JP2003168015A - Concierge service system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize a counsel system enabling a person trying to take counsel to apply the counsel on a place where the person can easily visit, capable of automating the adjustment of a counselor's schedule and enabling the counselor to surely collect a counsel fee. <P>SOLUTION: A counsel terminal is installed in a concierge room placed side by side with a convenience store and connected to a management server through a network. The management server receives a counsel request input from the counsel terminal, retrieves a counselor from a counselor database stored in the server, controls a schedule by using a schedule management table, and presents the schedule to the counsel terminal to receive the reservation of counsel time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a complex commercial facility including a commercial facility such as a convenience store and a consultation counter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Convenience stores have rapidly spread,
Although it is becoming easier for consumers to purchase products, this kind of convenience store is convenient for the purpose of purchasing products, but it cannot be said that it is functioning sufficiently as a service providing window.

[0003]

With respect to this point, it has been proposed to install a refund machine of a bank inside a convenience store or install a communication terminal to make a ticket reservation for a movie or an event. The provision of services that cannot be handled by automatic processing by the server was not considered. Such a service that cannot be automatically processed is a consultation service that requires a high degree of expert judgment, and includes legal consultation, invention consultation, health consultation, and the like.

Usually, in order to enjoy these professional services, the consultant looks up the telephone number of the specialist (law office or patent office) in a telephone directory or the like, makes an appointment by telephone, and makes the appointment. I had to go to an expert's office for consultation at a fixed date and time.

Regarding such expert services, there are already some systems for accepting consultations using the Internet or the like for each type of consultation such as legal consultation and medical consultation. Since it is an application in the above, it was necessary to adjust the schedule through several e-mail exchanges between the consultant and the expert.

Although the consultant has the convenience of being able to set the date and time of the consultation from a personal computer at home, it is unclear from the expert's point of view what kind of person is trying to consult, and it is a prank. It could not be ruled out that there is a possibility of being troubled by the consultation application email and non-payment of the consultation fee.

On the other hand, from the standpoint of the consultant, it is difficult to select an appropriate expert from the contents of the consultation. For example, it is known that it is preferable to consult a patent attorney for patent applications, but trademarks and copyrights are required. There were many cases where I was at a loss as to whether a lawyer or a patent attorney was good as an expert in consultation. Also, there are many specialists who accept this kind of consultation on the network, but in many cases it is not possible to know the subdivided specialty of the specialist, so
For example, it was difficult to reach the appropriate specialists by consulting a patent attorney who had no experience in trademark application.

Under these circumstances, it has been desired to realize the application acceptance after the primary selection through the consultation counter established in a place where experts and consultants can trust.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and allows a consultant to apply for a consultation at a place where the consultant can visit comfortably and automates coordination with a specialist's schedule. The challenge is to realize a consultation system that ensures the collection of consultation fees from the perspective of experts.

[0010]

In view of the above, the present invention has adopted the following means. That is, a consultation terminal is installed in a concierge room attached to a convenience store, and this consultation terminal is connected to a management server via a network, and this management server receives and holds a consultation request input from the consultation terminal. The specialist is searched from the specialist database, the schedule is adjusted using the schedule management table, the schedule is adjusted and presented to the consultation terminal, and the reservation of the consultation time is accepted.

Here, when the consultation reservation is accepted, the consultation place may be decided together. For example, the consultation may be realized by connecting the consultation terminal and an expert terminal through terminal-to-terminal communication using a video conference system, or the date and time of use of a consultation room provided in the concierge room may be adjusted. Therefore, the expert and the consultant may actually face each other to receive the consultation.

Further, by connecting the consultation terminal to a POS cashier terminal, a receipt for receipt proof is issued from the POS cashier terminal after the consultation is accepted, or a consultation fee is paid at the POS cashier terminal and the receipt is used as a receipt. May be issued.

By adopting such a means, it is possible for a consultant to operate a consultation terminal in a concierge room attached to a convenient store called a convenience store, and to make a consultation application. It will be possible to select the most suitable specialist.

[0014] From an expert's point of view, the application is made from a semi-public place called the concierge room, and since the consultation fee can be collected using the convenience store fee payment system, the objectivity of the consultation can be secured. , You will be able to give advice using your expertise without worry.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a complex facility 1 of this embodiment. This complex facility 1 has a counter 4
Is arranged in the center, the space on the right side thereof is configured as a concierge room 2, and the space on the right side is configured as a convenience store 3.

The counter 4 has POS terminals 4a, 4
b, 4c are installed. Inside the convenience store 3, dairy product display shelves 5, fresh food display shelves 6, food product display shelves 7a, 7b, 7c, magazine display shelves 8a, 8b, etc. are arranged.

Internet terminals 10a, 10b, 10c and 10d are arranged in the concierge room 2. These Internet terminals 10a etc. are the consultation terminals R
Used as a TM.

A counseling room 11 is provided in the concierge room 2 so that an expert can confront and consult with a counselor through a table.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of this embodiment. Management server MSV is TCP / IP
Is connected to the consultation terminal RTM and the expert terminal CTM via the data transfer network according to the present invention, that is, the Internet NW.

The inside of the management server MSV is composed of a general-purpose computer, and has a central processing unit CPU having a main memory MM. This central processing unit CPU
Is connected to a bus BUS, and a hard disk device HD, a display device LCD and an input device KBD are connected to the bus BUS.

A POS terminal 4 is connected to the bus BUS. The POS terminal 4 has a printer PRN and can print the receipt RC.

An operating system OS, a server program SVPR, an application program APR, and various databases DB are registered in the hard disk device HD. The function of the management server MSV explained in FIG. 3 is the various application programs APR installed in this hard disk device HD.
And the server program SVPR are realized by reading and executing the central processing unit CPU. The database DB is provided with an expert table 17a as shown in FIG. 3 and a schedule management table 17b for each expert.

In the expert table 17a, the keywords registered for each expert are registered. For example, if the expert is a “patent attorney”, “patent”, “utility model”, “design”, “trademark”, “copyright”, “invention”, etc. are registered as keywords. In the case of “lawyer”, “divorce”, “contract”, etc. are registered as keywords.
The expert table 17b may be one in which keywords are registered for each name instead of for each professional occupation.

The schedule management table 17b is registered for each individual expert, and the schedule of the individual expert is registered in a timetable format. This registration may be performed by transferring data from a specialist schedule management application (for example, Outlook of Microsoft Corporation) installed in the specialist terminal CTM to the management server MSV side at any time.

FIG. 3 illustrates the functions of this embodiment in the order of processing by the central processing unit CPU. In the figure, after the consultant first visits the complex facility 1 and makes a purchase at the convenience store 3, for example, the internet terminal 10c of the concierge room 2 (the consultant terminal R
It is assumed that the consultation item is input from TM). The consultant terminal RTM has a server program SV of the management server MSV.
HTML (HyperText Mark-up Languag) generated by PR
The interface screen in e) format is displayed,
On this screen, enter a question, for example, a desired sentence of natural sentence such as "I want to apply for a patent for the invention". The desired sentence thus input from the counselor terminal RTM is read into the central processing unit CPU via the communication interface IF of the management server MSV via the network NW and then registered in the database in the hard disk device HD. It

Next, the consultation receiving program in the hard disk HD is activated to make the consultation receiving unit 13 function.
The consultation receiving unit 13 first reads the desired sentence from the hard disk device HD. Then, the requested sentence is delivered to the consultation content analysis unit 14.

In the consultation content analysis unit 14, the desired sentence is decomposed into clauses and delivered to the keyword extraction unit 15.
The keyword extracting unit 15 extracts a keyword word from the request document. For example, in the above request document,
These are “invention”, “patent”, “patent application” and the like.

The search section 16 receives these words from the keyword extraction section 15 and starts a search for the database DB. At this time, the search unit 16 first searches the expert table 17a and finds an expert who matches the word. In the above case, the “patent attorney” who has registered “invention”, “patent”, and “patent application” as keywords is searched for as an expert for the request.

Next, the search unit 16 searches the schedule management table 17b for the patent attorney. Then, the free time of the patent attorney is extracted and passed to the reception screen generation unit 18.

The reception screen generation unit 18 generates a reception screen as an HTML file based on the information on the specialist (patent attorney in this case) searched for and the available time.

The reception screen thus generated is transmitted to the consultation terminal RTM via the network NW.
The screen file generated by the reception screen generation unit 18 is displayed on the display screen according to the format specified in HTML by the browser program installed in the consultation terminal RTM.

When the consultant inputs a reservation for consultation on this screen, the management server MSV is notified of the input information, and the reservation management unit 2 in the management server MSV is notified through the CGI.
It is transmitted to 0. When the reservation is confirmed, the reservation management unit 20 registers the date and time, the presence / absence of the meeting, the location of the meeting, the presence / absence of the network consultation, etc. in the reservation database 22. In addition,
This reservation information is transmitted to the mail generation unit 21. In the mail generation unit 21, the mail address (not shown) registered in the expert table is used as a destination and the expert is notified as an electronic mail that the reservation has been completed.

On the other hand, when the face-to-face consultation is registered in the reservation database 22, the consultation room reservation system 23 is activated to reserve the consultation room 11 of the concierge room 2.

On the other hand, when the network consultation is registered in the reservation database 22, the video conference system 24 is activated at the reservation date and time, the counselor terminal RTM and the counselor terminal CTM are connected via the management server, Processes to start consultation in terminal-to-terminal communication.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the reservation database 22 can selectively register face-to-face consultation receptions and video conference receptions, so that flexibility can be provided according to the addresses of the counselor and the expert. It becomes possible to carry out a certain consultation.

A consultation table (not shown) may be provided in the database DB so that the consultation place of the consultation person can be registered. In this case, the counselor table has a code that identifies the counselor's counseling place (for example, JIS of the address).
A code or a code obtained by converting an address into coordinate values may be registered for each consultant. In this case, a code for identifying the expert's place can be registered in the expert table 17a as well, and the consultant and the expert can be matched in place to enable consultation at a place closer to both. Good.

When the reservation is registered in the reservation database 22 as described above, the reservation management unit 20 sets the reservation information to P
Notify the OS terminal 4. In the POS terminal 4, the printer P
The RN may print and issue a receipt on which the reservation information is printed, and may hand it over to the counselor.

At this stage, the reservation fee is paid to the POS terminal 4 and the payment receipt is sent to the printer PR.
Printing may be issued from N.

<Others> In the above embodiment, an example in which a convenience store and a concierge room are provided together is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and convenience stores, supermarkets, coffee shops, bookstores, family restaurants, fast food restaurants are also provided. It may be configured such that a commercial facility such as the above and a concierge room are provided side by side.

The commercial facility is a store visited by a plurality of users at the same time, and is a store where the POS cashier terminal can manage products, manage customer information, and manage information for identifying a data input person. Therefore, it is preferable because the consultation can be reserved and the charge can be smoothly collected.

Further, in the above embodiment, when the consultation is conducted,
Although an example in which the electronic conference means is used as a means for performing bidirectional communication between the consultation terminal and the expert terminal has been shown, the present invention is not limited to this, and bidirectional communication using character information or voice information. May be

For example, a consultant writes a consultation on an electronic bulletin board provided by a web server, and an expert writes this answer on the bulletin board, or an e-mail or an image file is sent in real time between the terminals via the web server. It may be configured to send and receive and consult.

Further, the concierge service system of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned illustrated examples, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, even in the case of the following configuration, the object of the present invention can be achieved similarly to the above-described embodiment.

[1]: Consists of a consultation terminal installed in a concierge room adjoining a commercial facility, and a management server connected to the consultation terminal via a network,
The management server receives a consultation request input from the consultation terminal, a means for searching an expert stored in an expert database based on the received consultation request, and a schedule for each expert. A concierge that includes a schedule management table, means for extracting free time from the expert's schedule found in the above, and means for displaying the extracted free time on the consultation terminal and accepting reservations for consultation time. Service system.

[2]: The concierge service system according to [1], wherein the means for accepting the reservation of the consultation time includes means for accepting the input of the consultation place.

[3]: The management server is connected to an expert terminal operated by the expert via a network, and a bidirectional call between the consultation terminal and the expert terminal is possible at the reservation time. The concierge service system according to [1], which is provided with a video conferencing unit that is connected by.

[4]: The management server is a web server, is connected to the expert terminal operated by the expert via the Internet, and the consultation terminal and the expert terminal are TCP-connected at the reservation time. The concierge service system according to [1], further including a bidirectional communication means for connecting in a bidirectionally callable state by a predetermined protocol such as / IP.

[5]: The means for accepting the reservation of the consultation time is a network consultation by text information communication or video information communication between the consultation terminal and the expert terminal,
The concierge service system according to [1] or [2], further including means for accepting selection input of face-to-face consultation in the concierge room.

[6]: The means for accepting the reservation is connected to the POS cashier terminal of the commercial facility, and after receiving the consultation, instructs the POS cashier terminal to print out a reservation receipt. The concierge service system according to [1], further comprising:

[7]: The concierge service system according to any one of [1] to [6], wherein the commercial facility is a convenience store, a supermarket, a coffee shop, a bookstore, a family restaurant, or a fast food restaurant. . In the present invention, the above respective constituent elements can be combined as much as possible.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, the counselor can apply for a counseling service at a place where the counselor can easily visit, and the coordinating with the expert's schedule is automated to collect the counseling fee from the viewpoint of the expert. A reliable consultation system can be realized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a complex facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a network configuration diagram of an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a functional diagram realized by the management server of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 complex 2 Concierge room 3 Convenience store 4a-4d POS terminal 5 dairy product display shelves 6 Fresh food display shelves 7a-7c Grocery display shelves 8a, 8b magazine display shelves 10a-10d Internet terminal (RTM) 13 Consultation reception desk 14 Consultation content analysis section 15 keyword extraction unit 16 Search Department 17a Expert table 17b Schedule management table 18 Reception screen generator 20 Reservation Management Department 21 Mail generator 22 reservation database 23 Counseling room reservation system 24 video conference system

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A consultation terminal installed in a concierge room adjoining a commercial facility, and a management server connected to the consultation terminal via a network, wherein the management server requests a consultation from the consultation terminal. Means for receiving the input of, the means for searching the experts accumulated in the expert database based on the received consultation request, the schedule management table for managing the schedule for each expert, A concierge service system comprising means for extracting free time from a specialist's schedule, and means for displaying the extracted free time on the consultation terminal and accepting reservations for consultation time. 2. The concierge service system according to claim 1, wherein the means for accepting reservation of the consultation time includes means for accepting input of the consultation place. 3. The management server is connected to an expert terminal operated by the expert via a network, and connects the consultation terminal and the expert terminal in a bidirectional callable state at the reservation time. The concierge service system according to claim 1, further comprising a video conferencing means for performing the conferencing. 4. The means for accepting the reservation of the consultation time selects and inputs network consultation between the consultation terminal and the expert terminal by text information communication or video information communication, or face-to-face consultation in the concierge room. The concierge service system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a receiving unit. 5. The means for accepting the reservation is connected to a POS cashier terminal of the commercial facility, and means for instructing the POS cashier terminal to print out a reservation receipt after the acceptance of the consultation is completed. The concierge service system according to claim 1, further comprising: 6. The concierge service system according to claim 1, wherein the commercial facility is a convenience store, a supermarket, a coffee shop, a bookstore, a family restaurant, or a fast food restaurant.