JP7670957B2 - Information processing system, information processing method, and information processing program - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program capable of presenting information about a facility that includes multiple stores.

Conventionally, a system that displays the current congestion status of each store is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By knowing the current congestion status of each store, a user can, for example, visit a desired store that is not crowded.

JP 2010-169441 A

However, while conventional technology can grasp the congestion status of each store, if the store is located within a facility such as a shopping mall, for example, it is difficult to visit the facility and use the store even if the store is not crowded if the facility is crowded.

The object of the present invention is to provide an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can improve the convenience of users who use the stores included in the facility.

The information processing system according to the present invention is a system including a first calculation processing unit that calculates a first congestion degree for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility, a second calculation processing unit that calculates a second congestion degree for the facility based on the first congestion degree for each store calculated by the first calculation processing unit, and an output processing unit that outputs congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated by the second calculation processing unit.

The information processing method according to the present invention is a method in which one or more processors execute a first calculation step of calculating a first congestion degree for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility, a second calculation step of calculating a second congestion degree for the facility based on the first congestion degree for each store calculated in the first calculation step, and a presentation step of presenting congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated in the second calculation step.

The information processing program of the present invention is a program for causing one or more processors to execute a first calculation step of calculating a first congestion degree for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility, a second calculation step of calculating a second congestion degree for the facility based on the first congestion degree for each store calculated by the first calculation step, and a presentation step of presenting congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated by the second calculation step.

The present invention provides an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can improve the convenience of users who use the stores included in a facility.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a reservation assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a floor layout of a facility to which the reservation assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a reservation assistance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of store information used in the reservation assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of facility congestion information used in the reservation assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of facility congestion information used in the reservation assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of facility congestion information used in the reservation assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a search condition setting page displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a search result page displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a search result page displayed on a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure of a reservation assistance process executed in the reservation assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Note that the following embodiment is an example of the present invention and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[Reservation Support System 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, a reservation support system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a reservation support device 2, a user terminal 3, and a store terminal 4. The store terminal 4 is arranged for each store. Here, the store is a store included in a specific facility, that is, a store (e.g., a tenant) that operates within the same facility. The facility is a facility (group) that houses multiple stores, such as a shopping mall (shopping center), a commercial facility, a complex facility, an entertainment facility, a commercial building, a department store, or a department store. The facility may also be a facility that houses multiple stores managed by different parent companies. The facility may also be a facility that houses multiple stores with the same address or site. The facility may also be a shopping district or a restaurant district (commercial area) in which multiple stores are located in the same area. For example, when a shopping mall is composed of multiple independent buildings (such as a north building and a south building), the shopping mall is one (same) facility. In this embodiment, a facility (commercial building) that includes multiple restaurants is given as an example of the facility. In addition, the facility may be, for example, an entertainment facility housing multiple entertainment establishments (such as a karaoke bar, a table tennis hall, a bowling alley, etc.), or it may be a complex facility housing multiple types of stores such as restaurants, entertainment establishments, and retail stores.

Figure 2 shows an example of the floor layout of the fifth floor of facility A. Facility A is a building (commercial building) with multiple floors (multiple stories). As shown in Figure 2, four restaurants A1 to A4 are located on the fifth floor of facility A. Each restaurant is provided with a store terminal 4 (see Figure 1). Store terminal 4 may be installed inside or outside the restaurant. Store terminal 4 is an information processing device that manages reservations for the restaurants.

The user terminal 3 is an information processing device operated by a user who searches for facilities and restaurants and requests reservations at restaurants. The user terminal 3 is also an information processing device carried by a user who visits the facility.

The reservation support device 2, the user terminal 3, and the store terminal 4 can communicate via a communication network N1 such as the Internet, a LAN, a WAN, or a public telephone line.

The reservation support device 2 presents congestion information for each facility to the user. The reservation support device 2 can also accept search conditions for searching for restaurants included in the facility from the user terminal 3, executes a search process based on the search conditions, and presents the search results to the user terminal 3. The reservation support device 2 also executes reservation processing for a restaurant selected by the user from among the restaurants included in the search results.

The reservation support system 1 is an example of an information processing system of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reservation support device 2 alone corresponds to the information processing system of the present invention, but the information processing system of the present invention may include one or more of the components of the reservation support device 2, the user terminal 3, and the store terminal 4. For example, if the components of the reservation support device 2, the user terminal 3, and the store terminal 4 work together to share and execute various reservation support processes (see FIG. 11) described below, a system including multiple components that execute the processes can be considered as the information processing system of the present invention. For example, the reservation support device 2 and the store terminal 4 may constitute the information processing system of the present invention.

[Reservation support device 2]
3, the reservation support device 2 is a server including a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation display unit 23, and a communication I/F 24. The reservation support device 2 is not limited to a single computer, and may be a computer system in which multiple computers work together. Various processes executed by the reservation support device 2 may be executed in a distributed manner by one or multiple processors.

The communication I/F 24 is a communication interface that connects the reservation assistance device 2 to the communication network N1 via a wired or wireless connection and performs data communication in accordance with a specified communication protocol with external devices such as the user terminal 3 and the store terminal 4 via the communication network N1.

The operation display unit 23 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays various information, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

The storage unit 22 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores various information. Specifically, data such as store information D1 and facility congestion information D2 are stored in the storage unit 22. The store information D1 includes information about the restaurants that are search targets and reservation targets. The facility congestion information D2 includes various information about the congestion status for each restaurant included in the facility. The facility congestion information D2 is stored in the storage unit 22 for each facility. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of store information D1. Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of facility congestion information D2 for facility A (hereinafter referred to as "facility congestion information D2a"), Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of facility congestion information D2 for facility B (hereinafter referred to as "facility congestion information D2b"), and Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of facility congestion information D2 for facility C (hereinafter referred to as "facility congestion information D2c"). The storage unit 22 also stores image data showing the interior and exterior of the restaurant, map data showing the location of the restaurant, etc.

As shown in FIG. 4, the store information D1 includes information such as the corresponding "store ID," "store name," "facility name," "area," "genre," "business hours," and "address" for each restaurant. The store ID is identification information for the restaurant, and the store name is the name of the restaurant. The facility name is the name of the facility (shopping mall, commercial building, etc.) in which the restaurant is located. The area is the name of the area where the restaurant is located, etc. The genre is information (type) that can identify the content of the service provided by the restaurant, such as a food genre. The business hours are the business hours of the restaurant. The address is the detailed address of the restaurant. In addition, the store information D1 may include the restaurant's telephone number, access information (URL) for accessing the restaurant's webpage such as the restaurant's homepage or reservation page, a budget, identification information for an image of the restaurant, etc.

As shown in FIG. 5, facility congestion information D2a for facility A includes information such as the corresponding "store ID," "store name," "floor," "number of seats," "vacant seats," and "vacancy rate" for each restaurant included in facility A. The floor is information on the floor on which the restaurants are located when facility A is a building (commercial building) with multiple floors. For example, restaurants A1 to A4 are located on the 5th floor of facility A (see FIG. 2). The number of seats is the total number of seats, tables, etc. used by customers at the restaurant (available number, capacity). The number of vacant seats is the total number of currently vacant seats. The number of vacant seats is the number remaining after subtracting the number of seats currently being used by customers and the number of reserved seats from the number of seats. In other words, the number of vacant seats is the number of seats that can be reserved by customers, or the number of seats available for walk-in customers who come to the restaurant without making a reservation. The vacancy rate is information indicating the ratio of the number of vacant seats to the number of seats. The control unit 21 acquires information on the current usage status (e.g., number of vacant seats) from the store terminal 4 of each restaurant, calculates the congestion status (e.g., number of vacant seats, vacancy rate), and registers facility congestion information D2.

The number of seats may be the number of reservation slots. For example, the manager of restaurant A1 sets a portion of the total number of seats at restaurant A1, "10 seats," as available for reservation. In this case, the number of vacant seats, "6," represents the remaining reservation slots.

The control unit 21 executes reservation processing based on the store information D1 and the facility congestion information D2. Specifically, the control unit 21 accepts reservations from users for each restaurant up to the number of available seats.

In another embodiment, some or all of the store information D1 and facility congestion information D2 may be stored in another server accessible from the reservation support device 2 via the communication network N1. In this case, the control unit 21 of the reservation support device 2 may obtain the information from the other server and execute various processes such as the reservation support process (see FIG. 11) described below.

The memory unit 22 also stores layout data and image data for generating various web pages, such as a search condition setting page P1 (see FIG. 8), a search result page P2 (see FIG. 9 and FIG. 10), and a route guidance page (not shown), which are included in a reservation site (e.g., a restaurant reservation site) displayed on the user terminal 3.

In this embodiment, the control unit 21 of the reservation support device 2 can generate the various web pages and transmit information about the web pages to the user terminal 3, thereby causing the user terminal 3 to display the various web pages. In another embodiment, the control unit 21 of the reservation support device 2 can cause the control unit 31 of the user terminal 3 to display the various web pages by transmitting data necessary for displaying the various web pages to the user terminal 3.

The reservation site may be a collection of web pages belonging to one preset domain, but for example, a collection of web pages belonging to multiple domains stored in the storage unit 22 of the same reservation support device 2 may be regarded as the reservation site. In addition, the various pages included in the reservation site may be stored in a distributed manner on multiple servers.

Furthermore, the storage unit 22 stores control programs such as a reservation assistance program for causing the control unit 21 to execute the reservation assistance process (see FIG. 11) described below. For example, the reservation assistance program is non-temporarily recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD or DVD, and is read by a reading device (not shown) such as a CD drive or DVD drive provided in the reservation assistance device 2 and stored in the storage unit 22.

The control unit 21 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic processes. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various arithmetic processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 21 controls the reservation support device 2 by executing the various control programs stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 22 with the CPU.

Meanwhile, conventionally, systems that display the current congestion status of each store are known. By knowing the current congestion status of each store, users can, for example, visit a desired store that is not crowded. However, while conventional technology can know the congestion status of each store, for example, if the store in question is a store within facility A, it is difficult to visit facility A and use the store even if the store in question is not crowded if the entire facility A is crowded. In contrast, the reservation support system 1 according to this embodiment makes it possible to improve the convenience of users who use the stores included in the facility.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 21 includes various processing units such as a reception processing unit 211, a first calculation processing unit 212, a second calculation processing unit 213, a search processing unit 214, an output processing unit 215, and a reservation processing unit 216. The control unit 21 functions as the various processing units by executing various processes according to the reservation assistance program with the CPU. Some or all of the processing units may be configured with electronic circuits. The reservation assistance program may be a program for causing multiple processors to function as the processing units.

The reception processing unit 211 receives restaurant search requests from users. Specifically, the reception processing unit 211 receives search requests from the user terminal 3, including search criteria such as area, date and time of use (visit date and time), and number of people. Each piece of information, such as area, date and time of use, and number of people, is used in a search process to search for restaurants that can be reserved. The reception processing unit 211 is an example of the reception processing unit of the present invention.

The first calculation processing unit 212 calculates a first congestion degree for each of the multiple restaurants included in the facility. Specifically, the first calculation processing unit 212 calculates the number of vacant seats or the vacancy rate of a restaurant as the first congestion degree of the restaurant. The number of vacant seats or the vacancy rate of each restaurant is an example of the first congestion degree of the present invention.

The first congestion level of the present invention may be the total number of seats currently being used by customers and the number of reserved seats in a restaurant (number of seats used), or the ratio of the number of seats used to the total number of seats (occupied seat rate).The first congestion level of the present invention may be the number of customers currently in the restaurant (number of users), or the ratio of the number of users to the capacity of the restaurant.

For example, when the reception processing unit 211 receives a restaurant search request from a user, the first calculation processing unit 212 calculates the number of vacant seats and vacancy rate of each restaurant at that time. For example, the first calculation processing unit 212 obtains the current number of vacant seats at restaurants from each store terminal 4 and calculates the vacancy rate of each restaurant. The first calculation processing unit 212 registers the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate in facility congestion information D2 (see Figures 5 to 7). The first calculation processing unit 212 may calculate the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate for each restaurant. The first calculation processing unit 212 is an example of the first calculation processing unit of the present invention.

The second calculation processing unit 213 calculates a second congestion degree of the facility based on the first congestion degree of each restaurant calculated by the first calculation processing unit 212. Specifically, the second calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of vacant seats (hereinafter referred to as the "total number of vacant seats") or the vacant seat rate (hereinafter referred to as the "total vacant seat rate") of the facility as the second congestion degree based on the number of vacant seats or the vacant seat rate of each restaurant calculated by the first calculation processing unit 212. The total number of vacant seats or the total vacant seat rate of the facility is an example of the second congestion degree of the present invention. For example, the total number of vacant seats of facility A is the total number of currently unused or unreserved vacant seats ("21 seats") out of the total number of seats of each of the restaurants A1 to A4 included in facility A (total number of seats "40 seats"). In addition, the total vacant seat rate of facility A is the ratio ("52%") of the total number of vacant seats ("21 seats") to the total number of seats ("40 seats"). The second calculation processing unit 213 may calculate the total number of vacant seats and the total vacancy rate for each facility.

The second crowdedness level of the present invention may be the sum of the number of seats currently being used by customers and the number of reserved seats in each restaurant included in a specified facility (total number of seats used), or the ratio of the total number of seats used to the number of seats (total seat usage rate). The second crowdedness level of the present invention may be the number of customers currently in each restaurant included in a specified facility (total number of customers), or the ratio of the total number of customers to the total capacity of each restaurant. The total number of customers may also include the number of customers who are in the facility but have not entered any of the restaurants. In other words, the total number of customers may be the total number of customers in the facility.

For example, when the reception processing unit 211 receives a restaurant search request from a user, the second calculation processing unit 213 calculates the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate of each facility at that time. For example, the second calculation processing unit 213 obtains the current number of vacant seats at each restaurant included in facility A from each store terminal 4 of each restaurant, calculates the total number of vacant seats in facility A ("21 seats"), and calculates the total vacancy rate for the entire facility A based on the total number of vacant seats ("52%). The second calculation processing unit 213 registers the total number of vacant seats and the total vacancy rate in facility congestion information D2 (see Figures 5 to 7).

In this way, the second calculation processing unit 213 calculates the second congestion degree of each facility based on the number of seats and the usage status of the restaurants included in each facility. The second calculation processing unit 213 is an example of the second calculation processing unit of the present invention.

The search processing unit 214 executes a search process to search for restaurants based on the search request received by the reception processing unit 211. The search processing unit 214 is an example of a search processing unit of the present invention.

Here, an example of the procedure of the search process will be described. For example, the reception processing unit 211 displays a search condition setting page P1 (see FIG. 8) on the user terminal 3. The search condition setting page P1 includes an area input field K11 for inputting a desired area, a visit date input field K12 for inputting a desired visit date, a visit time input field K13 for inputting a desired visit time, a number of users input field K14 for inputting the number of users, and a search target input field K15 for inputting a search target.

The search target is a target extracted in the search process. For example, if the user selects "include facilities" in the search target input field K15, the search processing unit 214 searches for restaurants that meet the search criteria and facilities that include those restaurants. On the other hand, if the user selects "stores only" in the search target input field K15, the search processing unit 214 searches only for restaurants that meet the search criteria and does not search for facilities. When searching for restaurants within a facility, a user selects "include facilities" if they want to know how crowded the facility is. The following describes the case where the user selects "include facilities".

When the user inputs the above information on the search condition setting page P1 (see FIG. 8) and presses the "Confirm" button K16, the reception processing unit 211 receives a search request from the user terminal 3.

Based on the search request, the search processing unit 214 refers to store information D1 (see FIG. 4) and facility congestion information D2 (see FIG. 5 to FIG. 7) to search for restaurants that can accept reservations and facilities that include those restaurants. For example, if a user enters "6 people" as the number of people for the search conditions, the search processing unit 214 refers to the facility congestion information D2 to search for one or more restaurants that can accept reservations for six people and one or more facilities that include those restaurants. For example, the search processing unit 214 searches for restaurants with one or more vacant seats.

The output processing unit 215 outputs the search results by the search processing unit 214. Specifically, the output processing unit 215 displays the search result page P2 (see FIG. 9) on the user terminal 3 that is the source of the search request. The output processing unit 215 is an example of the output processing unit of the present invention.

A specific example of the search process is shown below. For example, when the search conditions include a time of arrival of "12:00" and a number of occupants of "6 people," the search processing unit 214 searches for restaurants in each facility whose business hours include 12:00 and whose number of available seats is "6" or more. Here, the search processing unit 214 extracts restaurants A1, B1, B2, and C3, for example. The search processing unit 214 also extracts facility A, which includes restaurant A1, facility B, which includes restaurants B1 and B2, and facility C, which includes restaurant C3.

In another embodiment, the search processing unit 214 may extract restaurants that satisfy the search conditions and have the number of vacant seats or the vacancy rate of the restaurant equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, if the predetermined value corresponding to the vacancy rate of the restaurant is set to 60%, the search processing unit 214 extracts restaurants A1, B2, and C3, and excludes restaurant B1. The search processing unit 214 may also extract restaurants that satisfy the search conditions and have the total number of vacant seats or the total vacancy rate of the facility equal to or greater than a predetermined value. For example, if the predetermined value corresponding to the total vacancy rate of the facility is set to 55%, the search processing unit 214 extracts restaurants B1, B2, and C3 included in facility B ("60%) and facility C ("58%), whose total vacancy rate is equal to or greater than 55%, and excludes restaurant A1 included in facility A ("52%), whose total vacancy rate is less than 55%. In this way, by setting the predetermined value corresponding to the restaurant and facility, it is possible to search for facilities and restaurants that have a certain number of available seats, so that users can be distributed among multiple facilities. It is also possible to avoid a situation where each restaurant is unable to accept walk-in customers.

In another embodiment, the search processing unit 214 may search for facilities that have a predetermined number or more of restaurants that satisfy the search conditions. For example, if the predetermined number is set to "3," the search processing unit 214 searches for facilities that have three or more restaurants that satisfy the search conditions. This can expand the options for selecting restaurants from within each facility.

When the search processing unit 214 searches for facilities and restaurants, the output processing unit 215 displays the search result page P2 shown in FIG. 9 on the user terminal 3 that is the source of the search request. As shown in FIG. 9, the search result page P2 displays a list of information on facilities and restaurants (restaurant information R1) that satisfy the search conditions. The output processing unit 215 also outputs congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated by the second calculation processing unit 213 for each of the searched facilities. Specifically, the output processing unit 215 outputs at least one of the total number of vacant seats and the total vacant seat rate for each of the facilities. The output processing unit 215 may also output at least one of the total number of vacant seats and the total vacant seat rate for each of the facilities that include the specified number of restaurants.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the output processing unit 215 displays, on the search result page P2, the total number of available seats for facility A, "21 seats," and the total vacancy rate, "52%,," and the total number of available seats for facility B, "27 seats," and the total vacancy rate, "60%. In addition, when the screen is scrolled in FIG. 9, the output processing unit 215 displays the total number of available seats for facility C, "31 seats," and the total vacancy rate, "58%. This allows the user to understand the congestion situation at each of the searched facilities.

In addition, the output processing unit 215 displays restaurant information R1 for each of the restaurants A1, B1, B2, and C3 that satisfy the search conditions on the search result page P2. In each restaurant information R1, an overview of the restaurant, an image, a details button K22 for displaying the restaurant's details page, a reservation button K23 for making a reservation request, and the like are displayed. The output processing unit 215 may display at least one of the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate of the restaurant in each restaurant information R1. When the user finds a restaurant that the user wishes to reserve on the search result page P2, the user makes a reservation request by pressing the reservation button K23 of the corresponding restaurant information R1. On the other hand, when the user does not find a restaurant that the user wishes to reserve on the search result page P2, the user presses the change conditions button K21. When the change conditions button K21 is pressed, the search processing unit 214 redisplays the search condition setting page P1 (see FIG. 8) and accepts a change operation of the search conditions from the user.

In another embodiment, the output processing unit 215 may output the total number of vacant seats or the total vacant seat rate in descending order of the total number of vacant seats or the total vacant seat rate of the facility. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the output processing unit 215 displays facility B ("60%), which has the highest total vacant seat rate among facilities A, B, and C, at the top of the search condition setting page P1, and displays facility C ("58%), which has the next highest total vacant seat rate, after facility B.

In another embodiment, the output processing unit 215 may display preferentially a facility that includes a large number of restaurants that can be reserved. Specifically, for example, if the number of restaurants that satisfy the search criteria included in facility A (an example of a first facility of the present invention) is greater than the number of restaurants that satisfy the search criteria included in facility B (an example of a second facility of the present invention), the output processing unit 215 displays the congestion information (the total number of vacant seats, the total vacancy rate) of facility A in preference to the congestion information of facility B.

When a user presses the reservation button K23 for a desired restaurant on the search result page P2 (see Figures 9 and 10) displayed by the search process according to each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the reservation processing unit 216 accepts the reservation request and executes the reservation process.

The reservation processing unit 216 executes reservation processing based on the reservation request when a reservation can be made for the restaurant that is the subject of the reservation. Specifically, the reservation processing unit 216 accepts reservation requests from users with the number of vacant seats or the vacant seat rate in the facility congestion information D2 (see FIG. 5) as an upper limit. When the reservation processing is executed, the reservation processing unit 216 updates the number of vacant seats and the vacant seat rate in the facility congestion information D2 (see FIG. 5 to FIG. 7) that corresponds to the restaurant that is the subject of the reservation. In this way, the facility congestion information D2 is updated in real time every time a reservation is accepted. When the reservation processing is completed, the reservation processing unit 216 sends, for example, a reservation completion email to the user terminal 3 and the store terminal 4. The reservation processing unit 216 is an example of a reservation processing unit of the present invention.

[User terminal 3]
3, the user terminal 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, an operation display unit 33, and a communication I/F 34. The user terminal 3 is an information processing device such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, or a personal computer.

The communication I/F 34 is a communication interface that connects the user terminal 3 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performs data communication in accordance with a specified communication protocol with external devices such as the reservation support device 2 and the store terminal 4 via the communication network N1.

The operation display unit 33 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays information such as various web pages, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

The storage unit 32 is a non-volatile storage unit such as an HDD, SSD, or flash memory that stores various information. For example, a control program such as a browser program is stored in the storage unit 32. Specifically, the browser program is a control program that causes the control unit 31 to execute communication processing with an external device such as the reservation support device 2 according to a communication protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). The browser program may also be a dedicated application for executing communication processing with the reservation support device 2 according to a predetermined communication protocol. Other information such as map data may also be stored in the storage unit 32.

The control unit 31 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 31 controls the user terminal 3 by having the CPU execute various control programs that are stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 32.

Specifically, the control unit 31 functions as a browser processing unit 311 by executing various processes according to the browser program stored in the memory unit 32. The browser processing unit 311 is capable of executing browser processing to display a web page provided from the reservation support device 2 via the communication network N1 on the operation display unit 33 and input operations on the operation display unit 33 to the reservation support device 2. In other words, the user terminal 3 can function as an operation terminal for the reservation support device 2 by the control unit 31 executing the browser program. Note that some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 31 may be configured with electronic circuits.

Specifically, in the user terminal 3, when a user operation is performed to request access to a specific URL corresponding to the reservation site of the reservation service provided by the reservation support system 1, the control unit 31 acquires webpage data of the reservation site from the reservation support device 2 and displays the webpage of the reservation site on the operation display unit 33. Note that, for example, the access request to the specific URL is made by a selection operation from a list of preregistered websites, a selection operation from search results on an information search site, or a text input operation. In addition, when a dedicated application corresponding to the reservation support device 2 is installed in the user terminal 3, the user of the user terminal 3 performs an operation to launch the dedicated application, and the webpage of the reservation site is displayed on the operation display unit 33.

By operating the user terminal 3, the user can set the desired search conditions on the search condition setting page P1 (see FIG. 8) of the reservation site, request a search for restaurants, and view the search result page P2 (see FIG. 9, FIG. 10). For example, when searching for a restaurant, the user can obtain information about restaurants that can be reserved, as well as the congestion status of the facility in which the restaurant is located. The user can then make a reservation for the restaurant by referring to the congestion status of the facility. For example, the user can avoid restaurants that can be reserved in a crowded facility and make a reservation for a restaurant that is available in an empty facility. In this way, the user can select a restaurant to reserve, avoiding crowded facilities. Furthermore, the user can smoothly visit the restaurant that he/she has reserved. For example, a user who heads to a facility by car can enter the facility smoothly without getting caught in traffic jams.

[Store terminal 4]
3, the store terminal 4 includes a control unit 41, a storage unit 42, an operation display unit 43, and a communication I/F 44. The store terminal 4 is an information processing device such as a tablet terminal or a personal computer. The store terminal 4 may further include the same functions as the reservation support device 2, or may be an information processing device integrated with the reservation support device 2.

The communication I/F 44 is a communication interface that connects the store terminal 4 to the communication network N1 by wire or wirelessly and performs data communication in accordance with a specified communication protocol with external devices such as the reservation support device 2 and the user terminal 3 via the communication network N1.

The operation display unit 43 is a user interface that includes a display unit such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display that displays information such as various web pages, and an operation unit such as a mouse, keyboard, or touch panel that accepts operations.

The storage unit 42 is a non-volatile storage unit such as a HDD, SSD, or flash memory that stores various types of information. For example, a control program such as a browser program is stored in the storage unit 42. Specifically, the browser program is a control program that causes the control unit 41 to execute communication processing with an external device such as the reservation support device 2 according to a communication protocol such as HTTP. The browser program may also be a dedicated application for executing communication processing with the reservation support device 2 according to a predetermined communication protocol.

The memory unit 42 also stores reservation management information (not shown) that manages reservations for restaurants. The reservation management information includes information such as the name of the person making the reservation, the number of people using the restaurant, the date and time of the visit, and the course of the meal.

The control unit 41 has control devices such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The CPU is a processor that executes various arithmetic operations. The ROM is a non-volatile storage unit in which control programs such as a BIOS and an OS for causing the CPU to execute various processes are stored in advance. The RAM is a volatile or non-volatile storage unit that stores various information, and is used as a temporary storage memory (work area) for the various processes executed by the CPU. The control unit 41 controls the store terminal 4 by having the CPU execute various control programs that are stored in advance in the ROM or the storage unit 42.

Specifically, the control unit 41 functions as a browser processing unit 411 by executing various processes according to the browser program stored in the memory unit 42. The browser processing unit 411 is capable of executing browser processing to display a web page provided from the reservation support device 2 via the communication network N1 on the operation display unit 43 and input operations on the operation display unit 43 to the reservation support device 2. In other words, the store terminal 4 can function as an operation terminal for the reservation support device 2 by the control unit 41 executing the browser program. Note that some or all of the processing units included in the control unit 41 may be configured with electronic circuits.

For example, in the store terminal 4, when a user operation is performed to request access to a specific URL corresponding to the reservation site provided by the reservation support system 1, the control unit 41 acquires the web page data of the reservation site from the reservation support device 2 and displays the web page of the reservation site on the operation display unit 43. For example, the control unit 41 displays a reservation setting page (not shown) and accepts setting operations such as the number of seats from the restaurant manager. When the control unit 41 accepts the setting operation, the control unit 21 of the reservation support device 2 registers the number of seats in the facility congestion information D2 (see FIG. 5). In addition, when the control unit 41 accepts an operation to change the number of vacant seats from the restaurant manager or staff, the control unit 21 of the reservation support device 2 updates the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate in the facility congestion information D2. For example, the staff changes the number of vacant seats when a walk-in customer is accepted. The store terminal 4 of each restaurant may store the facility congestion information D2 of its own store in the memory unit 42.

When the reservation process is completed in the reservation support device 2, the control unit 41 receives a reservation completion email from the reservation support device 2. When the control unit 41 receives the reservation completion email, it registers the reservation details in the reservation management information.

[Reservation Support Processing]
The reservation support process executed in the reservation support system 1 will be described below with reference to Fig. 11. Specifically, in this embodiment, the reservation support process is executed by the control unit 21 of the reservation support device 2. The control unit 21 also executes the reservation support process in response to a search request from each user terminal 3.

The present invention can be understood as an invention of a reservation support method that executes one or more steps included in the reservation support process. One or more steps included in the reservation support process described here may be omitted as appropriate. The steps in the reservation support process may be executed in a different order as long as the same action and effect is achieved. Furthermore, although an example is described here in which the control unit 21 executes each step in the reservation support process, another embodiment of the reservation support method can be one in which one or more processors execute each step in the reservation support process in a distributed manner. The reservation support method is an example of an information processing method of the present invention, and the reservation support program is an example of an information processing program of the present invention.

Here, we will explain the reservation support process when a user sets specific search conditions and makes a search request for a restaurant. The memory unit 22 of the reservation support device 2 stores congestion information corresponding to multiple facilities, such as facility congestion information D2a for facility A (see Figure 5), facility congestion information D2b for facility B (see Figure 6), and facility congestion information D2c for facility C (see Figure 7).

First, in step S11, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a search request for restaurants has been received from the user terminal 3. For example, when a user inputs search conditions such as area, visit date, visit time, number of occupants, and search target ("including facilities") on the search condition setting page P1 (see FIG. 8) displayed on the user terminal 3 and presses the decision button K16, the control unit 21 accepts the search request. Here, it is assumed that the user inputs "12:00" as the visit time and "6 people" as the number of occupants. When the control unit 21 accepts the search request (S11: Yes), the process proceeds to step S12. The control unit 21 waits until the search request is accepted (S11: No).

In step S12, the control unit 21 calculates the degree of congestion (first congestion degree) for each of the multiple restaurants included in each facility. Specifically, the control unit 21 calculates the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate for each restaurant. For example, the control unit 21 obtains the current number of vacant seats for each restaurant from the store terminal 4 of each restaurant and calculates the vacancy rate for each restaurant. The control unit 21 registers the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate in facility congestion information D2 (see Figures 5 to 7). Step S12 is an example of the first calculation step of the present invention.

In step S13, the control unit 21 calculates the congestion level of the facility (second congestion level) based on the congestion level of each of the restaurants. Specifically, the control unit 21 calculates the total number of vacant seats and the total vacant seat rate of the facility based on the number of vacant seats and the vacant seat rate of each of the restaurants included in the facility. The control unit 21 calculates the total number of vacant seats and the total vacant seat rate for each facility.

In step S14, the control unit 21 executes a search process to search for restaurants based on the search request. Specifically, the control unit 21 refers to store information D1 (see FIG. 4) and facility congestion information D2 (see FIG. 5 to FIG. 7) to search for restaurants that can be reserved and facilities that include the restaurants. For example, if a user inputs "6 people" as the number of people for the search conditions, the control unit 21 refers to the facility congestion information D2 to search for one or more restaurants that can be reserved for 6 people and one or more facilities that include the restaurants.

Next, in step S15, the control unit 21 determines whether or not there is a restaurant (target store) that satisfies the search conditions. If there is at least one restaurant that satisfies the search conditions (S15: Yes), the process proceeds to step S16. If there is no restaurant that satisfies the search conditions (S15: No), the process returns to step S11. When returning to step S11, the control unit 21 accepts the search request again. For example, the user changes the search conditions, such as the area or the time of visit, and the control unit 21 accepts a search request according to the changed search conditions.

In step S16, the control unit 21 outputs the results of the search process (search results). Specifically, the control unit 21 displays a search result page P2 (see FIG. 9) on the user terminal 3 that has made the search request. The control unit 21 displays congestion information (the total number of vacant seats, the total vacancy rate) of facilities that include restaurants that satisfy the search criteria, and information about the restaurants (restaurant information R1) on the search result page P2. Step S16 is an example of an output step of the present invention. The above-mentioned steps S11 to S16 correspond to a search support process. The present invention can also be seen as an invention of an information processing method that executes one or more steps included in the search support process.

Next, in step S17, the control unit 21 determines whether or not a restaurant reservation request has been received from the user terminal 3. For example, a user makes a reservation request for a desired restaurant on the search result page P2 (see FIG. 9) displayed on the user terminal 3. The control unit 21 receives the restaurant reservation request from the user terminal 3. If the control unit 21 receives the reservation request (S17: Yes), the process proceeds to step S18. On the other hand, if the control unit 21 does not receive the reservation request (S17: No), the process returns to step S11. When returning to step S11, the control unit 21 receives the search request again.

In step S18, the control unit 21 executes reservation processing in response to the reservation request. Specifically, the control unit 21 confirms the reservation for restaurant A1 in response to the reservation request, and updates the number of vacant seats and the vacancy rate of the restaurant in the facility congestion information D2 (see FIG. 5). In addition, when the control unit 21 confirms the reservation, it sends a reservation completion email to the user terminal 3 and the store terminal 4 of the restaurant.

In this manner, the control unit 21 executes the reservation assistance process. The control unit 21 executes the search process each time a search request is received from a user, and executes the reservation process each time a reservation request is received in the search results.

As described above, the reservation support device 2 according to this embodiment calculates a first congestion level (number of vacant seats, vacancy rate) for each of multiple stores (e.g., restaurants) included in the same facility (e.g., a commercial building, shopping mall, etc.), calculates a second congestion level (total number of vacant seats, total vacancy rate) for the facility based on the first congestion level, and outputs congestion information corresponding to the second congestion level.

For example, the reservation support device 2 searches for one or more facilities that include restaurants that meet the search criteria set by the user, and presents the user with congestion information for the searched facilities. This allows the user to understand the congestion status of a facility that includes multiple restaurants. For example, the user can understand the congestion status of a facility that houses restaurants that can be reserved. As a result, the user can select a restaurant to reserve by referring to the congestion status of the facility. For example, the user can avoid restaurants in a facility that is crowded and reserve a restaurant in a facility that is empty.

In addition, since users can save the trouble of searching for facilities that are not crowded, the processing load of searches and reservations on the reservation support system 1 is reduced. As a result, the reservation support system 1 can reduce communication traffic related to search processing and reservation processing, and can make effective use of computer resources.

The information processing system of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment. As another embodiment of the present invention, the output processing unit 215 may output only information (crowding information) of facilities that satisfy the search conditions. For example, when the number of users is set to "6 people", the search processing unit 214 searches for facilities including restaurants that can be used by 6 people, and the output processing unit 215 displays a list of the searched facilities and congestion information of each facility (the total number of vacant seats, the total vacancy rate) on the user terminal 3. This allows the user to understand the congestion status of each facility, including the restaurants that can be used. In addition, when the user selects a desired facility from the list of searched facilities, the output processing unit 215 may output information of restaurants included in the selected facility that can be reserved by 6 people as another search result to the user terminal 3.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the output processing unit 215 may output the second congestion degree of a specified facility without using the search process. For example, when a user selects a desired facility, the output processing unit 215 may display congestion information (the total number of vacant seats, the total vacant seat rate) of the selected facility on the user terminal 3. For example, when a user selects a desired area, the output processing unit 215 may display congestion information (the total number of vacant seats, the total vacant seat rate) of one or more facilities included in the selected area on the user terminal 3. This allows the user to understand the congestion situation of the desired facility, and can use it as reference information when deciding on a destination (a facility or a store within the facility). This makes it possible to improve the convenience of users who use a facility that includes multiple stores.

For example, the output processing unit 215 may also display on the user terminal 3 congestion information (the total number of vacant seats, the total vacant seat rate) of one or more facilities included in the area corresponding to the user's current location. This allows the user to grasp the congestion situation of nearby facilities while moving around.

In another embodiment of the present invention, when a first facility (an example of a first facility of the present invention) is closer to the user's current location than a second facility (an example of a second facility of the present invention), the output processing unit 215 may output congestion information for the first facility in preference to congestion information for the second facility. For example, when facilities A, B, and C are searched for as facilities that include restaurants that satisfy the user's search criteria, the output processing unit 215 displays congestion information (the total number of vacant seats and the total vacant seat rate) for facilities A, B, and C in order of proximity to the user's current location, and information on restaurants that can be reserved and are included in the facilities, on the search result page P2. The output processing unit 215 may also output congestion information for facilities located in the user's travel direction in preference to congestion information for facilities in a direction different from the travel direction.

The information processing system of the present invention may not include reservation processing. In other words, the information processing system of the present invention may be a system that only has the function of executing search processing in response to a search request and presenting the search results. In this case, the reservation support device 2 that realizes the information processing system omits the reservation processing unit 216 and functions as a search support device.

The reservation assistance system 1 according to this embodiment may be configured as a system including a first calculation processing unit 212 that calculates a first congestion degree for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility, a second calculation processing unit 213 that calculates a second congestion degree for the facility based on the first congestion degree for each store calculated by the first calculation processing unit 212, and an output processing unit 215 that outputs congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated by the second calculation processing unit 213.

The reservation assistance method according to this embodiment may be a method in which one or more processors execute a first calculation step of calculating a first congestion degree for each of multiple stores included in the same facility, a second calculation step of calculating a second congestion degree for the facility based on the first congestion degree for each store calculated in the first calculation step, and a presentation step of presenting congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated in the second calculation step. The reservation assistance program according to this embodiment may be a program for causing one or more processors to execute each of the steps.

1: Reservation support system 2: Reservation support device 3: User terminal 4: Shop terminal 211: Reception processing unit 212: First calculation processing unit 213: Second calculation processing unit 214: Search processing unit 215: Output processing unit 216: Reservation processing unit

Claims (5)

a calculation processing unit that calculates the congestion level of a facility based on at least one of information regarding the number of vacant seats, the vacancy rate, the number of seats in use, the number of reserved seats, the number of users in the facility, and the capacity of the facility for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility;
an output processing unit that outputs congestion information corresponding to the congestion degree of the facility including the store that satisfies a search condition of the user;
An information processing system comprising: the calculation processing unit includes a first calculation processing unit that calculates a first congestion degree of each of the plurality of stores, and a second calculation processing unit that calculates a second congestion degree that is a congestion degree of the facility based on the first congestion degree of each store calculated by the first calculation processing unit,
The output processing unit outputs congestion information corresponding to the second congestion degree calculated by the second calculation processing unit.
The information processing system according to claim 1 . the output processing unit outputs a search result including information on the store that satisfies the search condition and the congestion information on the facility that includes the store.
3. The information processing system according to claim 1 or 2 . One or more processors
a calculation step of calculating a congestion degree of the facility based on at least one of information regarding the number of vacant seats, the vacancy rate, the number of seats in use, the number of reserved seats, the number of users in the facility, and the capacity of the facility for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility;
an output step of outputting congestion information corresponding to the congestion degree of the facility including the store that satisfies a search condition of the user;
An information processing method for performing the above. a calculation step of calculating a congestion degree of the facility based on at least one of information regarding the number of vacant seats, the vacancy rate, the number of seats in use, the number of reserved seats, the number of users in the facility, and the capacity of the facility for each of a plurality of stores included in the same facility;
an output step of outputting congestion information corresponding to the congestion degree of the facility including the store that satisfies a search condition of the user;
An information processing program for causing one or more processors to execute the above.