Carsharing system and carsharing method

Abstract

A carsharing system includes circuitry configured to: receive, from a user, a usage request for requesting a reservation for use of a vehicle which is supplied for a vehicle rental service; permit the reservation for use of the vehicle when the reception unit receives the usage request and no reservation for use of the vehicle has been made at time of receiving the usage request; and give, when the reservation for use of the vehicle is determined, a permission for locking or unlocking by using electronic information to the user at a date and a time on which the vehicle is used.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A carsharing system comprising circuitry configured to:
 receive, from a user, a usage request for requesting a reservation for use of a vehicle which is supplied for a vehicle rental service;   permit the reservation for use of the vehicle when the circuitry receives the usage request and no reservation for use of the vehicle has been made at time of receiving the usage request; and   give, when the reservation for use of the vehicle is determined, a permission for locking or unlocking by using electronic information to the user at a date and a time on which the vehicle is used.   
     
     
         2 . The carsharing system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the usage request includes a desired rental schedule which is a schedule in which the user desires rental of the vehicle, and   the circuitry is configured to:
 store reservation schedule information indicating a status of the reservation for use of the vehicle; 
 acquire movement schedule information indicating a movement schedule of the vehicle; and 
 provide information on vehicle of which both the reservation schedule information and the movement schedule information satisfy the desired rental schedule. 
   
     
     
         3 . The carsharing system according to  claim 2 , wherein
 the desired rental schedule includes a scheduled transportation date and time, transportation of baggage being planned to be performed at the scheduled transportation date and time, and   the circuitry is configured to:
 select a selected vehicle which is available at the scheduled transportation date and time; and 
 set a reservation for use of the selected vehicle at the scheduled transportation date and time in the reservation schedule information. 
   
     
     
         4 . The carsharing system according to  claim 3 , wherein the circuitry is configured to control transmitting, to a terminal of a service user associated with the transportation of the baggage, information for identifying the selected vehicle and access permission information for permitting an access to interior of the selected vehicle. 
     
     
         5 . The carsharing system according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the usage request includes receiver terminal information for specifying an address of a terminal of a receiver who receives the baggage, and   the circuitry is configured to control transmitting, to the terminal of the receiver, the information for identifying the selected vehicle and the access permission information for permitting an access to the interior of the selected vehicle.   
     
     
         6 . The carsharing system according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the vehicles which are supplied for the vehicle rental service are grouped based on geographical position relationships correlated with the vehicles respectively, and   the circuitry is configured to:
 determine one vehicle of the vehicles as an alternative vehicle, the one vehicle belonging to same group as a vehicle which is a transportation destination when a notification is received from the terminal of the service user, the notification indicating that an over-capacity has occurred, the over-capacity being a situation in which baggage to be transported is not able to be accommodated in the interior of the vehicle which is the transportation destination; and 
 control transmitting, to the terminal of the service user, the information for identifying the alternative vehicle and the access permission information for permitting an access to the interior of the alternative vehicle. 
   
     
     
         7 . The carsharing system according to  claim 4 , wherein
 the vehicles which are supplied for the vehicle rental service are grouped based on geographical position relationships correlated with the vehicles,   the circuitry is configured to:
 receive, from a terminal of an owner of the vehicle, a change request for changing a movement schedule of the vehicle related to a period overlapping with a rental schedule, from a first plan to a second plan, the rental schedule being a schedule in which rental of the vehicle is reserved, the first plan being a plan that the vehicle is not to move, and the second plan being a plan that the vehicle is to move; 
 determine one vehicle of the vehicles as an alternative vehicle, the one vehicle belonging to same group as a vehicle which is a transportation destination; and 
 control transmitting, to the terminal of the service user, the information for identifying the alternative vehicle and the access permission information for permitting an access to interior of the alternative vehicle. 
   
     
     
         8 . The carsharing system according to  claim 2 , wherein the movement schedule information is generated based on activity schedule information in which an activity schedule of an owner of the vehicle is set. 
     
     
         9 . The carsharing system according to  claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to offer a predetermined incentive to an owner of the vehicle who has permitted provision of the movement schedule information or an owner who has agreed to acceptance of movement limitation of a vehicle. 
     
     
         10 . The carsharing system according to  claim 9 , wherein the circuitry is configured to determine incentive points offered to an owner of a reserved vehicle based on a first ratio or a second ratio, the reserved vehicle being a vehicle of which rental is reserved based on the reservation schedule information, the first ratio being a ratio of the number that rental of the vehicle in accordance with the reservation schedule information is performed to a reserved number, the second ratio being a ratio of the number that the rental of the vehicle in accordance with the reservation schedule information is not performed to the reserved number, and the reserved number being the number that rental of the vehicle is reserved based on the reservation schedule information. 
     
     
         11 . The carsharing system according to  claim 2 , wherein the circuitry is configured to provide information on vehicles in a recommended order in which a first vehicle or a second vehicle has priority when a plurality of vehicles satisfies the desired rental schedule, the first vehicle being a vehicle of an owner who has permitted provision of the movement schedule information, and the second vehicle being a vehicle of an owner who has high incentive points. 
     
     
         12 . The carsharing system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the usage request includes information for specifying geographical conditions in which the vehicle rental service is provided, and   the circuitry is configured to provide information on vehicles which satisfy the geographical conditions with reference to position information of the vehicles which are supplied for the vehicle rental service.   
     
     
         13 . The carsharing system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the usage request includes a desired rental region in which the user desires rental of the vehicle,   the circuitry is configured to:
 store groups of a plurality of vehicles which are formed based on geographical position relationships correlated with the vehicles, the vehicles being supplied for the vehicle rental service; 
 specify a group of vehicles associated with the desired rental region based on the usage request; and 
 provide information on the group of vehicles associated with the desired rental region. 
   
     
     
         14 . The carsharing system according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the usage request requests a reservation for use of the vehicle as a transportation destination of baggage, and   the circuitry is configured to:
 select, as a selected vehicle, one vehicle of the vehicles belonging to the group in response to a request for an access to the group which is issued from a terminal of a service user in charge of transportation of the baggage within a predetermined period from a scheduled transportation date and time at which transportation of the baggage is performed after the scheduled transportation date and time has been determined; and 
 control transmitting information for identifying the selected vehicle and access permission information for permitting an access to interior of the selected vehicle to the terminal of the service user. 
   
     
     
         15 . A carsharing system comprising circuitry configured to:
 store groups of a plurality of vehicles which are formed based on geographical position relationships correlated with the vehicles, the vehicles being supplied for a vehicle rental service;   receive a usage request including a desired rental region of a vehicle which is supplied for the vehicle rental service;   specify a group of vehicles associated with the desired rental region in response to the usage request; and   provide information on the group of vehicles associated with the desired rental region.   
     
     
         16 . The carsharing system according to  claim 15 , wherein
 the usage request is a service usage request for using a vehicle as a transportation destination of baggage, and   the circuitry is configured to
 select, as a selected vehicle, one vehicle of the vehicles belonging to the group in response to a request for an access to the group which is issued from a terminal of a service user in charge of transportation of the baggage within a predetermined period from a scheduled transportation date and time at which transportation of the baggage is performed after the scheduled transportation date and time has been determined, and 
 control transmitting information for identifying the selected vehicle and access permission information for permitting an access to interior of the selected vehicle to the terminal of the service user. 
   
     
     
         17 . A carsharing method comprising:
 causing circuitry to receive, from a user, a usage request requesting a reservation for use of a vehicle which is supplied for a vehicle rental service;   causing the circuitry to permit the reservation for use of the vehicle when the circuitry receives the usage request and no reservation for use of the vehicle has been made at time of receiving the usage request; and   causing the circuitry to give, when the reservation for use of the vehicle is determined, a permission for locking or unlocking by using electronic information to the user at a date and time on which the vehicle is used.   
     
     
         18 . The carsharing method according to  claim 17 , further comprising:
 causing the circuitry to acquire reservation schedule information indicating a status of the reservation for use of the vehicle;   causing the circuitry to acquire movement schedule information indicating movement schedule of the vehicle; and   causing the circuitry to provide information on vehicle of which both the reservation schedule information and the movement schedule information satisfy a desired rental schedule, the usage request including the desired rental schedule which is a schedule in which the user desires rental of the vehicle.   
     
     
         19 . The carsharing method according to  claim 18 , further comprising:
 causing the circuitry to select a selected vehicle which is available at a scheduled transportation date and time, the scheduled transportation date and time being included in the desired rental schedule, and transportation of baggage being planned to be performed at the scheduled transportation date and time;   causing the circuitry to set a reservation for use of the selected vehicle at the scheduled transportation date and time in the reservation schedule information; and   causing the circuitry to control transmitting, to a terminal of a service user associated with the transportation of the baggage, information for identifying the selected vehicle and access permission information for permitting an access to interior of the selected vehicle.   
     
     
         20 . A carsharing method comprising:
 causing circuitry to acquire groups of a plurality of vehicles which are formed based on geographical position relationships correlated with the vehicles, the vehicles being supplied for a vehicle rental service;   causing the circuitry to receive a service usage request including a desired rental region of a vehicle which is supplied for the vehicle rental service;   causing the circuitry to specify a group of vehicles associated with the desired rental region in response to the service usage request; and   causing the circuitry to provide information on the group of vehicles associated with the desired rental region.   
     
     
         21 . The carsharing method according to  claim 20 , further comprising:
 causing the circuitry to select, as a selected vehicle, one vehicle of the vehicles belonging to the group in response to a request for an access to the group which is issued from a terminal of a service user in charge of transportation of baggage within a predetermined period from a scheduled transportation date and time at which transportation of the baggage is performed after the scheduled transportation date and time has been determined, and   causing the circuitry to control transmitting information for identifying the selected vehicle and access permission information for permitting an access to interior of the selected vehicle to the terminal of the service user.