MATCH DETAILED GENERATION DEVICE, MATCH DETAILED GENERATION METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

Abstract

When automatically generating articles about competitive matches based on match data, it is possible to express the strengths of the losing team. [Solution] When a match description generation device 10 receives match data representing the details of a head-to-head match from a match data distribution system 2, it compares the scores of one opponent and the other opponent based on the received match data and determines whether one opponent won or lost the match. If one opponent loses the match, the match description generation device 10 determines based on the match data whether there was a period during the match when one opponent's score exceeded the other opponent's score, and if there was a period during the match when one opponent's score exceeded the other opponent's score, it automatically generates a match review including a statement that one opponent lost the match, but that one opponent was leading at times during the match.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that automatically generate descriptions of a match in a competitive format, and in particular, to a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that automatically generate descriptions of a match from a perspective that focuses on one of the opponents even when the other side loses or loses during the match. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there have been a number of technologies for automatically generating articles about competitive matches. As a specific example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for generating sentences that explain the results and intermediate states of a match in a way that is easy for people to understand in a score-based sport such as baseball. Furthermore, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for acquiring event information such as the actions of players during a match from video content related to a sport (e.g., tennis), and generating sentences that summarize the content based on the acquired event information. Such technologies for generating descriptions of the content of a match (e.g., baseball) from video are also disclosed in the following Patent Documents 3 and 4.

[0003] Furthermore, the following Patent Document 5 discloses a technology for automatically creating sports commentary based on result data showing the content of a sports (for example, soccer) game provided in real time. Furthermore, the following Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for automatically creating a progress review based on at-bat reports in high school baseball. The automatic generation of high school baseball game reviews is also disclosed in the following Non-Patent Document 2. As for baseball, the following Patent Document 6 discloses a technology for generating inning reports.

[0004] In addition, the following non-patent document 3 discloses a technique for evaluating the batting and other activities of a specific player in professional baseball using index values ​​and outputting highly objective game reviews regarding batting. Similarly, the following non-patent document 4 discloses a technique for scoring each turn at bat in a baseball game and creating summaries of turns at bat with high scores. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-92815 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2004 / 012100 (Patent Application No. 2004-524084) [Patent Document 3] JP 2000-261754 A [Patent Document 4] JP 2001-275058 A [Patent Document 5] JP 2005-173651 A [Patent Document 6] JP 2017-151864 A [Non-Patent Document 1] Kobe Shimbun NEXT, "Progressive Game Review Robot-kun, using AI, automatically creates high school baseball game reviews," [online], [searched on March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.kobe-np.co.jp / info / nextguide / koya2018summer / robot / > [Non-Patent Document 2] Asahi Shimbun Digital, "High School Baseball, Otori's AI Review," [online], [searched on March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.asahi.com / sports / baseball / ai-news / > [Non-Patent Document 3] J-STAGE, "Automatic Generation of Baseball Game Reviews Using WPA," Journal of Information and Knowledge Society, Kentaro Kudo, Kyohei Okawa, Satoshi Kanazawa, Gen Murai, Vol. 29, No. 2, 2019, pp. 181-186, [online], [Retrieved March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.jstage.jst.go.jp / article / jsik / 29 / 2 / 29_2019_033 / _article / -char / ja / > [Non-Patent Document 4] J-STAGE, "Proposal and Comparison of Template-Based and Neural-Based Methods for Natural Language Processing and Sports Summary Generation", Hiroki Tagawa, Kazutaka Shimada, Vol. 25, No. 4, 2018, pp. 357-391, [online], [Retrieved March 4, 2021], Internet<URL:https: / / www.jstage.jst.go.jp / article / jnlp / 25 / 4 / 25_357 / _article / -char / ja / > Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As mentioned above, there have been several conventional technologies for generating descriptions of content related to competitive matches, but all of these technologies focus mainly on the winning side of the match or the side that is currently winning, and no technology has been mentioned that makes it possible to generate descriptions of content related to a match from a perspective that focuses on the losing side or the side that is losing during the match.

[0007] For example, the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 includes a description in paragraph 0052 that "There are two ways to set extraction conditions: (A) specifying conditions one by one, and (B) using conditions that have already been prepared. In addition, there are two types of extraction conditions: (a) a section that specifies the length of the generated sentence, and the user's favorite team and player, and (b) a section that specifies the situation to be extracted." and a description in paragraph 0084 that "The above sentence generation process provides explanatory text that focuses on interesting parts of the game, favorite plays, and favorite players in a way that is easy for readers and listeners to understand." These descriptions disclose that if a favorite team or player is specified, explanatory text that focuses on the favorite team or player will be provided, but do not go so far as to say that explanatory text that focuses on the losing side (the side that is losing) will be provided.

[0008] Similarly, the republication publication relating to the above-mentioned Patent Document 2 states from the third line from the bottom on page 6 to the second line on page 7 that "The surface sentence information generating unit 105 generates surface sentence information that expresses the content in a sentence summarizing the content based on the summary text elements and user information. Furthermore, when generating the surface sentence information, an expression centered on the focused player is used based on the user input information. As a result, the surface sentence information is formed by expressing it from the perspective of the designated player or team." This statement discloses that sentences are formed that are expressed from the perspective of the designated player or team, but does not go so far as to state that sentences are formed that can reliably express noteworthy points during the match for the losing side (the losing side).

[0009] In the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, if a team or player is specified, an explanatory text focusing on the specified team or player or a text expressed from the viewpoint of the specified team or player is formed, but if such a team or player is not specified, the problem is that only a text from a normal viewpoint is generated. For this reason, for example, among users who enjoy reading descriptions of a match-style game, there are a certain number of users who emotionally support the losing side (losing side), and such users are interested in contents related to the losing side (losing side), but the technology disclosed in each of the above-mentioned patent documents and non-patent documents cannot meet the needs of such users.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that, even without any designation from a user, etc., focuses on the side that lost the match or the side that lost during the match, and, if the side that lost the match or the side that lost during the match was leading at some point during the match, can automatically generate a description that includes content about the lead as a notable aspect of the losing side or the losing side. Another object of the present invention is to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that, if the losing side of a match or the side that is losing during the match was leading for most of the match, can automatically generate a description that includes content about the losing side or the losing side being in the lead for most of the match as a notable aspect of the losing side or the losing side.

[0011] Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a match description generation device, a match description generation method, and a computer program that can automatically generate a description that includes content about the seesaw-like development of the game as a notable aspect of the losing side or the losing side if the losing side of the game or the losing side during the game makes several comebacks during the game. Furthermore, the present invention aims to provide a game description generation device, a game description generation method, and a computer program that, when a game to be described includes rules that allow multiple points to be scored in a single play, can automatically generate a description that includes content about the fact that the losing side or the losing side once took a large lead during the game, as a notable aspect of the losing side or the losing side, if the losing side or the losing side took a lead by such a large margin during the game that it was impossible for them to reverse the lead with a single play, when the game to be described includes rules that allow multiple points to be scored in a single play, and [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a match description generation device that externally acquires match data indicating details of a match between one player and another player in a scoring format and generates a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, the device being characterized by comprising: a means for judging the outcome of the match based on the match data acquired from outside; if the result of said judgment shows that one player lost the match, a means for judging based on the match data acquired from outside whether there was a period during the match when one player's score exceeded the other player's score; and if the result of said judgment shows that there was a period when one player's score exceeded the other player's score, a means for generating a description including details regarding one player being ahead of the other player during the match.

[0013] The present invention is also characterized by comprising a means for, if the result of said determination is that there was a period during the match when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, judging whether that period exceeded half of the entire period of the match from the start to the end of the match, and a means for generating a description including content relating to one team being ahead of the other team for most of the match, if the result of said determination is that the period during which one team's score was higher than the other team's score exceeded half of the entire period of the match.

[0014] The present invention is a match description generation device that externally acquires match data indicating the details of a match between one side and another side in a scoring format and generates a description relating to the middle of the match based on the acquired match data, and is characterized in having the following features: means for judging the magnitude of the scores of one side and the other side at a point in time of the match based on the match data acquired from outside; if the result of said judgment shows that the score of one side is lower than the score of the other side, means for judging based on the match data acquired from outside whether there was a period up to the point in time of the match when the score of one side exceeded the score of the other side; and if the result of said judgment shows that there was a period when the score of one side exceeded the score of the other side, means for generating a description including content relating to one side being ahead of the other side during the match.

[0015] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, if the result of said determination shows that there was a period when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, it comprises a means for determining whether or not that period exceeded half of the elapsed period of the game up to said mid-point in the game, and, if the result of said determination shows that the period when one team's score was higher than the other team's score exceeded half of said elapsed period of the game, it comprises a means for generating a description including content relating to one team being ahead of the other team for most of the period up to said mid-point in the game.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that, if the result of the above-mentioned determination is that there was a period in which one team's score exceeded the other team's score, it comprises a means for determining whether or not that period occurred multiple times with no breaks, and, if the result of the above-mentioned determination is that there was a period in which one team's score exceeded the other team's score with no breaks, it generates a description including content regarding one team making a comeback or winning again during the match.

[0017] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the match includes rules allowing multiple points to be obtained in one play, and if the result of the judgment shows that there was a period when one team's points exceeded the other team's points, the system is provided with a means for judging whether the score difference at that period was greater than the maximum score that can be obtained in one play, and if the result of the judgment shows that the score difference is greater than the maximum score that can be obtained in one play, the system is provided with a means for generating a description including content relating to the fact that one team was leading the other team by a score difference during the match that could not be reversed in a single play.

[0018] The present invention also relates to a match description generation device that externally acquires match data indicating the details of a match between one team and another team in a scoring format and generates a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, and is characterized by having a means for determining, based on the match data acquired from the outside, whether or not the case applies when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match, when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match and the lead lasted for more than half of the entire match period from the start to the end of the match, or when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match and the lead was interrupted multiple times, and a means for generating a description including the details related to the applicable case when it is determined that the case applies.

[0019] Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that the game description generation device, which externally acquires game data indicating the contents of a game in which one player and another player compete in a scoring format and generates a description related to the middle of the game based on the acquired game data, is provided with a means for determining, based on the game data acquired from the outside, whether or not the device falls under any of the following cases: one player is behind the other player at the middle of the game, but one player was leading by the middle of the game, but one player was leading by the middle of the game and the period of the lead exceeded half of the elapsed period of the game up to the middle of the game, or one player is behind the other player at the middle of the game, but one player was leading by the middle of the game and the lead was broken and occurred multiple times; and, when it is determined that the device falls under any of the cases, it generates a description including the contents related to the corresponding case.

[0020] The present invention is a match description generation method in which a match description generation device externally acquires match data indicating details of a match between one player and another player in a scoring format, and generates a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the match description generation device executes the steps of: determining the outcome of the match based on the match data acquired from outside; if the result of said judgment shows that one player lost the match, determining based on the match data acquired from outside whether there was a period during the match when one player's score exceeded the other player's score; and if the result of said judgment shows that there was a period when one player's score exceeded the other player's score, generating a description including details related to one player leading the other player during the match.

[0021] The present invention is a match description generation method in which a match description generation device externally acquires match data indicating details of a match between one player and another player in a scoring format, and generates a description relating to the middle of the match based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the match description generation device executes the steps of: judging the magnitude of the scores of one player and the other player at a point in time of the match based on the match data acquired from outside; if the result of said judgment shows that the score of one player is lower than the score of the other player, judging based on the match data acquired from outside whether there was a period up to the point in time of the match when the score of one player exceeded the score of the other player; and if the result of said judgment shows that there was a period when the score of one player exceeded the score of the other player, generating a description including details relating to one player being ahead of the other player during the match.

[0022] Furthermore, the present invention is a match description generation method in which a match description generation device externally acquires match data indicating details of a match between one team and another team in a scoring format, and generates a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, wherein the match description generation device executes the steps of: determining, based on the match data acquired from the outside, whether or not the case applies when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match, when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match and the lead lasted for more than half of the entire match period from the start to the end of the match, or when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match and the lead was interrupted and occurred multiple times; and generating a description including details related to the case when it is determined that the case applies.

[0023] Furthermore, the present invention is a match description generation method in which a match description generation device externally acquires match data indicating details of a match between one player and another player in a scoring format and generates a description related to the middle of the match based on the acquired match data, wherein the match description generation device executes a step of determining, based on the match data acquired from outside, whether or not the case corresponds to one of the following cases: one player is behind the other player at the middle of the match, but one player was leading by the other player up to the middle of the match, or one player is behind the other player at the middle of the match, but one player was leading by the other player up to the middle of the match and the period of the lead exceeded half of the elapsed period of the match up to the middle of the match, or one player is behind the other player at the middle of the match, but one player was leading by the other player up to the middle of the match and the lead was interrupted and occurred multiple times; and a step of generating a description including details related to the corresponding case when it is determined that the case corresponds to any of the cases.

[0024] The present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to externally acquire match data indicating details of a match between one player and another player in a scoring format, and to execute a process of generating a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the computer is caused to execute the following steps: determine the outcome of the match based on the match data acquired from the outside; if the result of said determination shows that one player lost the match, determine based on the match data acquired from the outside whether there was a period during the match when one player's score exceeded the other player's score; and if the result of said determination shows that there was a period when one player's score exceeded the other player's score, generate a description including details about one player leading the other player during the match.

[0025] Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer program for causing a computer to externally acquire game data indicating details of a match in which one player and another player compete in a scoring format, and to execute a process of generating a description relating to the middle of the match based on the acquired game data, the computer being characterized by executing the steps of: judging the magnitude of the scores of one player and the other player at a point in the match based on the game data acquired from the outside; if the result of said judgment shows that the score of one player is lower than the score of the other player, judging based on the game data acquired from the outside whether there was a period up to the point in the match when the score of one player exceeded the score of the other player; and if the result of said judgment shows that there was a period when the score of one player exceeded the score of the other player, generating a description including details relating to one player being ahead of the other player during the match.

[0026] Furthermore, the present invention is a computer program for causing a computer to externally acquire match data indicating details of a match between one team and another team in a scoring format, and to execute a process of generating a description of the match result based on the acquired match data, characterized in that the computer is caused to execute a step of determining, based on the match data acquired from externally, whether or not the case applies when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match, when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match and the lead lasted for more than half of the entire match period from the start to the end, or when one team lost the match but had a lead during the match and the lead was interrupted multiple times, and a step of generating a description including details relating to the case when it is determined that the case applies.

[0027] Furthermore, the present invention provides a computer program for causing a computer to externally acquire game data indicating details of a match in which one player and another player compete in a scoring format, and to execute a process of generating a description relating to the middle of the match based on the acquired game data, the computer being characterized by executing a step of determining, based on the game data acquired from externally, whether or not the case corresponds to one of the following cases: one player is behind the other player at the middle of the match, but one player was leading by the middle of the match, but the other player was leading by the middle of the match and the period of that lead exceeded half of the elapsed period of the match up to the middle of the match, or one player is behind the other player at the middle of the match, but the other player was leading by the middle of the match and the lead was broken and occurred multiple times; and a step of generating a description including details relating to the corresponding case when it is determined that the case corresponds to any of the following cases.

[0028] In the present invention, the one of the two players who lost the match is determined based on match data obtained from an external source, and whether there was a period during the match when the score of the losing side exceeded that of the other side is determined, and if there was such a period, a description including the period when the score of one side exceeded that of the other side is automatically generated, so that it becomes possible to provide the user with information that the losing side was leading during the match. Note that the match played in a scoring format according to the present invention covers matches between individuals or matches between multiple people (for example, matches between pairs, matches between teams, etc.).

[0029] In addition, in the present invention, if there is a period during the game when the score of one side that lost the game exceeds that of the other side, it is determined whether such a period exceeds half of the entire game period, and if it is detected that such a period has exceeded half of the entire game period, a description including the content related to the period when the score of one side exceeded the score of the other side for more than half of the entire game period is automatically generated, so that it is possible to provide the user with content informing them that the side that lost the game was leading for most of the game. Note that the period of a game in the present invention means the time of the game when the progress of the game and the time when it ends are determined by time, and when the progress of the game and the time when it ends are determined by concepts other than time, such as innings in baseball, or games and sets in tennis, such concepts (innings, games, sets, etc.) mean the period of the game. Therefore, for example, in the case of baseball, when the game ends at the 9th inning, if the number of innings in which one side was leading exceeds 5, it means that the period of the game has exceeded half of the entire game period in the present invention.

[0030] In the present invention, the one of the two players who is losing at the midpoint of the match is determined from match data obtained from an external source, and whether there was a period from the start of the match when the score of the one player exceeded that of the other player is determined, and if there was such a period, a description including the content related to the period when the score of the one player exceeded that of the other player is automatically generated, so that the one player who is losing at the midpoint of the match can be provided with content informing the user that he or she had a lead up to that point. Match-related descriptions are provided at any time even during the match, and the present invention is suitable for providing such midpoint match descriptions when content is focused on the side who is losing at the midpoint of the match.

[0031] Furthermore, in the present invention, if there is a period during the match when the score of one team that is losing has exceeded the score of the other team up to that point, a determination is made as to whether such a period lasted for more than half the elapsed period of the match, and if so, a description is automatically generated including content relating to the period during which one team's score exceeded the score of the other team for more than half the elapsed period of the match, making it possible to provide content informing the user that the team that is losing during the match had been leading for most of the match up until that point.

[0032] In the present invention, when there is a period during the match in which the score of a player who has lost the match or is losing midway through the match exceeds that of the other player, a determination is made as to whether or not there were multiple, uninterrupted periods in which the score of one player exceeded that of the other player, and if there were multiple, uninterrupted periods in which the score of one player exceeded that of the other player, a description is automatically generated including information regarding the multiple, uninterrupted periods in which the score of one player exceeded that of the other player, thereby making it possible to provide information to the user informing them that one player has made a comeback or won several times during the match.

[0033] In the present invention, when the target match includes a rule that allows multiple points to be obtained in one play, if there is a time during the match when the score of one side that has lost the match or is losing during the match exceeds the score of the other side, a determination is made as to whether the score difference at such a time exceeds the maximum score obtainable in one play, and if the score difference exceeds the maximum score obtainable in one play, a description is automatically generated including content relating to the fact that the score difference when one side was leading during the match exceeds the maximum score obtainable in one play, thereby making it possible to provide content informing the user that one side was leading the other side by such a score difference that it was impossible to reverse the situation in one play.

[0034] In the present invention, a determination is made in parallel as to which of a number of situations applies in which one team lost to the other but had a lead during the match, and a description is automatically generated including content relating to which of the cases is found to apply. This makes it possible to smoothly provide a description of the match results that focuses on the losing side, even if users who support the losing side do not specify a losing side in advance. Similarly, in the present invention, when one side is losing to the other side during the match, it is determined in parallel which of a number of situations in which one side was leading during the match applies, and a description including content relating to which of the cases that is found to apply is automatically generated. Therefore, even when providing descriptions of the match, descriptions of the match can be smoothly provided that focus on the losing side, and this makes it easier for users who are rooting for the losing side to understand the progressing situation when their supported side is losing, without having to make any special settings for the side they are rooting for in advance. Effect of the Invention

[0035] In the present invention, a description is automatically generated based on match data obtained from an external source, including content relating to periods during the match when the losing side's score exceeded the winning side's score. This makes it possible to provide a description that conveys the good points of the losing side during the match, without having to perform any prior operations such as specifying one side. In addition, the present invention automatically generates a description including the fact that the losing side's score exceeded the winning side's score for more than half of the entire match, so it is possible to provide a description including the fact that although one side lost the match, they were in the lead for most of the match, and it is possible to convey the nuance that although one side lost the match, they were in the lead for most of the match overall.

[0036] In the present invention, based on match data obtained from an external source, a description is automatically generated that includes content relating to periods during the match when the score of a side that is losing during the match exceeded the score of the opposing side (the other side). Therefore, even without performing any prior operation such as specifying one side, a description can be provided that conveys the good points of a side that is losing at a certain point during the match. Furthermore, in the present invention, a description is automatically generated that includes information about the period during the match in which the score of a losing side exceeded the score of the opposing side (the other side) for more than half the time that has elapsed since the start of the match until a point in the match. This makes it possible to provide a description that includes information about the side that is currently losing, but was leading for most of the time prior to that, and thus conveys the nuance that the side that is losing during the match was often in the lead up to that point.

[0037] In the present invention, a description is automatically generated that includes content relating to the fact that there were multiple, uninterrupted periods during the match in which the score of a side that lost the match or was losing during the match exceeded the score of the opposing side (the other side). This makes it possible to provide a description that includes content relating to a side that lost the match or was losing during the match making a comeback or winning again during the match, and can convey the nuance that the match was like a seesaw game, with several occasions in which one side appeared to be in the lead, despite having lost the match or being losing.

[0038] Furthermore, the present invention automatically generates a description including content relating to a side that has lost the match or is losing during the match taking an irreversible lead in one play during the match, so it is possible to provide a description including content relating to a side that has lost the match or is losing during the match building up a lead that could be considered safe at one point during the match, and it is possible to convey the nuance that at one point the side that has lost the match or is losing during the match was in the lead and advancing in the match.

[0039] Furthermore, in the present invention, judgments are made in parallel at the same stage as to whether the losing side of the match falls into any of a number of different situations related to when the losing side was in the lead during the match, and a description including the relevant content is automatically generated if it is found to fall into that category, so that a description of the match content can be smoothly generated according to the needs of users, etc., who are supporting the losing side. Furthermore, in the present invention, in the same manner as described above, for a side that is losing during the match, a parallel judgment is made at the same stage as to whether it falls into one of a number of situations related to when the side is leading during the match, and a description including the relevant content is automatically generated if it is found to fall into that category. Therefore, even when providing descriptions during the match, descriptions that meet the needs of users who are supporting the losing side can be smoothly provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a match description generation system including a match description generation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main internal configuration of the match description generation device. [Diagram 3] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a judgment table. [Figure 4] 13 is a table showing an example of the contents of a condition content list. [Diagram 5] 13 is a table showing an example of the contents of a pattern content list. [Figure 6] 11 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a point table. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps relating to a match description generating method according to a first embodiment (Example 1). [Figure 8] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 9] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 10] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 11] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 12] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 13] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 14] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 15] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 16] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 17] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 18] 10A is a chart showing scores for each inning, showing an example of the result of a baseball game, and FIG. 10B is an example of a game review article of the first embodiment, which was automatically generated for the example of the result of the game in FIG. [Figure 19] 11 is a flowchart showing the first half of a series of processing steps related to a game description generating method according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 20] 13 is a flowchart showing the second half of a series of processing steps relating to a game description generating method according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 21] 13 is a table showing an example of the contents of a condition content list according to the second embodiment (Example 2). [Figure 22] 13 is a table showing an example of the contents of a pattern content list according to the second embodiment. [Diagram 23] 13 is a flowchart showing a series of processing steps relating to a match description generating method according to a second embodiment (Example 2). [Figure 24] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 25] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Figure 26] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Figure 27] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Figure 28] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Figure 29] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 30] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 31] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 32]10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 33] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 34] 10(a) is a score chart showing an example of the scoring situation up to a midpoint in a baseball game, and FIG. 10(b) is an example of a progress report of Example 2 that was automatically generated at a midpoint in FIG. [Diagram 35] 13 is a flowchart showing the first half of a series of processing steps related to a game description generating method according to a modified example of the second embodiment. [Diagram 36] 13 is a flowchart showing the second half of a series of processing steps relating to the game description generating method of the modified example of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS EXAMPLES

[0041] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a match description creation system 1 including a match description creation device 10 according to a first embodiment (Example 1) of the present invention. The match description creation system 1 according to the present invention is configured by connecting a match data distribution system 2 that distributes (transmits) match data and a match description creation device 10 that automatically creates descriptions related to match results in a manner that allows communication via a network. Furthermore, description data created by the match description creation device 10 can be provided to user terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc. via the communication network.

[0042] In this first embodiment (Example 1), the target for generation is a description of a baseball game (e.g., professional baseball, high school baseball, etc.) in which one team plays against another in a scoring format. When the baseball game ends, the game data distribution system 2 transmits game data related to the game to the game description generation device 10, and the game description generation device 10 automatically generates a game review article including a description of the result of the game based on the received game data.

[0043] The game data distribution system 2 includes a server device 2a and a DB (database) device 2b, and performs processing to distribute game data related to baseball games (for example, professional baseball in Japan or overseas, high school baseball in Japan, etc.). Note that the game data distribution system 2 is an external system (device) for the game description creation device 10.

[0044] The match data distributed by the match data distribution system 2 includes electronic scorebook data that electronically represents the contents written in a baseball scorebook, as well as data on the play of the match (such as the movements of each player and the trajectory of the ball's movement) acquired by a tracking system or the like, and data on records, etc. The electronic scorebook data included in the match data has information showing the results of each pitch, the score status of each inning of baseball, the strike and ball status of the pitcher's pitch, the batting results of the batter against the pitch (foul, hit, etc.), the outcome of the match, etc.

[0045] The data on the play of the game included in the game data includes pitching data and batting data. The pitching data includes data indicating the number of rotations of the pitched ball, the magnitude of the change in the ball's trajectory, the position of the ball relative to the strike zone, the position where the ball was released (release point), and the like. The batting data includes data indicating the speed, angle, and distance of the batted ball. As for the data on the records, the server device 2a reads data on records that may occur in the game (for example, in the case of professional baseball, 2000 hits, 100th win, etc.) from the past electronic scorebook data stored in the DB device 2b, and data on the continuation of the records (consecutive game appearances, consecutive on-base appearances, etc.) from the DB device 2b, and processes the data to be included in the game data to be distributed. Since the game data distributed in this way is basically well known (for example, see the above-mentioned Patent Document 5, Non-Patent Document 4, etc.), further details will be omitted.

[0046] 2 is a block diagram showing the main internal configuration of the match description creation device 10, which is the central device of the present invention. The match description creation device 10 of the first embodiment is constructed using a general server computer (corresponding to the computer according to the present invention), but it is of course possible to construct the match description creation device 10 by combining multiple server devices by performing distributed processing or the like. The match description creation device 10 automatically creates descriptions for match review articles based on the match data distributed from the above-mentioned match data distribution system 2 using a unique program (AI: artificial intelligence).

[0047] The match record generation device 10 is configured by connecting various devices etc. via internal connection lines 10h to an MPU 10a which performs overall control and various processing. The various devices etc. include a communication module 10b, a RAM 10c, a ROM 10d, an input interface 10e, an output interface 10f, and a memory unit 10g etc.

[0048] The communication module 10b is a communication device equivalent to a connection module with a network, and conforms to a required communication standard (for example, a LAN module). The communication module 10b is connected to a network (including internal, external, or other communication networks) via a required communication device (not shown; for example, a router), and enables communication with an external game data distribution system 2 (for the game description generation device 10, the game data distribution system 2 corresponds to an external system) and user terminals T1, T2, T3, etc. When a baseball game ends, game data related to the game is distributed from the game data distribution system 2, and the game data is received by the communication module 10b and acquired by the game description generation device 10, and the acquired game data is stored in the RAM 10c or the memory unit 10g, etc.

[0049] The RAM 10c temporarily stores contents and files associated with the processing of the MPU 10a, and the ROM 10d stores in advance programs and the like that define the basic processing contents of the MPU 10a. The input interface 10e is connected to a keyboard 11, mouse, etc. that accept operation instructions from an administrator, etc. of the match record creation device 10. The output interface 10f is connected to a display 12 (display output device), and outputs contents associated with the processing of the MPU 10a to the display 12, allowing an administrator, etc. of the match record creation device 10 to check the current processing contents, etc.

[0050] The storage unit 10g stores programs, tables, databases, etc., and stores the OS program P1 and the description generation program P2 as programs, stores the judgment table 13, the point table 16, and the template table 17 as tables, and stores the description DB 18 (DB that stores data of generated battle review articles) as a database. Note that, in order to install the description generation program P2 in the storage unit 10g, it is possible to store the description generation program P2 in a storage medium such as an optical disk, and install it in the storage unit 10g via the storage medium.

[0051] Among the programs stored in the memory unit 10g, the OS program P1 specifies various processes corresponding to the operating system for the server computer, and the MPU 10a performs processes based on these specifications, causing the match record generation device 10 to perform each function as a server computer (server device).

[0052] 3 shows an overview (one example) of the judgment table 13 stored in the storage unit 10g. The judgment table 13 is a table used when the MPU 10a judges what content to include in a description when generating a description for a game review of a baseball game (professional baseball, etc.) based on the provisions of the description generation program P2, as described later. In particular, the present invention is characterized in that the description for the game review is generated with a focus on the losing side of the game, and the judgment table 13 includes conditions (corresponding to cases) for judging such cases and patterns of content to be written when each condition is met, so that the losing side can write about things that should be noted during the game and the performance of the losing side's players.

[0053] In the judgment table 13, judgment conditions 1 to 7 are arranged in the leftmost vertical column 13a, patterns A to K indicating the type of content to be entered are arranged in the bottom row 13b, and a lattice section 13c surrounded on both sides by the leftmost vertical column 13a and the bottom row 13b has circles (○) arranged in lattice locations that correspond to the conditions. In the lattice section 13c, when a condition is not met or when it does not affect the judgment regardless of whether it is met or not (for example, the lattice location in the row of condition 7 excluding pattern J), that lattice location is left blank.

[0054] 4 shows a condition content list 14 that lists the specific contents of each of the cases of condition 1 to condition 7 arranged in the leftmost vertical column 13a in the above-mentioned judgment table 13. In the judgment table 13, one of the two teams competing in a baseball (e.g., professional baseball) game is determined as one team, and the remaining opposing team is determined as the other team, and the contents of each condition (each case) are stipulated with a focus on that one team.

[0055] Specifically, condition 1 specifies "if one team wins the match," and condition 2 specifies "if one team loses the match and has zero points or no lead during the match." Below, condition 3 specifies "when one team loses a match, but there is a period during the match when the score of one team exceeds that of the other team", condition 4 specifies "when one team loses a match, but there is a period during the match when the score of one team exceeds that of the other team and the difference in the score during that period was greater than 4 points", condition 5 specifies "when one team loses a match, but there is a period during the match when the score of one team exceeds that of the other team and that period occurs for more than half of the number of matches", condition 6 specifies "when one team loses a match, but there is a period during the match when the score of one team exceeds that of the other team and that period occurs multiple times with no breaks", and condition 7 specifies "when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated based on the point table exceed the threshold value".

[0056] Condition 1, "If one team wins the match," corresponds to the generation of content equivalent to conventional general match review articles, and corresponds to the generation of match review articles centered on the winning team. Condition 2, "If one team loses the match and has zero points or no lead during the match," corresponds to the case where one team loses the match and the losing team has nothing noteworthy in terms of points (has no strong points).

[0057] Condition 3, "If one team loses the match, but there is a period during the match when the one team's points exceed the other team's points," corresponds to the situation where the losing team has a period during the match when the one team's points exceed the other team's points (when they are in the lead), which is a highlight of the match.

[0058] Condition 4, "If one team loses the game, but there is a period during the game when the score of one team is greater than the score of the other team, and the difference in the score during that period is greater than four points," corresponds to a situation in which, as a highlight of the game for the losing team, one team was leading the other team for a period of time with a difference in the score that is greater than the maximum number of points that can be scored in a single play in baseball (four points from a grand slam).

[0059] Condition 5, "If one team loses the game, but there is a period during the game when the one team's score is greater than the other team's score, and that period lasts for more than half the innings of the game," corresponds to a situation in which, as a highlight of the losing team in a baseball game, if the game ends in nine innings (corresponding to the entire period of the game from start to finish), one team has a lead of more than five innings (one team has a lead over the other team for most of the game).

[0060] If a baseball game goes overtime, all innings including the overtime innings count as the entire game period; for example, if the game goes overtime to 13 innings, condition 5 is met if one team is leading by more than 7 innings. Also, if a baseball game does not go to the 9th inning due to a rainout or other reason (if the game ends in fewer than 9 innings), the entire game period is from the start of the game to the innings that have progressed; for example, if the game ends in the bottom of the 7th inning due to a rainout, condition 5 is met if one team is leading by more than 4 innings.

[0061] Condition 6, "If one team loses the match, but there is a period during the match when one team's points exceed the other team's points, and such periods occur multiple times without interruption," corresponds to a situation in which, as a highlight of the match for the losing team, one team makes multiple comebacks during the match (there are multiple comebacks from a losing position), or one team has multiple winning records (they were in a winning position but were tied or overtaken, but then regained a winning position at least once).

[0062] Condition 7, "When there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points exceed the threshold value," is a condition for highlighting a player (batter or pitcher) who has performed above a certain level in a game and introducing his / her performance. The determination of whether a player has performed above a certain level is based on the cumulative points awarded based on the specified content (calculation formula for adding points) stored in the point table 16 (details will be described later).

[0063] 5 shows a pattern content list 15 listing the specific contents of patterns A to K arranged in the bottom row 13b of the above-mentioned judgment table 13, and the contents of these patterns A to K prescribe guidelines for the contents to be included in the generated match review article. Specifically, pattern A prescribes the guideline of "contents related to one team winning the match," and since this pattern A is a guideline for including contents related to winning the match, it basically prescribes the same contents as conventional general match review articles.

[0064] Pattern B specifies the guideline "One team lost the game, but the content is related to the fact that one team was leading the other team during the game." This pattern B is a guideline for generating a description that includes the content related to the fact that one team lost the game, but the good point of the losing team is that one team was leading the other team during the game, and the content is specific about noteworthy points in the game of the losing team from the perspective of the losing team.

[0065] Pattern C specifies the situation in which one team was leading in more detail than Pattern B above, and specifies the guideline "content related to one team losing the game, but at one point leading during the game by a score difference that was difficult to catch up with." This pattern C also provides a guideline for generating a description including content related to the fact that, although the losing team lost the game, the losing team was leading the other team by a score difference that the other team could not reverse even if the other team had hit a grand slam home run (a score difference greater than 4 points, the maximum score that can be obtained by one play in a baseball game), and the content specifically explains the leading situation of the losing team during the game by the score difference from the perspective of focusing on the losing team.

[0066] Pattern D also specifies the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B, and prescribes the guideline that "one team lost the game, but was ahead of the other team for most of the game." This pattern D is also a guideline for including in the game review content that, although the losing team lost the game, the losing team was ahead of the other team for more than half of the nine innings that make up a baseball game (more than five innings) (for most of the game), and the content focuses on the losing team and explains the losing team's lead situation during the game based on the length of the lead.

[0067] Pattern E also specifies the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B, and specifies the guideline "content related to one team losing the match, but having multiple comebacks or winning during the match." This pattern E also provides guidelines for generating descriptions including content related to the fact that, although the losing team lost the match, the losing team had multiple comebacks during the match from a trailing position (having a re-comeback), or that the losing team had been in the lead but had been tied or overtaken, but had at least one repeat win (having a re-win), and specifically describes the situation in which the losing team was fighting a seesaw game from the perspective of focusing on the losing team.

[0068] Pattern F specifies a situation that combines the above-mentioned Patterns C and D, and prescribes the guideline that "one team lost the game, but was leading during the game by a score difference that was difficult to catch up with, and that lead lasted for most of the game." Pattern G specifies a situation that combines the above-mentioned Patterns C and E, and prescribes the guideline that "one team lost the game, but was leading during the game by a score difference that was difficult to catch up with, and that there were multiple comebacks or wins during the game."

[0069] Furthermore, Pattern H specifies a situation that combines the above Patterns D and E, and provides the guideline that "one team lost the game, but was leading for most of the game, and had multiple comebacks or wins during the game." Furthermore, Pattern I specifies a situation that combines the above Patterns C, D, and E, and provides the guideline that "one team lost the game, but was leading by a score difference that was difficult to catch up with, and that lead lasted for most of the game, and that had multiple comebacks or wins during the game."

[0070] Pattern J specifies the guideline "One team lost the game, but there was a player (batter or pitcher) who played well on that team during the game." This pattern J is a guideline for generating a description that includes a player (batter or pitcher) on the losing team who played better than the other players (batters or pitchers) as a positive point of the losing team, and it focuses on the batters and pitchers who played well on the losing team and describes their performance from the perspective of the losing team.

[0071] Pattern K specifies the guideline "One team loses the game, and the content is related to praising the opposing team (the other team)." This pattern K is a guideline for including in the game review that the opposing team (the other team) was excellent, because when a team loses a game and there is nothing notable about the other team in the game, or when none of the players on that team performed well, it is difficult to mention the losing team even from the perspective of the losing team.

[0072] 6 shows an overview (one example) of the point table 16 stored in the storage unit 10g. The point table 16 is a table used when judging condition 7 (when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points exceed the threshold) in the judgment table 13 described above, and includes a batter table section 15a and a pitcher table section 15b, and specifies the value of points to be added depending on the content of the play of the batter or pitcher (play details).

[0073] Examples of point conditions included in the batter table section 15a shown in FIG. 6 include "100 points added (plus 100 points) if the winning run is hit (the player who batted to score the winning run)", "50 points added (plus 50 points) if the game is turned around (the player who batted to score the winning run)", "30 points added (plus 30 points) if the game is tied (the player who batted to score the tying run)", "50 points added (plus 50 points) if the game is won (the player who batted to score the winning run)", "30 points added (plus 30 points) if the game is a home run (the player who hit the home run)", "20 points added (plus 20 points) if the game is a triple", "10 points added (plus 10 points) if the game is a double", "5 points added (plus 5 points) if the game is a hit", etc.

[0074] Examples of additional points included in the pitcher's table section 15b shown in FIG. 6 include "adding points equal to the number of innings in which the batter was kept scoreless multiplied by 20" and "adding points equal to the number of strikeouts multiplied by 5."

[0075] The template table 17 stored in the storage unit 10g stores templates corresponding to the descriptions of various expressions used when generating game reviews, and includes a variety of descriptions of expressions related to standardized content according to various parts of speech such as nouns, particles, conjunctions, adverbs, verbs, etc., used in expressing game reviews of baseball games, as well as units such as phrases and clauses. These templates corresponding to the descriptions of various expressions are appropriately extracted from expressions frequently used in many baseball game reviews created by humans in the past.

[0076] Examples of noun templates include "game," "team," "score," "lead," "batter," "pitcher," "substitution," "pinch hit," "home run," "double," "hit to left field," "grounder to first base," "fly to center field," "strikeout," "fly to center field," "stolen base," and "timely hit." Examples of particle templates include "is," "but," "from," "of," "even," "with," and "while."

[0077] Examples of conjunction templates include "here," "and," "also," etc. Examples of adverb templates include "very," "intense," "highly," "stunning," etc. Examples of verb templates include "won," "lost," "turned the tables," "won more than it lost," "took the lead," "failed to defend," "supported," "held back," etc. These various templates are stored in an organized state in the template table 17 in association with the conditions to be used, and are read out by the MPU 10a as appropriate and used to generate descriptions according to the provisions of the description generation program P2.

[0078] The description generation program P2 stored in the storage unit 10g corresponds to a computer program according to the present invention, and specifies various processes for the MPU 10a to generate descriptions related to baseball game review articles based on game data distributed from the game data distribution system 2, and the MPU 10a functions as various means according to the specifications of the description generation program P2. The description generation program P2 of this embodiment specifies various processes for the MPU 10a to automatically generate articles as an artificial intelligence, and includes a text creation engine corresponding to various processes of automatic article generation by this artificial intelligence. With this text creation engine, the MPU 10a also functions as an AI (artificial intelligence) for writing text, and automatically generates descriptions based on the identified patterns using the template table 17.

[0079] Furthermore, this description generation program P2 stipulates that the MPU10a generates multiple types of descriptions of game review articles (at least three types in this embodiment) for one baseball game, the first being to generate a description corresponding to the game review article with content focusing on the winning team as in the conventional case (when the description is generated assuming that the winning team corresponds to one of the teams), the second being to generate a description corresponding to the game review article including content focusing on the losing team, which is a feature of the present invention (when the description is generated assuming that the losing team corresponds to one of the teams), and the third being to generate a description corresponding to the game review article including content focusing on players (batters and pitchers) who performed particularly well in the game or achieved records, etc. (when a player has earned points exceeding a threshold, a description is generated including content related to the performance of that player according to the points earned, regardless of the win or loss of the team to which that player belongs).

[0080] The processing defined by such a description generation program P2 can be divided into two main stages in the processing flow. The first stage is when the MPU 10a uses the above-mentioned judgment table 13 (see Figure 3) to analyze the received match data and identify the content (pattern) of the description to be generated. The second stage is when the MPU 10a uses the text creation engine to actually generate a match review article including a description corresponding to the content identified in the first stage, using various information contained in the received match data and the template table 17.

[0081] The process contents of the description generation program P2 will be explained in more detail based on a concrete example. Assume that the game data distribution system 2 distributes game data about a baseball game in which team XXX (batting first) and team YYY (batting second) play against each other. When the game data is received (obtained by reception) by the game description generation device 10, the MPU 10a of the game description generation device 10 starts the above-mentioned first stage process, triggered by the reception of the game data. When the process starts, in order to generate a game review article including a description focusing on team XXX batting first, which is one of the opposing teams included in the game data, the MPU 10a first provisionally applies team XXX as one team to the judgment table 13, and judges which of conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table 13 the team XXX applies to. Note that in this way, in a state in which the MPU 10a assumes that team XXX corresponds to one team, the opposing team team YYY will be grasped as the other team.

[0082] In a certain game, when the game data indicates that the score of team XXX (score of the game result) exceeds the score of team YYY (score of the game result) and team XXX has won, the MPU 10a judges that team XXX falls under condition 1 in this game (determines that team XXX has won). In addition, when the game data indicates that the score of team XXX falls below the score of team YYY and team XXX has lost, the MPU 10a judges that team XXX has lost, and in this case, the MPU 10a analyzes the acquired game data and compares the score of team XXX with the score of team YYY for each time (each inning) in this game, and determines which of conditions 2 to 6 team XXX falls under.

[0083] In the process of determining (detecting) whether each condition is met, as shown in the vertical columns of the judgment table 13 in FIG. 3, there are cases where only one condition is met, and cases where multiple conditions are met.

[0084] Specifically, condition 3, which relates to when one team loses a match, is "if one team loses the match, but there is a period during the match when one team's scores were higher than the other team's scores," and therefore the content of condition 3 is included in the content of condition 4 (if one team loses the match, but there is a period during the match when one team's scores were higher than the other team's scores and the difference in scores during that period was more than four points), condition 5 (if one team loses the match, but there is a period during the match when one team's scores were higher than the other team's scores and that period occurred for more than half the number of matches), and condition 6 (if one team loses the match, but there is a period during the match when one team's scores were higher than the other team's scores and that period was interrupted and occurred multiple times). Therefore, there will be cases where multiple conditions are met, such as when conditions 3 and 4 are met, when conditions 3 and 5 are met, when conditions 3 and 6 are met, or when conditions 3 to 5 are met.

[0085] Therefore, in the process of determining whether or not any of the conditions applies, if it is determined that condition 1 (one team wins the match) does not apply, that is, if it is determined that one team loses the match, the MPU 10a determines which of conditions 2 to 6 relating to the case of a loss applies. Furthermore, as described above, condition 3 is included in the contents of conditions 4 to 6, so if it is determined that condition 3 applies, the MPU 10a also determines whether or not any of conditions 4 to 6 applies.

[0086] Next, in order to generate a game review article including a description focusing on team YYY, the opponent team of team XXX, the MPU 10a will determine which of the conditions stipulated in the judgment table 13 applies to team YYY as one team and team XXX as the other team, in the reverse manner to the above. Here, when the MPU 10a determines that team XXX won when it is provisionally assumed that team XXX, who batted first, was one team as described above, it can be automatically determined that team YYY lost the match, so in this case, the MPU 10a will simultaneously determine (detect) which of conditions 2 to 7 related to losses in the judgment table 13 applies to team YYY as one team.

[0087] Also, as described above, when the MPU 10a determines that the first team XXX has lost when the MPU 10a provisionally assumes that the first team is one of the teams, it can be determined that the team YYY has won, and in this case, the MPU 10a determines that the team YYY, as one of the teams, falls under condition 1 in the judgment table 13. Note that in the above explanation, the first team XXX is provisionally assumed to be one of the teams and applied to the judgment table 13 to determine which of the conditions it falls under, but it is of course possible to proceed with the process assuming that the second team YYY is one of the teams (in short, it is sufficient to assume that one of the opponents is one of the teams, apply the judgment table 13 to determine and specify the applicable condition).

[0088] Furthermore, in order to generate a description of players who performed well in a match, the MPU 10a performs a process of calculating the points of each player (batter) and each pitcher included in the match data using the point table 16 shown in FIG. 6 in addition to the above-mentioned condition specification process based on the winning or losing of the opposing team, and detects whether or not there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose calculated points exceed a threshold. In this embodiment, two types of thresholds are prepared, a threshold for the winning side and a threshold for the losing side, and the threshold for the winning side is set to 80 points, and the threshold for the losing side is set to 50 points, which is lower than the threshold for the winning side, and identifies players (batters or pitchers) who have earned points equal to or higher than these thresholds. Note that these threshold point numbers are merely examples, and it is of course possible to apply other point numbers to the thresholds. For example, depending on whether it is desired to narrow down the players to be extracted or to extract players broadly, it is of course possible to change the threshold for the winning side to a value greater than or less than 80 points, and similarly, it is also possible to make the threshold for the losing side greater than or less than 50 points, but to make it easier to extract players on the losing side, it is preferable to set the number of points of the threshold for the losing side smaller than the number of points of the threshold for the winning side. Also, if multiple players exceed the threshold, a narrowing process is performed so that the top two players or the player with the highest points are the detection targets.

[0089] The game description generation device 10 processes articles including descriptions about players whose points exceed the threshold in two ways: when condition 7 is met in relation to the team's win or loss, the device generates an article including descriptions about the player who meets condition 7 regardless of the team's win or loss.

[0090] Furthermore, the MPU 10a detects from the received game data whether or not each player has achieved any record. The types of records to be detected include records achieved in one game related to the received game data (e.g., a cycle hit or a no-hitter, etc.) and records achieved in a series of games including the game related to the received game data (e.g., reaching base in 20 consecutive at-bats, achieving 1000 hits, allowing no runs in 20 consecutive innings, achieving 1000 strikeouts, etc.). The game description generation device 10 also performs processing to include such record-achievement details in the article to be generated, regardless of whether the team won or lost.

[0091] In the above-mentioned process, when the determination (detection) of the cases related to the applicable conditions (conditions 1 to 7) for both opposing teams and the determination (detection) of the presence or absence of the players (batters or pitchers) who performed well or achieved records are completed, the MPU 10a then performs a process of identifying the contents (patterns) related to the cases where the conditions are applicable. In this identification process, the determination table 13 shown in Fig. 3 is used, and the MPU 10a identifies a pattern (any of patterns A to K) corresponding to the applicable conditions for the first batting team XXX, based on the provisions of the entry generation program P2, and also identifies a pattern (any of patterns A to K) corresponding to the applicable conditions for the second batting team YYY, which is the opposing team.

[0092] In addition, in the above-mentioned processing, MPU10a determines that a player (batter or pitcher) exceeding the threshold meets condition 7, and if condition 7 is met and condition 2 is also met, it identifies pattern J as the content of the description based on the provisions of the text creation engine included in the description generation program P2 (see the judgment table in Figure 3).

[0093] When the above-mentioned first stage of processing for identifying the description contents is completed, the MPU 10a then performs processing for automatically generating descriptions including the identified description contents (patterns A to K) as match review articles related to the results of the matches based on the provisions of the text creation engine included in the description generation program P2 as a second stage. The text creation engine of the description generation program P2 defines various processes for the MPU 10a to automatically generate articles as an AI (artificial intelligence) for text creation, and the text creation engine automatically generates descriptions based on the identified patterns using the template table 17.

[0094] Specifically, when generating a description according to a specified pattern for team XXX, team XXX is used as the subject item, and numerical and lexical information according to the specified pattern (number of runs, number of innings in which runs were scored, etc.) and scoring situation (home run by player XX, timely hit by player Y△, etc.) are analyzed and extracted by the text creation engine from the received game data, and the extracted items (information) are appropriately combined as subjects, objects, verbs, phrases, clauses, etc. with various templates contained in template table 17 to create expressions, thereby generating a description with content that matches the specified pattern.

[0095] In addition, the game review article generated in this embodiment is not composed only of descriptions according to the specified pattern, but is composed of a portion including descriptions according to the specified pattern. Therefore, assuming that team XXX is one of the teams, the MPU 10a generates a game review article that includes descriptions focusing on team XXX, which is the other team, but also includes other overall contents and the score situation of the opponent. The game review article generated in this way is a content that conveys to the user (reader) the good points of team XXX in the game, and also has a content that allows the user to understand the overall flow of the game.

[0096] As for team YYY, the opponent team of team XXX, in the same manner as in the case of team XXX described above, the MPU 10a analyzes and extracts information such as numbers, phrases, and score status corresponding to the pattern specified by team YYY from the received match data according to the provisions of the text creation engine, and automatically generates an article description corresponding to team YYY using the extracted information and each template included in the template table 17. The MPU 10a also automatically generates descriptions related to the overall content other than team YYY in parallel, and thereby automatically generates a match review article including a description focusing on team YYY.

[0097] Furthermore, in order to generate descriptions of content corresponding to pattern J for players who have gained points above the threshold or who have achieved records, the MPU 10a analyzes and extracts information about the target players (player names, play content corresponding to points above the threshold, record content achieved, etc.) from the received match data according to the provisions of the text creation engine of the description generation program P2, and automatically generates descriptions focusing on players who performed well in the match or players who have achieved records, using the extracted information and each template included in the template table 17. Note that in this case, the MPU 10a also automatically generates descriptions related to the overall content other than the focused player in parallel, and thus a match review article including a description related to the focused player is automatically generated by the MPU 10a.

[0098] The order of each description constituting the contents of the game review article automatically generated in this way is in chronological order, just like the contents of a baseball game, and the MPU 10a generates the game review article by combining each description automatically generated based on the received game data according to the order of progress of the game in the game data. When the MPU 10a generates a game review article, it issues an (identification ID) indicating the game date and time and the opposing team, etc., and stores the issued identification code in association with the data of the generated game review article in the description DB 18 of the storage unit 10g so that it can be read out and provided promptly in response to an external request. The issued identification code includes information indicating the opposing team and information indicating the game date and time, etc., or information indicating the opposing team and the game date and time, etc. is stored in the description DB 18 in association with the identification code, making it easy to search for the data of the generated game review article.

[0099] 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for the process in which the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) automatically generates a match review article in accordance with the description generation program P2 described above (showing an example of the process contents of the match description generation method according to the present invention, and these process contents are executed by the description generation program P2 in the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a)). Below, the process contents of the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) in accordance with the description generation program P2 will be organized and explained in accordance with this flowchart.

[0100] First, the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges whether or not it has received and acquired game data distributed from the external game data distribution system 2 as the game ends (S1). If it has not acquired game data (S1: NO), it waits for the game data to be distributed. If it has received game data (S1: YES), the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges (detects) whether or not each of the opposing teams corresponds to any of the conditions 1 to 7 specified in the judgment table 13 based on the game data acquired by reception (S2). For example, in the case of the above-mentioned example of team XXX and team YYY, it is simultaneously judged at this stage (S2) whether or not team XXX corresponds to any of the conditions 1 to 7 as one team, and whether or not the opposing team team YYY corresponds to any of the conditions 1 to 7 as one team.

[0101] At this stage (S2), the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) also performs the process of calculating the points of each player based on the match data, detecting whether or not there is a player who exceeds a threshold, and determining that condition 7 is met if there is a player who exceeds the threshold. At this stage (S2), the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) also detects whether or not there is a player who has achieved a record based on the match data, and determines (specifies) that condition 7 is met if there is a player who has achieved a record. As described above, in this determination process, there may be cases where multiple conditions are met.

[0102] Next, the match record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) performs a process (S3) of identifying a pattern of contents corresponding to the corresponding condition from the judgment table 13. At this stage (S3), a pattern is identified for each of the opposing teams, and if there are players who have exceeded a threshold or achieved a record, a pattern corresponding to the identified condition 7 for those players is also identified.

[0103] Then, the match description generating device 10 (MPU 10a) performs a process of automatically generating a match review article including a description related to the pattern identified in the step S3 based on the acquired match data while using the template table 17 (S4). As described above, since a pattern is identified for each of the opposing teams, at least two types of match review articles are generated in this step (S4): a match review article including a description focusing on the winning team and a match review article including a description focusing on the losing team. Furthermore, in this step (S4), if there is a player who exceeds the threshold or a player who achieves a record, if the losing team meets condition 2, a match review article including a description focusing on the achievements of such players or record achievements is also generated in addition to the match review article generated based on pattern J corresponding to condition 7.

[0104] Finally, the match description generating device 10 (MPU 10a) issues an identification code for each generated match review article, and performs a process of storing data related to the generated match review article in the description DB 18 in association with the issued identification code (S5). By storing match review articles (data related to match review articles) in association with identification codes in the description DB 18 in this way, match review articles can be provided promptly in response to external requests, etc.

[0105] As for the specific way of providing the generated game review article, various situations can be assumed depending on the contents of the service, business policies, etc. For example, if the game description generating device 10 provides a game review article including a description focusing on a specific baseball team to a website related to a certain baseball team (for example, a website of team XXX), even if the specific baseball team loses a game, the game review article including a description focusing on the specific baseball team will be posted on the website related to the specific baseball team. In this way, fans of the specific baseball team can enjoy a game review article that is worth reading and that allows them to understand the performance of their favorite baseball team even in a losing game, without performing any special operation, by simply accessing the website related to the specific baseball team using a communication terminal (see user terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc. shown in FIG. 1).

[0106] Furthermore, if the match description generating device 10 provides a game review article including a description focusing on a particular player to a website related to that particular player, fans of that particular player can enjoy a well-read game review article that allows them to understand the performance of their favorite baseball team even in a losing game, without having to perform any special operations, simply by accessing the website related to that particular player's baseball team using a communication terminal (see user terminals T1, T2, T3, T4, etc. shown in Figure 1).

[0107] Furthermore, if the game record generating device 10 provides all the generated game review articles to a website aimed at a wide range of baseball fans, and the website posts multiple patterns of game review articles for one game, game review articles that meet the preferences of a wide range of baseball fans will be included, and the needs of users who enjoy baseball from various perspectives will be met. Next, a specific example of a game review article automatically generated by the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) using the present invention based on acquired game data (baseball game data in which team XXX, batting first, and team YYY, batting second, faced each other) will be shown.

[0108] FIG. 8(a) shows a score 20 for each inning showing an example 1 of the result of a baseball game between one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, and information according to this score 20 is included in the game data. FIG. 8(b) shows an example game review article 30 that is automatically generated for the example game result of this score 20. As shown in the score 20 in FIG. 8(a), team XXX won against team YYY in this game, and therefore, one team, team XXX, falls under condition 1 (when one team wins the game) specified in the judgment table 13, and the example game review article 30 in FIG. 8(b) is automatically generated to include a description of team XXX based on pattern A (content related to one team winning the game).

[0109] Specifically, in the game review article example 30 shown in FIG. 8(b), the description 30a of "Team XXX easily beats Team YYY" corresponds to the description mainly corresponding to pattern A. The underlines in the game review article example 30 are added to make the main relevant description parts according to the present invention easier to understand, and are not added in the original game review article (the same applies to other article examples). In the game review article example 30, the description 30b of "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base," the description 30c of "In the third inning, O○ added one more run with a double, extending the lead to three runs," and the description 30d of "Team XXX added two more runs in the eighth inning, and in the ninth inning, Fuji○ comfortably held off the batting line of Team YYY to win 5-0" also correspond to the description related to pattern A. In this way, the game review article example 30 in FIG. 8(b) contains content detailing the points won by team XXX in the match, making it a game review article that will be popular with fans of team XXX.

[0110] FIG. 9(a) shows the score 21 (the score 21 is information included in the game data) for each inning showing an example 2 of the result of a baseball game in which one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, played against each other, and FIG. 9(b) shows an example of a game review article 31 that was automatically generated for the example of the game result of the score 21. As shown in the score 21 in FIG. 9(a), in this game, team XXX lost to team YYY, but there was a situation in which team XXX was leading during the game. Therefore, one team, team XXX, falls under condition 3 (when one team lost the game, but there was a period during the game when the score of one team exceeded the score of the other team) specified in the judgment table 13, and the example of the game review article 31 in FIG. 9(b) was automatically generated to include a description based on pattern B (content indicating that one team lost the game, but one team was leading during the game) for team XXX.

[0111] Specifically, in the game review article example 31 shown in FIG. 9(b), the description 31a that reads "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with two outs and a runner on first base with a two-run home run by O○, and in the third inning, they added one more run with a double by O○, widening their lead to three runs" and the description 31b that reads "Team XXX had a situation in the ninth inning with one out and a runner on second base, and one hit to tie the game, but O○ hit an infield grounder and O○ struck out, so they couldn't get the last hit. They were defeated in a close comeback." mainly correspond to the description corresponding to pattern B. In this way, the game review article example 31 in FIG. 9(b) contains a description that describes the good points of team XXX during the game, such as the fact that team XXX lost the game but was leading during the game and the state of their attack when they gained the lead, making it a game review article suitable for fans of team XXX.

[0112] Fig. 10(a) shows the score 22 (score 22 is information included in the game data) for each inning showing an example 3 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 10(b) shows an example game review article 32 that was automatically generated for the example game result of this score 22. As shown in the score 22 in Fig. 10(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but at one point during the game, Team XXX was leading by a score difference of 5 to 0. Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 4 (when one team lost the match, but there was a period during the match when the score of one team exceeded the score of the other team, and the difference in the score during that period was greater than 4 points) specified in the decision table 13, and the example game review article 32 in FIG. 10(b) was automatically generated so as to include a description about team XXX based on pattern C (content related to the fact that one team lost the match, but at one point during the match they were leading by a score difference that could not be easily caught up).

[0113] Specifically, in the example game review article 32 shown in FIG. 10(b), the following statements correspond mainly to pattern C: "In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Team XXX got off to a good start with a two-run home run by Oh○, and in the third inning, Oh○ hit a three-run home run in his second consecutive at-bat, leading to a 5-0 lead in the early stages of the game."; and "In the sixth inning, Team XXX's second pitcher Fuji○ allowed a solo home run to △, allowing the team to take the lead. The third and subsequent pitchers also allowed runs, resulting in a 5-10 loss. The team was unable to take advantage of its early lead, resulting in a disappointing loss." In this way, the game review article example 32 in FIG. 10(b) describes how, although team XXX lost the game, at one point during the game they took a large lead with such a large score that the opposing team could not catch up even if they had hit a grand slam home run, and what it was like when they took such a large lead. Since the content includes descriptions that explain what was good about team XXX during the game, this is a game review article that is suitable for fans of team XXX.

[0114] Fig. 11(a) shows the score 23 for each inning (the score 23 is information included in the game data) showing an example 4 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 11(b) shows an example game review article 33 that was automatically generated for the example game result of this score 23. As shown by the score 23 in Fig. 11(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but Team XXX was in the lead during the game, and this lead lasted for more than half of the entire game period (all innings) (Team XXX led from the top of the 1st inning to the top of the 9th inning). Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 5 (when one team lost the match, but there was a period during the match when the one team's score was greater than the other team's score, and this period lasted more than half of the number of matches) specified in decision table 13, and example game review article 33 in FIG. 11(b) was automatically generated to include a description of team XXX based on pattern D (content related to one team losing the match, but leading the other team for the majority of the match).

[0115] Specifically, in the example game review article 33 shown in FIG. 11(b), the following statements correspond mainly to pattern D: "In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Team XXX got off to a good start with a two-run home run by Oh○, and in the third inning, Oh○ hit two consecutive two-run home runs in his second at-bat, and the team took the lead with a score of 4-0 in the early stages of the game."; and "In the ninth inning, when a shutout win was finally in sight, Iwa○ lost control of his pitch, walked three batters, loaded the bases, and gave up a double to Saka○ that cleared the bases, and he was taken out of the game just when the score was one point behind. However, Fuji○, who was entrusted with the next step, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting line, and gave up a double to Moto○ and a timely hit to Oki, turning the game around at the last minute. Although they had been leading for most of the game, they ended up suffering an unexpected come-from-behind defeat." In this way, the example game review article 33 in FIG. 11(b) contains descriptions that explain the good points of Team XXX during the game, such as the fact that Team XXX lost the game but was leading for most of the game, and the state of their attacks in relation to that lead, making it an ideal game review article for fans of Team XXX.

[0116] FIG. 12(a) shows the score 24 for each inning (the score 24 is information included in the game data) showing an example 5 of the result of a baseball game between team XXX, which is one team, and team YYY, which is the other team, and FIG. 12(b) shows an example of a game review article 34 that was automatically generated for the example of the game result of this score 24. As shown in the score 24 in FIG. 12(a), in this game, team XXX lost to team YYY, but there were two comebacks during the game (the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 7th inning). Therefore, team XXX, which is one of the teams, falls under condition 6 (when one team lost the game, but there was a period during the game when the score of the one team exceeded the score of the other team, and such a period was interrupted and existed multiple times) specified in the judgment table 13, and the example of the game review article 34 in FIG. 12(b) was automatically generated to include a description based on pattern E (content related to one team losing the game, but having comebacks or winning many times during the game) for team XXX.

[0117] Specifically, in the example game review article 34 shown in FIG. 12(b), the following statements correspond mainly to pattern E: "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ was hit by consecutive hits from Team YYY's batting line, allowing them to take a two-run lead, but in the second inning immediately afterwards, Oh○ hit a three-run home run and they succeeded in turning the game around."; "In the seventh inning, Team XXX, desperate to catch up, managed to turn the game around again with consecutive hits from Ito○ and Oh○, making the score 6 to 5."; and "In the ninth inning, however, Team XXX's Fuji○, who was sent to the mound in an attempt to escape, walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed Oh○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, resulting in an unexpected walk-off loss. They were unable to protect their two leads, resulting in a bitter defeat." In this way, the game review article example 34 in Fig. 12(b) contains information that explains what was good about team XXX during the game, such as the fact that team XXX lost the game but made multiple comebacks during the game, and the state of their attacks during the comebacks, making it a suitable game review article for fans of team XXX, etc. Note that this example corresponds to the case where team XXX made two comebacks, but if team XXX has multiple wins, a game review article will be automatically generated in the same manner as above.

[0118] Fig. 13(a) shows score 25 per inning (score 25 is information included in the game data) showing example 6 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 13(b) shows example game review article 35 automatically generated for the example game result with score 25. As shown by score 25 in Fig. 13(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but there was a period during the game when Team XXX was leading, and this leading period lasted for more than half of the entire game period (all innings) (leading from the top of the 1st inning to the top of the 9th inning), and the maximum score difference of Team XXX during this lead was 5 points (leading 5-0).

[0119] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 4 (when one team loses the game, but takes a large lead during the game with a score difference that cannot be easily caught up even if the other team hits a grand slam (a play that can score the maximum number of points)) and condition 5 (when one team loses the game, but the number of times the other team was ahead during the game exceeded half of the total number of innings in the game) specified in decision table 13, and the example game review article 35 in Figure 13(b) was automatically generated to include a description about team XXX based on pattern F (when one team lost the game, but took a lead during the game with a score difference that could not be easily caught up and that lasted for most of the game).

[0120] Specifically, in the example game review article 35 shown in FIG. 13(b), the following statements correspond mainly to Pattern F: "In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Team XXX got off to a good start with a two-run home run by Oh○, and in the third inning, Oh○ hit a three-run home run in his second consecutive at-bat, and the team took an early advantage with a large lead of 5-0."; and "In the ninth inning, when a shutout victory was finally in sight, Iwa○ lost control of his pitches, walked three batters, loaded the bases, and gave up a double to Saka○ that cleared the bases, and he was taken out of the game with the score at two points. However, Fuji○, who was entrusted with the next batter, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting line, and gave up a double to Moto○ and a home run to Oki, and the game was turned around at the last minute. Despite having an overwhelming lead for most of the game, the team suffered an unexpected reversal defeat." In this way, the game review example 35 in FIG. 13(b) is about team XXX, and although they lost the game, at one point during the game they had a large lead with such a large score that the opposing team could not catch up even if they hit a grand slam home run, they were in the lead for most of the game, the state of their offense in relation to their lead, etc., and since it contains descriptions that explain what was good about team XXX during the game, it is a game review example that is suitable for fans of team XXX.

[0121] Fig. 14(a) shows the score 26 for each inning showing an example 7 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and another team, Team YYY, and Fig. 14(b) shows an example of a game review article 36 that was automatically generated for the example of the game result with this score 26. As shown in the score 26 in Fig. 14(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but during the game, Team XXX made two comebacks (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 8th inning), and there was a situation where the maximum score difference when Team XXX was initially in the lead was 5 points (a 7-2 lead).

[0122] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 4 (when one team lost the game, but took a large lead during the game with a score difference that the other team could not easily catch up with even if the other team hit a grand slam (a play that can score the maximum number of points)) and condition 6 (when one team lost the game, but there were multiple innings during the game in which the other team was in the lead), and the example game review article 36 in FIG. 14(b) was automatically generated to include a description based on pattern G (when one team lost the game, but took a lead during the game with a score difference that the other team could not easily catch up with, and also had multiple comebacks or wins during the game) for team XXX.

[0123] Specifically, in the game review example 36 shown in FIG. 14(b), there is a section 36a that reads, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ allowed Team YYY's batting line to hit consecutive hits and take a two-run lead, but in the second inning immediately afterwards, O○ hit a three-run home run and successfully turned the game around.", there is a section 36b (content corresponding to condition 4) that reads, "In the third inning, Ogawa hit a grand slam, and in the early stages of the game, the team took a large lead of 7 to 2 and gained an advantage.", and there is a section 36c that reads, "In the eighth inning, Team XXX The statements in 36c (corresponding to condition 6) that "In the ninth inning, however, Team XXX's Fuji○, who was sent to the mound in an attempt to pull away, walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, resulting in an unexpected walk-off loss. The two leads could not be held on, resulting in a bitter defeat." and the statements in 36d (corresponding to condition 6) that "In the ninth inning, Team XXX's Fuji○, who was sent to the mound in an attempt to pull away, walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, resulting in an unexpected walk-off loss. The two leads could not be held on, resulting in a bitter defeat." mainly correspond to pattern G.

[0124] In this way, the game review example 36 in FIG. 14(b) contains descriptions of what was good about team XXX during the game, such as how, although they lost the game, they made multiple comebacks during the game, how they took a large lead with a score difference that the opposing team could not catch up with even if they hit a grand slam home run, and how their offense performed when they made the comeback or had a large lead, making it a suitable game review article for fans of team XXX.

[0125] Fig. 15(a) shows the score 27 for each inning showing an example 8 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 15(b) shows an example game review article 37 that was automatically generated for the example game result of this score 27. As shown in the score 27 in Fig. 15(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, but they made two comebacks during the game (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 8th inning), and they also had a situation where they were leading for the majority of the game in total (leading from the top of the 3rd to the top of the 7th inning, and from the top of the 8th to the top of the 9th inning).

[0126] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 5 (when one team lost the match, but the number of times they were leading during the match exceeded half of the total number of innings in the match) and condition 6 (when one team lost the match, but there were multiple innings in which they were leading during the match) specified in decision table 13, and example game review article 37 in FIG. 15(b) was automatically generated to include a description based on pattern H (when one team lost the match, but was leading for most of the match and had multiple comebacks or wins during the match) for team XXX.

[0127] Specifically, in the game review example 37 shown in FIG. 15(b), there is a section 37a (description related to conditions 5 and 6) that reads, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ allowed Team YYY's batting line to hit consecutive hits and take a two-run lead, but in the second inning immediately after, Team XXX hit a three-run home run and successfully turned the game around."; there is a section 37b (description related to conditions 5 and 6) that reads, "However, in the seventh inning, after a long lead, Team XXX's second pitcher Fuji○ and third pitcher Naka○ gave up three runs with concentrated hits, allowing Team YYY to take the lead."; The following statements correspond mainly to pattern H: 37c (statement related to conditions 5 and 6) which reads, "In the 8th inning, with one out and a runner on second base, Oh○ hit his second home run of the day, turning the game around again."; and 37d (statement related to conditions 5 and 6) which reads, "However, in the 9th inning, Team XXX's Fuji○, who was sent to the mound in an attempt to pull away, walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, resulting in an unexpected walk-off loss. They were unable to protect their two leads, and it was a bitter defeat."

[0128] In this way, the example game review article 37 in FIG. 15(b) contains content that describes the good points of team XXX during the game, such as the fact that although team XXX lost the match, they made multiple comebacks during the match, that they were leading for most of the match, and the offensive situation when they made comebacks or were leading, making it a suitable game review article for fans of team XXX.

[0129] FIG. 16(a) shows the score 28 for each inning showing an example 9 of a baseball game result in which one team, team XXX, played against another team, team YYY, and FIG. 16(b) shows an example game review article 38 that was automatically generated for the example game result of this score 28. As shown in the score 28 in FIG. 16(a), in this game, team XXX lost to team YYY, but team XXX came back twice during the game (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 8th inning), and the maximum score difference when team XXX was initially leading was 5 points (leading 7 to 2), and there were times when team XXX was leading for the majority of the game in total (leading from the top of the 2nd to the top of the 7th inning and from the top of the 8th to the top of the 9th inning).

[0130] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 4 (when one team lost the game, but during the game the other team took a large lead with a score difference that could not be caught up even if the other team hit a grand slam (a play that can score the maximum number of points)), condition 5 (when one team lost the game, but the number of times the other team was ahead during the game exceeded half of the total number of innings in the game), and condition 6 (when one team lost the game, but there were multiple innings in which the other team was ahead due to interruptions during the game) specified in the decision table 13, and the example game review article 38 in Figure 16(b) was automatically generated to include a description based on pattern I (when one team lost the game, but during the game the other team took a lead with a score difference that could not be easily caught up, and the lead lasted for most of the game, and the team made multiple comebacks or won the game) for team XXX.

[0131] Specifically, in the game review example 38 shown in FIG. 16(b), there is a section 38a (related to conditions 5 and 6) that says, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ allowed Team YYY's batting line to hit consecutive hits and take a 2-run lead, but in the second inning immediately after, Team YYY's starting pitcher Oh○ hit a 3-run home run and the team succeeded in turning the game around.", there is a section 38b (related to condition 4) that says, "In the 5th inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ hit a grand slam and the team extended the lead to 7 to 2, making the score difference one-sided.", and there is a section 38c (related to condition 4) that says, "However, in the 7th inning, after a long lead, Team XXX's second pitcher Fuji○ and third pitcher Naka○ gave up 6 runs with concentrated hits and the team allowed the team to turn the game around." The statements in 38c (related to conditions 5 and 6), "However, in the eighth inning, with one out and a runner on second base, O○ hit his second home run of the day and turned the game around again," in 38d (related to conditions 5 and 6), and "However, in the ninth inning, for Team XXX, Fuji○, who was sent to the mound in an attempt to pull away, walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, resulting in an unexpected walk-off loss. They were unable to protect their two leads, and it was a bitter defeat," in 38e (related to conditions 4, 5, and 6) are mainly statements that correspond to pattern I.

[0132] In this way, the game review example 38 in FIG. 16(b) includes descriptions of Team XXX's good points during the game, such as how, although they lost the game, they made multiple comebacks during the game, how they took a large lead with a score difference that the opposing team could not catch up with even if they hit a grand slam home run, how they led for most of the game, and how their offense looked when they made comebacks or took the lead, making this a suitable game review article for fans of Team XXX.

[0133] FIG. 17(a) shows the score 29 for each inning showing an example 10 of the result of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and another team, Team YYY, and FIG. 17(b) shows an example game review article 39 that was automatically generated for the example game result of this score 29. As shown in the score 29 in FIG. 17(a), in this game, Team XXX lost to Team YYY, and although Team XXX scored points during the game, they were never in the lead, and all of Team XXX's points were due to two home runs by player O○.

[0134] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, meets condition 2 (when one of the teams loses the game and has zero points or no lead during the game) and condition 7 (when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated using a certain formula exceed a threshold) specified in the decision table 13, and the example game review article 39 in Figure 17(b) was automatically generated to include a description about team XXX based on pattern J (content related to the fact that one of the teams lost the game, but that one of the teams had a player who performed well during the game).

[0135] Specifically, in the game review article example 39 shown in FIG. 17(b), the description 39a (description related to condition 7) that reads "It was No. 4 O○ who showed spirit in a game that was in a difficult development. He hit a solo home run in his third at-bat in the sixth inning to start a counterattack, and in the eighth inning, he hit two consecutive home runs with a runner on first base after a walk, and showed great performance with three RBIs that day." and the description 39b (description related to condition 2) that reads "Although the game was lost 3-8 due to a large number of runs conceded in the early stages, he showed tenacity that will lead to tomorrow." mainly correspond to the description corresponding to pattern J. In this way, the game review article example 39 in FIG. 17(b) is about team XXX, which lost the game and there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the team as a whole, but there was a player who performed well in team XXX, and the content includes a description of the performance of that player, making it a suitable game review article for fans who want to know the performance of players who performed well in team XXX even in a losing game.

[0136] Fig. 18(a) shows the score 40 for each inning showing an example 11 of the results of a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 18(b) shows an example of a game review article 41 that was automatically generated for the example of the game result with the score 40. As shown by the score 40 in Fig. 18(a), in this game, Team XXX was shut out by Team YYY, and the content of the game was such that it was difficult to point out any good points of Team XXX or outstanding players.

[0137] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, meets only condition 2 (when one team loses the match and has zero points or no lead during the match) specified in the decision table 13, and the example game review article 41 in Figure 18(b) is automatically generated to include a description about team XXX based on pattern K (content related to one team losing the match and praising the opposing team (the other team)).

[0138] Specifically, in the game review article example 41 shown in Fig. 18(b), the description 41a (description related to condition 2) that reads "The batting line also piled up strikeouts against Team YYY's starting pitcher, O-no, who continued to pitch impressively, and lost the game with a three-hit shutout without even reaching second base," and the description 41b (description related to condition 2) that reads "Team XXX allowed Team YYY, whose pitching and batting worked well together, to win 0-10," mainly correspond to the description corresponding to pattern K. In this way, the game review article example 41 in Fig. 18(b) contains a description that reluctantly praises the opposing team because Team XXX lost the game badly, there was nothing noteworthy about the game, and there were no players who performed well on Team XXX, and it is a game review article suitable for fans who like a fair play spirit, etc.

[0139] As described above, in this invention, even if a team loses a match, if the losing team was leading during the match, if the score difference due to that lead was so large that it could not be caught up even with the maximum score in one play, if that lead lasted for most of the match, or if there were multiple comebacks or wins during the match, a match review article will be automatically generated that includes a description of these points, so that it is possible to provide a description that fans of the losing team can enjoy.

[0140] The present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible. First, the game for which a description is to be generated is not limited to a baseball game. If the game is a game in which one side and the other side compete in a scoring format, a description related to the game can be generated based on game data indicating the content of the game. Specifically, the present invention can also cover various sports games such as soccer, rugby, basketball, American football, volleyball, softball, ice hockey, tennis, table tennis, badminton, handball, beach volleyball, curling, futsal, hockey, polo, lacrosse, indiaca, cricket, water polo, etc. These games include a game between teams (soccer, basketball, etc.), a game between multiple people (doubles games in tennis, table tennis, badminton, etc.), and a game between individuals (singles games in tennis, table tennis, badminton, etc.).

[0141] In addition, when the various sports mentioned above are used as the subject of description generation in the present invention, the numerical value of the score difference (a score difference greater than the maximum score that can be obtained in one play) in condition 4 (when one team loses the game, but during the game, the other team has a lead of more than 4 points) in the decision table 13 shown in Figure 3 may differ from that in baseball (note that softball is the same as baseball).

[0142] For example, in rugby, the maximum points that can be scored in one play are five points for a try, so the score difference related to condition 4 in the case of rugby is greater than five points. In basketball, the maximum points that can be scored in one play are three points for a goal scored from outside the three-point line, so the score difference related to condition 4 in the case of basketball is greater than three points. In American football, the maximum points that can be scored in one play are six points for a touchdown, so the score difference related to condition 4 in the case of American football is greater than six points.

[0143] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned various sports are the subject of description generation of the present invention, the meaning of the number of innings in condition 5 (when one team lost the game but the number of times during the game was in the lead exceeded half of the number of innings) in the judgment table 13 shown in Fig. 3 may be different from that in baseball (note that softball is the same as baseball). Since the purpose of this condition 5 is to judge whether or not the team was in the lead for most of the game, for sports that do not use the concept of innings, the judgment will be made appropriately based on the meaning according to condition 5.

[0144] For example, in sports where the game is decided by time, condition 5 is judged based on whether the range of time during the game in which the team was in the lead (corresponding to the period) exceeded half of the total time of the game (corresponding to the entire period). In addition, in sports where innings are not used but something with a similar meaning (such as sets in tennis or ends in curling) is used, the same judgment as for innings is made as to whether condition 5 is met.

[0145] Furthermore, when the above-mentioned various sports are the subject of description generation of the present invention, the meaning of "if the lead was broken for multiple innings" in condition 6 (if one team lost the game but had multiple innings of the lead during the game) in the judgment table 13 shown in Fig. 3 (particularly the meaning of "innings") differs from that of baseball, as in the case of the above-mentioned condition 5 (note that softball is the same as baseball). Since the purpose of this condition 6 is to judge whether or not a team has lost a game but has made multiple comebacks or won, for sports that do not use the concept of innings, judgments are made appropriately based on the meaning according to condition 6.

[0146] For example, in sports where the game is decided by time, condition 6 is judged based on whether there were multiple periods during the game when one team was in the lead (periods when one team's score was higher than the other team's score) that were disconnected in time. Also, in sports that do not use innings but use something with a similar meaning to innings (such as sets in tennis or ends in curling), whether condition 6 is met is judged in the same way as innings in baseball.

[0147] Also, among conditions 1 to 7 used in the decision table 13 shown in Fig. 3, conditions 2 to 6, which relate to the case where one team loses the match, do not all need to be used and any of them may be omitted depending on the specifications of the service to be provided. That is, conditions 4 to 6 all stipulate more detailed content of condition 3 (the case where one team loses the match but has a lead during the match), so when automatically generating descriptions with simple specifications, it is possible to omit any or all of these conditions 4 to 6.

[0148] Rather than omitting all of these conditions 4 to 6, depending on the specifications of the service to be provided and the type of sports match to be automatically generated, it is possible to omit only condition 4, omit conditions 4 and 5, omit conditions 4 and 6, omit only condition 5, omit conditions 5 and 6, or omit only condition 6. In addition, when the focus is on teams and the performance of individual players is not important, it is also possible to omit condition 7.

[0149] In addition, in the above-described process, at the stage S2 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7, the judgment table 13 shown in FIG. 3 is used to judge at the same stage (simultaneously judge) which of conditions 1 to 7 applies, but it is also possible to judge each condition in stages in accordance with the provisions of the description generation program P2 of the modified example.

[0150] The flowchart of the modified example shown in Figures 19 and 20 shows an example of the processing procedure when each condition is judged step by step (showing an example of the processing contents of the game record generation method according to the present invention). The processing of such a modified example is defined in the description generation program P2 of the modified example, and is executed by the MPU 10a based on the definition.

[0151] As shown in the flowchart of the modified example in Fig. 19 (first half of the flowchart), in this modified example, the first step (S10) is the same as the step S1 in the flowchart in Fig. 7, in which the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) judges whether or not it has received and acquired match data distributed from the external match data distribution system 2 as the match ends (S10). If it has not acquired the match data (S10: NO), it enters a state of waiting for the match data to be distributed.

[0152] When the game data is received (S10: YES), the MPU 10a identifies one of the opposing teams in the game related to the game data as one of the teams, and judges whether or not the condition 1 is satisfied for the one of the teams, that is, whether or not the one of the teams won the game, based on the received game data (S11). Note that, in this modified example, as in the case of the flowchart of Fig. 7 described above, the target is a baseball game, and the team batting first in this baseball game is identified as one of the teams.

[0153] If one team has not won the match, i.e., if one team has lost the match (S11: NO), the MPU 10a judges whether or not there was a period during the match when one team's score exceeded the score of the other team, i.e., whether or not one team had a lead during the match, based on the received match data (S12). Note that the process at this stage of S12 is to judge whether or not condition 3 (see FIG. 4) in the judgment table 13 in FIG. 3 is met.

[0154] If one team is leading during the match (S12: YES), the MPU 10a judges whether the lead lasted for more than half of the entire match based on the received match data (S13). Note that the process at this S13 stage is to judge whether condition 5 (see FIG. 4) in the judgment table 13 in FIG. 3 is met.

[0155] When the period when one team was leading exceeds half of the entire period of the game (period from the start to the end of the game) (S13: YES), that is, when one team meets condition 5 (see FIG. 4), the MPU 10a automatically generates a game review article including a description based on the fact that one team lost the game but led the other team for most of the game (S24). The description of the above content included in the game review article thus generated corresponds to pattern D (see FIG. 5) in the decision table 13 of FIG. 3. The automatic generation at this time is also performed using the template table 17 based on the acquired game data (similar below). When the game review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to S17 of the flowchart of FIG. 20 (second half of the flowchart), where the MPU 10a issues an identification code to the generated game review article and stores data related to the generated game review article in the description DB 18 in association with the issued identification code.

[0156] Returning to step S13 of the flowchart in Fig. 19, if the period when one team was leading did not exceed half of the entire period of the match (S13: NO), the process proceeds to step S14 of the flowchart in Fig. 20, where the MPU 10a judges whether or not the period when one team was leading was interrupted multiple times, that is, whether or not one team made a comeback or won again during the match. Note that the process of step S14 is for judging whether or not condition 6 (see Fig. 4) in the judgment table 13 in Fig. 3 is met.

[0157] If one team has had a lead multiple times (S14: YES), the MPU 10a automatically generates a match review article including a description based on the fact that one team lost the match, but that the other team made a comeback or won again during the match (S25). The description of the above content included in the match review article generated in this way corresponds to pattern E (see FIG. 5) in the decision table 13 of FIG. 3. After the match review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to S17, as in the case of the above-mentioned S24 stage, and the data related to the generated match review article is stored in the description DB 18.

[0158] If, at the above-mentioned step S14, one team has not been in the lead for a number of times (S14: NO), the MPU 10a next judges whether or not one team has been in the lead by a score difference of more than four points (score difference of five points or more) during the match based on the received match data (S15). Note that the process at this step S15 is for judging whether or not condition 4 (see FIG. 4) in the judgment table 13 in FIG. 3 is met.

[0159] If one team is leading by a score difference of more than four points (S15: YES), the MPU 10a automatically generates a game review article including a description based on the fact that, although one team lost the match, it was leading the other team during the match by a score difference that was difficult to catch up with (a one-sided score difference that cannot be reversed by one play) (S26). The description of the above content included in the game review article generated in this way corresponds to pattern C (see FIG. 5) in the judgment table 13 of FIG. 3. After the game review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to the step S17, as in the case of the above-mentioned steps S24 and S25, and a process of storing data related to the generated game review article in the description DB 18 is performed.

[0160] Furthermore, if, at the above-mentioned stage S15, one team is not leading by a score difference of more than four points (S15: NO), this stage of "S15: NO" is reached through "S11: NO (if one team lost)", "S12: YES (if one team was leading during the match)", "S13: NO (if one team was leading for less than half of the entire duration of the match)", and "S14: NO (if one team was leading for no more than half of the entire duration of the match)", so that the MPU 10a determines that this corresponds to the case that meets the conditions of "S11: NO" and "S12: YES" (if one team lost the match but was leading during the match), and the MPU 10a automatically generates a match review article including a description according to the content of the determined case (S16).

[0161] In addition, when the result of the S15 step is NO, taking into consideration the above-mentioned process, it is when only condition 3 (see FIG. 4) in the judgment table 13 in FIG. 3 is met, and the above-mentioned description included in the battle review article generated in the above-mentioned S16 step corresponds to pattern B (see FIG. 5) in the judgment table 13 in FIG. 3. In addition, when the battle review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to S17, as in the above-mentioned S24, S25, etc. steps, and the data related to the generated battle review article is stored in the description DB 18.

[0162] Returning to step S12 in Fig. 19 described above, if one team was not in the lead during the match (S12: NO), the process proceeds to step S21, where the MPU 10a calculates points for each player who participated in the match for one team using the point table 16 in Fig. 6 based on the received match data, and judges whether there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points exceed a threshold value (for example, the threshold value of 50 points for the losing team). The process in step S21 is intended to judge whether condition 7 (see Fig. 4) in the judgment table 13 in Fig. 3 is met.

[0163] If there is a player whose calculated points exceed the threshold (S21: YES), the MPU 10a automatically generates a match review article including a description of the performance of the player who exceeded the threshold (the content of the play corresponding to the calculated points) (a description related to the player who performed well on the team that lost the match) (S22). The description of the above content included in the match review article generated in this way corresponds to pattern J (see FIG. 5) in the decision table 13 of FIG. 3. After the match review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to S17, as in the cases of the above-mentioned stages S24, 25, etc., and a process of storing data related to the generated match review article in the description DB 18 is performed.

[0164] Also, if there is no player whose calculated points exceed the threshold value at the stage of S21 (S21: NO), this stage of "S21: NO" is reached through "S11: NO (if one team loses)" and "S12: NO (if one team does not have a lead during the match)", so the MPU 10a judges that one team lost the match without any good points and that there was no player who performed well in the match on that team (judges that only condition 2 (see FIG. 4) in the judgment table 13 of FIG. 3 is satisfied), and the MPU 10a automatically generates a match review article including a description corresponding to the content praising the other team (opponent team) that won (S23). Note that the description of the above content included in the match review article generated in this way corresponds to pattern K (see FIG. 5) in the judgment table 13 of FIG. 3. Then, after the battle review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to step S17, in the same manner as in steps S24, S25, etc. described above, where data relating to the generated battle review article is stored in the description DB 18.

[0165] Finally, returning to the step S11 in the flowchart of Fig. 19, if one team wins (S11: YES), this corresponds to the condition 1, and the MPU10a automatically generates a match review article including a description indicating that one team won (S20), as in the conventional case. After the match review article is automatically generated, the process proceeds to the step S17, as in the above-mentioned steps S24, 25, etc., and the data related to the generated match review article is stored in the description DB18.

[0166] The contents of the modified example explained in the flowcharts shown in Figures 19 and 20 above are merely examples, and any of the paragraphs relating to the judgment processing such as S12, 13, 14, 15, and 21 can be omitted as appropriate according to the specifications of the service to be provided, as in the case of using the judgment table 13 described above. Note that the flowchart of the modified example shown in Figures 19 and 20 differs from the flowchart shown in Figure 7 in that it does not generate a battle review article with contents corresponding to patterns F to I in the judgment table 13 of Figure 3 (because the flowchart of the modified example shown in Figures 19 and 20 does not make a judgment that satisfies three or more conditions).

[0167] In addition, when a sports match in which one team competes against another in a scoring format is a tournament or a knockout match, the match data distributed from the match data distribution system 2 shown in Fig. 1 also includes information indicating whether the match is a tournament or a knockout match, so the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) can also determine whether the match is a tournament or a knockout match and perform description generation processing. In other words, when a match is a tournament or a knockout match, the outcome of the match is more important than the content of the match or the players who performed well, so condition 1 (see Fig. 4) in the decision table 13 in Fig. 3 and the decision at the stage of S11 in the flowchart in Fig. 19 (determination of whether one team lost the match) are also important in the automatic description generation processing.

[0168] Specifically, when the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) determines (detects) that the target game is a tournament or knockout game based on the game data acquired by reception, it determines whether one of the competing sides won based on the game data (processing according to condition 1 shown in FIG. 4 or the above-mentioned step S11). If it is determined that one side (e.g., one team) won the game, the MPU 10a automatically generates a game review article based on the game data, the beginning of which includes a description that one side won the game (one side beat the other side). Also, if it is determined that one side lost the game, the MPU 10a automatically generates a game review article based on the game data, the beginning of which includes a description that the other side won the game (the other side beat the one side). By generating the game in this way, it is possible to provide an easy-to-understand game review article about "who won," which is important in tournament or knockout games.

[0169] It is also possible to include a description of the player who achieved the record in the game review article. For example, by adding a rule that associates the player who achieved the record (batter or pitcher) with points exceeding a threshold value in the point table 16 (see FIG. 6) corresponding to condition 7 (when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated from the rule exceed a threshold value) shown in FIG. 4, a game review article including a description of the content related to the player who achieved the record may be automatically generated.

[0170] There are records that are achieved in only one game (for example, hitting for the cycle, a no-hitter, a perfect game, etc.) and records that are achieved in conjunction with past performance (for example, reaching base in 20 consecutive at-bats, 1,000 hits, 100th win, etc.), and all of these records can be determined from the game data that is distributed.

[0171] Records achieved in only one game can be determined from the playing content of each batter or pitcher based on the distributed game data, so by using point table 16 including the point regulations related to the achievement of the records described above, condition 7 above (or step S21 in the flowchart) is met, and for example, MPU 10a automatically generates a game review article including descriptions related to the achievement of records (descriptions indicating the player who achieved the record and the record achieved) based on pattern J (content related to one team losing the game, but having a player (batter or pitcher) who performed well on one of the teams during the game).

[0172] Similarly, for records that are achieved in conjunction with past performance, information indicating that such a record is about to be achieved is included in the distributed match data, and by combining the playing details of the team or player (batter or pitcher) regarding the imminent achievement of such a record with the above-mentioned information regarding the imminent achievement of the record, MPU 10a determines whether the record has been achieved. If it determines that the record has been achieved, condition 7 is met, and if the team to which the player who meets condition 7 belongs loses, MPU 10a will automatically generate a match review article including a description of the past record achievement (a description indicating the player who achieved the record and the achieved record) as content based on pattern J.

[0173] Of course, it is possible to include in the game review article records such as those mentioned above (records achieved in only one game, or records achieved in conjunction with past results) regardless of the outcome of the game, separate from condition 7, and in particular records related to a team (for example, achieving 1000 wins as a team) may be included in the game review article regardless of the outcome of the game. Also, it is possible to automatically generate a game review article including a description of the record if any record is achieved, regardless of points and thresholds, without using the points table 16, with the achievement of the record as the only condition.

[0174] Furthermore, the description automatically generated by the present invention can be included not only in the match review article, but also in the match summary, headline, short article, etc. When included in the summary, the MPU 10a automatically generates a match summary including the description according to the present invention. Since the total amount of description in the summary is less than that of the match review article described above, the description according to the present invention is also shorter than that when included in the match review article, and a template that is a concise expression is extracted from the template table 17 (see FIG. 2) and automatically generated.

[0175] Furthermore, when a description automatically generated by the present invention is included in a headline for a match, the headline itself will have less description than the summary described above, and will use expressions unique to headlines, such as ending with a noun. Therefore, the description according to the present invention will also be shorter in length than when it is included in the summary described above, and a template with an impactful title will be extracted from template table 17 (see Figure 2) and automatically generated.

[0176] Furthermore, when a description automatically generated by the present invention is included in a short article about a match, the description according to the present invention is automatically generated according to the amount of description in the short article. When the amount of description in the short article is within the range between the game review article and the summary, the description according to the present invention is automatically generated using a suitable template with an amount of description within that range (shorter than the game review article and longer than the summary). When the amount of description in the short article is within the range between the summary and the headline, the description according to the present invention is automatically generated using a suitable template with an amount of description within that range (shorter than the summary and longer than the headline). The various modified examples of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 can also be used in appropriate combination. EXAMPLES

[0177] A match description generation system including a match description generation device according to a second embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention automatically generates descriptions at a mid-game point as progress reports related to the mid-game point. In the above-mentioned first embodiment (Example 1), a match review article conveying the results and details of the match was automatically generated based on the match data transmitted from the match data distribution system after the end of the match, but in Example 2, the match description generation device receives and acquires the match data including information about the mid-game point transmitted by the match data distribution system at a mid-game point, and automatically generates descriptions (descriptions related to the mid-game point) explaining the situation up to the mid-game point based on the acquired match data.

[0178] In the second embodiment, a game in which one side and another side compete in a scoring format may be, for example, a baseball game, and the game description generation device automatically generates a progress report up to that point based on game data corresponding to a good stopping point in the baseball game (for example, a point in the game that can be expressed as a fraction, such as the end of the bottom of the third inning, which is 1 / 3 of the way through the game, the end of the top of the fourth inning, which is 1 / 2 of the way through the game, or the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, which is 2 / 3 of the way through the game). Note that the generation point (generation time) of the progress report, which is a good stopping point in the game, is set and determined in advance by the game description generation device, but the generation point of this progress report may be changed as appropriate according to the user's request, specifications, etc.

[0179] There are mainly two possible methods for the game data distribution system to transmit game data. The first method is a method in which the game data distribution system sequentially transmits game data including information that is an update (difference) at intervals, and the second method is a method in which the game data distribution system transmits game data including information from the start of the game to a point in the middle of the game at any time. Which of these two methods is used depends on the specifications of the game data distribution system, but the present invention can handle either method.

[0180] As an example of the first method, when the first inning of a baseball game ends, the game data distribution system transmits the game data of the first inning at the end of the first inning, and thereafter, in the same manner, transmits the game data of the second inning at the end of the second inning, and so on, transmitting updated (differential) game data as needed. Since each game data transmitted in the first method does not contain duplicated content, the game description generation device, which is the receiver of the game data, sequentially stores and accumulates the game data when it receives it, and generates progress reports at a predetermined point in time (a good point in the middle of the game, such as the end of the bottom of the third inning as described above) based on the accumulated multiple game data.

[0181] There are various possible intervals for the game data transmitted using the first method. In addition to transmitting the data every inning as described above, it is also possible to transmit the data at intervals longer than an inning, such as every two innings or every three innings, or conversely, to transmit the data at intervals shorter than an inning, such as every out, every batter, or every pitch.

[0182] The second method described above involves transmitting game data including content from the start of the game to the middle of the game at multiple times during the game. For example, when transmitting game data for each inning, game data for the first inning (first inning) of a baseball game is transmitted at the end of the first inning, game data transmitted at the end of the second inning includes content from the start of the game to the end of the second inning, game data transmitted at the end of the third inning includes content from the start of the game to the end of the third inning, and similarly, game data transmitted at the end of the fourth to ninth innings includes content from the start of the game to the end of the fourth to ninth innings (similar in the case of extra innings). In the case of this second method, when game data is received, the game description generating device can automatically generate a progress report of the game at the time of reception based on the game data acquired by the reception.

[0183] In the second embodiment of the present invention, a progress report can be generated based on either of the match data transmitted by the above-mentioned two methods. Note that, in the first embodiment of the present invention, by accumulating and storing the match data by the above-mentioned first method, a match review article can be generated based on the accumulated multiple match data, and in the case of the match data by the second method, a match review article is generated based on the match data transmitted at the end of the match.

[0184] The hardware configuration and processing contents of the second embodiment of the present invention are basically the same as those of the first embodiment, and therefore, in the following description of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals as those of the first embodiment are used for the same parts as those of the first embodiment. Examples of parts of the second embodiment that are different from those of the first embodiment include the contents of conditions 1 to 7 and the contents of patterns A to K in the judgment table 13 (see FIG. 3), which are suitable for generating descriptions at a point in the middle of a match. However, the configuration of the lattice of the judgment table 13 itself (the configuration of the lattice (matrix) shown in FIG. 3) is the same in the second embodiment.

[0185] 21 shows a condition content list 54 that lists the specific contents of conditions 1 to 7 of the second embodiment, which are arranged in the leftmost vertical column 13a of the judgment table 13. Condition 1 of the second embodiment specifies the content "when one team is leading the other team at a point in the game." Note that in the second embodiment as well, the judgment table 13 specifies one of the opposing teams in a baseball game as one team (for example, the team batting first is provisionally specified as one team), and specifies the remaining opposing team as the other team, and specifies the contents of each condition with a focus on that one team.

[0186] Condition 2 specifies that "one team's score falls short of the other team's score at some point in the game, and up until that point, the score of either team was zero or neither team had a lead." Below, condition 3 specifies that "one team's score falls short of the other team's score at some point in the game, but there was a period up until that point when the score of either team was higher than the other team's score," condition 4 specifies that "one team's score falls short of the other team's score at some point in the game, but there was a period up until that point when the score of either team was higher than the other team's score, and the difference in the score at that time was more than four points," and condition 5 specifies that "one team's score falls short of the other team's score at some point in the game, but Condition 6 stipulates "when one team's scores have exceeded the other team's scores up to that point, and that period lasted for more than half of the number of games played up to that point," while condition 7 stipulates "when one team's scores fall below the other team's scores at a point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team's scores exceeded the other team's scores, and there were multiple such periods that were interrupted," and condition 8 stipulates "when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated based on the points table exceed the threshold value up to a point in the game."

[0187] Condition 1 in Example 2, "when one team is leading the other team at a point in the game" means "when one team has scored more points than the other team," and this condition corresponds to a situation in which one team is winning against the other team even in an article reporting the progress of the game up to a point in the game.

[0188] Condition 2 in Example 2, “When one team’s score falls below the other team’s score at a midpoint in the game and one team’s score is zero or one team has not been in the lead up to that point” means “when one team is losing to the other team at a midpoint in the game and one team has not scored any points or has not been in the lead up to that point,” which corresponds to the case where one team is losing during the game and the losing team had nothing particularly noteworthy (nothing good) up to that midpoint in the game.

[0189] Condition 3 in Example 2, “When one team’s score is lower than the other team’s score at a point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team’s score was higher than the other team’s score,” means “When one team is losing to the other team at a point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team was leading the other team,” and corresponds to the fact that, for a team that is behind at a point in the game, there was a period when one team’s score was higher than the other team’s score (a period when they were leading) as a highlight of the game up to that point.

[0190] Condition 4 in Example 2, "When one team's score is lower than the other team's score at a certain point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and the difference in score during that period was greater than four points," means "When one team is losing to the other team at a certain point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was leading the other team, and the difference in score during that period was greater than four points," and corresponds to the fact that, for a team that is trailing at a certain point in the game, one team was leading by a score difference greater than the maximum score that can be obtained in a single play in baseball (four points from a grand slam), as a highlight of the game up to that point.

[0191] Condition 5 in Example 2 means "when one team's score is lower than the other team's score at a midpoint in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and that period lasted for more than half the number of games played up to that point" means "when one team is losing to the other team at a midpoint in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team was leading the other team, and that period of lead (number of games played) lasted for more than half the elapsed time of the game (the period up to the midpoint in the game)," and corresponds to the fact that, for the team that is behind at a midpoint in the game, the one team has been leading for more than the majority of the period up to that point, as a highlight of the game up to that point.

[0192] Condition 6 in Example 2, "When one team's score is lower than the other team's score at a point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and there were multiple periods where these periods were continuous and interrupted," means "When one team is losing to the other team at a point in the game, but there was a period up to that point when one team's score was higher than the other team's score, and there were multiple periods where these periods were not continuous and interrupted," and corresponds to the fact that, for a team that is behind at a point in the game, the highlight of the game up to that point is when one team has made multiple comebacks during the game (there were multiple comebacks from a losing position) or one team has been ahead multiple times (they were winning but were tied or overtaken once or more times, but then regained the lead).

[0193] Condition 7, "When there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated based on the points table exceed the threshold value until the middle of the game", is a condition for highlighting a player (batter or pitcher) who has performed above a certain level until the middle of the game and introducing the details of his / her performance. Note that the determination of a certain level of performance is the same as in Example 1 (first embodiment).

[0194] 22 shows a pattern content list 55 showing the specific contents of patterns A to K of Example 2 arranged in the bottom row 13b of the judgment table 13, and each of patterns A to K of Example 2 also specifies a guideline for the contents to be included in the progress report to be generated, as in Example 1, but since Example 2 automatically generates progress reports during a match, the contents of each of patterns A to K of Example 2 are contents corresponding to the automatic generation of progress reports during a match. Specifically, pattern A of Example 2 specifies a guideline of "content related to one team being in the lead in the match," and this pattern A is a guideline for including content related to one team winning against the other team at a point in the match.

[0195] Pattern B of Example 2 specifies the guideline "content related to one team losing at a point in the game, but having a period leading the other team up to that point." This pattern B is a guideline for including in the progress report a description of the fact that one team was leading the game up to that point, as a good point of the team that is being led, even though one team is being led at a point in the game. From the perspective of the team that is being led, the content specifically lists noteworthy points of the team that is being led at a stage prior to that point.

[0196] Pattern C of Example 2 specifies in more detail the situation in which one team was leading up to the middle of the game compared to Pattern B of Example 2 above, and specifies the guideline that "one team is losing at the middle of the game, but once had a period when it was leading by a score difference that it was not easy to catch up." This Pattern C of Example 2 also specifies the guideline for including in the progress article a description of the fact that, although one team is currently losing the game (the other team), the good point of the losing team up to that point is that one team once led the other team by a score difference (a difference of more than 4 points) that the opposing team (the other team) could not reverse, even if the other team hit a grand slam home run (even if the maximum score that can be obtained in one play in baseball was obtained), and the content explains the situation of the losing team before that based on the length of the lead, from the viewpoint of focusing on the losing team in the middle of the game.

[0197] Pattern D of Example 2 also specifies the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B of Example 2 above, and specifies the guideline that "one team is losing at a midpoint in the game, but has been leading the other team for most of the time up to that point." This Pattern D of Example 2 also specifies that, although one team is currently losing the game (the other team), the losing team's good point up to that point is that the losing team has been leading the game for more than half the number of innings from the start of the game to the midpoint in the game (for example, if the midpoint in the game is the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, it corresponds to when the losing team has been leading for more than three innings), and the guideline includes a description of the length of the lead that the losing team had during the game from the perspective of focusing on the losing team during the game.

[0198] Pattern E of Example 2 also specifies the lead situation in more detail than Pattern B of Example 2 above, and specifies the guideline that "one team is losing at the midpoint of the game, but the other team has made a comeback or won again during the game." This Pattern E of Example 2 also specifies the guideline for including in the progress report the content that, although one team is currently losing the game (to the other team), the losing team's good points up to that point are that they have made a comeback from a trailing state multiple times up to the midpoint of the game, or that they have been in the lead but have been tied or overtaken, but have again won at least once up to the midpoint of the game, and specifically describes the situation in which the losing team is doing its best in a seesaw game from the perspective of focusing on the losing team during the game.

[0199] Pattern F of Example 2 specifies a situation that combines Pattern C and Pattern D of Example 2 above, and prescribes the guideline that "one team is losing at a point in the game, but up until that point in time, one team has a lead with a score difference that cannot be easily caught up, and that lead has lasted for most of the period up until the point in time in the game."

[0200] Pattern G of Example 2 specifies a situation that combines Pattern C and Pattern E of Example 2 described above, and prescribes the guideline that "one team is losing at a point in the game, but up until that point in time, one team has been leading by a score difference that cannot be easily caught up, and at the same time, one team has had multiple comebacks or wins up until that point in time."

[0201] Furthermore, Pattern H of Example 2 specifies a situation that combines Pattern D and Pattern E of Example 2 described above, and prescribes the guideline that "one team is losing at a point in the game, but has been in the lead for most of the period from the start of the game to the point in the game, and has made multiple comebacks or won by that point."

[0202] Furthermore, Pattern I of Example 2 specifies a situation that combines three patterns, namely Pattern C, Pattern D, and Pattern E of Example 2 described above, and prescribes the following guideline: "One team is losing at a point in the game, but up until that point in time, one team has been leading during the game by a score difference that cannot be easily caught up, and that lead has lasted for most of the period from the start of the game to the point in the game, and one team has made a comeback or won several times up until that point in time."

[0203] Pattern J of Example 2 prescribes the guideline "One team is losing at a point in the game, but there was a player (batter or pitcher) who performed well on the other team up to that point." This pattern J of Example 2 is a guideline for including in the progress article when one team is behind in the game, but there was a player (batter or pitcher) who performed well to a certain degree on the other team as a good point of the other team up to that point, and the content focuses on the batter or pitcher who performed well as a noteworthy item of the losing team from the perspective of the losing team.

[0204] Finally, pattern K of Example 2 specifies the guideline "One team is losing at the midpoint of the game, and the content is related to praising the opposing team (the other team)." This pattern K of Example 2 is a guideline for including in the progress report that the opposing team (the other team) was excellent, because one team is trailing until the midpoint of the game, and when there is nothing noteworthy about the other team up until that point, or when none of the players on that team have performed well, it is difficult to mention the team that is trailing, even from the perspective of the losing team.

[0205] The description generation program P2 of the second embodiment basically performs the same processing as that of the first embodiment, but the timing of the processing, that is, the point at which a progress report is generated during the game (for example, the end of the bottom of the third inning, the end of the bottom of the fifth inning, the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, etc.), is set in advance by an operation by an administrator or the like of the game description generation device 10. The processing related to setting the point at which such a progress report is generated is also possible by the programming contents of the description generation program P2, and the point once set can also be changed as appropriate by an operation by an administrator or the like.

[0206] Fig. 23 is a flowchart showing the processing steps of the match description generation method by the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) based on the description generation program P2 of the second embodiment (showing an example of the processing contents of the match description generation method according to the present invention, which are executed by the match description generation device 10 (MPU 10a) by the description generation program P2). The flowchart of Fig. 23 shows the contents of each process corresponding to description generation at a point in the middle of the match, and the process flow is basically the same as that shown in the flowchart of Fig. 7, but differs from the flowchart of Fig. 7 of the first embodiment in that processing at the stage S31 is inserted.

[0207] Specifically, at the stage S30, it is determined whether or not the game data distributed from the external game data distribution system 2 has been received and acquired (corresponding to the stage S1 in the flow chart of FIG. 7). If the game data is not received (S30: NO), the game description generation device 10 enters a state of waiting to receive (acquire) the game data. In addition, when the game data is received (S30: YES), the description generation program P2 of the second embodiment specifies that the MPU 10a determines whether or not the latest content of the game data acquired by the reception corresponds to a preset progress report generation time (for example, a good time such as the end of the top of the inning or the end of the bottom of the inning, such as the end of the bottom of the third inning, the end of the top of the fifth inning, or the end of the bottom of the seventh inning) (whether or not it includes information on the time of the article generation) (S31).

[0208] If the match data acquired by reception does not correspond to a preset good point in the middle of the match (the point at which the progress report is generated) as the most recent content (S31: NO), the process returns to the initial step of S30. If the method of transmitting the match data is the above-mentioned first method (a method in which updated match data is transmitted sequentially), even if the step of S31 is NO, the match description generating device 10 (MPU 10a) stores and accumulates the acquired match data in the storage unit 10g or RAM 10c. If the method of transmitting the match data is the above-mentioned second method (a method in which match data including the most recent content from the start of the match is transmitted), when the step of S31 is NO, it is not necessary to store the acquired match data, but it may be stored as a backup.

[0209] On the other hand, if the acquired match data corresponds to a preset good stopping point during the match (a point at which a progress report is generated) as the latest content (S31: YES), the match description generating device 10 (MPU 10a) thereafter performs the processes of steps S32 to S35 as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 23. When performing the processes of steps S32 to S35, when the match data is transmitted by the above-mentioned first method, the processes of the subsequent steps S32 to S35 are performed based on a plurality of match data that combines the most recently acquired match data and the accumulated match data, whereas when the match data is transmitted by the second method, the processes of the subsequent steps are performed based on the most recently acquired match data.

[0210] The process of steps S32 to S35 is basically the same as the process of steps S2 to S5 shown in the flowchart of Fig. 7, but the process contents are for generating a description according to a point in time during the match. That is, at step S32, the match description generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges whether each of the opposing teams corresponds to any of the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table 13 based on the match data acquired by reception (match data during the match). At this step S32, the contents shown in the condition contents list 54 in Fig. 21 described above are used as the conditions 1 to 7 defined in the judgment table.

[0211] The specific content of the processing at step S32 will be described in the same manner as in the first embodiment, using the example of a baseball game between team XXX (batting first) and team YYY (batting second). The MPU 10a of the match record generation device 10 basically, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, provisionally identifies team XXX, batting first and one of the opposing teams included in the match data, as one of the teams and applies this to the decision table 13, determines whether team XXX falls under any of conditions 1 to 7 specified in the decision table 13, and identifies the opposing team YYY as the other team.

[0212] Then, at this stage of S32, the match record generation device 10 (MPU10) judges which of the scores of team XXX and team YYY is larger based on the match data during the match, and if the score of team XXX exceeds that of team YYY, it judges that team XXX falls under condition 1 of embodiment 2. Also, if the score of team XXX falls below that of team YYY during the match, it means that team XXX is losing to team YYY at that point, so the match record generation device 10 (MPU10) analyzes the match data and compares the score status of both teams in each inning, and judges whether team XXX falls under any of conditions 2 to 7.

[0213] At this stage of S32, similarly to the first embodiment, if it is determined that condition 3 is met, the MPU 10a will further determine whether it meets any of conditions 4 to 6. At this stage of S32, similarly to the first embodiment, in order to generate a match review article including a description focusing on team YYY, the MPU 10a also determines the conditions when team YYY is one of the teams, calculates the points of each player up to that point, and compares them with thresholds to determine whether condition 7 is met or whether a record has been achieved.

[0214] Then, at a stage of S33, the match description generator 10 (MPU 10a) identifies from the judgment table 13 a pattern whose contents correspond to the condition judged at the stage of S32 (patterns A to K of the second embodiment shown in the pattern contents list 55 of FIG. 22).

[0215] Then, the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) automatically generates progress records including descriptions according to the pattern identified in the step S33 by using the template table 17 (S34), issues an identification code for each of the automatically generated progress records, and stores data related to the generated progress records in the description DB 18 in association with the issued identification code (S35). As in the case of the first embodiment, a plurality of types of progress records are generated as the progress records generated and stored in this manner, such as one when team XXX is identified as one team and one when team YYY is identified as one team. In addition, it is preferable that the identification code issued to the generated progress record includes information indicating when during the game the progress record is generated, or that information indicating when during the game the progress record is generated is also stored in the description DB 18 in association with the identification code, so that the data of the generated progress record can be easily searched.

[0216] The progress report generated in this way in Example 2 can be provided by various services as in Example 1, but in Example 2, a progress report at a point in time during the game is generated, so Example 2 is suitable for a service that provides progress updates during the game. Even when providing a description (progress report) explaining the situation during the game, it is possible to convey content that mentions the good points of the losing side up to the middle of the game from the perspective of fans who are supporting the losing side during the game. Below, a specific example of a progress report automatically generated using the present invention according to Example 2 (an example article about a baseball game between Team XXX and Team YYY) will be shown.

[0217] FIG. 24(a) shows a score 60 for each inning indicating a scoring situation example 1 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in a baseball game between one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, and FIG. 24(b) shows a progress article example 70 automatically generated for the scoring situation example 1 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning of the game. As shown in the score 60 in FIG. 24(a), at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, team XXX is leading team YYY 3-0, and one team, team XXX, falls under condition 1 of embodiment 2 specified in the judgment table 13 (see FIG. 21, when one team is winning the game at the midpoint of the game), and the game review article example 70 in FIG. 8(b) is automatically generated to include a description of team XXX based on pattern A of embodiment 2 (see FIG. 22, content related to one team winning the game at the midpoint of the game).

[0218] Specifically, in the example progress article 70 shown in FIG. 24(b), a description 70a that reads "Team XXX is leading Team YYY at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning." corresponds mainly to the description corresponding to the pattern A of the second embodiment. Also, in the example progress article 70, a description 70b that reads "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base" and a description 70c that reads "In the third inning, O○ added another run with a double, widening the lead to three runs" correspond to the description related to the pattern A of the second embodiment. In this way, the example game review article 70 in FIG. 24(b) contains content that describes points about Team XXX's lead during the game in various places, making it a suitable mid-game progress article for fans of Team XXX.

[0219] Fig. 25(a) is a score 61 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 2 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 25(b) shows an example of a progress report 71 automatically generated for the example of the score situation 2 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning of that game. As shown in the score 61 in Fig. 25(a), at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 3-4, but there are situations where Team XXX was leading by the end of the bottom of the 7th inning (Team XXX was leading the game until the top of the 3rd inning).

[0220] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 3 of Example 2 specified in the decision table 13 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at some point in the game, but there was a time when one team was leading up to that point), and the example progress report 71 of FIG. 25(b) has been automatically generated to include a description for team XXX based on pattern B of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is trailing at some point in the game, but there is an indication that one team had been leading up to that point).

[0221] Specifically, in the example game review article 71 shown in FIG. 25(b), the description 71a that reads "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by O○ with two outs and a runner on first base, and in the third inning, O○ added one more run with a double, widening the lead to three runs" and the description 71b that reads "Team XXX had a situation in the seventh inning with one out and a runner on second base, and one hit to tie the score, but O○ hit an infield grounder and O○ struck out, and they were unable to catch up with the last hit" mainly correspond to the description corresponding to the pattern B of Example 2. In this way, the example game progress article 71 in FIG. 25(b) contains a description that explains the good points of team XXX during the game, such as the fact that team XXX was behind at the midpoint of the game, but one team had a lead up to that midpoint, and the state of the attack related to that lead, making it a game progress article suitable for fans of team XXX.

[0222] Fig. 26(a) is a score 62 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 3 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 26(b) shows an example of a progress report 72 automatically generated for the example of the score situation 3 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning of that game. As shown in the score 62 in Fig. 26(a), at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, Team XXX is trailing Team YYY 5 to 8, but at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, Team XXX was leading by a score difference of 5 to 0 at one point (until the end of the top of the 4th inning).

[0223] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 4 of Example 2 specified in the decision table 13 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at some point in the match, but up until that point one team had a lead of more than four points), and the example game review article 72 in FIG. 26(b) has been automatically generated to include a description of team XXX based on pattern C of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is trailing at some point in the match, but at one point had a lead that could not be easily caught up with).

[0224] Specifically, in the example progress article 72 shown in FIG. 26(b), the following passage 72a, "Team XXX got off to a good start in the first inning with a two-run home run by Oh○ with two outs and a runner on first base. In the third inning, Oh○ hit a three-run home run in his second consecutive at-bat, and the team was ahead with a 5-0 lead in the early stages of the game." and the passage 72b, "In the sixth inning, Fuji○, the second pitcher, allowed △ to hit a solo home run to turn the game around. In the seventh inning, the team gave up two more runs and was trailing 5-8, but it was hoped that Team XXX would make a comeback in the final stages." mainly correspond to the passages corresponding to pattern C. In this way, the game review article example 72 in FIG. 26(b) describes how team XXX was trailing midway through the game, but up until that point, one team had a large lead with such a score difference that the opposing team could not catch up even if they hit a grand slam home run, how that large lead was maintained, and expectations for a counterattack by team XXX in the final stages of the game. Since the article includes descriptions expressing the good points of team XXX during the game and desired future developments, it is a suitable progress article for fans of team XXX, etc.

[0225] Fig. 27(a) is a score 63 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 4 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in a baseball game between one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, and Fig. 27(b) shows an example of a progress report 73 automatically generated for the example of the score situation 4 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in that game. As shown in the score 63 in Fig. 27(a), at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, team XXX is trailing team YYY 3-4, but team XXX led team YYY from the top of the 1st inning to the end of the top of the 6th inning, and the period (number of innings) during which they were leading exceeded half of the entire period (7 innings of the game progress period) up to the midpoint of the game.

[0226] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 5 of Example 2 specified in the judgment table 13 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at some point in the game, but the number of times that the other team XXX has been in the lead during the game exceeds half of the total number of times from the start of the game to some point in the game), and the example progress report 73 of FIG. 27(b) is automatically generated so as to include a description about team XXX based on pattern D of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is losing at some point in the game, but has been leading for most of the time up to that point).

[0227] Specifically, in the example progress article 73 shown in FIG. 27(b), the following passage 73a reads, "In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Team XXX got off to a good start with a two-run home run by Oh○, and in the third inning, Oh○ hit a solo home run in his second consecutive at-bat, leading to a 3-0 lead in the early stages of the game.", and the passage 73b reads, "However, in the sixth inning, Iwa○ lost control of his pitch, walking three batters to load the bases, and gave up a double to Saka○ that cleared the bases, leading to him being taken out of the game with the score at just one point. However, Fuji○, who was entrusted with the next inning, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting line, and the game was turned around with a double by Moto○ and a timely hit by Oki, but from here on, a counterattack by Team XXX is awaited.", which mainly corresponds to the passage in pattern D of Example 2. In this way, the progress report example 73 in FIG. 27(b) is suitable for fans of team XXX because it contains descriptions of what was good about team XXX during the match and the desired future developments, such as how team XXX was behind during the match, but was leading for most of the match up until the mid-point, how team XXX maintained that lead, and expectations for a counterattack by team XXX toward the end of the match.

[0228] Fig. 28(a) is a score 64 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 5 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 28(b) shows an example of a progress report 74 automatically generated for the example of the score situation 5 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in that game. As shown in the score 64 in Fig. 28(a), in this game, at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 6-7, but up until that point, Team XXX has made two comebacks (at the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 6th inning).

[0229] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, falls under condition 6 of Example 2 specified in the decision table 13 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at some point in the game, but has had multiple innings of the lead up to that point in the game), and the example progress report 74 of FIG. 28(b) has been automatically generated to include a description of team XXX based on pattern E of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is trailing at some point in the game, but has had multiple comebacks or wins up to that point).

[0230] Specifically, in the example progress article 74 shown in FIG. 28(b), the following statements correspond to pattern E in Example 2: 74a, which reads, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ allowed consecutive hits from Team YYY's batting line to give them a two-run lead, but in the second inning immediately afterwards, Oh○ hit a three-run home run and they succeeded in turning the game around."; 34b, which reads, "Team XXX, desperate to catch up, once again succeeded in turning the game around with consecutive hits from Ito○ and Oh○ in the sixth inning, making the score 6 to 5."; and 74c, which reads, "In the seventh inning, Fuji○, who was already on the mound, walked Saka○ with two outs and then allowed a two-run home run to Oh○ to turn the game around, once again allowing Team YYY to take the lead, but it is hoped that Team XXX will make a third comeback from the eighth inning onwards." In this way, the progress case 74 in FIG. 28(b) is about team XXX, which was behind in the middle of the game, but which has made multiple comebacks up to that point in the game, and includes descriptions of the situations at the time of those comebacks and the desired future developments, making it a suitable progress article for fans of team XXX, etc.

[0231] FIG. 29(a) shows score 65 for each inning indicating example score situation 6 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in a baseball game between one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, and FIG. 29(b) shows example progress report 75 automatically generated for example score situation 6 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning of the game. As shown in score 65 in FIG. 29(a), in this game, team XXX is losing to team YYY 5-6 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, but up until that point, team XXX had been leading for a period of time, and that period of leading (the number of innings from the top of the first inning to the top of the seventh inning) exceeded half of the entire period up to the middle of the game (all innings from the start of the game to the seventh inning), and the maximum score difference when team XXX was leading was 5 points (leading 5-0).

[0232] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 4 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but up until that point, the other team had a lead with a score difference of more than 4 points) and condition 5 of Example 2 (when one team is losing at a point in the game, but the number of times that the other team XXX had a lead during the game exceeds half of the total number of times up to that point in the game) specified in the judgment table 13, and the example progress report 75 of FIG. 29(b) is automatically generated to include a description about team XXX based on pattern F of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is trailing during the game, but has led during the game by a score difference that cannot be easily caught up, and the period of time when the team has led has lasted for most of the time up to that point).

[0233] Specifically, in the example progress article 75 shown in FIG. 29(b), the following passage 75a reads, "In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on first base, Team XXX got off to a good start with a two-run home run by Oh○, and in the third inning, Oh○ hit a three-run home run in his second consecutive at-bat, leading the game with a large lead of 5-0 in the early stages.", and the passage 75b reads, "However, in the seventh inning, Iwa○ lost control of his pitching, walked three batters, loaded the bases, and gave up a double to Saka○ that cleared the bases, and he was taken out of the game with the score at two points. However, Fuji○, who was entrusted with the game afterwards, was unable to stop the momentum of Team YYY's batting line, and gave up a double to Moto○ and a home run to Oki, turning the game around, but we can expect Team XXX to make a comeback in the final stages." mainly corresponds to the passage that corresponds to Pattern D in Example 2. In this way, the progress article example 75 in FIG. 29(b) is about team XXX, which is trailing during the game, but up until that point in time, the opposing team had a large lead with such a large score that it could not be caught up even if the opposing team hit a grand slam home run, and the team had been leading for most of the time up to that point, as well as the status of the offense regarding the lead, and other descriptions that indicate the desired developments for team XXX in the future, making it a suitable progress article for fans of team XXX.

[0234] Fig. 30(a) is a score 66 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 7 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning in a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 30(b) shows an example of a progress report 76 automatically generated for the example of the score situation 7 at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning of that game. As shown in the score 66 in Fig. 30(a), at the end of the bottom of the 7th inning, Team XXX is losing to Team YYY 9 to 10, but up until that point, Team XXX has made two comebacks (in the top of the 2nd inning and the top of the 6th inning), and the largest score difference during the initial lead of Team XXX was 5 points (leading 7 to 2).

[0235] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 4 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but up to that point, the other team had a lead with a score difference of more than 4 points) and condition 6 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but up to that point, there were multiple times during the game when the other team had been in the lead), which are specified in the judgment table 13. The example progress article 76 in FIG. 30(b) was automatically generated to include a description about team XXX based on pattern G of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but up to that point, team XXX had a lead with a score difference that was not easily caught up with, and had made multiple comebacks or won).

[0236] Specifically, in the example of a progress report 76 shown in FIG. 30(b), there is a section 76a that reads, "In the first inning, Team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ was hit by consecutive hits from Team YYY's batting line, allowing them to take a two-run lead, but in the second inning immediately afterwards, O○ hit a three-run home run and succeeded in turning the game around.", there is a section 76b (content corresponding to condition 4) that reads, "In the third inning, Ogawa hit a grand slam, and in the early stages of the game, Team XXX took a large lead of 7 to 2 and advanced in the game with an advantage.", and there is a section 76c that reads, "However, in the sixth inning, Team XXX The statements in 76c (corresponding to condition 6) that "With one out and a runner on second base, Oh○ hit his second home run of the day and turned the game around again," and the statements in 76d that "However, in the seventh inning, Team XXX's relief pitcher Fuji○ walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, causing Team YYY to take the lead again. Team XXX is expected to make a further comeback in the final stages of the eighth and ninth innings," mainly correspond to the statements in pattern G.

[0237] In this way, the game review article example 76 in FIG. 30(b) describes how Team XXX was behind the opposing team (Team YYY) at a point in the game, but that Team XXX had made multiple comebacks up to that point, how Team XXX had taken a large lead with a score difference that the opposing team could not catch up with even if they had hit a grand slam home run, how the offense performed during the comeback and large lead, and expectations for future comebacks by Team XXX, making it a suitable progress article for fans of Team XXX, etc.

[0238] FIG. 31(a) is a score 67 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 8 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in a baseball game between one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, and FIG. 31(b) shows an example of a progress report 77 that was automatically generated for the example of the score situation 8 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in that game. As shown in the score 67 in FIG. 31(a), in this game, at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, team XXX is trailing team YYY 6-8, but up until that point, team XXX has made a comeback twice (in the top of the second inning and the top of the fifth inning), and there have been times when team XXX has led for more innings than the majority of innings up to that point (leading from the top of the second inning to the top of the fourth inning and from the top of the fifth inning to the top of the seventh inning).

[0239] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 5 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but the number of times that the one team XXX was leading during the game exceeds half of the number of all innings up to that point in the game) and condition 6 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but there were multiple innings in the game where the one team was leading up to that point in the game), which are specified in the judgment table 13. The example progress article 77 in FIG. 31(b) was automatically generated to include a description based on pattern H of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is losing at a point in the game, but team XXX was leading for most of the time up to that point (from the top of the second inning to the top of the fourth inning and from the top of the fifth inning to the top of the seventh inning), and the content related to the fact that there were multiple comebacks or wins during the game (comebacks in the top of the second inning and the top of the fifth inning)).

[0240] Specifically, in the example of the game review article 77 shown in FIG. 31(b), there is a section 77a (related to conditions 5 and 6) that says, "In the first inning, starting pitcher Iwa○ of team XXX allowed team YYY's batting line to hit consecutive hits and take the lead by two points, but in the second inning immediately after that, O○ hit a three-run home run and succeeded in turning the game around.", a section 77b (related to conditions 5 and 6) that says, "However, in the fourth inning, Iwa○ lost three points to a barrage of hits and allowed the team to take the lead.", and a section 77c (related to conditions 5 and 6) that says, "However, in the fifth inning immediately after that, team XXX... The statements in 77c (related to conditions 5 and 6) that "With one out and a runner on second base, Oh○ hit his second home run of the day and turned the game around again," and the statements in 77d (related to conditions 5 and 6) that "However, in the seventh inning, Team XXX's relief pitcher Fuji○ walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to take the lead and lose the lead again. We can look forward to Team XXX making another comeback as the game draws to a close," mainly correspond to the statements in pattern H of Example 2.

[0241] In this way, the match review example 77 in FIG. 31(b) shows that team XXX was behind the opposing team (team YYY) at a point in the match, but that team XXX had made multiple comebacks up to that point, that team XXX had been leading for most of the time up to that point, the state of their attacks when they made comebacks or were leading, and expectations for future comebacks by team XXX, making this a suitable match review article for fans of team XXX, etc.

[0242] FIG. 32(a) is a score 68 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 9 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in a baseball game between one team, team XXX, and the other team, team YYY, and FIG. 32(b) shows an example of a progress report 78 that was automatically generated for the example of the score situation 9 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning of the game. As shown in the score 68 in FIG. 32(a), at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, team XXX is losing to team YYY 9 to 10, but up until that point, team XXX has made two comebacks (top of the second inning and top of the sixth inning), and the maximum score difference during the initial lead of team XXX was 5 points (team XXX was leading 7 to 2 from the top of the fourth inning to the top of the fifth inning), and there were situations in which team XXX was leading for a total number of innings that exceeded the majority of the range from the start of the game to the end of the bottom of the seventh inning (leading from the top of the second inning to the top of the fifth inning and from the top of the sixth inning to the top of the seventh inning).

[0243] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 4 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a midpoint in the game, but the other team had a lead of more than 4 points up to that point), condition 5 of Example 2 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a midpoint in the game, but the number of times that one team XXX had a lead during the game exceeds half of the total number of times up to that point in the game), and condition 6 (see FIG. 21, when one team is losing at a midpoint in the game, but there were multiple times in the game where the team had a lead), which are specified in the judgment table 13. The example progress report 78 in FIG. 32(b) is automatically generated to include a description based on pattern I of Example 2 (see FIG. 22, when one team is losing at a midpoint in the game, but up to that point in time, team XXX had a lead of a score difference that was not easily caught up with, and the lead lasted for most of the period from the start of the game to that point in time, and there were multiple reversals or wins).

[0244] Specifically, in the example of a progress report 78 shown in FIG. 32(b), there is a section 78a (related to conditions 5 and 6) that states, "In the first inning, team XXX's starting pitcher Iwa○ was hit by consecutive hits from team YYY's batting line, allowing them to take the lead by two points, but in the second inning immediately afterwards, O○ hit a three-run home run and successfully turned the game around.", a section 78b (related to condition 4) that states, "In the fourth inning, Ito○ hit a grand slam, widening the lead to 7 to 2, a one-sided score difference.", and a section 78c (related to condition 4) that states, "However, in the fifth inning, team XXX's second pitcher O○nami lost six points to a barrage of hits, allowing the team to take the lead." The statements in 78c (related to conditions 5 and 6) that "However, in the 6th inning, with one out and a runner on second base, Team XXX's Oh○ hit his second home run of the day and turned the game around again" in 78d (related to conditions 5 and 6) and "However, in the 7th inning, Team XXX's relief pitcher Fuji○ walked Saka○ with two outs, and then allowed ○ to hit a two-run home run to turn the game around, once again losing the lead. We are looking forward to Team XXX's turnaround in the final innings" in 78e (related to conditions 4, 5 and 6) are mainly statements that correspond to pattern I.

[0245] In this way, the progress article example 78 in FIG. 32(b) is about team XXX, which was trailing the opposing team (team YYY) at a point in the game, but which includes descriptions of how team XXX had made multiple comebacks up to that point, how the opposing team had taken a large lead with such a large lead that it could not be caught even if they had hit a grand slam home run, how they had been leading for most of the period from the start of the game until the bottom of the seventh inning, how their offense had performed when they had made comebacks and taken the lead, and expectations for future comebacks by team XXX, making this a suitable game review article for fans of team XXX, etc.

[0246] FIG. 33(a) is a score 69 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 10 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and FIG. 33(b) shows an example of a progress report 79 that was automatically generated for the example of the score situation 10 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning of that game. As shown in the score 69 in FIG. 33(a), at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, Team XXX was losing to Team YYY 3-8, and up until that point, although Team XXX had scored some points, they had never been in the lead, and all of Team XXX's points were due to two home runs by player O○.

[0247] Therefore, the one team, team XXX, falls under condition 2 of Example 2 (see Figure 22; when one team is behind and has zero points or no lead during the game) and condition 7 of Example 2 (same as condition 7 of Example 1; when there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points calculated from a certain formula exceed a threshold) specified in the decision table 13, and the example progress report 79 in Figure 33(b) was automatically generated to include a description for team XXX based on pattern J of Example 2 (content related to one team being behind at a point in the game, but one of the teams having a player who had been performing well up to that point).

[0248] Specifically, in the example progress article 79 shown in FIG. 33(b), the following statements correspond mainly to pattern J of Example 2: "No. 4 Oh○ is showing his spirit despite the tough game development. He hit a solo home run in his third at-bat in the sixth inning, sparking a counterattack, and in the seventh inning, he hit consecutive home runs in two at-bats with a runner on first base after being walked, and is doing well with three RBIs on the day." 79a (statement related to condition 7) and "Although the game is trailing 3-8 due to a large number of runs conceded in the early stages, we can expect Team XXX's batting line-up to follow No. 4 Oh○'s performance in the final stages." 79b (statement related to condition 2) In this way, example 79 of a progress report in Figure 33(b) shows that Team XXX was behind the opposing team (Team YYY) midway through the match, and there was nothing particularly noteworthy about it. However, since there was a player on Team XXX who was performing well, the report includes information about that player's performance and an expectation that Team XXX will fight back in the future. This makes the report a suitable one for fans who want to know the status of players who were performing well on Team XXX, even when they were losing.

[0249] Fig. 34(a) is a score 80 for each inning showing an example of the score situation 11 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning in a baseball game between one team, Team XXX, and the other team, Team YYY, and Fig. 34(b) shows an example of a progress report 81 that was automatically generated for the example of the score situation 11 at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning of that game. As shown in the score 80 in Fig. 34(a), at the end of the bottom of the seventh inning, Team XXX was shut out by Team YYY, 0-10, and the game content was such that it was difficult to point out any good points of Team XXX or outstanding players.

[0250] Therefore, one of the teams, team XXX, meets only condition 2 of Example 2 specified in the decision table 13 (see Figure 22: when one team is behind and has zero points or no lead during the match), and the example progress report 81 in Figure 34(b) has been automatically generated to include a description of team XXX based on pattern K of Example 2 (see Figure 22: when one team is behind at a point in the match and has content related to praising the opposing team (the other team)).

[0251] Specifically, in the example progress article 81 shown in FIG. 34(b), the description 81a (description related to condition 2) that reads "By the seventh inning, the batting line of team XXX has been struck out by team YYY's starting pitcher O-no, who continues to pitch spectacularly, and has been limited to just three hits without even reaching second base" and the description 81b (description related to condition 2) that reads "I hope team XXX will somehow step up in the final stages to get revenge" mainly correspond to the description corresponding to pattern K. In this way, the example game review article 81 in FIG. 34(b) contains a description that reluctantly praises the opposing team, since team XXX was defeated by a large margin in the middle of the game, there was nothing noteworthy up to that point, and there was no player who had performed well in team XXX, and it is a progress article that contains a description that expects team XXX to step up in the future.

[0252] As described above, in the second embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention, even if a team is losing during a match, if the losing team had a lead up to that point, if the score difference due to that lead was so large that it could not be caught up even with the maximum score in one play, if that lead had lasted for most of the period up to that point, or if there had been multiple comebacks, etc., a progress article including descriptions explaining these details is automatically generated, so that even fans of the losing team can be provided with a description that can be enjoyed.

[0253] In addition, the various modified examples described in the above-mentioned first embodiment (Example 1) can be applied to the second embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention. For example, Example 2 can be applied to various sports other than baseball in which one side competes against the other side in a scoring format, and any of the conditions 2 to 6 in Example 2 can be omitted depending on the specifications of the service to be provided.

[0254] Furthermore, the processing contents relating to the flowchart of the modified example of Example 1 shown in Figures 19 and 20 can basically be applied to Example 2, but when applied, the processing at each stage changes to the contents for generating a progress report at a point in time during the match, and similarly to the flowchart shown in Figure 23, processing equivalent to step S31 in the flowchart shown in Figure 23 (processing for determining whether the acquired match data corresponds to the time when a progress report is to be generated (a good point in the match)) is inserted between steps S10 and S11 shown in Figure 19. Below, the processing flow in one of the modified examples of Example 2 corresponding to the flowcharts of Figures 19 and 20 will be explained according to the flowcharts shown in Figures 35 and 36.

[0255] First, as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 35, in this modified example of the second embodiment, during a match, the match description generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges whether or not it has received and acquired match data transmitted from the external match data distribution system 2 (S40). If it has not acquired the data (S40: NO), it waits to receive the data, and if it has acquired the data (S40: YES), it judges whether the latest information included in the acquired match data corresponds to a convenient time point (such as the end of the bottom of the third inning or the end of the bottom of the seventh inning) that will be the time point for generating the progress report (whether it includes information at the time of the report generation) (S41).

[0256] If the latest information included in the acquired match data does not correspond to the time when the progress report was generated (S41: NO), the process returns to the initial step of S40. Note that the way in which the match description generation device 10 responds when the transmission method of the match data from the external match data distribution system 2 is the first method or the second method is the same as that described in the flowchart of FIG.

[0257] On the other hand, if the latest information included in the acquired match data corresponds to the time when the progress report is generated (S41: YES), the match record generation device 10 (MPU 10a) provisionally identifies the team that is batting first as one team, compares the score of one team and the score of the other team at the midpoint of the match based on the acquired match data, and judges whether the former score exceeds the latter score (whether one team leads the other team) (S42). If it is judged that the score of one team exceeds the score of the other team at the midpoint of the match (S42: YES), the match record generation device 10 judges that the one team corresponds to the condition 1 of the second embodiment, and the MPU 10a automatically generates a progress report including a description indicating that one team is winning (leading) at that time using a template based on the match data (S50), and then proceeds to the step of S48 in the flowchart of FIG. 36, and performs a process of storing data related to the generated progress report in the description DB 18.

[0258] If the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges that one team's score is lower than the other team's score (one team is behind) (S42: NO), it judges whether or not there was a time when one team's score exceeded the other team's score up to that point based on the acquired game data (S43).If the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges that there was a time when one team's score exceeded the other team's score up to a point in the middle of the game (S43: YES), it judges whether or not that time was more than halfway through the game (S44).

[0259] If the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score exceeds half of the game's elapsed time up to the midpoint of the game (S44: YES), that is, when one team meets condition 5 of the second embodiment, the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) automatically generates a progress report using a template based on the game data, including a description based on the fact that one team was losing at the midpoint of the game but had led the other team for most of the game up to the midpoint of the game (S54). After the progress report is generated at the step S54, the data related to the generated progress report is stored at the step S48 of the flowchart in FIG. 36, as described above.

[0260] Also, if the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score does not exceed half of the game elapsed time (S44: NO), as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 36, the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) judges based on the game data whether or not the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score occurred multiple times without interruption up until the midpoint of the game (S45). If the period during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score occurred multiple times without interruption (S45: YES), the game record generating device 10 (MPU 10a) automatically generates a progress report using a template based on the game data, including a description based on the fact that one team made a comeback or won again up until the midpoint of the game (S55). After generating the progress report at this stage of S55, the process proceeds to the stage of S48, as described above, where storage processing is performed.

[0261] Furthermore, if there is no continuous period in which one team's score exceeded the other team's score multiple times (S45: NO), the MPU 10a judges based on the game data whether or not one team has ever led the other team by a score difference greater than 4 points (the maximum score that can be obtained in one play) (a score difference of 5 points or more) up until the middle of the game (S46). If one team has led the other team by a score difference greater than 4 points (S46: YES), the MPU 10a automatically generates a progress report using a template based on the game data, including a description based on the fact that the team once led the other team by a score difference that was difficult to catch up with (S56). After generating the progress report at this stage of S56, the process proceeds to the stage of S48, where storage processing is performed in the same manner as described above.

[0262] Furthermore, if one team is not leading by a score difference of more than four points (S46: NO), the process flow up to that point indicates that one team is trailing the other team at some point in the match, but that one team had led the other team at some point up to that point, so the MPU 10a automatically generates a progress report including a description corresponding to such a case using a template based on the match data (S47). Note that after generating the progress report at this S47 stage, the process proceeds to S48, where storage processing is performed in the same manner as above.

[0263] 35, if one team is not leading until the middle of the game (S43: NO), the MPU 10a calculates points for each player on one team based on the game data, judges whether there is a player (batter or pitcher) whose points exceed a threshold value (for example, 50 points) (S51), and if there is a player whose calculated points exceed the threshold value (S51: YES), the MPU 10a automatically generates a progress report including a description of the performance of the player who exceeded the threshold (a description of the players who performed well on the team that is losing the game) (S52). After generating the progress report at this S52 stage, the process proceeds to S48, as described above, and storage processing is performed.

[0264] Also, if there is no player who has exceeded the threshold for the calculated points (S51: NO), the MPU 10a judges that one team has not done well and is being led by the other team up to the midpoint of the match, and that there is no player who has performed well on either team, and the MPU 10a automatically generates a progress report including a description that praises the other team that is leading (S53). Note that even after generating the progress report at this stage of S53, the process proceeds to the stage of S48, and storage processing is performed in the same manner as above.

[0265] As described above, one of the modified examples of the second embodiment is the process flow shown in the flowcharts of Figs. 35 and 36, and the judgment process at each stage of S43, 44, 45, 46, and 51 can be omitted as appropriate according to the specifications of the service to be provided, as in the case of using the judgment table 13 described above. In the above explanation, the first team is identified as one of the teams and processed, but if the first team is winning at some point in the game, the second team is identified as one of the teams and processed according to the flowcharts of Figs. 35 and 36. If the first team is losing at some point in the game, the second team is winning, so in that case, the process according to the stage of S50 is performed for the second team, and a progress report is automatically generated showing that the second team is winning at some point in the game.

[0266] Furthermore, as a specific modified example of the second embodiment (Example 2), the target range of the progress report and the generation time can be varied. For example, the target range of the progress report may be from the start of the game to the middle of the game, and the invention of Example 2 may be applied to the range from the middle of the game to a later middle of the game depending on the contents and specifications of the service provided, in addition to the range from the start of the game to the end of the bottom of the fifth inning, or from the start of the game to the end of the bottom of the seventh inning. In other words, Example 2 can be applied not only to creating a progress report of a baseball game from the start of the game to the end of the bottom of the third inning, generating a second progress report from the top of the fourth inning to the end of the bottom of the sixth inning, and generating a third progress report from the top of the seventh inning to the end of the bottom of the eighth inning, etc.

[0267] In such a modified example, the second progress article generated covering the period (range) from the top of the fourth inning to the end of the bottom of the sixth inning and the third progress article generated covering the period (range) from the top of the seventh inning to the end of the bottom of the eighth inning do not include the period from the start of the game, but even in such cases where the period from the start of the game is not included, the invention of Example 2 can generate progress articles that include descriptions according to the target periods.

[0268] In this modified example, the generation time point of the progress report can be set multiple times in the description generation program P2 of the second embodiment, and when the set time point arrives, it is determined whether the acquired match data contains the content of the set time point, for example, at the stage S31 of the flowchart in Fig. 23 or at the stage S41 of the flowchart in Fig. 35. If it is determined that the match data contains the content of the set time point, the process from the stage S32 of the flowchart in Fig. 23 or the process from the stage S42 of the flowchart in Fig. 35 is executed for each period (range) to be generated, and the progress report for the range to be generated is automatically generated and saved (recorded).

[0269] Condition 5 in this modified example is determined based on whether or not one team's lead period (number of innings) exceeds half of the period to be generated (for example, the range from the top of the 4th inning to the bottom of the 6th inning). This modified example can also be applied to sports matches where the game is decided by time, and it is possible to generate progress reports for each range (period), such as the range from the start of the game to 20 minutes after the start, or the range (period) from 20 minutes after the start of the game to 45 minutes after the start of the game.

[0270] Furthermore, as in the above-mentioned modified example, when a progress report is generated at a point in the middle of a game, it is assumed that the administrator of the game record generating device 10 sets the generation time point. However, instead of the administrator setting the time point, the description generating program P2 may pre-specify multiple generation time points as defaults in the contents of the programming. In this case, as an example of a short interval of the generation time point to be specified, in the case of a baseball game, a rule to generate a progress report every time an inning (bottom of the inning) ends may be programmed. In addition, in a game other than baseball, when the duration of the game is determined by time, it is conceivable to generate a progress report in a range (interval) of every 5 minutes, every 10 minutes, every 15 minutes, etc. according to the rule of the description generating program P2 (note that in this case, the game data will also be transmitted at the above-mentioned time intervals). In addition, in the second embodiment, the above-mentioned various modified examples of the second embodiment may be used in appropriate combination. [Industrial Applicability]

[0271] Since the present invention automatically generates match review articles or progress articles that include descriptions focusing on the side that lost the match result or the side that is losing during the match, it can be suitably used for applications such as providing services that convey information that fans of the losing side or losing side want to know. [Explanation of symbols]

[0272] 1. Match record generation system 2. Match Data Distribution System 10. Match Record Generator 13 Decision Table 14, 54 Conditions List 15, 55 Pattern Contents List 16 Points Table 17 Template Tables 18. Description DB (database) 30~39, 41 Battle review article examples 70~79, 81 Progress report example P1 OS Program P2 description generator

Claims

1. A game description generating device that externally acquires game data indicating details of a game played in a scoring format and generates a description of the game result based on the acquired game data, A means for identifying one of the opponents as a single player based on match data obtained from an external source; A means for determining whether the identified side won the match based on match data obtained from an external source; a means for generating two kinds of descriptions, a first description of the content that one side lost the match and a second description of the content that the other side won the match, when the result of the judgment is that one side lost the match; A means for generating an identification code for each of the two types of descriptions generated; A means for performing a process of storing the two types of descriptions generated in association with the respective identification codes; A means for providing one or both of the two types of stored descriptions in response to an external request; Equipped with A match description generation device characterized in that, between acquiring match data from outside and generating the two types of descriptions, no description relating to the match result is generated based on the acquired match data.

2. a means for determining whether the score of one side is zero or not based on game data obtained from an external source when the result of the determination indicates that the other side has lost the match; means for generating a first description including a content regarding praising the other when the score of one of the two is zero as a result of the judgment; 2. The match description generator of claim 1, comprising:

3. If one of the teams loses the match as a result of the determination, a means for determining whether or not there was a period in which the score of one team was higher than the score of the other team based on match data obtained from an external source; If the result of the determination is that there was no period in which one of the scores exceeded the other, a means for generating a first description including a content related to praising the other.

3. The match description generating device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

4. If one of the teams loses the match as a result of the determination, a means for determining whether or not there was a period in which the score of one team was higher than the score of the other team based on match data obtained from an external source; means for determining whether or not a period during the game during which one team's score exceeded the other team's score occurred for more than half of the entire game period from the start to the end of the game, if the result of the determination is that one team's score exceeded the other team's score for a period during the game; a means for generating a first description including a content related to one team being ahead of the other team for most of the game, when the result of the determination is that the period during which one team's score was greater than the other team's score exceeded half of the entire game period; 4. The match description generating device according to claim 1, further comprising:

5. The match is one in which a plurality of players from each of the two teams participate, A points table that specifies the points according to the play content; A means for calculating points of players who participated in a match from the point table based on match data acquired from an external source; means for detecting the presence or absence of a player whose calculated points exceed a threshold; When there is a player whose calculated points exceed a threshold, a means for extracting the player whose calculated points exceed the threshold; A means for generating a description including content related to the extracted player; Equipped with 5. The game record generating device according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value for a losing side of a game is set lower than the threshold value for a winning side of the game.

6. A game description generation method in which a game description generation device externally acquires game data indicating details of a game played in a scoring format and generates a description of a game result based on the acquired game data, comprising: The match description generator comprises: A step of identifying one of the opponents as a first opponent based on match data obtained from an external source; determining whether the identified side won the match based on match data acquired from an external source; generating two kinds of descriptions, a first description of the content related to the one side losing the match and a second description of the content related to the other side winning the match, when the one side loses the match as a result of the determination; issuing an identification code for each of the two types of descriptions generated; A step of storing the two types of descriptions generated in association with the respective identification codes; providing one or both of the two descriptions to be stored in response to an external request; Run A match description generating method characterized in that, between acquiring match data from outside and generating the two types of descriptions, no description relating to the match result is generated based on the acquired match data.

7. A computer program for causing a computer to execute a process of acquiring game data indicating details of a game played in a scoring format from an external source and generating a description of a game result based on the acquired game data, comprising: The computer includes: A step of identifying one of the opponents as a first opponent based on match data obtained from an external source; determining whether the identified side won the match based on match data acquired from an external source; generating two kinds of descriptions, a first description of the content related to the one side losing the match and a second description of the content related to the other side winning the match, when the one side loses the match as a result of the determination; issuing an identification code for each of the two types of descriptions generated; A step of storing the two types of descriptions generated in association with the respective identification codes; providing one or both of the two descriptions to be stored in response to an external request; The following is executed: A computer program characterized in that, between acquiring match data from outside and generating the two types of descriptions, no description relating to the match results is generated based on the acquired match data.

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