server

Abstract

To provide a server capable of benefitting all of a lender of a digital ticket, a borrower of the digital ticket, and an issuer of the digital ticket.SOLUTION: A processor 101 of a server 100 receives processing of registering a digital ticket 420 in a database 104 by a user 210 (a first user) who owns the digital ticket 420. Further, the processor 101 requests a user 310 (a second user) who wants to borrow the digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104, to pay a usage fee of the digital ticket 420. Further, when the user 310 pays the usage fee, the processor 101 lends the digital ticket 420 from the user 210 to the user 310. Furthermore, the processor 101 distributes a part of the usage fee to the user 210, and distributes another part of the usage fee to a company 410 (an issuer).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a server.

Background Art

[0002] In the commutation ticket processing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-084346 (Patent Document 1), a company that has concluded a contract with a railway company lends non-contact commutation tickets to its employees.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] It is conceivable that a user purchases a digital ticket (such as a digital commutation ticket or a digital multiple-ride ticket) that can be used multiple times and shares a part of it with other users (lends it to other users). In such a case, it is desirable that there be benefits for both the user who lends the digital ticket (ticket lender), the user who borrows the digital ticket (ticket borrower), and the ticket issuer (operator such as a transportation company).

[0005] This disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a server that can provide benefits to both the lender of a digital ticket, the borrower of a digital ticket, and the issuer of a digital ticket.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A server relating to one aspect of this disclosure comprises a database in which digital tickets issued by an issuer are registered, and a processor that manages the lending and borrowing of digital tickets among multiple users. The processor accepts a request from a first user who owns a digital ticket to register the digital ticket in the database, requests a second user who wishes to borrow the digital ticket registered in the database to pay a usage fee for the digital ticket, and when the second user pays the usage fee, lends the digital ticket from the first user to the second user, distributes a portion of the usage fee to the first user, and distributes the remaining portion of the usage fee to the issuer.

[0007] In the server relating to one aspect of this disclosure, as described above, when a second user borrows a digital ticket registered in the server's database, usage fees are paid to both the first user and the issuer. This allows the second user to use the digital ticket by borrowing it from the first user. Furthermore, both the first user and the issuer can obtain financial benefits by lending the digital ticket to the second user. Thus, benefits can be provided to the lender of the digital ticket (first user), the borrower of the digital ticket (second user), and the issuer of the digital ticket.

[0008] In the server relating to the first aspect described above, preferably, the processor determines the usage fee according to at least one of the following: the supply and demand balance of digital tickets, the degree of congestion of facilities usable with digital tickets, the time of day when digital tickets are used, and the weather. With this configuration, the usage fee for digital tickets can be appropriately varied based on each of the above conditions. As a result, the usage fee can be set to an appropriate amount.

[0009] In this case, preferably, the processor increases the usage fee as the demand for digital tickets increases or as the facilities that can be used with digital tickets become more crowded. With this configuration, the demand for digital tickets can be reduced by increasing the usage fee when the demand is high. In addition, the increased usage fee when the facilities are crowded can prevent the stores from becoming even more crowded.

[0010] In the server relating to the first aspect described above, preferably, the processor recruits second users by publishing digital tickets registered in the database to application software or a bulletin board. With this configuration, second users can be recruited efficiently.

[0011] In this case, preferably, the processor restricts the scope of public access to the digital ticket for recruiting a second user to the scope specified by the first user. This configuration allows the digital ticket to be shared within a limited community, such as the first user's family or colleagues. Furthermore, the digital ticket can also be used for employee benefits.

[0012] This disclosure can benefit lenders of digital tickets, borrowers of digital tickets, and issuers of digital tickets. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a ticket management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the control of a ticket management system according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure shows the scope of information disclosure for soliciting borrowing of digital tickets according to one embodiment. [Figure 4]This figure shows the relationship between the demand for digital tickets and the usage fees for digital tickets according to one embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure shows the relationship between the level of congestion at stores where digital tickets can be used and the usage fee for digital tickets, according to a modified embodiment of one model. [Figure 6] This figure shows the relationship between time and the usage fee for a digital ticket, based on a modified example of one embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows the relationship between weather (probability of precipitation) and the usage fee for digital tickets, based on a modified version of one embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will not be repeated.

[0015] <Ticket Management System Configuration> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the ticket management system 1 according to the embodiment of this disclosure. The ticket management system 1 comprises a management server 100, a communication terminal 200 for user 210, a communication terminal 300 for user 310, and a server 400. Note that the management server 100 is an example of a "server" in this disclosure.

[0016] The management server 100 includes, for example, a processor 101, memory 102, a communication unit 103, and a database 104.

[0017] The processor 101 is a microprocessor such as a CPU or MPU. The processor 101 manages the lending and borrowing of the digital tickets 420, described later, among multiple users (for example, user 210 and user 310).

[0018] The memory 102 is a volatile memory such as a RAM. The processor 101 realizes various processes by expanding and executing a system program and a control program read from a storage (not shown) of the management server 100 in the memory 102.

[0019] The communication unit 103 includes a communication interface with a network such as the Internet. The communication unit 103 is configured to enable two-way communication with external devices (for example, communication terminals 200, 300, and server 400) of the management server 100.

[0020] The database 104 manages various data (for example, digital ticket 420 described later) handled in the ticket management system 1. The database 104 will be described in detail later.

[0021] The communication terminals 200 and 300 are terminals carried by users 210 and 310, respectively. For example, each of the communication terminals 200 and 300 is a smartphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, or the like. Note that each of the communication terminals 200 and 300 may be a non-portable communication terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer).

[0022] The server 400 is a server managed by an operator 410 (for example, a railway company) that sells digital tickets 420. The server 400 manages the sale of digital tickets 420. Note that the digital tickets 420 may be sold by a sales platform that handles various tickets.

[0023] User 210 purchases a digital ticket 420 from the service provider 410 using a communication terminal 200. For example, suppose user 210 purchases a digital ticket 420 that can be used multiple times (three times in Figure 1). In Figure 1, for convenience, the fact that the digital ticket 420 can be used three times is shown by three digital tickets 420. In the following explanation, the digital ticket 420 is shown as an example of a digital ticket with a limited number of uses, but the digital ticket 420 could also be a digital pass with a limited period of use.

[0024] Furthermore, let's assume that user 210 used the communication terminal 200 to register the three digital tickets 420 mentioned above in the database 104.

[0025] When the management server 100 receives a request to register a digital ticket 420 in the database 104, it makes the information available in the database 104 so that the registered digital ticket 420 can be lent to other users. The details of information disclosure will be described later.

[0026] Here, let's assume that user 310 wishes to borrow a digital ticket 420 registered in database 104 using communication terminal 300. Specifically, user 310 uses communication terminal 300 to send information to management server 100 indicating that they wish to borrow a digital ticket 420. For example, let's assume that user 310 wishes to borrow one of the three digital tickets 420 registered in database 104.

[0027] In this case, the processor 101 requests the user 310 to pay the usage fee for the digital ticket 420 via the communication unit 103. For example, the processor 101 may determine the usage fee to be lower than the fee for purchasing only one digital ticket 420 (for example, 2000 yen), but higher than the per-use fee when purchasing three digital tickets 420 (a booklet) (for example, 5000 yen / 3 = 1667 yen) (1800 yen in Figure 1). This would be financially beneficial to the user 310. Details of how the processor 101 determines the usage fee will be described later.

[0028] When user 310 pays the usage fee for the digital ticket 420, processor 101 lends the digital ticket 420 registered in database 104 to user 310. In other words, the digital ticket 420 is lent from user 210 to user 310.

[0029] Ideally, this arrangement should be beneficial to all parties involved: the user 210 lending out the digital ticket 420, the user 310 borrowing the digital ticket 420, and the business operator 410 issuing the ticket.

[0030] Therefore, in this embodiment, the processor 101 distributes a portion of the usage fee to the user 210 and the other portion to the service provider 410. This provides financial benefits to both the user 210 and the service provider 410. Furthermore, the user 310 benefits from being able to enjoy the digital ticket 420 only for the amount they wish to use. In addition, if there is no stock of digital ticket 420, the user 310 can use the digital ticket 420 by borrowing it from the user 210. This also benefits the user 310.

[0031] The amount paid to user 210 may be, for example, 90% of the fee paid by user 310. Similarly, the amount paid to service provider 410 may be, for example, 10% of the fee paid by user 310. Note that the distribution ratio of usage fees is not limited to the above examples.

[0032] <Ticket management system sequence> Next, with reference to Figures 2 to 4, the control sequence for lending and borrowing digital tickets 420 by the ticket management system 1 will be described.

[0033] In step S1, user 210, who will be the lender of the digital ticket 420, uses the communication terminal 200 to perform the process of purchasing the digital ticket 420 from the server 400 of business operator 410, who is the issuer of the digital ticket 420.

[0034] In step S2, the server 400 of the operator 410 assigns (sends) the digital ticket 420 to the communication terminal 200 of the user 210, in accordance with the processing in step S1.

[0035] In step S3, user 210 uses the communication terminal 200 to register the purchased digital ticket 420 in the database 104 of the management server 100.

[0036] In step S4, the management server 100 (processor 101) accepts the registration of the digital ticket 420 to the database 104 in accordance with the processing in step S3.

[0037] In step S5, user 210 uses the communication terminal 200 to specify the scope of public disclosure for soliciting borrowing of the digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104. For example, user 210 uses the communication terminal 200 to specify the identification number (telephone number, email address, etc.) of the communication terminal 300 that will disclose the above-mentioned solicitation information, and the attributes of user 310 that will disclose the above-mentioned solicitation information (place of employment, school, address, gender, age, etc.) to specify the scope of public disclosure.

[0038] In step S6, the processor 101 publishes information indicating that the digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104 is available for borrowing to the public scope specified in step S5. Specifically, the processor 101 publishes the digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104 to application software or a bulletin board available on the communication terminal 300 of the user 310 corresponding to the public scope. In the example shown in Figure 3, an image 320 indicating that the digital ticket 420 is available for borrowing is displayed on the display of the communication terminal 300 within the public scope (in the example shown in Figure 3, it displays "Ticket Available for Borrowing").

[0039] For example, the processor 101 may, through the communication unit 103, transmit only to the communication terminal 300 of the user 310 corresponding to the public access scope a password for accessing the application software or the bulletin board (or a password for obtaining a digital ticket 420 on the application software or the bulletin board).

[0040] In step S7, user 310 uses the communication terminal 300 to send information to the management server 100 indicating that they wish to borrow a digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104. At this time, user 310 specifies the range of digital tickets 420 registered in the database 104 that they wish to borrow. For example, user 310 may wish to borrow one digital ticket 420 out of three digital tickets 420 registered in the database. In other words, user 310 may wish to borrow only a portion of the digital tickets 420 registered in the database.

[0041] Furthermore, the digital ticket 420 may be a free pass or season ticket that can be used any number of times within a specified period, as described above. In this case, user 310 may send information to the management server 100 indicating the period, number of days, or time slot for which they wish to borrow the digital ticket 420, within the validity period of the digital ticket 420. In addition, when user 210 registers the digital ticket 420 in the database 104, it may be possible to specify the period during which the digital ticket 420 can be borrowed.

[0042] In step S8, the processor 101 determines the usage fee according to the supply and demand balance of the digital ticket 420. Specifically, the processor 101 sets a higher usage fee the greater the demand for the supply of the digital ticket 420. The processor 101 may also determine the usage fee for the digital ticket 420 before publishing it to the application software or bulletin board. In this case, the processor 101 may determine the usage fee according to the current or past supply and demand balance of the same or similar digital ticket.

[0043] Figure 4 is a graph showing the above usage fee in relation to the demand for digital tickets 420. Figure 4 illustrates an example where the above usage fee increases in a step-like manner as the demand for digital tickets 420 increases. However, the above usage fee may also increase linearly as the demand for digital tickets 420 increases.

[0044] Here, the processor 101 may set an upper limit on the above usage fee (see the dashed line in Figure 4). For example, the processor 101 may set an upper limit so that the above usage fee is less than the payment amount if the digital ticket 420 is purchased in the normal way (for example, if one digital ticket 420 is purchased through the server 400).

[0045] The processor 101 may also determine the magnitude of demand based on the number of people who have applied to use the digital ticket 420 relative to the number of people who can use the digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104. For example, if there are three digital tickets 420 registered in the database 104, the number of people who can use the digital ticket 420 is three. If the digital ticket 420 is a season ticket or a free pass, the number of people who can use it is one.

[0046] Referring again to Figure 2, in step S9, the processor 101 requests payment of the usage fee determined in step S8 from the user 310 via the communication unit 103.

[0047] In step S10, user 310 pays the usage fee requested in step S9 to the management server 100.

[0048] In step S11, the processor 101 distributes a portion of the usage fee paid in step S10 to the user 210. The processor 101 also distributes the remaining portion of the usage fee paid to the service provider 410 (server 400). The ratio of the amount distributed to the user 210 to the amount distributed to the service provider 410 may be changed as appropriate according to predetermined conditions (for example, the supply and demand balance of digital tickets 420), or it may be a fixed value. The amount distributed to the service provider 410 may also be a fixed amount.

[0049] As described above, in this embodiment, the processor 101 lends the digital ticket 420 from user 210 to user 310 when user 310, who wishes to borrow the digital ticket 420 registered in the database 104, pays the usage fee. The processor 101 also distributes a portion of the usage fee to user 210 and the other portion to the business operator 410. As a result, user 310, who wishes to use the digital ticket 420 temporarily, can benefit from being able to use it without purchasing the digital ticket 420. In addition, this provides financial benefits to both user 210 and business operator 410.

[0050] The above embodiment shows an example in which the usage fee for the digital ticket 420 is determined according to the supply and demand balance of the digital ticket 420, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the usage fee may be determined according to the degree of congestion of the facilities that can be used with the digital ticket 420. In the example shown in Figure 5, the usage fee increases in a step-like manner as the degree of congestion increases. The usage fee may also increase linearly according to the degree of congestion.

[0051] Furthermore, the degree of congestion may be determined based on the time period during which the digital ticket 420 is scheduled to be used by user 310. Alternatively, the degree of congestion may be determined based on events held around the facility. Furthermore, the degree of congestion may be determined based on the weather. Additionally, the degree of congestion may be determined by combining this information.

[0052] Furthermore, the above usage fee may be determined based on the time period during which the digital ticket 420 is scheduled to be used by user 310. In the example shown in Figure 6, the above usage fee is set higher during the morning commuting hours (e.g., 6:00 to 9:00) and the evening commuting hours (e.g., 17:00 to 21:00) compared to other time periods. This allows the above usage fee to be set relatively high during commuting hours when many people use public transportation. The above usage fee may also be set to change, for example, every hour.

[0053] Furthermore, the above usage fee may be determined based on the weather during the period in which the digital ticket 420 is used by the user 310. In the example shown in Figure 7, the above usage fee decreases linearly as the probability of precipitation increases. This makes it possible to set the above usage fee relatively low when the weather is bad and fewer people are going out. The above usage fee may also decrease in a step-like manner according to the probability of precipitation. In addition, the above usage fee may be determined according to changes in temperature. For example, the above usage fee may be lower when the temperature is high (e.g., 30°C or higher) or low (e.g., 5°C or lower).

[0054] The above embodiment shows an example where the scope of disclosure of information for soliciting borrowing of digital tickets 420 is limited, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. The scope does not have to be limited. For example, the above information may be disclosed to all users 310, while only users 310 within a specified range may be able to acquire digital tickets. Alternatively, all users 310 may be able to acquire digital tickets.

[0055] In the above embodiment, a digital ticket 420 usable on transportation services managed by a railway company, etc., was shown as an example, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the lending and borrowing of digital tickets usable at entertainment facilities such as amusement parks and live music venues may also be managed.

[0056] In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which user 310 borrows a portion of the digital tickets 420 registered in the database 104 (a portion of the tickets that can be used multiple times), but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, user 310 may borrow all of the digital tickets 420 registered in the database 104.

[0057] The above embodiment shows an example in which a digital ticket 420 that can be used multiple times is registered in the database 104, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. A digital ticket 420 that can be used only once may also be registered in the database 104.

[0058] Furthermore, the configurations (processes) of the above embodiments and each of the above modified examples may be combined with each other.

[0059] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of this disclosure is indicated by the claims rather than by the description of the embodiments above, and all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims are intended to be included. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 100 Servers (Management Server), 101 Processors, 104 Databases, 210 Users (First User), 310 Users (Second User), 410 Businesses (Issuers).

Claims

1. A server, A database in which digital tickets issued by the issuer are registered, A processor that manages the lending and borrowing of the aforementioned digital tickets among multiple users, The system comprises a communication unit capable of communicating with a first communication terminal of a first user who possesses the digital ticket, a second communication terminal of a second user who wishes to borrow the digital ticket, and a management server managed by the issuer, The aforementioned processor, The first communication terminal receives a request to register the digital ticket in the database. Information for soliciting borrowing of the digital tickets registered in the database is made public on application software or a bulletin board usable on the second communication terminal. When the communication unit receives information from the second communication terminal indicating a desire to borrow the digital ticket, it transmits information to the second communication terminal via the communication unit requesting payment of the usage fee for the digital ticket to the server. A portion of the usage fee paid by the second user to the server is distributed to the first user, and the remaining portion of the usage fee paid by the second user to the server is distributed to the issuer. A server that appropriately changes the ratio at which the usage fees are distributed to the first user and the issuer, based on predetermined conditions.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the processor appropriately changes the ratio in response to changes in the balance between the supply and demand of the digital tickets.

3. The server according to claim 2, wherein the processor obtains information regarding the balance based on the number of applications for the publicly available digital tickets relative to the number of digital tickets registered in the database.

4. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor increases the usage fee as the demand for the supply of the digital tickets increases, or as the facilities usable with the digital tickets become more crowded.

5. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor restricts the scope of public access to the digital ticket for recruiting the second user to the scope specified by the first user.

6. The server according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the processor determines the usage fee in accordance with the balance of current or past supply and demand for digital tickets identical or similar to the digital ticket before publishing the digital ticket.

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