Abstract:
A golf site administration system allows elimination of golf site personnel involved in making player reservations, receiving payments, and ordering foodstuffs. A terminal allows a player to request and reserve golf play at a golf site via a communication circuit. A reservation signal is stored in a reservation storing means. The player checks in before play using an input means. A set of check-in information is compared with the stored reservation signal. If the information matches, check-in is performed.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a golf site administration system that manages various types of data used in a golf site.  
           [0003]    2. Discussion of the Related Art  
           [0004]    Japanese Patent Publication Number:  2001-46575  (A63B 69/36) discloses a conventional golf site administration system. The invention issues a management card to a player during registration. The issuing of locker keys, sales of products, and the ordering of food are performed based on this management card, eliminating the need for the player to carry cash. With this system, an automated accounting device settles accounts when play is finished and retrieves the management card that was issued.  
           [0005]    In this system, however, a player must use a conventional method such as calling by telephone to register for play, and accounts are settled via conventional processing such as issuing an invoice to a credit card company. Furthermore, golf site employees must be provided to perform administrative tasks such as ordering food and goods. As a result, personnel relating to golf play by players can be eliminated, but personnel for administrative tasks cannot.  
         OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    It is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing and various other drawbacks of the prior art by providing a golf site administration system that permits reduction in personnel involved in player reservations, accounting, ordering of food, and goods.  
           [0007]    The present invention relates to an input/output means connected via a communication circuit to a terminal for requesting golf play and a reservation storing means that stores a play request signal received by the input/output means. The input means allows a player to check in before play and a control circuit compares an input signal of the input means with the request signal stored in the reservation storing means. The control circuit performs the check-in when the signals match and indicates information on a reporting means if the signals do not match.  
           [0008]    The claimed invention allows the player to make play reservations to input/output means at the golf site via a communication circuit using a terminal. At the golf site, this information is stored in a reservation storing means when the reservation is made. When the player checks in on the reservation date, the player&#39;s information can be checked to see if it is the player who made the reservation. If the data matches, the check-in is performed. Otherwise, a message is indicated using a reporting means.  
           [0009]    Another embodiment of the invention includes an input means for checking in a golf player, before play, using a credit card and receiving the credit card for payment of fees within the golf site. An accounting data storing means stores the input signal of the input means and a control circuit reads the data stored in the accounting data storing means at a predetermined time and sends the data to a credit card company via a communication circuit.  
           [0010]    In this embodiment, the player checks in before play using a credit card. When making payment in the golf site, this credit card is used. The accounting data is stored in an accounting data storing means. An invoice is communicated to the credit card company at a predetermined time via a communication circuit.  
           [0011]    Another embodiment includes a food selecting means that allows a golf player to enter a food order. Then the foodstuff data storing means stores the data ordered with the food selecting means. Next, a control circuit sends the foodstuff data from the foodstuff data storing means to a foodstuff company at a predetermined time via a communication circuit. Thus, each time a player orders food, this data is stored in foodstuff storing means and at a predetermined interval, this foodstuff data is used to make orders via the communication circuit.  
           [0012]    A further embodiment included a food selecting means to receive input when the player requests play and the control circuit may send that information from the foodstuff data storing means to the foodstuff company via the communication circuit at a predetermined time before play. Alternatively, the golf site can have predetermined meals ready, with additional meals being ordered based on orders from players.  
           [0013]    Additional embodiments include when a play request signal is received by the input/output means, information from the golf site is sent to the terminal via the communication circuit. Also, a score storing means may store a score of the player on the golf site and information sent to the terminal from the golf site is a score of the player.  
           [0014]    All of the above embodiments may include a “thank-you” message or the like or scores from previous games can be sent to players after the request is completed. Additionally, services, advertisements, and promotions can also be provided to the player. Information may be sent from the golf site to the terminal at a predetermined time after a play completed signal is received by the input means.  
           [0015]    The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components, and wherein: 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0016]    [0016]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a golf site system according to the present invention;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 3 is a sample schedule data list according to the present invention;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 4 is a sample accounting data list according to the present invention;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5 is a sample foodstuff data list according to the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 6 is a sample score storing means list according to the present invention;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 7 is a sample address storing means list according to the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 8 illustrated an input screen on a terminal of the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 9 is a display screen sent to a terminal of the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the check-in operations of the present invention; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 11 is a display screen shown on a terminal in the system. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]    Referring to now FIG. 1, an overview of the embodiments of a golf site administration system according to the present invention will be described. A golf site  1  includes a guide wire  2  embedded along a golf course. A plurality of golf carts  3  run along the guide wire  2 , where the golf carts  3  are used to transport players&#39; golf bags.  
         [0028]    A club house  4  is positioned at the starting point of the golf course on the golf site  1 . The club house  4  may include a restaurant, an office used for managing the golf site  1 , and a master room used to manage play time and the golf carts  3 . A host computer  5  is a host computer of a provider or the like that is connected to the golf site  1  via a communication circuit such as a phone line, optical cable, radio link or satellite.  
         [0029]    A credit card company  6  may receive invoice data from the credit card transactions. The data is received through a communication circuit from the golf site  1  via the host computer  5 . The credit card company  6  may also send various types of information to the golf site  1  via a communication circuit.  
         [0030]    A foodstuff company  7  receives food orders from the golf site  1  via a communication circuit. The foodstuff company  7  can also send various types of information such as new product guides and menus back to the golf site  1 .  
         [0031]    A terminal  8  is a personal computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular phone or the like owned by a player. Terminal  8  allows players to perform registration for the golf site  1  via a communication circuit such as the Internet.  
         [0032]    Referring now to FIG. 2, a control operation used to perform administrative tasks in the club house  4  includes an input/output means  9  used to connect to the credit card company  6 , the foodstuff company  7 , the terminal  8 , and the golf site  1  via a communication circuit. The input/output means  9  may output invoice information to the credit card company  6 , order information to the foodstuff company  7 , and reservation information to the terminal  8 . Input/output means  9  also receives various information from the credit card company  6 , promotional information from the foodstuff company  7 , and reservation request information from the terminal  8 . All received information is sent to a control circuit  10  and stored.  
         [0033]    As play reservation information is received from the input/output means  9 , a reservation storing means  11  receives the data from the control circuit  10 . The reservation storing means  11  may store the credit card number, the PIN number, name, address, and other personal identifying or transactional information of the player making a reservation.  
         [0034]    Information stored in reservation storing means  11  is then transferred to a schedule data  12  after a predetermined number of days have elapsed. The schedule data  12  stores a list of player data organized by day, time, or player skill.  
         [0035]    Referring to FIG. 3, one embodiment of the schedule data  12  stores a table for each day that contains the players&#39; card numbers, names, addresses, and start times. This information is received based on the reservation data received by the input/output means  9 . An accounting data storing means  13  stores card numbers and fees when a player makes payment using a credit card. Accounting data storing means  13  accesses this data on predetermined days for invoicing to the credit card company  6  and sends the accounting data to the credit card company  6 .  
         [0036]    Referring to FIG. 4, the accounting data storing means  13  stores the accounting data received from the input/output means  18 , and stores, for example, the credit card usage date, the card number, the item charged, and the amount.  
         [0037]    Foodstuff data storage means  14  provides temporary storage of order information to be sent to the foodstuff company  7 . The foodstuff data storage means  14  transmits order data to the foodstuff company  7  each time food is to be ordered. Information is stored in the foodstuff data storage means  14  when a player makes a reservation using the terminal  8  or when play starts, at which point the menu that was ordered is stored. FIG. 5 illustrates a sample foodstuff data containing the serving date, the item ordered, and the quantity.  
         [0038]    Client data  15  includes a score storing means  16 , which stores the past score and play date of a player, and an address storing means  17 , which stores a player&#39;s card number, name, address, and other personal information. Referring to FIG. 6, a score storing means  16  in the client data  15  stores the player&#39;s name, card number, play date, and the score for the day. FIG. 17 illustrates a sample address storing means  17  including the name of a player who made the reservation, address, card number, and upcoming play date.  
         [0039]    Input means  18  is located at the reception counter of the golf site  1 , the restaurant, and check-out sites where golf products are purchased and play fees are paid. Input means  18  receives data from credit cards and when that data is received from the input means  18 , a reporting means  19 , e.g., a CRT, displays messages to players.  
         [0040]    [0040]FIGS. 8 and 9, illustrate the operations of the preferred embodiment performed to register reservations for a player. Referring to FIG. 8, when a player uses the terminal  8  to make a reservation through a communication circuit, such as the Internet, the player enters a card number, a PIN number, a name, address, meal, requested play date, and requested start time. The player then presses the “OK” button to transmit the entered data to the input/output means  9  at the golf site  1 . The player can cancel the entered information by pressing “Cancel”. When “OK” is pressed and the information is sent, the control circuit  10  verifies the data received by input/output means  9  against reservation storing means  11  to see if there is any overlap. Referring to FIG. 9, if there is an available reservation, input/output means  9  displays an indication that a reservation was made. The meal field on the screen displayed on the terminal  8  is referred to as food selecting means.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the check-in operations performed when the player arrives at the golf site  1  and registers. When the player arrives at the golf site  1 , the player&#39;s credit card is registered through input means  18  (S 1 ), and the registered data and the schedule data  12  stored when the reservation was made are checked by the control circuit  10  (S 2 ). After this checking operation, if a reservation was not made or if the reservation is for a different date (S 3 ), a message indicating that no request was made is displayed on reporting means  19  (S 4 ). If the player has a reservation, a message requesting a PIN is output to the player on the reporting means  19  (S 5 ). The PIN is then checked (S 6 ) and if it is correct, check-in is performed (S 7 ). If the PIN is not correct, the player is requested to re-enter the PIN (S 5 ).  
         [0042]    When the player is finished playing, the credit card is used to check out, allowing the golf site  1  to recognize that play has been completed. Play fees are totaled, and this data is sent to accounting data storing means  13 .  
         [0043]    Furthermore, if drinks or other foodstuffs are purchased at a concession stand or if golf balls or other items are purchased at a store, payment is made via credit card, and this data is also stored in accounting data storage means  13 .  
         [0044]    Also, when the player checks out, the player may also enter his or her score. Data indicating that the player has checked out is sent to the schedule data  12  and data indicating that play has finished is stored. The entered score is stored in score storing means  16 .  
         [0045]    Lastly, referring to FIG. 11, a few days after play has finished, the player&#39;s address, name, and score are automatically read from the client data  15 , and information thanking the customer is output on the terminal  8  by input/output means  9  via the Internet.  
         [0046]    In the embodiment described above, the player orders food at the same time as the reservation is made. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the food may be ordered when the player checks in. For this embodiment, the information can be entered using input means  18 .  
         [0047]    As described above, the player uses his/her own terminal  8  to make a reservation via the Internet. The golf site  1  can confirm and make reservations in an automated manner, thus eliminating the need to provide personnel to make reservations. Furthermore, since the player checks in to the golf site  1  using a credit card, the personnel for the check-in desk can also be eliminated.  
         [0048]    Also, since purchases made by the player are also handled using the credit card, they can be processed automatically. Since invoices to the credit card company  6  are issued automatically, the corresponding personnel can be eliminated as well.  
         [0049]    Furthermore, since food orders to the foodstuff company  7  are performed automatically, the corresponding personnel can be eliminated. Also, this eliminates the need for personnel to order or track the food, accurate order quantities can be sent and automatically stored. Thus, daily orders can be tracked clearly, and excess and insufficient ordering can be eliminated.  
         [0050]    The entire process including providing the confirmation of the reservation date, thank-you messages from the golf site, and previous scores provide an added convenience to the player. Additionally, since the information is sent from the golf site to the terminal at a predetermined time after a play completed signal is received allows thank-you messages and scores to be sent a few days after play, and services, advertisements, and promotions can be provided to the player.  
         [0051]    Thus, while there have been shown, described, and pointed out fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the devices illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or steps which perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way, to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. Substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated. It is also to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but that they are merely conceptual in nature. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.