Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, and information processing system

Abstract

To efficiently operate tournament games using a plurality of courts.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus 1 has: a player management part 131 which determines a plurality of players P to compete in a match in an usable court among a plurality of players, and transmits a token including a game ID and a court ID to information terminals 2 that the plurality of players P use respectively; and a score management part 132 which enables scores of the game in which the plurality of players P competed to be recorded after the player management part 131 transmits a token on condition that a combination of a game ID and a court ID input by an umpire's terminal matches the combination of the game ID and court ID included in the token that the player management part 131 transmits.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system for supporting the operation of tournament competitions.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, a technique for determining competitors who compete in a tournament-style game is known. Also, services for supporting the operation of tournament-style competitions, such as the service described in Non-Patent Document 1, are known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a tournament competition of a sport such as table tennis or badminton, a large number of courts are used. When determining competitors who compete in a game where a large number of courts are not used, as in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the court to be used by the determined competitors is not considered. Therefore, it is not suitable for the operation of competitions in which a plurality of competitions are held on a plurality of courts.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to improve the efficiency of the operation of tournament-style competitions implemented using a plurality of courts.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus for supporting the operation of a tournament competition implemented using a plurality of courts, which determines a first player and a second player who play against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of players, and transmits to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player a token including a match ID for identifying a match to be played between the first player and the second player among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying a court on which the match is to be held. A score management unit that enables recording of the score of the match in which the first player and the second player played against each other on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches a combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the player management unit.

[0007] The player management unit may determine the first player and the second player who play against each other in the next match on the court where the match for which the score management unit recorded the score was held, in response to the score management unit recording the score.

[0008] The score management unit may display, on the referee terminal, a screen for inputting a score on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches a combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the player management unit.

[0009] The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores first status information indicating whether each of the plurality of players is in a playable state or a non-playable state, and the player management unit may select the first player and the second player for whom the first status information indicates a playable state.

[0010] The information processing apparatus may further include a status management unit that changes the first status information of a competitor who has transmitted predetermined information posted at the venue where the tournament competition is held to a competitive state.

[0011] When the competitor management unit selects the first competitor and the second competitor, the information processing apparatus changes the first status information corresponding to the first competitor and the first status information corresponding to the second competitor to a non-competitive state, and when the score management unit records the score of a match in which the first competitor and the second competitor have played against each other, the information processing apparatus may further include a status management unit that changes the first status information of the first competitor and the second competitor to a competitive state.

[0012] The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores second status information indicating whether or not a competitor is in a defeated state in the tournament competition in which the competitor participates, associated with the plurality of competitors, and the competitor management unit may select the first competitor and the second competitor for whom the second status information does not indicate a defeated state.

[0013] The referee terminal has a combination of the match ID and the court ID input for each of the first competitor and the second competitor, and the information processing apparatus may further include a status management unit that sets the second status information corresponding to a competitor for whom the combination of the match ID and the court ID is not input to a defeated state until a predetermined time has elapsed after the token is transmitted.

[0014] The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores, in association with the plurality of players, first status information indicating whether the player is in a playable state or a non-playable state, and second status information indicating whether the player is in a defeated state in the tournament competition in which the player participates among the plurality of tournament competitions performed using the plurality of courts. The player management unit may select the first player and the second player for each match of the plurality of tournament competitions, where the first status information indicates a playable state and the second status information does not indicate a defeated state.

[0015] The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores, in association with a group, status information indicating whether the group is in a playable state or a non-playable state. The player management unit may select, as the first player and the second player, players belonging to the group in which the status information indicates a playable state.

[0016] The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores, in association with the plurality of players, participation information indicating the tournament competitions in which the players participate among the plurality of tournament competitions performed using the plurality of courts. When there is a court available for a match, the player management unit may preferentially determine the first player and the second player for the match of the tournament competition with a relatively large number of participants by referring to the participation information.

[0017] The information processing apparatus further may include a storage unit that stores the court ID, the first player, the second player, and court status information indicating the status of the court corresponding to the court ID in association with each other; a status management unit that sets the court status information to the preparing state after the player management unit transmits the token, and sets the court status information to the in-game state when a combination of a game ID and a court ID that matches the combination of the game ID and the court ID included in the token is input to the referee terminal; and an information providing unit that provides the information terminal with the status indicated by the court status information corresponding to the court ID when the information terminal receives an input of the court ID.

[0018] The information processing apparatus further includes a storage unit that stores court status information indicating whether it is in a game or not in association with the court ID; a status management unit that sets the court status information to the in-game state when a combination of a game ID and a court ID that matches the combination of the game ID and the court ID included in the token is input to the referee terminal after the player management unit transmits the token, and sets the court status information to the non-in-game state when the score management unit records a score or when a combination of a game ID and a court ID that matches the combination of the game ID and the court ID included in the token is not input to the referee terminal until a predetermined time has elapsed since the player management unit transmitted the token. The player management unit may determine the first player and the second player who play a game on a court where the court status information indicates the non-in-game state and transmit the token.

[0019] The information processing method according to the second aspect of the present invention is an information processing method executed by a computer to assist in the operation of a tournament competition implemented using a plurality of courts, comprising: determining, among a plurality of players, a first player and a second player who play against each other in a match held on an available court; transmitting, to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player, a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first player and the second player play in among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match is held; and after transmitting the token, making it possible to record the score of the match in which the first player and the second player play against each other, on the condition that the combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the transmitted token.

[0020] The program according to the third aspect of the present invention causes a computer to execute: determining, among a plurality of players, a first player and a second player who play against each other in a match held on an available court; transmitting, to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player, a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first player and the second player play in among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match is held; and after transmitting the token, making it possible to record the score of the match in which the first player and the second player play against each other, on the condition that the combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the transmitted token.

[0021] The information processing system according to the fourth aspect of the present invention includes an information processing apparatus for assisting in the operation of a tournament competition implemented using a plurality of courts, and an information terminal used by a competitor participating in the tournament competition. The information processing apparatus determines a first competitor and a second competitor who play against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of competitors, and transmits to a first information terminal used by the first competitor and a second information terminal used by the second competitor a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first competitor and the second competitor play in among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match is held. A score management unit that enables recording of the score of the match in which the first competitor and the second competitor play against each other, on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input on the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the competitor management unit. The information terminal displays the match ID and the court ID included in the received token when the token is received.

Effect of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, there is an effect that the operation of a tournament-style competition implemented using a plurality of courts can be made more efficient.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0023]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0024] [Overview of Information Processing System S] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams for explaining the overview of the information processing system S. The information processing system S includes an information processing apparatus 1 and a plurality of information terminals 2 capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the information processing apparatus 1.

[0025] The information processing apparatus 1 is a computer for supporting the operation of tournament competitions implemented using a plurality of courts, and is, for example, a server. The information processing apparatus 1 is managed by, for example, a company that provides a service for supporting the operation of tournament competitions, and executes processing for supporting tournament competitions in response to requests from a computer (not shown) used by the operator of the tournament competition. The information processing apparatus 1 may be installed at the venue where the tournament competition is held, or may be installed externally like a cloud server.

[0026] The process for supporting tournament competitions is, for example, a process of managing information on player P participating in the tournament competition, determining player P who will play a match on an available court, and providing information regarding the court on which the match will be held to the determined player P. The information processing apparatus 1 may execute only the support for one tournament competition, or may execute the support for a plurality of tournament competitions in parallel. Player P may be one person, or may be a team including a plurality of people.

[0027] A tournament competition is a competition conducted in an elimination format in which the players who have won a match compete against each other in sequence to determine the winner. Since one player or one team of players P is eliminated in each match, in a tournament competition, the number of matches conducted is one less than the number of players P participating in the competition. In a tournament competition, all the combinations of matches up to the final may be determined in advance, or the combinations of matches may be determined while the competition progresses. In the latter case, for example, when a match ends and there is an available court, the combination of the next match to be conducted is determined. The combination of matches conducted in the Nth round (N is an integer of 2 or more) may be determined after all the matches in the (N - 1)th round have ended.

[0028] The information terminal 2 is a terminal used by players participating in the tournament competition, and is, for example, a smartphone or a tablet. The information terminal 2 can transmit and receive various data to and from the information processing apparatus 1 using, for example, application software that transmits and receives messages in a chat format. The information terminal 2 transmits, for example, data indicating that player P has arrived at the venue where the tournament competition is held to the information processing apparatus 1. The information terminal 2 receives data for specifying the court on which the match will be held from the information processing apparatus 1.

[0029] FIGs. 3 to 6 are diagrams showing examples of screens displayed on the information terminal 2. FIG. 7 is a state transition diagram showing the state transition of players participating in the tournament competition. Hereinafter, the outline of the information processing system S will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 7, when the competitor P arrives at the venue of the tournament competition, the information terminal 2 executes the competitor registration process, and the information processing apparatus 1 is notified that the competitor P has arrived at the venue, and the competition can be performed. When the competitor P arrives at the venue, for example, the competitor P reads a predetermined piece of information (e.g., a two-dimensional image code) installed at the venue with the information terminal 2, or inputs the arrival at the information terminal 2. By the competitor P performing such an operation, the information terminal 2 transmits registration data to the information processing apparatus 1. When the information processing apparatus 1 receives the registration data, it sets the state of the competitor P who has transmitted the registration data to the "competitive state (S1)" as shown in FIG. 7.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a message displayed on the information terminal 2 of the competitor P for whom the competitor registration process has been completed. In the message, a competitor ID for identifying the competitor P and a tournament number which is a competition ID for identifying the tournament competition in which the competitor P participates are shown.

[0032] When a court where a match can be held (i.e., an empty court) occurs among a plurality of courts at the venue, the information processing apparatus 1 notifies two competitors P selected from among the plurality of competitors P in the competitive state that they can have a match. At this time, the information processing apparatus 1 transmits a court ID for identifying the court where the match is to be held.

[0033] FIG. 1 shows a state in which the information processing apparatus 1 transmits a court ID to two competitors P-1 and P-2 who are having a match on an empty court. Each of the plurality of matches held in the tournament competition is assigned a match ID, and each of the plurality of courts used in the tournament competition is assigned a court ID. The match ID is, for example, a number randomly determined by the information processing apparatus 1. The court ID is, for example, a number assigned in the order of court arrangement, and the competitor P is provided with information indicating the position of the court corresponding to each court ID.

[0034] The information processing apparatus 1 transmits a token including the match ID of the match to be held at the coat and the coat ID of the available coat to the information terminals 2-1 and 2-2 used by the two players P-1 and P-2. In this specification, the act of the information processing apparatus 1 transmitting a token including the match ID and the coat ID is referred to as "calling".

[0035] As shown in FIG. 7, the called player P enters the "unable to compete state (S2)" and is not selected as the player P who will play the match at the newly available coat. If player P wins the match, they return to the "able to compete state (S1)", and if player P loses the match, they transition to the "withdrawal state (S3)".

[0036] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the screen displayed by the information terminal 2 that has received the token. In the screen shown in FIG. 4, it is shown that the number of the coat corresponding to the coat ID is "15" and the match ID is "749". In FIG. 1, it is shown that player P-3, who lost the previous match held at the coat with coat ID 15, is waiting at the coat.

[0037] When the call screens shown in FIG. 4 are displayed on the information terminals 2 used by players P-1 and P-2 respectively, players P-1 and P-2 move to the coat described on the call screen. As shown in FIG. 2, players P-1 and P-2 convey the match ID and coat ID described on the call screen to the referee who is at the coat where the match is to be held. The referee is, for example, the player P who lost the previous match held at the coat where the match is to be held, and in FIG. 1, player P-3 serves as the referee. The information terminal 2-3 used by the player P serving as the referee functions as a referee terminal.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a match information input screen displayed on a trial terminal used by a referee. Competitor P-3 inputs the court ID and match ID reported by Competitor P-1 and Competitor P-2 into the match information input screen. A plurality of match information input screens corresponding to each of the plurality of competitors P may be displayed on the information terminal 2-3 functioning as a trial terminal. A combination of a match ID and a court ID may be input to the trial terminal in association with each of the called first competitor P and second competitor. In this case, a plurality of competitors P may input the court ID and the match ID on the match information input screen of the trial terminal.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, when the court ID and the match ID are input on the match information input screen, the information terminal 2-3 functioning as a trial terminal transmits the input court ID and match ID to the information processing apparatus 1. When the information terminal 2-3 displays a plurality of match information input screens corresponding to each of the plurality of competitors P, the information terminal 2-3 may transmit a plurality of sets of court IDs and match IDs reported by the plurality of competitors P to the information processing apparatus 1.

[0040] The information processing apparatus 1 determines whether or not the combination of the match ID and the court ID received from the information terminal 2-3 matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted to the information terminals 2-1 and 2-2 used by the competitors P-1 and P-2 who play a match on the court corresponding to the information terminal 2-3. When the information processing apparatus 1 determines that they match, it notifies the information terminal 2-3 that the match can be started.

[0041] When it determines that they do not match, the information processing device 1 notifies the information terminal 2-3 that there is an error in the court ID or the match ID. The information processing device 1 stores in association with the information terminal 2-3 the court ID of the court where the match in which the competitor P-3 lost was held, and when the court ID transmitted from the information terminal 2-3 does not match the stored court ID, it may notify the information terminal 2-3 that there is an error in the court ID. As a result, it becomes possible for the competitor P-1 or the competitor P-2, or the competitor P-3 serving as a referee, to notice that they are not on the correct court.

[0042] When the information terminal 2-3 functioning as a referee terminal receives from the information processing device 1 a notification indicating that it can start a match and may register a score, it becomes in a state where it can transmit the score of the match to the information processing device 1. As an example, the information terminal 2-3 displays a screen for inputting the score of the match in response to receiving a notification indicating that it may register a score.

[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a score registration screen for registering a score. The competitor P-3 serving as a referee inputs the score each time each game or each set of the match ends. The information terminal 2-3 transmits the input score to the information processing device 1 when, for example, a "transmit" button is pressed. The information processing device 1 stores the received score in association with each of the plurality of competitors P who played the match. Further, the information processing device 1 transitions the state of the competitor P who won the match to the "competitive state (S1)", and transitions the state of the competitor P who lost the match to the "retired state (S3)".

[0044] By operating the information processing device 1 and the information terminal 2 as described above, in a tournament competition in which matches are held using a large number of courts, it is possible to notify a plurality of competitors P who will play a match on that court of the court ID as soon as the court becomes available, so that the usage efficiency of the court can be increased. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the information processing device 1 will be described in detail.

[0045] [Configuration of Information Processing Device 1] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the information processing apparatus 1. The information processing apparatus 1 includes a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. The control unit 13 includes a competitor management unit 131, a score management unit 132, a status management unit 133, and an information providing unit 134.

[0046] The communication unit 11 has a communication interface for transmitting and receiving data to and from a plurality of information terminals 2. For example, when the communication unit 11 receives registration data for registering the competitor P as a competitor from the information terminal 2, the communication unit 11 notifies the registration data to the competitor management unit 131. In addition, the communication unit 11 transmits a token for a call to the information terminal 2 of the competitor P for whom a match is scheduled. Further, when the communication unit 11 receives a score from the information terminal 2 used by the competitor P serving as a referee, the communication unit 11 notifies the received score to the score management unit 132.

[0047] The storage unit 12 includes storage media such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an SSD (Solid State Drive). The storage unit 12 stores a program executed by the control unit 13. In addition, the storage unit 12 stores various data used by the control unit 13 to execute processes for supporting the operation of the competition. The storage unit 12 stores competitor data including information about the competitor P. The storage unit 12 also stores group data including information about the group to which the competitor P belongs. Further, the storage unit 12 stores court data indicating the status of each court.

[0048] The storage unit 12 stores first status information indicating whether each of a plurality of players P is in a playable state or a non-playable state, in association with the plurality of players P. Further, the storage unit 12 stores second status information indicating whether each of the plurality of players P is in an eliminated state or not in the tournament competitions in which the player P is participating, in association with the plurality of players P. The storage unit 12 may store status information indicating whether each of the groups to which the plurality of players P belong is in a playable state or a non-playable state, in association with the groups. The storage unit 12 may store participation information indicating the tournament competitions in which the player P participates among the plurality of tournament competitions implemented using a plurality of courts, in association with the plurality of players P.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of player data. In the player data, a player ID, a player name, participation information, a playable status, an eliminated status, an affiliated group, a match ID, and a court ID are associated with each other.

[0050] The "player ID" is a character string or a number for identifying the player P assigned to the player P who has undergone the player registration process. The "participation information" is information indicating the tournament competitions in which the player P participates when a plurality of tournament competitions are held. FA indicates women's singles competition, FWA indicates women's doubles competition, MA indicates men's singles competition, and MWA indicates men's doubles competition.

[0051] The "playable status" is the first status information indicating whether the playable state shown in FIG. 7 is applicable or not. In FIG. 9, "〇" indicates the playable state, and "×" indicates the non-playable state. Since a new match cannot be assigned to a player P with a court ID and a match ID attached, a player P with a court ID and a match ID attached is in a non-playable state.

[0052] The "withdrawal status" is second status information indicating whether the competitor P has withdrawn. In the competitor data, second status information indicating the withdrawal status may be included for each tournament competition in which the competitor P participates. In the example shown in FIG. 9, in the withdrawal status columns of the competitor P with competitor ID P0004 and the competitor P with competitor ID P0005, "MA", which is information identifying the tournament competition in which the withdrawal has been determined, is described.

[0053] Since the competitor P with competitor ID P0004 has withdrawn in the tournament competition MA and thus cannot play a match, it is in a non-competitive state. The competitor P with competitor ID P0005 has withdrawn in the tournament competition MA but has not withdrawn in the tournament competition MWA, so it is in a competitive state. The information processing apparatus 1 does not assign such a competitor P to the match of the tournament competition MA, but assigns it to the match of the tournament competition MWA.

[0054] "Affiliated group" is the name of the organization (school or club) to which the competitor P belongs. "Court ID" is the ID of the court where the match assigned to the competitor P is held. "Match ID" is the ID of the match assigned to the competitor P.

[0055] Note that the competitor data may include the match results, start time of the match, and end time of the match of each competitor P. The competitor data may include attribute information regarding the years of experience, school year, and past performance of each competitor P.

[0056] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of group data. In the group data shown in FIG. 10, the group ID, group name, and information indicating whether the competitor P belonging to each group is in a competitive state or a non-competitive state are associated. In FIG. 10, the "competitive status" is "〇" when the belonging competitor P is in a competitive state.

[0057] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of court data. The storage unit 12 stores the court data, thereby associating and storing a court ID, a first player P, a second player P, and court status information indicating the status of the court corresponding to the court ID. In the court data shown in FIG. 11, a court ID, a match ID of the next match to be held on that court, a player ID of the first player P who conducts the match, a player ID of the second player P, a referee ID which is the ID of the player P who serves as a referee in that match, and court status information are associated with each other. The court status information is information indicating whether the court is in a match or not in a match.

[0058] "Not in a match" indicates a state where the court is vacant and the next match can be held. "Calling" indicates a state where a player P is assigned to the court but the match has not started yet. "In a match" indicates a state where a match is being held. The court data is updated every time a match held on each court ends or the players P of the match to be held on each court are determined.

[0059] The storage unit 12 may store score data in which a match ID and a score are associated with each other. The storage unit 12 may store a score in association with the player IDs of a plurality of players P who conducted each match together with the match ID.

[0060] Hereinafter, the operations of each part of the control unit 13 will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The player management unit 131 determines a player P who conducts a match on an empty court where no match is being held. That is, the player management unit 131 determines a first player P and a second player P who play against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of players P. The player management unit 131 determines the first player P and the second player P who play a match on a court where the court status information included in the court data stored in the storage unit 12 indicates a non-match state, and transmits a token to the information terminal 2 used by the first player P and the second player P.

[0061] The competitor management unit 131 transmits, via the communication unit 11, a token including a match ID for identifying a match between the first competitor P and the second competitor P among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match is to be held, to the first information terminal (e.g., information terminal 2-1) used by the first competitor P and the second information terminal (e.g., information terminal 2-2) used by the second competitor P.

[0062] When starting the tournament competition, the competitor management unit 131 determines the match ID of the match to be held on each of all available courts and the plurality of competitors P who will conduct each match. Thereafter, in response to the score management unit 132 recording a score, the competitor management unit 131 determines the first competitor P and the second competitor P who will compete in the next match on the court where the match for which the score management unit 132 recorded the score was held.

[0063] When selecting the first competitor P and the second competitor P, the competitor management unit 131 selects the first competitor P and the second competitor P from among the plurality of competitors P whose first status information indicates a playable state. The competitor management unit 131 selects the first competitor P and the second competitor P whose second status information does not indicate a defeated state. The competitor management unit 131 may select the first competitor P and the second competitor P whose first status information indicates a playable state and whose second status information in the tournament competition targeted for selection of the first competitor P and the second competitor P does not indicate a defeated state. Thereby, since the competitor P who can start the match promptly is called, the time during which the court is vacant can be shortened.

[0064] When there are three or more competitors P indicating a playable state, the competitor management unit 131 may preferentially select the competitor P whose elapsed time from the end time of the immediately preceding match included in the competitor data is long, by referring to the end time of the immediately preceding match. The competitor management unit 131 may select the competitor P on the condition that a time equal to or longer than a threshold has elapsed from the end time of the immediately preceding match. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the competitor P immediately after the end of the match from playing a match.

[0065] The competitor management unit 131 may preferentially select a plurality of competitors P with attributes that satisfy a predetermined condition by referring to the attribute information in the competitor data stored in the storage unit 12. As an example, the competitor management unit 131 may preferentially select a plurality of competitors P in the same academic year, or may preferentially select a plurality of competitors P with equivalent past performance levels.

[0066] By the way, when each competitor P arrives at the venue, if all the competitors P perform an operation to read information such as a two-dimensional image code installed at the venue and the information terminal 2 transmits registration data to the information processing device 1, it will take a long time to register the competitors P. Therefore, the first status information is managed for each group, and the competitor management unit 131 may select the competitors belonging to the group in which the first status information indicates a playable state as the first competitor P and the second competitor P. As a result, when all the competitors P belonging to the group arrive at the venue, the representative of the group performs an operation to make all the members of the group in a playable state, so that all the competitors P can play the game.

[0067] When a plurality of tournament competitions are being held in parallel, the competitor management unit 131 selects the first competitor P and the second competitor P for each match of the plurality of tournament competitions, where the first status information indicates a playable state and the second status information does not indicate an eliminated state. When there is an available court, the competitor management unit 131 selects a competitor P who can play a match in any of the tournament competitions. As a result, it becomes possible to efficiently progress a large number of matches of a plurality of tournament competitions at one venue.

[0068] Incidentally, when a plurality of tournament competitions are held in parallel, it is desirable that the finals of each tournament competition be held at approximately the same time. Therefore, when there are courts available for matches, the Competitor Management Unit 131 may preferentially determine the first Competitor P and the second Competitor P for the matches of the tournament competition with relatively more participants by referring to the participation information regarding the Competitor P participating in each tournament competition. After all the matches in the first round of the tournament competition with the most participants have ended, the Competitor Management Unit 131 may preferentially determine the first Competitor P and the second Competitor P for the matches of the tournament competition with relatively more non-eliminated participants by referring to the second status information. As a result, since the matches of the tournament competition with relatively more matches remaining are preferentially held, it becomes easier for the finals of each tournament competition to be held at approximately the same time.

[0069] The Score Management Unit 132 enables the score to be recorded on the referee terminal or stores the score transmitted from the referee terminal in the storage unit 12. After the Competitor Management Unit 131 transmits a token, the Score Management Unit 132 enables the score of the match in which the first Competitor P and the second Competitor P compete, on the condition that the combination of the match ID and the court ID input on the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the Competitor Management Unit 131. Specifically, the Score Management Unit 132 causes the referee terminal to display a screen for inputting the score, on the condition that the combination of the match ID and the court ID input on the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the Competitor Management Unit 131.

[0070] More specifically, when the combination of the match ID and the court ID input on the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token sent by the competitor management unit 131, the score management unit 132 transmits data for permitting the display of the score input screen to the information terminal 2. On the other hand, when the combination of the match ID and the court ID input on the referee terminal does not match the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token sent by the competitor management unit 131, the score management unit 132 transmits data indicating that the display of the score input screen is not permitted to the information terminal 2. By operating in this manner, the score management unit 132 can prevent an un-called competitor P from accidentally conducting a match.

[0071] The score management unit 132 may receive data (such as a court ID or location data) indicating the location of the court where the referee is present from the referee terminal, and transmit data indicating permission to display the score input screen to the referee terminal on the condition that the court ID received from the referee terminal matches the court ID input based on the declaration of the competitor P on the referee terminal. This can prevent a match from starting at the wrong court when the called competitor P declares the correct match ID and court ID to the referee at the wrong court.

[0072] When the score is sent from the referee terminal, the score management unit 132 stores the score in the storage unit 12 in association with the match ID. The score management unit 132 may also store the score in the storage unit 12 in association with the competitor IDs of a plurality of competitors P who participated in the match, together with the match ID.

[0073] The status management unit 133 manages various statuses related to the competitor P, the competition, or the court. For example, the status management unit 133 changes the first status information of the competitor P who has transmitted predetermined information posted at the venue where the tournament competition is held to the playable state. The predetermined information is information assigned to the venue and is, for example, a two-dimensional image code. The status management unit 133 may update the first status information corresponding to the competitor P when an operation is performed on the information terminal 2 for the competitor P to select either the playable state or the unplayable state.

[0074] When the competitor management unit 131 selects the first competitor P and the second competitor P as the competitors P who will play the next match, the status management unit 133 changes the first status information corresponding to the first competitor P and the first status information corresponding to the second competitor P to the unplayable state. This can prevent a situation where a plurality of matches are assigned to one information processing device 1.

[0075] When the score management unit 132 records the score of the match in which the first competitor P and the second competitor P played against each other, the status management unit 133 changes the first status information of the first competitor P and the second competitor P to the playable state. Specifically, the status management unit 133 updates the first status information of the first competitor P and the second competitor P, which were in the unplayable state during the match, to the playable state. This enables the competitor P who has finished the match to play the next match. If there is only one tournament competition in which the competitor P participates, since the competitor P cannot play a match, the status management unit 133 may change the first status information of the competitor P who lost the match to the unplayable state.

[0076] However, if the competitor P is assigned to the next match immediately after finishing the match, there is a risk that the competitor P may not be able to play the match in a good state. Therefore, the status management unit 133 may update the first status information of the competitor P who won the match to the playable state when a predetermined rest time (for example, 10 minutes) has elapsed after the score management unit 132 records the score of the match.

[0077] Based on the score data, the status management unit 133 sets the second status information of the athlete P who lost the game to the defeated state. The status management unit 133 may also set the second status information corresponding to the athlete P for whom the combination of the game ID and the court ID is not input until a predetermined time has elapsed after transmitting the token to the defeated state. As a result, since the called athlete P is motivated to move to the court promptly, the usage efficiency of the court is improved.

[0078] The predetermined time is determined based on the time required for the athlete P who received the call to move to the court, and is, for example, 10 minutes. The status management unit 133 may make the predetermined time longer when the elapsed time since the end of the game immediately preceding the game performed by the athlete P is less than the threshold value than when the elapsed time is equal to or greater than the threshold value. As a result, it becomes easier for the athlete P who has just finished the previous game to secure time for preparing for the next game.

[0079] Note that there may be a case where the athlete P who lost the game is participating in other tournament competitions that he / she has not lost. In this case, the status management unit 133 sets the first status information of the athlete P who lost the game to the playable state and the second status information to the defeated state. When the athlete P who lost the game is not participating in other tournament competitions that he / she has not lost, the status management unit 133 may set the first status information to the unplayable state and the second status information to the defeated state.

[0080] The status management unit 133 may manage the status of the court data. After the competitor management unit 131 transmits a token, the status management unit 133 sets the court status information in the court data to the "preparing" state. When a combination of match ID and court ID that matches the combination of match ID and court ID included in the token transmitted by the competitor management unit 131 is input to the referee terminal and the competitor management unit 131 acquires the input match ID and court ID, the status management unit 133 may set the court status information to the "during match" state. As a result, since the status of the court becomes the latest status, when the information providing unit 134 described later provides the court status information, it becomes easier for the persons concerned in the tournament competition to correctly grasp the status of the court.

[0081] When the score management unit 132 records a score, or when a combination of match ID and court ID that matches the combination of match ID and court ID included in the token is not input to the referee terminal before a predetermined time elapses after the competitor management unit 131 transmits the token, the status management unit 133 may set the court status information to the "not during match" state. As a result, the competitor management unit 131 can determine the competitor P who will play a match on the court that has become the "not during match" state, thereby preventing the court from becoming vacant.

[0082] The information providing unit 134 provides various types of information to the information terminal 2 used by the competitor P and the information terminals used by the operators of the tournament competition. When the information providing unit 134 receives an input of a court ID from the information terminal, the information providing unit 134 provides the state indicated by the court status information corresponding to the court ID to the information terminal.

[0083] If the information providing unit 134 does not change to "during the match" even though a warning start time shorter than the time from when the court status information becomes "on call" until the second status information switches to the defeated state has elapsed, the information providing unit 134 may provide the information terminal with the court ID corresponding to the court status information. The information providing unit 134 may provide the information terminal with information for identifying the player P assigned to the court, together with the court ID. This makes it easier for other players P or the operator to find the player P assigned to the court.

[0084] [Flow of processing in the information processing apparatus 1] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in the information processing apparatus 1. The flowchart shown in FIG. 12 starts from the point when one match has ended.

[0085] The player management unit 131 refers to the court status information in the court data to identify an available court (S11). Also, the player management unit 131 refers to the player data to identify the player P who had a match immediately before on the identified court as the referee (S12). The score management unit 132 sends an instruction to the information terminal 2 used by the identified player P to display a match information input screen as shown in FIG. 5 (S13).

[0086] Subsequently, the player management unit 131 determines a plurality of players P who will play the next match on the court identified in S11 (S14). If the combination of tournament competitions is determined in advance and data indicating the combination is stored in the storage unit 12, the player management unit 131 selects one combination from the plurality of combinations indicated by the data stored in the storage unit 12, and determines the plurality of players P corresponding to the selected combination as the plurality of players P who will play the next match on the identified court. The player management unit 131 sends a token including the match ID and the court ID to the determined plurality of players P (S15).

[0087] After that, the score management unit 132 determines whether it has received the game ID and court ID corresponding to the token transmitted in S15 from the referee terminal (S16). If the score management unit 132 has received the game ID and court ID (YES in S16), it determines whether the combination of the received game ID and court ID matches the combination of the game ID and court ID transmitted in S15 (S17).

[0088] If it is determined that they match (YES in S17), the score management unit 132 permits the input of the score by sending a notification permitting the input of the score to the referee terminal (S18). The referee terminal that has received the notification displays a score registration screen as shown in FIG. 6.

[0089] When the communication unit 11 receives the score from the referee terminal, the score management unit 132 registers the received score by storing the score in the storage unit 12 in association with the competitor P (S19). The status management unit 133 changes the court status information of the court where the game in which the communication unit 11 has received the score was held to "not in a game" (S20).

[0090] If it is determined in S16 that the competitor management unit 131 has not transmitted the token (NO in S16), or if it is determined in S17 that the IDs do not match (NO in S17), the score management unit 132 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the competitor management unit 131 transmitted the token in S15 (S21). If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the score management unit 132 repeats the processes of S16 and S17.

[0091] When the score management unit 132 determines that the specified time has elapsed (YES in S21), the status management unit 133 sets the second status information of the plurality of players P who sent tokens in S15 to the defeated state (S22). In this case, the control unit 13 returns the process to S14, and the player management unit 131 determines a new player P (S14). If the communication unit 11 has received the correct match ID and court ID reported by one of the plurality of players P from the referee terminal, the status management unit 133 does not set the second status information of the player P to the defeated state. The status management unit 133 sets only the players P who have not reported the correct match ID and court ID to the defeated state.

[0092] After the status management unit 133 changes the court status information in S20, the control unit 13 refers to the score data stored in the storage unit 12 and determines whether all matches have ended (S23). If the control unit 13 determines that not all matches have ended (NO in S23), it repeats the processes from S11 to S23. If the control unit 13 determines that all matches have ended (YES in S23), it ends the process. Note that the order of the processes in the flowchart shown in FIG. 12 is merely an example, and the processes may be executed in a different order.

[0093] [Effect by the information processing apparatus 1] As described above, the player management unit 131 determines a plurality of players P who will play against each other in a match held on an available court, and transmits a token including the match ID and court ID to the information terminal 2 of each of the plurality of players P. Then, the score management unit 132 enables the registration of the score of the match on the condition that the combination of the match ID and court ID input at the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and court ID included in the token after the player management unit 131 transmits the token.

[0094] As a result, when a court becomes available, multiple players P can promptly start a match on the court without the operator contacting the multiple players P. Consequently, the operation of a tournament-style competition implemented using multiple courts is made more efficient. Furthermore, since the available courts are efficiently utilized, the time for the tournament competition is shortened.

[0095] As described above, the present invention has been explained using embodiments. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist. For example, all or part of the device can be functionally or physically dispersed and integrated in any unit. Also, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combination have the effects of the original embodiments combined.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0096] 1 Information Processing Device 2 Information Terminal 11 Communication Unit 12 Storage Unit 13 Control Unit 131 Player Management Unit 132 Score Management Unit 133 Status Management Unit 134 Information Provision Unit

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for supporting the operation of a tournament competition implemented using a plurality of courts, a player management unit that determines a first player and a second player who play against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of players, and transmits a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first player and the second player play in among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match is held, to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player; a score management unit that enables recording of the score of the match in which the first player and the second player play against each other, on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the player management unit; An information processing apparatus having the above.

2. The player management unit determines the first player and the second player who play against each other in the next match on the court where the match for which the score management unit has recorded the score was held, in response to the score management unit having recorded the score. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

3. The score management unit causes the referee terminal to display a screen for inputting a score, on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the player management unit. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

4. further comprising a storage unit that stores first status information indicating whether each of the plurality of players is in a playable state or a non-playable state, associated with the plurality of players; the player management unit selects the first player and the second player for whom the first status information indicates a playable state. The information processing apparatus according to Claim 1.

5. further comprising a status management unit that changes the first status information of a player who has transmitted predetermined information posted at the venue where the tournament competition is held, to the playable state; The information processing apparatus according to Claim 4.

6. When the competitor management unit selects the first competitor and the second competitor, the first status information corresponding to the first competitor and the first status information corresponding to the second competitor are changed to a non-competitive state. When the score management unit records the score of a match in which the first competitor and the second competitor have played against each other, the status management unit further changes the first status information of the first competitor and the second competitor to a competitive state. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

7. It further has a storage unit that stores second status information indicating whether or not the player is in a defeated state in the tournament competition in which the player is participating, associated with the plurality of players. The competitor management unit selects the first competitor and the second competitor for whom the second status information does not indicate a defeated state. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. For each of the first competitor and the second competitor, a combination of the match ID and the court ID is input to the referee terminal. The information processing apparatus further has a status management unit that sets the second status information corresponding to a competitor for whom the combination of the match ID and the court ID is not input until a predetermined time has elapsed after the token is transmitted to a defeated state. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7.

9. It further has a storage unit that stores first status information indicating whether the state is a competitive state or a non-competitive state, associated with the plurality of players, and second status information indicating whether or not the player is in a defeated state in the tournament competition in which the player is participating among the plurality of tournament competitions held using the plurality of courts. The competitor management unit selects the first competitor and the second competitor for each match of the plurality of tournament competitions, for whom the first status information indicates a competitive state and the second status information does not indicate a defeated state. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. It further has a storage unit that stores status information indicating whether the state is a competitive state or a non-competitive state, associated with a group. The competitor management unit selects the players belonging to the group for which the status information indicates a competitive state as the first competitor and the second competitor. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. Further comprising a storage unit that stores participation information indicating the tournament competitions among the plurality of tournament competitions implemented using the plurality of courts, associated with the plurality of competitors. When there is a court available for a match, the competitor management unit preferentially determines the first competitor and the second competitor for the match of the tournament competition with a relatively large number of participants by referring to the participation information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. A storage unit that stores the court ID, the first competitor, the second competitor, and court status information indicating the status of the court corresponding to the court ID in association with each other. After the competitor management unit transmits the token, the status management unit sets the court status information to the preparing state, and when a combination of a match ID and a court ID that matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token is input to the referee terminal, sets the court status information to the in-match state. An information providing unit that, when receiving an input of the court ID from an information terminal, provides the information terminal with the status indicated by the court status information corresponding to the court ID. Further comprising The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

13. A storage unit that stores court status information indicating whether a court is in a match or not, in association with the court ID. After the competitor management unit transmits the token, when a combination of a match ID and a court ID that matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token is input to the referee terminal, the status management unit sets the court status information to the in-match state, and when the score management unit records a score, or when a combination of a match ID and a court ID that matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token is not input to the referee terminal until a predetermined time has elapsed after the competitor management unit transmits the token, sets the court status information to the non-in-match state. Further comprising The competitor management unit determines the first competitor and the second competitor who will play a match on a court where the court status information indicates a non-in-match state, and transmits the token. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

14. An information processing method executed by a computer to assist in the operation of tournament competitions implemented using a plurality of courts. determining a first player and a second player who will compete against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of players; transmitting a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first player and the second player will play among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match will be held, to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player; enabling recording of the score of the match in which the first player and the second player competed, on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches a combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the transmitted token; An information processing method comprising the steps of:

15. Causing a computer to determine a first player and a second player who will compete against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of players; transmit a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first player and the second player will play among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match will be held, to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player; enable recording of the score of the match in which the first player and the second player competed, on the condition that a combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches a combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the transmitted token; A program for causing the computer to execute the above steps.

16. An information processing apparatus for supporting the operation of a tournament competition implemented using a plurality of courts, and an information terminal used by a player participating in the tournament competition, wherein the information processing apparatus includes a player management unit that determines a first player and a second player who will compete against each other in a match held on an available court among a plurality of players, and transmits a token including a match ID for identifying a match that the first player and the second player will play among a plurality of matches included in the tournament, and a court ID for identifying the court on which the match will be held, to a first information terminal used by the first player and a second information terminal used by the second player; After the competitor management unit transmits the token, a score management unit enables recording of the score of the match in which the first competitor and the second competitor competed, on the condition that the combination of the match ID and the court ID input at the referee terminal matches the combination of the match ID and the court ID included in the token transmitted by the competitor management unit. It has When the information terminal receives the token, it displays the match ID and the court ID included in the received token. Information processing system.

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