JP7845837B2 - Ticket management device, control method for ticket management device, and control program - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a ticket management device, a control method for the ticket management device, and a control program.

In recent years, server devices have become known that have the function of transmitting electronic tickets—digitized versions of paper tickets used for admission to museums, art galleries, concerts, and events—to users' multi-functional mobile phones (so-called "smartphones"). If a user who has purchased such an electronic ticket is unable to attend an event that would normally be accessible with that ticket, the server device can transfer the electronic ticket to a third party, depending on the user's wishes.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a system having user terminals for multiple users and a server device that permits the resale or transfer of tickets between the user terminals of two users. In this system, the server device, upon receiving a transfer notification containing information about a third party to whom the ticket was transferred from the user terminal of the user who purchased the ticket, registers the third party's identification information and has a function that allows the third party to participate in events, etc.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-160928

However, the system described in Patent Document 1 lacked a function to provide users who wished to transfer their acquired tickets to other users with information about other users who were interested in receiving the tickets. Therefore, it was difficult for users to find other users to whom they could transfer their tickets, forcing them to hold onto tickets even if they could not attend events, resulting in a decrease in the actual number of tickets used.

This invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems of the past and provides a ticket management device, a control method for the ticket management device, and a control program that prevent a reduction in the number of tickets used.

The ticket management device according to the present invention comprises: a storage unit that stores information indicating the acquired tickets obtained by each of multiple users; a first receiving unit that receives information indicating the type of acquired ticket requested by the first user and the payment amount from the first user's first user terminal; an extraction unit that extracts a second user from among the multiple users who has acquired an acquired ticket of the same type as the acquired ticket requested by the first user; a transmission unit that transmits information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and information indicating the payment amount to the second user's second user terminal; a second receiving unit that receives information regarding the transfer of the acquired ticket of the same type obtained by the second user from the second user's second user terminal; and a storage processing unit that, when the transfer conditions are met based on the transfer information, stores information indicating the acquired ticket of the same type obtained by the second user as information regarding the acquired ticket of the first user in the storage unit.

Furthermore, in the ticket management device according to the present invention, the storage unit stores information regarding the sales period and maximum number of tickets to be sold, which are pre-set by the seller of the requested tickets. The ticket management device according to the present invention preferably further includes a control unit that permits the first receiving unit to receive information indicating the type of requested ticket and the payment amount when the sales period ends or when the number of requested tickets sold reaches the maximum number.

Furthermore, in the ticket management device according to the present invention, if there are multiple first users requesting to acquire a requested ticket, the transmission unit preferably transmits display data to the second user terminal for displaying a screen containing information indicating the payment amount for each of the multiple first users. The transfer information preferably indicates that the same type of ticket acquired by the second user is being transferred to the first user corresponding to the payment amount selected by the second user from among the payment amounts included on the screen.

Furthermore, in the ticket management device according to the present invention, if multiple second users are extracted by the extraction unit, it is preferable that the transmission unit transmits information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and information indicating the payment amount to each of the multiple second users' user terminals.

Furthermore, in the ticket management device according to the present invention, the storage unit further stores information indicating the payment amount paid by each of the multiple users when they obtained their tickets. When multiple second users are extracted by the extraction unit, it is preferable that the transmission unit transmits the payment amount information to the second user terminal of the second user with the lowest payment amount first.

Furthermore, in the ticket management device according to the present invention, the storage unit further stores information indicating the payment amount paid by each of the multiple users when they obtained their tickets. When multiple second users are extracted by the extraction unit, the transmission unit preferably simultaneously transmits the payment amount information to the second user terminals of two or more second users whose payment amounts are the same.

Furthermore, in the ticket management device according to the present invention, if the second receiving unit receives information regarding the refusal to transfer an acquired ticket from one of the user terminals of multiple users before the transmitting unit transmits information indicating the payment amount, it is preferable that the transmitting unit transmits information regarding the same type of acquired ticket and information indicating the payment amount to the second user's second user terminal, provided that the extracted second user is not the user of the user terminal that transmitted the information regarding the refusal to transfer.

The control method according to the present invention is a control method for a ticket management device equipped with a storage unit, wherein the storage unit stores information indicating the acquired tickets obtained by each of a plurality of users. The ticket management device receives information from the first user's first user terminal indicating the type of acquired ticket requested by the first user and the payment amount. From among the plurality of users, it extracts a second user who has acquired an acquired ticket of the same type as the requested ticket. It transmits information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and the payment amount to the second user's second user terminal. It receives information regarding the transfer of the acquired ticket of the same type obtained by the second user from the second user's second user terminal. If the transfer conditions are met based on the transfer information, it stores information indicating the acquired ticket of the same type obtained by the second user in the storage unit as information regarding the acquired ticket of the first user.

The control program according to the present invention is a control program for a ticket management device equipped with a storage unit, the storage unit storing information indicating the acquired tickets obtained by each of a plurality of users, and the ticket management device is instructed to receive information indicating the type of acquired ticket requested by the first user and the payment amount from the first user's first user terminal, extract a second user from among the plurality of users who has acquired an acquired ticket of the same type as the requested ticket, transmit information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and the payment amount to the second user's second user terminal, receive information regarding the transfer of the acquired ticket of the same type obtained by the second user from the second user's second user terminal, and, if the transfer conditions are met based on the transfer information, store information indicating the acquired ticket of the same type obtained by the second user in the storage unit as information regarding the acquired ticket of the first user.

The ticket management device, control method, and control program according to the present invention enable the prevention of a reduction in the number of tickets used.

This is a schematic diagram illustrating the outline of the ticket management system. This figure shows an example of a general configuration of a ticket management system. This figure shows an example of a user terminal's general configuration. This figure shows an example of a schematic configuration of a ticket management system. (a) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the ticket management table, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the acquired ticket table. This figure shows examples of various screens displayed on the terminal display of a user terminal. This figure shows examples of various screens displayed on the terminal display of a user terminal. This figure shows an example of an operation sequence related to a ticket management system. (a) is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of the receiving process, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of the extraction process. (a) is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of the display process, and (b) is a diagram showing an example of the operation flow of the registration process.

The following describes various embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. However, it should be noted that the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but extends to the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

(Outline of the ticket management system)
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the outline of a ticket management system. The ticket management system includes user terminals and a ticket management device. The user terminals and the ticket management device are connected to each other so that they can communicate with one another.

The tickets handled in the ticket management system are, for example, electronic tickets for participation in museums, art galleries, movies, plays, concerts, and events. The tickets handled in the ticket management system may also be electronic coupons used as exchange vouchers for specific goods or as discount vouchers that reduce the price of specific goods. Furthermore, the tickets handled in the ticket management system may also be electronic coupons used to receive various services free of charge or as discount vouchers that reduce the cost of various services.

The user terminal is, for example, a multi-functional mobile phone called a "smartphone." The user terminal has the function of transmitting a ticket acquisition request to the ticket management device in response to a purchase operation by the user. Acquiring a ticket means receiving a ticket for a fee (purchase), receiving a ticket free of charge, or receiving a reservation for a ticket transfer from a ticket seller or another user.

Furthermore, the user terminal has a function to display ticket information indicating the acquired ticket in response to a display operation by the user. For example, a two-dimensional barcode indicating the ticket information is displayed on the user terminal. If the ticket information is stored in the ticket management device, the ticket information received from the ticket management device is displayed on the user terminal in response to a display request from the user terminal of the user who acquired the ticket. Alternatively, the ticket information may be stored in the user terminal of the user who acquired the ticket corresponding to that ticket information. Hereafter, tickets acquired by a user may be referred to as "tickets acquired by that user."

A ticket management system is, for example, a server device managed by a ticket seller. The administrator of the ticket management system is not limited to the ticket seller; it may also be a person entrusted with management by the seller. The ticket management system stores at least identification information indicating the type of ticket (ticket type ID (identification)), identification information for identifying each ticket (ticket ID), and user identification information for identifying each user (user ID). The ticket ID is information used to distinguish each ticket obtained by each user from one another. For example, if a single user obtains multiple tickets of the same type, each of those tickets will have a different ticket ID.

The following explanation, referring to Figure 1, describes how one user can obtain a ticket from another user through the ticket management system.

First, as shown in Figure 1 (1), at least the ticket type ID and payment amount information are transmitted from User A's user terminal to the ticket management device. The ticket type ID is the ticket type ID of the ticket that User A requests to obtain. For example, the ticket type ID indicates the type selected by User A from among several ticket types displayed for selection on User A's user terminal. The payment amount information indicates the amount that User A plans to pay to obtain the requested ticket. For example, the payment amount information is numerical information representing the amount entered by User A. Note that User A's user ID may also be transmitted along with the ticket type ID and payment amount information.

Next, as shown in Figure 1 (2), when the ticket management device receives the ticket type ID and payment amount information from user A's user terminal, it extracts the user ID of the user who has obtained the ticket of the type indicated by the received ticket type ID. As shown in the example in Figure 1, for example, the user ID, the ticket ID of the ticket obtained by that user ID, and the ticket type ID of that obtained ticket are stored in the ticket management device in relation to each other. Since the ticket type ID received from user A's user terminal is "G02," the user ID of user B, associated with ticket type ID "G02," is extracted.

Next, as shown in Figure 1 (3), the ticket management device transmits at least ticket information and payment amount information to the user terminal of user B, indicated by the extracted user ID. The ticket information transmitted to user B's user terminal is information about the ticket associated with the same ticket type ID as the ticket type ID received from user A's user terminal, among the tickets acquired by user B. The ticket information includes information such as the name of the ticket. Furthermore, the ticket information may include information indicating the name of the venue, event, museum, art gallery, movie, play, concert, etc., for which the ticket can be used for entry, and may also include information indicating the date on which the ticket can be used (event date, etc.). The payment amount information transmitted to user B's user terminal is the payment amount information received from user A's user terminal.

Then, User B's user terminal displays information about the ticket and payment amount received from the ticket management device, and asks User B whether or not to transfer the acquired ticket related to the displayed information to another user. Information indicating User A, who requested the ticket, may also be displayed on User B's mobile terminal along with the ticket and payment amount information.

Next, as shown in Figure 1 (4), information regarding the transfer, entered by User B, is transmitted from User B's user terminal to the ticket management device. This transfer information indicates either that User B is transferring their acquired ticket to another user, or that User B is not transferring their acquired ticket to another user. Note that "User B's acquired ticket" in the transfer information refers to the acquired ticket related to the ticket information received by User B's user terminal from the ticket management device.

Next, when the ticket management device receives transfer information from User B's user terminal, it determines whether the transfer conditions have been met based on the received information. For example, if the transfer information indicates that User B's acquired ticket will be transferred to User A, it is determined that the transfer conditions have been met. Conversely, if the transfer information indicates that User B's acquired ticket will not be transferred to User A, it is determined that the transfer conditions have not been met. Furthermore, if the transfer information indicates that User B's acquired ticket will be transferred to User A, and User A also agrees to the transfer, it may be determined that the transfer conditions have been met.

Then, as shown in Figure 1 (5), if the transfer conditions are met, the tickets acquired by User B that are associated with the same ticket type ID as the ticket type ID received from User A's user terminal will be registered as User A's acquired tickets. This allows User A to acquire and use the desired tickets.

As described above, the ticket management system can display information to User B (Figure 1) indicating that another user (User A (Figure 1)) has requested to acquire a ticket that User B (Figure 1) already possesses. Therefore, even if a user who possesses a ticket is unable to use it due to work, illness, or other reasons, they can easily transfer the ticket to the automatically indicated recipient without having to continue holding onto it. In this way, the ticket management system makes it possible to improve the number of tickets used and/or the ticket utilization rate.

The explanation of Figure 1 described above is merely for the purpose of deepening understanding of the present invention. The present invention is specifically implemented in the embodiments described below and may be implemented by various modifications without substantially exceeding the principles of the present invention. All such modifications are included within the scope of the present invention and the disclosure of this specification.

(Ticket Management System 1)
Figure 2 shows an example of the schematic configuration of the ticket management system 1.

The ticket management system 1 comprises multiple user terminals 2 and ticket management devices 3. The user terminals 2 and ticket management devices 3 are interconnected via a communication network, such as a base station 4, a mobile communication network 5, a gateway 6, and the Internet 7. Communication between the multiple user terminals 2 and ticket management devices 3 takes place based on a predetermined communication protocol. This predetermined communication protocol is, for example, the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

User terminal 2 is an information processing device such as a smartphone. User terminal 2 may also be a mobile phone, tablet device, tablet PC (Personal Computer), e-book reader, wearable computer, etc. User terminal 2 may also be a portable game console, game console, or notebook PC, etc.

In Figure 2, a single ticket management device 3 is shown as a component of the ticket management system 1. However, the ticket management device 3 may be a collection of multiple physically separate server devices (computers). In this case, each of the multiple server devices may have the same function, or they may each have a distributed function of the single ticket management device 3.

(User terminal 2)
Figure 3 shows an example of the schematic configuration of user terminal 2.

The user terminal 2 connects to the ticket management device 3 via the base station 4, mobile communication network 5, gateway 6, and the internet 7, and communicates with the connected ticket management device 3. The user terminal 2 is capable of sending various requests to the ticket management device 3, receiving data corresponding to those requests from the ticket management device 3, and executing various processes (such as display processing) based on the data from the ticket management device 3. To this end, the user terminal 2 comprises a terminal communication unit 21, a terminal storage unit 22, a terminal operation unit 23, a terminal display unit 24, and a terminal processing unit 25.

The terminal communication unit 21 has a communication interface circuit including an antenna that primarily uses the 2.1 GHz band as its sensitivity band, and connects the user terminal 2 to the communication network. The terminal communication unit 21 establishes a wireless signal link with the base station 4 using the LTE (Long Term Evolution) method or the like via a channel allocated by the base station 4, and communicates with the base station 4.

The communication method between the terminal communication unit 21 and the base station 4 may be other communication methods such as CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) or W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access). The communication method between the terminal communication unit 21 and the base station 4 may also be a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system. The communication method between the terminal communication unit 21 and the base station 4 may also be other communication methods such as PHS (Personal Handy-phone System). The frequency band of the terminal communication unit 21 is not limited to the frequency bands mentioned above.

The terminal storage unit 22 includes, for example, a semiconductor memory device such as ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory). The terminal storage unit 22 stores driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, data, etc., used in processing by the terminal processing unit 25. Driver programs stored in the terminal storage unit 22 include a mobile phone communication device driver program that controls the terminal communication unit 21, an input device driver program that controls the terminal operation unit 23, and an output device driver program that controls the terminal display unit 24. Various programs stored in the terminal storage unit 22 may be installed using, for example, a known setup program transmitted from an external server device. Data stored in the terminal storage unit 22 includes, for example, a user ID for identifying the user operating the user terminal 2. The terminal storage unit 22 may temporarily store data related to predetermined processing.

The terminal operation unit 23 is, for example, a pointing device such as a touch panel. The terminal operation unit 23 can be any device that allows operation of the user terminal 2, such as a keypad. The user can use the terminal operation unit 23 to input characters, numbers, symbols, or positions on the display screen of the terminal display unit 24. When the terminal operation unit 23 is operated by the user, it generates a signal corresponding to that operation. The generated signal is then supplied to the terminal processing unit 25 as a user instruction.

The terminal display unit 24 is a liquid crystal display. Alternatively, the terminal display unit 24 may be an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display or the like. The terminal display unit 24 displays video data corresponding to the video data supplied from the terminal processing unit 25, moving images corresponding to the moving image data, still images corresponding to the still image data, etc.

The terminal processing unit 25 comprises one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The terminal processing unit 25 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the user terminal 2 and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The terminal processing unit 25 controls the operation of the terminal communication unit 21, the terminal display unit 24, etc., so that various processes of the user terminal 2 are executed in appropriate procedures based on programs stored in the terminal storage unit 22 and operations of the terminal operation unit 23. The terminal processing unit 25 executes processes based on programs (operating system programs, driver programs, application programs, etc.) stored in the terminal storage unit 22. Furthermore, the terminal processing unit 25 can execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel.

The terminal processing unit 25 comprises a terminal receiving unit 251, a display processing unit 252, and a terminal transmitting unit 253. Each of these units in the terminal processing unit 25 is a functional module implemented by a program executed on the processor of the terminal processing unit 25. Alternatively, each of these units in the terminal processing unit 25 may be implemented in the user terminal 2 as an independent integrated circuit, microprocessor, or firmware. Details of the functions of the terminal receiving unit 251, the display processing unit 252, and the terminal transmitting unit 253 will be described later.

(Ticket management device 3)
Figure 4 shows an example of the schematic configuration of the ticket management device 3.

The ticket management device 3 has a function for managing the tickets acquired by each user. To realize this function, the ticket management device 3 comprises a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a processing unit 33.

The communication unit 31 has a communication interface circuit for connecting the ticket management device 3 to the internet 7. The communication unit 31 supplies data received from the user terminal 2 to the processing unit 33. The communication unit 31 transmits the data supplied from the processing unit 33 to the user terminal 2.

The storage unit 32 includes, for example, at least one of a semiconductor memory, a magnetic disk drive, and an optical disk drive. The storage unit 32 stores driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, data, etc., used in processing by the processing unit 33. For example, the storage unit 32 stores a communication device driver program for controlling the communication unit 31 as a driver program. Computer programs may be installed in the storage unit 32 using a known setup program, etc., from a computer-readable portable recording medium such as a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM. The storage unit 32 stores data such as a ticket management table T1 and an acquired ticket table T2. The storage unit 32 may temporarily store data related to predetermined processing.

The following describes an example of the data structure of the ticket management table T1 and the acquired ticket table T2 stored in the memory unit 32, with reference to Figure 5.

(Ticket management table T1)
Figure 5(a) shows an example of the data structure of the ticket management table T1. In the ticket management table T1, the ticket type ID, ticket name, usage date, sales period, maximum number of tickets sold, and number of tickets sold are stored in relation to each other for each type of ticket.

The ticket type ID is unique identification information for each type of ticket. The ticket name is the name of each type of ticket, such as the event name, movie, play, or concert name. In the example shown in Figure 5(a), tickets with the same ticket name "Ticket B" are associated with the same ticket type ID even if the usage dates are different. However, tickets with the same ticket name "Ticket B" may be associated with different ticket type IDs if the usage dates are different. The usage date is the day or period (multiple consecutive days) during which each type of ticket can be used. The sales period is the period during which each type of ticket is sold by an authorized seller (not a user). The maximum number of tickets sold is the total number of tickets of each type sold by an authorized seller. The number of tickets sold is the current number of tickets sold by an authorized seller. In the example shown in Figure 5(a), the maximum number of tickets sold for the same ticket name "Ticket B" represents the total number for all usage dates. However, even for tickets with the same ticket name "Ticket B," if the maximum number of tickets sold differs depending on the usage date, the corresponding maximum number of tickets sold and the number of tickets sold may be managed separately for each usage date (in the example in Figure 5(a), this would be "8/3" and "9/2-9/9"). In this case, even for tickets with the same ticket name "Ticket B," different ticket type IDs will be associated with the maximum number of tickets sold and the number of tickets sold depending on the usage date.

(Ticket acquisition table T2)
Figure 5(b) shows an example of the data structure of the acquired ticket table T2. The acquired ticket table T2 stores each ticket type and one or more ticket IDs in association with each other, and further stores each of the one or more ticket IDs in association with each other, along with the seat, user ID, payment amount, and user history.

The ticket ID is an identification piece of information associated with each ticket when each type of ticket is sold. For example, since the maximum number of tickets sold for ticket type ID "G0001" is 5,000, up to 5,000 ticket IDs can be associated with ticket type ID "G0001". The seat information is the identification piece of information for the seat where the user will sit if the ticket is for a movie, play, or concert. The user ID is the user ID of the user who obtained the ticket with the associated ticket ID. The payment amount is the amount paid by the user who obtained the ticket with the associated ticket ID. The user history is the user ID of users who have previously obtained tickets with the associated ticket ID. Note that the user history does not necessarily have to be included in the acquired ticket table T2.

Returning to Figure 4, the processing unit 33 comprises one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The processing unit 33 comprehensively controls the overall operation of the ticket management device 3 and is, for example, a CPU. The processing unit 33 controls the operation of the communication unit 31 and other components so that various processes of the ticket management device 3 are executed in appropriate procedures according to the programs stored in the storage unit 32. The processing unit 33 executes processes based on the programs (driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, etc.) stored in the storage unit 32. Furthermore, the processing unit 33 can execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel.

The processing unit 33 comprises a transmission unit 331, a reception unit 332, a control unit 333, an extraction unit 334, and a storage processing unit 335. Each of these units in the processing unit 33 is a functional module implemented by a program executed on the processor of the processing unit 33. Alternatively, each of these units in the processing unit 33 may be implemented in the ticket management device 3 as an independent integrated circuit, microprocessor, or firmware. Details of the functions of the transmission unit 331, reception unit 332, control unit 333, extraction unit 334, and storage processing unit 335 will be described later.

(Explanation of various screens)
The following describes the various screens displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal 2, with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

(Request input screen 600)
Figure 6(a) shows an example of a request input screen 600 displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal 2.

The request input screen 600 is displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal 2 of a user who is requesting to obtain an acquisition ticket from another user, for example, when the user gives a display instruction for the request input screen 600 via the terminal operation unit 23. For example, the display instruction for the request input screen 600 is given when the user instructs the terminal operation unit 23 to display a startup icon (not shown) indicating a control program (e.g., an application program). Hereinafter, the user requesting to obtain an acquisition ticket from another user will be referred to as "User A," and the other user who has obtained the acquisition ticket will be referred to as "User B."

The request input screen 600 includes, for example, a ticket type input object 601, a payment amount input object 602, a submit button 603, and a cancel button 604.

The ticket type input object 601 is, for example, a dropdown list for user A to select the type of ticket they wish to obtain. Before displaying the request input screen 600, the terminal receiving unit 251 of the user terminal 2 receives ticket type information transmitted from the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21. This ticket type information includes, for example, one or more ticket type IDs and ticket names stored in the ticket management table T1. Next, the display processing unit 252 of the user terminal 2 displays the request input screen 600, including the ticket type input object 601 configured based on the received ticket type information. When user A specifies the ticket type input object 601, a list containing the names of one or more ticket types managed by the ticket management device 3 is displayed. When user A selects one of the names of one or more ticket types, the list display ends, and the selected name is displayed within the ticket type input object 601. This allows the ticket type ID corresponding to the name selected by user A to be specified from among the ticket type IDs managed by the ticket management device 3.

The payment amount input object 602 is a text box for user A to enter a numerical value indicating the payment amount for the ticket they wish to obtain. The submit button 603 is a button object for sending the ticket type ID specified in response to user A's operation on the ticket type input object 601, along with the numerical information indicating the payment amount entered in the payment amount input object 602, as request information to the ticket management device 3. Note that user A's user ID may also be sent to the ticket management device 3 along with the request information. The cancel button 604 is a button object for ending the display of the request input screen 600.

(Request response screen 610)
Figure 6(b) shows an example of a request response screen 610 displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal 2.

The request response screen 610 is displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of user B's user terminal 2 when, for example, user B inputs a display instruction for the request response screen 610 via the terminal operation unit 23. For example, the display instruction for the request input screen 600 is input when user B instructs the terminal operation unit 23 to display a startup icon (not shown) indicating a control program (e.g., an application program).

The request response screen 610 includes one or more request information display fields 611a to 611c. Each of the request information display fields 611a to 611c is configured based on request information transmitted from one or more user A's user terminal 2.

For example, when the receiving unit 332 of the ticket management device 3 receives request information transmitted from one or more user terminals 2 of user A via the communication unit 31, the extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3 extracts the user ID associated with the ticket type ID included in the received request information from the acquired ticket table T2. The transmitting unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 transmits the ticket name associated with the ticket type ID included in the received request information, the payment amount information included in the received request information, and the user ID transmitted along with the received request information as application information via the communication unit 31 to the user terminal 2 of user B indicated by the extracted user ID. When the application information is received by the terminal receiving unit 251 of user B's user terminal 2, the display processing unit 252 of user B's user terminal 2 displays a request response screen 610 on the terminal display unit 24, including a request information display field 611 containing the ticket name and payment amount information from the application information.

In the example shown in Figure 6(b), the three request information display fields 611a to 611c are included in the request response screen 610 displayed on user B's user terminal 2. This indicates that the user terminals 2 of three users A, who are requesting the acquisition of user B's acquisition ticket, have each sent request information to the ticket management device 3. Note that if one user A sends request information multiple times, for example, the request information corresponding to request information display field 611 and the request information corresponding to request information display field 611c may be sent by the same user.

Each of the request information display fields 611a to 611c contains transfer permission buttons 612a to 612c and transfer rejection buttons 613a to 613c. The transfer permission buttons 612a to 612c are button objects for sending response information indicating that the acquired ticket will be transferred to User A, indicated by the User ID included in the application information corresponding to the request information display fields 611a to 611c. For example, if User B selects the transfer permission button 612a in the request information display field 611a shown in Figure 6(b), the terminal transmission unit 253 sends response information to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21, indicating that "Ticket A," which is User B's acquired ticket, will be transferred to User A, whose User ID is included in the application information corresponding to the request information display field 611a, for a payment of "6,200 yen."

The transfer rejection buttons 613a to 613c are button objects for sending response information indicating that the acquired ticket will not be transferred to User A, who is indicated by the User ID included in the application information corresponding to the request information display fields 611a to 611c of the transfer rejection buttons 613a to 613c. For example, if the transfer rejection button 613c in the request information display field 611c shown in Figure 6(b) is selected by User B, the terminal transmission unit 253 sends response information to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21 indicating that the acquired ticket, "Ticket B," will not be transferred to User A, whose User ID is included in the application information corresponding to the request information display field 611c, for a payment amount of "2,500 yen."

(Result screen 700)
Figure 7(a) shows an example of a results screen 700 displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal 2.

The results screen 700 is a screen based on result information transmitted from the ticket management device 3, which received response information from User B indicating that User B will transfer the ticket acquired by User B to User A. The results screen 700 includes a result display 701, a payment button 702, and a cancel button 703.

The result display 701 is a display notifying user B that user B is transferring their acquired ticket to user A. The payment button 702 is a button object for displaying a payment screen (not shown). Once user A completes the payment procedure on the payment screen, the transfer of user B's acquired ticket to user A is completed. If user A's credit card information is already registered in the ticket management device 3, user B may specify the transfer permission button 612 to complete the transfer of user B's acquired ticket to user A. Alternatively, user B may specify the transfer permission button 612, and user A may further specify the accept button (within the result screen 700) (not shown) to complete the transfer of user B's acquired ticket to user A. The cancel button 703 is a button object for ending the display of the result screen 700 and canceling the transfer of user B's acquired ticket to user A.

(Result screen 710)
Figure 7(b) shows an example of another results screen 710 displayed on the terminal display unit 24 of the user terminal 2.

The results screen 710 is a screen based on the result information transmitted from the ticket management device 3, which received response information from User B stating that User B will not transfer the ticket obtained by User B to User A. The results screen 710 includes a result display 711, a re-application button 712, and a cancel button 713.

The result display 711 is a display notifying user B that user B will not transfer their acquired ticket to user A. If application information is sent to multiple user terminals 2 of user B, the number of user B users who notified that they will not transfer their acquired ticket to user A may be shown in the result display 711. The re-application button 712 is a button object for ending the display of the results screen 710 and redisplaying the request input screen 600. The cancel button 713 is a button object for ending the display of the results screen 710.

(Description of the functions of terminal processing unit 25 and processing unit 33)
The following describes the functions of the terminal receiving unit 251, display processing unit 252, and terminal transmitting unit 253 of the user terminal 2, as well as the functions of the transmitting unit 331, receiving unit 332, control unit 333, extraction unit 334, and storage processing unit 335 of the ticket management device 3.

(Terminal receiving unit 251)
The terminal receiving unit 251 of user A's user terminal 2 receives ticket type information transmitted from the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21.

The terminal receiving unit 251 of user B's user terminal 2 receives application information related to user A transmitted from the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21.

The terminal receiving unit 251 of user A's user terminal 2 receives the result information transmitted from the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21.

(Display processing unit 252)
When a display instruction for the request input screen 600 is input by user A via the terminal operation unit 23, the display processing unit 252 of user A's user terminal 2 executes a display process to display the request input screen 600 on the terminal display unit 24. The display processing unit 252 generates display data for displaying the request input screen 600 based on the ticket type information received by the terminal receiving unit 251.

The display processing unit 252 of user B's user terminal 2 executes the display processing of the request response screen 610 when application information relating to user A is received by the terminal receiving unit 251. An example of the display processing of the request response screen 610 is as follows: If no application information relating to other users A has been received in the past or simultaneously, the display processing unit 252 displays the request response screen 610, including the request information display field 611 based on the application information relating to user A received this time, on the terminal display unit 24. Furthermore, if application information relating to other users A has been received in the past or simultaneously, the display processing unit 252 determines the display order of the request information display field 611 based on the application information relating to user A received this time and the request information display field 611 based on the application information relating to other users A. For example, the display order is determined so that the more recent the application information was received, the higher the request information display field 611 based on that application information is displayed on the request response screen 610. Then, the display processing unit 252 displays the request response screen 610, including the multiple request information display fields 611 arranged according to the determined display order, on the terminal display unit 24.

When the display processing unit 252 of user A's user terminal 2 receives result information from the terminal receiving unit 251, it generates a result screen 700 or 701 based on the result information and executes a display process to display the generated result screen 700 or 701.

(Terminal transmission unit 253)
The terminal transmission unit 253 of user A's user terminal 2 transmits the ticket type ID specified in response to user A's operation of the ticket type input object 601, and numerical information indicating the payment amount entered in the payment amount input object 602, as request information to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21. Along with the request information, the terminal transmission unit 253 also transmits user A's user ID to the ticket management device 3.

The terminal transmission unit 253 of user A's user terminal 2 transmits user B's response information to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21.

The terminal transmission unit 253 of user A's user terminal 2 may transmit a request to send ticket type information to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21 in response to the input of display instructions on the request input screen 600.

(Transmitter 331)
The transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 transmits ticket type information, which consists of one or more ticket type IDs and ticket names stored in the ticket management table T1, to the user terminal 2 via the communication unit 31. For example, the transmission unit 331 may transmit ticket type information to the user terminal 2 in response to a request to transmit ticket type information sent from the user terminal 2 in response to a display instruction input on the request input screen 600. Alternatively, the transmission unit 331 may transmit ticket type information to the user terminal 2 at predetermined time intervals (for example, "every 10 seconds").

When the receiving unit 332 receives request information from the ticket management device 3, the transmitting unit 331 creates application information corresponding to the request information. For example, the transmitting unit 331 extracts the ticket name associated with the ticket type ID included in the request information from the ticket management table T1. Then, the transmitting unit 331 creates application information including the extracted ticket name, information indicating the payment amount included in the request information, and the user ID transmitted along with the request information.

The transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 transmits the created application information via the communication unit 31 to the user terminals 2 of user B, which have been extracted by the extraction process described later. If multiple user IDs are extracted from the acquired ticket table T2, the transmission unit 331 transmits the application information to each of the user terminals 2 of user B, which are indicated by the multiple extracted user IDs, according to the transmission order described later. The transmission unit 331 may also transmit the application information to multiple user terminals 2 of user B simultaneously.

The transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 creates result information based on the response information received by the reception unit 332, and transmits the created result information to user A's user terminal 2 via the communication unit 31. The user terminal 2 to which the result information is transmitted is the user terminal 2 of user A who sent the request information corresponding to the result information.

If the control unit 333 determines that the start conditions described later are not met, the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 may send a notification to user A's user terminal 2 rejecting the request information received from user A's user terminal 2.

(Receiving unit 332)

The receiving unit 332 of the ticket management device 3 receives the request information transmitted by user A's user terminal 2 via the communication unit 31.

The receiving unit 332 of the ticket management device 3 receives the response information transmitted by user B's user terminal 2 via the communication unit 31.

When a request to transmit ticket type information is sent from the user terminal 2 in response to the display instructions entered on the request input screen 600, the receiving unit 332 of the ticket management device 3 receives the request via the communication unit 31.

(Control unit 333)
When the receiving unit 332 receives request information, the control unit 333 of the ticket management device 3 determines whether the start condition is met. For example, the control unit 333 extracts the sales period corresponding to the ticket type ID included in the received request information from the ticket management table T1, and determines that the start condition is met if the sales period has ended (the current date and time is past the sales period). Alternatively, for example, the control unit 333 extracts the maximum number of tickets and the number of tickets sold corresponding to the ticket type ID included in the received request information from the ticket management table T1, and determines that the start condition is met if the number of tickets sold has reached the maximum number of tickets sold.

The control unit 333 of the ticket management device 3 authorizes the transmission unit 331 and the extraction unit 334 to use the request information if the start conditions are met.

(Extraction unit 334)
If the control unit 333 has authorized the use of the request information, the extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3 extracts the user ID associated with the ticket type ID included in the request information from the acquired ticket table T2.

The extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3 determines the transmission order of application information to the user terminals 2 of multiple users B, indicated by the extracted user IDs, when multiple user IDs are extracted from the acquired ticket table T2. For example, the extraction unit 334 extracts the payment amount associated with each of the extracted user IDs from the acquired ticket table T2 and determines the transmission order so that the user terminal 2 of user B with the lowest extracted payment amount is transmitted earlier. The extraction unit 334 also determines the transmission order for user terminals 2 of two or more users B with the same payment amount to be the same order.

(Memory processing unit 335)
When the receiving unit 332 receives response information, the storage processing unit 335 of the ticket management device 3 executes a registration process. An example of the registration process is as follows:

The storage processing unit 335 of the ticket management device 3 determines whether the response information received by the receiving unit 332 indicates that User B will transfer User B's acquired ticket to User A. If the response information indicates that User B will transfer User B's acquired ticket to User A, the storage processing unit 335 deletes User B's User ID, which corresponds to the acquired ticket, from the acquired ticket table T2. The storage processing unit 335 then stores User A's User ID as the User ID corresponding to the acquired ticket in the acquired ticket table T2 and adds User B's User ID to the user history. As a result, the acquired ticket becomes available for use by User A, indicated by the associated User ID, and User B can no longer use the acquired ticket. Note that if the acquired ticket table T2 does not contain user history, the process of adding to the user history is not executed when User A's User ID is stored as the User ID corresponding to the acquired ticket in the acquired ticket table T2.

(Operation sequence of ticket management system 1)
Figure 8 shows an example of the operation sequence of the ticket management system 1. In the operation sequence described below, the user terminal 2 and the ticket management device 3 are executed in cooperation mainly by the terminal processing unit 25 and the processing unit 33, based on control programs that are stored in advance in the terminal storage unit 22 and the storage unit 32. Hereinafter, the user terminal 2 of user A will be referred to as user terminal 2a, and the user terminal 2 of user B will be referred to as user terminal 2b. Note that there may be multiple user terminals 2a and multiple user terminals 2b.

First, the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 transmits ticket type information, which consists of one or more ticket type IDs and ticket names stored in the ticket management table T1, to the user terminal 2a via the communication unit 31 (step S101).

Next, the display processing unit 252 of the user terminal 2a executes a display process to display the request input screen 600 based on the ticket type information received by the terminal receiving unit 251 (step S102).

Next, the terminal transmission unit 253 of user terminal 2a transmits the ticket type ID specified in response to user A's operation of the ticket type input object 601, along with numerical information indicating the payment amount entered in the payment amount input object 602, as request information to the ticket management device 3 (step S103). The terminal transmission unit 253 also transmits user A's user ID to the ticket management device 3 along with the request information.

Next, the receiving unit 332 and the control unit 333 of the ticket management device 3 execute the reception process (step S104). Details of the reception process will be described later.

Next, the transmission unit 331 and extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3 execute the extraction process (step S105). Details of the extraction process will be described later.

Next, the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 transmits the application information to the user terminal 2b of user B, who was extracted through the extraction process, via the communication unit 31 (step S106).

Next, when the terminal receiving unit 251 of the user terminal 2b receives the application information, the display processing unit 252 of the user terminal 2b executes a display process to display the request response screen 610 based on the application information (step S107). Details of the display process will be described later.

Next, the terminal transmission unit 253 of user terminal 2b transmits user B's response information to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21 (step S108).

Next, when the receiving unit 332 of the ticket management device 3 receives the response information, the storage processing unit 335 of the ticket management device 3 executes the registration process (step S109). Details of the registration process will be described later.

Next, the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 transmits the result information created by the registration process to the user terminal 2a via the communication unit 31 (step S110).

Then, when the terminal receiving unit 251 of the user terminal 2a receives the result information, the display processing unit 252 of the user terminal 2a executes a display process to display the result screen 700 or 701 (step S111).

(Receiving process)
Figure 9(a) shows an example of the operation flow of the reception process performed by the receiving unit 332 and the control unit 333 of the ticket management device 3. The reception process shown in Figure 9(a) is performed in step S104 of the operation sequence shown in Figure 8.

First, when the receiving unit 332 receives request information, the control unit 333 determines whether the start condition is met (step S201).

Next, if the start conditions are met, the control unit 333 grants permission to the transmission unit 331 and the extraction unit 334 to use the requested information (step S202), and terminates the reception process.

(Extraction process)
Figure 9(b) shows an example of the operation flow of the extraction process performed by the transmission unit 331 and the extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3. The extraction process shown in Figure 9(b) is performed in step S105 of the operation sequence shown in Figure 8.

First, the extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3 extracts the user ID associated with the ticket type ID included in the permitted request information from the acquired ticket table T2 (step S301).

Next, the extraction unit 334 determines whether or not there are multiple user IDs extracted in step S301 (step S302).

If only one user ID is extracted (step S302-No), proceed to step S304.

If multiple user IDs are extracted (step S302 - Yes), the extraction unit 334 determines the order in which the application information of the multiple users B, indicated by the extracted user IDs, is transmitted to the user terminal 2b (step S303).

Then, the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3 creates application information (step S304) by combining the ticket name associated with the ticket type ID included in the received request information (extracted from the ticket management table T1), the payment amount information included in the received request information, and the user ID transmitted along with the received request information, and then terminates the extraction process.

(Display processing)
Figure 10(a) shows an example of the operation flow of the display processing performed by the display processing unit 252 of the user terminal 2b. The display processing shown in Figure 10(a) is performed in step S107 of the operation sequence shown in Figure 8.

First, when the terminal receiving unit 251 of user B's user terminal 2 receives application information relating to user A, the display processing unit 252 determines whether or not application information relating to user A has been received in the past or simultaneously (step S401).

If application information for user A has not been received (step S401-No), proceed to step S403.

If application information relating to User A has been received (Step S401 - Yes), the display processing unit 252 determines the display order of the application information relating to User A that was received this time and the application information relating to User A that was received in the past or simultaneously (Step S402).

Next, the display processing unit 252 displays the request response screen 610, including the request information display field 611 (step S403), and then terminates the display process.

(Registration process)
Figure 10(b) shows an example of the operation flow of the registration process performed by the storage processing unit 335 and the transmission unit 331 of the ticket management device 3. The registration process shown in Figure 10(b) is performed in step S109 of the operation sequence shown in Figure 8.

First, the memory processing unit 335 of the ticket management device 3 determines whether the response information received by the receiving unit 332 is a response indicating that user B will transfer the ticket acquired by user B to user A (step S501).

If the response information received by the receiving unit 332 indicates that User B will not transfer User B's acquired ticket to User A (step S501-No), the process proceeds to step S503.

If the response information received by the receiving unit 332 indicates that User B will transfer User B's acquisition ticket to User A (Step S501 - Yes), the storage processing unit 335 changes the User ID corresponding to the acquisition ticket stored in the acquisition ticket table T2 from User B's User ID to User A's User ID, and adds User B's User ID to the user history (Step S502). As a result, the acquisition ticket becomes available for use by User A, indicated by the associated User ID (User B can no longer use the acquisition ticket).

Next, the transmission unit 331 creates result information based on the response information (step S503) and terminates the registration process.

As explained above, the ticket management system 1 can present user B with information indicating that "user A is requesting to acquire a ticket that user B already possesses." Therefore, even if user B, who possesses the ticket, is unable to use it due to work, illness, or other reasons, they can easily transfer the ticket to user A, the designated recipient, without having to continue holding onto it. In this way, the ticket management system 1 makes it possible to improve the number of tickets used and/or the ticket usage rate.

(Variation 1)
It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, in step S101, the sales period, maximum number of tickets sold, and number of tickets sold stored in the ticket management table T1 may be sent without performing the receiving process (step S104) in the operation sequence shown in Figure 9(a). In this case, the display processing unit 252 may not include in the list the names of tickets whose sales period has not expired and/or the names of tickets whose number of tickets sold has not reached the maximum number of tickets sold. This makes it possible to control the user terminal 2a so as not to send request information that does not meet the start conditions to the ticket management device 3.

(Variation 2)
In addition, in step S106 of the operation sequence shown in Figure 8, before the application information is transmitted to the user terminal 2b, the terminal transmission unit 253 of the user terminal 2b may transmit information regarding the refusal of transfer to the ticket management device 3 via the terminal communication unit 21. The information regarding the refusal of transfer indicates that the user terminal 2b refuses to receive application information from all other users except user B. Upon receiving the information regarding the refusal of transfer, the extraction unit 334 of the ticket management device 3, in step S301 of the extraction process, extracts from the acquired ticket table T2 the user IDs of users other than user B of the user terminal 2b that transmitted the information regarding the refusal of transfer, among the user IDs associated with the ticket type ID included in the request information. As a result, the request information display field 611 is not displayed on the user terminal 2 of users who have indicated their intention to refuse the transfer in advance, thereby improving the convenience of the user terminal 2.

Those skilled in the art should understand that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 Ticket management system 2 User terminal 21 Terminal communication unit 22 Terminal storage unit 23 Terminal operation unit 24 Terminal display unit 25 Terminal processing unit 251 Terminal receiving unit 252 Display processing unit 253 Terminal transmission unit 3 Ticket management device 31 Communication unit 32 Storage unit 33 Processing unit 331 Transmission unit 332 Receiving unit 333 Control unit 334 Extraction unit 335 Storage processing unit 4 Base station 5 Mobile communication network 6 Gateway 7 Internet

Claims (4)

A storage unit that stores information indicating the acquisition tickets that each of multiple users has obtained,
A first receiving unit receives information from the first user's first user terminal indicating the type of ticket requested by the first user and the amount to be paid .
An extraction unit extracts from among the aforementioned multiple users a second user who has obtained the same type of acquisition ticket as the type of acquisition request ticket,
A transmission unit that transmits to the second user's second user terminal information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and information indicating the payment amount to be paid ,
A second receiving unit receives information from the second user's terminal regarding the transfer of the same type of acquired ticket that the second user has obtained,
The system includes a storage processing unit which, when the transfer conditions are met based on the transfer information, stores in the storage unit information indicating the same type of acquired ticket obtained by the second user as information regarding the acquired ticket of the first user.
The storage unit further stores information indicating the amount paid by each of the multiple users when they obtained the acquired ticket.
If the extraction unit extracts multiple second users, the transmission unit transmits information indicating the amount of payment to be made to the second user terminal of the second user whose payment amount is lower, or transmits it simultaneously to the second user terminals of two or more second users whose payment amounts are the same. Ticket management device. If, before the transmitting unit transmits the information indicating the amount to be paid , the second receiving unit receives information from one of the user terminals of the plurality of users regarding the refusal to transfer the acquired ticket, the extraction unit extracts from the plurality of users other than the user of the user terminal that transmitted the information regarding the refusal to transfer the second user who has acquired an acquired ticket of the same type as the acquired ticket requested, according to claim 1. A control method for a ticket management device equipped with a memory unit,
The storage unit stores information indicating the acquisition tickets that each of the multiple users has obtained, and information indicating the amount of payment each of the multiple users made when they obtained the acquisition tickets.
The aforementioned ticket management device
The system receives information from the first user's terminal indicating the type of ticket the first user requests to obtain and the amount they plan to pay .
From among the aforementioned multiple users, a second user who has obtained the same type of ticket as the requested ticket is extracted.
The second user's second user terminal is sent information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and information indicating the payment amount to be paid .
The second user receives information from the second user's terminal regarding the transfer of the same type of acquired ticket that the second user has obtained.
If the transfer conditions are met based on the transfer information, the information indicating the same type of acquired ticket obtained by the second user is stored in the storage unit as information regarding the acquired ticket of the first user.
A control method that, when multiple second users are extracted by the extraction , transmits information indicating the amount of payment to be made to the second user terminal of the second user whose payment amount is lower, earlier, or transmits it simultaneously to the second user terminals of two or more second users whose payment amounts are the same. A control program for a ticket management device equipped with a memory unit,
The storage unit stores information indicating the acquisition tickets that each of the multiple users has obtained, and information indicating the amount of payment each of the multiple users made when they obtained the acquisition tickets.
The aforementioned ticket management device:
The system receives information from the first user's terminal indicating the type of ticket the first user requests to obtain and the amount they plan to pay .
From among the aforementioned multiple users, a second user who has obtained the same type of ticket as the requested ticket is extracted.
The second user's second user terminal is sent information regarding the acquired ticket of the same type and information indicating the payment amount to be paid .
The second user receives information from the second user's terminal regarding the transfer of the same type of acquired ticket that the second user has obtained.
A control program for causing the following to occur: If the transfer conditions are met based on the transfer information, the program stores in the storage unit information indicating the same type of acquired ticket obtained by the second user as information regarding the acquired ticket of the first user. If multiple second users are extracted by the extraction , the program transmits the information indicating the amount to be paid to the second user terminal of the second user whose payment amount is lower, or transmits it simultaneously to the second user terminals of two or more second users whose payment amount is the same.