US 2004/0176969 A1 · Vehicle sharing system

Abstract

When a user accesses a control center by using a portable terminal, whether or not a “reserved rental” is available is designated according to a date in which the shared motor vehicle is used. For example, only the “non-reserved rental” is permitted from Monday through Friday in which a motor vehicle is often used for a short period of time. “Reserved rental” is compatibly employed on Saturday, Sunday, and holiday in which a motor vehicle is used on a planned schedule. It is determined whether or not the designated date indicates that a reservation is possible, thus, if the designated date indicates that a reservation is possible, a reservation is accepted. Thus, a useful motor vehicle sharing system for the user can be provided in which an operating ratio of the motor vehicles does not decrease even if the “reserved rental” and the “non-reserved rental” coexist. Also, when a user accesses a control center by using a portable terminal, a number or the motor vehicles which are parked in each port is calculated according to an inputted reservation condition. If there is a port in which it is difficult to park more motor vehicles, a reservation for using the motor vehicle which is supposed to arrive the port is stopped. The stopped reservation is allocated to the motor vehicle after the port has a vacancy for parking the shared motor vehicle; thus, a message that a reservation is completed is transmitted to the user. Also, it is determined whether or not a model of a shared motor vehicle which is actually requested to use by the user is the same as the reserved model. If the model of a shared motor vehicle which is requested to use by the user is not the same as the reserved model, the number of the motor vehicle which can be used and the number of the reserved motor vehicles are changed for both of the present model and the reserved model; thus, it is permitted that the user may enter the motor vehicle of the present model, and a rental permission transmitted to the shared motor vehicle.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A motor vehicle sharing system comprising a control center which is provided with a controlling device for controlling a motor vehicle which is parked in a parking area for renting the motor vehicle to a user, wherein,

the controlling device comprises:
a data storing section which stores a plurality of combinations of a motor vehicle rental form which is defined according to a time length of rental for a motor vehicle to a user and a period which is supposed to be applied for a rental data for renting the motor vehicle to the user;
a rental setting section switching the combinations of the motor vehicle rental forms periodically according to the applied period according to the rental data which is stored in the data storing section so as to rent the motor vehicle;
and
a price controlling section which sets different prices according to the motor vehicle rental forms and charges a billing price to the user according to the user's usage condition of the motor vehicle.

2 more elements

A motor vehicle sharing system comprising a control center which is provided with a controlling device for controlling a motor vehicle which is parked in a parking area which is called as a port for renting the motor vehicle to a user, wherein, the controlling device comprises:

a reservation registering section which performs a rental allocation of the motor vehicle according to a reservation information which contains a departing port and an arriving port which are from the user and calculates a planned number of motor vehicle to be parked for each port;
and
a reservation determining section which stops the rental and the reservation of the motor vehicle which is supposed to arrive at a port when the planned number of motor vehicle to be parked in the port calculated by the reservation registering section reaches a parking capacity of the port.

an data storing section which stores the number of motor vehicle available to be used with reference to a motor vehicle type information;
a reservation registering section which performs a reservation registration of the motor vehicle according to an information of the departing port and a reservation information which includes a preferred motor vehicle type information which are received from the user's terminal and updates the number of motor vehicle available to be used;
and
a renting section which permits the usage of the motor vehicle in the departing port according to the information of the user which is inputted by the user and the motor vehicle type information, and
the renting section rents the motor vehicle of which type is inputted by the user as long as the motor vehicle is rentable when the motor vehicle type information which is included in the reservation information is different from the motor vehicle type information which is inputted by the user at the departing port, and the number of motor vehicle available to be used which is stored in the data storing section is greater than zero, and updates a content in the number of motor vehicle available to be used which is stored in the data storing section.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Vehicle sharing system

Life of this patent

Vehicle sharing system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims10