An on-demand rental facility that can improve operational efficiency of a facility by improving convenience for both a reservation person and a user, wherein a management server for managing information on the on-demand rental facility includes: a reservation person receiver that receives an event holding information of an event to be held using the facility from the reservation person, to cause a storage unit to store event holding information; a user receiver that receives user information on the user of the event related to the event holding information from the user, to cause the storage unit to store user information; and a user notifier that notifies the user that the user information has been received. Since the user can directly register the user information, the reservation person does not need to determine the number of users at a time of reservation, and can relatively easily reserve the facility.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to an on-demand reservation system for setting a usage time and renting a facility to a user.

BACKGROUND

A system for renting rooms of a building (e.g., an office, a hotel, or the like) to users typically includes a management server open to a communication network such as the Internet, and a plurality of reservation servers in which information on the conference room is stored. Such a system is typically configured so that users can access information of the conference room in a reservation server via the management server and reserve a desired conference room. Such a system also typically has a billing function so that a rental fee can be paid online.

However, some conventional reservation systems require the number of users and a corresponding rental space size to be known at the time of reservation. In such systems, it may be necessary to recruit users and determine the number of users in advance before the time of reservation, which increases a burden on the reservation organizer who intends to hold an event and makes it difficult for the users who intend to participate in the event to make a participation schedule, resulting in inferior convenience for both the reservation organizer and the users. As a result, operational efficiency of the rental facility may be reduced.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an on-demand reservation system (also referred to as a rental facility) that improves operational efficiency by improving convenience for both the reservation organizer and the users.

The on-demand rental facility of the present disclosure is an on-demand rental facility in which a usage time is set and a facility is rented, including a management server connected to a communication line to manage information of the on-demand rental facility, in which the management server is connected via the communication line to a reservation person input unit that receives information input from a reservation person of the facility to the management server and a user input unit that receives information input from a user of the facility to the management server, and includes: a storage that stores event holding information on a reserved date and time and a reserved location of an event to be held using the facility; a reservation person receiver that receives the event holding information via the reservation person input unit, to cause the storage to store the event holding information; a user receiver that receives user information on the user of the event related to the event holding information via the user input unit, to cause the storage to store the user information; and a user notifier that notifies the user that the user information has been received.

According to the present disclosure as described above, the management server includes: the user receiver that receives the user information on the user of the event via the user input unit, to cause the storage to store the user information; and the user notifier that notifies the user that the user information has been received, so that the user can directly register the user information for the event to be held using the on-demand rental facility. Thus, the reservation person does not need to determine the number of users at the time of reservation, and can relatively easily reserve the facility even when the number of users cannot be predicted. Further, when the user applies for participation in the event via the user input unit, the user can receive the notification from the user notifier of the management server. Therefore, the on-demand rental facility can receive positive holding of the event by the reservation person by improving the convenience for both the reservation person and the user, and can improve the operational efficiency of the facility by enhancing motivation of the users to participate in the event.

At this time, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the facility is a predetermined space, and the management server includes a user key issuer that issues an unlocking key for unlocking a locking device for the space to the user.

With such a configuration, when the facility is the space, the management server includes the user key issuer that issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device for the space to the user, so that the user can unlock the locking device for the space by the issued unlocking key. Therefore, the reservation person does not need to unlock the locking device every time the users enter the event during holding the event, and the on-demand rental facility can further improve convenience for both the reservation person and the user.

Further, in the present disclosure, the management server preferably includes a location information notifier that notifies the user of location information related to a reserved location included in the event holding information stored in the storage.

With such a configuration, the management server includes the location information notifier that notifies the user of the location information related to the reserved location included in the event holding information stored in the storage, so that the user can easily reach the reserved location on the basis of the location information.

Further, in the present disclosure, the management server preferably includes: a registration receiver that receives registration of provided item information on a provided item provided at the event related to the event holding information via the reservation person input unit, to cause the storage to store the provided item information; and an application receiver that receives an application for use of the provided item related to the provided item information via the user input unit.

With such a configuration, the management server includes a registration receiver that receives the registration of the provided item information and the application receiver that receives the application for the use of the provided item, so that the reservation person can register the provided item to be provided to the user, and the user can apply for the use of the provided item.

Further, in the present disclosure, the management server preferably includes: a reservation person side receiver that receives a message of the reservation person via the reservation person input unit; a user side receiver that receives a message of the user via the user input unit; and a message viewer that allows both the reservation person and the user to view the message received by the reservation person side receiver and the user side receiver.

With such a configuration, the management server includes the message viewer that allows both the reservation person and the user to view the message received by the reservation person side receiver and the user side receiver, so that the reservation person and the user can interact with each other by exchanging messages via the management server.

Further, in the present disclosure, the management server preferably includes a usage fee billing part that charges a usage fee for each user with respect to users of the event related to the event holding information.

With such a configuration, the management server includes the usage fee billing part that charges the usage fee of the event for each user with respect to the users of the event to be held using the facility, so that the reservation person can save time and effort of individually billing the user.

Further, in the present disclosure, the management server preferably includes a difference settler that settles a difference obtained by subtracting the usage fee of the facility from sales amount of the event, for the reservation person of the event related to the event holding information.

With such a configuration, the management server includes the difference settler that settles the difference obtained by subtracting the usage fee of the facility from the sales amount of the event, for the reservation person of the event to be held using the facility, so that the reservation person can save the time and effort of individually billing the user and the time and effort of paying the usage fee of the facility.

Further, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the user receiver causes the storage to store the number of people information including the number of users of the event related to the event holding information, and the management server includes a facility allocator that sets allocation information of the facility on the basis of the event holding information and the number of people information, and causes the user notifier to notify the user of the set allocation information.

With such a configuration, the management server includes the facility allocator that sets the allocation information of the facility on the basis of the event holding information and the number of people information, and causes the user notifier to notify the user of the set allocation information, so that it is possible to allocate appropriate facility according to the number of users. Therefore, the reservation person can relatively easily reserve the facility even when the number of users cannot be predicted at the time of reservation, and can receive the allocation of the facility of an appropriate scale even when the number of users changes. Thus, the on-demand rental facility can receive a positive reservation from the user, and it is expected that the number of repeated users will increase due to improvement of usage satisfaction, so that the operational efficiency can be improved.

At this time, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the facility allocator allocates at least a part of all available facilities on the basis of the event holding information, the number of people information, and the allocation information, and updates the allocation information on the allocated facility.

With such a configuration, the management server allocates at least a part of all available facilities and updates the allocation information on the allocated facility, so that it is possible to reduce labor costs as compared with a case where the facility is manually allocated, and to immediately update the allocation information and notify the user, when the number of users is changed.

Further, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the management server is connected via the communication line to a plurality of customer attraction servers that attracts users of the event related to the event holding information and an intermediate server that aggregates customer attraction side reservation information obtained by the customer attraction servers, the customer attraction server includes a customer attraction side reservation part that manages the customer attraction side reservation information on the user and the reserved date and time received from the user, the management server manages the customer attraction side reservation information as the user information, the customer attraction side reservation information being received by the user receiver via the customer attraction server and the intermediate server, and the intermediate server includes: an information obtaining unit that obtains update of the customer attraction side reservation information of the customer attraction server and update of the user information of the management server; and a synchronization control unit that synchronizes the customer attraction side reservation information of the customer attraction server and the user information of the management server on the basis of the customer attraction side reservation information and user information obtained by the information obtaining unit.

With such a configuration, the management server is connected via the communication line to the customer attraction servers and the intermediate server that aggregates the customer attraction side reservation information, and the intermediate server includes: the information obtaining unit that obtains the update of the customer attraction side reservation information of the customer attraction server and the update of the user information of the management server; and a synchronization control unit that synchronizes the customer attraction side reservation information of the customer attraction server and the user information of the management server, so that it is possible to efficiently manage the user information of the users participating in the event by the intermediate server. Therefore, it is not necessary for the management server and the customer attraction server to synchronize the reservation information with each other, and it is possible to suppress processing loads of the servers, and to prevent processing errors and increase certainty of the reservation by synchronizing the user information by the synchronization control unit of the intermediate server.

At this time, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the facility is a predetermined space, and the intermediate server includes a user key issuer that issues an unlocking key for unlocking a locking device for the space when the update of the customer attraction side reservation information is obtained.

With such a configuration, in the intermediate server, when the facility is the space, the user key issuer issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device for the space to be rented, on the basis of the update of the customer attraction side reservation information, so that it is possible to issue the unlocking key to the user even for the reservation from the customer attraction server that does not meet specifications of the locking device for the space to be rented, and to attract a wide range of users regardless of key issuance specifications of the customer attraction servers.

Further, in the present disclosure, the intermediate server preferably includes: a billing amount obtaining unit that obtains a usage fee with respect to the user of the event received via the customer attraction server; and a billing amount counting unit that counts the usage fee obtained by the billing amount obtaining unit.

With such a configuration, in the intermediate server, the billing amount obtaining unit obtains the usage fee with respect to the user of the event received via the customer attraction server, and the billing amount counting unit counts the obtained usage fee, so that an administrator of the on-demand rental facility or an event organizer (the reservation person) can grasp the billing amount for each user, and can grasp counting of the billing amount.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1is a schematic configuration diagram of an on-demand rental facility according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

The on-demand rental facility of the present disclosure is a rental space in which a usage time is set and a facility is rented to a user, and as illustrated inFIG. 1, includes a management server1for managing the rental space, and a plurality of rooms20which is the facility to be rented to the user, and there are a plurality of buildings2having the rooms20. The management server1, the buildings2, terminal devices3such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, and a personal computer owned by a reservation person and the user, and a reservation site4for applying for use of the room20can be connected to each other via the Internet5which is a public network as a communication line.

The reservation person who intends to reserve the room20and hold an event can access the management server1via the Internet5using a terminal device3A as a reservation person input unit, search for the room20according to a purpose, and reserve the room20by designating the usage time, the number of users, and the like. The user who intends to participate in the event can access the reservation site4via the Internet5using a terminal device3B as a user input unit and apply for participation in the event. Upon receiving an application from the user, the reservation site4transmits reservation information from the terminal device3B to the management server1.

The building2includes the rooms20such as a conference room and a training room, and each room20is provided with a doorway21and a locking device22for locking and unlocking the doorway21. The locking device22can be unlocked by an authentication key such as a password or a bar code issued from the management server1to the terminal device3of the reservation person and the user, and the authentication key is randomly changed each time it is used, so that only the reservation person who made a reservation at that time and the user can unlock the locking device22by using a unique authentication key. A communication terminal device23such as a modem or a router is connected to each room20via a local area network (LAN), and the communication terminal device23is connected to the management server1via the Internet5. Note that in the present embodiment, the password, the bar code, or the like is used as an unlocking key, but for example, biometric authentication such as face authentication, fingerprint authentication, or retina authentication may be used, and any one can be used as long as the locking device22can be unlocked. Each room20is partitioned by a partition wall25, and there are a relatively large room20A, an intermediate size room20B, and a relatively small room20C.

FIG. 2is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the management server of the on-demand rental facility.

The management serve1includes a server device, and as illustrated inFIG. 2, includes a control unit30including a central processing unit (CPU) and the like, and a storage unit (storage)40including a storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD). The control unit30includes a reservation manager31that manages the reservation information reserved by the reservation person, a notification manager32that manages various notifications to the terminal device3, a facility allocator33that allocates the room20to be rented on the basis of the reservation information, a key issuer (user key issuer)34that issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the room20to the reservation person and the user, a provided item manager35that manages provision information on a provided item provided at the event, a billing manager36that manages billing information such as a rental fee of the room20to be rented, a message manager37that manages exchange of messages between the reservation person and the user, and a communicator38that controls communication with the communication terminal device23, the reservation site4, and the terminal device3.

The storage unit40includes a facility information storage41that stores information of all the rooms20to be managed, an event holding information storage42that stores the event holding information of the event that uses the room20, an allocation information storage43that stores allocation information of the room20with respect to the reservation, a key information storage44that stores information on the unlocking key to be issued to the reservation person and the user, a provided item information storage45that stores the provision information on the provided item to be provided at the event, a billing information storage46that stores the billing information such as the rental fee of the room20to be rented, and a message storage47that stores the messages exchanged between the reservation person and the user. The facility information storage41stores location information411indicating, for all the rooms20, an address, access information, and the like of the building2in which all the rooms20are provided, and a spatial information412indicating a room number, a size, use, an accessory device, or the like of each room20.

Note that the reservation manager31, the notification manager32, the facility allocator33, the key issuer34, the provided item manager35, the billing manager36, the message manager37, and the communicator38may be executed as a program by the CPU of the server device, may be configured by independent devices, or may be configured using cloud computing. Further, the storage unit40may be configured by the storage device such as the HDD, or may use a storage unit of a cloud service. Furthermore, the terminal devices3A and3B that function as the reservation person input unit and the user input unit may be devices such as a smartphone including an input part that receives input from the reservation person and the user, a display for notifying the reservation person and the user of information, a communicator for transmitting and receiving the information to and from the management server1, and a controller for controlling the input part, the display, the communicator, and the like, or may be devices in which the input part, the display, the communicator, and the controller are configured by the independent devices.

In the control unit30, the reservation manager31includes a reservation person receiver311that receives the event holding information from the terminal device3A of the reservation person, and a user receiver312that receives user information on the user of the event related to the event holding information via the terminal device3B of the user. Regarding the received event holding information, the reservation person receiver311uses information on the reservation person as reservation person information421, information on event content and the reserved room20as event holding information422, and date and time of the event to be held as date and time information423, and causes the event holding information storage42of the storage unit40to store the above information. The user receiver312causes the event holding information storage42to store the received user information as user information424, and causes the event holding information storage42to store the number of users who have been accepted to participate in the event as the number of people information425.

The notification manager32includes a user notifier321that notifies the user that the user information has been received, and a location information notifier322that notifies the user of the location information411relating to a location of the room20included in the event holding information422. The facility allocator33sets the allocation information of the room20on the basis of the event holding information422and the number of people information425, and causes the allocation information storage43to store the allocation information as allocation information431. The key issuer34issues the unlocking key for the room20to be rented, and causes the key information storage44to store the unlocking key as unlocking key information441. The user notifier321generates a notification to the user on the basis of the allocation information431of the room20and the unlocking key information441, and transmits the notification regarding the room20and the unlocking key to the terminal device3B of the user via the communicator38. The location information notifier322generates a notification to the user on the basis of the location information411of the room20, and transmits the notification of the location information to the terminal device3B of the user via the communicator38.

The provided item manager35includes a registration receiver351that receives registration of the provided item information on the provided item to be provided at the event via the terminal device3A of the reservation person, and an application receiver352that receives an application for use of the provided item related to the provided item information via the terminal device3B of the user. The registration receiver351causes the provided item information storage45to store the provided item information received from the reservation person as provided item information451. Here, examples of the provided item include goods such as equipment used at the event, and electronic data that can be downloaded to the terminal device3B, and in the case of the goods, they may be delivered to the user in advance, or may be delivered to the room20to be used on the day of the event. In addition, the provided item may be sold or rented for a fee, or may be provided without a fee. Then, when the provided item is fee-based, the billing manager36may add a fee of the provided item to a usage fee of the event and charge the usage fee to the user, or charge the fee of the provided item to the user by a separate billing unit.

The billing manager36causes the billing information storage46to store various fees related to rental of the room20to be rented to the reservation person and the user as billing information461. The billing manager36includes a fee calculator361that calculates the rental fee of the allocated room20, a usage fee billing part362that charges the usage fee for each user with respect to the users of the event, and a difference settler363that settles a difference obtained by subtracting the usage fee of the room20from sales amount of the event, for the reservation person of the room20. That is, a participation fee for the event set by an event organizer who is the reservation person of the room20is included in the event holding information422, and the usage fee billing part362calculates and charges the participation fee for each event participant who is the user of the room20. A total of the participation fee calculated in this way is the sales amount of the event. On the other hand, the difference settler363subtracts the rental fee of the room20from the sales amount of the event, and settles the subtracted difference to the event organizer. Therefore, the event organizer (reservation person) does not need to pay the rental fee of the room20, and does not need to charge the participation fee to each participant.

The message manager37includes a reservation person side receiver371that receives a message of the reservation person via the terminal device3A of the reservation person, a user side receiver372that receives a message of the user via the terminal device3B of the user, and a message viewer373that allows both the reservation person and the users to view the message received by the reservation person side receiver371and the user side receiver372. Upon receiving the message of the reservation person from the terminal device3A, the reservation person side receiver371causes the message storage47to store the received message as a reservation person message471. Upon receiving the message of the user from the terminal device3B, the user side receiver372causes the message storage47to store the received message as a user message472. The message viewer373generates viewing information of the received message while allowing the reservation person message471and the user message472to be discriminated from each other, and transmits the viewing information to the terminal devices3A and3B of the reservation person and the user via the communicator38.

FIG. 3is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the management server of the on-demand rental facility.

The flowchart ofFIG. 3illustrates an operation procedure of the management server1after receiving a new reservation from the reservation person. When the reservation person receiver311of the reservation manager31receives the reservation from the reservation person (Step ST11), the control unit30of the management server1causes the event holding information storage42to store the reservation person information421, the event holding information422, and the date and time information423on the basis of the reservation information (Step ST12). Subsequently, in the control unit30, if the provided item is registered from the terminal device3A of the reservation person, the registration receiver351of the provided item manager35receives the registration, and causes the provided item information storage45to store the provided item information451(Step ST13). From the above, when the event holding using the room20is received from the reservation person, the control unit30displays the notification of the event to be held, on the reservation site4, or a predetermined site of the Internet5on the basis of the event holding information422, the date and time information423, and the provided item information451.

When the user who has viewed the notification of the event to be held applies for participation from the terminal device3B, the control unit30receives the user information on the user of the event by the user receiver312, and causes the event holding information storage42to store the user information424(Step ST14). Further, the user notifier321notifies the terminal device3B of the user that the user information424has been received (Step ST15). Further, when the application receiver352receives the application for the use of the provided item related to the provided item information451via the terminal device3B, the user information424is associated with the provided item information451and stored (Step ST16). Further, when the reservation person side receiver371and the user side receiver372receive the messages from the reservation person and the user via the terminal devices3A and3B, the message manager37causes the message storage47to store the messages as the reservation person message471and the user message472, and the message viewer373allows both the reservation person and the users to view the messages (Step ST17). Such message exchange between the reservation person and the user may be continued until the date of the event to be held, or the message exchange can be continued by setting a predetermined period after the event has been held.

Subsequently, the control unit30determines whether it is time to end participation reception (Step ST18), and if the participation reception is not ended yet (NO in Step ST18), the control unit30repeats Steps ST14to ST17, to receive application to participate in the event from a plurality of users, and the reservation manager31updates the number of people information425. The control unit30ends the reception when a participation reception end time is reached (YES in Step ST18), and fixes the event holding information (Step ST19). Thus, the number of participants (the number of users) of the event is fixed, and the fixed number of people information425is stored in the event holding information storage42. Subsequently, the control unit30causes the facility allocator33to set the allocation information of the room20to be rented on the basis of the event holding information422, the date and time information423, the number of people information425, and the spatial information412, and causes the allocation information storage43to store the allocation information431(Step ST20). Specifically, the facility allocator33extracts, from the spatial information412of all the rooms20, a room20that is vacant at a time of the date and time information423and has a size suitable for the event holding information422and the number of people information425, and sets the allocation information431as allocating the extracted room20. For example, the room20having an appropriate size is extracted from the rooms20A to20C.

When the room20is allocated to the event as described above, the control unit30causes the notification manager32to notify the terminal devices3A and3B of the reservation person and the user of the allocation information431together with the location information411of the building where the room20is located (Step ST21). Further, the control unit30causes the key issuer34to issue the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the allocated room20, causes the key information storage44to store the unlocking key as the unlocking key information441, and causes the notification manager32to notify the terminal devices3A and3B of the reservation person and the user of the unlocking key information441(Step ST22). Note that the unlocking key issued here is changed for each event so that it cannot be unlocked during a period other than the date and time of the event. Further, the unlocking key issued to the reservation person and the unlocking key issued to the user may be the same or different. As an example of different unlocking keys, it is conceivable that the unlocking key of the user can unlock only the locking device22for the room20, whereas the unlocking key of the reservation person can unlock a lock of a warehouse in addition to the locking device22for the room20.

Next, at a predetermined time before the date of the event, the control unit30causes the provided item manager35to arrange a provided item requested by the user. Specifically, the provided item manager35delivers the provided item to a user's residence through a contracted seller or rental company, delivers the provided item to the building with the reserved room20, or stores electronic data in a storage area of a predetermined site or cloud service that exists in the Internet5, so that the electronic data can be viewed by the user. Subsequently, on the date of the event, the control unit30monitors an unlocking operation of the locking device22for the room20by the unlocking key notified to the reservation person and the user, detects that the event has started or the event has ended, and disables the unlocking key by the key issuer34after the event has ended (Step ST23).

When the event using the room20has ended as described above, the control unit30calculates and charges the usage fee to the reservation person and the user by the billing manager36on the basis of the rental fee of the room20to the reservation person and the participation fee for each user. Here, first, the usage fee billing part362calculates the participation fee for each user on the basis of the participation fee for the event (lesson fee, lecture fee, or the like), a price of the provided item, or the like, and charges the participation fee to the users (Step ST24). Subsequently, the control unit30causes the difference settler363to calculate the difference obtained by subtracting the rental fee of the room20from the sales amount of the event, which is the total of the participation fee for the event charged to the user, and when the difference is positive, the difference is paid to the reservation person, and when the difference is negative, the difference is charged to the reservation person (Step ST25). Further, regarding the price of the provided item charged to the user, a payment process is performed in which if a provider of the provided item is the reservation person oneself, the price is paid to the reservation person, and if the provider of the provided item is the seller, the price is paid to the seller.

From the above, processing of the management server1regarding the rental of the room20is completed, and the control unit30waits for reception of a next reservation. Note that in Step ST17, if it is set that the exchange of messages can be continued for a predetermined period after the event is held, the control unit30continuously executes only the above-described processing by the message manager37.

According to the present embodiment as described above, the following operations and effects can be obtained.

(1) The control unit30of the management server1includes: the user receiver312that receives the user information on the user of the event via the terminal device3B of the user, to cause the event holding information storage42to store the user information424; and the user notifier321that notifies the user that the user information424has been received, so that the user can directly register the user information424for the event to be held using the on-demand rental facility. Thus, the reservation person does not need to determine the number of users at the time of reservation, and can relatively easily reserve the room20even when the number of users cannot be predicted. Further, when the user applies for participation in the event via the terminal device3B, the user can receive the notification from the user notifier321of the management server1. Therefore, the on-demand rental facility can receive positive holding of the event by the reservation person by improving convenience for both the reservation person and the users, and can improve operational efficiency of the facility by enhancing motivation of the users to participate in the event.

(2) The control unit30of the management server1includes the key issuer34that issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the room20to the user, so that the user can unlock the locking device22for the room20by the issued unlocking key. Therefore, the reservation person does not need to unlock the locking device22every time the users enter the event during holding the event, and the on-demand rental facility can further improve the convenience for both the reservation person and the users.

(3) The control unit30of the management server1includes the location information notifier322that transmits to the user the location information411related to the room20and the building2included in the event holding information422stored in the event holding information storage42, so that the user can easily reach the building2and the room20on the basis of the location information411.

(4) The control unit30of the management server1includes the registration receiver351that receives the registration of the provided item information451from the reservation person, and the application receiver352that receives the application for the use of the provided item from the user, so that the reservation person can register the provided item to be provided to the user, and the user can apply for the use of the provided item.

(5) The control unit30of the management server1includes the message viewer373that allows both the reservation person and the users to view the message received by the reservation person side receiver371and the user side receiver372, so that the reservation person and the user can interact with each other by exchanging the messages via the management server1.

(6) The control unit30of the management server1includes the usage fee billing part362that charges the usage fee of the event for each user with respect to the users of the event to be held using the room20, so that the reservation person can save time and effort of individually billing the user.

(7) The control unit30of the management server1includes the difference settler363that settles the difference obtained by subtracting the usage fee of the room20from the sales amount of the event, for the reservation person of the event to be held using the room20, so that the reservation person can save the time and effort of individually billing the user and the time and effort of paying the usage fee of the room20.

(8) The control unit30of the management server1includes the facility allocator33that sets the allocation information431of the room20on the basis of the event holding information422and the number of people information425, and causes the user notifier321to notify the user of the set allocation information431, so that it is possible to allocate the room20having a suitable size according to the number of users. Therefore, the reservation person can relatively easily reserve the room20even when the number of users cannot be predicted at the time of reservation, and can receive the allocation of the room20of an appropriate scale even when the number of users changes. Thus, the on-demand rental facility can receive a positive reservation from the user, and it is expected that the number of repeated users will increase due to improvement of usage satisfaction, so that the operational efficiency can be improved.

(9) The facility allocator33of the control unit30allocates at least a part of all available rooms20and updates the allocation information431on the allocated room20, so that it is possible to reduce labor costs as compared with a case where the room20is manually allocated, and to immediately update the allocation information431and notify the user, when the number of users changes.

Second Embodiment

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 4is a schematic configuration diagram of the on-demand rental facility according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

As illustrated inFIG. 4, the on-demand rental facility of the present embodiment includes a management server1A for managing the rental space as the on-demand rental facility, and the rooms20. The management server1A is connected to each other via the Internet5with the terminal devices3A and3B of the reservation person and the user, a plurality of customer attraction servers4A that attracts the users of the rental space, and a site controller6that is an intermediate server for aggregating the customer attraction side reservation information obtained by the customer attraction servers4A.

In the on-demand rental facility of the present embodiment, as in the above embodiment, the reservation person who reserves the room20which is the facility and holds the event accesses the management server1A via the Internet5using the terminal device3A, and makes a reservation for the room20according to a purpose of the event. On the other hand, the user who intends to participate in the event can access an arbitrary customer attraction server4A via the Internet5using the terminal device3B and apply for participation in the event. The customer attraction server4A receives the event holding information and the billing information such as the participation fee for the event from the management server1A and the site controller6, and discloses the event holding information and the billing information, and upon receiving a participation application from the user, the customer attraction server4A transmits the customer attraction side reservation information to the site controller6and the management server1A.

FIG. 5is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the on-demand rental facility of the second embodiment.

The management server1A includes, substantially similar to the management server1of the first embodiment, the reservation manager31that manages the reservation information from the reservation person and the user, the notification manager32that manages various notifications to the terminal device3, the facility allocator33that allocates the room20to be rented on the basis of the reservation information, the provided item manager35that manages the provision information on the provided item to be provided at the event, the billing manager36that manages the billing information such as the rental fee of the room20to be rented, the message manager37that manages the exchange of the messages between the reservation person and the user, and the communicator38that controls the communication with the terminal device3, the customer attraction server4A, and the site controller6. Further, the management server1A includes: a lock controller39that controls the locking device22for the room20; and the storage unit (storage part)40, communicates with the site controller6via the Internet5, to transmit and receive room information, the reservation information, billing conditions, the unlocking key information, or the like, and communicates with the communication terminal device23of the building2, to transmit and receive a control signal of the locking device22.

Each of the customer attraction servers4A includes the server device having a controller including the central processing unit (CPU) and the like, discloses the event holding information and the billing information related to the event to be held, and receives the application for the use from the terminal device3B of the user via the Internet5. The customer attraction server4A includes a customer attraction side reservation part51that manages the customer attraction side reservation information on the user received, and a billing amount setting part52that sets various billing amounts such as the participation fee for the event for which the reservation is received. Further, although not illustrated, the customer attraction server4A includes the storage unit for storing various information, a communication unit for communicating with the site controller6and the terminal device3, an input unit for the administrator to input settings, and the like. The customer attraction server4A communicates with the terminal device3B of the user via the Internet5, to transmit and receive the reservation information and the billing information, and communicates with the site controller6, to transmit and receive the reservation information, the billing information, and the like.

The site controller6includes the server device having the controller including the central processing unit (CPU) and the like, and includes an information obtainer61that obtains the reservation information from the management server1A and the customer attraction server4A, a synchronization controller62that synchronizes the reservation information between the management server1A and the customer attraction server4A, a key issuer (user key issuer)63that issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the room20to be rented to the user, a billing amount obtainer64that obtains various billing amounts such as the participation fee for the event set by the customer attraction server4A, and a billing amount counter65that counts the billing amounts obtained by the billing amount obtainer64. Further, although not illustrated, the site controller6includes the storage unit for storing various information, the communication unit for communicating with the management server1A and the customer attraction server4A, the input unit for the administrator to input settings, and the like. Note that functions of parts of the customer attraction server4A and the site controller6may be executed as the program by the CPU of the server device, may be configured by independent devices, or may be configured using cloud computing.

FIG. 6is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the on-demand rental facility of the second embodiment.

In the flowchart ofFIG. 6, the event holding information is registered in the management server1A by the reservation person, and in a situation where the event holding information is disclosed by the customer attraction server4A, an operation procedure of the customer attraction server4A, the site controller6, and the management server1A after receiving the application to participate in the event from the user is illustrated. Note that the flowchart ofFIG. 6describes a rough processing flow of the customer attraction server4A, the site controller6, and the management server1A, and details such as repetitive processing will be omitted. First, when any one of the customer attraction servers4A receives a reservation for the application to participate in the event via the Internet5from the terminal device3B of the user, the customer attraction side reservation part51causes the storage unit to store the customer attraction side reservation information including the user information, and transmits the customer attraction side reservation information to the site controller6(Step ST31). Further, the customer attraction server4A sets the billing amount as the participation fee for the event by the billing amount setting part52on the basis of the customer attraction side reservation information and the billing conditions, and transmits the billing amount together with the customer attraction side reservation information to the terminal device3B of the user (Step ST32).

When the information obtainer61receives the reservation information from the customer attraction server4A, the site controller6transmits the reservation information to the management server1A, and the customer attraction servers4A other than the customer attraction server4A that has received the reservation (Step ST41). When the management server1A receives the reservation information from the site controller6, the reservation manager31causes the storage unit40to store the reservation information as management side reservation information (Step ST51). Further, when the other customer attraction servers4A receive the reservation information from the site controller6, the customer attraction side reservation part51causes the storage unit to store the reservation information as the customer attraction side reservation information (Step ST31). From the above, the customer attraction side reservation information stored in all the customer attraction servers4A and the management side reservation information stored in the management server1A match each other.

Subsequently, when the customer attraction server4A receives change of the reservation from the terminal device3B of the user, the customer attraction side reservation part51stores and updates the customer attraction side reservation information in the storage unit, and transmits update of the customer attraction side reservation information to the site controller6(Step ST33). Here, if there is change in the billing amount, the customer attraction server4A may perform Step ST32again to reset the billing amount. When the site controller6obtains the update of the customer attraction side reservation information in the customer attraction server4A (Step ST42), the synchronization controller62synchronizes the updated customer attraction side reservation information with the management side reservation information of the management server1A, and the customer attraction side reservation information of the other customer attraction servers4A, and the site controller6transmits the reservation information to the management server1A and the other customer attraction servers4A (Step ST43).

When the management server1A receives the updated reservation information from the site controller6, the reservation manager31stores and updates the reservation information as the management side reservation information in the storage unit40(Step ST52). When the other customer attraction servers4A receive the updated reservation information from the site controller6, the customer attraction side reservation part51stores and updates the reservation information as the customer attraction side reservation information in the storage unit (Step ST33). From the above, even when the reservation information is updated on the customer attraction server4A side, the customer attraction side reservation information stored in all the customer attraction servers4A and the management side reservation information stored in the management server1A match each other.

On the other hand, when the reservation information is updated on the management server1A side, the reservation manager31stores and updates the reservation information as the management side reservation information in the storage unit40, and transmits update of the management side reservation information to the site controller6(Step ST52). When the site controller6obtains the update of the management side reservation information in the management server1A (Step ST42), the synchronization controller62synchronizes the updated management side reservation information with the customer attraction side reservation information of all the customer attraction servers4A, and transmits the reservation information to all the customer attraction servers4A (Step ST43). When all the customer attraction servers4A receive the updated reservation information from the site controller6, the customer attraction side reservation part51stores and updates the reservation information as the customer attraction side reservation information in the storage unit (Step ST33). From the above, even when the reservation information is updated on the management server1A side, the management side reservation information stored in the management server1A and the customer attraction side reservation information stored in all the customer attraction servers4A match each other.

Note that in the present embodiment, the management server1A does not receive a new reservation for an event from the user, but may be configured to receive the new reservation. In this case, it is configured such that the site controller6, the management server1A, and the customer attraction server4A operate in the same manner as when the reservation information is updated on the management server1A side as described above, and the management side reservation information stored in the management server1A and the customer attraction side reservation information stored in all the customer attraction servers4A match each other.

When the event holding information422and the number of people information425are fixed after a participation application period for the event has passed, the management server1A sets the allocation information of the room20to be rented by the facility allocator33on the basis of the fixed management side reservation information, and transmits the set allocation information to the site controller6(Step ST53). Specifically, the facility allocator33extracts, from all available rooms20, a room20that is vacant at a date and time of use and has a size suitable for the number of users, and sets the allocation information431as allocating the extracted room20. Note that in the management server1A, the allocation of the room20is not limited to being performed after the participation application period for the event has passed, and may be performed at any timing. On the other hand, when the site controller6receives the allocation information431, the key issuer63issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the room20to be rented, associates the unlocking key with the reservation information, and transmits it to the terminal devices3A and3B of the reservation person and the user, and the management server1A (Step ST44).

Subsequently, when an event holding time of an event holding date approaches (for example, 10 minutes before a start time), in the management server1A, the lock controller39controls and enables the locking device22for the room20rented to be unlocked on the basis of the unlocking key received from the site controller6(Step ST54). Thus, the reservation person and the user can unlock the locking device22for the room20by using the unlocking key received from the site controller6to the terminal devices3A and3B. The management server1A detects a usage status of the room20using a motion sensor or the like (not illustrated), and when the users have left the room after the usage time, the management server1A notifies the site controller6of having left the room (Step ST55). After confirming that the use of the room20ends and the users have left the room, the management server1A disables the unlocking key of the locking device22for the room20by the lock controller39(Step ST56), so that the users cannot enter the room20again.

After using the room20, the customer attraction server4A that has received the participation in the event fixes the billing amount on the basis of the billing amount set in Step ST32and the billing amount generated thereafter (Step ST34). Further, the customer attraction server4A transmits the fixed billing amount as the billing amount to the terminal device3B of the user in association with the reservation information, and transmits the fixed billing amount to the site controller6. In the site controller6, the billing amount obtainer64obtains the billing amount in association with the reservation information from the customer attraction server4A and stores it in the storage unit (Step ST45). Further, in the site controller6, the billing amount counter65counts the billing amount obtained by the billing amount obtainer64, for each user from the customer attraction servers4A (Step ST46). That is, even when the billing amount is individually set for each user on the customer attraction servers4A for a certain event, the billing amount obtainer64of the site controller6obtains the billing amount from the customer attraction servers4A, and the billing amount counter65counts the billing amount, so that it is possible to aggregate the billing information for each user and grasp the sales amount of the event.

In this way, when the billing amount counter65counts the billing amount to the user, the site controller6transmits counting results to the management server1A. The control unit30of the management server1A calculates and charges the usage fee to the reservation person and the user by the billing manager36on the basis of the rental fee of the room20to the reservation person and the billing amount which is the participation fee for each user. That is, as in the first embodiment, the usage fee billing part362calculates the participation fee for each user on the basis of the participation fee for the event, the price of the provided item, or the like, and charges the participation fee to the users (Step ST24). Subsequently, the control unit30causes the difference settler363to calculate the difference obtained by subtracting the rental fee of the room20from the sales amount of the event, which is the total of the participation fee for the event charged to the user, and when the difference is positive, the difference is paid to the reservation person, and when the difference is negative, the difference is charged to the reservation person (Step ST25). Further, regarding the price of the provided item charged to the user, the payment process is performed in which if the provider of the provided item is the reservation person oneself, the price is paid to the reservation person, and if the provider of the provided item is the seller, the price is paid to the seller.

According to the present embodiment as described above, in addition to the effects (1) to (9) of the first embodiment, the following operations and effects can be obtained.

(10) The site controller6is connected to the management server1A and the customer attraction server4A via the Internet5, obtains the update of the customer attraction side reservation information of the customer attraction server4A received via the user terminal device3B of the user, and the update of the management side reservation information of the management server1A, by the information obtainer61, and synchronizes the management side reservation information with the customer attraction side reservation information by the synchronization controller62. In this way, since the site controller6includes the synchronization controller62that synchronizes the customer attraction side reservation information of all the customer attraction servers4A and the management side reservation information of the management server1A, it is possible to efficiently manage the user information of the user who participates in the event by the site controller6. Therefore, it is not necessary for the management server1A and the customer attraction server4A to synchronize the reservation information with each other, and it is possible to suppress processing loads of the servers, and to prevent processing errors and increase certainty of the reservation by synchronizing the reservation information by the synchronization controller62of the site controller6.

(11) The site controller6issues by the key issuer63the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the room20to be rented, on the basis of the update of the customer attraction side reservation information, so that it is possible to issue the unlocking key to the user even for the reservation from the customer attraction server4A that does not meet specifications of the locking device22for the room20to be rented, and to attract a wide range of users regardless of key issuance specifications of the customer attraction servers4A.

(12) In the site controller6, the billing amount obtainer64obtains the billing amount for the event which the user has applied to participate in via the customer attraction server4A, and the billing amount counter65counts the obtained billing amount, so that the reservation person who is the event organizer can grasp the billing amount for each customer attraction server4A, and can grasp the sales amount which is the total of the participation fee for the event.

Alternative Implementations

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and modifications, improvements, and the like within a range in which an object of the present disclosure can be achieved are included in the present disclosure.

For example, in the above embodiment, a case in which the room (space)20of the building2is rented as the on-demand rental facility is exemplified, but the facility to be rented in the on-demand rental facility is not limited to the conference room, the training room, and the like, and may be a tennis court, a baseball field, a stadium, a parking lot, or the like, which are outdoor spaces, or a karaoke room, a rental office, a reading space, or the like. Further, the on-demand rental facility is not limited to a facility attached to real estate such as the building2, and may be movable property such as various goods, or a moving object such as an automobile or a ship may be rented as the facility.

In the above embodiment, a case where the management servers1and1A include the server device, that is connected to the terminal device3, the communication terminal device23, and the like, via the Internet5which is the communication line is exemplified, but the management servers are not limited to that including such a centralized management type server device. That is, the management server may be a distributed management type server, for example, a server using a distributed transaction ledger typified by blockchain can be used, and any server that can manage the reservation information, and can transmit and receive various commands to and from the terminal device3and the like, and process the commands can be used. Further, in the above embodiment, the management servers1and1A and the reservation site4or the customer attraction server4A are separately provided and connected to each other via the Internet5, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the management servers1and1A and the reservation site4or the customer attraction server4A may be provided in a single site, or a function of the management server and a function of the reservation site may be implemented by a plurality of devices distributed on the Internet.

In the above embodiment, the control unit30of the management servers1and1A includes the facility allocator33, and the facility allocator33automatically updates the allocation information431, however, the allocation information431may not be automatically updated by such a facility allocator33, but may be manually updated by the administrator or the like. Further, the facility allocator33of the control unit30allocates a part of all the rooms20in the same building2when updating the allocation information431according to change in the number of users, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and a room20of another building2existing in the vicinity may be allocated. As such another building2, an owner and the administrator may be the same or different, and it may be an operation form in which a plurality of owners (administrators) cooperates to rent the rooms20of the building2.

Further, in the above embodiment, the control unit30of the management server1includes the location information notifier322that transmits the location information411related to the room20and the building2included in the event holding information422to the user terminal device3B, however, the location information411may not be transmitted to the user terminal device3B, but may be posted on a predetermined site, or may be displayed by the message viewer373. Further, the control unit30includes the registration receiver351that receives the registration of the provided item information451from the reservation person and the application receiver352that receives the application for the use of the provided item from the user, but functions related to the registration and the application of the provided item may be provided not in the management server1but in an external server (for example, a site of the seller) or the like, and the management server1may simply notify the user of an access procedure to the external server. Furthermore, the control unit30includes the message viewer373that allows both the reservation person and the users to view the message received by the reservation person side receiver371and the user side receiver372, but functions related to the reception and the viewing may be provided not in the management server1but in the external server or the like, and the management server1may simply notify the user of the access procedure to the external server.

Further, in the above embodiment, the control unit30of the management server1includes the usage fee billing part362that charges the usage fee of the event for each user with respect to the users of the event to be held using the room20, but a function related to billing of the usage fee of the event may be provided not in the management server1but in the external server or the like. Further, the control unit30includes the difference settler363that settles the difference obtained by subtracting the usage fee of the room20from the sales amount of the event, for the reservation person who is the event organizer, but such a settlement function may be omitted, or may be provided in the external server or the like. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the billing amount counter65of the site controller6counts the billing amount for the event, but such a billing amount counting function may be provided in the management server1A, or may be provided in the external server or the like.

Further, in the second embodiment, a configuration in which the customer attraction servers4A receive the participation applications from the users who intend to participate in the event has been described, but it may be configured such that the reservation person who is the event organizer uses the customer attraction servers4A when reserving the room20which is the facility. That is, it may be configured such that the customer attraction server4A receives the room information, the billing conditions, and the like of the available rooms20from the management server1A and the site controller6, and discloses the room information and the billing information, and upon receiving the reservation of the room20from the reservation person, the customer attraction server4A transmits the reservation information to the site controller6and the management server1A. Then, the site controller6obtains by the information obtainer61the update of the customer attraction side reservation information of the customer attraction server4A related to the reservation of the room20received from the reservation person and the update of the management side reservation information of the management server1A, and synchronizes the management side reservation information with the customer attraction side reservation information by the synchronization controller62. By synchronizing the reservation information related to the reservation of the room20by the site controller6in this way, it is possible to prevent double booking of the reservation of the room20and suppress the processing load of the management server1A.

As described above, the present disclosure can be suitably used for the on-demand rental facility that can improve the operational efficiency of the facility by improving the convenience for both the reservation person and the user.

The foregoing description has been described with reference to specific implementations. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claims to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The implementations were chosen and described to best explain principles of operation and practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art.

The various drawings illustrate a number of elements in a particular order. However, elements that are not order dependent may be reordered and other elements may be combined or separated. While some reordering or other groupings are specifically mentioned, others will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art, so the ordering and groupings presented herein are not an exhaustive list of alternatives.

As used herein: the singular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise; the term “and/or” encompasses all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items; the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are only used to distinguish one element from another and do not limit the elements themselves; the term “if” may be construed to mean “when,” “upon,” “in response to,” or “in accordance with,” depending on the context; and the terms “include,” “including,” “comprise,” and “comprising” specify particular features or operations but do not preclude additional features or operations.