JP2002150178A - Rental system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rational rental system capable of flexibly renting unoccu pied conference room of offices or hotels or the Chamber of Commerce ands Industry to more users, and effectively using the conference rooms being idle properties. SOLUTION: Provider server 30 etc., report property information on properties for renting the offices, the conference rooms and the other properties as the idle properties for rent. A control server 10 discloses the property information informed by the provider servers 30 etc., and rental property information on the offices, the conference rooms and the other rental properties precontrolled by a rental dealer. User serves 20 etc., reserve a desired property among the properties and the rental properties to the control server 10 for rent by referring to the property information and the rental information disclosed by the control server 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a rental system for supporting a rental service business for renting an office or a conference room.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Hitherto, a rental office service for renting an office has been provided as a support for business execution of small and medium-sized enterprises and the like. This rental office service rents an office owned and managed by a person who operates the service business (hereinafter referred to as a “rental company”) to a user.

[0003] According to such a rental office service, even a corporation or an individual who does not have a dedicated office can perform business without spending a large initial investment by using the rented office as a base.

[0004] Also, a conference room rental service is provided, and there is a convenience that a conference room can be rented at predetermined times such as a rental building, a commercial and industrial hall, or a hotel every day or every hour.

[0005]

However, offices and hotel vacant conference rooms that can be rented by the conventional rental service are limited to those managed and owned by the rental company. I was not satisfied enough.

In particular, meetings, business talks, and the like are sometimes held urgently, but it has been difficult for rental companies to secure a meeting room for such urgent requests. In addition, since these offices and conference rooms were provided in a limited area, it was difficult to sufficiently satisfy the demands of users from the viewpoint of location conditions.

On the other hand, those who have a conference room in their own building, etc.
When a meeting is not held despite spending a large amount of initial investment, the meeting room is idle, and it is not always possible to use the meeting room effectively.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rational rental system that can flexibly rent an office or a conference room to a larger number of users, while effectively using a conference room that is an idle asset. .

[0009]

The present invention has the following features in order to achieve the above object. In the following description of the means, a configuration corresponding to the embodiment will be exemplified by parentheses as an example. Reference numerals and the like are reference numerals in the drawings described later.

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 1, a rental property managed in advance by a rental company to provide a rental service and a property owned by a person other than the rental company and provided for rental are provided. A publishing server to publish (for example, the management server 10 shown in FIG. 1), and a reservation server for reserving a rental of a desired property from the rental properties and the rental request properties published by the publishing server to the publishing server. (For example, the provider server 30 shown in FIG. 1).

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the public server includes a rental property that is managed in advance by the rental company to perform the rental service, and a rental property owned by a person other than the rental company. Disclose the requested property. The rental request property here includes real estate such as empty conference rooms and offices in hotels and commercial and industrial halls as so-called idle assets, in addition to movable property.
Further, the reservation server reserves a rental of a desired property from the rental properties and the rental request properties disclosed by the public server to the public server.

[0012] Accordingly, the rental company is not limited to rental articles managed in advance to provide a rental service,
A rental request property as an idle asset can also be rented. As a result, more rentals can be rented than the conventional rental service that only rents rental rentals, so rental companies can secure meeting rooms even for urgent requests of users. In addition to being easy, the requirements of the user can be sufficiently satisfied from the viewpoint of the location conditions and available time zone, and the property such as the office and the conference room can be flexibly rented to more users. On the other hand, even those who own idle assets such as conference rooms and offices can effectively use rental requested properties including those idle assets by providing them for rental, so both rental operators and those who own idle assets can use it. Can bring benefits.

[0013] The invention according to claim 2 is a notification server (for example, FIG. 1) for notifying property information on an office, a conference room, and other properties owned by a person other than a rental company that provides rental services. A public server (for example, FIG. 1) that publishes the property information notified by the notification server and the rental property information regarding the office, the conference room, and other rental properties managed by the rental company in advance. And the management server 10) described above, and reserves a rental of a desired property out of the property and the rental property with reference to the property information and the rental property information disclosed by the public server to the public server. (For example, user servers 20 shown in FIG. 1).

[0014] In the invention according to claim 2, the notification server notifies the property information on the property, such as an office, a conference room, or other property owned by a person other than the rental company that performs the rental service. The publishing server publishes the property information notified by the notification server and rental property information regarding offices, conference rooms, and other rental properties managed by the rental company in advance. The reservation server refers to the property information and the rental property information published by the public server to the public server and reserves a rental of a desired property among the properties and the rental properties.

As described above, by employing the notification server,
While the owner of an empty meeting room, office, or other property of a hotel as an idle asset has the convenience of making the idle asset available for timely rental as needed,
Many idle assets can be recruited reliably and easily. Thus, the rental company can rent not only rental properties managed in advance but also conference rooms, offices, and other properties as idle assets via the public server, thereby expanding business opportunities.

[0016] Therefore, since a larger number of properties can be rented than a conventional rental service in which only rental properties managed and held in advance by a rental company can be rented, a meeting room can be provided even in the event of an urgent request of a user. In addition to being easy to secure, the requirements of the user can be sufficiently satisfied from the viewpoint of the location conditions and the rentable time zone, and the office and the conference room can be flexibly rented to more users. On the other hand, even those who have idle assets such as conference rooms and offices can effectively use these idle assets by renting them, which can bring benefits to both rental operators and those who own idle assets. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the rental system according to the second aspect, the reservation server includes a search condition input unit (for example, an input unit shown in FIG. 4) for inputting search conditions for specifying a desired property. Unit 22), wherein the public server refers to the property information and the rental property information to search for a property that satisfies the search condition input by the search condition input means (for example, FIG. 2).
And a search result notifying unit (for example, FIG. 2) for notifying the reservation server of a search result of the searching unit.
And a CPU 11) shown in FIG.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, if the user inputs a search condition for specifying a desired property via the search condition input means in the reservation server, the search means in the public server The property that satisfies the search condition is searched by referring to the property information and the rental property information, and the search result notifying means notifies the search result of the search means to the reservation server. The user can quickly and easily access a desired property without any complicated work. Also, by providing such convenience, the rental company can expect many effects of attracting customers.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the rental system according to the third aspect, the public server is a database for centrally managing a plurality of the property information and a plurality of the rental property information. Meeting room DB shown
161 or office DB 162), and the database stores attribute items for storing the location, area, facilities, and other attributes of the property and the rental property, and the property for each of the property and the rental property. Identification information indicating whether or not the rental is being performed, and the search means searches the database for a property that satisfies the search condition.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the search means searches for a property that satisfies the search condition by referring to the database stored in the public server. Can quickly search and notify the desired property. Further, since the database stored by the public server includes attribute items for storing the location, size, facilities, and other attributes of the property and the rental property, the user can input the desired property via the search condition input means. You can search for a desired property based on various search conditions such as location, size, facilities, etc. Further, there is also the convenience that the mutual relationship between the plurality of search conditions can be specified as a logical sum (AND) or a logical product (OR). This allows the user to
You can rent the most suitable property for the task you perform.

Further, the database includes not only attribute items but also identification items for storing identification information indicating whether or not the property is rented for each property and rental property. In managing rental services, property management can be performed reliably and easily.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the rental system according to the fourth aspect, when the property information is notified from the notification server, the public server transmits at least a part of the notified property information. When the rental of the desired property is stored in the attribute item and the rental of the desired property is reserved from the reservation server, the identification information indicating that the rental reserved property is being rented is stored in the identification item. Means (for example, CP shown in FIG. 2)
U11).

According to the invention described in claim 5, when the property information is notified from the notification server, the database updating means stores at least a part of the notified property information in the attribute item, and transmits the property information from the reservation server. When the rental of the property to be rented is reserved, the identification information indicating that the rented property is being rented is stored in the identification item, so that the database in the storage means is substantially automatically updated. Thus, the rental company can more reliably and easily manage the property when operating the rental service.

Also, by automatically updating the database in this way, a so-called time lag required from notification of an idle asset by the notification server to disclosure of the notified idle asset by the public server can be reduced. The user can always know the latest information on the property when making a rental reservation.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the rental system according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the public server is configured to make a rental reservation for the rental property by the reservation server. Means for paying a rental fee of the property provided for the rental to the reservation server having made the rental reservation, and paying a part of the charged rental fee to the notification server (for example, the CPU 11 shown in FIG. 2). Is further provided.

According to the invention described in claim 6, when the rental means makes a rental reservation for the rental property, the rental fee for the rental property is supplied to the rental reservation server. And pays a part of the charged rental fee to the notification server.
While being able to receive the consideration, the rental company can receive as a margin the difference between the rental fee charged to the reservation server and the amount paid to the notification server,
It can benefit both parties. In addition, by automatically performing the payment for the rental service in this way,
The rental company can easily operate the rental service.

[0027]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a rental system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

First, the configuration will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a rental system according to an embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the rental system 1 includes a management server 10, a plurality of user servers 20, and a plurality of provider servers 30. Each of these components is connected via a communication network N,
Mutually accessible.

The management server 10 is provided by the rental company, and accepts an application for rental reservation of an office or a conference room from the user servers 20..., While renting an office or conference room as an idle asset from the provider servers 30. We accept registration to offer to. The management server 10 also performs centralized management of properties that can be rented by the management server 10.

The user servers 20 are operated by a person who intends to rent an office or a conference room (hereinafter, referred to as a "user"). Apply for. Specifically, the user can access the management server 10 via the user server 20 and search for a desired property in a rentable office or conference room. As a result of the search, When a desired property is found, the rental reservation of the property is registered in the management server 10 via the user server 20.

The provider server 30 is operated by a person (hereinafter, referred to as a "provider") who intends to use a conference room, office, or the like as an idle asset by a third party (user). Attributes such as a time zone and a date and time when the idle asset can be used are registered in the management server 10.

The communication network N is constituted by wired or wireless communication means such as the Internet or a personal computer communication network, and is capable of communicating ordinary telephone lines and digital data.
Digital network) is a communication network having a plurality of public lines such as lines and a plurality of independently configured dedicated lines. still,
In FIG. 1, the communication network N is illustrated as a wire, but some or all of them may be wireless lines such as infrared rays.

It should be noted that the office or the conference room referred to here is not limited to one existing in Japan, but also includes one existing overseas. In addition, the user server 20 and the provider server 30.
Can be installed not only in Japan but also overseas. Accordingly, the management server 10 can receive an application for rental reservation of an office or a conference room from overseas, and can also receive a registration to provide an office or conference room for rental from overseas.

Next, the internal configuration of the management server 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a main configuration of the management server 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the management server 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit).
11, input unit 12, RAM (Random Access Memory) 1
3. The transmission control unit 14, the display unit 15, and the storage unit 16 constitute the main part. These components are connected by a bus 17 and exchange data and control signals with each other.

The CPU 11 controls the other components of the management server 10 in a unified manner and executes various processes. When executing various processes, the CPU 11
6 to read a system program (not shown) stored in a work memory 13a of a RAM 13 described later.
Then, various processes are sequentially executed according to the developed program, and the processing results are stored in a predetermined storage destination of the storage unit 16. In this way, the function as the management server 10 is realized.

Specifically, the CPU 11 executes a charging process, a notification process, a payment process, and an update process according to the system program.

The charging process is performed periodically or timely, and a predetermined rental fee is charged to a user server 20 provided for a user who uses an empty conference room such as an office or a hotel or a commercial and industrial hall. Processing. This billing is performed by electronic payment. Specifically, when the rental is performed for a relatively long period of time, such as in an office, the direct debit is performed.

On the other hand, when a rental is performed for a relatively short period of time, such as in a conference room, when applying for a rental reservation from the user server 20, the CPU 11 uses a password corresponding to a prepaid card, a credit card, or the like. A menu for inputting a number is displayed on a display unit 25 of the user server 20 described later, and the user waits for a password to be input. In this case, the user inputs the personal identification number, whereby the rental company is paid.

In any case, when billing is performed, the CPU 11 accesses the storage unit 16 and updates the contents of billing data 164 described later.

The notification process is performed when the rental of the office or the conference room is registered by the user server 20... To the provider who provided the registered office or the conference room.
This is a process for accessing the provider server 30 provided by the provider to notify that the rental is about to be made, and for inquiring whether the registered office or conference room is actually available.

In the payment processing, when the rental of the office or the conference room provided by the provider is registered by the user server 20, a predetermined provision fee based on an agreement between the rental company and the provider is set in advance. This is processing for paying to the provider server 30 provided by the provider by electronic payment. When a payment is made, the CPU 11 accesses the storage unit 16 and updates the contents of payment data 165 described later.

The updating process is performed every time registration of rental of an office or conference room from the user server 20... Or registration of providing an office or conference room for rental from the provider server 30. Meeting room DB161
Alternatively, it is processing for updating the contents of the office DB 162.
Details of the various processes will be described later.

The input unit 12 includes a keyboard having kana or alphanumeric input keys, cursor keys, various function keys, and the like, and a mouse, light pen, joystick, touch screen, and other pointing devices. The input unit 12 outputs an input signal corresponding to a keyboard pressing operation or a mouse clicking operation to the CPU 1.
Output to 1.

The RAM 13 is a work memory serving as a temporary storage area for a system program (not shown) read from the storage unit 16 and data and parameters related to the system program in the various processes executed by the CPU 11. 13a.

The transmission control unit 14 has a modem (MODEM:
MOdulator / DEModulator), terminal adapter (Termi
nal Adapter) or a router or the like (not shown). The transmission control unit 14 includes a telephone line, an ISDN
It controls communication with external devices such as the user server 20 and the provider server 30 connected to the communication network N via a communication line such as a line or a dedicated line.

Here, a modem (not shown) converts digital data generated by various processes of the CPU 11 into an analog signal in the frequency band of the telephone line in order to communicate with an external device via the telephone line. While demodulating an analog signal input via a telephone line into a digital signal.

Also, a terminal adapter (not shown)
Is a device that converts a communication speed and a communication protocol when using an ISDN line. In addition, a router (not shown) is configured such that the user server 20... Or the provider server 30.
rk) is a relay device that connects the LAN and the LAN including the management server 10 when the LAN is constructed.

The display unit 15 is a CRT (Cathode Ray Tub).
e) and liquid crystal display (LCD)
And the like, and performs screen display of various display data in accordance with an instruction of a display signal input from the CPU 11.

The input unit 12, the transmission control unit 14, and the display unit 15 are not necessarily the management server 1
It is not necessary to prepare for 0 only. These may be configured to be shared with other various servers (not shown) provided by a communication carrier such as a provider.

The storage section 16 has a storage medium 16a. The storage medium 16a is formed of a magnetic or optical recording medium or a nonvolatile memory such as a semiconductor, and may be fixedly provided in the storage unit 16 or may be detachably mounted. Good.

The storage medium 16a is connected to the communication network N and a system program and other various processing programs required for the CPU 11 to control each component constituting the management server 10 and execute predetermined processing. A data transmission processing program necessary for controlling communication with external devices such as the program user server 20 and the provider server 30 and data and files generated by processing according to the processing programs are stored.
These various processing programs, data transmission processing programs, and the like are stored in the storage medium 16a in the form of readable program codes, and the CPU 11 sequentially executes operations according to the program codes.

A part or all of the various processing programs and data stored in the storage medium 16a are received from an external device (not shown) such as a server or a client via the transmission control unit 14, and are stored in the storage medium 16a. 16a may be stored. Further, the storage medium 16a may be a storage medium of a server (not shown) different from the management server 10 constructed on the communication network N. Further, the various processing programs may be transmitted to other servers and clients (not shown) via a transmission medium such as the communication network N and installed in those devices.

The storage unit 16 stores the management information 160, the conference room D
B (Data Base) 161, Office DB (Data Base) 1
62, user history 163, billing data 164, and payment data 165. Further, although not shown, the storage unit 16 also stores an HTML file for describing a homepage published by the rental agent, and data such as still images, moving images, and audio linked to the HTML file.

The management information 160 is information for managing the work performed by the rental agent, and includes a master file 160a and a transaction file 160b as shown in FIG.

The master file 160a is a basic file used as a so-called ledger. The master file 160a is divided into table names such as "meeting room DB master", "office DB master", "customer master", and so on. In addition, each table name has a table I
D is attached, and the CPU 11 identifies each table name by its table ID.

On the other hand, the transaction file 160b
Is an input file for the master file 160a, and is a file including temporary data newly generated in accordance with the performance of the business of the rental agent. This transaction file 160b includes “meeting room data”,
It is divided into table names such as "office data", "customer table", and so on. A table ID is given to each table name, and the CPU 11 identifies each table name by the table ID.

The master file 160a and the transaction file 160b are associated with each other.
0b. That is, the master file 160a and the transaction file 160b stored in the same row in FIG. 3 are associated with each other, and, for example, the “domain management master” is updated based on the “domain data”.

The conference room DB 161 is information on a conference room managed and held by a rental company and a conference room provided for rental by the provider servers 30. More specifically, the conference room DB 161 stores “company name”, “contact information”, “person in charge”, “head office address”, “representative director name”, “capital”, "Bank",
Includes detailed information such as "business description", "user name", etc.

The conference room DB 161 stores the “location”, “size”, “available time zone”, “number of users”, “use equipment”, “use fee”, “rental status” of the conference room. .., Etc., the information that the user should refer to when renting a conference room. Here, in the item of “rental status”, information for identifying whether or not the conference room is being rented is stored by the CPU 11 at the time of update processing. Further, the conference room DB 161 also includes information on the facilities of the conference room, such as “presentation projector”, “Internet”, and the like.

Here, the conference room that can be rented by the rental company is not limited to the domestic one, but also includes one located overseas. Therefore, when the conference room to be rented is located abroad, the information on the overseas location is stored in the “use place”.

The office DB 162 is information on offices managed and held by rental companies and offices registered for use by the provider servers 30. More specifically, the office DB 162 stores the “company name”, “contact information”, “person in charge”, “head office address”, “representative director name”, “capital”, “transaction” of the person who owns the office. Includes detailed information such as "bank", "business description", "user name" ...

The office DB 162 stores the “use place”, “size”, “use time”, “use number”, “use of equipment”, “use fee”, “rental status” of the office.
This includes information that the user should refer to when renting an office, such as. Here, in the item of “rental status”, information for identifying whether or not the office is being rented is stored by the CPU 11 at the time of update processing. Further, the office DB 162 also includes information on office facilities such as "presentation projector", "Internet", and so on.

The conference room DB 161 and the office D
B162 are both linked to an HTML file (not shown), and the user or the provider can use the user server 20 ...
Or the provider server 30... On the other terminal devices through the homepage of the rental agent side, the conference room DB
161 and the office DB 162 can be inspected freely.

The user history 163 includes information on the history of users who have used the office or conference room rented by the rental company in the past. The billing data 164 includes information on the rental fee charged from the management server 10 to the user servers 20. Payment data 165
Includes information on the provision fee paid from the management server 10 to the provider servers 30.

An HTML file (not shown) is an HTML file.
Includes programs written in L (HyperText Markup Language) language. The program includes data (not shown) such as a document, a still image, a moving image, and a sound to be presented on a rental agent's homepage, a conference room DB 161 and an office
B162 and the conference room DB 161 and the office DB 162 in the update process performed by the CPU 11.
Every time is updated, the contents of the homepage are also updated.

Next, referring to FIG.
Will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the user servers 20. As shown in FIG. 4, the user server 20 includes a CPU 21, an input unit 22, a RAM 23 having a work memory 23a, a transmission control unit 24 connected to the communication network N, a display unit 25, and a storage unit having a storage medium 26a. 26 constitutes the main part.

These components are connected by a bus 27 and exchange data and control signals with each other. Since the configuration of the user servers 20 is substantially the same as the configuration of the management server 10 shown in FIG. 2, detailed description of each component will be omitted.

In particular, the CPU 21 executes an application process. This application process is a process for designating an office or a conference room where the user desires a rental reservation to the management server 10. Specifically, when the user selects a desired office or conference room on the rental company's homepage by a click operation via a mouse provided in the input unit 22, the CPU 21 selects the selected office or conference room through the communication network. Is specified to the management server 10 via the Internet.

The storage unit 26 stores a WWW (World Wide)
Web) browser 261 is stored. The WWW browser 261 is software for displaying, on the display unit 25, a homepage published by a rental company based on an HTML file (not shown) stored in the storage unit 16 of the management server 10.

Next, referring to FIG.
Will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of the provider servers 30. As shown in FIG. 5, the provider server 30 includes a CPU 31, an input unit 32, a RAM 33 having a work memory 33a, a transmission control unit 34 connected to the communication network N, a display unit 35, and a storage unit having a storage medium 36a. 36 constitutes the main part.

These components are connected by a bus 37 and exchange data and control signals with each other. Note that the configuration of the provider server 30 and the configuration of the management server 10 shown in FIG. 2 are substantially the same, and a detailed description of each component will be omitted.

In particular, the CPU 31 executes a registration process. This registration processing is processing for registering in the management server 10 that an office or a conference room as an idle property owned by the provider is to be opened to a third party (user) for a fee. Specifically, at the time of this registration processing, the CPU 31
The attribute information relating to the location of the office or conference room to be opened, the contact information, the size, the number of people that can be accommodated, the available time zone, the desired usage fee, etc. is registered in the management server 10.

Further, the storage unit 36 stores a WWW browser 361 necessary for browsing the rental company's homepage.

The operation of the rental system 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

First, with reference to FIG. 6, the operation of the rental system 1 when the provider registers a conference room as an idle asset in the management server 10 will be described. First, the provider accesses the rental company homepage on the provider server 30 (step S601). At this time, the display unit 35 of the provider server 30 displays a front page 90 as shown in FIG.
Is displayed.

The front page 90 includes a “search for meeting room” 91, a “search for office” 92, and a “search for office” based on the contents of an HTML file (not shown) stored in the storage unit 16 of the management server 10. A plurality of menus are displayed, such as "To the IT service" 93, "Inquiry regarding independent business opening" 94 ...

These menus are hyperlinked to other predetermined pages, and when this menu is clicked with the mouse, the front page 90 changes to a predetermined page corresponding to the clicked menu. Has become.

Here, the provider sets “to search for a conference room” 91.
If a click operation is performed, the front page 90 transits to a conference room / reservation registration page 100 as shown in FIG. The conference room / reservation registration page 100 includes “lender registration” 101, “conference room search” 102, “use application”
103, "payment" 104, "inquiry" 105 ...
Etc. are displayed.

These menus are also hyperlinked to other predetermined pages. By clicking this menu with a mouse, the conference room / reservation registration page 100 is displayed in a predetermined form corresponding to the clicked menu. It changes to a page.

Here, if the provider clicks on “Lender registration” 101, the conference room / reservation registration page 10
0 transitions to a page (not shown) for registering a conference room as an idle asset. The page not shown is
The name of the conference room, the location, the size, the equipment, the usage fee, the usage time zone, the person in charge, etc., can input data corresponding to other basic information. , Data corresponding to each piece of basic information is input (step S602).

On the other hand, in the management server 10, step S
Upon detecting the input of the data in 602, the CPU 11
Update processing is performed, and the storage unit 1
6 is updated (step S6).
03). Thus, the conference room as an idle asset is registered in the management server 10. In the above, the use registration when the conference room is provided for rental has been described. However, the use registration of the office is similarly performed.

Next, the operation of the rental system 1 for renting a conference room will be described with reference to FIG. First, the user accesses the rental company homepage on the user server 20 (step S701). As a result, a front page 90 as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display unit 25 of the user server 20.

Here, the user selects “to search for a conference room” 91.
Is clicked on the menu of the input unit 22 with the mouse of the input unit 22, the front page 90 is displayed in the conference room as shown in FIG.
It changes to the reservation registration page 100. On this conference room / reservation registration page 100, when the user further designates “meeting room search” 102 by clicking, the conference room / reservation registration page 1
00 transitions to a page (not shown) for searching for a conference room that can be rented.

The page not shown is in the conference room DB 16
1 is hyperlinked, and a desired conference room can be searched by inputting search conditions. As search conditions, attributes such as the location, size, equipment, fee, use time, etc. of the conference room can be input. In addition, the plurality of search conditions can specify a mutual relationship as a logical sum (OR), a logical product (AND), or a combination thereof.

Here, when the user inputs a search condition for specifying a desired conference room using the keyboard of the input unit 22 (step S702), the input search condition becomes C
The management server 1 via the transmission control unit 24 by the PU 21
Sent to 0.

The CPU 11 that has detected the input of the search condition in the management server 10 searches the conference room DB 161 and extracts the information of the conference room that matches the input search condition.
Then, the extracted information of the conference room is transmitted to the user server 20. As a result, a search result (not shown) searched by the CPU 11 is displayed on the display unit 25 of the user server 20 (step S703).

If the search result includes information on a plurality of conference rooms, the user can select desired information from the plurality of conference rooms by a click operation (step S704). When the user selects the desired conference room,
A selection menu for selecting whether or not to browse the detailed information of the usage history of the selected conference room is displayed on the display unit 25 (step S705).

If the user selects to view the detailed information of the use history of the conference room (step S705; YE)
S), the detailed data of the usage history is displayed on the display unit 25 (step S706). On the other hand, when it is selected not to inspect the detailed information of the use history of the conference room (step S70)
5; NO) or after displaying the detailed data of the usage history on the display unit 25, a menu for selecting whether to rent the conference room is displayed on the display unit 25 (step S7).
07).

If the user selects not to rent the conference room (step S707; NO), the process returns to step S702 again and inputs a search condition different from the last time. On the other hand, when the user selects to rent the conference room (step S707; YES), the CPU 11
Transmits the billing statement data corresponding to the conference room to the user server 20. The bill statement data is data relating to the contents of the rental contract and the rental fee, and is stored in the management information 160 of the storage unit 16 in advance.

Next, the CPU 11 causes the display unit 25 to display a password input menu for inputting a password such as a prepaid card or a credit card. If the password is not entered within a certain time, the CPU 1
1 regards that the rental fee has not been received (step S709; NO), and transmits reminder data to the user server 20 to urge the user to input a password (step S710). This reminder data is also included in the management information 160 in advance.

On the other hand, when a password is entered,
The CPU 11 determines that the rental fee has been paid (step S709; YES). And the CPU 11
A part of the deposited rental fee is paid to the provider of the rented conference room. Thus, the rental company receives as a margin the difference between the rental fee received from the user and the amount paid to the provider.

Next, the operation of the rental system 1 for renting an office will be described with reference to FIG.
First, the user accesses the rental company homepage on the user server 20 (step S801). As a result, a front page 90 as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed on the display unit 25 of the user server 20.

[0093] Here, the user enters "To search for office" 9
When the menu 2 is clicked with the mouse of the input unit 22, the front page 90 transits to a share office page 110 as shown in FIG. In the share office page 110, when the “vacancy information” 111 is further specified by a click operation, a page (not shown) for searching for a rentable office is displayed on the share office page 1
10 is displayed as an individual page.

The page not shown is in the office DB 1
A hyperlink to 62 allows a desired office to be searched by inputting search conditions. Search criteria include office location, size, equipment,
Attributes such as fee, usage time, etc. can be input. Further, these plurality of search conditions are a logical OR (O
R) or logical product (AND) or a combination thereof.

When the user inputs search conditions for specifying a desired office using the keyboard of the input unit 22 (step S802), the input search conditions are transmitted by the CPU 21 via the transmission control unit 24. And transmitted to the management server 10.

The CPU 11 having detected the input of the search condition in the management server 10 searches the office DB 162,
The office information that matches the input search condition is extracted. Then, the extracted office information is stored in the user server 2.
Send to 0. As a result, a search result (not shown) searched by the CPU 11 is displayed on the page (not shown) (step S803).

If the search result includes information on a plurality of offices, the user can select desired information from the plurality of offices by a click operation (step S804). Here, the user can select whether or not to apply for rental of the selected office (step S).
805).

If the user does not apply for rental of the selected office (step S805; NO), the process returns to step S802 again to input search conditions different from those of the previous time. On the other hand, when applying for an office rental (step S805; YES), a “rental application” 112 on the share office page 110 is designated by a click operation.

CPU that detects the designation of the click operation
Reference numeral 11 denotes data relating to usage rules, usage rules, usage application forms, usage rule agreements, etc. of the office to which the user has applied for rental is extracted from the management information 160 and the extracted data is displayed on the display unit of the user server 20 25 is displayed.

Here, the user uses the keyboard of the input unit 22 to make necessary inputs relating to the use application form and the use rule agreement. Next, the user can select whether or not to apply for an IT service as an option to the office to which the rental has been applied (step S806).

When an IT service is applied as an option (step S806; YES), the user designates “IT service” 113 on share office page 110 by clicking. Then, an IT service page 120 as shown in FIG.

This IT service page 120 includes “network system design” 121, “security” 1
22, "software development" 123, "ASP (application service provider)" 124, "line" 1
A plurality of menus such as 25 are displayed.

Clicking on “network system design” 121 causes a page for designating whether or not to set each of a plurality of information technology (IT) related facilities relating to the network system design as an option. Is further displayed on the display unit 25. Here, as the IT-related equipment, rental of a server such as a web server or a mail server, LAN (Local Area)
Network) etc., setting of domain, setting of domain, setting of e-mail address, mobile service, etc.

[0104] Clicking on "security" 122 allows the user to select whether or not to apply for a firewall or other security service on the network, to set up equipment related to office security or to request security from a security company ... Page is further displayed on the display unit 25.

When the “software development” 123 is clicked, a page for selecting whether or not to request the development of software that supports the user's task is further displayed on the display unit 25.

"ASP (Application Service
By clicking on "provider" 124, a page for selecting whether or not to receive an outsourcing service that provides inexpensive application software functions via the Internet is further displayed on the display unit 25.

When the “line” 125 is clicked, a page for selecting whether to set a telephone line, a telephone number, and the like is further displayed on the display unit 25. Like this
Various services are listed on the IT service page 120, and the user designates the addition of a desired one of these services by a click operation (step S807).

If there is any unclear point, "Inquiry" 1
By clicking on the button 14, it is possible to input a matter to be asked to the rental company. The entered questionnaire is transmitted to the management server 10 by e-mail.

On the other hand, if the IT service is not received (step S806; NO), or after a desired IT-related facility is specified, data relating to the use application form and the use rule agreement are transmitted to the management server 10. And the management server 1
At 0, it is determined whether or not the office to which the user has applied should be rented (step S808).

[0110] This examination may be made directly by the rental company, but it is preferable that a judgment criterion is set in advance and that the CPU 11 automatically performs the examination.

[0111] The user can go to the office where the application has been made and actually tour it before the result of the examination is notified (step S809). However, if the examination has failed (step S810; NO), the process returns to step S802, and a search condition different from the previous search condition is input. On the other hand, if the examination has passed (step S8
10; YES), that effect is transmitted from the management server 10 to the user server 20, and an office rental contract is established.

Note that the rental company also provides a dispatch service for personnel who specializes in reception work, secretarial work, and the like, and a user can request such personnel when renting a conference room or office. . To make a request for human resources, the user server 20... Accesses the front page 90 shown in FIG.

Then, front page 90 transitions to a page (not shown) for requesting human resources. On the page (not shown), a list of tasks specialized in each of the plurality of human resources, such as tax affairs, legal affairs, secretary, receptionist, moderator, etc., is displayed. Here, the information displayed in a list is preset in the master file 160a of the management information 160, and is managed by the CPU 11. The user can request a human resource that specializes in the clicked task by clicking on the desired task on the page (not shown).

The rental company also rents equipment such as desks, chairs, faxes, etc., in addition to the conference room or office rental business. For a list of those supplies,
It is displayed on a page not shown. Information on the equipment is set in advance in the master file 160a of the management information 160, and is managed by the CPU 11.
The user can reserve the rental of the specified equipment by specifying the desired equipment by clicking on the page (not shown).

As described above, according to the rental system 1 in the present embodiment, the provider can rent idle assets such as offices and conference rooms via the provider servers 30. Rental companies can recruit many idle assets reliably and easily.

As a result, the rental company can rent more conference rooms and offices as compared with the conventional rental service, so that the conference room or office can be secured even in the case of an urgent request of the user. Is easy,
The requirements of the user can be sufficiently satisfied from the viewpoint of the location condition and available time zone, and the office or the conference room can be flexibly rented to more users. In particular, since offices and conference rooms existing overseas can be provided for rental, there is a high degree of freedom in the location conditions of offices and conference rooms that can be rented by rental companies. On the other hand, even those who have idle assets such as conference rooms and offices can effectively use these idle assets by renting them, which can bring benefits to both rental operators and those who own idle assets. . In addition, the hotel also rents empty meeting rooms, so that hotel owners can use the meeting rooms more effectively, while those who rent hotel empty meeting rooms will have a meeting after completing the meeting. Other facilities in the hotel are available. Specifically, the user can have a meal or a break after the meeting, or stay overnight, which is very convenient.

The input unit 2 in the user server 20
If search conditions such as the location, size, facilities, etc. of the conference room are input through the management server 10, the CPU 11
Searches for a meeting room or office that satisfies the search condition with reference to the meeting room DB 161 and the office DB 162,
Since the search result is notified to the user server 20, the user does not need to perform a complicated operation for searching for a desired property.
You can rent a desired property quickly and easily. In addition, by providing such convenience, the rental company can expect many effects of attracting customers.

Further, a conference room DB 161 and an office DB
162 is updated by the CPU 11 every time a rental reservation is registered from the user server 20 or an idle asset is registered from the provider server 30, so that the user can always obtain the latest information. In addition, since the CPU 11 manages all information relating to the rental business, such as offices, conference rooms, equipment, human resources, etc., the rental company can easily operate the rental service. In addition, the user can easily reserve necessary facilities and human resources along with the room to be rented, so that when opening an office temporarily, the time, labor and cost can be minimized. it can.

Further, since so-called electronic payment, in which the billing process and the payment process are automatically performed by the CPU 11 via the Internet, is employed, the settlement procedure relating to the rental contract is performed between the rental company, the user, and the provider. Can be automated.

Note that the description in the present embodiment is merely a preferred example of a rental system to which the present invention is applied, and the present invention is not limited to this.

For example, the rental fee for a conference room or office may be set flexibly according to the needs of the conference room or office. In this case, the CPU 11 may be caused to count the number of rentals in the conference room or office, and a rental fee corresponding to the counted number may be presented on the homepage.

The user server 20 or the provider server 30 is not limited to a fixedly installed one, but may be a portable information terminal such as a mobile phone or PHS or a PDA (Personal Dig).
It may be realized by what is called a mobile computer such as an italassistant). By doing so, even in an emergency or when moving, rental reservation or use registration of an office or a conference room can be quickly performed.

Further, the rental company may adopt a membership system. In this case, it is preferable that a password is assigned to each member (user), and that the password is input when inspecting the homepage or making a rental reservation. In this way, the rental company can enjoy the economic effect of securing fixed customers.

[0124] Also, the homepage of the rental company is
It is preferable to post image data of an office or a conference room that can be rented. In this way, it is possible to reduce the labor required for the user to actually go to the office or the conference room to be rented and to visit. In particular, this is convenient when the office or conference room to be rented exists overseas.

The office system and the meeting room are exemplified as the objects that can be rented by the rental system 1. However, the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is an idle asset. There may be.
Furthermore, what can be rented is not limited to real estate, but also includes personal property. By handling a wide range of properties in this way, there is an economic effect that the business scope of the rental agency is expanded and various idle assets can be effectively used.

The management information 16 stored in the storage unit 16
0, items and attributes included in the conference room DB 161, the office DB 162, the user history 163, the billing data 164, and the payment data 165 are not particularly limited to those described above.
It can be changed as appropriate according to the type of service provided by the rental company. Furthermore, the file names and table IDs of various files included in the management information 160 shown in FIG. 3 are merely examples for explanation, and these can be arbitrarily changed. In addition, it goes without saying that the detailed configuration and operation of the rental system 1 can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0127]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a rational rental system can flexibly rent an office or a conference room to a larger number of users while effectively using a conference room that is an idle asset. Can be provided.

According to the second aspect of the invention, many idle assets can be recruited reliably and easily, and offices and conference rooms can be flexibly rented to more users. It is possible to provide a more rational rental system that can effectively use a certain conference room.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the user:
A desired property can be rented quickly and easily without the need for complicated work of searching for the desired property. In addition, by providing such convenience, the rental company can expect many effects of attracting customers.

According to the invention described in claim 4, the search efficiency of the search means is improved, and not only can the user quickly notify the desired property, but also various search conditions such as location, area, facilities, etc. Since a desired property can be searched, the user can rent an optimum property suitable for the task to be performed. On the other hand, the rental company can reliably and easily manage the property when operating the rental service.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the so-called time lag required from the notification of the idle asset by the notification server to the release of the notified idle asset by the public server can be reduced. You can get information about the latest properties.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, a person who rents a property which is an idle property can receive the price of the property, and the rental company can calculate the difference between the rental fee and the amount paid to the notification server. Can be received as a margin, and an economic effect for both parties can be expected. Also, the rental company can easily operate the rental service.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a rental system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a management server 10 shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a specific example of management information 160 shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a main part configuration of a user server 20 shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a main configuration of a provider server 30 shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the rental system 1 for registration of use of a conference room.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the rental system 1 for renting a conference room.

FIG. 8 is a rental system 1 relating to office rental.
6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a home page published by the management server 10.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a home page published by the management server 10.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing still another example of a home page published by the management server 10.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing still another example of a home page published by the management server 10.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 rental system 10 management server 11, 21, 31 CPU 12, 22, 32 input unit 13, 13, 33 RAM 13a, 23a, 33a work memory 14, 24, 34 transmission control unit 15, 25, 35 display unit 16, 26 , 36 Storage unit 16a, 26a, 36a Storage medium 17, 27, 37 Bus 20 User server 30 Provider server 160 Management information 160a Master file 160b Transaction file 161 Conference room DB 162 Office DB 163 User history 164 Billing data 165 Payment Data 261,361 WWW browser

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claims: 1. A publishing server for publishing a rental property managed in advance by a rental company to provide a rental service, and a property owned by a person other than the rental company and provided for rental. A rental server for reserving a rental of a desired property out of the rental property and the rental request property published by the public server to the public server. 2. A notification server for notifying property information on an office, a conference room, or other property owned by a person other than a rental company that provides a rental service, and the property notified by the notification server. A public server that publishes information and rental property information relating to offices, conference rooms and other rental properties that are managed in advance by a rental company; and to the public server, refer to the property information and the rental property information disclosed by the public server. And a reservation server for reserving a rental of a desired property out of the property and the rental property. 3. The reservation server further includes search condition input means for inputting search conditions for specifying a desired property, and the public server refers to the property information and the rental property information to perform the search. 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising: a search unit configured to search for a property satisfying the search condition input by the condition input unit; and a search result notification unit configured to notify a search result of the search unit to the reservation server. 4. Rental system. 4. The public server stores a database for centrally managing a plurality of the property information and a plurality of the rental property information, and the database includes a location, an area, facilities, and the like of the property and the rental property. And an identification item for storing identification information indicating whether or not the property is being rented for each of the property and the rental property. And searching for a property that satisfies the search condition by referring to the database.
The rental system described. 5. The public server, when the property information is notified from the notification server,
At least a part of the notified property information is stored in the attribute item, and when the rental of the desired property is reserved from the reservation server, the rental property indicates that the reserved property is being rented. The rental system according to claim 4, further comprising a database updating unit that stores identification information in the identification item. 6. The publishing server, when a rental reservation is made by the reservation server for the property provided for the rental, a rental fee for the property provided for the rental to the reservation server for the rental reservation. The rental system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising a settlement unit for paying a fee and paying a part of the charged rental fee to the notification server.