| 摘要 |
<p>A reservation system, particularly suited to small businesses, includes a database accessible through the public switched telephone network (PSTN), an electronic diary at each serviced customer premises and a plurality of customer telephone channels connecting each customer premises to the PSTN. In use, when a potential customer contacts the supplier, the electronic diary uses the second line to effect a simultaneous call to the database. The electronic diary and corresponding data in the database are kept synchronised so that the database may be used with certainty for assisting intermediaries to determine availability at each of a number of small suppliers. Alternatively, the network may act as an intermediary, connecting calls to potential suppliers based on the information held in the database. Because the electronic diary and database are always in step small suppliers can use the system without having to pre-allocate accommodation/commodity to a particular intermediary.</p> |
