System and program

Abstract

The present invention is a system comprising one or more computers. The present invention solves the problem that there are a plurality of travel commodities the prices of which vary with the lapse of time. A control circuit of the one or more computers acquires transaction request information including information on a travel commodity selected by a user from a plurality of travel commodities the prices of which change over time, stores association information in which the price of a travel commodity included in the transaction request information at the timing when the transaction request information is acquired and the user are associated with each other, and performs reservation processing of the travel commodity according to the price indicated by the association information when reservation information is acquired that indicates that the user performs reservation processing of the travel commodity included in the transaction request information.

Description

System and Program

[0001] The present invention relates to a system and a program.

[0002] A known example of an invention relating to a conventional system is a reservation reception device described in Patent Document 1. The reservation reception device includes a reservation reception unit that generates reservation screen information for accepting input of train reservation information for reserving train fare tickets for the outbound and return journeys of a travel product and accommodation reservation information for reserving accommodation for the travel product, transmits the information to a terminal device, receives the train reservation information and accommodation reservation information input according to the reservation screen information from the terminal device, transmits the train reservation information to a seat reservation management server to reserve the train fare tickets, and transmits the accommodation reservation information to an accommodation management server to reserve the accommodation.

[0003] Such a reservation reception device can make reservations for train tickets and accommodations together as part of a travel product without going through a sales counter.

[0004] Patent Document 1 Patent No. 5918842

[0005] After searching for a travel product, a user considers whether or not to book that travel product. However, the price of a travel product fluctuates over time. Therefore, the price of a travel product when a user searches for a travel product may be higher than the price of the travel product when the user completes the reservation process. In such cases, the user may hesitate to purchase the travel product.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a system and program that allows users to easily purchase travel products that change over time.

[0007] The first form is a system comprising one or more computers, in which there are a plurality of travel products whose prices fluctuate over time, and the control circuit of the one or more computers acquires transaction request information including information on a travel product selected by a user from the plurality of travel products whose prices fluctuate over time, stores association information associating the user with the price of the travel product included in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information is acquired, and, when reservation information indicating that the user will make a reservation for the travel product included in the transaction request information is acquired, processes the reservation for the travel product at the price indicated by the association information.

[0008] A second embodiment is a system described in the first embodiment, in which the one or more computers include a server and a terminal, and after processing to store the association information, the control circuit of the server transmits notification information to the terminal via a transmission circuit indicating that the travel product can be booked within a specified period at the price indicated by the association information.

[0009] A third aspect is a system described in the second aspect, in which the notification information indicates that if the travel product indicated in the transaction request information is sold out even within the specified period, the travel product cannot be booked at the price indicated in the association information.

[0010] A fourth embodiment is a system according to any one of the first to third embodiments, wherein the one or more computers include a server and a terminal, the memory circuit of the server stores stock information indicating the stock quantities of the plurality of travel products, and the control circuit of the server, when acquiring the reservation information, processes the reservation for the travel product if the stock quantity of the travel product included in the transaction request information is equal to or greater than the number of people desired by the user.

[0011] A fifth aspect is a system described in the fourth aspect, wherein, in the travel product reservation process, the control circuit of the server subtracts the number of people for whom the user wishes to process the reservation from the inventory quantity of the travel product included in the transaction request information.

[0012] A sixth aspect is a system described in the fourth or fifth aspect, in which the control circuit of the server performs a process of acquiring the transaction request information and also performs a settlement process for at least a portion of the fee for the travel product in accordance with request information from the terminal, and when performing a process of acquiring the transaction request information and also performing a settlement process for a portion of the fee for the travel product, the control circuit subtracts the number of people for whom the user wishes to process a reservation from the inventory quantity of the travel product included in the transaction request information.

[0013] A seventh aspect is a system described in any of the first to sixth aspects, wherein, in the travel product reservation process, the control circuit of the one or more computers performs payment processing for the travel product fee based on the price indicated by the association information.

[0014] The eighth aspect is a system described in any of the first to seventh aspects, in which if the number of travel products in stock is less than the number of people for whom the user wishes to process the reservation, the control circuit of the one or more computers does not process the reservation for the travel product.

[0015] A ninth aspect is a system described in any of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the one or more computers include a server and a terminal, the memory circuit of the server stores inventory information indicating the inventory quantities of the plurality of travel products, and the control circuit of the server does not reduce the inventory quantities of the travel products included in the transaction request information in the process of storing the association information.

[0016] A tenth aspect is a system described in any of the first to ninth aspects, wherein the control circuit of the one or more computers does not process the reservation of the travel product at the price indicated by the association information after a predetermined period has elapsed since the transaction request information was acquired.

[0017] An eleventh aspect is a system described in any of the first to tenth aspects, wherein the memory circuit of the one or more computers stores price information regarding the prices of multiple travel products that change over time, and the control circuit of the server acquires selected price information indicating the price of the travel product included in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information is acquired based on the price information, and stores the association information associating the price indicated by the selected price information with the user.

[0018] A twelfth form is a program executed on a terminal, in which there are multiple travel products whose prices change over time, and the program causes a control circuit of the terminal to transmit, via a transmission circuit, transaction request information to a server, the transaction request information including a travel product selected by a user from the multiple travel products whose prices change over time, and to transmit, via the transmission circuit, reservation information to the server, indicating that the user will make a reservation for the travel product included in the transaction request information, based on the price at the time the server acquires the transaction request information.

[0019] A thirteenth aspect is a program according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the program causes the control circuit of the terminal to display a notification image on a display, the notification image stating that the travel product can be booked within a specified period at the price at the time when the server acquires the transaction request information.

[0020] A fourteenth aspect is the program described in the thirteenth aspect, in which the notification video describes that if the travel product indicated in the transaction request information is sold out even within the specified period, the travel product cannot be booked at the price at the time the server acquires the transaction request information.

[0021] According to the present disclosure, it is easy for users to purchase travel products that change over time.

[0022] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the system 1. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the user terminal 10. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the server 110. FIG. 4 is an image displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. 5 is an image displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. 6 is an image displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. 7 is an image displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. 8 is an image displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. 9 is an image displayed by the user terminal 10. FIG. 10 is an airline flight table showing information about flights for travel product A. FIG. 11 is a hotel table showing information about hotels for travel product A. FIG. 12 is a price keep table. FIG. 13 is a flowchart executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110. FIG. 14 is a flowchart executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110. FIG. 15 is a flowchart executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110. FIG. 16 is a flowchart executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110.

[0023] (Embodiment) A system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0024] [System Structure] First, the overall configuration of the system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the system 1. Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the user terminal 10. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of the server 110.

[0025] 1 includes a user terminal 10 (one or more computer terminals) and a server 110 (one or more computers). The user terminal 10 and the server 110 can communicate with each other via a communication network. The network may be the Internet, an intranet, or the like.

[0026] The user terminal 10 is a computer. The user terminal 10 is an information processing device used by a user X. The user terminal 10 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer. As shown in FIG. 2 , the user terminal 10 includes a control circuit 12, a memory circuit 14, a network interface 16, a graphics processing unit 18, a display 20, an operation unit 26, and a touch panel 28.

[0027] The memory circuitry 14 is a circuit that stores programs and data, and is, for example, a combination of a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a storage (for example, a flash memory or a hard disk).

[0028] The programs include, for example, the following programs: - OS (Operating System) programs - Applications that execute information processing (for example, a web browser or a target application described later) programs

[0029] The data includes, for example, the following data: Databases referenced in information processing Data obtained by executing information processing (i.e., execution results of information processing)

[0030] The control circuit 12 is a circuit (circuitry) that realizes the functions of the user terminal 10 by executing the program stored in the memory circuitry 14. The control circuit 12 is, for example, at least one of the following: - CPU (Central Processing Unit) - GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) - ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) - FPGA (Field Programmable Array)

[0031] The control circuit 12 includes a transaction request information transmitting unit 30, a reservation information transmitting unit 32, and a display control circuit 34 as functional blocks.

[0032] The network interface 16 controls communication between the user terminal 10 and an external device, which is a server 110.

[0033] The graphics processing unit 18 displays an image on the display 20 based on the image data generated by the control circuit 12. The display 20 is a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display.

[0034] The operation unit 26 generates an operation signal based on an operation by the user X on the touch panel 28 , and outputs the operation signal to the control circuit 12 .

[0035] It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the cooperation of the hardware resources and software illustrated above enables the user terminal 10 to function as desired means, execute desired steps, and realize desired functions.

[0036] The system 1 may include a plurality of user terminals 10 .

[0037] The server 110 is a computer. The server 110 is a web server that stores web page data. As shown in FIG. 3 , the server 110 includes a control circuit 112, a memory circuit 114, and a network interface 116.

[0038] The memory circuitry 114 stores programs and data and is, for example, a combination of a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), and a storage device (for example, a flash memory or a hard disk).

[0039] The control circuit 112 executes the programs stored in the memory circuit 114 to realize the functions of the server 110. The control circuit 112 is, for example, at least one of the following: - CPU (Central Processing Unit) - GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) - ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) - FPGA (Field Programmable Array)

[0040] The control circuit 112 includes a transaction request information acquisition unit 120, a reservation processing unit 122, a notification information transmission unit 124, a subtraction processing unit 126, a settlement processing unit 128, and a selected price information acquisition unit 130 as functional blocks.

[0041] The network interface 116 controls communication between the server 110 and an external device, which is the user terminal 10.

[0042] It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the cooperation of the hardware resources and software illustrated above enables the server 110 to function as desired means, execute desired steps, and realize desired functions.

[0043] [Operation of System 1] Next, the operation of the system 1 will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 4 to 9 show images displayed by the user terminal 10.

[0044] First, an overview of the operation of the system 1 will be described. The video shown in Fig. 4 is a travel product video showing the contents of travel product A. The server 110 transmits data of the travel product video shown in Fig. 4 (hereinafter referred to as travel product video data) to the user terminal 10. As a result, the user terminal 10 displays the travel product video showing the contents of travel product A, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0045] User X can operate the user terminal 10 to make a reservation for travel product A included in the travel product video shown in FIG. 4 . Specifically, User X operates the user terminal 10 to input travel conditions in the travel product video shown in FIG. 4 . The travel conditions include the departure date, return date, and number of people. When User X clicks the "Select Date" tab in the travel product video shown in FIG. 4 , the user terminal 10 displays the calendar video shown in FIG. 5 . A price is displayed for each date in the calendar video. The price indicates the price of travel product A per adult when the respective date is the departure date. When User X operates the user terminal 10 to input the departure date and return date, the user terminal 10 displays the price video shown in FIG. 6 . The price video shown in FIG. 6 includes the price (total price) of travel product A in the travel conditions. Hereinafter, travel product A in the travel conditions will be referred to as conditional travel product A1. Travel product A refers to a travel product in a state where no travel conditions are specified, as shown in FIG. 4 . On the other hand, the conditional travel product A1 refers to a travel product for which travel conditions have been specified.

[0046] The price of travel product A fluctuates over time. In this embodiment, the price of travel product A fluctuates depending on the inventory status of travel product A, the purchase quantity of travel product A, and the like. Specifically, the calendar image shown in FIG. 5 shows the price of travel product A at 1:00 PM on May 13th. The calendar image shown in FIG. 7 shows the price of travel product A at 1:00 PM on May 20th. The price of travel product A included in the calendar image shown in FIG. 7 is different from the price of travel product A included in the calendar image shown in FIG. 5. In this embodiment, the price of travel product A included in the calendar image shown in FIG. 7 is equal to or higher than the price of travel product A included in the calendar image shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, the price of conditional travel product A1 at 1:00 PM on May 20th is different from the price of conditional travel product A1 at 1:00 PM on May 13th shown in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the price of conditional travel product A1 at 1:00 PM on May 20th is equal to or higher than the price of conditional travel product A1 at 1:00 PM on May 13th shown in FIG. 6. In this way, in system 1, the prices of travel product A and conditional travel product A1 increase over time. Details of price fluctuations of travel product A and conditional travel product A1 will be explained later in step S105 of the flowchart in Figure 13. In addition to travel product A, system 1 also includes multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time.

[0047] User X operates the user terminal 10 to press the "Proceed to Reservation" button on the price screen shown in FIG. 6 . In response, the user terminal 10 displays the procedure screen shown in FIG. 8 . The procedure screen shown in FIG. 8 is a screen for User X to select a payment method. Payment methods include credit card, bank transfer, and price keep. "Credit card" means that User X completes the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 by making a payment with a credit card. "Bank transfer" means that User X completes the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 by making a payment by bank transfer. In this specification, the reservation process means that User X acquires the right to purchase the conditional travel product A1 by paying the price for the conditional travel product A1. Therefore, when the reservation process is completed, the inventory of the conditional travel product A1 decreases. In this case, User X needs to use the conditional travel product A1 unless he or she cancels the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1. Using the conditional travel product A1 means that User X goes on a trip.

[0048] The price keep process means that if user X makes payment by credit card by 23:59 two days from today (within a specified period), he or she can make a reservation for conditional travel product A1 at the price included in the price image shown in Figure 6. However, at the time the price keep process is performed, user X has not yet made a reservation for conditional travel product A1, and the inventory quantity of conditional travel product A1 has not decreased. In this case, user X cannot make a reservation for conditional travel product A1 at the price included in the price image shown in Figure 6 unless he or she makes payment by credit card by 23:59 two days from today.

[0049] If the price-keeping process is performed in the procedure video shown in FIG. 8 , User X can consider whether to proceed with the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 until 11:59 PM two days from today. To purchase the conditional travel product A1, User X operates the user terminal 10 to press the "Confirm Reservation" button in the reservation video shown in FIG. 9 . The reservation video shown in FIG. 9 includes information about the conditional travel product A1. By paying with a credit card, User X can complete the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 at the price included in the price video shown in FIG. 6 . In other words, User X can complete the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 at the price at the time the price-keeping process was selected. When the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 is completed, the inventory of the conditional travel product A1 decreases. In this case, User X must use the conditional travel product A1 unless he or she cancels the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1.

[0050] Next, with reference to Figures 10 to 13, the operations executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110 will be described in detail. Figure 10 is an airline flight table showing information on flights for travel product A. Figure 11 is a hotel table showing information on hotels for travel product A. Figure 12 is a price keep table. Figures 13 to 15 are flowcharts executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110.

[0051] When the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 reads out the programs stored in the memory circuit 14, these programs cause the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to execute the operations described below. The programs then cause the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to function as a transaction request information transmitter 30, a reservation information transmitter 32, and a display control circuit 34. In addition, in the information processing method, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 functions as the transaction request information transmitter 30, the reservation information transmitter 32, and the display control circuit 34.

[0052] When the control circuit 112 of the server 110 reads out the programs stored in the memory circuit 114, these programs cause the control circuit 112 of the server 110 to execute the operations described below. The programs then cause the control circuit 112 of the server 110 to function as a transaction request information acquisition unit 120, a reservation processing unit 122, a notification information transmission unit 124, a subtraction processing unit 126, a settlement processing unit 128, and a selected price information acquisition unit 130. In addition, in the information processing method, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 functions as the transaction request information acquisition unit 120, the reservation processing unit 122, the notification information transmission unit 124, the subtraction processing unit 126, the settlement processing unit 128, and the selected price information acquisition unit 130.

[0053] First, the flight table shown in FIG. 10 and the hotel table shown in FIG. 11 will be described. The flight table in FIG. 10 contains information about flights for travel product A. Specifically, the flight table in FIG. 10 contains information about flight 100 operated by Company A, departing from Narita Airport to Hawaii at 7:55 PM on June 1st. The flight table in FIG. 10 includes information about type, price, and inventory. Type indicates the seat type. Type indicates the booking class. Booking class is a class for seats that is separate from seat classes. Seat classes include economy class, business class, and first class. Booking classes include, for example, economy 1 to economy 3. As the booking class increases, the ticket price becomes closer to the regular fare offered by the airline, and therefore the price increases. However, as the booking class increases, the number of mileage points awarded to user X by the airline increases. Furthermore, as the booking class increases, the amount of baggage user X can bring on board the aircraft increases.

[0054] The hotel table in FIG. 11 describes information about hotels in travel product A. Specifically, the hotel table in FIG. 11 describes information about hotels available for stay on June 2nd in travel product A. The hotel table in FIG. 11 includes information about type, price, and stock quantity. Type indicates the room class. As the room class increases, for example, the room grade increases. Furthermore, as the room class increases, the price of the accommodation voucher also increases.

[0055] As described above, the flight table shown in FIG. 10 is the flight table for travel product A. The hotel table shown in FIG. 11 is the hotel table for travel product A. In this way, there is a flight table and a hotel table for each travel product. In other words, the memory circuit 114 (one or more computers) of the server 110 stores multiple flight tables and multiple hotel tables as price information. The price information is information about the prices of multiple travel products that fluctuate over time, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. In addition, the memory circuit 114 (one or more computers) of the server 110 stores multiple flight tables and multiple hotel tables as inventory information. The inventory information is information indicating the inventory quantities of multiple travel products.

[0056] Next, the price keep table shown in Figure 12 will be described. The price keep table contains association information. The association information is information about the conditional travel product A1 for which price keeping has been performed. The association information includes the user ID, travel product, travel conditions, price, and period. The user ID indicates the ID of the user who performed the price keeping process for the conditional travel product. The travel product indicates travel product A of the conditional travel product A1 for which price keeping has been performed. The price indicates the price of the conditional travel product A1 for which price keeping has been performed. The period indicates the period during which the conditional travel product A1 can be purchased at the price entered in the price column.

[0057] Next, with reference to FIG. 13, a flowchart executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110 when the user X performs the price keep process will be described.

[0058] First, user X uses the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10 to access a website operated by the server 110. Then, user X uses the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10 to select travel product A for which he is considering booking. This causes the control circuit 12 (transaction request information sending unit 30) of the user terminal 10 to send travel product video data request information to the server 110 via the network interface 16 to request travel product video data for the travel product A selected by user X (step S1). In response, the network interface 116 of the server 110 receives the travel product video data request information and outputs the travel product video data request information to the control circuit 112. This causes the control circuit 112 (transaction request information acquiring unit 120) of the server 110 to acquire the travel product video data request information (step S101).

[0059] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 generates travel product video data (step S102). The travel product video data is data for the web page of the travel product video shown in FIG. 4. The travel product video data also includes data for the web page of the calendar video shown in FIG. 5. The calendar video shown in FIG. 5 includes the prices of travel product A for each day in June as of 1:00 PM on May 20th. Therefore, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 generates data for the web page of the calendar video shown in FIG. 5 by calculating the prices of travel product A for each day in June as of 1:00 PM on May 20th based on the flight table shown in FIG. 10 and the hotel table shown in FIG. 11.

[0060] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 transmits the travel product video data to the user terminal 10 via the network interface 116 (step S103). In response, the network interface 16 of the user terminal 10 receives the travel product video data and outputs the travel product video data to the control circuit 12. As a result, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 acquires the travel product video data (step S2).

[0061] Next, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 displays the travel product image shown in Figure 5 on the display 20 (step S3). User X inputs travel conditions using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. Specifically, User X inputs the departure date, return date, and number of people using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. At this time, when User X presses the "Select Date" tab in the travel product image shown in Figure 4, the user terminal 10 displays the calendar image shown in Figure 5. User X inputs the departure date and return date in the calendar image shown in Figure 5 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. User X also inputs the number of people in the travel product image shown in Figure 4 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. As a result, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 acquires travel condition information indicating the travel conditions (step S4).

[0062] Next, the control circuit 12 (transaction request information transmitting unit 30) of the user terminal 10 transmits the travel condition information to the server 110 via the network interface 16 (step S5). In response, the network interface 116 of the server 110 receives the travel condition information and outputs the travel condition information to the control circuit 112. As a result, the control circuit 112 (transaction request information acquiring unit 120) of the server 110 acquires the travel condition information (step S104). In this way, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 acquires the travel product image data request information in step S101 and acquires the travel condition information in step S104.

[0063] Here, the travel product image data request information in steps S1 and S101 includes information indicating travel product A selected by user X. The travel condition information in steps S5 and S104 includes information indicating the travel conditions for travel product A. Hereinafter, the travel product image data request information and travel condition information will be collectively referred to as transaction request information. Accordingly, in steps S1 and S5, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 transmits transaction request information including the conditional travel product A1 (travel product A) selected by user X from among multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time to the server 110 via the network interface 16. Also, in steps S101 and S104, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 acquires transaction request information including information about the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) selected by user X from among multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time.

[0064] Next, the control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 acquires selected price information indicating the price of the conditional travel product A1 based on the travel condition information, the airline flight table shown in FIG. 10, and the hotel table shown in FIG. 11 (step S105). The processing of step S105 will be described in more detail below. The control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 reads the airline flight table (see FIG. 10) for travel product A that corresponds to the travel conditions from among the multiple airline flight tables. The control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 then selects the cheapest seat type that satisfies the number of passengers included in the travel conditions. In this embodiment, the number of passengers included in the travel conditions is two. In the airline flight table shown in FIG. 10, the inventory of Economy 2 seats is two or more. Therefore, the control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 selects Economy 2 seats.

[0065] Furthermore, the control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 reads out the hotel table for travel product A (see FIG. 11 ) that corresponds to the travel conditions from among the multiple hotel tables. The control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 then selects the cheapest room type that satisfies the number of people condition included in the travel conditions. In this embodiment, the number of people included in the travel conditions is two. In the hotel table shown in FIG. 11 , the inventory quantity for Hotel A1 is two or more. Therefore, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 selects a room at Hotel A1.

[0066] Finally, the control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 calculates the price of the conditional travel product A1 based on the price of an economy class 2 seat, the price of a room at Hotel A1, and the number of people. In this embodiment, the control circuit 112 (selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 calculates the price of the conditional travel product A1 to be 315,820 yen (see FIG. 6 ). As described above, in step S105, the control circuit 112 (one or more computers and the selected price information acquisition unit 130) of the server 110 acquires selected price information indicating the price of travel product A included in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information was acquired (steps S101 and S104) based on the flight table and hotel table (plurality of price information).

[0067] As described above, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 selects the cheapest type of seat among those that satisfy the number of passengers condition included in the travel conditions, and also selects the cheapest type of room among those that satisfy the number of passengers condition included in the travel conditions. The number of seats and rooms in stock changes over time. Therefore, the price of the conditional travel product A1 fluctuates over time. Generally, the number of seats and rooms in stock decreases over time. Therefore, the price of the conditional travel product A1 increases over time.

[0068] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 transmits data showing an image including the price indicated by the selected price information (hereinafter, price image data) to the user terminal 10 via the network interface 116 (step S106). The price image data is data of the price image web page shown in FIG. 6. In response, the network interface 16 of the user terminal 10 receives the price image data and outputs the price image data to the control circuit 12. As a result, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 acquires the price image data (step S6).

[0069] Next, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 causes the display 20 to display the price image shown in FIG. 6 (step S7). In response, the user X presses the "Proceed to Reservation" button on the price image shown in FIG. 6 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. This causes the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to transmit procedure video data request information to the server 110 via the network interface 16 (step S8). The procedure video data is data for the procedure video web page shown in FIG. 8. In response, the network interface 16 of the user terminal 10 receives the procedure video data and outputs it to the control circuit 12. This causes the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to acquire the procedure video data (step S9).

[0070] Next, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 displays the procedure video shown in Figure 8 on the display 20 (step S10). In response, user X presses the "price keep" button on the procedure video shown in Figure 8 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. This causes the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to transmit price keep request information to the server 110 via the network interface 16 (step S11). The price keep request information is information indicating that user X desires price keep processing. In response, the network interface 116 of the server 110 receives the price keep request information and outputs the price keep request information to the control circuit 112. As a result, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 acquires the price keep request information (step S109).

[0071] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 records the association information in the price keep table shown in Figure 12 (step S110). The association information includes the user ID, the travel product included in the travel product image data request information acquired in step S101, the travel condition information acquired in step S104, the selected price information acquired in step S105, and the period. The association information in this embodiment is as follows: User ID: User X Travel product: Travel product A Travel conditions: June 1st to June 5th, 2 people, Economy 1, Hotel A 1 Selected price: 315,820 yen Period: 23:59, June 15, 2024

[0072] As described above, in step S110, the control circuit 112 (one or more computers) of the server 110 stores in the memory circuit 114 association information associating the selected price (price) of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information is acquired (steps S101 and S104) with user X. The price of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information is acquired is the price indicated by the selected price information. However, in the price-keeping process, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 does not reduce the inventory quantity in the flight table shown in FIG. 10 or the hotel table shown in FIG. 11. That is, in the process of storing the association information (step S110), the control circuit 112 (one or more computers) of the server 110 does not reduce the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information.

[0073] Next, after storing the association information (step S110), the control circuit 112 (notification information sending unit 124) of the server 110 transmits notification information to the user terminal 10 via the network interface 16 indicating that the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) can be booked within a specified period at the price indicated in the association information (step S111). This notification information also indicates that if the conditional travel product A1 indicated in the transaction request information is sold out, even within the specified period, the conditional travel product A1 cannot be booked at the price indicated in the association information. In response, the network interface 16 of the user terminal 10 receives the notification information and outputs it to the control circuit 12. As a result, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 acquires the notification information (step S12).

[0074] Next, the control circuit 12 (display control circuit 34) of the user terminal 10 displays a notification video on the display 20 based on the notification information (step S13). The notification video states that the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) can be reserved within a specified period at the price at the time the server 110 acquired the transaction request information, and that if the conditional travel product A1 indicated in the transaction request information is sold out even within the specified period, the conditional travel product A1 cannot be reserved at the price indicated in the association information. This completes the process.

[0075] Next, with reference to FIG. 15, a flowchart will be described which is executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110 when the user X performs reservation processing.

[0076] First, user X accesses a website operated by the server 110 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. Then, user X uses the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10 to perform a reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 for which price-keeping has been performed. This causes the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to transmit reservation video data request information to the server 110 via the network interface 16 (step S21). The reservation video data request information is information requesting reservation video data showing video for the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 for which price-keeping has been performed (hereinafter, "reserved video"). The reserved video is the video shown in FIG. 9. In response, the network interface 116 of the server 110 receives the reservation video data request information and outputs the reservation video data request information to the control circuit 112. This causes the control circuit 112 of the server 110 to acquire the reservation video data request information (step S121).

[0077] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 references the current time and the price keep table to determine whether the current time is within the period described in the price keep table (step S122). In this embodiment, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 references the current time and the price keep table to determine whether the current time is before 23:59 on June 15, 2024. If the current time is before 23:59 on June 15, 2024, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 determines that the current time is within the period described in the price keep table. In this case, the process proceeds to step S123. If the current time is after 23:59 on June 15, 2024, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 determines that the current time is not within the period described in the price keep table. In this case, the process ends. Note that the control circuit 112 of the server 110 may notify the user terminal 10 that the current time is outside the price keep period. In this way, the control circuit 112 (one or more computers) of the server 110 will not process reservations for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) at the price indicated by the association information after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the transaction request information was acquired.

[0078] If the current time is within the period in the price keep table, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 transmits the reserved video data to the user terminal 10 via the network interface 116 (step S123). In response, the network interface 16 of the user terminal 10 receives the reserved video data and outputs the reserved video data to the control circuit 12. As a result, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 acquires the reserved video data (step S22).

[0079] Next, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 displays the reservation video shown in FIG. 9 on the display 20 (step S23). In response, the user X presses the "Confirm Reservation" button on the reservation video shown in FIG. 9 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. This causes the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 to accept the reservation process (step S24). Furthermore, the control circuit 12 (reservation information transmitter 32) of the user terminal 10 transmits the reservation information to the server 110 via the network interface 16 (step S25). The reservation information indicates that the user X will make a reservation for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information at the price available at the time the server 110 acquires the transaction request information. In response, the network interface 116 of the server 110 receives the reservation video data and outputs the reservation information to the control circuit 112. This causes the control circuit 112 of the server 110 to acquire the reservation information (step S124). Then, when the reservation information is acquired, the control circuit 112 (one or more computers / reservation processing unit 122) of the server 110 performs reservation processing for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) at the price indicated in the association information, as described below.

[0080] Specifically, the control circuit 112 (reservation processing unit 122) of the server 110 determines whether the inventory of the conditional travel product A1 is less than the number of people for whom the user wishes to process the reservation (step S125). The reason for the processing of step S125 will be explained below. Between the time when the price-keeping process is performed and the time when step S125 is performed, another user Y may process a reservation for the conditional travel product A1. In this case, the inventory of the conditional travel product A1 may decrease. For example, the inventory of economy class 2 seats in the flight table may fall below two, or the inventory of Hotel A1 in the hotel table may fall below two. Meanwhile, when user X performs the price-keeping process, the reservation for the conditional travel product A1 has not yet been processed. Therefore, at the time of step S125, there is a possibility that the inventory of the conditional travel product A1 may fall below the number of people for whom user X wishes to process the reservation. In this case, user X will not be able to process the reservation for the conditional travel product A1. If the number of conditional travel products A1 in stock is not less than the number of people for whom User X wishes to process a reservation, this process proceeds to step S126. If the number of conditional travel products A1 in stock is less than the number of people for whom User X wishes to process a reservation, this process ends. Note that the control circuit 112 of the server 110 may notify the user terminal 10 that the conditional travel product A1 has sold out. In this way, if the number of conditional travel products A1 (travel products) in stock is less than the number of people for whom User X wishes to process a reservation, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 (one or more computers / reservation processing unit 122) does not process the reservation for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product).

[0081] If the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 is not less than the number of people for whom user X wishes to process a reservation, the control circuit 112 (subtraction processing unit 126) of the server 110 updates the flight table shown in Figure 10 and the hotel table shown in Figure 11 (step S126). In this embodiment, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 subtracts two from the inventory quantity of economy class 2 seats in the flight table shown in Figure 10, and subtracts two from the inventory quantity of Hotel A1 in the hotel table shown in Figure 11. In this way, in the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product), the control circuit 112 (subtraction processing unit 126) of the server 110 subtracts the number of people for whom the user wishes to process a reservation from the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information.

[0082] Next, in the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1, the control circuit 112 (one or more computers / payment processor 128) of the server 110 performs payment processing for the fee for the conditional travel product A1 based on the price indicated by the association information stored in step S110 (step S127). In this embodiment, the control circuit 112 (payment processor 128) of the server 110 uses User X's credit card information to debit 315,820 yen from the credit card company's bank account. The credit card company will then debit User X's bank account at a later date. As described above, when the control circuit 112 (reservation processor 122) of the server 110 acquires the reservation information, if the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information stored in step S110 is equal to or greater than the number of people desired by the user, the control circuit 112 (reservation processor 122) of the server 110 performs reservation processing for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product).

[0083] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 transmits a reservation processing completion notice indicating that the reservation processing has been completed to the user terminal 10 via the network interface 116 (step S128). In response, the network interface 16 of the user terminal 10 acquires the reservation processing completion notice and outputs the reservation processing completion notice to the control circuit 12. As a result, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 acquires the reservation processing completion notice (step S26). This ends the process.

[0084] [Effect] System 1 makes it easier for user X to purchase conditional travel product A1, whose price fluctuates over time. More specifically, in system 1, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 acquires transaction request information containing information about conditional travel product A1 selected by user X from among multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time. The control circuit 112 of the server 110 then stores association information that associates user X with the price of conditional travel product A1 contained in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information was acquired. This allows the control circuit 112 of the server 110 to recognize that user X has the right to reserve conditional travel product A1 at the price of conditional travel product A1 contained in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information was acquired. Thus, after searching for a travel product, the user can consider whether or not to reserve the travel product. Even if the price of conditional travel product A1 fluctuates over time, user X transmits reservation information to the server 110 from the user terminal 10 using the touch panel 28 of the user terminal 10. This allows the control circuit 112 of the server 110 to process a reservation for the conditional travel product A1 at the price indicated by the association information. Therefore, the user X can process a reservation for the conditional travel product A1 at the price of the conditional travel product A1 included in the transaction request information at the time the server 110 acquires the transaction request information. As a result, the user X can easily purchase the conditional travel product A1, which changes over time.

[0085] In the system 1, after storing the association information, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 transmits notification information to the user terminal 10 indicating that the conditional travel product A1 can be booked within a predetermined period at the price indicated by the association information. This allows the user X to know, from the notification information, the predetermined period during which the conditional travel product A1 can be purchased at the price indicated by the association information.

[0086] In the system 1, if the conditional travel product A1 indicated in the transaction request information is sold out even within a predetermined period, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 transmits notification information to the user terminal 10 indicating that the conditional travel product A1 cannot be reserved at the price indicated in the association information. This allows user X to know from the notification information that if the conditional travel product A1 is sold out, the conditional travel product A1 cannot be reserved at the price indicated in the association information, even if price-keeping processing has been performed.

[0087] In the system 1, when the control circuit 112 of the server 110 acquires reservation information, if the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 included in the transaction request information is equal to or greater than the number of people desired by user X, the control circuit 112 performs reservation processing for the conditional travel product A1. This prevents the reservation processing from being performed when the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 is insufficient.

[0088] In the system 1, when processing a reservation for the conditional travel product A1, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 subtracts the number of people for whom User X wishes to process the reservation from the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1 included in the transaction request information. This allows for appropriate management of the inventory quantity of the conditional travel product A1.

[0089] In the system 1, if the stock of the conditional travel product A1 is less than the number of people for whom User X wishes to process a reservation, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 will not process the reservation for the conditional travel product A1. This prevents the reservation process from being carried out when the stock of the conditional travel product A1 is insufficient.

[0090] 16 is a flowchart showing the process executed by the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 and the control circuit 112 of the server 110.

[0091] As shown in FIG. 16, system 1a differs from system 1 in that steps S112 and S113 have been added. Specifically, in system 1a, by paying at least a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1, user X can perform price-keeping processing while securing inventory for conditional travel product A1. In system 1a, the user can choose whether or not to pay at least a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1. If the user chooses to pay at least a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1, the flowchart in FIG. 15 is executed. If the user chooses not to pay at least a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1, the flowchart in FIG. 14 is executed. Below, system 1a will be described, focusing on these differences.

[0092] After step S110, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 updates the flight table shown in Fig. 10 and the hotel table shown in Fig. 11 (step S112). In this embodiment, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 subtracts two from the inventory number of economy class 2 seats in the flight table shown in Fig. 10, and subtracts two from the inventory number of rooms at Hotel A1 in the hotel table shown in Fig. 11. In this way, when performing payment processing for part of the fee for the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) in conjunction with the processing for obtaining transaction request information (steps S101 and S104), the control circuit 112 of the server 110 subtracts the number of people the user wishes to reserve from the inventory number of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information.

[0093] Next, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 acquires transaction request information (steps S101 and S104) and also performs payment processing for at least a portion of the price of the conditional travel product A1 (travel product) in accordance with the price keep request information (request information) from the user terminal 10 (step S111). Note that in step S111, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 may perform payment processing for the entire price of the conditional travel product A1, or may perform payment processing for a portion of the price of the conditional travel product A1.

[0094] According to the system 1a, the same effects as those of the system 1 can be achieved.

[0095] In system 1a, when acquiring transaction request information and performing payment processing for a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1 (travel product), the control circuit 112 of server 110 subtracts the number of people for whom the user wishes to process a reservation from the inventory quantity of conditional travel product A1 (travel product) included in the transaction request information. Furthermore, in addition to acquiring transaction request information, the control circuit 112 of server 110 also performs payment processing for at least a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1 in accordance with price-keep request information from user terminal 10. In this way, in system 1a, by paying at least a portion of the price of conditional travel product A1, user X can perform price-keep processing while securing inventory of conditional travel product A1.

[0096] Other Embodiments The system according to the present invention is not limited to the system 1 or 1a, and can be modified within the scope of the gist thereof.

[0097] The prices of travel product A and conditional travel product A1 increase over time. However, the prices of travel product A and conditional travel product A1 may decrease over time, or may increase and decrease. For example, if another user Y cancels the reservation process for conditional travel product A1, the price of conditional travel product A1 will decrease.

[0098] The control circuit 112 of the server 110 generates the data for the web page of the calendar image shown in Fig. 5 by calculating the price of travel product A for each day in June as of 1:00 PM on May 20th based on the flight table shown in Fig. 10 and the hotel table shown in Fig. 11. However, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 may also calculate the price of travel product A for each day in June as of 1:00 PM on May 20th. In this case, the control circuit 12 of the user terminal 10 obtains the flight table and hotel table for travel product A from the server 110.

[0099] Note that travel products are not limited to package tours, airline tickets, and accommodation vouchers. Travel products may be any travel-related product, such as a reserved seat ticket for a limited express train such as the Shinkansen. Travel products may also be a travel ticket alone, an accommodation voucher alone, or a reserved seat ticket alone.

[0100] In the systems 1 and 1a, the user X can cancel the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 after completing the reservation process for the conditional travel product A1 by operating the user terminal 10.

[0101] In the system 1, if user X does not make a reservation for conditional travel product A1 within a predetermined period after performing the price-keeping process, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 deletes the association information from the price-keeping table. In other words, the price-keeping process is automatically canceled.

[0102] In the system 1a, if user X does not complete the reservation process for conditional travel product A1 within a predetermined period after performing the price-keep process, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 deletes the association information from the price-keep table. In other words, the price-keep process is automatically canceled. In this case, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 increases the inventory count in the flight table and the inventory count in the hotel table. In other words, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 returns the inventory count in the flight table and the inventory count in the hotel table to the state before the price-keep process.

[0103] In the systems 1 and 1a, the user terminal 10 may execute steps S1 to S13 and S101 to S111 shown in Figures 13 and 14. In this case, the user terminal 10 stores the flight table shown in Figure 10 and the hotel table shown in Figure 11.

[0104] In addition, if the conditional travel product A1 is sold out within a specified period, the control circuit 112 of the server 110 may recalculate the new price of the conditional travel product A1 and notify the user terminal 10 that the conditional travel product A1 can be purchased at the new price.

[0105] Note that the travel product video data does not have to include the video data itself. The travel product video data may be data for generating the travel product video. That is, the server 110 transmits travel product video data including information necessary for generating the travel product video to the user terminal 10. The user terminal 10 generates the travel product video based on the information included in the travel product video data. The information necessary for generating the travel product video includes, for example, the destination, price, number of days, description, etc. of the travel product. Furthermore, the travel product video data may be a combination of the video data itself and the information necessary for generating the travel product video.

[0106] In this specification, the term "video" is a concept that includes images, and therefore includes both moving images and still images.

[0107] In addition, in the system 1a, the system 1a performs a process of acquiring transaction request information and a process of settling at least a portion of the price of the conditional travel product A1. However, if the price keep process for the conditional travel product A1 is canceled, at least a portion of the price of the conditional travel product A1 may or may not be refunded to the user.

[0108] 1, 1a: System 10: User terminal 12: Control circuit 14: Memory circuit 16: Network interface 18: Graphics processing unit 20: Display 26: Operation unit 28: Touch panel 30: Transaction request information transmission unit 32: Reservation information transmission unit 34: Display control circuit 110: Server 112: Control circuit 114: Memory circuit 116: Network interface 120: Transaction request information acquisition unit 122: Reservation processing unit 124: Notification information transmission unit 126: Subtraction processing unit 128: Payment processing unit 130: Selected price information acquisition unit A: Travel product A1: Conditional travel product

Claims

1. A system comprising one or more computers, wherein there are multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time, and the control circuit of said one or more computers acquires transaction request information including information on a travel product selected by a user from the multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time, stores association information associating the user with the price of the travel product included in the transaction request information at the time said transaction request information is acquired, and, when reservation information indicating that the user will make a reservation for the travel product included in the transaction request information is acquired, processes a reservation for the travel product at the price indicated in the association information.

2. The system described in claim 1, wherein the one or more computers include a server and a terminal, and the control circuit of the server, after storing the association information, transmits notification information to the terminal via a transmission circuit indicating that the travel product can be booked within a specified period at the price indicated by the association information.

3. The system described in claim 2, wherein the notification information indicates that if the travel product indicated in the transaction request information is sold out even within the specified period, the travel product cannot be booked at the price indicated in the association information.

4. A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more computers include a server and a terminal, the memory circuit of the server stores stock information indicating the stock quantities of the plurality of travel products, and the control circuit of the server, when acquiring the reservation information, performs reservation processing for the travel product if the stock quantity of the travel product included in the transaction request information is equal to or greater than the number of people desired by the user.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein in the travel product reservation process, the control circuit of the server subtracts the number of people for whom the user wishes to process the reservation from the number of travel products in stock included in the transaction request information.

6. The system described in claim 4, wherein the control circuit of the server performs a process of acquiring the transaction request information and a process of settling at least a portion of the cost of the travel product in accordance with the request information from the terminal, and when performing a process of settling a portion of the cost of the travel product in conjunction with the process of acquiring the transaction request information, subtracts the number of people for whom the user wishes to make a reservation from the number of travel products in stock included in the transaction request information.

7. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the travel product reservation process, the control circuit of the one or more computers processes payment for the travel product fee based on the price indicated by the association information.

8. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein if the number of travel products in stock is less than the number of people for whom the user wishes to process the reservation, the control circuit of the one or more computers will not process the reservation for the travel product.

9. A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more computers include a server and a terminal, the memory circuit of the server stores inventory information indicating the inventory quantities of the plurality of travel products, and the control circuit of the server does not reduce the inventory quantities of the travel products included in the transaction request information in the process of storing the association information.

10. A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control circuit of the one or more computers does not process the reservation of the travel product at the price indicated by the association information after a predetermined period has elapsed since the transaction request information was acquired.

11. A system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the memory circuit of the one or more computers stores price information regarding the prices of multiple travel products that fluctuate over time, and the control circuit of the one or more computers acquires selected price information indicating the price of the travel product included in the transaction request information at the time the transaction request information is acquired based on the price information, and stores the association information associating the price indicated by the selected price information with the user.

12. A program executed on a terminal, wherein there are multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time, and the program causes a control circuit of the terminal to transmit, via a transmission circuit, transaction request information including a travel product selected by a user from the multiple travel products whose prices fluctuate over time to a server, and to transmit, via the transmission circuit, reservation information to the server indicating that the user will make a reservation for the travel product included in the transaction request information, based on the price at the time the server obtains the transaction request information.

13. The program according to claim 12, wherein the program causes the control circuit of the terminal to display a notification image on the display stating that the travel product can be booked within a specified period at the price at the time the server acquires the transaction request information.

14. The program described in claim 13, wherein the notification video states that if the travel product indicated in the transaction request information is sold out even within the specified period, the travel product cannot be booked at the price at the time the server acquires the transaction request information.

Images