An on-demand rental facility that can improve operational efficiency of a facility by improving convenience for a reservation person wherein a management server for managing information of the on-demand rental facility includes: a reservation manager that receives a reservation from a reservation person; a storage unit that stores reservation information on the reservation person and reservation date and time of a room and a parking lot 26 received by the reservation manager; a reservation person common key setting part that sets a reservation person unlocking key common to the room and the parking lot associated with the reservation information; and a reservation person key issuer that issues the set reservation person unlocking key to the reservation person. The reservation person can unlock the room and the parking lot by using the reservation person unlocking key, and the convenience for the reservation person can be improved.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2019/042727, filed Oct. 31, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

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 systems require the person in charge of the reservation (a room reservation person) to receive, at the time of use, a key for unlocking the reserved room and a key for unlocking another facility (e.g., a warehouse) attached to the reserved room by other means different from the reservation system. Therefore, the reservation person is required to receive and return the keys for the room and the other facility, which is inconvenient for the reservation person. 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 convenience for the reservation person, thereby improving operational efficiency of the rental facility.

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, in which the facility includes at least a first facility and a second facility different from the first facility, the on-demand rental facility includes a management server for managing information on the first facility and the second facility, and the management server is connected via a communication line to a reservation person input unit that receives information input from a reservation person of the first facility and the second facility to the management server, and includes: a reservation manager that receives a reservation from the reservation person via the reservation person input unit; a storage that stores reservation information on the reservation person and reservation date and time of the first facility and the second facility received by the reservation manager; a reservation person common key setting part that sets a reservation person unlocking key common to the first facility and the second facility associated with the reservation information; and a reservation person key issuer that issues the reservation person unlocking key set in the reservation person common key setting part to the reservation person.

According to the present disclosure as described above, the management server includes the reservation person common key setting part that sets the reservation person unlocking key common to the first facility and the second facility associated with the reservation information, and the reservation person key issuer that issues the reservation person unlocking key set in the reservation person common key setting part to the reservation person, so that the reservation person can unlock the first facility and the second facility by using the reservation person unlocking key, and the convenience for the reservation person can be improved. Thus, the reservation person does not have to separately receive a first unlocking key corresponding to the first facility and a second unlocking key corresponding to the second facility, and can relatively easily reserve the facility, and the operational efficiency of the facility can be improved.

At this time, in the present disclosure, the management server preferably includes a fee billing part that charges the reservation person for a total usage fee of the first facility and the second facility.

With such a configuration, the management server includes the fee billing part that charges the reservation person for the total usage fee of the first facility and the second facility, so that the reservation person can pay the total usage fee of the first facility and the second facility in a lump sum.

Further, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the facility includes a third facility different from the first facility and the second facility, the management server is connected via a communication line to a user input unit that receives information input to the management server by a user who is a user of the first facility related to the reservation information stored in the storage and is different from the reservation person, and the management server causes the storage to store user information on a user of the third facility by receiving a reservation of the third facility via the user input unit, and includes: a user common key setting part that sets a user unlocking key common to the first facility and the third facility associated with the reservation information and the user information; and a user key issuer that issues the user unlocking key set in the user common key setting part to the user.

With such a configuration, the management server includes: the user common key setting part that sets the user unlocking key common to the first facility and the third facility associated with the reservation information and the user information; and the user key issuer that issues the user unlocking key set in the user common key setting part to the user, so that the reservation person can unlock the first facility and the second facility by using the reservation person unlocking key, and the user can unlock the first facility and the third facility by using the user unlocking key.

Further, in the present disclosure, it is preferred that the management server is connected via a communication line to a user input unit that receives information input to the management server by a user who is a user of the first facility related to the reservation information stored in the storage and is different from the reservation person, the reservation manager includes: a reservation person receiver that receives event holding information on a reservation date and time and a reserved location of an event to be held using the first facility from the reservation person via the reservation person input unit, and causes the storage to store the received event holding information; and 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 the management server includes a user notifier that notifies the user that the user information has been received.

With such a configuration, the management server includes: the user receiver that receives the user information on the user of the event to be held using the first facility, 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 to the event to be held by using the first 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.

In this case, 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 provided item to be 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, so that the reservation person can save time and effort of individually billing the user.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

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

The on-demand rental facility of the present embodiment is a rental space in which a usage time is set and a facility is rented to a user, and includes a management server1for managing the rental space and a plurality of rooms20which is a facility to be rented to the user, as illustrated inFIG. 1, and there is a plurality of buildings2having the plurality of rooms20. The management server1and the building2, a terminal device3such as a mobile phone, a smartphone, 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 unlocking 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 unlocking 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 unlocking 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. The rooms20of the building2are partitioned by partition walls25, and there are a relatively large room20A, an intermediate size room20B, and a relatively small room20C. 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.

Further, a plurality of parking lots26is provided outside the building2. In the present embodiment, the rooms20are first facilities in which the event organized by the reservation person and the user participates in is performed, and the parking lots26are second facilities that can be used by the reservation person, and are also third facilities that can be used by the user. Each of the parking lots26is provided with a parking restriction device (lock) such as a gate, a car stop pole, a warning light, and a warning buzzer, and the parking lot cannot be used unless the parking regulation device is unlocked by the unlocking key. Further, the parking regulation device is connected to the management server1via the communication terminal device23, and is configured so that the unlocking key is set by the management server1. Like the unlocking key of the locking device22, the unlocking key is issued from the management server1to terminal devices3of the reservation person and the user, and can be used only during an event holding time of date of the event. Note that the second and third facilities are not limited to the parking lot26, but may be warehouses, lockers, shower rooms, toilets, beverage servers, various electronic devices, training devices, or the like, appropriate usage restriction devices (locks) are respectively provided for them, and any one may be provided as far as the unlocking key can be set by the management server1.

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

The management server1includes 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 issuer34that issues the unlocking key for unlocking the locking device22for the room20and the parking lot26to the reservation person and the user, a provided item manager35that manages provision information on provided item to be 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 rooms20and the parking lots26to 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 rooms20and the parking lots26, 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. The spatial information412also includes parking lot information such as the number of parking lots26attached to the building2and parking lot numbers.

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 reservation person information421also includes information on whether the reservation person uses the parking lot26. 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 user information424also includes information on whether the user uses the parking lot26.

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 location information notifier322generates a notification to the user on the basis of the location information411of the room20, and transmits a notification of the location information to the terminal device3B of the user via the communicator38. 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 allocation information as allocation information431. Further, the facility allocator33sets allocation information of the parking lot26on the basis of the event holding information422, the spatial information412, the reservation person information421, and the user information424, and causes the allocation information storage43to store these pieces of information in association with the allocation information431of the room20. Then, the user notifier321generates notifications to the reservation person and the user on the basis of the allocation information431of the room20, and transmits the notification of allocation of the room20to the terminal devices3A and3B of the reservation person and the user via the communicator38.

FIG. 3is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a key issuer in the management server.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, the key issuer34includes a reservation person common key setting part341that sets a reservation person unlocking key common to the locking device22for the room20and a reservation person parking lot26, associated with the event holding information422that is the reservation information, and a reservation person key issuer342that issues the reservation person unlocking key set by the reservation person common key setting part341to the reservation person. Further, the key issuer34includes a user common key setting part343that sets the user unlocking key common to the locking device22for the room20and a user parking lot26, associated with the event holding information422and the user information424, and a user key issuer344that issues the user unlocking key set by the user common key setting part343to the user. Then, the key issuer34causes the key information storage44to store the issued reservation person unlocking key as unlocking key information441for the reservation person, and causes the key information storage44to store the issued user unlocking key as unlocking key information442for the user.

The key issuer34generates a notification to the reservation person on the basis of the unlocking key information441for the reservation person, transmits the reservation person unlocking key to the terminal device3A of the reservation person via the communicator38, and generates the notification to the user on the basis of the unlocking key information442for the user, and the user notifier321transmits the user unlocking key to the terminal device3B of the user via the communicator38. With the unlocking keys transmitted to the terminal devices3A and3B in this way, the reservation person can unlock the locking device22for the room20and the reservation person parking lot26by the common reservation person unlocking key. The user can unlock the locking device22for the room20and the user parking lot26by the common user unlocking key. On the other hand, the reservation person cannot unlock the user parking lot26by the reservation person unlocking key, the user cannot unlock the reservation person parking lot26by the user unlocking key, and they can use only the parking lots26that can be respectively available for them. That is, the unlocking key is set by a two-digit code corresponding to the locking device22for the room20and the parking lot26, and unlockable and non-unlockable can be appropriately set by a combination of two-digit codes. For example, when the unlocking key code issued to the reservation person is “XA” and the unlocking key code issued to the user is “XB”, the unlocking code of the locking device22for the room20which is the first facility is set as “X(ANY)”, the unlocking code of the reservation person parking lot26which is the second facility is set as “XA” or “(ANY)A”, and the unlocking code of the user parking lot26which is the third facility is set as “XB” or “(ANY)B”.

As illustrated inFIG. 2, 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 device3, 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 room20and the usage fee of the parking lot26, a fee billing part362that charges the reservation person for the rental fee of the room20and the usage fee of the parking lot26, a usage fee billing part363that charges the users of the event for the usage fee for each user, and a difference settler364that settles a difference obtained by subtracting the rental 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 part363calculates 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 settler364subtracts the rental fee of the room20from the sales amount of the event, and settles the subtracted difference, and the fee billing part362charges the event organizer for the difference. 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. 4is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the management server of the on-demand rental facility.

The flowchart ofFIG. 4illustrates 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). At this time, when the reservation person uses the parking lot26of the building during the event, the reservation person also applies for the use of the parking lot26together with the reservation of the room20, and the reservation person receiver311causes the event holding information storage42to store whether the parking lot26is used, in association with the reservation person information421. 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). At this time, when the user uses the parking lot26of the building during the event, the user also applies for the use of the parking lot26together with participation application, and the user receiver312causes the event holding information storage42to store whether the parking lot26is used, in association with the user information424. 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 rooms20a 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 room20and the unlocking key for the parking lot26, causes the key information storage44to store the unlocking keys as the unlocking key information441and442for the reservation person and the user, and causes the notification manager32to notify the terminal device3A of the reservation person of the reservation person unlocking key, and to notify the terminal device3B of the user of the user unlocking key (Step ST22). Note that the unlocking keys for the reservation person and the user issued here are changed for each event so that they cannot be unlocked during a period other than the date and time of the event.

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 unlocking operations of the locking device22for the room20, and the parking lot26by 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 part363calculates the participation fee for each user on the basis of the participation fee for the event (lesson fee, lecture fee, or the like), the usage fee of the parking lot26, a price of the provided item, or the like, and charges the participation fee to the users (Step ST24). On the other hand, the fee billing part362calculates for the reservation person a total of the rental fee of the room20and the usage fee of the parking lot26. Subsequently, the control unit30causes the difference settler364to 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 reservation person common key setting part341that sets the reservation person unlocking key common to the room20and the parking lot26associated with the event holding information422and the reservation person information421, and the reservation person key issuer342that issues the reservation person unlocking key set by the reservation person common key setting part341to the reservation person, so that the reservation person can unlock the room20and the parking lot26by using the reservation person unlocking key, and convenience for the reservation person can be improved. Thus, the reservation person does not have to separately receive the unlocking key corresponding to the room20and another unlocking key corresponding to the parking lot26, and can relatively easily reserve the facility, and operational efficiency of the facility can be improved.

(2) The control unit30of the management server1includes the fee billing part362that charges the reservation person for a total usage fee of the room20and the parking lot26, so that the reservation person can pay the total usage fee of the room20and the parking lot26in a lump sum.

(3) The control unit30of the management server1includes the user common key setting part343that sets the user unlocking key common to the room20and the parking lot26associated with the event holding information422and the user information424, and the user key issuer344that issues the user unlocking key set by the user common key setting part343to the user, so that the reservation person can unlock the room20and the reservation person parking lot26by using the reservation person unlocking key, and the user can unlock the room20and the user parking lot26by using the user unlocking key.

(4) The control unit30of the management server1includes: the user receiver312that receives the user information424on the user of the event to be held by using the room20, to cause the storage unit40to 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 room20. 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 terminal device3B, the user can receive the notification from the user notifier321of the management server1. Therefore, the on-demand rental facility can improve the convenience for both the reservation person and the users.

(5) 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.

(6) 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.

(7) 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.

(8) The control unit30of the management server1includes the usage fee billing part363that 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.

(9) The control unit30of the management server1includes the difference settler364that 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.

(10) 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.

(11) 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.

Alternative Implementations

Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, 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 is an outdoor space, 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 server1includes 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 server1and the reservation site4are separately provided and connected to each other via the Internet5, but the present disclosure is not limited to this, and the management server1and the reservation site4may 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 server1includes 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 part363that 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. Furthermore, the control unit30includes the difference settler364that 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.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, as the facility rented by the on-demand rental facility, although a case has been illustrated where the first facility is the room20, the second facility is the reservation person parking lot26, and the third facility is the user parking lot26, the first to third facilities are not limited to a combination in the above-described embodiment. For example, the first facility may be the real estate such as the building or the facility, and the second and third facilities may be moving bodies such as an automobile, and conversely, the first facility may be the moving body, and the second and third facilities may be the real estate. Further, the first facility and the second facility may be the real estate, and the third facility may be the goods including the moving body, while the first facility and the second facility may be the goods including the moving body, and the third facility may be the real estate. That is, the first facility is one that can be unlocked by the common unlocking key when the reservation person makes a reservation and the user uses it, and the second and third facilities are ones that can be unlocked by individual unlocking keys by the reservation person and the user, and these facilities can be configured by combining arbitrarily selected ones.

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.