Servers and Programs

Abstract

To provide a server and program which allows a player to readily communicate with an operator of a gift acquisition device.SOLUTION: A server includes: a communication part which communicates with a terminal of a player operating a gift acquisition device, and a terminal of an operator of the gift acquisition device; and a control part which controls a communication part so that the communication part sends a content sent from one of the terminal of the player and the terminal of the operator to the other of the terminals, on the basis of chat start condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a server and a program.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use where a player uses a terminal to operate a game machine such as a prize acquisition device online. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a gaming method for a crane game machine in which a crane game device is photographed and a player operates the crane game device with a terminal while viewing the image.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] [[ID=3s]]However, in the gaming method of Patent Document 1, it is not considered to exchange contents such as messages among a plurality of users.

[0005] An object of this disclosure is to provide a server and a program that enable a player to easily communicate with an operator of a prize acquisition device.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a server includes a communication unit that communicates with a terminal of a player who operates a prize acquisition device and a terminal of an operator of the prize acquisition device, and a control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit content transmitted from one of the terminals of the player and the operator to the other terminal based on a chat start condition. According to a second aspect of the present invention, the program causes the terminal to perform the following actions: communicate with the operator's terminal of the prize acquisition device via a server, and accept input of content to be sent to the operator's terminal based on chat start conditions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to this disclosure, players will be able to easily interact with the operator of the prize acquisition device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A diagram showing an example of the system configuration in one embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the communication unit of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the storage unit of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the control unit of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the communication unit of the terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the storage unit of the terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of a function realized by the control unit of the terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a prize acquisition device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] A flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] This diagram shows an example of a gameplay screen displayed on the player's device. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of continue information displayed on the player's terminal. [Figure 12] This diagram shows an example of an assist notification displayed on the player's device. [Figure 13]A diagram showing an example of a management screen displayed on an operator's terminal. [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of content being displayed in the chat bar on a player's terminal. [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of outputting content consisting of sound from a player's terminal in the first modification (1). [Figure 16] A diagram showing an example of a call button displayed on a player's terminal in the second embodiment. [Figure 17] A diagram showing an example of a call notification displayed on an operator's terminal in the second embodiment. [Figure 18] A diagram showing an example of a display area of content controlled according to the position of a prize in the fourth embodiment. [Modes for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0009] [Compliance with Legal Matters] It should be noted that the disclosure described in this specification is premised on compliance with the legal matters of the country of implementation required for the implementation of the present disclosure, such as communication secrecy.

[0010] Embodiments for implementing the server and program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] [System Configuration] FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a communication system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As disclosed in FIG. 1, in the communication system 1, a server 10, terminals 20 (terminal 20A, terminal 20B, terminal 20C), and game machines 40 (game machine 40A, game machine 40B, game machine 40C) are connected via a network 30. The server 10 provides a service for operating the game machine 40 to the terminals 20 owned by users via the network 30. Note that the number of terminals 20 and game machines 40 connected to the network 30 is not limited.

[0012] The network 30 serves to connect one or more terminals 20, one or more servers 10, and one or more game machines 40. That is, the network 30 means a communication network that provides a connection path so that after the terminal 20 is connected to the game machine 40 via the server 10, data can be transmitted and received between the terminal 20 and the game machine 40 via the server 10.

[0013] One or more parts of the network 30 may or may not be a wired network or a wireless network. The network 30 includes, by way of example and not limitation, an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a part of the Internet, a part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a mobile phone network, ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Networks), a wireless LAN, LTE (Long Term Evolution), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), Bluetooth (registered trademark), satellite communication, etc., or a combination of two or more of these. The network 30 can include one or more networks 30.

[0014] Terminal 20 (Terminal 20A, Terminal 20B, Terminal 20C) can be any information processing terminal capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. Terminal 20 includes, but is not limited to, smartphones, mobile phones (feature phones), computers (but is not limited to, for example, desktops, laptops, tablets, etc.), media computer platforms (but is not limited to, for example, cable, satellite set-top boxes, digital video recorders), handheld computer devices (but is not limited to, for example, PDAs (personal digital assistants), email clients, etc.), wearable devices (glasses-type devices, watch-type devices, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. Terminal 20 may also be referred to as an information processing terminal.

[0015] Since the configurations of terminals 20A, 20B, and 20C are basically the same, the following explanation will focus on terminal 20. Furthermore, where necessary, the terminal used by user X will be referred to as terminal 20X, and user information associated with user X or terminal 20X in a given service will be referred to as user information X. User information refers to user information associated with the account used by the user in a given service. User information includes, but is not limited to, information associated with the user, such as the user's name, user icon image, user's age, user's gender, user's address, user's hobbies and preferences, and user identifier, which are entered by the user or assigned by the given service. It may include any one of these, a combination thereof, or not.

[0016] Server 10 has the function of providing predetermined services to terminal 20. Server 10 may be any information processing device capable of realizing the functions described in each embodiment. Server 10 includes, but is not limited to, a server device, a computer (for example, a desktop, laptop, tablet, etc.), a media computer platform (for example, a cable, satellite set-top box, digital video recorder, etc.), a handheld computer device (for example, a PDA, email client, etc.), or other types of computers or communication platforms. Server 10 may also be referred to as an information processing device. If it is not necessary to distinguish between Server 10 and terminal 20, Server 10 and terminal 20 may or may not be referred to as information processing devices.

[0017] The game machine 40 is connected to the terminal 20 online and operates under the control of the server 10 in response to the operation of the terminal 20. The game machine 40 may be any device that can realize the functions described in each embodiment. For example, the game machine 40 may be a prize-winning device that provides a prize-winning game in which players can win prizes. Furthermore, a prize-winning game is a game in which a player wins a prize if the conditions for winning a prize are met as a result of the physical action of the game machine 40 performed by the player. Prize-winning games may also include, but are not limited to, games in which a prize is won by moving a prize (including a substitute medium for the prize) to a specific location using a crane arm, or games in which a prize is won by dropping a prize into a drop-off point using means other than a crane. Additionally, prize-winning games include a variety of prize-winning games that are not limited to games that move prizes, such as games in which a prize is won by putting a ball or stick into a specific hole.

[0018] [Hardware configuration of each device] The hardware configuration of each device included in communication system 1 will be explained using Figure 1.

[0019] (1) Hardware configuration of terminal 20 Terminal 20 comprises a control unit 21 (CPU: central processing unit), a storage unit 28, a communication interface 22, an input / output unit 23, a display unit 24, a microphone 25, a speaker 26, and a camera 27. The hardware components of terminal 20 are interconnected via bus B, not limited to but as an example. It is not mandatory for terminal 20's hardware configuration to include all components. For example, terminal 20 may have a configuration in which individual components, or multiple components, such as the microphone 25 and camera 27, are removed, or it may not.

[0020] The communication interface 22 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. This communication may be performed via wired or wireless connection, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the two parties is possible. The communication interface 22 has the function of communicating with the server 10 via the network 30. The communication interface 22 transmits various types of data to the server 10 according to instructions from the control unit 21. The communication interface 22 also receives various types of data transmitted from the server 10 and transmits them to the control unit 21. The communication interface 22 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 22 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may also be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0021] The input / output unit 23 includes a device for inputting various operations to the terminal 20, and a device for outputting the processing results processed by the terminal 20. The input / output unit 23 may have an integrated input unit and an output unit, or it may have separate input and output units, or it may not have been integrated.

[0022] The input unit is implemented by any or any combination of any type of device capable of receiving input from the user and transmitting the information related to said input to the control unit 21. The input unit includes, but is not limited to, hardware keys such as touch panels, touch displays, and keyboards, pointing devices such as mice, cameras (operation input via video), and microphones (operation input via voice).

[0023] The output unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 21. The output unit includes, but is not limited to, touch panels, touch displays, speakers (for audio output), lenses (for, but is not limited to, 3D (three-dimensional) output or hologram output), printers, and the like.

[0024] The display unit 24 is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of displaying data according to the display data written to the frame buffer. The display unit 24 includes, but is not limited to, touch panels, touch displays, monitors (including, but is not limited to, liquid crystal displays and OLEDs (organic electroluminescence displays)), head-mounted displays (HMDs), projection mapping, holograms, and devices capable of displaying images, text information, etc., in air (which may or may not be a vacuum). These display units 24 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

[0025] If the input / output unit 23 is a touch panel, the input / output unit 23 and the display unit 24 may be arranged facing each other and have substantially the same size and shape.

[0026] The control unit 21 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is implemented, but is not limited to, by a data processing device built into the hardware. Therefore, the control unit 21 may or may not be described as a control circuit.

[0027] The control unit 21 includes, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), and an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

[0028] The storage unit 28 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the terminal 20. The storage unit 28 includes, but is not limited to, various storage media such as HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), flash memory, RAM (random access memory), and ROM (read-only memory). The storage unit 28 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0029] Terminal 20 stores a program in the storage unit 28, and by executing this program, the control unit 21 performs the processing of each part included in the control unit 21. In other words, the program stored in the storage unit 28 enables terminal 20 to implement each function that the control unit 21 performs. Furthermore, this program may or may not be described as a program module.

[0030] Microphone 25 is used for inputting audio data. Speaker 26 is used for outputting audio data. Camera 27 is used for acquiring video data.

[0031] (2) Server hardware configuration Server 10 comprises a control unit 11 (CPU), a storage unit 15, a communication interface 14, an input / output unit 12, and a display 13. The hardware components of Server 10 are interconnected via bus B, not as an example but as an example. It is not mandatory for Server 10's hardware configuration to include all components. For example, Server 10's hardware may or may not include the display 13.

[0032] The control unit 11 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is implemented, not limited to but for example, by a data processing device built into the hardware.

[0033] The control unit 11 is typically a central processing unit (CPU), but may also be a microprocessor, processor core, multiprocessor, ASIC, FPGA, or otherwise. In this disclosure, the control unit 11 is not limited to these.

[0034] The storage unit 15 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the server 10. The storage unit 15 is implemented using various storage media such as HDDs, SSDs, and flash memory. However, in this disclosure, the storage unit 15 is not limited to these. Also, the storage unit 15 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0035] The communication interface 14 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. This communication may be performed via wired or wireless connection, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the two parties is possible. The communication interface 14 has the function of communicating with the terminal 20 and the game console 40 via the network 30. The communication interface 14 transmits various types of data to the terminal 20 according to instructions from the control unit 11. The communication interface 14 also receives various types of data transmitted from the terminal 20 and transmits them to the control unit 11. The communication interface 14 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 14 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may also be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0036] The input / output unit 12 is implemented by a device that inputs various operations to the server 10. The input / output unit 12 is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device that can receive input from a user and transmit information related to said input to the control unit 11. The input / output unit 12 is typically implemented by hardware keys such as a keyboard or a pointing device such as a mouse. The input / output unit 12 is not limited to these and may include, for example, a touch panel, a camera (operation input via video), or a microphone (operation input via voice). However, in this disclosure, the input / output unit 12 is not limited to these.

[0037] The display 13 is typically implemented as a monitor (but is not limited to, examples include a liquid crystal display or an OLED (organic electroluminescence display)). The display 13 may also be a head-mounted display (HMD) or not. These displays 13 may or may not be capable of displaying data in 3D. In this disclosure, the display 13 is not limited to these. Server 10 stores the program in the storage unit 15, and by executing this program, the control unit 11 performs the processing of each part included in the control unit 11. In other words, the program stored in the storage unit 15 enables Server 10 to implement each function that the control unit 11 performs. This program may or may not be described as a program module.

[0038] (3) Hardware configuration of the game console The game console 40 comprises a control unit 41 (CPU), a memory unit 47, a communication interface 46, an input / output unit 42, a display unit 43, a speaker 44, and a camera 45. The hardware components of the game console 40 are interconnected via bus B, not as an example but as an example. It is not mandatory for the hardware of the game console 40 to include all components. For example but as an example, the hardware of the game console 40 may or may not include the display unit 43.

[0039] The communication interface 46 transmits and receives various types of data via the network 30. This communication may be performed via wired or wireless connection, and any communication protocol may be used as long as communication between the two parties is possible. The communication interface 46 has the function of communicating with the server 10 via the network 30. The communication interface 46 transmits various types of data to the server 10 according to instructions from the control unit 41. The communication interface 46 also receives various types of data transmitted from the server 10 and transmits them to the control unit 41. The communication interface 46 may also be simply referred to as the communication unit. Furthermore, if the communication interface 46 is composed of a physically structured circuit, it may also be referred to as the communication circuit.

[0040] The input / output unit 42 includes a device for inputting various operations to the game console 40, and a device for outputting the processing results processed by the game console 40. The input / output unit 42 may have an integrated input unit and an output unit, or it may have separate input and output units, or it may not have been integrated.

[0041] The input unit is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of receiving input from the user and transmitting the information related to said input to the control unit 41. The input unit includes, but is not limited to, hardware keys such as operation buttons, touch panels, touch displays, and keyboards, as well as pointing devices such as mice, cameras (operation input via video), and microphones (operation input via voice).

[0042] The output unit is implemented by any or any combination of any type of device capable of outputting the processing results processed by the control unit 41. The output unit includes, but is not limited to, a touch panel, a touch display, a speaker (for audio output), a lens (for, but is not limited to, 3D (three-dimensional) output or hologram output), a printer, and the like.

[0043] The display unit 43 is implemented by any or a combination of any type of device capable of displaying data according to the display data written to the frame buffer. The display unit 43 includes, but is not limited to, touch panels, touch displays, monitors (including, but is not limited to, liquid crystal displays and OLEDs (organic electroluminescence displays)), head-mounted displays (HMDs), projection mapping, holograms, and devices capable of displaying images, text information, etc., in air (which may or may not be a vacuum). These display units 43 may or may not be capable of displaying display data in 3D.

[0044] If the input / output unit 42 is a touch panel, the input / output unit 42 and the display unit 43 may be arranged facing each other and have substantially the same size and shape.

[0045] The control unit 41 has physically structured circuitry to perform functions realized by code or instructions contained within the program, and is implemented, but is not limited to, by a data processing device built into the hardware. Therefore, the control unit 41 may or may not be described as a control circuit.

[0046] The control unit 41 includes, but is not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a processor core, a multiprocessor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), and an FPGA (field programmable gate array).

[0047] The memory unit 47 has the function of storing various programs and data necessary for the operation of the game console 40. The memory unit 47 includes, but is not limited to, various storage media such as HDD (hard disk drive), SSD (solid state drive), flash memory, RAM (random access memory), and ROM (read-only memory). The memory unit 47 may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0048] The game console 40 stores a program in the memory unit 47, and by executing this program, the control unit 41 performs the processing of each part included in the control unit 41. In other words, the program stored in the memory unit 47 enables the game console 40 to realize each function executed by the control unit 41. Furthermore, this program may or may not be referred to as a program module.

[0049] Speaker 44 is used for outputting audio data. Camera 45 is used for acquiring video data.

[0050] Each embodiment of this disclosure is described as being realized by the CPU of the terminal 20, server 10, and / or game console 40 executing a program.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 21 of terminal 20, the control unit 11 of server 10, and / or the control unit 41 of game console 40 may implement each process not only with a CPU having a control circuit, but also with logic circuits (hardware) or dedicated circuits formed on an integrated circuit (IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, LSI (Large Scale Integration)), etc., or they may not. Also, these circuits may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, and the multiple processes shown in each embodiment may be implemented by a single integrated circuit, or they may not. In addition, LSIs are sometimes called VLSI, Super LSI, Ultra LSI, etc., depending on the degree of integration. Therefore, the control units 21, 11, and / or 41 may or may not be described as control circuits.

[0052] Furthermore, the programs of each embodiment of the present disclosure (for example, not limited to, software programs, computer programs, or program modules) may or may not be provided stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium is a “tangible medium that is not temporary” on which programs can be stored. Also, the programs may or may not be for the purpose of implementing some of the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the programs may or may not be so-called differential files (differential programs) that can implement the functions of each embodiment of the present disclosure in combination with programs already recorded on the storage medium.

[0053] The storage medium may include one or more semiconductor-based or other integrated circuits (ICs) (for example, but not limited to, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), hard disk drives (HDDs), hybrid hard drives (HHDs), optical disks, optical disk drives (ODDs), magneto-optical disks, magneto-optical drives, floppy diskettes, floppy disk drives (FDDs), magnetic tapes, solid-state drives (SSDs), RAM drives, secure digital cards, or drives, any other suitable storage medium, or any two or more suitable combinations thereof. The storage medium may be volatile, non-volatile, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile, where appropriate. The storage medium is not limited to these examples and may be any device or medium capable of storing a program. The storage medium may or may not be referred to as memory.

[0054] The server 10, terminal 20, and / or game console 40 can realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by reading programs stored in a storage medium and executing the read programs.

[0055] Furthermore, the program of this disclosure may or may not be provided to the server 10, terminal 20, and / or game console 40 via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communication network or broadcast waves). The server 10, terminal 20, and / or game console 40 realize the functions of the multiple functional units shown in each embodiment by executing the program downloaded via the Internet or the like, for example, without limit.

[0056] Furthermore, each embodiment of this disclosure can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission. At least part of the processing in server 10, terminal 20, and / or game console 40 may or may not be implemented by cloud computing consisting of one or more computers. The configuration may or may not involve the server 10 performing at least a portion of the processing in terminal 20 and / or game console 40. In this case, the configuration may or may not involve the server 10 performing at least a portion of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 21 of terminal 20 and / or the control unit 41 of game console 40. The server 10 may be configured to perform at least a portion of its processing on the terminal 20 and / or the game console 40, or it may not be configured to do so. In this case, the server 10 may be configured to perform at least a portion of the processing of each functional unit of the control unit 11 on the terminal 20 and / or the game console 40, or it may not be configured to do so. Unless otherwise explicitly stated, the configuration of the determination in the embodiments of this disclosure is not mandatory, and a predetermined process may be performed if the determination condition is met, or if the determination condition is not met, or not.

[0057] The programs disclosed herein may be implemented using, but are not limited to, scripting languages ​​such as ActionScript and JavaScript®, object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Objective-C and Java®, and markup languages ​​such as HTML5.

[0058] Furthermore, and to reiterate, the various programs and data in this disclosure can be stored (recorded) on a computer-readable storage medium (recording medium). This storage medium includes various types of storage media such as magnetic disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, and flash memory.

[0059] <First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the communication unit 14 of the server 10 communicates with the terminal 20A of player A (user A) who operates the prize winning device 40 (game machine 40) and the terminal 20B of operator B (user B) of the prize winning device 40. Operator B is the administrator of the prize winning device 40 and, for example, if player A plays the prize winning game more than a predetermined number of times but does not win a prize, operator B will change the arrangement of the prizes to assist in winning a prize.

[0060] In environments where players operate the prize-winning device 40 directly, rather than online, they can communicate with the operator regarding advice on how to win assisted prizes (for example, the target position for crane operation). However, in environments where the prize-winning device 40 is operated online, it becomes difficult for players to interact with the operator. For example, when the operator is performing an assisting task, a message such as "Please wait" may be displayed on the prize-winning game screen, preventing the player from interacting with the operator at all. The operator also had to expend considerable effort to communicate information to the player, such as using gestures to give advice on winning prizes through a camera that films the prize-winning device 40. As a result of the difficulty in interacting with the operator, players were at risk of not being able to win prizes in a small number of plays. For example, a player might not understand the operator's intention to assist and might operate the prize-winning device 40 to a position different from the operator's intention.

[0061] Therefore, in the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 controls the communication unit 14 to transmit content (e.g., text, images, audio, etc.) sent from one of the terminals, player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B, to the other terminal, based on pre-set chat initiation conditions. This allows player A and operator B to exchange content such as advice or questions with each other. The contents described in the first embodiment are applicable to any of the other embodiments.

[0062] <Functional Configuration> (1) Server Functional Configuration Figure 2 shows an example of the functions realized by the communication unit 14 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The communication unit 14 includes, but is not limited to, a communication main processing unit 141 and an inter-terminal communication processing unit 142.

[0063] The communication main processing unit 141 has the function of performing communication main processing, which is the process of sending and receiving information between the terminal 20 and the prize acquisition device 40, under the control of the control unit 11.

[0064] The terminal-to-terminal communication processing unit 142 has the function of executing terminal-to-terminal communication processing, which is the process of communicating with terminal 20A of player A and terminal 20B of operator B, under the control of the control unit 11.

[0065] Figure 3 shows an example of information stored in the storage unit 15 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The storage unit 15 stores, as an example but not an exhaustive list, a server main processing program 151 that is read by the control unit 11 and executed as the server main processing.

[0066] Furthermore, the server main processing program 151 includes, as an example and not an exhaustive, a content transmission processing program 1511 as a subroutine program, which is read by the control unit 11 and executed as content transmission processing.

[0067] Furthermore, the memory unit 15 stores player information 152, not as an example but as an example. The player information 152 is information about players who have been registered in advance to play the prize-winning game, and may include, for example, the identification information of the terminal 20 (e.g., the player's name, identification number, etc.), information about other players associated with the player (e.g., a list of friends, etc.), the rewards for the prize-winning game that each player possesses (e.g., tickets, points, etc.), and the prizes that each player has won in the prize-winning game.

[0068] Furthermore, the memory unit 15 stores, as an example and not an exhaustive list, a chat start condition 153. The chat start condition 153 is the condition for initiating a chat between player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B. The chat start condition may include, for example, the fulfillment of an assist condition in which operator B assists in acquiring a prize in the prize acquisition device 40. Here, the assist condition is the condition in which operator B assists in acquiring a prize in the prize acquisition device 40 (for example, by rearranging the prizes to make them easier to acquire), and may be, for example, the condition that the number of times the prize acquisition game has been played reaches a predetermined value.

[0069] Figure 4 shows an example of the functions realized by the control unit 11 of the server 10 in this embodiment. The control unit 11 includes, but is not limited to, a server main processing unit 111 and a content transmission processing unit 112.

[0070] The server main processing unit 111 has the function of executing server main processing, which is processing for comprehensively controlling the server 10, according to the server main processing program 151 stored in the storage unit 15.

[0071] The content transmission processing unit 112, in accordance with the content transmission processing program 1511 stored in the storage unit 15, executes content transmission processing to transmit content sent from one terminal 20 of player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B to the other terminal 20B, based on the chat start conditions.

[0072] (2) Terminal Functional Configuration Figure 5 shows an example of the functions realized by the communication unit 22 of terminal 20A in this embodiment. The communication unit 22 includes, but is not limited to, a communication main processing unit 221 and a content transmission processing unit 222.

[0073] The communication main processing unit 221 has the function of executing the communication main processing, which is the process of communicating with the server 10, under the control of the control unit 21.

[0074] The content transmission processing unit 222 has the function of performing content transmission processing, which transmits the content input by player A to operator B's terminal 20B via server 10, under the control of control unit 21.

[0075] Figure 6 shows an example of information stored in the storage unit 28 of terminal 20A in this embodiment. The storage unit 28 stores, as an example, a terminal main processing program 281 that is read by the control unit 21 and executed as terminal main processing.

[0076] Furthermore, the terminal main processing program 281 includes, as an example and not an exhaustive, an input reception processing program 2811 as a subroutine program, which is read by the control unit 21 and executed as input reception processing.

[0077] Figure 7 shows an example of the functions realized by the control unit 21 of terminal 20A in this embodiment. The control unit 21 includes, but is not limited to, a terminal main processing unit 211 and an input reception processing unit 212.

[0078] The terminal main processing unit 211 has the function of executing terminal main processing, which is processing for comprehensively controlling the terminal 20A, according to the terminal main processing program 281 stored in the storage unit 28.

[0079] The input reception processing unit 212 has the function of receiving input of content to be sent to operator B's terminal 20B based on chat start conditions, according to the input reception processing program 2811 stored in the memory unit 28.

[0080] <Device configuration> (1) Device configuration of the prize acquisition device 40 Figure 8 shows an example of the configuration of the prize acquisition device 40 in this embodiment. The prize acquisition device 40 includes, but is not limited to, a housing 48, a crane 49, a drop-off opening 50, and a retrieval opening 51. A camera 45 is also positioned on the outside of the housing 48, for example, cameras 45a and 45b. The crane 49, cameras 45a and 45b are electrically connected to the control unit 41.

[0081] The enclosure 48 has a prize compartment R formed inside, and a placement section 52 for placing prizes P is arranged in the prize compartment R. The placement section 52 may be composed of, for example, a flat platform, a stepped platform, or multiple rod-shaped members. As a result, multiple prizes P can be placed on the placement section 52.

[0082] Furthermore, the prize room R may be formed to be enclosed by, for example, a transparent plate member that is visible from the outside. Outside the prize room R, cameras 45a and 45b are arranged to capture images of the crane 49 being operated under the control of the control unit 41. For example, camera 45a may be positioned in front of the housing 48 to capture images from the front of the prize room R. Camera 45b may be positioned to the side of the housing 48 to capture images from the side of the prize room R. The shooting range of cameras 45a and 45b may be set to include, for example, the crane 49 and the mounting section 52.

[0083] The crane 49 is positioned in the housing 48 to move within the prize room R under the control of the control unit 41. The crane 49 is positioned in the housing 48 to move, for example, in the forward / backward, left / right, and up / down directions relative to the housing 48. The crane 49 also has an arm, which is operated to open and close its tip. This allows the crane 49 to grasp the prize P.

[0084] The drop-off opening 50 is for dropping the prize P from the prize compartment R and is formed in the prize compartment R of the housing 48. The drop-off opening 50 may be formed, for example, on the bottom surface of the prize compartment R. A sensor for detecting the prize P that has fallen into the drop-off opening 50 may also be placed near the drop-off opening 50. This allows the control unit 41 to detect the acquisition of the prize P based on the detection signal from the sensor. Prize identification information may be attached to the prize P. This allows the control unit 41 to detect the acquisition of the prize P and the type of prize P based on the prize identification information. Examples of prize identification information include RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tags, IC tags, and code information. The sensor may also consist of a camera. The control unit 41 may detect the acquisition of the prize P based on the image captured by the camera. The control unit 41 may also detect the type of prize P based on the image captured by the camera.

[0085] The dispensing opening 51 communicates with the drop-off opening 50 and is used to retrieve the prize P that has been dropped into the drop-off opening 50. The dispensing opening 51 may be formed on the entire surface of the housing 48, for example.

[0086] <Information Processing> Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing flow performed by each device in this embodiment. From left to right, it shows an example of the processing performed by the control unit 21 of terminal 20A, the processing performed by the control unit 21 of terminal 20B, and the processing performed by the control unit 11 of server 10, respectively.

[0087] Each step in each process is indicated by a combination of uppercase letters and numbers, and the term "step" is omitted in this specification. Furthermore, the flowchart described below is merely an example of the process in this embodiment, and some steps in the flowchart described below may be omitted, or additional steps may be inserted. The same applies to other flowcharts in this specification.

[0088] First, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends a game start request to the server 10 to start the game on the prize winning device 40 based on the input operation of player A (A1). When the control unit 11 of server 10 receives the game start request, it sends a play screen for operating the prize winning device 40 to terminal 20A (C1). As a result, for example as shown in Figure 10, the play screen 62 is displayed on the display unit 24 of terminal 20A and the prize winning game starts.

[0089] Here, the play screen 62 may include, for example, a captured image 61 of the prize winning device 40. The play screen 62 may also include a switch button 63 for switching between a captured image 61 taken by camera 45a and a captured image 61 taken by camera 45b. The play screen 62 may also include an operation button 66 for operating the prize winning device 40. Here, the terminal 20A of player A and the terminal 20B of operator B, who manages the prize winning device 40, may be equipped with a chat function that allows for the bidirectional or unidirectional transmission of content (e.g., text, images, audio, etc.). For example, the play screen 62 may include a chat field 81 that allows for the bidirectional or unidirectional transmission of content to and from terminal 20B. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may also control the chat function to a disabled state when the play screen 62 is transmitted to terminal 20A. The terminal 20B may be configured to be portable by operator B, for example, or it may be installed in the prize winning device 40.

[0090] The control unit 21 of terminal 20A transmits an operation instruction for the prize acquisition device 40 to the server 10 based on the input operation of player A to the operation button 66 on the play screen 62 (A2). When the control unit 11 of server 10 receives the operation instruction from terminal 20A, it controls the prize acquisition device 40 based on that instruction (C2). For example, the control unit 41 of the prize acquisition device 40 may operate the crane 49 as shown in Figure 8 based on the operation instruction from player A transmitted from server 10. The control unit 41 may also transmit the prize acquisition result of the crane 49 to server 10 after the operation of the crane 49 is completed. Based on the prize acquisition result of the prize P, the control unit 11 of server 10 determines whether or not the prize P has been acquired, and if the prize P has been acquired, it may store the identification information of the prize P in the storage unit 15 in order to supply the prize P to player A, and may also transmit a prize acquisition notification of the prize P to terminal 20A. On the other hand, if the prize P has not been won, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may send continue information to the terminal 20A. As a result, the control unit 21 of the terminal 20A displays the continue information 68 on the play screen 62, as shown in Figure 11.

[0091] The continue information 68 may include, for example, a time limit 68a and a start button 68b. The start button 68b is a button that allows player A on terminal 20A to choose to play the prize-winning game again. The time limit 68a is the time limit that indicates the deadline for selecting the start button 68b. If the start button 68b is not operated within the time limit 68a, the control unit 11 of server 10 may transfer the right to play the prize-winning game to the next person reserved after player A. On the other hand, if the start button 68b is operated within the time limit 68a, the control unit 11 of server 10 may make the operation button 66 on the play screen 62 operable and restart the prize-winning game. This allows player A to play the prize-winning game repeatedly. In this way, the control unit 11 of server 10 controls the prize-winning device 40 based on the operation instructions of player A transmitted from terminal 20A.

[0092] Here, while controlling the prize acquisition device 40 as described above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines whether the chat start condition has been met to start a chat between player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B (C3). For example, the chat start condition may include the fulfillment of the assist occurrence condition, in which operator B assists in acquiring prize P in the prize acquisition device 40. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may count the number of times the prize acquisition game has been played repeatedly by player A, and determine that the assist occurrence condition has been met when the number of plays reaches a predetermined value. In this case, the predetermined value may be set for each prize acquisition device 40, for example, to a different value.

[0093] Furthermore, the predetermined value may be set to change based on the player A's play history. For example, if the assist conditions have been met and the player A has received assistance from operator B within a predetermined period (e.g., the past month), the control unit 11 of server 10 may set the predetermined value to be smaller than the standard. Also, the control unit 11 of server 10 may be set to change the predetermined value based on the history of the amount of payment made for prize-winning games (e.g., the number of tickets used), the history of prize P acquired in prize-winning games, etc. For example, the control unit 11 of server 10 may set the predetermined value to be smaller than the standard the more payment made. Also, the control unit 11 of server 10 may set the predetermined value to be smaller than the standard the fewer prize P acquired.

[0094] The control unit 11 of the server 10 repeats the process in step C3 until it determines that the chat start condition has been met. When the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines that the chat start condition for the prize acquisition device 40 operated by player A has been met, it requests player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B to enable the chat function (C4). For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may request terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function when the assist occurrence condition is met as a chat start condition.

[0095] When the conditions for generating assistance for the prize acquisition device 40 are met, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may put the play screen 62 of the terminal 20A into a standby state and send an assistance notification to the terminal 20A indicating that operator B will assist in acquiring a prize. For example, as shown in Figure 12, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may send an assistance notification 68c to the terminal 20A at the timing when the continue information 68 is displayed on the play screen 62, that is, at the timing when the game in which the conditions for generating assistance have been met (for example, a game in which the number of plays has reached a predetermined value) has ended. At this time, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may stop the function of the continue information 68 and put the play screen 62 into a standby state. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may stop the progress of the time limit 68a (for example, the countdown). The control unit 11 of the server 10 may also stop the function of the start button 68b.

[0096] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may send an instruction notification to operator B's terminal 20B instructing operator B to perform the assist operation of the prize winning device 40. As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B displays the instruction notification 86 sent from the server 10 on the management screen 87 of the prize winning device 40, for example, as shown in Figure 13. The management screen 87 may also include a chat field 88 that can send content bidirectionally or unidirectionally to and from the player's terminal 20. Here, the instruction notification 86 may include identification information 86a of the prize winning device 40, an assist start button 86b, and an assist completion button 86c. The identification information 86a may be configured to indicate, for example, the name, type, or location of the prize winning device 40. The assist start button 86b may be configured to notify the server 10 of the start of the assist operation in response to operator B's input. The assist completion button 86c may be configured to notify the server 10 of the completion of the assist operation in response to operator B's input. This instruction notification 86 allows operator B to quickly understand that the prize winning device 40 is the target of assistance. Furthermore, operator B can reliably move to the location of the corresponding prize winning device 40 based on the identification information 86a.

[0097] Next, when operator B arrives at the location of the prize acquisition device 40 and presses the assist start button 86b, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B sends an assist start notification to the server 10 indicating that the assist work will begin. Operator B then performs an assist operation, for example, by moving the prize P of the prize acquisition device 40 to a position where it can be easily acquired by the crane 49.

[0098] Here, when the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives the assist start notification, it may request terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may request terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function by sending a play screen 62 with the chat field 81 enabled to terminal 20A, and an administration screen 87 with the chat field 88 enabled to terminal 20B. Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may request terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function by sending a control signal to terminal 20A to enable the chat field 81 on the play screen 62, and a control signal to terminal 20B to enable the chat field 88 on the administration screen 87.

[0099] Thus, when the server 10 requests the activation of the chat function based on the chat initiation conditions, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A receives content input from player A for the chat field 81 on the play screen 62 (A3). The control unit 21 of terminal 20B also receives content input from operator B for the chat field 88 on the management screen 87 (B1). For example, when content is entered into the chat field 88, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B controls the communication unit 22 to send that content to the server 10 (B2). Operator B may send content such as an intention to assist or advice. Here, the chat field 88 may be configured to allow free content input. Alternatively, the chat field 88 may be configured to allow only content selected from pre-set templates or stamps.

[0100] When the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives content from terminal 20B, it controls the communication unit 14 to transmit that content to terminals 20A and 20B (C5). As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A outputs the content C1 transmitted from the server 10 to the chat field 81 of the play screen 62, as shown in Figure 14 (A4). The control unit 21 of terminal 20B also outputs the content C1 transmitted from the server 10 to the chat field 88 of the management screen 87 (B3).

[0101] Similarly, when content C2 is entered into the chat field 81 of the play screen 62, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A controls the communication unit 22 to send the content C2 to the server 10 (A5). Player A may send content C2 such as a reply to content C1 or a question to operator B. Here, the chat field 81 may be configured to allow free input of content C2. Alternatively, the chat field 81 may be configured to allow input only of content C2 selected from pre-set standard phrases or stamps.

[0102] When the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives content C2 from terminal 20A, it controls the communication unit 14 to transmit content C2 to terminals 20A and 20B (C6). As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A outputs content C2 transmitted from server 10 to the chat field 81 of the play screen 62 (A6). Also, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B outputs content C2 transmitted from server 10 to the chat field 88 of the management screen 87 (B4).

[0103] In this way, the control unit 11 of the server 10 controls the communication unit 14 to transmit content sent from one terminal 20 of player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B to the other terminal 20, based on the chat start condition. Furthermore, once the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B is enabled as described above, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines whether the chat end condition for terminating the chat function has been met (C7). For example, the chat end condition may include the fulfillment of the assist completion condition, which indicates the completion of the assist work. For example, when the assist completion button 86c shown in Figure 13 is pressed by operator B, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B sends an assist completion notification to the server 10 indicating the completion of the assist work. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may then determine that the assist completion condition has been met when it receives the assist completion notification from terminal 20B.

[0104] The control unit 11 of server 10 repeats the process in step C7 until it determines that the chat termination condition has been met. When the control unit 11 of server 10 determines that the chat termination condition has been met, it requests player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B to disable the chat function (C8).

[0105] As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A stops accepting content input to the chat field 81 of the play screen 62 (A7). Also, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B stops accepting content input to the chat field 88 of the management screen 87 (B5).

[0106] Furthermore, if the control unit 11 of the server 10 has stopped the function of the continue information 68 when the conditions for generating assistance are met, it may restart the function of the continue information 68. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may restart the progress of the time limit 68a. Also, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may restart the function of the start button 68b.

[0107] Then, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A determines whether player A will end the prize-winning game based on player A's input operation to the start button 68b in the continue information 68 (A8). If the start button 68b is pressed, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A determines that player A will play the prize-winning game again, returns to step A1, and sends a game start request to server 10. On the other hand, if the start button 68b is not pressed within the time limit 68a, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A determines that player A will end the prize-winning game, and ends the prize-winning game.

[0108] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 activated the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B based on the operator B's input operation to the assist start button 86b. However, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may activate the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B when the play screen 62 of terminal 20A is in a standby state (when the assist activation condition is met). Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may activate the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B when the prize acquisition game is started.

[0109] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 disabled the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B based on the input operation of operator B to the assist completion button 86c, but it is not limited to this, and the chat function may be disabled based on the chat termination condition. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may disable the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B based on the input operation of operator B to the start button 68b of the continue information 68. Also, a chat termination button may be provided on the play screen 62 and the management screen 87. In this case, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may disable the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B based on the input operation of player A or operator B to the chat termination button. Also, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may disable the chat function of terminals 20A and 20B when the prize acquisition game is terminated.

[0110] Furthermore, the operator B's management screen 87 may include a "Do Not Accept" button (not shown) that instructs the server 10 not to accept game start requests from players for a specific prize winning device 40 that is not being operated by a player. For example, while operator B is inspecting the prize winning devices 40, operator B may discover a prize winning device 40 that has a problem, specifically a prize winning device 40 in which the prize P has moved to a position where it cannot be won by the crane 49, or a prize winning device 40 that requires maintenance due to a malfunction, etc. When the operator B inputs the "Do Not Accept" button and specifies a prize winning device 40 with a problem, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B sends a "Do Not Accept" instruction to the server 10 for that prize winning device 40. When the control unit 11 of server 10 receives the "Do Not Accept" instruction from terminal 20B, it may control the prize winning game application, etc., so as not to accept new game start requests for the prize winning device 40 corresponding to that instruction.

[0111] <Effects of the First Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the communication unit 14 of the server 10 communicates with the terminal 20A of player A who operates the prize winning device 40 and the terminal 20B of operator B of the prize winning device 40. The control unit 11 of the server 10 then controls the communication unit 14 to transmit content sent from one terminal 20 of player A's terminal 20A and the other terminal 20B to the other terminal 20, based on the chat start conditions.

[0112] One example of the effects of this configuration is that player A can easily communicate with operator B of the prize acquisition device 40. This allows player A to communicate with operator B and confirm their intentions regarding assistance, etc. Furthermore, operator B can provide appropriate service to each player.

[0113] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the chat initiation condition includes the fulfillment of the assist occurrence condition in which operator B assists in acquiring prize P in the prize acquisition device 40.

[0114] As an example of the effects of this configuration, Player A can easily communicate with Operator B regarding the assistance work for prize P.

[0115] In the first embodiment, the communication unit 22 of terminal 20A communicates with terminal 20B of operator B of the prize acquisition device 40 via server 10. The control unit 21 of terminal 20A receives input of content C2 to be sent to terminal 20B of operator B based on the chat start conditions.

[0116] As an example of the effects of this configuration, player A can easily communicate with operator B of the prize acquisition device 40.

[0117] <First variation (1)> In the first embodiment, terminals 20A and 20B transmitted content including text, but they only need to transmit content, and are not limited to that.

[0118] In the first modified example (1), terminals 20A and 20B have a chat function for sending and receiving content including sound.

[0119] First, similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 requests terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function based on the chat start conditions (C4). As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A receives input of content including sound to the microphone 25 from player A (A3). Similarly, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B receives input of content including sound to the microphone 25 from operator B (B1). For example, when the control unit 21 of terminal 20B receives content consisting of sound to the microphone 25, it sends the content to the server 10 (B2). Then, when the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives the content from terminal 20B, it sends that content to terminal 20A (C5).

[0120] As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A outputs content C1 consisting of sound from the speaker 26, as shown in Figure 15 (A4). At this time, the control unit 11 of server 10 may also send content C1 consisting of text along with content C1 consisting of sound to terminal 20A. For example, the control unit 11 of server 10 may convert the content C1 consisting of sound received from terminal 20B into text and send the content C1 consisting of text along with content C1 consisting of sound to terminal 20A. As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A outputs content C1 consisting of sound from the speaker 26 and also outputs content C1 consisting of text to the chat field 81 of the play screen 62.

[0121] Furthermore, when the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives text-based content from one of the terminals 20A and 20B, it may convert that content into sound-based content and transmit the sound-based content to the other terminal 20. As a result, the control unit 21 of the other terminal 20 will output the sound-based content. Alternatively, when the control units 21 of terminals 20A and 20B receive text-based content from the server 10, they may convert that content into sound-based content themselves and output it.

[0122] In this embodiment, terminals 20A and 20B are equipped with the same chat function for sending and receiving audio content and text content, but the system is not limited to this, as long as content can be sent between terminals 20A and 20B. For example, terminal 20A may be equipped with a chat function for sending and receiving text content, and terminal 20B may be equipped with a chat function for sending and receiving audio content. In this case, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may convert the audio content sent from terminal 20B into text content and send it to terminal 20A, and convert the text content sent from terminal 20A into audio content and send it to terminal 20B.

[0123] <Effects of the first modified example (1)> In the first modified example (1), terminals 20A and 20B have a chat function for sending and receiving content including sound.

[0124] One example of the effects of this configuration is that operator B can minimize the impact of content input on the assistance work.

[0125] Furthermore, in the first variant (1), terminals 20A and 20B output content including text along with content including sound.

[0126] As an example of the effects of this configuration, even if player A and operator B miss the audio content, they can still confirm its content by referring to the text content.

[0127] <Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 requested terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function based on the fulfillment of the assist generation conditions. However, it is sufficient, and not limited to, enabling the chat function based on the chat start conditions.

[0128] In the second embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 requests terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function, using the fact that player A has requested a chat with operator B as the chat start condition.

[0129] Note that components identical to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and their further explanation is omitted. The contents described in the fourth embodiment are applicable to any of the other embodiments.

[0130] First, similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 controls the prize acquisition device 40 based on the operation instructions transmitted from the terminal 20A (C2), and determines whether the chat start condition has been met (C3). Here, the chat start condition may include that player A has requested to chat with operator B.

[0131] For example, if a problem occurs in the prize-winning game, such as when prize P moves to a position that crane 49 cannot reach, assistance from operator B may be required. In such cases, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A may display a call button 89 on the play screen 62 to request a chat with operator B from server 10, as shown in Figure 16. The control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends a chat request notification to server 10 in response to player A's input operation to the call button 89.

[0132] When the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives a chat request notification from the terminal 20A, it may put the play screen 62 of the terminal 20A into a standby state and send a call notification to the terminal 20A indicating that it is calling operator B. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may send the call notification to the terminal 20A so as to display the words "Calling" superimposed on the captured image 61. Alternatively, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may send the call notification to the terminal 20A so as to display a standby screen indicating that it is calling instead of the captured image 61.

[0133] Then, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines that the chat start conditions have been met based on the chat request notification sent from terminal 20A, and requests player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B to enable the chat function (C4). For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine that the chat start conditions have been met upon receiving the chat request notification and request terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function.

[0134] Furthermore, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine that the chat start conditions have been met when operator B arrives at the location of the prize winning device 40 based on the chat request notification, and may request terminals 20A and 20B to activate the chat function. Specifically, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may, based on the chat request notification, send a call notification to operator B's terminal 20B informing operator B of a call from player A. As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B displays the call notification 90 sent from the server 10 on the management screen 87 of the prize winning device 40, for example, as shown in Figure 17. Here, the call notification 90 may include identification information 90a of the prize winning device 40, a response start button 90b, and a response completion button 90c. The identification information 90a may be configured to indicate, for example, the name, type, or location of the prize winning device 40. The response start button 90b may also be configured to notify the server 10 of the start of player A's response in response to operator B's input. Furthermore, the response completion button 90c may be configured to notify the server 10 that player A has completed the response, in response to input from operator B.

[0135] This call notification 90 allows operator B to quickly receive a call from player A operating the prize winning device 40. Furthermore, operator B can reliably move to the location of the corresponding prize winning device 40 based on the identification information 90a. Subsequently, when operator B arrives at the location of the prize winning device 40 and presses the response start button 90b, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B sends a response start notification to server 10 indicating that it will begin responding to player A. The control unit 11 of server 10 then determines that the chat start condition has been met upon receiving the response start notification and may request terminals 20A and 20B to activate the chat function.

[0136] As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B transmits content C1 input from operator B to terminal 20A via server 10, as shown in Figure 16 (B2). Also, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A transmits content C2 input from player A to terminal 20B via server 10 (A4). Based on the exchange of content, operator B can understand player A's requests, for example, if prize P has moved to a position that the crane 49 cannot reach, and can move prize P to an appropriate position. Furthermore, operator B can understand the detailed content of player A's requests based on the exchange of content.

[0137] Next, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines whether the chat termination conditions for ending the chat function have been met, similar to the first embodiment (C7). For example, when the operator B inputs the response completion button 90c shown in Figure 17, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B sends a response completion notification to the server 10. The control unit 11 of the server 10 may then determine that the chat termination conditions have been met when it receives the response completion notification from terminal 20B. As a result, the control unit 11 of the server 10 requests that player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B disable the chat function (C8).

[0138] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 activated the chat function based solely on the fact that player A requested a chat with operator B. However, it is sufficient and not limited to activating the chat function based on chat initiation conditions. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may activate the chat function based on the fact that the assist generation conditions are met and player A has requested a chat with operator B. Specifically, when the assist generation conditions are met and the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives a chat request notification sent from terminal 20A in response to player A's input operation to the call button 89, it may request terminals 20A and 20B to activate the chat function.

[0139] <Effects of the second embodiment> In the second embodiment, the chat initiation condition includes player A requesting a chat with operator B.

[0140] One example of the benefits of this configuration is that player A can easily communicate with operator B if a problem arises in the prize-winning game.

[0141] <Third Embodiment> In the first and second embodiments, when the chat start conditions were met, the control unit 11 of the server 10 performed the process of sending content to operator B's terminal 20B or the process of calling operator B without limit on the number of times. However, if operator B is frequently called by a particular player A, it may interfere with operator B's work.

[0142] In the third embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 restricts communication between terminal 20A and terminal 20B based on the chat history between player A and operator B, if the amount of chat messages from player A to operator B exceeds a predetermined value.

[0143] Note that components identical to those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and their further explanation is omitted. The contents described in the third embodiment are applicable to any of the other embodiments.

[0144] First, similar to the second embodiment, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends a chat request notification to the server 10 based on the input operation of player A to the call button 89 shown in Figure 16, for example. Subsequently, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines that the chat start conditions have been met based on the chat request notification and requests terminals 20A and 20B to enable the chat function (C4). As a result, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A accepts content input from player A (A3). When content is input by player A, the control unit 21 of terminal 20A sends that content to terminal 20B via the server 10. Similarly, when content is input by operator B, the control unit 21 of terminal 20B sends that content to terminal 20B via the server 10.

[0145] Here, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may restrict communication between terminal 20A and terminal 20B based on the chat history between player A and operator B. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may restrict the sending of chat request notifications via the call button 89 based on the chat history between player A and operator B. Furthermore, if an error occurs in the prize acquisition device 40 (for example, a malfunction of the device, a prize P getting stuck, a malfunction of the crane 49, etc.), the control unit 11 of the server 10 may release the restriction on communication between terminal 20A and terminal 20B.

[0146] Specifically, the control unit 11 of the server 10 calculates the amount of chats Player A sends to Operator B based on the chat history between Player A and Operator B. For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may calculate the number of chats, such as the number of times Player A has called Operator B and the number of times content has been sent to Operator B, based on the chat history between Player A and Operator B, and if the number exceeds a predetermined value, it may control the call button 89 to be disabled. This limits the number of times Player A can call Operator B.

[0147] Furthermore, if an error is detected in the prize acquisition device 40, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may release the restriction on the call button 89, that is, control it to enable input of the call button 89. This allows player A to appropriately call operator B if a problem occurs in the prize acquisition device 40.

[0148] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 restricted communication based on the number of chats between player A and operator B, but it is not limited to restricting communication based on the chat history. For example, if a prize-winning game is played repeatedly by player A, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may restrict communication between terminal 20A and terminal 20B for a predetermined number of plays (e.g., 10 times) from that game if player A calls operator B during a certain game. Also, if player A moves to a different prize-winning game (changes the type of game being played), the control unit 11 of the server 10 may release the restriction on communication between terminal 20A and terminal 20B. Furthermore, if player A moves to a different prize-winning game, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may continue to apply the remaining number of plays for which communication was restricted in the previous game to the current game.

[0149] <Effects of the Third Embodiment> In the third embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 restricts communication based on the chat history between player A and operator B.

[0150] As an example of the effects of this configuration, the control unit 11 of server 10 can suppress the impact on operator B's work due to chatting with player A.

[0151] <Fourth Embodiment> In the first to third embodiments, the chat field 81 is located below the operation buttons 66 on the play screen 62, but is not limited thereto. For example, the chat field 81 may be displayed superimposed on the captured image 61 on the play screen 62.

[0152] In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 controls the display area of ​​the chat field 81 where the content is displayed, according to the position of the prize P placed by operator B.

[0153] Note that components identical to those in the first to third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their further explanation is omitted. The contents described in the fourth embodiment are applicable to any of the other embodiments.

[0154] First, similar to the first embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 transmits a play screen 62 for operating the prize winning device 40 to the terminal 20A (C1). As a result, the play screen 62 is displayed on the display unit 24 of the terminal 20A, as shown in Figure 18A. At this time, the play screen 62 may be configured to display a chat field 81 superimposed on the captured image 61 of the prize winning device 40. Then, the control unit 21 of the terminal 20A transmits an operation instruction for the prize winning device 40 to the server 10 based on the input operation of the player A to the operation button 66 on the play screen 62 (A2). When the control unit 11 of the server 10 receives the operation instruction from the terminal 20A, it controls the prize winning device 40 based on that operation instruction (C2).

[0155] Here, the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines whether the chat start condition has been met to start a chat between player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B (C3). For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may determine that the chat start condition has been met by the fulfillment of the assist generation condition. When the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines that the chat start condition has been met, it controls the display area of ​​the chat field 81 where the content is displayed according to the position of the prize P placed by operator B, as shown in Figure 18B.

[0156] For example, the control unit 11 of the server 10 may change the position and size of the chat field 81 so that it is displayed in a preset display area according to the position of the prize P placed in the prize acquisition device 40. Here, the display area may be set to a position or size that does not overlap with the prize P, crane 49, or drop-off point 50 placed in the prize acquisition device 40, for example, to fit in the back of the prize room R.

[0157] Then, the control unit 11 of server 10 requests player A's terminal 20A and operator B's terminal 20B to enable the chat function (C4).

[0158] In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 modified the display area of ​​the chat field 81 so that it would fit behind the prize room R in the captured image 61. However, the control unit 11 of the server 10 is not limited to this, as it is sufficient to control the display area of ​​the content according to the position of the prize P. For example, when the control unit 11 of the server 10 determines that the chat start condition has been met, it may modify the display area of ​​the content so that it does not overlap with the captured image 61, as shown in Figure 14.

[0159] <Effects of the 4th Embodiment> In the fourth embodiment, the control unit 11 of the server 10 controls the display area of ​​the content according to the position of the prize P placed by operator B.

[0160] One example of the effects of this configuration is that it can prevent the content display area from overlapping with the position of prize P, which has been altered by operator B's assistance.

[0161] <Other> While embodiments of this disclosure have been described based on the drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will find it easy to make various modifications and alterations based on this disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of this disclosure. Not limited to, but as an example, the functions, etc., included in each means, each step, etc., can be rearranged in a logically consistent manner, and multiple means, steps, etc., can be combined into one or divided. Furthermore, the configurations shown in each embodiment may be combined as appropriate. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0162] 1 System 10 servers 20 devices 30 Networks 40 Game machines (prize winning devices)

Claims

1. A communication unit that communicates with the terminal of the player operating the prize winning device and the terminal of the operator of the prize winning device, The system includes a control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit content sent via the chat function from one of the player's terminals and the operator's terminal to the other terminal, based on the chat initiation conditions. The control unit, Based on the chat history between the player and the operator, if the number of calls to the operator exceeds a first predetermined value, and if the number of content transmissions exceeds a second predetermined value, the communication by the communication unit is restricted in at least one of these cases. If an error is detected in the prize acquisition device, the communication restriction will be lifted. server.

2. A communication unit that communicates with the terminal of the player operating the prize winning device and the terminal of the operator of the prize winning device, The system includes a control unit that controls the communication unit to transmit content sent via the chat function from one of the player's terminals and the operator's terminal to the other terminal, based on the chat initiation conditions. The chat initiation condition includes the fulfillment of the assistance condition in which the operator assists in acquiring a prize in the prize acquisition device by changing the arrangement of the prizes, When the conditions for triggering assistance are met and the conditions for starting the chat are satisfied, the control unit controls the display area of ​​the content so as not to overlap with the position of the prize in the captured image after it has been rearranged by the operator, according to the position of the prize rearranged by the operator. server.

3. The server according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the chat initiation condition includes the player requesting a chat with the operator.

4. Communication between the operator's terminal and the server of the prize acquisition machine, Based on the conditions for initiating a chat, the chat function accepts input of content to be sent to the operator's terminal, Based on the chat history with the operator, communication via the server will be restricted in at least one of the following cases: when the number of calls to the operator exceeds a first predetermined value, and when the number of times the content is sent exceeds a second predetermined value. A program that, if an error is detected in the prize acquisition device, will lift the communication restriction and cause the terminal to execute a command.

5. Communication between the operator's terminal and the server of the prize acquisition machine, A program that, based on chat initiation conditions, accepts input of content to be sent to the operator's terminal via the chat function, and causes the terminal to execute the following: The chat initiation condition includes the fulfillment of the assistance condition in which the operator assists in acquiring a prize in the prize acquisition device by changing the arrangement of the prizes, Furthermore, a program that causes the terminal to execute the following when the conditions for triggering assistance are met and the conditions for starting the chat are met, thereby controlling the display area of ​​the content so that it does not overlap with the position of the prize in the captured image after it has been rearranged by the operator, according to the position of the prize rearranged by the operator.

Images