Communication system, server, and terminal

Abstract

A provider terminal transmits, to a server, (i) location information for specifying a location of a power supply facility for supplying power to a vehicle and (ii) an acceptance period for accepting the supply of power at the location. The user terminal transmits, to the server, (i) a desired location for the supply of power to the vehicle and (ii) a desired starting time for the supply of power to the vehicle at the desired location. The server includes: a provision DB configured to store one or more pieces of association information in which respective pieces of location information are associated with respective acceptance periods; a determination device configured to determine a power supply facility corresponding to the desired location and the desired starting time; and a communicator configured to notify a location of the power supply facility.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 receiving (i) location information for specifying a location of a power supply facility for supplying power to a vehicle and (ii) an acceptance period for accepting the supply of power at the location;   receiving information including (i) a desired location for the supply of power to the vehicle and (ii) a desired starting time for the supply of power to the vehicle at the desired location;   storing one or more pieces of association information in which the location information, the acceptance period, and a power supply fee are associated with one another;   determining a power supply facility corresponding to the desired location and the desired starting time based on the one or more pieces of stored association information;   notifying locations of a plurality of power supply facilities; and   transmitting, to a first terminal corresponding to an expensive power supply fee of respective power supply fees of the plurality of power supply facilities, facilitation information for facilitating reduction of the power supply fee.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, to an in-vehicle device that receives the notification, information for permitting the supply of power at the power supply facility notified. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, to the first terminal, first facilitation information for facilitating a change of the acceptance period, when the desired starting time is not included in the acceptance period and a difference between a starting time of the acceptance period and the desired starting time is less than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, to a second terminal, second facilitation information for facilitating a change of the desired starting time, when the desired starting time is not included in the acceptance period and a difference between a starting time of the acceptance period and the desired starting time is less than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising notifying a part of an address of the location of the power supply facility determined, rather than a whole of the address of the location, as the location of the power supply facility determined. 
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 notifying, to a terminal of a user, the power supply facility determined, on a condition that user identification information of the user who desires to supply power to the vehicle is received; and   requesting, to the user for whom the supply of power to the vehicle has been ended and who corresponds to the user identification information, a fee corresponding to an amount of the supply of power.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 storing provider identification information for identifying a provider of the power supply facility, in addition to the location information and the acceptance period; and   paying, to the provider having provided the power supply facility and corresponding to the provider identification information, a fee corresponding to an amount of the supply of power, when the supply of power to the vehicle at the power supply facility is ended.   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , further comprising determining, as a power supply facility corresponding to the desired starting time, a power supply facility satisfying a condition that the desired starting time is a time after the acceptance starting time of the acceptance period and a period from the desired starting time to the acceptance ending time of the acceptance period is longer than or equal to a predetermined period. 
     
     
         9 . A server comprising:
 a first receiver configured to receive (i) location information for specifying a location for a power supply facility for supplying power to a vehicle and (ii) an acceptance period for accepting the supply of power at the location;   a second receiver configured to receive information including (i) a desired location for the supply of power to the vehicle and (ii) a desired starting time for the supply of power to the vehicle at the desired location;   a storage configured to store one or more pieces of association information in which the location information, the acceptance period, and a power supply fee are associated with one another;   a determination device configured to determine a power supply facility corresponding to the desired location and the desired starting time based on the one or more pieces of stored association information;   a notification device configured to notify locations of a plurality of power supply facilities determined by the determination device; and   a transmitter configured to transmit, to a terminal corresponding to an expensive power supply fee of respective power supply fees of the plurality of power supply facilities, facilitation information for facilitating reduction of the power supply fee.   
     
     
         10 . The server according to  claim 9 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to an in-vehicle device that receives the notification from the notification device, information for permitting the supply of power at the power supply facility notified by the notification device. 
     
     
         11 . The server according to  claim 10 , wherein the in-vehicle device is configured to request the transmitter whenever a predetermined period passes, to transmit the information for permitting the supply of power at the power supply facility notified by the notification device. 
     
     
         12 . The server according to  claim 9 , wherein
 on a condition that the server receives user identification information of a user who desires to supply power to the vehicle, the notification device is configured to notify, to a terminal of the user, the power supply facility determined by the determination device, and   the server further includes a request controller configured to perform a process for requesting, to the user for whom the supply of power to the vehicle has been ended and who corresponds to the user identification information, a fee corresponding to an amount of the supply of power.   
     
     
         13 . The server according to  claim 12 , wherein the amount of the supply of power is calculated by an in-vehicle device of the vehicle. 
     
     
         14 . The server according to  claim 9 , wherein
 in addition to the location information and the acceptance period, the storage is configured to store provider identification information for identifying a provider of the power supply facility, and   the server further includes a payment controller configured to perform a process for paying, to the provider having provided the power supply facility and corresponding to the provider identification information, a fee corresponding to an amount of the supply of power, when the supply of power to the vehicle at the power supply facility is ended.   
     
     
         15 . The server according to  claim 9 , wherein the determination device is configured to determine, as a power supply facility corresponding to the desired starting time, a power supply facility satisfying a condition that the desired starting time is a time after the acceptance starting time of the acceptance period and a period from the desired starting time to the acceptance ending time of the acceptance period is longer than or equal to a predetermined period. 
     
     
         16 . The server according to  claim 9 , wherein when the desired starting time is not included in the acceptance period and a difference between a starting time of the acceptance period and the desired starting time is less than a predetermined value, the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to the terminal, first facilitation information for facilitating a change of the acceptance period. 
     
     
         17 . The server according to  claim 9 , wherein the notification device is further configured to notify a part of an address of the location, rather than a whole of the address of the location, as the location of the power supply facility. 
     
     
         18 . A terminal configured to communicate with a server configured to store one or more pieces of association information in which (i) location information for specifying a location for a power supply facility for supplying power to a vehicle, (ii) an acceptance period for accepting the supply of power at the location and (iii) a power supply fee are associated with one another, the terminal comprising:
 a transmitter configured to transmit, to the server, information including (i) a desired location for the supply of power to the vehicle and (ii) a desired starting time for the supply of power to the vehicle at the desired location; and   a receiver configured to receive information of a location of a power supply facility determined based on the one or more pieces of stored association information, the power supply facility corresponding to the desired location and the desired starting time, wherein   the server is configured to transmit, to the terminal corresponding to an expensive power supply fee of respective power supply fees of a plurality of power supply facilities, facilitation information for facilitating reduction of the power supply fee.   
     
     
         19 . The terminal according to  claim 18 , wherein when the desired starting time is not included in the acceptance period and a difference between a starting time of the acceptance period and the desired starting time is less than a predetermined value, the receiver is further configured to receive, from the server, first facilitation information for facilitating a change of the acceptance period. 
     
     
         20 . The terminal according to  claim 18 , wherein the server is further configured to notify a part of an address of the location, rather than a whole of the address of the location, as the location of the power supply facility.