Payment system for amusement facilities, and payment control method thereof.

Abstract

We provide a payment system for amusement facilities that offers increased payment flexibility. [Solution] A payment system that performs a settlement process to cause a user to consume monetary value in response to charges incurred by a user on a billing target device such as a game machine 3 installed in an amusement facility comprises: a billing management unit 41 provided on the billing target device that generates and outputs billing information for determining the content of the charge in response to the charge; a reader 11 provided in association with the billing target device that reads settlement reference information held on a medium such as a card 4 held by the user in response to the output of the billing information; and a transaction control unit 44 that determines the amount of monetary value to be consumed corresponding to the billing information output from the billing management unit 41, according to setting information of the correspondence between the content of the charge determined based on the billing information and the amount of monetary value that the user should consume, and performs a settlement process so that the user consumes the determined amount of monetary value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a settlement system that allows a user to consume a monetary value in response to a charge generated by equipment installed in an amusement facility. relates to

Background Art

[0002] As a mechanism for collecting fees from users using business-use amusement machines installed in amusement facilities, a mechanism for allowing users to consume a monetary value represented by electronic information such as virtual currency is becoming widespread. In this type of settlement system, in addition to a method in which the charging target device itself alone or the charging target device and the server communicate to execute settlement processing, a settlement terminal device is attached to the charging target device, and settlement reference information recorded on a medium possessed by the user is read by the terminal device, and a method of consuming the monetary value related to the user's ownership using the settlement reference information has also been proposed (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the payment systems described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 above, the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user is predetermined on the system side, and when the predetermined amount has been consumed, the payment completion is notified to the billing device. The billing device then provides the user with the prescribed service upon receiving the notification from the payment system. In other words, the billing device does not need to know how much has been charged for which billing items, but only receives confirmation of payment completion. However, in billing devices such as amusement machines installed in amusement facilities, it may be necessary to differentiate charges depending on differences in game modes, whether the game is started or continued, or the type and quantity of items selected by the user. In this case, the above-described method cannot reflect the user's selections on the billing device in the payment processing, and cannot perform flexible payments in response to differences in billing content on the billing device side.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a payment system for amusement facilities that can flexibly process payments according to differences in the billing content of the billing devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A payment system according to one aspect of the present invention is a payment system for an amusement facility that executes a payment process to cause a user to consume monetary value in response to a charge made to a user by a billing target device including at least one game machine installed in the amusement facility, and notifies the billing target device of the result of the payment process, comprising: a billing management means provided in the billing target device that generates and outputs billing information for determining the content of the charge in response to the charge; an information reading means provided in association with the billing target device that reads from the medium information which is information held on a medium possessed by the user and which should be referenced in the payment process, in response to the output of the billing information from the billing management means; a consumption amount determination means that determines the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user in response to the billing information output from the billing management means, according to setting information relating the billing content determined based on the billing information and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user; and a payment execution means that executes the payment process by referring to the payment reference information so that the user consumes the determined amount of monetary value, and notifies the billing target device of the result of the payment process.

[0007] Furthermore, a payment control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a payment control method for an amusement facility that executes a payment process to cause a user to consume monetary value in response to a charge made to a user by a billing target device including at least one game machine installed in the amusement facility, and notifies the billing target device of the result of the payment process, comprising: a step of causing the billing target device to generate and output billing information for determining the content of the charge in response to the charge; a step of reading from a medium held by the user, which is information held by the user and which should be referenced in the payment process, using information reading means provided in association with the billing target device in response to the output of the billing information from the billing target device; a step of determining the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user in response to the billing information output from the billing target device, according to setting information relating the charge content determined based on the billing information and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user; and a step of executing the payment process by referring to the payment reference information so that the user consumes the determined amount of monetary value, and notifying the billing target device of the result of the payment process. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the overall configuration of a payment system according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing the configuration of the server system's control system. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing the configuration of the control system for the store. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating the process of processing virtual currency usage by users in response to charges incurred on a game console. [Figure 5] A flowchart showing the procedure for store operators to change configuration information. [Figure 6] A flowchart showing the processing procedure when the content of the billing information is changed, compared to the processing procedure in Figure 4. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows the processing procedure when the processing procedure in Figure 4 is modified so that the reader determines the amount of consumption. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows the processing procedure when the processing procedure in Figure 4 is modified so that the server determines the amount of consumption. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows the processing procedure when the processing procedure in Figure 4 is modified to refer to historical information for determining consumption. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The following describes one form of the payment system according to the present invention. First, the overall configuration of the payment system will be described with reference to Figure 1. The payment system 1 of this form is provided to allow users to consume an amount of virtual currency corresponding to the amount charged, in response to charges incurred at multiple billing devices 3A, 3B, ..., 3N (hereinafter sometimes represented by reference numeral 3) installed in each of multiple stores 2. Virtual currency is an example of monetary value that users can obtain in exchange for cash. At least some of the billing devices 3 are commercial amusement machines (typically game machines), and each store 2 corresponds to an amusement facility. However, it is not necessary for all billing devices 3 in each store 2 to be amusement machines. In addition to at least one amusement machine, each store 2 may be provided with various devices as billing devices 3 that provide predetermined services to users in exchange for payment. For example, if a store 2 has vending machines that sell products such as juice, those devices may also be included in the billing devices 3 of the payment system 1 of this form. The billing device 3 may be configured to conform to various specifications, as long as it can communicate with the payment system of this embodiment according to a predetermined protocol. The manufacturers and providers of the billing device 3 may also be different from each other. In addition to the payment method using the payment system 1, the billing device 3 may also be able to use other payment methods such as cash.

[0010] The payment system 1 includes a store system 10, which is built for each store 2, and a server system 20 that is common to all store systems 10. Note that Figure 1 shows details of only one store system 10. The store system 10 determines the amount of virtual currency that the user should consume in accordance with the charges incurred at each billing device 3, reads a unique card ID for each card as payment reference information from the card 4 held by the user, and requests payment from the server system 20 by specifying the card ID and the amount of virtual currency to be consumed. The card 4 is a medium assigned to the user to identify the user, and a unique card ID is recorded on it as medium identification information for each card 4. However, the medium held by the user is not limited to card 4; an IC chip attached to a mobile phone or other medium may be used as a medium as long as it can hold a medium identification number. The medium identification information may be unique identification information set for each user. In short, it is sufficient that the medium identification information is guaranteed to be unique for each medium.

[0011] The server system 20 manages the amount of virtual currency held by the user in association with the user's card ID, and in response to a request from the store system 10, consumes the virtual currency held in the account corresponding to the card ID and notifies the store system 10 of the processing result. In other words, this form of payment system 1 is a prepaid payment system in which the user acquires virtual currency in advance in exchange for cash, etc., and pays for the billing target equipment 3 by consuming the virtual currency within the limits of that balance. Furthermore, it is a thin-client type (server processing type) payment system in which the balance of virtual currency held by the user is stored on the server system 20 side, and the decrease (withdrawal) of that balance is executed on the server system 20 side.

[0012] The store system 10 includes a reader 11, an information reading terminal device attached in a one-to-one correspondence to each of the billing devices 3, a management PC (abbreviation for personal computer, hereinafter the same) 12, a configuration terminal PC 13, a vendor terminal PC 14, and a router 15. Each reader 11, management PC 12, configuration terminal PC 13, and vendor terminal PC 14 are connected to each other via an in-store LAN 16 constructed within the store 2, enabling them to communicate with one another. Each reader 11 is configured as a physically separate device from the billing devices 3 and is attached to the billing devices 3 in a manner that enables bidirectional communication with the control unit (not shown) of the corresponding billing device 3 according to a predetermined protocol. The router 15 is connected to the internet 5. As a result, each of the readers 11, management PC 12, and configuration terminal PC 13 connected to the in-store LAN 16 can connect to the server system 20 via the internet 5 and functions as a computer device that acts as a client to the server system 20.

[0013] Reader 11 functions as an information input / output means that receives billing information from billing device 3 and provides the result of the settlement process to billing device 3, and as an information reading means that reads the card ID from the card 4 held by the user. Management PC 12, while referring to the information provided by Reader 11, works in cooperation with server system 20 to execute a settlement process that causes the user to consume a predetermined virtual currency according to the content of the billing that occurred on billing device 3. Setting terminal PC 13 functions as a means for the operator of store 2 to manage the information held by management PC 12 of store 2. These functions will be explained in detail later.

[0014] The vendor terminal PC 14 functions as a terminal for the operator of store 2 to view information such as payment history provided by the server system 20. In the example in Figure 1, the reader 11 and the configuration terminal PC 13 are connected to the management PC 12 via a wireless LAN access point 17, but these may also be connected via a wired connection. The vendor terminal PC 14 does not necessarily have to be located within store 2. For example, the vendor terminal PC 14 may be installed at the head office or branch office of the corporation that is the business entity of store 2. The business entity of store 2 may be a person that operates only one store 2, or a person that operates multiple stores 2.

[0015] The server system 20 comprises server units 21A, 21B, etc. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as reference numeral 21) as multiple computer devices, and a router 22 that connects these server units 21 to the Internet 5. However, the server system 20 may use a single server unit. Alternatively, the server system 20 may be logically constructed using cloud computing.

[0016] The server system 20 is also connected to a user terminal device 6 via the internet 5. The user terminal device 6 is a computer device that is network-connected and used for the user's personal purposes. For example, a stationary or book-type PC 6A, or a mobile terminal device 6B such as a mobile phone (including a smartphone) may be used as the user terminal device 6. In addition, various computer devices that are network-connected and used for the user's personal purposes, such as a stationary home game console, a portable game console, or a portable tablet terminal device, may be used as the user terminal device 6. The user terminal device 6 is used, for example, for a user to access the server system 20 to view their payment history, or for a user to purchase virtual currency and deposit it into their account. The payment system 1 may also be provided with further terminal devices. For example, a charging machine may be provided in the store 2 for a user to purchase virtual currency using cash or a credit card, and this machine may be connected to the router 15.

[0017] Next, the configuration of the control system of the settlement system 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. First, the control system of the server system 20 will be described first. As shown in FIG. 2, the server system 20 is provided with, as its subsystems, a transaction management system 31 that manages all transactions related to virtual currency, a currency management system 32 that manages virtual currency, and an accounting system 33 that manages payments to the operator of the store 2 that occur with virtual currency transactions. The transaction management system 31 is provided with a transaction control unit 34 as a logical device realized by a combination of computer hardware and software. The transaction control unit 34 executes various processes necessary for consumption of virtual currency and the like in accordance with a settlement request sent from the store system 10.

[0018] The settlement request includes, as transaction information necessary to specify how the user intends to consume virtual currency at which charging target device 3 of which store 2, for example, a card ID read from the user's card 4, the consumption amount of virtual currency, and a store code specifying the store 2. The transaction control unit 34 accesses user information D1 that records the correspondence between the card ID and the account identification information (for example, the user ID) attached to the user's virtual currency account, and discriminates the user ID corresponding to the card ID. Further, the transaction control unit 34 accesses the balance information data D2 of the currency management system 32, and executes the consumption of virtual currency by reducing the consumption amount from the balance of the virtual currency account recorded in association with the user ID in the data D2. Further, the transaction control unit 34 records the transaction information in the transaction information data D3 of the currency management system 32 in association with the user ID. In the transaction information data D3, information specifying transaction details such as the transaction date and time, the store code, and the consumption amount of virtual currency is recorded in association with the user ID. When the user accesses the currency management system 32 from the user terminal device 6, the user can check the balance of his or her own account from his or her own user terminal device 6 and increase the balance of the account by performing a predetermined charging operation.

[0019] When the transaction control unit 34 initiates a process to consume virtual currency using the currency management system 32, it notifies the store system 10 of the processing result, i.e., whether the consumption was successful or not. After a transaction, i.e., the virtual currency consumption process corresponding to the settlement request from the store system 10 is completed, the transaction control unit 34 records the details of this settlement process in the consumption information data D4. The consumption information data D4 records information that identifies the transaction details, such as the transaction date and time, store code, amount of virtual currency consumed, and user ID (or card ID). Thus, the consumption information data D4 functions as historical information that records the history of virtual currency settlement processing. The consumption information data D4 is aggregated at appropriate aggregation periods (for example, one month) and recorded in the aggregated information data D5. Based on the aggregated information data D5, the accounting system 33 aggregates the consumption information in predetermined aggregation units, such as per store 2 or per business entity of store 2, and calculates the payment amount to the business entity of store 2 according to the aggregation results, and records the calculation result in the payment information data D6. The purchase price of the virtual currency becomes the sales revenue of the server system 20's business entity. If the charges for the billable equipment 3 are paid in virtual currency, the store 2's business entity does not receive any payment. Therefore, the server system 20's business entity needs to allocate the sales revenue corresponding to the amount of virtual currency consumed and pay it to the store 2's business entity. This requires processing such as calculating the payment amount. The accounting system 33 creates a payment notice PD for the store 2's business entity based on the payment information data D7 and sends it to the vendor terminal PC 14. The vendor terminal PC 14 can also access the aggregate information data D5 as needed to check the consumption history, etc. Furthermore, when the transaction control unit 34 receives the setting information (management PC information) for the management PC 12 from the store system 10, it stores that setting information in the management PC information data D7, associating it with the store code.

[0020] Next, the control system of the store system 10 will be explained with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 shows the relationship between a game machine, which is an example of a gaming machine as a billing target device 3, and the reader 11, management PC 12, and setting terminal PC 13 of the store system 10. Hereafter, the term "game machine 3" may be used instead of "billing target device 3". First, in the store system 10, each billing target device 3 is provided with a billing management unit 41. The billing management unit 41 generates billing information according to the content of the billing that occurs in the billing target device 3 and outputs that billing information to the reader 11. The game machine 3 as a billing target device is a type of computer device, and it is equipped with a game control unit 7 that advances the game according to a predetermined procedure, as a logical device formed by a combination of computer hardware and software. The billing management unit 41 is also a logical device similar to the game control unit 7, and the billing management unit 41 can be realized by adding an appropriate program module to the program that realizes the game control unit 7.

[0021] In games provided by the game control unit 7, users are generally given options such as starting or continuing the game, the game mode, and purchasing or using items. In addition, in the arcade game machine 3, users are charged a fee according to their selection in order to play the mode they wish to play. In other words, in the game machine 3, each of the user's options is provided as a chargeable item, and a fee is set according to these chargeable items. The game control unit 7 determines which of the game options has been selected according to the user's instructions, and the billing management unit 41 obtains the selection result, that is, which chargeable item has been selected, from the game control unit 7. If the chargeable item allows for quantity selection (for example, an item where the purchase quantity can be selected), the billing management unit 41 also obtains the quantity selected by the user. Upon obtaining the user's selection result in the billing management unit 41, the payment processing by the payment system 1 is initiated. When the billing management unit 41 notifies the payment management unit 41 of the completion of payment, the game control unit 7 provides the user with the service corresponding to the chargeable item selected by the user. For example, the game control unit 7 may start playing the game in the game mode selected by the user, or provide the user with the item selected by the user. Furthermore, purchasing an item includes paying a fee to obtain permission to use the item in the game.

[0022] The billing management unit 41 generates billing information according to the billing details provided by the game control unit 7, that is, the billing items selected by the user, or the billing items and quantities selected by the user. Here, the unit calculates the fee to be charged to the user by multiplying the unit price and quantity of the billing item, and generates information specifying that fee as billing information. For billing items for which the quantity cannot be selected, the fee is calculated with a quantity of 1. The billing management unit 41 transmits the generated billing information (i.e., play fees and purchase fees for items, etc.) to the reader 11 according to a predetermined protocol.

[0023] The reader 11 is equipped with an information management unit 42 and an ID reading unit 43. The information management unit 42 is a logical device realized by a combination of the computer hardware and software of the reader 11. The ID reading unit 43 is provided as a peripheral device for reading the card ID recorded on the card 4. For example, if the card ID is recorded on the IC chip of the card 4, the ID reading unit 43 is configured to read the information from that IC chip. However, the card ID is not limited to the IC chip; it may also be recorded on a magnetic storage layer or an optical storage layer, or in a form that can be optically read, such as a barcode. The ID reading unit 43 can be appropriately configured according to the method of recording the card ID on the card 4. The reader 11 is also equipped with a display for displaying the amount of virtual currency consumed, etc., but it is not shown in Figure 3.

[0024] The information management unit 42 has a device ID set as device identification information for identifying the billing target device 3. The device ID may be unique identification information for the reader 11, such as the MAC address assigned to uniquely identify the reader 11 on the network, or it may be a game machine number set by the store operator 2 to distinguish the billing target device 3. The device ID is stored in the memory unit (e.g., EEPROM) of the reader 11. When the information management unit 42 receives billing information from the billing management unit 41 of the game machine 3, it activates the ID reading unit 43 to start reading the card ID. Once the reading is complete, the information management unit 42 specifies the acquired card ID and its own device ID and sends the billing information received from the billing management unit 41 to the management PC 12.

[0025] The management PC 12 is equipped with a transaction control unit 44 as a logic device. Based on the billing information and device ID received from the reader 11, the transaction control unit 44 determines the amount of virtual currency that the user should consume, and provides transaction information including the determined amount of virtual currency to be consumed, the card ID received from the reader 11, and a store code uniquely set for each store 2 to the server system 20 to request payment. The store code is stored, for example, in the storage unit 45 of the management PC 12. The storage unit 45 also records setting information data D10 for each game machine 3. Data D10 is data that describes the amount of virtual currency to be consumed in relation to the charge notified by the billing management unit 41 of the game machine 3. The setting information data D10 is recorded in association with the device ID so that it can be determined which game machine 3 the setting information corresponds to. The transaction control unit 44 can use the device ID to identify the setting information data D10 of the game machine 3 in which the charge occurred, and according to that data D10, it can determine the amount of virtual currency that the user should consume in relation to the charge notified by the billing management unit 41.

[0026] In the above payment system 1, by manipulating the consumption setting value in the setting information data D10, the amount of monetary value that a user must consume when paying the charges to be charged on the game machine 3 using virtual currency can be appropriately changed. For example, if normally 100 points of virtual currency can be purchased with 100 yen in cash, and the charge information output from the game machine 3's charge management unit 41 specifies a charge of 100 yen, then if the consumption amount of 80 points is written in the setting information data D10, a discount equivalent to 20 yen will be realized. The management PC 12 is equipped with a setting management unit 46 as a logical device to allow the store operator 2 to appropriately set the settings in the setting information data D10. The setting management unit 46 presents a management page as a web page to the setting terminal PC 13 for viewing the contents of the setting information data D10 or for changing the contents of the setting information data D10. Therefore, the operator of store 2 can use the web browsing function of the configuration terminal PC 13 to access the management page provided by the management PC 12, check the configuration information data D10, and change the relationship between fees and virtual currency consumption as appropriate. This function allows for flexible pricing, such as offering discounts only on specific game machines 3 or only during specific periods.

[0027] Next, the processes executed in the payment system 1 will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows the procedure for processing when a user spends virtual currency in response to a charge incurred on the game machine 3. When a user selects a mode, item, etc. as a charge item on the game machine 3, the charge management unit 41 of the game machine 3 starts the process shown in Figure 4, treating it as a charge. First, it identifies the charge item, etc. (which may include a quantity) based on information from the game control unit 7 (step S11). Next, the charge management unit 41 calculates the charge amount (charge amount) to be charged according to the identification result in step S1, and notifies the reader 11 of the charge information specifying that amount (step S12). When the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 receives the charge information from the game machine 3, it starts the process shown in Figure 3, and first notifies the management PC 12 of the device ID and the charge information (step S21).

[0028] When the transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 receives the device ID and billing information from the reader 11, it identifies the configuration information data D10 corresponding to the device ID and, based on that data D10, determines the amount of virtual currency that the user should consume in accordance with the charges specified in the billing information (step S31). Next, the transaction control unit 44 notifies the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 of the amount of virtual currency to be consumed (step S32). Upon receiving this notification, the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 presents the amount of virtual currency to be consumed to the user (step S22). Next, the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 activates the ID reading unit 43 to prepare for reading the card ID, and when the user performs an operation to read the card ID (for example, touching card 4 to the reader 11), it reads the card ID of card 4 (step S23). Next, the information management unit 42 notifies the management PC 12 of the read card ID (step S24).

[0029] When the transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 receives the card ID from the reader 11, it requests settlement from the server system 20, along with transaction information specifying the store code stored in the storage unit 45, the card ID received from the reader 11, and the amount of virtual currency consumed determined in step S31 (step S33). If it is not necessary to present the amount of virtual currency consumed to the user prior to reading the card ID, the processes in steps S21, S22, and S32 can be omitted, and in response to the notification in step S12, the processes in steps S23 and S24 can be executed sequentially to notify the management PC 12 of the card ID, device ID, and billing information all at once, and then the processes in steps S31 and S33 can be executed sequentially on the management PC 12.

[0030] Upon receiving a payment request from the management PC 12, the transaction control unit 34 of the server system 20 obtains the user ID corresponding to the card ID from the user information data D1, and subtracts the amount of virtual currency specified in the transaction information from the balance of the virtual currency account recorded in the balance information data D2 associated with that user ID, thereby causing the user to consume the amount of virtual currency corresponding to the billed item (step S41). However, if the balance is insufficient, consumption is canceled. Subsequently, the transaction control unit 34 notifies the management PC 12 of the payment result (step S42). The payment result is notified as payment completed if the subtraction of the amount of consumption was successful, and as payment failed if consumption could not be performed due to insufficient balance, etc. In addition, the server system 20 also records transaction information data D3 and consumption information data D4 during payment, but these processes are omitted from the explanation.

[0031] The transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 notifies the reader 11 of the game machine 3 where the charge occurred of the result notified from the server system 20 (step S34), and the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 further notifies the charge management unit 41 of the game machine 3 of the result (step S25). When settlement processing is performed between the management PC 12 and the server system 20, in order to identify which game machine 3 the charge corresponds to, settlement requests are distinguished from each other using, for example, a transaction ID in step S33. However, a card ID can also be used to distinguish settlement requests. That is, a card ID can be used to distinguish between processes instead of a transaction ID, and furthermore, settlement processing with the same card ID can be prohibited while a card ID is being processed, so that settlement requests can be distinguished using a card ID.

[0032] When the billing management unit 41 of the game machine 3 receives the payment result from the reader 11, it notifies the game control unit 7 of the result (step S13). If the payment is complete, the game control unit 7 provides services according to the user's selection. For example, the game control unit 7 starts the game in the mode selected by the user, continues the game the user is playing, or grants the user items that the user has purchased. If the payment fails, the game control unit 7 performs, for example, a predetermined error handling process.

[0033] Figure 5 shows the procedure for when the operator of store 2 manipulates the configuration information data D10 using the configuration terminal PC 13. When the operator launches the web browser on the configuration terminal PC 13 and specifies the URL of the management page on the management PC 12, the configuration terminal PC 13 requests access to the management page from the management PC 12 (step S51). In response, the configuration management unit 46 of the management PC 12 sends the management page data to the configuration terminal PC 13 (step S61). When the operator updates the setting value of the configuration information data D10 on the configuration terminal PC 13, the update information is provided from the configuration terminal PC 13 to the management PC 12 (step S52). In response, the configuration management unit 46 of the management PC 12 updates the configuration information data D10 according to the update information (step S62). Next, the configuration management unit 46 sends the updated configuration information along with the store code to the server system 20 (step S63). In response, the transaction control unit 34 of the server system 20 updates the configuration information stored in the management PC information data D7, which is associated with the store code, with the new configuration information provided by the management PC 12 (step S71).

[0034] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. Modifications will be described sequentially below. In the above embodiment, the billing management unit 41 of the game machine 3 notifies the reader 11 of the charges as billing information, and the management PC 12 determines the consumption amount corresponding to the charges. Alternatively, as shown in Figure 6, in step S12, the billing management unit 41 of the game machine 3 outputs the billing items and quantities as billing information, and in step S31, the transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 calculates the amount of virtual currency consumed according to the billing items and quantities. In this case, the setting information of the storage unit 45 only needs to describe the correspondence between the billing items and the amount of virtual currency consumed per item (unit consumption). Furthermore, when obtaining billing items from the game machine 3, there is the advantage that the management PC 12 and server system 20 can manage the amount of virtual currency consumed for each item. This allows for more flexible adjustment of the amount of virtual currency consumed, such as setting discounts only for specific items on a single game machine 3. Also, by understanding the amount of virtual currency consumed for each billing item, detailed sales analysis can be performed. When managing virtual currency consumption based on charge items, if unique items are set according to the type of game, and a correspondence between consumption and each item is established, then even if multiple game machines offering the same type of game are installed in the same store, the settings for those machines can be shared, and only one machine's worth of settings will be required.

[0035] By distributing the configuration information data D10 to each reader 11 and storing it in the reader 11's memory unit, it is also possible to have the reader 11 determine the amount of virtual currency consumed. For example, as shown in Figure 7, when the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 receives billing information (fee, or a combination of billing items and quantities) from the billing management unit 41 of the game machine 3, the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 refers to the configuration information data D10 for the game machine 3 associated with the reader 11 to determine the amount of consumption (step S21a), and then in step S24a, the reader 11 may notify the server system 20 of the transaction information and directly request payment. In this case, the store code should be recorded in each reader 11. Alternatively, as a modification of Figure 7, the reader 11 may request payment from the server system 20 via the management PC 12, and the management PC 12 may add the store code to the transaction information at that time.

[0036] The amount of cryptocurrency consumed can also be determined by the server system 20. In this case, since the configuration information data D10 of the management PC 12 is recorded in the management PC information data D7 in association with the store code, the store system 10 can request settlement from the server system 20 along with transaction information specifying the device ID, billing information, and store code. An example of the procedure for determining the amount of cryptocurrency consumed by the server system 20 is shown in Figure 8. In this example, when the transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 receives billing information (a combination of charges or billing items and quantities) from the reader 11, it provides the device ID, billing information, and store code to the transaction control unit 34 of the server system 20 (step S31a). The transaction control unit 34 then accesses the management PC information data D7 to identify the configuration information data D10 of the management PC 12 corresponding to the store code, and determines the amount of cryptocurrency consumed corresponding to the billing information according to that data D10 (step S31b). Next, the transaction control unit 34 notifies the management PC 12 of the amount consumed at store 2 (step S32a), and the management PC 12 notifies the reader 11 of the amount consumed (step S32b). Furthermore, when the management PC 12 receives the card ID from the reader 11, it requests payment from the server system 20 by specifying the card ID, the amount consumed obtained in step S32b, and the store code (step S33a). The process thereafter can be carried out in the same manner as in Figure 4.

[0037] When determining the amount of cryptocurrency consumed, it is also possible to further refer to media identification information (for example, card ID) and business identification information (for example, store code). For example, as shown in Figure 9, in response to the output of billing information from the billing management unit 41, the information management unit 42 of the reader 11 reads the card ID (step S23), and notifies the management PC 12 of the card ID, device ID, and billing information (step S24b). The transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 provides the card ID and store code to the transaction control unit 34 of the server system 20 and requests the provision of consumption information data D4 corresponding to those card IDs and store codes. The transaction control unit 34 of the server system 20 then provides the consumption information data D4 corresponding to the card IDs and store codes to the management PC 12 (steps S31c, S31d).

[0038] Next, the transaction control unit 44 of the management PC 12 determines the amount of virtual currency consumed corresponding to the billing information (step S32c). In this case, the transaction control unit 44 first determines the amount of virtual currency consumed corresponding to the billing information as a provisional amount, according to the setting information data D10 corresponding to the device ID. Next, it refers to the consumption information data D4 obtained from the server system 20 to determine whether the user's virtual currency consumption status at its own store 2 meets predetermined discount conditions. If the discount conditions are met, the transaction control unit 44 reduces the provisional amount determined from the setting information according to a predetermined discount rate or discount amount, and determines the reduced amount as the amount of virtual currency that the user should consume. The discount conditions can be set in association with the card ID and store code. For example, the discount conditions can be set so that the discount conditions are met when the cumulative value of the user's consumption at its own store 2 exceeds a predetermined value. In this case, the total value of the consumption corresponding to the user's card ID can be obtained using the consumption information data D4 obtained from the server system 20, and the obtained total value can be compared with the predetermined value. Alternatively, the number of uses can be added as a discount condition instead of, or in addition to, the total amount of consumption. Furthermore, by referring to the transaction date and time included in the consumption information data D4, the discount condition may be met when the user plays the game at store 2 for the first time within a suitable period (e.g., one day, one week, or one month). Alternatively, the discount condition may be met when the user plays the game at store 2 a certain number of times consecutively. In addition to the total amount of consumption, the number of uses, whether it is the first use or not, and the number of consecutive plays, consumption status may also be determined by calculating the frequency with which the user consumes virtual currency, the average amount of the user's consumption within a predetermined unit period, etc.

[0039] In the example above, the management PC 12 acquires consumption information data D4, which is associated with both the user's card ID and the store code of its own store 2, i.e., both media identification information and business identification information. However, the management PC 12 may acquire consumption information data D4 corresponding to either one of the identification pieces of information, or all of the consumption information data D4, and determine the consumption status using either one of the identification pieces of information as a clue. For example, a discount may be applied if the consumption status of the same user meets the predetermined discount conditions, regardless of whether the store 2 is the same or different. In this case, the management PC 12 may acquire all the consumption information data D4, extract the consumption information associated with the user's card ID to determine the user's consumption status, or it may narrow down the data to consumption information associated with the user's card ID and have the management PC 12 acquire data D4, and then determine the user's consumption status from the acquired consumption information. Alternatively, a discount may be applied if the consumption status at its own store 2 meets the predetermined discount conditions, regardless of whether the user is the same or different. For example, based on consumption information, it may be possible to determine whether the total amount of virtual currency consumed by all users at store 2 over a certain period exceeds a predetermined set value, and if that total exceeds the set value, a discount may be applied regardless of the user for a limited period. In this case, all consumption information data D4 can be acquired by the management PC 12, and the consumption information associated with the store code of store 2 can be extracted to determine the consumption status at store 2. Alternatively, the management PC 12 can acquire data D4 by narrowing the data to consumption information associated with the store code of store 2, and then determine the consumption status at store 2 from the acquired consumption information.

[0040] In the example above, the management PC 12 obtains consumption information data D4 as historical information from the server system 20 and determines the consumption status using the card ID and store code as clues. However, as shown in Figure 8, when the server system 20 determines the amount of consumption, the transaction control unit 34 of the server system 20 may obtain the card ID and store code from the store system 10, determine whether the discount conditions are met when determining the amount of consumption, and adjust the amount of consumption according to the determination result. Alternatively, separate from the management of consumption information data D4 by the server system 20, the management PC 12 can store historical information at its own store 2 and determine the amount of consumption by referring to the card ID. The management PC 12 essentially functions as an in-store server for each reader 11 within store 2, but if the functions implemented in the management PC 12 are installed in the server system 20, store-level management can be achieved without installing a management PC 12 in store 2.

[0041] In the above configuration, the reader 11 is directly attached to the billing device such as the game machine 3. However, the reader 11 may be installed physically separate from the billing device, as long as it is connected to the control unit of the billing device in a bidirectional manner, enabling the reception of billing information and notification of the settlement processing results. The reader 11 may be attached to the billing device 3 at the time of manufacture so as to be integrated with the billing device 3, or it may be attached as a so-called add-on device after the billing device 3 is manufactured. In this configuration of the settlement system 1, the billing device 3 needs to implement a program to configure the billing management unit 41, and if the reader 11 is added later, the billing device 3 needs to be modified. However, it is sufficient to add a function to the billing device 3 that extracts billing information, i.e., the amount to be charged, or the items and quantities to be charged, from the control unit necessary for the original operation control of the billing device 3, such as the game control unit 7, and provides it to the reader 11, and receives the settlement processing results from the reader 11 and notifies the control unit of the billing device 3. In this case, the burden of modification is relatively small.

[0042] In the above-described configuration, a prepaid and thin-client payment system was used as an example. However, the payment system of the present invention is not limited to this and can also be applied to postpaid payment systems. The payment system of the present invention can also be applied to payment systems that record the balance of monetary value on a medium such as a card and use that balance information to make payments. Furthermore, even when balance information is recorded on a medium such as a card, the present invention can also be applied to payment systems in which the balance information is read by an information reading terminal device, the monetary value is consumed from the balance on the management PC or server system in the store, and the balance information after consumption is written back to the medium such as a card. In this case, the payment reference information obtained from the medium includes not only medium identification information such as a card ID, but also balance information, etc., as payment reference information obtained from the user's medium. On the other hand, in a payment system in which balance information is not recorded on the medium but is held on the server side, it is sufficient to obtain the information necessary to identify the balance information on the server (card ID in the above configuration) from the medium as payment reference information. The content of the payment processing will naturally be changed as appropriate according to the method of the payment system.

[0043] In this invention, an amusement facility is included in the scope of any facility that has at least one gaming machine installed as a billing target device, which is provided for users to play for a fee. In addition, as long as at least one gaming machine is present, other devices such as vending machines may also be included as billing target devices in the payment system of this invention. The gaming machine is not limited to a configuration in which input / output functions for the user and various calculation processing functions necessary for controlling the game are integrated into a single physical computer device. For example, even a configuration in which multiple computer devices cooperate to function as a logical gaming machine, in which calculation control necessary for the progress of the game is performed on the server side, and a computer device acting as a client to that server is used as a remote operation terminal device that should be responsible for input / output functions, can be included as a billing target device in this invention. Furthermore, the gaming machine includes amusement machines such as pachinko machines and pachislot machines (including slot machines). Therefore, an amusement facility also includes amusement halls where pachinko machines, pachislot machines, etc. are installed.

[0044] Various aspects of the present invention derived from the embodiments and modifications described above are described below. In the following description, reference numerals from the accompanying drawings are indicated in parentheses to facilitate understanding of each aspect of the present invention, but this does not mean that the present invention is limited to the illustrated forms.

[0045] A payment system (1) according to one aspect of the present invention is a payment system for an amusement facility (2) that executes a payment process to cause a user to consume monetary value in response to a charge made to a user by a billing target device (3A, 3B...3N) including at least one game machine installed in the amusement facility (2), and notifies the billing target device of the result of the payment process, comprising: a billing management means (41, S12) provided in the billing target device that generates and outputs billing information (for example, information for determining the price, billing item, or billing item and its quantity) for determining the content of the charge in response to the charge, and a billing management means provided in association with the billing target device The system includes: an information reading means (42, 43, S23) that reads from a medium (4) held by the user, in response to the output of the billing information from the billing management means, payment reference information (for example, a card ID) that should be referenced in the payment processing; a consumption amount determination means (44, S31; 42, S21a; 34, S31b; 44, S32c) that determines the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user in response to the billing information output from the billing management means, according to setting information (D10) of the correspondence between the billing content determined based on the billing information and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user; and a payment execution means (44, 34, 42, S24, S33, S41, S42, S34, S25) that executes the payment processing by referring to the payment reference information so that the user consumes the determined amount of monetary value, and notifies the billing target device of the result of the payment processing.

[0046] Furthermore, a payment control method according to one aspect of the present invention is a payment control method for an amusement facility (2) that executes a payment process to cause a user to consume monetary value in response to a charge made to a user by a billing target device (3A, 3B...3N) including at least one game machine installed in the amusement facility (2), and notifies the billing target device of the result of the payment process, In response to the occurrence of the aforementioned charge, a procedure (S12) is performed to cause the charging target device to generate and output charging information for determining the content of the charge (for example, a fee, a charging item, or information for determining the charging item and its quantity), and in response to the output of the aforementioned charging information from the charging target device, an information reading means (42, 43) provided in association with the charging target device is performed to read from the medium (4) held by the user, which is payment reference information (for example, a card ID) to be referenced in the payment processing (S 23) A procedure (S31; S21a; S31b; S32c) for determining the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user in accordance with the setting information (D10) of the correspondence between the billing content determined based on the billing information and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user, in accordance with the billing information output from the billing target device, and a procedure (S24, S33, S41, S42, S34, S25) for executing the settlement process by referring to the settlement reference information so that the user consumes the determined amount of monetary value, and notifying the billing target device of the result of the settlement process, It is something that is provided.

[0047] According to each of the above embodiments of the present invention, billing information is generated by a billing management means provided in the billing target device, payment reference information is read from the user's medium in correspondence with the billing information, and the amount of monetary value to be consumed according to the billing content is determined based on setting information that describes the correspondence between the billing information and the amount of monetary value consumed. A payment process is then performed to have the user consume an amount of monetary value equivalent to the determined consumption amount. Therefore, billing information can be generated according to the billing content, such as what kind of billing items the user intends to purchase and to what extent, at the billing target device, and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user can be determined based on the situation on the billing target device side. This increases the flexibility of payment. Moreover, since the relationship between the billing content and the amount of monetary value consumed is described in the setting information, and the amount of monetary value consumed is determined according to that setting information, even if the billing target device does not support changes in the billing amount such as discounts, the consumption amount determination means can adjust the consumption amount by considering various factors when determining the consumption amount by referring to the setting information. This enables flexible payment according to the convenience of the amusement facility operator, etc.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, the invention may further include a consumption amount setting means (46, S62) for changing the setting information such that the correspondence between the billing content and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user changes. This allows for appropriate adjustment of the amount of monetary value to be actually consumed for each billing content by changing the setting information.

[0049] The billing device may be configured to provide multiple types of billing items according to the user's selection, and the billing management means may generate the billing information according to the billing items selected by the user. Even if multiple types of billing items are provided on a single billing device, if billing information is generated according to the selection of billing items, differences in the fees for each billing item can be reflected in the amount of monetary value consumed, thereby enabling flexible settlement according to the billing content of the billing device.

[0050] The information reading means may be configured as a physically separate device from the billing target device and may be provided on an information reading terminal device (11) attached to the billing target device in a state capable of communicating with the billing target device. This allows the information reading means to be configured as a separate device from the billing target device, and the information reading terminal device can be attached not only to the billing target device during manufacturing but also to existing billing target devices that are already in operation. Furthermore, by adding a function to an existing billing target device to detect billing content and generate billing information, it becomes possible to perform settlement processing according to the present invention while utilizing the billing information extracted from the billing target device and the settlement reference information read by the information reading means.

[0051] In one aspect of the present invention, the payment system comprises a server (20) and at least one computer device (11, 12) installed in the amusement facility as a client capable of communicating with the server via a predetermined network (5), wherein the computer device (11) as a client functions as the information reading means, and either the server or the computer device as a client (12 (Figures 4, 6, 9); 11 (Figure 7); 20 (Figure 8)) functions as the consumption amount determination means, and the server and the computer device as a client cooperate to function as the payment execution means. According to this, in a payment system that uses a server-client system and in which the computer device as a client functions as the information reading means necessary for obtaining payment reference information, if a billing management means is provided on the billing target equipment and the server or the computer device as a client is configured to function as the consumption amount determination means, the payment system according to the above-described aspect of the present invention can be realized. A payment system that uses a server to perform payment processing has the advantage of relatively small capital investment burden on the client side, and it is possible to realize a highly flexible payment system by taking advantage of this benefit.

[0052] Furthermore, the information reading means may be able to read unique media identification information (for example, a card ID) for each medium from the medium (4) held by the user, as at least part of the payment reference information, the server may maintain the amount of monetary value held by the user in a state in which the correspondence with the media identification information can be determined, and the payment execution means may execute the payment process by decreasing the amount of monetary value held in association with the media identification information read by the information reading means according to the amount determined by the consumption amount determination means. According to this, the amount of monetary value held by the user is maintained on the server, and the amount of monetary value necessary for payment is consumed from the remaining amount (balance), so the burden of capital investment on the amusement facility side can be further reduced, and the payment system according to one aspect of the present invention can be introduced at a lower cost.

[0053] The information reading means is capable of reading unique media identification information (for example, a card ID) for each medium from the medium (4) held by the user, as at least part of the payment reference information. The payment execution means is provided with a history recording means (34) that records the contents of the payment process in history information (D4) in association with the media identification information. The consumption amount determination means (44, S32c) may be capable of determining the amount of monetary value that the user should consume by further referring to the media identification information and the history information. This makes it possible to determine the user's consumption status of monetary value by searching the history information using the media identification information as a clue, and to adjust the amount of monetary value consumed according to that consumption status. For example, it is possible to implement operations such as offering discounts to users who consume relatively large amounts.

[0054] Furthermore, the amusement facility is provided with a business information identification means (44) that outputs business identification information (for example, a store code) for identifying the amusement facility or the business entity of the facility, the history recording means records the contents of the payment processing in history information (D4) in association with the business identification information, and the consumption amount determination means (44, S32c) may be capable of determining the amount of monetary value that the user should consume by further referring to the business identification information in addition to the media identification information and the history information. According to this, by searching the history information using the business identification information as a clue in addition to the media identification information, it becomes possible to determine the consumption status of each user on an amusement facility or its business entity basis and adjust the amount of monetary value consumed according to that consumption status. For example, it is possible to implement operations such as providing a discount when a user consumes a certain amount or more of monetary value at the same facility or a facility related to the same business entity.

[0055] The amusement facility is provided with business information identification means (for example, a store code) that outputs business identification information for identifying the amusement facility or the operating entity of the facility, and the payment execution means is provided with history recording means (44, S32c) that records the contents of the payment process in history information (D4) in association with the business identification information, and the consumption amount determination means may be capable of determining the amount of monetary value that the user should consume by further referring to the business identification information and the history information. With this, by searching the history information using the business identification information as a clue, it is possible to determine the consumption status of monetary value on a unit basis of the amusement facility or its operating entity, and adjust the amount of monetary value that the user should consume according to that consumption status. For example, it is possible to implement a discount when the amount of consumption on a unit basis of the same facility or its operating entity exceeds a certain level. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 1. Payment System 2 stores (amusement facilities) 3A, 3B Chargeable devices (amusement machines, game machines) 4. Cards (mediums owned by the user) 7 Game Control Unit 10 Store System 11. Reader (information reading terminal device) 12 Management PC 13. Setup terminal PC 14. Terminal PCs for business use 15 Routers 16. In-store LAN 17 Wireless LAN access points 20 Server Systems 31 Transaction Management System 32 Currency Management Systems 33 Accounting System 34 Transaction control unit (settlement execution means, consumption amount determination means) 41. Billing Management Department (Billing Management Method) 42. Information Management Department (Information Reading Methods) 43. ID reading unit (information reading means, payment execution means) 44 Transaction control unit (consumption amount determination means, settlement execution means) 46 Setting management section (consumption amount setting means)

Claims

[Claim 1] A payment system for amusement facilities that executes a payment process to cause a user to spend monetary value in response to a charge made to a user by a billing device including at least one gaming machine installed in the amusement facility, and notifies the billing device of the result of the payment process, A billing management means is provided in the billing target device and generates and outputs billing information for determining the content of the billing in response to the billing, An information reading means is provided in association with the billing target device and, in response to the output of the billing information from the billing management means, reads from the medium information that is held by the user and is to be referenced in the payment process, A consumption amount determination means that determines the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user in accordance with the setting information of the correspondence between the billing content determined based on the aforementioned billing information and the amount of monetary value to be consumed by the user, in accordance with the billing information output from the billing management means, A payment system for an amusement facility comprising: payment execution means for executing the payment process by referring to the payment reference information so that the user consumes the determined amount of monetary value, and notifying the billing device of the result of the payment process.

Images