: Judgment means 18:Display means NW: Network TT: Time zone display W1: Usage schedule screen W11: Total seats W12: Seat display section W2: Seating arrangement screen W21: Time specification section W22: Seating display area W23: Number of people designated W24: Contact display section

Claims

1. A usage schedule management system for managing usage schedules for seats in a store, an opening hours setting means for setting the opening hours of the store based on an input from the store; a waiting list receiving means for receiving a waiting list for a vacant seat and registering waiting list information; an allocation means for registering a usage frame that specifies a time period during which a customer uses a seat in association with the seat; a vacant seat prediction means for calculating a predicted vacant seat time when the seat is expected to become vacant for each seat based on the utilization frame; a scheduled entrance time determination means for calculating a scheduled entrance time of the customer who is waiting in line based on the predicted vacant seat time; a determination means for determining whether or not the customer is allowed to wait in line based on the scheduled store entry time and the available store entry time, The waiting acceptance means accepts the waiting when the determination means determines that the waiting is acceptable, The determination means identifies the number of seats for which the time from the predicted vacant seat time to the available entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value, and determines this number as the number of waiting orders that can be accepted, indicating the number of new waiting orders that can be accepted.

2. The system further comprises a reservation receiving means for receiving a reservation for a designated time for using the seat and registering reservation information, The allocation means links the usage frame to the waiting list information or reservation information and registers the usage frame in association with the seat. The utilization schedule management system according to claim 1 .

3. The estimated entry time determination means acquires desired conditions of the customer, identifies the seat that satisfies the desired conditions, and calculates the estimated entry time based on the predicted vacancy time of the seat. The utilization schedule management system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The determination means determines that the waiting order is acceptable when the time from the scheduled store entry time to the available store entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value.

4. The utilization schedule management system according to claim 1.

5. A schedule management program for managing schedules for seats in a store, an opening hours setting means for setting the opening hours of the store based on an input from the store; a waiting list receiving means for receiving a waiting list for a vacant seat and registering waiting list information; an allocation means for registering a usage frame that specifies a time period during which a customer uses a seat in association with the seat; a vacant seat prediction means for calculating a predicted vacant seat time when the seat is expected to become vacant for each seat based on the utilization frame; a scheduled entrance time determination means for calculating a scheduled entrance time of the customer who is waiting in line based on the predicted vacant seat time; a determination unit that determines whether or not the customer is willing to wait in line based on the scheduled store entry time and the available store entry time; The waiting acceptance means accepts the waiting when the determination means determines that the waiting is acceptable, The determination means is a usage schedule management program that identifies the number of seats for which the time from the predicted vacant seat time to the available entry time is equal to or greater than a reference value, and determines the number as the number of waiting orders that can be accepted, indicating the number of new waiting orders that can be accepted.

6. A usage schedule management method for managing usage schedules for seats in a store, comprising: an opening hours setting step for setting an opening time for the store based on an input by the store; a waiting order acceptance step for accepting a waiting order for a vacant seat and registering waiting order information; an allocation step of registering a usage quota specifying a time period during which a customer uses a seat in association with the seat; a vacant seat prediction step of calculating a predicted vacant seat time for each seat based on the usage frame; a step of calculating a scheduled entrance time of the customer who is waiting in line based on the predicted vacant seat time; a determination step of determining whether or not the customer is willing to wait in line based on the scheduled store entry time and the available store entry time; In the waiting acceptance step, when it is determined that the waiting can be accepted in the determination step, the waiting is accepted, In the determination step, the number of seats for which the time from the predicted vacant seat time to the available entry time is equal to or exceeds a reference value is identified, and the identified number is determined as the number of waiting orders that can be accepted, indicating the number of new waiting orders that can be accepted.

Images