KR20000049935A - Reservations service providing method and system via a communications network and a medium for recording that method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A reservation service providing method using a communication network and a recording medium for storing the method are provided for enhancing a satisfaction of a customer and widening a business range using a communication network at the side of a provider. CONSTITUTION: When a customer is connected with a server computer(110)(S210), a processor(111) of the server computer(110) checks whether the customer is a registered member(S220). If the customer is not the member, the customer is guided to register the member(S221), and an inherent ID and password are given to the customer(S230). In the case of the customer who does not want to register, the customer is provided with a guest ID(S222), so that the customer logs-in as a guest. A customer member information is stored in a member database(112a) of a data storing unit(112).

Description

Reservations service providing method and system via a communications network and a medium for recording that method

The present invention relates to a method and system for providing a reservation service using a communication network, and a recording medium storing the method.

Recently, with the development of a communication network such as the Internet, a reservation service for booking a desired place in advance using this communication network is increasing. For example, seats of various performance halls including theaters, accommodation rooms, and seats of transportation such as airplanes, as well as seats of restaurants, are being reserved through the Internet.

However, in such a reservation method, in the past, when a consumer wants to make a reservation, most of the methods in which the supplier roughly designates a seat or a room meeting the price condition and notify the number of the reservation are made. Therefore, it was difficult for the consumer to choose a place that suited his taste. For example, in the case of a room reservation, most consumers would expect the view from the window of the room to be the view they want to see, but at the time of booking, reservations are usually made in terms of price and size. This difference cannot be taken into account, and even if it is, there is only a vague standard of 'view room'. The same applies to reserving seats in restaurants. Some consumers want the side closer to the door, while others want the far side from the door. In addition, the preferred seat may vary depending on the structure of the restaurant or the nature of the seating arrangement. However, at the time of booking, it was not possible to reflect these preferences.

Also, from the supplier's point of view, if the demanders avoid the reservation for the above reason, the scope of business activities is narrowed by that amount, which is also undesirable.

Accordingly, there is a need for a method of providing a new reservation service that can solve such a problem and allow a place reservation such as a room or a seat to be made as desired by the user.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above necessity, and an object of the present invention is to provide a reservation service providing method and system for allowing a consumer to check a predetermined scene in advance in reserving a predetermined place through a communication network and a recording medium storing the method. There is this.

1 is a block diagram of a computer network for carrying out the present invention;

2 is a flowchart illustrating a process of the reservation service providing method according to the present invention;

3 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed by a consumer to select a service type according to the reservation service providing method of the present invention;

4A is a view showing a screen displayed to select a hotel after clicking the 'hotel room reservation' button of FIG.

4B illustrates a screen displayed after selecting a hotel from the screen of FIG. 4A;

5A and 5B illustrate screens displayed as a user selects a room on the screen of FIG. 4;

6 illustrates a screen displayed to confirm a room reservation;

7 is a view showing a screen displayed by clicking the 'restaurant seat reservation' button of FIG.

8A and 8B illustrate screens displayed as a user selects a seat on the screen of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view showing a screen displayed by clicking the 'reservation seat reservation' button of FIG. 3;

10A and 10B illustrate screens displayed as the consumer selects a seat on the screen of FIG. 9;

11 illustrates a screen displayed to confirm a seat reservation;

FIG. 12 is a view showing a screen displayed by clicking a 'reservation seat reservation' button of FIG. 3;

13A and 13B illustrate screens displayed as the consumer selects a seat on the screen of FIG. 12.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100 Network 110 Server Computer

111 ... processor 112 ... data storage

112a ... Member DB 112b ... Reservation Status DB

112c ... Image DB 120 ... Consumer Computer

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reservation service providing method comprising: providing a reservation service for accepting an advance reservation for a predetermined place through a communication network, the method comprising: providing a user with a current state of available reservation places; And displaying the surrounding view viewed from the place selected by the consumer through the communication network.

In addition, the reservation service providing system of the present invention for achieving the above object, the data storage unit for storing the current status of the place to receive the reservation and the ambient view data corresponding to each place; And a processor configured to provide the consumer with the current status of the places through the communication network and to display the surrounding scene of the selected place to the consumer through the communication network.

In addition, the recording medium of the present invention for achieving the above object, comprising the step of providing the user with the status of the reservation place available through the communication network, and displaying the surrounding view viewed from the place selected by the consumer via the communication network Contains a program to run the process on a computer.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 shows a configuration of a computer network system constructed for carrying out the present invention. Referring to the drawings, the consumer computer 120 is connected to the server computer 110 via a communication network 100 such as the Internet. The server computer 110 includes a processor 111 in which a program for implementing a reservation service of the present invention is embedded and a data storage unit 112 for storing various kinds of information. The consumer may access a web page provided by the server computer 110 through a web browser installed on the consumer computer 120, respectively.

As described above, the reservation process of the consumer is performed in the networked environment.

First, when the consumer connects to the server computer 110 (S210), the processor 111 of the server computer 110 checks whether the consumer is already a registered member (S220). If it is not a member, it is induced to join as a member (S221) and a unique ID and password are given (S230). However, in the case of a consumer who does not want to join the membership, the ID is assigned to the guest (guest) so that the user can be viewed as a guest (S222). The consumer member information is stored in the member DB 112a of the data storage unit 112. And it is preferable that the registered member enters the credit card information into the member DB 112a for payment later. In other words, enter the card type and expiration date, the name of the card holder, etc. and later confirms the reservation so that the payment is automatically made from the credit card. Of course, guests must enter credit card information for payment after confirming a reservation later.

After the member verification procedure is completed, the processor 111 displays a web page screen as shown in FIG. 3 and selects a reserved product type with a desired date (S240).

The following is an example of selecting a hotel room reservation. When the consumer clicks the 'hotel room reservation' button, a screen as shown in FIG. 4A is displayed. The registered hotels here may be general business hotels or resort hotels. However, this reservation service is more suitable for resort hotels, where the view is considered a very important option for the stay. If the user selects a hotel of a desired region through this screen and clicks the 'Enter' button, the processor 111 displays a screen as shown in FIG. 4B and selects rooms available for hotel reservation among information stored in the reservation status DB 112b. The present state of the buyer is provided (S250). For example, if the consumer selects room 305 from the 'twin room' of the 'ocean view' and inputs it into the 'desired room selection' column (S251), the processor 111 may use room 305 as shown in FIG. 5A or 5B. The internal structure of the display and the ambient view that can be viewed out of the window are displayed on the screen (S252). In other words, experience the surroundings that can be seen in the selected room first. This screen is provided by the image DB 112c of the data storage unit 112, and may be provided as a real image taken directly in each room, for example, a clean image or a moving image, as shown in FIG. 5A, or as shown in FIG. 5B. It may be stored and provided as a virtual reality image embodying the situation of each room in 3D graphics. This may be configured such that the screen of FIG. 5A and the screen of FIG. 5B are alternately opened as the consumer presses the 'screen switching' button. The left turn and right turn buttons of FIG. 5B are buttons of a function that allow the user to watch 360 degrees while rotating the view viewed from the cabin. So, while pressing this button, you can see the inside and outside of the room. However, since the surrounding view, in particular, the outlook is different for each season, the image is prepared for each season in the image DB 112c, and the image of the season corresponding to the reservation desired date entered by the consumer is displayed. In addition, since the outer view is also different by day / night, a button for selecting 'by day / night' is provided on the display screens of FIGS. 5A and 5B to allow for this. Of course, these images are also stored in the image DB 112c in advance, and are ready for the processor 111 to display according to the selection of the consumer. Then, the consumer sees these screens and judges (S253), if the selected room is satisfied, press the 'Book' button to confirm the reservation (S254), otherwise press the 'Cancel' button and return to the screen of FIG. Is entered in the 'Select desired room' field to determine the surrounding landscape. When the 'reservation' button is pressed as described above, the processor 111 displays a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. At the same time, it is checked whether to select a candidate room (S255). This is to consider that if the period from the date of reservation to the date of reservation is too long (more than 3 weeks), the room reservation may change depending on the conditions of the hotel. In other words, the room booked through the 'Hope room selection' column is best, and the lane for the case is selected. To this end, when the consumer clicks the 'Yes' button of FIG. 6, the user returns to the screen of FIG. 4. Here, if the consumer enters a desired room number next to the 'candidate room selection' field and clicks the 'Enter' button, a screen as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B is opened to allow the user to experience the scene of the corresponding room. Therefore, the consumer selects a candidate room in the above-described manner, and the server 110 allocates a room in this lane when the best-selected room cannot be allocated in the case. In the present exemplary embodiment, only one lane selection is exemplified. However, a plurality of lanes may be selected such as 1, 2, 3, and the like may be assigned to fit the highest selection. After all the reservations are confirmed, the payment by credit card is confirmed as described above. However, since this is a conventional payment method, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this way, the consumer does not make reservations based on the appearance of the hotel, but experiences the view, such as the view from the room in advance, and makes a reservation if he / she likes it. Unlike that, no disappointment occurs.

Such a room reservation method may be similarly applied to the sale of a new apartment or villa. In other words, there is a difference between the fact that one is a hotel room and the other is a room of an apartment or villa that is available for sale, but the implementation method is the same. That is, by providing a 'new apartment (pre-sale)' button on the screen of FIG. 3, when the consumer clicks the button, the consumer can similarly browse the list of rooms available for sale (S290), and selects one of them. In operation S291, the surrounding scene viewed from the corresponding room is displayed (S292). Upon seeing this, if the consumer wants to confirm (S293), he / she accepts a reservation for reservation (S294). In addition, if a choice of lanes is inputted as in the case of booking a hotel room (S295), it is accepted and assigned in an order that meets the higher selection conditions. Therefore, as in the case of booking a hotel room, it is possible to determine whether or not to make a reservation after allowing the user to experience the scene viewed from the selected room on a computer in advance.

Next, a case where 'restaurant seat reservation' is selected on the screen of FIG. 3 is as follows. First, the processor 111 shows a layout of a restaurant and a seat availability that can be reserved through a web page screen as shown in FIG. 7 (S260). This information is retrieved from the reservation status DB 112b. When the consumer sees this screen and selects a seat (S261), the processor 111 displays an image as shown in FIG. 7A or 7B, so that the user can experience the scene viewed from the selected seat on the screen (S262). FIG. 8A is a real image taken directly by a digital camera or a camcorder in a selected seat, and FIG. 8B is a virtual reality image implemented by three-dimensional graphics. The two screens are stored in the image DB 112c and then displayed. When the screen is pressed, the two screens are alternately opened. Therefore, the consumer sees these screens and judges (S263), if the selected seats are satisfied, press the 'reservation' button to confirm the reservation (S264), otherwise press the 'cancel' button and return to the screen of FIG. Select to view the surrounding scene and then to judge. However, since the surrounding view, in particular, the outlook is different for each season, the image is prepared for each season in the image DB 112c, and the image of the season corresponding to the reservation desired date entered by the consumer is displayed. In addition, since the outside view is also changed by day / night, a button for selecting 'by day / night' is provided on the display screens of FIGS. 8A and 8B to allow for this. Of course, these images are also stored in the image DB 112c in advance, and are ready for the processor 111 to display according to the selection of the consumer.

Next, a case where 'transport seat reservation' is selected in FIG. 3 will be described. Here, the case where the transportation means is an airplane. In this case, the date, that is, the arrival date, is also written in the brackets of FIG. First, the processor 111 shows a seat layout and a seat availability of a corresponding plane among information stored in the reservation status DB 112b through a web page screen as shown in FIG. 9 (S270). Some consumers prefer window seats, while others prefer aisle seats. Therefore, the consumer sees this screen and selects a favorite seat (S271). Then, the processor 111 displays an image as shown in FIG. 10A or FIG. 10B, and shows an ambient view viewed from the selected seat on the screen (S272). FIG. 10A is a real image taken directly by a digital camera or a camcorder in a selected seat, and FIG. 10B is a virtual reality image implemented by three-dimensional graphics. The two screens are stored in the image DB 112c and then displayed. When the screen is pressed, the two screens are alternately opened. Therefore, the consumer sees these screens and judges (S273). If the selected seat is satisfied, the user presses the 'reserved' button to confirm the reservation (S274), otherwise presses the 'cancel' button and returns to the screen of FIG. Select to view the surrounding scene and then to judge. When the 'reservation' button is pressed as described above, the processor 111 displays a confirmation screen as shown in FIG. At the same time, it is checked whether to select a candidate seat (S275). In particular, in the case of airplanes, in order to balance the left and right sides of the seat inevitably adjust the seating assignment, the candidate seat is to be selected as a way to consider such a case. To this end, when the consumer clicks the 'Yes' button of FIG. 11, the user returns to the screen of FIG. 9 again. Here, when the consumer clicks on another seat, a screen similar to FIGS. 10A and 10B is opened to allow the user to experience the scene at the seat. Accordingly, the consumer selects a candidate seat in the manner described above, and the server 110 allocates a seat of this lane when the best-selected seat cannot be allocated in the case. In the present exemplary embodiment, only one lane selection is exemplified. However, a plurality of lanes may be selected such as 1, 2, 3, and the like may be assigned to fit the highest selection.

Next, when the consumer selects 'seat seat reservation' on the screen of FIG. 3, the procedure proceeds as follows. This venue includes various viewing venues such as theaters, theater stages, concert halls, and sports viewing stadiums, and exemplifies the case of theaters. First, the processor 111 shows the seating arrangement of the theater and the seating status that can be reserved for the number of performances among the information stored in the reservation status DB 112b through the web page screen as shown in FIG. 12 (S280). When the consumer sees this screen and selects a seat (S281), the processor 111 displays an image as shown in FIG. 13A or 13B, so that the user can experience the scene viewed from the selected seat on the screen (S282). FIG. 13A is an actual image taken by a digital camera or the like from the selected seat, and FIG. 13B is a virtual reality image embodying the situation in 3D graphics. The two screens are stored in the image DB 112c and then displayed. When the screen is pressed, the two screens are alternately opened. Therefore, the consumer can see and judge these screens (S283), and if the selected seat feels comfortable looking at the screen, the user presses the 'reservation' button to confirm the reservation (S284), otherwise the 'cancel' button is pressed again. Go back to the screen of 12 and select another seat to see the angle towards the screen and judge.

Therefore, such a reservation service allows the consumer to experience and decide on-site the situation of the reservation place in advance, so that the desired style can be sufficiently reflected for each consumer, thereby improving customer satisfaction.

In addition, such a reservation service may be used at the time of sale of a travel product by a travel agency. That is, the travel products introduced so far on the travel agency's website simply display the schedule. However, if the reservation service method of the present invention is applied thereto, it is possible to experience the transportation (airplane, ship, etc.), restaurants, and lodging facilities according to a schedule in advance in actual boarding and boarding conditions. In addition, if the DB of the tourist spot is stored in the data storage unit 112, the complete travel guide system can be constructed.

Meanwhile, in the above-described embodiment, the server computer 110 exemplifies preparing and supplying reservation information directly. Alternatively, the server computer 110 may be connected to a related network such as a hotel, a restaurant, an airline, a concert hall, and the like. ) Can also be configured to act only as a relay between suppliers and consumers. That is, after receiving and storing the current status of the reservation place and the view data at the selected place from the supplier, it is relayed so that the reservations of both parties can be established while displaying it when the consumer selects it. In this case, it is possible to operate without any difficulty since it is not significantly different from the case of the above-described embodiment except that the data is received from the supplier in advance. In addition, the profit generation of the server 110 may cover a fee per reservation and a company advertisement fee through a banner advertisement.

In addition, the reservation service providing method as described above may be programmed and stored in the processor 111 of the server computer 110 as in the present embodiment, or may be stored and used in another computer-readable recording medium. Of course. Computer-readable recording media include all kinds of recording devices that store data that can be read by a computer system. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and may include a carrier wave (for example, transmission through the Internet). The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

As described above, the method and system for providing a reservation service according to the present invention and a recording medium thereof allow the consumer to experience and determine the on-site situation of the reservation place through the communication network, so that the desired style can be sufficiently reflected for each consumer. Therefore, it is possible to improve customer satisfaction, and thus the supply side can further expand the sales area through the communication network.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that described above and illustrated in the drawings, and that more modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the following claims.

Claims (7)

In the reservation service providing method for accepting advance reservations for a predetermined place through a communication network, Providing a current status of reservationable places for the consumer to select; And, And displaying the surrounding view viewed from a place selected by the consumer through a communication network. The method of claim 1, And the ambient scene is at least one selected from a purified image, a moving image, and an image embodied in three-dimensional graphics. The method of claim 1, The ambient view is a reservation service providing method characterized in that configured to vary by season and time. The method of claim 1, Where is the accommodation room, a new construction apartment or villa of the construction company, the seat of the theater or the performance hall, the seat of the restaurant, the method of providing a reservation service, characterized in that any one selected. The method of claim 1, And providing the consumer with the best choice and at least one lane choice for the case. A data storage unit for storing a current status of places to receive reservations and ambient scene data corresponding to each place; And, And a processor for providing a user with a current status of the places through a communication network, and displaying the surrounding scene of the selected place among the locations to the user through the communication network. A computer that records a program for executing a program on a computer that includes a step of providing a user with a current status of places that can be reserved through a communication network, and displaying a surrounding scene viewed from the location selected by the user through a communication network. Recording media.