JP7576434B2 - Electronic ticket management system and method for managing electronic tickets - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electronic ticket management system and an electronic ticket management method.

Ticketing opportunities exist for a variety of purposes, including transportation, various events, and dining, and the forms of operation are also evolving in various ways. For example, a ticket issuing system is increasingly distributing barcoded ticket information to the purchaser's terminal, and the purchaser displays the barcode on the screen when using the ticket, allowing the purchaser to use it in the same way as a traditional paper ticket.
In addition, techniques have been proposed to reduce inconveniences to ticket purchasers that occur due to changes in circumstances after the issuance of a ticket, such as a reporting method and program (see Patent Document 1) that reduces the impact of transportation disruptions on users without relying on the active will of the users.

In this technology, a computer executes the steps of receiving information on the route and time of use of the transportation facility for each user, collecting the type of event that disrupts the operation of the transportation facility and the time when the event occurred, estimating the time when the event will be resolved, determining for each user whether the event will affect the use of the transportation facility, and notifying users who are determined to be affected.

JP 2003-246270 A

As the conventional technology shows, whenever an incident such as a breakdown or congestion occurs, transportation operators need to take special measures such as securing alternative transportation and handling ticket refunds.
In this case, users of the transportation service are forced to take actions that go against their will, such as choosing a route different from the one they had planned based on information from the transportation service provider, or waiting where they are until the situation improves.

This situation is likely to lead to reduced operational efficiency for ticket issuers and reduced travel efficiency and satisfaction for ticket purchasers (users). Therefore, even if various measures are taken, the costs and time involved are likely to be wasted.

The object of the present invention is to provide a technology that appropriately addresses the interests of each stakeholder that may be related to the ticketed object, depending on the situation of the ticketed object.

The electronic ticket management system of the present invention, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is characterized by including a storage device that retains rights information, which is information about an issued ticket, and a table that specifies information about incentives that each stakeholder related to the ticket can provide to others in order to improve a specified situation; and a calculation device that executes the following processes: comparing information about the situation obtained from the terminal of each of the stakeholders against the table, and identifying combinations in which the stakeholders provide each other incentives that will improve the situation of each of the stakeholders; notifying the terminal of the user of the ticket of an offer for a behavior change that includes information about the identified combination; and, when a change request is made from the terminal of any of the stakeholders regarding the table, obtaining agreement and confirmation from the terminal of each stakeholder and executing the change .
Furthermore, the electronic ticket management method of the present invention is characterized in that an information processing device holds rights information, which is information on an issued ticket, and a table that specifies information on incentives that can be paid to others in order to improve a specified situation for each stakeholder related to the ticket, and performs the following processes: comparing information on the situation obtained from the terminal of each of the stakeholders against the table, and identifying combinations of incentives being exchanged between the stakeholders that will improve the situation of each of the stakeholders; notifying the terminal of the user of the ticket of an offer for a behavior change that includes information on the identified combination; and , when a change request is made from the terminal of any of the stakeholders regarding the table, obtaining consent and confirmation from the terminal of each stakeholder and executing the change .

According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately address the interests of each stakeholder who may be related to the ticketed object depending on the situation of the ticketed object.

1 is a configuration diagram of an electronic ticket management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the user service system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a congestion status table according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a congestion status table according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a dynamic incentive setting table according to the present embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a dynamic incentive setting table according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an incentive transaction setting table according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of rights information according to the present embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of user preference information according to the embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of an electronic ticket management method in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a screen in the present embodiment.

<System Configuration>
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a system configuration diagram including a user service system 1000, which is an electronic ticket management system of this embodiment. As an example, a situation is assumed in which multiple operators in a certain area trade the cost of incentives based on the congestion level of facilities or machines operated by the operators to provide incentives to users of the facilities or machines to encourage them to change their behavior.

Examples of the above-mentioned businesses include businesses that operate transportation (e.g., railways), businesses that operate commercial facilities such as stores along the lines of the transportation, businesses that operate transportation other than the transportation (e.g., taxis), etc. Therefore, the subject of ticketing is, for example, a train ticket, and the situation for each business is the congestion situation of users at transportation and commercial facilities, delays in vehicle and store operations, etc.

The user service system 1000 shown in FIG. 1 is a computer system that appropriately seeks to achieve the interests of each stakeholder that may be related to the ticketed object depending on the status of the ticketed object. In addition to the user service system 1000, at least one of the operator system 2000, purchase terminal 3000, usage terminal 4000, and user access terminal 5000 shown in FIG. 1 may also be considered as an electronic ticket management system.

In the illustrated system, each business operator has a user service system 1000 and a business operator system 2000. In addition, the business operator or user has a purchase terminal 3000, a usage terminal 4000, and a user access terminal 5000.

The user service system 1000 is a system that communicates with user service systems held by other businesses and conducts cost transactions to provide incentives to users. The user service system 1000 is also communicatively connected to the business system 2000, the purchase terminal 3000, the usage terminal 4000, and the user access terminal 500.

Of the above-mentioned system configurations, the purchase terminal 3000 is a terminal operated by a user (including the concept of a prospective user) of a means of transportation (various forms of transport) or a store, or a designated staff member (e.g., a person in charge at a ticket counter), to carry out the purchase process for the right to use the means of transportation, etc. (e.g., a seat ticket or a multi-ride ticket). This purchase terminal 3000 performs the process of registering information on tickets purchased for the above-mentioned users, i.e., rights information, in the user service system 1000.

The user terminal 4000 is a terminal that controls the use of the above-mentioned means of transport and stores by the user. A specific example can be an entrance/exit gate at a train station or a commercial facility. Such a user terminal 4000 acquires the rights information presented by the user of the store or means of transport via the user access terminal 5000, and queries the user service system 1000 for this rights information to determine whether or not the user is allowed to enter or exit, and to control the opening and closing of the above-mentioned entrance/exit gate.

The operator system 2000 is a system that provides information required for processing in the user service system 1000. This operator system 2000 has a dynamic ticket definition setting function 2001 and a congestion input function 2002.

Of these, the dynamic ticket definition setting function 2001 is a function for inputting definition information regarding incentives that each business operator may provide to other business operators (Figure 9). This dynamic ticket definition setting function 2001 also provides a function for inputting agreements regarding incentive cost transactions between businesses (Figure 9).

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a setting screen G900 in the dynamic ticket definition setting function 2001. This setting screen G900 includes an intra-operator setting screen 9100, an inter-operator setting screen 9200, and a setting completion button 9300.

Of these, the intra-company settings 9100 include, for example, a dynamic incentive setting button and a manual congestion rate input button, allowing setting information to be input within the company. The dynamic incentive setting button is an interface used to enter information in the dynamic incentive setting table 1002. The manual congestion rate input button is an interface used to manually input and modify the congestion status table 1004.

The inter-business settings screen 9200 also includes an incentive transaction manual setting button and an agreement confirmation button. Of these, the incentive transaction manual setting button is used to manually set the contents of the incentive transaction setting table 1101 that was set automatically. When changing the information in the incentive transaction setting table 1101 involving multiple businesses, pressing the agreement confirmation button, which asks about agreement with the related businesses, notifies the business system 2000 of each business of the request for agreement confirmation. As a result, if agreement confirmation is obtained from the business system 2000 of the related business, the changes are executed.

Moreover, the setting completion button 9300 is a button for instructing to confirm and update the information when all the settings are completed.

The congestion input function 2002 is a function for inputting information on the congestion status of each business, i.e., congestion information, to be used in incentive transaction processing between businesses in the user service system 1000. In this case, the business system 2000 of each business inputs congestion information for the business's transportation facilities, commercial facilities, etc. to the user service system 1000.

The user access terminal 5000 is a terminal held by the user and holds the rights information purchased by the user. The user access terminal 5000 also receives an offer including incentive information related to the rights information from the user service system 1000. The user access terminal 5000 displays the information presented in the offer and gives permission to add or change the rights information depending on the user's judgment.

On the other hand, users will change their behavior in response to the addition or change of such rights information. In this case, users will be able to receive the above-mentioned incentives (based on the quiet or crowded conditions) provided by the business operators. On the other hand, from the business operators' perspective, this will also lead to improved comfort for all users in the transportation means, stores, etc. that they operate.

The user service system 1000 is a system that identifies incentive cost transactions between businesses, i.e., incentive combinations, based on information on sparse/congested conditions obtained from each business system 2000, and allocates the cost of providing incentives to users.

This user service system 1000 can be assumed to be held by each business operator. The user service system 1000 also securely manages sensitive information within the business, such as the costs to improve quiet/congested conditions, i.e., information on the costs that can be allocated in relation to incentives to be presented to users, as well as detailed and specific information on quiet/congested conditions. Specifically, it excludes access from the business operator system 2000 of other business operators other than the holder of the information. By carrying out such control, incentive costs can be traded between businesses while taking into consideration sensitive information.

The user service system 1000 also includes a dynamic ticket definition I/F 1001, a dynamic incentive setting table 1002, a congestion input I/F 1003, a congestion status table 1004, a user adjustment I/F 1005, a user right access I/F 1006, rights information 1007, user preference information 1008, a business operator collaboration I/F 1009, and a dynamic ticket engine 1100.

Of these, the dynamic ticket definition I/F 1001 connects to the dynamic incentive setting table 1002, and reflects the setting information input by the dynamic ticket definition setting function 2001 held by the business operator system 2000 in the dynamic incentive setting table 1002. The dynamic ticket definition I/F 1001 also connects to the dynamic ticket engine 1100, and is an I/F for passing incentive transaction settings to the dynamic ticket engine 1100.

The dynamic incentive setting table 1002 is a table that identifies the cost of incentives that can be traded between businesses based on the difference between the current situation and the situation that is favorable for each business (for example, the number of users or the degree of congestion that each business considers favorable).

This dynamic incentive setting table 1002 is stored in the dynamic ticket definition I/F 1.
The dynamic incentive setting table 1002 is connected to the dynamic ticket engine 1100 and serves as a source of the above-mentioned setting information used in incentive transactions.

Such information in the dynamic incentive setting table 1002 can be considered sensitive information related to the business policies of each business operator. Therefore, it is preferable to keep this information confidential within the business operator and not disclose it to other businesses.

The congestion input I/F 1003 is an I/F for receiving information on the congestion/low congestion status of each operator from the operator system 2000 and updating the congestion status table 1004.

The congestion status table 1004 is connected to the congestion input I/F 1003 described above, and serves as a storage destination for congestion information obtained from the operator system 2000 of each operator. The congestion status table 1004 also provides information for the dynamic ticket engine 1100 to operate. The congestion status table 1004 is updated based on update information regarding the congestion status obtained from the dynamic ticket engine 1100.

The user adjustment I/F 1005 is connected to the dynamic ticket engine 1100 and user preference information 1008, and is an I/F that provides the user access terminal 5000 with updated information regarding incentives and rights determined through transactions between businesses.

The user adjustment I/F 1005 is an I/F that receives information regarding the user's selection obtained from the user access terminal 5000 and passes it to the dynamic ticket engine 1100. Note that this "selection" is the result of the user's selection regarding a change in behavior based on the incentive of the offer described above, i.e., a change in rights information. More specifically, it is the result of whether or not to accept the offer.

As a result, the selection results of the above-mentioned changes in the user's behavior can be reflected in the rights information 1007 in the form of additions or changes to the rights information of the user. Note that information on the acceptance status of such offers is saved as information on the user in the user preference information 1008.

The user rights access I/F 1006 also connects to the rights information 1007, receives requests from the purchase terminal 3000 and the usage terminal 4000 to register, update, and refer to rights information that occurs in conjunction with ticketing, and performs corresponding processing related to the rights information 1007.

Rights information 1007 is a table that is connected to the user rights access I/F 1006, user preference information 1008, and dynamic ticket engine 1100, and holds rights information linked to users.

This rights information 1007 is connected to the purchasing terminal 3000 via the user rights access I/F 1006, and stores and registers rights information generated in conjunction with the ticket purchasing process by the user (or the counter clerk). In addition, the rights information 1007 extracts and updates corresponding information in accordance with processing requests such as referencing, changing, and canceling from the purchasing terminal 3000 or the dynamic ticket engine 1100.

Furthermore, the user preference information 1008 is connected to the rights information 1007 and the dynamic ticket engine 1100, and holds preference information for each user. The user preference information 1008 is information on what incentives the user received and caused the user to change his/her behavior. This user preference information 1008 can also be considered as history information when the rights information 1007 changes as a result of the user accepting an offer.

The business operator linkage I/F 1009 is an I/F that connects the user service system 1000 between multiple business operators. This business operator linkage I/F 1009 enables the exchange of information to link the dynamic ticket engine 1100 between multiple business operators.

The dynamic ticket engine 1100 also uses the congestion status table 1004, the dynamic incentive setting table 1002, the rights information 1007, the user preference information 1008, and the inter-operator collaboration I/F 1009 to determine a combination of incentive information to be given to the user between operators, and makes an incentive offer to the user access terminal 5000 via the user adjustment I/F 1005.

The dynamic ticket engine 1100 also updates the rights information 1007 and provides feedback to the congestion information table 1004 when the above-mentioned offer is accepted.

Such a dynamic ticket engine 1100 includes an incentive transaction setting table 1101 and a dynamic ticket execution function 1102.

Of these, the incentive transaction setting table 1101 is information shared and held between businesses, and is a table that holds agreements between businesses regarding incentive transactions. More specifically, it is a table that specifies incentive transaction information between businesses.

In addition, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 determines incentives for users based on various information from connected tables, narrows down the targets of offers to which the incentive information is presented, changes the rights information 1007 when the user accepts the offer, and updates the congestion status table 1004 and user preference information 1008.
<Hardware Configuration>
The hardware configuration of the user service system 1000 of this embodiment is as shown in Fig. 2. The user service system 1000 is made up of a central processing unit 102, a main memory device 103, an internal bus 104, a bus I/F 105, an external bus 106, a screen output device I/F 107, a user input device I/F 108, a large-capacity storage device 109, a communication device I/F 110, and an input/output device I/F 111.

Of these, the central processing unit 102 is a device for performing calculations such as program execution, and by executing a program, it becomes a calculation device that implements the functions of the dynamic ticket engine 1100.

The main memory device 103 is a memory device used as a processing area when the above-mentioned central processing unit 102 executes a program, and as a temporary storage area for data. This main memory device 103 temporarily stores programs and temporary information for implementing processing in each device, such as basic programs such as an OS (operating system), and programs and temporary information owned by the dynamic ticket engine 1100.

The central processing unit 102 and the main memory device 103 are connected by an internal bus 104. The internal bus 104 is also connected to an external bus 106 via a bus I/F 105.

The external bus 106 is connected to the screen output device I/F 107, the user input device I/F 108, the mass storage device I/F 2009, the communication device I/F 110, and the input/output device I/F 111, and mediates data input/output between these I/Fs and the central processing unit 102 and the main memory device 103 using the bus I/F 105 and the internal bus 104.

The screen output device I/F 107 is an I/F for connecting to the display 150, and outputs information obtained via the external bus 106 to the display 150. The display 150 is a device capable of displaying, for example, the setting screen and processing status of the dynamic ticket definition setting function 2001. The display 150 can also display other information for operating the basic program.

The user input device I/F 108 is an I/F for connecting to the user input device 151, and outputs information input from the user input device to the external bus 106. The user input device is assumed to be, for example, a device for receiving input from a user, such as a keyboard or a mouse. Information input from such a user input device is output to the user input device I/F 108.

The large-capacity storage device I/F 109 is an I/F for connecting to the large-capacity storage device 152, and mediates data input/output from the large-capacity storage device 152 to the external bus 106. The large-capacity storage device 152 is assumed to be, for example, a device such as a HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

This large-capacity storage device 152 stores information such as the basic programs for implementing the functions of the user service system 1000, temporary storage information for the results of program execution processing, incentive transaction setting table 1001, dynamic incentive table 1002, congestion status table 1004, rights information 1007, and user preference information 1008 when the device is turned off or when a program is not being executed. When various processes are to be executed, the central processing unit 102 reads these programs and data into the main memory device 103 and executes the programs.

The communication device I/F 110 is an I/F for connecting to the communication device 153, and mediates data input/output from the communication device 153 to the external bus 106. The communication device 153 is a device for connecting to an external server device, for example, via Ethernet (registered trademark), and allows communication between the user service system 1000 and other systems/terminals.

The input/output device I/F 111 is an I/F for connecting to the input/output device 154, and mediates data input/output from the input/output device 154 to the external bus 106. The input/output device 154 is a drive device capable of reading and writing to an external medium, an input device for performing user authentication, or the like.
<Data structure example>
Next, a description will be given of tables used by the user service system 1000 of this embodiment. 3A and 3B show examples of the configuration of the congestion status table 1004 in this embodiment.

Figure 3A shows an example of the configuration of a congestion status table 3001 for a food and beverage business operator. Figure 3B shows an example of the configuration of a congestion status table 3002 for a mobility business operator (transportation business operator). Of course, tables may be stored for each business division, rather than for each business operator.

These tables can also be placed in separate user service systems 1000 maintained by each operator. When placed in this way, congestion information for each operator is kept confidential from other operators.

The congestion status table 3001 for food and beverage businesses shown in FIG. 3A is a table that allows the dynamic ticket engine 1100 to dynamically generate incentive combinations between businesses, and contains information on the congestion status of food and beverage businesses.

The congestion information includes, for example, the ideal congestion situation, the current congestion situation, predicted congestion information a certain time after the current situation, and congestion evaluation values. Of these, the ideal congestion situation is the ideal congestion situation at each store or base of each business operator, and is determined by each business operator. In addition, the current congestion situation indicates the current congestion situation updated by each business operator.

In addition, the predicted congestion information is congestion information a certain time after the current situation, and is a value calculated based on, for example, the behavioral change that occurs when an offer is presented to users and they accept it (for example, a certain number of users in a certain time period change their plan to use station B on line A to use station Y on line X).

The congestion assessment is the difference between the expected congestion information and the ideal congestion situation described above. The congestion assessment can have positive and negative values, with a positive value indicating a higher degree of congestion than the ideal, and a negative value indicating a lower degree of congestion.

In addition, businesses can record information about the congestion status of related stores located in different areas, such as X region and Y region, in the congestion status table.

The congestion status table 3002 for the mobility business operator may also store travel time between each base in addition to the components of the congestion status table 3001 for the food and beverage business operator described above. This information defines the cost of travel between the bases.

Next, FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the dynamic incentive setting table 1002 in this embodiment. FIG. 4A shows a dynamic incentive setting table 4001 for a food and beverage business operator, for example. FIG. 4B shows a dynamic incentive setting table 4002 for a mobility business operator.

The dynamic incentive setting table 4001 for food service operators is a table that specifies free tickets, coupons, etc. as incentives to attract/avoid customers in stages, from cases where the congestion rating of a store etc. is low and the store is quiet, to cases where the congestion rating is high and the store is crowded.

In this dynamic incentive setting table 4001, incentives can be set for each store in the location or region of each business operator or business division, and incentives to be provided can be set for each store for each congestion evaluation in the congestion status table 1004.

Moreover, the dynamic incentive setting table 4002 of the mobility operator has a similar configuration to the dynamic incentive setting table 4001 described above, but it mainly specifies incentives such as free travel and points that can be used by the operator.

Next, FIG. 5 shows an example of the configuration of the incentive transaction setting table 1101 in this embodiment. The incentive transaction setting table 1101 is a table that defines the combination information of incentives provided by multiple businesses.

The incentive transaction setting table 1101 is a table that specifies the incentive information that each business operator in each region can provide at that time, which is specified based on the information in the congestion information table 1004 and the dynamic incentive setting table 1002. The combination of incentives specified in this table is a combination of incentives that is provided to users at the cost shared among multiple businesses, and serves as a source of information for offering users a change in behavior, i.e., a change in rights information.

In the example of FIG. 5, for example, the incentive provision content for "Mobility X Area A Station" is "
In contrast, when the incentive content of the "Food & Beverage Business X Region A Store" is "30 free tickets (to attract its own store)", the incentive provided to the user of "Mobility X Region A Station" will be "30 free tickets for X Region A Store."

In addition, the incentive provided by "Mobility Y Area B Station" is "free travel to other stations within 5 minutes," and the incentive provided by "Food and Beverage Business Y Area B Store" is "30 free tickets to other stores (
When the incentive is "Y area → X area free travel + 30 free tickets to other stores (including X area)", the incentive provided to the user is "Y area → X area free travel + 30 free tickets to other stores (including X area)". In this case, "free travel to other stations within 5 minutes" is X
Whether or not it can be combined with the free ticket from store A in area will be verified by "other stations within 5 minutes" (staff) to confirm the range of free travel possible, and then set.

Next, FIG. 6 shows an example of the configuration of the rights information 1007 in this embodiment. The rights information 1007 in this embodiment is a table that stores rights information such as ticket information held by each user.

This rights information 1007 is a collection of records that use a user ID that uniquely identifies the user as a key to specify information such as the rights provider that issues the ticket and the possessed service rights, which are the content of the rights.

In the example of FIG. 6, a user with a user ID of “Aa11” uses the “
The user with user ID "Bb22" holds the "mobility ticket including station A in area X" as a right. Therefore, by accessing this information, it is possible to confirm which services each individual user can receive. In addition, the user with user ID "Bb22" holds the "mobility ticket including station B in area Y" provided by the mobility operator and the "free travel from area Y to area X" granted by accepting the incentive as his/her service right. This allows him/her to travel to station B in area Y, as well as
Free tickets are available for travel to area X and for food and beverage businesses in area X.

Next, FIG. 7 shows an example of the configuration of user preference information 1008 in this embodiment. The user preference information 1008 in this embodiment is a table that holds various information such as the user's ticket usage status and offer acceptance tendency.

Such user preference information 1008 is a collection of records containing information such as the user's current status, area of stay, incentive acceptance rate, sensitivity to congestion, and other preferences, using a user ID that uniquely identifies the user as a key.

The current status is based on the time and timing of use of rights such as a ticket (e.g. obtained from the user terminal 4000, which is station service equipment) and the activity information of the user from the user access terminal 5000 (e.g. information on movement/stationarity), and determines whether the ticket is actually being used, i.e., active/inactive. This information is used to determine whether an incentive offer needs to be sent.

The area of stay is the area in which the user is currently staying, which is identified based on the location where the rights were last used, indicated by the location information most recently obtained from the purchasing terminal 3000 or the user access terminal 5000, and the activity information of the user. This information is used to limit the users to whom incentive offers are to be sent.

The incentive acceptance rate is information that indicates the extent to which the user has accepted offers up to now. This acceptance rate is used to determine the priority recipients of offers.

Congestion sensitivity is a value that indicates the extent to which the offers accepted by the user were related to incentives caused by congestion. In particular, when it comes to offers in a congested situation, this information is used to select users who should be given priority as recipients of offers.

Other preferences are information used to determine the priority of offers in other specific situations. For example, information such as abstract characteristics and specific preferences of the user, such as prioritizing value (preferring free or high discount incentives) or prioritizing leisurely travel (prioritizing an uncrowded environment over fare or travel speed), is assumed. Whether or not the information matches these is used to determine the priority of offers.
<Flow example: How to manage electronic tickets>
The actual procedure of the electronic ticket management method in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. The various operations corresponding to the electronic ticket management method described below are realized by a program that is read into memory or the like and executed by the user service system 1000, which is the electronic ticket management system. This program is composed of codes for performing the various operations described below.

Figure 8 shows an example of the flow of an electronic ticket management method in this embodiment, specifically, the operational flow of the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 in the dynamic ticket engine 1100. Note that a loop structure flow is assumed in which the processing between steps 8001 to 8008 is repeated as necessary.

First, in step 8002, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 determines the incentive content for the relevant base (station or store) of the relevant business operator by comparing the congestion evaluation value of each business operator with the dynamic incentive setting table 1002. The congestion evaluation value is extracted from the value in the "Crowding Evaluation" column of the record of the relevant business operator in the congestion status table 1004.

Next, in step 8003, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 identifies a combination in the incentive transaction setting table 1101, i.e., a combination of incentives between businesses, based on the incentives determined for each business in step 8002 described above. This incentive combination is an offer that combines the incentive provision contents set by each business, and serves as information that encourages users of that business to change their behavior.

The dynamic ticket execution function 1102 in step 8003, for example, identifies a group of businesses operating in a specific region and a group of businesses operating in the surrounding areas of the specific region based on the information on each business and its incentives obtained in step 8002.

In addition, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 identifies a relationship in which congestion at operator A can be alleviated and slack at operator B can be avoided by sending users from one operator A to another operator B within the same area based on the congestion assessment and incentives of each operator that constitutes the above-mentioned operator groups.

Based on the relationship specified as described above, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 generates one record in the incentive transaction setting table 1101, i.e., information on a combination in which businesses in a specific area share the cost of an incentive (including a one-sided case). In the example of Fig. 5, the congestion evaluation of "Mobility X Area A Station" is -24% to +25%, which is neither crowded nor quiet, so no incentive is provided to users, while the congestion evaluation of "Food & Beverage X Area A Store" is -49% to -25%, which is slightly quiet, so a specific example can be assumed in which an incentive "30 free tickets for X Area A Store" is provided to users of the above-mentioned "Mobility X Area A Station" to encourage them to visit the store.

Naturally, the above-mentioned combinations are also generated between the group of businesses in the specific area and the group of businesses in the surrounding areas. In the example of Figure 5, the congestion rating of "Mobility X Area A Station" is -24% to +25%, which means it is neither crowded nor quiet, so no incentive is offered to users, while the congestion rating of "Food & Beverage Business Y Area B Store" is +51% to +75%, which means it is crowded, so a specific example can be imagined in which a combination of "30 free tickets to other stores" is offered as an incentive to encourage users of the above-mentioned "Mobility X Area A Station" to avoid visiting the store.

In the example of Figure 5, "Mobility Y Area B Station" has a congestion rating of +264% to +50%, which means it is slightly crowded, so an incentive of "free travel to other stations within 5 minutes" is offered to encourage travel to other stations, and "Food & Beverage X Area A Store" has a congestion rating of -49% to -25%, which means it is slightly quiet, so an incentive of "30 free tickets to X Area A Store" is offered to encourage users of the above-mentioned "Mobility Y Area B Station" to visit the store.

The dynamic ticket execution function 1102 generates an offer for the user based on a behavioral change proposal that combines travel between stations on such transport facilities with services at specific locations. Of course, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 may generate one offer for each of the combinations possible in the incentive transaction setting table 1101 as shown in FIG. 5, or may generate only one or a limited number of the above combinations (e.g., those with the highest number of users) based on predetermined criteria such as the operator's requests or specifications obtained in advance, or those with a large number of users at the operator's base (i.e., those with a large number of people subject to behavioral change).

Next, in step 8004, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 determines the priority of the user to whom the offer will be made. In this case, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 uses the user preference information 1008 and the information in the incentive transaction setting table 1101 to determine the priority of the offeree.

Here, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 first checks the target region (in the above case, region X or region Y) in the incentive transaction setting table 1101, and searches the user preference information 1008 for users who are staying in that region and whose current status of the target ticket is active.

The dynamic ticket execution function 1102 also extracts, for example, the incentive acceptance rate and congestion sensitivity values from the records of each user identified in the above-mentioned search, and identifies users who have a relatively higher incentive acceptance rate than other users and for whom congestion is a factor in accepting offers, for example within a specified range of the top incentive acceptance rates.

In this embodiment, the explanation focuses on the phenomenon of crowded/uncrowded transport facilities and stores, so as described above, consideration is given to whether congestion is a factor in the acceptance of an offer. However, this is not limited to this, and any operation that considers the high sensitivity of the phenomenon to be improved even if an incentive is provided may be adopted.

Next, in step 8005, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 sends the above-mentioned offer (see screen G1000 in FIG. 10) to the user access terminal 5000 of the relevant user identified in step 8004.

The user views this offer and considers whether to change their own behavior to obtain the incentive, i.e., whether to accept the offer. The result is notified from the user access terminal 5000 to the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 by pressing the accept button G1001 or the reject button G1002. Here, the explanation will continue assuming that the user accepts the offer.

Next, in step 8006, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 updates the rights of the user in the rights information 1007 in response to the user's acceptance of the offer. Specifically, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 writes the information indicated by the accepted offer, i.e., the accepted contents such as a change of the station to be used or the acquisition of a free ticket at a stopover store, as a record of the user in the rights information 1007.

Next, in step 8007, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 recalculates the congestion rate at the operator's transportation facilities and stores, taking into account the behavioral changes associated with the above-mentioned offer acceptance.

In this case, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 obtains the latest congestion information since the offer was accepted, which is notified by the operator system 2000 of each operator via the congestion input I/F 1003, and updates the current congestion value in the operator's congestion status table 1004 using this information. In addition, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 updates predicted congestion information, for example, based on the acceptance rate for the current offer (the number of users who accepted the offer and moved to another location is XX, so the current number of users is reduced by XX, resulting in a congestion rate of XX%, etc.).

Then, the dynamic ticket execution function 1102 receives an instruction to end processing from an appropriate system or terminal, such as the business operator system 2000, or detects the arrival of a specified time, and ends the loop in step 8008, completing this flow.

The above describes in detail the best mode for carrying out the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

According to this embodiment, for example, each operator's intentions, such as wanting to attract users in quiet situations with few users or wanting to avoid crowded situations that lead to poor service, can be shared among operators, and efficient measures to avoid crowded or quiet situations can be proposed based on incentives for users. As a result, mobility operators and store management operators can improve the business and operational efficiency of the operators and provide a comfortable service environment to users by leveling out each other's quiet and crowded situations through incentive offers to users.

In other words, depending on the circumstances of the ticketed object, it will be possible to appropriately address the interests of each stakeholder who may be related to the ticketed object.

The description in this specification makes at least the following clear: That is, in the electronic ticket management system of this embodiment, the storage device may further hold preference information including at least one of the user's past acceptance rate for offers or aversion to the situation, and when there are multiple users to be notified of the offer, the arithmetic device may notify the users of the offer in descending order of the acceptance rate or aversion indicated by the preference information relative to other users.

This makes it possible to efficiently change the behavior of ticket users and more efficiently improve inappropriate situations such as excessive congestion and delays at each business within the user's area of activity. Ultimately, it becomes possible to more appropriately address the interests of each stakeholder that may be related to the ticketed object, depending on the situation of the ticketed object.

In addition, in the electronic ticket management system of this embodiment, the computing device may perform access management for the information stored in the table such that only the stakeholder who provided the information can access the information, and perform access management for the information on the identified incentive combination such that at least the stakeholder who is the target of the combination in the information can access the information.

This allows for flexible operation, such as securely managing incentive information for others, which could be considered sensitive information for each business, while disclosing incentive combination information (incentive transaction setting table) that should be shared between businesses to the relevant parties. This in turn makes it possible to more appropriately address the interests of each stakeholder that may be related to the ticketing subject, depending on the situation of the ticketing subject.

In addition, in the electronic ticket management system of this embodiment, the computing device may further execute the following processes depending on the result of the acceptance of the offer: updating the contents of the ticket of the user in the rights information to correspond to the contents of the behavioral change indicated by the offer; updating the situation by reflecting the contents of the behavioral change of the user in information about the situation; and determining whether the updated situation is within the range of tolerance of the stakeholder.

This allows the behavioral changes associated with the offers to improve inappropriate conditions such as congestion at each operator, and the results can be fed back to the current situation and reflected in the process leading to subsequent offer generation. This in turn makes it possible to more appropriately address the interests of each stakeholder that may be related to the ticketing target, depending on the status of the ticketing target.

102 Central processing unit (arithmetic unit)
103 Main memory device 104 Internal bus 104
105 Bus I/F
106 External bus 107 Screen output device I/F
108 User input device I/F
109 Mass storage device I/F
110 Communication device I/F
111 Input/Output Device I/F
150 Display 151 User input device 152 Mass storage device 153 Communication device 154 Input/output device 1000 User service system (electronic ticket management system)
1001 Dynamic ticket definition I/F
1002 Dynamic incentive setting table 1003 Congestion input I/F
1004 Congestion status table 1005 User adjustment I/F
1006 User right access I/F
1007 Right information 1008 User preference information 1009 Business cooperation I/F
1110 Dynamic ticket engine 1101 Incentive transaction setting table 1102 Dynamic ticket execution function 2000 Business operator system 2001 Dynamic ticket definition setting function 2002 Congestion input function 3000 Purchasing terminal 4000 Usage terminal 5000 User access terminal

Claims (5)

A storage device for holding rights information, which is information on issued tickets, and a table defining information on incentives that can be borne by each stakeholder related to the tickets in order to improve a specific situation;
a computing device that executes the following processes: comparing information about the situation obtained from the terminals of each of the stakeholders with the table, and identifying combinations in which the stakeholders provide each other with the incentives that will improve the situation of each of the stakeholders; notifying a terminal of a user of the ticket of an offer for a behavior change including information about the identified combination; and, when a change request is made from a terminal of any of the stakeholders regarding the table, obtaining consent and confirmation from the terminals of each of the stakeholders and executing the change ;
An electronic ticket management system comprising: The storage device includes:
Further retaining preference information including at least one of a past acceptance rate of offers and an aversion to the situation of the user;
The computing device includes:
When there are a plurality of users to be notified of the offer, the users are selected in descending order of the acceptance rate or the aversion indicated by the preference information relative to other users to be notified of the offer.
The electronic ticket management system according to claim 1 . The computing device includes:
Executing access management for the information stored in the table so that only the stakeholder who provided the information can access the information;
Executing access management for the information on the specified combination of incentives to enable at least stakeholders of the combination in the information to access the information;
The electronic ticket management system according to claim 1 . The computing device includes:
a process of updating the contents of the ticket of the user in the right information according to a result of the acceptance of the offer to a content corresponding to the behavior change indicated by the offer;
updating the situation by reflecting the content of the behavioral change of the user in information about the situation, and determining whether the updated situation is within an acceptable range for the stakeholder;
The further implementation of the
The electronic ticket management system according to claim 1 . An information processing device,
Rights information, which is information about the issued ticket;
A table defining information on incentives that can be paid to others to improve a given situation for each stakeholder related to the ticket;
A process of comparing the information on the situation obtained from the terminal of each of the stakeholders with the table, and identifying a combination of the incentives exchanged between the stakeholders that will improve the situation of each of the stakeholders;
a process of notifying a terminal of a user of the ticket of an offer for behavior change including information about the identified combination;
a process of, when a change request is made from any of the terminals of the stakeholders regarding the table, executing the change after obtaining consent and confirmation from the terminals of each stakeholder;
2. An electronic ticket management method comprising:

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