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; 
 determine whether there is a first vehicle that is suitable for the usage request based on activity schedule information in which an activity schedule of an owner of the vehicle is set; 
 permit the reservation for use of the vehicle when the circuitry determines that there is the first vehicle; 
 receive a change request for changing the activity schedule information after permitting the reservation; and 
 determine whether there is an alternative vehicle that is suitable for the usage request, the alternative vehicle being different from the first vehicle. 
   
     
     
         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 . A carsharing method comprising:
 causing circuitry 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;   causing the circuitry to determine whether there is a first vehicle that is suitable for the usage request based on activity schedule information in which an activity schedule of an owner of the vehicle is set;   causing the circuitry to permit the reservation for use of the vehicle when the it is determined that there is the first vehicle;   causing the circuitry to receive a change request for changing the activity schedule information after permitting the reservation; and   causing the circuitry to determine whether there is an alternative vehicle that is suitable for the usage request, the alternative vehicle being different from the first vehicle.   
     
     
         8 . The carsharing method according to  claim 7 , wherein
 the usage request includes a desired rental schedule which is a schedule in which the user desires rental of the vehicle, and   the method further comprises:
 causing the circuitry to store reservation schedule information indicating a status of the reservation for use of the vehicle; 
 causing the circuitry to acquire movement schedule information indicating a 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 the desired rental schedule. 
   
     
     
         9 . The carsharing method according to  claim 8 , 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 method further comprises:
 causing the circuitry to select a selected vehicle which is available at the scheduled transportation date and time; and 
 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. 
   
     
     
         10 . The carsharing method according to  claim 9 , further comprising causing the circuitry to transmit, 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. 
     
     
         11 . The carsharing method according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the usage request includes receiver terminal information for specifying an address of a terminal of a receiver who receives the baggage, and   the method further comprises causing the circuitry to transmit, 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.   
     
     
         12 . The carsharing system according to  claim 10 , 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 method further comprises:
 causing the circuitry 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 
 causing the circuitry to transmit, 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. 
   
     
     
         13 . A non-transitory computer readable medium that stores an executable program, wherein the program, when executed, causes a carsharing system to execute processing comprising:
 receiving, from a user, a usage request for requesting a reservation for use of a vehicle which is supplied for a vehicle rental service;   determining whether there is a first vehicle that is suitable for the usage request based on activity schedule information in which an activity schedule of an owner of the vehicle is set;   permitting the reservation for use of the vehicle when the it is determined that there is the first vehicle;   receiving a change request for changing the activity schedule information after permitting the reservation; and   determining whether there is an alternative vehicle that is suitable for the usage request, the alternative vehicle being different from the first vehicle.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 13 , wherein
 the usage request includes a desired rental schedule which is a schedule in which the user desires rental of the vehicle, and   the program further comprises:
 storing reservation schedule information indicating a status of the reservation for use of the vehicle; 
 acquiring movement schedule information indicating a movement schedule of the vehicle; and 
 providing information on vehicle of which both the reservation schedule information and the movement schedule information satisfy the desired rental schedule. 
   
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 14 , 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 program further comprises:
 selecting a selected vehicle which is available at the scheduled transportation date and time; and 
 setting a reservation for use of the selected vehicle at the scheduled transportation date and time in the reservation schedule information. 
   
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 15 , wherein the program further comprises 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. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 16 , wherein
 the usage request includes receiver terminal information for specifying an address of a terminal of a receiver who receives the baggage, and   the program further comprises 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.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable medium according to  claim 16 , 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 program further comprises:
 determining 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 
   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.