JP7850482B2 - Rental vehicle management system and program - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a technology for managing multiple vehicles available for rental to users.

In recent years, services that provide users with rental and return services for renting items have been gaining popularity. These rental items include both movable and immovable property. Specifically, examples of immovable property rentals include rental spaces such as seating areas and parking lots, while examples of movable property rentals include transportation and delivery services such as rental bicycles and rental cars.

More specifically, rental properties include, for example, accommodations where users can stay for short periods (e.g., hotel rooms, private homes temporarily rented to others, rooms in apartment buildings, etc.) or accommodations where users can stay for long periods (e.g., rooms in individual houses, apartment buildings, etc.), coin lockers, parking lots (e.g., parking lots with one or more parking spaces), and individual parking spaces (e.g., each of multiple parking spaces in a parking lot).

Examples of items available for rental as movable property include, for example, vehicles that operate on land, water, or air (e.g., rental cars, rental bicycles, etc.), rental furniture, rental clothing, rental electrical appliances (including audio guide devices described later), rental accessories that can be detachably attached to electrical appliances (e.g., batteries or chargers), and rental recording media containing audiovisual content that can be played back by the user.

Patent Document 1 discloses a rental space operation support system that can reduce the workload of rental space managers and promote labor savings in rental businesses (e.g., seat rental businesses, room rental businesses) that rent out rooms such as karaoke rooms and meeting rooms (e.g., rental rooms) or spaces such as tennis courts and sports fields to users. Patent Document 2 also discloses similar technology.

Patent Document 3 discloses a technology that facilitates cost reduction for equipment necessary for rental spaces, such as rental rooms (e.g., rental co-working rooms), rental seats, and rental parking spaces (hourly parking, monthly parking, etc.), in businesses that lease these spaces to users as real estate.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-007913 Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-281310 Patent No. 5957624

According to the technology disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, in order for a user to use a desired rental space, the user can reserve the desired rental space in advance of use. The user can make this reservation wirelessly online using their mobile device from a location away from the desired rental space.

Specifically, according to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1, a user reserves a rental space by transmitting information from their mobile device to a system host (server). Each rental space is equipped with an electronic key (a key device that electronically unlocks and locks the door).

Upon confirmation of the reservation, the system host transmits a password (a type of encryption) to the user's mobile device, relating to the rental space selected by the user. The user enters this password into the room terminal individually installed in the selected rental space and unlocks the corresponding electronic key.

If the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 is adopted, the management of the rental space will be burdened with installing a special device, such as an electronic key, for each rental space, and the user will be burdened with obtaining a password and using that password to unlock the electronic key.

Furthermore, when employing the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2, users can reserve private rooms by sending a request from their mobile device to the theater system management unit (server) 11. Multiple private rooms, available for use by multiple users, are centrally managed by the theater system management unit.

Upon confirmation of the reservation, the theater system management unit transmits barcode information (a type of encryption) to the user's mobile device. The user presents the barcode information received from the theater system management unit to the reception desk of the reserved room. At the reception desk, the barcode information is processed, and the authenticity of the reservation is verified through the exchange of information with the theater system management unit.

When the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 is adopted, the party managing the rental space is burdened with verifying the authenticity of the reservation by, for example, having an employee scan barcode information at the reception desk and then exchanging that information with the theater system management department. Furthermore, the user is burdened with obtaining barcode information and using that barcode information to be granted permission to enter the private room.

In contrast, according to the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, the burden of installing a transmitter in each rental space is imposed on the party managing the rental space.

Here, the "transmitter" is a communication device that performs short-range communication with the user's mobile device. Through its interaction with the user's mobile device, it is used to accurately identify which rental space the user is currently staying in; in other words, it is used for user location authentication. This type of transmitter has become widely available in recent years, and as a result, it is becoming more affordable and easier to obtain.

Therefore, purchasing transmitters and installing them individually in each rental space to adopt the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3 is at least less economically burdensome than installing electronic keys individually in each rental space to adopt the technology described in Patent Document 1. Furthermore, by performing location authentication using transmitters individually installed in each rental space, users are freed from the burden of obtaining a password and using that password to unlock the electronic key.

Therefore, by adopting the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, those managing rental spaces can easily reduce the costs and effort required for operating and managing those spaces (e.g., by enabling unmanned operation), and users can be freed from the hassle of repeatedly obtaining and using passwords or barcode information on-site.

However, through previous research, the inventors have realized that when employing the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3, there are new considerations regarding communication between the transmitter and the mobile terminal.

In other words, in environments where multiple rental spaces are located adjacent to each other within the same facility, such as in a library where multiple rental seats (an example of a rental space) are placed close together, multiple transmitters will also be spatially located in close proximity to each other.

In a usage environment where multiple transmitters are densely arranged, even if a user is staying in a rental space they have selected, there is a possibility that their mobile device may come into closer proximity to another transmitter (an unauthorized transmitter for the user) located in an adjacent rental space than to the transmitter installed in the selected rental space (the legitimate transmitter for the user).

In that case, the user's mobile device might receive a signal from an unauthorized transmitter with greater strength than a legitimate transmitter. If the system then estimates the user's current rental space based on this received signal, it might incorrectly assume that the adjacent rental space is the user's current location.

In other words, if the technology disclosed in Patent Document 3 is adopted, there is a possibility that it may not be possible to accurately determine which rental space the user is currently actually staying in.

Based on the above findings, the present invention aims to provide a novel technology for managing multiple vehicles available for rental to users.

To solve this problem, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a system for managing multiple vehicles available for loan to a user,
A short-range wireless communication unit is installed in each vehicle and has a transmitting unit that transmits a signal representing a code unique to each vehicle using a short-range communication method.
A management server that remotely manages the aforementioned multiple vehicles and
Includes,
The management server is
A reservation unit that allows a user who wishes to use any of the vehicles to select the vehicle they wish to use from among the multiple vehicles as a reserved vehicle, along with a scheduled start time and scheduled end time, by operating their communication device.
A rental vehicle management system is provided which includes an existence determination unit that enables the determination of whether a user is continuously present in the reserved vehicle by repeatedly determining whether the communication device has received the signal from the short-range wireless communication unit installed in the reserved vehicle.

Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the present invention, a program executed by the computer of a communication device of a user who wishes to use one of the plurality of vehicles managed by the rental vehicle management system,
The aforementioned communication device has multiple functions,
A reservation function that allows the user to select the vehicle they wish to use from among the multiple vehicles by operating the communication device, along with the scheduled start time and scheduled end time.
A presence/absence determination function that determines whether a user is continuously present in the reserved vehicle by repeatedly determining whether the communication device has received the signal from the short-range wireless communication unit installed in the reserved vehicle,
A transmission function that sends the determination result to the management server.
Includes,
A program is provided that is executed by the computer to realize the aforementioned multiple functions.

The present invention yields the following embodiments. Each embodiment is divided into sections, each section numbered, and references to the numbers of other sections are made as necessary. This is to facilitate understanding some of the technical features and combinations thereof that can be adopted by the present invention, and should not be interpreted as limiting the technical features and combinations thereof that can be adopted by the present invention to the following embodiments. In other words, it should be interpreted that there is no preclude from appropriately extracting and adopting technical features described in this specification that are not described in the embodiments below as technical features of the present invention.

Furthermore, the fact that each section is described in a format that references the numbering of other sections does not necessarily mean that the technical features described in each section cannot be separated and made independent from those described in other sections. Rather, it should be interpreted that it is possible to make the technical features described in each section independent as appropriate, depending on their nature.

(1) A method for centrally managing multiple rental items, which are real estate or movable property that can be leased to a user,
This method is
Each rental item includes a transmitter that emits a signal representing a unique transmitter code,
The user selects one of the rental items and wishes to use the selected rental item, and the operation is performed using a mobile device of the user that is capable of receiving signals via short-range communication with one or more transmitters.
This method is
Prior to receiving from one or more transmitters, the aforementioned mobile terminal includes an input support step that assists the user in selecting one of the rental items as a rental item,
A management server capable of communicating with the aforementioned mobile terminal determines, according to the correspondence between the multiple rental items and the multiple transmitter codes, the transmitter code corresponding to the selected rental item as the regular transmitter code.
A rental item management method comprising: a determination step of determining whether a user is present in the selected rental item depending on whether the mobile terminal and/or the management server have received a signal representing the regular transmitter code.

Here, "multiple rental items" typically refers to multiple real estate (e.g., multiple rental seats within a seating area, multiple parking spaces within a parking lot) or movable property (e.g., multiple rental bicycles within the same bicycle rental facility) that are positioned close enough to each other that they cannot be spatially identified (decomposed) with practical accuracy using the GPS function of the user's mobile device. However, theoretically, they may also refer to multiple real estate (e.g., multiple seating areas, multiple parking lots) or movable property (e.g., multiple rental bicycles within the same bicycle rental facility) that are dispersed enough to be spatially identified (decomposed) with practical accuracy using the GPS function of the user's mobile device.

(2) The mobile terminal repeatedly attempts to receive signals from one or more transmitters,
The aforementioned determination step is,
The process of recognizing the start of use of the selected rental item by the user based on the timing at which a first transition occurs in which the mobile terminal and/or the management server transitions from a state in which it does not receive a signal representing the regular transmitter code to a state in which it receives a signal, or the timing at which a predetermined first event occurs as a result of the first transition,
The rental item management method according to paragraph (1), which includes at least one of the following steps: the mobile terminal and/or the management server recognize the end of use of the selected rental item by the user based on the timing at which a second transition occurs in which the mobile terminal transitions from a state in which it receives a signal representing the regular transmitter code to a state in which it does not receive a signal, or the timing at which a predetermined second event occurs as a result of the second transition.

(3) The mobile terminal repeatedly attempts to receive signals from one or more transmitters.
The aforementioned determination step is,
The process of the mobile terminal and/or the management server responding to a combination of the occurrence of one or both of a pair of transitions, namely a first transition in which the mobile terminal transitions from a state in which it does not receive a signal representing the regular transmitter code to a state in which it receives a signal, and a second transition in which the mobile terminal transitions from a state in which it receives a signal representing the regular transmitter code to a state in which it does not receive a signal, and a user's expression of intent to initiate use, and recognizing the user's commencement of use,
The rental item management method according to paragraph (2), which includes the step of the mobile terminal and/or the management server responding to a combination of the occurrence of both or one of a pair of first and second transitions and an expression of intent by the user to terminate use, and recognizing the termination of use by the user.

(4) The input support process is:
A process to assist the user in reserving the selected rental item at a location distant from the selected rental item,
A rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (3), which includes at least one of the following steps: assisting the user in inputting the selected rental item at the same location as or near the selected rental item, immediately before the user uses the selected rental item.

(5) The rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (4), wherein each transmitter operates in conjunction with the signal processing characteristics of the mobile terminal so that, as long as a user exists for the corresponding rental item, the signals transmitted from each transmitter are received by the mobile terminal without the user having to hold the mobile terminal in their hand or hold it over or in contact with the transmitter.

(6) The rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (4), wherein each transmitter operates in conjunction with the signal processing characteristics of the mobile terminal so that when a user present in the corresponding rental item holds the mobile terminal in their hand and holds it over or touches the transmitter, the signal transmitted from each transmitter is received by the mobile terminal.

(7) The rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (6), further comprising the step of the mobile terminal prompting the user to retry receiving the signal from the transmitter if the actual transmitter code represented by the signal received by the mobile terminal from each transmitter does not match the regular transmitter code.

(8) The rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (7), further comprising the step of allowing the user to start using the selected rental item if the mobile terminal and/or the management server determines that the user has arrived at the selected rental item at the first time, and the user enters a request to start using the mobile terminal within the first time limit from that time.

(9) Furthermore, the rental property management method according to any one of items (1) to (8), which includes the step of allowing the user to terminate use of the selected space if the mobile terminal and/or the management server determines that the user has left the selected rental property at the second time, and the user enters a termination request into the mobile terminal within the second time limit from that time.

(10) A program executed by the computer of a mobile device in order to implement any of the mobile devices described in paragraphs (1) through (9).

(11) A program executed by the computer of the management server in order to implement the management server described in any of paragraphs (1) through (9).

The program relating to this section and other sections can be interpreted, for example, as meaning a combination of instructions executed by a computer to perform its function, or it can be interpreted as including not only such combinations of instructions but also files and data processed according to each instruction, but is not limited to these interpretations.

Furthermore, this program may achieve its intended purpose by being executed on a computer alone, or by being executed on a computer together with other programs, but is not limited to these two approaches. In the latter case, the program described in this section may, but is not limited to, be primarily data-based.

(12) A recording medium on which the program described in item (10) or (11) is recorded in a computer-readable format.

This recording medium can employ various formats, including, but is not limited to, magnetic recording media such as flexible disks, optical recording media such as CDs and CD-ROMs, magneto-optical recording media such as MOs, and unremovable storage such as ROMs.

(13) A rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (9), characterized in that, for the entire duration of each rental period from the user's start time to the end time of use for each rental item, the user's mobile terminal is positioned within a distance that allows short-range communication with the transmitter of the rental item.

(14) The rental management method described in item (13) includes multiple rental seats installed in a seat rental facility (including libraries, schools, training rooms, and lecture halls), or multiple rooms within an apartment building.

(15) A rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (9), characterized in that, at least at the start and end stages of each rental period from the user's start time to the end time of use for each rental item, the user's mobile terminal is positioned within a distance from the transmitter of the rental item that enables short-range communication with the transmitter.

(16) The rental management method described in item (15) includes multiple parking spaces, multiple rental locker rooms, multiple rental warehouses, or multiple safe deposit boxes within a parking lot (including bicycle parking areas).

(17) The method is implemented to manage multiple rental items installed in multiple geographically distinct facilities (for example, multiple rental items that are so close to each other that they cannot be spatially separated by the GPS function of a mobile device),
The rental target management method according to any one of items (1) to (9), wherein the input support step involves the mobile terminal measuring the current location of the mobile terminal, and displaying a number of candidate facilities located near the measured current location from among the plurality of facilities on the screen, together with map data, and in a state in which the user can select any of the facilities, thereby assisting the user in selecting any of the facilities.

(18) The method is implemented to manage multiple rental items installed in multiple geographically distinct facilities,
The rental target management method according to any one of items (1) to (9), wherein the input support step involves the mobile terminal displaying at least a portion of the plurality of facilities on the screen in a list format, in a state in which the user can select any of the facilities, thereby assisting the user in selecting any of the facilities.

(19) The input support step includes a step of assisting the user in inputting information to identify the selected rental item and information to specify the scheduled usage time of the selected rental item into the mobile terminal in order to reserve the selected rental item at a location away from the selected rental item,
This method further,
The management server, based on the information, creates a reservation status table to display the time periods in which reservations have been made for each rental item in chronological order, updates the reservation status table each time a new reservation is made and each time the use of any rental item ends, to reflect those facts, and transmits the latest reservation status table to the mobile terminal.
The rental item management method according to any one of items (1) to (9), wherein the input support step further involves the mobile terminal displaying the transmitted reservation status table on its screen, and assisting the user in inputting the information into the mobile terminal in order to reserve the selected rental item while referring to the reservation status table.

(20) The plurality of transmitters and the mobile terminal are operated so that the mobile terminal continuously receives signals from the transmitters installed in the selected rental property while the user is in the selected rental property,
The rental item management method according to any one of paragraphs (1) to (9), further comprising the step of repeatedly determining whether the user is actually staying at the selected rental item based on whether the mobile terminal is receiving a signal from a transmitter installed at the selected rental item.

(21) A system for centrally managing multiple rental items, which are real estate or movable property that can be leased to a user,
Each rental item includes a transmitter that emits a signal representing a unique transmitter code,
A mobile device of a user who has selected one of the rental items and wishes to use the selected rental item, which is capable of receiving signals via short-range communication with one or more transmitters,
The aforementioned mobile terminal includes an input support unit that assists the user in selecting one of the rental items to be rented prior to receiving from one or more transmitters.
The aforementioned mobile terminal and/or management server capable of communicating with that mobile terminal,
A determination unit determines the transmitter code corresponding to the selected rental item as the regular transmitter code, according to the correspondence between the multiple rental items and the multiple transmitter codes.
A rental target management system including a determination unit that determines whether or not a user is present among the selected rental targets depending on whether or not the mobile terminal has received a signal representing the regular transmitter code.

(22) The rental item management system according to paragraph (21), characterized in that, for the entire duration of each rental period from the user's start time to the end time of use for each rental item, the user's mobile terminal is positioned within a distance from the transmitter of the rental item that enables short-range communication with the transmitter.

(23) Each rental item is provided to visitors or tourists at art museums, museums, and tourist attractions, and includes an audio guide device (for example, a device that wirelessly receives signals from an external source and converts them into audio data in real time, or a device that reads audio data from internal memory in response to an external trigger signal to provide an audio explanation of the exhibit) as described in paragraph (22).

(24) The rental item management system according to item (21), wherein, at least at the start and end stages of each rental period from the user's start time to the end time of use for each rental item, the user's mobile terminal is positioned within a distance from the transmitter of the rental item that enables short-range communication with the transmitter.

(25) Each rental item includes rental cars or rental bicycles, as per the rental item management method described in item (24).

(26) A method for centrally managing multiple rental items, which are real estate or movable property that can be leased to a user,
This method is
Each rental item includes a transmitter that emits a signal representing a unique transmitter code,
The user selects one of the rental items and wishes to use the selected rental item, and the operation is performed using a mobile device of the user that is capable of receiving signals via short-range communication with one or more transmitters.
This method is
The process of the mobile terminal repeatedly attempting to receive signals from one or more transmitters,
The mobile terminal includes a step of assisting the user in selecting one of the multiple rental items as a rental item on the mobile terminal,
This method further,
The process includes recognizing the start of use of the selected rental item by the user based on the timing at which a first transition occurs in which the mobile terminal and/or a management server capable of communicating with the mobile terminal transitions from an unregulated reception state in which the mobile terminal does not receive a signal from any transmitter, or in which the signals received from one or more transmitters do not represent the regular transmitter code unique to the transmitter that should be installed on the selected rental item, to a regular reception state in which the mobile terminal receives a signal from one or more transmitters, or in which the signals received from one or more transmitters represent the regular transmitter code, or the timing at which a predetermined first event occurs triggered by the first transition,
A rental item management method that includes at least one of the following steps: the mobile terminal and/or the management server recognizes the end of use of the selected rental item by the user based on the timing at which a second transition occurs in which the mobile terminal and/or the management server transition from the normal reception state to the abnormal reception state, or the timing at which a predetermined second event occurs as a result of the second transition.

(27) A method for centrally managing multiple rental items, which are real estate or movable property that can be leased to a user,
This method is
Each rental item includes a transmitter that emits a signal representing a unique transmitter code,
The user selects one of the rental items and wishes to use the selected rental item, and the operation is performed using a mobile device of the user that is capable of receiving signals via short-range communication with one or more transmitters.
This method is
The process of the mobile terminal repeatedly attempting to receive signals from one or more transmitters,
The process of the mobile terminal assisting the user in selecting one of the multiple rental items as a rental item on the mobile terminal,
A rental item management method comprising the step of the mobile terminal and/or a management server capable of communicating with the mobile terminal monitoring the temporal changes in the user's approach to and distance from the selected rental item based on the temporal changes in the received signals that represent in chronological order whether or not the mobile terminal has received a signal from one or more transmitters.

(28) Each of the aforementioned rental items shall be subject to the rental item management method described in item (26) or (27), including parking lots.

(29) The rental item management method described in item (26) or (27), including the parking space installed in the parking lot.

(30) A method for controlling the receiving range of a transmitter received by a user's mobile terminal,
Multiple transmitters, each installed on movable or immovable property, that continuously transmit a unique identification signal,
This is performed using a system that includes a user's mobile terminal capable of receiving one or more transmitters via short-range communication.
This method is
A wide-area reception step in which the mobile terminal receives signals from one or more transmitters in a wide-area reception mode in which it receives in a first effective reception area, and determines whether the mobile terminal is located within the first effective reception area for each transmitter, thereby determining whether the mobile terminal has detected each transmitter in the wide-area reception mode.
The mobile terminal includes a simultaneous reception determination step that determines whether it has simultaneously detected multiple transmitters in the wide-area reception mode,
A method comprising: a narrow-area reception step in which, when at least one condition is met, including the condition that the mobile terminal has determined to have simultaneously detected multiple transmitters in the wide-area reception mode, the mobile terminal receives signals from each of one or more transmitters in a narrow-area reception mode that performs reception in a second effective reception area smaller than the first effective reception area, and determines whether the mobile terminal is located within the second effective reception area for each transmitter, thereby determining whether the mobile terminal has detected each transmitter in the narrow-area reception mode.

(31) The method of paragraph (30), wherein the real estate includes multiple rental spaces (for example, multiple rental seats, multiple parking lots, multiple parking spaces within one parking lot, multiple stations, each of which stores multiple rental bicycles in a state where they can be rented to users), each of which is equipped with the transmitter.

(32) The method according to paragraph (30), wherein the movable property includes a plurality of rental bicycles or rental cars, each of which is equipped with the transmitter.

(33) The wide-area reception process is
The steps include: the mobile terminal attempting to receive signals from one or more transmitters in the wide-area reception mode;
The steps include: when the mobile terminal and/or a server capable of communicating with the mobile terminal receive signals from one or more transmitters in wide-area receiving mode, the mobile terminal measures the distance between each transmitter and the mobile terminal as a first distance based on the received signals;
The process includes the steps of determining that if the first distance measured for each transmitter is shorter than the first effective receiving radius, each transmitter has been detected by the mobile terminal, while determining that if the first distance is longer than the first effective receiving radius, each transmitter has not been detected by the mobile terminal.
The aforementioned narrow-band receiving process is:
The steps include: the mobile terminal attempting to receive signals from one or more transmitters in the narrow-range reception mode;
When the mobile terminal and/or the server receives signals from one or more transmitters in the narrow-range receiving mode, the process of measuring the distance between each transmitter and the mobile terminal as a second distance based on the received signals,
A method comprising the steps of: determining that each transmitter has been detected by the mobile terminal if the second distance measured for each transmitter is shorter than the second effective receiving radius, and determining that each transmitter has not been detected by the mobile terminal if the second distance is longer than the second effective receiving radius.

The technologies described in items (30) to (33) above relate to improvements in the receiving mode of a user's mobile terminal when detecting a transmitter. According to this technology, the receiving mode, i.e., the effective receiving radius (a value set in the mobile terminal), is variable and can be switched between a wide-area receiving mode and a narrow-area receiving mode. With this technology, if the possibility of interference (false detection of a transmitter by the mobile terminal) between multiple transmitters is low, the wide-area receiving mode is selected; if the possibility of interference is high, it automatically switches to the narrow-area receiving mode. Therefore, with this technology, even when multiple transmitters are close to each other, the mobile terminal can easily detect only the appropriate transmitter.

Furthermore, the technologies described in items (30) to (33) above (technologies that automatically switch the reception mode from wide-area reception mode to narrow-area reception mode when a mobile terminal detects multiple transmitters simultaneously in wide-area reception mode) can be combined with the technologies described in items (1) to (29) above (filtering technologies that, when a mobile terminal detects multiple transmitters simultaneously, exclude signals from transmitters other than the legitimate one, provided that the identity of the only transmitter the mobile terminal should be receiving signals from is known prior to receiving signals from multiple transmitters). An example of this will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 25.

According to one aspect of the present invention, prior to the user's mobile terminal receiving the transmitter, one of the spaces is selected by the user.

Furthermore, according to one aspect of the present invention, based on the identity of the space—specifically, which space is the selected space chosen by the user (for example, the reserved rental item)—multiple transmitters installed in multiple spaces are classified into regular transmitters (target transmitters) that should be installed in one selected space, and other irregular transmitters (non-target transmitters).

As a result, according to one aspect of the present invention, even if the user's mobile terminal receives a signal from an unauthorized transmitter in the selected space, that signal is not referenced. Only signals from legitimate transmitters are referenced, thereby estimating the user's current location, i.e., whether the user is truly located at or near the selected space.

The underlying idea behind this estimation is that if the user's location is known, the mobile device only needs to pay attention to the signal emitted by a transmitter that should be installed at that known location.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present invention, even in environments where the effective reception areas of a legitimate transmitter and other transmitters at least partially overlap—for example, because the legitimate transmitter must be spatially close to other transmitters, or because it is necessary to expand the effective reception area of the legitimate transmitter (see, for example, Figures 5 and 20) to improve the convenience of users receiving legitimate transmitters using their mobile terminals (for example, so that users do not have to go out of their way to approach the legitimate transmitter from their usual location)—only signals from the legitimate transmitter are enabled on the mobile terminal by a software filtering function (noise reduction function) rather than a hardware filtering function (noise reduction function). As a result, according to one aspect of the present invention, it becomes easier to accurately estimate the user's current location without being affected by other transmitters.

The effect of easily expanding the effective reception area of each transmitter is embodied, for example, when applying the present invention to a technology for selecting a parking space within a parking lot or a similar technology, in the entry and/or exit sequences, it becomes easier for the user to receive signals from the designated transmitter and communicate with the management server for entry and exit processing while remaining inside the vehicle parked in the selected parking space within the parking lot, that is, without getting out of the vehicle and approaching the transmitter.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an example of how multiple transmitters installed in multiple rental seats, a user's mobile terminal when staying in any of the rental seats, a user's mobile terminal when staying at their home (an exemplary location far from any of the rental seats), and a management server in a remote management center communicate with each other in an unmanned seat rental system according to an exemplary first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 conceptually represents short-range one-way communication between each transmitter installed in each rental space shown in Figure 1 and the user's mobile terminal, and long-range two-way communication between the mobile terminal and the management server shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a functional block diagram that conceptually represents the transmitter shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a flowchart conceptually representing an example of a program executed by the computer of the transmitter shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 shows some of the multiple rental seats shown in Figure 2, enlarged along with the transmitters installed at each seat, and is a plan view conceptually representing the effective reception area assigned to each transmitter.

Figure 6 is a functional block diagram conceptually representing the mobile device shown in Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a diagram that conceptually represents the facility data files stored in the facility data memory in Figure 6 in tabular format.

Figure 8 is a diagram that conceptually represents the rental seat data file stored in the rental seat data memory in Figure 6 in tabular format.

Figure 9 is a functional block diagram conceptually representing the management server shown in Figure 2.

Figure 10(a) shows a list of multiple modules of the seat rental service program executed by the computer of the mobile terminal shown in Figure 6, and Figure 10(b) shows a list of multiple modules of the seat rental service program executed by the computer of the management server shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11(a) is a diagram illustrating a reservation status table used in the reservation sequence, which is one of the reservation methods for unmanned seat rentals performed in the unmanned seat rental system, and Figure 11(b) is a diagram illustrating a user-specific reservation content file used in the reservation sequence.

Figure 12 shows several time charts illustrating the overall sequence (the entire main sequence) of the unmanned seat rental method.

Figure 13 shows the reservation sequence flow achieved by the execution of the reservation module shown in Figure 10(a) by a mobile terminal and the execution of the reservation module shown in Figure 10(b) by a management server.

Figures 14(a), (b), and (c) are reservation sequence diagrams used to illustrate the reservation sequence flow shown in Figure 13 in chronological order.

Figure 15 shows the startup sequence flow achieved by the execution of the startup processing module shown in Figure 10(a) by a mobile terminal and the execution of the startup processing module shown in Figure 10(b) by a management server.

Figure 16 shows the stay determination sequence flow achieved by the execution of the stay determination module shown in Figure 10(a) by a mobile terminal and the execution of the stay determination module shown in Figure 10(b) by a management server.

Figure 17 shows the end-of-use sequence flow achieved by the execution of the end-of-use processing module shown in Figure 10(a) by a mobile terminal and the execution of the end-of-use processing module shown in Figure 10(b) by a management server.

Figure 18 shows the reservation change sequence flow achieved by the execution of the reservation change module shown in Figure 10(a) by a mobile terminal and the execution of the reservation change module shown in Figure 10(b) by a management server.

Figure 19 is a perspective view showing an example of how a parking management system according to an exemplary second embodiment of the present invention communicates with a plurality of transmitters installed in each of the plurality of parking spaces within a parking lot, a user when staying in one of the parking spaces, a user's mobile terminal when staying in a location away from any of the parking spaces, and a management server in a remote management center.

Figure 20 is a plan view that shows a magnified view of a portion of the multiple parking spaces installed in one of the multiple parking lots shown in Figure 19, and conceptually represents the transmitters installed in each parking space, along with the effective receiving area assigned to each transmitter.

Figure 21 is a series of time charts illustrating the overall sequence of the parking management system shown in Figure 19.

Figure 22 is a time chart illustrating the reservation sequence performed in the parking management system.

Figure 23 is a time chart illustrating the entry sequence performed in the parking management system.

Figure 24 is a time chart illustrating the exit sequence performed by the parking management system.

Figure 25 is a flowchart showing a program for the unmanned seating rental system that detects when a user has mistakenly sat in a seat that they have not reserved, and in that case, instructs the user to sit in the correct seat.

Hereinafter, several exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>

Figure 1 shows an unmanned seat rental system 10 according to an exemplary first embodiment of the present invention (an example of a "rental system management system" and an example of a "rental item management system," hereinafter simply referred to as "the system"). This system 10 is, in general terms, an example of a rental item management system that uses individual transmitters to authenticate the location of rental items, conditional on user reservations for rental items.

This system 10 is a system for centrally managing multiple seating rental facilities 20 (Figure 1 shows only a representative seating rental facility A among these facilities 20). Each seating rental facility 20 has multiple rental seats 22, and each rental seat 22 is a rental space, an individual space temporarily leased to one user.

Within a single seating facility 20, multiple rental seats 22 are generally arranged close together. These rental seats 22 are an example of multiple rental items that are so close to each other that they cannot be spatially identified (disassembled) by, for example, the GPS function of a mobile terminal 90 (described later).

In contrast, the multiple seating facilities 20 are an example of multiple facilities that are spatially dispersed enough to be distinguished (decomposed) from one another by the GPS function (described later) of the mobile terminal 90.

Here, to explain the classification of the rental spaces 22, each rental space 22 belongs to the first type of rental space. This type is characterized by the fact that, for the entire duration of each rental period, from the start time to the end time of use, the user's mobile terminal 90 is positioned within a range that allows short-range communication with the transmitter 30 of that rental space. Other rental spaces belonging to the same first type include multiple rooms within the accommodation facility.

There is also a second type of rental space, characterized in that, at least at the start and end of each rental period from the user's start time to the end time of use, the user's mobile terminal 90 is positioned within a range that allows short-range communication with the transmitter 30 of the rental space. Examples of rental spaces belonging to this second type include multiple parking spaces within a parking lot (including bicycle parking areas), multiple rental locker rooms, multiple rental warehouses, and multiple safe deposit boxes.

This system 10 is configured to implement an unmanned seat rental method and a user terminal interference prevention method according to this embodiment. The unmanned seat rental method is an example of a rental space management method that centrally manages multiple rental spaces available for rental to users, and this rental space management method is an example of a rental object management method that centrally manages multiple rental objects, which are real estate available for rental to users. Another example of this rental object management method is a rental object management method that centrally manages multiple rental objects, which are movable property available for rental to users (e.g., rental cars or rental bicycles).

Each seat rental facility 20 is unmanned. Furthermore, in order to reduce and simplify equipment, each seat rental facility 20 is not equipped with a device to prevent unauthorized entry and exit to each seat 22 (e.g., an electronic key), nor with a device to read encryption provided by the user (e.g., a password or barcode information), nor with a payment machine for users to pay rental fees, nor with a ticket issuing machine for users to issue tickets.

Furthermore, throughout this specification, the term "code" refers to "a sequence of numbers and/or symbols," specifically a numerical representation (e.g., a binary representation) that digitizes and expresses the state of an analog signal, and is a numerical representation unique to each individual analog signal. In the context of identification, the term "code" is also referred to as, for example, an ID, or identifier.

Incidentally, there are two management methods for the seat rental facilities 20: an autonomous management method in which each seat rental facility 20 is managed independently (individually or self-contained) using only the equipment installed in that facility, and a centralized management method in which multiple seat rental facilities 20 communicate remotely with a management server 50 (see Figure 1) to centrally manage them. The system 10 according to this embodiment employs the aforementioned centralized management method as its seat rental facility management method.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, this system 10 comprises a transmitter 30 installed at each rental seat 22 within each rental facility 20, a management server 50 installed at a management center 40 that centrally manages multiple rental facilities 20 and multiple rental seats 22, and a user's mobile terminal 90.

<Transmitter>

In this embodiment, multiple rental seats 22 are installed in the same seat rental facility 20, and one transmitter 30 is used for each rental seat 22.

Each transmitter 30 is configured to emit an identification signal representing its own unique transmitter ID (an example of the "transmitter code" mentioned above). Since one transmitter ID is also unique to one seat 22, it is associated one-to-one with one seat ID (an example of a "seat rental code"), as described later.

As shown in Figure 2, in this system 10, the user uses their mobile terminal 90 to receive the aforementioned identification signal from the transmitter 30 installed in the rental seat 22 where the user is currently staying, either in contact with the transmitter 30 or in a non-contact state (either holding the mobile terminal 90 over the transmitter 30 or being slightly away from the transmitter 30, as illustrated in multiple locations in Figure 5), using a short-range one-way wireless communication method. Simultaneously, long-range two-way wireless communication is performed between the user and the management server 50 of the management center 40.

The user's mobile terminal 90 is a device carried by the user and possessing wireless communication capabilities, such as a mobile phone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or PDA.

Here, we will describe the hardware configuration (see Figure 3) and software configuration (see Figure 4) of a single transmitter 30, which represents the multiple transmitters 30 shown in Figure 1.

First, conceptually, the transmitter 30 is a contactless or contact-type communication device installed at least once in each corresponding seat 22, which transmits an identification signal capable of identifying the unique seat rental facility ID of the corresponding seat 22. The transmitter 30 only needs to have a transmitting function, but may be configured to also have a receiving function as needed.

Next, to explain the operating mechanism, the transmitter 30 actively transmits a unique identification signal without requiring an external trigger signal, and continuously transmits it as long as the supplied power is sufficient.

The transmitter 30 is a device commonly known as a beacon device or radio beacon, which transmits a beacon signal as an identification signal. In one example, the transmitter 30 generates an identification signal representing the corresponding seat rental facility ID by modulating the original signal, and transmits this generated identification signal as an IR signal, Bluetooth® signal, NFC (Near Field Communication) signal, etc.

Next, referring to Figure 3, a functional block diagram, the hardware configuration will be explained. The transmitter 30 is mainly composed of a computer 104 having a processor 100 and a memory 102 that stores multiple applications executed by the processor 100.

This transmitter 30 also has a replaceable disposable battery 106 as a power source. Instead of battery 106, a rechargeable battery, commercial power as an external power source, or a generator that uses an external magnetic field to generate electricity (e.g., a transponder) can be used.

This transmitter 30 further includes a transmitting unit 108 that generates and transmits an identification signal. This transmitting unit 108 is powered by a battery 106 and controlled by a controller 110. The controller 110 is controlled by a computer 100.

Next, referring to Figure 4, the software configuration of the transmitter 30 will be explained. The processor 100 of the transmitter 30 iteratively executes the program conceptually represented by the flowchart in Figure 4.

During each execution of this program, in step S1, the transmitter ID is first read from memory 102. This transmitter ID corresponds one-to-one with the seat ID assigned to the seat 22 where the transmitter 30 is installed.

Next, in step S2, a signal for modulating the original signal (e.g., the carrier signal) is output to the controller 110 so that the read transmitter ID is reflected. The controller 110 then controls the transmitter 108, and as a result, the transmitter 108 generates the identification signal to be transmitted. Then, in step S3, the generated identification signal is transmitted from the transmitter 108. The process then returns to step S1.

Here, in relation to the transmitter 30, one function of the user's mobile terminal 90 is described as follows: When the mobile terminal 90 receives an identification signal from the transmitter 30, it activates a program pre-installed on its computer 134 (see Figure 6). This program demodulates the received identification signal in real time, thereby decoding the transmitter ID in real time.

Furthermore, while the mobile terminal 90 is receiving an identification signal from the transmitter 30, it also measures the distance between the position of the transmitter 30 when it transmitted the identification signal and the position of the mobile terminal 90 when it received the identification signal, based on the received identification signal.

In other words, the mobile terminal 90 acquires both the transmitter ID corresponding to the transmitter 30 and the distance to the transmitter 30 at that time, based on the identification signal received from the transmitter 30.

When a user of the mobile terminal 90 approaches the transmitter 30 while holding the mobile terminal 90, or when the mobile terminal 90 is brought into complete or near contact with the transmitting unit 108 of the transmitter 30, the mobile terminal 90 can receive an identification signal from the transmitter 30 in a non-contact or contact manner.

In contrast, when a user of the mobile terminal 90 enters a specific reception area while holding their mobile terminal 90, the mobile terminal 90 can receive an identification signal from the transmitter 30 in a contactless manner.

As conceptually shown in the plan view in Figure 5, each transmitter 30 is assigned two types of receiving areas. These are the receivable area (not shown) and the effective receiving area. Both areas are generally defined by circles originating from each transmitter 30. The receivable area has a maximum receiving radius, while the effective receiving area has an effective receiving radius.

However, specifically, the receivable area means the area where the identification signal from each transmitter 30 can reach when the power supply to each transmitter 30 is functioning normally; in other words, the area where the mobile terminal 90 can receive that identification signal as long as it is within that area.

In contrast, the effective reception area has an effective reception radius smaller than the maximum reception radius of the receivable area. While the maximum reception radius cannot be arbitrarily set, the effective reception radius can be arbitrarily set, for example, depending on the signal processing characteristics of the mobile terminal 90.

The effective reception radius is, as will be evident from the standard dimensions and geometry of the rental space 22, which will be detailed later with reference to Figure 5, for example, within a range of 50 cm to 3 m, or within a range of 1 m to 2 m. The maximum reception radius is, for example, within a range of 50 m to 70 m.

In other words, while the maximum reception radius refers to the reception limit determined by the hardware, the effective reception radius refers to the reception limit determined by the software.

As described above, the mobile terminal 90 measures the distance to the transmitter 30 at the time it transmits the identification signal it received. This measured distance may or may not exceed the effective reception radius. When the measured distance does not exceed the effective reception radius, it means the mobile terminal 90 is within the effective reception area (see Figure 5). Conversely, when the measured distance exceeds the effective reception radius, it means the mobile terminal 90 is within the receivable area but not within the effective reception area.

After receiving an identification signal from the transmitter 30, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the measured distance is below the set value of the effective reception radius. If it determines that it is below the set value, the mobile terminal 90 determines that it is currently located within the effective reception area, and therefore, the mobile terminal 90 has "effectively received the identification signal from the transmitter 30" (hereinafter also simply referred to as "received the identification signal"). Here, "effectively received" means that the mobile terminal 90 has detected, identified, or identified one of the transmitters 30.

In response, if the mobile terminal 90 determines that the distance measurement is greater than the set value, it determines that the mobile terminal 90 is currently located outside the effective reception area, and therefore, the mobile terminal 90 "has not effectively received the identification signal from the transmitter 30 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "has not received the identification signal")."

In other words, in this embodiment, when the mobile terminal 90 is located outside the effective reception area, even though the mobile terminal 90 is actually receiving the identification signal, it will appear in the software to be as if the mobile terminal 90 has not received the identification signal.

Figure 5 shows a front view of a rental seat 22 (rental seat P) provided to one user (user X). The rental seat 22 consists of a desk 24 with a tabletop 23 and a chair 26 where the user can sit. In one example, a transmitter 30 is installed on the tabletop 23.

In another example, the transmitter 30 is installed near the distal edge 28 of the tabletop 23, which is located away from the user's seating position, among the proximal edge 27 and distal edge 28 that face each other in the front-to-back direction.

Furthermore, in yet another example, the transmitter 30 is installed at a position slightly to the left (or right) of the center in the width direction of the distal edge 28 of the top plate 23. As a result, even if the user places items such as documents on the top plate 23, the situation where the transmitter 30 is obstructed and the signal is interrupted by those items is avoided as much as possible.

Figure 5 shows a plan view of an example of the effective reception area assigned to the transmitter 30. In this example, when user X is seated in chair 26, and the mobile terminal 90 is either carried by user X or placed at any position on the tabletop 27 of desk 23, the transmission characteristics of the transmitter 30 and the signal processing characteristics of the mobile terminal 90 are set so that the mobile terminal 90 is within the effective reception area of a large effective reception radius centered on the transmitter 30.

In this example, user X has the advantage of not being forced to hold their mobile device 90 up to their own transmitter 30 or place it near their own transmitter 30. On the other hand, the mobile device 90 will exist not only within the effective reception area of their own transmitter 30, but also within the effective reception area of the adjacent transmitter 30.

However, according to this embodiment, based on the reservation information of the reserved seat 22 (identification information of the reserved seat 22 selected by the user prior to the initial reception by the mobile terminal 90 from any of the transmitters 30), the multiple transmitters 30 are classified into legitimate transmitters 30 (target transmitters) that should be installed in the reserved seat 22, and other unauthorized transmitters 30 (non-target transmitters). Even if the user's mobile terminal 90 receives a signal from an unauthorized transmitter 30 at the selected seat 22, that signal is invalidated and not referenced, and only signals from legitimate transmitters 30 are activated and referenced, thereby estimating the user's current location, that is, whether the user is truly located at the same location as or near the selected seat 22.

Figure 5 also shows an effective reception area with a small effective reception radius. If this effective reception area is adopted, there is no overlap between the effective reception area of the regular transmitter 30 and the effective reception area of the adjacent transmitter 30. However, in this embodiment, the user is forced to bring the mobile terminal 90 close to or touch the transmitter 30 each time in order for the mobile terminal 90 to detect the transmitter 30.

<Mobile Devices>

Next, referring to Figure 6, a functional block diagram, the hardware configuration of the user's mobile terminal 90 will be described. The mobile terminal 90 is mainly composed of a computer 134 having a processor 130 and a memory 132 that stores multiple applications executed by the processor 130.

This mobile terminal 90 further includes a display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display) 136 that displays information on a screen (having a window with a finite area that is variable or immutable) indicated by reference numeral "135" in Figure 14, a receiving unit 138 that receives signals from the transmitter 30 and the management server 50, and a transmitting unit 140 that generates signals and transmits them to the management server 50.

This mobile terminal 90 further includes an input unit 150 for inputting data and commands from the user. The input unit 150 includes, for example, an operation unit that can be operated by the user to input desired information (e.g., commands, data, etc.) into the mobile terminal 90. This operation unit may include, but is not limited to, a touchscreen displaying user-operable icons (e.g., virtual buttons), a user-operable physical operation unit (e.g., a keyboard, keypad, buttons, etc.), or a microphone for detecting sound.

This mobile terminal 90 also has a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver 152. As is well known, the GPS receiver 152 receives multiple GPS signals from multiple GPS satellites and, based on these GPS signals, measures its position on Earth (latitude, longitude, and altitude) by triangulation. In other words, this mobile terminal 90 has a satellite-based positioning function.

As shown in Figure 7, memory 132 has multiple data memories, including map data memory 161, seat rental facility data memory 163, seat rental data memory 165, and reservation status table memory 167.

The map data memory 161 temporarily stores map data downloaded by the user's mobile terminal 90 from the management server 50 or another map database (not shown) according to the user's current location. Based on this map data, a map (an example of a "partial map") is displayed on the screen 135 (see Figure 14) of the display unit 136. The map displayed on the screen 135 changes moment by moment as the user moves.

As conceptually illustrated in Figure 7, the seat rental facility data memory 163 can store the correspondence between multiple seat rental facility IDs and multiple seat rental facility location data, downloaded from the management server 50. Each of the multiple seat rental facility IDs corresponds to one of the multiple seat rental facilities 20 centrally managed by the system 10. Furthermore, each of the multiple seat rental facility location data represents the latitude and longitude (latitude X, longitude Y) of the corresponding seat rental facility 20.

The seat rental facility data memory 163 temporarily stores, at each moment, multiple seat rental facility location data corresponding to multiple seat rental facilities 20 geographically located on the map displayed on the screen 135, along with their corresponding multiple seat rental facility IDs.

On the mobile terminal 90, a map based on the aforementioned map data is displayed on the screen 135. Furthermore, at each given moment, the locations of a small number of candidate seating facilities 20 located near the current location of the mobile terminal 90 are overlaid on the map, based on the location data of multiple seating facilities stored in the seating facility data memory 163 at that time (see Figure 14).

Here, "a small number of candidate seating facilities 20" refers to the seating facilities 20 that are displayed on the screen 135 from among the downloaded seating facilities 20, due to their proximity to the current location of the mobile device 90. Seating facilities 20 that are geographically distant from the current location of the mobile device 90 and therefore not displayed on the screen 135 are excluded.

As conceptually illustrated in Figure 8, the seat rental data memory 165 in Figure 6 can store the correspondence between multiple seat rental facility IDs, multiple seat rental IDs, and multiple authorized transmitter IDs, which are downloaded from the management server 50. When one of the multiple seat rentals 22 is selected by the user, a corresponding seat rental ID is determined, and consequently, a corresponding authorized transmitter ID is also determined.

The reservation status table memory 167 stores the reservation status table described later, which is downloaded from the management server 50 as needed.

As shown in Figure 10(a), the memory 132 of the mobile terminal 90 stores a seat rental service program for the mobile terminal 90, and this seat rental service program has the following multiple modules.

1) Reservation Module This module assists the user in reserving one of the rental seats 22 before arriving at the seat rental facility 20, as will be detailed later with reference to Figure 13. Here, "reserving" is equivalent to the user inputting location information regarding the desired seat rental facility 20 and the desired rental seat 22, as well as time information such as the planned start time and planned end time.

2) Reservation Change Module This module, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 18, is a module that helps a user change their reservation to delay the scheduled end time included in the reservation details, at the location of the reserved seat 22, after they have started using the reserved seat 22 but before they have finished using it (while they are staying at the reserved seat 22).

3) Pre-use warning module This module, although not shown in the diagram, sends a message to the current user's mobile terminal 90 individually after the reservation is made but before the scheduled start time included in the reservation, informing the user that "another user is scheduled to use the same rental space 22 after the current user has finished using it, so it is not possible to change the reservation to delay the scheduled end time, and therefore please leave the rental space 22 by the scheduled end time."

4) Start-up Processing Module This module assists the user in starting to use the reserved seat 22 according to their reservation, and also assists the user in modifying their reservation to effectively advance the scheduled start time included in the reservation details prior to the start of use of the reserved seat 22, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 15.

5) Stay Determination Module This module, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 16, repeatedly determines, moment by moment, whether the user is actually staying in the reserved seat 22 or not (is not present) while the reserved seat 22 is in use.

6) End-of-Use Processing Module This module assists the user in ending their use of the rental space 22 and electronically paying the rental fee, as will be detailed later with reference to Figure 17.

<Management Server>

Next, referring to Figure 9, a functional block diagram, the hardware configuration of the management server 50 will be described. The management server 50 is mainly composed of a computer 164 having a processor 160 and a memory 162 that stores multiple applications executed by the processor 160.

This management server 50 further includes a display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display) 166 for displaying information, a receiving unit 168 for receiving signals from the mobile terminal 90, a transmitting unit 170 for generating signals and transmitting them to the mobile terminal 90, and a clock 172 for measuring the current time. This management server 50 does not directly receive signals from the transmitter 30, but effectively does so via the mobile terminal 90.

As shown in Figure 10(b), the memory 162 of the management server 50 stores a seat rental service program for the management server 50, and this seat rental service program has the following multiple modules.

1) Reservation Module This module has the same function as the reservation module of the mobile terminal 90, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 13.

2) Reservation Change Module This module has the same functionality as the reservation change module of the mobile terminal 90, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 18.

3) Pre-use warning module: This module, although not shown in the diagram, has the same function as the pre-use warning module of the mobile terminal 90.

4) Startup Processing Module This module has the same function as the startup processing module of the mobile terminal 90, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 15.

5) Stay Determination Module This module has the same function as the stay determination module of the mobile terminal 90, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 16.

6) End-of-Use Processing Module This module has the same function as the end-of-use processing module of the mobile terminal 90, as will be described in detail later with reference to Figure 17.

<Overview of the reservation sequence>

Figure 11(a) shows an example of a reservation status table for managing the reservation status of multiple rental seats 22 by multiple users, based on the execution of the reservation module by the mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50.

This reservation status table is created and updated on the management server 50, and the latest version is shared with the mobile terminal 90. This reservation status table displays the reservation status and scheduled usage time (including date and time) for each seat rental facility 20 and each seat rental 22. The user visually checks this reservation status table on the screen 135 of their mobile terminal 90, refers to it, searches for a seat rental facility 20 with available seats, finds an available time slot among the multiple seats 22 in that seat rental facility 20, and specifies the desired date and time slot.

In Figure 11(a), within the time axis (from 0:00 to 23:59) for each of the reserved seats 22 in the reservation status table, the time periods where a horizontal bar hatched with diagonal lines exists at the most recent update time of the reservation status table indicate time periods that already have reservations, i.e., time periods with prior bookings. Conversely, time periods where the bar does not exist indicate time periods that do not yet have reservations, i.e., time periods with no prior bookings.

The user enters the identification information of the selected seating facility 20, the identification information of the selected seating area 22, the start date and time of use, and the end date and time of use into their mobile terminal 90, as illustrated in Figure 14(c), thereby reserving the corresponding seating area 22.

Figure 11(b) shows an example of a user-specific reservation file for managing the reservation details of multiple users through the execution of the reservation module by the mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50.

This user-specific reservation file is created and updated on the management server 50. This user-specific reservation file contains, for each user, personal authentication information (user ID, password, etc.), location information to identify the location of the selected seating facility 20 (a unique ID for the selected facility 20), location information to identify the location of the selected seating area 22 (a unique ID for the selected seating area 22), time information to define the planned usage period for the selected seating area 22 (planned start time, planned end time, planned usage duration, etc.), and the type of penalty imposed on the user for violating the rules required to receive this seating service.

<Overview of the entire sequence>

Figure 12 illustrates the main sequence using multiple time charts, using an example where a user reserves a rental space 22 (rental space P) with a scheduled start time of 15:00 and a scheduled end time of 18:00.

In the same figure (and the same in Figure 21), the time chart labeled "Received" represents, for the sake of explanation, whether the mobile terminal 90 is receiving the authorized transmitter ID at each moment using pulse signals that are low level when the mobile terminal 90 is not receiving the authorized transmitter ID and high level when it is receiving it.

1) Start of use

Assuming a user takes a seat in the reserved seat 22 at 3:30 PM on a given day, the user's mobile terminal 90 will inevitably enter the effective reception area of the regular transmitter 30. At this time, the mobile terminal 90 will begin receiving signals from the transmitter 30, either while carrying it or by holding it near the transmitter 30. It is assumed that the activation module is activated before the user arrives at the seat rental facility 20.

As a result, assuming that at 15:30, the mobile terminal 90 transitioned from a state where it did not receive a legitimate transmitter ID (including both a state where the mobile terminal 90 received a signal from one of the transmitters 30, but the signal represented an unofficial transmitter ID different from the legitimate transmitter ID, and a state where the mobile terminal 90 received no signal from any transmitter 30) to a state where it received a signal (this is an example of the "first transition" mentioned above, and in Figure 12, it corresponds to the rising edge of one received pulse signal corresponding to the duration of one use of the reserved seat 22 by the user), the mobile terminal 90 (or the management server 50) determines that the user has actually sat down in the reserved seat 22, that is, that it has started using the reserved seat 22.

This is because, in this embodiment, the event in which the mobile terminal 90 transitions from a state where it does not receive the legitimate caller ID to a state where it does receive it (i.e., the initial determination that the actual caller ID matches the legitimate caller ID) is an exclusive event that does not occur unless the user is seated in a legitimate reserved seat 22.

Next, the user enters a request to start using the service (an example of the "first event" mentioned above) into the mobile terminal 90 within a first time limit, for example, five minutes from the time the aforementioned event occurred.

In response to the usage commencement request, the management server 50 permits the user to commence use of the reserved seat 22. This time is the actual commencement time of use, but as a general rule, billing to the user begins from the scheduled commencement time of 15:00. Specifically, the counting of the total usage time (rental time, loan time) used to calculate the final rental fee for the user begins from the scheduled commencement time.

2) During use

Users typically do not leave their reserved seat 22 for extended periods after starting to use it (although they may temporarily leave). Therefore, while using the reserved seat 22, the mobile terminal 90 continues to receive signals from the transmitter 30 (in Figure 12, the high-level continuation portion of the single received pulse signal). As a result, the mobile terminal 90 (or the management server 50) continues to determine that the user is staying in the reserved seat 22.

3) End of use

Assuming the user leaves the rental seat 22 at 17:30 on the same day, the user's mobile device 90 leaves the effective reception area of the official transmitter 30. At this time, while the user is still carrying the mobile device 90, the user's mobile device 90 ceases receiving signals from the official transmitter 30.

As a result, assuming that the mobile terminal 90 transitioned from a state of receiving the legitimate transmitter ID to a state of not receiving it (an example of the "second transition" mentioned above, which in Figure 12 corresponds to the falling edge of the single received pulse signal), the mobile terminal 90 (or the management server 50) determines that the user has actually left the reserved seat 22, that is, has ended their use of the reserved seat 22.

This is because, in this embodiment, the event of the mobile terminal 90 transitioning from a state of receiving the legitimate caller ID to a state of not receiving it is an exclusive event that does not occur unless the user leaves the legitimate reserved seat 22.

Next, the user enters a usage termination request (an example of the "second event" mentioned above) into the mobile terminal 90 within a second time limit, for example, five minutes from the time the aforementioned event occurred.

In response to the usage termination request, the management server 50 permits the user to terminate their use of the rental space 22. This time is the actual usage termination time, but as a general rule, billing to the user continues until the scheduled termination time of 18:00. Specifically, at the scheduled termination time, the count of all usage time (rental time, loan time) referenced to calculate the final rental fee for the user ends.

Once the rental fee calculation is complete, the user electronically settles the rental fee via their mobile device 90.

<Reservation Sequence>

Figure 13 shows a time-series sequence flow of communication between a mobile terminal 90 and a remotely located management server 50, illustrating how a user connects their mobile terminal 90 to a management server 90 from a location away from the seating facility 20 they wish to reserve (for example, their home, as shown in Figure 1), and reserves one of the reserved seats 22 within that facility 20.

When the user activates the seat rental service program (which has already been downloaded from the management server 50 and installed on the 132 of the mobile terminal 90) on the mobile terminal 90, several buttons (selectable by the user) such as "Reserve," "Start Use," "Request Use Start," "Request Use End," and "Change Reservation" are displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 90.

In this case, when the user selects the "Reserve" button, the reservation module of the seat rental service program for the mobile terminal 90 is executed by the processor 130 of the mobile terminal 90, and the reservation module of the seat rental service program for the management server 50 is executed by the processor 160 of the management server 50.

When the reservation module for the mobile terminal 90 is executed by the processor 130 of the mobile terminal 90, first, in step 101, the mobile terminal 90 operates to measure the user's current location (longitude and latitude) based on the GPS signal received by the GPS receiver 152 from an external source.

Next, in step S102, the measured user's current location is designated as the reference position (the position of the display reference point (latitude and longitude)) referenced by the processor 130 for displaying the map on the screen 135 of the display unit 136. Furthermore, the portion of the overall map that is large enough to be displayed at once within the window on the screen 135 and where the reference position is located is determined as the map display range (i.e., the area of the overall map that is displayed within the window at each moment).

As illustrated in Figure 14(a), as the user moves on the ground over time, the reference position 202 (shown as a black triangle in the figure) also moves accordingly. As a result, the map display area also moves across the overall map over time as the user moves, and consequently, the map image displayed in the window also changes over time.

Next, in step S103, a login request (an example of a "service start signal") for logging into the management server 50 is sent to the management server 50 along with the user ID and password used to identify the user.

In response, when the reservation module for the management server 50 is executed by the processor 160 of the management server 50, the management server 50 receives the login request along with the user ID and password in step S201, and then, in step S202, retrieves facility data related to the multiple seat rental facilities 20 (see Figure 7 for the multiple components of the facility data), seat rental data related to the multiple rental seats 22 belonging to those seat rental facilities 20 (see Figure 8 for the multiple components of the seat rental data), and the reservation status table (see Figure 11(a)) in the memory 162 (or another memory) of the management server 50.

Subsequently, in step S203, the retrieved facility data, rental data, and reservation status table are transmitted to the mobile terminal 90.

In response, the mobile terminal 90 receives the facility data, seat rental data, and reservation status table in step S104. The received facility data is stored in the seat rental facility data memory 163 shown in Figure 7, resulting in the construction of the table shown in Figure 7. The received seat rental data is stored in the seat rental data memory 165 shown in Figure 8, resulting in the construction of the table shown in Figure 8. The received reservation status table (see Figure 11(a)) is stored in the reservation status table memory 167.

Next, in step S105, based on the saved facility data, a small number of candidate facilities 20 located near the current location are overlaid on the map displayed on screen 135, selected from among the multiple seating facilities 20.

In step 105, not all of the multiple seat rental facilities 20 (all seat rental facilities 20 stored in the management server 50's memory 162) represented by the received facility data are displayed on the screen 135. Only a smaller number of seat rental facilities 20 than the aforementioned multiple facilities 20 are displayed on the screen 135, determined by the user's current location and the size of the screen 135. In other words, the multiple seat rental facilities 20 received from the management server 50 are further narrowed down to a smaller number of candidate facilities 20 based on the user's current location and the size of the screen 135.

In one example, as shown in Figure 14(a), the user's current location is overlaid on the map displayed on screen 135 using a black triangle 202, and multiple candidate facilities 20 are overlaid using multiple facility icons 204. In this example, the three facility icons 204 are composed of shapes where the letters "A," "B," and "C" are surrounded by a rectangular frame.

Next, in step S106, the user selects one of the seating facilities 20 as the selected facility 20 by touching the display location of one of the candidate facilities 20 on the screen 135.

Specifically, when a user touches the display location of any of the candidate facilities 20 on screen 135, the touch location is detected by the touchscreen of the display unit 136. This touch location is then converted into map coordinate information (location information), such as latitude and longitude on a map (defined by the global coordinate system, which is an absolute coordinate system) or corresponding XY coordinate information (defined by the device coordinate system, which is a relative coordinate system). Based on this map coordinate information, one of the candidate facilities 20 is identified.

Subsequently, in step S107, the reservation status table is displayed on screen 135, as illustrated in Figure 14(b). Then, in step S108, the user inputs the identification information of the seating facility 20 they wish to reserve (e.g., name), the identification information of the seating area 20 they wish to reserve (e.g., number), the start date and time of use, and the end date and time of use, as illustrated in Figure 14(c).

Subsequently, in step S109, the mobile terminal 90 transmits the entered reservation details to the management server 50.

In response, the management server 50 receives the reservation details in step S204. Subsequently, in step S205, the management server 50 registers the received reservation details in the user-specific reservation file (see Figure 11(b)) associated with the current user, and further updates the reservation status table stored in memory 162 to reflect the received reservation details.

Subsequently, in step S206, the management server 50 sends a message to the mobile terminal 90 indicating that the reservation has been completed.

In response, the mobile terminal 90 displays the received message on the screen 135 or outputs it audibly. This display informs the user that their reservation has been confirmed.

<Startup Sequence>

Figure 15 shows a time-series sequence flow of an example of communication that takes place between the transmitter 30 located at the reserved seat 22 (hereinafter also simply referred to as "seat 22") within the reserved seating facility 20, the user's mobile terminal 90, and the management server 50, immediately after the user arrives at and sits down at the reserved seat 22. The communication is intended to grant permission to begin using the reserved seat 22.

The transmitter 30 spontaneously and continuously transmits its own unique identification signal. When the user sits down in the reserved seat 22, the mobile terminal 90 is within the effective reception area of the transmitter 30 (see Figure 5), and therefore the mobile terminal 90 effectively receives the identification signal from the transmitter 30.

In this case, when the user selects the "Start Using" button on the screen of the mobile terminal 90, the mobile terminal 90 executes the start-up processing module for the mobile terminal 90. Upon execution, in step 151, the mobile terminal 90 sends a login request to the management server 50, along with the user ID and password used to identify the current user.

In response, when the management server 50 executes the startup processing module for the management server 50, the management server 50 receives the login request along with the user ID and password in step S251. Subsequently, in step S252, the memory 162 searches for the user-specific reservation file associated with the current user among the multiple user-specific reservation file files. Furthermore, within the retrieved user-specific reservation file, information regarding the reserved seating facility 20 (selected facility) among the multiple seating facilities 20, and information regarding the reserved seating area 22 (selected seating area) among the multiple seating areas 22 of that seating facility 20, are retrieved as user reservation-related information.

Subsequently, in step S253, the retrieved user reservation-related information is transmitted to the mobile terminal 90.

In response, the mobile terminal 90 receives the user reservation information in step S152. Then, in step S153, the user's reservation information is used to search for the transmitter code pre-assigned to the legitimate transmitter 30 that should be installed in the reserved seat 22. The legitimate transmitter code for the user is then obtained.

Next, in step S154, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to receive a signal from one of the transmitters 30.

On the other hand, as mentioned above, if the mobile terminal 90 is currently located outside the reception area, the mobile terminal 90 cannot receive any identification signal from the transmitter 30. Conversely, if the mobile terminal 90 is currently located within the reception area, the mobile terminal 90 can receive an identification signal from the transmitter 30.

Furthermore, even if the mobile terminal 90 receives an identification signal from any of the transmitters 30, the mobile terminal 90 may currently be located outside the effective reception area of any of the transmitters 30, or it may be located within the effective reception area.

Therefore, following step S154, in step S154a, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether or not it has successfully received an identification signal from one of the transmitters 30.

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 first determines whether it is located within the reception area by determining whether it has received any identification signal. If it determines that it is located within the reception area, the mobile terminal 90 then determines whether it has effectively received an identification signal from any of the transmitters 30.

Specifically, the mobile terminal 90 measures the distance between itself and the transmitter 30 based on the identification signal it receives. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the measured distance is less than the set value, that is, whether the mobile terminal 90 is currently located within the effective reception area.

If the measured distance is smaller than the set value, the determination in step S154a becomes YES, and the process proceeds to step S155. Otherwise, the determination in step S154a becomes NO, and the process returns to step S154, repeating the reception attempt by the mobile terminal 90.

In step S155, the mobile terminal 90 demodulates the received identification signal, and then, in step S156, the mobile terminal 90 decodes the transmitter ID represented by the demodulated identification signal as the actual transmitter ID.

If the demodulated identification signal is a code represented by a multi-digit binary number, for example, that code is converted to a transmitter ID using a pre-prepared conversion table (for example, one downloaded in advance from the management server 50). However, in terms of usage, the difference between "code" and "ID" is not important, as long as its purpose is identification.

Next, in step S157, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the actual transmitter ID decoded in this manner matches the single legitimate transmitter ID obtained by executing step S153. In other words, ID verification is performed.

Here, "actual transmitter ID" refers to the transmitter ID corresponding to the transmitter (selected actual transmitter) 30 actually installed in the seat 22 that the user has actually selected and sat in, while "regular transmitter ID" refers to the transmitter ID corresponding to the transmitter (selected virtual transmitter) 30 that should be installed in the seat 22 that the user has virtually selected by operating their mobile terminal 90.

Subsequently, in step S158, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the actual transmitter ID and the legitimate transmitter ID match, that is, whether the ID matching was successful. Specifically, it determines whether the first transition—the transition from a state where the mobile terminal 90 does not receive a signal representing the legitimate transmitter ID to a state where it does receive a signal—occurred for the first time since the user activated the start-up processing module.

If the ID verification fails, the determination in step S158 will be NO. Then, in step S159, the mobile terminal 90 prompts the user to retry detecting the transmitter 30 using the mobile terminal 90, for example, by displaying an appropriate message on the screen 135 or by outputting an audio message. The process then returns to step S154.

In contrast, if the ID verification is successful, the determination in step S158 becomes YES, and then in step S160, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user has started using the rental seat 22 at the current time.

In one example, after the user activates the usage start processing module, they arrive at the seating facility 20, but as long as they have not yet arrived at the reserved seat 22, the determination in step S154a will be NO. Once the user eventually arrives at the reserved seat 22 and takes a seat, the determination in step S154a will change from NO to YES.

At this point, if the mobile terminal 90 receives a signal representing the legitimate transmitter ID, the ID verification is successful, and the determination in step S158 becomes YES. Subsequently, in step S160, it is determined that the first transition has occurred at the current time.

Here, the timing at which the determination in step S158 becomes YES coincides with the timing at which the mobile terminal 90 transitions from a state where it does not receive the legitimate caller ID to a state where it does receive it (corresponding to the temporal position of the "rising edge" in the example in Figure 12).

Subsequently, in step S161, it is determined whether a request to start use has been entered by the user into the mobile terminal 90 (for example, whether the button for requesting to start use, as described above, has been selected by the user). If a request to start use has been entered, the determination in step S161 becomes YES, and in step S162, it is determined whether the user arrived earlier than the scheduled start time. In other words, it is determined whether the user actually arrived at the rental seat 22 and began using it earlier than the user's scheduled start time.

In this case, assuming that the user's actual start time is not earlier than the scheduled start time, the determination in step S162 will be NO, and then in step S163, the normal billing condition (billing starts from the scheduled start time) will be selected as the billing condition for this case. Conversely, if we assume that the user's actual start time is earlier than the scheduled start time, the determination in step S162 will be YES, and then in step S164, the special billing condition (billing starts from the actual start time) will be selected as the billing condition for this case.

In either case, in step S165, the determination result that the user is actually using the reserved seat 22, along with the current billing conditions, are sent to the management server 50, associated with the user.

The above describes the case where a user successfully issues a request to start using the device immediately after the mobile terminal 90 has successfully received a legitimate transmitter 30. If no request is issued, the determination in step S161 is NO. Then, in step S166, it is determined whether the elapsed time since the execution of step S160 is within the first time limit (e.g., 5 minutes). If it is within the first time limit, the determination in step S166 is YES. In step S167, the user is prompted to input a request to start using the device, for example, by displaying an appropriate message on the screen 135 or by an audio output. The process then returns to step S161.

In contrast, if the elapsed time since the execution of step S160 exceeds the first time limit, the determination in step S166 will be NO, and then in step S168, it will be determined that the user has committed the first violation.

Next, in step S165, a message is sent to the management server 50 indicating that the user has committed the first violation. After the completion of step S165, the system automatically proceeds to the aforementioned dwell time determination sequence without waiting for further instructions from the user.

In response, in step S254, the management server 50 receives the information transmitted by the mobile terminal 90 as a result of the execution of step S165.

Subsequently, in step S255, the violation received from the mobile terminal 90 is associated with the user and recorded in memory 162. Next, in step S256, the current time is measured using the clock 172. Then, in step S257, this current time is recognized as the actual start time of use. Finally, in step S258, the user is authorized to begin using the rental seat 22.

Subsequently, in step S259, the billing start time is determined for each user. Billing, in principle, begins from the scheduled start time, and the rental amount is calculated based on the elapsed time (usage time, rental time) from the scheduled start time.

However, as an exception, if the actual start time of use is earlier than the scheduled start time, but the usage start request is successfully issued within the first time limit, the issuance time of that usage start request will be determined as the billing start time.

Furthermore, if the actual start time of use is earlier than the scheduled start time, and the request to start use is not successfully issued within the first time limit, the reservation may be forcibly canceled, and penalties such as violation fees may be imposed on the user.

Subsequently, in step S260, the content of the warning regarding billing and usage conditions is determined for each user, reflecting the individually determined billing start time and a notice common to all users stating that the mobile terminal 90 will constantly receive signals from the transmitter 30 while using the rental space 22.

Next, in step S261, a warning regarding the billing and usage conditions is sent to the mobile terminal 90 and notified to the user. Afterward, the system automatically proceeds to the aforementioned stay determination sequence.

<Stay Detection Sequence>

Figure 16 shows a time-series sequence flow of communication between a transmitter 30 located at the reserved seat 22, the user's mobile terminal 90, and the management server 50. This communication is used to repeatedly determine, moment by moment, whether the user is actually present (seated) or absent (not present) at the reserved seat 22 after the user begins using the seat.

The transmitter 30 spontaneously and continuously transmits its own unique identification signal. As long as the user is seated in the reserved seat 22, the mobile terminal 90 will be within the transmitter 30's effective reception area (see Figure 5), without the user needing to hold the mobile terminal 90 over the transmitter 30. Therefore, the mobile terminal 90 will effectively receive the identification signal from the transmitter 30.

Next, in step S181, it is determined, in the same manner as in step S154, whether or not the mobile terminal 90 has successfully received an identification signal from any of the transmitters 30.

If the mobile terminal 90 determines that it has successfully received an identification signal from any of the transmitters 30, then in step S182, the received identification signal is demodulated, and subsequently, in step S183, the transmitter ID represented by the demodulated identification signal is decoded as the actual transmitter ID.

Next, in step S184, it is determined whether the actual transmitter ID decoded in this way matches the one legitimate transmitter ID obtained by executing step S153. In other words, ID matching is performed.

In contrast, if the actual transmitter ID and the legitimate transmitter ID match, that is, if the ID matching is successful, the determination in step S185 becomes YES, and then in step S186, it is determined that the user is actually currently staying (present) in the legitimate rental seat 22.

Conversely, if the actual transmitter ID and the legitimate transmitter ID do not match, that is, if the ID matching is unsuccessful, the determination in step S185 will be NO. Then, in step S187, it is determined that the user is not currently present (not staying) in the legitimate reserved seat 22. If this non-existence determination is made immediately after the determination in step S186 that the user is present, it indicates that the user has just left the reserved seat 22.

In either case, in step S188, the result of the determination that the user is actually staying in the reserved seat 22, or that the user is not, is sent to the management server 50 in association with the user. Then, the process returns to step S181.

The steps S181-S188 are executed repeatedly during the execution of the seat rental service program.

In response, in step S271, the management server 50 receives from the mobile terminal 90 the result of a determination that the user is actually staying at the reserved seat 22, or the result of a determination that the user is not staying there. The management server 50 associates the received determination result with the user and stores it in memory 162 as stay determination result information.

<End of Use Sequence>

Figure 17 shows a time-series sequence flow of communication between the user's mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50, in which the user requests permission to terminate their reserved seat 22.

When the mobile terminal 90 determines that a user may have left the reserved seat 22, the mobile terminal 90 automatically (or manually) activates its end-of-use processing module. Upon activation, in step 301, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the user is actually present at the reserved seat 22, and whether the result of this determination has changed from "present" to "absent."

Here, the timing at which the determination in step S301 becomes YES coincides with the timing when the mobile terminal 90 transitions from a state where it receives the legitimate caller ID (i.e., the user is present in the reserved seat 22) to a state where it does not receive the ID (i.e., the user is not present in the reserved seat 22) (this corresponds to the temporal position of the "falling edge" in the example in Figure 12). Therefore, strictly speaking, the determination in step S301 is whether or not the user has just left the reserved seat 22.

In this case, assuming the determination in step S301 is YES, it is determined in step S302 that the user has just left the reserved seat 22, that is, the user has finished using the reserved seat 22.

Next, in step S302, it is determined whether a user has issued a request to terminate use (for example, the user has selected the button for requesting termination use). If a request has been issued, the determination in step S302 becomes YES, and then in step S303, a message indicating that a user has issued a request to terminate use is sent to the management server 50.

If the user does not issue a request to end use, it is determined that the user is still in use of the reserved seat 22, and the determination in step S302 becomes NO. Then, in step S304, it is determined whether the elapsed time since the YES determination in step S301 is within the second time limit (for example, 5 minutes). If it is within the second time limit, the determination in step S304 becomes YES, and in step S305, the user is prompted to enter a request to end use, for example, by displaying an appropriate message on screen 135 or by an audio output. The process then returns to step S302.

In contrast, if the elapsed time since the YES determination in step S301 exceeds the second time limit, the determination in step S304 will be NO, and then in step S306, it will be determined that the user has committed the second violation.

Next, in step S307, a message is sent to the management server 50 indicating that the user has committed a second violation.

In response, when the termination processing module for the management server 50 is executed by the management server 50, the management server 50 receives, in step S401, the information transmitted by the mobile terminal 90 in step S303 and the information transmitted by the mobile terminal 90 in step S307.

Subsequently, in step S402, the current time is measured using the clock 172. Then, in step S403, this current time is recognized as the actual end time of use. Finally, in step S404, the user authorizes the end of use of the rental space 22.

Subsequently, in step S405, for each user, the time from the billing start time to the billing end time, which is individually determined for each user as described above, is calculated as the total rental time. Here, the "billing end time" normally coincides with the scheduled end time; however, if the second violation is notified from the mobile terminal 90, the billing end time is determined to coincide with the actual usage end time, and the rental amount for the extended rental time from the scheduled usage end time to the actual usage end time is calculated using a higher rate than the normal rate.

Next, in step S406, the rental amount is calculated based on the calculated total rental time and the fee rate (increase rate), according to the fee table (not shown) and the type of violation that occurred. The fee rate may be changed to the surcharge rate as a result of executing the reservation change module described later.

Subsequently, in step S407, the reservation status table is updated so that the reservation for rental seat 22 is deleted from the table. Then, in step S408, the calculated rental amount and other information are transmitted to the mobile terminal 90.

In response, the mobile terminal 90 receives information such as the rental amount from the management server 50 in step S308, and then displays the rental amount on the screen in step S309. Subsequently, in step S310, the user performs the electronic payment.

Next, in step S311, the mobile terminal 90 sends a logout request to the management server 50 requesting to log out.

In response, the management server 50 receives the logout request in step S409. Subsequently, in step S410, an acknowledgment signal ACK is sent to the mobile terminal 90, indicating that the logout request has been successfully received.

In response, the mobile terminal 90 receives its acknowledgment signal ACK from the management server 50 in step S312.

Incidentally, a scenario is also conceivable in which a user leaves the rental space 22 for some reason during their usage period and then returns to the same rental space 22. In this scenario as well, the mobile terminal 90 transitions from a state of receiving the legitimate caller ID to a state of not receiving it (a second transition occurs), so the determination in step S301 of Figure 17 becomes YES.

If the mobile terminal 900 needs to distinguish this scenario from the scenario where the user leaves the reserved seat 22, this embodiment can be improved, for example, as follows:

In other words, when the mobile terminal 90 detects the second transition after the user begins using the reserved seat 22, it does not immediately proceed to step S302 and request the user to input a request to end use. Instead, prior to that, in step S301a (not shown), it displays a confirmation message on the screen of the mobile terminal 90 or outputs it audibly to the user to confirm whether they plan to return to the reserved seat 22 or leave it.

Subsequently, in step S301b (not shown), when the user responds to the confirmation message and inputs "I plan to return" into the mobile terminal 90, in step S301c (not shown), the mobile terminal 90 repeatedly determines whether or not it has received the legitimate caller ID in preparation for the subsequent first transition, that is, the transition from a state where the mobile terminal 90 does not receive the legitimate caller ID to a state where it receives it.

In step S301c, if it is determined that the mobile terminal 90 has received the legitimate caller ID, this means that a new first transition has occurred, and the process returns to step S301. As a result, the transition to step S302 is temporarily suspended.

In response to this, if, in step S301b, the user responds to the confirmation message and enters "I plan to leave" into the mobile terminal 90, the process proceeds to step S302.

<Reservation Change Sequence>

Figure 18 shows a time-series sequence flow of communication between a user's mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50, illustrating an example of communication that occurs when a user modifies their reservation details while using a reserved seat 22.

In this case, when the user selects the "Change Reservation" button on the screen of the mobile terminal 90, the reservation change module for the mobile terminal 90 is executed by the mobile terminal 90. Upon execution, first, in step 401, the mobile terminal 90 receives the aforementioned occupancy determination result information from the management server 50. Furthermore, based on this occupancy determination result information, it is determined whether the user is actually currently occupying the reserved seat 22.

In this case, if it is determined that the user is currently staying at the facility, the determination in step S401 becomes YES. Then, in step S402, it is determined whether the user entered an extension request into the mobile terminal 90. If it is determined that the user entered the extension request (for example, the user selected the extension request button mentioned above), then in step S403, the mobile terminal 90 receives the latest reservation status table from the management server 50 and updates the reservation status table stored in the mobile terminal 90's memory 132 to reflect that updated table.

Next, in step S404, the mobile terminal 90 displays the updated reservation status table on its screen. Then, in step S405, the user inputs information to the mobile terminal 90 to delay their scheduled end time to avoid overlapping with other reservations. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 90 transmits the reservation change details to the management server 50, and the management server 50 updates the reservation status table to reflect the reservation change.

Subsequently, in step S406, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the reservation change was made before the scheduled end time, that is, whether it was made within the time frame of the original reservation. If it is assumed that the reservation change was made before the scheduled end time, the billing rate is set to the normal rate in step S407. Conversely, if it is assumed that the reservation change was made after the scheduled end time, the billing rate is set to the surcharge rate in step S408.

In either case, the mobile terminal 90 then transmits the billing rate set as described above to the management server 50 in step S409.

As is clear from the above explanation, in this embodiment, the user's commencement of use is recognized in response to the combination of the appearance of the first transition (one of a pair of first and second transitions, the rising edge and falling edge of a single received pulse signal in Figure 12) and the user's expression of intent to initiate use.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the user's termination of use is recognized in response to the combination of the appearance of the second transition (one of a pair of first and second transitions) and the user's expression of intent to terminate use.

Here, "the paired first and second transitions" refers to a combination of two events that occur at the start and end timings of a single action performed by the user on the transmitter 30.

In this embodiment, a scenario is also conceivable in which user X, instead of sitting in reserved seat P, inadvertently sits in another reserved seat Q. In this scenario, user X's mobile terminal 90 may still receive the legitimate transmitter ID of the transmitter 30 installed in reserved seat P. As a result, the mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50 would mistakenly recognize that user X is seated in reserved seat P.

If it is necessary to avoid such misrecognition, this embodiment can be improved to the following example.

First, to briefly explain, this improved example combines the first technology employed in this embodiment—namely, a filtering technology that, when the mobile terminal 90 simultaneously detects multiple transmitters 30, excludes signals from transmitters 30 other than the intended transmitter 30, provided that the transmitter ID of the only transmitter 90 that the mobile terminal 90 should receive signals from is known prior to receiving signals from the multiple transmitters 30 (i.e., the corresponding reserved seat 22 is reserved)—with the second technology—namely, a technology that automatically switches the reception mode from wide-area reception mode to narrow-area reception mode when the mobile terminal 90 simultaneously detects multiple transmitters 30 in wide-area reception mode.

Next, to explain in more detail, in this example, the mobile terminal 90 is designed to be switchable between a normal effective reception area (shown as a large-diameter circle with a dashed line in Figure 5; an example of the "first effective reception area" mentioned above) and a reduced effective reception area (shown as a small-diameter circle with a dashed line in Figure 5; an example of the "second effective reception area" mentioned above), which has an effective reception radius smaller than that of the normal effective reception area.

In other words, in this example, the effective reception radius is a variable value; when it takes a large value, a wide-area reception mode or defocus reception mode is realized, while when it takes a small value, a narrow-area reception mode or focus reception mode is realized.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 25, in step S700, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to effectively receive signals from one or more transmitters 30 under the normal effective reception area setting (effective reception radius in wide-area reception mode).

Next, in step S701, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether it has successfully received the actual transmitter ID-P (the official transmitter ID of the transmitter 30 of the rental space P) that matches the official transmitter ID in wide-area reception mode (whether the mobile terminal 90 is within the normal effective reception area centered on transmitter ID-P). If it determines that it has not received the signal, the process returns to step S700.

If the mobile terminal 90 determines that it has received the actual transmitter ID-P in wide-area reception mode, in step S702, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether it has also effectively received another actual transmitter ID-Q (the legitimate transmitter ID of transmitter 30 of rental seat Q) in wide-area reception mode (i.e., whether the mobile terminal 90 is also within the effective reception area of the other transmitter ID-Q). If it determines that the other actual transmitter ID-Q was not effectively received, the process proceeds to step S710, described below.

If it is determined that another actual transmitter ID-Q is also being effectively received in wide-area reception mode, in step S703, the mobile terminal 90 measures the distance DQ to the transmitter 30 transmitting actual transmitter ID-Q and the distance DP to the transmitter 30 transmitting actual transmitter ID-P.

Furthermore, in step S704, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether the distance DQ is shorter than the distance DP. If it determines that the distance DQ is shorter, it determines that user X may be seated in the wrong seat Q. If it determines that the distance DQ is not shorter than the distance DP, the process proceeds to step S710.

If it is determined that distance DQ is shorter than distance DP, in step S705, the mobile terminal 90 switches the effective reception area from the normal effective reception area to the reduced effective reception area (effective reception radius in narrow-area reception mode). Furthermore, in step S706, the mobile terminal 90 displays a message on its screen or outputs an audio message to user X requesting that they touch or hold the mobile terminal 90 over the transmitter 30 of the seat Q where they are seated.

Subsequently, in step S707, the mobile terminal 90 attempts to effectively receive signals from one or more transmitters 30, this time in narrow-range reception mode.

Next, in step S708, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether it has successfully received the actual transmitter ID-P (the regular transmitter ID of the transmitter 30 of the rental space P) that matches the regular transmitter ID in narrow-area reception mode (i.e., whether the mobile terminal 90 is located within the reduced effective reception area centered on transmitter ID-P).

In the scenario described above, the mobile terminal 90 receives the actual transmitter ID-Q of the transmitter 30 of the rental seat Q. Since this does not match the original legitimate transmitter ID-P, the determination in step S708 is NO.

In this case, in step S709, the mobile terminal 90 displays a message on the screen or outputs an audio message to user X to confirm whether the seat 22 they are currently seated in is correct. As a result, the user moves from seat Q to seat P.

Subsequently, returning to step S707, the mobile terminal 90 receives the signal from the rental seat P transmitter 30 in narrow-range reception mode. In this case, the determination in step S708 is YES. Then, in step S710, the mobile terminal 90 determines that the user is seated in the correct rental seat P.

The step group consisting of steps S700-710 shown in Figure 25 can replace the step group consisting of steps S154-S157 in Figure 15, and/or the step group consisting of steps S181-S184 in Figure 16.

The technology shown in Figure 25 can be applied to the second embodiment described later. To support this, Figure 20 shows two effective receiving areas for each transmitter 30: a large-diameter normal effective receiving area (wide-area receiving mode) and a small-diameter reduced effective receiving area (narrow-area receiving mode).

As is clear from the above description, according to this embodiment, the mobile terminal 90 and/or management server 50 monitor the temporal changes in the user's seating and departure (approaching and moving away, arriving and leaving) in the selected seat 22 (not the user's static posture, but dynamic posture, changes in movement, changes in posture, etc.) based on the temporal changes in the received signals (see, for example, Figures 12 and 21) that represent whether or not the mobile terminal 90 has received signals from one or more transmitters 30 in a time series.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes easy to accurately detect the timing when a user actually sits down in the reserved seat 22 and the timing when they actually leave the reserved seat 22.

Furthermore, this embodiment can be implemented with various modifications. For example, it can be improved so that at least some of the data processing performed by the mobile terminal 90 is performed by the management server 50, or conversely, so that at least some of the data processing performed by the management server 50 is performed by the mobile terminal 90. This also applies to the following second embodiment.

As is clear from the above description, according to this embodiment, prior to the user's mobile terminal receiving the transmitter, one of the rental items is selected by the user.

Furthermore, according to this embodiment, based on the identity of the rental target (e.g., the reserved rental target), the multiple transmitters installed on multiple rental targets are classified into a regular transmitter (target transmitter) that should be installed on one of the selected rental targets, and other irregular transmitters (non-target transmitters).

As a result, according to this embodiment, even if the user's mobile terminal receives a signal from an unauthorized transmitter at the selected rental target, that signal is not referenced. Only signals from legitimate transmitters are referenced, thereby estimating the user's current location, i.e., whether the user is truly located at or near the selected rental target.

The underlying idea behind this estimation is that if the user's location is known, the mobile device only needs to pay attention to the signal emitted by a transmitter that should be installed at that known location.

Therefore, according to this embodiment, even in environments where the effective reception areas of the legitimate transmitter and other transmitters overlap at least partially, for reasons such as the need to spatially position the legitimate transmitter close to other transmitters, or the need to expand the effective reception area of the legitimate transmitter (see, for example, Figures 5 and 20) to improve the convenience of users receiving the legitimate transmitter using their mobile terminals (for example, so that users do not have to go out of their way to approach the legitimate transmitter from their usual location), only the signal from the legitimate transmitter is enabled on the mobile terminal by a software filtering function (noise reduction function) rather than a hardware filtering function (noise reduction function). As a result, according to this embodiment, it becomes easy to accurately estimate the user's current location without being affected by other transmitters.

The effect of easily expanding the effective reception area of each transmitter is embodied, for example, when applying the present invention to a technology for selecting a parking space within a parking lot or a similar technology, in the entry and/or exit sequences, it becomes easier for the user to receive signals from the designated transmitter and communicate with the management server for entry and exit processing while remaining inside the vehicle parked in the selected parking space within the parking lot, that is, without getting out of the vehicle and approaching the transmitter.

<Second Embodiment>

Next, an unmanned parking management system 300 (hereinafter simply referred to as "System 300") according to an exemplary second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 19-24. However, parts common to the unmanned seating rental system according to the first embodiment will be referenced using the same reference numerals and names, omitting redundant explanations, and only the differing parts will be described in detail.

This system 300 is a system for centrally managing multiple parking lots 20 (Figure 19 shows only three representative parking lots A, B, and C). Each parking lot 20 has multiple parking spaces 22, and each parking space 22 is a rental space, an individual space temporarily leased to one user for one vehicle (car, bicycle, motorcycle, etc.).

In comparison with the first embodiment, the multiple parking spaces 20 correspond to the multiple seat rental facilities 20 in the first embodiment, and the multiple parking spaces 22 correspond to the multiple rental seats 22 in one seat rental facility 20.

In this embodiment as well, the multiple parking spaces 22 within a single parking lot 20 are generally arranged close together. These parking spaces 22 are, for example, multiple rental items that are so close to each other that they cannot be spatially identified (disassembled) by the GPS function (described above) of a mobile terminal 90.

In contrast, the multiple parking lots 20 are an example of multiple facilities that are spatially separated enough to be distinguished (decomposed) from one another by the GPS function of the mobile terminal 90 (described later).

This system 300 is, in general terms, an example of a rental item management system that uses individual transmitters to authenticate the location of rental items, conditional on the user making a reservation for the rental item.

This system 300 is configured to perform a parking lot management method according to this embodiment. This parking lot management method is an example of a rental space management method that centrally manages multiple parking spaces available for rental to users, and this rental space management method is an example of a rental object management method that centrally manages multiple rental objects, which are real estate available for rental to users. Another example of this rental object management method is a rental object management method that centrally manages multiple rental objects, which are movable property available for rental to users (e.g., rental cars or rental bicycles).

Each parking lot 20 is unmanned. Furthermore, to reduce and simplify equipment, each parking lot 20 is not equipped with devices to prevent unauthorized entry and exit to each parking space 22 (for example, gate devices that selectively block vehicle passage, or lift-up/flap-type vehicle exit prevention devices that protrude from the surface of each parking lot 20 to selectively prevent vehicle wheels from going over them), nor is it equipped with devices to read encryption provided by users (for example, passwords or barcode information), nor is it equipped with payment machines for users to pay rental fees, nor is it equipped with ticket dispensers for issuing tickets to users.

As illustrated in Figure 19, in each parking lot 20, one transmitter 30 is installed for each parking space 22.

Specifically, regarding the installation location, each transmitter 30 is positioned within the area of the corresponding vehicle compartment 22 in a plan view, and, although not shown in the diagram, is positioned at the same height as, higher than, or lower than, the surface of the corresponding vehicle compartment 22 (e.g., the ground, pavement, etc.) in a side view.

Next, regarding the installation method, each transmitter 30 can be, for example, mounted inside or outside the wheel chock installed in the corresponding vehicle compartment 22, mounted on a vertically extending structure such as a pole or column installed in the corresponding vehicle compartment 22 in a position floating above the surface, or embedded below the surface of the corresponding vehicle compartment 22.

In this embodiment, as illustrated in Figure 20, the user first selects one of several parking spaces 20, and then selects one of several parking spaces 22 within that selected parking space 20, and drives their vehicle 400 (or 402) into the selected parking space 22. In this example, vehicle 400 is parked facing forward in one parking space 22, while another vehicle 402 is parked facing backward in the adjacent parking space 22.

While the user is inside their vehicle 400 or 402, their mobile device 90 may receive a signal from the transmitter 30 (authorized transmitter) installed in the selected vehicle compartment 22. Furthermore, it may also receive a signal from the transmitter 30 (illegible transmitter) installed in the adjacent vehicle compartment 22.

As illustrated in Figure 20, the effective reception area of each transmitter 30 is set to cover the user's mobile terminal 90 located inside a vehicle parked in the corresponding parking space 22. As a result, the user can receive signals from the transmitter 30 without having to get out of their vehicle and approach the transmitter 30, which is particularly convenient for the user in inclement weather.

However, this inevitably means that the same effective reception area could unnecessarily cover the mobile terminal 90 of a user in a vehicle parked in the adjacent parking space 22. Therefore, in this embodiment, the system determines whether a user is in the selected parking space 22 by determining whether the mobile terminal 90 has received a legitimate transmitter ID (more precisely, an identification signal representing the legitimate transmitter ID).

In the first embodiment, during a single period of use by the user in the reserved seat 22, as shown in Figure 12, the mobile terminal 90 receives one received pulse signal. The timing of the rising edge of this signal is recognized as the start time of use, while the timing of the falling edge of the signal is recognized as the end time of use. This is due to the communication environment in which the user essentially stays in the same reserved seat 22 from the time they sit down until they leave, and during that time, the mobile terminal 90 continues to receive the authorized transmitter ID.

In contrast, in this embodiment, while the user stays in the selected parking space 22 when entering and exiting the parking space, the user is typically not present in the selected parking space 22 for the entire duration that the vehicle is parked there. Therefore, different signal processing is required compared to the first embodiment.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as conceptually shown in the time chart in Figure 21, at the receiving stage, a first transition occurs in which the mobile terminal 90 transitions from a state where it does not receive the legitimate transmitter ID (more precisely, the identification signal representing the legitimate transmitter ID) to a state where it receives it (the rising edge of the receiving pulse signal, which is a single received pulse signal at the time of receiving). Shortly thereafter, a second transition occurs in which the mobile terminal 90 transitions from a state where it receives the legitimate transmitter ID to a state where it does not receive it (the falling edge of the receiving pulse signal).

This prompts the user to indicate their intention to submit an inbound request (an example of the "first event" mentioned above) to the mobile terminal 90 for confirmation of the inbound shipment. When the user actually submits an inbound request, the timing of the first transition (or the second transition) is recognized as the inbound time.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as conceptually shown in the time chart in Figure 21, at the dispatch stage, the first transition (the rising edge of the dispatch pulse signal, which is one received pulse signal at the time of dispatch) occurs, and shortly thereafter, the second transition (the falling edge of the dispatch pulse signal) occurs.

This prompts the user to indicate their intention to send a dispatch request (an example of the "second event" mentioned above) to the mobile terminal 90 for confirmation of dispatch. When the user actually submits a dispatch request, the timing of the second transition (or the timing of the first transition) is recognized as the dispatch time.

Figure 22 conceptually illustrates, in a flowchart, an example of a reservation sequence executed by a mobile terminal 90 and a management server 50 for a user to reserve a parking space 22 in any of the parking lots 20, as part of a parking management program for managing multiple parking lots 20.

First, when the parking management program is launched by the user's mobile terminal 90, in step S500, the user selects the reservation mode. Next, in step S601, the management server 50 reads from memory 162 and transmits to the mobile terminal 90 the following: parking data representing the map location of each of the multiple parking lots 20 (corresponding to the seat rental facility data shown in Figure 7), seat data representing the correspondence between the IDs of the multiple parking lots 20, the IDs of the multiple parking spaces 22, and the IDs of the multiple authorized transmitters (corresponding to the seat rental data shown in Figure 8), and a reservation status table (corresponding to the reservation status table shown in Figure 11(a)).

Next, in step S501, the mobile terminal 90 receives the data and tables from the management server 50 and stores them in the memory 132. Then, in step S502, based on the parking data and the GPS positioning results of the mobile terminal 90, the mobile terminal 90 narrows down the multiple parking lots 20 to a small number of candidate parking lots 20 located near the user's current location, and displays these few candidate parking lots 20 on the screen.

Furthermore, in step S502, the user performs an operation on the mobile terminal 90 to select one of the multiple candidate parking lots 20 displayed on the screen as the selected parking lot 20. In response, the mobile terminal 90 displays the reservation status table on the screen, allowing the user to see the time periods when each of the multiple parking spaces 22 in the selected parking lot 20 is available.

Subsequently, in step S503, the user selects one of the parking spaces 22 using the mobile terminal 90, and then, in step S504, the user inputs the scheduled usage time for the selected parking space 22 into the mobile terminal 90.

Subsequently, in step S505, the mobile terminal 90 transmits the reservation details specified by the user (parking lot 20, parking space 22, and usage time) to the management server 50, along with personal authentication information to identify the user.

In response, in step S602, the management server 50 receives the reservation details associated with the user and updates the user-specific reservation details file so that the reservation details are reflected.

Figure 23 conceptually illustrates, in a flowchart, an example of a parking entry sequence executed by the mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50 when a user enters a selected parking space 22, as part of the parking management program.

First, when the parking management program is activated by the user's mobile terminal 90, in step S520, the user selects the parking entry mode. Next, in step S521, the mobile terminal 90 obtains the regular transmitter ID corresponding to the selected parking space 22 based on the parking space data.

Next, in step S522, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether it has effectively received an identification signal from any of the transmitters 30 (i.e., whether the first transition has occurred). If it has effectively received the signal, in step S523, it determines whether the actual transmitter ID represented by the received identification signal matches the regular transmitter ID.

If the actual transmitter ID and the legitimate transmitter ID match, it is determined that the user is actually currently in the selected parking space 22. Subsequently, in step S524, the mobile terminal 90 waits for the mobile terminal 90 to finish receiving the legitimate transmitter ID, that is, for the falling edge (the second transition) of the parking entry pulse signal to appear. Once this occurs, in step S525, the mobile terminal 90 waits for the user to input a parking entry request. Upon input, in step S526, the mobile terminal 90 sends the parking entry request, associated with the user, to the management server 50.

In response, the management server 50 receives the parking request in step S621 and, as a result, permits the user to park in the selected parking space 22. Subsequently, in step S622, it saves the current time as the parking time in memory 162.

Figure 24 conceptually illustrates, in a flowchart, an example of a parking space exit sequence executed by the mobile terminal 90 and the management server 50 when a user exits a selected parking space 22, as part of the parking management program.

First, when the parking management program is activated by the user's mobile terminal 90, in step S540, the user selects the exit mode. Next, in step S541, the mobile terminal 90 obtains the regular transmitter ID corresponding to the selected parking space 22 based on the parking space data.

Next, in step S542, the mobile terminal 90 determines whether it has effectively received an identification signal from any of the transmitters 30 (i.e., whether the first transition has occurred). If it has effectively received the signal, in step S543, it determines whether the actual transmitter ID represented by the received identification signal matches the regular transmitter ID.

If the actual transmitter ID and the legitimate transmitter ID match, it is determined that the user is actually currently in the selected parking space 22. Subsequently, in step S544, the mobile terminal 90 waits for the mobile terminal 90 to finish receiving the legitimate transmitter ID, that is, for the falling edge of the departure pulse signal (the second transition) to appear. Once this occurs, in step S545, the mobile terminal 90 waits for the user to input a departure request. Upon input, in step S546, the mobile terminal 90 sends the departure request, associated with the user, to the management server 50.

In response, the management server 50 receives the exit request in step S641 and, as a result, permits the user to exit the selected parking space 22. Next, in step S642, the current time is set as the exit time. Then, in step S643, the parking time is calculated as the elapsed time from the entry time to the exit time. Next, in step S644, the parking fee is calculated based on the calculated parking time. The calculated parking fee is then transmitted to the mobile terminal 90.

In response, in step S547, the mobile terminal 90 displays the received parking fee amount on its screen, and then the user makes an electronic payment for that parking fee.

As is clear from the above explanation, in this embodiment, the user's action of receiving goods into storage is recognized in response to the combination of the appearance of both the paired first and second transitions (the rising and falling edges of a single incoming pulse signal in Figure 21) and the user's expression of intent to receive goods into storage. Similarly, the user's action of retrieving goods is recognized in response to the combination of the appearance of both the paired first and second transitions (the rising and falling edges of a single outgoing pulse signal in Figure 21) and the user's expression of intent to retrieve goods from storage.

In contrast, the present invention may be implemented in a manner in which the user's action of receiving goods is recognized in response to a combination of the appearance of one of a pair of first and second transitions (the rising edge and falling edge of a single receiving pulse signal in Figure 21) and the user's expression of intent to receive goods, and in response to a combination of the appearance of one of a pair of first and second transitions (the rising edge and falling edge of a single receiving pulse signal in Figure 21) and the user's expression of intent to receive goods, the user's action of receiving goods is recognized.

Incidentally, according to this embodiment, at the user's departure stage, the system determines that the departure is complete only after the mobile terminal 90 stops receiving the official transmitter ID. On the other hand, it is possible to contractually compel the user to perform both the entry and exit operations from inside the vehicle parked in the selected parking space 22, or to design the mobile terminal 90 so that it disables reception of the transmitter 30 via software unless the user receives it inside the vehicle.

In this configuration, the user, the mobile terminal 90, and the vehicle share the same spatial location. Therefore, the mobile terminal 90 detecting the user's entry into the selected parking space 22 is equivalent to the mobile terminal 90 detecting the vehicle entering the selected parking space 22. Similarly, the mobile terminal 90 detecting the user's exit from the selected parking space 22 is equivalent to the mobile terminal 90 detecting the vehicle leaving the selected parking space 22.

Furthermore, while the above-described embodiments are specific examples of applying the present invention to rental services that rent out seating facilities and parking lots as real estate, the present invention can also be applied to rental services that rent out other real estate, such as warehouses or rooms, or to rental services that rent out movable property, such as vehicles (automobiles, bicycles, motorcycles, etc.). Moreover, the present invention can also be applied to uses other than rental services.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, these are merely illustrative examples. The present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, starting with the embodiments described in the "Summary of the Invention" section above.

Claims (8)

A system for managing multiple vehicles available for loan to users,
A short-range wireless communication unit is installed in each vehicle and has a transmitting unit that transmits a signal representing a code unique to each vehicle using a short-range communication method.
Includes a management server for remotely managing the aforementioned multiple vehicles,
The management server is
A reservation unit that allows a user who wishes to use any of the vehicles to select the vehicle they wish to use from among the multiple vehicles as a reserved vehicle, along with a scheduled start time and scheduled end time, by operating their communication device.
A rental vehicle management system including an existence determination unit that enables the determination of whether a user is continuously present in the reserved vehicle by repeatedly determining whether the communication device has received the signal from the short-range wireless communication unit installed in the reserved vehicle. The aforementioned management server further,
A unit that, after the user has finished using the reserved vehicle, calculates the amount of the rental fee and transmits the calculated amount to the communication device.
The rental vehicle management system according to claim 1, further comprising: a settlement support unit that, after the use of the reserved vehicle has ended, assists the communication device in settling the rental fee by electronic payment using the amount received from the management server. The rental vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication device includes a mobile phone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or PDA. The rental vehicle management system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of vehicles include a plurality of rental cars, rental motorcycles, or rental bicycles. A program for causing a computer to function as a reservation unit and an existence/non-existence determination unit as described in claim 1. A program executed on the computer of a communication device of a user who wishes to use any of the plurality of vehicles managed by the rental vehicle management system described in claim 1 or 2,
The aforementioned communication device has multiple functions,
A reservation function that allows the user to select the vehicle they wish to use from among the multiple vehicles by operating the communication device, along with the scheduled start time and scheduled end time.
A presence/absence determination function that determines whether a user is continuously present in the reserved vehicle by repeatedly determining whether the communication device has received the signal from the short-range wireless communication unit installed in the reserved vehicle,
Includes a transmission function that sends the determination result to the management server,
A program executed by the computer to realize the aforementioned multiple functions. A recording medium in which the program described in claim 5 is recorded in a computer-readable format. A recording medium on which the program described in claim 6 is recorded in a computer-readable format.