JP6737749B2 - Reservation status display for one or more dates - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to display of reservation status for one or more dates in restaurants (eg, restaurants). More specifically, the present invention relates to generating and displaying the data for displaying the reservation status for one or more dates in the reservation system.

Reservation systems that display the reservation status for a specific day are known (see, for example, [Fig. 10] and [Fig. 11] of [Patent Document 1] and [Fig. 6] of [Patent Document 2]).

JP, 2014-96080, A JP, 2006-209459, A

By the way, it is not uncommon for well-known stores that have difficult reservations to be booked up to several months in advance. When making a reservation inquiry to such a store, an inquiry may be made in the form of "when is the day when a reservation can be made?" rather than "is it possible to make a reservation on this day?".

However, depending on the display of the reservation status for a particular day, the reservation status of an appropriate day is displayed in order to search for a day that can be reserved several months ahead, and if the reservation is impossible, another day is displayed. There was a problem that work such as displaying the reservation status again had to be performed endlessly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to display the reservation status for one or more dates that can be understood at a glance by the dates that can be reserved. Moreover, the subject of this invention is also producing|generating the data for performing such a display.

A first mode for carrying out the present invention is a step in which a computer receives a reservation condition including the number of persons and a step in which the computer displays a reservation status for one or more dates. , A first direction corresponding to the date and a second direction corresponding to the time, one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition are displayed in the first direction, and each of the one or more dates is displayed. Regarding the date, the reservation status of the date is displayed in the second direction, and in the reservation status of the date, the portion corresponding to the time satisfying the reservation condition on the date is displayed in a manner different from the other portions. The time satisfying the reservation condition is a time at least satisfying the condition that the above-mentioned number of people can make a reservation, and each of the one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition has a time satisfying the reservation condition. The method includes a step, which is a date that at least satisfies the condition.

The reservation condition may further include a desired time. In addition, the reservation status for one or more dates has a predetermined length that has the earliest start time after the desired time among the times that satisfy the reservation conditions in the reservation status of each date of the one or more dates. It can be further characterized in that the portion corresponding to time is displayed in a manner different from the other portions.

The reservation condition may further include a date limiting condition, and each of the one or more dates that satisfy the reservation condition may be a date that further satisfies the date limiting condition. The date limiting condition may be one or more of one or more days of the week, weekdays, holidays, days before holidays, the beginning of the month, the middle of the month, the end of the month, and one or more dates.

The reservation condition may further include a time limiting condition, and the time that satisfies the reservation condition may be a time that further satisfies the time limiting condition. The time-limited condition may be one or more of lunch, dinner, and the time itself.

The method may further include the step of the computer obtaining one or more dates that satisfy the reservation condition and a time on each date of the one or more dates that satisfies the reservation condition. The step of acquiring one or more dates that satisfy the reservation condition and the time that satisfies the reservation condition on each date of the one or more dates include the step of acquiring the reservable time on a certain date and the one or more dates Is a step of determining whether or not the condition is satisfied, and the one or more conditions include a condition that a reservation available time exists, and if all of the steps and one or more conditions are satisfied, a certain date and a reservation available time Respectively as one of one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition and a time satisfying the reservation condition on the date. The step of obtaining the reservation available time on a certain date is based at least on the information indicating the maximum occupant capacity for each seat of all the seats and the information indicating the reservation time in the seat on a certain date. , Obtaining a reservation available time based on at least the step of obtaining a seat reservation available time for each seat of the one or more seats capable of accommodating the number of persons on a certain date and at least one seat reservation available time And steps.

The one or more conditions may include a condition that there is a reservable time of a predetermined length that starts after the desired time.

The reservation condition may further include a date limitation condition. The one or more conditions may further include date limiting conditions. The date limitation condition may be one or more of one or more days of the week, weekdays, weekends and holidays, the day before holidays, the beginning of the month, the middle of the month, and the end of the month.

The reservation condition may further include a time-limited condition. The time-limited condition may be one or more of lunch, dinner, and the time itself. The step of obtaining the seat reservation available time for each seat of one or more seats capable of accommodating the above-mentioned number of people on a certain date is based on information indicating the reservation time in the seat on a certain date. By obtaining the unreserved time for each of the one or more seats capable of accommodating the number of people on a certain date, and excluding at least the time that does not satisfy the time limitation condition from the unreserved time, Acquiring a reservable time.

A second aspect of the present invention is a program that causes one or more computers to execute the above method as a whole.

A third aspect of the present invention is a computer-readable storage medium storing the above program.

A fourth aspect of implementation of the present invention is generally a system including one or more computers for performing the above method.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, a clerk such as a restaurant can easily propose a reservable visit date and time as long as at least the number of customers who visit the store is known.

Example Reservation System 100 Configuration A flowchart of an example process 200 performed by client 110. Exemplary reservation condition input GUI 300 Example Reservable Date Time List GUI 400 Example Reservable Date Time List GUI 450 A flowchart of an example process 500 for obtaining a bookable date and time. Flowchart of an exemplary process 600 for obtaining a bookable time on a selected date. An exemplary table 700 showing the maximum number of people that can be accommodated in each seat of all seats An exemplary table 750 showing the time of a reservation in a seat on a date Exemplary Reservation System 800 Configuration Exemplary Reservation System 900 Configuration Exemplary Computer 1000 Configuration

1 One Embodiment of the Present Invention Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, "time" is used to identify one or more points in the flow of time. For example, “11:00” that does not specify a date is a time that specifies an infinite number of points in the flow of time, while “11:00” of “November 2, 2017” is 1 in the flow of time. It is the time to specify the point. Further, "time" is used to identify one or more line segments along the flow of time. For example, “11:00 to 14:00” that does not specify the date is the time to specify an innumerable line segment along the flow of time, and “11:00 to 14:” of “November 2, 2017”. "00" is the time to identify one line segment along the flow of time, and "11:00 to 14:00" and "19:30 to 25:00" of "November 2, 2017" are , It is the time to identify two line segments along the flow of time. One line segment along the flow of time is the time (start time or end time) that identifies one end of the line segment, which is identified by the time (start time and end time) that identifies both ends of the line segment. And the length of the line segment (the length when the unit is arbitrary) can be specified in any format.

1-1 Reservation System According to One Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a configuration of an exemplary reservation system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 110 denotes a client which is a computer used by a user of the search system. Although only one client 110 is illustrated in FIG. 1, a plurality of clients 110 may actually exist. In the following description, it is assumed that the “user” is a store clerk such as a restaurant, and the client 110 is a store fixture or a personal item of the store clerk. In other words, it is assumed that the clerk who receives the reservation contact from the reservation person (customer such as a restaurant) by telephone operates the client 110. However, the “user” may be the subscriber and the client 110 may be the subscriber's personal property. Further, the client 110 is assumed to be a tablet computer having a touch panel display, but means for displaying information to the user and means for receiving input from the user, such as a smartphone or a personal computer (PC). May be any computer having. See also section "3 Computers" for "computers".

Reference numeral 120 denotes a server that is a computer that communicates with the client 110. Although only one server 120 is shown in FIG. 1, it may actually be composed of a plurality of computers. The server 120 may be installed in a store such as a restaurant, or may be installed in a place away from the store.

Reference numeral 130 denotes a network composed of one or more networks (sub-networks). The network 130 may include a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. The client 110 and the server 120 can communicate with each other via the network 130.

1-2 Client 110 Overview FIG. 2 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary process 200 performed by the client 110. Note that the computer-executed processes (hereinafter, referred to as “exemplary processes”) described below, including the process 200, may be executed by a computer, more specifically, a processor of the computer. .. Further, such a program can be stored in a known computer-readable storage medium, more specifically, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Further, some of the steps included in the exemplary process can be omitted, the execution order can be changed, and further steps can be added to the exemplary process.

Steps 210 and 220 are for displaying a graphic (or "graphical". The same applies hereinafter) user interface (hereinafter referred to as "reservation condition input GUI") for inputting reservation conditions and reservation conditions, respectively. Shows the step of receiving the input of. Hereinafter, the reservation condition input GUI and the reservation condition input will be described with reference to FIG. 3 showing an example reservation condition input GUI 300.

Reference numeral 310 denotes a user interface control (hereinafter referred to as “control”) for inputting a date limited condition as a reservation condition. The date limiting condition may be one or more of one or more days of the week, holidays, days before holidays, the beginning of the month, the middle of the month, the end of the month, and one or more dates. Some of the items are displayed as the date limitation condition in FIG. 3, and the control 310 is configured such that the display is scrolled by flicking up and down, and hidden items are displayed. Further, the control 310 is configured such that when an item is tapped, a date limitation condition corresponding to the tapped item is input. As an example, FIG. 3 corresponds to a state in which at least gold and soil are input as the date limited condition.

Reference numeral 320 denotes a control for inputting a time limited condition as a reservation condition. The time-limited condition may be one or both of lunch and dinner. Further, the GUI 300 may be provided with a control for inputting a specific time (for example, “14:00 to 19:00”), and the time itself may be used as the time limiting condition. The control 320 is configured such that when an item is tapped, a time limited condition corresponding to the tapped item is input. As an example, FIG. 3 corresponds to a state in which dinner is input as a time-limited condition.

Reference numeral 330 indicates a control for inputting a desired time as a reservation condition. Some items are displayed as desired times in FIG. 3, and the control 330 is configured such that the display is scrolled by flicking up and down, and hidden items are displayed. Further, the control 330 is configured such that by tapping an item, a desired time corresponding to the tapped item is input. As an example, FIG. 3 corresponds to a state in which the input is made that the desired time is undecided.

Reference numeral 340 indicates a control for inputting the number of people as a reservation condition. The number of items displayed as the number of people in FIG. 3 is a part, and the control 340 is configured such that the display is scrolled by flicking up and down, and hidden items are displayed. Further, the control 340 is configured such that when an item is tapped, the number of people corresponding to the tapped item is input. As an example, FIG. 3 corresponds to a state in which two people (two people) are input as the number of people. Note that reservation conditions other than the number of people are not essential, and therefore, the controls 310 to 330 need not be provided in the GUI 300. Further, a control for inputting further reservation conditions may be provided.

Reference numeral 350 is a control for starting acquisition of a reservable date and time based on the input reservation conditions. By tapping the control 350, the process proceeds to step 230 (see FIG. 2).

Returning to FIG. 2, 230 is a step of acquiring one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition and a time satisfying the reservation condition on each date of the one or more dates (hereinafter, referred to as “reservable date time”). Is shown. The “date satisfying the reservation condition” and the “time satisfying the reservation condition” will be described later. The reservable date and time acquired need not be all reservable date and time. In the present embodiment, step 230 includes the step of transmitting the reservation condition to the server 120 and receiving the reservable date and time from the server 120. How the server 120 acquires the reservable date and time will be described later.

Reference numeral 240 denotes a step of displaying the reservation status for one or more dates based on the acquired reservable date and time. The display of the reservation status for one or more dates will be described below with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B (hereinafter, also collectively referred to as “FIG. 4”).

Referring to FIG. 4A, 400 is a graphical user interface for listing the example bookable date and time, including a display of reservation status for one or more dates (hereinafter referred to as "bookable date and time list GUI"). .) is shown. It should be noted that the GUI 400 corresponds to a situation in which there is no date limited condition and time limited condition, the desired time is undecided, and the number of people is two.

Reference numeral 410 indicates an arrow indicating the direction corresponding to the date. On the GUI 400, one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition are displayed in the direction. In FIG. 4, one or more dates are displayed in descending order, but they may be displayed in ascending order, or any criteria (for example, if the latest Saturday and Sunday meet the reservation conditions, the weekdays before that are reserved). Even if the conditions are met, they may be displayed side by side with (displayed at the top). In FIG. 4, only one or more dates satisfying the reservation conditions are displayed, but there is no intention to exclude the display of dates that do not satisfy the reservation conditions. That is, displaying one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition in the direction corresponding to the date means displaying only one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition in the direction and one or more dates not satisfying the reservation condition in the direction. And displaying one or more dates that satisfy the reservation condition. When displaying one or more dates that do not meet the reservation conditions together with one or more dates that do not meet the reservation conditions, the one or more dates that do not meet the reservation conditions to be displayed may be selected according to an arbitrary criterion. Alternatively, one or more consecutive dates including dates that do not satisfy the reservation condition may be displayed.

Reference numeral 415 indicates an arrow indicating the direction corresponding to the time. In the GUI 400, for each date, the situation (for example, which time satisfies the reservation condition) on the date is displayed in the direction.

Reference numeral 420 indicates the reservation status for one date (for example, November 2, 2017) out of one or more dates. The reservation status 420 includes a plurality of portions corresponding to a plurality of predetermined lengths of time (hereinafter, referred to as “unit time”) that constitute one day of the date. This "predetermined length" in FIG. 4 is 30 minutes, but may be any length such as 15 minutes, 60 minutes, 1 minute, or the like. Reference numeral 430 is a portion corresponding to a certain unit time of a certain date (for example, 22:30 to 23:00 on November 2, 2017). In FIG. 4, the day is treated as 6:00 to 30:00 (6:00 of the next day), but it is set to 0:00 to 24:00 (0:00 of the next day), etc. The definition of 1 day is arbitrary. Further, in FIG. 4, as the reservation status 420, a part corresponding to the whole time of the day (6:00 to 30:00) is displayed, but a part of the day (for example, 8:00 to 00:00). Only the part corresponding to 26:00) may be displayed.

In the reservation status 420, the part corresponding to the time satisfying the reservation condition is displayed in a manner different from the other parts. Reference numeral 440 indicates one of the portions corresponding to the time satisfying the reservation condition, and 445 indicates one of the other portions. In FIG. 4, as an example of a different aspect, the portion 440 is displayed in white and the portion 445 is displayed in gray. The different aspect may be any one as long as the portion 440 and the portion 445 can be distinguished on the display. The display in the different mode includes displaying one of the portion 440 and the portion 445 and not displaying the other in particular so that the other is displayed with the background. Further, as described above regarding 410, when a date that does not satisfy the reservation condition is displayed, all the reservation statuses for that date can be displayed corresponding to the portion 445.

Referring to FIG. 4B, 450 illustrates another example reservable date-time listing GUI that includes a display of reservation status for one or more dates. The GUI 450 corresponds to the same situation as the GUI 400 except that the desired time is input at 19:00. 4B is the same as FIG. 4A, except as indicated by 460 described below.

460 is a predetermined length of time having the earliest start time after the desired time among times satisfying the reservation conditions on a certain date (for example, November 2, 2017) (hereinafter, “suitable reservation available time”). "." is shown. This “predetermined length” in FIG. 4B is 150 minutes, but may be any length such as 90 minutes or 2 hours. The portion corresponding to the suitable reservable time can be displayed in a different mode from the other portions. In FIG. 4B, as an example of a different mode, a rounded quadrangle is overlapped and displayed in a portion corresponding to the suitable reservable time, and no special display is made in the other time. The different mode may be any mode as long as it is possible to distinguish the preferable reservable time and the non-reservable time on the display. The preferable reservable time on each date may be calculated by the client 110 from the acquired reservable date and time, or may be acquired from the server 120 separately from the reservable date and time.

It should be noted that although the reservation available date/time “list” GUI is referred to, it is not necessary to display all the acquired reservation available date/time in the GUIs 400 and 450 (hereinafter referred to as “GUI 400 etc.”). The GUI 400 and the like may be configured such that the display is scrolled by flicking vertically and horizontally so that the hidden portion is displayed. Further, the GUI 400 and the like may be configured to flick up and down to acquire and display a further reservable date and time.

Further, the GUI 400 or the like can be configured such that by tapping an appropriate part, the process for the date corresponding to the tapped part is executed. An example of such a process is a process of displaying a detailed reservation status for the date and actually making a reservation using the conventional technique.

1-3 Overview of Server 120 FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an exemplary process 500 performed by server 120 for obtaining a reservable date and time. Therefore, in this embodiment, this process starts in response to receiving the reservation condition from the client 110, and after the end of this process, the server 120 can transmit the acquired reservable date and time to the client 110. ..

Reference numeral 510 denotes a step of initializing the reservable date and time. Specifically, step 510 may be a step of initializing a data structure representing a reservable date and time. An example of such a data structure is a list having a set of a data structure representing a date and a data structure representing a time as elements, and an example of the initialization may be a process of creating the empty list. An example of the “data structure representing time” will be described later.

520 shows the step of selecting the first date. The first date can be any date. For example, the first date can be the date when step 520 was performed, or the date after a predetermined number of days has elapsed from that date.

Reference numeral 530 represents a step of determining whether the selected date is a business day. The server 120 can store the fixed holidays in advance in one or both of the date and the day of the week (when a specific day of the week is a holiday), and step 530 specifically includes the selected date and the fixed holiday. It may be one or both of a comparison with a date that is a day and/or a comparison between a day of the week of the selected date and a day of the week that is a regular holiday. If the selected date is a business day, proceed to step 540, otherwise proceed to step 580.

Reference numeral 540 represents a step of determining whether the selected date satisfies the date limitation condition. Specifically, step 540 can be a determination as to whether the day of the week of the selected date is included in one or more days of the week that are date limiting conditions. Also, the server 120 may pre-store the dates of public holidays and pre-holidays, and step 540 may specifically be a comparison of the selected date with a public holiday or pre-holiday date. Further, the server 120 has a range of days to be determined to be the beginning of the month (for example, 1 to 10 days), a range of days to be determined to be during the month (for example, 11 to 20 days), and a date to be determined to be the end of the month. A range (for example, 21st to 31st) can be stored in advance, and step 540 should specifically determine that the date of the selected date is one or more of the beginning of the month, the middle of the month, and the end of the month. It can be a determination as to whether it falls within the range of days. Furthermore, step 540 can specifically be a determination of whether the selected date is included in one or more dates that are date limiting conditions. If the selected date satisfies the date limitation condition, the process proceeds to step 550, and if not, the process proceeds to step 580.

Reference numeral 550 denotes a step of acquiring the reservation available time on the selected date. Note that acquiring the reservable time includes acquiring an empty reservable time, that is, acquiring a result that the reservable time does not exist. In other words, step 550 can be rephrased as a step of trying to acquire the available reservation time on the selected date. Details of step 550 will be described later.

Reference numeral 560 denotes a step of determining whether or not there is a reservation available time on the selected date. Step 560 can be specifically a step of determining whether the available reservation time is empty. If the reservation available time exists, the process proceeds to step 570, and if not, the process proceeds to step 580. As a result of performing steps 646, 670 and 680 described below with respect to FIG. 6, step 560 can substantially determine if there is at least a predetermined amount of reservable time starting after the desired time. ..

Reference numeral 570 denotes a step of adding the selected date and its reservable time to the reservable date and time. As is clear from the fact that no addition is made to the reservable date and time when there is no reservable time, the "date satisfying the reservation condition" means that the reservable time exists, that is, the time when the reservation condition is satisfied. It is a date that at least satisfies the condition that it exists. Step 570 may specifically be the step of adding a set of data structures representing the selected dates and their reservable times to the list representing reservable date times.

580 shows the step of determining whether to select the next date. The "next date" may be any date that has not yet been selected since the execution of the process 500, and may be, for example, the day following the currently selected date. Also, the criterion for selecting the next date is arbitrary. For example, it is possible to determine that the next date should be selected when the set of dates and times added as the reservable date and time does not reach the predetermined number. Further, for example, when the date selected as the next date is before the predetermined date, it can be determined that the next date should be selected. If it is determined that the next date should be selected, the process proceeds to step 590, and if not, the process 500 ends.

Reference numeral 590 denotes a step of actually selecting the next date.

The reservable date and time at the end of the process 500 is the reservable date and time acquired.

FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart of an example process 600 for obtaining a bookable time on a selected date, which is a detail of step 550. The process 600 assumes that the restaurant or the like is not open for 24 hours. If the restaurant or the like is open for 24 hours, the process 600 may be modified to consider not only the time of the selected date, but also at least part of the time of the next day.

Reference numeral 610 denotes a step of initializing the reservable time. Specifically, step 610 may be a step of initializing a data structure representing time as a reservable time. An example of such a data structure is a Boolean array having the number of elements as the length of a day/the length of a unit time (for example, 1440 minutes/30 minutes=48), and an example of initialization is an array. May be created and the initial value is assigned to each element, and if the time corresponding to the element of true is finally treated as a reservable time, the initial value may be false.

620 shows the step of selecting the first seat. Here, the "guest seat" is a unit of a unit having one or more seats in a restaurant or the like. Specifically, one seat is one table seat (having a plurality of seats) or one counter seat. (With only one seat) and so on. The first seat may be any seat of all seats present in restaurants and the like.

Reference numeral 630 denotes a step of determining whether or not the number of people who are on the reservation condition can be accommodated in the selected seat. The server 120 can store in advance information indicating the maximum number of people that can be accommodated in each seat of all seats existing in restaurants and the like. FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary table 700 that stores such information. Specifically, step 630 may be a step of acquiring the maximum capacity of the selected seats using the table and determining whether the maximum capacity of the seats is equal to or larger than the reservation condition. If the number of people on the reservation condition can be accommodated, the process proceeds to step 640, and if not, the process proceeds to step 650.

Reference numeral 640 denotes a step of acquiring the unreserved time on the selected date for the selected seat. The server 120 can store in advance information indicating a reservation time in a passenger seat on a certain date. FIG. 7B represents an exemplary table 750 that stores such information. Each row in the table 750 corresponds to one reservation, and "..." Indicates omission of reservation. The table 750 is exemplary, and each row may have a column containing additional information, such as the name and contact information of the subscriber. In step 640, specifically, using the table, the time of the reservation in the selected seat on the selected date is acquired, an array representing the time as the unreserved time is created, and It may be a process of substituting false for an element corresponding to the acquired reservation time and true for an element that does not.

Reference numeral 642 indicates a step of excluding non-business hours from non-reserved times. The server 120 can store in advance one or both of normal business hours and business hours on a specific day, and step 642 is a business hour on the selected day in an array representing time as unreserved time. It may be a process of substituting false into the element corresponding to the outside time.

Reference numeral 644 denotes a step of removing a time that does not satisfy the time limitation condition from the unreserved time. The server 120 can store the time corresponding to lunch (for example, 11:00 to 14:00) and the time corresponding to dinner (for example, 18:00 to 21:00) in advance, and step 644 is performed. Specifically, when the time-limited condition is not the time itself, the condition is converted to a corresponding time, and the time that does not satisfy the time-limited condition in the array that represents the time as the unreserved time (for example, lunch is supported). It may be a process of substituting false for an element corresponding to (time outside the time).

Reference numeral 646 represents a step of excluding a continuous time less than a predetermined length from the non-reserved time. In step 646, specifically, the array representing the time as the unreserved time is checked in order from the first element, and if an element that is true is found, the element immediately before the element that is next false (then next false) If the last element is checked before the element is found, the number of elements up to the last element (the same applies below) is obtained, and the number of elements is a predetermined number (that is, a predetermined length/unit time length). If it is less than S), the process of assigning false to each element from the element that is true to the element immediately before the element that is false may be repeated until the last element of the array is checked. It should be noted that this "predetermined length" in step 646 is arbitrary, and may be, for example, 2 hours, but it is preferably matched with the "planned length" described above with reference to FIG. 4B. Also, this "predetermined length" (including both the one relating to step 646 and the one described above with reference to FIG. 4B) may be a function of time, for example, consecutive times starting from 18:00. Can be 150 minutes, and otherwise can be 90 minutes. According to this, it is possible to treat the “predetermined time” related to lunch and the “predetermined time” related to dinner differently.

Reference numeral 648 denotes a step of adding the unreserved time to the reservable time. As a result of execution of steps 630 to 646, the unreserved time at the time of execution of step 648 represents the time at which reservation can be made for the selected seat. As is clear from the fact that addition to the reservation available time is not done unless the number of people on the reservation condition can accommodate at any seats existing in restaurants, etc., the "time satisfying the reservation condition" is It is a time when at least the condition that the number of people in the reservation condition can be reserved is satisfied. Step 648 is, specifically, a process of substituting the logical OR operation result of the element and the corresponding element of the array representing the time as the unreserved time into each element of the array representing the time as the reservable time. Can be

Reference numeral 650 indicates a step of determining whether there is a next seat. The “next seat” may be any seat that has not been selected after the process 600 is executed among all the seats existing in the restaurant or the like. If the next seat is present, the process proceeds to step 660, and if not, the process proceeds to step 670.

Reference numeral 660 shows a step of actually selecting the next seat.

Reference numeral 670 denotes a step of determining whether there is a reservable time that starts after the desired time. Specifically, step 670 can be a process of determining whether or not there is an element that is true after the element corresponding to the desired time in the array that represents the time that can be reserved. If there is a reservable time whose start time is after the desired time, the process 600 ends, and if it exists, the process proceeds to step 680.

Step 680 shows a step of emptying the available reservation time. This process may be similar to step 610, but with a different purpose. That is, step 680 is a step for handling, as a result, no reservable time on the selected date when there is no reservable time starting from the desired time or later as the start time.

The reservable time at the end of the process 600 is the reservable time on the acquired selected date. Specifically, the time corresponding to the element that is true in the array that represents the time as the reservable time is the reservable time on the selected date. Therefore, if the element that is true does not exist, the selected date The available reservation time in is empty and does not exist. Further, in particular, as a result of the execution of steps 646, 670 and 680, if the reservable time is not empty, that is, if it exists, it means that the reservable time of a predetermined length whose start time is after the desired time exists. ..

2 Another Embodiment of the Present Invention FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of a reservation system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 810 denotes a computer used by the user of the search system, which has the functions of both the client 110 (see FIG. 1) and the server 120 (see FIG. 1). The computer 810 executes the above-described processing executed by both the client 110 and the server 120 and stores the stored information. Therefore, the computer 810 can perform communication between the client 110 and the server 120 via the network 130. Such processing is performed inside the computer 810.

FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of a reservation system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Reference numeral 910 denotes a client which is a computer used by a user of the search system. The client 910 is the same as the client 110.

Reference numeral 920 denotes a server that is a computer that communicates with the client 910. The server 920 has not only the function of the server 120 but also the function of the client 110. Therefore, the server 920 executes the above-described processing executed by both the client 110 and the server 120 and stores the stored information. The server 920 will often be installed in a store such as a restaurant.

Reference numeral 930 denotes a network composed of one or more networks (sub-networks). The network 930 may be the same as the network 110, but will often consist solely of a LAN.

3 Computer FIG. 10 shows an example of the hardware configuration of a computer. As shown in the figure, the computer 1000 mainly includes a processor 1010, a main storage device 1020, an auxiliary storage device 1030, a user interface 1040, and a communication interface 1050. They are mutually connected via a bus line 1060 including a data bus, a control bus and the like. An interface circuit (not shown) may be appropriately interposed between the bus line 1060 and each hardware resource.

The processor 1010 controls the entire computer. Processor 1010 may be composed of multiple processors, each controlling part or all of the computer.

The main storage device 1020 provides a work area for the processor 1010, and is a volatile memory such as SRAM or DRAM.

The auxiliary storage device 1030 is a non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory that stores programs (including computer-executable instructions) that are software and various data. The program is loaded from the auxiliary storage device 1030 to the main storage device 1020 via the bus line 1060 at any time, and causes the processor 1010 to execute various processes, methods, or steps.

It should be noted that the main storage device 1020 and the auxiliary storage device 1030 may be collectively referred to as “memory” without distinguishing them.

The user interface 1040 is a user interface as a hardware resource that presents information to the user and/or receives information input from the user, and is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackpad, a track. Examples include pointers, displays, touch panel displays, microphones, speakers, and acceleration sensors.

The communication interface 1050 is connected to the network 130 and transmits/receives data via the network 130. The communication interface 1050 and the network 130 can be connected by wire or wirelessly. The communication interface 1050 may also acquire information related to the network, for example, information related to the WiFi access point, information related to the base station of the communication carrier, and the like.

4 Conclusion Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be noted that other similar configurations can be adopted and appropriate configurations can be changed or added.

100 exemplary reservation system 130 network 300 exemplary reservation condition input GUI
310 Controls for entering date limited conditions 320 Controls for entering time limited conditions 330 Controls for entering desired time 340 Controls for entering the number of people as reservation conditions 350 Acquisition of reservable dates and times Controls for initiating 400 Example Reservable Date Time List GUI
410 Arrow indicating direction corresponding to date 415 Arrow indicating direction corresponding to time 420 Reservation status for one date 430 Unit time with a certain date 440 One of parts corresponding to time satisfying reservation condition 445 Other One of the 450 450 Reservable Date Time List GUI
460 Preferred Reservable Time 500 Example Process for Acquiring Reservable Date Time 600 Example Process for Acquiring Reservable Time on Selected Date 700 Maximum number of people that can be accommodated in each seat of all seats Illustrative Table Shown 750 Illustrative Table Showing Times of Reservation Seated at One Day 800 Illustrative Booking System 900 Illustrative Booking System 1000 Illustrative Computer

Claims (11)

The computer receives reservation conditions including the number of people,
The computer displaying the reservation status for one or more dates, wherein the reservation status for the one or more dates is
Has a first direction corresponding to the date and a second direction corresponding to the time,
In the first direction, one or more dates satisfying the reservation conditions are displayed,
For each of the one or more dates,
The reservation status of the date is displayed in the second direction,
In the reservation status of the date, the portion corresponding to the time satisfying the reservation condition on the date is displayed in a manner different from the other portions, and the time satisfying the reservation condition is the number of persons. And at least one of the dates satisfying the reservation condition is a date satisfying at least the condition that the reservation condition is satisfied. Method. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reservation condition further includes a desired time, and the reservation status for the one or more dates is the reservation status for each date of the one or more dates. It is further characterized in that a portion corresponding to a predetermined length of time having the earliest start time after the desired time among the times satisfying the reservation condition is displayed in a manner different from the other portions. ,Method. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reservation condition further includes a date limiting condition, and each of the one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition is a date that further satisfies the date limiting condition. , The date limited conditions are
One or more days of the week,
On weekdays,
Holidays,
The day before the holiday,
At the beginning of the month,
During the month,
At the end of the month,
The method being one or more of one or more dates. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reservation condition further includes a time limiting condition, and the time that satisfies the reservation condition is a time that further satisfies the time limiting condition, The time limited condition is
Lunch and
Dinner and
A method that is one or more of time itself. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein
The computer further includes a step of acquiring one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition and a time on each date of the one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition, and one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition. , The time of obtaining the reservation condition on each date of the one or more dates,
A step for obtaining the available time on a certain date,
A step of determining whether or not the certain date satisfies one or more conditions, the one or more conditions including a condition that the reservable time exists, and
When all of the one or more conditions are satisfied, the certain date and the reservable time are acquired as one of one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition and a time satisfying the reservation condition on the date, respectively. And the step of acquiring a reservable time on a certain date,
It is possible to accommodate the number of people on a certain date based on at least information indicating the maximum capacity of each seat of all the seats and information indicating the time of reservation in the seat on a certain date. Obtaining a seat reservation available time for each seat of the one or more seats,
Obtaining the reservable time based at least on one or more of the available seat reservation times. The method of claim 2, wherein
The computer further includes a step of acquiring one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition and a time on each date of the one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition, and one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition. , The time of obtaining the reservation condition on each date of the one or more dates,
A step for obtaining the available time on a certain date,
The step of determining whether or not the certain date satisfies one or more conditions, wherein the one or more conditions include a condition that the reservable time of the predetermined length that starts after the desired time exists. Including steps and
When all of the one or more conditions are satisfied, the certain date and the reservable time are acquired as one of one or more dates satisfying the reservation condition and a time satisfying the reservation condition on the date, respectively. And the step of acquiring a reservable time on a certain date,
It is possible to accommodate the number of people on a certain date based on at least information indicating the maximum capacity of each seat of all the seats and information indicating the time of reservation in the seat on a certain date. Obtaining a seat reservation available time for each seat of the one or more seats,
Obtaining the reservable time based at least on one or more of the available seat reservation times. The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the reservation condition further includes a date limiting condition, the one or more conditions further include the date limiting condition, and the date limiting condition includes:
One or more days of the week,
On weekdays,
Holidays,
The day before the holiday,
At the beginning of the month,
During the month,
At the end of the month,
The method being one or more of one or more dates. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the reservation condition further includes a time limiting condition, and the time limiting condition is
Lunch and
Dinner and
The time itself is one or more, and the step of acquiring the seat reservation available time for each seat of the one or more seats capable of accommodating the number of persons on the certain date,
Acquiring an unreserved time for each seat out of one or more seats capable of accommodating the number of people on the certain date based on the information indicating the reservation time in the seat on a certain date; ,
At least, a step of acquiring the seat reservation available time by excluding a time that does not satisfy the time limitation condition from the unreserved time. A program for causing one or more computers to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 8 as a whole. A computer-readable storage medium storing the program according to claim 9. Overall, a system comprising one or more computers performing the method according to any one of claims 1-8.