Server control method, server, and server control program
The server system addresses the issue of guiding users to actual store vacancies by managing vacancy status notifications within limits, ensuring accurate availability guidance.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GURUNAVI
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-22
AI Technical Summary
Existing information providing systems fail to accurately guide users to available stores due to stores becoming unavailable despite availability information, leading to user disappointment.
A server system that maintains a store status table associating each store with vacancy information, receiving vacancy notifications, and sets availability status only if within certain limits, ensuring accurate guidance to available stores.
The system effectively guides users to stores with actual vacancies by limiting the duration and frequency of availability notifications, preventing false availability indications.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
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[0001] The present invention relates to a control method for a server connectable to a storage unit and a user terminal, a server, and a control program for the server.
Background Art
[0002] There is known an information providing system in which a server holds the vacancy status of a plurality of stores and provides information on stores in the current vacancy status to a user in response to a search request from the user.
[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes performing a search based on vacancy information input at a store and making a reservation at a store having a vacancy.
[0004] Also, Patent Document 2 describes that when performing a search based on vacancy information registered by a store terminal, a store where the degree to which the number of users exceeds the number of vacancies is below a reference value is also treated as available.
Prior Art Documents
[0008] The first control method for a server according to the present invention is: A method for controlling a server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The aforementioned storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates each store with status information indicating whether or not the store is vacant. The aforementioned server, The system includes store identification information that identifies each of the aforementioned stores, and receives an vacancy notification signal that indicates each store is vacant. Upon receiving the aforementioned availability notification signal, the status information of the store identified by the store identification information is set to available for a predetermined period of time. When a search request is received from a user terminal, the system includes extracting stores whose status information is set to "available" and sending this information to the user terminal. In the above setting, the status information is set to "available for a predetermined period of time" only if the number of times the availability notification signal, which includes store identification information that identifies each store, is received within a certain period of time does not exceed the upper limit. It is characterized by the following:
[0009] The second control method for a server according to the present invention is: A method for controlling a server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The aforementioned storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates each store with status information indicating whether or not the store is vacant. The aforementioned server, The system includes store identification information that identifies each of the aforementioned stores, and receives an vacancy notification signal that indicates each store is vacant. Upon receiving the vacancy status notification signal, the status information of the store specified by the store identification information is set to the vacancy status for a predetermined time. Upon receiving a search request from the user terminal, it includes extracting stores whose status information is set to the vacancy status and transmitting them to the user terminal. In the above setting, within a certain period, the status information is set to the vacancy status only when the total time during which the status information of each store is set to the vacancy status does not exceed the upper limit time. It is characterized by the above.
Effect of the Invention
[0010] According to the control method of the present invention, the information providing system can be controlled to appropriately guide the user to a store with a vacancy status.
Brief Explanation of the Drawings
[0011] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing the outline of an information providing system including a server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server. [Figure 3] It is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the user terminal. [Figure 4] It is a functional block diagram of the server. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of a store status table stored in the storage unit. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing an example of setting status information based on a vacancy status notification. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing different examples of setting status information based on a vacancy status notification. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing different examples of setting status information based on a vacancy status notification. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of setting status information based on a vacancy status notification and a cancellation notification. [Figure 10] It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a search request screen displayed on the user terminal. [Figure 11]It is a schematic diagram showing an example of a search result screen displayed on a user terminal. [Figure 12] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a search request based on a geographical range and a vacancy status setting. [Figure 13] It is a diagram for explaining an example of a vacancy status setting based on a vacancy status notification signal and a cancellation notification signal in a store corresponding to a specific geographical range. [Figure 14] It is a diagram for explaining an example of ranking in a store list. [Figure 15] It is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information providing system including a server according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] It is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a server. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of a store status table stored in a storage unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] It is a diagram showing an example of setting status information based on a vacancy status notification according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19] It is a diagram showing a different example of setting status information based on a vacancy status notification according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention
[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to those embodiments.
[0013] First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 14, an information providing system including a server according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information providing system including a server according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the information providing system 1, the server 2 is connected to the storage unit 3 and is connected to the user terminal 4 via the network 5. Further, the server 2 is connected to switches 7, 7' installed in stores 6, 6' via the network 5.
[0014] When switch 7 of store 6 (store A) and switch 7' of store 6' (store B) are operated, a notification signal indicating that the store is vacant is sent to server 2. In the information provision system including a server according to the first embodiment of the present invention, server 2 sets store 6 (store A), which has 2 remaining attempts, to a vacant state based on the number of notification signals indicating a vacant state that server 2 has received within a certain period, and does not set store 6' (store B), which has 0 remaining attempts, to a vacant state.
[0015] User terminal 4 requests server 2 to search for available stores with the content shown on search request screen 410, and displays search results screen 420 based on server 2's response. Search results screen 420 includes store 6 (store A) which is set to available, but does not include store 6' (store B) which is not set to available. The configuration of server 2 and user terminal 4 will be described later with reference to Figures 2 and 3. The search request screen 410 and search results screen 420 will also be described later with reference to Figures 10 and 11.
[0016] The storage unit 3 is a device capable of reading written data. The storage unit 3 is composed of non-volatile storage devices such as a hard disk drive or flash memory. In addition to the non-volatile storage devices, the storage unit 3 may also include storage unit control means for controlling the non-volatile storage devices. The storage unit control means can be configured, for example, in a computer equipped with a processor, memory, input / output interface, communication interface, etc., by executing a predetermined program on the processor. Furthermore, the storage unit 3 may be configured integrally with the server 2.
[0017] In this embodiment of the present invention, the storage unit 3 stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates each store with status information indicating whether or not the store is vacant. The store status table will be described later with reference to Figure 5.
[0018] Network 5 connects Server 2 and User Terminal 4 in a way that enables communication. Network 5 is, for example, the Internet, where communication is conducted using TCP / IP, and devices communicating via Network 5 are connected by wired or wireless connections. Wireless connections may be, for example, wireless LAN connections such as IEEE802.11ac, or wireless WAN connections such as 4G lines.
[0019] Store 6 is a facility capable of accommodating and providing services to visiting customers until it reaches its capacity, and may be, for example, a restaurant that provides food and beverage services. Store 6 may also be equipped with a store terminal (not shown) that is connected to the network 5 and can communicate with the server 2.
[0020] When switch 7 is operated, a notification signal is sent to server 2 that includes store identification information to identify each store 6 and notifies the status of that store 6. Switch 7 is a device that outputs a predetermined signal in response to user operation. Switch 7 may be a device equipped with an input unit that identifies user operation and a connection unit that can be directly connected to network 5. The connection unit may also be a device connection interface such as USB® that connects to a store terminal such as a personal computer installed in the store. Furthermore, switch 7 can also be configured by causing an information processing device such as a personal computer or smartphone connected to network 5 to output a predetermined signal in response to input such as a predetermined operation on a GUI component displayed on the screen, by executing predetermined software. Operation on switch 7 may be any operation that the input unit of switch 7 can identify, such as pressing a push button switch, tapping a predetermined area on a touch panel, or making a gesture to a camera. The notification signal may be transmitted from switch 7 connected to network 5, or from the store terminal to which switch 7 is connected.
[0021] The store identification information for each store included in the notification signal may be a unique store identifier for each store 6. Alternatively, the store identification information may be a unique switch identifier for each switch 7. For example, by referring to a switch-store table stored in the memory unit 3, which associates switch identifiers with store identifiers, the store identifier can be identified based on the switch identifier. In this way, a notification signal for each store is transmitted by operating the switch 7.
[0022] When switch 7 is operated, a notification signal (hereinafter also referred to as the "available status notification signal") is transmitted to indicate that store 6 is vacant. Alternatively, when switch 7 is operated, a notification signal (hereinafter referred to as the "cancellation notification signal") may be transmitted to cancel the available status notification signal. Preferably, the operation of switch 7 for transmitting the cancellation notification signal is different from the operation of switch 7 for transmitting the available status notification signal. Specifically, if the operation of switch 7 for transmitting the notification signal is a press of a push button switch, the cancellation notification signal may be transmitted in response to operations such as simultaneous pressing with the mode switching button, long pressing, or double-clicking.
[0023] In addition, a separate switch may be provided for sending a cancellation notification signal, in addition to the switch 7 for sending a free status notification signal. Furthermore, if the switch 7 is configured by executing predetermined software on an information processing device, the cancellation notification signal may be sent when a GUI component different from the GUI component that sends the free status notification signal is operated. If a switch is provided for sending a cancellation notification signal, the free status notification signal and the cancellation notification signal can be distinguished by having different status information (for example, one being true and the other false). Furthermore, if a separate switch is provided for sending a cancellation notification signal, in addition to the switch 7 that sends the free status notification signal, the switch identifier may be used to identify whether the notification signal is a free status notification signal or a cancellation notification signal.
[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of Server 2. Referring to Figure 2, Server 2 comprises a processor 21, main memory 22, storage 23, and a communication interface 24. Server 2 performs various processes by loading programs stored in storage 23 into main memory 22, having the processor 21 execute them, and controlling the communication interface 24.
[0025] The processor 21 is comprised of, for example, a CPU. The main memory 22 is comprised of, for example, volatile memory devices such as DRAM. The storage 23 is comprised of, for example, non-volatile memory devices such as a hard disk drive or flash memory. The communication interface 24 is, for example, a USB interface or a LAN interface, and provides connection to external devices.
[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of user terminal 4. Referring to Figure 3, user terminal 4 comprises a processor 41, main memory 42, storage 43, communication interface 44, input interface 45, and display 46. User terminal 4 performs various processes by loading programs stored in storage 43 into main memory 42, executing them with the processor 41, and controlling the communication interface 44 and input interface 45, and displays the processing results on the display 46.
[0027] The processor 41 is comprised of, for example, a CPU. The main memory 42 is comprised of, for example, volatile memory devices such as DRAM. The storage 43 is comprised of, for example, non-volatile memory devices such as a hard disk drive or flash memory. The communication interface 44 is, for example, a LAN interface or a WAN interface, and provides connection to external devices. The input interface 45 is, for example, a touch panel superimposed on the display 46, and accepts user input. The display 46 is, for example, a liquid crystal display panel, and displays the processing results of the processor 41 in a way that is visible to the user.
[0028] User terminal 4 can be configured as a personal computer, smartphone, tablet, etc., but is not limited to these. For example, a chip implanted in the user's body can be made to function as a user terminal by interacting with the user's body.
[0029] Next, the functions of Server 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 4. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram of Server 2. Referring to Figure 4, Server 2 is equipped with a notification receiving unit 201, a state setting unit 202, a search receiving unit 203, and an extraction and transmission unit 204 as functional blocks.
[0030] The notification receiving unit 201 receives a vacancy notification signal that includes store identification information to identify each store and notifies that each store is vacant. The notification receiving unit 201 can be configured by operating the processor 21 through the execution of a predetermined program and controlling the communication interface 24.
[0031] When the status setting unit 202 receives an vacancy notification signal, it sets the status information of the store identified by the store identification information to a predetermined time vacancy state.
[0032] The status setting unit 202 further sets the status information to a predetermined time-free state only if the number of notification signals received for each store within a certain period does not exceed the upper limit. In other words, if the number of notification signals received for each store within a certain period exceeds the upper limit, the status information for that store will not be set to a free state, even if a notification signal for that store is received within that period.
[0033] The status setting unit 202 operates in this manner, limiting the number of times it notifies the availability status for each store.
[0034] The state setting unit 202 can be configured by operating the processor 21 through the execution of a predetermined program and controlling the communication interface 24.
[0035] The search receiving unit 203 receives search requests from the user terminal 4. The search receiving unit 203 can be configured by operating the processor 21 through the execution of a predetermined program and controlling the communication interface 24.
[0036] The extraction and transmission unit 204 extracts stores whose status information is set to "available" and transmits them to the user terminal 4. The extraction and transmission unit 204 can be configured by operating the processor 21 through the execution of a predetermined program and controlling the communication interface 24.
[0037] Furthermore, by adopting the hardware configuration described above, status information from multiple stores can be centrally collected on server 2, enabling efficient information processing.
[0038] Next, with reference to Figure 5, the store status table stored in the storage unit 3 will be described. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a store status table stored in the storage unit 3. As shown in Figure 5, in the store status table, for each of the multiple stores, an identifier for each store and status information indicating whether the store is vacant or not are associated.
[0039] Specifically, in Figure 5, for store A, the identifier "1111" is associated with the status information "available", for store B, the identifier "2222" is associated with the status information "", and for store C, the identifier "3333" is associated with the status information "available".
[0040] The identifier is information used to uniquely identify the store whose status information is being notified by the notification signal. By using the identifier included in the received notification signal, Server 2 can identify which store's status information the notification signal is notifying.
[0041] Status information indicates whether a store is vacant or not. In the example in Figure 5, the status information for a vacant store is stored as the string "vacant," while the status information for a non-vacant store is blank. However, the information stored in status information is not limited to this; for example, the status information for a vacant store may be stored as "true," and the status information for a non-vacant store may be stored as "false." It is sufficient as long as it is possible to distinguish between vacant and non-vacant stores. In this specification, setting the status information of a store to indicate that it is vacant is referred to as "setting it to vacant." The setting of vacant status will be explained separately in detail with reference to Figure 6-8.
[0042] Furthermore, in the store status table, as shown in Figure 5, store A may be associated with location "Region P", available time "30 minutes", and remaining uses "2", store B with location "Region P", available time "", and remaining uses "0", and store C with location "Region P", available time "15 minutes", and remaining uses "1".
[0043] Location refers to information indicating the store's location. As illustrated in Figure 5, this may be information that specifies a geographical area including the store's location, or it may be location information that specifies the store's location using latitude and longitude, etc.
[0044] "Available time" refers to information indicating the time remaining until a store that is currently set to be available is no longer available. As illustrated in Figure 5, the time until the store is no longer available may be stored as the available time, or the time when the store is no longer available (for example, "20:30") may be stored as the available time.
[0045] Furthermore, while the vacancy times for stores that are not vacant are blank in the example in Figure 5, the vacancy time from the previous time it was vacant (for example, "19:00") may be stored.
[0046] The remaining number of times refers to the number of times each store's status information can be set to "available". The remaining number of times can be calculated by subtracting the number of times notification signals for a store have been received within a certain period (e.g., 12 hours), which is stored separately, from an upper limit (e.g., 3 times) that indicates the maximum number of times the status information for each store can be set to "available" when a notification signal for that store is received. In the example in Figure 5, the remaining number of times is stored as the difference between the upper limit and the number of times the notification signal has been received, but it is also possible to store the number of times the notification signal has been received within a certain period as the remaining number of times and subtract it from the upper limit as needed.
[0047] Figure 6 shows an example of setting status information based on availability notifications. Figure 6(a) shows the state in which Server 2 has received a notification signal for Store A. Server 2 has not received any notification signals for Store A within a certain period of time (e.g., 12 hours) up to the present. Since the number of times notification signals have been received does not exceed the upper limit (e.g., 3), Server 2 sets the status information for Store A to available for a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes) and decreases the remaining number of times for Store A by 1.
[0048] Figure 6(b) shows the state in which Server 2 has received a notification signal for Store B. Server 2 has received three notification signals for Store B within a certain period up to the present. Since this fourth reception exceeds the upper limit of 3 in this example, Server 2 does not set the status information of Store A to "available".
[0049] Figure 7 shows different examples of setting status information based on availability notifications. Server 2 changes the predetermined time for setting each store's status information to available, according to the remaining number of times it can be set to available.
[0050] Figure 7(a) shows the state in which Server 2 has received a notification signal for Store A. Server 2 has not received any notification signals for Store A within the current period, and the number of notifications has not exceeded the upper limit of 3 in this example, so the status information for Store A is set to "available" for a predetermined time. With the receipt of this notification signal, the remaining number of times that can be set to "available" decreases from 3 to 2.
[0051] Figure 7(b) shows the state in which Server 2 has received a notification signal for Store B. Server 2 has received two notification signals for Store B within a certain period up to the present, and since the limit is 3 in this example, the remaining number of signals is 1. This third reception does not exceed the limit of 3 in this example, so Server 2 sets the status information of Store B to available. With this notification signal reception, the remaining number of times that can be set to available decreases from 1 to 0.
[0052] In the example in Figure 7, store A has 2 remaining attempts to be set to an available state, and store B has 0. Server 2 may change the predetermined time set to an available state according to these remaining attempts. In the example in Figure 7, store A, with 2 attempts remaining, is set to an available state for 30 minutes, and store B, with 0 attempts remaining, is set to an available state for 45 minutes. The change in the predetermined time according to the remaining attempts is not limited to this; for example, store A, with 2 attempts remaining, may be set to an available state for 45 minutes, and store B, with 0 attempts remaining, may be set to an available state for 30 minutes.
[0053] Figure 8 shows different examples of setting status information based on availability notifications. Server 2 changes the predetermined time set to the availability status depending on the time period during which the notification signal was received.
[0054] Figure 8 shows the state when Server 2 receives an availability notification signal for Store A. Server 2 receives notification signals for Store A at 18:00 and 20:00. In this example, if a notification signal is received between 17:00 and 19:00, the store is set to be available for 45 minutes. Therefore, the notification received at 18:00 is set to be available for 45 minutes, and the notification received at 20:00 is set to be available for 30 minutes. In this way, Server 2 sets the predetermined time for setting a store to be available for notification signals received during a predetermined time period to be longer or shorter than the predetermined time for setting a store to be available for notification signals received during other time periods.
[0055] Figure 9 shows an example of setting status information based on availability notifications and cancellation notifications.
[0056] Figure 9(a) shows the state after Server 2 has received both an availability notification signal and a cancellation notification signal for Store A, and then received another availability notification signal for Store A. At this time, Server 2 changes the predetermined time for setting Store A as available based on the later received availability notification signal from the predetermined time for setting Store A as available based on the availability notification signal before the cancellation notification signal. In the example in Figure 9(a), Server 2 sets the time for setting Store A as available based on the later received availability notification signal to 15 minutes, which is shorter than the 30 minutes for setting Store A as available based on the availability notification signal before the cancellation notification signal.
[0057] Figure 9(b) shows the state in which Server 2 has received multiple vacancy notification signals and cancellation notification signals for Store A, and then received a vacancy notification signal for Store A. At this time, Server 2 sets the average time from receiving the vacancy notification signal to receiving the cancellation notification signal that cancels the vacancy status set based on the vacancy notification signal to a predetermined time for Store A.
[0058] Specifically, in the example in Figure 9(b), the time from receiving the first available status notification signal to receiving the first cancellation notification signal that cancels it is t1. Also, the time from receiving the second available status notification signal to receiving the second cancellation notification signal that cancels it is t2. Server 2 sets the average of these times, (t1+t2) / 2, as the predetermined time for store A. When setting the store to available status based on the last received available status notification signal, the status information for store A is set to available status for a period of (t1+t2) / 2.
[0059] This approach allows for the control of status information based on the seat turnover rate at each store. If a store is set to "available" but becomes full, customers who come to the store after seeing the search results indicating availability will be made to wait, which is undesirable. By controlling status information based on the seat turnover rate at each store in this way, the "available" status will end at an appropriate length based on the store's past performance, without the store having to monitor the situation inside the store and manually send cancellation notifications.
[0060] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a search request screen displayed on the user terminal 4. Referring to Figure 10, the user terminal 4 displays a search request screen 410, which includes a search request instruction button 411.
[0061] When the user operates the search request instruction button 411, the user terminal 4 sends a search request to the server 2 based on the selected search criteria.
[0062] In this specification, "button" includes GUIs in general. The search request instruction button 411 does not need to be a physical button, nor does it need to have the appearance of corresponding to a physical button press when selected.
[0063] Therefore, the search request instruction button 411 can be configured by a GUI and can be operated by tapping a predetermined area on a touch panel superimposed on the display 46.
[0064] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a search results screen 420 displayed on the user terminal 4. Referring to Figure 11, the user terminal 4 displays a search results screen 420 that includes a store list 421 displaying a list of extracted stores. The store list 421 contains information 422 for each store.
[0065] The store information 422 preferably includes information that helps the user decide which store to visit from among the stores displayed in the store list 421. In the example in Figure 11, the store information 422 displays a link to a store map and the store's characteristics, but it is not limited to this.
[0066] Figure 12 illustrates an example of a search request and availability status setting based on geographical range. Referring to Figure 12, user terminal 4 sends a search request specifying region P as the geographical range. Server 2 extracts store B, which corresponds to region P, from stores B, F, and G whose status information is set to available, and sends it to user terminal 4 as a search result.
[0067] The geographical range specified in the search request only needs to be one that corresponds to the location associated with each store in the store status table. In the example of the store status table shown in Figure 5 and the search request shown in Figure 12, the correspondence is made by matching the region name "Region P". In addition, for store tables where location information that identifies the store's location using latitude and longitude is associated as the store's location, the geographical range may also be specified using latitude and longitude, for example, "within 200m of the current location of user terminal 4". Furthermore, user terminal 4 can specify the geographical range using a region name in the search request, and server 2 can use a predetermined database to convert the specified region name into a range specification using latitude and longitude.
[0068] Server 2 may transmit status information of other stores located within a predetermined distance from the location of a given store to that store. In the example in Figure 12, Server 2 transmits status information of other stores B, C, and D located in the same area P to store A. Store staff can refer to the status information of nearby stores transmitted in this way and decide when to notify the availability status of their own store.
[0069] When Server 2 receives a notification signal containing the identifier of a store corresponding to a specific geographical area, it may change the predetermined time for setting a store located in a specific geographical area to be available. In the example in Figure 12, when Server 2 receives a notification signal containing the identifier of store A corresponding to region P, which is a specific geographical area, it changes the predetermined time for setting the store to be available from 30 minutes to 45 minutes. On the other hand, when Server 2 receives a notification signal containing the identifier of store E, which does not correspond to a specific geographical area, it does not change the predetermined time and sets store E to be available for 30 minutes. The change in the predetermined time is not limited to this example, and the predetermined time may be shortened for stores corresponding to a specific geographical area.
[0070] Figure 13 illustrates an example of setting availability status based on availability notification signals and cancellation notification signals for stores corresponding to a specific geographical area. Referring to Figure 13, stores A, B, C, and D correspond to a specific geographical area, for example, within region P. When server 2 receives a predetermined number of cancellation notification signals from a predetermined number of stores corresponding to a specific geographical area, notifying a request to cancel the setting of a store that has received an availability notification signal to be available, it sets the average time from the receipt of the availability notification signal to the receipt of the cancellation notification signal for each store as a predetermined time for stores corresponding to the specific geographical area.
[0071] Specifically, Server 2 receives an available status notification signal for Store A and a cancellation notification signal after time ta. Similarly, for Stores B and C, the time between receiving the available status notification signal and the cancellation notification signal is tb and tc, respectively. In other words, Server 2 has received both the available status notification signal and the corresponding cancellation notification signal from the three stores A, B, and C corresponding to Region P. Here, if the predetermined number is 3, then since signals have been received from more than the predetermined number of stores, the average time between receiving the available status notification signal and the cancellation notification signal for each store, i.e., (ta + tb + tc) / 3, is set as the predetermined time for the stores corresponding to Region P. Therefore, the time for which Store D is set as available based on the available status notification signal is (ta + tb + tc) / 3.
[0072] This approach allows you to set times when the space will be available, reflecting congestion levels specific to the region (for example, after an event has ended).
[0073] If multiple stores with status information set to "available" are extracted on server 2, it is preferable to send a list of stores ranked according to predetermined criteria to user terminal 4. Figure 14 illustrates an example of ranking in the store list.
[0074] Figure 14(a) shows an example of ranking when multiple stores with different availability times are extracted as search results. Store A is set to be available for 30 minutes based on a notification signal 5 minutes prior, and has 25 minutes of availability when the search request is received from user terminal 4. Store B is set to be available for 30 minutes based on a notification signal 15 minutes prior, and has 15 minutes of availability when the search request is received from user terminal 4. In the example in Figure 14(a), stores A and B are extracted for the search request because they are set to be available when the search request is received.
[0075] Server 2 may determine the order in which the extracted stores are displayed in the store list, based on the available time, which indicates the time remaining until the status information set to "available" is no longer available. In the example in Figure 14(a), the available times for extracted stores A and B are 25 minutes and 15 minutes, respectively. Based on this available time, in the example in Figure 14(a), the order in which stores are displayed in the store list is such that store B, with its shorter available time, is displayed higher, and store A, with its longer available time, is displayed lower. The determination of the order based on remaining time is not limited to this; for example, stores with longer available times may be displayed higher.
[0076] Figure 14(b) shows an example of setting and ranking the availability status of stores based on the number of times notification signals have been received within a predetermined period. Store A has received a notification signal once within the predetermined period. Store B has received a notification signal three times within the predetermined period.
[0077] Server 2 may increase the predetermined time for setting a particular store as available and increase its ranking in the store list if it receives a notification signal from that store more times during a predetermined period. In the example in Figure 14(b), the time for setting store B, which receives a notification signal more times during the predetermined period, as available is set to 45 minutes, which is longer than the 30 minutes for setting store A, which receives a notification signal less often, as available. In addition, the ranking in the display of store B, which receives a notification signal more times during the predetermined period, is increased compared to store A, which receives a notification signal less often.
[0078] As described above, by controlling Server 2 by executing a predetermined program, the number of times availability is notified is limited for each store, so the information provision system 1 can appropriately guide users to stores with availability.
[0079] Next, an information provision system including a server according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 15 to 19. Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information provision system including a server according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In describing the second embodiment, parts common to the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.
[0080] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of an information provision system including a server according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The information provision system 20 according to the second embodiment and the information provision system according to the first embodiment have similar configurations, and the server 21 responds to a request to search for available stores from the user terminal 4 by referring to the status information of each store set based on a notification signal for the store 6. However, the server 21 differs from the first embodiment in that it controls the setting of the status information of each store to available based on the availability notification signal for the store 6 only if the total time that each store's status information is set to available within a certain period does not exceed an upper limit. The configuration and operation related to this difference will be described below.
[0081] Figure 16 is a functional block diagram of the server 21 according to the second embodiment. Referring to Figure 16, the server 21 includes a notification receiving unit 201, a state setting unit 212, a search receiving unit 203, and an extraction and transmission unit 204 as functional blocks. The notification receiving unit 201, the search receiving unit 203, and the extraction and transmission unit 204 are the same as the functional blocks included in the server 2 according to the first embodiment, so their explanation is omitted.
[0082] When the status setting unit 212 receives a notification signal, it sets the status information of the store corresponding to the identifier included in the notification signal to a state of being available for a predetermined period of time.
[0083] The status setting unit 212 further sets the status information to "available for a predetermined period of time" only if the total time that each store's status information is set to "available" within a certain period does not exceed the upper limit. In other words, if the time that each store is set to "available" based on the notification signal exceeds the upper limit within a certain period, even if a notification signal is received from that store within that period, the status information for that store will not be set to "available."
[0084] The state setting unit 212 operates in this manner, limiting the time that each store is set to be in an available state.
[0085] Next, with reference to Figure 17, the store status table stored in the storage unit 3 in the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of a store status table stored in the storage unit 3 in the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 17, in the store status table, for each of the multiple stores, an identifier for each store and status information indicating whether or not the store is vacant are associated.
[0086] The store status table in the second embodiment differs from the store status table in the first embodiment in that, instead of the number of remaining times that each store's status information can be set to "available," the remaining time that each store's status information can be set to "available" is associated with the store status information.
[0087] In the example in Figure 17, the remaining time is associated with "90 minutes" for store A, "0 minutes" for store B, and "60 minutes" for store C. The remaining count can be calculated by subtracting the total time spent in the "available" state for each store within a certain period (e.g., 12 hours) from an upper limit time (e.g., 90 minutes) that indicates the upper limit of the total time spent in the "available" state in response to notification signals received within that period. In the example in Figure 17, the remaining count is stored as the difference between the upper limit and the number of times notification signals have been received. However, the total time spent in the "available" state within a certain period may be stored as the remaining time and subtracted from the upper limit time as needed.
[0088] Figure 18 shows an example of setting status information based on availability notifications. Figure 18(a) shows the state in which Server 2 has received a notification signal for Store A. Server 2 has not received a notification signal for Store A within a certain period up to the present (e.g., 12 hours) and is not set to available status. Since the total time set to available status does not exceed the upper limit (e.g., 90 minutes), Server 2 sets the status information for Store A to available status for a predetermined time (e.g., 30 minutes).
[0089] Figure 18(b) shows the state in which Server 2 has received a notification signal for Store B. Within a certain period up to the present, Server 2 has received notification signals for Store B three times and set each of them to an available state for 30 minutes. The total of the available time exceeds the upper limit of 90 minutes in this example, and the remaining time is 0, so Server 2 does not set the status information for Store A to available.
[0090] Figure 19 is a diagram showing a different example of setting status information based on availability notification according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the server 21 changes a predetermined time to set each store's status information to available, according to the remaining time that can be set to available.
[0091] Figure 19 shows the state when Server 2 receives a notification signal for Store A. Server 2 has received three notification signals for Store A within a certain period up to the present. At the time of the first notification signal, the remaining time is the upper limit of 90 minutes. Based on the first notification signal, the store is set to be 30 minutes available. At the time of the second notification signal, the remaining time is 60 minutes (upper limit minus 30 minutes). Based on the second notification signal, the store is set to be 30 minutes available.
[0092] At the time of the third notification signal, the remaining time is 30 minutes, which is the previous remaining time minus 30 minutes. In this example, when the remaining time is 30 minutes or less, the predetermined time for that store is changed, and store A is set to be available for 15 minutes. The change in the predetermined time for setting each store to be available, depending on the remaining time that allows each store to be set to be available, is not limited to this example.
[0093] Furthermore, the control based on store location, the control based on cancellation notification signals, and the control determining the display order in the store list, as described in the first embodiment, can also be applied in the second embodiment.
[0094] As described above, by executing a predetermined program on server 21 to control server 21, the information provision system 20 can appropriately guide users to stores that are in an available state, since the time that can be set to an available state is limited for each store.
[0095] This specification describes two embodiments of the present invention that solve the problem of appropriately guiding users to available stores: a first embodiment in which the number of times availability is notified is limited for each store, and a second embodiment in which the time that can be set as available is limited for each store. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]
[0096] 1.20 Information Provision System 2, 21 Servers 3 Storage section 4. User terminals 5 Network 6, 6′ Store 7, 7' switch 410 Search Request Screen 411 Search Request Button 420 Search Results Screen List of 421 stores Information on 422 stores
Claims
1. A method for controlling a server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates status information indicating the availability status of each store with the availability time, which indicates the time until the status information set to availability is no longer available. The aforementioned server, The system includes store identification information that identifies each of the aforementioned stores, and receives an availability notification signal that notifies the availability status of each store. The status information associated with the store from which the aforementioned vacancy notification signal was received is set to a vacant state for a predetermined period of time based on the information regarding the aforementioned vacancy notification signal received from the store within a certain period up to the present. A server control method that, upon receiving a search request for available stores from a user terminal, extracts the available stores from the plurality of stores based on the time when they will no longer be available, and sends the available stores to the user terminal in an order corresponding to the length of their availability.
2. The control method according to Claim 1, wherein the transmission is made to the user terminal such that stores that are available are displayed higher in the list of stores with longer available periods.
3. A server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates status information indicating the availability status of each store with the availability time, which indicates the time until the status information set to availability is no longer available. A notification receiving unit that includes store identification information to identify each of the aforementioned stores and receives an availability notification signal to notify the availability status of each store, A status setting unit sets the status information associated with the store from which the aforementioned availability notification signal was received to an available state for a predetermined period of time based on information regarding the availability notification signal received from the store within a certain period of time up to the present. A search receiving unit that receives a search request for available stores from a user terminal, A server comprising: an extraction and transmission unit that extracts the stores that are currently available from the plurality of stores based on the time at which they cease to be available, and transmits these to the user terminal so that the stores that are currently available are displayed in an order corresponding to the length of their availability.
4. A control program for a server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates status information indicating the availability status of each store with the availability time, which indicates the time until the status information set to availability is no longer available. To the aforementioned server, The system includes store identification information that identifies each of the aforementioned stores, and receives an availability notification signal that notifies the availability status of each store. The status information associated with the store from which the aforementioned vacancy notification signal was received is set to a vacant state for a predetermined period of time based on the information regarding the aforementioned vacancy notification signal received from the store within a certain period up to the present. The user terminal receives a request to search for available stores. A control program that extracts the stores that are currently available from the plurality of stores based on the time when they will no longer be available, and sends these to the user terminal so that the stores that are currently available are displayed in an order corresponding to the length of their availability.
5. A method for controlling a server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates status information indicating the availability status of each store with the availability time, which indicates the time until the status information set to availability is no longer available. The aforementioned server, The system includes store identification information that identifies each of the aforementioned stores, and receives an availability notification signal that notifies the availability status of each store. The status information associated with the store from which the aforementioned vacancy notification signal was received is set to a vacant state for a predetermined period of time based on the information regarding the aforementioned vacancy notification signal received from the store within a certain period up to the present. A server control method that, upon receiving a search request for available stores from a user terminal, extracts the available stores from the plurality of stores based on the time at which they cease to be available, and transmits these to the user terminal so that the available stores are displayed in an order corresponding to the time at which they received the availability notification signal.
6. A server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates status information indicating the availability status of each store with the availability time, which indicates the time until the status information set to availability is no longer available. A notification receiving unit that includes store identification information to identify each of the aforementioned stores and receives an availability notification signal to notify the availability status of each store, A status setting unit sets the status information associated with the store from which the aforementioned availability notification signal was received to a state of availability for a predetermined period of time based on the information regarding the availability notification signal received from the store within a certain period of time. A search receiving unit that receives a search request for available stores from a user terminal, An extraction and transmission unit extracts the stores that are currently available from the plurality of stores based on the time when they cease to be available, and transmits these to the user terminal so that the stores that are currently available are displayed in an order corresponding to the time when the store received the availability notification signal. A server equipped with the following features.
7. A control program for a server that can connect to a storage unit and a user terminal, The storage unit stores a store status table for each of the multiple stores, which associates status information indicating the availability status of each store with the availability time, which indicates the time until the status information set to availability is no longer available. To the aforementioned server, The system includes store identification information that identifies each of the aforementioned stores, and receives an availability notification signal that notifies the availability status of each store. The status information associated with the store from which the aforementioned vacancy notification signal was received is set to a vacant state for a predetermined period of time based on the information regarding the aforementioned vacancy notification signal received from the store within a certain period up to the present. When a search request for available stores is received from a user terminal, the system extracts the available stores from the multiple stores based on the time when they will no longer be available, and transmits these to the user terminal in an order corresponding to the time when the available store notification signal was received. A control program that executes a task.