Reward system, reward distribution method, game program, and server equipment

Abstract

This invention provides a reward system, method, and program that encourages the use of e-commerce services by granting rewards to users based on their level of engagement with games. [Solution] In the reward system, the system control unit of the user terminal includes: a performance information acquisition unit that acquires performance information showing the performance of the user terminal in a predetermined game that can be played; an achievement condition identification unit that identifies the conditions that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies from among a plurality of predetermined conditions with different levels of difficulty of achievement for the performance in the predetermined game; and a reward granting unit that executes a process to grant the user of the user terminal a reward that can be used in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, according to the identified conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for granting benefits available in e-commerce services.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, it is known that measures have been taken to promote the use of transaction services that enable e-commerce. For example, it is known to grant benefits to users who have purchased goods or reserved services through transaction services.

[0003] Also, a method of promoting the use of transaction services by associating games with transaction services is known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses determining the rankings of multiple users based on game scores, and adding limited-quantity items to the cart of the e-commerce service only for users with relatively high rankings.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the conventional technology, even if whether a benefit can be obtained changes depending on the game results, the benefits that can be obtained do not change. Therefore, there was a sense of insufficiency in the elements of engagement in the game.

[0006] <000003​​​

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a means for acquiring performance information that shows the performance of a user of a terminal device in a predetermined game playable using the terminal device, and a means for identifying a condition that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies from among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance in the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving it. Display control means that, upon completion of the predetermined game, displays a screen on the terminal device that accepts an operation to obtain a reward including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, wherein for each of the plurality of conditions, the elements that are the target of the operation to obtain the reward corresponding to that condition are displayed on the screen, and the display control means that accepts only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, and among the elements displayed on the screen, the conditions corresponding to the operated element The reward system is characterized by comprising a means for executing a process for granting rewards.

[0008] According to this aspect, if a user's performance in a given game meets one of several predetermined conditions with varying levels of difficulty, the condition that the performance fulfills is identified. The user is then granted a reward corresponding to that identified condition. The more the user engages with the game, the higher the likelihood of meeting more difficult conditions. The rewards granted are usable in transaction services that enable e-commerce. Therefore, rewards commensurate with the user's engagement with the game can encourage the use of e-commerce services.

[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is that the aforementioned game is a game in which a user can control an object that can move within the game space. The aforementioned performance information includes performance values ​​that indicate the aforementioned performance, The performance information acquisition means provides a value corresponding to the degree of movement of the controlled object during the predetermined game. to the aforementioned performance value Addition The performance value is determined by the same determination The performance information, including the performance values, is obtained, and each of the multiple conditions is Regarding , relative to the above performance value ru Conditional values ​​are defined, and the specified means is the performance value and Each of the above multiple conditions of The aforementioned This reward system is characterized by identifying the conditions that the aforementioned performance has met based on the conditional values.

[0010] According to this aspect, a given game is one in which the user can control an object. The object can move within the game space. The user's performance is indicated by a performance value. The performance value increases according to the degree of movement of the object during the game. Based on the performance value and several conditional values ​​applied to the performance value, the conditions that the user's performance must satisfy are determined. Therefore, the higher the degree of movement of the object, the more likely the user's performance is to satisfy conditions that are more difficult to achieve. Thus, users can be made to immerse themselves in a game in which their performance is determined based on the degree of movement of the object.

[0011] Another aspect of this application is, The display control means, when the performance satisfies any two or more of the multiple conditions, enables the operation on the element corresponding to each of the two or more conditions. This is a rewards system characterized by the following features.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a rewards system characterized in that the rewards granted include points that can be used across multiple services.

[0014] According to this aspect, users are awarded a number of points corresponding to the conditions their performance meets. These points can be used across multiple services. Therefore, by offering highly usable rewards, it is possible to motivate users to engage with the game.

[0015] Another aspect of the present invention is a method for granting rewards performed by a computer, comprising: a performance information acquisition step of acquiring performance information indicating the performance of a user of a terminal device in a predetermined game playable using the terminal device; and a specification step of identifying, from among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance in the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving them, the condition that the performance indicated by the acquired performance information satisfies. A display control step that, upon completion of the predetermined game, displays a screen on the terminal device that accepts an operation to obtain a reward, including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, the display control step that, for each of the plurality of conditions, displays on the screen the elements that are the target of the operation to obtain the reward corresponding to that condition, and makes it possible to accept only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, and among the elements displayed on the screen, the operation corresponding to the condition of the operated element A method for granting benefits, characterized by including a granting step of executing a process for granting benefits.

[0016] Another aspect of the present application is a game program for a predetermined game playable using a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to function as: a score information acquisition means for acquiring score information indicating the score of a user of the terminal device in the predetermined game; and a plurality of predetermined conditions for the score of the predetermined game and multiple conditions with different levels of difficulty in achieving them. wherein a specifying means for specifying a condition satisfied by the score indicated by the acquired score information vinegar is provided; and an awarding means for executing a process of awarding the privilege to the user of the terminal device by transmitting privilege information indicating the privilege and user information indicating the user of the terminal device to a privilege management device that manages the privilege in association with the user. The game program is characterized by functioning as such an awarding means. Display control means that, upon completion of the predetermined game, displays a screen on the terminal device that accepts an operation to obtain a reward including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, wherein for each of the plurality of conditions, the elements that are the target of the operation to obtain the reward corresponding to that condition are displayed on the screen, and the display control means that accepts only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, and among the elements displayed on the screen, the conditions corresponding to the operated element Another aspect of the present application is a server device including: a storage means for storing a game program for a predetermined game playable using a terminal device; and a transmitting means for transmitting the stored game program to the terminal device. The game program causes the terminal device to function as: a score information acquisition means for acquiring score information indicating the score of a user of the terminal device in the predetermined game; and a plurality of predetermined conditions for the score of the predetermined game

[0017] wherein a specifying means for specifying a condition satisfied by the score indicated by the acquired score information and multiple conditions with different levels of difficulty in achieving them. is provided; and an awarding means for executing a process of awarding the privilege to the user of the terminal device by transmitting privilege information indicating the privilege and user information indicating the user of the terminal device to a privilege management device that manages the privilege in association with the user. The server device is characterized by functioning as such an awarding means. vinegar Display control means that, upon completion of the predetermined game, displays a screen on the terminal device that accepts an operation to obtain a reward including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, wherein for each of the plurality of conditions, the elements that are the target of the operation to obtain the reward corresponding to that condition are displayed on the screen, and the display control means that accepts only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, and among the elements displayed on the screen, the conditions corresponding to the operated element <<Advantages of the Invention>>

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to promote the use of services in electronic commerce by awarding a privilege according to the degree of dedication of the user to the game. <<Brief Description of the Drawings>>

[0019] [Figure 1] ​​It is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a communication system S according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a campaign server 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a user terminal 2 according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a transaction server 4 according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of the content stored in the database of the transaction server 4. [Figure 6] It is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of a coupon management server 5 according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing an example of the content stored in the database of the coupon management server 5. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 of the campaign server 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of a campaign screen. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 according to an embodiment. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing an example of a game screen during a game. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between privilege conditions and privileges. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing an example of a game over screen. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing another example of a game over screen. [Figure 15] It is a diagram showing another example of a game over screen. [Figure 16] It is a diagram showing another example of a game over screen. [Figure 17] It is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 41 of the transaction server 4 according to an embodiment. [Figure 18]This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 51 of a coupon management server 5 according to one embodiment. [Figure 19] This figure shows an example of processing by the communication system S. [Figure 20] This flowchart shows an example of the game over screen display process executed by the system control unit 21 of user terminal 2. [Figure 21] This figure shows an example of the general configuration of a communication system S according to one embodiment. [Figure 22] This block diagram shows an example of the overview configuration of a service server 6 according to one embodiment. [Figure 23] This figure shows an example of the contents stored in the database of service server 6. [Figure 24] This block diagram shows an example of the outline configuration of a point management server 7 according to one embodiment. [Figure 25] This figure shows an example of information stored in the database of a point management server 7 according to one embodiment. [Figure 26] This diagram shows an example of the relationship between the conditions for receiving a benefit and the benefit itself. [Figure 27] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 61 of a service server 6 according to one embodiment. [Figure 28] This figure shows an example of a functional block of the system control unit 61 of a service server 6 according to one embodiment. [Figure 29] This figure shows an example of processing by the communication system S. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0020] [1. First Embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] [1-1. Communication System Configuration] First, the configuration and functional overview of the communication system S according to this embodiment will be explained with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the communication system S according to this embodiment.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the communication system S comprises a campaign server 1, multiple user terminals 2, a member information management server 3, a transaction server 4, and a coupon management server 5. These devices are connected to a network NW. The network NW is constructed using, for example, the internet, a dedicated communication line (e.g., a CATV (Community Antenna Television) line), a mobile communication network (including base stations, etc.), and a gateway. Here, the campaign server 1 or the user terminals 2 may be an example of a reward system. Alternatively, a combination of the campaign server 1 and the user terminals 2 may be an example of a reward system. The reward system may be a system for granting rewards to users.

[0023] The campaign server 1 may be a server device capable of providing users with a predetermined computer game that can be played using the user terminal 2. The predetermined game provided by the campaign server 1 may be a game that can be played as part of a campaign for a predetermined trading service that the trading server 4 supports. The trading service may be a service that enables e-commerce. Depending on the performance the user achieves in the game, the user may be able to earn rewards that can be used in that trading service. Examples of rewards include coupons, points in a points program, cashback, etc. In this embodiment, the rewards include coupons.

[0024] The type of game is not particularly limited, as long as it assigns some kind of score or performance. Examples of game types include action games, shooting games, role-playing games, puzzle games, board games, card games, and simulation games. By playing the game, the user can earn some kind of score or performance evaluation. Examples of evaluations include score, play time until game over, distance traveled until game over, experience points, level, number of stages cleared, and number of wins.

[0025] The campaign server 1 may store the game program. The game program may be a program that causes the campaign server 1 or the user terminal 2 to execute processing related to a predetermined game. The game program may be, for example, a web application or a native application. The campaign server 1 may, for example, distribute the game program to the user terminal 2 and have the user terminal 2 execute the game program. Alternatively, the campaign server 1 itself may execute the game program. In this embodiment, the user terminal 2 executes the game program.

[0026] Each user terminal 2 may be a terminal device used by a user who is eligible to use the aforementioned specified transaction service. Examples of user terminal 2 include personal computers, smartphones, other mobile phones, tablet computers and other portable information terminals, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), set-top boxes, etc. A web browser may be installed on each user terminal 2. User terminal 2 may download a game program from campaign server 1 and run this game program. If the game program is a web application, user terminal 2 may run the game program through a web browser. Users who use each user terminal 2 may be, for example, members of a specified comprehensive internet service. The comprehensive internet service may be a collection of multiple services. For example, the services included in the comprehensive internet service may be services provided using information and communication technology. At least one of the services included in the comprehensive internet service may be a service provided through a network such as the Internet or other networks. Also, at least one of the services included in the comprehensive internet service may be a service provided through the WWW (World Wide Web) or a website. Users who use each user terminal 2 may be members of the comprehensive internet service. The aforementioned specified transaction service may be one of the services included in the comprehensive internet service. Users who become members of an internet comprehensive service may be able to use many of the services included in that internet comprehensive service. Users may be required to register separately as a member or user in order to use some of the services, provided they are already members of the internet comprehensive service.

[0027] The member information management server 3 may be a server device that manages information related to members of the aforementioned comprehensive internet service. When a user becomes a member of the comprehensive internet service, that user is assigned a user ID. The user ID may be identification information that identifies the user within the comprehensive internet service. The member information management server 3 may store information about the member associated with this user ID.

[0028] The transaction server 4 may be a server device that performs processing related to the predetermined transaction service described above. The transaction service may be a service that makes transaction items tradable through electronic commerce. The transaction item may be anything that is the subject of a commercial transaction. Examples of transaction items include goods and services. Examples of transaction services and websites for transaction services include online shopping malls, service reservation sites, facility reservation sites, ticket sales sites, online securities companies, online banks, etc. In this embodiment, the predetermined transaction service is a transaction service through an online shopping mall. The online shopping mall is where multiple stores each sell products. The campaign server 1 may be integrated with the transaction server 4.

[0029] The coupon management server 5 may be a server device that manages digitized coupons. For example, the coupon management server 5 may manage coupons that can be used for at least one of the services included in the Internet Comprehensive Service. For example, it may manage coupons that can be used for a predetermined transaction service that the transaction server 4 corresponds to.

[0030] [1-2.Device configuration] [1-2-1. Campaign Server] Next, the configuration of the campaign server 1 will be described with reference to Figure 2. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the campaign server 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 2, the campaign server 1 includes a system control unit 11, a system bus 12, an input / output interface 13, a storage unit 14, and a communication unit 15. The system control unit 11 and the input / output interface 13 are connected via the system bus 12.

[0031] The system control unit 11 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11a, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11b, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 11c, and the like.

[0032] The input / output interface 13 performs interface processing between the storage unit 14 and the communication unit 15 and the system control unit 11.

[0033] The storage unit 14 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. The game program is stored in this storage unit 14. For example, the game program may be stored in the storage unit 14 in the form of a script included in the screen information. The screen information may be information that causes a specific screen to be displayed on the user terminal 2. The screen information may be, for example, an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document. In this case, the screen can be replaced with a web page or a page. Alternatively, the screen information may be information about the content or each element displayed on the user terminal 2. Alternatively, the screen information may be information that instructs the user terminal 2 to display a specific screen.

[0034] The communication unit 15 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 15 connects to a device different from the campaign server 1 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0035] [1-2-2. User Terminals] Next, the configuration of the user terminal 2 will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the user terminal 2 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the user terminal 2 includes a system control unit 21, a system bus 22, an input / output interface 23, a storage unit 24, a communication unit 25, an input unit 26, and a display unit 27. The system control unit 21 and the input / output interface 23 are connected via the system bus 22.

[0036] The system control unit 21 is composed of a CPU 21a, ROM 21b, RAM 21c, etc.

[0037] The input / output interface 23 performs interface processing between the storage unit 24, communication unit 25, input unit 26, and display unit 27 and the system control unit 21.

[0038] The storage unit 24 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive, flash memory, or a solid-state drive. Various programs, such as the operating system and web browser programs, are stored in this storage unit 24.

[0039] The communication unit 25 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 25 connects to a device different from the user terminal 2 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0040] The input unit 26 may consist of, for example, a touch panel, buttons, keys, a keyboard, or a mouse. The input unit 26 transmits control signals to the system control unit 21 indicating the content of the user's operation of the input unit 26.

[0041] The display unit 27 consists of a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), graphics memory, etc. Based on control by the system control unit 21, the display unit 27 displays images, characters, etc. on the display.

[0042] [1-2-3. Trading Server] Next, the configuration of the trading server 4 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the trading server 4 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, the trading server 4 includes a system control unit 41, a system bus 42, an input / output interface 43, a storage unit 44, and a communication unit 45. The system control unit 41 and the input / output interface 43 are connected via the system bus 42.

[0043] The system control unit 41 is composed of a CPU 41a, ROM 41b, RAM 41c, etc.

[0044] The input / output interface 43 performs interface processing between the storage unit 44 and the communication unit 45 and the system control unit 41.

[0045] The storage unit 44 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. A database such as a purchase history DB 44a may be stored in this storage unit 44. "DB" is an abbreviation for database.

[0046] Figure 5 shows an example of the contents stored in the database of the transaction server 4. The purchase history DB 44a may be a database that shows the history of product purchases in the transaction service. Purchase information may be stored in the purchase history DB 44a each time a product is purchased. For example, as shown in Figure 5, the purchase history DB 44a may store purchase information such as order number, order date and time, user ID, store ID, product ID, price, quantity, total amount, shipping fee, usage benefit information, payment amount, and payment method information, all of which are associated with each other. The order number may be a number that identifies the order for a product. The order date and time may indicate the date and time when the order for the product was placed. The user ID may indicate the user who purchased the product. The store ID may be identification information that identifies the store where the product was purchased among the stores in the online shopping mall. The product ID may be identification information that identifies the product purchased at the store where the product was purchased. The price may indicate the price of the purchased product. The quantity may indicate the number of products purchased. The total amount may indicate the sum of the purchase price of the product and the shipping fee. The purchase amount may be calculated by multiplying the price by the quantity. The benefit information may also be information regarding the use of benefits related to the payment of the purchase price of the product. Benefits in this embodiment include coupons. For example, the benefit information may include a coupon ID and a discount amount. The coupon ID may be identification information for identifying the coupon that was used. The discount amount may indicate the amount discounted or reduced by the coupon. The payment amount may indicate the total amount minus the discount amount of the coupon used for payment. The payment method information may indicate how the user pays for the purchase price of the product. Examples of payment methods include credit card payment, debit card payment, electronic money payment, and bank transfer. The payment method information may also include information indicating the type of payment method used. If credit card payment or debit card payment is used, the payment method information may include the credit card or debit card number, expiration date, cardholder's name, security code, etc. If electronic money payment is used, the payment method information may include identification information for identifying the user in the electronic money system.When direct debit is used, payment method information may include the bank name, branch name, account type, and account number.

[0047] The storage unit 44 further stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a trading server program. The trading server program may be a program that causes the system control unit 41 to execute various processes for managing information related to a predetermined trading service. The trading server program may be acquired from another device via a network NW, for example, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0048] The communication unit 45 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 45 connects to a device different from the transaction server 4 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0049] [1-2-4. Coupon Management Server] Next, the configuration of the coupon management server 5 will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the coupon management server 5 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 6, the coupon management server 5 includes a system control unit 51, a system bus 52, an input / output interface 53, a storage unit 54, and a communication unit 55. The system control unit 51 and the input / output interface 53 are connected via the system bus 52.

[0050] The system control unit 51 is composed of a CPU 51a, ROM 51b, RAM 51c, etc.

[0051] The input / output interface 53 performs interface processing between the storage unit 54 and the communication unit 55 and the system control unit 51.

[0052] The storage unit 54 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. This storage unit 54 may store databases such as coupon DB 54a, coupons to be acquired DB 54b, and acquired coupon DB 54c.

[0053] Figure 7 shows an example of the contents stored in the database of the coupon management server 5. Coupon DB 54a may store coupon information for each coupon that can be used for any service included in the Internet Comprehensive Service. For example, coupon DB 54a may store coupon information such as coupon ID, coupon name, service ID, discount information, usage conditions information, and expiration date, all associated with each other. The coupon ID may be identification information for identifying the coupon. The coupon name may indicate the name of the coupon. The service ID may be identification information for identifying the service to which the coupon can be used. The discount information may indicate how much the price will be discounted when purchasing the transaction item with that service. The discount information may include, for example, either the discount amount or the discount rate. The usage conditions information may indicate the conditions for using the coupon. Examples of conditions for using the coupon include purchasing a transaction item of a certain amount or more, purchasing a specified transaction item, and purchasing from a specified provider. The provider is a business that provides the transaction item. Examples of providers include stores, facilities, sellers, and service providers. The expiration date may indicate the last date on which the coupon can be used.

[0054] The "Expected Coupons DB54b" may store information about coupons that a user is expected to acquire, each time a coupon becomes expected to be acquired. For example, the "Expected Coupons DB54b" may store information such as the coupon ID, user ID, and expected acquisition date, all associated with each other. The coupon ID may indicate the coupon that is expected to be acquired. The user ID may indicate the user who is expected to acquire that coupon. The expected acquisition date may indicate the date on which the coupon is expected to be acquired.

[0055] The acquired coupon database (DB54c) may store acquired coupon information related to coupons acquired by a user each time a coupon is acquired. For example, the acquired coupon database (DB54c) may store acquired coupon information such as a coupon ID and a user ID, associated with each other. The coupon ID may indicate the acquired coupon. The user ID may indicate the user who acquired the coupon.

[0056] The storage unit 54 further stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a coupon management server program. The coupon management server program may be a program that causes the system control unit 51 to execute various processes for managing information related to a predetermined transaction service. The coupon management server program may be acquired from another device via a network NW, for example, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as a magnetic tape, optical disc, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0057] The communication unit 55 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 55 connects to a device different from the coupon management server 5 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0058] [1-3. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [1-3-1. Campaign Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 11 of the campaign server 1 will be described with reference to Figures 8 to 9. Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 11 of the campaign server 1 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 11 may function as a game program transmission unit 1101, etc., as shown in Figure 8, by having the CPU 11a read and execute various program codes included in the campaign server program.

[0059] The game program transmission unit 1101 may transmit the game program stored in the storage unit 14 to the user terminal 2. For example, the game program transmission unit 1101 may transmit screen information including the game program. The screen information may be, for example, an HTML document. The game program may be written as a script in this screen information. This screen information may be, for example, screen information showing a campaign screen. The campaign screen may be a screen related to a campaign in a predetermined transaction service.

[0060] Figure 9 shows an example of a campaign screen. The example screen shown in Figure 9 is an example where the given game is a side-scrolling action game, as will be described later. As shown in Figure 9, the campaign screen may include a game operation screen 110. The game operation screen 110 may include a game screen 120 and a jump button 130. The game screen 120 may be an area where the game progresses. The jump button 130 may be a button that can be operated to make the target of the operation described later jump.

[0061] [1-3-2. User Terminals] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 16. Figure 10 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 21 may function as a game processing unit 2101, a performance information acquisition unit 2102, an achievement condition identification unit 2103, and a reward granting unit 2104, etc., as shown in Figure 10, by having the CPU 21a read and execute various program codes contained in the game program transmitted from the campaign server 1.

[0062] The game processing unit 2101 may primarily execute processes within a predetermined game. The predetermined game in this embodiment may be a game in which the user can control an actionable object that can move within the game space. The type of predetermined game may be, for example, an action game or any other type of game. The game space may be a virtual space set up or represented in that game. The actionable object may be an object that exists within the game space and can be controlled by the user. Examples of actionable objects include characters, avatars, creatures, vehicles, robots, etc. The actionable object may be forced to move at all times, or its movement may be stopped in response to user input. Possible operations on the actionable object may or may not include operations related to the movement of that actionable object. Examples of operations related to movement include moving in a desired direction, changing the direction of movement, changing the speed of movement, starting and stopping movement, jumping, flying, teleporting, etc. Other examples of possible operations on the actionable object include attacking other objects in the game space, acquiring other objects, using items, skills, or magic, etc. The predetermined game may be a game in which the user controls the actionable object so that it does not collide with objects that exist as obstacles in the game space. For example, the controlled object may avoid obstacles by moving, or it may eliminate obstacles by attacking them. In a given game, the game's performance may improve depending on the degree to which the controlled object moves before the game ends. Examples of the degree of movement include the distance and time the controlled object moves. Information indicating the improvement in performance according to the degree of movement is called a performance value. A higher performance value indicates a better performance. Examples of performance values ​​include score, distance traveled, and time traveled. The distance and time traveled as performance values ​​may be expressed in terms of distance and time within the game. Therefore, the distance and time traveled may differ from the actual distance and time. If a score is used as a performance value, points corresponding to the distance or time traveled may be added to the game score. The score may be determined based solely on the distance or time traveled, or it may be determined based on other conditions in addition to the distance or time traveled.

[0063] Figure 11 shows an example of a game screen during gameplay. For example, in the campaign screen 100 shown in Figure 9, the user clicks or touches the game screen 120 or the jump button 130 with the mouse. The game then starts, and the game screen 120 displays an image as shown in Figure 11. As shown in Figure 11, the game screen 120 may also display a score 210, a player character 220, obstacles 230, and items 240. The score 210 shows the current score. The player character 220 is an example of an object that can be controlled. The game shown in Figure 11 is a side-scrolling action game. The background of the game screen 120 is always moving to the left. The player character 220 is considered to be moving to the right on the ground. The game processing unit 2101 may process the player character 220 to move to the left, up, or down. The user can make the player character 220 jump by clicking or touching the game screen 120 or the jump button 130, for example. Additionally, the user may enable a two-stage jump, making the player character 220 jump again while the player character 220 is already in the air. Obstacles 230 are objects that obstruct the movement of the player character 220. If the player character 220 comes into contact with an obstacle 230, the game ends. The game may also end if the player character 220 comes into contact with an obstacle 230 a predetermined number of times (two or more). To avoid obstacles 230, the user can choose whether or not to make the player character 220 jump. Items 240 are objects that increase the score 210. If the player character 220 comes into contact with an item 240, a predetermined amount of points is added to the score 210. To obtain item 240, the user can choose whether or not to make the player character 220 jump. Obstacles 230 and items 240 move to the left along with the background.

[0064] When the game starts, the game processing unit 2101 may display the score 210, the player character 220, and the background on the game screen 120. The initial value of the score 210 may be 0 points. The game processing unit 2101 may animate the player character 220 and scroll the background. The game processing unit 2101 may update the score 210 by adding a predetermined number of points each time a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the start of the game or each time the player character 220 has moved a predetermined distance. The game processing unit 2101 may also detect a jump operation based on input from the input unit 26 and move the player character 220 upwards and downwards. The game processing unit 2101 may also display obstacles 230 or items 240 at predetermined or random intervals and move them along with the background. The game processing unit 2101 may increase the score 210 when it detects contact between the player character 220 and an item 240. Furthermore, if the game processing unit 2101 detects contact between the player character 220 and the obstacle 230, it may determine that the game is over and finalize the score 210.

[0065] The game processing unit 2101 may process the player character 220 to move not only to the right, but also to move left or right in response to user input. For example, buttons for moving to the right and buttons for moving to the left may be provided on the game operation screen 110. The game processing unit 2101 may detect the input to these buttons and move the background, obstacles 230, and items 240 in the opposite direction to the player character 220's movement. The game processing unit 2101 may increase the score 210 only when the player character 220 is moving to the right. Here, the game processing unit 2101 may increase the score 210 only if the point reached by the player character 220 is a point reached for the first time. Alternatively, the game processing unit 2101 may increase the score 210 regardless of whether the player character 220 moves left or right.

[0066] The performance information acquisition unit 2102 may acquire performance information showing the user's performance on the user terminal 2 in a predetermined game. The performance information may include performance values ​​that indicate how well the user is performing. As mentioned above, examples of performance values ​​include score, play time until game over, distance traveled until game over, experience points, level, number of stages cleared, number of wins, etc. The game processing unit 2101 may acquire performance information showing, for example, the performance at the end of the game. In this embodiment, the performance information acquisition unit 2102 may acquire the score that the game processing unit 2101 was holding at the time of game over in a predetermined game executed by the game processing unit 2101 as performance information.

[0067] The achievement condition identification unit 2103 may identify the reward condition that the performance indicated by the performance information acquired by the performance information acquisition unit 2102 satisfies, from among a plurality of predetermined reward conditions for performance in a given game. Each of the plurality of reward conditions for performance may be a condition that grants a reward to the user who played the game. Each reward condition may indicate, for example, how good the game performance needs to be for the user to receive the reward. The types of conditions among the plurality of reward conditions may be the same as each other. The plurality of reward conditions may have different levels of difficulty in achieving them. Generally, for a user to get a better performance in a game, the user needs higher skill, proficiency, or experience. Achieving a better performance is more difficult. The more a user is engaged in the game, the higher the probability of achieving a more difficult reward condition. Multiple reward conditions with different levels of difficulty in achieving them may have different levels of performance that the user should get in the game. If the performance information includes performance values, a condition value may be defined for each reward condition. The condition value may correspond to a standard value or threshold for the performance value. If the performance score is equal to or greater than a certain threshold value, the user may be eligible to receive a reward. This threshold value may differ from one another among multiple reward conditions. The higher the threshold value, the more difficult it is to achieve the reward condition. In this embodiment, the threshold value may be the score that the user must achieve. The achievement condition identification unit 2103 may compare the performance score with each threshold value to identify specific conditions under which the performance score is equal to or greater than the threshold value.

[0068] Figure 12 shows an example of the relationship between reward conditions and rewards. As shown in Figure 12, the reward conditions are defined as a score of 1,500 points or higher, a score of 3,000 points or higher, and a score of 4,500 points or higher. 1,500 points, 3,000 points, and 4,500 points correspond to the condition values, respectively. Note that there may be two reward conditions, or four or more.

[0069] The reward granting unit 2104 may grant a reward to a user who played a predetermined game if the achievement condition identification unit 2103 identifies that the performance of that game satisfies any of several reward conditions. The reward granted may be, for example, something that the user can use when paying for a transaction in a predetermined transaction service. For example, the reward may be something that can be used as part or all of the payment. As mentioned above, examples of rewards include coupons, points in a points program, and electronic money. The reward granting unit 2104 may grant a reward corresponding to the reward condition identified by the achievement condition identification unit 2103 as the reward condition that the performance has met, from among several reward conditions. For example, the reward granting unit 2104 may grant a reward of higher value the higher the difficulty of achieving the reward condition that the performance has met. If the reward includes coupons, the higher the discount amount or discount rate, the higher the value. If the reward includes points, the higher the number of points, the higher the value. If the reward includes electronic money, the higher the amount of electronic money, the higher the value. A player may achieve two or more reward conditions in a single game. In this case, the reward granting unit 2104 may grant the user a reward corresponding to each of the reward conditions that have been met. A player may achieve the same reward conditions in a current play as they achieved in a previous game. In this case, the reward granting unit 2104 does not have to grant a reward for those reward conditions.

[0070] In the example shown in Figure 12, coupons are awarded that provide a discount on the payment amount for purchasing goods through the trading service. A user who achieves a score of 1,500 points or more will receive a 100 yen coupon. A user who achieves a score of 3,000 points or more will receive a 200 yen coupon. A user who achieves a score of 4,500 points or more will receive a 500 yen coupon.

[0071] The reward granting unit 2104 may grant a reward to a user by sending a reward granting request to a reward management device corresponding to the type of reward to be granted. The reward management device may be a device that manages rewards granted to a user in association with the user. For example, the reward management device may store a reward database in which reward information indicating the rewards a user possesses is associated with user identification information for identifying the user who possesses that reward, for each user or for each reward granted. The reward information may be information indicating at least one of the value and content of the reward a user possesses. The user identification information may be, for example, a user ID or other information. The reward granting request may be information indicating a request for the granting of a reward. The reward granting request may include a reward information indicating a reward corresponding to the reward conditions identified by the achievement condition identification unit 2103 and user identification information indicating the user to whom the reward is granted. The reward management device may store the reward information and user identification information included in the reward granting request in association with each other. Alternatively, the reward management device may update reward information already stored in association with user identification information that matches the user identification information included in the reward granting request with the reward information included in the reward granting request. For example, a reward management device may update the reward information by adding the value of the reward indicated by the reward information included in the reward grant request to the value of the reward indicated by the stored reward information.

[0072] The reward management device in this embodiment may be the coupon management server 5. In this case, a coupon grant request, as an example of a reward grant request, may include the coupon ID of the coupon corresponding to the reward condition identified by the achievement condition identification unit 2103 and the user ID of the user to whom the coupon will be granted. For example, coupon information may be stored in advance in the coupon DB 54a for each achievement condition. The service ID of each stored coupon information indicates a predetermined transaction service. Discount information is set to a discount amount such as 100 yen, 200 yen, 500 yen, etc. Usage condition information may or may not be set. If the coupon is to be granted on a predetermined future acquisition date rather than immediately, the reward grant unit 2104 may include the acquisition date in the coupon grant request.

[0073] The reward granting unit 2104 may automatically grant a reward after the game ends if the performance in a predetermined game meets any of the multiple reward conditions. Alternatively, the reward granting unit 2104 may grant a reward in response to user actions. For example, the reward granting unit 2104 may display a screen that accepts actions to obtain a reward. This screen may be a game over screen. The game over screen may be a screen indicating that the game has ended.

[0074] Figure 13 shows an example of a game over screen. When the game is over, the game operation screen 110 within the campaign screen 100 changes to the game over screen 300. As shown in Figure 13, the game over screen 300 may include a score 310, a high score 320, and a retry button 330. The score 310 may show the score the user earned in the current play. The high score 320 may show the highest score the user has earned in previous plays. Figure 13 shows an example where both the current score and the high score are 22 points. The retry button 330 may be an element that can be operated to play the game again. Furthermore, the game over screen 300 may include a number of bonus information areas 300-i (where i is an integer of 1 or more) equal to the number of bonus conditions. Bonus information areas 300-1, 300-2, and 300-3 correspond to bonus conditions of 1,500 points or more, 3,000 points or more, and 4,500 points or more, respectively. Each reward information area 300-i includes a reward condition score 341, reward information 342, and an entry button 343. The reward condition score 341 may indicate a score as a reward condition. For example, the reward condition score 341 in reward information area 300-1 may display "Mission 1: 1500 points or more". The reward information 342 may indicate an obtainable reward. For example, the reward information 342 in reward information area 300-1 may display "100 yen OFF coupon". The entry button 343 may be an operable element for applying for the granting of a reward. Specifically, applying for the granting of a reward may mean applying to have the reward granted on a predetermined acquisition date. If the reward condition indicated by the reward condition score 341 is not met, a padlock icon may be displayed on the entry button 343. In this case, the entry button 343 is invalid. That is, since the entry button 343 cannot be operated, the user cannot obtain a reward. Since the score is 22 points, all entry buttons 343 are invalid.

[0075] Figure 14 shows another example of a game over screen. Suppose the user has earned 1,725 ​​points in the game. In this case, the game over screen 300 shown in Figure 14 may be displayed. On the game over screen 300, "Enter Here" is displayed on the entry button 343 in the reward information area 300-1. In this case, the entry button 343 is enabled. Therefore, the user can operate this entry button 343. By operating this entry button 343, the user can apply for a 100 yen coupon. The entry buttons 343 in the reward information areas 300-2 and 300-3 remain disabled.

[0076] Figure 15 shows another example of a game over screen. In the game over screen 300 shown in Figure 14, the user operates the entry button 343 in the reward information area 300-1. Then, the game over screen 300 may be displayed in Figure 15. "Entry completed" is displayed on the entry button 343 in the reward information area 300-1. The reward granting unit 2104 may, in response to the operation of the entry button 343, send a reward granting request for a reward corresponding to the reward conditions of the entry button 343.

[0077] Figure 16 shows another example of a game over screen. Suppose the user has earned 5,290 points in the game after the game over screen 300 shown in Figure 15 is displayed. In this case, the game over screen 300 shown in Figure 16 may be displayed. On the game over screen 300, the entry buttons 343 in the bonus information areas 300-2 and 3 are enabled. Therefore, the user can operate these entry buttons 343. By operating these entry buttons 343, the user can apply for a 200 yen coupon and a 500 yen coupon, respectively.

[0078] [1-3-3. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 41 of the trading server 4 will be described with reference to Figure 17. Figure 17 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 41 of the trading server 4 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 41 may function as a transaction content confirmation unit 4101, etc., as shown in Figure 17, by having the CPU 41a read and execute various program codes included in the trading server program.

[0079] The transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may perform a process to confirm the details of a transaction in a predetermined transaction service. If the transaction subject is a product, the transaction details may be the order details or purchase details of the product. If the transaction subject is a service, the transaction details may be the purchase details or reservation details of the service. In a typical transaction service, the user selects the transaction subject to be purchased in advance within the transaction service. The user then performs an operation to proceed with the transaction procedure. Before confirming the transaction details, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may send screen information indicating the transaction details screen to the user's user terminal 2. The transaction details screen may be a screen that displays the transaction details. The transaction details screen may also be a screen that accepts operations to change at least a part of the transaction details. The transaction details may include the transaction subject to be purchased, the unit price of the transaction subject, the number of transaction subjects to be purchased, the purchase amount of the transaction subject, whether or not benefits are used, the benefits used, the payment amount, the payment method, etc. The purchase amount is determined according to the unit price and number of transaction subjects to be purchased. In the case of an online shopping mall, the transaction details may include the product to be purchased, its price, quantity, total purchase amount, shipping fee, whether or not a benefit is used, the benefit used, payment amount, payment method, delivery address, and delivery method. Users may be able to change the quantity purchased, whether or not a benefit is used, the benefit used, and the payment method. In this embodiment, the benefit available for payment of the purchase amount is a coupon. For example, if a user selects to use a coupon on the transaction details screen, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may obtain coupon information stored in the coupon DB 54a from the coupon management server 5. For example, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may send a request for acquired coupons, including the user's user ID, to the coupon management server 5. The coupon management server 5 may search for acquired coupon information including this user ID in the acquired coupon DB 54c. The coupon management server 5 may search for coupon information containing a coupon ID that matches the coupon ID included in the retrieved acquired coupon information in the coupon DB 54a. The coupon management server 5 may send the retrieved coupon information to the transaction server 4.The transaction confirmation unit 4101 may identify available coupons based on the transaction details and the terms of use information included in the coupon information. The transaction confirmation unit 4101 may display a list of available coupons on the user terminal 2. If any coupon is selected from the list, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may include the use of the selected coupon in the transaction details.

[0080] When a user confirms a transaction on the transaction details screen, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may confirm the transaction details. If a coupon is used, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may reduce the payment amount based on the discount information contained in the coupon information of that coupon. For example, if the discount information indicates a discount amount, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may subtract the discount amount from the purchase amount to calculate a new purchase amount. If the discount information indicates a discount rate, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may subtract a discount amount corresponding to the discount rate on the purchase amount from the purchase amount to calculate a new purchase amount. The transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may add shipping costs to the new purchase amount as needed to calculate the final payment amount. The transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may send a coupon deletion request to the coupon management server 5, including the coupon ID of the used coupon and the user ID of the user who used the coupon. As a result, the coupon used by the user may be deleted. Once the transaction details are confirmed, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may store information indicating the confirmed transaction details in a predetermined database. For example, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may generate purchase information and store this purchase information in the purchase history DB 44a.

[0081] Furthermore, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may execute a settlement process for the user to pay the amount indicated by the final payment amount. In this case, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may execute the settlement based on payment method information corresponding to the payment method selected by the user. For example, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may execute the settlement process by communicating with a settlement system (not shown) corresponding to the payment method. For example, if the payment method is credit card payment, the settlement system may be the settlement system of a credit card company or a payment processing company. If the payment method is debit card payment, the settlement system may be the online system of a bank or the settlement system of a payment processing company. If the payment method is bank transfer, the settlement system may be the online system of a bank. If the payment method is electronic money, the settlement system may be a system that manages electronic money. The specific settlement process for each method may be the same as that of known methods. The process for using the benefit for payment and the settlement process may be performed simultaneously. Alternatively, the process for using the benefit for payment may be executed when the transaction details are confirmed, while the settlement process may be executed at a later date. For example, when the transaction subject is a reservable service. The payment processing may be executed on the day the service is used, a specified number of days before the service use date, or a specified number of days after the service use date.

[0082] [1-3-4. Coupon Management Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 51 of the coupon management server 5 will be described with reference to Figure 18. Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 51 of the coupon management server 5 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 51 may function as a coupon granting unit 5101 and an acquired coupon deletion unit 5102, etc., as shown in Figure 18, by having the CPU 51a read and execute various program codes included in the coupon management server program.

[0083] The coupon granting unit 5101 may grant coupons to users of user terminal 2 in response to requests from user terminal 2. For example, the coupon granting unit 5101 may receive the aforementioned coupon granting request from user terminal 2. The coupon granting unit 5101 may generate acquired coupon information using the coupon ID and user ID included in the coupon granting request. The coupon granting unit 5101 may store the generated acquired coupon information in the acquired coupon DB 54c. As a result, the coupon granting unit 5101 may grant coupons. If the coupon granting request includes a planned acquisition date, the coupon granting unit 5101 may generate planned acquisition coupon information using the coupon ID, user ID, and planned acquisition date. The coupon granting unit 5101 may store the generated planned acquisition coupon information in the planned acquisition coupon DB 54b. The coupon granting unit 5101 may, for example, search the planned acquisition coupon DB 54b for planned acquisition coupon information including the planned acquisition date indicating today's date at a predetermined time each day. The coupon issuance unit 5101 may obtain a coupon ID and a user ID from each retrieved prospective coupon information and generate acquired coupon information using the obtained information. The coupon issuance unit 5101 may store the generated acquired coupon information in the acquired coupon DB 54c. The coupon issuance unit 5101 may store each generated acquired coupon information in the acquired coupon DB 54c. At this time, the coupon issuance unit 5101 may notify the user that a coupon has been acquired. For example, the coupon issuance unit 5101 may send a notification by email. For example, the member information management server 3 may store each member's email address. The coupon issuance unit 5101 may obtain the email address associated with the user ID included in the acquired coupon information from the member information management server 3. The coupon issuance unit 5101 may use the obtained email address as the email address to which the email is sent. The coupon issuance unit 5101 may delete each retrieved prospective coupon information from the prospective coupon DB 54b.

[0084] The acquired coupon deletion unit 5102 may delete the acquired coupon information of the used coupon from the acquired coupon DB 54c when a coupon is used by a user. For example, the acquired coupon deletion unit 5102 may receive the aforementioned coupon deletion request from the user terminal 2. The acquired coupon deletion unit 5102 may delete the acquired coupon information, including the combination of coupon ID and user ID included in the coupon deletion request.

[0085] [1-4. Operation of the communication system] Next, the operation of the communication system S will be described with reference to Figures 19 and 20. The system control unit 11 of the campaign server 1 may execute the process shown in Figure 19 according to the program code included in the campaign server program. The system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 may execute the process shown in Figures 11 and 12 according to the program code included in the web browser and game program. The processes shown in these figures are illustrative, and any process may be executed as long as the objective is achieved. The order of the processes is not limited to the order shown in these figures. Also, at least one of the steps shown in these figures may be omitted.

[0086] Figure 19 shows an example of the processing of the communication system S. For example, user terminal 2 is displaying a trading service screen. This screen includes, for example, a link to a campaign screen. When the user selects this link, as shown in Figure 19, user terminal 2 sends a campaign screen request to campaign server 1, including the URL of the campaign screen (step S101). The game program transmission unit 1101 of campaign server 1, which receives the campaign screen request, sends an HTML document as an example of the screen information of the campaign screen to user terminal 2 (step S102). User terminal 2 displays the campaign screen based on this HTML document (step S103). When the user performs an operation to start the game on the campaign screen (step S104), the game processing unit 2101 executes the game processing according to, for example, a script included in the HTML document (step S105). When the game is over, user terminal 2 executes the game over screen display process (step S106).

[0087] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the game over screen display process executed by the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2. As shown in Figure 20, the reward granting unit 2104 obtains data for displaying the game over screen 300 from the HTML document of the campaign screen 100 (step S201). In the data for displaying the game over screen 300, all entry buttons 343 may be set to disabled. In addition, event handlers corresponding to events that operate each entry button 343 may be described in this data. This event handler may be a script that causes the user terminal 2 to send a coupon granting request to the coupon management server 5 according to the coupon corresponding to the operated entry button 343. Next, the performance information acquisition unit 2102 obtains the score finally determined by the game processing unit 2101 in the game processing (step S202). Next, the reward granting unit 2104 obtains the entry status of the reward corresponding to each of the multiple reward conditions (step S203). Each entry status may indicate "Entry not possible", "Entry possible", or "Not entered". "Entry Not Possible" indicates that it is not possible to apply for the reward. "Entry Possible" indicates that it is possible to apply for the reward. "Entry Already Made" indicates that the reward has already been applied for. For example, the entry status of the reward for each reward condition may be stored as a cookie in the storage unit 24. When the user terminal 2 executes the game over screen display process for the first time, the achievement condition identification unit 2103 may initially set the entry status of all reward conditions to "Entry Not Possible".

[0088] Next, the achievement condition identification unit 2103 sets the reward condition number i to 1 (step S204). The reward condition number is a number that identifies the reward condition. Next, the achievement condition identification unit 2103 determines whether the entry status i is "entered" or not (step S205). The entry status i indicates the entry status of the reward corresponding to the i-th reward condition. If the entry status i is "entered" (step S205: YES), the reward granting unit 2104 changes the label of the entry button 343 corresponding to the first reward condition in the data for displaying the game over screen 300 to "entered" (step S206). As a result, "entered" is displayed on the entry button 343.

[0089] If the entry status i is not "entered" (step S205: NO), the achievement condition identification unit 2103 determines whether the score obtained this time is equal to or greater than the score threshold value i (step S207). The score threshold value i indicates the condition value for the ith reward condition. If the score is equal to or greater than the score threshold value i (step S207: YES), the reward granting unit 2104 changes the entry status i to "enterable" (step S208). Next, the reward granting unit 2104 enables the entry button 343 corresponding to the ith reward condition in the data for displaying the game over screen 300 (step S209). The reward granting unit 2104 also changes the label of the entry button 343 corresponding to the ith reward condition to "enter here" (step S210).

[0090] When step S206 or S210 is completed, the process proceeds to step S211. Also, if the score is less than the score threshold value i (step S207: NO), the process proceeds to step S211. In step S211, the achievement condition identification unit 2103 determines whether the reward condition number i is less than the total number of reward conditions N. If the reward condition number i is less than N (step S211: YES), the achievement condition identification unit 2103 adds 1 to the reward condition number i (step S212), and the process proceeds to step S205. If the reward condition number i matches N (step S211: NO), the reward granting unit 2104 rewrites the data for displaying the game operation screen 110 in the HTML document of the campaign screen 100 with the data for displaying the game over screen 300, and displays the game over screen 300 (step S213). Next, the bonus granting unit 2104 stores each entry state in the memory unit 24 (step S214). After step S214 is completed, the game over screen display process ends.

[0091] Returning to Figure 19, after the game over screen is displayed, the user presses one of the valid entry buttons 343 displayed on the game over screen 300 (step S107). The user terminal 2, having detected this operation, sends a coupon grant request to the coupon management server 5 (step S108). This coupon grant request may include the coupon ID of the coupon corresponding to the reward conditions of the pressed entry button 343, the user ID of the user on the user terminal 2, and a predetermined expected acquisition date. The coupon granting unit 5101 of the coupon management server 5 generates expected acquisition coupon information using the coupon ID, user ID, and expected acquisition date included in the coupon grant request, and stores this expected acquisition coupon information in the expected acquisition coupon DB 54b (step S109). Note that the coupon granting unit 5101 does not need to store the expected acquisition coupon information twice if the same expected acquisition coupon information is already stored in the expected acquisition coupon DB 54b. Subsequently, when the scheduled acquisition date arrives, the coupon granting unit 5101 generates acquired coupon information using the coupon ID and user ID included in the stored scheduled acquisition coupon information, and stores this acquired coupon information in the acquired coupon DB 54c (step S110). The coupon granting unit 5101 then deletes the scheduled acquisition coupon information from the scheduled acquisition coupon DB 54b.

[0092] As explained above, according to this embodiment, if a user's performance on user terminal 2 in a predetermined game satisfies one of several predetermined reward conditions, each with a different level of difficulty, the reward condition that the performance satisfies is identified. Then, a reward corresponding to the identified reward condition is granted to the user. The more the user engages with the game, the higher the probability of fulfilling a more difficult reward condition. The rewards granted are rewards that can be used in transaction services that enable e-commerce. Therefore, by granting rewards that correspond to the user's level of engagement with the game, it is possible to encourage the use of e-commerce services.

[0093] Here, the specified game may be one in which the user can control an object. The object may be able to move within the game space. The user's performance may be shown as a performance value. The performance value may increase according to the degree of movement of the object during the game. Based on the performance value and several conditional values ​​for the performance value, the reward conditions that the user's performance must satisfy may be identified. In this case, the higher the degree of movement of the object, the more likely the user's performance is to satisfy reward conditions that are more difficult to achieve. Therefore, users can be made to engage in a game in which their performance is determined based on the degree of movement of the object.

[0094] Additionally, users may be granted coupons corresponding to reward conditions met by their performance. In this case, users can be encouraged to use the transaction service in a manner that allows them to utilize the coupons.

[0095] [2. Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Except for the points described below, this embodiment may be identical to the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the benefits granted to the user include points in a predetermined points program.

[0096] A points program may be a service that allows users to earn points on the condition that they pay the transaction price. For example, points equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the transaction price may be awarded to the user. The exchange rate between points and money is predetermined. For example, 1 point may be equivalent to 1 yen. The transaction price may be the price that the user pays to trade the item. Examples of transaction prices include purchase prices and usage fees. Furthermore, a points program may be a service that allows users to use their points to pay the transaction price. Using points for payment may mean paying all or part of the amount to be paid with points. The specified points program may or may not be included in the comprehensive internet service.

[0097] A service that allows users to use points they have earned is called a points program utilization service. A points program utilization service may be, for example, a service different from the points program itself, but which allows users to use the points program. A points program utilization service may be a service that allows users to use points through the points program for payments incurred from using that service. A transaction service may allow users to use points to pay for the transaction through the points program. In addition, at least one of the points program utilization services may be a service that awards points to users through the points program. A points program utilization service may include one or more transaction services. A points program utilization service may include at least a predetermined transaction service. A transaction service as a points program utilization service may allow users to use points for payments incurred from transactions in that transaction service. In addition, a transaction service as a points program utilization service may award points to a user equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the purchase price when the user settles the purchase price to be paid in a transaction in that transaction service. A points program utilization service may include one or more non-transaction services, or it may not. A non-transaction service may be a different type of service from a transaction service. An example of a non-transaction service is a service with recurring payment of usage fees. A subscription-based service is a service where the user pays a usage fee for the service periodically. For example, the usage fee may be paid monthly, every three months, or annually. Examples of subscription-based services include communication services, content distribution services, and other subscription services. A communication service may enable at least one of either voice communication or data communication. A communication service may also enable at least one of either mobile communication or fixed communication. Examples of mobile communication standards include 3G standards such as W-CDMA and CDMA2000, 4G standards such as LTE and WiMAX, and 5G standards such as IMT-2020.An example of a communication service that enables fixed communication is a fiber optic line service. A content distribution service may be a service that distributes digital content. Examples of content distributed include videos, music, and ebooks. A subscription-based service that utilizes a points program may allow users to use points to pay for the service. In addition, a subscription-based service that utilizes a points program may award points to a user equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the service fee when the user pays for the service. Another example of a non-transaction service is a payment service. A payment service may be a service that enables payment by electronic means. Examples of electronic payments include credit card payments, debit card payments, electronic money payments, app payments, and carrier billing. A payment service that utilizes a points program may allow users to use points to pay for the services that are settled through that payment service. In addition, a subscription-based service that utilizes a points program may award points to a user equivalent to a predetermined percentage of the amount paid when the user pays for the service.

[0098] As mentioned above, the transaction service may allow the user to specify whether or not to use points and the number of points to use each time they make a transaction. The non-transaction service may allow the user to pre-configure the use of points. For example, the user may be able to set whether or not to use points and the number of points to use. The non-transaction service may apply the user's pre-configuration to each payment. Alternatively, the non-transaction service may apply the setting only to the first payment after the user has configured the use of points. Furthermore, the non-transaction service may not allow the use of points for payments until the user makes a new configuration.

[0099] Suppose a user receives points from one of several point program services. This service is referred to as Service 1. Another service among the multiple point program services, different from Service 1, is referred to as Service 2. The user may use the points received from Service 1 at any of the multiple point program services. In other words, the user may use the points at either Service 1 or Service 2.

[0100] Points held by a user are called available points. A points program may offer one type of points or multiple types of points. Points may be classified according to how their expiration date is determined. Points held by a user expire after their expiration date. Examples of point types include regular points and limited-time points. The expiration date for regular points may be a predetermined period of time after the last time regular points were awarded to the user. In other words, the expiration date of regular points held by a user may be extended each time new regular points are awarded. Generally, regular points may be points awarded to a user in exchange for making a payment. The expiration date for limited-time points may be managed for each set of limited-time points awarded. The expiration date of each set of limited-time points cannot be extended. Generally, limited-time points may be points awarded to a user without requiring any payment. For example, if a user purchases an item during a limited-time campaign, regular points may be awarded to the user, along with bonus points which may be awarded to the user as limited-time points.

[0101] [2-1. Communication System Configuration] Next, the configuration and functional overview of the communication system S according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 21. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the communication system S according to this embodiment. In Figure 21, the same elements as in Figure 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figure 21, the communication system S consists of a campaign server 1, a plurality of user terminals 2, a member information management server 3, one or more transaction servers 4, one or more service servers 6, and a point management server 7. These devices are connected to a network NW.

[0102] In this embodiment, the campaign server 1 may include one or more transaction servers 4. If there are multiple transaction servers 4, each of those transaction servers 4 may perform processing related to different transaction services included in the points program usage service. Any one of the one or more transaction servers 4 may perform processing related to a predetermined transaction service.

[0103] Each service server 6 may be a server device that performs processing related to non-transaction services included in the points program usage service. If there are multiple service servers 6, those service servers 6 may perform processing related to different non-transaction services. For example, a service server 6 for a subscription-based service may perform processing related to billing for usage fees. For example, a service server 6 may perform calculation of usage fees for each period, acceptance of settings for point usage, settlement of usage fees, etc. A service server 6 for a payment service may accept settings for point usage, acquisition of transaction information related to payment settlement, settlement of payments, etc.

[0104] The point management server 7 may be a server device that performs processing for managing each user's points in the points program. The point management server 7 is an example of a rewards management device.

[0105] [2-2.Device configuration] [2-2-1. Service Server] Next, the configuration of the service server 6 will be described with reference to Figures 22 and 23. Figure 22 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the service server 6 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 22, the service server 6 includes a system control unit 61, a system bus 62, an input / output interface 63, a storage unit 64, and a communication unit 65. The system control unit 61 and the input / output interface 63 are connected via the system bus 62.

[0106] The system control unit 61 is composed of a CPU 61a, ROM 61b, RAM 61c, and the like.

[0107] The input / output interface 63 performs interface processing between the storage unit 64 and the communication unit 65 and the system control unit 61.

[0108] The storage unit 64 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. Databases such as a payment method DB64a and a settlement history DB64b may be stored in this storage unit 64.

[0109] Figure 23 shows an example of the contents stored in the database of the service server 6. The payment method DB64a may store information regarding the setting of payment methods for usage fees or purchase prices incurred for non-transaction services supported by the service server 6, for each user using the non-transaction service. For example, the payment method DB64a may store the user ID, payment method information, point usage selection information, and maximum number of points to use, all associated with each other. The user ID may indicate the user who set the payment method. The payment method information may indicate the method of paying usage fees or purchase prices. Examples of payment methods include credit card payment, debit card payment, electronic money payment, and bank transfer. The contents of the payment method information stored in the payment method DB64a may be the same as the contents of the payment method information stored in the purchase history DB44a. The point usage selection information may indicate the options selected by the user regarding whether to use points for payment. Examples of options include not using points, using some points, and using all points. The maximum number of points to use may indicate the maximum number of points that can be used for payment when the user has selected to use some points. Users can set their payment method for non-transaction services through a screen provided by the service server 6. The user terminal 2 may send the payment method information, point usage selection information, and maximum number of points to be used, along with the user's user ID, to the service server 6. The service server 6 may store the received information in the payment method DB 64a.

[0110] The settlement history DB64b may store the settlement history for non-transaction services supported by the service server 6. For example, the settlement history DB64b may store a settlement log for each settlement, indicating the record of the settlement. The settlement history DB64b may store the settlement log, for example, user ID, settlement date and time, billed amount, point usage information, and settlement amount, in association with each other. The user ID may indicate the user who made the settlement. The settlement date and time may indicate the date and time the settlement was made. The billed amount may indicate the amount of the usage fee or purchase price billed to the user. The point usage information may indicate the number of points used to pay the usage fee or purchase price. The settlement amount may indicate the amount settled. The settlement amount may be calculated by subtracting an amount equivalent to the number of points indicated by the point usage information from the billed amount.

[0111] The storage unit 64 further stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a service server program. The service server program may be a program that causes the system control unit 61 to execute various processes related to non-transaction services. The service server program may be acquired, for example, from another device via a network NW, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0112] The communication unit 65 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 65 connects to a device different from the service server 6 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0113] [2-2-2. Point Management Server] Next, the configuration of the point management server 7 will be described with reference to Figures 24 and 25. Figure 24 is a block diagram showing an example of the overview configuration of the point management server 7 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 24, the point management server 7 includes a system control unit 71, a system bus 72, an input / output interface 73, a storage unit 74, and a communication unit 75. The system control unit 71 and the input / output interface 73 are connected via the system bus 72.

[0114] The system control unit 71 is composed of a CPU 71a, ROM 71b, RAM 71c, etc.

[0115] The input / output interface 73 performs interface processing between the storage unit 74 and the communication unit 75 and the system control unit 71.

[0116] The storage unit 74 is composed of, for example, a hard disk drive. This storage unit 74 may store databases such as a regular points DB74a, a limited-time points DB74b, and a points expected to be earned DB74c.

[0117] Figure 25 shows an example of information stored in the database of the point management server 7 according to this embodiment. The normal points DB 74a may store information about normal points among the available points held by the user, for each user. For example, the normal points DB 74a may store the user ID, the number of normal points, and the expiration date in association with each other. The user ID may indicate the user who holds those normal points. The number of normal points may indicate the number of normal points. The expiration date may indicate the end date of the period during which those normal points are valid.

[0118] The Limited-Time Points DB74b may store information about limited-time points among the available points held by a user, for each set of limited-time points awarded. For example, the Limited-Time Points DB74b may store limited-time point information such as user ID, number of limited-time points, and expiration date, all associated with each other. The user ID may indicate the user who holds the limited-time points corresponding to the limited-time point information. The number of limited-time points may indicate the number of those limited-time points. The expiration date may indicate the end date of the period during which those limited-time points are valid.

[0119] The DB74c for points to be earned may store information about points to be earned. This information may also be related to points to be earned. For example, points to be earned may indicate points that a user is expected to earn as points that can be used in the future. For example, if a user pays for something through a points program service, points corresponding to the amount of that payment may be awarded to that user. In this case, the points may not be awarded immediately, but rather on a predetermined date. During that time, the user cannot use the points to be earned. For example, on a predetermined number of days after the date the points to be earned were awarded, or on a predetermined date, the points to be earned may become points that can be used by the user to whom they were awarded. In other words, ultimately, the user may be awarded points that can be used. The DB74c for points to be earned may store information about points to be earned, such as a user ID, point type, number of points to be earned, expiration date, and expected date of acquisition, in association with each other. The user ID may indicate the user to whom the points to be earned were awarded. The point type may indicate whether the awarded points to be earned are regular points or limited-time points. The number of points to be earned may indicate the number of points that have been awarded. The expiration date may be valid if the point type indicates limited-time points. The expiration date may indicate when the limited-time points awarded as points to be earned are valid. The expected earning date may indicate the date on which the awarded points to be earned become usable points. Note that usable points may be awarded directly to the user instead of points to be earned. In this case, the points to be earned DB74c is not necessary.

[0120] The storage unit 74 further stores various programs such as an operating system, a DBMS, and a point management server program. The point management server program may be a program that causes the system control unit 71 to execute various processes related to the point program. The point management server program may be acquired from another device via a network NW, for example, or it may be recorded on a recording medium such as magnetic tape, optical disk, or memory card and read via a drive device.

[0121] The communication unit 75 is composed of, for example, a network interface card. The communication unit 75 connects to a device different from the point management server 7 via the network NW and controls the communication status with the connected device.

[0122] [2-3. Overview of System Control Unit Functions] [2-3-1. Campaign Server] Next, we will describe the functional overview of the system control unit 11 of campaign server 1.

[0123] The game program transmission unit 1101 may send a program to the user terminal 2 as a game program that causes the user terminal 2 to execute a process for awarding points to users whose performance meets the reward conditions. For example, suppose that the screen information of the campaign screen stored in the memory unit 14 contains event handlers corresponding to events that occur when each entry button 343 in the game over screen 300 is operated. This event handler may be a script that causes the user terminal 2 to send a point award request as an example of a reward award request to the point management server 7. At least a part of the display of the game over screen 300 may differ from that in the first embodiment. For example, the reward information 342 may be information corresponding to the number of points to be awarded.

[0124] [2-3-2. User Terminals] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 21 of user terminal 2 will be explained with reference to Figure 26.

[0125] The reward granting unit 2104 may grant points to a user who played a predetermined game as a reward if the achievement condition identification unit 2103 determines that the performance of that game satisfies one of several reward conditions. The points granted may be points usable in a predetermined transaction service. The points granted may also be points usable in multiple services. The reward granting unit 2104 may grant a number of points corresponding to the reward condition identified by the achievement condition identification unit 2103 as the reward condition that the performance has met. The reward granting unit 2104 may grant more points the more difficult it is to achieve the reward condition.

[0126] Figure 26 shows an example of the relationship between reward conditions and rewards. As shown in Figure 26, the reward conditions are defined as a score of 1,500 points or more, a score of 3,000 points or more, and a score of 4,500 points or more. Note that there may be two reward conditions or four or more. If a user achieves a score of 1,500 points or more, 100 points will be awarded. If a user achieves a score of 3,000 points or more, 200 points will be awarded. If a user achieves a score of 4,500 points or more, 300 points will be awarded. If 1 point is equivalent to 1 yen, the points awarded will be equivalent to 100 yen, 200 yen, and 300 yen, respectively.

[0127] The reward granting unit 2104 may grant regular points to the user, or it may grant limited-time points. Alternatively, the reward granting unit 2104 may grant a portion of the points to be granted as regular points and the remaining points as limited-time points.

[0128] The reward granting unit 2104 may grant points by sending a point granting request to the point management server 7 as an example of a reward granting request. The point granting request may include a user ID, point type, number of points to grant, expiration date, and expected acquisition date. The user ID may indicate the user to whom the points will be granted. The number of points to grant may indicate the number of points to be granted. The point type may indicate whether the points to be granted are regular points or limited-time points. The number of points to grant may be the number of points corresponding to the reward conditions identified by the achievement condition identification unit 2103 as reward conditions that the game performance has met. The expiration date may be valid if the point type indicates limited-time points. The expiration date may indicate the end date of the period during which the granted limited-time points are valid. The expected acquisition date may indicate the date on which the points will be granted. If the point granting request does not include an expected acquisition date, the points may be granted immediately.

[0129] [2-3-3. Trading Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 41 of the transaction server 4 will be described. The transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may send screen information of the transaction details screen to the user terminal 2 in response to a transaction procedure request from the user terminal 2, allowing the user to make selections regarding the use of points. For example, the transaction details screen may accept operations to specify whether or not to use points, whether to use some points or all points, and the number of points to use. The number of points to use may indicate the number of points to be used. The transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may display the current number of available points on the transaction details screen. The number of available points may indicate the total number of points the user has as available points. The transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may obtain the number of available points for that user from the point management server 7. For example, the transaction details confirmation unit 4101 may send the user's user ID to the point management server 7. The point management server 7 may obtain the normal points stored in the normal points DB 74a associated with that user ID. The point management server 7 may also obtain the number of limited-time points associated with that user ID from the limited-time points DB 74b. The point management server 7 may calculate the total number of available points as the sum of the regular points and the limited-time points.

[0130] The transaction confirmation unit 4101 may calculate the payment amount to be settled according to the user's selection. As described in the first embodiment, the purchase amount is calculated by multiplying the price of the goods by the quantity purchased. The total amount is the sum of the purchase amount and the shipping fee. If there is no shipping fee, the purchase amount is the total amount. If the user does not use points, the total amount is the payment amount. If the user uses some points, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may calculate the payment amount by subtracting an amount equivalent to the number of points used from the total amount. If the user uses all points, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may calculate the payment amount by subtracting an amount equivalent to the number of available points from the total amount. If the amount equivalent to the number of available points is equal to or greater than the total amount, the payment amount is 0 yen. In this case, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may calculate the number of points equivalent to the total amount as the number of points used. The transaction confirmation unit 4101 may perform a process to subtract the number of points used from the number of available points of the user making the transaction. For example, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may reduce the number of available points by sending point deduction request information to the point management server 7. The point deduction request information may include the user ID of the user conducting the transaction and the number of points used. If the final payment amount is 1 yen or more, the transaction confirmation unit 4101 may execute a settlement process for the user to pay the amount indicated by that payment amount.

[0131] [2-3-4. Service Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 61 of the service server 6 will be described with reference to Figure 27. Figure 27 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 61 of the service server 6 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 61 may function as a settlement unit 6101, etc., as shown in Figure 27, by having the CPU 61a read and execute various program codes included in the service server program.

[0132] The settlement unit 6101 may perform processing to settle usage fees or purchase amounts incurred by a user using a non-transaction service supported by the service server 6. For example, the settlement unit 6101 may perform settlement processing based on information stored in the payment method DB 64a. For example, if the non-transaction service supported by the service server 6 is a service with recurring usage fee payments, the settlement unit 6101 may obtain the billing amount associated with the target user and period combination from a database (not shown) that stores the billing amount as usage fees for each combination of user and period. If the non-transaction service supported by the service server 6 is a payment service, the settlement unit 6101 may receive settlement information from the user terminal 2 of the user who made the transaction at the store or from a terminal device (not shown) used by an employee of that store. The settlement information is information indicating a request for settlement for the payment service, and may also be information indicating the content of the transaction. The settlement information may also include the billing amount as the purchase price. The settlement unit 6101 may determine the settlement amount based on the point usage selection information of the user making the settlement, the maximum number of points to use, and the number of points available. The settlement unit 6101 may obtain the number of available points in the same manner as the transaction confirmation unit 4101. If the user does not use any points, the settlement unit 6101 may determine the billing amount as the settlement amount. If the user uses some of the points, the settlement unit 6101 may use the smaller of the maximum number of points used and the number of available points as the number of points used. The settlement unit 6101 may calculate the payment amount by subtracting the amount equivalent to the number of points used from the billing amount. If the user uses all of the points, the settlement unit 6101 may calculate the settlement amount by subtracting the amount equivalent to the number of available points from the billing amount. If the settlement amount is 0 yen, the settlement unit 6101 may calculate the number of points equivalent to the billing amount as the number of points used. The settlement unit 6101 may perform a process to subtract the number of points used from the number of available points of the target user in the same manner as the transaction confirmation unit 4101.If the settlement amount is 1 yen or more, the settlement unit 6101 may execute a settlement process based on the user's payment method information to allow the user to pay the amount indicated by the settlement amount. This process may be the same as the settlement process executed by the transaction confirmation unit 4101. After executing the settlement process, the settlement unit 6101 may store a settlement log for that settlement in the settlement history DB 64b.

[0133] [2-3-5. Point Management Server] Next, the functional overview of the system control unit 71 of the point management server 7 will be described with reference to Figure 28. Figure 28 is a diagram showing an example of the functional blocks of the system control unit 61 of the service server 6 according to this embodiment. The system control unit 71 may function as a point granting unit 7101 and a point subtraction unit 7102, etc., as shown in Figure 28, by having the CPU 71a read and execute various program codes included in the temporary point server program.

[0134] The point granting unit 7101 may grant points to the user of the user terminal 2 in response to a request from that user terminal 2. For example, the point granting unit 7101 may receive the aforementioned point granting request from the user terminal 2. If the point granting request includes a planned acquisition date, the point granting unit 7101 may generate planned point acquisition information using the user ID, point type, number of points to be granted, and expiration date included in the point granting request. In this case, the number of points to be granted is used as the number of points to be acquired. The point granting unit 7101 may store the generated planned point acquisition information in the planned point acquisition DB 74c. The point granting unit 7101 may, for example, search the planned point acquisition DB 74c for planned point acquisition information including the planned acquisition date indicating today's date at a predetermined time each day. The point granting unit 7101 may obtain the user ID, point type, number of points to be acquired, and expiration date from each retrieved planned point acquisition information. If the point type indicates regular points, the point granting unit 7101 may add the number of points to be earned to the number of regular points stored in the regular points DB 74a associated with the user ID that matches the acquired user ID. The point granting unit 7101 may also change the expiration date stored in the regular points DB 74a associated with that user ID to a date a predetermined length after today. If the point type indicates limited-time points, the point granting unit 7101 may generate limited-time point information including the acquired user ID, the number of points to be earned, and the expiration date. In this case, the number of points to be earned is used as the number of limited-time points. The point granting unit 7101 may store the generated limited-time point information in the limited-time points DB 74b. The point granting unit 7101 may delete the retrieved number of points to be earned from the number of points to be earned DB 74c. If the point granting request does not include the expected date of acquisition, the point granting unit 7101 does not need to generate the number of points to be earned information. In this case, the point awarding unit 7101 may add the number of points to the normal number of points, or store the limited-time point information in the points to be acquired DB 74c, depending on the type of points included in the point awarding request.

[0135] The point deduction unit 7102 may, when a user chooses to use available points for payment, deduct the number of points used from the number of available points stored in the storage unit 14 associated with that user. For example, the point deduction unit 7102 may receive a point deduction request from the transaction server 4 or the service server 6. The point deduction unit 7102 may, for example, prioritize deducting limited-time points over regular points. For example, the point deduction unit 7102 may search the limited-time points DB 74b for limited-time point information containing a user ID that matches the user ID included in the point deduction request. The point deduction unit 7102 may deduct the number of points used from the number of limited-time points included in the limited-time points information. If the number of points used is greater than or equal to the number of limited-time points, the point deduction unit 7102 may delete the limited-time point information from the limited-time points DB 74b. In this case, the point deduction unit 7102 may calculate the difference between the number of points used and the number of limited-time points as the new number of points used. If multiple limited-time point information exists, the point deduction unit 7102 may repeat these processes until the number of points used becomes 0. If, even after all limited-time points have been used, the number of points used is 1 or more, the point deduction unit 7102 may subtract the number of points used from the number of normal points stored in the normal points DB 74a associated with that user ID.

[0136] [2-4. Operation of the communication system] Next, the operation of the communication system S will be explained with reference to Figure 29. Figure 29 is a diagram showing an example of the processing of the communication system S. In Figure 29, the same reference numerals are used for the same processes as in Figure 19.

[0137] As shown in Figure 29, steps S101 to S107 are executed first. In step S107, the user terminal 2 detects that one of the valid entry buttons 343 has been pressed and sends a point grant request to the point management server 7 (step S121). This point grant request may include the number of points to be awarded according to the reward conditions corresponding to the pressed entry button 343, the user ID of the user of the user terminal 2, the point type indicating a predetermined set of points from regular points and limited-time points, and a predetermined expected acquisition date. If limited-time points are to be awarded, the point grant request may also include the expiration date. The point grant unit 7101 of the point management server 7 generates expected acquisition point information using the number of points to be awarded, user ID, point type, expiration date, and expected acquisition date included in the point grant request, and stores this expected acquisition point information in the expected acquisition point DB 74c (step S122). Subsequently, when the scheduled acquisition date arrives, the point awarding unit 7101 increases the user's regular points or generates limited-time point information for that user, according to the type of points included in the stored scheduled acquisition point information, and stores this limited-time point information in the limited-time point DB 74b (step S123). The point awarding unit 7101 then deletes the scheduled acquisition point information from the scheduled acquisition point DB 74c.

[0138] As explained above, according to this embodiment, users are awarded a number of points corresponding to the reward conditions they meet based on their performance. The awarded points can be used across multiple services. Therefore, by offering rewards that are highly likely to be used, users can be encouraged to engage with the game.

[0139] [3. Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference. Except as described below, this embodiment may be identical to at least one of the embodiments described so far. In the embodiments described so far, the system control unit 21 of the user terminal 2 functioned as the game processing unit 2101, the performance information acquisition unit 2102, the achievement condition identification unit 2103, and the reward granting unit 2104. However, the system control unit 11 of the campaign server 1 may function as all or part of the game processing unit 2101, the performance information acquisition unit 2102, the achievement condition identification unit 2103, and the reward granting unit 2104. The system control unit 11 as the game processing unit 2101 may receive information indicating the user's operations during the game from the user terminal 2 and execute processing according to the user operations. The performance information acquisition unit 2102 may acquire performance information from the device of the campaign server 1 and the user terminal 2 in which the system control unit functioned as the game processing unit 2101. The achievement condition identification unit 2103 may identify the reward conditions that the user's performance must satisfy based on the acquired performance information. The system control unit 11, acting as the reward granting unit 2104, may, for example, display the game over screen on the user terminal 2 by transmitting the game over screen information to the user terminal 2. When the user operates the entry button 343, the system control unit 11 may receive information from the user terminal 2 that identifies the selected entry button 343 from among the multiple entry buttons 343. The system control unit 11 may send a reward granting request to the reward management device for a reward corresponding to the reward conditions that correspond to the received identification information. Alternatively, the campaign server 1 itself may be the reward management device, or the transaction service server 3, which also serves as the campaign server 1, may be the reward management device. In this case, the system control unit 11 may grant the reward by storing reward information indicating the reward to be granted in the reward database in association with the user identification information of the user to whom the reward is granted. Alternatively, the system control unit 11 may grant the reward by updating the reward information stored in the reward database in association with the user identification information of that user with reward information indicating the reward to be granted.

[0140] (Note 1) A reward system characterized by comprising: a means for acquiring performance information that acquires performance information showing the performance of a user of a terminal device in a predetermined game playable using the terminal device; a means for identifying a condition that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies from among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game, each having a different difficulty level of achievement; and a means for granting a reward that is available in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, and granting the reward to the user of the terminal device according to the identified condition.

[0141] (Note 2) The reward system according to Note 1, wherein the predetermined game is a game in which a user can operate an object that can move within the game space, the performance information acquisition means acquires performance information including performance values ​​which are obtained by adding values ​​according to the degree of movement of the object during the predetermined game, a plurality of condition values ​​are defined corresponding to each of the plurality of conditions, and the identification means identifies the conditions that the performance has satisfied based on the performance value and the plurality of condition values.

[0142] (Note 3) The benefit system according to Note 1 or 2, characterized in that the benefits granted include coupons usable in the transaction service.

[0143] (Appendix 4) The benefit system described in any one of Appendix 1 to 3, characterized in that the benefits granted include points that can be used in multiple services.

[0144] (Note 5) A method for granting benefits performed by a computer, comprising: a performance information acquisition step of acquiring performance information indicating the performance of a user of a terminal device in a predetermined game playable using the terminal device; a specification step of identifying a condition that has been met by the performance indicated by the acquired performance information, from among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance in the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving it; and a grant step of executing a process to grant a benefit to the user of the terminal device that is available in a transaction service enabling electronic commerce and corresponds to the specified condition.

[0145] (Note 6) A game program for a predetermined game playable using a terminal device, characterized in that the terminal device functions as: a means for acquiring performance information that acquires performance information indicating the performance of the terminal device user in the predetermined game; a means for identifying a condition among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game that the performance indicated by the acquired performance information has satisfied; and a means for granting a benefit to the user of the terminal device by transmitting benefit information indicating a benefit corresponding to the identified condition and user information indicating the user of the terminal device to a benefit management device that manages benefits in association with the user, the benefit being available in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce.

[0146] (Note 7) A server device comprising: storage means for storing a game program for a predetermined game playable using a terminal device; and transmission means for transmitting the stored game program to the terminal device, wherein the game program causes the terminal device to function as: performance information acquisition means for acquiring performance information indicating the performance of the terminal device user in the predetermined game; identification means for identifying a condition among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game that the performance indicated by the acquired performance information has satisfied; and granting means for granting the benefit to the user of the terminal device by transmitting benefit information indicating a benefit that can be used in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, corresponding to the identified condition, and user information indicating the user of the terminal device to a benefit management device that manages benefits in association with the user. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0147] 1 Campaign Server 2 User terminals 3. Member Information Management Server 4. Trading Server 5. Coupon Management Server 6. Service Server 7. Point Management Server 11, 21, 41, 51, 61, 71 System Control Unit 12, 22, 42, 52, 62, 72 System Buses 13, 23, 43, 53, 63, 73 Input / Output Interfaces 14, 24, 44, 54, 64, 74 storage section 15, 25, 45, 55, 65, 75 Communications Department 44a Purchase History Database 54a Coupon DB 54b Expected Coupons DB 54c Acquired Coupons DB 64a Payment Methods DB 64b Payment History Database 74a Normal Point DB 74b Limited-Time Points DB 74c Expected Points DB 1101 Game Program Transmission Unit 2101 Game Processing Unit 2102 Grade Information Acquisition Department 2103 Achievement condition specification part 2104 Special Offer Department 4101 Transaction Details Confirmation Section 5101 Coupon Issuance Department 5102 Delete acquired coupons section 6101 Payment Department 7101 Point Award Department 7102 Point deduction unit NW Network S Communication System

Claims

1. A means for acquiring performance information that acquires performance information indicating the performance of a user of a terminal device in a predetermined game that can be played using the terminal device, A means for identifying a condition that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies, among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving it. Display control means for displaying a screen on the terminal device that accepts operations for obtaining a reward, including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, in response to the termination of the predetermined game, wherein for each of the plurality of conditions, the elements that are the target of the operation for obtaining the reward corresponding to that condition are displayed on the screen, and the display control means makes it possible to accept only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, Granting means that performs a process to grant the aforementioned benefit according to the conditions corresponding to the manipulated element among the elements displayed on the aforementioned screen, A rewards system characterized by having the following features.

2. The aforementioned predetermined game is a game in which the user can control an object that can move within the game space, The performance information includes performance values ​​that indicate the performance, The performance information acquisition means determines the performance value by adding a value corresponding to the degree of movement of the controlled object during the predetermined game to the performance value, and acquires the performance information including the determined performance value. For each of the aforementioned conditions, a condition value is defined for the performance value. The reward system according to claim 1, characterized in that the identifying means identifies the conditions that the performance has satisfied based on the performance value and the respective condition values ​​of the plurality of conditions.

3. The reward system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the display control means is capable of accepting the operation on the element corresponding to each of the two or more conditions if the performance satisfies any two or more of the plurality of conditions.

4. The benefits system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the benefits granted include points that can be used across multiple services.

5. In a method of granting benefits performed by computer, A performance information acquisition step involves acquiring performance information that shows the performance of a user of a terminal device in a predetermined game that can be played using the terminal device, A selection step in which, among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving it, the condition that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies; A display control step that, upon completion of the predetermined game, causes the terminal device to display a screen that accepts operations for obtaining a reward, including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, the display control step that, for each of the plurality of conditions, displays on the screen the elements that are the target of the operation for obtaining the reward corresponding to that condition, and allows only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen to be accepted. A granting step which involves performing a process to grant the aforementioned benefit according to the conditions corresponding to the element that was operated on among the elements displayed on the aforementioned screen, A method for granting benefits, characterized by including the following:

6. A game program for a predetermined game that can be played using a terminal device, The aforementioned terminal device, A means for acquiring performance information that acquires performance information indicating the performance of the user of the terminal device in the predetermined game, A means for identifying a condition that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies, among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving it. Display control means for displaying a screen on the terminal device that accepts operations for obtaining a reward, including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, in response to the termination of the predetermined game, wherein for each of the plurality of conditions, the elements that are the target of the operation for obtaining the reward corresponding to that condition are displayed on the screen, and the display control means makes it possible to accept only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, Granting means that performs a process of granting the benefit to the user of the terminal device by transmitting benefit information indicating the benefit corresponding to the conditions of the operated element among the elements displayed on the screen, and user information indicating the user of the terminal device, to a benefit management device that manages benefits in association with the user. A game program characterized by functioning as such.

7. In the server device, A storage means for storing a game program for a predetermined game that can be played using a terminal device, A transmission means for transmitting the stored game program to the terminal device, Equipped with, The aforementioned game program, The aforementioned terminal device, A means for acquiring performance information that acquires performance information indicating the performance of the user of the terminal device in the predetermined game, A means for identifying a condition that the performance shown by the acquired performance information satisfies, among a plurality of predetermined conditions for the performance of the predetermined game, each having a different level of difficulty in achieving it. Display control means for displaying a screen on the terminal device that accepts operations for obtaining a reward, including a coupon usable in a transaction service that enables electronic commerce, in response to the termination of the predetermined game, wherein for each of the plurality of conditions, the elements that are the target of the operation for obtaining the reward corresponding to that condition are displayed on the screen, and the display control means makes it possible to accept only the operation for the element corresponding to the specified condition among the plurality of elements displayed on the screen, Granting means that performs a process of granting the benefit to the user of the terminal device by transmitting benefit information indicating the benefit corresponding to the conditions of the operated element among the elements displayed on the screen, and user information indicating the user of the terminal device, to a benefit management device that manages benefits in association with the user. A server device characterized by being configured to function as such.

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